CR CH46

Chapter 46: Running an Errand

“What are you thinking about?”

Someone leaned close to his ear and asked gloomily.

“Nothing.”

Jiang Tianji used the motion of packing up his gear to cover up his distraction. When he looked up, however, he realized his teammates had surrounded him at some point.

The person who had asked was Jia Yun. Standing right next to Feng Huo, he blended into the team perfectly, making the scene look weirdly harmonious.

Jiang Tianji’s movements froze: “…You guys?”

“I won’t. You’re washing the socks tonight.”

Huang Qi stood on the other side of Feng Huo, poking his arm.

“I told you so. He wouldn’t have snapped out of it without some external help.”

“He’s been acting really strange these past few days. Back in my hometown, there’s a saying that you should throw a handful of glutinous rice… Ow! Why did you punch me?”

Feng Huo rolled his eyes and threw a reverse punch. Huang Qi yelped twice but didn’t really mind, pointing at the two guys across from them.

“And you two, we had a deal. One washes the tops, one washes the pants.”

Qi Xiuyi: “Got it. I’ll wash the tops.”

Li Cheng was displeased: “Why should I? I don’t want to wash the pants. Let’s each wash half…”

“Alright, clear the way.”

Ji Yandong got off the aircraft after finishing a comms call and led them toward the base’s mission station.

“The night training trials over the next two days will count toward your evaluation. The ranks will be re-sorted in three days.”

The originally lively atmosphere instantly dampened. Ji Yandong sighed softly, speaking with a bit of hesitation.

“…We’ll get a whole day off on the day of the ranking results. There’s an event in the evening, and the Special Ability division from next door will be coming over too.”

“That works!” Huang Qi lunged over and hooked an arm around his shoulder, chattering away. “I heard the instructors will be at this kind of evening party too. My brother said back when he was in Z01, the instructors shared a ton of gossip…”

“I wonder if the instructors from the Special Support unit will be there. They’re so experienced and knowledgeable, they must know a lot of things!”

“Wishful thinking. Even if Captain Ling stood right in front of you, would you dare utter a single word?”

Standing at the back, Jiang Tianji didn’t join the discussion. Hearing those words made him lose focus again. His brows furrowed involuntarily, seemingly deep in thought.

“Ahem… at least we can get a look. Besides, the Special Ability division has a lot of people who awakened in beast forms. Usually, we can only look from afar, so this is finally a chance to admire them up close. How cool.”

Hearing this, Qi Xiuyi looked thoughtful: “True. Several instructors from Special Support frequently shift back to their beast forms in the lounge to release energy. I think Instructor Irene’s form is the coolest. Instructor Tang Min is a spiritual type, so his form is the most beautiful. Instructor Zhao is a bear, and Instructor You Li is a silver merman…”

He let out a sharp breath, suddenly realizing something was amiss.

“Has anyone ever seen Captain Ling’s beast form?”

Everyone’s tacit understanding reached its absolute peak at this exact second. Their gazes swiveled in unison toward one specific direction.

Jiang Tianji looked up, meeting his teammates’ deeply inquisitive stares.

“None of you know,” he said helplessly. “So of course, I don’t know either.”

Jia Yun rarely joined the group chat. Stroking his chin, he pondered, “It hasn’t appeared in any of the past video recordings either. Most combat types use their beast forms during battle. Captain Ling is a spiritual type, so it’s possible his is similar to Officer Tang Min’s.”

The moment he finished his sentence, the team suddenly fell quiet.

The image of a tiny mouse with a fluffy tail popped into everyone’s heads. Substituting Captain Ling into that image… everyone’s expressions twisted to varying degrees.

“Actually, it could work, but the overall vibe feels a little bizarre,” Huang Qi said hesitantly.

“More than just a little…”

Jiang Tianji was still spacing out when a hand suddenly clapped onto his shoulder. He instinctively shook the person off.

“I’m a bit curious,” Jia Yun raised an eyebrow, leaning in closer to ask in a low voice. “Why did the source of malice mission count as a fail?”

Speaking of this, Jiang Tianji took a deep breath: “Probably because my teammate had his hands shoved in his pockets from start to finish.”

Not only did he have to complete a two-person workload, but he also had to drag a human-shaped deadweight along.

If he wanted to pass, the variants would have to collectively drop dead on sight the moment they saw him.

“Figured.”

Jia Yun nodded with satisfaction upon getting his answer. “In the beginning, the people from the Special Division harbored a fair bit of hostility toward you. Do you know what they’re saying about you now?”

“Not particularly.”

“Let whoever wants this ‘blessing’ take it.”

Jia Yun didn’t care whether he wanted to know or not. Crossing his arms, he said, “Captain Ling is incredibly strong, but he’s too cold and unfeeling. His methods are extreme.”

Hearing this, Jiang Tianji pursed his lips slightly: “He’s actually alright.”

Jia Yun: “An M?”

Jiang Tianji blanked out for a second, his gaze gradually turning dangerous: “? You…”

A curse word was right at the tip of his tongue when it was cut short by the vibration of his comms device. He looked down.

• Ling: Bring me a meal.

This message was far too mundane. Jiang Tianji broke out of his preparatory running stance and stopped completely in his tracks, typing back hesitantly.

• Jiang: Officer, what would you like to eat?

Jia Yun was standing right beside him and saw it crystal clear. His eyes flickered slightly.

“You and Captain Ling…” still have each other’s contact info?

He had barely started his sentence when he was drowned out by Huang Qi’s booming voice.

“I knew there was something off about you. Tell the truth, is there something going on?”

The teammates stopped in their tracks as well. Jiang Tianji didn’t have time to reply; he stared at the screen in surprise for a moment before starting to type.

Their curiosity thoroughly piqued, the crowd crowded over to take a look, only to be instantly blinded by the transaction amount.

“What do you mean bring a meal… Holy crap! Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands…” Feng Huo slapped Jiang Tianji’s back excitedly. “You’ve got boundless charm, kid. Which girl pays this much just for a meal? She’s clearly into you.”

“That’s not right.”

Qi Xiuyi reacted a bit faster, his expression complicated. “We’re in Z01. Where would a girl come from? Even the female Alphas are in a different district. You…”

Just as everyone’s gazes began to turn strange, Huang Qi finally caught sight of the contact name on the screen: “Ling?”

“…Ling?” Ji Yandong, who hadn’t participated in the topic until now, suddenly countered, “Which Ling?”

Feng Huo answered within a split second: “The Ling from Captain Ling, obviously.”

Only after saying it did he vaguely feel that something was wrong. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the crowd gradually fell silent.

Jiang Tianji didn’t pay much attention to his teammates’ words. During this time, he had been busy carefully phrasing his reply.

• Jiang: Officer, you gave too much.
• Ling: Mm.

Jiang Tianji typed and deleted the words in his chatbox repeatedly, ultimately choosing to just ask directly.

• Jiang: Then what are you eating?

A moment later, a reply came from the other side.

• Ling: Anything.

Jiang Tianji shut off his device helplessly, only to meet his teammates’ highly gossipy stares.

“…It’s just running an errand.”

“I never expected Captain Ling to have this side to him,” Huang Qi murmured. “Heavens above, this is too surreal.”

Jiang Tianji: “It’s literally just bringing a meal.”

“I always thought the two of you had a hostile subordinate-superior relationship.”

Li Cheng’s tone was melancholic: “Turns out… you guys can actually communicate and speak normally.”

Jiang Tianji had originally pointed toward the cafeteria to Ji Yandong, signaling that he would head out first. Hearing their words, he couldn’t help but look back. Just as he was about to say something, he was cut off by another person.

“It’s also a relationship where hair can be yanked.”

Beside him, Jia Yun’s expression was harboring deep meaning. Meeting Jiang Tianji’s slightly shifting gaze, he said lazily.

“Don’t look at me like that. I overheard it by accident.”

“Officer Sun Fei was complaining to his subordinates when they wrapped up their deployment. He said that after knowing him for so many years, Captain Ling never lets anyone touch his hair. Yet now that he has an apprentice, he’s quite generous—he didn’t even mind when a few strands were yanked out.”

Jia Yun offered an objective critique: “That officer is quite interesting too. Why did he use his clearance to sneak a peek at you guys for no reason?”

“What?! Jiang Tianji, you actually touched Captain Ling’s hair?!”

Several nearby teams that had been pretending to discuss questions while eavesdropping for the longest time finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Who touched Captain Ling?!”

“Touched what? What are you guys talking about?”

“…”

Unwilling to listen to any more of this, Jiang Tianji flashed a middle finger at Jia Yun and marched swiftly toward the cafeteria.