Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Red-Haired Cub

Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Red-Haired Dumpling

Qingxue thought for a moment about her own age, then glanced at Rose and Ge Xiaolun chatting together. Her smile became a bit stiff as she moved closer to Leina’s side. Leina reached out her arm and draped it over Qingxue’s shoulders, saying, “See? In the end, it’s just the two of us. We’re not on the same wavelength as them at all.”

Qingxue snatched the spicy sticks from Leina’s hand and took a couple of bites angrily, wondering if she should take some time to return to Angel City and try her luck. Leina looked at her now empty hands in a daze, feeling wronged. “We’re in the same boat, and you still steal my spicy sticks,” she complained. She stared blankly at Qingxue, who was still eating her spicy sticks, lost in thought and making no move to respond.

Leina glanced at Ge Xiaolun and suddenly called out, “Ge Xiaolun, we’re out of spicy sticks!”

At her words, both Ge Xiaolun and Rose turned their heads to look at Leina’s aggrieved face, then at the spicy sticks in Qingxue’s hand. The corners of their eyes twitched; Rose remained silent, but Ge Xiaolun reached out, and with a flourish, produced a large bag of spicy sticks on the coffee table. After a moment’s thought, he reached out again, and various snacks and drinks appeared, scattered across the table. He turned to Rose and said, “Come on, let’s eat together. It’s been a while, and I specially decoded these for us.”

So it was: three women and one man, chatting and snacking, at ease and content.

Meanwhile, on Earth, the Seventh Blade of Heaven received a message—a signal from Proxima Centauri. With the fall of the gods’ king and the defeat of the losers in the corporeal wars, the Triangles, who had developed rapidly, felt that the mountain that had oppressed them for millennia had finally been toppled. Believing themselves freed from millennia of restraint, the Triangles decided it was time to restart the corporeal wars and vie for supremacy of the universe.

And so they proceeded just as they had planned, striving to expand their military might. For the Triangles, whose main method of evolution was through their own bodies, “military might” simply meant the number of their kind. To increase their numbers, they needed more living space; thus, they began their campaign to occupy other planets.

To better foster their evolution, they targeted planets with more than fifty percent ocean coverage, and Proxima Centauri was just such a world. Since there was a stone-age terrestrial civilization on the planet, the Triangles sent a message to the advanced God-River civilizations of the universe, declaring the advent of war and their claim to the planet.

Moreover, there was an angelic beacon placed near Proxima Centauri, which was the source of the Seventh Blade’s information. The angels, upon receiving this message, did not hesitate to contact the authorities on Earth. Earth responded swiftly, and the next day, in the council hall of the Seventh Blade, representatives from China—Elder Huang and Lianfeng—arrived for the meeting. They were accompanied by members of the Super Soldier Alliance: Ge Xiaolun, Liu Chuang, and Leina. Leina could also speak on behalf of the Flaming Sun, though whether she would present herself as the Sun Empress remained to be seen.

The angels’ representatives were Zhixin, Azui, and Moy. As soon as the meeting began, Moy stood up to restate the reason for convening. “Yesterday morning, through the Seventh Blade’s information network, we detected a strange civilization’s spacecraft near Proxima Centauri. According to the beacon’s analysis, they belong to the Triangle civilization. However, they lack a tangible civilization body and have sent messages to the beacon in an attempt to communicate.”

At the end of the introduction, Elder Huang was the first to speak. “What kind of communication?”

Zhixin then briefly translated the message sent by the Triangles. After listening, Elder Huang understood the gist and said, “So, this is an interstellar invasion.”

“In the angels’ order of justice, this is a classic act of evil,” Azui added, clarifying the angels’ stance. Seeing everyone nodding in agreement, Zhixin also stood and said, “I hope Earth will support us in negotiating with them. As angels who uphold justice, we cannot stand by and watch one civilization invade another weaker one. That would violate the order of justice.”

Azui and Moy nodded in agreement, then looked expectantly at Ge Xiaolun. After all, control of the Seventh Blade was still in his hands. For such an important matter of inter-civilizational diplomacy, especially one involving the use of the Seventh Blade, Ge Xiaolun’s consent was necessary.

Under their gaze, Ge Xiaolun looked a bit embarrassed. After all, Elder Huang and Lianfeng, both his superiors, were also present. The two angels were clearly seeking his opinion—how could he not feel awkward? Instead of responding, Ge Xiaolun glanced sidelong at Elder Huang in his military uniform. Elder Huang did not disappoint him and spoke up. “Chief Lianfeng, what is your view on this matter?”

At this, Lianfeng gave a brief overview of the ancient corporeal wars and the origins of the God-River civilization. After listening, Ge Xiaolun couldn’t help commenting, “So, our corporeal side was pretty domineering, huh?”

“Not quite. The corporeal war was not truly a conflict over rights. Their way of waging war was to conquer nature. So the gods and angels spread ideas of goodness, justice, and the wisdom to conquer nature and master life throughout the God-River worlds. Gradually, the Triangles began to lose ground in this war, and Holy Kaisa became the supreme god of the God-River world,” Zhixin explained, so Ge Xiaolun and humanity would not misunderstand the nature of the corporeal wars.

“But the Triangles have had their victories too. If they become a high-level civilization, it’s hard to say what could happen. That’s why I think Xiaolun should go with Zhixin to have a look,” Lianfeng suggested after some thought.

Elder Huang nodded in agreement, stating China’s position: “No matter what the future holds, as we have come to this juncture, avoidance is not the answer. We must take an active role in these affairs.”

With consensus reached, Zhixin was about to rise when Ge Xiaolun signaled her to stay seated. “Yunyang told me he’s encountered some triangular-shaped fish. I suspect they’re the Triangles. Why don’t we wait for him to recover tomorrow and go together?” Ge Xiaolun proposed.

“Oh? Comrade Yunyang has had contact? That’s good. Let’s go together tomorrow, then,” Elder Huang agreed readily.

The next day at noon, Yunyang awoke to find an unfamiliar pillow. No, not a pillow—a cushion, made of latex. He realized he was inside a piece of medical equipment, but wondered how to get out. As he searched for a switch, Rose outside seemed to hear something. Her face lit up with joy as she hurried into the room where the treatment pod was located.

Inside the pod, Yunyang also heard the crisp, urgent footsteps. Knowing someone was coming, he stopped searching and waited quietly for help. With a sharp “click,” the sealing cover sprang open, and Yunyang sat up at once.

A faint, familiar fragrance drifted to him, and Yunyang wrinkled his nose, puzzled. He turned and saw the person he had longed for day and night.

“Rose,” Yunyang called softly, gazing at her as she stood not far away.

Upon hearing Yunyang’s voice, Rose rushed forward. Yunyang quickly leapt from the pod, arms open, ready to receive her. With a thud, he drew Rose into his embrace, unable to suppress a twitch of his lips—pain and joy intertwined.

He was overjoyed to have his Rose back, but pained because she was currently in full battle gear, clad in black armor.

“I’m back,” Rose murmured softly in his arms, slipping off her black armor and changing into casual clothes.

“It’s enough that you’re back. I missed you so much. Did my Rose miss me?” Yunyang tightened his embrace, savoring the feel of her soft form once more. He leaned close and whispered in her ear.

With his warm breath tickling her ear, Rose felt her whole body go soft, unable to stand. She simply leaned onto Yunyang for support, saying nothing, but instead brought her lips to his shoulder and bit down hard.

A sharp hiss escaped Yunyang, but he dared not move, thinking Rose was angry because he hadn’t come to find her for so long.

“Does it hurt?” Rose asked, letting go after a minute.

“It does,” Yunyang replied truthfully, his voice full of grievance.

“When Karl attacked you, that’s how my heart hurt.” As she spoke, Rose stuck out her little tongue and gently licked the teeth marks she had left, her heart aching.

Feeling her tender gesture, Yunyang suddenly pushed her away, cupping her face gently and kissing her.

Rose was startled by the sudden push—she feared Yunyang was angry—but before she could speak, she felt her lips were sealed.

One minute, two minutes—she had no idea how long had passed. Rose felt breathless and began to struggle to break free. Yunyang sensed it and released her, gazing quietly at her flushed face.

Under the close scrutiny of the one she loved, Rose blushed and lowered her head, only to catch sight of something that made her even more embarrassed and annoyed.

“Go away, you rogue!”

But Yunyang had no intention of letting her go just because she said so. He reached out and ruffled the head of the now bashful Rose. “That’s because my Rose is just too beautiful.”

She knocked his hand away, glaring fiercely as she lifted her head. “I’m older than you! How dare you pat your elder sister’s head?”

“What sister? You’ll be my little wife from now on. What’s wrong with a pat or two?” Yunyang teased, his tone playful, and reached his “demonic claws” toward the little red-haired dumpling once more.