Chapter 313 - 312: You Call This an Average Relationship?

Granny Ji’s right eyelid twitched violently.

Once. Twice. Three times.

She looked up, and her heart sank with a thud.

Groups of people suddenly poured out from the bow and stern of the warship.

Yes, several massive, densely packed groups of people.

They stood in orderly formations, each clad in a military uniform, exuding an aura of cold pride. Their legs were ramrod straight, the very picture of discipline.

To the naked eye, there were at least several hundred of them.

As soon as the warship stopped, the hundreds of people looked down in a formidable mass. Their gazes swept from top to bottom, closely following Huo Shi and the few others who jumped off the warship.

The last one to disembark, the person right behind Huo Shi, was someone Granny Ji knew all too well.

"Big Brother~~~"

Granny Ji cried out, her voice trembling and wavering so much it cracked.

She wasn’t so senile as to think her brother could command such a grand display.

But she was unwilling to believe it, didn’t dare to believe it, and clung to a sliver of wishful thinking.

’What if it’s not him?’

The Ji Clan Leader and the others felt the same way. They walked up to offer a polite welcome but merely stood to the side, waiting patiently.

At the same time, they were so shocked that they hadn’t yet recovered their senses and were unable to react much.

Pei Yin rolled his eyes. "That Huo Shi... he’s ancient. In terms of military rank, Ling Gou is only a little lower than him. How come they show us zero respect when we’re standing right here, but the moment Huo Shi arrives, they’re all over him like sycophants?"

Ji Shiyin smiled. "He is the Father of Mecha."

The Ji Family’s situation is complicated; they’re only interested in the field of Mecha.

It’s like Emperor Wolf Star. The situation on Emperor Wolf Star is also complicated. The people there have a weak sense of the Imperial Federation’s laws, their customs are fierce, and ’the population only ever increases, never decreases.’

Furthermore, they view Admiral Yan Tianba through a filter of extreme personality cult worship.

Jian Yu glanced at Pei Yin’s handsome eye-roll, then at Ji Shiyin’s gentle and cool smile. ’What a sight for sore eyes.’

Hearing the name "Huo Shi," Jian Yu’s eyes scanned the area. ’Ancient?’

She had seen his photo and heard his voice.

Jian Yu said in a low voice, "I think he looks quite young."

Ji Shiyin nodded with a smile. "He’s only ninety. Still a handsome old man."

Jian Yu was lost in thought.

As long as their genetic diseases weren’t severe, interstellar people generally lived long lives.

Among the Awakened, the oldest could live to be five hundred, which seemed to be about the same as Primordial Beastmen.

For example, Granny Ji and Xi Mu, that couple, actually looked like they were in their forties.

’In that case, it seems I wouldn’t be entirely against acknowledging Huo Shi, my great-granddaughter...’

’No, wait. To everyone else, I have to call him my great-grandson.’

Jian Yu sighed with genuine feeling, "He looks like he’s in his thirties. Better than in the photo."

Sharp, sword-like brows and starry eyes, a cold and detached temperament, an overwhelming presence, and an aura of battle-hardened ferocity.

"Babe." Pei Yin narrowed his eyes, a sense of crisis suddenly washing over him. "This one, I will not approve."

Jian Yu shot him a look. "He’s my relative."

Ji Shiyin turned his head, a wide smile on his face, his dimples faintly appearing and disappearing. "What are you imagining?"

Pei Yin frowned. "Aren’t you an orphan?"

Jian Yu’s eyes darted around. "Well, to the public, Huo Shi is an orphan too."

Cradling the Little Flying Bear, Ji Shiyin rubbed its tail. "That makes sense."

Pei Yin: "..."

The moment Huo Shi landed, Granny Ji nervously rushed forward to greet him.

She forced a dry smile and greeted Huo Shi, only to be left standing there in the cold.

’I’ve never met anyone more arrogant than him!’

Granny Ji’s heart was in her throat; she had a feeling things were about to go wrong.

Her gaze fell on her older brother, and when she saw the same bewildered look on his face, her heart instantly filled with despair.

Huo Shi walked towards Jian Yu.

A few figures followed unhurriedly behind him, standing stiffly at his back.

Granny Ji’s older brother, Gu Ji, was at the very back.

Gu Ji was completely dumbfounded, clearly not keeping up with the current situation.

’Coming back from a mission, not returning to the military district first is one thing, but what’s the meaning of running over to the Ji Family’s place?’

Recalling the promise he had made to Granny Ji, Gu Ji immediately felt like he’d been slapped in the face.

He used Instant Teleportation to appear before him. "President Huo, it’s getting late. These are warships, and everyone is waiting. I think we should head back soon."

Huo Shi’s gaze was steady, his tone indifferent. "Are you accusing me of misappropriating military resources?"

"No, that’s not what I meant." Cold sweat broke out on Gu Ji’s forehead, and he quickly backed away.

He had been by Huo Shi’s side for half a year and had gradually figured out his personality.

Huo Shi was the most arrogant person in the Mechanical Military District. If your first sentence displeased him, it was best to know your place and shut up immediately.

Otherwise, by the time you spoke a second sentence, regardless of whether it was good or bad, Huo Shi would not allow that person to remain in the Mecha District.

Gu Ji cautiously pulled Granny Ji away.

He noticed that when he was speaking just now, not only did Huo Shi not stop walking, but his gaze never once shifted toward anyone else.

When the Ji Clan Leader and the others came over to greet him, Huo Shi just gave a cold nod.

Huo Shi walked straight toward Jian Yu, as if she were the only person in his eyes and no one else existed.

Gu Ji had already braced himself and tried to stop him once; he didn’t want to jeopardize his future for his sister’s sake.

He looked at Granny Ji hurriedly, his teeth chattering from fear. "What in the world is going on? You told me to stop him. Did you know something?"

Granny Ji grabbed Gu Ji’s arm and lowered her voice. "Big Brother, you have to help me this time. That punk from Ji the Third’s family is out of control! He’s using the Li Clan succession to threaten the Clan Leader into ousting me!"

Gu Ji’s brows furrowed. "Get to the point. No embellishments."

Granny Ji paused.

"That damn girl next to him seems to have some connection to President Huo. She claims she can get President Huo to come over and do her bidding."

"If you ask me, her connection can’t be as good as yours. She’s just bluffing. President Huo was probably just passing by and decided to drop in."

Granny Ji looked at Gu Ji questioningly, her heart pounding wildly. "Big Brother, you think so too, right?"

Gu Ji’s expression relaxed. "Mm, we were passing by on our way back from a mission. It was on the way."

’But...’ Gu Ji thought, ’with Huo Shi’s temper, he isn’t the type to do favors for just anyone.’

Granny Ji didn’t know Huo Shi well, so she was relieved to hear they were just passing by.

She gritted her teeth and started to badmouth them.

"The Ji Family is unfair! That Ji Clan Leader wants to cast us aside after using us, and now he’s taking the clan members and siding with Ji Shiyin. That damn girl brought President Huo here, claiming he’ll back the Ji Family from now on."

"Big Brother, they think you’re useless and don’t want to give us any more benefits. They said they want to kick you out, and they even told me that the Ji Family won’t need you to mediate for them anymore, nor will they need my second brother to pretend to be a good guy and save them."

"Big Brother, don’t you work under Huo Shi? What’s your relationship with him like? They’re giving me such a hard time, you have to stand up for me!"

Gu Ji subconsciously looked toward Huo Shi, his pupils constricting in shock. He hurriedly pushed his sister away.

Who was Huo Shi? That guy was the picture of arrogance with everyone he met. His gaze was always either critical or disgusted, as if he wasn’t looking at a person, but at some kind of parasite.

But at this moment, facing the "damn girl" his sister had mentioned, his cold face was so gentle you could almost squeeze water from it.

’Is this what you call an ordinary relationship?’