NOVEL NEXT 24
Chapter 24: General Yi Er keeps his word…
As expected, Russell was right.
Qi Yao wasn’t caught off guard. He smiled and said gently, “Teacher Nos, I am well aware of my identity. It is precisely because I understand it that I have come here to learn. I want to stand with General Yi Er, not relying on him but standing behind him, becoming a partner who stands shoulder to shoulder with him.”
Nos probably didn’t believe a single word he said. He replied indifferently, “Quite confident.”
Qi Yao raised his head confidently and firmly stated, “I will make you see that I am serious, not just speaking arrogantly.”
Russell chimed in, “Yes, I can assure you that Qi Yao is serious. He has been studying mech technology diligently these days and has made great progress.”
Nos remained silent. He returned to his seat and picked up his ruler and pen, not bothering to lift his head as he said, “You’re nervous for no reason. I haven’t said anything yet. Can’t I ask a few questions?”
Russell was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, “Why ask so seriously?”
This time Nos glanced sideways at Russell. “Can’t I ask a male zerg who’s reporting to my Starship Department a couple of questions?”
Then he looked at Qi Yao again. “You can be here because General Yi Er made a promise to me. If you can’t take it seriously, you might as well go back with Russell.”
This meant that Nos accepted him. Qi Yao was excited but didn’t show it. “Teacher Nos, rest assured, I will take it seriously.”
Although he was ignored for a while, the result was satisfactory. Qi Yao was successfully handed over to Nos by Russell.
After Russell left, Nos put on his glasses again and immersed himself in the design drawings. Unlike Russell, Nos was not fond of chatting. He let Qi Yao sit beside him, handed him a half-meter-long simulated starship model, asked him to disassemble and reassemble it, and told him to ask if he didn’t understand, then continued working on his drawings.
Qi Yao didn’t disturb Nos and focused on dealing with the starship model.
It was Yi Er who came to pick him up when it was time to get off work.
By then, it was almost dark outside, and the office was brightly lit as if it were daytime.
Yi Er knocked on the door, and Nos looked up when he heard the sound. Seeing who it was, he lowered his head again and said casually as if chatting, “I don’t usually see you here, but you’ve been coming quite frequently today.”
“Nos.” Yi Er smiled and walked over, pushing aside the cluttered design drawings on the table to reveal the original dark brown glass tabletop, then placed a bottle of nutrient liquid and dinner on the table.
The sight of the food made Nos’s stomach growl. He put down his ruler and leaned back in his chair, looking out the window, and said, “It’s already dark outside.”
“Yeah, I came to pick up Qi Yao after work.”
In front of Qi Yao, the starship model had already been dismembered, with tiny scattered parts piled up. At the moment, he was holding a small ant-like component, frowning in thought, trying to figure out where to fit it.
Nos took off his glasses and looked at the pile of parts in front of Qi Yao, realizing that they were the dismembered remains of his precious model. He couldn’t help but comment with a pained expression, “You took it apart pretty quickly.”
Qi Yao: “…”
Didn’t you ask me to take it apart? But he could only mutter to himself and dared not say it out loud.
Since Yi Er came in, Qi Yao hadn’t had time to look at him. He stared intently at the scattered pieces in front of him. “Yi Er, wait a moment. Let me figure out where to put this thing.”
Yi Er waited quietly by the side.
Nos ate his dinner, chatting casually with Yi Er, “Has the order to go to the border galaxy come down yet?”
“Not yet, but it’s coming soon, in the next couple of days.”
“The Emperor really can keep his cool.”
Yi Er didn’t comment on this and asked instead, “I heard that the Gassy Galaxy has developed a batch of new starships. Is their power as impressive as rumored?”
“It’s very powerful, aren’t you getting close too?”
Nos tapped his finger on the design drawing on the table a few times, pretending to be mysterious, “Classified.”
“Alright, then I won’t ask.”
Nos disappointedly said, “Why don’t you ask just because I didn’t let you ask?”
Yi Er replied, “Aren’t you supposed to keep it secret?”
Nos shook his head, “Stubborn.”
Yi Er still didn’t ask.
Qi Yao couldn’t figure out where to put the component in his hand and sighed in frustration, asking Nos, “Teacher Nos, could you help me? I really can’t figure out where this part belongs.”
Nos, still holding onto his dinner, gestured with his chin, indicating Yi Er to help.
Yi Er walked over, picked up the component from Qi Yao’s hand, observed it for a few seconds, then picked out two completely different parts from a pile of model scattered pieces. He combined the three pieces together, forming something completely new that Qi Yao had never seen before.
“Oh…” Qi Yao couldn’t find suitable words to describe his feelings at the moment.
“It’s getting late, let’s go home first and continue tomorrow.” Yi Er placed the assembled component in the correct position and said.
Qi Yao really wanted to assemble the model today, but looking at the hundreds of pieces, this goal seemed a bit challenging for him.
“Can I take it home to assemble?” Qi Yao asked Nos.
“Are you planning to ask Yi Er for help?” Nos seemed to know what he was thinking.
Qi Yao was surprised. Did Nos read his mind? Indeed, that was what he was thinking.
Nos said, “It’s okay to ask Yi Er for help, you can dismantle and assemble it again tomorrow when you come.”
“Okay, thank you, Teacher Nos.”
Qi Yao readily agreed, collected the scattered pieces in a cardboard box, and went home with Yi Er.
Sitting on the aircraft, Qi Yao was still busy manipulating the scattered pieces, even Yi Er didn’t bother to talk to him.
“Does Nos let you do these things?” Yi Er asked, seeing him so focused.
Qi Yao didn’t want Yi Er to misunderstand that Nos didn’t teach him anything, so he explained, “I understand what Teacher Nos means. He wants me to be familiar with the structure of the starship first.”
“You’re calling him ‘teacher’ so soon? How come you didn’t call me ‘teacher’ when I taught you?” Yi Er’s tone was slightly dissatisfied.
Qi Yao turned his head and saw Yi Er’s playful expression, “If I call you ‘teacher,’ would you agree?”
Yi Er raised an eyebrow, “Why wouldn’t I?”
Qi Yao put on the demeanor of a master, “I am your master.”
“What’s wrong with being a master? Didn’t you say we’re equal?”
Qi Yao was speechless. He hadn’t realized that he had become the lowest-ranking male zerg in all the families of the empire, and he was enjoying it.
Incredible.
Yi Er seemed unwilling to let him off the hook so easily, insisting on the title of “teacher” and asked, “Won’t you call me?”
“No.”
“If you do, I’ll help you assemble this model tonight.”
Qi Yao hesitated.
Yi Er continued, “I can also help you find starship online courses.”
Qi Yao felt that calling out once wouldn’t hurt.
Yi Er also said, “I can also let you take a look at my starship, just like when you familiarized yourself with the mechs last time, so you can experience firsthand how a starship operates.”
Qi Yao no longer hesitated and decisively said, “Teacher Yi Er keeps his word.”
Yi Er was very satisfied and made a promise, “After I come back.”
Qi Yao now wanted to take back that title.
“You lied to me,” he protested.
Yi Er responded matter-of-factly, “You didn’t wait for me to finish my sentence.”
Unable to refute, Qi Yao had to bite the bullet and let Yi Er fulfill the first promise, “You just said you would help me assemble this model tonight.”
“I’ll keep that promise.”
Qi Yao couldn’t find a flaw to retort against Yi Er and continued assembling while still on the way home.
Suddenly, for no reason, a faint scent of pheromones flashed across his nose.
Qi Yao raised his head sharply from the full box of parts, and Yi Er, next door, was frowning and looking over.
He wasn’t entirely sure, sniffing carefully, but couldn’t sense any trace of female zerg pheromones.
That fleeting scent of pheromones seemed to be just an illusion of two zergs.
“Yi Er, I just caught a whiff of…”
Yi Er concealed the panic in his eyes and calmly said, “Impossible, Xiao En hasn’t given me any advance warning, and the timing is too close.”
“Do you know what I’m asking?” Qi Yao asked seriously.
Yi Er fell silent. Qi Yao said sternly, “Go home and have Xiao En check it.”
After returning home, Yi Er immediately called Xiao En over, and after careful inspection, Xiao En confirmed to Yi Er and Qi Yao, “It’s indeed the estrus.”
Yi Er couldn’t believe it, “Xiao En, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake in the check?”
Xiao En’s electronic voice was flat, “Xiao En won’t make mistakes. Based on your pheromone concentration, mental fluctuations, emotional fluctuations, skin temperature, blood hormone factors, and various other factors, your current condition does indeed match the expected response of the estrus.”
“But wasn’t I supposed to have it every two months?”
“Xiao En’s records do indicate once every two months.”
“It’s only been half a month now.”
Xiao En quickly made a judgment, “Wait a moment, Xiao En is accessing the historical records to determine the reason for your early estrus.”
Ten seconds later, Xiao En had a result. “In the past, your estrus emotional control was stable, the inhibitor injection amount was reasonable, and mental fluctuations were normal. Xiao En’s preliminary judgment is that your estrus is now disrupted, and the reason for the disruption is unclear.”
Yi Er: “…”
Qi Yao: “…”
Xiao En: “Given Mr. Qi’s strong aversion to using inhibitors on you last time, Xiao En suggests that you smoothly go through the estrus with Mr. Qi’s help this time.”
“Xiao En has securely closed the doors and windows to ensure that your pheromones and Mr. Qi’s mental strength do not leak out.”
In the room, the pheromones were faintly present. Qi Yao leaned back on the sofa, playing with starship model parts in his hand, his mind already wandering.
Yi Er stared blankly, silently competing with his willpower and a zerg AI.
Suddenly, Yi Er’s terminal lit up. A reply document stamped with the Empire’s crimson seal appeared virtually in front of Yi Er.
Yi Er’s azure eyes widened slightly as he quickly scanned the document’s contents, his mood complex as he pursed his lips.
He tried his best to suppress the discomfort and restlessness caused by the sudden onset of the estrus, his voice low and husky, “Lord, my application has been approved. I will set off to assist Ais in the border star system tomorrow morning.”