Translator: Moonlit
Editor: Aiya-ge
Colonel Raymond and his soldiers have been closely monitoring the Dream Team and Weiss situation.
They felt anxious, knowing this mission had a greater than fifty percent chance of failure.
The young individuals, Weiss and the Dream Team, who had never executed such a task, lacked coordination with each other, and Chongye was fraught with danger.
Not only Raymond but also all the officers waiting for notifications in the command room, had heavy hearts.
They were amazed by the Dream Team’s strength, but even so, they were not optimistic about the outcome of this mission.
The greater the risk, the greater the sacrifice. Even if they succeeded in obtaining the list from Chongye, there might still be casualties…
They could only hope that everyone would survive, as any loss would be a significant blow to the Empire.
Finally, the soldier receiving the information hurriedly looked up with an inexplicable expression on his face, and in the minds of the officers present, a question arose: Did it fail?
“Report, Colonel,” the soldier’s voice grew increasingly uncertain, “They say… they’ve wiped out the entire Chongye.”
…
“What?”
Raymond abruptly stood up, “What did they say?!”
The officers present wore bewildered expressions, “What’s going on?”
Total annihilation, what had they done!
“Captain Weiss said,” the soldier stammered, equally disbelieving of his own words, “it was the Dream Team’s doing.”
Raymond paused for a moment, and the officers exchanged glances. After a while, they regained their composure. Together, they rushed out of the control room, urgently heading for the front lines.
…
The list was real, and Chongye had been severely weakened. With the swarm leaderless, they were just waiting for the Empire to flex its muscles and uproot them.
Everyone knew that once they resolved the people on the list and the remnants of Chongye, the Dream Team would receive the highest credit for this operation.
Crippling Chongye and the Star Pirates, obtaining the highly valuable list, which was the foundation for illegal dealings across the eight major star systems, plus their exceptional abilities… and so on and so forth. Prince Nico wouldn’t allow anyone to steal their glory.
Even if they didn’t find the NK-03 in the hands of Chongye, they would never blame the Dream Team for it.
The Dream Team didn’t let these matters bother them because they had completed their mission ahead of schedule. They had a long period of leisure time before the military could fully resolve the issue. They decided to put everything out of their minds and started touring various planets.
Raymond and the authorities indulged them, considering it was time for these kids to enjoy themselves. As for Prince Nico, the Dream Team was now his prized possession; how could he not be willing?
They were given the green light everywhere, making their travel even more comfortable.
The Rainbow Bridge on Galya, the Cloud Flower Sea on Ma Wei Star, the dreamlike and colorful stars of Kiki…
Everything was wonderful, and every day was filled with joy. However, Gu WenCheng had mixed feelings.
It seemed like his teammates hadn’t really figured out his true identity. But from time to time, they would look at him with pained guilt in their eyes and apologize. Each one of them was sincere, saying, “Cheng, we’re sorry. It’s our fault that we didn’t protect ZouXing.”
The sentence had to be paused three times, and Gu WenCheng was supposed to look incredibly sad, ideally with a hint of tears in his eyes. His teammates had become quite skilled at this.
Every time Gu WenCheng faced their apologies, he felt a mixture of embarrassment and conflict. His rational side told him that something was amiss, that there was something strange going on everywhere. However, emotionally, he felt guilty for hiding the truth from his teammates. In any case, his expression was always entertaining, making the Dream Team feel quite accomplished.
It was all because his teammates usually appeared so pure and kind that his subconscious wouldn’t believe they would deceive him.
But, of course, his teammates were far from innocent.
Not only that, but they would also tease him, “WenCheng, ZouXing has been hypnotized into mistaking Walter for you. Don’t be sad. It’s all because of that eccentric uncle. ZouXing definitely doesn’t like Walter.”
“Yeah, how can Walter compare to Cheng? Our Cheng is handsome and young, while Walter? He doesn’t even dare to show his face.”
At first, Li ZouXing couldn’t help but admire these comments when he heard them.
They were really something; every word hit Gu WenCheng right where it hurt.
Gu WenCheng’s expression, upon hearing these comments, remained frozen. His smile fixed on his face, and his emotions were too complex to put into words.
…Did they really not realize he was Walter?
These words sounded as if they were intentionally spoken after they already knew his true identity.
Whether it was genuine or an act, Gu WenCheng’s response did seem to lack some intelligence. Li ZouXing had initially planned to tell him, “Your secret identity is out. The guys are just pretending not to know and playing with you.”
But before he could say this, his teammates had already issued a warning.
His teammates used every means possible, coaxing and threatening, “ZouXing, we don’t mind WenCheng hiding the fact that he’s Walter. But dating you with WenCheng’s identity and teasing you with Walter’s identity, trying to trick yourself, remember that day in Chongye territory when we cried for so long and so miserably? Is that not deserving of a beating?”
All four of them surrounded him, one after another, “Think about how miserable we were that day. We all cried! And then WenCheng not only didn’t stop but even kissed you.”
Under their scrutiny, Li ZouXing couldn’t go against his conscience. His expression was sincere with no hint of dishonesty, “Indeed, it was excessive.”
With his agreement, the teammates became more enthusiastic, “Aren’t we too pitiful?”
Li ZouXing nodded sympathetically, “Indeed, you are.”
Next, they lavished praise upon their teammates for an extended period.
During those moments, they could say things like, “Don’t touch him; if you have the guts, touch me,” and make their straight male teammate say such self-sacrificing words. It was truly a profound friendship.
The teammates who were praised were getting a bit dizzy from it all, and their smiles grew wider. However, they forced themselves to snap out of the praise.
“Let’s get back to business,” Ling Nian urged.
“We’ve all suffered so much; how can you not empathize with us? Just let us have a little fun,” Xi Nan playfully slapped his shoulder, acting all cute, “Just once, Xing Xing!”
“This guy pretended to be Walter so many times and took advantage of you. ZouXing, are you really not angry at all?”
In any case, they thought Gu WenCheng was being too mischievous and deserved a good beating.
He presented himself as a boyfriend while also being stubbornly opportunistic when it came to Li ZouXing. To someone who wasn’t omniscient, it was quite a torment. Moreover, since Gu WenCheng was acting like, “I’m not me, and I don’t know anything without you,” they had to cooperate a bit. If they couldn’t beat him up, they could at least use this opportunity to let Gu WenCheng know they weren’t that easy to mess with!
Li ZouXing, who had always treated Walter’s identity as a form of entertainment for both of them, looked slightly embarrassed, “I’m not really angry.”
His temper was just too good!
Unable to make him angry, the teammates had to find another way.
“You cooperate with us, and we’ll help you come up with a romantic confession plan,” Ji Yu grinned, “So many planets, countless beautiful sights, the school and the military have also given us so many travel bonuses. ZouXing, just think about it. This is such a great opportunity for a love confession.”
“Please, ZouXing. We’ve been played by you so many times. This time, after finally succeeding, let us have some fun.”
Confession.
Li ZouXing’s expression changed slightly, becoming serious as he cautioned, “Don’t be too harsh.”
“We understand,” the teammates said.
Si Wo Lin smiled and quietly added, “Actually, we plan to have a welcoming ceremony for him.”
Xi Nan said, “Let him know that no matter who he is, he’s one of us.”
Ling Nian huffed with his arms crossed, “Is Cheng so afraid that we won’t accept him?”
“He’s probably more worried that ZouXing won’t accept him,” Ji Yu joked.
“When he believes we never found out he’s Walter, that’s when we succeed. Then we can just put on a welcome ceremony and say, ‘Hey, we’ve known you’re Walter all along.’ That guy’s expression will be priceless. Do you think he might get so touched that he’ll cry?”
Playful banter among friends is always joyful and heartwarming, making one want to smile from the heart.
Li ZouXing laughed along with them, jesting, “No way, if he cries, it will be when I confess.”
But, honestly, please don’t cry.
Just keep smiling forever.
Gu WenCheng had no knowledge of the plans they were making. So within the entire Dream Team, only he remained in the dark.
Despite how emotionally challenging and awkward this journey had been, there was a surprise waiting for him.
They visited the well-known star systems in order. Perhaps the heavens took pity on them for their numerous trials and tribulations, surprisingly, nothing went wrong during this journey.
While traveling, they also kept a close eye on the progress of the military.
Human trafficking organizations were continually being captured and exposed. And as the Empire’s actions grew more significant, more and more people began to discuss this matter.
They heard expressions of support for the Empire and gratitude for the military from the people’s mouths. Each word was as refreshing as a glass of hot water in the middle of winter, leaving these young people feeling invigorated.
As the excitement surrounding this matter grew, Ye An’s spaceship was increasingly mentioned by the public.
In this incident, Ye An provided a lot of assistance to the military. But the most significant help was directed towards the innocent people who had been abducted, helping them recover their freedom, secure employment, and livelihood, effectively transforming slaves into free individuals.
Ye An was diligently working on his collaboration with Li ZouXing, and it was apparent that he was doing an excellent job.
Not only was he settling the innocent people, but Ye An was also preparing for Li ZouXing’s future.
During the time they were unaware of it, Ye An carefully infused information about same-sex relationships into the Star network. Due to its subtlety and caution, this information hadn’t yet garnered the public’s attention.
But someday, this information would flow like a torrent, radically challenging people’s perspectives.
After thoroughly checking the news for a while, the Dream Team was finally at ease.
…
At night, on the spaceship, in Li ZouXing and Gu WenCheng’s room.
Gu WenCheng, who had been tossed around by his teammates all day, was feeling nervous.
Li ZouXing detected his unease beneath his calm facade. In fact, ever since his alias had been exposed, Gu WenCheng had felt particularly uncomfortable during any one-on-one interactions with Li ZouXing.
Li ZouXing probably had an idea of why Gu WenCheng was uneasy. It was simply because the two identities hadn’t been switched well, and the other one had been exposed. All the things they had done had been revealed, and Gu WenCheng felt embarrassed and ashamed.
From the forced kiss, the fall from the building, tracing his face with a finger, to even preparing to give himself a little “treat”… Li ZouXing couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. This guy was quite the provocateur.
Even without the mask, he was still a tease. Li ZouXing had never seen anyone with Gu WenCheng’s ability to deceive and get kisses and touches with such a scoundrel-like play.
“Going to sleep?” Li ZouXing broke the silence, got up, and tidied up the bed, treating Gu WenCheng very naturally. “It’s pretty late.”
Gu WenCheng approached and suddenly hugged Li ZouXing from behind, his posture appearing dominant in every way, and his arm muscles were both sleek and beautiful. However, due to his slightly shorter height, the air of assertiveness was somewhat diminished, revealing a touch of playfulness.
A strand of hair brushed against Li ZouXing’s cheek, making him forget the words he had intended to say. He chuckled a few times, and the two of them stood silently by the bed, enjoying the moment.
“You sent flowers and jumped off a building,” Li ZouXing quirked an eyebrow. “WenCheng, you really know how to play with different personas.”
Thinking about these memories, Gu WenCheng realized that he had developed a possessiveness toward Li ZouXing even when he didn’t understand everything. He smiled sincerely and blurted out, “I have more tricks up my sleeve.”
Li ZouXing raised an intrigued eyebrow, “What else can you do? Take me jumping off a building again, or maybe help each other out once more?”
Gu WenCheng cleared his throat a couple of times. Those were all part of his history of taking advantage. He leaned in closer to Li ZouXing’s ear and whispered a few words.
“…” Li ZouXing looked shocked, his ears turned red, and this time, he genuinely couldn’t control it. He clenched his fist against his lips, his gaze flickering. “I can’t believe you…”
He was genuinely surprised, and his eyes sparkled. “So, this is another way to play.”
Gu WenCheng nodded mysteriously, his mood filled with excitement.
But they hadn’t put their new plan into action yet, when their teammates, who were afraid that Li ZouXing would ruin the fun, burst into their room and completely changed the atmosphere of overflowing pink bubbles.
Li ZouXing and Gu WenCheng watched them in amazement.
Two large beds were pushed together to form one big bed, and their teammates were shamelessly squeezing into the middle, effectively isolating Li ZouXing and Gu WenCheng on either side.
With four people sandwiched in the middle, it felt like they were separated by a galaxy.
Li ZouXing was both amused and exasperated. He managed to quell the rising irritation within him and occasionally exchanged glances with Gu WenCheng. They could both see the annoyance in each other’s eyes, wishing they could just throw Xi Nan and the others out right now.
Interrupting a couple’s romantic moment would earn them Walter’s long-lasting grudge.
He relaxed with his hands behind his head, and Li ZouXing couldn’t help but feel that the present moment was just too wonderful.
Amid the chaotic conversation and various topics, they eventually drifted into gossip.
It was the ever-curious topic of Captain Yu Meng that they couldn’t resist discussing.
“Why does Captain Yu Meng dislike Walter so much?”
They hadn’t forgotten that, in Yu Meng’s eyes, Walter was synonymous with garbage.
Author’s note:
Stay safe, stay safe, stay safe!
If you can avoid going out, please stay home. Practice good hygiene, wear masks, and drink plenty of water.
Wishing everyone a safe and harmonious New Year. Thank you to the healthcare workers for their dedication. Please take care of yourselves. To the people of Wuhan, don’t be afraid. We won’t be careless or panic. We will definitely overcome this challenge safely!
