Chapter 42

Chapter 42

The news of the Commander's expedition quickly spread through the Star Alliance, turning the earlier rumors into a unified chorus of cheers and admiration.

Wu Ming had never been to such a remote place before. There were only a few people in the room. After brewing coffee, he brought it out and saw the young master leaning by the window, with countless real-time comments scrolling across the terminal screen in front of him.

"Wasn't the Commander supposed to be replaced? Is it now tacitly postponed?"

"Who's replacing him? I heard those who were promoted... all got defeated. With the big picture at stake, the Alliance's internal conflicts will have to take a backseat."

"Someone in my family is participating in this campaign. I heard the rebels have allied with several remote desolate stars this time, playing dirty."

"We won't lose, right?"

"Ugh, can you stop freaking yourself out? The Commander hasn't lost a battle since taking office, and several experienced combat officers have been sent to the front lines this time. It'll definitely be fine."

"+1, don't be a downer."

"..."

All the comments were about this campaign.

Wu Ming was surprised but didn't read any further. He handed the coffee to Ruan Yunchu.

"Um... the assistant said they've set up rehab sessions for you and wanted to ask about a specific time."

"Didn't I say I don't plan to do rehab anymore?" Ruan Yunchu's tone was flat.

"They said it's an order. It seems someone arranged it before leaving. Anyway, they ask every day now."

Ruan Yunchu turned his head away with some annoyance. "Tell them I won't listen to them unless they force me—then I can't do a thing about it."

Hearing this, Wu Ming winced inside.

"Young master..."

But Ruan Yunchu said nothing more, staring out the window. His porcelain-white skin was utterly pale, almost translucent in the sunlight.

The sight made Wu Ming's heart ache.

The young master had finally started living a better life, free and unrestrained before, but now he was trapped here again.

If only he hadn't been so soft-hearted back then and taken that person in, how wonderful it would have been.

Then the young master would surely be happy every day, not like now, like a caged bird.

With a heavy sigh, he turned and left.

The people downstairs received the news with dark looks. They tried to persuade Wu Ming, but saw the young man's face was full of hostility, clearly distrustful of them.

Ruan Yunchu sat by the window, watching the receding figures outside. He exhaled slowly, but when his gaze fell on the letters on the table, he froze for a few seconds.

These were letters Yan Zhuo had sent to him a week ago.

Perhaps knowing Ruan Yunchu wouldn't open any messages, he'd sent physical letters instead.

If he had already reached the front lines, sending a single letter was no small feat. He had really gone to a lot of trouble.

These past few days, many people had urged him to open them, but even after several had piled up, he didn't have the slightest desire to read them.

With everyone gone, the room fell silent. Eventually, he decided not to open the letters. He wheeled himself slowly down to the ground floor.

Silently circling to the side of the staircase, he tapped the interface according to his memory.

With a click, a door slowly unfolded, revealing a pitch-black emptiness.

Ruan Yunchu looked up. Inside was completely dark, with no visible details, not even whether it was stairs or flat ground. But he still wheeled himself slowly inside.

As he went deeper, lights along the passage flickered on one by one, revealing a door at the far end.

The door was locked with a keypad.

He thought for a moment, trying Yan Zhuo's birthday, then the date of his appointment as Commander. Both were incorrect. He paused for a moment, then typed in his own birthday.

The door didn't budge; instead, a line of text slowly materialized on the panel.

"Young master, don't snoop around in my private stuff~"

"..."

Ruan Yunchu stared, expressionless. He was about to turn his wheelchair around when the text slowly disappeared, replaced by another line.

"If you really want to see, that's fine, but you have to agree to one condition first."

Below, a confirmation button appeared.

Ruan Yunchu: "..."

Just as he was about to turn away, the button clicked automatically, and the next line appeared.

"Okay, don't be mad. I was just afraid it would scare you. But I've said it before: when I'm not here, you're in charge. Of course, it'll be the same when I come back."

"I cleaned it up specially, but it's still not much to look at. If you don't like it, get out quick—don't stay too long, the air's bad."

Ruan Yunchu skimmed the message impatiently until finally an input field appeared.

"To further verify your identity, please enter the date we officially became a couple below."

Ruan Yunchu: "..."

He squeezed his eyes shut, his patience wearing thin.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to put up with this crazy machine one last time. He reached out and entered the exact date.

"Perfect! Young master, love you~"

As the words appeared, a large red heart materialized on the panel, and the door next to it swung open with a heavy thud.

Surprisingly, the smell inside wasn't bad—there was a hint of air freshener. The lights were bright, revealing a long corridor.

Ruan Yunchu frowned slightly but didn't immediately venture inside.

"Young master, that door at the end is the one."

The panel displayed a timely reminder.

The wheelchair moved forward slowly. When he reached the middle of the corridor, there were hidden doors on both sides. He glanced at them but saw nothing unusual.

Soon, the door at the end of the corridor slid open as he approached. In the dim space, only lights on the floor around the room were on, faintly outlining the shapes inside.

There was not much inside the room—a simple bed, with a thick carpet on the floor—but unlike the fresh scent outside, when Ruan Yunchu entered this space, a rich, familiar odor surged in, carrying years of accumulated pheromones.

He instinctively furrowed his brows, his fingers pressing slightly on the armrest, couldn't help feeling uncomfortable.

It was Yan Zhuo's pheromones.

Bathed in the warmth of the sun, yet so vast and intense that it brought a deep sense of oppression. Even though the man was not here at the moment, the scent lingered stubbornly.

Was this an Enigma's pheromone?

Ruan Yunchu's face went pale and then flushed in turns. Recalling how Yan Zhuo had sworn to him that he was no different from an Alpha, he felt only a wave of deception.

This place made him uneasy—he didn't want to stick around. But just as the wheelchair turned, ready to leave, he caught a glimpse of the wall in his peripheral vision.

When he saw what was hanging on the wall, his pupils contracted and his heart jolted.

That was...

-

Assistant Xiao, the commander's personal guard, had planned to come herself to persuade this "friend" of the commander to get professional rehab. But after looking around the room, she couldn't find him.

"Mr. Ruan."

She called out, but no sound came from the room.

Based on her understanding of the guest inside, he wasn't a harsh person. Although he clearly didn't want to be here, he still maintained basic politeness, always having someone welcome them whenever they arrived.

But today there was no response. Could it be...

Her expression darkened slightly, and she instinctively reached for the door handle.

"Assistant Xiao."

A clear voice came from behind her. She paused, her hand still on the handle without pressing down.

Turning around, sure enough, she saw the young man sitting in his wheelchair, slowly approaching her.

"Mr. Ruan, did you just step out?"

Assistant Xiao maintained her usual polite smile, but as he drew closer, she suddenly noticed that his already fair complexion looked even paler.

"Are you okay?"

Ruan Yunchu seemed a little dazed but came back to his senses, nodding slightly. "I just went out for a walk. It was too stuffy in the room."

"I thought something had happened to you. Good thing I didn't barge in—that would have been too rude," said Assistant Xiao.

He slowly opened the door and said simply, "It's fine, come in."

Entering the room, a faint fragrance filled the air. Ruan Yunchu stopped by the window, sunlight bathing him, seeming to lessen his paleness and daze.

Assistant Xiao wasn't sure if that was just her imagination.

"Did you need something?" Ruan Yunchu suddenly looked up at her.

Assistant Xiao snapped back to reality. "Actually, it's the same topic as before. I sincerely hope you'll consider continuing with rehabilitation. The medical team specially selected by Mr. Commander should be reliable in your eyes. What I want to say is, no matter what, your health is your own, don't you think?"

"Sorry, Assistant Xiao."

In response, Ruan Yunchu showed little emotional reaction.

"I don't want to do rehabilitation for now. That's all. Let's talk about it later."

"But—"

"I'd like to rest now. You can come back later."

The dismissal was hard to refuse. Even though Assistant Xiao wanted to say more, she could only nod.

"Alright, have a good rest."

With a soft sound, the door closed.

Ruan Yunchu's tense back did not relax. He looked out the window. The sunlight falling on him was warm and gentle, yet this solemn house made him shiver involuntarily.

What kind of person, when their rut period arrived, would lock themselves deep in the basement, shackling themselves to restrict all movement?

A person who loses all reason like that—how is that different from a beast?

Yan Zhuo had been lying to him all along.

From their first meeting, to when his identity was exposed, and even before they set off, he had tirelessly made Ruan Yunchu believe that lie.

Ruan Yunchu slowly closed his eyes, a chill spreading through his whole body.

He had been completely deceived.

An Enigma and an Alpha are two completely different statuses. The "war machine" was never just an expression.

The harmless facade Yan Zhuo had put on was not the real him.

On the contrary, maybe he had never seen the true Yan Zhuo at all.

His fingers, gripping the armrest, tightened until the tips turned pale. The alarm reminding him of midday rest sounded, jolting him back to reality.

He gently opened the wrist terminal that had returned to him some time ago. His slender fingers tapped on the screen, trembling slightly.

After scrolling for a while, he hesitated but eventually gave up on the star call that had appeared on his screen and chose to send a message to another contact.