TIMIST Chapter 1

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ANNOUNCEMENT

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🌷Chapter 1-10

Galactic Year 2900, June 19th, Evening.

Lu Qiao was instantly teleported—from one place to another in the blink of an eye.

Just a moment ago, he had been enjoying a bath, freshly cleaned and refreshed. He had put on his underwear and was about to slip into his clothes. The next second, he found himself in a conference room full of people, crashing face-first into a man he hadn’t seen in five years.

—That’s right. Wearing nothing but a pair of underwear, he had just thrown himself into the arms of the man seated at the head of the table.

The conference room erupted into chaos as everyone was startled. Soldiers stationed outside, hearing the commotion, burst in with their weapons raised—aiming directly at Lu Qiao and another woman who, like him, had also mysteriously appeared in the room, landing on a certain officer. The two of them had suddenly become highly suspicious figures.

Lu Qiao’s mind went blank. He looked around at the guns pointed at him, the wary and shocked gazes, then turned back to the uniformed man who had caught him, equally stunned. His heart trembled as he screamed internally: What the hell is going on? What the hell is going on?! Wasn’t he just in the bathhouse? Wasn’t he just getting dressed? Where was this place? Why was Yan Qiu suddenly in front of him?! And why the hell couldn’t this teleportation have waited until he was fully clothed?! Why humiliate him like this?!

His entire body flushed pink, frozen stiff like a statue.

“...Marshal!” Yan Qiu’s adjutant had already drawn his gun in that split second, his expression tense and guarded.

They had been in the middle of a military meeting—everything was proceeding as usual—when suddenly, this nearly naked man and the woman appeared out of nowhere. No one in the room had seen how it happened. Even though neither of the newcomers appeared immediately dangerous, the sheer inexplicability of the situation made them a potential threat.

Yan Qiu quickly regained his composure. Without hesitation, he removed his coat, draping it over Lu Qiao before pulling him close. His voice was steady and commanding as he said, “It’s fine. Lower your weapons.”

“But—”

“I said, lower them.”

Yan Qiu’s order left no room for argument. The officers in the room exchanged glances before reluctantly lowering their guns.

“Marshal, this…” someone started hesitantly. The atmosphere was awkward, to say the least.

At this moment, nearly everyone at the conference table had gotten to their feet, except for Yan Qiu and another officer, both of whom remained seated—each holding a person in their arms.

The other officer was just as bewildered. Ever since the woman had fallen into his lap, his usual stern expression had completely cracked, and his face was now bright red.

“You… why are you here…?” he stammered.

“I… I don’t know,” the woman answered nervously. “I had just finished dinner…”

Lu Qiao, wrapped in Yan Qiu’s coat, could still feel the warmth of the man’s body lingering in the fabric.

He didn’t move an inch, keeping his head down, shrinking into Yan Qiu’s embrace.

The man lowered his gaze to him, his eyes flickering with emotion as he asked, “What just happened?”

Lu Qiao forced the words out through clenched teeth: “I don’t know… I blacked out for a moment, and then I was here…”

“Marshal, Officer Yang, do you… know these two?” one of the generals hesitantly asked.

The sudden event had left everyone too stunned to immediately connect the dots. But as soon as the general voiced the question, realization dawned upon them.

The tall, imposing, strikingly handsome man seated at the head of the table was none other than Yan Qiu, Supreme Commander of the Galactic Empire’s First Army Corps. The First Army had returned from their campaign two days ago, and this was the first military meeting convened since their return. No one could have anticipated such an absurd interruption.

Lu Qiao stiffened at the question, suppressing his embarrassment as he lifted his gaze to glance at Yan Qiu again.

He hadn’t even known the man had returned.

Five years apart, and while Yan Qiu didn’t seem to have changed much, he also looked completely different. His hair was shorter, his features sharper. Five years had fully awakened the raw masculinity in him—he had grown more mature, exuding an unfamiliar yet intimidating aura that made Lu Qiao feel inexplicably anxious.

At the same time, Yan Qiu was also taking in the sight of the person in his arms. Lu Qiao’s damp hair clung to the back of his neck, still not fully dry. Under the oversized military coat, his body was lean yet toned, muscles subtly defined across his limbs—supple yet powerful. His face… was thinner now, making his dark eyes appear even larger, his jawline more delicate.

Yan Qiu’s gaze never left Lu Qiao as he finally responded to the general’s question.

“Yes. I know him.”

His voice snapped Lu Qiao back to reality.

Realizing that they had been staring at each other for several long seconds, neither looking away, Lu Qiao belatedly felt the heat creeping up his face. He hurriedly averted his eyes, suddenly feeling unbearably self-conscious.

He grabbed the coat, feeling its hem—at least it covered his butt. This guy must have grown taller again, and he was obviously even bigger than he was five years ago. Even his chest muscles were harder than before...

Wait, now was definitely not the time to be thinking about that! More importantly, what the hell was going on?!

The people in this room all looked like officers, which meant this was probably the Imperial Military Headquarters? No way… Could this be the Central Star? He had just been in the training facility’s bathhouse, which was located on a third-class planet—a whole fifty thousand light-years away from the Central Star! What kind of technology could teleport him that far in an instant? Even spatial tunnels couldn’t reach such a distance! And as far as he knew, no technology existed that could transport living beings without the aid of a spacecraft or other mechanical devices!

So whatever just happened was completely unscientific.

“You guys don’t know what’s going on either?” he asked in a hushed voice.

Yan Qiu reached out, pulling the coat more snugly around Lu Qiao’s body. His voice was low and calm. “No idea.”

Lu Qiao scratched his head in confusion. Even they didn’t know? Then what the hell was this situation…

Now that the soldiers had lowered their guns, and with so many people staring at him, Lu Qiao felt incredibly uncomfortable. He stretched his legs, intending to stand up. But the moment he moved, Yan Qiu caught him by the waist and effortlessly pulled him back.

Lu Qiao looked up at Yan Qiu in confusion and gave him a little push to signal that he wanted to get up.

Yan Qiu hesitated for two seconds before finally letting go. Lu Qiao managed to stand up at last. But when he tried to pull his hand away from Yan Qiu’s chest—

He found that…

His hand was stuck.

Lu Qiao stared at Yan Qiu in shock, gave his hand a firm tug—but it wouldn’t come off.

“…What kind of weird ability is this?” Lu Qiao muttered in disbelief.

Yan Qiu immediately said, “Get back up here.” Without giving Lu Qiao a chance to refuse, he pulled him back onto his lap.

As their bodies pressed together even more, Lu Qiao finally managed to pull his hand free. But at the same time, he realized that his thigh was now stuck to Yan Qiu’s thigh.

Long story short—they were like two magnets, completely stuck together!

The entire conference room erupted in astonishment.

—What the hell was happening?!

Yan Qiu assessed the situation, then looked up at his adjutant. “Check on C1 Star Sector.”

Five minutes later—

The conference room was eerily silent.

Well, not exactly silent. People were whispering to each other, voices hushed but still audible in scattered murmurs.

Behind Lu Qiao, Yan Qiu remained calmly seated. And as for Lu Qiao himself…

He was sitting in Yan Qiu’s lap.

After some testing, they discovered that as long as one part of their bodies remained connected, they could freely move the rest. So technically, Lu Qiao and Yan Qiu only needed to touch fingertips to maintain the effect.

And yet…

For some reason, Yan Qiu had said, “Isn’t it tiring to stand?” Then he pressed Lu Qiao back onto the chair.

Lu Qiao, still mentally short-circuiting from everything that had happened, had simply sat down without protest.

Now, they remained in this highly questionable sitting posture, while the rest of the room continued their highly questionable staring.

Yan Qiu was completely unfazed.

Lu Qiao, on the other hand, was still in a daze, staring blankly at the conference table and questioning his life choices. He was completely unaware that the way people were looking at him had shifted—from suspicion to intense gossip-fueled curiosity.

Forget about Officer Yang and the girl in his arms—the two of them had been blushing non-stop this whole time, their awkward energy practically radiating a sickeningly sweet, romantic atmosphere throughout the room.

But Marshal Yan Qiu and this man sitting in his lap…

Their posture.

Yan Qiu’s loose embrace.

Was this not boyfriend and girlfriend behavior?!

Did these two not realize how weird this looked?!

Or was it just… an unspoken understanding?!

No, no, wait. The slightly thinner, beautiful-looking man was clearly too stunned to process anything. But Yan Qiu…

From start to finish, the calmest person in the room was Yan Qiu.

To say that he wasn’t aware of how weird this was? Impossible.

Just as the room’s collective gossip radar reached its peak, the door knocked.

A military officer entered and handed Lu Qiao a pair of pants.

Lu Qiao finally snapped out of his daze, awkwardly murmured a “thank you,” then stared at the pants for a moment—before remembering that, earlier, before he could even react, Yan Qiu had casually reported his exact size.

Lu Qiao: “……”

How the hell does he still remember?

Shaking off that thought, he put on the pants, then muttered, “Could’ve brought me a shirt too…”

“Aren’t you already wearing mine?” A low, smooth voice sounded near his ear.

Lu Qiao froze.

His ear suddenly felt itchy. In a small voice, he muttered, “Aren’t you going to wear it?”

“I, unlike you, didn’t come here completely naked.” Yan Qiu’s tone was amused. After a brief pause, he added in an even lower voice, “Just finished your bath?”

“Mm.” Lu Qiao still felt lingering fear at the thought. He mumbled, “Good thing I at least managed to put on my underwear. If I was just a second late, I’d have shown up completely naked…”

Yan Qiu’s breath hitched. His eyes narrowed slightly.

Meanwhile, Lu Qiao, still deep in thought, absentmindedly buttoned up the military coat, making sure to wear it as properly as possible. As his fingers brushed against the crisp fabric, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.

He was three years younger than Yan Qiu.

Five years ago, Yan Qiu had officially joined the military, and from that moment on, he had spent most of his time at the border.

Back then, Lu Qiao had believed with all his heart that once he entered the military in three years, he would be able to catch up to Yan Qiu, to stand by his side.

But life had other plans.

Everything had changed. His future had become uncertain.

And now, this man was standing at the very top of the Imperial Military, while Lu Qiao was still stuck on a third-class planet, training endlessly with no clear direction.

He couldn’t deny that there was a sense of disparity.

But Lu Qiao had always been optimistic. Or rather, he forced himself to stay optimistic. So, after sulking for a few seconds, he quickly pulled himself together.

No matter how bad things were, what’s done is done.

There was no point in dwelling on “what ifs.”

Instead of wasting time feeling miserable, he should focus on finding a way forward.

Half a month ago, the Cosmic Alliance, the most powerful interstellar coalition known in the current interstellar society—comprising 25 star nations, including the Galactic Empire—achieved a major victory over its rival forces.

In particular, the First Legion of the Galactic Empire, led by Yan Qiu, had directly annihilated the enemy’s main headquarters and successfully captured their leader.

This swift and overwhelming assault sent shockwaves throughout the entire Cosmic Alliance. Those who followed and understood military affairs couldn’t help but scream and celebrate for Yan Qiu and his First Legion.

With the conclusion of that battle, the greatest threat to the Cosmic Alliance had been eliminated. Only some minor residual issues remained, which no longer required the intervention of the Alliance’s strongest combat forces. As a result, everyone was eagerly awaiting the return of the First Legion.

Meanwhile, Lu Qiao couldn’t help but wonder—even if Yan Qiu returned, would he even get a chance to see the man?

He and Yan Qiu had a connection in the past. During Lu Qiao’s most difficult times, Yan Qiu had even helped him out. But things were different now.

Yan Qiu had risen to the very top of the Imperial Marshal ranks, holding a position equivalent to the Chief Marshal. There was no doubt that he was now busier than ever, and Lu Qiao seriously doubted whether meeting him would be an easy task.

But then again…

Back when Yan Qiu lent him money, he had gone so far as to link their bank accounts together.

Lu Qiao had no idea how the man could be so careless—he had basically handed over his entire account to him. At the time, the amount of money in it had shocked Lu Qiao to his core.

Of course, he had only borrowed a small portion of it when he was in dire need, and he had already paid everything back.

Yet, despite all this time passing, Yan Qiu had never once disconnected their accounts.

Did he forget about it?

Lu Qiao figured he should at least remind him about it.

And now, by some unknown force, he had ended up meeting Yan Qiu directly. He just needed to find a good moment to bring it up later.

As Lu Qiao was still contemplating, the murmurs in the room grew louder.

After the initial chaos, everyone had taken some time to calm down, but discussions were still ongoing.

Yan Qiu had mentioned C1 Star Sector.

And what did C1 Star Sector represent?

—The World Core System.

The most mysterious existence.

If something happened there, then the impact couldn’t possibly be limited to just one or two people.

It would affect the entire universe.

Five minutes wasn’t enough for everyone to fully analyze or speculate about the situation. People were making calls, checking online networks—and before Yan Qiu’s adjutant had even returned, they had already learned that this phenomenon wasn’t limited to this conference room.

It had likely occurred across the entire universe.

Everyone was clearly shaken by this realization.

The StarNet had exploded with activity, and StarBlog had completely crashed. Countless people were reporting similar experiences—

Some claimed they had been suddenly transported to another location and were now stuck to someone else, unable to separate.

Others reported that a certain friend or acquaintance had suddenly appeared beside them, and no matter what they tried, they couldn’t break apart.

At one point, a military officer in the conference room received a phone call.

It seemed to be from his wife.

“What?! The little stray dog from home suddenly appeared there?!”

The officer was stunned.

“The one that gave birth to two litters with our big black dog?! It—it’s still alive?!”

Everyone who overheard the conversation was completely dumbfounded.

Even dogs weren’t spared from this phenomenon?!

At this point, one major question remained unanswered—

Why had only certain people experienced this?

What was the pattern?

Just then, Yan Qiu’s adjutant finally rushed back into the room.

All eyes immediately locked onto him.

The adjutant stood at attention and saluted.

Yan Qiu wasted no time. “What’s the situation?”

The adjutant took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice.

“The C1 Star Sector Management Bureau has reported that at exactly 19:00, the World Core System was attacked by a virus.”

“The research team has already begun analyzing it, but it will take at least 48 hours to fully decipher the virus!”

The entire room erupted.

It really was the World Core System!

That meant this entire event was caused by a fundamental disruption in the universe’s operating rules!

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