The so-called skinning wasn’t as terrifying as Jing Xi had imagined, or rather, the outcome was much better than he had expected.

Taking the treatment reports of those people from the military doctor, Jing Xi looked at Chi Yao: “Did you do this knowing how strong their recovery abilities are?”

In just a few hours, those Ghosts had already begun to heal on their own and even grew new skin.

Chi Yao sat lazily on the sofa: “You could say that.”

Seeing his expression, Jing Xi immediately understood the meaning behind those words—it sounded kinder this way, so let’s go with that.

Jing Xi: “…”

Chi Yao stood up, pulling Jing Xi along as he left. They walked to the neighboring office where Chun Qin was inside, organizing data. “Xi Xi has already prepared a resting room for you. Don’t push yourself too hard; go back and sleep early.”

Without looking up, Chun Qin continued fiddling with the tools beside her. “I will.”

Chi Yao: “We’ll go back and rest first.”

Chun Qin: “Let the Major General rest well.”

Chi Yao: “…”

It’s always Xi Xi who doesn’t let him rest properly.

Because the Ghosts had been brought onto the warship and their special constitution required caution, Chi Yao had assigned members of the Extreme Shadow to guard this area temporarily, with Chun Qin integrated into the medical team.

Watching Chi Yao close the door gently, as if afraid of disturbing Chun Qin, Jing Xi felt a rare tenderness. “You treat Chun Qin differently.”

“Really? Are you jealous?” Chi Yao led him toward the resting quarters.

Jing Xi shook his head: “I’m glad there was someone like her to take care of you. I’m grateful to her.”

“Take care?” Chi Yao scoffed. “What misconceptions do you have about her?”

Jing Xi: “?”

On the way back, with nothing better to do, Chi Yao reminisced about life at the base.

“She must have been about eighteen when she joined the organization—still a young girl. The group was full of scoundrels, and when they saw a girl, their eyes turned green.”

Jing Xi only imagined it for a moment before forcing himself to stop.

That kind of environment was too hostile for women—even betas could be mistreated.

“It wasn’t just women; even men who looked the slightest bit delicate were targets.”

A cold smile formed on Chi Yao’s lips. “But on her first day out, Chun Qin killed five miners. After she came back, the higher-ups said nothing and even moved her to a single room. After that, no one dared to mess with her.”

An eighteen-year-old female beta with such strength?

Jing Xi: “What did she do before?”

Chi Yao turned to look at him: “She said she was a mercenary, but she never mentioned which group. She never went back after escaping.”

If someone with such combat skills could be trapped by that organization, something didn’t add up.

Jing Xi felt something was off but couldn’t quite place it.

“So why did she teach you marksmanship?”

Jing Xi followed up.

Chi Yao: “During hunting, I had the dog help her out. Later, she forced me to learn marksmanship. If I refused, she’d get angry and go out to take down a group of miners. Those miners kept coming to me, begging me to agree to her demands. I finally gave in because I was tired of the noise—”

Jing Xi: “…”

These two were practically the kings of the mountain.

Chi Yao: “Her gentle and refined demeanor now—she learned all that after joining the old man’s ship.”

Jing Xi: “…That’s not bad.”

Chi Yao added: “Even if it’s all an act.”

Jing Xi: “…”

Maybe their escape was a good thing for everyone else.

Back in the resting quarters, Jing Xi wanted to ask more, but Chi Yao pushed him onto the bed and wrapped him in blankets.

“Alright, aren’t you tired enough? Sleep.”

Jing Xi looked at him, so close, and whispered, “One last thing.”

Chi Yao: “Go on.”

Jing Xi leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips: “Goodnight.”

Chi Yao’s eyes flickered, about to lean in for another kiss, but Jing Xi closed his eyes and settled into sleep.

“…”

Before dawn, Jing Xi woke up.

During wartime, he never slept soundly.

Chi Yao was like a furnace, and Jing Xi nestled in his arms, too comfortable to get up.

Five minutes later, he forced himself up.

As soon as he sat up, Chi Yao wrapped an arm around him and pulled him back.

“It’s still early,” Chi Yao’s voice was low and husky.

Jing Xi ruffled his soft hair: “I’ll go check on things. You sleep a little longer.”

Chi Yao: “I can’t sleep well without you.”

Jing Xi: “Should I send Yin Wei to sleep with you?”

Chi Yao: “…”

All sleepiness vanished with that remark.

He looked at Jing Xi: “It’s not my side lover.”

Jing Xi’s expression remained serious: “You want a side lover?”

Chi Yao: “…”

With sleep now gone, Chi Yao sat up and put on his jacket without enthusiasm.

“Sooner or later, you’ll train me into an old man’s sleep schedule.”

Jing Xi couldn’t help but chuckle: “It’s you who won’t sleep.”

Chi Yao leaned on his shoulder, stating matter-of-factly: “I’m just sticking to you. Is that not allowed?”

Jing Xi pecked his lips, his smile widening: “Of course it is.”

Halfway there, Yan Kai hurried over.

“Boss, something’s happening on the front lines!”

Jing Xi’s expression shifted: “What’s wrong?”

The three of them quickened their pace toward the command cabin.

Yan Kai followed beside them, speaking rapidly: “Minister Lü says they detected strange sound waves, similar to those on No. 333.”

Jing Xi and Chi Yao exchanged a look.

“Have they been located?” Chi Yao asked.

Yan Kai: “Yes. To be safe, he ordered the troops to retreat five kilometers.”

In the command cabin, among dozens of virtual screens, the one at the forefront displayed the location Lü Meng had sent.

Chi Yao glanced at it—it was right at the edge of the middle circle he had outlined earlier.

Jing Xi urgently connected with Lü Meng.

“What’s the situation?”

Lü Meng was resting at a temporary camp. Seeing Jing Xi, he instinctively checked the time.

“Boss, aren’t you supposed to be on shift at this hour? I specifically sent the message to Xiao Yan—”

Jing Xi: “Get to the point.”

Lü Meng wiped his face with a towel, looking weary: “So far, only that spot has been detected. We’ve sent people to scan the area, but we’re not sure if equipment might malfunction—”

“Minister, the equipment malfunctioned!”

Before he could finish, a soldier’s voice shouted over the public channel.

Lü Meng cursed under his breath: “Speak of the devil.”

While they talked, Chi Yao checked the latest front-line distribution and the distance to that spot.

When they went there two days ago, there was nothing.

If something like that existed here, it might be even smarter than the one in Cave No. 333.

The previous one didn’t seem to know how to control its sound waves, but this one appeared capable.

After Jing Xi ended the communication, Chi Yao headed out.

“I’ll go take a look.”

Jing Xi immediately followed: “I’ll go too.”

As he walked, he turned to Yan Kai: “Send me real-time updates on any developments.”

Yan Kai: “Yes!”

Without a mecha, Chi Yao took a fighter jet, quickly leaving the hangar.

In the medical area, the military doctors walked on tiptoes, afraid of disturbing the Extreme Shadow members.

After checking on the injured, two military doctors glanced at the ward where the Ghosts were kept and detoured back to the office.

“They’re so eerie.”

“The Ghosts are even scarier, right?”

The two military doctors hid in the office, peeking through the door crack.

Perhaps due to their long-standing rivalry with the Extreme Shadow, their perception hadn’t shifted yet—the moment they saw them, they wanted to grab their weapons.

“Have they been standing there all night? No shift change?”

“Maybe there aren’t enough people? No one to replace them?”

The two military doctors exchanged looks.

The red-haired member standing guard at the door remained stiff, his stomach growling loudly.

He silently swallowed, imagining a feast in his mind.

Even if he couldn’t eat, dreaming was good enough.

Just as he was getting excited, the two military doctors who had just entered came out again.

The red-haired member instinctively straightened his posture.

One doctor carried water, the other dry rations, cautiously approaching them.

“Eat… eat something.”

The red-haired member glared.

“Can’t you see I’m on duty? What’s there to eat—”

Gurgle—

His stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.

Red-haired member: “…”

Military doctors: “…”

Two minutes later, the red- and yellow-haired members accepted the food, blushing and awkwardly expressing their thanks.

“Do you need to go in for check-ups?” the red-haired member asked while chewing on dried meat. “If so, I’ll come with you.”

The military doctors shook their heads vigorously.

“No, it’s not time yet.”

Seeing their pale, frightened faces, the red-haired member sneered: “What are you scared of? With us here, they won’t hurt you.”

As they spoke, footsteps echoed from the metal corridor.

Several refugees approached, carrying containers of food.

The yellow-haired member stepped forward, blocking their path with a fierce expression.

“This area is off-limits.”

A male beta in a hoodie among the refugees raised his hand: “We made some snacks to thank the officers. We just wanted to show our gratitude.”

An older, weary-looking beta man added: “We feel bad always accepting help from the military.”

The yellow-haired member raised his chin, adopting his usual tough-guy expression: “What, don’t understand human words? If you’re not gone by the count of three, don’t blame me for what happens!”

“How can you be so rude? You’re not even wearing a uniform, and with that dyed hair, you’re clearly not part of the military. Who are you, some thug?” an omega woman snapped angrily.

The refugees began criticizing the yellow-haired member.

A nearby officer couldn’t stand it any longer.

Having served with the military for so long, he’d seen this kind of thing before.

Generally, the military didn’t accept gifts from refugees, but the Extreme Shadow members’ attitude was indeed unfriendly.

As the yellow-haired member was about to lose his temper, a military doctor stepped in to mediate.

“Sorry, we appreciate your kindness, but please take the food back. The military has rules against accepting gifts.”

The hooded beta: “It’s just some pastries. They’re not valuable.”

He opened the lid.

“Yeah, we even borrowed flour from the kitchen. We worked all night on these.”

“It’s just a small token of thanks, nothing more.”

They talked over each other, leaving the military doctors unable to get a word in.

The ward held Ghosts, after all. If anything happened and the refugees got hurt, no one could bear the responsibility.

Unable to refuse, the two military doctors each took a small pastry from the container.

The hooded beta then offered the container to the yellow-haired member.

“Would you like one too?”

“Damn it!”

The yellow-haired member angrily crumpled his water bottle and threw it to the ground. “Are you looking for a fight?”

That single remark angered the refugees.

As the argument heated up, the red-haired member stared intently at the hooded beta.

The latter noticed his gaze, urged the others to stop arguing, and tried to lead them away.

The two military doctors exchanged helpless looks.

The Extreme Shadow were, after all, a group of space pirates. That they had held back until now was impressive enough. They’d just have to report this later and see if they could counsel the refugees.

Just as they were about to eat, the pastries were snatched from their hands.

They looked up to see the red-haired member, who had walked over.

He crumpled the pastries and tossed them aside, then quickly followed the refugees.

“They’ve already left. No need to chase them, right?”

“They meant no harm.”

Fearing a bloody confrontation, the military doctors, terrified but determined, chased after them.

“Hey, wait up.”

The red-haired member grabbed the hooded beta’s shoulder. “Let me smell your scent—”

The military doctors hadn’t taken more than a few steps when they saw a fight break out ahead.

The hooded beta moved with fierce precision, forcing the Extreme Shadow member back a few steps.

Military doctors: “???”

What was happening? Since when were refugees so skilled?

Just as Chi Yao and Jing Xi arrived at the front lines in their fighter jet, Chi Yao’s communicator suddenly rang—

“Boss, there are Ghosts mixed in with the refugees!”