Chapter 71: Do you really think we have no chance? Pei Jiqing…

The Allied search team spent three days traversing the dense forest, wandering through rotten leaves and mud.

When they finally took a head count, they discovered they were missing Teng Zhuo, the youngest daughter of the Teng family, known in the Linhe area as the "Black Spider." This woman was sinister, like a poisonous insect lurking in the shadows.

The Teng siblings' secrets had long been uncovered. Their father, Fujimori, was a pheromone researcher as renowned as Morrison.

Everyone would say, "You are a beautiful woman, yet you are a thief."

The ambitions of their parents were intensified in their children, their research achievements being used to poison and harm others.

When the Allied searchlights swept through the basement's iron door, they discovered the imprisoned Fujimori, the pheromone researcher who should have been dead long ago.

He was huddled in a corner, with Liu, the senior student who had tried to rescue Fujimori and had grown up with the Teng siblings.

The remaining rebels, those who survived, were handcuffed and taken to military vehicles; those who resisted were shot on the spot.

From the darkroom, the search team unearthed boxes of contraband pharmaceuticals, along with a list of names that hadn't been destroyed yet.

Chen Huixing flipped through the papers, several names making him squint. They were all well-known pharmaceutical dealers from various allied nations, seemingly glamorous, but secretly colluding with these shady drug dealers.

He folded the list expressionlessly and tucked it into the inner pocket of his combat uniform. From afar, the shouts of the prisoners' escort mingled with the crunch of military boots crushing glass medicine bottles.

Pei Jiqing had been busy for the past three days settling the rescued civilians and compiling firsthand information. He had already sent out the exclusive report on the rebellion's defeat. Greetings from colleagues came one after another, some inquiring about his well-being in a roundabout way.

"Everything is going well."

He knew what they were trying to find out; the report of his pheromone compatibility with Shen Huixing had already spread across all major platforms.

This matter would have to wait for Chen Huixing to return to discuss, but he still hadn't figured out how to discuss it.

Which option would be better for them: admit or deny?

Pei Jiqing, a frontline reporter who had recently escaped from a rebel lair, had more detailed information than anyone else. Behind him was a scene of the resettlement area: medical staff shuttled between tents, and several children squatted in the open space sharing cookies.

"All survivors will be transferred to Ling City for treatment."

Linhe pulled up the pollution monitoring data, revealing several alarming red curves. "It will take at least a decade for the banned pheromone residue in the Linhe area to degrade. A restricted area must be established to prevent entry."

Not setting a restricted area was useless; people would always return to this wasteland for various reasons, like moths to a flame.

On his way back to base, Chen Huixing saw Pei Jiqing talking from a distance. His white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his fingers tapping on the instrument, switching between data charts. His brows furrowed slightly as he spoke, and every technical term was clearly and crisply pronounced.

Chen Huixing leaned against the car and didn't move over. He had seen Pei Jiqing like this too many times. Pei Jiqing in front of the camera had a special magic that made him captivating no matter what he said.

Those eyes were particularly bright under the strong light, and Chen Huixing just looked at him. He remembered that every time he was stared at by those eyes, he would unconsciously surrender, unable to even utter a word of doubt.

He could only sink into it soberly.

Chen Huixing used to firmly believe every "I love you" Pei Jiqing said, and believed that Pei Jiqing couldn't live without him.

But since when, the person he couldn't live without became himself.

Pei Jiqing closed his laptop, and when Lao Yu came over to discuss the details of the report, he noticed that gaze.

He turned around and saw Chen Huixing standing next to the car, and their eyes met.

Pei Jiqing suddenly remembered what he had vowed a few days ago to share the responsibility.

Chen Huixing looked at him with an astonishingly hot gaze. Although he stood straight, the bloodshot eyes and the stubble on his chin revealed fatigue. This level of task was not difficult for him in the past, but now he was like a string stretched to the limit.

After the two looked at each other for a few seconds, Chen Huixing nodded at him, turned around and left first.

When Pei Jiqing returned to the dormitory, he heard the sound of water in the bathroom and a blood-stained bandage in the trash can.

He squatted down and stared for a long time until the bathroom door was opened.

Chen Huixing came out wiping his hair, and water droplets slid down his abdominal muscles, leaving dark marks on the towel around his waist.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?" Pei Jiqing tapped the trash can with his toes. Chen Huixing

paused, with the towel draped over his neck. The fresh wound was on his shoulder, and the stitches were lying there like a centipede.

He didn't say anything, but reached for the cigarette on the bedside table, and frowned imperceptibly when he touched the wound.

"I'm injured." Chen Huixing said lightly.

Pei Jiqing frowned. "Then why are you showering?"

Chen Huixing sat down on the edge of the bed, water dripping from his wet hair. "If you don't wash it now, it'll go bad."

He suddenly reached out and pulled him close, burying his face in Pei Jiqing's chest. He took a deep breath and said, "My head's about to explode. Let me lean on you for a moment."

His breath sprayed all over Pei Jiqing.

Pei Jiqing raised his hand to push him away, then lowered it.

Chen Huixing's arm tightened around his waist like an iron hoop.

Pei Jiqing was silent for a moment before speaking. "How are we going to handle the compatibility issue? We'll definitely have to retest it when we get back." Chen

Huixing's voice was muffled. "...I haven't thought about it yet."

Pei Jiqing suddenly remembered how he had deliberately exposed their compatibility during the last commander election. "Didn't you plant someone before?"

"No need for that." Chen Huixing raised his head, the bloodshot under his eyes particularly noticeable under the light.

This time, the entire Asian Alliance was watching, and even the most meticulous arrangements couldn't withstand a million eyes.

Chen Huixing's tone was unusually light: "Didn't you say we'd face this together?"

Pei Jiqing met his gaze and said calmly, "Yes."

The situation was too urgent, and Pei Jiqing didn't have time to explain further.

"But what I mean is that for the sake of our children and our future, we can unite as a team."

Pei Jiqing paused. "No emotional involvement."

Chen Huixing's expression froze. "What do you mean?"

Pei Jiqing calmly laid out his plan: "If this is exposed, I'll push the Pei family to take all the blame. I'll protect you. They fabricated the matching data in the first place."

"If we really have to separate... it's better for both you and me. Haven't you always wanted to be the commander? I have the leverage over Cen Yuean. This time, you can advance further with your military achievements. You deserve it, and I can also realize my lifelong dream."

Pei Jiqing didn't believe this incident was without Cen Yuean's hand.

If he's unkind, don't blame him for being unjust.

Chen Huixing stared at him intently, his eyes piercing through him. After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and raspy: "I thought you'd say... even if the whole world is against us, we won't separate."

"It's come to this, how could it be possible..."

He could still fool around.

Chen Huixing suddenly laughed, his tone indeed mocking: "I was actually very happy when you told me that day that we would face it together."

"Pei Jiqing, you've been pretending to be infatuated with me for so many years, but you turned out to be sober as hell... You've turned me into the person I hated the most. You're the most powerful person."

Pei Jiqing felt a tightness in his chest when he heard what Chen Huixing said, but he still spoke in a hard tone: "Are you crazy? You don't want the position of commander anymore? You're throwing away all the hard work of so many years?"

"The entire alliance won't want a risky S-level commander."

Chen Huixing's eyes were red, and he stared at him straight: "I want you."

The three words fell to the ground, so heavy that it made people tremble.

"Wake up." Pei Jiqing turned his face away and didn't look into his eyes, pinching his fingers into his palm.

Chen Huixing suddenly grabbed his wrist with astonishing strength: "So in your eyes, has it been impossible for us since you left me?"

Pei Jiqing didn't want to listen to these emotional words, and analyzed to Chen Huixing: "There is no 90% compatibility now. Separation is beneficial to both you and me. You can rely on this military merit to move up a level, and I can also gain a firm foothold."

He raised his eyes to look at Chen Huixing, looking at the scars all over his body: "You worked hard to climb to where you are today. You don't want to waste all your efforts because of this kind of thing, right?"

Pei Jiqing even felt that he remembered the origins of every wound on his body better than Chen Huixing.

Chen Huixing: "You don't need to analyze the pros and cons with me. The future is as vast as the sea. I just want to ask you, do you really think there is no possibility for us?"

Pei Jiqing was silent for a long time: "Yes."

This word made Chen Huixing let go.