Chapter 9: Mission; Why Arenât You Wearing Clothes?
The tall man, dressed in a set of black casual wear, leaned against the door, tapping away at his light-brain. Hearing someone call his name, he turned around, and a face that was gentle yet carried a sharp, aggressive beauty struck Lu Yinâs eyes.
The man was tall, likely around the same height as Lu Yin. His round-neck top was stretched at the shoulders by firm muscles, giving off an air of casual leisure.
Seeing Zhuang He emerge, Shi Yan immediately put away his light-brain and approached them with a smile on his face.
“Iâve been waiting for you. Shall we go eat together?”
Zhuang Heâs brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He turned back to introduce him to Lu Yin. “This is Shi Yan, also a teacher at the Academy.”
Lu Yinâs intuition allowed him to sense Shi Yanâs subtle hostility toward him, but he still greeted him obediently. “Hello, Teacher Shi Yan.”
“Is this the 3S-grade Sentinel?”
Zhuang He nodded and said, “Yes, his name is Lu Yin.”
No trace of animosity toward Lu Yin could be seen in Shi Yanâs eyes; instead, they were filled with Zhuang He. He hooked a perfect, gentle smile, walked to Zhuang Heâs side, and invited, “Letâs go. Time for lunch.”
“Mhm.” Zhuang He gave an affirmative sound, then looked back at Lu Yin. “You come along, too.”
A flash of surprise crossed Shi Yanâs eyes, but then he heard Lu Yin refuse. “No, thank you, Teacher. My roommates invited me to have lunch with them today.”
Hearing him say this, Zhuang He nodded and said nothing more. He turned and walked forward. Shi Yan hurried to keep up. After catching up, he couldn’t help but look back once more at the similarly tall Sentinel. Half of Lu Yinâs face was hidden in the shadows, making the expression on his face unreadable.
Lu Yin watched the two figures walking away side by side, his eyes narrowing. He couldn’t quite describe the bitter taste in his heart.
To be fair, Shi Yan and Zhuang He were a decent match in terms of appearance. After all, Zhuang He was too beautiful; there was almost no one in the entire Empire who could stand beside him without being completely overshadowed.
Shi Yanâs attitude toward Zhuang He was also very gentle, with love seemingly overflowing from his eyes. They must have known each other for a long time and shared a very good relationship.
Shi Yan was saying something to Zhuang He, who actually revealed a rare, faint smile. From a distance, it was hard to see clearly, and Lu Yin didn’t know if his teacherâs eyes were filled with the same laughter.
Lu Yin stood in place for a long time. He hadn’t even noticed that his hands had clenched into fists, his palms marked with rows of blood-red crescent moons from his fingernails.
He let out a long breath of turbid air and turned toward the dormitory without looking back.
ďź
“Is that Sentinel easy to lead? If heâs troublesome, you can apply to transfer him to another teacher.”
Shi Yan sat beside Zhuang He, thoughtfully picking up food for him, but Zhuang He only frowned slightly, intercepting Shi Yanâs chopsticks mid-air. “Don’t put food in my bowl.”
“Alright, alright.”
Zhuang He quietly picked up his own food and ate, offering no response to Shi Yanâs suggestion.
“Thereâs a mission in a few days. The high command will likely send you and me together.”
“Mhm. Whatâs the situation?”
Zhuang He asked without looking up. Shi Yan opened his light-brain and sent a file to Zhuang He. Hearing the beep-beep from the light-brain on his wrist, Zhuang He put down his chopsticks and tapped it open to scan the contents.
It was a standard extermination mission. Evidence of Zerg activity had appeared in a certain wormhole, requiring an investigation and subsequent purge.
“The traces left by the Zerg this time look like high-level ones, so the Academy intends to send the two of us.”
When speaking of official business, Shi Yanâs expression grew serious. He took his responsibilities very seriously. Even though Zhuang He had silently rejected him many times, he never let his personal emotions bleed into his work.
“Understood.”
He expected the official mission details would reach him by tomorrow.
Zhuang He closed his light-brain and continued to eat quietly. Shi Yan didn’t pester him further, and the two finished their lunch in silence.
After eating, Zhuang He rose to return on his own, but Shi Yan caught his arm and practically dragged him toward the aircraft.
“Giving you a ride isn’t any trouble. Besides, I just happened to want to discuss some details about this mission with you.”
Zhuang He knew perfectly well that Shi Yan didn’t actually want to discuss “details,” but Shi Yanâs attitude was too determined. He didn’t want to make things too ugly with him, so he could only agree.
Sure enough, on the way back, Shi Yan talked about this and that, but he never mentioned the so-called “details.” Zhuang He closed his eyes to rest, neither exposing him nor interrupting him.
Shi Yan had always been like this; he was used to it.
He generally didn’t have a very good attitude toward Sentinels. The way those Sentinels looked at himâas if they wanted to peel his skin and swallow his bonesâreally displeased him. Although that kind of gaze had decreased significantly after his promotion, his distaste for Sentinels remained.
Aside from Shi Yan, Du Yu, and a few close friends in the military, Zhuang He hardly held any Sentinel in his regard.
By the time Zhuang He returned home and stripped off his somewhat uncomfortable clothes, he felt utterly exhausted.
This fatigue wasn’t physical but mental. Every time he finished socializing with these friends, he needed a long period of time to recover his energy before he had the courage to face the next social interaction.
Although this exhaustion wouldn’t affect his missions, Zhuang He still closed his eyes to enjoy his exclusive moment of tranquility.
The butler-cat lay obediently by his side, its throat emitting a simulated purr, making it seem like a real kitten. The mechanical arms on the sofa adjusted their pressure to massage and relax Zhuang He. They weren’t living beings, yet they were Zhuang Heâs most loyal servants.
As twilight arrived, his light-brain beep-beeped twice; the mission had been dispatched. Only then did Zhuang He open his clear eyes. He hadn’t actually fallen asleep, but he hadn’t wanted to speak or do anything, preferring to lie there in silence.
The warm sunlight spilled through the clear glass window onto Zhuang Heâs side, dyeing his silver hair with flecks of gold, making him look beautiful and sacred.
Beneath his jacket was a semi-high-collar black tight-fitting long-sleeved undershirt. This base layer outlined Zhuang Heâs perfect upper body, with beautiful and fluid muscle lines, the hollows between them looking like a temptation to delve deeper.
In his own home, Zhuang Heâs image relaxed slightly. He went into his room to change, replacing his clothes with a loose beige top and matching trousers.
His silver hair was tied back at the nape of his neck. He reached out his hand to take the coffee the mechanical arm had brewed for him. The rich coffee aroma swirled in white mist, partially concealing half of Zhuang Heâs face.
He sat on the sofa and placed his light-brain on the table. The screen immediately transformed into a laptop interface, the keyboard shimmering with a faint light under the sunset.
The man placed his coffee to the side, his back perfectly straight, his hands typing away on the keyboard. Only the faint hum of electricity echoed in the room.
As the sun set further, the warm hues spilled over the off-white loungewear, making the sacredly beautiful man appear a few degrees more gentle.
Soon, before the artificial sun had completely set, Zhuang He let out a breath and drained the coffee cup in one go. He then tapped his light-brain a few times, sending the newly edited schedule to Lu Yin.
A moment later, the other end showed a “received” status. After another few minutes, Lu Yinâs video call request came through.
This made Zhuang He slightly surprised. He frowned, considering whether or not to answer, but on second thought, Lu Yin was his student after all. Perhaps he had questions regarding the curriculum.
When the call connected, what abruptly struck Zhuang Heâs eyes was a pair of extremely robust pectoral muscles. He froze for half a second. The person on the other side seemed to adjust the light-brain, and Lu Yinâs upper body was revealed in its entirety on the screen.
He appeared to be in his dormitory, sitting boldly at his desk with his upper body bare. A large black bed could be seen behind him.
“Teacher, why was tomorrow’s class suddenly canceled?”
Lu Yin looked toward the other side of the video. The beige loungewear on Zhuang Heâs body triggered memories that weren’t very pleasant. Thinking of the man he had seen today, Lu Yin only felt a ball of fire charging recklessly through his heart.
“There is a mission tomorrow.”
Zhuang Heâs explanation was as brief as ever, but after staring at Lu Yin for a moment, he asked, “Why aren’t you wearing clothes?”
“Ah?” Lu Yin looked blank. “Iâm in my dorm, in my own room. Why would I wear clothes right after a shower? Itâs so hot.”
Zhuang He was silent for a moment before skipping the topic. “Are there any other questions?”
“Oh, no. I just wanted to ask why Teacher suddenly canceled tomorrow’s class. By the way, what kind of mission is it? Is Teacher allowed to say?”
Lu Yin tilted his head as he looked at Zhuang He, appearing like an innocent big cat, his eyes full of clarity and curiosity.
He leaned his upper body forward a bit, and that pair of massive chest muscles filled half the screen again. Lu Yin had a great physique; it was noticeable even when he was clothed, but stripping the clothes off offered a different kind of appeal.
Zhuang He seemed completely oblivious to this. He said with a cold expression, “Exterminating Zerg.”
“Is Teacher going alone?”
“No, with Shi Yan.”
Shi Yan.
Shi Yan again. Last time, Teacher provided soothing for Shi Yan, and today he went to lunch with Shi Yan. The way that Shi Yan looked at his teacher was so blatant that only a fool would fail to see it.
So, are they lovers? Are they together? Are they matched?
A flash of displeasure crossed Lu Yinâs heart, but he was jolted awake when he saw Zhuang Heâs cold face.
“Teacher, are you and Teacher Shi Yan… lovers?”
Zhuang He looked at Lu Yinâs expression on the screen. The boy was curious and a bit timid, as if he were very afraid that the question would offend him.
He rubbed his brow. “No.”
Not lovers.
As soon as those words were spoken, fireworks practically went off in Lu Yinâs heart, causing his eyes to light up.
“Then will Teacher be in danger?”
“No.”
“Are Teacher and Teacher Shi Yan partners?”
“No.”
“Then are these missions randomly assigned?”
“Mhm.”
Lu Yin babbled on with questions on his end, while Zhuang He gave brief replies on his. It wasn’t until he heard a beep that Zhuang He snapped back to reality; it was already time to wash up.
He looked at Lu Yin on the other side. The boy was also looking at him, his eyes filled with admiration. He seemed to realize he had taken up too much of Zhuang Heâs time, and his expression suddenly turned apologetic. “I’m sorry, Teacher. Did I… did I disturb you for too long?”
Seeing his expression, Zhuang Heâs heart softened. He let out a soft sigh and said, “Rest early.”
Lu Yin still carried that somewhat apologetic look as he watched the communication video cut off. Once Zhuang Heâs face had completely vanished and only darkness remained before him, he leaned back against the chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He had also seen his teacher wearing that garment in front of him… and his heart felt subtly balanced.
Translator’s Note:
Hi everyone! SilverPhoenix here.
In this chapter, we see the “young wolf” Lu Yin getting a bit bold! He definitely knows what he’s doing by showing off those “massive chest muscles” during the video call.
We also get a better look at Shi Yan, the powerful Sentinel who clearly has feelings for our cold Chief. The term Light-brain (ĺ č) refers to the advanced personal AI devices everyone uses in this setting.
Lu Yin’s jealousy is palpable, but hearing that Zhuang He isn’t in a relationship definitely made his day!
Hope you’re enjoying the story! Stay tuned for the next mission!
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