When Yang Ming was half-asleep, a small, soft body nestled into his embrace.
Hera rested her head on Yang Ming’s arm, turning her back to him.
According to the "sleeping posture analysis" in those emotional gossip articles, this position was the coziest way for couples. Choosing to turn her back to Yang Ming also meant she let down all her defenses.
Yet, in the middle of the night, Yang Ming rolled over and casually tossed Hera to the other side.
Woken up by the fall, Hera felt slightly speechless.
Was this the kind of physical strength a normal human should have?
She rolled back over along Yang Ming’s arm and opened her eyes to gaze at the man so close to her, letting her mind drift a little.
For the past two years, she had lived quite happily.
Just like in the movies, the romance of young men and women was the easiest poison to soften one’s fighting spirit.
It was only half a year after confirming their relationship that they broke through the last barrier.
Although the main reason was that Yang Ming had returned only three times in those six months,
Hera still felt that she had gained Yang Ming’s respect.
Since then, Hera felt as if Yang Ming had opened the door to a new world for her—although she didn’t want to admit it—Yang Ming brought her countless happy moments.
Whenever Yang Ming returned to her side, Hera would lose interest in work, constantly getting lazy and indulgent thoughts, only to reflect and feel guilty after the indulgence.
She didn’t know what was wrong with her or why she became so weak.
Fortunately, Yang Ming was very busy, and they could only meet every few months for a few days, which allowed Hera to ensure that most of her energy was put into work.
Hera didn’t care nor ask about what Yang Ming did outside.
They were not a normal couple.
Outside their intensifying romantic relationship, there were several other special ties.
Jailkeeper and prisoner,
Provider and recipient,
Hera understood that Yang Ming had to confine her freedom, and she was grateful that Yang Ming provided her a stable environment and samples to freely carry out her research on the Insect Race.
The only thing that made Hera uncomfortable was that Yang Ming insisted on using protection measures during their normal intimacy.
She knew her body thoroughly, aware of when she was fertile and when she was not, and she would monitor hormone changes intentionally.
She always felt like Yang Ming minded that she had once been infected with an Insect Race sample...
The light of the Constant Star shone through the curtains before the floor-to-ceiling window into the warmly lit cabin.
Hera was the first to open her big eyes.
Seeing Yang Ming still asleep, she immediately smiled.
Hera carefully moved Yang Ming’s hand away, quietly slipped out of his embrace, and like a nimble cat, snuck into the wardrobe next door.
Before long, she had completed washing up and tidying, applied a light makeup, wore stockings, draped herself in a semi-transparent black veil, and once again nestled into Yang Ming’s arms.
She wanted to conduct an experiment to see if in this atmosphere, Yang Ming would still insist on using protection.
If he did, she would reconsider the relationship and increase the distance between them.
A few Galaxy Times later,
"Captain on the bridge!"
Yang Ming appeared in high spirits on the bridge of the Vaglu General battleship.
The on-duty technicians, soldiers, and officers uniformly stood up to salute Yang Ming or pay attention.
Yang Ming waved while smiling, walked along the steps to the captain’s area of the main control platform, sat in the chair, crossed his legs habitually, received the refreshing drink delivered by the beautiful navigator, and signed a few routine documents.
In just under five minutes, he had completed the daily tasks of a captain once again.
Since battleships were generally used as flagships of common formations, their bridges were nearly twice the size of ordinary Star Patrol Ships.
Yang Ming’s watch vibrated gently.
He pressed lightly at the corner of the dial, and a concealed earphone popped out and was put in his ear.
"Boss, Miss Hera’s body showed no abnormalities."
Lyu’s voice carried some discontent.
"Even though I shouldn’t interfere with the private interactions between you and Miss Hera, I must remind you that there remains instability and unknowns regarding Hera.
"We still cannot determine how exactly she connects to the Insect Race communication network."
Yang Ming chuckled softly: "Lyu, matters of the heart require much consideration; she clearly felt that her dignity was hurt previously."
"Fine," Lyu muttered, "the emotional system of humans is indeed the most commendable part of this species."
Yang Ming said with a smile, "Give me the usual report."
Lyu began rapidly relaying the report:
"No news about Po Suo in the past week, there is a large-scale protest within the New Federation. There are signs of the Guel Alliance intervening in the New Federation and Sherman Empire’s war. The Central Intelligence Agency is increasing bribes to Guel Alliance politicians.
"The Wind’s internal economy remains stable; the Sherman Empire’s goodwill towards Wind has not decreased. Edwan’s ascension has been among the top three trending topics on the Sherman Empire’s internal networks for sixteen consecutive hours.
"Our secret base is developing steadily, with the progress of the second base expansion reaching sixty-seven percent."
Yang Ming rested his head on his arm, closing his eyes in thought.
If he hadn’t known that Po Suo was still alive, Yang Ming felt, he would have spent the past two years quite easily.
Unfortunately, the inability to trace Po Suo kept a shadow lingering in his heart.
Referring to the time interval from the last time Po Suo was greeted by the Antimatter Bomb to her reappearance, two years was entirely enough for her to recover strength.