Surprise! My online crush turned out to be... - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“What does a face-to-face meeting mean?”

Francis adjusted his screen so that, like the boy on the screen, only his face was visible.

Unexpectedly, the moment he adjusted, the boy leaned closer to the screen, as if trying to stick his head in.

“Wait, Big Pigeon, your clothes are so cool. Can you send me a link?” Shu Yang looked at it, carefully keeping his phone pointed at Fatty Shen’s screen. “A face-to-face meeting means meeting in person.”

Though the words were light, Shu Yang knew in his heart that he probably wouldn’t meet this Big Pigeon. After all, bickering online is one thing; in real life, it involves much more.

“Yeah.” Francis nodded calmly in agreement. Knowing the boy well, he knew he was just saying it casually. “The clothes are part of the regiment uniform, issued uniformly, and not for sale.”

“Oh…” Shu Yang replied. A long silence followed. Shu Yang didn’t know what to say. Although they had chatted for a while, it wasn’t an instant chat.

More often than not, Shu Yang would send a message and wait a while for a reply. This guy, obviously not a talkative person, could easily become a dead heat.

After taking a photo of Fatty Shen for a while, Shu Yang walked around the club with his phone. Since ordinary people couldn’t enter, he’d just let this guy in.

He wasn’t anxious here, but Joyce, far away on the capital planet, was.

“Marshal, please say a few more words to him. The signal is stronger when audio is being transmitted simultaneously.” Joyce quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead as he sent the message.

To be honest, he had never seen their marshal speak so pleasantly to anyone, let alone engage in a conversation like this, which was a sheer waste of time.

Francis nodded in agreement. Because he could see Joyce’s message, but couldn’t speak.

“Shu Yang.”

“Hmm?”

The boy on the screen reacted quickly, looking up almost the moment he called out his name. His eyes were clear, a dazed expression on his slightly childish face. His fine black hair plastered to his forehead, giving him a slightly silly and endearing look.

But Francis didn’t know that this was cute; he just felt a sudden urge to pet that furry head.

“It’s okay.”

Shu Yang: …

…

Joyce watched the exchange between the two end in just five words.

That won’t do, Marshal!

He couldn’t rush over too hastily.

“Do you like… these things?” Francis thought for a long time, unable to find the right adjective to describe these antique cars.

They were antiques, but they were still drivable and probably replicas. However, the safety features and some of the accessories clearly didn’t incorporate current technology, instead deliberately recreating the outdated technology of the past.

“Not really. There’s a competition I’m participating in later.” Shu Yang seemed a little uneasy when he spoke of this, as it was a dark spot in his past that he didn’t want to publicize.

“Well. Even though it’s a competition, it’s best to improve safety.” Francis offered a suggestion that wasn’t much of a suggestion.

“Safety is already very high,” Shu Yang pointed to a row of cars parked outside the club. “They’ve all been modified, and their performance has been vastly improved.”

Francis had seen the cars Shu Yang had given him before and couldn’t understand why they were all so ugly. He couldn’t see the exterior mechanics of the cars, so he didn’t comment.

But the interior of the car Shu Yang showed him, now being driven, was clearly visible.

But Francis didn’t say much.

He walked towards Joyce’s office with his laptop.

Shu Yang couldn’t see where he went, but he could tell he was moving from room to room.

Before Francis, Joyce’s computer screen split into a dozen or so, large and small, each displaying a wealth of information and codes.

But Francis’s gaze lingered on one of the top screens.

On this screen, a clear frontal photo of Shu Yang was displayed. His features were distinct and bright, and he looked like a well-behaved child.

Joyce gave him a look, signaling that the code would be cracked soon.

Francis nodded.

When he turned his gaze back to the screen, he saw the man who had been sitting in the car step out and rush towards the phone screen.

The split screen, which had previously been large enough to fit the entire room and car, was now filled with a large face. The owner of this face seemed to crane his head to peer into Shu Yang’s phone, leaving only his neck visible on one screen and half his face visible on the other.

“Mee mee, who is this?” One of Fatty Shen’s peculiarities was to expose Shu Yang’s various nicknames to unfamiliar people. “Fvck you! Get out of here!” Shu Yang shoved Fatty Shen away with one hand, then said to the pigeon on the screen, “This is my brother. He’s a little ugly, so don’t be offended, pigeon.”

“Didn’t you say you looked like him?” Francis asked expressionlessly.

Then he saw the boy on the screen choke and quickly grimace, but his tone was serious, as if he was just lying.

“Yes.”

“Yeah,” Francis replied, his mood unclear.

Before he could say anything else, there was a bang. Francis turned around and saw Joyce standing up, a look of shock on his face.

Francis knew this was starting to happen. He looked up at Joyce, asking with his eyes if he wanted to continue the call. Seeing Joyce shake his head, Francis said to the teenager on the video, “I have something to talk about later.”

“Oh… OK.” The person on the other end looked a little confused.

Francis quickly ended the call and walked over to Joyce.

Joyce retracted all the screens, leaving only the largest one, and pointed at the message on it.

“Shu Yang, eighteen years old, lives on Blue Star. However… Blue Star originated from the primordial solar nebula, and this planet has long since disappeared into the galaxy. However, the Chinese language and English, which are not the common language of the Empire, are relics of Blue Star culture.”

Joyce paused. “Marshal, this matter…”

“Anything else? Continue.” Francis’ expression was solemn. Now all the illogicalities were explained.

Joyce took a breath and continued, “Do you remember Professor Broad’s research project? I was fortunate to be involved in it for about three years. It’s been sealed by the royal family, but I still remember its key directions. Before today, it was all just a hypothesis. But now, we seem to have touched upon this direction.”

“Professor Broad believes that there are different dimensions of time and space in the world. By breaking through these dimensions, one can travel through time and space, perhaps returning to the future, perhaps to the present, or even rejuvenating oneself.”

“Many experts have studied this topic a long time ago, but none have found concrete theoretical support. Professor Broad, however, is different. He firmly believes his direction is correct.”

“Now, this incident proves that he is right.”

Joyce said, zooming in on another split screen. “However, this also involves some other issues. Your connection with Shu Yang is not a direct link, but rather a channel similar to a transit station.”

“What is this?” Francis’ pupils shrank as he looked at the information on the optical brain.

“Marshal, this matter is of grave importance. I suggest inviting Professor Broad here.” Joyce nodded to his computer. “Following this line, we’ve discovered another civilization in the same dimension as ours, but their technology far surpasses ours. With our current technological capabilities, we might not be able to detect their existence, but following this line has allowed us to discover them. And at the same time, they’ve discovered me.”

Joyce’s language was simple and easy to understand, but Francis understood that the core content wasn’t so easy to explain. He didn’t know the specific technological content, but he could clearly sense the immense danger hidden in these few words.

A civilization far ahead of them, eyeing them with eager eyes—what did that mean?

“Keep it quiet for now. Ask the professors involved to continue this research in secrecy. I’ll keep the royal family and the others stable.”

Francis didn’t want to make this public, lest it spark unnecessary controversy and unrest. But he had to be prepared, and he had to put everyone on alert when the crisis struck.

Francis frowned, staring at his computer.

Who could have guessed this wasn’t a joke?

Professor Broad arrived quickly, arriving at Francis’s corps by aircraft almost the same evening Joyce’s invitation was sent.

Francis received him solemnly, and the old professor, tears in his eyes, said, “I never thought I’d see progress on this project in my lifetime.”

Francis pursed his lips. “This isn’t a good thing, Professor.”

Professor Broad sighed. “Marshal, I understand your concerns, but it’s hard to say whether this will be a leap forward. Opportunities always come with dangers.”

With that, Broad led his assistants to the laboratory.

Francis and Joyce lagged behind. “You didn’t tell me Professor Broad was a radical?”

Joyce lowered his head at his superior’s words. “Marshal, Professor Broad is not a radical. He’s simply too obsessed with his research.”

“Watch him. If anything goes wrong, stop him immediately.”

“Yes.”