Hello, Guys!! I am really sorry for not updating these months. I have been pretty busy with my studies. I’ll try to update more these days. Stay tuned!!!🤗
  “Using nutritional supplements during missions can save time and quickly replenish the body’s lost water, trace elements, and energy, etc.” Auston sat in front of the campfire and took off the fingerless gloves on his hand to feel the warmth of the flames while talking to Harriet. “Of course, nutritional supplements have many shortcomings in terms of taste and texture, and not everyone can accept the various complex flavors. I will provide more suggestions to improve them in the future.”
“You are very interesting when you speak, like a leader giving a report,” Harriet said, discarding the strange familiarity in her mind, supposedly overthinking herself, “How did you meet Ryan? Did he raid you for your badge? Haha, the first time when I met Ryan, I thought he was a shy little logistician who didn’t even dare to look at me any longer and was very shy. Later, I found out that he was a person of great substance who fits my taste.”
 “Ahem1T/N: Sound of Clearing Throat, Harriet.”
Harriet asked without turning her head, “What’s up? I’m talking to…” She still didn’t know the name of the newcomer, “talking to the new partner, Where were we?”
“You think Ryan has a big contrast,” Auston reminded her.
“Yes, yes, he’s like a mystery, with many faces, always revealing his magical side in front of familiar people without even realizing it,” Harriet said incredulously. “He’s also a great cook. We had a couple of potlucks2T/N:A potluck is a communal gathering where each guest or group contributes a different, often homemade, dish of food to be shared, you know, we big rough guys can only take out food from the canteen. Derrick even brought us a can of braised pork once without much thought. Only Ryan would bring his own dishes, and I love his roasted chicken and fish, which taste great, just like my mom’s.”
“Ryan’s cooking is really great,” Auston, as a direct beneficiary, had tasted more.
“Cough, Cough”
Ignoring the cough next to her, Harriet continued, “If only his genetic sequence were X, I would marry him and have him cook for me every day, 365 days a year without repeating the same dish.”
Auston disagreed, “That wouldn’t be good for him to showcase his talent.”
“Cough”
“That’s true. Ryan shouldn’t be stuck in the kitchen all day long. It’s a shame that when he first came to the Golden Crusade, he was assigned to the kitchen and has been cooking for people every day,” Harriet sneered. “If I find out who buried Ryan’s talent, I will beat them up.”
Auston agreed, and he had already sent someone to investigate the details of Ryan’s transfer to the kitchen. When the Xingtian ship finishes its patrol and returns to Gamma Base, he will handle the matter personally. It’s not just for Ryan, but also because the Golden Crusade can’t afford to bury talented people. When Ryan emerged in the mecha engineering department, the vice-captain contacted the deputy leader to investigate the logistics personnel of the Crusade, especially the kitchen. The investigation found some people with decent skills, but Ryan was the only one who has persisted in his ordinary positions for more than a decade without giving up on himself, which can be said to be one in a million.
“Cough, Cough”
Harriet turned to look at Derrick, with a look of concern. “Is your throat uncomfortable? Constant coughing will bring us trouble during our mission. It’s not conducive to hiding our tracks and setting ambushes. Is it because you still haven’t fully recovered from your severe cold last time? It can’t be that your physical condition deteriorated? You should go to the medical team for a thorough check-up.”
Derrick: “…” I’ve been reminding you to speak less, ah.
“Derrick is sick?” Ryan’s voice sounded.
Harriet, who was focused on talking to her new companion, just noticed that Ryan was not there just now. He walked over with five or six chopped branches in his hand. Harriet suddenly realized that she had been a bit distracted after seeing Ryan and had forgotten the environment she was in. She was in a competition!
“Derrick, thank you. You must have been reminding me all along that as a soldier, I must always be in a state of battle. I understand now.” Harriet looked serious.
Derrick: “…” You misunderstood me.
“Is nobody going to answer me?” Ryan smiled helplessly and repeated the question, “Derrick, are you sick?”
Derrick said in a sulky tone, “No.” He stopped coughing.
“In a competition, getting sick can easily affect your performance. There are emergency medicines in the backpack. If you feel uncomfortable, you can take two antibiotics.”
Ryan, who was not in combat mode, was always gentle.
Derrick felt extremely depressed. “I know, I will take care of my body. I am fine. I just coughed because of the wind.” He can’t let the general think that he is a sickly person.
Ryan nodded and smiled, sitting down next to Auston. He began to use a knife to sharpen branches from the tree, choosing ones that were about two centimeters in diameter and 1.5 meters long with resilient new shoots that would be convenient to use later. He spun the knife in his palm, and the protective sheath fell off during the rotation. When he grasped the knife again, the standard-issued blade was revealed.
He aimed at one end and started to sharpen it. After a few strokes, it became sharper.
Auston watched for a while and then started to sharpen the branches as well, using the same clean and neat technique.
Derrick looked at Ryan and the general who were leaning against each other and couldn’t help but admire the perfect pair of lovers. With Ryan’s excellence, it was only a matter of time before he achieved fame and became a towering man who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the general, without fear of criticism… No, Derrick thought he was thinking wrong, the two of them were not the type to fear rumors.
On the side, Harriet  didn’t think too much about it as she looked curiously at Ryan and Auston chipped wood. “Ryan, what are you guys doing?”
“There are fish in the Yiyi lake. I’ll catch two for our dinner,” Ryan said.
Harriet raised her eyebrows in surprise. “There are fish here… Wait, why are you wasting time catching fish? Shouldn’t we be using our time to find the snake den and beware of enemy attacks?”
“A half-hour break is still okay,” Ryan said, with a schedule in mind. Half an hour would not cause trouble for the competition. Hearing Ryan’s words, she felt reassured. Ryan was a reliable person who could stabilize people’s hearts
Harriet pursed her lips as if the taste of grilled fish was welling up in her mouth, and her saliva began to flow. “I envy people who can cook. My future partner must be someone who knows how to cook,” she said.
“Well, you’d better hurry up. You have two years left to find someone you like,” Derrick poured cold water on Harriet. At the age of thirty, they would have to undergo genetic matching and  no matter who she was, she has to get married.
Harriet pouted, “Maybe I can still be happy. That’s how my parents got married, and they are very happy together. Derrick, your matching partner has already appeared. You’re going to register for marriage when we return.”
Derrick fell silent. He was at a loss and really wished that this cruise would never end, so that he wouldn’t have to face his unexpected other half.
“Congratulations,” Ryan didn’t expect Derrick’s lifelong event was approaching. If he didn’t want to resist, he could only accept it. He couldn’t say anything else, but congratulations!
Derrick sighed quietly, “Thank you.” He really hoped he to be as lucky as Ryan, who matched with an excellent partner.
The atmosphere became somewhat silent. The Adaptive marriages have been criticized since their inception, and the resistance organization still exists today. However the urgent population situation has forced the empire to withstand all criticism and continue to implement the fastest way of marriage and optimal reproductive plan. As imperial soldiers, they should comply with imperial laws, which are written in the military regulations.
Harriet and Derrick were usually joking and laughing with each other, and everyone said what they wanted, without considering Derrick’s feelings.
“I’m sorry,” Harriet sincerely apologized.
“It’s nothing. We all have to face something,” Derrick smiled and changed the topic, not wanting his small matter to spoil everyone’s mood. “I said that you were buried in the kitchen just now and you shouldn’t be allowed to cook all day. But you yourself cook during the competition, so what can we say about you?”
“I like cooking, it’s my way of relaxing.” Ryan smiled and looked to the side, the campfire casting a soft glow that illuminated Auston’s masked face. His long and thick eyelashes seemed to twinkle like stars when his black eyes were focused intently on Ryan, making him feel like he had the whole world.
Ryan spoke softly, “I’m happy to cook for the person I love.”
“If only someone could marry Ryan, how wonderful that would be.” Harriet said with envy.
Under the crimson moonlight and the flicker of the fire, Auston’s cheeks under the mask turned a little red and hot.
Ryan was carving a stick to catch fish. An old hunter had said that the widest point on the surface of the Yiyi Lake was also the deepest, with a depth of about thirty-two to thirty-three meters, and the space grew larger as it went deeper. The underwater area was more than 600 square meters, and an explorer in a small submarine had once found a huge crack at the bottom of the riverbed. The crack allowed the warm underground water to flow, causing the average temperature near the Yiyi Lake to be higher than other areas. It was for this reason that the Two-horned Snakes chose this area as their nesting ground.
The vast underground water area, invisible to the naked eye, allowed many fish to thrive. The old hunter had said that the fish in the Yiyi Lake were not poisonous and could all be eaten, provided that they were caught.
Ryan stood on the bank, using the moonlight and the torches’ glow to see shadows swimming in the water. The shadows were hard to distinguish, but Ryan had experience catching fish on his home planet, which allowed him to differentiate between fish and other shadows. The straight and tall trees were only three meters away from the shoreline, and the shadows would not interfere with the line of sight of the fishing area Ryan had chosen.
He stood by the river, staring intently at the underwater shadows, calculating the fish’s depth from the surface in his mind. He lifted his hand, holding the tree branch, and when he reached its highest point, he thrust it into the water, creating a small splash. The straight branch broke through the water like a sharp sword and pierced the fish Ryan had targeted.
Onlookers held their breath, afraid to disturb Ryan and startle the fish.
After a long minute, just as Derrick and Harriet thought it had failed, the lake made two gurgling sounds, and a long-armed fish emerged, impaled by the tree branch spear Ryan had shot. The red blood oozed from the wound and meandered slowly on the surface of the water.
Ryan bent down, and with his long arms, he reached the branch and lifted the fish out of the water. The fish was not dead yet, and its tail flapped, sending small sprays of water in all directions. “It’s a Butterfly-winged Silver Snowfish from Yiyi Lake. I’ll catch another one, when the lake calms down. Two will be enough for us to eat,” Ryan said.
Ryan, you’re amazing. Is there anything you can’t do? You can even fish. I’ve only seen this kind of fishing on survival shows.” Harriet’s admiration for Ryan grew another level.
Auston and Derrick didn’t expect Ryan to catch a fish either. Auston was confident in Ryan, so he wasn’t worried, but Derrick was quite surprised. Based on the size of the butterfly-winged silver snow fish’s shadow on the surface of the lake, the fish was three meters deep in the water, and it could move at any time. The underwater environment was also constantly changing. It’s evident how skilled Ryan is at controlling his strength and angles to be able to catch the fish.
“I’ll kill the fish.” Auston was proud to do anything for Ryan, so he stepped forward to clean and  asked to kill the fish, scrape off the scales, cut open the belly of the fish and take out the internal organs, which he still knows how to do.
Ryan was stunned for a moment, then handed the fish to Auston. “Don’t cut the gallbladder.”
“Okay.” Auston nodded and carefully remembered Ryan’s words.
Derrick was shocked. What’s going on? The general is asking them to catch fish and he’s even volunteering to clean and prepare them. In the midst of his confusion, Ryan catches another butterfly-winged silver snowfish. These fish have two fins under their heads that are particularly large, resembling transparent butterfly wings, which enable them to move more quickly in water. However, their swimming speed is slowed by the crimson moonlight at night, making them easier to catch.
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it,” said Derrick, as he reached for a fish that’s floating on the surface of the water. He carried the fish to the campfire and expertly cleaned it. The technique was quite skillful, and a fish was quickly dealt with after Auston.
While they’re preparing the fish, Ryan crushed some plants he found in the woods, mixed them with salt, and spread them evenly on the fish’s inside and outside. Finally, he puts the fish on a makeshift grill over the fire. With Ryan’s guidance, Harriet has put together a simple grill and gathered plenty of firewood just in case.
The butterfly-winged silver snowfish, prepared by Ryan, sizzled and oozed oil under the licking flames, producing a rich aroma that spread far in the icy air of the grassland.
Meanwhile, two people hidden in the dark observe with curiosity, tilting their heads as they watched the activity around the campfire.
“Are they grilling fish?” they wondered.
“Talking nonsense, slurp, it smells so good.”
“Gurgle~”
This is the sound of two people’s stomachs growling. Nutrient supplements and compressed dry food can fill their stomachs, replenish their energy and water, but they cannot compare to gourmet food.
At this moment, they felt that the task of monitoring Ryan’s group was too cruel.
“It’s already so late, and it’s a competition now. There are so many eyes lurking in the dark. How can they have the heart to grill fish and eat?”
“And they’re doing it right in front of us!”
“It’s not just the two of us who are monitoring Ryan.”
“They are reckless, and what can we do? Hehe, the pain of seeing but not being able to eat is not just felt by the two of us.”
“Wait until the second half of the night, then we can relax.”
“…Sierra is so cunning. Does he really need to use such tactics against a newcomer in the Mecha Engineering Department? Captain Cage is cooperating with her too.”
“We don’t have to think too much about it. There must be a lot of good stuff in Ryan’s bag, and we can share it later…”
In the darkness, the latest plot against Ryan is being carried out. Some people are the executors of the plan, some are preparing to reap the benefits, but in the end, who is the deer and who is the hunter is still unknown.
The fish cooked by Ryan’s hands alone smelled so delicious that it made one’s mouth water. After moving it from the fire to a clean place, Ryan cut off the most tender and freshest piece of meat from the fish fin and blew it cool before handing it to Auston’s mouth. Auston took off his mask and took a bite, “No fishy smell, the fish meat is delicious, and the melted fat makes the grilled fish not taste dry. You did a great job.”
“I followed the method of the old hunter from Xingmang Town and unexpectedly the taste is not bad. The flesh of the Butterfly Wing Silver Snow Fish is tender and delicious. If I had all the necessary ingredients, the taste would be even better.” He took a bite directly from the side that Auston had bitten. For those who pursue good food, the grilled fish he made is still lacking in some flavor. If there is a chance in the future, he hopes to get a fresh Butterfly-winged Silver Snow Fish to make a sumptuous meal for Auston.
The two of them ate happily, with one taking a bite and the other taking a bite. On the other side of the campfire, Harriet was already petrified, as if she had been stared at hard by Medusa. She opened her mouth and widened her eyes, and her expression was exaggerated, with every muscle in her face writing: I’m so panicked, I’m so confused, I’m petrified.
Derrick was slightly better off because he knew the truth and had even seen General Ryan being held in his arms. So he wasn’t very shocked. He nudged Harriet, who was experiencing an 18-level typhoon in her heart, with his elbow and said, “Don’t zone out, hurry up and eat the fish. We’ll split it in half. If you don’t eat, I’ll eat it all.”
He even felt a little bit pleased now, and his current mentality should resonate with Colonel William’s.
“Oh my god!” Harriet burst out in a stunning cry.
The monitor hidden in the dark thought he had been exposed and quickly retreated more than ten meters.
Harriet looked at Auston and then at Ryan, suddenly stood up and saluted Auston, “Good day, General!”
“No need for formalities, it’s our mealtime now,” replied Auston.
Harriet felt a little embarrassed. She had just blabbered on so much about the meal earlier, and now she was feeling a bit uneasy. “General, I apologize for my impoliteness earlier,” she said. She and the general had been chatting so enthusiastically that she had almost put her arm around his shoulder. Thank goodness, she didn’t do it. She wished she could dig a hole and bury herself in it. She had done so many embarrassing things in front of the general that her ladylike image was gone.
Derrick was stunned. Harriet, who was more of a man than a man, was actually shy. It seemed like the sun would rise from the west tomorrow.
Harriet noticed Derrick’s expression from the corner of her eye, and she gritted her molars and gave him a subtle kick. Her expression was quite self-explanatory.
“You are Ryan’s friend, and therefore my friend. There is no need for formalities or rank differences at this moment. Let’s sit down and eat together,” Auston said, with a friendly attitude. He was also trying to figure out how to interact with Ryan’s friends after removing his mask.
Ryan teased, “If it gets cold, it won’t taste good.”
Harriet sat down and began to eat the fish, but suddenly she felt something was not quite right. She watched Ryan and Auston’s intimate behavior, the natural intimacy is only for couples in love and thought about Ryan’s claim of being married. Was he married to General Auston? Ryan must be so lucky to be the General’s spouse…
Wait a minute, Harriet finally returned to normal and widened her eyes again.
Ryan’s genetic sequence is Y, and he is married to General Auston.
Gudong!
Harriet chuckled to herself. Ryan must be lying, he’s X, he’s X, he’s X… T^T.
The people who were secretly monitoring the situation looked at each other in confusion. What was going on? Why did Harriet suddenly bow to the person next to Ryan? It was late at night, and Harriet’s face contorted in an unusual manner, like a monster possessed by a ghost in a horror movie. A cold wind blew, and it felt eerie.
The observers dared not get too close. They had just retreated more than ten meters due to Harriet’s loud scream, unable to hear the sound of the bonfire, otherwise their performance would be no better than Harriet’s.
By the bonfire, watching Harriet’s face change several times, Ryan shrugged at Auston: See, all friends always struggle for a while when they learn the truth. For them, it was also a kind of fun.
“After the cruise is over, we’ll go home. Mom and Dad, and Aunt Peggy will all be surprised that I was able to marry such an outstanding partner.”
Auston chuckled, “I hope they won’t be too restrained with me.”
“They won’t. My family is very open-minded. Don’t be scared when you meet them. They’re very welcoming to you, and we’ll have a grand party on the day we go home. My parents have been preparing for a long time,” Ryan said. “I’ve asked about the details, and they’re keeping it a secret. They’re really looking forward to your arrival.”
“Okay, I’ll definitely come,” Auston looked forward to the joyful family atmosphere of Ryan’s family, and also wanted to see that vibrant planting star.
They didn’t sit down and enjoy the delicious food leisurely. It only took them thirty-one minutes from catching the fish to roasting it and eating it, which was one minute and twenty seconds longer than Ryan’s planned time. After eating, they extinguished the bonfire, leaving only a few sparks, which could be quickly lit when they returned. They wanted to explore the surrounding area before the coldest moment of B612 arrived, and determine the location of the two-horned snake’s nest. They could then catch the snake tomorrow before dawn, which was the most sluggish time for the two-horned snake and the best time to catch it.
Recently the weather at night in B612 has been good, without heavy clouds obscuring the moonlight, and they don’t need a torch to move around with the help of the crimson moonlight. In the dark, there are always wild animals that are attracted to light. It’s fine near the lake, but outside the forest, any slight mistake could make them become prey to wild animals.
In the sky, nocturnal birds fly by, flapping their wings and causing the air to emit a slow whooshing sound. These birds are like moths, attracted to light, and anything they pass by will be attacked if there’s light (except for the waterside, where they are afraid). No one wants to be “closely embraced” by a behemoth with a wingspan of over ten meters.
There are rustling sounds behind them, which are the sounds of animals moving in the grass. They move carefully, trying not to make any noise.
Ryan, who was crouching down and looking, glanced back and smiled. “There are signs of movement from the two-horned snakes over here.”
“Here too, two meters away,” Derrick said.
From further away, Harriet’s voice came, “There are many here.”
Auston had been accompanying Ryan and didn’t intervene in their competition. He was there to monitor the messages from various rescue robots from all over in case of a large-scale emergency. He wasn’t there to compete and wouldn’t interfere with the competitions of others, including Ryan’s.
“Snake’s den is nearby, everyone be careful, watch your step,” Ryan made his own judgment based on the experience of the old hunter.
Derrick said, “Haha, if you fell in, you’d be in close contact with thousands of two-horned snakes.”
“Just thinking about it is super exciting,” Harriet’s voice was a little excited. Like many soldiers in close combat, she had a tendency to get more excited as things got more dangerous and exciting.
The snake’s den was nearby. Ryan got down on his belly and pressed his ear to the ground. He could already hear the sound of millions of snakes of all sizes intertwining and crawling together.
Rustle, rustle–
Rustle, rustle–
There were snakes, and other creatures as well.
Ryan suddenly exploded, his waist and back muscles moving in an instant. He leaped into the air and spun a full circle before landing firmly on the ground. As he landed, his leg muscles swelled and he dashed out like an arrow from a string. The whole sequence of movements happened too quickly, and except for Auston, no one reacted.
But Ryan, who had rushed out, grabbed the attacker’s throat ten meters away. The attacker had a knife in his hand, and the tip of the knife was dim in the crimson moonlight.
Ryan no longer had the gentle and homely appearance he had when he was grilling fish. He was like a drawn sword, piercing straight into the hearts of his enemies, making the attacker and everyone nearby dare not move a muscle.
“An ambush,” Ryan said with certainty.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152