When the starship landed at the starport, it was evening on the capital planet Leto. The thin clouds were blown away by the wind, and the shapes of the two satellites appeared against the light blue sky.
Qi Yan was the last one to walk out of the bridge connecting the starship and the ground.
It takes a total of six wormhole jumps to get from the Messier region to the capital star Leto. Qi Yan has rarely traveled far in recent years. It was only when he got on the starship that he discovered that he had developed a problem - dizziness during jumps.
Dizziness, palpitations, and difficulty breathing, the 27-hour interstellar voyage made him think he would die on the starship. Perhaps because his face was too pale, even the crew could not help but put a medical robot next to his seat, just waiting for him to get into trouble, and the medical robot would immediately start to rescue him.
Coming out of the corridor bridge, Qi Yan saw the empty parking area. A big red hovercraft was parked in the middle with its teeth bared. Next to the car stood a tall young man in a bright green jacket, waving at him with a bright smile.
Comparing this person's appearance with the holographic image he had received before, the overlap rate reached 97%, so Qi Yan walked over.
"You must be Qiyan! I didn't see you coming down just now, and I thought I remembered the wrong shift." Xia Zhiyang has a baby face. In order to make himself look more mature, he waxed his hair and put three silver skull rings on his earlobes. He looked at Qiyan, a little nervous, "Do you still remember me, Xia Zhiyang, I used to live next door to you, and my mom said we played toys together every day!"
Leto's stable gravitational field finally made people feel much more comfortable. Qi Yan nodded: "Remember."
Hearing the answer, Xia Zhiyang suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
His mother said that Qi Yan had been away for more than ten years and this was his first time back to Leto. He was unfamiliar with the place and a three-year friendship was still just friendship, so now was a good time for him to build a good relationship.
But his mother obviously overlooked an objective fact: who remembers things that happened when he was two or three years old
While Xia Zhiyang was muttering in his heart, he heard Qi Yan continue: "I still remember that summer when I was three years old, at your house, you stepped on the water on the floor, fell, and hit the display shelf, breaking five antique vases. After your mother came back, you cried and pointed your finger at me, saying that I broke them."
Xia Zhiyang was stunned: "You actually still remember this? Hahaha, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was young at that time and my survival instinct came into play. If my mother knew that I broke five vases, I would be dead or alive!"
He was a little curious about how Qi Yan could remember such a trivial thing from long ago so clearly. Then he thought that maybe he was just like him, and was forced by the adults in his family to review a lot of things from his childhood.
Without thinking any more, Xia Zhiyang pressed the button, and the door of the hover car parked nearby opened like wings, revealing a spacious space inside the car.
Xia Zhiyang boasted without any reservation: "Isn't it cool? I saved up my pocket money for half a year to buy this. It's the latest model, and only 100 units are available in the entire alliance!"
Qi Yan had never seen this type of hovercraft before. He glanced at the dimly lit control panel, subconsciously analyzed the control mechanism, and replied, "Cool."
After getting into the car, the lights on the control panel all lit up. Xia Zhiyang held the red joystick and asked with a smile, "You haven't been back to Leto for more than ten years. Do you want me to take you around? The Sky Diamond Plaza is pretty good. It has always been ranked in the top three of the 'must-visit places in Leto' list!"
Qi Yan rested his elbow on the window sill, and his sleeves slid down, revealing his cold, white, and thin wrists. He supported his temple with his hand and said, "I'm a little tired today."
"That's right. Interstellar jumps are not comfortable, especially when you exit the wormhole. You will be squashed. Then I will take you home to have a good sleep, and we can meet again in two days?"
"Not going to Qi's house." Qi Yan gave an address, "Can you take me there?"
"Yes, of course!" Xia Zhiyang agreed quickly, while blaming himself in his heart. Everyone knew about the Qi family's troubles. If Qi Yan went back now, he would be so angry that he would be angry for a long time, not to mention rest.
Thinking of this, he felt a little sympathy for his friend whom he hadn't seen for many years. Not only had he been exiled to a remote planet in the Messier region for more than ten years, but someone had also taken over his home and it looked like he wasn't in good health either.
Thinking of this, Xia Zhiyang couldn't help but glance at Qi Yan in the co-pilot seat.
Qi Yan sat in a relaxed position, wearing a burgundy shirt, looking out the window, with no obvious expression on the half of his face. His skin was cold and pale, making Xia Zhiyang wonder if he had lived in a place where the sun didn't shine for many years.
She looks... very good-looking, with eyes that are hooked inward and tilted outward, a crescent-shaped eye arc, and slightly raised eye tails. Now, she half-lowers her eyes, looking a little listless, with a bit of nonchalant coldness.
Comparing his memory with Uncle Qi's appearance, Xia Zhiyang guessed that Qi Yan should look like his mother.
The hovercraft was driving in the slow lane, and Xia Zhiyang deliberately slowed down. He held the joystick and introduced: "On the right is the park that opened a few years ago. It is said that it gathers many animals and plants from other planets.
The launch tower we are about to pass is a military site. Although I have lived in Leto for more than ten years, I still don’t know what that thing is used to launch…”
Qi Yan looked over and saw the military's long sword and silver shield emblem printed on the tower, reflecting the light of the setting sun, which was particularly dazzling.
"… On the right, on the right! Do you see that large white marble building? Turan Academy, the top school in the capital! It's not easy to get in. My dad spent a lot of money to get me in, and it was so hard to keep up with the course progress. Every time the end of the semester came, I was almost dead!" Xia Zhiyang thought, "What about you? Which school did your family arrange for you to go to?"
"Turan College. But it wasn't arranged by my family."
Thinking that Qi Yan didn't want to admit that he paid to get into Turan, Xia Zhiyang didn't respond, but said happily: "That's perfect! The planet you used to live on is very-a bit remote. It's normal that the education level is different from that of the capital planet, but don't feel pressured. If you can't keep up with the classes, I can find someone to help you write your homework. Just deal with it for now. You look smart, and you will definitely catch up slowly. By the way, you are in the first grade, right?"
The white roof of Turan Academy quickly disappeared from view. Qi Yan retracted his gaze and asked Xia Zhiyang, "What grade are you in?"
"I'm nineteen, so of course I'm in the second grade."
Qi Yan: "I am also nineteen years old, and I am also in the second grade."
My friend, are you really in your right mind? Skipping a whole school year and jumping straight to the second grade? Aren't you afraid of getting blank papers in all the final exams and leaving your name in the history of the school
Seeing the hesitation in Xia Zhiyang's eyes, Qi Yan did not change his mind: "Second grade, I'm nineteen this year."
"Okay, the first month of school is a buffer period. If you regret it, you can apply for demotion." Xia Zhiyang thought that they were not familiar with each other now, and it would be annoying if he continued to persuade him. Anyway, when school really started, Qi Yan would definitely give up in less than a week.
When passing by the Sky Diamond Plaza, Xia Zhiyang drove the hovercraft around it and said, "The Sky Diamond Plaza is the Leto Center. The conference hall of the alliance is also here. If you have time in the future, I can take you to see it."
Qi Yan's eyes swept across the square's magnificent buildings, exquisite sculptures, and colorful fountains. The beautiful scenery that was worthy of admiration from others did not arouse his interest and did not leave any trace in his eyes.
When the hovercraft stopped at the destination, it was already dark. Leto's unique double moon hung in the dark blue night sky, casting deep shadows on the trees in the dark.
Xia Zhiyang looked outside. The buildings were low and the flower beds were overgrown with weeds. He didn't quite understand why Qi Yan wanted to live in such a dilapidated and almost abandoned civilian area.
But he definitely wouldn't ask this question. He stuck his head out of the car window, the silver ring on his ear reflecting the light: "Then you should have a good rest first, and remember to come to me if you need anything!"
Qi Yan stood on the street, the dim light outlining his thin figure: "Okay, thank you for coming to pick me up today."
"You're welcome!"
"At least we played with toys together when we were three years old." Xia Zhiyang was too embarrassed to say this. He scratched his head and said, "Anyway... you should pay attention to your family's situation. It's good to go back two days later... No more, no more, I'm leaving."
It was not until the hovercraft disappeared from his sight in the blink of an eye that Qi Yan turned around and walked into the residential area according to his memory.
Unlike what Xia Zhiyang thought, Qi Yan returned to Leto once when he was eleven years old and lived here.
The buildings in this residential area are old. I didn't meet anyone as I walked inside. Even the number of lighted windows in several buildings could be counted on one hand.
In front of the building gate, Qi Yan suddenly stopped, and the fingers hanging by his side began to tremble uncontrollably.
He originally thought that after eight years, he had overcome the impact of that memory.
But the reality is that before I even got upstairs, my body showed resistance.
Standing there, the night wind passed through my body, the thin material of the shirt stuck to my skin, and I felt a tight and suffocating feeling.
The next second, realizing something, Qi Yan looked at the dim street lights, silent tree shadows, and low bushes one by one. A faint smell of blood lingered around his nose in the wind. Qi Yan frowned slightly and took a few steps in the direction of the wind.
In a light-proof corner of the building, the smell of blood was so strong that it was suffocating. A person was lying on his side, and he did not respond to people approaching. It was obvious that he was unconscious.
Qi Yan walked closer, turned on his personal terminal and switched to low light, then he could see clearly that the man in front of him had a penetrating wound on his waist and abdomen, a blood hole as big as a fist, the surrounding skin was burnt and curled, and a blood-soaked gauze was loosely draped under his ribs, the blood on it had dried and turned thick black.
It took almost no detective work to guess that this man was dying.
Qi Yan's eyes fell on the penetrating wound again. He had seen such a wound before - only a light particle gun would leave such a mark. However, due to its powerful lethality, the light particle gun was extinct in the capital star according to regulations. It was controlled by the military and supplied exclusively to the front line of the Southern Cross Region.
After a three-second pause, Qi Yan squatted down, lifted the other person's chin with his fingers, and looked up.
In the dim light, a face that could be praised as good-looking caught my eye.
Due to excessive blood loss, his skin was pale and his lips were light, which made the contours of his eyebrows and eyes look deep and angular, and even the lines seemed tough, without any sign of weakness caused by being captured by death.
After seeing the man's facial features clearly, Qi Yan's pupils shrank slightly, and even his breathing stopped for a few seconds. His fingertips, which had been trembling all the time, suddenly tightened.
"Boom—" The explosions rang in my ears one after another, causing waves of pain in my eardrums. The bridge of the command ship kept shaking, making it difficult for people to stand steadily.
"Report to the command, the escort fleet is completely destroyed!"
"Report to the command, destroyer sequence 2-31 has lost response!"
"Report! The protection system has failed and the armor layer has been breached!"
"Report!… "
Countless figures turned into distorted blocks of color, and the clamor gradually became unreal, as if separated by a vacuum membrane. The palms pressed against the wall were burned by the heat, and the blood dried into scabs before it flowed out, and finally turned into nothingness.
"Bang-"
Lu Fenghan suddenly opened his eyes.
What caught his eye was a black display panel, and the data displayed on it was very familiar to Lu Fenghan. Skipping the heart rate, blood pressure, repair percentage and other values, Lu Fenghan saw the date: July 29, 216 in the Star Calendar.
Three days have passed.
The last memory was him unconscious in a secluded corner.
He is not dead.
Someone saved him.
Moving his eyes downward, Lu Fenghan noticed a line of characters on the lower right side of the display panel, and his heart sank - this line of codes consisting of numbers and letters was unique to the Type VI treatment cabin.
Before he could sort out his thoughts, the instructions on the display board changed.
—People outside the treatment cabin saw the message that he had awakened and were opening the cabin door.
Next to the treatment cabin, Qi Yan pressed the green button. After a "click", the oval translucent hatch slowly slid open. The repair fluid in the cabin had been quickly drained, and the people inside—
In just a few tenths of a second, Qi Yan's right wrist was clamped by lightning. As the severe pain came, the other party suddenly exerted force and pushed him to the wall in a few steps.
Qi Yan staggered backwards and before he could stand firm, his back arched against the cold and hard wall. His joints seemed to break and a dull pain spread out again.
At the same time, the throat and neck were locked by iron-like fingers, making breathing difficult and the chest stuffy.
At this moment, the two of them were very close. The man was shirtless, and his muscle lines were as sharp as if carved by a knife. The faint smell of the repair fluid was faintly tinged with thick gunpowder smoke, and even a few traces of rust.
The extremely strong feeling of oppression enveloped him, making Qi Yan want to take a step back.
However, there was a wall behind him and he had nowhere to retreat.
Lu Fenghan's eyes were as sharp as a blade tempered with ice. In contrast to the force of his fingertips, his voice was deep and slow: "Who sent you?"
Qi Yan came back to his senses. His breathing rate did not change at all, as if he was not the one being restrained. He only asked in a hoarse voice, "Who do you think sent me?"
"You're still in Leto, this is my home."
His eyes were dark, and his eyelashes were long, straight, fine, not curled, very long, soft and harmless.
Lu Fenghan noticed that under such circumstances, the blood vessels under his fingertips did not even have a pulse. The person in front of him did not seem to be afraid of death, or did he have something to rely on
Under Lu Fenghan's gaze, Qi Yan suddenly curled his lips, but there was no smile in his expression.
Lu Fenghan had a feeling something was wrong, and his body moved slightly, but then stopped the next moment.
Qi Yan held a palm-sized folding pistol in his hand, firmly placed it against Lu Fenghan's back, and clearly read out the model number: "Hummingbird 62 folding pistol, total length 11.2 cm, equipped with six micro-particle bullets. The treatment cabin does make you slow to react, which also means that this model is very practical?"
Lu Fenghan's eyes were slightly cold, but he suddenly smiled, with a hint of nonchalance at the corners of his lips, and he wanted to tease: "It is indeed very practical. But do you want me to teach you how to shoot? It's free, and I'll make an exception this time and I won't charge you any money."
The gun was clearly in Qi Yan's hand, but it seemed as if he was the leader between the two.
Without waiting for Lu Fenghan's next move, Qi Yan ended the confrontation game with ease. He moved the gun away from Lu Fenghan and looked him in the eye: "Can you let go now? You're hurting me so much."
This person had no intention of firing the gun at first; he took out the gun just to show that he was harmless.
"Of course, I'll listen to you." Lu Fenghan let go of his hand.
At the same time, Qi Yan casually threw the folding pistol onto the carpet, making a dull sound.
After coughing a few times and recovering, Qi Yan picked up the standard white shirt that he had prepared in advance and threw it to Lu Fenghan: "Put it on."
A minute later, Lu Fenghan finished buttoning his shirt slowly, leaving the top three unbuttoned, revealing a clear section of muscular lines on his chest.
He looked at the person sitting on the sofa.
The man was between a young adult and a teenager, with frosty skin and a layer of eye-catching red finger marks on his neck. Because of coughing, the redness at the corners of his eyes had not yet dissipated.
There was a circle of purple marks on the wrist, which was so thin that it would break if bent.
Lu Fenghan leaned lazily against the wall, with an unruly aura, and pointed his chin at Qi Yan's wrist: "This makes me suspect that I didn't just hold it for more than ten seconds, but tortured you."
Qi Yan looked up, glanced at Lu Fenghan, and as if he didn't hear anything, he lowered his head and continued writing on the paper.
Lu Fenghan didn't care about being ignored and glanced at the paper and pen in Qi Yan's hand.
Paper is already very rare in daily life, but when it comes to confidential documents, this fragile and primitive carrier is still occasionally used, and Lu Fenghan is no stranger to it.
He just felt that Qi Yan looked whiter than paper.
It's kind of like... like a handful of snow.
Careful care can protect it well, but it will easily melt away if held in the palm of your hand.
Lu Fenghan let out a light “tsk”.
I thought: This person is really too delicate.
If you train under me, you won’t survive more than half a day.