After finishing their lunch, the group was preparing to head back to class when a stern voice boomed over the campus speakers, "Dear teachers and students, good day. I am the liaison officer of the Mecha Vanguard Unit. We have just received information that terrorists from the R714 Starport are planning an attack on Neptune. They may have already planted dangerous items on campus, so please stay safe. If you are in your dormitory, please report to the dormitory management department for inspection. If you are in any public area, please proceed to the main gate for scanning. Thank you for your cooperation."
"What's happening?" The students in the cafeteria exchanged bewildered glances, trying to gather information.
"It might be related to Instructor Yan's disappearance," someone speculated.
"It's definitely related to him. I've heard that Instructor Yan has been found, but is severely injured and still unconscious. Giraffedragons are usually docile and rarely attack humans, yet he just happened to encounter one. Something's definitely off here. Instructor Yan is the young patriarch of the Yan Clan and possesses great potential. Eliminating him is in the interest of the Federation and the Star Pirate Syndicate. There could be enemy spies lurking within our school, and this is the military's attempt to apprehend them," a well-informed student whispered.
"Goodness, right among us? We should go and get inspected quickly so we can find the spies sooner." The students, all having undergone rigorous military training, showed no resistance to cooperating with the investigation and quickly lined up to head to the main entrance.
Ouyang Ye and Qi Ze had no choice but to follow the crowd. Upon arriving at the school gate, they saw ten space scanners arranged in a line. Military personnel swiftly scanned each student, meticulously investigating their genetic information, background, and the items they carried. Any suspicious individuals were immediately apprehended for interrogation.
Though this approach seemed brutal, it was a necessary measure in the current climate of intense power struggles and the looming threat of the Zergs.
The students formed ten lines, slowly moving forward to be searched. Once a student was cleared, the next one stepped up.
Ouyang Ye, on his tiptoes, glanced around, his anxiety growing. Without a doubt, the rumors about Yan Junyu being found were deliberately spread by the military to secure Yan Junyu's position as young patriarch. Until his death was confirmed, the Yan family would not allow anyone the opportunity to incite chaos. They were also concerned about Yan Junyu falling into enemy hands, so they concealed some truths while escalating the situation to enable a comprehensive search of Neptune.
This search was particularly stringent. In addition to genetic data, the military would analyze the trace elements in the students' hair to determine the places they had visited recently. If there was any overlap with certain regions of the Federation or the star pirates, they would face prolonged interrogations and surveillance. Ultimately, they would forcefully open everyone's space buttons and meticulously inspect each item.
Damn! Yan Junyu's body is in my Interspatial Button! This is really it for me! Ouyang Ye maintained a composed facade, but his back was drenched in cold sweat. He turned to look at Qi Ze, his eyes filled with a plea for help, only to then appear stricken as if a thought occurred to him.
"He probably thinks he's doomed to take the fall for you," Yan Junyu finally spoke, breaking his silence. Unlike his previous eagerness to return home, now, if given the chance to be with his family, he hesitated. Although still skeptical about the "resurrection," there was no denying that each day spent with Qi Ze added to an internal expectation.
"Can you avoid this investigation?" When he asked, he was unsure which outcome he desired: to return to Imperial Star with Xu Qi and gradually fade away, or to remain by Qi Ze's side, awaiting a ludicrous miracle?
His question was soon answered. Just as Ouyang Ye was about to admit defeat under the immense pressure and step out of line to confess, Qi Ze suddenly pushed away the girl clinging to him and whispered, "Ye, will the terrorists destroy the school? Will we die?" As he spoke, he wrapped his arms around Young Master Ouyang, pressing his face against him.
Ouyang Ye shivered, replying dryly, "With General Xu Qi around, we'll be fine."
"Is General Xu Qi very capable?" Qi Ze looked up, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Yeah, very capable," Ouyang Ye managed to say through gritted teeth.
"I'm relieved then," Qi Ze's pale complexion improved slightly. He placed his hand on Ouyang Ye's back and patted it, not too lightly, not too hard, emphasizing, "We will all be fine."
Looking into the youth's deep, dark eyes, Ouyang Ye's panic unexpectedly subsided. He nodded, abandoning the idea of confessing, and stuck close to the youth, as if it provided him some peace. The girl pushed aside was grinding her teeth in frustration, attempting to reclaim her original spot, but was ruthlessly pushed back by Ouyang Ye, leaving her no choice but to retreat.
"Just wait. Young Master Ouyang will soon grow tired of you. After all, you're just a useless carbon-based being!" She sneered in a hushed voice.
Upon hearing this, Yan Junyu couldn't help but frown. If not for this unexpected turn of events, he might have, like the girl, misunderstood the relationship between the two. Who would have thought that the arrogant Young Master Ouyang was merely Qi Ze's sidekick?
"Looks like you're not worried at all. Xu Qi's arrangements were all for naught, weren't they?" He pondered.
The youth, as usual, remained silent. He appeared to be embracing Ouyang Ye but was actually dragging him forward. When it was Ouyang Ye's turn for the scan, he gave him a slight push. Ouyang Ye nearly stumbled, regaining his balance after a few steps, and then, despite his fear, walked past the space scanner.
Xu Qi seemed to have identified Young Master Ouyang as a prime suspect, approaching and staring intently at the display screen. His typically cold demeanor, even more inscrutable with his stony expression, sent shivers down Ouyang Ye's spine.
"Take everything out of your Interspatial Button. We need to conduct a manual inspection," he finally said after a full half-minute.
From this brief statement alone, Ouyang Ye deduced that he had passed the test. Otherwise, Xu Qi would have immediately apprehended him, rather than wasting time with such trivialities. He secretly exhaled in relief and then took out everything from his Interspatial Button, except for the iced coffin, placing the items on the counter. Several soldiers surrounded him for inspection, and a medic instructed, "Follow me to a separate room to collect blood and hair samples. We need more information to rule out your suspicion."
Due to excessive genetic modifications, the seemingly omnipotent silicon-based beings were, in fact, teetering on the brink of extinction. This could be discerned from the instability of their genes. Carbon-based beings' genes could remain intact for many years even when exposed to the environment. But for silicon-based beings, cells carrying DNA information would self-degrade in just half a second upon shedding. To obtain their genes, especially those of the highly evolved special types, one must draw blood from their bone marrow and analyze it promptly during the extraction process, or no useful data would be obtained.
This was why the Yan family was particularly concerned about Yan Junyu's whereabouts. As long as his body was properly preserved and contained ample blood in the bone marrow, the possibility of acquiring the Yan family's genetic sequence was considerable.
When Ouyang Ye went to have his blood drawn, Qi Ze took his place in front of the scanner. His Interspatial Button contained only some personal items, which Xu Qi didn't even bother to look at, turning away. Although Yan Junyu had anticipated the outcome, he was still unprepared for how easily the two had evaded the search.
The iced coffin was indeed in Ouyang Ye's Interspatial Button, yet the scanner showed no reaction.
"How did you do it? Did you tamper with Ouyang Ye's Interspatial Button?" He lowered his head, answering his own question, "No, it's the iced coffin. It must have a stealth function."
However, no stealth technology could evade detection by a magnetic scanner. The puzzle seemed to be solved, but it left a veil of mystery over Yan Junyu's heart. Assured that the youth was safe, he entered the room to check on Ouyang Ye. He had taken off his shirt and was curled up, lying sideways on the operating table. A mechanical arm controlled a long, sharp needle, slowly inserting it into his spinal cord.
Bright red blood instantly filled the transparent tube. It took a full minute for the analyzer to capture enough white blood cells carrying effective genetic information.
This process was undoubtedly very painful, but the Imperial citizens had long since become accustomed to it. To avoid developing gene collapse syndrome, after the age of five, they underwent such checks every six months. Gene collapse syndrome, declared by the Interstellar Medical Association, was the top incurable disease among the ten terminal illnesses. The higher the genetic level of a human, the greater the likelihood of contracting the disease.
"In line with the records." After carefully reviewing the data, the medic nodded. With the advancement of cosmetic surgery, genetic testing had become a necessary means of identification rather than relying on physical appearance.
Another medic, after examining Ouyang Ye's hair, confirmed, "He has not left Neptune within the past two years."
The silent observer, Xu Qi, said nothing, merely gesturing for Ouyang Ye to sit aside and rest. After this search, his suspicions about the other party had significantly diminished.
Ouyang Ye slowly got up to dress, appearing weak, but inwardly he felt both relaxed and proud. He had deceived Xu Qi, deceived the military, and managed to smuggle Yan Junyu's body under the noses of so many experts. If this could be disclosed, it would be enough to boast about for an entire year!
At the same time, his fear of Qi Ze deepened. The iced coffin lay in the Interspatial Button, but no one could see it except for himself. Qi Ze's methods were frighteningly bizarre.
Lost in thought, Qi Ze entered, his complexion turning pale upon seeing the medic's indication for him to lie on the operating table. "I, I'm a carbon-based being. My genes are stable. You can just swab my mouth with a cotton swab," he couldn't help but recoil upon glancing at the thick, long needle.
Xu Qi ignored him again, walking away without a word. The medic swabbed the youth's upper jaw with a cotton swab, obtaining results in just a few seconds, indeed confirming he was a carbon-based being.
"Alright, you can leave now." With all suspicions eliminated, the military personnel lost interest in them, focusing on their own tasks.
The two youths left together, their expressions relieved. But Yan Junyu remained alone, staring at the genetic sequence on the analyzer for a long time, finally sighing softly, "He really is a carbon-based being..."
Qi Ze completely upended his perception of carbon-based beings. The other party was not weak, on the contrary, he was strong in certain aspects.