As he spoke, he leaned into the window again, narrowing his eyes like a predator catching its prey: "They come sneaking in wearing robes, the kind who run away as soon as they've finished speaking."
"Slap."
Qin Chu didn't answer at all and simply closed the window.
Burke was taken aback by Levy's question at first, then looked somewhat suspicious.
He looked at Qin Chu and hesitated, "This isn't like you. In the past, if someone was knocking on your window in the middle of the night, you would have kicked it down."
"..." Qin Chu remained silent.
As they were talking, two more knocks came from outside the window.
Qin Chu looked up at Burke and said, "You're right."
After saying that, he walked straight to the window and kicked the person out with a "bang".
There was no sound of landing for a long time, and Qin Chu didn't pay any attention.
He glanced at the time, preparing to rest, but when he looked up, he found that Burke's expression was even more indescribable.
Burke glanced at the window, then at Qin Chu, and asked hesitantly, "You're going to Roy Palace... really to see me?"
Author's Note:
Burke: It seems we've discovered something incredible...
Chapter 139 Familiar
Something's not right.
Something's really wrong.
Burke circled around Qin Chu. He and Qin Chu had been acquainted for many years and he was quite familiar with Qin Chu's personality.
This guy was never polite to anyone, except for being a tiny bit gentler in front of the old marshal.
But now...
After Qin Chu woke up, wasn't he being far too lenient with this damned crown prince?
No, perhaps it wasn't after waking up and running around in a black robe that he frequently appeared at Roy Palace...
Qin Chu sighed, not really wanting to explain his relationship with Levi.
Burke looked at him, as if he had figured something out, and gradually revealed an expression of sudden realization.
Then Burke stealthily approached Qin Chu, mysteriously lowering his voice to ask, "Tell me the truth, are you and this Crown Prince..."
Qin Chu immediately felt a little uncomfortable and turned his head to cough lightly.
Unexpectedly, Burke then asked, "Did you conspire with him to overthrow the cabinet?"
Qin Chu: "..."
That slight unease vanished without a trace.
"What's with that look on your face? I knew it!" Burke patted Qin Chu on the shoulder. "Look at you, hiding something like this from me. Anyone else would probably think you're having an affair with the Crown Prince, but how long have I known you? Even if the empire falls, you probably still won't be in a relationship!"
"..." Qin Chu was speechless.
He turned to look at Burke, but had no intention of explaining further: "Never mind, you can go back."
"It's only this late and you're already going to sleep? No, you need to tell me your plans properly. As your deputy, I need to have a clear understanding of them." Burke, convinced he had guessed the truth, sat down on the sofa, adopting a posture of having a heart-to-heart talk.
Plans my ass, Qin Chu just wants to get rid of the guests.
Burke continued, expanding on his ideas: "Your idea is really good. This crown prince is also a member of the cabinet, so breaking through from within should be easier. But you're not being fair; you didn't tell me something so important! You should have included me when you were telling the story!"
"Actually..." It has nothing to do with you.
Before Qin Chu could reveal this cruel truth, he heard the bedroom window open, followed by the sound of footsteps landing softly.
This time, the person clearly had no intention of knocking on the window to let them know, and simply and swiftly entered the house.
Within two seconds, the bedroom door opened from the inside.
Levy, the unexpected guest, leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw Burke sitting on the sofa: "Why haven't you left yet?"
These words sounded more like those of a master than Qin Chu himself, causing Burke's eyebrows to immediately rise: "I was discussing matters with my superior, so it's rather inappropriate for you to come over so late at night."
“Whether it’s appropriate or not isn’t up to you to decide.” Levy stared at Burke, a hint of displeasure in his usual smiling tone. “Do your subordinates in the military all like to come to their superiors’ rooms in the middle of the night to discuss important matters?”
“Nonsense, Qin Chu and I are like brothers,” Burke said.
Levy disliked Burke even more.
Burke was still holding a grudge because of his past as a gatekeeper.
The two of them started arguing back and forth.
Qin Chu sat behind his desk, resting his forehead on one hand, and listened to the crosstalk performance for a few minutes.
Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and tapped the table: "Are you two done arguing?"
The two of them immediately turned to look at him.
Qin Chu had a headache and said in a cold voice, "If you want to make a scene, go outside. I want to sleep."
He got up and headed towards the bedroom, but to his surprise, Levi didn't leave. Instead, he retreated back into the bedroom, a smirk playing on his lips, and said, "Perfect timing. It's a bit far from Roy Palace, so I'll have to stay in General Qin's office for the night."
Shameless beyond belief.
Qin Chu hadn't seen Levi beg and plead like this in a long time. He paused for two seconds before lowering his eyes and coldly refusing, "Get out. I don't keep outsiders here."
Levy raised an eyebrow.
When his gaze fell upon the faint dark circles under Qin Chu's eyes, he said nothing more and turned to leave the bedroom.
Qin Chu stood by the bedroom door, showing no intention of backing away.
He stepped aside through the doorway, and the distance between them suddenly closed for a moment. Levi's nose immediately caught that cool scent again.
He had already reached the office exit when Levy suddenly stopped.
"What is it now?" Qin Chu asked.
After speaking, Qin Chu felt that he might have asked the question too soon, as if he had been watching the person's actions. He paused, took two steps toward the bedroom, and pretended not to care.
Levi reached out and knocked on the door frame, looking at Burke who was still sitting on the sofa: "You don't keep outsiders here, so why is he still sitting here?"
Burke chuckled, a smug look on his face: "I've already said that Qin Chu and I have been brothers for so many years, we..."
Qin Chu sighed and looked silently at Burke.
Burke: "..."
My heart suddenly shattered.
Liar! What happened to our brotherhood of over ten years?
Under Qin Chu's gaze, Burke could only leave Qin Chu's office in resentment.
Levy didn't linger and followed Burke away.
Just as the door was about to close, he suddenly turned around.
Before Qin Chu could look away, their eyes met.
"General Qin probably doesn't know what 'protesting too much' means," Levy chuckled, reaching out to close the door.
He stared at the heavy office door; despite being kicked out, his blue eyes held a bright, gleaming smile.
Avoid him?
The more you hide, the more problems arise...
After the meeting, the cabinet was visibly flustered by the outcome.
Qin Chu came prepared. Before he returned to his body, he couldn't just be busy telling stories to Levi. During that time, he not only tried to mark the small worlds where all human consciousness resided in the virtual world, but also used various signals to contact the military.
The outer star system is indeed far from the capital star, but because it was prepared in advance, three batches of soldiers have returned to the capital star in the past few days and have taken over the various affairs of the cabinet in a very orderly manner.
"Dispatch several small teams to gather the sleeping pods from various planets to guard against the coming beast tide." Qin Chu signed the document in front of him. "Also, keep an eye on the cabinet."
"Yes." Burke gave out the orders and returned with a slightly suspicious look on his face.
"...What happened?" Qin Chu asked.
After that night, Qin Chu was always afraid that Burke would immediately ask him about his relationship with Levy.
"The cabinet was in a panic a while ago, like rabbits whose burrows had been disturbed, but suddenly they've calmed down. It feels a bit like they have ulterior motives," Burke said.
Qin Chu was not surprised by this: "The meeting results are only what is on the surface. They are not satisfied, so of course they will take action in private."
“Then be careful, I have a feeling they’re targeting you,” Burke said.
Someone else came in and saluted: "Sir, we have found the name 'Tan Wei' you requested!"
The empire's household registration system is currently at a standstill, and given that "Tan Wei" has been dead for thirty years, tracing him is extremely difficult. Qin Chu took the document, glanced at it, and frowned: "An administrator in the mainframe is surnamed Tan? Where is this administrator now?"
The administrator of the mainframe is the human who usually has the closest relationship with the mainframe. Could this disaster not be a rebellion of artificial intelligence, but a man-made disaster?
"The mainframe's administrators were the first targets of its attack, and they are currently asleep in their sleep pods," the officer replied.
It was attacked too?
Qin Chu hesitated for two seconds, then ordered, "Closely monitor all sleeping pod gathering points and find out who this administrator and Tan are as soon as possible..."
Qin Chu paused at this point.
The office door was open, and he happened to see Levi walking down the corridor, casually waving to him.
The pause was somewhat stiff, and Burke and the officers waiting for orders looked at Qin Chu with some surprise.
Qin Chu stood up, kicked the door shut, and then lowered his voice slightly to continue, "Find out the relationship between the administrator and Tan Wei."
The officer received the order and left, completely bewildered.
Burke, however, seemed to understand something. He tapped his palm and said, "You don't want the Crown Prince to know this information?"
"Hmm." Qin Chu nodded, but did not explain why.
Burke didn't need him to explain, he just nodded: "That's right, they're not our own people, we have to be careful."