CH 82

“Was that too cheesy?” Lin Han began to blush as he spoke, and couldn’t help but lower his head. After all, he himself didn’t expect that he, who had always been treated as a workaholic, would one day be able to say such things.

But after getting together, they were supposed to change.

If not, then He YunTing might still be the same as when they first met, no matter how much he had kept in his heart, he wouldn’t have spoken it out loud, and he wouldn’t have said he missed him as frankly as he did now.

Lin Han took a moment to evaluate, and thought it was worth it.

“Anyway, you know what I mean.” Lin Han blinked and said to He YunTing. His window was left open and the wind blew in with a slight chill, making him subconsciously wrap his clothes tighter again.

“…Put it on.” He YunTing couldn’t help but say, half-heartedly adding, “Button it up.”

Lin Han froze for a moment, then smiled again and said, “Oh.”

He really listened to He YunTing, and reached out and put the jacket from his lap, and then carefully and meticulously put his clothes on, little by little, with his head down and his soft, slender fingers nimbly weaving between the materials, starting to button one by one from the bottom up.

He YunTing felt for the first time that it was a torment to watch someone wearing his clothes.

After a while, Lin Han’s fingers finally climbed to the top, and his index finger and thumb pinched the eyelet of the fengji button,1 “Should I fasten this one too?”

Actually, it was perfect the way it was.

He was wearing a military jacket that was obviously much larger than his size, with a long sleeve that enveloped his palm, revealing only the knuckles of a few fingers, and the tailored material covered his lean body tightly, while his Adam’s apple showed a piece of his snow-white skin, and his gaze went down to see only a tantalizing, glimpsed recess in the collar.

He had to ask again.

He YunTing couldn’t bear to look away, he actually wanted to say that Lin Han could do whatever he wanted, but the words that came out of his mouth turned out to be, “That button is very important.”

The tone of his voice sounded a bit awkward.

So Lin Han answered, buttoned up the buttons, and put up the collar to cover his neck tightly, to seal up some untimely reverie inside this military uniform.

This made it look more like a personal item.

“Are you ready?” Lin Han asked as if without any selfishness. He seemed to understand He YunTing’s feelings, yet he still willingly accompanied him in his illusion.

Even if they couldn’t meet, he was telling him that he had nothing to worry about.

“…Mn.” He YunTing felt some astringency and warmth in his throat.

Grr, who was satisfied after catching up with the drama, just wanted to habitually come over to Lin Han, but ended up climbing up and rubbing his fur against the other’s hand. Opening his bean eyes wide, but after seeing He YunTing’s clothes, his fur exploded, thinking he was rubbing against the wrong person, letting out a sad cry of dying, and was so scared that he fell off the bed.

Lin Han was amused by it, bending down to pick it up from the carpet, rubbing its soft fur for fear that it would fall and hurt, while saying, “So you recognize people by their clothes.”

When he thought of how Grr used to be so mean to He YunTing, and how he was so scared when he found out he was rubbing the wrong person, Lin Han found it new and interesting, and scratched his chin, “So you’re trying to appear fierce while cowardly at heart and being a fox exploiting the tiger’s might?”

He used two idioms in a row, so Grr didn’t understand him, and playfully jumped into his cupped palm without a sound. Such a relaxed atmosphere finally made a lot of He YunTing’s gloom disperse. There were some emotions surging inside him, and he also wanted to try to talk to the other about something that had been bothering him for a long time.

He waited for Lin Han to finish coaxing the little dumpling before looking at the person wearing his jacket and smiling gently in the light screen again, then called his name.

He YunTing asked, “Do you still remember what I asked you to check a few days ago?”

The smile on Lin Han’s face narrowed a bit, he intuited what He YunTing was going to say, “Yes.”

He YunTing gave Lin Han a deep look, a confession for ordinary people became difficult for him, “I clearly remember that day, the afternoon was shooting training.”

Lin Han’s heart sank and he let out a, “Mn.”

“But as you can see… I didn’t show up at the base for the whole afternoon that day. But no matter how I think back, I have no specific impression.”

Lin Han’s hand that was scratching at Grr’s hair also stopped.

“I’m confident in my memory.” He YunTing said, remembering again that Lin Han had said he only remembered what he wanted to remember, and added, “But not anymore. My memory… Something seems to have gone wrong.”

That was all He YunTing had to say. He didn’t mention that he was also curious why Lu AnHe didn’t say anything, nor did he say more about some other clues; he really seemed to just want to tell Lin Han that fact, that was all. But Lin Han understood that this was the limit of what he could say.

He YunTing felt as if he was confessing and showing his weakness. This was too much to carry alone, and even forgetting to unload the pressure, and continue to bear it alone.

Grr fell asleep, and Lin Han gently picked it up and put it back on the small cushion on the side, his voice a little lower, “I see.”

He YunTing added after a moment’s thought, “But there’s no way you can check the base without permission, plus I’m not here, in case there are any accidents…” He sounded a bit remorseful, as if he had just said it, and then began to feel habitually that he could actually not tell Lin Han, “I…”

“Don’t worry,” sensing the hesitation in his words, Lin Han smiled a little, “the fact that you’re willing to tell me is a great improvement.”

He YunTing was silent, but there was a dancing emotion in his eyes.

“So,” Lin Han curved his eyes a little and came closer, He YunTing could see the top buttons of his shirt refracting the harsh light under the lamp, “Keep up the good work, He YunTing. I will protect myself and I won’t check it out blindly.” Lin Han said, “This is a secret between us, don’t be afraid.”

—

Three days passed quickly, the people responsible for taking turns to monitor Xu Zhiheng came to report one by one, and didn’t find anything abnormal. Xu Zhiheng’s physical condition was also very stable these days, and the possible lesions and aura symptoms before the infection weren’t found in him at all.

On the fourth day, when Xu Zhiheng was picked up from the isolation area, his face was calm and he didn’t complain about the decision. He became excited when talking about the newly developed antigene, “It must be working! If not, we can do another experiment, believe me.”

Chang Lin’s expression was both happy and sad, he didn’t think things would really turn around, but there was always anxiety in his heart, “But the remaining infected cities are uneven, we can’t bring the experimental subjects to the central city for verification. It’s not realistic.”

Xu Zhiheng always had extreme self-confidence when it came to academics, “If you’re not sure, you can even use me for the experiment.”

Chang Lin was frightened by his words, not to mention that if the experts from the Empire ended up in an accident on their planet in order to study the antigen, he couldn’t imagine the consequences. It didn’t show on his face, but a thin layer of sweat formed on his back, “Why don’t you ask the General, see if he ‘s willing to cooperate with you.”

Xu Zhiheng was helpless and said with a bitter smile, “I was disobeying orders, and the last survivor of Licorro City wasn’t allowed to be brought back, so if I ask again, he will only get more angry.”

“But…” Chang Lin wanted to say something but stopped.

“I’ll take Professor Xu with me.” He YunTing’s eyes were slightly downcast and his voice didn’t rise and fall.

The group was stunned, not expecting He YunTing to take the initiative to say yes.

“What does Professor Xu plan to do? Is the quantity of your newly developed antigen sufficient, and is multiple injections needed? Can those frenzied aliens be injected, and how long will it take to take effect?” He YunTing asked his questions one by one, “If you’re prepared for all kinds of things, I will personally protect you.”

Xu Zhiheng was calm, “As long as you trust me, I will definitely find a way.”

He YunTing took Xu Zhiheng to another small city not far from the central city.

Since communication had recently been restored, each city was finally able to report their situation. This city was considered to be lightly infected, and since it was located at the end of the water supply cycle, and the original source had been cut off in time for the past few days, there were no new additions of those terrible aliens.

Since there were less than a hundred of them, the city government still had room to deal with them, and they confined the aliens, putting them in the city jail. The leaders of the small city met He YunTing for the first time, as well as a scholar of such high status in the Imperial academic world, and there was a visible nervousness in the reception.

But after Xu Zhiheng told them his request, the other barely hesitated, and even volunteered to help with the experiment.

“You’re the experts, the gems of the Empire with pheromones, so how can you personally come for such a matter?” The other spoke sincerely and took the initiative to accept the antigen handed over by Xu Zhiheng.

He YunTing’s eyes dimmed.

There were very few people like this in the Empire, but there were many on V Proton Star.

Even though they didn’t have pheromones, nor very high spiritual power, plus their technology wasn’t developed, they still cherished their people extraordinarily, even willing to use their own lives to take risks, just so that more people like him would no longer be infected.

When that one injection was injected into one of the alien bodies, everyone except Xu Zhiheng tensed up.

But the results showed quickly and they didn’t suffer for long.

The trembling limbs and nystagmus were gone, the hissing thirst was much lessened, and the injected aliens were recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye. Although they were still slightly stiff when walking, after half a day the vertical pupils were no longer visible, and even when they heard sound waves that would have caused a violent reaction, there were no longer any more intense changes. Even though they were still unable to speak, and could only squeeze out raw words from their throats, it was the best news V Proton had received in days.

Chang Lin was so excited after hearing this that his voice was muffled when he saw the two again, unable to say anything else but thanking them over and over.

Although the antigen wasn’t enough, as long as there was a way, it wasn’t a difficult task.

The whole V Proton Star was enveloped in hope again, and the people of the central city even wanted to spontaneously build a monument or statue for the formation that came to support them this time, in gratitude for the joy of regaining their lives.

Only He YunTing remained silent, not even revealing the slightest joy.

Everyone was too busy feeling grateful for the return from the dead, and while they were grateful, no one ever mentioned the three cities that had been there. Infection and survival would’ve been a wonderful thing, but those could no longer witness it.