45: Chapter 45 This damned luck with women is not only ruining my back but also draining my energy reserves.

When Academician Chen Shuyin woke up, she felt as if her brain had been stuffed into a washing machine that was currently in its spin cycle.

The world was spinning, her temples were throbbing, and the dull ache of a hangover made her wish she could take her head off and put it in the fridge to cool down.

"Water..."

She groaned and rolled over, her fingers brushing against bedsheets that were impossibly soft, and catching the scent of unfamiliar yet pleasant aftershave in the air.

An unfamiliar room.

An unfamiliar bed.

Academician Chen Shuyin's eyes snapped open—the instinctive alertness of a scientist facing the unknown.

Memories began to return, but like data from a corrupted hard drive, they were all in fragments.

Red wine... A villa... And it seemed... she had pinned Jiang Chen to the sofa?

"Hiss—"

Fragmented images flashed through her mind like lightning: a torn collar, Jiang Chen's terrified expression, and her own world-shattering words: "The state allows me to do that to you."

Academician Chen Shuyin's face instantly shifted from pale to a deep, explosive red—a color so intense it looked like it was about to bleed.

She lifted the blanket to take a look.

Fortunately, although her clothes were as wrinkled as preserved vegetables, at least they were still on.

However... why did her wrists hurt so much? As if they had been tied up all night? And her lips, why were they a bit swollen too?

With a mood as heavy as if she were heading to a funeral, Academician Chen Shuyin went barefoot, sneaking like a thief, and silently pushed open the guest room door.

The living room was bathed in bright sunlight.

And under that brilliant sunshine, Jiang Chen was sprawled on the sofa with absolutely no dignity.

He was holding his lower back with one hand, his features slightly distorted with pain, while his other hand was chugging a bottle of white beverage.

Was that... Nutri-Express?

"Morning."

Jiang Chen heard the commotion and turned his head.

His face was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes—the standard aftereffects of staying up late combined with physical torture. Seeing Academician Chen Shuyin come out, he subconsciously rubbed his sore lower back, letting out a groan that was easily misunderstood: "Hiss... You're awake?"

"Last night... you were really ruthless."

Academician Chen Shuyin froze in place, feeling as if a bolt of lightning had struck the top of her head.

Lower back pain?

Pale complexion?

And drinking Nutri-Express to recover?

Plus that line, "You were really ruthless"...

All the clues converged at this moment into a "truth" that made Academician Chen Shuyin want to commit seppuku on the spot—last night, she had lost control after drinking, and relying on the physical strength she built up from working out, she had... forced herself upon this physically weak, national-treasure-level scientist?

And judging by the looks of it, the battle had been quite intense.

"Ji... Jiang Chen..." Academician Chen Shuyin's voice was trembling. She gripped the doorframe tightly until her knuckles turned white. "Did I... did I really do it last night?"

"Duh." Jiang Chen rolled his eyes at her, tossed the empty bottle into the trash can, scoring a perfect shot. "Not only did you do it, but you insisted it was for the sake of science. I couldn't stop you, and you nearly wore me to death."

Boom!

Academician Chen Shuyin felt her worldview collapse.

For the sake of science?

Such an animalistic excuse, and she had actually said it herself?

A sense of shame engulfed her like a tsunami. She was the youngest academician at Longke Academy, the cold, aloof goddess in the eyes of countless people, and yet she had turned into a female hooligan after drinking a bit of alcohol?

How could she face Jiang Chen in the future? How could she face Commander Qin? How could she face the state?

"I'm sorry!!!" Academician Chen Shuyin bowed deeply, so low that her head nearly hit her knees. "I will take responsibility! No... I will write a self-criticism! I'm going to confess my sins to the organization right now!"

After saying this, she didn't dare to look at Jiang Chen's expression. She grabbed her bag, covered her face, and dashed out of the villa gate like a frightened rabbit. She was moving faster than she ever did during her experiments.

"Hey? Don't run!" Jiang Chen raised his hand, looking completely bewildered. "You haven't had breakfast yet! I meant that you insisted on giving me a physical exam last night... where did your mind go?"

"Bang!" The door slammed shut, leaving behind a lingering scent of her perfume.

Jiang Chen scratched his head, rubbed his sore lower back again, and sighed helplessly. "This woman, how is her imagination even stronger than Qianqian's?"

"Forget it, it's better that she ran off." He looked at the messy living room, feeling a bit apprehensive. What if this woman sobered up, remembered the humiliating experience of being tied up like a dumpling last night, and came back in a fit of rage? It wouldn't be a physical exam then; it would probably be an autopsy.

"This is no place to stay." Jiang Chen made a swift decision. "Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best one. I might as well go check out the new base by the sea and, by the way, test out the new toy that was just sent over from the Wasteland."

One hour later.

The East China Sea coast, a private pier. This place was originally an abandoned fishing port, which Jiang Chen had bought with a wave of his hand two days ago, hanging up the sign for "Chenxing Marine Resources Development Company." Of course, this was just a cover. Its real purpose was to park and test those big guys.

The sea breeze was salty and fishy, carrying a hint of heat. Wearing a floral shirt and beach shorts, Jiang Chen lay comfortably on the deck of a newly launched luxury yacht, wearing sunglasses. This yacht had also been obtained from the Wang family as debt repayment. Although it wasn't as cool as that interstellar warship, it was more than enough for fishing and sunbathing on Earth.

"This is what you call life." Jiang Chen took a sip of iced coconut juice, looking at the beautiful scenery where the sea met the sky in the distance, feeling that the exhaustion from being tossed around by Academician Chen Shuyin all night had finally dissipated quite a bit.

However, good times don't last. This tranquility lasted less than ten minutes. The satellite phone on the table suddenly rang like a death knell.

Jiang Chen frowned and glanced at the caller ID. General Qin Weiguo.

"Old Qin, did you install surveillance on me or something?" Jiang Chen answered the phone, his tone helpless. "I've only been lying down for five minutes, and you're calling. What, are you trying to set me up with someone again?"

"Mr. Jiang, there's no time for jokes." On the other end of the line, General Qin Weiguo's voice was unprecedentedly serious, even revealing a suppressed fury. In the background, one could hear noisy electronic sounds and reports coming one after another.

"Something has happened." "Just a moment ago, the 'USS Freedom' nuclear-powered aircraft carrier strike group suddenly changed course and forcibly intruded into the East Sea Air Defense Identification Zone." "They are using the banner of 'freedom of navigation,' but in reality, they are coming for you!"

Jiang Chen sat up, took off his sunglasses, and squinted at the distant horizon. "Coming for me?" "Yes!"

General Qin Weiguo gritted his teeth. "Intelligence shows that although they didn't get the formula for the anti-cancer drug, through various signs, they have already locked onto your location. They suspect that the base capable of creating 'miracles' is located near Tianhai City."

"These bandits want to use military deterrence to force us to submit, or... attempt some underhanded tricks." "Mr. Jiang, where are you right now? Retreat to the city immediately! The seaside is too dangerous; their carrier-based aircraft have already taken off!"

Jiang Chen didn't speak. He stood up and walked to the railing of the yacht. Relying on his super vision enhanced by genetic modification, he could already vaguely see a few black dots on the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, buzzing like flies as they flew toward him.

And further away, a steel behemoth as massive as a mountain was breaking through the waves. That was the pinnacle of violent aesthetics in human industrial civilization—a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. It was also the most arrogant symbol of hegemony on this planet.

"Freedom of navigation?" Jiang Chen sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Running to my doorstep to be free?"

"Mr. Jiang! Say something! Retreat immediately!" On the phone, General Qin Weiguo's voice was hoarse with anxiety. "Our destroyers are rushing over, but it will take time! You only have a few speedboats there; you can't stop them!"

"No need to retreat." Jiang Chen's voice was calm, so calm it was as if he were saying "We're having fish tonight." "Old Qin, tell our warships, no need to rush, take it slow, and stay safe." "Since guests have arrived, as the host, I really must entertain them."

He hung up the phone and turned to walk toward the yacht's storage compartment. There, lying quietly, was a "fishing rod" with a peculiar design, pitch-black, and covered in flowing blue light patterns.

This was a little gadget he had picked up from the black market in the Wasteland last night after tucking the Empress in.

[Gravity Tractor Capture Device (Portable Individual Version)] [Description: Originally used for capturing small asteroids or out-of-control satellites in space environments. By emitting a high-intensity gravitational beam, it can forcibly tractor targets under one million tons.] [Note: Although it looks like a fishing rod, please do not use it to fish, unless you want to fling a whale onto the shore.]

Jiang Chen picked up the heavy "fishing rod" and gently stroked the cold metal patterns on it. He walked back to the deck, facing the steel behemoth getting closer in the distance, a crazy yet mocking smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"Want to come and scare me?" "Sure." "It just so happens I haven't tested this new equipment yet."

Jiang Chen skillfully set up the fishing rod, adjusted the parameters of the "damper," and then, aiming at that arrogant aircraft carrier, flicked his wrist lightly. "Since you've come, don't bother leaving." "Today, I'm going to catch a big fish!"