In the following days, Song Qinglan didn’t see Ji Yushi at all.

According to Duan Wen, Ji Yushi had been attending training sessions for new recruits in the morning and training in the personal training room in the afternoon, with his schedule packed every day. Minister Wang visited him once and praised him highly.

To the leaders, it seems that people in administrative roles always appear hardworking, no matter what they do.

Minister Wang called Song Qinglan to give a stern warning: “Xiao Ji is diligent and smart. When it’s time to go on a mission, you all need to focus on teamwork. He’s a two-star rating, and after this mission, he’ll be promoted to a three-star. Don’t think I don’t know that you’re planning to treat him as a mere decoration.”

Song Qinglan feigned ignorance: “How could that be possible?”

The training facility had personalized targeted training rooms as well as team-based simulated combat systems.

Two days before the mission, as per usual, everyone gathered for team training. After everyone assembled, Song Qinglan realized Ji Yushi was missing: “Lao Duan, did you notify him?”

“I thought Li Chun told him yesterday.”

“Damn, why would I have told him? I haven’t even seen him!”

“Great, he’s probably attending a lecture again.”

“Tang Qi, you organize the training.”

Song Qinglan decided to personally look for him, to avoid Minister Wang giving him another lecture.

Leaving the training ground, Song Qinglan headed straight for the new recruits’ camp.

As the youngest captain, Song Qinglan had taught the first combat class to these new recruits when they joined Sky vault. His close combat skills had subdued many of the recruits, who came from prestigious schools and had high self-regard. They were beaten into submission. So, as soon as Song Qinglan appeared at the window, those who were slacking off felt a chill down their spine.

The special instructor from Sky vault was giving a professional lecture. Amid the slight disturbance, Song Qinglan quickly spotted the person he was looking for.

Ji Yushi was sitting by the window.

“Space constitutes the universe we live in. And time, the universe as we know it.”

The instructor manipulated a holographic image, drawing a colorful arc of light that started from nowhere and faded into nothingness.

Some students whispered in admiration.

Ji Yushi had his head down, seemingly unaware of the impressive demonstration.

“Time is like a flowing line, giving us both a past and a future.”

“The past is unchangeable—a person cannot travel back in time to kill their grandfather. We understand the grandfather paradox. Russian scientist Novikov once proposed the self-consistency principle, meaning that even if a person could go back in time, they couldn’t change the course of history. Simply put, our present is the final result after countless changes.”

The light flickered and flowed in the air.

The instructor continued, “So what about the future? Over twenty years ago, a Chinese scientific team invented Sky vault. They discovered that time isn’t just a single line.”

With a wave of the instructor’s hand, the arc of light in the air changed.

The light suddenly split, branching out from the current point in time into countless thin strands, spreading in all directions.

“Sky vault’s powerful computing capability can calculate countless futures based on our present. For the first time, humanity realized the existence of parallel worlds in the future. Over the twenty years since the Sky vault system was established, countries worldwide, through Sky vault and the actions of guardians in parallel future worlds, have successfully prevented 1,771 potential terrorist attacks, 542 riots, 6 wars, and 3 large-scale natural disasters.”

…

As the lecture continued, various video clips played in turn.

Song Qinglan walked to the window: “……”

So this is the “diligent and smart” advisor Minister Wang was talking about?

The diligent and smart Ji Yushi was sitting in class, completely focused on… playing a black-and-white handheld game console that was popular in the last century.

Tetris blocks fell rapidly, moving and merging at lightning speed under his skillful control, clearing four, five, or even six or seven lines at a time. The score kept rising, and each block fit perfectly into place, creating the illusion that the game was about to end at any moment.

Undeniably, Ji Yushi was a Tetris master. It would be hard to find anyone else in Sky vault who could play better than him.

With his head down, Ji Yushi’s cervical spine was slightly pronounced, his slender shoulder blades clearly visible.

He appeared very focused, his long eyelashes lowered, giving him a calm and gentle look. His fingers were long, with short and clean nails, just like his overall impression—a person who had never suffered hardship.

Song Qinglan thought, maybe he never intended to endure hardship here in the first place.

The day before the mission, in the afternoon, everyone gathered for a mission briefing.

As with every mission briefing, the giant screen displayed the target map with several marked points.

Sky vault Headquarters’ Third Command Center was responsible for this mission’s coordination. The conference room was filled with over thirty people, besides the seventh team, all were internal staff supporting the mission. The mission commander on stage was explaining the mission, with even Minister Wang sitting in the audience.

“A month ago, Sky vault detected a sudden significant change in the population of Xijing in the year 1460 Star Era, with a drop as high as 3% during that period.”

The commander zoomed in on the map, pointing to the flashing red areas.

“According to the calculation chart, after excluding natural disasters, explosions, and other energy factors, Sky vault has classified this mission as a potential biochemical terrorist attack, with the mission level being A.”

“Biochemical terrorist attack?”

“Haven’t we dealt with this before?!”

“Piece of cake!”

“I have a request.” Song Qinglan sat at an angle, his sharp black eyes reflecting the red dots on the map, “After successfully completing this A-level mission, I request an S-level mission.”

As soon as he finished speaking, whispers spread through the conference room.

It was well known that the points earned from an S-level mission equaled those from five A-level missions.

Having completed as many as twelve A-level missions flawlessly, the seventh team had gained fame in Sky vault in just two years, quickly rising to the forefront of the most valuable teams. But the fact that they had not yet carried out an S-level mission kept them from breaking into the top three, where the teams ahead of them held a substantial lead in points, making it impossible to catch up.

Therefore, the seventh team had long been yearning for an S-level mission.

Ji Yushi had heard about this.

Sitting with his teammates, he could clearly see Song Qinglan’s expression. Arrogance, confidence, and a burning desire for victory were all conveyed clearly in his tone.

“Request approved.” The commander paused, then said to Song Qinglan, “After this mission, the Command Center will reassess based on your performance. Be prepared to take on an S-level mission at any time.”

This was a line Song Qinglan had heard many times before.

He sat coldly, showing no expression.

One couldn’t help but wonder if this rebellious rising star would eventually explode after years of following orders.

After the conference, there was another strategic meeting. Song Qinglan spent two hours in a separate discussion with Minister Wang and other direct leaders.

When he finally emerged, his teammates were all waiting for him in casual clothes.

“Invite the new guy,” Song Qinglan said casually.

Before every mission, the team would go out for hot pot together, a tradition they called “one good meal before hitting the road.”

“We invited him. Consultant Ji said he won’t be joining.”

“He’s still in the training room.”

Song Qinglan recalled the scene of Ji Yushi playing Tetris during a professional lecture and felt a bit amused.

He told everyone else to go ahead and secure a table.

The vast training facility had hundreds of private training rooms, with the seventh team having their own designated number. Song Qinglan had access, so it didn’t take much effort to find who he was looking for.

Ji Yushi had just finished his training.

He had just stepped off the simulator, drenched in sweat, his gray t-shirt soaked at the collar. Two mechanical arms were positioned beside him, one handing him a towel, the other offering a bottle of water.

Ji Yushi took the water, surprised to see Song Qinglan: “Captain Song?”

Song Qinglan stood at the doorway, arms crossed, seemingly waiting for an explanation.

“Why didn’t you join the dinner?”

Ji Yushi took a sip of water, his eyebrows and eyes damp with sweat, his delicate features slightly misted.

Despite both being male, Song Qinglan suddenly felt a bit uneasy, as if being in a subordinate’s training room was somehow inappropriate, something to avoid.

Ji Yushi replied, “Sorry, I had previously scheduled a video call for tonight.”

Song Qinglan asked, “Can’t it be a little later?”

Ji Yushi took the towel and wiped his sweat: “They’re very clingy. They’d be upset.”

This remark hinted at something, making Song Qinglan recall a crucial point and realize why he felt the need to avoid suspicion.

He raised an eyebrow, “Someone at home?”

The mechanical arms had neatly stored the towel away.

But another drop of sweat rolled down Ji Yushi’s forehead, and he instinctively grabbed the hem of his shirt, using the t-shirt to wipe it away.

His tight, young waist was exposed, different from all the other guardians at Sky vault: it was slim and flexible, with skin so pale it was almost blinding, seemingly fragile. As he moved, his flat, sweat-dampened abdomen revealed a small, round navel that peeked out at the waistband.

Song Qinglan averted his gaze.

“Captain Song, do you mind?” Ji Yushi seemed more aware of the tension but acted naturally, “Do I need to disinfect the training room after using it?”

Ji Yushi had heard rumors about Song Qinglan’s severe homophobia.

It was said that after being openly pursued by a man, he would even disinfect offices that had been used by gay people.

Such provocations were beneath Song Qinglan’s notice.

Song Qinglan stated his real purpose for coming to the training room, though it was less harsh than expected: “I’m here to tell you that many people want to use this A-level mission to complete their star-rating promotion. They’ll soon realize they’ve underestimated the danger of A-level missions. If you still care about the people around you, it’s not too late to withdraw. I can arrange for you to return to Ningcheng.”

Ji Yushi seemed to miss the sarcasm: “But for me, it’s already too late to withdraw.”

The tension hung in the air.

Song Qinglan suddenly smiled, “Alright, then I have only one request for you.”

Ji Yushi looked calm, meeting his gaze.

Song Qinglan left him with a few words: “Follow orders and lie low for an easy win.”