26: Qin Pojun

Star Rail Headquarters, inside Qin Qingxuan's private encrypted communication room.

A complex energy barrier completely isolated this place from the outside world; even the most advanced space fluctuation detectors could not peek into it at all. Dark golden light, representing the highest encryption level, flowed along the walls.

In the holographic projection, the image of a middle-aged man who carried an air of natural authority appeared.

His features were somewhat similar to Qin Qingxuan's, and his eyes were as deep as stars, as if they contained endless power and wisdom.

He was the Chairman of Star Rail Group, Qin Qingxuan's father, a high-level Stellar Level Expert—Qin Pojun.

"Father."

Qin Qingxuan bowed respectfully. Even across the endless starry sky, facing her father's projection, she maintained absolute reverence.

"Xuan'er,"

Qin Pojun's voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a steadiness forged over ten thousand years of time.

"What matter requires the use of a 'Star Core Level' encrypted channel?"

Qin Qingxuan took a deep breath and reported everything about Chen Jun to her father without reservation, including his three daughters with Innate Martial Body, the birth of an Innate Star Body after his union with Su Wan, which helped her achieve a Breakthrough to the Planetary Level, and her speculation regarding his "special Physique."

Even a figure like Qin Pojun, after hearing his daughter's narration, felt his calm eyes suddenly erupt with shocking brilliance, and the projection even fluctuated slightly!

"Is this true?! Xuan'er, do you know what this means?!"

For the first time, Qin Pojun's voice carried clear emotional fluctuations.

"It is absolutely true! Father, the fetus in Su Wan's womb has been confirmed as an Innate Star Body, and she herself has already used this to reach a Breakthrough to the Planetary Level! This matter has already been announced in the Federation celebration!"

Qin Qingxuan said with certainty,

"Chen Jun's value is far beyond our imagination! He might... be the ultimate key for the Federation to confront the Tristan Empire!"

She paused, her eyes flashing with fanaticism and anticipation, and proposed the most daring request:

"Father! Since combining with an Elementary War God can result in an Innate Star Body! Then if... if we could find a female expert at the 'Innate Star Body' level who hasn't reached a Breakthrough to the Stellar Level within the window period, or... even a female Stellar Level expert with an Acquired Moon Body to combine with him... is it possible to... conceive... conceive..."

She almost dared not say the word, her voice trembling slightly from excitement:

"...an Innate Moon Body?!"

"An Innate Moon Body?!"

Qin Pojun's pupils contracted sharply!

Even he was shocked by his daughter's crazy hypothesis!

The only existing Innate Moon Body in the Federation was the ultimate existence suppressing the nation's destiny!

It was a miracle born before the Federation even stepped into the interstellar era!

If it could be born continuously...

But soon, extreme rationality overcame the initial shock.

Qin Pojun shook his head slowly, his tone becoming incomparably grave:

"Xuan'er, your idea... is very bold. But, it is impossible."

"Why? Father!"

Qin Qingxuan asked urgently,

"If the theory holds..."

"There are no 'ifs'!"

Qin Pojun interrupted her, his voice carrying unquestionable decisiveness,

"First, which female at the Innate Star Body level is not a core treasure? Neither she nor the Family or force behind her would ever agree! Second, a female Stellar Level expert?"

He showed a wry smile,

"Among the 308 existing Stellar-level Experts in the Federation, only 108 are female! Every one of them is an existence that guards a territory and holds supreme status! Can I control their thoughts, their will? Would they agree to do such... things?"

His words carried a trace of helplessness and deep wariness.

At the Stellar Level, they had already transcended the constraints of ordinary forces; it was more about balance and cooperation.

Although he was the Chairman of Star Rail, he could not order other Stellar-level Experts, especially female ones, to do such unspeakable things.

"But, Father, that is an Innate Moon Body! For the Federation..."

Qin Qingxuan still wanted to argue.

"The Federation?"

A deep light flashed in Qin Pojun's eyes as he interrupted his daughter, his tone becoming meaningful,

"Xuan'er, you are devoted to the public good, and I am very pleased. But you must remember, the Federation is huge and very complex. Star Rail Group is not monolithic either. The other two, the Parliament and the Military, are even more deeply intertwined."

He paused, lowering his voice further:

"The Empire's spies are everywhere! They can lurk for thousands of years, even climbing to high positions at the Planetary Level before being discovered! Once the secret of 'Chen Jun' leaks even a tiny bit, the consequences will be catastrophic! When that happens, it might not just be some red-eyed 'insiders' from within the Federation! It is more likely to be an invasion by the Empire! If Chen Jun is taken by the Empire! Do you understand the consequences?! "

Qin Qingxuan fell silent; she understood her father's meaning. The crime of having a treasure.

"Therefore,"

Qin Pojun said decisively,

"This secret must be locked down! For now, the people who know must be limited to you, me, and the five core parties: Chen Jun, Lin Wei, and Su Wan! It must not be expanded further! Especially the core secret regarding the speculation of his Physique!"

"Su Wan is temporarily trustworthy. But Chen Jun and his wife Lin Wei must be upgraded to the highest level of protection and monitoring! I will personally operate this through my highest authority to ensure nothing goes wrong! I will also completely erase the traces of your previous operations and reinforce the defenses."

Qin Qingxuan's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately replied:

"Yes, Father!"

Qin Pojun pondered for a moment and continued:

"As for finding a mother with higher Aptitude, that is shelved for now. The risk is too great, and the uncertainty is also high. We cannot gamble with the future of the Federation!"

(They had no idea that the "Absolute Guarantee" rule of Chen Jun's System was to constantly increase by one major Rank, regardless of whether the mother was Innate or Acquired. A Stellar Level mother with an Acquired Moon Body would absolutely guarantee the birth of an Innate Sun Body! But this had already exceeded the limits of their cognition; an Innate Sun Body had never appeared in the history of the Federation, and they didn't even dare to imagine it.)

"The safest strategy currently is to maintain the status quo, control Chen Jun well, extend his lifespan as much as possible, and allowing him to... well, 'stably output' Innate Star Body babies is already a huge blessing!"

Qin Pojun finalized the tone.

"Daughter understands."

Although Qin Qingxuan felt some regret, she knew her father's decision was the safest.

After ending the communication, the encrypted communication room fell into silence.

Qin Pojun's projection had disappeared, but his deep gaze seemed to linger in the air.

He sat in his office on the Capital Star, which overlooked the entire interstellar city, and tapped his fingers on the desk unconsciously.

"Innate Star Body... stable output..."

He murmured, his eyes flashing with an incomparably complex light.

There was consideration for the Federation's future, but more of it was a deep, selfish desire belonging to the head of a Family.

He had lived for tens of thousands of years and had seen too many rises and falls.

The righteousness of the Federation was important, but the continuation and prosperity of the Family were the core pursuits rooted in his Bloodline!

It was true that Star Rail Group had over thirty Stellar-level Experts, but not all of them were of one mind with his Qin Family!

There were many factions within the group, and the other two top forces were eyeing them like tigers.

If...

If he could firmly control the strategic resource that was "Chen Jun" within the Qin Family...

If the Qin Family could continuously give birth to Innate Star Body babies...

Then, in the next hundred or thousand years, to what extent would the Qin Family's power and influence expand?

Perhaps... even surpass the Parliament and the Military, becoming the true uncrowned king of the Federation?!

This thought burned like wildfire in his heart!

"Xuan'er..."

A flash of decisiveness crossed his eyes,

"Since we cannot find a more suitable 'mother,' then... perhaps, having our own most outstanding descendant from the Qin Family personally control this 'resource' is the safest choice that maximizes our interests..."

He thought of his daughter, Qin Qingxuan.

At the Planet-level Peak, having just passed one thousand years of age, although she had missed the best window period to condense an Acquired Moon Body, if she could combine with Chen Jun, relying on the "Innate Nourishment Reverse-Feed" that might come from conceiving an Innate Star Body, perhaps she would have a slim chance to charge at the Stellar Level!

If she could conceive an Acquired Moon Body!

That would be the greatest glory for the Qin Family...!

Even if she couldn't, giving birth to an Innate Star Body would still be a huge boost for the Qin Family!

As for whether his daughter would be willing...

In the face of Family interests and the temptation of the Stellar Level Dao, these seemed to be things that could be "overcome."

"It seems I need to make a trip to Zhiyuan Star personally..."

Qin Pojun stood up, and an aura as vast as a sea of stars flowed out naturally.

He decided to handle this matter personally to ensure nothing went wrong.

At the same time, he immediately used his status, which was one of the highest authorities comparable to the Federation leaders, and began to operate silently, raising the security level of all information related to Chen Jun, Lin Wei, and Su Wan to "Zero-Level Top Secret," and completely covered and reinforced any traces of operations that Qin Qingxuan might have left behind.

Only after doing all this did he feel slightly at ease.

...

Meanwhile, in the living area of Star Rail Headquarters.

Chen Jun and Lin Wei had finished watching the news of the celebration that had swept through the entire Federation.

Lin Wei snuggled in Chen Jun's arms, her eyes full of envy and disbelief:

"Expert Su Wan is so lucky... not only did she have a Star Body baby, but she also achieved a Breakthrough to the Planetary Level..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear; she also longed to have such an outstanding child.

Chen Jun hugged his wife, feeling her young and vibrant body, and felt deeply emotional.

He gently stroked her hair and whispered:

"Wei Wei, actually... I have something I want to discuss with you."

"Hmm? What is it?"

Lin Wei raised her head and looked at him curiously.

Chen Jun weighed his words, his tone carrying a trace of complexity and firmness:

"Wei Wei, let's... have another child."

Lin Wei froze instantly, the color draining from her face. She sat up straight abruptly and shook her head repeatedly:

"No! Absolutely not! Brother Jun, your body has just gotten a little better! You can't consume yourself anymore! I don't want any Star Body baby; I just want you to live well!"

Her reaction was completely within Chen Jun's expectations.

He felt warm in his heart, held her hand, and explained patiently:

"Wei Wei, listen to me. My body is stable now, and my lifespan has been extended. Moreover, you have now awakened an Acquired Martial Body, unlike when you were pregnant with Xi Xi and the others, when you were a Mortal Body and couldn't enjoy the Innate Nourishment Reverse-Feed. I have great confidence that our baby will be an Innate Star Body! You can also be promoted to the Planetary Level! At that time..."

"That's not the same!"

Lin Wei said anxiously,

"She is a War God, I am just an Elementary Warrior..."

"Wei Wei,"

Chen Jun interrupted her, his eyes becoming serious and earnest,

"Some things are not things we can avoid just because we want to. My 'Physique'... has already been discovered by President Qin and the others. Its value... is too great. For the sake of the Federation, they will not allow me to be 'idle'."

He sighed, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness and sorrow:

"Instead of... being forced to be with those women I don't know, or who might even have ulterior motives... I would rather... conceive our child with you, my most beloved wife with whom I have shared everything."

These words struck the softest part of Lin Wei's heart.

She thought of her husband's past, and her heart was suddenly filled with bitterness and a protective instinct.

Yes, if her husband was destined to be used as a "tool," then why couldn't it be her?

At least, they truly loved each other, and their child would be the crystallization of their love, not a cold product of a task.

If only I were also a Planetary Level expert!

...

"But... your body..."

Lin Wei was still worried, her hand gently touching Chen Jun's face, which still bore traces of the years.

"Don't worry,"

Chen Jun showed a comforting smile,

"The Medical Department treasures me very much now; they will definitely make foolproof preparations and protections. Besides, this time is different from the last; I have more time and lifespan, so we can take it slow and take good care of ourselves."

He leaned close to his wife's ear, his voice becoming deep and seductive, carrying a hint of long-lost heat:

"Besides... Wei Wei, have you forgotten how long it's been since we... It's been seven years since Lu Lu was born... Don't you... want me?"

The warm breath blowing on her earlobe, the suggestive words, and the familiar, loving, and lustful light in her husband's eyes made Lin Wei blush and her heart race instantly.

Seven years!

For a loving couple who had shared everything, this was an unimaginably long time.

Knowing the taste of it, it was like rain after a long drought.

Lin Wei's body reacted before her reason did; a wave of heat rose from her lower abdomen, making her body feel somewhat weak.

She looked at her husband's face, which was no longer young but full of mature charm, and looked at the deep affection and longing in his eyes for her; the last bit of hesitation completely disintegrated.

She blushed, lowered her head, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito, but carried infinite shyness and tenderness:

"...I'll... I'll listen to you... but... you must be careful... no pushing yourself..."

Chen Jun was overjoyed, pulled his wife into his arms, and kissed her deeply.