Chapter 83: Call for Help

Even with a soundproof wall, it would be impossible for the neighbors not to hear such a loud noise.

Within seconds, Major Yan He appeared. After confirming that there was no one else in the bathroom and it was really only Jiang Miao, he lowered his gun, looked at the mess in front of the sink, and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Jiang Miao said, throwing something in her hand to the ground. “I saw his stuff and lost control of my emotions for a moment.”

The item, now deformed from her grip, was an electric shaver for men. On the ground was a shattered bottle of aftershave, the glass shards glistening, emitting a clean and fresh fragrance.

The people above complained she wasn’t angry enough; her anger perhaps just wasn’t something she wanted to show in front of them.

Major Yan He put away his gun and extended his hand to her. “Watch out for the glass.”

Jiang Miao took hold of his arm, trying to tiptoe around the glass shards. However, her wrist was suddenly gripped, a strong force lifting her off the ground.

Though she appeared slender, her high bone density and muscle fiber density made her weigh several times more than an average woman. But this weight was no more than lifting a leaf for Major Yan He.

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Major Yan He leaned against the wall by the bathroom door, took out a cigarette and bit it, but then remembered he was in a lady’s bedroom, so he resisted lighting it, just biting on it for comfort.

Raising his eyes, Major Yan He saw Jiang Miao draw the curtain of the walk-in closet. He took the cigarette from his lips, a slight smile forming.

But the smile quickly faded.

He turned to look inside the bathroom—the mirror was shattered, and the wires behind it were crackling, sparking with electricity.

Major Yan He’s expression turned cold. He activated the smart device on his wrist and sent a message.

When Jiang Miao arrived at the dining room, she found that the breakfast consisted of her usual favorites. It was clear Major Yan He had checked the data from the cooking machine.

Major Yan He personally served the food in front of her. In the past, “Yan He” had done the same.

They were both men who knew how to interact with women.

As they were about to leave after breakfast, Jiang Miao asked, “You have a driver’s license, right?”

Of course, Major Yan He did. Jiang Miao then instructed Xiaona to bring the car from the garage to the parking platform outside the balcony.

The sleek black car had lines that clearly appealed to male preferences. Major Yan He couldn’t help but compliment it, “Nice car.”

Jiang Miao was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Strictly speaking, this should be your car.”

Major Yan He: “?”

“If I’m not mistaken,” Jiang Miao explained, “the money used to buy it should be yours.”

Major Yan He: “…”

“The medical pod at home, and many other things, especially the shared child-rearing expenses…” Jiang Miao continued, rubbing her temples as they drove. “All of these were probably charged to your account, since he was impersonating you.”

She sighed and said, “I’m really sorry for all the trouble this has caused you. Check your account from September two years ago until now, and tally up all the expenses incurred because of me. I’ll pay you back.”

Like “Yan He,” Major Yan He also preferred manual driving. After listening to Jiang Miao, he asked, “And who will repay your losses?”

“Huh?”

“You keep the medical pod; the car is mine,” Major Yan He said. “Everything else, we’ll consider our shared loss.”

“And,” he added, looking at the radar screen, “you shouldn’t be the one apologizing.”

Jiang Miao fell silent.

The car continued quietly on its way.

Major Yan He drove much more steadily than that scoundrel. He rarely showed off his driving skills, keeping the car smooth and stable.

Despite their many similarities, the two men had distinct personalities.

As they were nearing Allison, Major Yan He suddenly asked, “Doctor, are you planning to have more children?”

Jiang Miao turned to look at him.

Major Yan He’s face was familiar to her, rugged and masculine.

Staring at the large building with the words “Allison Military Industries” clearly visible, he calmly said, “If we can’t catch Troy this time and redeem ourselves, my career will likely end here.”

Jiang Miao felt a tightness in her chest.

“There’s no hope for the power center; if I can be promoted to lieutenant colonel within the next thirty years, I’d be lucky. However,” Major Yan He continued slowly, “I’ve at least made it to the rank of a field officer. Even if I don’t gain any real power, my salary can maintain our current living standard.”

He patted the steering wheel, indicating what he meant by “current living standard.”

“I’ve also been making some financial investments, so there won’t be any economic problems. Although my career prospects are bleak, it doesn’t affect my genetics.”

As he spoke, they arrived at Allison Military Industries.

The car’s onboard computer connected with the building’s system, granting them access and guiding them to an automatic parking space.

Major Yan He paused his conversation, opened the car door, and they both got out.

The car was pulled away by the parking tracks, leaving Major Yan He and Jiang Miao standing there.

Major Yan He looked at Jiang Miao and said, “So, if you still want to have children, I hope you’ll consider me.”

Although Jiang Miao had said that if it weren’t for the fake “Yan He”, she would never have met the real Major Yan He, she had to admit that if she had met this Major Major Yan He first, she would likely have chosen him from her six matches.

But fate is something that cannot be forced.

She was silent for a moment before saying, “I don’t have any plans for that right now.”

Major Yan He nodded, indicating his understanding.

He followed her into the elevator, heading directly to the office of Helena Allison, the head of Allison Military Industries.

“Oh, my poor Jiang!” Helena gave Jiang Miao a big hug. “I know everything, dear. Forget about those unpleasant things. Everyone is looking forward to your return.”

“Thank you, Helena,” Jiang Miao said.

Helena had met “Yan He” more than once. Seeing the real Major Yan He now, she couldn’t help but be curious. After shaking hands, she couldn’t resist looking at him a few more times.

To her, there was no way to distinguish between Major Yan He and “Yan He.”

Inviting Major Yan He to sit outside, Helena and Jiang Miao entered the inner office, where Helena lowered her voice and said, “My God, they are exactly the same!”

Jiang Miao could only give a wry smile.

Sitting down at the desk, Helena asked, “Dear, what are your plans now? Do you want to take a vacation to adjust?”

Jiang Miao pondered for a moment and asked, “Will I still be in charge of my projects?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t you be?” Helena replied.

Clearly, the military had made no official statement about her situation, nor had they forcibly labeled her a potential traitor. At least, they hadn’t conveyed such an attitude to Allison Industries.

This allowed Helena to continue trusting her fully and to entrust her with important responsibilities.

However, Jiang Miao understood the government’s true attitude from Major Yan He. She realized that the higher-ups no longer trusted her, just as they no longer trusted Major Yan He.

They were temporarily holding back, pretending everything was fine to mislead her, hoping to extract information about Troy from her.

Ideally, they wanted to catch her in a compromising situation with enemy spies, using her as bait to capture the person they were after.

On one side was her country; on the other, the father of her child, her former lover.

For others, this might be a difficult choice. But when Jiang Miao received the secret message left by the man before his departure this morning, she had already made her decision.

“I don’t need a vacation.” She forced a smile and said, “I can return to my post right now.”

Tanaka came rushing out of the laboratory, screaming.

Though he was running quickly, he wasn’t much of a threat and had no weapons. Major Yan He took 0.1 seconds to determine he was “safe.”

Especially since, the moment she saw this man, Dr. Jiang Miao finally showed the first genuine smile he had seen on her face in days.

So Major Yan He didn’t draw his gun and stood still.

Tanaka rushed over and gave Jiang Miao a big hug. “Oh my God! You’re finally back!”

He was almost crying with joy. When he looked up and saw Major Yan He, he froze.

“Ah, ah, you… you are…” he stammered.

Major Yan He was silent for a moment, then extended his hand. “Major Yan He.”

Tanaka shook his hand nervously, stammering, “Hello, hello, I… I am…”

“Dr. Minoru Tanaka, I know,” Major Yan He nodded.

Dr. Minoru Tanaka, Jiang Miao’s partner and friend, was the closest person to her in her social network. He had volunteered to work with Jiang Miao, having reviewed all her information and knowing everyone around her before joining her.

Jiang Miao sighed.

As the person closest to her in her social network, Tanaka had also been summoned to the garrison base for questioning. They had encountered each other in the hallway but were not allowed to talk.

Tanaka had left the base before her. From his demeanor, it was clear he knew at least part of the truth.

She introduced him, “This one is real.”

The entire situation was so surreal that Tanaka didn’t know what to say. He finally closed his mouth and nodded vigorously, indicating he understood.

“Have you seen Helena?” he asked.

“Yes,” Jiang Miao nodded.

“So now you…”

“I’m returning to work.”

Tanaka’s eyes were filled with concern. But Jiang Miao said calmly, “What else can I do? Besides coming to work, I don’t know what else I would do at home.”

Tanaka’s eyes showed his sympathy.

Major Yan He glanced at Jiang Miao.

Her delicate face showed no emotion, remaining impassive.

The lab was an area Major Yan He couldn’t enter, just like the “Yan He” after the kidnapping incident, he was placed in the lounge area outside the lab. Through layers of glass, he could still see Jiang Miao.

Major Yan He had no objection to this arrangement. He sat on the lounge sofa, watching her intently.

Jiang Miao passed through three layers of security. A drawer popped open, revealing a pristine lab coat. Despite six thousand years having passed, researchers still preferred this attire.

Major Yan He watched as Jiang Miao put the lab coat over her clothes, her demeanor instantly transforming.

From a woman to a professional.

It was quite captivating.

Major Yan He didn’t want to take his eyes off Jiang Miao, but someone suddenly greeted him.

“Hey, Major!” they said. “Here again?”

Major Yan He turned to see a man and a woman, clearly taking a break in the lounge.

They weren’t in the records, indicating they weren’t key figures around Jiang Miao. Major Yan He suddenly realized they weren’t referring to him when they said “Major.”

To these uninformed individuals, Major Yan He gave a slight nod and then turned back to watch Jiang Miao.

He didn’t notice that in the moment he was distracted, Tanaka, who was about to touch the virtual goggles on the console, was abruptly stopped by Jiang Miao’s sudden command after glancing at the lounge area, “Wear the helmet.”

Virtual goggles and helmets were both devices for accessing virtual environments. Which one to wear was a matter of personal preference.

Goggles were light, exerting less pressure on the cervical spine, thus preventing cervical spondylosis—a common occupational disease among researchers. However, goggles did not isolate external sounds at all. The sounds from the surrounding environment were not blocked out.

Helmets were heavier and caused neck fatigue if worn for a long time, but they were better than goggles in this aspect. With the helmet on and noise-canceling enabled, the external environment was completely isolated, and no sound could be heard.

Tanaka’s hand paused slightly. Without saying or asking anything, he bent down and took a helmet from the cabinet below, putting it on.

Jiang Miao also put on a helmet. In the lab, both helmets and goggles were used, so to someone unfamiliar like Major Yan He in the lounge, it didn’t seem unusual.

Only Jiang Miao’s assistant glanced over, wondering why these two, who usually only wore goggles, suddenly put on helmets.

Wearing helmets had another advantage. When the visor was pulled down, blocking the user’s face and isolating the external environment, it also isolated the user from the outside world.

Even the assistant nearby couldn’t hear what the two were saying in the virtual environment communication channel once they had their helmets on.

From afar, Major Yan He couldn’t see Jiang Miao’s face after she pulled down the visor and darkened it.

“What’s wrong, Jiang?” Tanaka immediately asked upon entering the virtual environment.

“I’m afraid he might have a camera on him that could analyze my lip movements,” Jiang Miao said. “It’s easier to talk this way.”

Tanaka, wearing his helmet, broke into a cold sweat.

“Is it really that bad?” he asked. “You’re clearly the victim here!”

“To them, it doesn’t matter if I’m a victim or not, only if I’m useful,” Jiang Miao said. “Minoru, I need your help.”

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