Chapter 12 Willing to Sacrifice

Chapter 12: Devoted to Service

Lin Juangui had barely slept a few hours when Butler Yang woke him. With a smile, Butler Yang explained that Mu Zhang was currently swamped with work, and as one of Luochen Manor's masters, Lin Juangui should fulfill his responsibilities.

Lin Juangui slowly blinked, acknowledging he understood.

Fortunately, Lin Juangui was still young and resilient. Wearily, he rose, quickly washed, dressed, and then went to bid farewell to the guests who had attended the wedding the previous day.

When asked about Mu Zhang's whereabouts, Lin Juangui smiled and offered an explanation for him: "Everyone saw what happened last night. Mu Zhang is busy dealing with the aftermath. Besides, General Mu hasn't woken up yet, and as long-time friends, Mu Zhang is naturally worried about him."

"Honestly, Mu Zhang is so lucky to have married such a genuine Omega like you. You must know about his past with Mu Yuanqing, right?"

Of course, Lin Juangui knew, but at this particular moment, he was supposed to be ignorant.

The rhetorical question left the guest speechless. After seeing off most of the guests, Lin Juangui turned to Butler Yang, who had been standing by with a professional, practiced smile, and asked, "How is General Mu?"

Butler Yang nodded. "The doctor said General Mu should wake up soon. Thank you for your trouble in entertaining the guests."

The incident involving Mu Yuanqing had already been reported on Sailing Star's morning news. While his specific identity was concealed, the disaster was categorized as an accident. After all, it wasn't unusual for objects to suddenly fall from the sky in recent years, and space inhabitants had long grown accustomed to such occurrences.

Still, the sheer size of the starship was staggering, causing significant inconvenience to nearby residents.

The Administration had apologized and offered compensation to the citizens affected by the sudden calamity. Butler Yang had also explained the cause of the incident to every wedding guest that morning. Upon learning that Mu Yuanqing had selflessly risked his life to save others, many expressed their admiration.

"After all these years, General Mu is still as devoted to service as ever."

On his way to Mu Zhang’s wedding, Mu Yuanqing was sucked into a wormhole. Simultaneously, his starship received a distress signal from a nearby planet.

His soldier's instincts compelled him to act, and he immediately piloted his starship to the rescue.

However, Mu Yuanqing arrived a step too late.

Scans showed that the planet had become an insect breeding ground, though a spacecraft was still hovering nearby.

Inside, children, desperately saved and placed there by adults, were terrified by the insects crawling on the exterior, their gnawing and scratching creating a chilling cacophony.

The children huddled together, trembling, crying, and whimpering silently.

With the situation critical and knowing how precious the continuation of any planetary civilization was, Mu Yuanqing swiftly activated his mecha, eliminating the insects swarming the spacecraft. Using his high-level general's authority, he connected to the spacecraft's control system and opened the door.

Just as Mu Yuanqing prepared to enter and assess the situation, a distraught child suddenly cried out for their parents and rushed out of the spacecraft, tears streaming down their face!

In the brief moment it took to retrieve the child, Mu Yuanqing, who could have simply eliminated the insects outside the spacecraft and left, attracted even more.

Mu Yuanqing tossed the child into the rear cabin and sealed the exit completely.

He had no time for a lecture. Instead, he contacted his adjutant, who had accompanied him, asking for backup.

However, misfortunes never come singly. The attracted insects pursued the spacecraft relentlessly. Even after one wave was scattered by the starship's shock cannons, another would emerge.

Fortunately, the insects hadn't fed or had time to breed on the spacecraft. As the spacecraft approached the starship, Mu Yuanqing ordered his adjutant to quickly close the starship's hatch. "A newly formed black hole has been detected directly to the east. Pilot the starship in that direction. I'll deal with the insects following us!"

"Sir! I've set autopilot. Please allow me to fight alongside you!"

Perhaps the children in the spacecraft were too tempting a target for the insects, as they began to swarm the starship, causing damage. If not for the instantaneous jump into the black hole and Mu Yuanqing and his adjutant's efforts to eliminate the remaining insects, the consequences could have been unimaginable.

The starship had been 70% damaged by the insects' corrosive fluids. Mu Yuanqing checked their distance, surprised to find they were already so close to Sailing Star.

Exhausted from the intense battle, the adjutant was instructed, "I'll return to the starship to reset the systems and conduct an inspection. The starship is 70% damaged, and the hidden energy cells have been bitten through. It might not make it to Sailing Star. If we want to get those children there too, we'll have to use their spacecraft."

However, Mu Yuanqing didn't expect to find the children arguing when he and his adjutant returned to the spacecraft.

The child who had earlier jumped out of the spacecraft to find their parents tearfully insisted on going back to look for them. Another child, believing they had been abandoned by Mu Yuanqing, argued that they needed to find another way to survive, as staying here was impossible. Except for one child, covered in insect blood, who sat silently and numbly in a corner, the entire spacecraft was in an uproar.

Mu Yuanqing tapped his comm device twice, opening the spacecraft door. The sight of insect remains on the floor made him frown, realizing his mistake—a larva must have been inadvertently brought inside earlier.

Despite their internal squabbles, these children displayed boundless potential when confronted with the insects.

Mu Yuanqing entered the spacecraft and addressed them: "As things stand, you must learn to accept reality. I will take you to a safe place. If you don't value your own lives, then the lives your loved ones sacrificed for you will be even more meaningless. Do you want to disappoint them?"

Though Mu Yuanqing was generally known for his cheerful and easygoing demeanor in the military, his words carried significant deterrent power when he was serious.

Indeed, the children fell silent. Meanwhile, the adjutant finally boarded the spacecraft, bending down to toss out the insect remains, and reported to Mu Yuanqing, "Sir, I've inspected the exterior of the spacecraft. I need to brief you."

In the cockpit, upon learning that the spacecraft's fuel had long been depleted, Mu Yuanqing decisively stated, "I am a high-level Alpha. Soon, I will convert my glandular energy to power us. You are responsible for supervising the children outside, ensuring they don't cause trouble. Only then can I focus on piloting."

"Understood!"

And so, Mu Yuanqing, his adjutant, and the children endured countless hardships to reach Sailing Star. Fortunately, all the insects on the starship had been completely eradicated; otherwise, Sailing Star would have faced an unprecedented disaster.

Lin Juangui greatly admired Mu Yuanqing, the protagonist, for his fearless spirit. He had never viewed Mu Zhang or Mu Yuanqing as adversaries but rather as an observer with a unique perspective.

Although Lin Juangui's original wishes were still vivid in his mind, targeting them prematurely, while still "unfledged," would undoubtedly be counterproductive.

He needed to understand them better to truly strike at their core.

Since he was up so early, Lin Juangui asked Butler Yang to prepare a meal for Mu Zhang. "I spent a long time reading the books you found for me yesterday, and they were very enlightening. Although Luochen Manor is so large that I probably don't need to do chores like cleaning or cooking, it's still essential to care for my husband's health, isn't it?"

Butler Yang nodded. "Naturally."

Mu Zhang's usual preferences were clearly evident in the dishes Butler Yang had the kitchen prepare.

Lin Juangui made a mental note, then carried the tray to the door of the room where Mu Yuanqing was now resting, asking a servant to call Mu Zhang out.

Mu Zhang had indeed just woken up. When he emerged and saw Lin Juangui smiling and bringing him food, he recalled his misunderstanding from the previous day. He offered no apology, merely shifting his gaze away in silence.

"You've been busy all night, and I thought you might not have eaten, so I asked Butler Yang to prepare something," Lin Juangui said, proactively easing the awkwardness. Though his eyes curved slightly, his smile was shallow, making it feel insincere to Mu Zhang.

Mu Zhang merely grunted in response, telling Lin Juangui to just put the food down.

Having fulfilled his duties as a partner, Lin Juangui had no intention of lingering by Mu Zhang's side.

After all, Mu Zhang's "white moonlight" was still lying there. Why would he, lacking tact, intrude and disturb their private moment?

Besides, Lin Juangui had a more pressing matter to attend to.

Like Lin Juangui, Zhuang Xi had risen early. He had been planning his current project for a long time, establishing charity outposts on many planets to accommodate as many children orphaned by various disasters as possible.

Unlike the hypocritical and self-serving Kuang Jie, Zhuang Xi's charitable projects over the years not only ensured these children were fed and clothed but also nurtured some into future pillars of the Federation.

Zhuang Xi was a man of action who disliked empty gestures.

When Lin Juangui arrived, Zhuang Xi told him, "The welfare center directly managed by the Charity Association was recently completed on Sailing Star. Although it's a bit far from the main city, the environment is quite good. I plan to take those children there later, to give them a place to settle."

"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Zhuang," Lin Juangui said, impressed by Zhuang Xi's efficiency.

Zhuang Xi waved his hand dismissively, saying it was nothing. "I should thank you for giving me a chance to make an impression in front of Mu Zhang. Although Sailing Star is far from the Federal Central Star, both its environment and climate are much better than that cold, sterile place. I'm actually thinking of visiting you more often in the future."

"You're always welcome. Most of my friends my age are still in school, so it would be wonderful if Brother Zhuang is willing to keep me company."

Zhuang Xi still needed to contact someone to pick up the children, so Lin Juangui decided not to disturb him and went to check on the children rescued by Mu Yuanqing.

As soon as Lin Juangui entered the hallway, he saw a group of children cornering a teenager against the wall, relentlessly shouting insults:

"Monster! Monster! If it weren't for that thing you dug up, would so many creatures have come? Even if you tore those creatures apart, so what? Everything turned bad because of you! You owe us our parents!"