Chapter 1000
It's not working hours now, what should you call me?
"Hey"
Horii watched Professor Mizuno's hunched back recede into the distance, his heart heavy and suffocating, as if weighed down by a damp wad of cotton. He kicked the metal support at his feet, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the tactical belt—his mentor had dedicated his life to researching "alien coexistence," and the idea itself wasn't wrong, but he had chosen monsters like the Lightning Man as his subject. Who could have imagined that those creatures hiding in the ionosphere would be so savage as to resort to cannibalism?
Especially with the recent attack by Gabaruga, the Lightning Men hid farther than anyone else. By the time humanity had exhausted all its resources to eliminate the threat, they might still be lurking in the shadows, eyeing humanity's "easy prey." Horii clicked his tongue, finally understanding: coexistence requires mutual understanding, but the Lightning Men, instead of helping, only caused trouble within their own ranks, hindering progress. Such creatures would never get anywhere.
With a soft "smack," Cui Ming's hand suddenly slapped him on the shoulder. Horii jumped in fright, almost leaping up, and instinctively took a half-step back: "Ah! Instructor! You, when did you get here?!"
Choi Myung raised an eyebrow at his still-shaken appearance and curled his lips into a smile: "Horui, there's nothing wrong with the ideals of you two, but when it comes to peace, it depends on who you're talking to."
"Yes," Horii quickly stood up straight, his ears burning slightly.
“Cultural differences can sometimes be harder than a monster’s shell.” Cui Ming walked to the control panel and tapped the alien civilization data on the screen with his fingertip. “It’s like how some planets raise a white flag to surrender, while others raise a white flag to declare war. If you get it wrong, you could lose your life.”
Horii opened his mouth, and a cold sweat inexplicably broke out on his back—the difference was too frightening.
“If you went up to the Lightning Men and said ‘let’s be friends,’ do you think they would think?” Cui Ming turned to stare at him, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Horii's Adam's apple bobbed, and he instantly understood—this was no different from running up to a wild beast and saying, "I'm delicious!" "Instructor, I...I understand!"
Cui Ming patted him on the shoulder, his tone softening: "Remembering this lesson is more useful than practicing martial arts ten times."
"Yes!" Horii nodded vigorously, and most of the pent-up frustration in his heart dissipated.
Cui Ming ignored him and turned to look at Ye Rui, who was adjusting the equipment in the corner. His voice suddenly relaxed: "Ye Rui, open the game."
"Roger that, Instructor!" Ye Rui's eyes lit up, and his fingers flew across the keyboard three times faster in an instant—as a well-known gamer in the Victory Team, he had long ago modified the base's main control console to be "dual-purpose," capable of both cracking alien codes and running the latest fighting games.
The console screen switched images instantly, and light and shadow effects flashed across the base. The members of the Victory Team didn't even look up; some wrote reports, others inspected weapons, all seemingly unfazed.
After all, everyone knows that Cui Ming doesn't smoke or drink. When fighting monsters, his nerves are tauter than a bowstring, and after the battle, he relieves stress by playing games. Of course, another way is to ask his wife for help. Not to mention that Megumi is his wife. Even without that relationship, he just single-handedly led his team to defeat Gaibaluga, and if he wants to relax by playing games, who would dare to say "no"?
Lina, biting her pen, peeked at the screen and saw Cui Ming's character defeating his opponent with a combo. She couldn't help but mutter to Da Gu, "Only an instructor would dare to play games in the control room. Anyone else would have been scolded by the intermediary captain long ago."
Daigo chuckled and shook his head, his repair tools pausing for a moment—he now fully understood Cui Ming's intentions. This instructor not only taught them how to fight monsters, but also how to survive in the complex environment of space. Megumi walked over with a freshly brewed coffee, watching Cui Ming huddled in front of the control panel, his fingers flying across the game controller, the character on the screen executing a combo that cornered his opponent. She shook her head helplessly. She gently placed the coffee on the table, her tone slightly reproachful: "Storm One."
Without even looking up or stopping his fingertips, Cui replied casually, "It's not working time now."
Kijima sighed helplessly, softened her tone, and added a touch of intimacy that only the two of them could understand: "Husband."
Upon hearing the word "husband," Cui Ming visibly paused before slowly turning his head, taking a sip of his coffee, and raising an eyebrow to ask, "What is it, wife?"
"What do you plan to do about the Lightning Man?" Megumi pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, her eyes serious. She had heard the Lightning Man's piercing laughter through the monitoring equipment when Gabaruga was rampaging, and she still remembered the malice in that laughter clearly.
Cui Ming put down the game controller, leaned back in his chair, and said in a straightforward tone that made Lina, who was passing by, pause in her tracks: "Smack him."
Seeing that Megumi didn't speak, he added, "Megumi, you have to understand, these guys have gone way too far. We're fighting tooth and nail with Gabaruga on the front lines, and they're just hiding in the ionosphere watching the show, laughing over there. Do they really think humans are easy to bully?"
Megumi nodded slightly, her fingertips tracing the inside of the coffee cup. "Yes, indeed." The thought of Cui Ming climbing on the shell of Gabaruga and almost being hit by an electromagnetic pulse, while Lightning Man laughed gleefully beside him, completely extinguished any remaining tolerance she had for Lightning Man.
While the two were talking quietly, the members of the Victory Team were secretly exchanging glances, wondering to themselves:
"Hiss—Captain and the others are being so mushy, aren't they?" Lina whispered to Daigo, but her eyes couldn't help but glance at the couple sitting side by side. "That 'husband' and 'wife' they were calling each other just now gave me goosebumps."
Daigo suppressed a laugh and replied in a low voice, "You forgot? The instructor's wife isn't just the captain. There's also Miss Frederick, whom I've met before, and..." Before he could finish speaking, Horii tugged at his sleeve.
Horii gestured towards the two of them with his lip and whispered, "Don't gossip. But to be honest, even though the instructors have many wives, nobody really thinks it's a problem."
Ye Rui chimed in, agreeing, "That's right! With the instructor's combat prowess, always charging ahead and fighting monsters head-on, he's come back injured several times. It's only natural that he gets these privileges. If I had that kind of ability, I probably would have received the same treatment too."
These words elicited chuckles from the group, but no one refuted them—after all, Cui Ming never relied on "privileges" to flaunt his power; his privileges were earned through countless acts of bravery on the front lines. Like this time against Gaibalga, if he hadn't endured the electromagnetic suppression and attacked at close range, how could the Victory Team have resolved the crisis so quickly?
Cui Ming seemed to notice the team members' gazes, turned his head to glance at them, and asked with a hint of teasing in his eyes, "Are you all idle? Finished writing the report? Finished the weapons inspection?"
The team members scattered instantly, and Lina muttered as she walked away, "Sure enough, gentleness is only reserved for the middle captain; we're just punching bags."
Seeing this, Megumi couldn't help but laugh. Choi Myung picked up the game controller again, but didn't start the game immediately. Instead, he held her hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll handle the Lightning Men's matter. I won't let them cause any more trouble for Earth."
Kijima Hui took his hand and nodded gently—she would never doubt Choi Myung's abilities, nor would she question his decisions, just as he would always be there for her when she needed him. (End of Chapter)