After thoroughly concealing her face, Xing Yuan followed her memory to the residence of her chief negotiator and politely knocked on the door.
It wasn't that she didn't want to sneak in; the security in the interstellar world was simply too robust. She might enter one second, and the next, guards would receive the alert and arrive. Every household not only had intelligence system identification but also automatic alarm functions.
This was Xing Yuan's first time here, and she curiously observed her surroundings. The house was located near the outskirts, relatively secluded. Xing Yuan wasn't worried about being recognized.
Her appearance in this world was so exquisite that even if she revealed her identity to her colleagues, few would believe her! Xing Yuan had always preferred action over thought, so she had come to find someone who could think.
Xi Yue was finally enjoying a lazy sleep when incessant noises from outside disturbed her. Annoyed, she got up, her hair disheveled, and opened the door.
As she opened the door, she saw the person standing outside give her a perfect smile. She gasped, then expressionlessly closed the door.
"Well, I must still be dreaming!" she thought. "How could the General, who should be out there fighting the insectoids, suddenly return and be standing at my doorstep?"
Xing Yuan was also astonished. "Wow! My luck has been so good lately. I don't need to find my sister; she's appearing right in front of me."
So, she happily continued to knock. Xi Yue paused, then turned and ran to the monitoring room, confirming that the person outside was indeed their General, who was supposed to be fighting insectoids.
Xi Yue glanced down at her pajamas and, through the mirror's reflection, assessed her appearance. She lightly tapped her forehead. She had thought it was one of those unruly guys from the military!
Xi Yue tidied herself up efficiently. In just ten minutes, she had styled her hair, changed into formal attire, and then opened the door with a serious demeanor.
"General, why have you returned so suddenly?" Xi Yue asked, sitting on the sofa with a stern expression, showing no trace of her earlier disheveled state.
Xing Yuan looked at her, her eyes filled with obvious confusion. Were the person she saw earlier and the person before her the same?
"I was, I was tricked," Xing Yuan admitted, lowering her head in shame. Though she hated to admit it, she was the one who had fallen into the trap.
"General, I've told you long ago that besides our own people, no one else is trustworthy. Moreover, you've recently become famous, and many people are watching you!" Xi Yue frowned slightly and began to lecture.
After a while, Xi Yue looked at Xing Yuan, who was lowering her head with a guilty expression, and a faint doubt arose in her heart. "Strange, when I said this before, she was always indifferent. Did she finally understand after being tricked this time? That doesn't make sense either! Our General has always been stubborn, and she's been tricked more than once or twice. Why would she suddenly understand my good intentions this time?"
"General, are you listening to me?" Xi Yue confirmed.
"Of course, I heard you. This time, I was careless. From now on, I will definitely analyze everything with you before acting," Xing Yuan said, looking up at her with sincere eyes.
"However... there's something I want to discuss with you," Xing Yuan said hesitantly.
"What is it? General, please speak freely. There's no need to discuss it," Xi Yue replied with a guarded, business-like attitude.
Xing Yuan felt a pang of hurt and, gathering her courage, blurted out, "Xi Yue, from now on... can I call you by your name? And you can call me by my name in private. We've known each other for several years, and I think we should be friends by now!"
Thinking of this, Xing Yuan felt sad. If she had known her sister for this long, she would have acted long ago. Unlike this being, who was like her own clone, she was timid. She clearly had good feelings for the other person but insisted on pushing them away.
Every time Xi Yue approached her, except for reporting work or analyzing matters, she would respond coldly and refuse any private meetings.
Of course, she hadn't met anyone else privately either.
"Okay," Xi Yue replied softly, a hint of warmth seeming to appear in her eyes. Her gaze was slightly dazed, as if recalling the first time she met Xing Yuan.
She had been an orphan, raised with the support of the Federation's various welfare policies. Later, her mental strength was tested and found to be B-grade, not strong, but not bad either.
She joined the military, enlisting in the Federation's First Legion.
The Federation had five legions in total, with the First being the strongest and the Fifth the weakest. A negotiator was a civilian role with almost no opportunity to go to the battlefield.
They were responsible for negotiating cooperation with other legions or conducting exchanges of resources and interests, making them an indispensable part of the system.
She had met Xing Yuan, who was already a General at the time, after securing significant benefits for the First Legion during a wartime negotiation.
Xing Yuan appeared to be a cold person, taciturn, yet she always fought on the front lines. Others said she was loyal to the Federation, but Xi Yue saw the look in Xing Yuan's eyes during battle—a pure, unadulterated gleam of eagerness for combat and slaughter.
The facts bore this out. Apart from combat, she had no interest in anything else. She never thought of getting involved with this person and only wanted to be a negotiator peacefully.
She was intelligent, calm, and daring. Her promotion speed, without any background, was already considered extremely fast.
It wasn't until she risked accompanying a transport mission and encountered insectoids that she truly believed she was going to die. Xing Yuan appeared like a divine soldier and annihilated all the insectoids before her.
She suddenly felt that having a battle-crazed General was a remarkable thing. From then on, her goal gradually changed.
When she finally reached a high position and stood before her savior, she discovered that Xing Yuan had completely forgotten her. But then again, she saved so many people every day; how could she remember an ordinary person like herself?
Later, for some reason, she became this person's confidante. She saw the face beneath the silver mask, a face whose appearance was entirely inconsistent with her actions.
She seemed oblivious to the destructive power of her true appearance, remaining so "innocent." For years, she had been cleaning up countless messes for her.
Now, hearing Xing Yuan consider her a friend, Xi Yue felt somewhat flattered and overwhelmed. When did Xing Yuan, this straightforward woman, start considering others as friends? Wasn't her world divided into only trustworthy people and enemies?
"Heh, it seems the General has suffered quite a blow! What, were you betrayed by someone you trusted?" Despite feeling delighted, Xi Yue's expression remained impassive, and she retorted with venom.