Half an hour later, on the Logistics Department's open-air platform.
Though called open-air, it was actually just a cleared observation area. The top was covered with a transparent protective shield, revealing the pitch-black starry sky outside.
Several metal crates were piled on the platform. Originally used to store patrol equipment, they had been temporarily requisitioned as tables and chairs.
The elevator doors opened, and Gary stepped out.
Commander, the Coiled-Horn Beast meat you requested. When the logistics guys heard it was for you, they went out of their way to pick the fattest rack of ribs and two hind legs.
He set the crate down on the platform and opened the lid. Inside, several large chunks of dark red frozen meat were neatly stacked. The fat was evenly distributed, and the quality looked quite impressive.
Jiang Lijin leaned over to take a look, her eyes lighting up.
Baal crouched in the corner of the platform. Using his combat knife, he split open a discarded metal rack and dismantled a few crossbars to build a makeshift grill. His movements were incredibly swift and precise.
Gary stood by and watched for a few seconds before tactfully stepping back.
Well then, Commander, I'll head to the command room first to get the medical officer. Didn't you schedule a meeting with him in an hour?
Baal nodded without even looking up. Seeing this, Gary breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and ran off. He had no desire to stick around and be a third wheel.
Baal picked up the combat knife and sliced the frozen meat into pieces of even thickness, placing them on the crossbars. He fished out a small concentrated energy fire starter from his gear.
This gadget was originally meant for wilderness survival, but using it to grill meat now was rather fitting.
The flames flared up, and the meat began to sizzle.
Baal's grilling technique was indeed quite skilled. He controlled the heat perfectly, roasting each slice of meat to perfection.
The base only consumed nutrient fluids, so naturally, there was no proper tableware to be found.
When the first batch of meat was ready, Baal picked up a slice with the tip of his combat knife and handed it directly to Jiang Lijin, knife and all.
Jiang Lijin didn't stand on ceremony. She took it and took a bite right off the blade.
The meat of the Coiled-Horn Beast was firm and chewy, carrying a fresh sweetness unique to wild game. Even without any seasoning, the natural flavor of the ingredients alone was miles better than those nutrient fluids.
Delicious! Jiang Lijin mumbled her appraisal, flashing a thumbs-up at Baal.
Baal didn't look up, but the corners of his lips curled up slightly. He pulled out another combat knife from who-knows-where and continued grilling the next batch.
Slice after slice, she ate as much as he grilled.
The whole process was unusually quiet, offering a rare moment of peace.
Just as Jiang Lijin was about seventy or eighty percent full, Gary brought a middle-aged man up the elevator to the terrace.
The middle-aged man wore a white medical officer's uniform and carried a silver portable equipment case.
Commander. The medical officer saluted, his gaze shifting between the grill and Jiang Lijin with a subtle expression.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Military was grilling meat for someone on the front lines.
There was a lot to unpack in this scene.
Baal stood up, took a hand towel, and meticulously wiped the grease from his hands, acting as if he wasn't the one crouching on the floor grilling meat just moments ago.
Did you bring the equipment?
I did. The medical officer opened the equipment case and took out a palm-sized toxicology analyzer. Full-spectrum scanning with molecular-level precision. This is the absolute best toxicology device currently available in the entire Federal Military Medical System.
Baal rolled up his sleeve, exposing his forearm.
The medical officer pressed the analyzer against his vein and initiated the scan. A blue band of light moved slowly along the path of the blood vessel as data scrolled rapidly across the holographic screen.
Jiang Lijin sat on a nearby metal crate, wiping the grease from the corners of her mouth with a tissue, but her eyes remained fixed on Baal.
Three minutes later, the analyzer emitted a short beep.
The medical officer stared at the screen, his expression changing.
What is it? Baal asked.
...Nothing. The medical officer swallowed hard. There is nothing at all... All indicators are completely normal.
Baal frowned. Impossible!
I think it's impossible too. Fine beads of sweat formed on the medical officer's forehead as his fingers tapped a few times on the device. I will switch modes and scan again.
The second scan.
The result was exactly the same. Completely clean, with no abnormalities whatsoever.
The medical officer wiped his sweat, his voice tight. Commander, either this poison has been completely metabolized, or... its molecular structure completely exceeds the recognition range of our current detection equipment. The device does not recognize it at all, so it is treating it as a normal substance.
Baal fell silent.
Sitting on the sidelines, Jiang Lijin understood too.
The device showed everything was normal, but the poison inside Baal definitely existed. She had seen the symptoms with her own eyes when the poison flared up that day; it could not have been fake. The fact that this thing evaded a molecular-level scan meant its camouflage capabilities far exceeded conventional understanding, and it might not even belong to any known field of toxicology.
The medical officer broke out in a cold sweat from anxiety. The Commander's symptoms were not fake, yet his equipment stubbornly failed to read any abnormalities.
This was even more devastating than diagnosing a terminal illness.
Commander, the medical officer spoke with difficulty. With our current technological capabilities, I am afraid...
Before he could finish, Gary's optical computer chimed.
He glanced down at it and looked up. Commander, the Empire's transport ship has entered the outer perimeter of our defense line and is requesting clearance. Academician Chiron has arrived.
Jiang Lijin's eyes widened. Chiron? What is he doing here?
Baal shot her a glance. The Empire sent him over to provide medical assistance.
Isn't that great? Jiang Lijin said. Let him take a look at the poison in your body. Maybe he will have a solution.
She spoke with a flat tone, even sounding a bit like it was a given. To her, this was perfectly normal logic: if your own medical officer could not handle it, and a top-tier medical academician from the Empire had arrived, of course you should let him try.
But the expression on Baal's face visibly cooled down.
The medical officer kept his head down, packing up his equipment and pretending he did not exist. Gary stood to the side, his gaze bouncing back and forth between Baal and Jiang Lijin. His mouth twitched, but he forcibly swallowed the words that had reached the tip of his tongue.
Jiang Lijin finally noticed the atmosphere was off, feeling the air around her drop a few degrees.
She looked up and saw Baal's cold face, feeling bewildered. What was his problem now?
Over the past few days of interacting with Baal, she realized that this man's mood swings could change at the drop of a hat, and he never offered an explanation. One second he was perfectly fine grilling meat for her, and the next he was cold enough to freeze water. She could not be bothered to care.
In contrast, although Tinia was clingy, he was much easier to get along with; he spoke his mind and would say it directly if he was unhappy. Chiron was the same, gentle, measured, and never a source of frustration.
Twenty minutes later.
The elevator doors to the terrace opened, and Chiron walked out.
He was wearing a well-tailored dark gray trench coat, his black hair neatly combed back. The moment he stepped out of the elevator, his gray eyes locked onto Jiang Lijin's direction.
Ms. Jiang, he spoke first to greet Jiang Lijin, his tone natural.
Director Chiron, Jiang Lijin nodded at him.
The interaction between the two of them had always been polite like this, neither too distant nor too close.
Only then did Chiron turn his gaze to Baal, giving a polite nod. Commander-in-Chief Baal.
"Director Chiron's presence brings great honor to the Federation." Baal's tone was polite to the extreme, but the three males other than Jiang Lijin all felt a slight chill in the air.
The two 3S-grade males stared at each other from three paces away.
Their auras were completely different, but the sense of oppression they emitted was equally matched.
Gary silently took two steps back, standing side by side with the medical officer in the corner.
The medical officer asked in a low voice, "Should I leave?"
"Don't go," Gary lowered his voice. "I can't handle this alone..."
Baal and the medical officer briefly explained the toxin situation to Chiron. They detailed the symptoms during an attack, the fact that the scan results were completely normal, and the dilemma of their current equipment being entirely unable to identify it.
After listening, Chiron didn't rush to draw a conclusion. He tilted his head slightly, his gray eyes darkening as if he were rapidly flipping through a massive database in his mind.
A moment later, he spoke, "I will requisition another deep toxicology analysis device from the Central Hospital. At the same time, I need to collect a blood sample to send back for in vitro cultivation. If this toxin truly possesses molecular-level camouflage capabilities, conventional testing won't work, and we'll have to change our approach."
Baal nodded; there was no other way right now.
Having finished discussing business, Chiron unceremoniously sat down next to Jiang Lijin.
He sat right in the spot where Baal had just been grilling meat.
The grill next to them was still radiating residual heat, and the air was filled with the savory aroma of the meat Baal had cooked. After sitting down, Chiron naturally picked up the military knife and took over Baal's job of grilling meat for Jiang Lijin.
But as for the results of his grilling...
Jiang Lijin took a bite, chewed, and said nothing.
However, she wasn't picky and continued to eat.
Baal stood three paces away, taking all of this in.
Gary stealthily turned his head and whispered into the medical officer's ear, "The commander's face is about to turn as black as his spiritual body."
The medical officer shuddered and replied in a hushed voice, "...Adjutant Gary, do you think the commander will notice if we slip away right now?"
"Yes." Gary was expressionless.
Medical officer: "..."
Jiang Lijin finished the last piece of meat and called out to Xiao Yi in her mind.
[I'm here, I'm here!] Xiao Yi replied instantly, its tone as cheerful as ever.
[How is the investigation going regarding the original owner's soul that I asked you to look into earlier?]
Xiao Yi fell silent for two seconds. When it spoke again, it had uncharacteristically dropped its usual playfulness.
[...I found it.]
