Chapter 243
Chapter 243: The Big Golden Dragon Climbs Into My Bed And Still Blames Me
Jiang Tea Tea stood up when she heard it and said: “Someone is bombing your Imperial Military Headquarters. Doing something that crazy is like digging their own grave. I’ll go with you and take a look!”
Gossip was not only human nature. It was the nature of all species. As a demon, once she was full and had nothing to do, she lived for gossip, so she had to go see which fool was so tired of living.
Chong Ming fastened the buttons of his shirt and, in an instant, turned into the strict, restrained, calm, and dignified Commander in Chief of the Empire: “Alright, come with me.”
Jiang Tea Tea answered with a simple “Okay,” lifted her feet, and followed him out of the office.
The building was still shaking, but not as hard as before.
The deafening explosions had stopped. Only a few crackling booms sounded every now and then.
Someone who knew the details ran over in a hurry, saluted fast, and reported: “Commander in Chief, just now the Imperial Military Headquarters shook and the whole building swayed. It was the He Tan Mountain Range that blew up.”
Chong Ming did not slow his steps at all, only asked: “Did the whole He Tan Mountain Range explode?”
The man quickly explained: “It was a mountain about fifty kilometers away from the Imperial Military Headquarters that exploded. The blast covered an area of about one hundred kilometers.”
“The cause of the explosion is that when our people were searching the whole mountain, they found an underground arms factory and an underground laboratory.”
“They were still probing the underground arms factory and the underground laboratory and hadn’t had time to report to you yet when the underground arms factory exploded.”
“There were a lot of weapons and ammunition inside. After it exploded, it caused a chain reaction that shook the whole mountain range and even affected the Imperial Military Headquarters fifty kilometers away in a small area.”
“The wave felt like a bombing and like an earthquake. Because of the underground arms factory’s explosion, the mountain collapsed, and the underground laboratory was completely buried. We could not find anything to prove who built it or what they were studying there.”
Chong Ming led Jiang Tea Tea into the elevator and asked the man who came in with them: “Any casualties?”
The man replied: “No deaths for now. Fifteen people were injured. They have already been sent for treatment, and we have sent out two new search teams.”
Chong Ming nodded: “I know. Go get more specific information.”
“Yes, sir!”
The elevator reached the top floor of the Imperial Military Headquarters.
Jiang Tea Tea stood with Chong Ming on the rooftop and looked toward the He Tan Mountain Range. Thick smoke rolled up, and flames shot into the sky.
The bird-kind in the mountains flew into the air, screeching wildly. Animal cries full of pain rose and fell without stopping.
Staring into the distance, Jiang Tea Tea sighed: “Chong Ming, it is only fifty kilometers away. Even if they were not bombing your Imperial Military Headquarters, it is still like slapping your face. And it is really loud too.”
A sharp, icy light flashed in Chong Ming’s eyes: “You are right. They are jumping on my head and swinging at my face.”
Jiang Tea Tea poked him lightly in the chest to remind him: “If it were the Insectoid race or people from other planets, that would be one thing. But looking at this, it seems like they are from our own country.”
There were only two dragons in the golden Dragon Clan, yet they controlled countless habitable planets and ruled over hundreds of billions of lives. Besides other nations, many prosperous races inside their own Empire also wanted their power. They wanted to get rid of them and take their place.
Chong Ming answered: “Maybe they are from our country, maybe they are from another country. No matter where they are from, we have to investigate.”
Jiang Tea Tea yawned: “It all got blown up. It will not be easy to investigate.”
Chong Ming’s voice was low: “Anything that exists leaves a trace. Even if it exploded, there will be traces. It is only a matter of time.”
Jiang Tea Tea shrugged: “Alright. Seems like I will not be getting my nap today. How about I go help you take another look at Chong Xing Qi?”
Chong Ming drew back his gaze and looked at her: “In Reboot’s memories, is Chong Xing Qi really just a researcher, only someone she calls her dad?”
Jiang Tea Tea nodded: “From probing Reboot’s memories, Chong Xing Qi is a researcher with natural talent. He is not like how he acts at the academy, and not like how he acted when he saw his own family get eaten by Jin Lin.”
“If I had not probed Reboot’s memories, I would never connect Chong Xing Qi with an illegal researcher.”
Chong Ming stared at her in silence for a moment, then said: “Alright. I will have someone take you over. If anything feels wrong, contact me right away.”
Jiang Tea Tea raised her brows and smiled: “Your Highness, do not worry that those two scratches Reboot gave my hand will infect me.”
“If I really get infected, contacting you will be useless. I will go find Jin Lin. So do not worry. I am very healthy!”
Chong Ming’s gaze suddenly deepened: “I forgot to ask. Where is Jin Lin? Do you need me to help him get a new identity?”
“A new identity is not needed. He ate four dragons, and they are hard to digest. He is in the mountains right now. As for when he will come out, I do not know either.” Jiang Tea Tea’s smile did not fade. She did not hide anything. After all, she had used his card to buy the mountain. If he wanted to check something, it would be very easy.
Chong Ming’s deep voice softened: “I understand. If you need anything, you can tell me directly.”
Jiang Tea Tea made a small sound of agreement. She stayed with him on the rooftop, watching until the thick smoke over the He Tan Mountain Range slowly faded and the fire slowly went out.
Then she followed the person he had called over, went downstairs, and entered the interrogation room area. She stood outside the room and watched Chong Xing Qi being questioned inside.
The man who had brought her down stood beside her and explained: “Chong Xing Qi still refuses to admit he has anything to do with the laboratory. He says he knows nothing about his grandparents and his mom and dad betraying the Empire and doing illegal research.”
“We showed him the Reboot video, but he still would not admit it. He says he does not know her, says we are framing him, and he has shouted many times to see the Commander in Chief!”
His stubborn nature was almost the same as that black Wolf Tribe father who had created the Fake Young Miss. He would not cry until he saw the coffin. If you did not stab right into his heart and probe his memories, he would never admit anything.
Jiang Tea Tea nodded: “Can I go in and take a look?”
“Of course. Please wait a moment.”
He went to inform the people inside and had them come out.
Jiang Tea Tea walked in and sat down in front of Chong Xing Qi.
When Chong Xing Qi saw her, jealousy suddenly filled his yellow eyes: “Jiang Tea Tea, when I was ranked top student in First Year, you were still a useless pure human with no awakened supernatural abilities.”
“I am about to move up to Second Year, and you turned into a level 3 S-rank variant plant-type healing ability user. You became Commander in Chief Chong Ming’s key trainee.”
“In order to train you properly, he even trains the other seven people who are with you along with you. That special honor and favor really makes people jealous. It makes people want to kill you, replace you, and become you.”
Jiang Tea Tea leaned back in her chair and lazily crossed one leg over the other: “I thought you would hate me. I did not expect you to be jealous of me.”
Chong Xing Qi asked back: “Why would I hate you?”
Jiang Tea Tea reminded him: “Your grandpa, grandma, dad, mom…”
Chong Xing Qi laughed: “They tortured Jin Lin for three hundred years. He came to collect the debt, ate them and swallowed them. They deserved it. Why would I hate you?”
“I do not hate you. I am jealous of you, Jiang Tea Tea. You are just a pure human, yet you are so valued and liked by Commander in Chief Chong Ming.”
“He made a separate study plan just for you. During this summer vacation, he gave you missions so you can build up your record. Even for the Imperial Military Headquarters, you can come whenever you want and walk in whenever you want.”
“Even for my interrogation, when you arrive, everyone else leaves. How can someone like you not make others jealous and red-eyed?”
So the things she could get without even trying and did not care much about were things other people yearned for and could never reach.
Jiang Tea Tea spread her hands: “So it is my fault you are jealous. Now you have two choices. One, you confess on your own. Two, I probe your memories.”
Chong Xing Qi smiled and asked her: “What am I supposed to confess? I am only a student. Everything my grandpa, grandma, and parents did, I only learned about when Jin Lin came to our house.”
“If you do not believe me, you can probe my memories.”
Jiang Tea Tea dropped her crossed leg to the floor and sat up straight, watching him and taking in every detail of his expression. He looked completely sure of himself, as if he were waiting for her to probe his memories.
[This is not normal. Not normal at all.]
Jiang Tea Tea stood up and walked toward him.
Chong Xing Qi’s hands and feet were shackled. He had no way to fight back.
Jiang Tea Tea reached her hand toward the center of his forehead.
He only lifted his head a little, obedient to the point of being unreal.
Jiang Tea Tea pressed her hand against his forehead, moved her spiritual power, and probed his memories.
A few minutes later, she pulled back her hand and looked at Chong Xing Qi without saying a word.
Chong Xing Qi sat there and let her stare at him, as if he had turned himself into a still object for her to look at as she pleased.
After staring at him for a moment, Jiang Tea Tea turned and walked away.
Chong Xing Qi’s voice came from behind her: “Jiang Tea Tea, please tell Commander in Chief Chong Ming that he is my idol, my model, my dream. I want to become someone like him, someone who is useful to the Empire.”
Without turning back, Jiang Tea Tea just made a gesture for “good” at him, then quickly left. She closed the door and told the interrogation officer at the door: “Pause the interrogation. I am going to see the Commander in Chief.”
The interrogation officer did not dare say much: “Alright. We will wait for the Commander in Chief’s orders.”
Jiang Tea Tea quickly returned from the interrogation room to Chong Ming’s office.
Seeing that Chong Ming was talking to someone on the holo projection screen, she stayed silent.
Only when he ended the call and looked at her did she finally speak: “Chong Ming, we were wrong. We were all wrong.”
Chong Ming sat across the wide desk from her and asked: “What do you mean?”
Jiang Tea Tea placed her hands on the desk and leaned forward a little: “I probed Chong Xing Qi’s memories and found that his memories do not have Reboot in them. There is no laboratory, no lab tools, no potions.”
“But I found him in Reboot’s memories. So I suspect Chong Xing Qi has a twin brother. One lives in the light and one in the dark, and they do not know of each other’s existence.”
“Or the dad Reboot talks about is a clone, a clone made to look like Chong Xing Qi.”
Chong Ming’s voice sank: “Clone technology is illegal in the Empire.”
Jiang Tea Tea reminded him: “Illegal experiments are also against the law, but people still do them.”
“I understand,” Chong Ming said. “I will have people look into it.”
Jiang Tea Tea yawned again: “Okay. I am going to sleep for a while in your office.”
Chong Ming stood up: “Go sleep in my rest room.”
Jiang Tea Tea answered with a soft “Oh” and followed behind him into his rest room.
His rest room was much smaller than his bedroom in the Imperial Palace, but it was neat, clean, and bright. The bed was not a half-round bed, but a normal two-meter bed.
Jiang Tea Tea opened a window, pulled the curtains halfway, kicked off her shoes, took off her coat, flipped open the quilt, and lay down inside.
Chong Ming did not leave right away. Instead, he released a lot of supernatural ability and spiritual power to soothe her, filling the room and wrapping around Jiang Tea Tea.
Her breathing became even. She looked asleep, but she was actually waiting. Only after Chong Ming left did she form a few hand seals. Then she really fell asleep.
She did not know that while she slept, Chong Ming gave order after order. He quickly formed team after team: information teams, healing teams, search teams, and investigation teams.
Not only Zhen Lin, the Empire’s capital planet, but also Nanbei Star and Blazing Star all entered a state of full-scale search. As long as a planet held life, it had to undergo a thorough check.
Across star systems, Zhong Li He gathered a professional medical team and research team from the Western Kingdom. Using space jump technology, they spent a full day and night rushing from the Western Kingdom to Zhen Lin, the Empire’s capital planet.
They brought the oldest samples of the living dead zombie virus, purified samples, the newest samples, and many healing plans.
After they arrived, they split into four teams and entered the Rescue Ship, the Quarantine Ship, the wild beast infection zone, and worked together with the Zhen Lin Empire’s medical staff and researchers to study healing methods for the living dead zombie virus.
Jiang Tea Tea was utterly exhausted, and she trusted her own spiritual power’s protection, so she slept very deeply and sweetly. She slept from day to night and from night to day.
In one sleep, she slept for two days and three nights. When she woke up again, she saw the moon and stars through the window. She drew back her gaze and was about to sit up when she saw, beside her on top of the quilt, a golden dragon lying there, thicker than her thigh.
The golden dragon’s head rested on his two front claws. His long whiskers and the golden mane on his neck and back were smooth and soft. His golden scales shone in the moonlight, as if silently hooking at her and calling her over.
As Jiang Tea Tea stared and stared, she reached out and tugged on his whiskers. His whiskers were thicker and longer than his mane and felt amazing in her hand.
As she tugged, her hand slid to his dragon nose, then to his dragon face, his dragon neck, his dragon claws, and the mane on his back…
She was like a clueless country bumpkin who had found a great treasure. Every place she touched on the golden dragon felt good, and then another place felt even better.
Just when she wanted to pull out a bit of his mane and pry off one of his scales, the big golden dragon opened his eyes and met her gaze.
Jiang Tea Tea’s heart gave a hard thump. Like a thief, she yanked her hand back, lay down, and forced a dry smile: “You are awake. I did not want to pull out your hair or pick off your scales. I just woke up and saw you lying next to me without a quilt, so I was touching you to see if you were cold.”
The big golden dragon blinked. His upper body turned into a naked man, while from the waist down he was still dragon body and dragon tail: “Oh? You pulled my whiskers four times. You stroked the mane on my back ten times. You pressed against my nose, trying to keep me from breathing, three times.”
“You played with my claws, making them stretch and retract seven times. You were itching to pick at my scales and tried to pry one off five times. I did not wrong you, did I, Jiang Tea Tea?”
Jiang Tea Tea rolled over and sat up so she was face to face with him on the bed: “You were awake long ago. You were pretending to sleep on purpose?”
Chong Ming flipped the quilt back, revealing her legs and feet, and motioned for her to look: “I was not pretending to sleep. Your legs and feet were pressing on my tail the whole time. When you were hot, you hugged my body. When you were cold, you kicked me away. I never slept. I was waiting for you to wake up so I could tell you, if you want to hold me, then hold me. Do not kick me away just because you feel cold!”