"Feng Qi?" Jiang Zheyu looked at him in surprise.

"What’s so surprising?" Feng Qi’s calm gaze fell upon her tea-colored eyes.

"It’s nothing, I just didn’t expect to run into you here," Jiang Zheyu said after a pause.

Feng Qi heard her but didn’t reply. As if sensing something, he calmly turned his gaze forward.

Jiang Zheyu subconsciously followed his gaze.

The calm ground began to crack. Against the backdrop of bustling skyscrapers, a pair of enormous, thin white wings seemed to slice up from the earth. As they unfurled, the ground shook violently, rubble and chunks of stone breaking away where the wings emerged and crashing down.

A massive, black, worm-like creature with thin wings on its back slowly rose into the air.

"Move out." Feng Qi’s long fingers pressed the black earpiece at his temple. His ink-black eyes, devoid of warmth, fixed on the flying creature.

His other hand was still holding Jiang Zheyu’s hand.

The giant insect had only made it halfway into the air when it faltered for an instant. In that very moment, laser beams shot out from all directions, forming a massive net of light that enveloped the creature.

Beastmen in black military uniforms emerged from all sides, the powerful beams from their laser guns striking the creature.

The massive creature’s white wings were instantly riddled with holes by the lasers, and it began to shudder even more violently.

Jiang Zheyu could see that as the Zerg flapped its wings violently, the Beastmen suddenly seemed to struggle to keep their laser guns steady, their stances wavering slightly.

"This won’t do. Looks like you all need more training on resisting the Zerg’s spiritual power when you get back." Feng Qi’s fingers rested lightly on his earpiece, his voice nonchalant.

The Beastmen whose spiritual power had been wavering seemed to snap back to their senses the moment Feng Qi finished speaking, gripping their weapons more tightly.

Standing beside him, Jiang Zheyu could feel Feng Qi’s immense spiritual power blanketing the entire area.

It enveloped her as well, which was why she wasn’t affected by the Zerg’s spiritual interference.

Feng Qi was already blocking the brunt of the Zerg’s spiritual attacks for her.

Soon, a massive blast from a Light Cannon struck the Zerg and exploded.

One of the white wings on the violently struggling creature was instantly obliterated by the Light Cannon.

Numerous tentacles sprouted from the creature’s body, desperately trying to push away the beams of light, but it was powerless to resist.

"Scared?" Feng Qi tilted his head slightly toward Jiang Zheyu, a wisp of dark hair falling across his temple. His voice was soft and gentle. "No need to be. It’s just an A+ Level Zerg, that’s all."

A final, massive laser beam pierced deep into the black creature’s body and abruptly detonated, showering the area in blood and shrapnel.

"See? All gone," Feng Qi’s voice, tinged with a warm chuckle, reached Jiang Zheyu’s ear.

A short distance away, several Beastmen in black uniforms were processing the Zerg’s corpse, checking for any residual eggs. They all glanced at one another, their eyes wide with disbelief.

’Did Captain Qi forget to turn off his mic?’

’Was that gentle, coaxing voice really their Captain Qi?’

’Sure, Captain Qi usually spoke to them with a smile in his voice, but it was always laced with a sinister chill and the kind of mockery that could infuriate a man to death.’

The Beastmen’s faces all showed expressions of utter disbelief.

However, not a single one dared to speak up and remind him. Pretending they hadn’t heard a thing, they went back to cleaning up the scene.

Jiang Zheyu had seen all sorts of educational material about the Zerg Race on the Star Network, as well as footage of Mechas fighting them, so she was somewhat mentally prepared.

In fact, she found the Light Cannon blasts, which exploded like brilliant fireworks, to be rather beautiful, and they mostly obscured the gore.

"I’m alright." Jiang Zheyu blinked gently, giving Feng Qi a two-word answer.

In the distance, a tall figure was striding toward them.

As he drew closer, his face became clear in the dim light. It was Su Yan.

Feng Qi, of course, also saw Su Yan approaching and murmured, "He certainly got here fast." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Jiang Ze Yu started toward Su Yan, only to realize her hand was still in Feng Qi’s grasp.

She subconsciously looked back at Feng Qi and gave her arm a slight shake. "Captain Qi, could you please let go?"

Feng Qi’s gaze lowered slightly, an unreadable emotion in his ink-black eyes.

’Seeing the young woman start to walk toward another man without even a backward glance... yes, he supposed the feeling welling up inside him was indeed jealousy.’

Jiang Zheyu was still looking at him, her tea-colored eyes reflecting the stars in the sky, making them look exquisitely beautiful and dreamlike.

Feng Qi tightened his grip on Jiang Zheyu’s hand slightly, his gaze fixed on her.

A night breeze swept by, tousling the hair by her ear. A playful strand of black hair brushed against her pale, jade-like cheek.

As confusion slowly crept into Jiang Zheyu’s expression, Feng Qi’s gaze softened. He spoke gently, "Jiang Yuyu, when are you going to take me out for coffee?"

Jiang Zheyu paused, surprised that he had broken the silence with such a question.

"Tomorrow?" Jiang Zheyu didn’t like being indebted to people.

’It was best to repay favors as quickly as possible.’

"Alright," Feng Qi said, arching an eyebrow.

"Yu Yu." Su Yan had reached her side. He placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him as he anxiously checked her for any injuries.

"A Yuan, I’m fine, really," Jiang Zheyu said with a reassuring smile.

"Commander Su, how could you let a female wander out by herself? What if she’d run into a scoundrel instead of me?" Feng Qi silently muted his earpiece, which was buzzing with faint chatter, and shot Su Yan a lazy, casual look.

Su Yan merely shot him a glance, clearly having no desire to speak with him. Instead, he turned his gentle gaze back to Jiang Zheyu.

"Yu Yu, let’s go home," Su Yan said, stroking her hair.

"Captain, the scene is secure. Should we proceed to Zone D for patrol?" a Beastman in a black uniform asked, jogging up to Feng Qi’s side.

"Jiang Yuyu," Feng Qi said, turning to Jiang Zheyu first. When she looked over, he gave his Light Brain a little wave and a faint smile played on his lips. "Jiang Yuyu, I’m free anytime tomorrow. Remember to contact me on my Light Brain."

Jiang Zheyu nodded silently. "Okay."

"Captain, aren’t you scheduled to go to AJ455 Star tomorrow?" the Beastman soldier beside him asked in quiet confusion.

"I have a date tomorrow. That star thing can wait, obviously," Feng Qi said, striding away on his long legs.

The Beastman shot Jiang Zheyu a cautious glance, then hurried to follow his captain.

’The Captain has a female he’s interested in! And she’s gorgeous! No wonder he’d ditch a mission to go on a date with her!’