Cheng Jin was frightened, trembling all over. When he finally came to his senses, he frantically reached for the emergency phone. A hand gripped his shaking wrist; it was Lu Tao, struggling to open his eyes. His voice was faint. “Put on your clothes; I’ve already contacted the rescue team.” He took a breath. “…And Fei Li, don’t worry.”

“Y-you… how could this happen?” Cheng Jin’s panic led him to tears. He fumbled to put on his clothes, barely able to ask what was wrong before the doorbell rang urgently.

Cheng Jin rushed to open the door, stumbling a few steps and almost falling onto the carpet. After a struggle, he managed to open it. When he saw the doctor in protective gear, he whimpered, “Help, please help…”

Lu Tao was quickly lifted onto a stretcher, and a few people moved so swiftly that Cheng Jin couldn’t keep up. Just when he was panicking, Fei Li appeared from somewhere, looking relatively calm. “Mr. Cheng,” he said. Noticing Cheng Jin’s trembling lips, he reached out to steady him. “An hour ago, the General sent out an emergency signal. I’ve contacted the Military hospital; they are ready on their end. As soon as the General arrives, surgery can begin.”

Cheng Jin’s face went pale, unsure if it was from worry or tension. He felt a vague pain in his abdomen. After a moment to collect himself, he asked, “What exactly happened?”

Fei Li glanced at Cheng Jin’s disheveled clothing. “Do you need to freshen up first and pack your things? I’ll handle the checkout for you, and on the way back, I’ll inform you of everything.”

Seeing Fei Li’s relatively relaxed demeanor, Cheng Jin hoped aloud, “Lu Tao’s injury… it’s not life-threatening, is it?”

Fei Li answered firmly, “It’s not.”

Cheng Jin had known Fei Li for over five years and trusted his serious nature; he wouldn’t lie or joke about such matters. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief but still felt nervous. “But he’s lost so much blood…”

“It’s fine. When the General was first injured, he lost even more blood, yet he survived. So you don’t need to worry.”

With Fei Li’s assurance, the pressure on Cheng Jin eased a little. His legs felt like jelly, and he leaned against the wall for a moment before he could move. He had no strength to pack anything, but Fei Li quickly gathered their luggage. Fifteen minutes later, he led Cheng Jin to another small spaceship.

“The General and the others are returning to the Imperial Planet directly through folded space. If we take the spaceship, we’ll arrive five hours later than they will,” Fei Li explained, pouring a cup of warm water for Cheng Jin. After taking a small sip, Cheng Jin asked, “What exactly happened? When was Lu Tao injured? Was it… during the firefight with Indira’s subordinates?”

“That’s right; he was hit in the abdomen by a biological projectile,” Fei Li clarified. “He rushed in too quickly without wearing a bulletproof vest.”

Cheng Jin’s hand trembled. “Rushed in too quickly…” He didn’t dare to think about whether he was part of the reason. “But it’s been almost two months; how could he still not be healed?”

Fei Li paused for a moment before answering, “Because he hasn’t received proper treatment for the past two months.” He looked at Cheng Jin. “When he was shot, he should have fallen back to the rear and gone to the hospital for treatment, but he didn’t. He insisted on capturing everyone from Indira’s faction first before being sent to the Military hospital. The General was on the brink of death at that time. If not for the top-notch doctors performing surgery and the most advanced medical equipment, he might not have made it off the operating table.”

Cheng Jin’s eyes widened in shock, his breathing quickening. “Why would he push himself so hard?”

Fei Li replied, “He was even more desperate behind the scenes.”

Cheng Jin felt a knot tighten in his heart, realizing that what Lu Tao had been doing was related to him.

“After the anesthesia wore off, he insisted on leaving the hospital to look for you.”

“Look… for me?” Cheng Jin was utterly astonished.

“Exactly. He firmly believed that you hadn’t died but had gone somewhere else. So, he joined forces with the Yan family to mark your name, along with your father’s and brother’s names, as missing from the ‘death list,’ and then began searching for you, specifically looking for the sixth route in folded space.” Fei Li adjusted his glasses as he spoke. “Forgive me for saying this, but you’ve been a bit willful. Even if you wanted to sever ties with him, you shouldn’t have just left without a word. I’m sure you’ve seen the news along the way; you should have contacted him to inform him of your whereabouts.”

Cheng Jin’s eyes turned red, his voice trembling with helplessness. “I… I thought he wouldn’t care… I thought it was best to cut ties like this… I never expected he would go to such lengths to find me… I thought…” He had assumed that Lu Tao’s search was just a casual effort that didn’t consume much of his time.

Fei Li frowned. “Did you think finding the sixth route would be easy?”

Cheng Jin stared at him blankly, his tone uncertain. “Is it… hard?”

“Of course it is difficult!” Fei Li’s usually expressionless face showed a hint of irritation. “The folded space was the result of nearly fifty years of research by top scientists. After the research succeeded, only four routes were documented, and the other two hidden routes have never been disclosed. To this day, we don’t even know if they were intentionally created or accidentally generated. There are no records of the sixth route anywhere in the world; it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. The General exhausted his connections to form a scientific team just to search for this elusive sixth route, spending day and night traversing the folded space. While others could take a break, he only managed to rest for one or two hours at a time. Over the course of a month, even Young Master Yan Qi had given up and switched to another plan, but he insisted this was the fastest way, and only then did he finally find the sixth route.”

“A month…” Cheng Jin was nearly in a daze, muttering, “It really took… that long?”

Fei Li continued, “And during that month, he didn’t take care of his wound, refusing to undergo a second surgery. He only applied medicine and injections, but because he worked too hard, the wound never healed. After discovering the second route, he didn’t stop there and began searching for you starting from the Hell Planet until he found you.”

Cheng Jin imagined their reunion. He had thought the other person stood before him easily, not realizing the immense cost behind it.

Tears rolled uncontrollably down Cheng Jin’s cheeks, and he said hoarsely, “Then why, after finding me, hasn’t he gone to get treated?”

Fei Li stared at him, somewhat displeased. “Isn’t this what you wanted? To help your brother hide his whereabouts?”

“It was indeed my…” Cheng Jin felt an overwhelming wave of regret. He suddenly remembered that after Lu Tao found him, they had sat together on the spaceship. He had seen Lu Tao resting his eyes, thinking it was strange at the time. Now, in hindsight, Lu Tao must have been utterly exhausted then. He must have dozed off for a moment. And afterward… Cheng Jin bit his finger anxiously, his voice trembling. “So his injuries never healed? And yet… he still had to accompany me around?”

While wandering around, Lu Tao had been so attentive and considerate, never letting him feel tired. Cheng Jin had never sensed any smell of medicine on him, meaning Lu Tao had likely avoided using medication to prevent raising his suspicions.

Thinking about how Lu Tao had avoided undressing in front of him and not wanting to have sex, all because of his injuries, made Cheng Jin feel miserable.

He had been so clueless, not only failing to notice Lu Tao’s injuries but also grappling with why he wouldn’t touch him.

“Why… didn’t he tell me?” Cheng Jin trembled all over and quickly understood the reason. If he knew Lu Tao was injured, he would definitely insist on him returning to the Imperial Planet, which would ruin the plan to hide his brother’s whereabouts. Lu Tao probably thought of this too and chose not to mention it.

Fei Li observed Cheng Jin’s self-reproachful expression, remaining silent for a moment before saying, “Mr. Cheng, you don’t need to blame yourself too much. The General has always had his own ideas. Since he made this decision, he certainly has his reasons.”

Cheng Jin looked at him in panic, confirming again, “Lu Tao… really isn’t in life-threatening danger? Last night… last night…” He recalled his own recklessness and desires, feeling ashamed. “He even had a drink…”

“Ah, so he drank?” Fei Li frowned. “Because he was hit with a biological projectile, he needed to avoid alcohol’s stimulation. The wound might have reopened because of that, along with some intense activity.”

Cheng Jin didn’t understand. “What is a biological projectile?”

“A terrifying weapon developed by Indira and her subordinates, with astonishing lethality. It contains bacteria that can destroy human tissue. Otherwise, with the General’s physique, he should have healed long ago.”

“And now…”

Fei Li reassured him, “There’s no problem; please don’t worry.”

After receiving repeated assurances, Cheng Jin finally felt a little more at ease. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the tension in his heart, but the dull pain in his abdomen grew more intense, as if a hand were tearing at his insides. Cheng Jin gritted his teeth against the pain, sitting in his seat. He asked about Lu Tao’s condition several times, and when he learned for the last time that his husband had been admitted to the Military hospital and was out of danger, he finally felt relieved and then fainted.

Even as he passed out, Cheng Jin still felt pain—a torment that seemed to want to rip him apart, spreading throughout his body and breaking out in cold sweat. He heard someone urgently calling his name, but he couldn’t respond. After an indeterminate amount of time, he fell into a void, losing all consciousness.