Chapter 187
Chapter 187: Who Is Flirting With Whom? When It Comes To The Insectoid Race, Just Hit Them
Chong Ming’s sharp gaze softened in an instant: “I understand.”
He understood?
What did he understand?
[She only wanted his blood, craved his flesh, and spent day and night imagining how delicious and fat he would taste buried under her tree roots.]
Jiang Tea Tea made a vague sound and said lazily: “As long as you know. Do your job properly, handle your government affairs, and stop calling me for no reason.”
Chong Ming’s voice was low: “Mm. About the Phoenix clan of the Western Kingdom in the Heavenly Phoenix Star System, do you have anything else you want to ask?”
Jiang Tea Tea’s black eyes turned. She straightened her back and asked: “Chong Ming, which race in the M31 Star System has the longest lifespan?”
Chong Ming’s golden eyes grew deep: “Lifespan is related to supernatural abilities. The higher the level of your abilities, as long as they are managed well without rioting and your Spiritual Sea stays smooth, the longer you live.”
“If you have to pick a race with the highest average lifespan, it’s the Turtle Clan of the Xiling Dominion Republic. If they live in human form, their average age is over five hundred years. If they live in beast form, their average age is over a thousand.”
The Turtle Clan!
The Dragon Clan!
The Phoenix clan!
The Tiger Clan!
Only the Vermilion Bird was missing.
There was already a peacock. That attendant official beside Zhong Li He, about the same height as him, should be a pretty male peacock.
So looking at it this way, the M31 Star System held all the divine beast and demon beast races from the world of the space she came from.
Only here, they did not say demon beasts or divine beasts. They only talked about beastmen.
So that raised a question. The Beast God they worshipped and believed in, what kind of existence was that? Was it this world’s Creator God, or a god that came from another world?
Jiang Tea Tea stared at Chong Ming with bright, shining eyes: “Is there a Vermilion Bird clan?”
Chong Ming nodded: “Not only is there a Vermilion Bird clan, there is also a White Tiger Clan.”
Oh ho, all four great divine beasts were present.
[If she could slaughter and eat one divine beast, or all four together, her spiritual power should be able to return to its peak, maybe even higher.]
So how could she take a shortcut, kill four divine beasts at once, bury them under her tree roots, and turn them into her nutrients and fertilizer?
Jiang Tea Tea swallowed again and again. She really wanted to eat them, really wanted to kill them: “Do you have any files on them? Let me take a look?”
Chong Ming’s eyes narrowed slightly: “Whose file do you want?”
For the sake of food, for the sake of fertilizer, Jiang Tea Tea, the tea tree spirit with only a little more than thirty percent of her spiritual power left, became flexible and flattering: “I originally wanted your detailed file, to understand you better, but we are already so close, and your big nephew is my roommate. I can just ask him later.”
“And then… then I’m just curious about other races. As the top leader of the Zhenlin Empire, your data must be very complete. How about giving me a copy?”
Chong Ming leaned back in his office chair. His left leg crossed over his right, his hands folded, and he stared at her through the screen, eyes sharp, saying nothing.
Jiang Tea Tea met his gaze and felt that he was teasing her, tempting her, luring her, like he was saying: [Come here, I’ll give you my neck to bite, my flesh to gnaw, my blood to drink.]
Right now several star systems lay between them. Even with a space jump ship, it would still take several hours. Without a jump, it would take days.
She could not eat him or drink him, so she sighed. Her brain spun quickly, and she started talking nonsense with a straight face: “The reason I’m asking you for data is because, during the space expo, we only work six hours a day. The rest of the time can’t just be wasted. I want to study how the major races classify their supernatural abilities and the different levels of spiritual power.”
“You know, the assessment for Commander in Chief of the Three Armies is just something I do on the side. My main job is that I still like being a healer more.”
“The first rule for being a healer is to master the basic information of all the major races, right, Your Highness?”
Watching her twist logic to defend herself, Chong Ming’s lips curved slightly: “Jiang Tea Tea, your lying skills need work.”
“Ah?” Jiang Tea Tea cried: “Who’s lying? I, I didn’t lie. I’m just curious about powerful beastman clans like you and Zhong Li He.”
“If you give me files, I’ll read them. If you don’t, I’ll just go browse StarNet myself.”
If he tried to expose her, she would explode.
She could not even lie well. Luckily, she had awakened enough supernatural abilities and was strong enough.
Chong Ming sighed softly and nodded: “I understand. It’s very late. Go to bed to sleep, don’t sit on the floor.”
Jiang Tea Tea bared her teeth in a grin at him: “I like sitting on the floor.”
Chong Ming said meaningfully: “I thought you liked sleeping in my bed.”
Jiang Tea Tea shot back at once: “I like sleeping in your bed because you’re there, and you soothe my supernatural abilities and spiritual power.”
Chong Ming nodded: “I know. Later I’ll have someone put together a set of information on the major races of the M31 Star System for you. Good night. Sleep early. Goodbye.”
Goal achieved, Jiang Tea Tea waved at him: “Bye, good night.”
The light-brain wrist terminal connection cut off. Jiang Tea Tea did not go search online either. Instead she pulled a blanket out of her space knob storage device, draped it over herself, and covered her legs and feet.
Under the blanket, her legs and feet turned into tree roots, stabbed into the ground, quickly drilled downward, spread out without limit, and sucked up the nutrients and fertilizer in Mother Earth to feed her.
She formed a hand seal to cultivate, drew in nutrients from the air and the thin spiritual energy, and cultivated to raise her spiritual power.
Chong Ming sat in his office chair, looking at the holo projection screen in front of him. On the screen, Jiang Tea Tea lay on the floor wrapped in a blanket, without even a pillow, eyes closed, as if in deep sleep.
Because the blanket blocked the view, he could not see her belly, could not see her legs and feet, could not see her body. He could only see her face.
Chong Ming stared at the screen, looking at her for a long time, then turned off the screen and reached out to send a message to Zhong Li He: “Stop thinking every day about poaching people from me. You can’t steal the member number 59311 from my Personal Guard unit, so stop thinking about her and losing sleep.”
Zhong Li He replied in seconds: “Where there is a will, there is a way. As long as I swing my hammer well, there is no corner wall I can’t dig out.”
“You didn’t see it. That little soldier number 59311 from your Personal Guard unit had my eyes going straight.”
“This shows something. It shows she has a crush on me.”
“For someone who has a crush on me, as long as I swing my hammer casually, I can trick her back to my Western Kingdom.”
“Of course, if you’re scared, just tell me. If you say it nicely enough, maybe I’ll decide not to abduct her.”
Chong Ming replied: “Lieutenant General Kong Que called Secretary Wen an hour ago. Guess what he said?”
Zhong Li He: “???”
Kong Que called Secretary Wen?
To look for Chong Ming?
He already had Chong Ming’s contact information. He could just contact him directly. Why did he still go through Secretary Wen?
Chong Ming replied: “Lieutenant General Kong Que said that his family’s Executive Commander lord’s supernatural abilities are rioting and his Spiritual Sea is unstable, very serious. He hopes Secretary Wen can pass a request to Commander in Chief Chong Ming that, if possible, the Zhenlin Empire’s only 3S-level variant plant-type ability healer, Jiang Tea Tea, can soothe his commander’s restless supernatural abilities and comb through his Spiritual Sea.”
When he saw this reply, anger rose in Zhong Li He’s sapphire eyes. He turned his head and shouted: “Kong Que, get over here and die!”
Kong Que, who was in the same suite but a different bedroom, heard the shout, closed the work he was handling, walked out, and came over to him: “What’s wrong, Commander?”
Zhong Li He cast his light-brain wrist terminal to the holo projection screen. The messages with Chong Ming appeared: “What do you mean by this? You have some nerve, going over my head to find Chong Ming?”
Kong Que swept his gaze across their messages. It was his own Executive Commander who had started trouble, picking a fight and trying to poach someone, while Commander in Chief Chong Ming had only given a proper counterattack.
Zhong Li He sat there with his chin raised, looking at him: “What else do you have to say?”
Kong Que lowered his eyes, then looked into those sapphire ones. He squatted down in front of him so he was looking up and Zhong Li He was looking down. “Commander, we came to the Zhenlin Empire’s Space Weapons Expo for three reasons. First, to sell space weapons. Second, to discuss deep cooperation with Commander in Chief Chong Ming. Third, to get the Zhenlin Empire’s 3S-level variant plant-type ability healer to calm your restless supernatural abilities and sort out your spiritual power, so you no longer suffer the pain of your abilities and spiritual power rioting.”
“You, on the other hand, keep shouting about Commander in Chief Chong Ming all day. Yes, you two have a life-and-death bond from living together, but you still can’t, every time you see the deputy general beside him, want to poach his deputy general, and every time you see a little female soldier in his Personal Guard squad, want to poach the little female soldier.”
“This habit of yours of wanting to dig at Commander in Chief Chong Ming’s corner wall all day long, if you succeed, people will hate you, and if you fail, they’ll dislike you. Can’t you calm down a bit?”
“Kon… Que…” Zhong Li He pressed a hand against his forehead: “Whose lieutenant general are you? Have you forgotten? Right now you are my accompanying deputy officer. You have to listen to me, listen to me.”
Kong Que grabbed his hand: “Commander, my lord, please be serious.”
Zhong Li He looked at the hand that had been grabbed: “Are you trying to rebel?”
Kong Que said respectfully: “I wouldn’t dare.”
“Good that you don’t dare. Next time you’re not allowed to go find Chong Ming behind my back.”
“Yes, Commander, my lord.”
Zhong Li He tugged Kong Que down to sit beside him: “Tell me, that little female soldier number 59311 in the Zhenlin Empire’s Personal Guard unit has a crush on me. If I radiate my charm at her, can I abduct her away?”
Kong Que gave a helpless smile and stood up.
Zhong Li He quickly asked: “Where are you going now?”
“This subordinate is going to ask Commander in Chief Chong Ming for you, to see if you can abduct little 59311 or not.”
Zhong Li He: “…”
Rebellion, rebellion, he was going to rebel.
Early next morning, before the sky was light, the people staying at the encampment lodging got up to do simple exercises and warm-up training.
Jiang Tea Tea and the other seven were among them. They jogged, moved their bodies, and practiced their supernatural abilities.
The Space Weapons Expo opened at eight o’clock. Today was the first day. To make sure it opened smoothly without any mistakes, all five hundred thousand members of the security staff had to arrive at their assigned patrol locations by 7:30.
The maintenance inspection personnel were divided into groups of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10.
Every inspection officer wore the same gear: face full of paint, surveillance scanner shades, blast-proof helmet, a shared-display earpiece on the ear, combat suit, combat boots, plus a tranquilizer gun, a live-ammo gun, an electric baton, and protective gloves.
Whether male or female, in this outfit they all looked super cool and fierce.
Jiang Tea Tea and her seven teammates were one group. Together with another squad of four, a squad of six, and a squad of ten, they patrolled the area two to ten kilometers out from the junction where the Western Kingdom, the Zhenlin Empire, and the Insectoid Race exhibition zones met.
Leaders of each participating nation, persons in charge from military-industrial groups, some engineers, and service guides, badges hanging on their chests, arrived one after another at their own exhibition zones.
At eight o’clock sharp, the main gate of the exhibition area opened. Exhibition shuttles carrying ordinary visitors entered the zone one after another.
The persons in charge from nations coming to buy weapons also sat in the exhibition shuttles and were brought into the exhibition zone in batches.
As time passed, more and more exhibition shuttles flowed into the exhibition zone, and more and more people came to visit.
When Jiang Tea Tea’s unit worked as patrol corps personnel in a four-person team, they took turns, two walking and two driving.
The temperature was a bit over twenty degrees, neither cold nor hot. With their temperature-adjusting combat suits, even wearing more layers did not feel warm.
However, many times, ordinary visitors from various nations in the M31 Star System would quietly take photos with the inspection personnel.
Jiang Tea Tea, Cheng Lin Yue, Zhang Ting Zhou, and Huang Da Zhuang formed one squad of four. Because the women in the team wore high ponytails, had great figures in their combat suits, and carried guns and electric swing batons, they were especially popular with young women.
People thought they looked amazing patrolling, handsome and cool, and would follow two or three steps behind them, taking selfies or having others snap pictures.
After taking pictures, they would log in to the M31 Star System’s StarNet, post them, and add captions like: “Met a pure human girl with black hair, black eyes, a face full of paint, a perfect figure, and a powerful aura. Her gaze is super cold and sharp. She is a pure human little sister patrolling the Zhenlin Empire’s Space Weapons Expo.”
“She is so cool, so handsome, I like her so much, but I don’t dare go up or talk to her. Her aura is so strong I’m afraid she will twist my neck the next second!”
On one nine-grid photo post, the center picture was a five-second dynamic shot of Jiang Tea Tea. In it, she walked along holding a retractable baton, tapping it against her palm. When she sensed someone taking pictures, her eyes snapped over, sharp and cold.
StarNet friends who had not come in person to the Zhenlin Empire’s Space Weapons Expo saw that dynamic picture and let out howling comments one after another: “Ahhh, the blogger who took the video was right. This pure human little sister is really so handsome, so cool, and her eyes are so charming.”
“Oh my god, that oppressive aura pours out all at once. It feels like the baton in her hand could smash someone’s neck in the next second.”
“From this pure human girl’s gear, she must be a member of Commander in Chief Chong Ming’s Personal Guard unit. By my Beast God above, she is a tough character, an absolute tough character.”
“Yes, yes. Anyone who can enter Commander in Chief Chong Ming’s Personal Guard unit is top-notch, whether in supernatural ability level or physical ability.”
“Even setting aside hot weapons, they fight like beasts. One versus ten, one versus fifty is nothing to them.”
“For a pure human female to be in his Personal Guard unit, you can just imagine how fierce her strength is.”
“Yes, yes. My older brother applied to join Commander in Chief Chong Ming’s Personal Guard selection several decades ago and was eliminated in the preliminary round. He’s a 3S-level male beastman. Think about that.”
“Commander in Chief Chong Ming’s Personal Guard unit is the ceiling above all the armies in the Zhenlin Empire. I heard every three to five, or ten years, they change out a batch.”
“After one term, wherever they transfer to, they start as majors, lieutenant colonels, or senior colonels. They are crazy strong.”
“Awesome. With this in mind, I have to make my son study hard and strive hard, with entering Commander in Chief Chong Ming’s Personal Guard squad as his goal.”
Jiang Tea Tea did not know that her face-painted look had gone viral online. She and Huang Da Zhuang were walking in front of their patrol vehicle when they saw three scorpion insectoid clansmen dragging long tail stingers behind them, blocking two beastman women.
Jiang Tea Tea glanced at Huang Da Zhuang. With their combat boots pounding the ground, they strode forward together. She flicked out her retractable stun baton and blocked between the three scorpion insectoid clansmen and the two beastman women, asking: “What happened? Do you need help?”
The two beastman women saw her like a savior and hurried to say: “These three bugs want us to go with them. We refused, so they blocked us and wouldn’t let us go. They even threatened us, saying they have already remembered our faces. If we don’t go with them, they will abduct us back to the Insectoid Race.”
After listening to the two beastman women, Jiang Tea Tea turned her gaze on the three scorpion insectoid clansmen: “Did you threaten them like this?”
The three scorpion insectoid clansmen grinned and denied it: “We didn’t threaten them. We just wanted to make friends and exchange contact information. Who knew they would get scared like little mice.”
“We of the Insectoid Race have good relations with every nation in the M31 Star System. They are hostile to us and deliberately talk like this. Officer, don’t listen to their nonsense. Women sometimes use their gender and don’t have a single true word in their mouths.”
The two beastman women were furious: “You damned bugs, you threatened us and still won’t admit it. You even talk nonsense without shame.”
The three scorpion insectoid clansmen snorted at being cursed: “Who’s shameless? I think you are the shameless ones. You deliberately wear your skirts so short, showing your legs and not tucking your tails away. You obviously wanted to lure us over and ask for our contact information.”
“Yeah, stop pretending. You beastman females are never honest, unlike our Insectoid Race females…”
“Clang!”
Jiang Tea Tea’s retractable stun baton smashed into one scorpion insectoid’s mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence, knocking out three of his teeth and filling his mouth with blood.
The two beastman women, arms linked, jumped in fright. Huang Da Zhuang shielded them and hurriedly led them back, away from the three scorpion insectoid clansmen.
The scorpion insectoid whose teeth had been knocked out held his bleeding mouth and glared wide-eyed: “Little soldier from the Zhenlin Empire, you have a death wish. You dare hit me? Do you know who I am?”
The other two scorpion insectoids echoed angrily: “Yeah, little soldier, who gave you the courage to hit us insectoid clansmen?”
“Apologize. Kneel and apologize to us, or don’t blame us for being rude.”
Jiang Tea Tea flicked her electric swing baton out to about one point two meters, gripped it, and looked at the three bugs: “You don’t need to tell me who you are. If you have backing, call them over. I’ll beat them together with you.”
When the three scorpion insectoids heard this, they immediately surrounded Jiang Tea Tea and swung the long tail stingers behind them toward her: “A tiny female who is not only arrogant, but also wants to beat our backers. She really doesn’t know her own limits. Watch us give you a good lesson today!”