Daily Necessities
by M1zushiThank you AC for the ko-fi donation!
After breaking through the atmosphere, Eye of Horus extended its folding sections to the max. Now it was more than three times its previous size, yet in the boundless universe, it was still but a single-leaf skiff crossing the ocean.
Half an hour ago, the ship had already ignited its fusion engines and completed its first jump.
Bai Ling yawned as he walked out of the cockpit. He was about to find a place to nap when his vision shifted. The Association Captain, radiating pure coldness, blocked his path mid-way.
“I thought we were allies.”
Bai Ling raised an eyebrow in surprise: “What’s wrong?”
The Association Captain wore his black mask, making his expression unreadable. He said with displeasure: “You never told me we’d be cooperating with Izsu Paraiso. I don’t like dealing with the powerful.”
Especially a monster like Izsu Paraiso.
Even though he’d spent his childhood on the distant Wild Planet with poor information access, the Captain had still heard of the terrifying deeds of Izsu Paraiso’s rule.
For example, sending disobedient alphas to grow potatoes. Or his overwhelming desire for control, secretly monitoring all of humanity.
In the Captain’s view, Izsu Paraiso was far more formidable than the tyrant Kaide.
The tyrant was merely someone who ate, drank, and squandered the treasury—at worst, a national parasite. But Izsu Paraiso had been a great dictator; back in his day, one stomp from him would make the entire interstellar situation tremble, and his scheming had more holes than a honeycomb briquette.
Even the collective heads of the Interstellar Alliance couldn’t outplay him.
What made this peregrine falcon think he could handle Izsu Paraiso?
Moreover, on this transfer, Izsu Paraiso had brought quite a few people, roughly over a hundred by estimate. If the two sides came to blows over a disagreement, best-case scenario the group would fall apart; worst-case, rivers of blood.
The more the Association Captain thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He felt it necessary to emphasize to Bai Ling the danger of hunting with a tiger.
“So that’s what you’re worried about.” Bai Ling’s heart relaxed slightly.
He initially wanted to tell the Captain directly that Izsu Paraiso was his guardian, that the two were already aligned in interests, so there was no need to fear conflict.
But on second thought, although the Association Captain himself was reliable, not everyone in his group was fully known and trusted. If one of them had ulterior motives and quietly set a trap, using him as leverage against Yu Chen, it would be impossible to guard against.
The best approach was to temporarily conceal their relationship.
Or, half-true and half-false—partially confess.
“What exactly is Izsu Paraiso’s status to you? Sponsor? Collaborator? What’s he really after by cooperating with us?” The Association Captain asked with a frown.
Too many questions. Bai Ling didn’t know how to explain all at once. He said selectively: “Actually, he and I have a personal relationship.”
The Association Captain didn’t understand: “What kind of relationship?”
“He’s my… my daily necessity.” Bai Ling suddenly said with conviction.
Association Captain: ???
Bai Ling pointed out seriously: “Don’t you all bring daily necessities when you go out?”
The Association Captain was bewildered by his logic: “I bring a toothbrush. That’s not the same thing.”
“Then just think of him as my high-end electric toothbrush—dual-use, day and night.” Bai Ling nodded earnestly at him.
The Association Captain was even more confused. Electric toothbrush, what kind of identity was that? Seeing Bai Ling turn to leave, he quickly called out:
“Where are you going?”
Bai Ling didn’t look back, waving his hand behind him: “Brushing my teeth.”
Just then Sava happened to pass by in the corridor. He gave an approving thumbs-up: “An electric toothbrush, you’re living the good life, stinky bird.”
The Association Captain was utterly lost: “What’s the deal with the electric toothbrush?”
Sava asked with exaggerated innocence: “So pure, didn’t your army roommates ever teach you?”
Association Captain: “…My roommates was a proper gentleman. They didn’t teach that kind of filthy nonsense.”
Sava’s expression turned meaningful. He crossed his arms and graciously offered some education: “Well, an electric toothbrush not only buzzes but is also portable, a must-have goodie for military omegas traveling at home or abroad.”
The Association Captain’s face reddened. He’d inadvertently opened the door to a new world.
Sava looked him up and down: “Oh, you’re an alpha. You alphas are short on moisture, you’d need a few extra steps.”
“How do you know I’m…” The Association Captain’s voice caught. He quickly clarified, “I-I’m not the kind of person you think I am!”
“What kind? A bottom?”
“……”
Sava grabbed the two ear-feathers on top of his own head and threatened him: “See these two feathers on my head? These are bottom detectors.”
How exactly the two of them ended up fighting afterward, Bai Ling wasn’t entirely sure.
All Bai Ling knew was that when making the duty roster, the Association Captain absolutely refused to be paired with Sava again, and even when eating in the small cafeteria, the two would snarl at each other from six tables apart.
Bai Ling wasn’t surprised
These two had been natural-born nemeses in their past lives—if it wasn’t one blowing up the other’s bunker today, it was the other shooting down the one’s plane tomorrow.
The only blame lay in Little Hen’s overactive mouth.
When others fought, they just bombarded each other and got on with it. Not Midnight Little Hen—when he got fired up, he had to broadcast on open channel, and not just broadcast—he gave Black-Winged Kite a nickname:
“Ooh, Little White Pigeon’s here. Coo coo, I haven’t had lunch yet today.”
Max AGGRO.
Mind you, although Black-Winged Kites were in the hawk family, they were only a small bird of prey. With feathers snow-white and wings grey-black, they were barely larger than a pigeon.
A little hawk that could be held in one hand.
Black-Winged Kite wasn’t like Bai Ling. Bai Ling had grown up scuffling at the bottom, seen all kinds of rogues, and sometimes when he got rowdy himself, he was quite inhuman. So when Sava called him “stinky bird,” he could hurl back “stinky chicken” without a second thought.
Not Black-Winged Kite.
He seemed like the kind of lifelong idealist who carried justice in his heart, his every pore exuded righteousness. When running his mercenary group, he valued fairness and justice; when waging revolution on the Wild Planet, he insisted on having a just cause, rarely even resorting to sneak attacks.
It was as though he’d always had a line drawn in his heart.
A line he could not cross.
Unfortunately, in times like those, idealists always died the fastest.
Bai Ling leaned against the observation deck railing, watching the two bickering below, and gradually drifted into thought.
“What are you thinking about?” A warm, mellow, low magnetic voice asked.
After that nationwide signal invasion, the merman had fallen into an unexplained sleep for two days. Only today did he finally rise, languid and weary, to walk around.
“Nothing, just a little moved.” Bai Ling turned around, resting his back against the railing. In his grey eyes was a faint, elusive melancholy. “I never thought we’d actually escape.”
The same people, yet brought together again in a completely different way.
This time, fate seemed to be secretly favoring them, showing unusual leniency.
Still, once they reached the Wild Planet, he couldn’t help but wonder if this group would repeat the same mistakes of their past lives, falling to ruin and death as before.
Yu Chen reached out and brushed the stray hair from his forehead, gently asking: “Worried about the future?”
“Of course I’m worried.” Bai Ling exhaled, tilting his head and naturally pressing himself into the merman’s palm.
He wasn’t optimistic: “Fighting our way back to the Capital won’t be easy.”
In his previous life, Bai Ling had successfully stormed back, but he couldn’t hold it for even half a month before being outflanked.
At root, the problem was too few soldiers and insufficient logistics. He could take it but not hold it.
Yu Chen pinched his warm earlobe, a smile rising at the corners of his lips: “Captain Bird, if you can’t go to the moon, then let the moon come to you.”
Bai Ling looked up in a daze, not catching on at first: “Huh?”
“Let the Capital come to you.”
“But the Capital doesn’t have legs. How’s it going to run toward—wait! You mean?!”
Yu Chen lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his shoe. With his nobles features, his upright bearing, he was as magnificent and elegant as a creator god from Genesis.
God said, let there be light, and there was light.
Yu Chen said: “Wherever we are, that’s where the capital shall be. From beneath your feet, we’ll found a new nation.”
The author has something to say:
God said, let there be light — The Bible: Genesis
Little Bird: (maliciously spreading its wings) (Rogue Bird) I’ve stolen everyone’s wives away, so the males will have no choice but to stay in the capital and work hard.
Association Captain: (pointing at the Old Fish) Then he should stay in the Capital.
Little Hen: (arms crossed) (professional explanation) You don’t get it. Izsu Paraiso is actually Commander Bai’s captive wife.
Association Captain: ??? (confused in the wind) (can’t figure out this kind of relationship)
Little Bird: (serious and proper) This is how us interstellar pirates do things. Take notes.
Association Captain: My roommate was a proper gentleman. He wouldn’t teach me filthy nonsense.
Little Hen: As we all know, proper gentlemen just go straight to doing it.
(Immediately start fighting) (Feathers flying +10)
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