Chapter 19: 19

Cartridge Case (2)

Jiang Jianming pondered for a second and opened the cockpit.

Not because he was so obedient, and certainly not because he was fascinated by the face of this “dead husband” —

It’s mainly because based on his understanding of Ryann, if he doesn’t open it now, he would definitely use his crystal bone to smash the cockpit open the next moment, and not even realize the problem of doing so.

For now, if Garcia was identified as Ryann himself— he wouldn’t really like to take such a risk. Therefore, Jiang Jianming stuck his head out of the cockpit and asked sincerely, “What can I do for you?”

“Gun.” Garcia gave him a look, reached out to him, and hooked his index finger lightly, “That handgun, take it out.”

Jiang Jianming’s eyes darkened, knowing that the Venus Wing was recognized.

But he didn’t move.

Garcia sensed his resistance and raised his eyebrows.

Then the next moment, from the corner of Jiang Jianming’s eyes, he saw a flash of red gold, and then the gun holster around his waist was immediately emptied. The condensed crystal bone whip should be even more dexterous, as it directly hooked the trigger and pulled out the handgun!

The silver-gray Wings of Venus spun in midair and fell into Garcia’s palm obediently.

Jiang Jianming: “…..” 

He knew it! This person has such a temper!

Garcia fiddled with the Wings of Venus twice in his hand, then glanced at the mecha Snow Dove.

“The mecha and pistol have been modified, did you do it yourself?”

Jiang Jianming sighed softly, and not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he said, “Your Highness, actually, I am in a time trial…..”

The meaning was very clear—Can you stop rushing to fight with me in this race against time, and then start pulling me to talk afterwards.

Unexpectedly, Garcia only snorted softly. He held the Wings of Venus in his left hand, and took out something with his right hand.

It was a piece of brass bullet that was empty.

The bullet casing was sandwiched between the two slender fingers of the prince and shook it in front of Jiang Jianming.

Jiang Jianming sighed. His eyes became helpless, and he said softly, “Why are you keeping it?”

He certainly remembered that he fired a shot at Garcia’s crystal bone in Beta Alien, but he never imagined that the dignified prince would still be in the mood to pick up the empty cartridge case and put it in his pocket for several days.

This must be because he held a lot of grudges….but the problem is that he didn’t use the new crystal bullets at that time and it was obviously painless. Isn’t this unnecessary??

“Assaulting the Crown Prince is a capital offense.” The prince restrained his expression and raised his eyebrows impassively.

“However, you have made meritorious deeds in the Second Fortress, and your merits offset your faults.”

Garcia paused for a while, then raised those icy jade-like eyes, “I can ignore this bullet, and return the gun to you. But you have to tell me……who are you, and who gave you this handgun.”

“The Wings of Venus is a new crystal weapon exclusively for the royal family. What is your relationship with the royal family?”

Jiang Jianming pursed his lips.

Seems like it’s already exposed.

He actually knew that he couldn’t hide it for too long, not to mention the particularity of his mecha. The relationship between Ryann and him back then was not too hidden either, even Tang Zhen knew about it.

No matter what the origin of Garcia was, since he was the Second Prince of the Empire in the open, there was no such reason not to know that his “elder brother” had a lover.

Sure enough, after Garcia just finished asking a question, his expression fluctuated slightly. He seemed to have thought of something, and unexpectedly looked at Jiang Jianming again.

“Are you…”

Forget it, there’s no other way out. At least he had been registered in Silver Big Dipper with a military status, his goal had been achieved. 

Jiang Jianming pondered: Since this is the case, it seems that it is not that bad for this man to be the first one to expose his true identity.

So the black-haired young man laughed magnanimously, and admitted warmly. “Well, it’s just as you guessed.”

At the same time, His Royal Highness Garcia also expressed his conjecture in a deep voice. “You’re His Majesty’s newly adopted son, and you came here in Silver Big Dipper to gain credentials before the establishment of the new Crown Prince?”

“….?”

Jiang Jianming’s candid smile stiffened.

Wait, wait a minute.

You are gravely mistaken.

Isn’t the new Crown Prince you yourself??

Jiang Jianming collapsed and asked, “…..how could it be?”

Garcia frowned. “You aren’t?”

Jiang Jianming couldn’t believe it, he almost knocked on his temple and blurted out “Do you have a problem here?” But the next moment, enlightenment rose in his heart, and he understood Garcia’s thoughts subtly.

Because…he remembered that the founding monarch Kaios the Great and the current Empress, Her Majesty Lin Ge were in fact a monarch and a minister, a foster father and daughter, and there was no real blood relationship between them.

Moreover, Ryann inherited the surname of Kaios, because he was the child of the Great Emperor and Empress Dowager Sylph, a true royal blood. It was said that His Royal Highness Ryann was born during the flames of war. The baby’s body was exposed to the turbulent flow of excessively rich crystal particles and was almost destroyed. In desperation, an emergency freezing was carried out. Decades later, he was rescued by today’s cutting-edge medical technology. At a very young age, he was made the Crown Prince by the Empress.

Logically speaking, the throne should be returned to the hands of the Kaios bloodline.

But…. the current Empress, Her Majesty Lin Ge, was a sturdy figure. Back then, she single-handedly drove thousands of remnants of the Lava Bandit Corps away across five galaxies, and finally successfully inserted a laser spear into the then Lava captain before letting the matter put to rest.

His Royal Highness Ryann was favored by His Majesty the Emperor, but after His Highness’s death, the Emperor’s attitude towards the new Crown Prince had always been ambiguous.

–If Garcia knew what was going on and was convinced that he would not be appointed as the heir, however, just when Ryann’s three-year mourning period had expired, a young man suddenly appeared with the Wings of Venus–

This thing was really a little tricky.

And if he really think so–

Then, when he saw Garcia, who was similar to Ryann, rushing up in front of the Second Fortress, he could explain it as “the newly established candidate for the Crown Prince position was shocked when he saw the appearance of the old Crown Prince, worried that his status would not be guaranteed, he hurried to confirm.”

It’s amazing to think about it like this, it seems that the logic does make sense!

Jiang Jianming didn’t speak for a long time, and Garcia gave him a deep look and said coldly, “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in that seat.”

“As for what you mentioned that day…..Brother Ryann Kaios, I’m not him.”

Jiang Jianming’s heart skipped a beat, and suddenly a long wind blew through the dense forest, making him cold to the bone.

He raised his head, his black hair ruffled in the wind. “What did you say?”

Garcia: “…don’t pretend, I know what you’re thinking. You’re not the only one, many people think I’m Ryann that came back from the dead, or…..”

He paused in a low voice, then shook his head. “…But, no matter what anyone thinks, I’m not Ryann Kaios.”

He said and glanced at the two mechas. The IP still embedded Snow Dove to the trunk. Garcia gestured with his eyes. “You should also be aware that…as you know, the elegant and decent prince wouldn’t do such a thing.”

Jiang Jianming nodded calmly. “Indeed.”

But in his heart: —What a load of bullshit.

When Little Highness Ryann sneaked out of the palace to find me late at night, he knocked on the window of the military academy dormitory and said “open the door”, even the tone and demeanor were exactly the same as yours.

He secretly laughed: He actually said the words “elegant and decent” describing the prince, which shows that His Royal Highness Garcia absolutely does not understand Ryann at all. It is more likely that he has never seen the real person of his so-called brother Ryann.

Thinking of this, it seemed that some speculations that had been circling in his mind for several days had been corroborated by incomparably strong evidence. Jiang Jianming felt relieved.

He thought quietly: Okay, the Little Highness lost his memory and didn’t recognize him, but it’s better than really being dead.

It’s better to have a living person wrapped in a pile of mysteries in front of him, making him exhausted, than a corpse in front of him, making him completely give up.

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With a flash of silver light in front of him, the Wings of Venus was thrown into his arms by Garcia. Jiang Jianming returned to his senses and caught it with both hands. He saw the prince turned around and waved his fingers lightly. 

“I’m leaving.”

Jiang Jianming: “You just came here to confirm this handgun?”

Garcia didn’t look back. “To confirm you too.”

Jiang Jianming looked at him, his eyes dimming, and an unspeakable emotion suddenly grew in his heart like a mad weed.

He didn’t want to see this man turn around and leave, therefore he said, “Your Highness, do you know how long you’ve delayed me? I said, I’m on a time trial.”

Garcia stopped and pondered for a moment. After a second later, he judged, “That’s just a small matter.”

“It’s not a trivial matter.”

Jiang Jianming stood up abruptly from the cockpit, but he got up so quickly that his chest felt uncomfortable. However, he didn’t care, he took the first two steps and grabbed Garcia’s wrist.

“So you should make up for my…”

—puchi.

Jiang Jianming’s fingers hurt.

He was stunned to see a red-gold crystal protruding from Garcia’s wrist, which poked his fingers.

The crystal bone was quickly retracted, and Garcia looked back at him and explained in a low voice, “It wasn’t intentional.”

Jiang Jianming lowered his eyes and slowly withdrew his hand. “No….I was abrupt. High-level crystal bones have instinctive defenses, I know.”

He did know. It’s just that Ryann never set up a defense against him before, and he would never release an aggressive crystal bone in front of him, therefore he forgot it for a while.

Garcia: “What else?”

Jiang Jianming reluctantly calmed down, swallowed the words he wanted to say, and said in a hoarse voice, “Since the merits offset my faults, you should return the criminal evidence to me…that bullet.”

Garcia paused for a moment and fumbled inside the pocket for the cartridge case.

Perhaps it was because the shell was too small, and the wind was blowing again, it would easily be lost if thrown to the other person…thus His Royal Highness approached closer.

Garcia said: “Stretch out your hand.” 

Jiang Jianming stretched out his right hand, and spread his palm flat.

Garcia lowered his eyes, held the empty cartridge case, and placed it in Jiang Jianming’s palm. The brass-colored shell rolled a bit, and the edge reflected the sunlight, which was very dazzling.

Jiang Jianming was dazed by this light.

Then the symptoms came crashing down relentlessly. He felt difficulty breathing and his heart was beating wildly.

He was sad and thought blankly: But now you can’t touch the Little Highness anymore.

Five fingers pressed hard on his chest, Jiang Jianming raised his slender eyebrows slightly, and the color of pain flickered past his face.

Garcia looked up at him leisurely. “You…?”

Jiang Jianming supported himself by the mecha and panted, “Cough, I’m sorry. My health is not very good today.” He returned to Snow’s cockpit, slowed down, and nodded to Garcia to indicate that it was okay.

“Your Highness, please go back. “

Garcia couldn’t help but glance at his pale face. He turned around, too, and stepped into the IP’s cockpit.

After a few seconds, the IP lifted off and the mecha soon disappeared on the edge of the stratus clouds.

Jiang Jianming kept looking up until the blue-black mecha could no longer be seen, and he was still watching. Look at this endless vast sky, this was the sky of an alien star.

Suddenly, he remembered something, hurriedly took off his gloves, and held the shell in his hand again.

But there was no body temperature left by Garcia, and the bullet was as cold as his own skin.

Alpha Alien had a frigid climate, naturally the human temperature would dissipate too quickly.

Jiang Jianming stared at the brass-colored bullet casing in a trance.

His pupils were dark and silent, like a universe where the stars no longer twinkled.

It had been three years since the news of His Highness Ryann’s sacrifice spread throughout the Empire. Since he decided to join Silver Big Dipper after graduation, he had spent more than a thousand days and nights thinking, and this was the only thing left to him. He had given the rest of his life for it.

But now, Jiang Jianming suddenly realized that he seemed to be like an empty cartridge case. The exterior could still reflect light, and the shell appeared to be very hard, however, the inside had been burnt completely and cooled to a damaged state. 

He had already– 

A prompt noise came from the mecha.

This was the preset time set by Jiang Jianming, which meant that the time for the time trial was coming to an end.

In the end, he only got five real crystal ore, this achievement would no doubt place him at the bottom, or maybe even at the last place.

That bet, of course, was also lost.

Jiang Jianming pursed his lips tightly. His eyes were as cold as frost, he clenched his teeth, and breathed lightly and urgently.

It shouldn’t have been like this, he had planned so well and so perfectly.

Just like…. just like how he planned for his life after his adoptive father left.

It was an honor to be admitted to Kaios Military Academy, and his future life should be on the road to prosperity. After graduating, he could go teach, or find a clerical position in the state government agency. The salary would be quite good.

Aslan Star City, unlike the Far Star, in most cases, disabled people won’t be discriminated against but will be taken care of. Moreover, in recent years, there have been more and more affirmative action between the two races.

With his background as a graduate of Kaios Military Academy, many people would respectfully call him “Mr. Jiang” or even “Your Excellency Jiang” in the future.

He could really raise a dog, hold a little girl, as what he had said to Marshal Chen, and earn enough money to move to the Glorious Dominion for retirement. Maybe he could find an ordinary but down-to-earth lover who would treat him well too.

But….

But his Little Highness…he would always appear like this without warning, and left neatly and cleanly, like a reckless golden wind that blew past and was immediately gone, leaving him with everything disrupted, and alone standing amidst the mess.

The Snow Dove flew out of the deep area, as Jiang Jianming went to look for his IP. Layers of vegetation were left behind, and the vision alternated between light and dark, until Snow burst out of the jungle and immediately into a clearing.

Jiang Jianming stopped the mecha suddenly!

He stared at the sight before him in astonishment.

Scarlet color filled his vision. Countless dead red caterpillars were in front, as if several nests of snakes were led here, and then were slaughtered afterwards.

The shades of the trees above fell mottled, and each dead snake was pierced by a red-gold crystal, killing it with one blow. At the end of the overlapping snake corpses, there his M-IP 18 was parked.

Jiang Jianming remembered Garcia’s affirmative tone.

“It’s a small matter.” A small matter that can be easily solved for you.

Little Highness was really too considerate. 

The red snakes had been skimmed with solidification rays, and pieces of real crystal ore had condensed on the snake corpses.

Under the sun, a dazzling red sea and white waves formed.

Jiang Jianming was stunned on the spot, surrounded by white, and the fluctuations of the crystal particles that were rippling back and forth like water waves. After a few seconds, as if he could not bear the sight in front of him, he closed his eyes suddenly, and couldn’t help coughing in a low voice.

He was wrong. That person clearly…every time, he never really walked away without leaving any trace.

In his right hand, the empty cartridge case bullet was squeezed tighter and tighter, that it almost burned into a fire in the palm of his hand.

After a long time, Jiang Jianming raised his hand, his upper body hunched downwards to the floor and placed his clenched right hand on his lips. His black hair was scattered and it covered his pale cheeks.

This was a deep kiss of forbearance.

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