Chapter 355: Arriving in the Twelve Cities
The First District military base.
The night was thick. A few military officers stood respectfully to the sides as Qin Xiangning, dressed in luxury fashion, angrily vented into his terminal.
’He couldn’t believe Xie Youchen would just dump them here!’
’He was a Prince, for god’s sake!’
’How dare a disgraced man like Xie Youchen treat him this way?!’
But just as he roared out his question, a girl’s clear voice came from the other end. "It wasn’t just one person, it was six of us. I never realized you had such low EQ, and a slow brain to boot. How pitiful."
Qin Xiangning’s eyes widened.
’Jiang Qingli?’
The wounds on his face had already healed, but at the sound of her voice, Qin Xiangning’s face began to ache faintly. He was stunned for a few seconds.
By the time he snapped out of it and was about to curse back, the call had already been disconnected.
An officer nearby glanced over. Qin Xiangning’s anger flared, and he hurled the terminal right at the man’s face!
Still seething, he roared, "What are you looking at?! You’re all in league with Xie Youchen!" He then pointed at another person. "And what are *you* looking at?! Scram!"
After he finished his tirade, Qin Yu finally spoke up to stop him. "Xiangning, calm down. It’s time for us to leave."
An officer led them toward another flying craft.
Qin Xiangning was instantly displeased. "Why this old piece of junk? Where’s the X-N75-11?"
The officer said, "Apologies. Marshal Xie is accompanied by other high-ranking military officials, three medical teams, and some researchers, so..."
The implication was that Qin Xiangning’s party had arrived late and had to make do with a craft manufactured last year.
This flying craft was slightly smaller and slower than the one Xie Youchen’s group was on. Even though they were leaving only an hour later, they would arrive five or six hours after Jiang Qingli’s party.
At this point, more cursing was useless. Qin Xiangning boarded the flying craft with a sullen face.
Once inside, he kicked the coffee table in a fit of rage. "They took off early and left us with this small, crappy craft! They must have done it on purpose! They knew we would look for Qin—"
"Xiangning."
Before he could finish, Qin Yu cut him off.
She picked up a bottle of mineral water, twisted it open, took a sip, and said coolly, "Don’t worry. I’ve already arranged everything."
Qin Xiangning frowned, asking uncertainly, "But we won’t be there. What if something goes wrong?"
"By my calculations, Qin Shu should have arrived by then. He can serve as a witness," Qin Yu said. "Otherwise, wouldn’t it be so lonely for Qin Muye to die there all by himself?"
Seeing this, Qin Xiangning relaxed and smiled. He was even starting to look forward to this trip.
He couldn’t wait to see Jiang Qingli become a widow, her face constantly streaked with tears.
「The moon set and the sun rose.」
After passing through eleven districts, the group finally arrived in the Twelve Cities before midnight the next day.
Jiang Qingli had barely slept the entire journey. The moment the flying craft landed, she rushed impatiently to the door.
"Slow down," Xie Youchen said, walking up slowly from behind her.
Only then did Jiang Qingli remember that she was the special advisor on this trip, and Xie Youchen was her "superior." She took a step back to stand behind him with Chen Mi.
A few officers who had been waiting for some time stood outside. After a mechanical chime, the craft’s door slowly opened.
The light was dim, making it hard to see outside clearly. But in an instant, the stench of dust mixed with blood and decay washed over them.
A researcher following behind them immediately started coughing. "My god, why is the smell so strong..." he grumbled.
Yi Nuo, who hadn’t set foot in this place for a long time, also frowned slightly, but looked at Jiang Qingli with concern, worried that she would be uncomfortable.
Jiang Qingli, however, didn’t have a particularly strong reaction, though the smell was certainly unpleasant.
Xie Youchen was the first to exit the cabin. Standing by the ramp, he took Jiang Qingli’s hand and said gently, "Watch your step."
The lead officer said apologetically, "My apologies, everyone. A Mutant Beast attacked the airfield just now. We just moved the carcass, but it’s still a bit bloody... The smell might be unpleasant, and please watch out for slippery spots."
Jiang Qingli held her breath and descended from the craft with him.
After she was steady on her feet, she looked up, only to meet the slightly surprised expressions of several people. Their gazes were fixed on Xie Youchen’s and Jiang Qingli’s clasped hands.
Standing behind the Marshal, Jin Li’s eyes flickered between the two of them, a look of confusion on his face.
Startled, Jiang Qingli quickly pulled her hand back and took a step away.
In her view, Xie Youchen took a step forward, calmly blocking their line of sight. He looked at the group, offered a simple greeting, and introduced them to Jiang Qingli.
"So the special advisor His Majesty mentioned is Miss Jiang. I’ve heard so much about you." The lead Marshal stepped forward and shook Jiang Qingli’s hand. "We’ll be counting on your guidance during this time, Miss Jiang."
He held her hand for a second before letting go like a gentleman. The others then took turns coming forward to greet her.
When it was Jin Li’s turn, Xie Youchen, who was standing beside her, suddenly spoke. "Colonel Jin, your younger brother is on the craft."
Jin Li looked up just in time to see Fang Chi following closely behind the researchers, making his way down the ramp.
Seeing his brother appear before him, safe and sound, Jin Li’s eyes instantly reddened. He rushed forward in a few long strides, grabbing his arm, his throat choked with emotion.
Just as he was about to speak, Fang Chi seemed to get spooked, shaking him off and scrambling a few steps back to hide behind Jiang Qingli.
Jin Li froze.
The next second, he heard Fang Chi ask in a small voice, "Sis, who is he?"
Jin Li’s eyes flew open. "Who else could I be?! I’m your brother!"
Fang Chi flinched at his shouting. He cautiously glanced at Xie Youchen’s expression, and only after seeing he wasn’t displeased did he grab the corner of Jiang Qingli’s clothes and yell back unhappily, "My brother isn’t as old as you!"
After saying that, as if afraid the man would get angry, he muttered, "What a weirdo. Is he trying to get close to Sis by using me? Some old man."
Jin Li looked as if he’d been struck by lightning.
He knew Fang Chi’s memory had regressed, but he never imagined he wouldn’t even recognize him!
Even more shocking was how attached Fang Chi was to Jiang Qingli.
A year ago, when Jiang Qingli had snatched the engagement from Bai Yiyi, Fang Chi had been indignant on his brother’s behalf. He felt Jiang Qingli wasn’t a good female master and swore he would never call her "sister-in-law."
But now... Fang Chi was affectionately calling her "Sis" over and over, treating him, his own brother, like a stranger, and was even wary of him getting close to Jiang Qingli!
Jin Li’s mind was in chaos. He felt as if the entire world had updated its plot without telling him.
"Colonel Jin, please don’t get worked up. Fang Chi’s memory is stuck in his childhood, so of course he wouldn’t recognize the nearly thirty-year-old you," a researcher stepped forward, suppressing a laugh, and explained. "As for what he said just now... he watches a lot of TV dramas in the detention center. It’s just a child speaking without a filter, don’t take it to heart."
At this, several other officers began to laugh. The leader, Marshal Sun, clapped Jin Li on the shoulder. "There, there. He’s a nine-year-old kid. It’s only normal for him to be close to the person who saved his life."
Jiang Qingli had no heart to explain anything. She asked the question that had been on her mind the entire trip: "Marshal Sun, can I go see Qin Muye now?"
Marshal Sun naturally had no reason to stop her, but before they got in the vehicle, he couldn’t help but remind her, "Miss Jiang, please prepare yourself."