bioinnovel Chapter 223 On the Eve of Departure!
Chapter 223 On the Eve of Departure!
The mission is scheduled for three days from now.
During these three days, Zhang Yan handled the finishing touches at the base during the day and returned to the villa to spend his evenings with Nie Qingcheng.
The following afternoon, ten sets of Dragon Scale Type I exoskeleton armor were transported by special vehicle arranged by Qin Xiao to the military airport in the western suburbs of Beijing, where they were directly handed over to the Dragon Scale team.
The moment Li Zhan opened the box, he froze on the spot.
The dark gold armor lay quietly within the shock-absorbing foam, its metallic texture reflecting a sharp, cold light under the lamp. The dragon emblem on its chest was exquisitely crafted, like a work of art.
He reached out and touched the surface of the armor.
It was cool, smooth, and far harder than any military alloy he had ever touched.
"This is... an exoskeleton?"
The man next to him, Chongchui, couldn't wait to pull out his own set and examine it over and over.
"Captain, the workmanship of this... is more than ten times more refined than our latest individual combat uniform."
The ghost crouched on the ground, examining the densely packed microscopic hydraulic structures at the joints of the armor, and hissed.
"How many degrees of freedom does this joint have? Is this even man-made?"
Li Zhan's gaze fell on a note pasted on the inside of the box.
The note contained only one line of text, written in neat and legible handwriting.
"Wear it, and bring everyone home. — Zhang Yan"
Li Zhan stared at that line of text for a long time.
He peeled off the note, folded it, and put it in his breast pocket.
"Everyone try them on."
His voice was deep.
"Complete basic adaptation training within two hours."
"yes!"
……
The day before departure.
evening.
Zhang Yan changed into casual clothes and stood at the entrance of the villa.
Nie Qingcheng came down from upstairs.
She wasn't wearing a cheongsam or a business suit today.
She wore a light blue floral dress, her hair was down, and she wore a pair of white canvas shoes.
There was no jewelry, no high heels, and no cold face that struck fear into the hearts of the entire Jinghai business community.
She was just an ordinary girl who was excessively beautiful.
Zhang Yan looked at her, a smile appearing in his eyes.
"Let's go."
Nie Qingcheng took his arm.
"You're treating tonight."
"OK."
Neither of them drove a car nor rode a Chengying.
We walked along, passing through two streets from the villa area, and turned into the old food street in the south of the city.
The food street was just starting to get lively in the evening.
The aroma of cooking wafted from the stalls on both sides of the street, the smoky fragrance of grilled meat, the spiciness of stir-fried snails, and the sweetness of roasted chestnuts all blending together and filling the entire street.
Nie Qingcheng's eyes lit up.
She pulled Zhang Yan along and headed straight for the first stall at the street corner.
"Boss, two servings of stinky tofu, extra spicy, please."
Zhang Yan stood to the side, watching the woman with a net worth of hundreds of billions squatting in front of a greasy roadside stall, holding a paper bowl, picking up a piece of golden-fried stinky tofu with a bamboo skewer, blowing on it twice, and carefully taking a bite.
Chili oil smeared on the corner of her mouth.
Her brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed, revealing a satisfied expression.
"tasty."
Zhang Yan took the other portion and ate a piece as well.
It's really good.
The two walked along the food street.
Grilled oysters.
Fried chicken strips.
Takoyaki (octopus balls).
Hot and sour rice noodles.
Candied hawthorn berries.
Nie Qingcheng had an astonishingly large appetite.
Or rather, she doesn't care about image, calories, or diet control at all today.
All she wanted to do was eat.
Eat as much as you want.
Let's try all the delicious food on this street together.
When they passed a barbecue stall, the owner, a chubby man in his forties, stopped fanning himself when he saw Nie Qingcheng's face.
"Young man, your girlfriend is really beautiful."
Zhang Yan ordered twenty skewers of lamb.
"Boss, add extra cumin."
Nie Qingcheng smiled with her lips pursed beside her.
The chubby uncle shook his head as he brushed on the oil.
"What a sin! You're taking such a beautiful girl to the night market for skewers? Did you save the galaxy in your past life?"
A group of young men at the table in front of them were drinking beer. One of them turned his head and glanced at Nie Qingcheng, his gaze fixed on her.
His companion kicked him.
"Stop looking."
"I'll just take a look..."
"Don't even look."
"Look at that guy's boyfriend's demeanor, are you even good enough for him?"
The man turned and glanced at Zhang Yan.
He was handsome and refined, with a clean and composed air about him.
He's not the kind of flamboyant handsome, but the kind that grows on you the more you look at him.
And then there's the woman with her...
He obediently withdrew his gaze and took a swig of beer.
I don't deserve it.
……
It was almost 10 o'clock when we reached the end of the food street.
Nie Qingcheng leaned against Zhang Yan, still holding a half-eaten candied hawthorn in her hand.
"I can't walk anymore."
Zhang Yan glanced down at her.
"I told you to skip two servings of hot and sour noodles, but you wouldn't listen."
"I'm happy."
Nie Qingcheng spoke with righteous indignation.
Zhang Yan didn't say anything more and squatted down.
Nie Qingcheng paused for a second, then smiled.
She put the candied hawthorn in her mouth, wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned against his back.
Zhang Yan stood up and steadily supported her.
walking back.
The streetlights cast long shadows of the two people.
Nie Qingcheng pressed her face against the back of his neck, feeling the warmth of his shoulders and the slight undulations as he walked.
He had a very faint scent about him.
It's neither perfume nor shower gel.
It's his own unique flavor.
Clean and reassuring.
Nie Qingcheng closed her eyes.
"Zhang Yan".
"Um."
"Do you think we'll still be strolling through night markets like this when we're old?"
"meeting."
"Will you still carry me on your back?"
"If you can't carry me anymore, just push my wheelchair."
Nie Qingcheng laughed out loud on his back.
After laughing, she buried her head even deeper.
You must come back.
The sound was so soft that it was almost swallowed up by the night wind.
Zhang Yan did not stop.
"I promised you."
Back at the villa.
Zhang Yan placed Nie Qingcheng in the entryway and was about to pour a glass of water.
Nie Qingcheng hugged him from behind.
Then, push hard.
Zhang Yan's back bumped against the bedroom door frame. Before he could react, Nie Qingcheng had already stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
Those eyes, which usually made the entire Jinghai business community tremble, were now veiled in a thin mist.
Her hand rested on his chest, her fingertips applying slight pressure.
"You're not getting any sleep tonight."
Her voice was low and hoarse.
Zhang Yan looked at her.
"Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?"
"We'll talk about tomorrow's problems tomorrow."
Nie Qingcheng pushed him into the bedroom.
The door closed behind him.
……
Four o'clock in the morning.
The sky outside the window was still dark.
Zhang Yan opened his eyes.
Nie Qingcheng, curled up in the blanket beside him, was sleeping soundly with even, long breaths.
Her hand was still on his arm, her fingertips slightly curled, as if she didn't want to let go even in her dream.
Zhang Yan glanced at her for two seconds.
Then, I carefully pried her fingers apart one by one and gently placed them on the pillow.
He got up but didn't turn on the light.
He changed his clothes, picked up the military satellite phone, and left the bedroom.
In the living room, a pre-packed canvas backpack leaned against the sofa.
There was a note on the coffee table.
He wrote that last night while Nie Qingcheng was taking a shower.
"There's some soup in the fridge, remember to heat it up before you drink it, wait for me to come back."