绝代双骄 林志颖

　　Hall reported in an orderly manner.

　　Lulai listened, his deep eyes squinted slightly and his slender fingers tapped the table carelessly, making it hard to understand his true thoughts.

　　Two minutes later, Hall’s report was over. He looked up at Lulai a little nervously, and asked tentatively:

　　”Is it necessary to send a destroyer? This subordinate can…”

　　Lulai raised his hand and made a ‘silent’ gesture.

　　Hall immediately stopped talking, his back straightened and his jaw clenched in silence.

　　He knew that he was sent to Ge Xiu not only to assist him in handling affairs, but also to monitor him and inspect, but this time the other party slipped away and disappeared under his nose. He actually spent six hours before he realized it! It was a great negligence! He was so eager to chase Ge Xiu as fast as possible to make up for his fault. 　　

　　Lulai looked at him deeply as if he could read his mind:

“If he really is determined to leave, none of us could stop him.”

　　Hall’s shoulders shook imperceptibly, his head hanged lower: “…It’s the incompetence of this subordinate.”

　　But the next second, he seemed to realize the deep meaning implicit in Lulai’s words, and suddenly raised his head in shock to look at the tall and imposing man not far away:

” Captain, you already knew that…?”

　　Lulai did not answer, but turned and walked to the huge porthole, looking at the starry and vast universe in front of him.

　　A brilliant shimmer came in and outlined his broad shoulders.

　　Hall could not see Lulai’s expression, he could only hear the other party’s command in a low, calm voice:

　　”No need to chase them, switch the protection level to combat readiness, manual control mode, send the armed battleship around the ship.”

　　Hall was surprised: “Aren’t we going to leave this place?”

　　He was aware, that although Ge Xiu stayed on the main ship for a short time it was him after all and Hall didn’t dare to assume whether this unpredictable young man figured out the position of the hull and the weaknesses in their defence, if he took this information to join the Alliance, then what awaited them would the Alliance’s army encircling them and destroying.

　　He really didn’t dare to take this risk.

　　Since they was not going to recover Ge Xiu’s light warship, the safest way was now to lead the fleet to leave this no longer safe place.

　　But Lulai shook his head: “The order goes on and everyone is on standby.”

　　He didn’t explain more, but waved his hand lightly: “Go.”

　　Hall saluted: “Yes!”

　　During the next week, Lulai continued to carry out strict daily routines and strategy formulation as usual, as if nothing had happened. The remaining Leviathan crew also continued to work and live in the main ship. Apart from the addition of patrols and defenses, it was almost the same as before Ge Xiu fled, other than the high-level people who were anxious and tried to ask Lulai’s thoughts openly and secretly, but they were all blocked by with his words.

　　Finally, some people couldn’t help it anymore.

　　A tall man in uniform broke into the captain’s room violently and he forgot respectful etiquette from impatience:

　　”Captain, this subordinate requests to leave this place as soon as possible and go to other relatively safer galaxies for the time being. This subordinate has done an investigation. The original B-class galaxy about fifteen light-years from here is very suitable. Not only is there a meteoroid belt for protection…”

　　Before he could finish his words, his train of thought was still calmly interrupted by Lulai:

　　”Brook.”

　　Brook shrank his body and lowered his head: “Yes.”

　　Lulai’s sharp face was plated with a light blue from the strategic galaxy chart suspended on the table and his deep and indifferent eyes were like a deep lake frozen for a thousand years, staring fixedly at the man called Brook in front of him. He faintly said:

　　”Have all the destroyers under your command been completely repaired?”

　　Brook straightened his neck and said anxiously: “But…”

　　Lulai raised his hand to stop him from continuing.

　　Brook was a little unhappy, but still obediently swallowed the unspoken words, like a silent and unmoving wooden stake, standing stubbornly on the metal ground of the captain’s room.

　　Suddenly, shrill sirens began to sound inside the ship.

　　The data on the galaxy map constructed on the desktop was stained with bright red, showing a warning sign of an unknown ship approaching.

　　”Retrieve the image outside the ship.”

　　Lulai strode to the table and ordered.

　　A virtual projection came in instantly and it showed a medium-sized ship that was obviously an Alliance fleet was approaching quickly from a distance. There were even several small battleships behind it. In the next second, the screen showed that the opposite party requested the main ship to withdraw their shield and to let them board the ship.

　　Brook’s voice is urgent: “The main ship is in combat readiness and cannot be found by any radar detection device! It must be that little bastard who went to the Alliance to betray your whereabouts! This must be a trick to make you to remove the energy shield! Please! Immediately mobilize the main weaponry to fight back!”

　　At the same time, Hall’s signal cut in.

　　On the day after Ge Xiu left, he was ordered to lead the light combat fleet to hide in the surroundings and so he could lead the lightship fleet to ambush with a single order.

　　”Excuse me, do we attack?”

　　Hall’s face was displayed on the light screen and his dark brown eyes were depressed and prepared for war.

　　Lulai stared at the bright red warning sign on the light screen and slowly narrowed his eyes.

　　At the same time.

　　On the lighted screen on the medium-sized ship, the signal they sent out has not been answered for a long time.

　　So Ge Xiu peeled open another candy.

　　The citrus sweetness diffused slowly in his mouth. He squinted his eyes and looked out the window, licked the sweet tooth row with the tip of his tongue and commanded in a vague voice:

　　”Send it again.”

　　So Xiao Yi sent it again tremblingly.

　　He gnawed on his thumb nail anxiously, his fingertips were almost gnawed to the skin and this state began a week ago, when Ge Xiu forcibly dragged him to steal one of their battleships and then fled wildly. Next, he even went to ambush the Alliance troops boldly and intercepted the medium-sized ships they were now riding.

　　He didn’t stop, but he changed into an alliance uniform that he had found before instead and captured a few light battleships before returning with satisfaction.

　　Xiao Yi almost cried.

　　Although he was not experienced, he knew that he will be arrested as a traitor if he went back like this.

　　For the first three days, he had been painstakingly persuading Ge Xiu to go back and in the next three days he began to persuade Ge Xiu to run away.

　　After all, they had a ship now and they could do the interstellar transportation business. It was better than going back and getting executed by the captain who looked terrifying at first glance!

　　Ge Xiu didn’t seem to understand his fear at all. Instead, he jumped on the seat with a smile and opened the scanning screen on the side. His thin fingers tapped on it several times and he said playfully:

　　”Not bad.”

　　The several positions marked on the map seemed random and unrelated, but they were vaguely connected under outline with a dense net.

　　If Hall saw this scene, he would be terrified.

　　Because these were the key positions he has deployed, and as a light ship fleet that specialized in ambushes, each ship was equipped with the most high-end elite detection protective cover. It is absolutely impossible to be detected by the average Alliance’s ships with relatively outdated facilities, let alone being pointed out so easily and accurately.

　　Xiao Yi looked at the location where Ge Xiu’s fingers had just swiped, and an unknown premonition secretly surged in his heart. He stammered and asked:

　　”That… Xiao Qi, these places you just picked, what do they mean?”

　　Ge Xiu shrugged and said in a casual tone:

　　”Of course it’s an ambush.”

　　Xiao Yi was so scared that his back felt cold, he subconsciously raised his head and looked out through the protective glass of the ship. There was a vast expanse of stars in front of him, with only a few irregular stars floating slowly and leisurely and he couldn’t see the ambush that Ge Xiu spoke about, but the other party was so convincing that Xiao Yi subconsciously believed every word he said.

　　He looked at Ge Xiu with the last glimmer of hope, and tremblingly asked:

　　”Are we really, are we going to continue to move forward… Can’t we really turn around and run away…”

　　Ge Xiu had already jumped back at this moment onto the seat where he was just now, with one leg tucked around the knee, and the other leg hanging down and swaying, he turned a deaf ear to him, just lazily squinted his eyes:

　　”Was there no response to the application just now?”

　　Xiao Yi did not have time to answer before he heard Ge Xiu continuing to say:

　　”Then send it again.”

　　Xiao Yi felt like crying and pressed the request button on the screen again.

　　Captain huge indoor doldrums, flashing warning occupy the entire star chart, cold metal walls have been dyed pale red, emotionless machine beep sounded again:

　　”Handover request landing”

　　Brook straightened his back near the table, and Hall, who was online on the light screen, waited nervously for the captain’s order.

　　Lulai’s face was calm, his silver-blue irises were inverted with scarlet symbolising danger on the light screen, the sharp bow of his lips was slightly drawn, and the indifferent voice carried an indisputable deterrent: “Agree.”

　　Brook sucked backwards a breath from surprise, he uttered with anxiety: “But…”

　　But before he could finish speaking, Lulai gave him a faint look:

　　”Are you questioning my command?”

　　There was not much emotional ups and downs in Lulai’s voice, there was not even the slightest hint of blame or threat, just a simple and almost peaceful question

　　-are you questioning me?

　　Those pale eyes turned around and fixedly stared at Brooke. The terrifying pressure that came from slaughtering mountains of corpses and dipping in sea of blood roared like a tsunami, giving him a sense of fear as if he was about to be torn apart alive.

　　In just a few seconds, Brook’s back was soaked with sweat, and his hard uniform was tightly glued to his back. His complexion instantly turned pale, and he stammered with a hoarse voice from fear: “I- I don’t dare to! “

　　Lulai looked back, quietly issued a command:

　　”The lightship fleet stays in combat mode to ensure that it can act immediately when ordered – but now, stay on standby. “

　　Hall gave him a nod:”Yes! “

　　his image disappeared from the light screen.

　　–“Open the protective shield.”

　　With this order, the camouflage energy layer outside the main ship was instantly removed. In the vast star field, that was empty just a second ago, a huge, pitch-black starship slowly revealed its figure. Its streamlined body could easily give people a sense of mental oppression and it also made Xiao Yi feel cold sweat all over.

　　Watching the several black firearms on the warship facing them, Xiao Yi’s throat tightened nervously, he swallowed a bit of saliva with difficulty, and then, a message appeared on the screen in front of him:

　　”Boarding the ship is allowed.”

　　Xiao Yi looked at Ge Xiu for help.

　　Ge Xiu chewed up the candy in his mouth.

　　Crack crack crack.

　　The crisp sound appeared exceptionally clear in the silent combat room, making the already tense atmosphere even more tense, as if an invisible bowstring was slowly being pulled up.

　　He said: “Let’s enter.”

　　The command was simple and clear.

　　Xiao Yi gave up the struggle. With a look of despair, he controlled the medium-sized battleship that once belonged to the Alliance and slowly approached, waiting in fear for the light energy shells to shoot out of the dark gun’s muzzle, tearing through the metal protective layer of the hull like paper, flesh and blood of people inside instantly evaporating. Or, they’d be suddenly surrounded by combat ships in ambush, and then be taken back to the main ship for military disposal-

　　at the same time, in the main ship Brook and Hall outside the ship also had heart rise into their throat.

　　They seemed to be able to see that in the next second, the Alliance fleet soldiers who had already prepared ambush around them would appear in front of them like from heaven, and the light energy cannons that had been accumulated for a long time flashed extremely dazzling trajectories toward the main ship that had lost its protective shield, focusing on their weaknesses that had long been betrayed and ruin the cause they have been fighting for half their lives.

　　Countless horrible conjectures stirred in everyone’s minds.

　　But the person who gave the order was staring out of the window as if in a dream, his eyes seemed to be able to penetrate steel, glass, cannonballs, space and stare deeply at the other.

　　The distance between both ships was getting closer and closer.

　　The smell of gunpowder became even stronger and the inevitable exchange of fire seemed be able to happen any time now.

　　However, it exceeded everyone’s expectations.

　　The ship sailed into the transfer bay.

　　The handover was complete.

　　The medium combat ship successfully landed.

　　The open hatch slowly closed behind the ship, pale and cold biological light sources lit up in the huge cabin filled with medium light destroyer warships. Xiao Yi’s fingers were curled stiffly and his palm was cold and sweaty. He collapsed softly on the chair feeling out of strength.

　　Ge Xiu peeled off another piece of candy, jumped off his seat as if nothing was wrong and walked leisurely towards the combat room.

　　Ten minutes later, he looked into the distance from the automatically lowered ladder.

　　Lulai was walking from a distance, his clothes rose up with his pace, several ill-faced adjutants followed closely, and Ge Xiu, who was standing at the door of the ship, was subjected to many murderous stares.

　　Ge Xiu didn’t seem to notice the solemn atmosphere in front of him. He smiled and waved at Lulai and then jumped down the ladder in three steps before standing still in front of Lulai.

　　His cheeks were bulged by the candy, his dark eyes were slightly narrowed and he pointed to behind him: “Here, a trophy.”

　　Lulai lowered his eyes, staring at the boy who only reached his chest, without making a sound.

　　Instead, the adjutant behind him fiercely scolded: “Do you know how many ship regulations you have violated? Not only you left without permission, but even endangered the safety of the entire ship. According to wartime regulations, it must be dealt with by military law… “

　　Ge Xiu turned a blind eye to him, but slowly moved closer to Lulai. He showed a smile on his face, thin to the point of being only a skeleton and a pair of pitch-black pupils stared at the other, as with subtle meaning. Fireworks leaped and burned in the bottomless abyss deep in his eyes.

　　His voice was extremely calm:

　　”Now, we’re real allies.”

　　Lulai’s pupils shrank suddenly.

　　Yes, even though harmony and tranquillity have been maintained for nearly several months on the both sides, the issue of trust lies between them like an insurmountable mountain. Dependable on the other, the members of the Leviathan will continue to be jealous. Their life and death is controlled by Lulai, who is in power, and they’re vary of the fate of being abandoned once they lose their value. And Lulai’s side is also the same. They cannot trust those unknown and uncontrollable outsiders. From the beginning, the strict surveillance of Ge Xiu has never stopped, and he seems to be free to go anywhere in the ship, but was in fact restricted everywhere and didn’t have access to a more core level.

　　The peace between them was extremely fragile and all the calmness was just superficial hypocrisy.

　　Fear each other, observe each other and test each other.

　　In the long-term relationship and assimilation, this gap may disappear.

　　–But Ge Xiu used the most crazy and extreme way.

　　He played a game.

　　A back-stabbing game in which all their lives are bet on. In this game, swords are drawn between them, and the blades are facing each other. As long as they make a single mistake or just a lapse of judgment, both sides will lose everything. Blood would be drawn and the destruction would be overwhelming.

　　Lulai raised his hand, interrupting the adjutant behind him.

　　In silence, he asked:

　　”What about you? What have you prepared?”

　　He had prepared a whole ambush with lightship fleet. The indestructible ships had long been set to a manual combat mode, as long as he ordered, they would turn the opponent into a sieve.

　　So what kind of back-up plan did Ge Xiu prepare?

　　Lulai couldn’t believe that Ge Xiu would put himself in such a dangerous situation unprepared, without a backup plan.

　　Ge Xiu was still smiling, but the words he lightly said seemed like a poisonous blade, which made people feel chills:

　　 “Don’t worry, I will remove the explosives from the main ship later. After all, we are now allies!”

　　They used the tips of their swords to get close to each other’s back.

　　–But, they exchanged a complete hug.

　　Ge Xiu squinted his eyes slyly, stood on tiptoe and approached Lulai’s ear, his soft voice was like a whisper of a demon: “Look, although they all say I am a lunatic, I don’t think I am too much.”

　　Lulai looked deeply at him, his silver-blue eyes were like sky above the glacier that had been frozen for thousands of years and he curled up his lips.

　　And so two lunatics looked at each other and laughed.

　　”Happy cooperation.”

　　Hearing Lulai’s answer, Ge Xiu’s smiled turned deeper.

　　The distance between them was so close, Lulai could almost smell the sweet candy scent on his body, and there was a faint citrus smell entwined in the boy’s light breath.

　　His cheeks seemed to be a little more plump than they were when he first saw him, and it almost made you want to pinch them to see if they are the same as you imagined.

　　Lulai looked away calmly and stepped back a little, opening some distance between them:

　　”But… since you left the ship without permission, punishment is still required.”

　　Ge Xiu was taken aback: “…Huh?

　　” –Your sugar for this month is gone.”

　　Ge Xiu’s expression suddenly froze on his face: “Huh???”

The author has something to say:

Can I get a lot of enthusiastic comments today (pleading)

Top three Ge Xiu’s favourite things:

1. Candies

2. Explosives

3. COMMITTING CRIMES AND MORTAL DANGER