Chapter 25: Going Against the Current
Hurried footsteps circled to his back.
Under the invisible surge of electricity, Qi He felt as if his whole body were being scorched. He fought the spasms, and just as Yan Chuanbai leaned toward him, he suddenly used his power to shove him away—
“…Don’t come any closer.”
Yan Chuanbai forcibly stopped just one step away.
The hand he’d reached out clenched tightly. His gaze locked onto the person before him, calm on the surface, yet something turbulent stirred underneath.
Qi He was braced against the ground with his back to him, head bowed, the blades of his shoulders trembling faintly beneath his T-shirt.
Fortunately, there weren’t many people in the cafeteria, and few noticed what was happening. After Yan Chuanbai was stopped, Guan Shangchun didn’t approach either. Qi He stared fixedly at the floor, mind racing—
Before the punishment was triggered, he’d only done two things to Yan Chuanbai.
One, gave him a nutrient shot.
Two, gave him a sugar cube.
Both seemed ordinary, but something must be wrong.
He turned his head slightly, forcing out, “Give me the nutrient.”
Yan Chuanbai froze for a moment, but didn’t ask anything, immediately handing it to him. When the test tube was held out, Qi He avoided touching his fingers as he took it. The nutrient was taken back, but the pain and convulsions still didn’t ease.
He clenched his fist again, lowering his eyes. “Water. Give me the water.”
The person beside him quickly stood and handed him the glass.
Qi He’s fingertips trembled, and some water spilled. The moment Yan Chuanbai withdrew his hand, the electric current seemed to weaken.
He paused, then pretended to lose his grip and spilled the water.
With a splash, the undissolved sugar cube and the water scattered across the floor.
The punishing current stopped.
The tension in his body finally eased.
He was drenched in sweat, hair clinging to his forehead, the thin T-shirt sticking to his skin—rarely did he look this disheveled.
A voice suddenly came from behind. “Can I touch you now?”
Qi He turned his head. “What?”
But the tall figure had already leaned in, one arm scooping him up and drawing him into his embrace. Qi He’s arm instinctively hooked around Yan Chuanbai’s neck; Yan Chuanbai’s brows knit slightly, and the hand around Qi He’s waist tightened further.
Feeling that the other man was about to lift him—
Qi He immediately grabbed Yan Chuanbai’s arm. “…Don’t.” He wasn’t that bad off that he needed to be carried.
He said, “Sitting for a bit is enough.”
Yan Chuanbai seemed to weigh it for two seconds, then set him down on the seat behind him.
Qi He propped one hand against the bench beside him.
His head was slightly lowered, and sweat had reddened the corner of his eye. With the natural languor between his brows, it lent his face an oddly arresting allure.
Yan Chuanbai stared for a few seconds, then shifted his body, blocking the view.
Guan Shangchun, who had been looking over with concern: “……”
Qi He didn’t notice the movement in front of him.
His mind was full of the punishment that had just been triggered—
From the start until now, all he had to go on were a few scraps of “cannon-fodder plot.” Even the system didn’t know what came next—didn’t even know what the whole plot was.
Like a screw, he functioned only in a single part of the mechanism.
Sugar cubes, flowers…
Qi He suddenly laughed—a quiet, genuinely amused laugh. His lashes lowered, catching a glimmer of light in his eyes.
Yan Chuanbai paused, holding his breath. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Qi He said.
‘So you dared to shock me, huh?’
As long as it affected the final plot, punishment would be triggered.
Then, if he followed that thread and deliberately kept triggering punishments—
Wouldn’t he be able to tear open the entire story hidden behind it?
The thought alone sent a pleasant shiver through him.
…
After a moment, Qi He slowly exhaled and looked up. “I’m fine now.”
Yan Chuanbai studied him carefully, confirming that he really was fine. Then he met his gaze directly. “What happened just now?”
Qi He paused for a beat. “Calcium deficiency. Got a cramp.”
“……”
The man in front of him let out a cold laugh. It wasn’t like his usual teasing ones—this one carried a hint of anger.
Qi He, utterly convinced by his own excuse, kept his expression calm.
Yan Chuanbai stared at him for a few seconds. “Go get a full-body checkup.”
Qi He shook his head. “No need.”
The punishment came from a higher dimension—machines couldn’t detect it. And once it faded, it left no real harm.
“Really no need?” Yan Chuanbai’s mouth moved slightly, as if trying to be fair. “As an S-rank combat-type ability user, your condition affects the whole base.”
Qi He considered for a moment. “Alright.”
Yan Chuanbai hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. He lowered his eyes. “…What’s the condition?”
“……” Qi He thought, System, he’s predicting me now.
The system had been dumbfounded ever since he triggered the punishment. It finally came back to its senses: [His awareness of you must be peaking right now.]
Qi He looked at Yan Chuanbai and said, “You do one too.”
He wanted to test every possible way the punishment could be triggered.
Yan Chuanbai met his gaze for a few seconds. “Alright.”
—
Once Qi He had fully recovered, he returned to his quarters.
As soon as the door closed, he collapsed onto the sofa.
There was still one sugar cube left in his bag. He took it out—a small white square with a faint floral scent.
Everything Meng Yan provided went through strict testing; it was impossible for it to be harmful to the human body.
Qi He looked at it for a few seconds, then popped it into his mouth. A wave of sweetness spread across his tongue—no alerts sounded.
So it only had a special effect on Yan Chuanbai?
He thought for a moment and sent Meng Yan a short message:
[The sugar you gave me—other than making my breath smell nice, does it have any other effects?]
[…It can also make people feel happier?]
[It’s all made of normal ingredients. Like drinking osmanthus tea or eating peach blossom cake—does that really do anything to your body?]
“……”
Qi He told Meng Yan to take good care of her flowers, then ended the chat. In his head, he called out, “System, what else do you know?”
[I don’t know any more than you do.]
After a pause, the system—aware of Qi He’s suspicious mind—added sternly, [In fact, I probably know even less.]
That didn’t sound like a lie.
Ever since he’d taken over the “cannon-fodder role,” the system’s job had simply been to provide him with the script. He only needed to play his part; he didn’t have to know the whole story.
Qi He took a sip of water, washing away the lingering sweetness in his mouth.
Things he couldn’t figure out—he’d leave them for now. Once he had enough entry points, the whole plot would come together eventually.
…
The next day, Qi He went for his physical exam.
He and Yan Chuanbai were both standing at the door.
Yu Tianxing looked from left to right. “You two are both applying for a full-body exam?”
Yan Chuanbai said calmly, “What, is there a problem?”
“…What exactly did you two do?”
Qi He answered truthfully, “Had a meal.”
“Ha!” Yu Tianxing burst out with a laugh of disbelief. As he pulled the door open, he said pointedly, “As the only two S-rank combat ability users in the base, your conditions affect the entire base.”
Qi He glanced at Yan Chuanbai—those words sounded awfully familiar.
With an unchanged expression, Yan Chuanbai stepped inside. “I’m perfectly fine.”
Qi He’s gaze followed him. The moment he crossed the threshold, no alarms went off.
The test results were generated on the spot.
Two reports were printed. Yu Tianxing handed them over. Yan Chuanbai immediately took Qi He’s copy to read, while Qi He reached for his and took Yan Chuanbai’s in return. Both of them lowered their heads to examine the documents at the same time.
Yu Tianxing: “…”
His smile began to crack. “I have no intention of prying into your personal relationship, but at least tell me—what exactly are you two doing?”
…What personal relationship?
Qi He checked his report—nothing unusual—then replied offhandedly, “Nothing much. We just both think the other one’s sick.” He turned his head. “Right?”
But when he looked over, Yan Chuanbai was still reading his report.
Only when his eyes drifted to the very last line did the other man finally snap the paper closed with a rustle. “Right. Though it seems now it was just a misunderstanding.”
“……”
Yu Tianxing snatched both reports back with a dry laugh. “Is that so? Then let’s take a look at your brain scans.”
—
Fortunately, all the readings came back normal, and the matter was dropped.
The following days returned to routine—training, missions, the usual grind.
Life settled back into calm, not even a hint of a key plotline surfacing.
After a busy week, Qi He finally had some downtime.
He stood at the counter and sliced into a pumpkin. Crunch.
Today, he planned to eat at home. Meng Yan sent him fresh vegetables every few days, and now his kitchen was practically overflowing with every kind of produce available in the base.
Qi He paused for a moment—every kind of produce.
Plants contained a wide variety of compounds, and many metabolites and nutrients overlapped.
If any other food could also trigger punishment, he might be able to narrow down the target range.
If he let Yan Chuanbai try a little of every vegetable…
He set the knife down and sent a message:
[Come over for dinner tonight.]
Yan Chuanbai: [?]
[There are lots of dishes waiting for you.]
[?]
[Six-thirty. Don’t forget.]
After sending the message, Qi He saw that the other didn’t refuse—so he probably took it as a yes. Estimating the amount of food he’d make, Qi He figured it would be too much for just two people. To avoid waste, he sent a group message to his contacts:
[Come to my place for dinner tonight.]
The system couldn’t help itself: [In the end, to invite one man, you invited everyone. He is your unspeakable intent—your dagger revealed when the map is unfolded.]
Qi He thought about it and admitted, “That’s… actually pretty accurate.”
…
Replies came in one after another.
Yu Tianxing and Guan Shangchun were busy with research and couldn’t make it; Yu Jiang usually ate in her quarters, with Yujin handling her meals. The rest all agreed to come.
Dinner was set for six-thirty.
Around five-forty, someone knocked on the door.
Qi He got up to open it—and was surprised to find Yan Chuanbai standing outside. “So early?”
Yan Chuanbai wasn’t in uniform. “Didn’t have anything else to do.”
Qi He stepped aside to let him in.
When the door closed, Qi He walked toward the counter. “They’ll probably be a bit late, so I haven’t started cooking yet.”
Behind him, the footsteps seemed to pause. “They?”
“ Meng Yan, Ye Yi, Zhou Ziqian, Ji Yan, and Mo Jiayan—that should be everyone.”
A soft, airy reply fell behind him. “Oh.”
Qi He stepped over to the sink, just about to turn on the water when Yan Chuanbai stopped in front of him, giving him a once-over. “You’ve fully recovered? You can handle cooking this much?”
Qi He looked back at him, eyes flickering with doubt. “System, what does he mean by that—questioning me, or provoking me?”
The system surfaced a new answer, then pressed it down: […All of the above.]
Yan Chuanbai met his gaze. “Or, I could do it.”
So he can cook that much himself, huh…
Qi He stepped back two paces. “Then go ahead.”
Anyway, all he needed was for Yan Chuanbai to eat a bit of everything. It didn’t matter who did the cooking.
Yan Chuanbai stayed in the kitchen, while Qi He lay back on the sofa.
The steady rhythm of chopping vegetables sounded from across the room.
As six o’clock approached, knocks came at the door one after another. Qi He got up to open it—Meng Yan, Zhou Ziqian, Ye Yi… they came in one after the other.
Each froze for a second when they saw Yan Chuanbai in the kitchen.
Then they looked at Qi He, who had returned to his seat on the sofa: ?
It was Ji Yan’s first time visiting. He glanced between Qi He and Yan Chuanbai. “You sent us all invites to dinner, and it turns out we’re eating at Colonel Yan’s place?”
Qi He replied mildly, “This is my place.”
Ji Yan: “?”
—
By around six-thirty, the table was full of dishes.
Everyone gathered around in the living room.
After Yan Chuanbai sat down, Qi He took the seat opposite him.
Zhou Ziqian let out an incredulous sigh. “Didn’t think I’d live long enough to eat Brother Yan’s cooking—”
He looked gratefully at Qi He. “All thanks to you!”
Mo Jiayan took a bite right after and exclaimed, “It’s actually really good!”
“Can you two even hear yourselves?” Ji Yan clicked his tongue, then turned toward Qi He and Yan Chuanbai to give a proper compliment. “This meal is great. You two were born to cook.”
“……”
Before Yan Chuanbai could flip the table, Qi He hurriedly cut in, smiling diplomatically. “Come, eat.”
To be fair, Yan Chuanbai’s cooking was excellent.
But Qi He was focused on testing. He didn’t take his eyes off Yan Chuanbai, watching him try every dish one by one. When the last bite went down and still no alarm sounded—
He set his chopsticks down, lowering his gaze in thought.
So many ingredients, and not one overlapped.
Meng Yan had said the flower’s components were all ordinary. If the “special” element couldn’t be found among those ordinary ones, then it probably had nothing to do with composition at all. That left only one possibility…
A flash of insight flickered across his mind—but something was still missing.
Qi He propped his chin on one hand. Not enough. He needed more angles.
“You’re not eating?”
The voice came suddenly.
Qi He’s thoughts were cut off. He looked up to meet Yan Chuanbai’s gaze. The man’s eyes dropped briefly to his bowl—Qi He had barely eaten a few bites this whole time. “I cooked this. You don’t have an appetite?”
“It’s not that.”
Qi He straightened slightly, gaze steady. “I want to do something to you, but I don’t know where to start.”
The table fell silent. “……”
Yan Chuanbai stared at him for a moment, then calmly set down his bowl and chopsticks.
———————————————————
Author’s Note:
Yan Chuanbai: Let’s discuss this in private. (Serious face)
Yu Jiang: I should’ve been there for that meal… please!
**TN
your dagger revealed when the map ends – “when the map ends, the dagger appears” a metaphor for a situation that has reached its final stage, when one’s true intentions or the truth are finally exposed.
According to Strategies of the Warring States – Strategies of Yan III, during the Warring States period, Jing Ke, under orders from Crown Prince Dan of the State of Yan, went to ass*ssinate the King of Qin. To conceal his weapon, he pretended to present a map of the territory of Dukang as tribute. He secretly rolled a dagger inside the map. When he stood before the King of Qin, he slowly unrolled the map until the dagger was finally revealed.
Qi He’s words…🤭