Chapter 35: Storm Rising

“Chan Chan,” Seeing Shi Chan open his eyes, Xi Ming asked impatiently, “Are you tired?”

“Not really,” Shi Chan yawned. Training in the virtual domain was quite mentally exhausting. He felt drowsy as soon as he logged off.

“Drink some water,” Xi Ming said, signaling the robot to bring a glass of pure water. He handed it to Shi Chan, his gaze carefully watching Shi Chan’s expression.

“I’m not really thirsty,” Shi Chan replied, but still sat up to drink the water.

Seeing Shi Chan take the water, Xi Ming felt a bit more at ease. He turned slightly, his face serious as he explained, “Chan Chan, when I was teaching you earlier, I was just used to it, not intentionally scolding you.”

“Actually, you did very well. For a first-time rookie pilot, you’re way better than most of my classmates when they first started.”

As he spoke, Xi Ming genuinely praised Shi Chan. “I noticed that the hardest part for newcomers is adjusting when the mech shifts and your body moves with it. You adapted very quickly. Even among the alpha class, you’re ranked highly. You have a natural talent for piloting mechs.”

Shi Chan smiled as he listened. Who wouldn’t like being praised? Of course, he felt a little guilty about adapting quickly to the body-shifting part. He had learned this skill after falling off a flying sword countless times.

When Xi Ming mentioned his earlier stern tone again, Shi Chan interrupted, saying, “Actually, it’s fine. Being strict during training is good for me. You don’t usually speak to me like that, so I won’t be upset.”

“Chan Chan.”

Xi Ming fell silent for a moment, looking at Shi Chan seriously and said, “I will teach you seriously. You will become a qualified mech warrior.”

“The first omega mech warrior.”

Shi Chan smiled, “I’m looking forward to it.”

Shi Chan’s mech training continued daily on the Star Network, and Xi Ming’s control over the space pirate group was gradually strengthening.

“Mr. Jin” had initially been just a strategist for the Swift Eagle group, but now he was the de facto second-in-command. If most of the elders of Swift Eagle hadn’t originally been soldiers under the first leader, perhaps “Jin” would have been promoted to the leader’s position.

However, Xi Ming didn’t care much for titles. The leader of Swift Eagle, despite receiving military education from the Federation Academy, clearly wasn’t skilled in leading armies. Since receiving Jin’s guidance, the entire pirate group’s operations had essentially been following Jin’s directives.

Xi Ming was in good spirits now. His mental state was better than ever, surpassing even his previous peak. With Shi Chan’s daily spiritual energy nurturing, his decisions were becoming more calculated, and the results were reflected in the ever-expanding Swift Eagle.

It was rumored that many space pirates secretly referred to this mysterious Jin as the “God of Decision,” believing that as long as they received Jin’s guidance, the pirate group would always survive, turning their fortunes around.

Some doubted Jin’s abilities, but they only needed to look at Swift Eagle. Hadn’t their rapid rise proven Jin’s strength?

After Swift Eagle’s rise, the group’s background had been thoroughly investigated. They were just a bunch of deserters from the Federation, unable to even choose a capable leader. As space pirates, they had barely survived, sticking to the outdated military practices, on the verge of collapse.

But after Jin contacted them, they began to win battle after battle, quickly expanding their influence. Now they were one of the top ten space pirate factions in the Lan Gorge sector. If not for the deep-rooted older pirate groups, Swift Eagle’s ranking might have been even higher.

Jin himself remained quite mysterious, rarely making appearances, leading to many rumors about him.

Some said that Jin had suffered severe cosmic radiation and was bedridden, communicating only through special channels. Others contradicted this, claiming the radiation wasn’t that bad, otherwise, how could Jin continue to guide Swift Eagle’s development?

There were also rumors about Jin’s omega companion. One version claimed Jin had numerous omegas around him, but he was a heartless flirt who never marked any of them permanently, planning to release them later. Another version told of a permanent omega mark on one individual, who was in poor health and was tortured by Jin daily, unable to escape, making the omega pitiable.

The more rumors circulated, the more mysterious Jin became, especially since even those within Swift Eagle rarely saw him. The spies sent by other pirate groups into Swift Eagle couldn’t gather any meaningful intel, so they resorted to reporting every minor “detail,” which only fueled the rumors.

Despite the rising storm outside, it had no effect on the lives of Xi Ming and Shi Chan.

“Feifei, go away,” Shi Chan swatted the little creature that had flown to his shoulder, sending it away. “I don’t have time to play with you right now.”

FeiFei, now much bigger, let out a soft, disappointed call before flying to the top of a cabinet, staring longingly at the two humans in the room.

“Brother, let’s start,” Shi Chan helped Xi Ming up, then slowly released his grip, standing by his side without making a move.

Xi Ming had been busy with matters of the pirate group, but when he finally relaxed, he realized they had been on R76 for over four months.

During these four months, Shi Chan had been diligently treating Xi Ming’s legs. The two spent every day together, and Shi Chan’s pheromones had a therapeutic effect. Combined with Shi Chan’s growing cultivation, which was enhancing his ability to refine destructive energy, the improvement in Xi Ming’s legs was inevitable.

Xi Ming stood still for a moment, first looking down at his slightly stiff legs, then lifting his gaze, his eyes shining with unprecedented brilliance.

He took a step with his right foot, then his left.

Xi Ming moved slowly but steadily forward, feeling the bright sunlight outside and the strong sense of comfort and warmth coming from the small house they had lived in for months.

However, after years of relying on assistive devices to walk, Xi Ming instinctively reached out for something to hold. After taking eight or nine steps, his body suddenly tilted to the right. His legs weren’t yet strong enough to support him, and he nearly toppled over.

Shi Chan, who had been on alert for such a situation, quickly stepped forward to catch him.

Xi Ming, with a smile in his eyes, leaned his full weight onto Shi Chan, wrapping his arms around him tightly, his trembling voice betraying his excitement, “Chan Chan…”

Words couldn’t express the emotions he was feeling. After calling out Shi Chan’s name a couple of times, Xi Ming urgently and passionately kissed him.

Shi Chan, who had been stabilizing Xi Ming, lost his balance and stumbled with him toward the couch. The two collapsed onto the sofa together.

Xi Ming, still overwhelmed with emotion from his legs’ recovery, seemed intent on pouring all his feelings into Shi Chan. His hold on Shi Chan grew more intense.

Shi Chan, with a smile in his eyes, shared Xi Ming’s joy and excitement, allowing himself to get lost in the blend of their pheromones.

The white little creature perched on the cabinet tilted its head, then flapped its wings and flew over to them—landing on the back of Xi Ming’s head and rubbing its face against him.

Now fully grown, FeiFei was no longer as light as before, and it landed heavily, causing Xi Ming’s head to sink slightly.

“Feifei,” Xi Ming, recovering his composure, reached up to remove the little creature, placing it to the side. He shot it an irritated glance before turning back to Shi Chan, who was still on the couch.

Shi Chan looked at both Xi Ming and Feifei, his beautiful eyes filled with amusement.

“Alright, stop messing around. Let’s practice a few more times,” Shi Chan sat up, holding Feifei, and spoke to Xi Ming.

Xi Ming nodded and stood up again.

When it came to perseverance, no one could beat Xi Ming.

As the light of the future appeared before him, Xi Ming endured any hardship, knowing he couldn’t give up at this crucial moment. His rehabilitation was based on the physical limits he could handle, pushing himself until his legs ached and he was drenched in sweat.

But this training was known only to Shi Chan. To others, Jin was still the pitiable alpha who had his legs ruined by cosmic radiation and could only walk with the help of a wheelchair.

However, just a few days into his recovery, a bad report came from Swift Eagle.

“You’re saying people from Capital Star have come here?” Shi Chan asked, frowning.

“Did they find out you’re here?” He instinctively thought about it, recalling, “Was it the trace left when your spiritual power broke through last time?”

“They probably haven’t figured it out yet,” Xi Ming seemed calmer than Shi Chan, “It’s likely they discovered the movements of the space pirates.”

The Empire still had some leverage, and it was clear that there were spies from the Empire in both the R76 region and within the pirate groups.

But even if the information was detailed, the Empire would only think that a space pirate with power to shift the balance of forces, known as Jin, was leading the group. They wouldn’t connect Jin to the paralyzed Xi Ming.

After all, no one would guess that the effects of cosmic radiation could be reversed.

“No matter what, with people from Capital Star coming, we won’t be safe here anymore,” Xi Ming said, his gaze darkening as he stroked Shi Chan’s hair.

He smiled wryly. After fighting for the Empire for so many years, he had ended up joining a pirate group made up of former Federation members.