Chapter 382: Quick to Learn, Quick to Apply
Qin Muye’s already foul mood sank to rock bottom.
Damn it!
’Who is this, shamelessly seducing Jiang Qingli while he wasn’t looking?!’
’Doesn’t Baili Jing call himself the "main wife"? Why is he so useless? He can’t even keep an eye on one damn homewrecker! What good is he as the main wife?!’
’He should just step down and let me take over!’
Qin Muye’s chest heaved as he fumed.
He couldn’t stand it for another second.
He immediately whipped out his terminal and frantically typed out a demanding message to Baili Jing.
He had just sent it, and before it could even be marked as "read," someone rushed over. "Prince! Que Feiling!"
The person ran up to them, panting as they spoke, "Our men just made a new discovery at the location where you were attacked. Marshal Sun has summoned you to discuss it!"
The fire in Qin Muye’s heart was instantly extinguished.
When it came to official business, his petty jealousy had to be set aside.
As Qin Muye and Que Feiling hurried away, Jiang Qingli was in an office, receiving effusive praise from Yuan Liang.
Jiang Qingli’s capture of the Weaving Nightmare Beast was a huge contribution to the research.
Yuan Liang went on and on, smiling with great satisfaction. "Miss Jiang, we truly have you to thank for this. I won’t waste time with any more pleasantries. I’ve already sent an email to His Majesty. Once this is all over, I will apply for a medal on your behalf so the entire Empire will know of your contribution to our cause."
"You’re too kind." Jiang Qingli smiled and looked at Lü Xin, who was standing to the side. "Miss Lü, how is your team’s progress?"
"Last night, we used the Weaving Nightmare Beast’s serum to create a rudimentary antidote. We administered it to Mr. Que Feiling. As you can see, his condition is quite good now." Lü Xin, still standing nearby, pushed a data-filled report in front of Jiang Qingli. "However, it’s not very refined at the moment. Subsequent treatments may require coordination with your healing abilities..."
She continued on, speaking at length. Most of what followed was data and technical jargon, but the general conclusion was that more research was needed.
The Mutant Beasts had been relatively quiet lately, so Yuan Liang gave Jiang Qingli a three-day leave to get some well-deserved rest.
After signing the leave form, Yuan Liang remarked, as if offhandedly, "Miss Jiang, during the time you were away, our Prince was nearly driven mad with longing... Coincidentally, he’s also on leave for the next few days. The two of you can take this opportunity to cultivate your relationship."
Jiang Qingli smiled and nodded. "I missed him very much too."
The corners of Yuan Liang’s mouth twitched upward by a few pixels. He glanced at Lü Xin, who was standing beside him, and cleared his throat.
As she walked them to the door, Lü Xin rubbed the tip of her nose and finally spoke up. "Miss Jiang, have you and the Prince ever thought about having children? After all, your genes... I mean, your genes in particular, are so exceptional. They truly need to be passed down."
Jiang Qingli waved her hand dismissively. "That’s... still a long way off. Let’s talk about it in the future."
Although the Empire’s technology was so advanced that childbirth caused almost no physical harm, Jiang Qingli hadn’t given the matter any thought at all.
For now, she still wanted to focus on doing the things she wanted to do.
The door closed.
Yuan Liang pressed a hand to his forehead. "Researcher Lü, I asked you to encourage them to cultivate their feelings from a female perspective, but you jumped way too far ahead..."
Lü Xin glanced through the report and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, occupational hazard. It’s just so rare for two people to have such a high Match Value, and with such outstanding genes, I can’t help but be curious about how exceptional their children would be."
...
Upon leaving the administration building, Jiang Qingli was surrounded by a group of young people who had been waiting for her.
"Miss Jiang, we finally caught you!"
"How are you feeling? Are you alright?"
"We’re planning to get together in Zone A to celebrate. Are you coming? You’re the guest of honor, after all!"
These young people had all set out with her in search of the Weaving Nightmare Beast. After returning empty-handed themselves, they learned that Jiang Qingli had brought one back, and their admiration for her instantly reached a new level.
Hearing that Jiang Qingli was here to report on her work, they had all dashed over to wait for her to finish so they could celebrate.
Jiang Qingli was about to agree, but she suddenly remembered Ye Linyuan’s warning not to go to Zone A again.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Jiang Qingli made an excuse to decline. "I’m sorry, I haven’t fully recovered my energy yet... but thank you for the kind offer."
"You’re being too polite." The young officer in the lead was a bit disappointed but still respected her decision. "Don’t feel bad. It’s our fault for not giving you a heads-up. We just came to find you on a whim..."
"How about we celebrate right here on the base?" someone suggested. "I’ve got some alcohol-flavored nutrient solution!"
"You rascal, you even managed to get your hands on that stuff!" Not to be outdone, another person chimed in, "I have peanut-flavored nutrient solution! It’s a limited edition!"
"That’s nothing! I’ve got smoked sausage flavor!"
The group grew excited, each one rattling off their treasured nutrient solution flavors as if they were family heirlooms.
Jiang Qingli: "..."
’A group of people chugging various flavors of nutrient solution... no matter how you pictured it, the scene was just bizarre.’
But it was hard to refuse their enthusiastic invitation, so Jiang Qingli let herself be swept along with the crowd to one of the officer’s quarters.
The officer, named Lin Cheng’an, was a colonel. He must have performed some special meritorious service in the past, as he had been assigned a spacious, two-story residence by a park lake.
Yi Nuo had to go for a check-up and left reluctantly.
Everyone brought out their treasured, variously flavored nutrient solutions from their own stashes, piling them high on the living room coffee table.
Inside the military base’s residences, many of the facilities weren’t connected to the network.
The group had fun all afternoon.
That evening, Qin Muye and Que Feiling finally arrived.
Now that everyone was there, someone suggested, "Colonel Lin, we have distinguished guests today. Isn’t it time to bring out your prized possession?"
Lin Cheng’an liked to collect old artifacts. His projector was an antique, one that required discs to play movies, and he treasured it dearly.
Lin Cheng’an looked at Jiang Qingli and asked, "Miss Jiang, I have a few out-of-print discs from the last century. Would you like to watch a drama or a horror movie?"
Jiang Qingli thought for a moment, then asked the other woman, "Do you mind horror movies?"
After the other woman nodded, she said, "Let’s go with the horror movie, then."
’She was actually quite curious about the filming techniques of old horror movies.’
’It would probably end up feeling more like a comedy, right?’
Hearing this, Lin Cheng’an gave a mysterious smile and turned to rummage for the disc.
The group immediately cheered.
The woman moved closer to Jiang Qingli and asked, "Miss Jiang, I’m a little scared. Can I sit next to you?"
"Yan Yan, I’ll protect you."
"Yanyan, I’ll sit next to you!"
"Miss Jiang, why don’t you two sit in the middle!"
The men subtly moved to sit beside the two women, secretly jostling their companions out of the way.
Seeing this, Que Feiling and Qin Muye squeezed in on Jiang Qingli’s left and right, glaring back at the others warily.
Jiang Qingli waved her hand. "I’m fine sitting in the back."
Yan Yan leaned close and whispered in her ear, "I’m going to go to the front then, Miss Jiang. There are a couple of guys up there I’m quite interested in..."
She gave Jiang Qingli a quick smile, then turned away, her expression shifting to one of worry and fear.
One of the men asked with concern, "Maybe we should just go back?"
"But I’m also really curious..." Yan Yan blinked, biting her lip with a look of vulnerability. "Will you protect me?"
The man eagerly agreed. "Of course! I’m here!"
Que Feiling, sitting beside Jiang Qingli, narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
Lin Cheng’an quickly returned with the disc.
The lights went out.
The room was plunged into darkness.
Jiang Qingli focused on the screen.
Just a few seconds of a blank screen had passed when a warm breath tickled her right ear. "I have something to ask you."
Her eyes still glued to the screen, Jiang Qingli said, "Go ahead."
Qin Muye took a deep breath.
He had been bottling up this question for Jiang Qingli all day, but there were too many people around to ask. Now that things had finally quieted down and they were in a corner, it was the perfect opportunity.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Qin Muye slowly began, "While I was away, did..."
Before he could finish, a terrified scream suddenly erupted from the projector!
Before Qin Muye could even react, he saw a figure throw themselves into Jiang Qingli’s arms, their voice trembling:
"Miss Jiang, that’s so scary..."