Cat and Rose - Cat & Rose - Chapter 62 - Fermi Paradox (1)

Chapter 62 – Fermi Paradox (1)

The next morning, Lin Si swiped open Ling Yi’s room door.

In the end, Adelaide said that Ling Yi did not have any psychological issues, and gave him a meaningful stare that roughly meant—you’re in trouble.

Since there was no issue, was he simply angry then? After all, it did happen a little too suddenly.

When he entered, Ling Yi was still asleep. His eyes were shut, and half of his face was buried in the snow-white pillow in a slightly curled-up posture, beautiful and quiet. His five senses had always been sharp, but they often failed when it came to Lin Si, such as now, as he was not woken up by Lin Si’s entry at all.

Looking at him, Lin Si felt peace in his heart. He sat down on the armchair beside the bed, opened up a book to read, and waited for Ling Yi to wake up before having a proper talk with him.

Ling Yi did not sleep for too long. When his biological clock made him open his eyes, the first thing he saw was Lin Si.

Lin Si looked up at him.

He turned the other way to face the window, refusing to look at Lin Si.

Lin Si laughed out loud.

The low, breathy sound that emitted from his chest scratched at Ling Yi’s brain, causing his entire body to tremble.

—He chose to cover his ears with the blanket.

Lin Si leaned close. “Still angry?”

Ling Yi did not speak.

He had a poor temper, and it seemed that he would not be coaxed happy anytime soon. Lin Si did not continue to press him, he simply turned around to clean up the mess Ling Yi created on the table yesterday, then took a tube of nutrient fluid and poured a pack of white powder into water, which combined into a milk-like drink—the quality of the Voyager’s meals also improved in the past eight years.

“Breakfast.” Lin Si’s voice was accompanied by the light clang of the cup and tray colliding with the table.

Ling Yi could not resist turning over again, revealing a pair of eyes from under the quilt.

He saw Lin Si standing in front of him, facing the morning light. A translucent gold seeped through on the tips of his hair, and there was a faint smile in those eyes that had always lacked emotion. This kind of smile, combined with the soft, early morning light, wore down the coldness and sharpness that he had exuded all this time up to now, prompting Ling Yi’s heart to suddenly skip a beat.

Lin Si walked over and flipped the blanket aside. “Suffocating yourself in the blanket is not good for your health.”

His fingertips brushed Ling Yi’s cheek because of this action. The slightly cool touch was exactly the same as in his memory.

If it was a day ago, Ling Yi would unhesitantly follow Lin Si’s movements to hug him and say good morning, but now, he could not do it no matter what.

Before, being close to Lin Si was something he was most accustomed to, but now, it was the thing he was most afraid to do.

He needed some time to sort out his relationship with Lin Si.

“Be good and answer me.” Lin Si scooped him out from inside the blanket. “Baby?”

Ling Yi put on his clothes and said glumly, “Good morning.”

He tidied himself up, sucked on the straw of the nutrient packet, and silently pushed the milk to Lin Si’s side, only taking the remaining half for himself after Lin Si drank half of it.

After finishing his drink, he said, “I have to go see Marshal today.”

Now that it was confirmed he did not carry the virus, he needed to go back to the Voyager, report the results of the expedition to the Marshal in person and accept the Marshal’s inquiries. Originally, this was the Colonel’s job, but at this moment the Colonel was still a block of ice in critical condition.

Lin Si made an affirmative noise and said, “Stay safe.”

“Yeah.”

Because he was going to see the Marshal, Ling Yi wore his formal military uniform today.

The black military uniform made his whole figure seem exceptionally handsome and tall. It was embellished with silver buttons and tassels, so that the whole body would not appear dull due to the large quantities of black colour. He secured his gun, then grabbed his service cap on top of the clothing rack.

The cap’s brim pressed against the soft beauty of his long black hair just right, and combined with his current expressionlessness, it unexpectedly made him seem like a whole different person than before.

A handsome and elegant young officer with a promising future, possessing all good qualities that were commendable, not frivolous at all, trustworthy—if this was Earth, there would certainly be many girls who would seriously consider how they could marry him.

Lin Si observed him with his arms folded together, and for the first time, truly and clearly realised that Ling Yi was indeed grown-up.

No matter how much he relied upon himself, how much he laughed and played unrestrictedly when the two were alone, he was already a complete adult.

He was about to completely and utterly detach from the identity of a child, like a new cell that seperated from an old cell in the process of division. After that, he would have his own future, ambitions, connections, even romance, and others would no longer address him as “Lin Si’s little angel” to “Lin Si’s big angel”, they would call him—“Ling Yi”.

At this realisation, Lin Si felt a faint sense of loss seep through his heart unprompted. In his selfish heart, he hoped that Ling Yi would not grow up and go outside into the wind, rain and snow, and instead, lived under his protection forever.

But a seedling would never cease to grow and branch out, just as how the river was destined to run towards the ocean.

Against the light, Ling Yi walked towards him.

“You’ve grown,” Lin Si said calmly, looking at him.

Ling Yi seemed to have made a noise of acknowledgement, but Lin Si did not hear clearly.

Because Ling Yi was leaning closer and closer, and placed a kiss on his forehead.

It was very restrained, like a dragonfly grazing the water. One touch, then they immediately separated.

“Although I’ve changed in many ways,” Ling Yi said softly, “I still hope that I’ll always be your Ling Yi.”

“It won’t be difficult,” said Lin Si. “As long as you’re willing.”

Growing up was like mitosis. Some parts were brand-new, while some parts would not change.

Ling Yi did not respond to his words; he simply turned and left.

Lin Si leaned on the wall of the corridor as he waited for Ling Yi’s footsteps to gradually disappear. His eyes were slightly closed, his expression thoughtful.

***

“If my son was still here, he’d probably be like you.”

Surprisingly, the first sentence the Marshal said to Ling Yi was not official business, but a sentence like this. Moreover, his tone had an added touch of kindness, unlike his usual dignified voice.

Eight years had passed since their last meeting. The Marshal had grown old.

It was not too obvious on the outside, but if he was the person from eight years ago, he absolutely would not make small-talk with others.

He took another deep look at Ling Yi, and only then did the formal communication begin.

Ling Yi knew the whole trip very well and the materials he brought were very comprehensive, so the conversation went very smoothly. After two hours, he finally reported everything.

“You’ve all worked hard in completing a highly difficult mission.” The Marshal nodded. “You’ve also done a very splendid job.”

“Thank you.” Ling Yi smiled. “My peers will be happy when they wake up.”

As a young man who had completed an arduous and glorious mission, he was proud but not ostentatious, excellent and not reckless, and even made one think of him as obedient and well-behaved.

The Marshal’s fingers scraped against the tabletop, under the glass was a photo of his wife and son. That year, when Voyager left the earth, he was still a beautiful little boy. If he grew up by his side, he would have been an excellent young man now.

“You’re grown up now,” said the Marshal calmly. “What plans do you have for the future?”

“Limitless’ experiments all belong to Area 3. I also really like this kind of life, so I want to officially join Area 3,” Ling Yi looked at the Marshal and lowered his eyes slightly, as if he was a little embarrassed, “but the Expeditioner employed a formation system and there was no clear division of labour, so I’m not sure which direction to go for.”

Although the words were true, Ling Yi was not as wavering as he appeared. On the Expeditioner, due to the Colonel’s arrangements, he had done various jobs, from participating in frontline exploration alone, to working with Svena in the deep space command centre. They were all very interesting jobs, none which he disliked—so it was the perfect opportunity for him to consult the Marshal.

As it turned out, the Marshal’s wish was granted despite his different approach.39 He was currently thinking about how he would instruct his son if he was here by his side, so when he heard Ling Yi’s call for help amidst confusion, he suddenly felt like he had much wisdom to pass on. 40

“Your father did technical work for the military…but you don’t seem to be developing in that direction.” The Marshal pondered for a while, then continued. “You’ve already gathered enough experience with missions in the past few years, but you still need to train more in the internal departments of the military.”

Ling Yi understood what the Marshal meant.

Internal training meant that the Marshal likely wanted to arrange himself in the civilian department which often interacted with various agencies. It was an obvious method of cultivating him.

“I’ll think over it properly,” he replied.

The Marshal nodded, then asked about the progress of the virus research in Area 6 before letting Ling Yi go.

Since Ling Yi had to cooperate with Area 6’s experiments, he could not stay long in Area 3. Even if there were any arrangements made, he would have to wait until the virus problem was solved.

Receiving the Marshal’s praise did not make Ling Yi very proud—after all, he already had a certain grasp on the results. However, the conversation between him and the Marshal just now made him recall some things.

When Voyager began its initial preparations, the Marshal was already one of its several leaders. But even so, his child did not obtain a ticket, which demonstrated that the issuance of the ship tickets was extremely harsh and strict, there was no room for even half a smidge of bias.

Since it was that strict, it was a little unbelievable that he was allowed to board the ship. Could the tickets be inherited?

In addition, according to the poetry collection, Ling Jing should have boarded the ship, but why was even Lin Si clueless as to whether she obtained the ticket or not?

No matter what, something seemed wrong.

He went back to Area 6 to meet with Su Ting. Su Ting missed him very much, so when she heard that he was coming over to the Voyager, she asked to meet up.

“You’ve grown up.” Su Ting looked at Ling Yi and smiled, tears in her eyes. “The past few years must’ve been hard on you. It’s good that…”

“I’m doing really well right now.” Ling Yi smiled at her.

They reminisced about the old days, and Ling Yi also talked about the things he saw and heard on the road. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

When he was about to leave, he asked Su Ting about Ling Jing.

“Considering my sister’s rank, she should’ve gotten the ship ticket. Was she on the ship?”

“Ling Jing didn’t receive a ticket.” Su Ting looked fixedly at him. “Why are you asking this?”

She didn’t receive a ticket?

Ling Yi frowned.

Su Ting looked at his frown, and unexpectedly, her expression relaxed. “Could it be that you know something?”

Ling Yi mulled over his words. “Did she not board the ship?”

“In truth, she did.” Su Ting opened a drawer and took out a memory chip. “Lin Si handed his authority over to me before he slept. I was able to find some things—they’re all here, you can hand it over to him for me.”

Ling Yi narrowed his eyes.

—So there truly were things that were odd about what happened that year, that Lin Si was also investigating.

He intercepted the chip, asking, “Is it okay for me to look?”

“Of course. After all, I’m investigating all this for Ye Selin. Even though I haven’t reached the bottom of it yet, one day, I’ll know who brought the virus to the Voyager.” Su Ting had a firm look in her eyes as she spoke these words, and then continued. “I can answer your questions. The situation was very chaotic at that time, and Ling Jing was in the military again. She lost contact completely with us, and there was no news of her until the ship took off. However, she had once boarded the ship.”

Ling Yi listened to her explanation.

“She was on the list of deceased people in Area 9. The cause of death was an uncontrolled virus infection and an unconfirmed freezing mechanism accident,” Su Ting sighed. “There certainly can be accidents in cryogenic freezing, even if the probability is very small… Every year, over a dozen people in Area 9 die in freezing accidents. When I was searching for other things, I found her report of death and body disposal instructions.”

Ling Jing was indeed on the spaceship, was infected with the virus, and passed away in the end.

The difference was that, according to Su Ting, Area 9’s report detailed that she died unexpectedly in cryogenic sleep. But in the poetry collection Ling Yi saw, she calmly bid farewell to the whole world.

“The detailed info and everything else are in this chip. If you find anything, if it’s convenient for you, you can also send it to me, but it’s best if you don’t do it through the internet,” Su Ting warned him. “Do not let any third party know of this, not even your brother-in-law.”

“Zheng Shu?”

“He’s not letting me investigate, so I suspect he knows something.” Su Ting shrugged. She seemed to have quite a few complaints. “After discovering that there was something off with Ling Jing’s situation, I contacted him, but he ended up completely restricting my network—said these things were too dangerous and I shouldn’t be dragged into it. That’s why all my movements later on were deliberately hidden from that person.”

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