Though the experience was hair-raising, the three of them still climbed out alive. The receiving rescue workers immediately took away the half-dead people in the car to conduct further monitoring and treatment. His first time taking charge, Chang Dou had succeeded in keeping the impact of the explosion to within the limits of the ionosphere. Apart from a single 4.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred on the spot, from which the surrounding cities felt a slight tremor, after intense observation for seventy-two hours, there were for the moment no more serious events. 

It seemed that they had…succeeded. 

Though to Hu Bugui’s eyes, the outcome wasn’t so ideal. 

After returning from the ST Training Course, everyone had rushed right to the scene. Time had been so tight that they had not even had time to eat or sleep. So after they returned to headquarters, they didn’t even hold a wrap-up meeting. Hu Bugui gave a brief five-minute report, and the RZ Unit dispersed on the spot, each going to rest. 

Su Qing considered, then first went to see Qin Luo. 

In eight hundred years, Qin Luo had had no experience in receiving guests. As soon as she saw Su Qing, she froze. After working together for so long and spending over half a week being tormented at the ST Training Course together, in Qin Luo’s eyes, Su Qing had finally lost the dangerous label of “strange member of the opposite sex” and become an acquaintance in front of whom she could speak fluently. 

But though he was an acquaintance, Qin Luo still didn’t know how to receive a guest who came to her door. She stood bolt upright in the doorway looking helplessly at Su Qing for a long while. Then she finally asked, “Should I let you in?” 

Su Qing: “…” 

Qin Luo scrambled to let him in, then furtively fished a little notebook out of her pocket. Su Qing just caught a glance and saw what was written on it: “Step two, have the guest sit down and inquire whether they want a drink.” 

He simply didn’t know what to say. 

Qin Luo mechanically pointed to the couch and said, “Sit down, what are you drinking?” 

A pause, and she herself felt that that her tone was a little stiff, so she asked a little uncertainly, “Is that the right thing to say? If I get it wrong…if I get it wrong, don’t take it to heart.” 

Su Qing waved a hand to keep her from bustling. “I came to ask you for something.” 

Qin Luo considered. This social interaction wasn’t written down in the notebook. So she nodded foolishly. “OK.” 

Su Qing: “…” 

He sighed. “Such a grown-up young lady. Don’t be so earnest. Don’t be so quick to agree before the other person’s even said what he wants.” 

“Oh, OK.” Qin Luo nodded. “So what do you want?” 

“When we went to Dong Jianguo’s house, I ran into a sniper. Do you recall?” 

Qin Luo’s expression became proper. She switched right over from airhead girl mode to sharpshooting female bruiser. She frowned, a bit of viciousness appearing on her delicate features. “I know of him. I’ve heard that he has a code name, 11235. I don’t know what his name is. He holds first place in the circle of assassins. There are those who say that when it comes to using a gun, no one can beat him.” 

As Qin Luo spoke, she looked eager to have a go. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to go up against him, but I haven’t had the chance.” 

Su Qing hesitated. “I’ve heard that your marksmanship is the best in the unit.” 

Qin Luo first nodded candidly. She said, “Yeah.” 

Then she felt that wasn’t right. This didn’t seem to be what the little book said. So she flipped back two pages and saw that, as expected, she had said the wrong thing. A little strained, she clutched her hair, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She said, “Oh…actually, I’m not all that good, everyone is exaggerating.” 

Su Qing laughed aloud and yanked away the little notebook on her knees. “Enough, just say what you want to say. There aren’t any outsiders, there’s no need to be modest—who gave you this rotten thing?” 

Qin Luo whispered, “Chang Dou.” 

Su Qing: “…” 

No wonder. 

Su Qing gave a dry cough and changed the subject back. “I want to ask you to help me out doing some special training.” 

Qin Luo looked at him doubtfully.

“I’ll request a training field in a bit, and you’ll be responsible for shooting at me with guns of different range…” 

“With live ammo?” Qin Luo was startled. 

Su Qing nodded, his expression serious. “With live ammo. Just treat me like your enemy.” 

Qin Luo’s eyes opened wide. “I’ll hurt you.” 

“No problem. As long as you don’t kill me, it’s fine.” Su Qing was very unperturbed when it came to wounds—since having the double core system, he really had felt impervious. He could get shot five times at once and come back fine in a week. 

Qin Luo considered. “Are you planning to deal with 11235?” 

Su Qing lowered his eyes. The expression on his face was very natural. There was still a faint mild smile on it, like when he had been casually chatting with Qin Luo before. There were no pulsing veins and no malice in his eyes. 

He softly said, “Once or twice is one thing, but there can’t be a third time. I’ve already put up with him three times. The next time we meet, I have to…” 

He twitched the corners of his lips, feeling his expression for once getting a little out of control. “Kill him.” 

Qin Luo blinked. She saw that the moment Su Qing stood up, clarity returned to his attractive eyes. She hesitated, then said, “I also think he’s very dangerous. As long as you aren’t afraid of being injured, I’ll help you.” 

Su Qing nodded and said goodbye to her. Just before leaving, he remembered something and leaned against the doorframe. He said to Qin Luo, “Don’t learn from Chang Dou. Look at how silly Chang Dou looks. Does he look like a master of socialization?” 

Qin Luo looked helplessly at the secret book given to her by “Chang the Pseudo-socialite.” Su Qing sighed. “Well, if you get the time, play some more with our money-squandering whelp. There may some use in it for you.” 

Tu Tutu had long ago tempered his ability to speak to everyone in their own language to the highest degree, and he instinctively knew who the boss was. He had flattered Hu Bugui into oblivion. Su Qing felt that if this continued, Tu Tutu would one day become a second Ji Pengcheng, so he wanted to let these two people neutralize each other a little.  

Su Qing found Tu Tutu in Hu Bugui’s room. Hu Bugui had nothing to entertain a child with, so he had taken out pictures of all the cats he had had before and given them to him to look at. Tu Tutu eagerly hung around him acting adorable, now “ah”ing, now “ooh”ing, playing naïve and innocent.

When Su Qing arrived, Tu Tutu was just shamelessly hanging off Hu Bugui’s arm, chirping like a dolphin: “Our teacher says, uncles who like little animals are all caring, good uncles. Uncle Hu is the best, number one out of everyone.” 

Su Qing stood at the door with his arms crossed. Hu Bugui raised his head and looked at him. Then, smiling, he asked, “So what number is Uncle Su?” 

Tu Tutu blurted out, “Oh, the prince regent is treacherous and savage. He harbors evil intentions. He regularly deceives his sovereign and spanks Our Imperial Presence. He won’t give up on usurping the throne. Of course he’s number…” 

Su Qing gave a sinister, quiet laugh, and all the hair stood up on the back of Tu Tutu’s neck. His round little body rolled behind Hu Bugui with matchless speed. He shakily stuck out his head and looked towards the door. “Number…number… Of course you’re tied for number one!” 

Su Qing raised his eyelids. “Get the hell over here.” 

Emperor Tu looked longingly at the enormous shelter of General Hu, then tearfully found that he occupied the same bench as the great traitor. As expected—every threatened majesty had behind him a useless loyal official whose head had been turned by a fox demon. 

But he took this quite philosophically, only indulging in a bit of self-pity. Then he put on a fawning smile and obediently “got the hell over,” surrendering to the traitor. 

Su Qing took Tu Tutu away, and the smile on Hu Bugui’s face faded bit by bit. He sank onto the couch, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, pulled out the tobacco shreds, and fiddled with them. 

They had been forced to withdraw midway through the rescue operation, and the abandoned blue seal base had blown up in the end. General Xiong had simply found a room to stay in at headquarters. He currently had no intention of leaving. If before you could have said that the old superior had come to substitute while the core personnel were absent, what was happening now? 

Even the tech department’s Chang Dou had perfectly demonstrated that he could undertake Xu Ruchong’s workload. What else was General Xiong uneasy about? 

He could faintly sniff out the scent of great events to come. And then there was what Su Qing had said. 

Hu Bugui sighed, sincerely wishing to light the cigarette in his hand. But bringing his formidable willpower to bear, he managed to resist. He sat on the couch staring blankly for a long time. Then someone knocked on the door again. 

Hu Bugui stared. He stood up and opened the door and to his astonishment found Su Qing standing outside, hugging a giant Garfield body pillow. 

Su Qing stuffed the pillow into Hu Bugui’s arms and rudely shuffled inside in his slippers. “I came over to comfort you so you won’t lose sleep—I’ll go shower first.” 

All of his actions were incomparably natural. By the time Hu Bugui caught up, he had already closed the bathroom door. 

Hu Bugui lowered his head and exchanged a look with Garfield’s big fat unfathomable face. He couldn’t suppress a smile. When he noticed it, probably feeling that this smile was rather lewd and not very in keeping with Captain Hu’s always decent and steady image, he forced it away. His face seemed a little twitchy, as if he were having a stroke. 

After Su Qing finished showering, he didn’t tie the belt on his pajamas, only draped them carelessly over himself, revealing a white chest and a faint underbelly. He ran a hand alluringly through his soaking wet hair. “How’s my figure?” 

Hu Bugui hugged his pillow and earnestly said, “Pretty good.” 

“Heh-heh-heh,” Su Qing said, “then hurry and get cleaned up so you can provide this king with bedchamber service.” 

Hu Bugui raised his eyes with a swish. “Have you really made up your mind?” 

Su Qing said, “Damn, aren’t you finished yet?” 

He had hardly finished speaking when Hu Bugui disappeared before his eyes at light speed, charging into the bathroom. 

Su Qing leaned down and picked up the big pillow he had scared up from somewhere, then sprawled on the bed in the bedroom, rolling around hugging it. For some reason, when he recalled that this was Hu Bugui’s territory, he suddenly felt sleepy. For years he had been unable to distinguish whether he didn’t need more sleep or actually had trouble sleeping. Only that night in the little tent had he experienced the difference between “sleep” and “dozing.” 

When Hu Bugui walked into the bedroom, all the lights in the room had been turned very dim by Su Qing. He was lying on the body pillow with the quilt half covering him, revealing a section of his lower leg. With his eyes half lowered, he was indolently looking at the pictures of the little cats at the head of the bed. He seemed a little drowsy. 

Hu Bugui’s throat bobbed unnaturally. He subconsciously walked over and straightened the quilt over him. He quietly asked, “What are you looking at?” 

“What happened to all your cats?” 

“A friend took them and gave them to his retired parents to keep them company.” 

“Oh? Why?” 

A little tentatively, Hu Bugui put his arms around him. “I think you’re actually a little allergic to small animals. At the beginning, you were always sneezing when you got close to me. I thought it may have been because there was some cat hair on me.” 

Su Qing stared for a moment. He titled his head and narrowed his eyes, looking at him with a leer. “Because I’m—allergic to small animals? Captain Hu, what were you thinking of then?” 

This time, Hu Bugui didn’t speak. He used his actions to answer.