The General's Love Glitch - Chapter 5

Ruan Wei remained silent for a long time.

Jun Jue stared at her without pause, her gaze indifferent.

Unable to provide an answer, Ruan Wei lowered her head, burying it deeper and deeper, as if wishing she could vanish into the ground.

Jun Jue withdrew her gaze and turned away to attend to more pressing matters.

She didn’t have much time left for investigation. After the soldiers’ deaths, if the combat mechs weren’t promptly recovered by the Federation system, they would automatically trigger a self-destruct protocol to prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

“Promptly” meant within 24 hours. Jun Jue had tried contacting the Federation but failed, it was as if all signals from Planet G30 had been blocked.

She had attempted it yesterday upon waking, with no success. At the time, she had assumed it was due to the chaotic magnetic field caused by the mass power failure of the mechs following their pilots’ demise.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case. She would have to uncover the reason herself.

She had less than four hours left.

Jun Jue glanced back at Ruan Wei, still standing in the same spot. Weighing priorities, she decided to focus on the search.

…

Ruan Wei waited for a long time, but no judgment came from the beautiful sister.

She had expected the woman to sternly forbid her from following, but nothing was said.

Did that mean she was still allowed to stay?

A glimmer of hope rose in Ruan Wei’s heart. Having fled her remote home planet, she knew little about the vast universe beyond. The stars stretched endlessly, yet she had nowhere to belong which was why she wanted to follow this beautiful sister.

The woman seemed to be searching for something. If Ruan Wei could help find it, perhaps the sister would lower her guard a little?

With that thought, Ruan Wei immediately stood up, filled with determination.

Half-vampire by blood, her vision far surpassed that of humans, her eyes functioned like built-in scanners. But her limited knowledge of this world meant she could only rely on guesswork to identify suspicious items.

Each time she found something, she would run to the beautiful sister.

Thus, Jun Jue’s search was repeatedly interrupted by Ruan Wei’s voice, making her feel surrounded.

“Beautiful sister, is this what you’re looking for?”

“What about this one?”

“And this, is this it?”

When Ruan Wei presented an exquisitely crafted military dagger with a gem-encrusted sheath for the third time, Jun Jue pressed her fingers to her temples in exasperation only to freeze upon recognizing the familiar blue gemstone.

This gem shouldn’t be here.

“Where did you find this?” Jun Jue grabbed Ruan Wei’s arm urgently.

“Over there, follow me, beautiful sister!”

Sensing her urgency, Ruan Wei broke into a run, leading the way.

Jun Jue followed swiftly.

“Here.”

They stopped beside a decapitated mech.

The corpse inside had already begun to rot, the stench forcing Ruan Wei to step back. Jun Jue ignored it, crouching down to inspect the wreckage as if unaffected, her hands soon stained with black tar seeping from the mech’s interior.

The scent of fire followed.

Jun Jue sensed danger and instinctively retreated, pulling Ruan Wei with her.

Before Ruan Wei could process what was happening, she was yanked into a sprint. Her shorter legs struggled to keep up, but Jun Jue couldn’t afford to slow down, danger wouldn’t wait for them.

“Boom!”

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted behind them, sending a scorching wave of heat surging forward.

The instincts and duty of a soldier compelled Jun Jue to throw herself over Ruan Wei, shielding her with her own body.

The searing heat rolled over them, and Jun Jue felt the exposed skin on the back of her neck burn away.

In the era of the New Stellar Calendar, technology had advanced tremendously. Military uniforms could withstand extreme temperatures, providing insulation even in the harshest cold, but any uncovered areas remained vulnerable.

Amid the flames, the excruciating pain in her neck forced a muffled groan from Jun Jue. Without even looking, she knew her nape was now a bloody mess, the gland of a top-tier alpha was likely destroyed as well.

The explosions behind her continued relentlessly, and through the agony, Jun Jue let out a bitter laugh.

Ruan Wei had been stunned by the sudden blast, but upon hearing Jun Jue’s pained laughter, she couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Beautiful sister, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Jun Jue replied, pressing a protective hand over Ruan Wei’s nape.

The cool, soft skin beneath her palm stiffened instantly, and Ruan Wei froze, lying motionless on the ground like a corpse.

Physical contact! Pretty sister actually initiated physical contact with her!

A simple touch wasn’t a big deal, but the gland…

She still remembered her parents’ warning from childhood: “Weiwei, always remember, never let anyone touch your gland.”

The explosions raged on for what felt like an eternity. Jun Jue could discern from the sounds that one mech’s detonation triggered another in a chain reaction.

Finally, the explosions and flames subsided. Jun Jue stood up, her neck burning fiercely.

“You can get up now.”

Ruan Wei pushed herself off the ground, immediately turning her attention to Jun Jue. “Pretty sister, are you really okay?”

Jun Jue glanced at Ruan Wei’s dust-covered, grimy face and gave a slight nod.

She wouldn’t reveal her pain or weakness to someone unrelated, even if she was pale with agony and on the verge of passing out.

Without hesitation, she retrieved an emergency medical kit from her mech necklace and prepared to treat her wounded neck.

Whether her gland could be healed or not didn’t matter to her. Shedding something tied to human desires might even be a blessing, it would save her a lot of trouble. Strength and combat prowess were what truly mattered.

But the first step, cleaning the wound with medical cotton proved difficult.

“Let me help you, pretty sister,” Ruan Wei offered, her eyes red with concern.

Jun Jue glanced at her but neither agreed nor refused, lowering her hand in silence.

Taking that as permission, Ruan Wei bravely stepped forward.

After cleaning and disinfecting the wound, she found no suitable medicine for the final step. Hidden behind Jun Jue, she bit her tongue and let a drop of her own blood fall onto the injury.

At first, Jun Jue felt nothing unusual, but the pain faded too quickly, unnaturally so.

“What’s going on?”

Under her imposing pressure and questioning, Ruan Wei finally stammered out the truth.

“Pretty sister, I’ll tell you a secret, I have healing abilities. But I can’t use them often, and you can’t tell anyone.”

Jun Jue’s eyelids flickered slightly. It was unexpected, yet made perfect sense.

Over the years, Federation media had reported numerous cases of citizens with supernatural abilities, precognition, levitation, telepathy, electrokinesis, spontaneous combustion, and more.

The universe was vast. Even with advanced technology, there were still countless mysteries beyond human comprehension.

Having experienced it twice herself, Jun Jue found Ruan Wei’s words somewhat credible, but she didn’t fully believe them. Until she could clarify Ruan Wei’s identity, she would maintain this skepticism.

“Is this why you were captured and tried so desperately to escape?”

Ruan Wei nodded emphatically.

Jun Jue didn’t ask further and returned the medical kit to the mech’s storage. Standing up, she gazed at the scorched land, now almost completely barren, her expression tinged with sorrow.

Everything had turned to ash, scattered by the wind. Most of the mechs had been silver, and their remnants now formed a haze of silvery-gray dust floating in the air.

Finding any clues seemed hopeless. Jun Jue sighed silently.

Suddenly, her sleeve was tugged.

“Pretty sister.”

She lowered her gaze and pulled her sleeve free from Ruan Wei’s ash-covered hand. “What is it?”

Ruan Wei didn’t answer. Instead, she turned around, presenting her back to Jun Jue.

“Pretty sister, do you know what this protruding gland on the back of the neck is for?” She pointed at her own gland as she asked.

This was the first time Jun Jue had consciously looked at someone’s gland.

Ruan Wei’s gland resembled a piece of milky-white jade, coated in a warm glow, appearing translucent and soft.

Only after staring blankly for a moment did Jun Jue realize what she was looking at. She turned away.

Ruan Wei, receiving no answer, turned back and found the pretty sister inexplicably facing away from her.

Did the pretty sister not know the answer either?

“Pretty sister, there’s something else I want to tell you.”

“What?”

“I… I took some things when you weren’t looking.”

Jun Jue turned around, her gaze icy as she stared at Ruan Wei.

Ruan Wei obediently retrieved the items she had hidden in her small spatial pocket.

Jun Jue examined them one by one: military uniforms, boots, a few bottles of water.

All taken from the bodies of dead soldiers. Nothing particularly significant.

Jun Jue looked up and saw Ruan Wei’s timid expression, like a guilty soldier afraid of being scolded.

Only then did she truly notice how tattered Ruan Wei’s clothes were. Before, she had subconsciously assumed Ruan Wei’s identity was unusual and overlooked this detail.

She confiscated the military uniforms and boots Ruan Wei had gathered.

Ruan Wei exhaled slightly in relief.

At least the pretty sister had left her the water. She understood that military uniforms weren’t something just anyone could wear.

Jun Jue placed the uniforms and boots belonging to the deceased soldiers in a separate storage compartment in the mech. Then, from her own belongings, she picked out a military-green cloak.

It was one of the rewards she had received from the Chief Executive last year for her military achievements. Because it was too ornate and fluffy, she had never worn it.

“Put this on.” Jun Jue handed the hooded military-green cloak to Ruan Wei, then took out a pair of rain boots she usually wore in wet weather and passed them over as well.

Ruan Wei, still clutching the two bottles of water that hadn’t been confiscated, widened her eyes in delight.

“Are these all for me? Pretty sister.”

Jun Jue nodded, and Ruan Wei happily took the cloak and boots, putting on the boots first.

“A little big,” Ruan Wei murmured to herself, cheerfully shuffling her feet.

Next, she donned the military-green cloak, though she didn’t properly fit her arms into the sleeves. The cloak was too long for her, draping on the ground like a formal gown.

Ruan Wei lifted the hem with her hands, unwilling to let such a beautiful, warm cloak get dirty.

Though wearing the cloak made her a bit warm, it didn’t dampen her fondness for it.

Jun Jue watched Ruan Wei’s joy with deep bewilderment.

Just a pair of rain boots and a cloak, neither of the right length, looking a bit awkward.

Jun Jue took out a standard military knife from the mech’s cabin and crouched beside Ruan Wei.

Looking up, she said, “Let go.”

Ruan Wei obediently released her grip, watching curiously with lowered eyes to see what she would do.

Jun Jue caught the falling cloak. It was her first time using a military knife for such a task. Before proceeding, she wiped the blade clean with a tissue, then with a swift slash, the green cloak was shortened by 20 centimeters, its once neat edge now an irregular fringe.

Holding the trimmed fabric in her hand, Jun Jue wasn’t confident in her unfamiliar skill and simply said, “Make do with it.”

After a moment’s thought, she cut the remaining fabric into two strips, stood up, and handed them to Ruan Wei, instructing her to stuff them into the rain boots herself.

Ruan Wei took them and did as told. Now, both the rain boots and the cloak fit perfectly.

Not hiding her joy in the slightest, Ruan Wei spun around happily. “Thank you, pretty sister. I love both the rain boots and the cloak.”

Delighted by her reaction, Ruan Wei couldn’t help but add, “Especially the cloak. After your trimming, it looks even better.”

“No need to flatter me,” Jun Jue knew her own limitations in this skill.

“I’m telling the truth!” Ruan Wei explained urgently. “It’s been years since I’ve had such beautiful clothes.”

Beautiful?

Jun Jue narrowed her eyes slightly. Beneath the oversized cloak, Ruan Wei’s face was smudged with dust.

Indeed beautiful, a kind of beauty even dust couldn’t obscure.

Shifting her gaze away, she didn’t continue the topic with Ruan Wei, simply saying, “Let’s go.”

To return to the Federation, they needed to find the nearest starport. If she wasn’t mistaken, the military battleship they came in had likely already exploded and been destroyed.

She strode forward, but Ruan Wei, still processing, remained rooted to the spot.

Turning back, Jun Jue looked at Ruan Wei calmly. “Not coming?”

Ruan Wei finally snapped out of it.

Pretty sister was really willing to take her along!

She hurried to catch up.

The military-green cloak fluttered in the wind as they walked side by side, matching the gray-green of the Federation military uniform.