As Zhou Zhe called out for the fourth time, Qin Chuan's voice responded from not too far ahead.
Hearing the voice, not loud but firm and powerful, Zhou Zhe and the young researcher following behind him had their eyes light up.
With looks of joy, they rushed towards where Qin Chuan was.
"Captain, didn't you say you'd wait for me at the original spot? You scared me."
Qin Chuan was unconcerned, "What could happen to me? You guys go ahead and see what this cocoon is."
The two young researchers nodded their heads like chicks pecking for rice.
Heeding Qin Chuan's words, they dared not delay any further. Qin Chuan and Zhou Zhe couldn't offer much help in terms of professional technical matters.
They could only stand by and hold the lights for the two researchers.
But the light was too dim, so the two researchers could only reluctantly approach the cocoon to get a general look at what was inside.
As the two were observing, Qin Chuan, who was above them, suddenly spoke.
"Can you tell what kind of animal's cocoon this is?"
The researcher's voice only hesitated for a moment, and then, the voice of a fair-skinned young boy came through.
"Qin Chuan... Captain... we haven't seen what kind of animal laid this egg either. We need to collect some samples to take back and study before we can determine."
Qin Chuan heard the boy's voice trembling slightly and couldn't help but chuckle.
"You're afraid of me." It wasn't a question but a statement.
The young boy's voice immediately became more contorted.
"I... I... I didn't... I'm just... a little nervous. Seeing Captain Qin Chuan makes me a little nervous."
After speaking, the tip of the boy's ears were quietly flushing red, but the darkness perfectly concealed the boy's embarrassment and shyness.
Qin Chuan did not notice the boy's abnormality, only finding it somewhat amusing.
It wasn't that he hadn't seen people afraid of him before, but behind their fear, their eyes were filled with utter disgust and disdain.
Qin Chuan had known since he was young that part of the reason people feared him was his background.
The other half came from his fists.
If he couldn't get along with others, then let them fear him!
That was when Qin Chuan was eight years old, after being isolated by the children in the compound, he cried and went home to his grandfather to complain. It was the first lesson Old Master Qin gave him.
From then on, Qin Chuan understood a principle.
He couldn't make everyone not dislike him.
But Qin Chuan could make everyone fear him.
The boy in front of him was an example. Qin Chuan could feel the fear emanating from him.
Although that fear carried no trace of calculation, it also gave him no sense of closeness.
Song Changqing was unaware that he was to die before he could achieve anything significant.
"Just a little nervous?" Qin Chuan sneered, not exposing the young boy in front of him.
Perhaps it was the person in front of him that reminded him of something else.
In any case, at this moment, Qin Chuan indulged Song Changqing's clumsy lie.
Before Song Changqing could say anything more, Qin Chuan changed his demeanor, a playful smile on his face, and spoke to the boy.
"What's your name?"
Upon hearing this, the boy seemed a little pleased but dared not show it, his whole face creased.
"Captain Qin Chuan, I... my name is Song Changqing."
Even Zhou Zhe, standing beside them, looked astonished, muttering internally.
Had his captain eaten the wrong medicine today, to actually initiate a conversation with someone?
And this person was even a man.
Zhou Zhe had followed Qin Chuan for three years and had never seen Qin Chuan even cast a second glance at any other woman.
It wasn't until he met Xu An before that Zhou Zhe was convinced Qin Chuan's sexual orientation was normal.
But besides Xu An, he had never seen Qin Chuan speak to any other woman.
There wasn't even a female mosquito near Qin Chuan.
Yet now, although it was the boy named Song Changqing who initiated the conversation with Qin Chuan, Qin Chuan actually asked for the boy's name.
Zhou Zhe's mouth was open wide enough to fit a whole egg.
Before Zhou Zhe could finish being surprised, Qin Chuan's voice reached his ears.
"Song Changqing, good name."
Zhou Zhe was petrified. He was completely immersed in a state of confusion.
An indescribable emotion filled Zhou Zhe's chest, making him feel somewhat stifled.
That was when Zhou Zhe didn't know that this emotion was the legendary jealousy!
Before Zhou Zhe could digest his emotions, Qin Chuan spoke again.
"I happen to be short of an assistant. Do you want to consider following me!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Song Changqing on the other side hadn't even had time to get excited.
Zhou Zhe on this side had already exploded in advance.
"Captain! You don't even know this person..."
Before he could finish speaking, looking at Qin Chuan's face which was within reach, the rest of his words were impossible to utter.
It was a face that seemed to smile but not smile.
But Zhou Zhe was close enough to see it more clearly than anyone else.
Qin Chuan's face was full of a murderous aura, with not a trace of a smile.
Yet Qin Chuan's voice still carried a hint of amusement.
Song Changqing, enveloped by the darkness, could not see Qin Chuan's expression.
After Zhou Zhe finished speaking, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt a sense of loss as if the goal he was about to achieve was slipping away.
Just as Song Changqing thought Qin Chuan would refuse to let him approach, Qin Chuan's voice suddenly rang out.
"Zhou Zhe, do your own job. I recall I have the right to find an assistant, and I don't need your approval."
Zhou Zhe's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Following Qin Chuan's gaze, he fixed his eyes on the boy named Song Changqing.
His voice gradually turned cold. He deliberately feigned a hint of trepidation and exchanged a look with Qin Chuan where no one could see.
"Whatever you want! You're the captain, what can I say? If you want to keep someone of unknown origin by your side, that's up to you!"
After saying this, Zhou Zhe pretended to be angry, turned his body to the side, and carefully recalled the scene of his encounter with Song Changqing.
Qin Chuan, seeing Zhou Zhe's reaction, was instantly relieved.
Knowing that Zhou Zhe understood his intentions, all the coldness he displayed was for the person in front of him.
He had been worried that Zhou Zhe wouldn't understand his intentions and would expose him here, but when Zhou Zhe looked up, Qin Chuan glanced in Zhou Zhe's direction with a stern expression and then nodded slightly towards Song Changqing.
Fortunately, although the light in the cave was minimal, their years of partnership had fostered a deep默契 between them, making them highly compatible.
Almost anything Qin Chuan intended to do, Zhou Zhe could immediately grasp with a glance.
Qin Chuan knew that this Song Changqing must have been brought down by Zhou Zhe to fill a quota when he was up there.
However, there were many workers up there, from miners to researchers, countless numbers.
Despite being only for a moment, Qin Chuan still sensed an unusual glint in the eyes of this person named Song Changqing.
It was as if Song Changqing was deliberately trying to approach him.