CR CH89: Guess

To be honest, Ling Kongmiao had a way of piercing deeper into people’s hearts than most.

During the early days of their acquaintance, he was utterly lifeless, always leaning against the window and staring outside.

He rarely stayed at the Star Alliance, and his whereabouts were unpredictable. What surprised Shi Yi was that even the Star Alliance couldn’t fully trace his movement trajectories—there were always blanks or segments patched over by specialized methods.

Shi Yi was mostly curious about Ling Kongmiao; after all, the boy held no shortage of secrets. But after spending so much time together, a bond had formed, and occasionally, when Shi Yi thought of him, he would let out a soft sigh.

It was quite some time ago, dating back to shortly after Ling Kongmiao had joined the Star Alliance.

The research had achieved a milestone breakthrough, so Shi Yi waved his hand and threw an impromptu celebration banquet. His subordinates mentioned that “Hua” was here today too, so Shi Yi, whistling a terribly off-key tune with his hands in his pockets, strolled all the way over to the large window.

“Hua, come down and eat,” Shi Yi called out in high spirits, whistling at the figure sitting on the levitation platform gazing at the scenery.

Ling Kongmiao’s body stiffened for a moment. When he subconsciously looked back, a dazed look lingered in his eyes—a gaze that seemed to look right through Shi Yi toward some phantom shadow.

Both fell silent for an instant. Then Ling Kongmiao swiftly leaped down from the high platform and walked away toward an empty area without looking back.

Shi Yi’s smile froze. The boy’s eyes had suddenly turned red, and the expression that felt most foreign to him was a trace of wronged hurt.

His mood turned subtle. He had assumed Ling Kongmiao would leave, but halfway through, the kid actually returned on his own. With a blank face, he randomly took an empty seat, not even struggling when the brother next to him slung an arm around his shoulders to brag.

Gradually, his expression settled into absolute calm. Shi Yi didn’t know what he was thinking at the time, but the feeling Ling Kongmiao gave him that day wasn’t one of relief or moving on.

If he had to describe it, it was like a fish washed ashore—struggling and thrashing its tail at first, before slowly growing still.

For about a year, Shi Yi clearly felt Ling Kongmiao’s sharp edge. He didn’t know what had provoked him, but the boy took an extreme attitude toward everything, incapable of trusting anyone.

Shi Yi could see the thick hatred in his eyes; that aura was so gloomy he resembled a madman.

Without exaggeration, Ling Kongmiao was no different from an evil spirit that year; members of the Star Alliance would take detours whenever they saw him.

He was busy every day and terribly emaciated, often curled halfway on the sofa with his silver hair taking up quite a bit of space, his long lashes trembling faintly with his breath.

Only during these moments did he look exceptionally endearing, making quite a few members want to step forward and touch his hair. But the moment his brows furrowed and his eyes opened, everyone would shove each other and scatter like birds and beasts.

Yet on an entirely ordinary day, Ling Kongmiao suddenly accepted a cup of coffee from Sister Yun. Shi Yi remembered that every Star Alliance member present froze in disbelief, while Ling Kongmiao simply said a natural “thank you.”

The turbulent emotions churning in the depths of his eyes dissipated completely, returning to tranquility. Those blue eyes were like an ocean that swallowed everything, hiding even himself away beneath the surface.

The young Awakened grew rapidly. Shi Yi watched with his own eyes as Ling Kongmiao grew from a frail boy into a dependable ally—or, as certain lecherous members of the Star Alliance put it, an extremely sensual iceberg beauty.

On him, Shi Yi could hardly see any trace of turmoil anymore.

Ling Kongmiao had not allowed himself to sink into the abyss, yet Shi Yi felt that he hadn’t truly saved himself either.

It was as if he had accepted his decaying life. While others looked on with dread, he would only cast a light glance and continue doing what needed to be done.

Shi Yi believed he was merely accepting his fate, but on the day they discovered the E07 ruins, this conjecture was overturned once more.

The energy contamination in the D-grade polluted zone was severe; no living creature could survive in this area.

The Star Alliance personnel brought along special-grade purification equipment to sample the ruins, all buzzing with excitement over this major discovery.

Once Shi Yi finished assigning tasks, he looked up and spotted Ling Kongmiao squatting near the ruins, observing them. Finding him was never difficult—the coldest, most aloof figure seen from afar was always him.

Shi Yi ambled over. Ling Kongmiao was looking at the patterns etched into the ruins, one of which closely resembled a flower.

Shi Yi had never really understood why someone with such a fiercely unyielding, extreme personality like Ling Kongmiao would allow others to call him “Hua” (Flower). It didn’t suit him at all.

“You seem quite fond of flowers.” Used to being snapped at by him, Shi Yi didn’t hold back his curiosity. “I’ve been meaning to ask: why did you pick this codename?”

He had expected another cold sneer paired with cutting words; Shi Yi could practically hear the sharp “None of your damn business” already.

So much so that when he saw Ling Kongmiao reveal a long-lost smile, he wondered if he was hallucinating.

“I heard this land can no longer bloom any flowers.”

Ling Kongmiao traced the patterns on the ruin with his fingertip in midair, blue fluorescent light gradually condensing into the shape of a jasmine blossom. The beam of light was breathtaking in the night, reflecting against Ling Kongmiao’s face and within his eyes.

“Not only am I going to bloom, but I will bloom gorgeously.”

The brilliance blooming in his pale eyes in that split second was genuinely stunning.

Shi Yi was stunned. Perhaps he had never truly known Ling Kongmiao.

Naivety was a slow poison for outlaws, and Ling Kongmiao knew this full well. He was unique.

His seed had drifted past fertile soils and precious greenhouses, arriving at a barren, wretched deadland, only to blossom into a delicate flower in the end. It wore an innocent, harmless appearance, yet swayed with an unbridled presence in the dark.

It required no imposing, extravagant display; in this place stripped of all vitality, he simply appeared in a gentle, tender posture.

Click.

The faint sound pulled Shi Yi’s thoughts back. Ling Kongmiao put away his equipment, looking as if he intended to leave.

“Leaving?” Seeing his expression turn slightly off, Shi Yi probed, “What, did something happen?”

“Someone caused trouble.” Ling Kongmiao put on his cloak.

Shi Yi let out a drawn-out “Oh”: “Who caused trouble that requires you to clean up the mess?”

Ling Kongmiao glanced at him from the corner of his eye: “Then you want to go?”

Shi Yi let out a low chuckle, seemingly finding it amusing that these two could be thrown together.

“Jiang Yan is still on guard against you. If you lay a hand on him, you won’t make it out of the Federation.”

He twirled a dagger in his hand, its cold glint reflected in his eyes.

“I actually advised her to put her mind at ease. Although you currently appear to be using him to some extent, I always find something off about it.”

Shi Yi had a general idea of his identity. Ling Kongmiao’s surveillance of Jiang Tianji and his tacit permission of certain crises likely meant he was working for the Empire.

Counting the Star Alliance and the arms dealer, there were already four known factions.

His situation in the Federation was perilous. Shi Yi had initially guessed that pulling Jiang Tianji to his side was to temporarily steady the high-ranking officials on Jiang Yan’s side—a position from which he could advance or retreat. Stepping forward was a threat, while stepping back served as a brief gesture of goodwill and alliance.

After all, judging by the recent situation, he wasn’t safe in the Empire either; perhaps he was planning an escape route for himself.

However, he quickly realized that if deduced by this possibility, Ling Kongmiao’s actions were far too superfluous. The best approach would be finding a suitable opportunity to break away from the Federation entirely.

Shi Yi had spent quite a long time with Ling Kongmiao and knew far more relevant information. He usually acted easygoing, but he was ultimately the man who had fled back to the Star Alliance from a D-grade planet and successfully eliminated the previous faction leader who held real power.

A conjecture formed in his mind. Tracing backward from this guess, it not only perfectly explained all of Ling Kongmiao’s baffling choices, but also traced all the way back to why he hadn’t chosen the Star Pavilion and instead entered Special Support.

Even pondering the roles of the members in Special Support Team 1 brought a sudden sense of clarity.

Yet Shi Yi believed this was the most impossible possibility of all.

“I have quite an astonishing guess, but it’s far too fairy-tale-like. Do you want to hear it?”

Shi Yi’s chuckling voice came from behind. Ling Kongmiao turned back, gazed at him for a moment, and raised an eyebrow.

“Old fox.”

His attitude was remarkably relaxed, but Shi Yi froze for a second. A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes as he stood up.

“You…”

Just as Shi Yi uttered a single word, the figure before him blurred. His gaze lost its focal point, forced to land on the sea of stars outside the window.

Brilliant, dazzling—like a gift, and like that absurd guess from just now.

The reason it was absurd was that it was simply too pure and beautiful, without a single speck of impurity.

Yet… it was unexpectedly just like Ling Kongmiao.