Chapter 22: Being A Human, huh, The Most Important Thing Is To Be Happy

[T/N: it’s Monday again. My update probably slows down again at the start of the week because of work and class.]

The smile on Ji Xingjue’s lips grew stronger. He got up close to Qi Qing, stared at those light-colored eyes, while maintaining a smile on his face. “Seriously, Lord Marshal. It’s all become like this, and you still believe that I am harmless?”

He was like a fruit that emitted a sweet and fragrant flavor, coming up without self awareness, tempting people to take a bite. He asked once again, “Do you think I killed Yser?”

“I can’t think of a reason for you killing him.”

Feeling a little unbearable, Qi Qing pressed his head, pushed him back to sit down, and said coldly, “Don’t try to sound me out, I’ve never thought you would do those things, and you are not being investigated for this.”

Ji Xingjue was stunned.

Qi Qing lowered his eyes and looked at him. “I’m not sure what dangerous things you will do.”

“That’s why I must keep an eye on you.”

It was difficult to describe the mood of hearing this sentence.

Ji Xingjue blinked, concealing his emotions for that moment, and jokingly asked, “Then, do you also want to interrogate me?”

“I will wait for you to say it.” Qi Qing’s tone was flat, “Or I will find out by myself.”

He didn’t say any more, and was preparing to leave. “I’ve sent Damel to keep watch on the person. You don’t need to stay in this kind of broken place until night.”

Ji Xingjue hesitated for a moment. “What will become of Cathy?”

“Is this important?” Qi Qing looked sideways at him, “The moment she did something wrong, she should be ready to accept the corresponding punishment.”

Ji Xingjue was reluctant to do what he couldn’t do, but still couldn’t help asking, “Can you let her go?”

Qi Qing’s fingertips paused. “Give me a reason.”

“I will tell you when I get home,” Ji Xingjue asked softly, “Can you?”

Qi Qing wordlessly pressed on the button.

The alloy door opened and closed again with a soft click, leaving Ji Xingjue alone.

The small lamp on the table was faintly lit, and the warm yellow light shining softly made him feel calm.

He estimated the time in his mind, closed his eyes and waited patiently.

The news that Ji Xingjue was taken away by people from the Ministry of Security soon swept across the Imperial Capital and shocked the entire Ankara University.

There were people discussing this matter everywhere. 　

Especially Ai Li, who was never on good terms with Ji Xingjue.

Cecilie and Song Mei walked through a small forest with their calm faces and arrived at the laboratory building.

The two of them just came from the military headquarters to find Admiral Rand, but they rushed there for nothing. They couldn’t even find a trace of Qi Qing. When they returned to school, they ran into Ai Li’s mockery and ridicule. Even if they scolded him back, it still made them depressed to death.

The door of the laboratory was cracked open, and the voice of dialogue inside was faintly heard.

Cecilie could hear the newcomer sitting behind her talking. “I didn’t expect this to be the case. It’s no wonder that Professor Ji didn’t seem to be sad at all yesterday.”

There was a moment of silence, and someone sighed for the answer. “We are so close to the murderer. Ji Xingjue, this person is too terrible.”

“Chi, I’m not surprised. Schools shouldn’t hire people with such bad records. Sooner or later, something will happen.”

“Don’t rush to make a conclusion. We have been working with Professor Ji for several years, and he is not like that kind of person.”

The newcomer said timidly, “But, it is easy to know a person, but it is very difficult to understand a person’s heart. You don’t know Professor Ji very much, right.”

“……”

Cecilie’s thin eyebrows raised. She used her foot to violently kick the door open.

There was a momentary silence in the laboratory.

With a tapping sound of her high-heeled boots, she walked into the door, hugging her arms around her chest, her eyes sweeping around coldly. “Do you all have nothing to do?”

The ones who spoke about favourism were those that even on normal days, found Ji Xingjue unpleasant to the eyes and angrily said, “What’s wrong? What he did himself, are we not allowed to talk about it?”

Cecilie, with that quick mouth of hers, she quickly went straight back. “Yo, did you see Ji Xingjue murder someone for money, or did you perhaps pass him a knife and a gun from the side?” 　

Immediately, the face of the other party became ugly.

The smell of gunpowder in the air was very strong, almost on the verge of triggering.

The newcomer promptly got up to mediate. “Professor Cecilie, you have such a good relationship with Professor Ji. We understand that you want to maintain his frame of mind. However, the Ministry of Security and the Police Department have intervened in the investigation. Whether Professor Ji is innocent or not, we still have to look at them…”

Song Mei looked at him in amazement, and couldn’t help but speak, “You are pretty good at igniting the fire.”

The newcomer was stunned, a little aggrieved. “I just don’t want everyone’s peace to be broken.”

Cecilie squinted her eyes and was about to speak when a sound of neat footsteps outside the laboratory was heard.

The visitor knocked on the door politely: “Excuse me, we’re to find someone.”

Because Song Mei was the closest to the door, he smoothly opened it. As soon as the was opened, his eyes suddenly went dark. Standing in front of him was a tall man in military uniform.

Recognizing this as Ji Xingjue’s friend, Damel gave him a friendly smile. “Professor Song, how do you do.”

Immediately he raised his head, his eyes wandered around the laboratory. His gaze was fixed on the person in front of Cecilie, and his expression turned cold, as he uttered two words, “Take him away.”

The noise outside was like the sky and the earth turning upside down, complete confusing. Ji Xingjue had a small night light to accompany him, staying in the Security Department steadily, and even had to make up for a while to sleep.

Then he was awakened by the sound of the door opening.

He opened his eyes, bright and clear, and looked at the visitors, not surprising at all. “Your Highness Deen? What new evidence did you get?”

Seeing him at ease, Deen’s face was unpredictable. “Unexpectedly, you still can sleep.”

Ji Xingjue stood up and lazily pulled up the coat that had slipped off his shoulders. “Being a human being, the most important thing is to be happy―Your Highness is going to interrogate me again?”

“An anonymous witness is willing to come forward to accuse you.” Deen sneered, “Let’s go, Professor Ji, maybe this is the last time you feel happy.”

Ji Xingjue did not agree with his statement, and happily followed him out of the cell, walked through the dark corridor under the watch of the guards, and returned to the interrogation room.

In addition to two investigators, this time there was one more person.

Ji Xingjue sighed silently. “Cathy.”

It would be hard to keep her unscathed after coming forward like this.

Cathy sat across from him, her face was pale, her eyes flushed, her lips squirmed, and her voice was hoarse. “I’m sorry, Professor Ji. But… I must avenge Senior Yser.”

Confronting the two investigators’ interrogation, Ji Xingjue was still able to talk frankly with assurance.

But facing this little girl’s red eyes, Ji Xingjue didn’t know how to answer for a while.

The female investigator who he had met before said, “Student Cathy, please repeat what you know.”

Cathy clenched the corners of her clothes nervously. “Five days ago, when I heard about the death of Senior Yser, I went to sort out the emails I sent to him and found that there was scrambled hidden letter in it. After decoding it, I found that it was Senior Yser’s… request for help.”


She took a deep breath, her voice trembling. “I downloaded the encrypted content inside. It contains senior’s diary and the last image of his life.”

When mentioning the diary and the video, her tone suddenly became worked up. “Only then did I know! You killed senior for the research results! In the past six months, every time I ask for senior Yser’s news, Professor Ji, are you not guilty?”

Ji Xingjue was silent.

The two investigators also looked at Ji Xingjue. “Professor Ji, according to our investigation, when you reported to Admiral Rand, Yser had already become your student. Even if he did not join the project team at that time, he chose the direction of bionic human intelligence. It is not impossible to do research on his own.”

The atmosphere in the interrogation room was tense.

Just as the investigators was about to pursue a victory, the interrogation was again urgently stopped.

The two were a little annoyed, and slapped hard on the table. “What the hell?”

Ji Xingjue estimated the time from the bottom of his heart, and the corners of his mouth were delicately conjured. “It may be that something terrible has happened.”

The female investigator glanced at the terminal information and surpressed her anger. “Your Highness, let us take him to the lounge.”

Cathy was a little at a loss. She looked around while following the others in a daze.

The lounge was not far from the interrogation room, and from the door you could see a lot of people standing inside. In addition to the Security Department, there were also soldiers in the uniforms of the Imperial Army, forming a faint opposition.

The leaders on both sides were Qi Qing and Deen.

“Your Excellency Marshal,” Deen was a little displeased, “What do you mean by suddenly bringing people in to take away my witnesses?”

Seeing the person coming, Qi Qing turned his gaze and uttered two words, “Official business.”

Cathy flinched subconsciously when she met his eyes.

Without waiting for her to react, Qi Qing swept his eyes over her, and said directly, “Take her.”

The army soldiers who followed rushed forward and captured Cathy who was still astonished.

Deen angrily said, “Qi Qing, what are you doing! This is the Ministry of Security, not the Ministry of Military!”

“The Ministry of Military and the Ministry of Security jointly handle the case and arrest the suspects of harm. The Ministry of Security should cooperate.”

Deen laughed in anger. “What’s the relationship between you and Ji Xingjue? In order to protect him, you still invert right and wrong and arrest people?”

Hearing the question of “what’s the relationship”, Qi Qing raised his eyebrows, showing the expression of “Are you having a problem with your brain”.

“His Royal Highness’s Security Department’s investigation efficiency is really not flattering. Cathy Curtis was deceived by the ‘Holy Order’ and gave false evidence. I’m bringing her away for investigation. There should be no problem.”

The heat in the lounge suddenly fell silent.

The “Holy Order” was the group of cults that claimed to be evils and support the Star Pirates. The Ministry of Security of the Empire had tracked the situation for several years since the report that Qi Qing discovery, but apart from the fact that the Order was under the control of the “Son of God” and the “Holy Father”, nothing else was known.

This Order was extremely secretive, and more dangerous than Star Pirates.

And Qi Qing would not lie about this kind of thing.

“It seems that your Royal Highness is only caring about Ji Xingjue, so let me tell your Highness,” Qi Qing’s mouth curled up in a mocking arc, “Five days ago, Cathy Curtis met the Holy Order hidden in Ankara University on the way to the laboratory building. That person told her that Ji Xingjue killed Yser for the research results. He and Yser had a good relationship, so Yser sent him the diary and video before he died.”

His voice is neither high nor low, and Cathy’s face turns pale with every word.

“He told Cathy that he did not dare to report Ji Xingjue, for fear of being retaliated, but when he saw the news of Yser’s death, he found it unbearable, so he came to ask her and dare to come forward to testify.”

Cathy’s lips were shaking. “No, it can’t be fake…”

Deen’s heart sank.

Just by looking at Cathy’s reaction, he knew it was true.

“Presumably I don’t need to say more about the following things,” Qi Qing said lightly, “Take her away.”

The two soldiers escorted Cathy out of the lounge.

Deen reacted suddenly. “No, we’ll take her…”

“In exchange, I brought that priest to you.” Qi Qing interrupted him strongly.

It just so happened that Damel, who was going to school to catch someone, walked in with a thin young man wearing glasses.

The “Holy Cultist” who was escorted here was the newcomer who claimed to have been admitted from the Fourth Galaxy in Ji Xingjue’s laboratory.

Qi Qing added, “As for Ji Xingjue, I should take him away.”

As he was almost led away by Qi Qing.

Deen’s eyebrows picked up. “Wait! The source of that diary and video is reliable, Ji Xingjue’s suspicion has not been cleared!”

There was a sudden sound from the investigator’s terminal next to him. The person glanced at it indifferently, then his expression changed drastically, and he quietly pulled Deen’s sleeve. “Your Highness.”

Deen was still angry, and his tone became a lot rougher. “Speak!”

The investigator hesitated for a moment, then bit the bullet and said, “… VANTECH’s official Starnet account was stolen.”

The hacker regularly released a video of cracking the VANTECH firewall. There was also a record of a remote virtual meeting. In the video, several senior executives of VANTECH had a meeting with a person full of “The End of The Universes” and “The Blessing of God.”

Although the staff reacted and immediately deleted the video, however…

The current investigation subject of the Ministry of Security should be VANTECH Company.

The time was just right.

Ji Xingjue’s face did not change its color, and the corner of his eyes curled. “Oh, something really happened.”

Qi Qing walked to him. He glanced at him, and did not comment on his flamboyant and false acting skills.

The priest who were held by Damel had his head lowered, and when he heard Ji Xingjue’s words, he looked straight over.

Those eyes changed from the previous modest and good-natured to a fierce and ruthless, oozing out like a vulture pecking at rotten flesh.

When he touched that look, Ji Xingjue was instantly alarmed. “Damel, hold him down!”

Damel subconsciously pressed down the priest, but the thin body under his palm exploded with amazing strength at this moment, and even sent him flying!

Without seeing how the priest moved, the handcuffs fell to the ground. The moment he broke free, he pulled the gun from the waist of the soldier next to him and aimed it at Ji Xingjue.

All this was completed almost instantaneously. Between the electric light and flint, Qi Qing hugged Ji Xingjue abruptly, rushed to the side, and hid behind the bunker.

Several gun holes were dropped immediately on the spot!

The guards and soldiers reflexively raised their guns and shot.

Ji Xingjue only had time to shout “Don’t shoot,” but it was too late.

The priest who was shot several times in his body seemed to feel no pain, and rushed towards Ji Xingjue with red eyes.

Qi Qing measured the distance and quickly drew out the gun. Ji Xingjue’s hand was still being handcuffed. He sat up and lowered his voice to remind him. “Between the eyebrows!”

Qi Qing’s eyes didn’t move, and a shot was aimed at between the eyebrows of the priest.

The priest did not respond.

His footsteps became sluggish, his body shook, and in the next instant, with a “boom”, that body was actually torn apart and exploded!

Ji Xingjue seized the opportunity, he flew up, and protect Qi Qing under him.

The distance was too close, and the strong shock wave made Ji Xingjue’s eyes went black, and blood immediately appeared in his throat.

His vision blurred.

He blinked vigorously, but still could not see Qi Qing’s face. He coughed lowly, swallowed a mouthful of blood, and said dumbly, “I have something to tell you…”

Qi Qing’s hands and feet turned cold. He turned over and picked him up carefully, ignoring the messy hall, and ran outside, and said with an undetectable tremor in his voice, “There is a medical cabin in the car, wait until you recover.”

He seemed to have swallowed a piece of iron in his throat, and his voice was awkward. “You are bleeding.”

“…It should be that person’s blood.”

Ji Xingjue didn’t know how he became so delicate today. After being hit by a human bomb, he couldn’t rebound. Blood kept flowing out over and over and he was unable move a single step.

He grabbed Qi Qing’s arm and gasped for breath, “Very, very important.”

The diary was fake.

But the video was real.

He watched Yser’s starship explode with his own eyes.

Yser shouldn’t, let alone be alive.

Who posted that video?

He moved his lips, but he couldn’t make a sound, his eyes went dark as he fell completely into the abyss of darkness.