Three hours later, the patrol ship dispatched by Pei Yao arrived at Henghe Star.
Li Jun, covered head to toe in grime, handed over more than six hundred Alphas.
The soldiers trussed up these dejected Alphas hand and foot and escorted them onto the patrol ship one by one.
The docking Captain watched as all the Alphas were loaded aboard, then turned back and saluted Li Jun. “Congratulations to Lieutenant Li and Second Lieutenant Cao for leading the company in capturing a major criminal syndicate, safeguarding significant assets for the Alliance—cough—and achieving an outstanding record of zero casualties while taking three times as many Alphas as your own team. Congratulations!”
Li Jun gave a wry smile. “Cut the formalities. Has the estimated loss been calculated yet? How much am I getting fined?”
The Captain, who had been his colleague for years, looked sympathetic. “I heard they’re still crunching the numbers.”
Li Jun’s face fell, and Cao Hongjie rubbed his forehead.
The Captain consoled them. “It’s fine. Handing over these Alphas should get you both a promotion. A fine’s just a fine—meals in the Military District are free anyway. You won’t starve.”
Li Jun: “…Thanks a lot. If you can’t comfort people, don’t bother, okay?”
The Captain cleared his throat twice and leaned in close, whispering, “How did you catch so many fugitives in such a short time? I heard you didn’t lose a single one, and not a soul got hurt… These Alphas aren’t low-level either. How’d you pull it off?”
Li Jun looked utterly exasperated.
Cao Hongjie hesitated to speak.
The Captain slung his arms around their shoulders, one on each side. “Come on, no need to be distant. What’s a tactical trick between friends that you can’t share?”
“No tricks,” Li Jun said, covering his face. “All thanks to connections.”
Captain: “?”
Cao Hongjie added, “Anyway, stay away from gambling.”
Captain: “??”
…
Meanwhile, Pei Yao sent a greeting holo-call during a break.
“…You didn’t give them those cards just to apply medicine, did you? The tiles you sold earlier weren’t even meant for this.”
Mu Chenxing sat in a corner away from his classmates, taking the call. He smiled at the words. “Desperados like them are either greedy or thrill-seekers. Gambling fits both perfectly.”
Pei Yao raised a brow. “Gambling doesn’t have sure wins.”
Mu Chenxing: “But the thrill—and the occasional big payout—covers up the losses. If they knew how to weigh pros and cons, they wouldn’t let gambling consume them in the first place.”
“So you just wanted them to enjoy the thrill?”
“Of course not.” Mu Chenxing explained, “By their original plan, they were supposed to rendezvous at two and head out at two-thirty.”
“But they probably gambled all night the day before.” After all, even the most obedient and disciplined Omegas in their Association slept in until eight. He didn’t believe these Alphas got up at seven to claim their tiles from him.
“They only returned the tiles to me near two-thirty today, meaning they gambled so hard they forgot their mission. Then they mustered and disembarked in under ten minutes—still riding the high of wins and losses, rushed for time—so their plan was bound to be sloppy, full of holes.”
“Swapping cargo under all that surveillance? Without care, something like Lishi—those shattered stones—would leak. Once I triggered the transport malfunction on the ship, the staff would check, and anything on them near scattered Lishi would ignite…”
Mu Chenxing sat cross-legged against the transparent glass wall, the vast starfield behind him, confidently recounting his intricate plan and psychological predictions from the past dozen hours.
After he finished blabbering on, there was no response from the other end.
Mu Chenxing shook his wristband, but the hovering Holo-Screen remained unaffected.
Helpless, he asked, “Are you even listening?”
Pei Yao snapped back. “I heard.”
“…Don’t brush me off—your eyes aren’t even moving.”
Pei Yao concisely repeated his words back.
Mu Chenxing eyed him suspiciously. “You heard it all, so why stay quiet?”
“I was thinking…” Pei Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, peering past him at the stars beyond. “Next leave, when I take you on a civilian flight, we’ll book a starview suite.”
Starview suite? For stargazing?
Mu Chenxing puzzled, “You fly through space all the time. Haven’t you seen enough?”
Pei Yao drawled leisurely, “I hear the ceilings and walls in starview suites are transparent. Lights off, under the stars—I’ll strip your clothes off one piece at a time—”
The call cut off.
I see why they don’t recommend workplace romance, Mu Chenxing thought expressionlessly. Reporting to a boss like this makes me want to kill him. A few more times and we’d break up for sure.
His wristband vibrated.
Mu Chenxing picked up again.
Pei Yao “tsk”ed. “Baby, I was fantasizing about our wonderful future—how could you hang up on me?”
Mu Chenxing huffed, “I was reporting work. What’s with the flirting?”
Pei Yao feigned shock. “Reporting work? Weren’t we making love talk?”
Mu Chenxing gave him dead-fish eyes.
Pei Yao chuckled. “Baby, you’re not even on duty yet. Even if you were, you wouldn’t report to me. I asked because I wanted to know how amazing my baby is—not for work.”
Mu Chenxing: “…Oh.”
“Sorry?”
Mu Chenxing coughed lightly. “What else do you want to know?”
Pei Yao propped his chin. “Where’d you learn all this stuff?”
Mu Chenxing: “…Self-taught genius.”
Pei Yao chuckled lowly.
Mu Chenxing said righteously, “What? Don’t believe me?”
“I do, I believe you.” Pei Yao gazed at him smilingly through the Holo-Screen. “Some people just read a book, listen to a lecture on tactics, and suddenly they’re dodging surveillance in a spaceport, smuggling goods, knocking out staff, rigging transport lines… Psychology, infiltration, detection, on-the-fly reactions, sleight of hand—all self-taught.”
He nodded solemnly. “Impressive. Way more than me—I was clueless fresh out of the academy.”
Mu Chenxing felt a twinge of guilt. “Cough… What could you do back then?”
“Brute force.” Pei Yao smiled calmly. “Nothing force can’t solve. If it can’t, just get stronger.”
Mu Chenxing: “…”
Same as how he handles disobedient types normally.
He hesitated, then said, “I want to know about your work too. Can you tell me a bit?”
He had the awareness of a soldier and remembered Pei Yao’s mood swings before, so he figured Pei Yao didn’t want him knowing work details. That’s why, separated for three years, he’d never pried.
Pei Yao wasn’t one to volunteer info either.
Or we’d never have almost broken up—well, just my one-sided fear.
But things were different now.
They were engaged.
He should trust Pei Yao, trust his judgment.
Whether to share was Pei Yao’s call—he wanted to know, so he’d ask, just like Pei Yao had.
Pei Yao didn’t refuse. “What do you want to know? Life in the Military District’s pretty monotonous. Nothing fun to share.”
Mu Chenxing’s eyes lit up expectantly. “What about patrols? You’re always talking about patrols. What do they involve? Flying Mecha around?”
Pei Yao burst out laughing. “Pfft—baby, space is huge. Patrolling in a Mecha would kill you from exhaustion.”
Mu Chenxing: “.”
He said stubbornly, “I can’t pilot a Mecha. How would I know if it’s tiring?”
Pei Yao flashed a mouthful of white teeth. “I’ll take you for a spin later.”
Mu Chenxing’s eyes sparkled. “I can go in too?”
Pei Yao shifted, leaning back in his chair. “If I’m piloting, yes. Anyone else, no.”
Mu Chenxing: “…Because of Pheromones?”
He’d looked it up—Mecha piloting required Alphas to boost neural conduction with Pheromones, so cockpits filled with the pilot’s scent.
Pei Yao: “Obviously.”
Mu Chenxing was speechless. “Just tell me about patrols then.”
Even after years here, he still couldn’t fathom Alphas’ possessive streaks.
Pei Yao obliged, explaining the patrol process: “The Fourth Military District covers five star systems in the northwest Border. We patrol each once every half-year.”
“Sounds long, but circling five systems means landing on every Barren Star. Star Beasts delay us, and a Beast Tide? Half a year flies by at full speed, no time to breathe. Soldiers go days without bathing; by the end, even max air recyclers can’t mask the stench of funky socks…”
The man’s tone stayed light, glossing over the fatigue and hardship, diving into each Barren Star’s quirks.
“R4-13 Planet’s all jagged weathered rock. Mecha on the ground? More thrilling than a training field—one misstep and you’re climbing out for half an hour. My orders, though—gotta train en route…”
…
This was their longest chat yet, and Mu Chenxing listened raptly.
If Tong Xiao hadn’t come calling for boarding time, he could’ve gone on forever.
Reluctantly ending the call, Mu Chenxing followed Tong Xiao back to the group.
The 35 new auxiliary soldiers from Henghe Star had boarded the port by evening. They’d all grabbed dinner together, then returned to the Stargazing Platform for cards.
Mu Chenxing didn’t like gambling, but Mahjong without bets was perfect for long hauls. Even the new 35 blended right in, the mood harmonious and relaxed.
Mu Chenxing counted heads and led everyone back to the ship.
The 35 new teammates filled the adjacent Cabin District—perfect for popping over during breaks.
The six hundred-plus Alphas, gear and all, were whisked away by Military District personnel. In a massive port like Henghe Star’s with thousands coming and going, they didn’t make a ripple.
With Mahjong Tiles and daily drills, ship life felt anything but dull—fulfilling, fun. The newbies griped only about sore muscles.
Four days later, at the next stop, they picked up the rest, forming Mu Chenxing’s full 235-man team.
Mu Chenxing had ordered more custom Mahjong Tiles online, collecting the port delivery with the final batch—no cost to him, as the two hundred-plus gambling addicts each chipped in for three sets.
Except I had to pay overweight fees collecting the package! Damn gamblers!
Fourteen days later, the ship arrived smoothly at Tianhong Star Port.
The 177 auxiliary soldiers—including those dozen Beta tech and logistics types—had red-rimmed eyes. The 19 Omegas who’d boarded with them at Central Star hugged Tong Xiao and the others, bawling.
Mu Chenxing was baffled.
“Wahhh, stay safe out there!”
“Keep in touch—let me know you’re alive!”
“Think of us when you’re in!”
“Any regrets, I’ll make them happen if I can!”
“You’re just Omegas, wahhh…”
…
Mu Chenxing: “…”
We’re heading to the Border Military District, not Border Prison!!
Speechless, he soothed the young auxiliaries and, under the ground forces’ leaders’ weird stares, handed over the 171 grief-stricken ones.
Finally rid of his new friends, Mu Chenxing led Tong Xiao and crew to the Tianhong Star Port buffet, leisurely enjoying dinner while awaiting the Military District supply ship.
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