Excellent. Everything Lei Ting had taken from the school was, in the end, brought back exactly as it was.
The only real difference was that over the past few days, Warren had bought him quite a few sets of clothes—comfortable, durable, and better suited for responding to combat crises at a moment's notice. He had brought those back as well, replacing his original daily changes of clothes.
Of course, in the days to come, he would likely only be wearing military uniforms. Those clothes were now tucked away in compression canisters; heaven only knew when they would see the light of day again.
But speaking of which... before he left that apartment, he had also given Warren a gift.
It was a high-concentration pheromone solvent made from liquid pheromones extracted from his own blood, along with matching refill bottles. Whether bottled for injection or made into a spray, this solvent could help an Omega alleviate the symptoms of pheromone dependency on their marking Alpha.
The tools and tutorials for making such things were not uncommon. After all, in the vastness of the stars, there were always people separated from their marked partners for long periods. For some Omegas with more sensitive or soft temperaments, such separation was indeed too cruel.
In truth, Warren’s current situation was still not quite the same as a normal Omega’s. Although all his previous abnormalities seemed to have vanished during these short ten days together, they had actually just been converted by the temporary mark Lei Ting gave him into an extreme craving for this specific Alpha’s pheromones.
Otherwise, why would a man who, despite slacking off during work hours, was still very professional and serious when on duty, take a special leave of absence just to stay glued to him every day?
That fellow might be influenced by his emotions, but at his core, he was a man so calm and disciplined that he had forced himself to endure in that state for thirty years. Lei Ting knew very well that Warren just wanted to indulge himself slightly during this time, so that the coming days of separation wouldn't be quite so unbearable.
To this, Lei Ting had provided his solution: the pheromone solvent.
Regardless, the blood lost during the solvent's production was less than what he bled when he made a mistake during training. To recover from such a minor injury, he didn't even need to use his super-powers; at most, a night's rest would suffice.
For Lei Ting, the more important thing was ultimately "maintaining Warren’s health." What did a bit of blood matter to a super-powered warrior? He had long since grown accustomed to such things.
When he left, Lei Ting flew into the sky alone, landing on the exclusive access corridor for super-powered individuals in the mid-level structure of the space elevator. From a distance, he looked back toward the direction of "Waterdrop Garden."
The distance between the two was not actually that far. His specialized personal terminal components and military-grade eyepiece enhancement plugins allowed him to easily see the figure standing on the balcony—it was as if the man were watching his retreating back, waiting for him to return home.
Lei Ting felt a flicker of pleasure at this, but at the same time, worry rose in his heart.
Long-term separation and unknown dangers—these were the two dilemmas standing before him. If he wanted to establish a long-term connection with Warren, he had to consider these two issues.
Of course... the latter didn't actually require too much concern. He only considered it because the other party wanted to interact with him as "Enan Warren."
As for the former, the pheromone solvent was a good thing.
Thus, the problem he needed to consider more deeply actually became "how to keep the other party interested in him during a long separation."
The word "affection" was never one-sided. Only when two people "felt" each other's "affection" could it be called a relationship.
Now, he could fully admit that he liked that person, and the other person clearly liked him back. What he had to consider was how to manage this relationship so it could be maintained steadily until he had the ability to be with the other person for a long time.
Aside from that, Lei Ting didn't feel there were any other obstacles between them... although considering these things meant he had much more to do than if he were alone, one always had to react differently to different people. Faced with anyone else's feelings, he could certainly just throw out a "not dating" and be done with it. But if the other person was Enan Warren?
Thanks for the invite; we're dating.
No time, no energy, no conditions, no opportunity? Who said that! I certainly didn't!
Lei Ting took one last look at Warren from afar. Knowing the other couldn't see him, he still gave a distant wave before turning to leave.
As he sat in the starship seat, a brief question surfaced in his mind: ...So, why exactly did that man hide his name and become "Enan Warren"?
*I'll ask him in person when I get back,* he thought.
If they were to be together, some things had to be made clear eventually. His departure this time likely wouldn't be short, and this period would be enough for the other party to think many things through.
***
When Lei Ting returned to the Academy's Grand Plaza, the vast majority of his classmates had already rushed back.
After all, they were still students. During the period before graduation, they were still not allowed to leave the star system at will. Intra-system jumps were actually very convenient, and since this was the Capital System, the airspace was kept very clear without any induction interference.
From a distance, Sandro saw Lei Ting. He waved with a smile and called out a loud greeting, causing almost everyone to look over.
Not a single teacher from any department had come—which was normal, as the theory teachers were all AIs, and the practical teachers were either disabled veterans or had already headed to the front lines ahead of time.
At this moment, the forty thousand-plus people looking over from all directions were all students. In the distance, lower-grade cadets were also gathered to watch the scene, their whispers rising as Lei Ting walked toward the crowd.
Though called "whispers," when over a hundred thousand people whispered together, the sound was as loud as rolling thunder.
Lei Ting: "..."
He silently ignored the distant noise—they were just underclassmen, nothing to be surprised about. If this batch of them wasn't enough for the front lines, the next step would be the students who entered in the Class of 3997, and so on.
Orion humans had always been this way. After all, their territory was vast but their population wasn't exactly huge. When necessary, even lightly disabled retired officers and freshmen who had just enrolled and were still on their way would be pulled directly onto the battlefield after rigorous training. In truly critical moments, those who chose to shoulder the responsibility would always die in front of the people they protected in the rear.
As he entered the crowd, Lei Ting casually greeted those around him: "Good afternoon."
The crowd also smiled and greeted him, seemingly feeling much more at ease just seeing him arrive. He then walked forward through the path the crowd cleared for him toward the very front. The Principal was there, still appearing in her female form, smiling at him from her hover-chair.
When he came before her, she tucked away the smile on her face, nodded to him, and turned to look at the forty thousand-plus cadets. "Now, I am glad you are all here. I will not speak of regret or worry, for this is where your duty lies."
The crowd was silent. It was a silence like solid stone.
"Four years ago, I never thought the day would come when I would personally send you to the battlefield. But I think we all understand that your journey is so that more people do not have to go to war. Therefore, that topic ends here. Because this is not a pre-battle mobilization."
The Principal's voice was calm and cold. She didn't seem to enjoy doing this—sending students to the battlefield—but that didn't stop her from continuing.
"'Pacific' will properly arrange your placements; it will be related to your internship experience," she said. "Before throwing yourselves into new battles, I hope you will guard against arrogance and impetuosity. Because every one of you..."
She looked at Lei Ting at the very front, as well as the dozen or so other cadets who had been specifically singled out.
"...Every one of you, including the excellent ones and the most excellent one among you, will enter a place where killing depends on strength and surviving depends on luck," she said solemnly. "When this battle ends, I do not know how many of you will stand before me again. Perhaps the vast majority, or perhaps no one at all..."
When she said this, everyone glanced at Lei Ting, who had the massive black box and two compression canisters floating behind him.
Lei Ting showed no reaction. He had completely entered his professional state, no longer considering anything unrelated to the Federation, the war, or combat.
He knew what he had to do.
"Alright, begin boarding now. You will first arrive at the war zone logistics line and find your respective units there," the Principal ordered calmly. "Remember what you have learned these four years, remember where your duty lies... and also remember what you are fighting for.
"Do you understand?"
Forty-eight thousand, eight hundred and fifty-one cadets snapped to attention and saluted at the same time. A unified voice thundered through the Academy Headquarters, which had once been a small planetary weapon:
"Understood, Ma'am!"
Then, those students—most of whom were not wearing uniforms because the summons had been too sudden—carried their tools or weapons, executed a crisp about-face, and strode toward the fleet of starships quietly docked outside the exits.
And Lei Ting... did the same. Because the words the Principal wanted to say to him had already bypassed the Star Net and the AI, arriving in his mind through mental transmission.
*Stay safe, Little Lei,* she said. *This border issue is not simple; they have been plotting for a long time. You might encounter attacks in deep space...*
*...Please try your best to protect the classmates around you. I know you can do it.*
Lei Ting did not answer through mental power, nor did he show any reaction that others would notice. He simply turned his head suddenly to look at a load-bearing pillar in the distance, at the sharp blade mark engraved with the name "Starflow."
Then, he suddenly asked in a loud voice, "When we come back, what kind of marks do you want to leave here?"
The "Double S" had taken the lead in breaking character. The young people, who had been tensed up with the "can't lose face in front of the underclassmen!" momentum, immediately lost their composure: "Hahaha, Brother Lei, what are you doing? Hahaha..." "I'm gonna paint my portrait on the main gate!" "Does the hangar up ahead allow signatures?" "A bunch of weaklings—I already left a backdoor in 'Pacific'!" "LMAO, you got put in a 'New Pacific' by 'Pacific,' didn't you?"
Over forty thousand reserve officers, who had already experienced battle and killing, maintained their orderly formation while trading barbs, jokes, and trash talk as they boarded the ships one by one.
Behind them, the Principal was laughing and fuming at the same time, slapping her hover-chair: "You little brats... when you get back, I'm sending every single one of you to sweep the botanical gardens!!!"
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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信息素溶剂 | Pheromone solvent | A solution used to mitigate withdrawal symptoms in Omegas.
星流 | Starflow | A name engraved as a blade mark on a pillar at the academy.
3997级 | Class of 3997 | Refers to the student cohort that enrolled in the year 3997.
4000届 | Class of 4000 | The graduating class Lei Ting belongs to.
