After Mei Jielin and others led the team to patrol the star field, the command ship became much quieter. The only thing that made Lu Fenghan unhappy was that Lorenz would come to Qi Yan from time to time to ask him all kinds of random questions.
Nearly half of them are related to the power system, but the power system is too complicated, and the difficulty is compounded by countless updates and repairs. It is impossible to explain it in a few words. Qi Yan will most likely follow Lorenz to the technical department to do the actual work.
So, the people in the technical department discovered that in the past two or three days, they saw Lu Fenghan more times than in the previous six months!
Even Ye Pei whispered to Mondrian: "Why do I feel like I'm back at Turan Academy? The conductor goes in and out with Qi Yan. Qi Yan is in the lab digging for data, and the conductor is waiting on the side. When Qi Yan finishes his work, the two of them will leave together."
She signaled with her eyes, "Look, Qi Yan is debugging the power system data now, and the commander is reviewing documents beside him."
Mondrian had his hair cut much shorter, revealing his forehead, looking much fresher. He nodded in agreement, with nostalgia in his eyes: "It does look alike."
Rubbing his dry eyes, Ye Pei couldn't help but say, "But Qi Yan is really amazing. He can even repair the power system! I firmly believe that when he was in Turan, Qi Yan must have concealed his true strength!"
Mondrian: "Probably not. It may be that Turan did not have the opportunity to show his true strength."
"That's right. Didn't Qi Yan intercept the rebels' invasion of the headquarters' intranet in the ISCO equipment room?" Ye Pei was motivated again. "I have to work hard too! I am one of the most powerful scientists in the Future Alliance! I just don't know if Turan will keep my student status and let me go back to school after the war."
Victory always brings hope.
Lu Fenghan was sitting aside, hearing the conversation between Ye Pei and Mondrian intermittently, and couldn't help but glance in the direction of Qi Yan.
Only the side could be seen. Qi Yan's standard shirt was still loose, and his waistline could be seen to be thin. He was talking to Lorenz, and there were two technical soldiers beside him who were recording quickly with a clipboard.
I don’t know what questions the two men asked. Lorenz just rolled his eyes. Qi Yan’s expression didn’t change much. He probably slowed down his speech and asked the two technical soldiers to write down the content.
Just like before, he seemed cold and distant, but he was actually very patient.
Just when Lu Fenghan was about to look away, he found that Qi Yan was looking in his direction almost out of habit.
Their eyes met.
Qi Yan seemed startled, and quickly turned his head, then very deliberately moved his steps so that his back was facing away.
Lu Fenghan laughed.
I think I can talk to Qi Yan about what "the more you try to hide, the more obvious it becomes" means.
The communication rang, Lu Fenghan answered it and heard Mei Jielin's voice.
"Commander, the communication signal here is not very good, I will not call you via video!"
Lu Fenghan knew his subordinates' personalities very well: "Changed your hairstyle? Is it ugly? Don't dare to show it to others?"
"You installed a surveillance camera next to me? There must be more than one!" Mei Jie Lin was a little embarrassed to say it, and finally gave up, "I didn't change it, I was just impatient and was going to fix it twice, but I didn't expect that the first cut would break my left princess cut! Anyway, I'm wandering around in space now, no one can see it, so it didn't break!"
After she finished speaking, she quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Commander, I'm here to report that I found a natural wormhole here. It was previously blocked by the asteroid belt, so it hadn't been found. This time, I accidentally went around to the other side, and it was discovered by the probe."
Lu Fenghan ordered: "The natural wormhole is in the asteroid belt, it's very dangerous, withdraw after marking and recording, be careful, don't lose your life."
"Got it." Mei Jie Lin didn't know if it was because she had been drifting outside for two days and had a lot to say to no one, so she couldn't help but pull Lu Fenghan to chat. "Commander, I noticed that you have changed a little since you came back this time. It's not obvious, and you may not have noticed it yourself. You used to be insensitive to 'death'."
Lu Fenghan did not cut off the communication and listened to Mei Jielin's continued words with rare patience.
"The most obvious thing is that every time we fight in the simulated cockpit, if we accidentally 'die', no matter if I am Long Xiyun or anyone else, my heart rate will jump. That is the instinctive fear of death. No one wants to die, right?"
"I don't?"
"Of course you didn't. You just reminded me to be careful not to die. If we weren't so far away, I would have checked to see if someone had replaced my superior!"
Lu Fenghan did not deny what Mei Jielin said.
He was indeed insensitive to death, but he seldom showed it. Perhaps only Vincent Metierine and a few others could notice it.
This question was raised by the teachers in the First Military Academy, and the previous commander-in-chief of the Expeditionary Force also said something similar.
The most important thing for a soldier is not only to not fear death, but also to be greedy for life.
Not fearing death allows you to move forward courageously.
And the love of life makes you seek a way to survive in dangerous situations.
After leaving the technical department, Lu Fenghan asked Qi Yan what he wanted to eat for breakfast.
Early in the morning, Qi Yan was pulled by Lorenz to repair the system. Although there was no obvious time reference, people would feel tired and hungry. Lu Fenghan saw that it was past nine in the morning, which was the time for Qi Yan to have breakfast.
Qi Yan didn't think much and said, "I want to eat star mushroom noodles."
Lu Fenghan pinched his earlobe: "It's been several days, aren't you tired of eating it?"
Qi Yan turned his eyes away and replied in two seconds: "I never get tired of eating it."
After answering, the itchy feeling on my earlobe has not yet gone away.
Although he was afraid of pain before, he didn't seem to be so sensitive. But now, Lu Fenghan's eyes and a small movement -
Every detail was magnified and pondered over and over again in his mind.
Thinking of what he said to Eliza in the White Tower, he wondered why - was this love
This must be what love is.
The two went to the kitchen.
Lu Fenghan answered the call, processed two logistics applications, and made noodles in an orderly manner. He was still wearing a military uniform, which was a serious uniform, but his sleeves were rolled up, his collar was unbuttoned, and a pair of white gloves were casually stuffed into his pockets, revealing a few inches of white.
There are almost no similar scenes in Qi Yan's memory.
He stood aside, watching intently, trying to write down every tiny detail for later recall.
After breakfast, Lu Fenghan took the medicine and poured some water for Qi Yan.
The dosage has been reduced from a large handful at the beginning to only half a tablet now.
Qi Yan swallowed it in one gulp. "By the way, Eliza said that if the test later shows that the levels of hormones and chemical substances in my body are normal, I don't need to take medicine anymore."
After reducing the dosage, Qi Yan's withdrawal reaction was not serious. The most obvious thing was that he became more clingy. However, Lu Fenghan was still worried: "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
"I don't have any special feelings. My emotions seem to never be as rich as others, such as Xia Zhiyang or Ye Pei, whose emotions are very rich."
Qi Yan thought, "But when I recall the day when I went to the Sky Diamond Plaza with you to celebrate the New Year, the happy emotions were very clear. I think I should have recovered."
Lu Fenghan knew that Qi Yan didn't mean it, but every word of this sentence scratched the itch in his heart.
Thinking of that snow: "Well, I was very happy that day too."
On the evening of July 28th, in the command room, Lu Fenghan was talking on the phone with Nie Huaiting.
Nie Huaiting in the video looked much older than on the day of the establishment, and his temples were even frost-stained. In front of Lu Fenghan, he did not hide his fatigue: "How is the situation?"
Lu Fenghan: "Not bad. The First Legion and the Seventh and Eighth Legion are not considered elite troops of the rebels, but in less than a month, I have wiped out three armies in succession. The rebels will not allow me to be so 'insolent' any longer."
Nie Huaiting glared at him: "If they don't tolerate you, you won't be presumptuous?"
"I didn't say that." Lu Fenghan denied it flatly, "But the expeditionary army has shown its current combat power level, and the rebels will not be helpless. It is very likely that the next time they face either an attack from the latest weapons or a siege by three or four legions."
"Worry?"
"There's nothing to worry about. A soldier's duty is to fight." Lu Fenghan said calmly, "We have to fight eventually. It doesn't make much difference whether we fight early or late." He turned and asked, "How is Leto?"
Nie Huaiting pinched his wrinkled brows and said, "As a former admiral of the Alliance, Hodgkin has held an important position for many years. He knows and controls secrets no more than me, but not much less. This has led to Leto being controlled by the rebels. He is like an isolated island surrounded by the sea. He cannot use force alone, so he can only find another way."
Thinking of the shooting incident at Turan Academy, Lu Fenghan pressed his heels together. Although his tone was similar, he listened carefully and found it to be more serious: "Commander-in-chief, the expeditionary force will do its best to contain most of the rebels' combat power. I hope that Leto's 'Sky Diamond' will not be extinguished before dawn."
Nie Huaiting looked at Lu Fenghan deeply and replied solemnly, "I understand." He sighed again, "It's because our generation is not up to the standard that you have to worry about us."
Lu Fenghan shook his head: "The trend of the times is not caused by one person. You said your generation was not ambitious, and our generation is not ambitious either. No one should blame anyone. Besides, the current alliance still needs you to take care of yourself."
He knew that Nie Huaiting had always felt guilty about the attack on the founding day and the subsequent retreat to Odin Star. He couldn't persuade him too clearly, so he could only say a few words.
Nie Huaiting spoke after a long while: "You speak in a style very similar to your father. Don't worry, I will not die as long as Leto is not taken back and the rebels are not destroyed. I will wait until I can die with my eyes closed."
Without replying, Lu Fenghan lightly touched his heels together and gave a slightly lazy military salute.
Nie Huaiting pointed his finger and scolded with a smile: "You really should be taken back to the First Military Academy and take the etiquette class again."
As usual, Lu Fenghan was unmoved: "I have something else to do. I won't chat with you anymore."
After the communication was disconnected, Po Jun asked, "General, your memory is wrong. You don't have any specific schedule next."
Lu Fenghan sat back in his chair and answered Pojun: "Obviously, this is a human way of speaking."
He turned on the virtual screen, pulled up the calendar, and stared at the numbers displayed on it for a long time, thinking about something.
In the quiet command room, Po Jun asked again: "General, what are you looking at? I analyzed the location of your gaze through the camera, and there is nothing special, but you have been looking at it for six minutes."
Lu Fenghan didn't answer and asked him, "Are Mei Jielin and the others not here tomorrow?"
Po Jun: "Yes, according to the progress reports sent back by several captains, we will not be able to return tomorrow."
"Erich's got tomorrow off?"
"Yes."
"Erich takes a break, so Vincent will be very busy."
"According to the law of conservation of work, yes." Po Jun was very curious, "General, what are you planning? Or is the date of July 29, 217 in the Star Calendar special?"
Lu Fenghan grabbed the military jacket on the back of the chair and walked out: "That's right."
I don’t know whether he was confirming “something was being planned” or agreeing that “this date is very special”.
On the 29th, Qi Yan stayed in the technical department for five hours and built a detection tool on site, which could accurately screen out the specific data points of the damaged area of the power system in a short period of time, avoiding the technical department people having to search hard in the vast amount of data streams every time.
After this tool was made, the people in the technical department only wanted to promote Qi Yan, and even dared to think of competing with Lu Fenghan for him.
However, thinking of Lu Fenghan's strict attitude of following him in and out every day, he was forced to give up the idea.
Seeing Qi Yan finished his work, Ye Pei was a little surprised: "Qi Yan, why didn't the commander come with you today?"
She was holding a cup of coffee in her hand and was in the stage of using coffee to prolong her life. Basically, once the cup was empty, she would die.
Qi Yan's fingers were sore, so he crossed them and moved them twice before answering Ye Pei, "He said he had something to deal with, and he would come pick me up after he was done."
After Qi Yan walked out, Ye Pei took another sip of espresso, the bitter taste bursting on her tongue. She suddenly thought, is the commander still Qi Yan's bodyguard? If not, then why are the two still going in and out together
Something seems to be wrong
Qi Yan left the technical department, the metal door slid open to both sides, he took two quick steps and walked out the door, but he did not see the person he wanted to see.
The pace suddenly slowed down.
Although Eliza told him that the test results were completely normal and his emotions had recovered, Qi Yan continued his previous habit and analyzed his emotions—
It's lost.
He didn't see Lu Fenghan, so he knew that the matter might not have been dealt with yet, but he still felt a sense of loss.
Qi Yan discovered that Lu Fenghan had made him develop too many habits.
And these habits have been integrated into the body over time.
Suddenly, I became a part of him.
Qi Yan suddenly remembered that he had read many articles discussing "love", but the expressions in the articles were too abstract for him to understand.
And now, as he explored the emotions that existed in a relationship, he felt as if soft, thornless vines were gently wrapped around his wrist, pulling at his mind.
It's a wonderful feeling.
At this moment, he really wanted to see Lu Fenghan.
And he was very sure that it was not the anxiety caused by the withdrawal reaction from reducing the medication that drove him, but that he simply wanted to see that person.
Just seeing it makes me happy.
"Pojun, is the general in the command room?"
Po Jun's voice came from the personal terminal on his right hand: "Chief, the general is in your lounge."
Qi Yan was puzzled: "My room?"
Pojun: "Yes, the general prepared lunch for you."
Qi Yan didn't think much about it and returned to the room along the route Lu Fenghan took him.
In the room, Lu Fenghan saw Qi Yan coming back, brought out a bowl of warm porridge, and tapped the edge of the bowl with a metal spoon: "It's time for lunch, star mushroom porridge, try it and see if you can eat it."
Knowing Qi Yan's picky eating habits, Lu Fenghan would not use words like "Is it delicious?", but would directly ask "Is it delicious?" However, he was still confident that Qi Yan would not reject the taste of star flower mushrooms, and that cooking porridge did not require high technical content.
Qi Yan had indeed forgotten about lunch. In a world made up of frameworks and data, it was easy for him to forget about eating and sleeping. But at this moment, when he smelled the aroma of food, he suddenly felt a little hungry.
Taking the spoon handed to him by Lu Fenghan, Qi Yan sat down aside, took a bite, swallowed it, and then took another bite.
Lu Fenghan raised his eyebrows, knowing that in the future, in addition to the star flower mushroom noodles, Xiao Jiaoqi would also eat star flower mushroom porridge.
So when it comes to Leto, it’s not that his cooking skills are flawed, but that the ingredients can’t keep up.
The amount was just right for Qi Yan’s appetite. After he finished eating, Qi Yan’s pale lips took on a bit more color.
Putting the dishes aside, Lu Fenghan asked Qi Yan: "Are you tired working in the technical department?"
"Not tired. I made a small tool based on the information I read before. It will help them improve their efficiency in repairing the power system in the future." Qi Yan wanted to rub his fingers, but it had been a while since he rubbed them, so he stopped.
Only then did Lu Fenghan take out a thin piece of white paper.
Qi Yan blinked when he saw the paper—the expeditionary army rarely used paper for the sake of efficiency and convenience of archiving.
When he took another look, Qi Yan saw some words written on it.
The handwriting was Lu Fenghan's, he recognized it.
Lu Fenghan said: "Today is July 29th. At this time a year ago, we signed a contract in Leto."
Qi Yan nodded.
He had no idea what Lu Fenghan was going to say.
At that time, the seriously injured Lu Fenghan woke up from the treatment cabin, full of vigilance. Later, he used 10 million star coins for treatment to make Lu Fenghan sign a contract, promising to protect his personal safety for two years.
This was the only solution he could think of during the three days when Lu Fenghan was in a coma.
Now, just one year has passed.
Qi Yan pointed out: "According to the contract, there is still one year left, and it will expire on July 29th next year."
Lu Fenghan handed over the paper in his hand: "Here you go."
Qi Yan took the paper in his hand. The handwriting on the paper was very clear and the content looked very familiar.
"Contract," Qi Yan read the top line, looked at Lu Fenghan, and continued reading, "Starting from July 29, 217 of the Star Calendar, Party B will protect Party A's life safety at any time and in any place. ... Time limit, lifelong. Upon expiration, the contract will be terminated. Salary, allow, allow my tombstone to be on the same level as yours."
As for Party B, Lu Fenghan has already signed his name.
Just like the original contract, the horizontal and vertical strokes are heavy, the left and right strokes are bold, and the strokes are sharp and compelling.
Qi Yan suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Lu Fenghan.
"General..." His last words trembled a little, but he was not sure why.
He just felt his heart beating faster, as if some emotion was about to burst out.
Lu Fenghan responded to him: "I'm here."
His facial lines were firm and his eyes were handsome. Years of frontline experience had honed him into a fierce bandit, but this toughness softened in front of Qi Yan.
Qi Yan looked at him persistently and asked him: "Do you know what this contract means if it is established?"
"I know."
Of course Lu Fenghan knew.
He also understood the significance of the two-year contract he signed a year ago.
At that time, he didn't understand why Qi Yan folded the white paper with the contract in half and carefully put it into a password box.
He understood now.
That was Qi Yan struggling, trying his best to see if he could live another two years in this world—
Every day he endures pain and confusion that others cannot perceive, but he never gives up easily.
Although Lu Fenghan still doesn’t understand why Qi Yan chose him.
But he thought, he understood, he understood Qi Yan's mood.
Qi Yan's eyes were slightly sore, and he pinched the thin paper tightly with his fingers: "Then you... the contract period..."
His thoughts were confused and he couldn't even express his complete meaning.
But Lu Fenghan understood.
"What do you want to ask me?"
Qi Yan's eyes met his and she said what she wanted to say: "It's been too long. What if one day in the future, you find that I make you tired and I'm different from what you imagined, what should you do?"
"There is no what to do, and no imagination." Lu Fenghan looked at his slightly panicked eyes, and said lightly and firmly, "Qi Yan, if you call me 'General', I can be your general for the rest of my life."
Qi Yan didn't know what to say for a moment.
He only felt that a storm was rising in Lu Fenghan's deep eyes, sucking him into it.
He was at a loss for words: "General—"
"Shh, be good and listen to me." Lu Fenghan hugged the person in his arms, held him, and leaned against the wall, leaning his spine against him. He put one hand around Qi Yan's back, and fixed his eyes on one place.
"I am very greedy. I don't want only one year. Two years are not enough. Only 720 days, how can it be enough? So I set a time limit. Although I think that 100 years, 3,600 days, is still not enough."
As Lu Fenghan spoke, he felt a burning emotion surging in his body that he could not calm down. He wanted to drive a destroyer and travel through the asteroid belt countless times to dissipate the emotion.
He thought of what Metierne had said, that he was insensitive to death.
"I'm used to being alone. I've been like this for the past ten years, or from the age of eleven to now, eighteen years? I don't save money, and my pension has no beneficiary. I thought of my epitaph long ago, imagined the scene of my future death, and prepared to die for the Alliance and sacrifice my life for the stars a long time ago.
But now—I have changed.
Because of you.
I don't want to die in the floating wreckage of a starship, I don't want to die on a planet, and I don't want to be turned into ash by a particle cannon.
I have someone I want to see, and as long as I have a breath left, I will crawl back to see him. "
Qi Yan's fingertips trembled slightly, and the hand hanging by his side suddenly grasped the hem of Lu Fenghan's clothes: "Is it me?"
"It's you."
His parents died when he was young, and he had been on the front lines for many years, which made him calm and fearless about death. At the same time, he had no lofty pursuits or ideals, and never thought about leaving a name in history.
He has always lived as he pleases. In this world, there is no one who is indispensable to him. Sometimes he feels lonely as if he is just a speck of dust in the space.
He knew what prayer meant to him, and on the contrary, what prayer meant to him was the same.
Prayer is that anchor.
The anchor that tripped him up and prevented him from easily letting himself die.
Lu Fenghan said with a smile: "So, do you want to sign? Sign your name on the contract. According to the laws of the alliance, this contract will take effect immediately."
Pray that it is signed.
Every stroke was made with caution.
After signing, Qi Yan was stunned as he stared at the two names lined up in a row. He subconsciously distinguished and confirmed that this memory was real.
Lu Fenghan seemed to be able to see through his heart: "Not sure whether it is true or fiction?"
Qi Yan nodded.
The next second, someone grabbed his shoulders, and after a few wrong steps, Qi Yan felt himself being pushed against the wall. He could also sense that Lu Fenghan used his hands to block his back from hitting the metal wall.
Before he could stand still, with surprise still in his eyes, Lu Fenghan pinched his chin and kissed him without giving him any room to refuse.