IMAO Chapter 99

Jiang Yuan looked at the woman who promised to provide food, his expression complicated.

Food must be scarce in the slums. Many people had gathered to watch them earlier, and almost every one of them looked thin and sickly. They clearly did not get enough nutrition.

Their group had grown from two hundred to four hundred people, yet the woman said she would provide food for them. Jiang Yuan believed that if she dared to make such a promise, she must have the means to fulfill it.

Like Jiang Yuan, Ji Rong and He Chuan noticed something was off. They frowned, glancing at the woman’s retreating figure before looking down at the food in their hands, conflicted about whether to continue eating.

However, the tourists around them had already finished eating their expired food portions without any issues.

…

“This woman is definitely suspicious,” He Chuan glanced at their sleeping Federation compatriots and continued in a low voice, “but they don’t seem to mean harm.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Yuan looked outside the room. Night had fallen completely, and the generator was off. An old battery-powered lamp sat in the room. Aka, Alice, Envy, and Nina had all returned to their rooms to sleep. “But we still can’t let our guard down.”

“How about this? The three of us take turns keeping watch. We’ll stay alert and keep an eye on things,” He Chuan suggested.

Jiang Yuan nodded, “Alright, Instructor, you sleep first. You’ve had a long day. I’ll wake you up later.”

He Chuan hesitated, but he was indeed exhausted. As drowsiness washed over him, he nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll sleep first. Wake me up later.”

After speaking, He Chuan sat down with his back against the wall. His breathing soon evened out, indicating he had fallen asleep.

Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong sat together, shoulders touching.

Looking at the exhausted He Chuan, Jiang Yuan felt guilty. If it weren’t for the delay at the hospital, the three of them wouldn’t be here at all. They should have already boarded the Princess of the Night and launched into space to wait out the war, instead of taking risks here.

As Jiang Yuan was lost in thought, a hand suddenly pressed on his head, guiding it to rest on a firm shoulder. “Lean on me and sleep.”

Jiang Yuan’s head rested on Ji Rong’s shoulder, and he caught a faint whiff of Ji Rong’s pheromones. A sense of contentment washed over him, easing much of his fatigue.

The scent was intoxicating, almost addictive. For a moment, Jiang Yuan even entertained the thought of hiding Ji Rong away so he could smell this every day.

The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he quickly shook off the inappropriate idea, silently cursing how dangerous pheromone dependency could be.

Ji Rong felt Jiang Yuan tremble and tentatively wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Staring straight ahead, he said, “Are you cold? I’ll hold you. Come closer.”

Jiang Yuan glanced at Ji Rong, thinking to himself, I’m not cold, but your pheromones are way too tempting.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to push away Ji Rong’s hand. Being surrounded by Ji Rong’s pheromones felt too comfortable!

Ji Rong kept his eyes forward because he was nervous, his palm slightly damp with sweat.

Would his hand be pushed away?

Ji Rong wondered to himself.

Jiang Yuan leaned on Ji Rong’s shoulder. “I’ll sleep first, wake me up later.”

Ji Rong replied, “Okay.”

Jiang Yuan drifted off to sleep, leaving Ji Rong alone with his ears turning slightly red.

…

“What exactly happened? Why didn’t he board the ship?”

“Still no contact?”

“Who else is in North Mali besides him? You didn’t leave him alone there, did you?”

“He’s not alone. There’s a student and a military officer with him.”

“I don’t care about your arrangements. I demand you rescue him as soon as possible! I don’t care about the others, but you must get him out!”

The old man in the communication slammed the table and spoke urgently, “Whatever it takes! Nothing can happen to him! Do you understand his importance? Given some time, he could develop mechas with superior performance! This child’s talent far surpasses mine!”

“We shouldn’t have let him participate in that mecha competition in the first place! None of this would have happened!”

Bombarded by Xu Chen’s outburst, Marshal Alfonso didn’t even dare to speak up.

It wasn’t that Alfonso was afraid of Xu Chen. He just worried that Xu Chen might have a hypertension attack given how agitated he was.

He couldn’t take that responsibility. Xu Chen was a national treasure-level scientist of the Federation.

“Alright, alright, Lao Xu, don’t get so worked up. It’s bad for your health,” Alfonso tried to calm him down. “The Federation has already ordered the Fearless Vanguard to rescue all UN citizens in North Mali.”

“I know that. I don’t care about anything else. I’m just reminding you to prioritize rescuing Jiang Yuan. Don’t let one wrong decision cost the nation an exceptional scientist!” Xu Chen’s voice rose several degrees as he emphasized his point.

Seeing Xu Chen so agitated that his beard trembled, Alfonso knew it would be difficult to calm him down. After some thought, he said, “I’ve already ordered Federation forces to conduct the rescue at maximum speed. Besides the Fearless Vanguard peacekeeping force, Ji Chong is also leading a team to North Mali. Lao Xu, please stay calm.”

“Ji Chong is leading the rescue?” Xu Chen was momentarily stunned. Hearing that Ji Chong, the Federation’s God of War, was involved gave him a slight sense of relief.

Alfonso nodded.

Of course. Not just Ji Chong, but the Royal Guard of Hoyt and the Iron-Blooded Emperor were also on their way. Their primary target was Ji Rong, but since Ji Rong and Jiang Yuan were practically inseparable, rescuing Ji Rong meant rescuing Jiang Yuan.

“That’s more like it.” Xu Chen grumbled darkly before ending the communication.

Left with a suddenly terminated call, Alfonso looked helpless. He really had no way of dealing with Xu Chen.

Xu Chen’s anxiety was understandable. He had taken very few students in his lifetime, and Jiang Yuan clearly suited his taste. He had even specifically arranged a single room for Jiang Yuan before. Now he was like a father worrying about his youngest student.

But regarding Xu Chen’s claim that Jiang Yuan’s mecha design talent surpassed his own, Alfonso scoffed.

Xu Chen really didn’t need to tell such lies. Even if Jiang Yuan’s mecha design talent wasn’t exceptional, Alfonso had witnessed his piloting talent firsthand. He wouldn’t want such a gifted mecha pilot to die in a foreign war either. He would spare no effort in the rescue regardless.

This Xu Chen really dared to say anything for his newly accepted student.

Even in the military, Jiang Yuan’s mecha operation skills would rank highly. If his mecha design talent could surpass Xu Chen’s, what hope was there for everyone else?

…

“Hey! Why didn’t you wake me up yesterday?” He Chuan asked quietly, eating his newly distributed bread as he spoke to Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong beside him.

“Don’t look at me. He didn’t wake me up either,” Jiang Yuan pointed at Ji Rong, who looked exhausted after staying up all night.

While eating, Jiang Yuan asked Ji Rong, “Was there anything unusual last night?”

Ji Rong looked up at Jiang Yuan and shook his head. “No. After nightfall, Alice and that man called Aka didn’t come out at all.”

“Strange,” Jiang Yuan muttered.

This morning’s food was still expired bread, but fresher than yesterday’s. They were only seven or eight days past the expiration date. It tasted okay.

“Later when we go out, let’s look around the factory for anything unusual,” He Chuan said, finishing his food quickly. “But from what we’ve seen so far, this woman means us no harm.”

“Okay.” Jiang Yuan nodded.

After breakfast, the people who had escaped here with them left their rooms in small groups to get fresh air in the factory courtyard. However, the slum’s air wasn’t exactly fresh, it definitely had a stench.

Everyone greeted the three of them very warmly.

“You’re out! Thank you so much for yesterday!”

“Yes, yes, thank you, guys. You’re really amazing! I recognize you! I watched the competition!”

“…”

After exchanging greetings with everyone, the three walked around the factory. When they reached a warehouse with closed doors, they looked around and found nothing special. Just as they were about to leave, Ji Rong suddenly stopped and picked something up from the ground.

“What is it?” Jiang Yuan turned to look at Ji Rong.

Ji Rong opened his palm, revealing a K891 bullet. The K891 was a typical heavy machine gun. While North Mali didn’t prohibit firearms, heavy weapons like the K891 weren’t something people would carry around for self-defense.

“K891?” Jiang Yuan frowned, taking the bullet from Ji Rong’s palm to examine it. “This bullet looks quite new, it probably hasn’t been here long. People in the slums can’t afford this stuff.”

“They’re not going to suddenly pull out a K891 and turn us all into Swiss cheese, are they?” He Chuan joked with a wry smile.

Just as He Chuan finished speaking, a man walked over and looked at the three of them. His eyebrows raised slightly as he glanced at the closed warehouse door, then he let out a small sigh of relief and asked, “What are you doing here?”

It was the Beta male whom Envy called Uncle Aka.

“Are we not allowed here?” Jiang Yuan discreetly slipped the bullet into his bag while asking Aka.

Aka paused before nodding. “You’re not from here, you don’t know the situation. In the slums, you should absolutely avoid secluded places. People often disappear suddenly.”

“Disappear?” Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, people disappear here every year. Envy’s father disappeared suddenly a few years ago too.” Aka’s expression was serious, clearly not joking. “Don’t wander around. Watch out for your safety.”

With that, Aka led the three of them back to the courtyard at the front of the factory.

“Do you think what he said is true?” Jiang Yuan rubbed his chin, watching the man’s retreating figure with interest as he asked the other two.

Ji Rong and He Chuan shook their heads. They couldn’t determine if what this Beta called Aka said was true or false, but they were certain that Aka was suspicious.

At lunchtime, Envy brought his sister Nina to distribute food to everyone. After finishing the distribution, Envy and Nina sat down to eat with everyone else.

“Envy, where’s your father? We haven’t seen him since we came here,” He Chuan asked casually.

As soon as he spoke, Aina, who was with her child, glared at He Chuan. The child obviously didn’t have a father, how could he ask such a question!

Hearing this question, Envy’s mood visibly dropped. “Dad disappeared six years ago.”

“Disappeared? How could he disappear?”

Envy shook his head, saying sadly, “I don’t know. That day, Dad went out and never came back.”

Nina was young, and her brother’s words clearly triggered unpleasant memories. Her eyes immediately turned red and she started crying…

“There, there, don’t cry!” Aina gently patted Nina’s back while glaring fiercely at He Chuan, her expression clearly saying ‘Look what you’ve done, what kind of stupid questions are you asking?’

He Chuan rubbed his nose, and while everyone was comforting the two crying children, he looked at Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong.

The children’s reactions seemed natural, not fake. Jiang Yuan found this believable, but how could someone just vanish without a trace?

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