HISO Chapter 111

Chapter 111 — Double Date?

Four days later, the Hummer finally reached Tianyue Base.

On the entire journey, the only time Ning Fei truly got involved physically was once. That incident occurred when the mutated creatures had already reached the highway vicinity, and the cleanup convoy had blocked the road—plus, two transport teams were stationed ahead of the Hummer, so there was no way to proceed. Ning Fei got out to make inquiries and learned that the mutants were fast and hard to defeat; they might not finish them off even by sundown. If nightfall made things too dangerous, they might have to retreat and wait until daylight. Given such slow clearing progress, Ning Fei decided to lend a hand.

Duan Yunhong didn’t stop him; in fact, upon hearing this, he even offered to help. Ning Fei leaned against the car door to keep him from following while casually taking his gun out for a quick check. In a lazy tone he remarked,

“Come on, just sit tight—I’ll be right back.”

Duan Yunhong coolly replied,

“Do you think I’m just a walking storage locker?”

“Not at all—I know your marksmanship is first-rate, but someone still needs to watch the car, right?” Ning Fei answered offhandedly as if he hadn’t taken Duan Yunhong’s remark to heart, even joking,

“Sir, you wouldn’t want others to know that you’re extraordinarily gifted at swallowing, would you?”

Duan Yunhong frowned,

“…What kind of weird talk is that?”

“Just recycling my tired puns—I’m the king of lame jokes.” Ning Fei grinned, slid his inspected gun back into its holster, patted the car window, and added,

“Alright, I’m off.”

With that, he turned around, leapt onto the roof of the front car with the wind at his back, executed a few simple jumps, and soon vanished from Duan Yunhong’s sight.

The result of his intervention was that the road was cleared before sunset. When Ning Fei returned, he was too brief to describe the operation in detail; he simply said,

“Chickens and dogs—give ‘em a couple of smacks and the chickens won’t fly and the dogs won’t jump; how hard can a stationary target be?”

Oddly enough, his concise description painted a vivid picture. Duan Yunhong could almost immediately imagine him riding the wind, chasing after chickens and dogs—and he couldn’t help but curl his lips in a smile.

Ning Fei snapped,

“What are you laughing at? That’s kind of gross.”

Duan Yunhong offered no reply, letting the topic fade away, and that single instance of roadside assistance passed.

Later, the journey back to Tianyue went off without a hitch.

At this point, while Ning Fei was driving—lining up, undergoing inspections, waiting for blood test results, and finally passing through the base gate—he managed to get his vehicle into the base and immediately called Yu Zhou:

“Hey, I’m back. Guess what surprise I brought you?”

Yu Zhou answered,

“Your mistress.”

Ning Fei was speechless.

Since he was on speakerphone, Duan Yunhong naturally caught the conversation. Hearing this, he glanced at his own phone and then at Ning Fei.

Yu Zhou continued on speaker with a cold laugh,

“Have you forgotten my position? For a cadre coming from an external base, their identity is automatically reported to me the moment it passes through the system. Without me personally clicking ‘approve,’ the two of you would have ended up spending the night at the gate! I knew this would happen ever since you said you wouldn’t stick with the convoy. And besides, Huichuan’s already been calling about needing personnel—what on earth are you two doing? What kind of elopement act are you performing?”

Ning Fei retorted,

“Elope? My ass—you insisted on coming. And besides, it wasn’t mainly because of me; I’m just an innocent caught in the crossfire of those gossip mongers making things up. If Huichuan asks you, aren’t you going to say, ‘If you don’t ask, I won’t tell; if you do ask, you’ll be surprised’?”

Yu Zhou grumbled,

“I’m too tired to act out their bureaucratic, pompous routines.”

“Tsk, that’s boring. You’re so composed that I was tempted to just show up at your building downstairs to see your surprised face in person.” Ning Fei clicked his tongue. “Since I’ve already filed my report, I’m hanging up now.”

“Wait a minute!” Yu Zhou interrupted. “You’re back—why don’t you report in front of me? Where are you in such a rush to go? You’re not so desperate that you’re heading straight home to the bedroom, are you?”

“Damn it, I’m on speakerphone—have a little restraint!” Ning Fei couldn’t help but curse. “And what do you mean ‘report in’? Since when do you have such rules?”

Yu Zhou retorted,

“On speakerphone when talking to me?!”

“I’m driving!”

After a brief silence of two seconds, Yu Zhou’s tone turned very calm,

“Alright then—I’ll call Director Duan and welcome you to Tianyue Base.”

Duan Yunhong spoke coolly,

“Nice to meet you, Minister Yu. But it doesn’t exactly sound like you’re very welcoming me.”

At that moment, Yu Zhou somewhat understood why Ning Fei had described him as “annoying to talk to.”

“Just kidding—one must exchange pleasantries, right?” Yu Zhou continued in a slightly sarcastic tone, “So, Director Duan, would you honor us by joining Ning Fei for dinner tonight? Commander Yue and I will host a welcome party.”

Duan Yunhong replied,

“Sure.”

Ning Fei interjected,

“Is my opinion being disregarded now?”

Yu Zhou shot back,

“What opinion do you have? Since you’re back, just swing by to pick up some things—don’t make me go through the trouble for you again. That’s settled: I’ll send you the address shortly. See you at 6:30.”

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Ning Fei was silent for a while before quickly changing the subject. He glanced at Duan Yunhong and asked,

“Director Duan, where are you planning to stay?”

Duan Yunhong countered,

“What do you think?”

“I guess it’s the guesthouse.”

Duan Yunhong fell silent, then teasingly remarked,

“You used to eat and sleep at my place in Huichuan—even on the road you’d crash at mine—and now you want to skip out on paying?”

“Isn’t that just because you’re worried Director Duan won’t be used to my little humble abode?” Ning Fei didn’t protest—clearly this decision was expected. “Let me be clear: no more nagging about my apartment. Stay if you like, or don’t—it’s up to you!”

—

Ning Fei’s apartment at Tianyue turned out to be unexpectedly decent—at least much better than his place in Huichuan. It featured two bedrooms and a living room, with a separate kitchen and bathroom, totaling around 70–80 square meters. Although the décor was simple, all the furniture and basic appliances were provided. Duan Yunhong took a tour and noticed that the appliances weren’t from bargain brands, some furniture was even solid wood, and the sofa and bed weren’t cramped at all. He then asked,

“Is this the standard accommodation provided by Tianyue for level-three super-ability users?”

“How would I know? It wasn’t my responsibility anyway. Besides, Yu Zhou must be living with Yue Fengping now, and the base commander’s accommodation should be even better, right?” Ning Fei replied as he grabbed some cleaning tools. “This place was originally arranged for Yu Zhou. But since he went to live with Yue Fengping, he only stayed here occasionally. Once I showed up, he just handed it over to me.”

“Yu Zhou’s?” Duan Yunhong looked around again. “Isn’t he at the ministerial level? The accommodation for a base minister at Tianyue should be more than this!”

“I have no idea—it’s not like I’m in charge of this. And besides, Yu Zhou is definitely living with Yue Fengping, so the base commander’s living conditions should be even better.” While speaking, Ning Fei shoved a broom into Duan Yunhong’s hand, saying,

“You haven’t been here for ages—the place is all dusty. Give it a quick clean.”

Duan Yunhong raised an eyebrow,

“Me?”

“Yeah—do you really want to roll around in dust? Or are you just going to wait for me to clean everything up on my own? Dream on.” Ning Fei instructed firmly, “Every room needs a sweep—I’ll start by wiping down all the tables and chairs.”

Duan Yunhong said,

“Isn’t your wind-based ability supposed to blow away dust?”

“Blow hard enough to clear all the dust without knocking things over isn’t that simple—you think it’s that easy? I’d rather spend a few minutes wiping it down by hand.” Ning Fei replied, “And let’s not fuss over the details—just do a quick job, then we’ll head out for dinner. When we get back tonight, we can make the bed—and oh, I’ll even buy you a spring bed.”

“Spring bed?” Duan Yunhong retorted, “Are you trying to brush me off?”

“I can afford a spring bed—I don’t want to sleep on the floor you set up.”

Duan Yunhong shot back,

“You’ve never slept on any other bed at my place.”

“My bed isn’t as big as yours; aren’t you always complaining that mine is too small? And that I’d kick you out?” Ning Fei wouldn’t bargain further. “If you ask me, I only have a spring bed. Either you buy another one yourself or figure out another solution—don’t give me any feedback; I’m not your dorm supervisor.”

As he said this, Ning Fei picked up a rag and walked toward the bathroom, saying,

“Alright, Director Duan, stop just flapping your gums and get to work.”

Whatever Duan Yunhong wanted to say was cut off by Ning Fei’s abrupt turn and the loud rush of water from the bathroom.

“Tsk.” Duan Yunhong looked at the broom in his hand, barely remembering the last time he cleaned the room himself. Yet if he just stood there and waited for Ning Fei to come out, he was sure Ning Fei would blow him right out the window with a gust of wind. So the ever-dignified Director Duan had no choice but to start sweeping the floor himself.

——Hmm… Not too bad, I suppose.

—

Just after 6:30, the Hummer arrived right on time at the entrance of the small restaurant arranged by Yu Zhou.

Following the owner’s guidance, Ning Fei and Duan Yunhong entered a private dining room, where Yu Zhou and Commander Yue Fengping were already seated. Upon seeing them, Yu Zhou, without any intention of “sitting still to issue a warning,” stood up and said,

“Director Duan? Welcome. This is Commander Yue Fengping of our Tianyue Base.”

In the private room there were four people in total—three of whom weren’t locals—and they were all playing along with this formal act, which was rather amusing. But it also showed that Yu Zhou really knew how to give face to his guests; even if it was only for Commander Yue, he put on a sincere performance.

Duan Yunhong shot Yu Zhou a glance and, in a bid to reciprocate the courtesy, went over to shake hands with Commander Yue:

“I’ve long admired your reputation, Commander Yue. I’m Director Duan Yunhong, head of the research institute at Huichuan Base.”

Commander Yue shook his hand warmly,

“Welcome, Director Duan. When Yu Zhou told me you were coming, I was taken aback—I didn’t expect you to come alone.”

“Ning Fei is here—he came with them, so how can you say it was just you?” Yu Zhou, still not fully grasping Duan Yunhong’s subtle act, interjected to steer the conversation, “Enough standing around—sit down. We’ve just ordered the dishes; take a look and see if you’d like to add anything.”

The four then took seats in a curved arrangement in the order of Commander Yue, Yu Zhou, Ning Fei, and Director Duan Yunhong. Ning Fei quickly scanned the menu, then passed it to Duan Yunhong, saying,

“I’m not adding anything else—take a look.”

Duan Yunhong took the menu and noticed that several of Ning Fei’s usual dishes had already been ordered.

(It must have been Yu Zhou’s doing.)

Casually, he glanced at Ning Fei—who was leaning in close with Yu Zhou, whispering as if they were very familiar—and then noticed that Commander Yue also seemed to be eavesdropping on their conversation. Sensing Duan Yunhong’s gaze, Commander Yue turned to meet it and asked,

“Director Duan, have you decided on the extra dishes you’d like to order?”

“Mm, done.” Duan Yunhong casually selected a couple of dishes and then handed the order back. Yu Zhou naturally took it, got up to call the owner at the door, and handed over the menu. On returning, he even went out of his way to pour tea for both Duan Yunhong and Ning Fei. Duan Yunhong at least said, “Thank you,” while Ning Fei accepted the service without hesitation and added,

“Don’t fill it to the brim.”

Yu Zhou then placed the kettle in front of him and said,

“Pour it yourself.”

Ning Fei snorted and indeed poured his own tea.

Duan Yunhong was a bit confused—was Yu Zhou just trying to give face to Commander Yue, or was it simply his habitual way of looking after Ning Fei (with him thrown in for good measure)? Ning Fei’s previous rapport with another “colleague,” Chong Lin, hadn’t been this good at all; the straightforward, unpretentious way Ning Fei and Yu Zhou interacted clearly showed that their relationship was anything but ordinary.

“Director Duan,” Commander Yue spoke up again, capturing everyone’s attention,

“May I ask—what is the real reason for your private trip to Tianyue?”

Duan Yunhong smiled and said,

“It’s not entirely for private purposes; there’s also official business.”

“Official business?” Commander Yue pressed,

“Is it to handle matters here at Tianyue? Does it have something to do with the research institute?”

“Sort of.” Duan Yunhong took a sip of tea and continued slowly,

“Huichuan Base has recently developed a new trauma spray that is, in theory, undergoing small-scale clinical trials within the Huichuan area. I wonder if Commander Yue has heard of it?”

Commander Yue responded,

“…Mm?”

Yu Zhou and Ning Fei exchanged a look: …Oh boy.

—