Qin Xiao couldn't believe that this was Xie Ran, the boy he had raised with great care.
In his impression, Ran Ran was handsome, with a cute dimple on his face when he smiled, and he was confident and high-spirited. The elders all liked that child. But the boy in front of him was pale, with chapped lips, half of his arm was broken, and the color of his pupils was different from that of ordinary people... He looked like a monster that crawled back from the depths of hell. How could he look like Xie Ran in the past
However, the familiar voice in his mind and that familiar mental power were telling Qin Xiao that this person was Ranran.
He has watched Xie Ran grow up since he was a child, how could he admit his mistake
Qin Xiao stretched out his hand tremblingly and touched the boy's head carefully.
Maybe it was due to long-term malnutrition, the hair of the person in front of him was dry like weeds, and had long lost its former luster. Qin Xiao was so heartbroken that he could hardly breathe, and his old voice couldn't stop sobbing: "Ranran... Are you really Ranran?"
The familiar gesture of patting his head made Xie Ran's eyes red instantly. He nodded vigorously and threw himself into his grandfather's arms like he did when he was a child.
Qin Xiao hugged him tightly. The boy was frighteningly thin, and it was unknown how many ups and downs he had gone through.
Noticing the child in his arms trembling slightly, Qin Xiao couldn't help but have tears in his eyes - it had been more than three years, and he thought his son's family of three had already died, but he didn't expect that Qin Luo and Xie Xi's only son had survived despite all the hardships.
How did Ranran spend the past three years alone
What happened to his eyes? Why was his arm broken? What caused his appearance to change so drastically? Qin Xiao simply couldn't imagine. He could only hug the child tightly and give a little warmth to the child who finally returned home.
The grandfather and grandson hugged each other. It was unknown how long it took before Xie Ran finally calmed down.
Qin Xiao gently touched his head and said softly in his spiritual world: "It's good that you're back... It's good that you're back... From now on, you stay with grandpa, grandpa will protect you and never let you suffer again..."
When Xie Ran heard this, he pushed Qin Xiao's arms away and said, "Grandpa, I can't stay with you."
Qin Xiao was stunned and looked at him distressedly: "Why?"
Xie Ran’s eyes were firm: “Dad, Mom, and the hundreds of soldiers of the Starlight Army, I don’t want them to sacrifice in vain.”
Qin Xiao couldn't help but frown when he heard this: "What happened on the Xinghui ship back then?"
Xie Ran explained, "Back then, my mother found out a top-secret information that the Dark Night Organization used a deserted planet near the Clock Constellation as a base to study drugs to control the Sentinels. She personally led the reconnaissance battalion and the vanguard battalion, intending to launch a surprise attack to wipe out that base, but unexpectedly, our whereabouts were exposed by an insider. Before we reached the Clock Constellation, we were suddenly intercepted by a group of strange space pirates."
"The number of those pirates was very large, and their weapons were very advanced. The Starlight Corps reconnaissance battalion fought with the pirates and suffered heavy casualties. Fortunately, Major Tang's command was precise and all the pirates were eventually repelled. But at the moment when all the soldiers returned to the starship, the starship suddenly activated the self-destruction program..."
"Mom only then realized that there were spies from the enemy mixed into the Starlight Corps. This was a coordinated show."
"That spy destroyed most of the escape equipment. The starship was about to explode in a few seconds. Mom and Dad teamed up to grab an escape pod to send me away. The others..." Xie Ran's eyes flashed with a trace of pain, "all wiped out."
Qin Xiao's face was extremely ugly. When he rushed to the scene, he only found a large amount of debris left by the explosion of the starship. He didn't expect there would be such an inside story. The enemy's terror exceeded his expectations. No wonder he couldn't find any clues after so many years.
"Grandpa, the Dark Night Organization not only colluded with the space pirates, but also sent a large number of undercover agents to lurk in major military corps and government agencies in the Federation. What mom found out back then was just the tip of the iceberg." Xie Ran looked at the old man in front of him and said word by word, "If you want to truly understand them, you must get inside them."
"Qin Xiao understood what he meant, and his pupils suddenly shrank: "You mean, we should also send undercover agents into the Dark Night Organization?"
"That's right, I am the best undercover candidate." Xie Ran said calmly.
"You? Ranran, do you know how dangerous this mission is?!" Qin Xiao said sternly, "If you go undercover and get discovered by the enemy, you could die at any time! Don't joke with grandpa like this!"
"I've died once, I'm not afraid of death." Xie Ran had obviously thought it over carefully, and his attitude was very firm. There was a calmness and courage in his eyes that had never been seen before. "Grandpa, everyone thinks Xie Ran is dead. Because of some adventures, my appearance has changed a lot. No one can recognize me. What's more, my arm is broken, and the chip implanted by the Guide Association has long disappeared. Now I am equivalent to a person without an identity."
"..." Qin Xiao looked at his broken arm and strange eyes, and his heart was broken. Ranran was right. With his current appearance, no one would recognize him as General Xie's son Xie Ran.
"But, your spiritual form is a red fox, and many people have seen it!" Qin Xiao said seriously.
"You don't have to worry about that." Two spirits suddenly appeared in Xie Ran's primeval forest, a flaming nine-tailed fox and a fluffy cute white fox. He said, "I have awakened two spirits, and the red fox has also transformed into a nine-tailed fox."
Qin Xiao looked at the scene in disbelief.
Dual spirits? The first dual spirit guide in the history of the Federation? Unexpectedly, after all the hardships this child went through, he turned out to be a blessing in disguise and became the guide with the highest spiritual power in the Federation!
"I can only show the Nine-Tailed Fox to the Dark Night Organization, and hide the White Fox until it comes into play at a critical moment. Grandpa, my mental power is very strong, I can seal my memories and hide them from their mental image inspection. With my face and heterochromia, no one will recognize me. I just need to forge an identity and infiltrate their organization, and they will never suspect that I have anything to do with General Xie."
Qin Xiao fell into silence for a long time.
Ranran's words made sense. He had a strong mental power, a double mental body that had never appeared before, special eyes, and a face that no one could identify... If they really wanted to send an undercover agent to infiltrate the Dark Night Organization, Ranran would be the perfect candidate, no doubt about it.
But how could he bear to do that? !
How could he bear to let this child, who had finally returned to him after going through so much hardship, go through another storm
The mission of an undercover agent is not something that ordinary people can do. Not only do you need to be ruthless and cooperate with the actions of the Dark Night Organization, you also need to have excellent acting skills and not reveal any flaws in front of the enemy. Being an undercover agent means that every step you take in the future will be like walking on thin ice.
Xie Ran was connected to his grandfather spiritually. After sensing his emotional fluctuations, he whispered, "Grandpa, let me go. I just want justice for my parents and those innocent soldiers who died."
“That’s why I try my best to survive.”
Qin Xiao did not say anything, but just hugged the thin child in his arms tightly - his baby had suffered so much, but this was not the end, and perhaps more suffering would be waiting for him in the future.
Qin Xiao felt heartbroken when he thought of this. He had failed to protect his son and daughter-in-law, and now, he could not protect their only bloodline. At that moment, the marshal seemed to have aged several years, but in the end... He agreed to Xie Ran's proposal with tears in his eyes.
***
A day later, the marshal secretly took Xie Ran to the treatment cabin and restored his arm. After three years of living with an arm broken, he almost forgot how to use his left hand. If he wanted his left hand to be as flexible as before, he would need some time for rehabilitation.
During this period of time, he stayed alone in a suburban villa to receive special training.
Professional training in acting quickly made him an excellent actor who could quickly control his emotions and expressions. His psychological quality became stronger and stronger. At the same time, he also memorized the detailed information of all federal government officials, military officials, and business celebrities.
By the time all preparations were made, more than four years had passed since the Starry Ship was blown up.
The marshal forged a new identity for him—Yu Ran, whose parents died and he was adopted by space pirates. He awakened to be a guide since he was a child, with S-level mental power and a spiritual body of a flaming nine-tailed fox. He is 18 years old this year. The space pirate gang he belonged to was wiped out in a military encirclement and suppression, leaving only Yu Ran as a survivor, who fled to the remote planet B73 in the constellation of Norma.
The planet B73 in the Constellation of Norma is one of the strongholds of the Dark Night Organization. This is the only secret that the Marshal has discovered in the past few years.
Xie Ran listened to his new identity and nodded, "It's easier to gain their trust by pretending to be a pirate fleeing and sneaking into the organization. From today on, my name is Yu Ran."
The identity was forged perfectly. As for how Yu Ran "escaped to Planet B73", the Marshal still needed to act out a play.
On the day Yu Ran set out, Qin Xiao met with him privately, held his shoulder, and said in a deep voice: "Xie Ran, from now on, you will be an undercover agent specially assigned by the federal military. Your mission is to infiltrate the Dark Night Organization and find out the truth behind the scenes. As the federal marshal, I grant you the power of life and death. When necessary, you can kill anyone who hinders your mission. When everything is settled, I will be your witness."
Yu Ran saluted the marshal with a standard military salute: "Yes, sir! I will do my best to complete the mission!"
The grandparents and grandchildren hugged each other and said goodbye in the villa.
Qin Xiao said: "Protect yourself."
Yu Ran nodded: "I will. Grandpa... take care."
That was the last time Yu Ran called Qin Xiao grandpa. From then on, the two of them were like strangers when they met.
On November 15, 499 of the Star Calendar, the Marshal ordered the Snow Leopard Corps to encircle and suppress the space pirates that appeared near the Norma constellation. Xie Ran found an opportunity to infiltrate that small "space pirate gang" and used mental suggestion to make everyone think that he was also a space pirate, and led them to the vicinity of Norma constellation.
The Snow Leopard Corps did not doubt the Marshal's orders and waited in the constellation of Norma.
The two sides opened fire immediately after they met. After a bloody battle, most of the pirates were killed on the spot. Yu Ran took the opportunity to escape with his superb driving skills and the powerful stealth ability of the Nine-tailed Fox and landed on the planet B73 in the Constellation.
Yu Ran joined the Dark Night Organization naturally.
More than a month later, the organization sent him to planet B73 to clean up the mess and kill several officials who were not in a good mood. The husband and wife who died in the mining accident happened to be named Yu, so the organization asked Yu Ran to pretend to be their son and lurk in the cake shop to look for opportunities.
In the early morning of January 1, 500 of the Star Calendar, a group of beasts raided the base and the Falcon Special Forces was ordered to rescue. Lu Zexuan met the injured Yu Ran in the collapsed cake shop, and their fate began.
Lu Zexuan stood deep in the memory palace and read all of Yu Ran's sealed memories.
His heart seemed to be tightly entangled by thorny vines. The feeling of heartache spread wildly along his nerves. Unconsciously, even his eyes became moist. It was hard to imagine that Yu Ran had endured so much pain and suffering in the past few years.
When Lu Zexuan thought of the scene of Yu Ran’s arms being torn off and his eyes being blinded, his heart ached and he wished he could suffer this pain for him.
Lu Zexuan was deeply distressed by Yu Ran's suffering, but he admired his wisdom and calmness. He climbed out of the depths of hell with great difficulty and finally returned home. He did not want to live the rest of his life in peace, but instead took the initiative to become an undercover agent...
In order to find the truth, he once again risked his life.
He is really strong.
Lu Zexuan clenched his fists and tried to calm himself down. The two of them were now spiritually integrated. If Lu Zexuan's emotions were too intense, Yu Ran would not be able to sleep well. Lu Zexuan took a deep breath and slowly exited the memory palace.
The moment Lu Zexuan left the palace, a more than ten-meter-thick mud barrier appeared behind him again, carefully hiding those memories.
No one would have thought that beneath the thick mud at the bottom of the lake was Yu Ran’s purest original intention, which he had spent a lot of mental energy to hide.
Lu Zexuan left the mental picture. He opened his eyes and looked at Yu Ran who was sleeping. He carefully reached out his hand and gently touched his hair. After more than a year of care, Yu Ran's hair was smooth and soft. That soft feeling spread to his heart.
Lu Zexuan said softly: "Of course, I seem to really like you..."
Xie Ran was cute and lively when he was a child, and Yu Ran was calm and strong after experiencing many twists and turns - he was so dazzling that Lu Zexuan was worried and anxious, but also made Lu Zexuan feel distressed and pity for him and willing to do his best to protect him.
When Lu Zexuan first discovered that Yu Ran was deceiving him, he was indeed angry and sad. But now that he knew the truth, all he felt was understanding and heartache.
"Of course, you definitely don't have the energy to think about emotional issues right now. It's okay, I won't make things difficult for you."
"Just remember, I am your sentinel, and I am willing to protect you with my life."
Yu Ran's mental strength was severely depleted. He slept for a long time and woke up dazedly at noon the next day. The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself sleeping in Lu Zexuan's arms. Yu Ran was stunned, rubbed his temple and sat up: "How long have I slept? Should I go find other team members?"
Lu Zexuan said, "Don't rush. Your mental strength has been severely depleted, so you should rest for another day."
Yu Ran thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I can recover in a day. I'll look for others tomorrow." Facing Lu Zexuan's gentle eyes, Yu Ran asked softly, "Have you read all my memories?"
Lu Zexuan nodded: "Yes."
Yu Ran: "Nothing you want to ask?"
Lu Zexuan was silent for a moment before he said, "No. If I were you, I would make the same choice as you."
Yu Ran felt a little warm in his heart - yes, if something had happened to the Falcon Corps and Lu Zexuan's parents had died accidentally, he would definitely try his best to survive and be willing to become an undercover agent to find out the real culprit behind the scenes.
Their beliefs are actually the same, which is also the key to Yu Ran's cooperation with Lu Zexuan.
The two looked at each other. Yu Ran did not see any sympathy in Lu Zexuan's eyes, but instead full of trust.
This made him feel much better. He didn't like being sympathized with or pitied.
Lu Zexuan gently put his arm around Yu Ran's shoulders and whispered in his mind: "Ran Ran, what happened in the past is over and cannot be changed. But from now on, you are no longer alone. You can lean on me if you are tired, and you can tell me if you have any worries. We have already spiritually combined. In the spiritual world that others don't know, you can find me at any time."
Yu Ran was stunned. He had been almost alone these years, and it was not easy to endure the days alone. But now, he had Lu Zexuan. He could face any difficulties together and discuss any plans together...
And the amazing thing is that since their spiritual union, they no longer need to use mind tentacles to communicate with each other mentally.
You don't even need to look each other in the eye.
Even if the two of them are back to back, doing their own things, in their own spiritual world, they can still communicate at any time - more importantly, no third person will know about this kind of spiritual communication!
Even under the nose of the Dark Night Organization, the two of them can chat in the spiritual world.
Yu Ran smiled and said, "The feeling of spiritual union is quite wonderful."
He was in a very happy mood. He didn't know what this emotion was. He just felt at ease for the first time in many years.
I used to think that the two foxes would never leave him, but now... Lu Zexuan would not leave him either, after all, the two of them were already spiritually bound. It turns out that the feeling of having someone accompany you is so reassuring.
Yu Ran put away his smile and suddenly thought of something: "Oh, right, today while I'm recovering my mental strength, you can practice your acting skills with me."
Lu Zexuan was stunned: "Practice acting?"
Yu Ran said: "When I take you out, you will have become my puppet. Do you know how to act as a puppet?"
Lu Zexuan pondered for a moment and put on an expressionless and cold look: "Is that so?"
Yu Ran couldn't help but laugh: "It's quite similar."
On the surface, Lu Zexuan does have a cold personality, so it's not difficult for him to play a "unconscious puppet with paralyzed face". However, it's quite difficult to keep a paralyzed face all the time and not show any expression no matter what Yu Ran says or does.
The two began to practice acting on the back of the Spider Queen.
Overhead, many small spiders were buzzing.
[Do you feel that Ranran is in a much better condition than before?]
[When he was on Red Spider Star, he was always alone and in a daze, looking very sad]
[This time I brought back a strange person, and he didn’t seem that sad]
The queen listened to the chattering of the little spiders and said softly, "Because he has a companion. He is no longer alone."
Humans are social animals. She could feel the loneliness in Yu Ran's heart during the three years she was here alone. But after coming back this time, Yu Ran's condition was indeed much better. She thought, Yu Ran must have met someone he could trust, so he could sleep in the other person's arms with ease, right
To the Spider Queen, human life is very short. I hope they can always accompany each other and walk the rest of their lives together.
(End of this chapter)