CR CH29

Chapter 29: Duplicity

“Initiate repair system.”

Rustling, murmuring sounds swirled around his ears. It felt as though a large group of people was gathered by his side, conversing in low whispers.

Jiang Tianji could not make out a single word. His brows locked together tightly, and his eyelids trembled, but in the end, he was unable to fight off the heavy exhaustion. His consciousness plunged entirely into darkness.

An unknown amount of time ticked away before the mechanical doors of the Medical Department slowly slid open.

With the exception of Jia Yun, every single member of Squad B0512 had sustained varying degrees of injury and was currently undergoing treatment.

He Qian turned her head to instruct her assistant on the necessary precautions, then carried the analytical reports over to stand beside Ling Kongmiao.

Leaning against a corner, Ling Kongmiao happened to hang up a transmission just then, lifting his eyes to look at her.

“Dr. He, how is the situation?”

“His condition has currently stabilized. Fortunately, it was only energy meant for dealing with low-level mutants, so the depth of infiltration isn’t excessively severe. However, his spiritual power has suffered an immense depletion and will require time to recover, unless…”

He Qian’s tone was tactful, but the underlying meaning behind her words was crystal clear.

Spiritual-type abilities were already exceptionally rare, and those capable of awakening a soothing or channeling attribute were fewer still. Essentially, they were all concentrated within the top-tier combat strength units—such as the individual standing before her.

Jiang Tianji’s injuries were on the heavier side; his spiritual power was completely overdrawn, and the energy layer blanketing his body continuously corroded his skin, causing layers of silver-white crystals to form at his wounds.

Although doing so allowed him to temporarily absorb the energy within to restore his body’s mobility, the damage it inflicted was far more troublesome than ordinary external injuries.

“He is in a great deal of pain right now, and his spiritual power won’t be able to recover in the short term. But if someone were to channel and soothe it for him, he would feel much better.”

“Let him bear it.”

The cold, indifferent voice left He Qian freezing dead in place. She failed to register the response: “What?”

“Dr. He, whether as a warrior or as a student, a twenty-year-old man has long passed the age where he requires meticulous pampering.”

Ling Kongmiao lowered his eyes, his tone laced with a volatile touch of friction: “…A piece of trash that refuses to learn his lesson.”

A group of people turned the corner ahead. Yuri was walking along, accompanied by a fresh face—Jia Yun from the Regular Division.

He Qian had completely expected this sort of reaction from him. Her expression turned startled, but after reflecting upon it for a moment, she refrained from speaking further.

She offered a slight nod of acknowledgment to the members of the First Unit walking toward her, stating in a low voice.

“Captain Ling, I won’t disrupt you further then.”

Ling Kongmiao nodded. After watching her leave, his gaze landed upon Jia Yun.

“Sir.” Jia Yun stood at attention, neither humble nor arrogant.

“This kid is actually quite sharp. Knowing that the disparity in strength was immense, he could only pin his hopes on destroying the source of the mutation.”

Yuri clapped him on the shoulder: “Go ahead to the Medical Department first.”

Jia Yun nodded. Before walking away, his gaze casually swept over Ling Kongmiao, only to find that the other party was also watching him. Those deep blue eyes seemed to pierce straight into the deepest depths of his soul in a split second.

Startled, Jia Yun immediately averted his gaze. A grim chill seeped directly into the depths of his heart, causing him to knit his brows slightly as he quickened his pace.

“Captain, I just requested an equipment upgrade. The people upstairs were highly ambiguous in their response and look as though they don’t intend to approve it. They claimed… that it was, after all, a highly improbable anomaly, and making a massive fuss over it would instead spark a panic.”

Tang Min switched off her information screen, the sparks of rage burning bright within her eyes.

Zhao Hengyi let out a cold laugh: “The Blood Project was also a highly improbable event. They simply refuse to learn from their lessons…”

Wei Jiangming hurriedly nudged him: “Can you keep that mouth of yours under control?”

Zhao Hengyi snorted: “Tch.”

Yuri sorted through the compiled data, lifting his head to report: “Captain, it has currently been confirmed as a class-transition mission from Grade C to Grade B. The mutant possessed a spiritual field. The C-grade field was on the lower side, the negative spiritual interference was at Out of Control Level 3, and the secondary mutation energy reached Grade B. Currently, the mutant source’s energy crystal core has been successfully destroyed.”

“There were absolutely no anomalies in the initial data. The process of the secondary mutation took mere seconds, and the subsequent interference energy caused the entire monitoring system to crash. All data has been preserved in accordance with your instructions.”

“Understood.”

His communication device rang incessantly like a death toll, but Ling Kongmiao remained completely indifferent to it, continuing to brief them on the remainder of their tasks.

The others departed one after another. Ling Kongmiao looked at Eileen, who had remained behind, feeling a slight headache coming on.

“…Is there any other problem?”

Eileen cast a glance toward the Medical Department, clearly having overheard their conversation just now.

“You’re truly just going to let him bear it?”

Ling Kongmiao flipped through his transmissions: “Otherwise? He managed to run wild and lose control over a mere level three interference. Should we continue to spoil him?”

“…”

A brief silence descended between the two of them. Eileen observed him rather intently.

“It seems I miscalculated previously.”

Ling Kongmiao: “What?”

“Rather than some sort of special emotional attachment, it looks more like you’re holding a grudge and throwing a tantrum.”

Eileen rubbed her chin, looking deeply thoughtful.

“Initially, I assumed you were angry because he forgot about you. But looking at it now, you seem far more furious that he managed to forget about himself… Am I right?”

Ling Kongmiao stared at her, maintaining absolute silence for a few seconds: “Must you be this interested in your superior’s private life?”

Eileen offered a faint smile: “Now it’s a private life all of a sudden? Didn’t you say it had nothing to do with you?”

Right at that moment, the communication device rang once more. Ling Kongmiao accepted the call with exceptional speed, turning around to walk away instantly.

Eileen shrugged her shoulders, casting her gaze toward the Medical Department with a gentle sigh.

The flying vessel touched down at the base. Jiang Tianji was escorted back to the Research Institute, while the rest of the personnel disbanded on the spot.

However, Jia Yun did not leave immediately. His gaze fell upon Ji Yandong, who was currently organizing his gear.

The probability of a class-transition mission occurring was exceptionally low; it was not something an ordinary person would ever encounter.

Yet, Ji Yandong had behaved with uncanny composure throughout, looking exactly as though it were a scenario he had envisioned millions of times in his mind, finally putting it into practice at this moment.

“Have you dealt with class-transition missions before?” Jia Yun asked him.

Ji Yandong’s movements slowed for a fraction of a second. He offered no response, looking straight ahead as he packed up his belongings and departed.

As night fell, the Medical Department on floors 1 through 4 of the Base Research Institute was brightly illuminated.

The vast majority of the personnel from the Z01 Baseline Troops were encountering actual combat missions for the very first time. Even if the danger coefficient was extremely low, anomalies and accidents could not be entirely averted.

However, with the sole exception of Jiang Tianji, everyone else had only sustained minor injuries.

“…Alright, let’s leave it at that then.”

Ling Kongmiao hung up the final transmission, stepping forward to walk toward the elevator.

“Captain Ling, you’re here.”

A familiar voice echoed from behind him. Ling Kongmiao paused his steps, and seeing that it was He Qian, he took the opportunity to ask.

“Is he awake?”

Ding. The elevator doors happened to slide open just then, and the personnel inside greeted them.

“Captain Ling.”

“Dr. He.”

The two of them nodded in response, stepping into the elevator only after the occupants had cleared out to resume their previous topic.

“He woke up not too long ago. His external injuries will still require one to two rounds of repair before fully healing. My recommendation is for him to rest for two days first.”

He Qian pressed the button for her destination floor.

“The recovery of his spiritual power is slightly better than I anticipated, but since the depletion was severe after all, he’s a bit listless.”

Ling Kongmiao: “Mm.”

He Qian observed Ling Kongmiao through the clean, polished mirror surface. Perhaps because he had just wrapped up a full day of official duties, a trace of fatigue lingered beneath his eyes. Coupled with his exceedingly cold expression, it gave off a highly unapproachable vibe.

“Fortunately, there was a remnant of Captain Ling’s energy left behind, allowing him to pull through the agonizing pain of the initial repair phase. Tianji managed to get a good night’s sleep.”

The moment those words left her mouth, a bizarre, suffocating silence descended inside the elevator car. Ling Kongmiao’s movements turned rigid.

Ding.

Fortunately, the elevator doors slid open in a timely manner. Ling Kongmiao naturally stepped forward, selectively ignoring her remark as he inquired politely, “Which room is he in?”

He Qian arched her brows slightly: “Room A02.”

Ling Kongmiao: “Many thanks.”

Taking a long stride, his silhouette vanished around the corridor corner in the blink of an eye.

He Qian stood in place, watching his departing figure. Suddenly, her communication device vibrated. Lowering her head to bring up the small virtual screen, her gaze locked onto the name displayed on the incoming call indicator.

—— Jiang Yan.