26: Chapter 26 Disembarkation

To tell the truth, his physical constitution might have undergone some unknown changes.

After getting off the ship, aside from needing a moment to adjust to the solid ground, he felt no other discomfort.

Well, except perhaps for a slight lingering dizziness from sleeping too long.

Yawning, he declined Laffey's request to sleep together. Li Ming looked out at the beach and the trees sprouting fresh green.

Spring had arrived.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed. Last month, he had officially become an adult with full legal capacity.

Fujian had prepared a simple birthday for him. While a cake was out of the question (absolutely not because Fujian broke the oven), and a red envelope wasn't needed (he really had no use for it anymore)...

In the end, dinner was made by Z23. She had originally wanted to bake another cake, but there simply wasn't enough time.

Because of this, Fujian had been acting timidly and apologetic for several days.

Stealing a glance at her, he saw she was holding that box, unsure where to discard it. After a moment's thought, Li Ming walked over, took the box from her, and headed towards the island's Production Center.

Fujian followed along. Being with her gave Li Ming a distinct feeling.

He tossed the whole mess directly into the Thermal Power Station to be incinerated, treating it as adding fuel to the fire. Li Ming shook his hand; it was really hot in there.

"Are you sure this won't cause any problems?!" Fujian looked pained. Sometimes her Commander's bizarre ideas were truly baffling.

This aspect of him had never changed over all these years.

Li Ming glanced back at her. "Probably not, right?"

Fujian facepalmed. What did he mean by 'probably'?

Oh well. The power station was sturdy enough.

Besides...

"The Commander is becoming more and more mature."

He was starting to have his own ideas, no longer just blindly following orders.

Even if some of those ideas were a bit rebellious, overall, it was a change for the better.

Fujian's mood improved as well, but...

"People always change," Li Ming said, turning back. His eyes were still dull and lifeless; Fujian couldn't see into his heart.

Why?

Why was he always so despondent?

Was there something he didn't want to tell her?

Fujian didn't know.

She took his hand. It was rough. The faint, unexplained scars on his arm, though not prominent, gleamed with a different sheen than his skin under the sunlight.

"Commander, even though you're healthy now, you mustn't slack off on your training." Forcing a smile, she spoke to him.

"Right now?" That was Li Ming's reply.

"Of course, tomorrow..." She looked at the boy. "You've worked hard today, Commander. Let's rest for now."

Every step of growth deserved encouragement. That's what he had once told her. Even though he was now inexperienced, she could still guide him correctly.

"Alright..." Li Ming shrugged. It was only at times like this that he felt like doing absolutely nothing.

It felt like having to go to school even after leaving it, doing things he didn't want to do every day.

But seeing the look in her eyes—she wanted him to do this, and she would accompany him to achieve this goal.

Wasn't that better than the endless, aimless "study hard"?

At least there was a visible target, and someone to walk alongside him every day.

She was so outstanding—the daughter of the sea, the princess of the navy, a future queen. Yet, she disregarded his constant excuses and insisted on pulling him forward.

He needed to make an effort to respond to her. He ought to do this.

He *had* to do this. He never wanted to return to those days when no one could have a normal conversation with him.

Thinking this, Fujian took the initiative and grasped his hand.

Li Ming was taken aback, but she pulled him forward.

This was fundamentally different from pushing him. If there was a bottomless abyss ahead, she might truly be willing to step into it first, to scout the path for him.

Why 'might'?

Because in Li Ming's shallow understanding, he had never imagined, nor could he believe, that anyone other than his parents would be one hundred percent good to him. Even though she had proven her loyalty to him in every possible way...

"Commander..."

"Hmm?" Li Ming snapped back to attention. Her smile was still as radiant under the sun.

"Although I don't know exactly what's on your mind..." She moved closer, standing face-to-face with him. "No matter what you've been through in the past, the bond between us is unshakable. Please remember this: I will always be with you."

Her words carried a weighty, principled tone. While Fujian didn't possess any mind-reading abilities, he had actually confessed some things long ago, so she knew what he needed.

A reassurance, to temporarily halt his wild thoughts.

"...You seem to have said that many times," Li Ming said helplessly.

"But it works on you, Commander..." Fujian pulled him along, continuing forward.

They slowly entered the small door to the Command Ship's lower hold. Unlike the gloom of their first encounter, it had been converted into a sort of entryway changing room.

"If you need me to help you with actions..." Fujian turned and closed the main door.

"No, no, no, no! That's really not necessary!" Li Ming hurriedly waved his hands. Was she joking? If he broke that rule now, he could forget about getting a good night's sleep ever again.

As the Starter Ship, Laffey might not have overly strong possessive tendencies, but she definitely wouldn't let him off the hook.

In certain specific situations, Laffey being able to throw a tantrum at him was considered a privilege of its own.

Fujian could only be considered a Fiancée, not formally pledged yet. But Laffey was truly the old married couple...

Fujian smiled, deciding not to press the issue further.

But Li Ming, freed from his internal spiral, became lively-minded again.

"Hu Jian..."

"Hmm?" Using the same questioning tone as Li Ming, she really was similar to him in some ways.

"Sometimes, I feel you're like both an older sister and a mother to me."

Fujian paused. "Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know. But I get the feeling your original intention wasn't to be my mother or sister." In front of familiar people, Li Ming always grew bolder, sometimes daring to say anything that came to mind.

Leaning against the shoe rack to change her shoes, her gaze fell on the ring on her middle finger.

Of course not, she thought to herself. But was this really the right stage for that?

He was no longer alone by his side. In the future, there would be gentler, more considerate, more capable people around him to care for him, while she knew nothing but fighting.

Still, she couldn't help feeling a bit unwilling.

"Hu Jian?" Seeing her staring blankly at her ring, Li Ming worried he might have overstepped.

"Commander... No matter when, I love you." As if guided by an unseen force, Fujian's words became even more direct.

Now it was Li Ming's turn to stand there dumbfounded.

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