The General's Love Glitch - Chapter 30

Jun Jue’s eyes turned icy as she stared coldly at Zhuo Hanjun.

Zhuo Hanjun noticed the flicker in Jun Jue’s gaze and curled her lips, her eyes brimming with a maddened gleam, as if she were about to burst into flames the next second.

“General, I believe what I have to say next is best discussed in private. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

Jun Jue opened the door to her office and let Zhuo Hanjun enter. Apart from Jiang Lan, who was stationed outside the hospital, Jun Jue had two personal guards flanking her office door. They had long noticed Zhuo Hanjun’s unusual behavior today.

“General, you sure keep a lot of dogs around. Last time, the entire unit you took was wiped out, yet the Federation still has plenty to spare.”

Hearing the insult, Jun Jue frowned in displeasure, her gaze sharp as she demanded, “Do you know the inside story of the battle on planet G30?”

Zhuo Hanjun sneered. “General, don’t change the subject. If you’re willing to step down from your position now, I might mercifully tell you the truth.”

Jun Jue sat behind her desk like an immovable mountain, no one could easily shake her position, not even the one hiding in the shadows.

She calmly averted her gaze. “So, the sudden mutations and disobedience of my soldiers last time were your doing.”

“General, do you dare say it out loud?” Zhuo Hanjun hinted at another higher authority, would Jun Jue dare challenge his power?

Jun Jue leaned back casually in her chair. “That’s not something you need to concern yourself with.”

“What about the wife you brought back from planet G30?” Zhuo Hanjun noticed Jun Jue’s relaxed posture stiffen slightly.

“To be precise, your wife is from planet GR03.”

Jun Jue’s voice turned icy. “You investigated Weiwei?”

Zhuo Hanjun hissed like a venomous snake. “General, you might be blinded by love for the moment, but as your direct subordinate, it’s my duty to vet things for you. I’ve investigated thoroughly, so I believe I’m more than qualified to discuss this matter with you.”

“Now, face me properly. I want to talk about this with you directly.”

…

While working in the afternoon, Ruan Wei suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest. She clutched her chest and sat on the floor of the ward, surrounded by worried children.

“Sister Weiwei, what’s wrong?”

Ruan Wei shook her head and asked, “Is it raining?”

As soon as she spoke, a thunderclap boomed overhead, startling the children. Ruan Wei had them form a circle and comforted them one by one, but an uneasy premonition grew in her heart.

“Bang!” The door to Ward 302 was kicked open, revealing a drenched and disheveled Lin Qiyue standing in the doorway.

Ruan Wei froze for a second before recognizing her. She quickly grabbed a dry towel from the game they had been playing and approached. “Miss Lin, what brings you here?”

Lin Qiyue seemed frantic, impatiently swatting away Ruan Wei’s hand as she tried to dry her off.

“Get out of here, now!” Lin Qiyue nearly shouted, her voice overlapping with another thunderclap.

Ruan Wei was stunned for a moment before turning to the frightened children. She stepped out of the ward and closed the door behind her. Outside, through a transparent skylight, she could see rain pelting down like firecrackers.

Instinctively, she moved to help, but Lin Qiyue yanked her back forcefully. “Ruan Wei, I told you to leave! Are you deaf?!”

The sky outside was gloomy, with thick layers of black clouds heavy with rain that had been building up for a long time. It was impossible to tell how long the downpour would last. Lin Qiyue’s voice was hoarse, nearly drowned out by the sound of the rain.

“Why should I leave, Miss Lin? I’m still on duty,” Ruan Wei asked, puzzled.

“I said go, so just go! Stop wasting time!” Lin Qiyue had accidentally overheard her father and Zhuo Hanjun’s conversation. Zhuo Hanjun had claimed that Ruan Wei was a vampire who should have been eradicated long ago but had slipped through the cracks. If they used this as leverage, they could easily bring down Jun Jue. Though Lin Qiyue resented Jun Jue for not returning her affections, she genuinely admired and loved her and couldn’t stand the thought of Zhuo Hanjun and her father scheming against Jun Jue behind her back.

As for Ruan Wei, if she really was a vampire, then she must have deceived Jun Jue, making Jun Jue the victim. Worried that Jun Jue might be implicated, Lin Qiyue had come straight to the hospital to force Ruan Wei to leave immediately.

Ruan Wei was dragged outside the hospital by Lin Qiyue just as the rain began pouring down, instantly soaking her.

“Miss Lin, what exactly are you trying to do?”

Lin Qiyue forcefully pulled Ruan Wei into a hovercar before staring at her and asking, “Ruan Wei, you’re a vampire, aren’t you?”

Ruan Wei’s eyes widened, panic flashing in them.

“I don’t believe you genuinely care for Jun Jue, but if you really do, then don’t drag her down.”

“I…” Ruan Wei’s mind was in chaos, unsure of what to say.

“Zhuo Hanjun has discovered you’re a vampire, and now the Chief Executive knows too. Ruan Wei, think about it, if you stay with Jun Jue and your true identity is exposed, how will she see you?”

“Even if Jun Jue doesn’t blame you, what then? Do you want her to bear the stigma of violating federal law because of you?”

“Ruan Wei, you must know that under federal law, vampires aren’t supposed to exist, right? Even if you don’t care about Jun Jue, you don’t want to die, do you? If you want to live, then leave now.”

“…I understand. I’ll leave, Miss Lin.”

Outside the hovercar, the rain fell in torrents, blurring the view beyond the windows into a mix of white and gray.

Lin Qiyue felt conflicted. Glancing at Ruan Wei in the passenger seat, she awkwardly muttered, “Thank you.”

Ruan Wei pressed her lips together. “Miss Lin, you really do love General Jun Jue.”

“Of course I do. I’ve loved her since we were kids,” Lin Qiyue said. “This hovercar is registered under my name, so it’s easy to track. I can’t just give it to you. You’re a vampire, you must be powerful, right? I’ve heard Zhuo Hanjun say vampires can fly. You should have no trouble leaving the Federation on your own.”

“Oh, and once you leave, don’t come back. Your neural interface, ah, this was bought by Jun Jue too, wasn’t it? Take it off and throw it away now, or the federal communication system will track your exact location.”

Ruan Wei’s left hand hovered over the interface on her right wrist, hesitating to remove it.

Lin Qiyue gritted her teeth, eyeing the interface that was clearly a matching pair with Jun Jue’s. “Throw it on the road when you leave, it’ll serve as a decoy. Just remember, don’t hesitate to discard it.”

She rummaged through the hovercar and found only a plain black umbrella with no markings, handing it to Ruan Wei. “This is all I can give you.”

“Thank you, Miss Lin.” Ruan Wei took the umbrella. “Then I’ll leave now.”

As Ruan Wei opened the door to step out, a voice called from behind, “Hey.”

She turned back. “Is there something else, Miss Lin?”

“Have you killed any Federation citizens these days?”

Ruan Wei shook her head.

“Not a single one?”

Ruan Wei nodded.

“You may go.”

Ruan Wei stepped out of the car, not bothering with an umbrella, and soon disappeared into the curtain of rain. Lin Qiyue felt a weight lift from her chest. If Ruan Wei had killed any Federation citizens, letting her go would have weighed heavily on her conscience. Before coming to find Ruan Wei, she had checked, there had been no unexpected deaths among Federation citizens recently.

…

The world was a blur of white in the rain and mist. Ruan Wei, drenched from head to toe, resembled a flower battered by the downpour, yet she persisted.

She encouraged herself: “It’s nothing, Ruan Wei. You endured ten years in a pitch-black dungeon and survived. Things can’t possibly be worse than that.”

“Consider these days in the Federation as a dream, a beautiful dream that helped you weather this storm and gave you the strength to keep living in some corner of this world.”

But in this beautiful dream, there were many people she had wronged.

“I’m sorry, Director. I took an advance on a month’s salary but didn’t complete the full month’s work. I’m sorry, kids. Sister Weiwei didn’t mean to leave without saying goodbye. I’m sorry, Tian Tian. I might not be able to attend your wedding. I’m sorry, Uncle Zhang. I’m not an ordinary human girl and can’t truly become the General’s wife.”

“And I’m sorry, General. What I owe you may never be repaid.”

Ruan Wei wept bitterly in the rain, her tears instantly washed away by the downpour.

She removed her hospital uniform, took off her ID badge, and tossed them aside. Then she turned and ran in the opposite direction, only stopping after a long distance to reluctantly remove her neural communicator and hurl it as far away from herself as possible.

“Goodbye, General.”

…

In the General’s office, Zhuo Hanjun was still making a fuss about Ruan Wei’s identity.

“So, are the evidence I provided sufficient? Will you personally arrest this deceitful vampire who played with your emotions, or shall I do it for you? I’d be more than happy to oblige.” Zhuo Hanjun wore a smug smile.

Jun Jue stood up, grabbing Zhuo Hanjun by the collar like a hurricane and slamming her against the wall.

“How dare you speak of Weiwei like that.”

“Hah, Weiwei?” Zhuo Hanjun felt as though the impact had already caused internal injuries, but she refused to back down, continuing to sneer, “General, you must be furious because that despicable vampire deceived you. I can understand.”

“Say one more word.” Jun Jue tightened her grip on Zhuo Hanjun’s throat, lifting her off the ground.

Zhuo Hanjun’s eyes widened in terror, the red veins within them visibly dilating.

She couldn’t believe the usually calm and rational Jun Jue would threaten her life over a vampire. “General…”

Jun Jue threw Zhuo Hanjun to the ground, looking down at her with disdain.

“Someone like you will never be worthy of becoming a Federation General. You don’t understand that this position isn’t just about honor, it’s about responsibility. Even if I step down one day, the person who replaces me will never be you.”

Zhuo Hanjun remained seated in the corner, hands protectively covering her neck, her eyes burning with manic amusement. “Is that so, General? We’ll see.”

Zhuo Hanjun leaned against the wall as she stood up.

“It seems you’re too soft-hearted to arrest that vampire who infiltrated the Federation. I’ll do it myself.”

Zhuo Hanjun stepped out of the office, only to be blocked by Jun Jue’s two personal guards.

Zhuo Hanjun tilted her head and spat out a mouthful of blood. “Is the General planning to abuse her authority to detain me?”

Jun Jue gave the two guards a faint glance, and they stepped aside.

“Clean up your mess and take it with you.”

Zhuo Hanjun crouched down, pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, and wiped the blood she had spat on the floor. Then, laughing wildly, she walked away.

“Zhuo Hanjun has lost her mind,” remarked guard Jiang Tang. “Before you returned safely last time, she was acting like Fan Jin after passing the imperial exams.”

“General, are you alright?” the other guard, Jiang Li, asked with concern.

“I’m fine.”

Jun Jue strode back into the office and immediately contacted Jiang Lan. If Zhuo Hanjun sent people to capture Ruan Wei, it wouldn’t be as fast as Jiang Lan bringing Ruan Wei back directly.

The call connected, and Jiang Lan asked, “General, what are your orders?”

“Bring Weiwei home immediately.”

Three minutes later, Jun Jue received a message from Jiang Lan.

“General, the Madam is missing.”