My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 46

With a light, peck-like kiss, Gu Jin stood straight, her face flushed. Even though they had been far more intimate before, why was she so shy over just a simple kiss?

“Commander Gu, it is time to eat. What would you like to have?” Just then, a soldier on the battleship entered carrying various nutrient pastes.

Military nutrient paste was different from what ordinary people ate. Ordinary people at least remembered to pay attention to flavor and presentation, making it look and smell appetizing. Military-grade rations, however, were highly concentrated—small, square blocks that could be finished in one bite. A single block was enough to cover the daily nutritional requirements of an Alpha.

Gu Jin looked at the small squares on the two little plates, suppressed her restless emotions, and reached out to take them. “What a silly question. Is there anything else to eat besides this?”

“No!” The soldier gave a sheepish grin. Not wanting to disturb them further, he turned and left the room.

Gu Jin handed a small plate to He Yu. “This is our food for the day. Eat up.”

Disdainfully, He Yu put the nutrient paste into her mouth. It was the same familiar taste, the same familiar formula as unpalatable as ever.

He Yu was aware of the high-concentration military rations and had no complaints. After all, she was not someone who cared as much about the pleasures of food as Gu Jin did.

They passed through the wormhole smoothly. After the sea of stars outside the porthole shifted several times, He Yu stared at the massive, light-blue planet ahead, which resembled a giant mecha. Her eyes widened slightly in amazement. “Is that Lota Star?”

“Yes, the Shield of the Empire. Not bad, right?” Looking at the planet she had protected for ten years, there was a hint of pride and arrogance in Gu Jin’s tone. “It is the place where the Imperial Vize military’s elite forces are most concentrated.”

As the battleship drew closer to Lota Star, He Yu could see the planet’s full appearance more clearly. Her eyes widened. “Are those planetary rings floating around Lota Star?”

“No,” Gu Jin said, also looking at the perimeter of the giant light-blue planet. “Those are Star Tombs. It is usually very difficult to recover the remains of soldiers who sacrifice themselves defending the Vize Empire. Therefore, we engrave the names of the martyrs on meteorites and place them into that asteroid belt. Lota Star’s rotation and gravitational pull are very stable, so there is no risk of them being lost.”

“You mean… every stone there represents a soldier killed in action?” Looking at that dense asteroid belt circling the giant Lota Star there were too many to count, it was clearly an astronomical number!

“Yes, their names sleep here forever. My mother’s name is actually here, too.” Gu Jin mentioned this with a casual air. Her silver-gray eyes, reflecting the vast sea of stars outside the cabin, remained calm, and her sharp, confident features seemed to soften.

He Yu had never seen this side of Gu Jin, speaking of her own heart’s pain with such detachment. It was the complete opposite of the person who usually acted arrogant, impulsive, and like she was the boss of the world.

He Yu had no memory of Gu Jin’s mother. After all, she had been too young when Gu Jin’s mother passed away, and the two families had not been particularly close. She only heard people mention occasionally that she had been the “Flower of the Empire” in her day.

He Yu reached out and placed her hand on Gu Jin’s arm. She did not know how to comfort her. Although He Yu’s parents were often preoccupied with their laboratory, they were very attentive to their only two children. Combined with the presence of Elder He, He Yu had never felt a lack of warmth in her family life.

Sensing He Yu’s touch, Gu Jin looked at her hand in surprise. Before He Yu could shyly pull back, Gu Jin reached out and gripped that hand. “Actually, I am fine. But since you are trying to comfort me, I feel like I could allow myself to be ‘not fine’ for a moment.”

“Who is comforting you?” Seeing Gu Jin return to her usual roguish, unserious self, He Yu pulled her hand back irritably, refusing to admit her actions. “I just wanted to ask where I am staying once, we reach Lota Star. Do not get ahead of yourself.”

“Where are you staying?” Seeing He Yu’s feigned toughness, Gu Jin did not expose her; she just found He Yu’s stubborn, tsundere behavior adorable. “In the military family housing compound.”

“Family housing compound?” This was the first time He Yu had heard of such a thing. When did the military have family housing? He Yu remembered that the Vize Empire strictly prohibited family members from accompanying soldiers. This was because if an Omega’s pheromones were leaked in an Alpha-concentrated area, the consequences would be catastrophic. The law stated that soldiers could not bring family; so where did this compound come from?

“You are making that up, aren’t you?” Seeing through the truth instantly, He Yu shot Gu Jin a sharp glance. “Where is it actually?”

“Oh, I did not expect you to know that.” Gu Jin spread her hands with mock regret. “I usually live in the military dormitory. If you do not mind, you can sleep in the same bed as me. It is the SVIP family treatment, how about that?”

He Yu: …

“Then I had better find a place to stay on my own.” Ignoring Gu Jin’s nonsense, He Yu looked at the terrifyingly large Lota Star ahead. She refused to believe she could not find a hotel.

“Alright, I will stop teasing you,” Gu Jin said, afraid that He Yu would really go out to stay on her own, something she would never be at ease with. “I have a single-officer dormitory. It is a separate house with several bedrooms. You can just stay there.”

He Yu was not exactly a domestic expert. If Gu Jin insisted on messing around, she could find a hotel, but it would be troublesome, and she was in an unfamiliar place. Since Gu Jin put it that way, He Yu did not decline.

Once they left the battleship and opened the cabin door, He Yu was startled by the densely packed crowd of people standing outside. What was going on?

She turned to look at Gu Jin beside her. The latter nodded at her and reached out to shield her as they descended the battleship. The crowd automatically parted to create a path; everyone stood straight, appearing to be soldiers there to welcome Gu Jin.

“Commander Gu!” A figure approached quickly and stood firmly before Gu Jin. He Yu was stunned by the overly excited boy before her. Then, two more figures appeared: one in a black combat suit, steady and reserved, and the other in a light-brown casual trench coat, naturally suave. The two young men followed the boy, and the three of them stood in a row, raising their hands in a salute.

Gu Jin returned the salute. Looking at the three familiar faces, she felt a wave of emotion. The battle at Lota Star had dealt a heavy blow to the region. The only thing to be thankful for was that Gu Jin’s personal guard unit had not been involved; they had been away on a secret mission per her orders, and thus had been preserved.

“Gu Yin, Gu Jing, Gu Nuan reporting for duty!”

Gu Yin was the one in the trench coat; Gu Jing wore the combat suit; and Gu Nuan was the energetic boy who had run over earlier. If He Yi were here, he would definitely be jumping with excitement. These three, plus Gu Ling who was still at the Capital Star, were the four captains of Gu Jin’s guard unit!

Looking at her subordinates with whom she had once fought side-by-side, Gu Jin was in high spirits. She patted Gu Nuan on the shoulder. “You three have not been slacking off while I was away, have you?”

“Commander, you scared us to death! Sister Gu Ling went with you, and we were left waiting at Lota Star—we were so worried! To avenge you, we just took out a Zerg nest not long ago!”

Gu Nuan was the liveliest one, chatting with Gu Jin without a hint of fear, not forgetting to seek some praise.

“Well done,” Gu Jin said, not stingy with her approval. She then turned to bring He Yu forward. “Gu Nuan, take your sister-in-law to my dormitory first. I am going to get an update on the situation with Gu Jing and Gu Yin.”

“Sister-in-law?” The three looked at He Yu in surprise. Had they heard that right?

“No, I am—” He Yu glared at Gu Jin, about to clarify her identity, but Gu Jin interrupted her by forcefully taking her hand.

“Her surname is Yu. She is your sister-in-law. You can call her Sister-in-law, Madam, or Miss Yu.” Giving the others a look, Gu Jin pulled He Yu closer and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: “If you do not want trouble, do as I say and wait obediently for me at the dormitory.”

The others assumed their Commander had not quite won her over yet, and they all signaled that they understood. Gu Jin released He Yu and let Gu Nuan lead her to the dormitory. After all, military secrets were not appropriate for He Yu to follow along with.

The group split up. He Yu followed Gu Nuan back to the dormitory. After greeting the soldiers waiting nearby, Gu Jin headed straight for the military command center with Gu Jing and Gu Yin. On the way, the three of them began discussing the recent space pirate incident.

“Commander, these space pirates seem to have come prepared, but their motives are unclear. They have just been harassing the surrounding areas; the losses have not been high, but the scale of their actions is significant. We have not been able to determine what they are actually after.” Gu Jing was a man of few words, so the task of briefing Gu Jin fell to Gu Yin.

After listening to Gu Yin, Gu Jin pulled up a map on her optical device containing the feedback reports. The map clearly marked the locations and times of recent space pirate activities.

While those three were busy discussing national security, Gu Nuan was leading He Yu toward Gu Jin’s dormitory. He did not stop talking the entire way. “Sister-in-law, how did you and the Commander get together? You must have a very good temper, right?”

He Yu, who knew herself well: …

“My temper is actually not very good.”

“Oh, I see it now. Your temper is really great!” Gu Nuan gave a thumbs-up, concluding with absolute certainty. He Yu froze, she remembered just denying it, did she not?

“Usually, people with bad tempers will claim they have good ones. Only people with good tempers like yours would say they have bad ones. You are too modest,” Gu Nuan said, laying out his logical chain. He did not forget to provide an example. “Take our Commander, for instance. By her own account, she is the most good-tempered person in heaven and on earth—the best in the world. But when she gets bullied, what are the facts? I will not say much in front of you; you should have experienced it yourself.”

“Then what do you think would happen if your Commander knew you were bad-mouthing her in front of me?” With that single, breezy sentence, He Yu looked at Gu Nuan, who had frozen in his tracks, and chuckled inwardly. This kid was quite amusing.

With a mournful face following He Yu, Gu Nuan’s heart was in his throat. If this really got back to the Commander, would he not be destroyed? “Actually, Sister-in-law, I think that although the Commander has a few minor faults, they are harmless. Look at our Commander: young and wealthy, high combat value, better-looking than the Flower of the Empire, and loyal. Overall, she is actually quite excellent.”

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