The General's Love Glitch - Chapter 56

After sending the message, Jiang Tang stared at the chat interface with overwhelming nervousness.

From the moment she was born until now, this was the most tense she had ever been, every single cell in her body was on edge.

“Second Sister, have you lost your mind?” Jiang Li, standing beside her, quickly stepped forward to help stop the bleeding when she saw Jiang Tang frozen in place.

If she lost too much blood, it wouldn’t be a voluntary act anymore, it would practically be suicide.

And then the Federation would be rocked by a horrifying headline: A Lieutenant General Dies from Excessive Blood Loss While Courting a Vampire.

Jiang Tang snapped out of her daze and saw Jiang Li spraying coagulant on her wound before wrapping it neatly with clean gauze.

On the low table in front of her, a beautiful glass bowl was already filled with blood, about 200 milliliters.

“It’s fine. Blood donations take this much anyway,” Jiang Tang said dismissively. Right now, her mind was entirely focused on how Tao Xinran would respond.

Would she agree? Or politely decline?

Jiang Lan stood silently behind her two younger sisters, deep in thought.

Was this a normal way to pursue someone? To her, it almost seemed like Jiang Tang was pressuring the other party.

But as Jiang Tang’s eldest sister, Jiang Lan knew Jiang Tang wasn’t capable of such complex scheming. She was just desperate to bare her heart, literally, even if the method was admittedly horrifying.

All three sisters stared at Jiang Tang’s communicator. Then, inexplicably, the device flickered twice before the screen went black. No matter how Jiang Tang tried, it wouldn’t turn back on.

“Did it… just die?” Jiang Tang muttered in disbelief.

Jiang Li teased, “Second Sister, even your communicator was scared off by that giant bowl of blood.”

Jiang Lan, being more scientifically inclined, reasoned calmly, “This model is nearing the end of its service life. All of ours need to be replaced with new ones from the military soon.”

“What do we do with this bowl of blood?” Jiang Li asked.

“Package it and mail it over?” Jiang Tang suggested uncertainly, seeking her sisters’ opinions.

Jiang Lan: “…”

Jiang Li burst out laughing. “Second Sister, by the time it arrives, it’ll have coagulated. Do you think Miss Tao will assume it’s some kind of animal blood?”

Jiang Tang’s expression darkened in frustration not because of Jiang Li’s joke, but because she realized the blood wouldn’t be fresh by the time it arrived. Madam Weiwei had mentioned that vampires preferred fresh blood.

She thought of the “love marks” on the Chief Executive’s neck. There had been a perfectly good example to follow, and yet she,

Now her communicator was dead, too.

“Should we have someone deliver a new one right away?” Jiang Lan asked.

Jiang Tang shook her head dejectedly. Tomorrow would be soon enough. She felt like she’d done something incredibly stupid and wasn’t sure she could bear to see Tao Xinran’s reply.

Jiang Lan and Jiang Li returned to their rooms, leaving Jiang Tang sitting alone in the living room for a while before she finally trudged back to her own room. She managed to wash up one-handed before collapsing lifelessly onto her bed.

Once again, she had probably ruined her own chances.

A short while later, someone knocked on her door.

Jiang Tang draped an arm over her eyes and called out, “Come in.”

Jiang Li entered carrying two glasses of milk. “Second Sister, sit up and drink this. You need to replenish.”

Jiang Tang sat up, downed both glasses, and flopped back down.

“Second Sister, I put your blood in the fridge.”

“Mhm.”

Jiang Li sensed something was off with her sister and lingered by the bed for a moment before finally leaving.

…

Tao Xinran didn’t see Jiang Tang’s message right away. She had been soaking in a floral bath, washing her hair, and only noticed the message an hour later when she came out to dry it.

This seemed to be the first time Jiang Tang had taken the initiative to contact her since they exchanged contact information. Tao Xinran patted her cheeks, poured herself a glass of water, and then opened the message Jiang Tang had sent.

Her heart pounded before she even read it, and after reading, she was startled.

Jiang Tang was… was this…

Tao Xinran’s mind was in disarray. Jiang Tang’s behavior was clearly an overture of goodwill.

Blood was a crucial element in forging bonds between humans and vampires. When a human asked a vampire if they wanted to drink their blood, the subtext was: I like you, do you like me too?

But Jiang Tang seemed a bit different from others. Could this be what Jiang Tang meant by sending a message at night?

Was Jiang Tang in a sober state when she sent this?

And such a large bowl, could Jiang Tang be in danger?

Upon checking, she realized over an hour had passed since Jiang Tang sent the message. Was Jiang Tang still waiting for her reply?

Tao Xinran quickly straightened her clothes and wanted to video call Jiang Tang to talk face-to-face.

“Sorry, the user you are trying to reach is offline,” the mechanical female voice said emotionlessly.

Tao Xinran’s heart instantly cooled.

Was it just a whim?

A joke, not serious?

But in the photo, Jiang Tang’s hand was indeed bleeding, and the bowl already held quite a bit.

Could something have happened?

At this thought, her heart began racing uncontrollably again.

She switched contacts and called Jiang Li.

Jiang Li had just lain down when she heard the sound of an incoming video call on her light brain. Turning on the light, she answered.

Seeing the person on the other end, her sleepy eyes immediately brightened.

“Miss Tao? It’s so late, what can I do for you?”

Then she quickly realized and added, “Are you looking for information about my second sister?”

Tao Xinran nodded, her face full of worry. “I can’t reach her. Is she okay?”

“No,” Jiang Li said firmly.

Her mind racing, Jiang Li added, “She lost too much blood. My eldest sister and I just helped her rest.”

“Oh, and the blood my second sister drew, I helped put it in the fridge.”

Jiang Li felt words alone weren’t enough, so she took a photo and sent it over.

“A full bowl. I was very careful, not a single drop spilled.”

Tao Xinran was on the verge of tears. Jiang Li felt a twinge of guilt, but for her second sister’s happiness, she thought the worse she made Jiang Tang sound, the better.

“Don’t worry, Miss Tao. I’ll make sure my second sister rests more, after all, she lost so much blood. But she feels it’s a shame. By the time it reaches you, it won’t be fresh anymore, and she’s afraid you won’t like it.”

Tao Xinran’s eyes were red, but she held back her tears. After getting Jiang Li’s address, she ended the call and finally let herself cry.

Her sobs startled Sun Qian, who had already gone to bed. Sun Qian threw on a coat and came to her room.

“Sister Tao, what’s wrong?”

Tao Xinran hugged Sun Qian and cried.

After hearing what happened, Sun Qian said, “Jiang Tang was confessing to you, Sister Tao. She probably couldn’t find the words and chose this method instead.”

“How do you plan to respond, Sister Tao?”

“Jiang Tang is a bit clumsy when it comes to emotions, but it’s endearing.”

“Your feelings matter most, Sister Tao. Follow your heart.”

Tao Xinran wiped away her tears. “I think I really do like her.”

The next day, when Jiang Tang got up to go to work, Jiang Li stopped her. Her eldest sister, Jiang Lan, also insisted she take mandatory leave, arguing that her injured hand was a vulnerability, one that could be fatal when dealing with the still-unruly pirates of Tylan Star.

Jiang Tang couldn’t refute this, so she stayed in bed. After all, her eldest and youngest sisters were more than capable of handling those people.

“Here’s a new neural-com, Second Sister. You take it for now.”

Jiang Li playfully winked at Jiang Tang, who was lying in bed, feigning a sickly expression. “Contact me if anything comes up.”

After they left for work, the house fell into silence, leaving Jiang Tang alone. She got out of bed and opened the fridge, her blood had already coagulated.

What she didn’t know was that Tao Xinran had boarded a tourist starship the night before, heading straight for Tylan Star.

At 6 p.m., Tao Xinran arrived at Tylan Star’s starport. The moment she stepped off the starship, a hand clamped over her mouth from behind, and an unfamiliar fragrance filled her nostrils. Then, everything went black.

“Miss Tao!”

Just before losing consciousness, she faintly heard Jiang Li’s voice calling out.

…

A second before receiving Jiang Li’s message, Jiang Tang had been lying listlessly in bed. But the moment she heard that Tao Xinran had been kidnapped by space pirates the instant she arrived on Tylan Star, she bolted upright. Within a minute, she had swiftly donned her combat suit and was on her feet.

Though her left wrist still ached faintly, it was no longer a hindrance.

She immediately set off to rendezvous with Jiang Lan and Jiang Li.

Along the way, she listened to Jiang Li’s briefing via the neural-com. Tao Xinran had received her message last night but couldn’t reach her. Worried and wanting to give her a proper answer in person, she had traveled alone to Tylan Star.

Most of the space pirates on Tylan Star had already been absorbed into the Federal Army, but a stubborn few remained, secretly plotting their next move.

This hostage situation was part of their plan, ten hostages in total, all tourists from various star nations. Unfortunately, Tao Xinran was one of them.

“What are their demands?” Jiang Tang asked.

“They want the Federation to cede a small star nation for their independence. They’re trying to establish their own sovereign state.”

“Dream on.” Jiang Tang spat out the words coldly.

“We need a careful strategy, no reckless moves. They have ten hostages, all from different star nations under Federation rule. If this isn’t handled properly, things could get very complicated.”

“How many of them are there?”

“Ten. But the hostages are all civilians with no combat experience.” Jiang Li added, “Their strength isn’t the issue. Our only concern is that they might harm the hostages and provoke unnecessary conflict.”

“Kill them all, and there won’t be a problem,” Jiang Tang said icily.

Jiang Lan and Jiang Li both froze. It was the first time they had seen Jiang Tang like this.

“Second Sister, calm down,” Jiang Li urged, though she knew these desperate madmen likely had to be eliminated.

Once armed, Jiang Tang set off. Jiang Lan signaled for Jiang Li to follow, at least with the two of them working together, she could feel slightly more at ease.

Jiang Lan sent the coordinates of the pirates and hostages, an abandoned underground factory, originally used for explosives research. The air was thick with residual chemicals; even a single gunshot could trigger an explosion.

Jiang Tang smirked. “They sure know how to pick a spot.”

Jiang Li’s skin prickled with goosebumps. “Second Sister, you’ve changed so much it’s giving me chills. If one day it were me or Eldest Sister who got taken… would you become like this too?”

“You and Big Sister would get caught by people like this?” Jiang Tang retorted.

“Never.”

Just as Jiang Tang and Jiang Li had silently arrived outside the underground factory, they received new orders from their eldest sister, Jiang Lian. “The detectable life sources have decreased by ten. Those ten hostages might already be…”

Jiang Tang clenched her fists and was about to charge in when a crowd of people suddenly rushed out from the factory’s exit, tourists, by the looks of them.

Both Jiang Tang and Jiang Li relaxed slightly. While Jiang Tang searched for Tao Xinran among the crowd, Jiang Li stopped the tourists to get answers.

“We’re Federation soldiers. Stay calm, everyone. First, tell us what happened?”

“Murder… a vampire killed people. It was terrifying…”

“Officer, please capture that vampire quickly.”

Without a word, Jiang Tang sprinted toward the underground factory. Jiang Li continued holding back the tourists and asked, “Did the vampire harm any of you?”

The tourists exchanged glances before answering, “No.”

The vampire had only killed the space pirates, saving them in the process.

As realization dawned, the panic on their faces slowly faded. One by one, they spoke up, “Thank you for making us see reason, officers. We’ll apologize to the vampire lady for our earlier behavior and sincerely thank her.”

Jiang Li crossed her arms and nodded in satisfaction. That was more like it, teachable indeed.

Now, it was all up to her second sister inside.

…

Jiang Tang hurried down the dark passage into the underground factory. The deeper she went, the heavier the scent of blood grew.

“Miss Tao.” She activated the illumination function on her wrist terminal, picking up speed as she ran.

“Miss Tao, it’s Jiang Tang.”

Tao Xinran had recognized Jiang Tang’s voice immediately, but she didn’t want her to see her in such a wretched state, covered in blood.

Yet Jiang Tang found her anyway. Tao Xinran hugged her arms tightly, her head bowed low. Fresh from the hunt, her fangs remained exposed in lingering excitement.

Warm fingertips brushed her face, gently wiping away the blood.

“Miss Tao.”

Tao Xinran still couldn’t bring herself to look up, her voice trembling. “I killed people…”

“These were space pirates threatening the safety of all Federation citizens. My mission today was to eliminate them too. You did well.”

“And, Miss Tao… I like you.”

Tao Xinran slowly raised her head, tears glistening in her eyes. Though reluctant, she felt Jiang Tang had the right to see her at her most vulnerable, to decide whether she still wanted her.

“Even like this… do you still like me?” She lowered her gaze, hiding the sorrow in her eyes. If Jiang Tang changed her mind now, she’d understand.

“I do.”

“Miss Tao is even more impressive than I imagined.” Jiang Tang suddenly praised her, leaving Tao Xinran bewildered but warmed.

“Are you hurt?” Jiang Tang checked her over, spotting a healing cut on her palm. Her expression softened with concern.

Tao Xinran closed her hand. “No other injuries. Just this one, it’ll heal soon.”

“What happened?”

“The pirates were about to slash a tourist’s face for a threatening photo. I stepped in to block it.”

Before she could react, Tao Xinran found herself lifted off the ground. Jiang Tang had scooped her up without warning, making her hastily wrap her arms around Jiang Tang’s neck as a blush crept onto her cheeks.

“Let’s get out of here first.”

Stepping out of the underground factory, Tao Xinran saw Jiang Li and the nine tourists who had escaped earlier all gathered there. Instinctively, she shrank further into Jiang Tang’s embrace.

The young woman, whose face had been spared from the knife thanks to Tao Xinran’s intervention, was the first to rush forward in gratitude. “I was wrong earlier. You saved me, and I should thank you, Miss Tao.”

“Thank you, Miss Tao,” the other tourists chimed in. Jiang Li had told them their rescuer’s surname was Tao.

Still too shy to turn and face the people who had feared her moments ago but were now grateful, Tao Xinran kept her face buried in Jiang Tang’s chest and murmured, “No need to thank me.”

Jiang Tang dismissed the tourists, who were still shaken by the harrowing experience and quickly dispersed.

Only then did Jiang Li step forward to scrutinize the clingy pair, teasing with a grin, “Second Sister, has your wish finally come true?”

Jiang Tang shot her sister a knowing smile. “Go get the car.”

With Jiang Tang carrying Tao Xinran, Jiang Li had no choice but to play chauffeur.

Back at their residence, Jiang Tang still held Tao Xinran in her arms. Jiang Lan was waiting at the door, greeting Tao Xinran with a smile before ushering them inside.

Jiang Tang carried Tao Xinran to her own room. As she was about to set her down on the bed, Tao Xinran suddenly remembered her legs were unharmed and asked to be let down.

“I want to take a shower.”

“The bathroom’s over there,” Jiang Tang pointed.

Blushing, Tao Xinran turned to leave, but Jiang Tang suddenly grabbed her hand.

“What’s wrong?” Tao Xinran turned back, puzzled.

“Are we together now?” Jiang Tang tightened her grip slightly.

Tao Xinran froze for a moment, her face flushing even deeper.

“If you’re not afraid of me.”

With a sudden tug, Jiang Tang pulled Tao Xinran close, her voice resolute. “I’m not afraid.”

…

Author’s Note:

Congratulations, Jiang Tang~