The General's Love Glitch - Chapter 41

“Could it be the Chief Executive’s doing?” Jiang Tang blurted out, then immediately clamped her mouth shut, realizing she might have spoken too hastily.

The entire table fell silent. For a long while, no one dared to speak, each lost in confusion and the fear of opposing the Federal Chief Executive.

Except for Ruan Wei.

Ruan Wei had always been hazy about political matters and rarely dwelled on them. But when it involved someone she cared about, she tried to think harder, only to end up with a headache. Jun Jue noticed and reassured her twice not to worry, that the issue would be resolved.

Ruan Wei trusted Jun Jue completely. Seeing her calm demeanor, she relaxed a little.

But the others at the table weren’t so at ease. Each had their own concerns, even the Planet Lord fretted over his future. He wasn’t sure whether being under Jun Jue’s control now counted as opposing the Chief Executive. Either way, he couldn’t afford to offend either of these powerful figures.

Someone sighed, and the atmosphere at the table grew heavier. Jun Jue glanced up, about to say a few words to ease the tension, when Ruan Wei suddenly leaned toward her. The others assumed she was going to discuss the Chief Executive’s interference and turned their attention to her, ears perked.

“General, could you peel another boiled egg for me?” Ruan Wei asked softly.

The rest of the table: “…”

“Of course,” Jun Jue agreed, picking up a white egg and tapping it twice against the table before deftly peeling it.

The mood instantly lightened. The Jiang sisters: Lan, Li, and Tang, felt less like they were here on serious business and more like they were on a vacation with the General and her wife.

Jiang Tang watched enviously as Jun Jue placed the perfectly peeled egg into Ruan Wei’s bowl and sighed, “I wish someone would peel an egg for me too.”

Tao Xinran, who had just finished peeling an egg, hesitated for three seconds before standing up and placing the peeled egg into Jiang Tang’s bowl, reaching over the Star Lord to do so.

“Wow, it really happened!” Jiang Tang exclaimed like an excited child, holding up the smooth egg.

Jiang Lan wore an expression that said, “This sister of mine is so easily pleased,” while Jiang Li sighed inwardly: Silly second sister, you should be the one peeling eggs for others to show sincerity.

Jiang Tang’s antics made the whole table laugh except for the Star Lord, who still looked utterly miserable.

Tao Xinran, embarrassed that everyone had noticed her giving Jiang Tang the egg, lowered her head, searching for a way to move past the moment.

Her gaze eventually landed on the Star Lord, who shrank back under her scrutiny.

“Star Lord, are you deliberately skimping on hospitality? Today’s breakfast only has fried dough sticks and eggs,” Tao Xinran pointed out, implying that even if he was stingy, basic courtesy should still be observed, especially when hosting a Federal General.

Jiang Tang chimed in, “Yesterday there was milk, bread, porridge, noodles, and shrimp pancakes too.”

The Star Lord hadn’t expected this to be called out, especially since even the General hadn’t complained. He scrambled to his feet, stammering, “The kitchen is still preparing more.”

A few minutes later, the Star Lord personally brought out a lavish spread, several servings of steak with pasta.

“It’s imported from Tylan Star, just arrived a few days ago,” he mumbled.

“Tylan Star?” Jun Jue paused mid-cut, her knife hovering over the steak.

“GR03 Planet has dealings with Tylan Star?” She lifted her eyes to the Star Lord, her gaze icy.

The star lord was too frightened to sit, hanging his head as he said, “It wasn’t mutual dealings, it was Tylan Star unilaterally extorting protection fees from our planet. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had to levy so many taxes from the residents.”

“Then how did you end up with this house built like a solid gold mine? Isn’t that just adding to the residents’ burdens on top of Tylan Star’s demands?” Sun Qian, who had been silent for a while, asked sharply.

“I…” The star lord still didn’t dare to raise his head, neither admitting nor denying it.

Jiang Tang happened to be sitting beside him. Under the table, unseen by anyone, she stomped hard on his foot.

The star lord’s face twisted in pain, and he hurriedly admitted, “I did add a little bit.”

“How much is ‘a little bit’?” Jun Jue asked sternly.

“Not much, just 40% of the protection fee Tylan Star demanded, not even half yet,” the ruler said weakly, then peeked at Jun Jue with a furtive glance.

Jun Jue lifted her eyelids slightly, her gaze icy and severe. The ruler panicked. “General, I was wrong! You can punish me however you see fit!”

“Once GR03 is officially incorporated into the Federation, you will surrender all your assets to contribute to the planet’s future development.”

“No, General! Some of that wealth has been accumulated by my family over generations!” the ruler wailed.

Jun Jue remained unmoved. Only after he repeatedly pledged his loyalty did she relent slightly. “98%.”

The ruler collapsed onto the floor, his plump, round face draining of color. “General, please, leave me a little more…”

“Full surrender.”

“98%, deal!” the star lord conceded, tears streaming uncontrollably. The GR03 natives found the sight unbearable, while Ruan Wei happily finished the steak Jun Jue had cut for her, blinking innocently at the star lord’s devastated expression.

Ruan Wei’s gaze gave the star lord a false hope. He whispered to her, begging her to plead on his behalf, but she was too engrossed in savoring the delicious steak to pay attention. Jiang Tang, however, heard him clearly and stomped on his foot again.

Jun Jue had no appetite for the steak provided by the star lord, so both portions ended up in Ruan Wei’s stomach.

…

After the meal, Jun Jue assigned the Jiang sisters to investigate whether GR03 had any other undisclosed dealings with Tylan Star. Tao Xinran and Sun Qian were also eager to assist in the investigation.

“General, what should I do?” Ruan Wei raised her right hand high and asked.

“Come with me,” Jun Jue replied simply.

She led Ruan Wei back to their room. Ruan Wei asked sheepishly, “Everyone else has tasks to do. Isn’t it bad for us to come back here to sleep?”

“What are you thinking?” Jun Jue gave her an exasperated look before beckoning. “Weiwei, come here.”

Ruan Wei obediently walked over.

“Are you full?”

“Very full!” Ruan Wei licked her lips. “The steak was delicious.”

Over the next few meals, Ruan Wei had steak again, privately purchased by Jun Jue from the star lord.

Jiang Lan and the others completed their investigation, confirming that the star lord hadn’t lied.

However, Jun Jue still hadn’t uncovered the reason behind Zhuo Hanjun’s actions or the sudden mutations of the soldiers two months prior. The only certainty was that it was the work of the Chief Executive.

Seeing Jun Jue troubled for days, Ruan Wei grew worried as well.

“We’ve all rewatched that video on the Star Network countless times, but we still can’t pinpoint the root of the problem,” Jiang Lan said.

“General, did the materials you brought back from GR03 yield any test results?”

“We’ve extracted a radioactive substance that has the effect of causing mental distraction and lethargy, similar to narcotics, but its mechanism is the opposite of the manifestations seen in those soldiers and Zhuo Hanjun’s mutation.”

“Opposite?” Ruan Wei looked up at Jun Jue in confusion.

Jun Jue patted Ruan Wei’s head. “The Chief Executive is meticulous in his actions, leaving few openings. Right now, public opinion on the Star Network is also heavily against us.”

“So, there’s nothing we can do?” Ruan Wei pursed her lips, her eyes filled with worry.

“What else can we do? The Federation is already discussing war preparations, with most supporting the Chief Executive leading the Federal Army to attack the General,” Jiang Tang said angrily. She had checked the Star Network several times today, and each time left her fuming.

“These Federation citizens… After all these years of the General risking her life to protect the Federation, it’s not worth it. They won’t even give her the most basic trust,” Jiang Li couldn’t help but vent.

Jiang Lan, more level-headed, quietly awaited the General’s orders.

Jun Jue said, “It’s time to deploy the Junchen. We must prepare for battle.”

“Yes!” Jiang Lan had been waiting for this order. “I’ll mobilize the troops immediately.”

Jiang Lan left to carry out her orders. Many areas in GR03 had poor signals, and dispersing personnel would prevent network interference.

Jun Jue planned to take Ruan Wei back to their room to continue researching the mutations of the soldiers and Zhuo Hanjun, while the others were dismissed to rest and conserve their energy.

Tao Xinran suddenly spoke up. “General, if you’re willing to trust us, me, Qianqian, and Weiwei can all help you find the cause. Our vision as vampires is far superior to humans.”

Sun Qian nodded, and Ruan Wei added, “I can help too!”

Jun Jue remembered back on planet GR03, when she first met Ruan Wei and needed to find clues, it was Ruan Wei who helped locate them amidst the ruins.

How could she have forgotten Ruan Wei?

“Alright, I appreciate everyone’s help,” Jun Jue agreed to their request.

Tao Xinran and Sun Qian finally felt they had a purpose and that they, as vampires, were truly accepted.

Jiang Tang and Jiang Li chimed in, “We sisters are willing to help too! Though we’re not the most detail-oriented, we’ll keep our eyes wide open!”

In the end, the six of them gathered around the sofa. Jun Jue held Ruan Wei’s hand as they sat down. There was room for two more on the right, so Jiang Tang and Jiang Li offered the seats to Tao Xinran and Sun Qian, who sat on Jun Jue’s right, leaving a small gap between them.

Jiang Tang and Jiang Li stood behind the sofa, leaning over with their hands on the backrest to watch.

Jun Jue opened her light computer and played the edited two-minute video on loop.

The video began: Zhuo Hanjun held a gun-blade hybrid weapon against Lin Qiyue’s neck, her hands bound, mouth taped. The blade grazed her skin, and the video clearly showed the slap mark on Lin Qiyue’s swollen face.

Ruan Wei clenched her fists in anger, and Jun Jue silently held her hand.

“Up to this point, Zhuo Hanjun showed no abnormalities,” Jun Jue said. Just then, the video showed Zhuo Hanjun opening her mouth as if to speak.

“This is the moment. Zhuo Hanjun’s state became visibly abnormal when she spoke,” Jun Jue explained, sharing her observations with the group.

Behind the sofa, Jiang Tang scratched her head and then rested her hand back, accidentally brushing against Tao Xinran’s gland as she leaned against the couch. She didn’t notice, but Tao Xinran shifted forward slightly.

Jiang Li, who noticed her second sister’s unintentional “groping”: Second sister, we’re here to focus on the task at hand, not to flirt and even if you were, you can’t just act like a pervert!

Sun Qian, who was earnestly watching the video for clues, had a flicker of confusion in her eyes. Ruan Wei, fully immersed in the viewing with heightened emotions, had her beautiful eyes glowing a faint purple.

When the video automatically played for the second time, Ruan Wei caught a glimpse of a faint glimmer.

“What’s that!”

As Ruan Wei spoke, Jun Jue paused the video and turned to look at her, suddenly freezing in surprise.

“Weiwei, your eyes.”

“Madam, why have your eyes turned purple?” Jiang Tang exclaimed in astonishment. “They look like purple grapes, strangely beautiful.”

Tao Xinran glanced back at Jiang Tang, whose gaze then shifted to her. “Will your eyes turn purple too?”

Jun Jue watched Ruan Wei with concern, but Ruan Wei herself was equally bewildered by the sudden change in her eye color.

Tao Xinran explained on her behalf, “General, when we vampires utilize our visual advantage, our eyes turn purple. But Qianqian and I have regressed a bit from disuse, so Weiwei’s eyes were the first to change.” The latter half of her statement answered Jiang Tang’s earlier question.

Hearing this, Jun Jue relaxed slightly.

“Weiwei, what did you see?” Tao Xinran asked.

“Look here.” Ruan Wei raised her right hand and lightly swiped left on the virtual screen of Jun Jue’s neural computer, rewinding the video by 0.06 seconds. “Right here.”

She traced a faint circle with her finger.

“So that’s where it was!” Tao Xinran and Sun Qian exclaimed in unison. “Weiwei, you found it!”

Jun Jue saw nothing and leaned in closer, still finding nothing, just like Jiang Tang and Jiang Li.

“This kind of blue light is indeed hard for ordinary human eyes to detect without special equipment,” Tao Xinran explained.

Jiang Tang finally understood and smiled. “That’s amazing! You all must be fairies, different from us mere mortals.”

“Madam Weiwei has just solved a major problem for the General!”

“It’s only right. The General’s matters are my matters.”

Ruan Wei’s face bloomed with joy, her heart filled with an indescribable sense of fulfillment.

“Weiwei.” When Jun Jue called her name softly, Tao Xinran and Jiang Li tactfully pulled their respective companions away, leaving them alone.

With fewer inhibitions now, Jun Jue leaned close to Ruan Wei’s ear. “Weiwei, you’ve done me a great favor. What reward would you like?”

Ruan Wei shook her head.

“Tired of steak?”

She shook her head again.

“Anything at all, really nothing you want?”

Ruan Wei blinked, her heart fluttering.

…

Author’s Note:

Weiwei: The General is tempting me again (._.)