Later that evening, Bai Yifeng brought over a pot of chicken soup. Fortunately, the chickens in this world were still normal chickens, though their size was a bit unusual. At least, before searching for ingredients in the canteen, Bai Yifeng had never encountered a situation where a single drumstick was larger than an entire normal chicken.
“Xiao Xu, get up and eat food.” When Bai Yifeng pulled back the ward curtain, he was mentally prepared to see the tactless Fang Yang still there, and was ready at any moment to splash the soup in his face. Instead of Fang Yang, however, he saw several burly soldiers surrounding Fang Xu.
Without exception, they were all Alphas. The pheromones radiating from them were not weak, yet none could compare to Fang Xu. Bai Yifeng could even withstand Fang Xu’s pheromones, so these ordinary yet multiplied scents had no effect on him whatsoever.
However, the gazes of these soldiers were far too fierce, forming a sharp contrast with the beaming Fang Xu sitting in their midst looking toward him.
“Brother Feng, you’re here! I’m starving.” Fang Xu tossed aside his blanket and sat up on the edge of the bed, not forgetting to kick the soldier blocking his way to the side. The latter’s eye twitched as he silently stepped back two paces to make room. He watched as the blond Alpha walked toward this suddenly appearing Beta, took the chicken soup from his hands, and opened it himself. A rich, dense aroma caused everyone to freeze for a moment.
Seeing Fang Xu dazed, Bai Yifeng thought he did not like chicken soup. He was about to ask if he wanted something else, but there were only a few dishes Bai Yifeng knew how to make. Chicken soup was one of his few specialties; after all, as long as the seasoning is right and it is stewed long enough, it is sufficient.
Before he could ask, one of the soldiers by the bed stepped forward and asked, “Is chicken meat not usually ground up to make meat patties? Is this the smell of chicken? Can chicken actually smell this good?”
Bai Yifeng: “…”
Alright, now he knew why the chickens were so big; the amount of chicken meat needed for patties was indeed massive.
“What? This is chicken?” The others gathered around as well. Bai Yifeng’s sharp eyes noticed they were all carrying weapons on their waists, so he instinctively took two steps back. Noticing his movement, the smile on Fang Xu’s face did not waver as he gave a heavy elbow strike to the comrade closest to him. Could he not see he was scaring Brother Feng!
Bai Yifeng served Fang Xu a bowl. Only after watching him drink half the bowl and eat a few pieces of chicken did he feel relieved, confirming that Fang Xu was merely surprised by the cooking method rather than being unaccustomed to his food. Fang Xu had done too much for him; he wanted to do something for Fang Xu in return.
As the Beta prepared to tidy up, he saw the soldiers still standing firmly in place, their expressions somewhat hesitant. He asked tentatively, “Would you all like some too?”
Fang Xu’s spirit jolted. This was specially made for him by Brother Feng; how could it be shared with others!
“You cannot finish this whole pot anyway,” Bai Yifeng said, reading his mind without even having to guess. Just as Fang Xu was about to say it was not impossible for him to force it down, he saw Bai Yifeng give him a look.
Fang Xu: “…”
Though he did not quite understand, he instinctively obeyed.
“I did not bring extra bowls and chopsticks. Will these work?” Bai Yifeng found some disposable paper cups and served a cup to everyone. Even the other two soldiers recovering in the ward received a cup. The group drank the soup in silence, all of them stunned by the flavor, yet no one had the nerve to ask for another bowl. They collectively handed their finished paper cups to an Alpha with a scar on his face. The man stepped forward and said to Bai Yifeng, “Thank you for the hospitality.”
Bai Yifeng waved his hand, intending to take the cups from him, but surprisingly, the man gave them a casual toss, landing the stacked cups perfectly into the trash can in the corner of the ward.
“Alright, alright, you have finished mooching your meal, now get lost, get lost!” Once Bai Yifeng went back to refill the small pot of chicken soup, Fang Xu hurriedly began chasing them out. “How can you have the thick skin to come and mooch a meal my boyfriend brought for me!”
“The mission,” the scarred man reminded him sternly. “You must join.”
“I have only just recovered from a serious illness.”
“It was just a loss of control during training; we have already heard.” Scarface was another Senior Colonel with the same military rank as Fang Xu, and the remaining three or four men were squad leaders from both their units. Regarding Fang Xu’s words, he gave no face at all. “It is no big deal for you.”
Fang Xu’s brow twitched. He was about to speak when he heard the man continue, “This training is a squad activity, and you can find partners to team up with. If you do not come, you will miss the chance to team up with your boyfriend.”
Fang Xu: “…That is a threat.”
“Actually, it is coercion and bribery.” Scarface nodded, not intending to hide his motives at all. “So, team up with us.”
“The other side is just coming over from a friendly planet for an exchange. Is such a big scene necessary?” someone nearby could not help but interject, asking their own scarred Senior Colonel, “I do not understand why we must drag Senior Colonel Fang along.”
Fang Xu followed with a nod, “Yeah, this mission did not require me to go originally. Why are you so set on bringing me?”
“The opposing team is not simple. As far as I know, they sent a squad of Atavistic soldiers.” Scarface’s words made Fang Xu perk up. “Atavistic? You mean the artificial humans from that Atavism technology they have been refusing to disclose?”
“Exactly. It is an experiment that violates human ethics, but because of the non-interference friendship agreement between our two planets, we cannot openly accuse them,” Scarface said in a heavy voice. “You are the only one who can contend with them. We need you.”
“I am in,” Fang Xu agreed immediately, emphasizing, “The higher-ups have wanted to take down that experimental base for a long time, but they cannot stop the fact that some people also want to acquire that artificial Atavism technology. This matter must be kept secret.”
Scarface poked his head out to glance at the two fellow patients who had shared the chicken soup earlier; the two soldiers both promised they had heard nothing today.
“When do we leave?” Fang Xu jumped off the bed, preparing to stretch his limbs and go collect the mission notification, when he saw Bai Yifeng poking his head in from the doorway. Seeming surprised that Scarface and the others had not left yet, he paused, but seeing that Fang Xu was already up, he simply beckoned to him.
Fang Xu threw a boastful glance at his future teammates. Scarface remained expressionless, but as Fang Xu walked past him, he stuck out a leg in an attempt at revenge. Fang Xu jumped just in time to dodge, flipped him the middle finger, and then trotted over to his boyfriend. “Brother Feng?”
Bai Yifeng pulled him into the hallway and pulled an exquisite little cake box from behind his back, placing it in his hands. “Here, it is spicy flavored.”
“Huh?” Fang Xu was stunned. “There are spicy cakes?”
“Just teasing you.” Bai Yifeng laughed and opened the outer box for him. Inside was a cute Golden Retriever puppy cream cake. The cake base had been specially baked and looked delicious.
Fang Xu was surprised and delighted, “Brother Feng, did you make this yourself?”
Bai Yifeng gave an “mm.” “It is not great. I had to consult a chef, so it took some time.”
“Wow, a puppy cake,” Scarface suddenly appeared behind Fang Xu to tease him. In the next moment, he was silently pinned to the ground by Fang Xu. Bai Yifeng was just about to tell Fang Xu to stop when he saw Scarface refuse to back down, quickly getting up to trade a few blows with Fang Xu.
Then, both sides bid each other a very friendly farewell and departed.
Bai Yifeng: “…”
“Brother Feng, thank you.” Fang Xu sent off his annoying teammates, stepped forward to give Bai Yifeng a hug, and said with a smile, “I have a surprise for you too.”
“I cough, cough, I need to run for my exam. Why did you follow me?”
Two days later, downstairs from the Medical Department, two doctors appeared on the running track usually requisitioned by the Combat Department. Both were wearing tracksuits, though one was running to the point of exhaustion while the other, though breathing heavily, at least looked decent.
“I have to follow the Combat Department on a mission the day after tomorrow, so I came over to adapt in advance.” Bai Yifeng replied to Marcel’s question while calming his racing heart and adjusting his breathing. “I heard, did you propose to break off the engagement with Song Ye?”
“Cough, cough.” Marcel had sat in an office for too long. It turns out Alphas are not all strong; at least, Marcel did not count. But he was working hard to be able to become Bai Yifeng’s colleague. “That is indeed the case.”
“What did Song Ye say?”
“He agreed.” When speaking of this, Marcel slowed his pace, and his speech became much smoother. “He agreed faster than I imagined. I was clearly very good to him, yet when it came to this, it seemed like he wanted to escape from me no matter how you look at it.”
Bai Yifeng also slowed down with him and said in a low voice, “It is normal. He might have loved you once, but the person he loves now is not you.”
“Forget it, it has nothing to do with me anymore.” Marcel sighed, jogging side-by-side with him. Just as he intended to tell Bai Yifeng, the mentor of his heart, about his dreams, a tall, blond figure suddenly appeared by the side of the track ahead. “Mr. Bai, why does that person up there look so much like the Senior Colonel?”
Bai Yifeng narrowed his eyes and sprinted for a few paces. Marcel never expected that Bai Yifeng, who had clearly run seven or eight laps with him, would still have the energy to sprint. By the time he reached the finish line, Bai Yifeng had already been wrapped in Fang Xu’s coat and pulled into his embrace. Their heads were tucked together, and Fang Xu did not forget to greet him, “You are running too? That is rare.”
Marcel: “…”
He wiped his face, knowing Fang Xu had always looked down on his cowardly demeanor. He intended to give a polite greeting and go back to change his clothes, but at that moment, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the Medical Department building nearby. All three were jolted. Fang Xu pulled out a uniquely shaped sidearm from somewhere and led the two toward the direction of the gunshot.
Before they even reached the door, a person was pinned to the ground by the arriving security personnel. A small pistol had tumbled to the floor, sliding to Bai Yifeng’s feet due to inertia. The Beta looked in shock at the Omega struggling on the ground, “Ye Lang, you…”
Ye Lang gritted his teeth and looked at him. Behind them, a weak-kneed Song Ye was helped out by others. He instinctively looked toward Marcel, who also habitually looked toward him, but shifted his gaze away in the next moment.
“Disarm him and send him to the Interrogation Department.” Fang Xu put away his sidearm, shielded Bai Yifeng behind him, and took out his terminal. He dialed a number and said coldly to the person on the other end, “Big brother, please make a trip to the military headquarters. There is something you need to cooperate with. Why did your sidearm end up in Ye Lang’s hands?”