Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Someone grabbed Wu Ming from the side.

With tears streaming down his face, Wu Ming said desperately, "The young master didn’t make it out. I was pushing him earlier when someone fell in the crowd. He told us to help them. I was helping people out, and when I looked back, he was gone."

Amid the fear, chaos reigned, and Assistant Xiao had also witnessed the earlier scene.

Everyone was scrambling to get out, completely ignoring the injured civilians being trampled underfoot. If even those capable of moving acted this way, what about Ruan Yunchu, a person with a disability who depended entirely on a wheelchair...

But when she came out, she didn’t see that figure.

Assistant Xiao could hardly breathe. She regretted agreeing to the theater outing in a moment of weakness.

If not for her...

How was she supposed to answer to the Commander?

"..."

After all the injured were taken to the hospital, the venue was inspected again. Assistant Xiao took a deep breath, put on her mask, and entered the venue.

The theater, which had stood in District A for nearly a century, once boasted a magnificent dome with sparkling glass that cast colorful rays of light during the day. Now it was reduced to rubble.

Even though they had given ample warnings that day, dozens of bodies were still found in the corners.

Under the high-voltage bombardment, the bodies were unrecognizable. Even though Assistant Xiao had been to the front lines and seen countless deaths, her heart still felt heavy, as if a stone were pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.

At some point, her eyes suddenly narrowed. She saw someone examining a twisted metal frame in the corner.

"It should be a wheelchair," someone said.

Assistant Xiao closed her eyes and walked over slowly. Beside the wheelchair lay two charred bodies, making it impossible to tell which one had once belonged to the elegant, aloof Mr. Ruan.

"..."

-

After three consecutive victories, the Allied forces were in high spirits, already imagining the celebration banquet when they returned to their home star.

"By the way, when is our next attack?"

"I can't take being stuck here any longer. I just want to go home."

"You're in a hurry to get engaged, aren't you? Everyone knows Doctor Huang said she'd marry you when you get back. Showing off, huh?"

"Who wouldn't be in a hurry? I just finished designing my tuxedo and haven't even worn it once."

A group of them joked around, and soon gossip started.

"Hey, have you heard? The Commander seems to be preparing for a wedding too."

"Really?"

"I heard it from someone. Think about it—has the Commander ever sent messages this frequently before, even on long campaigns? He writes at least one letter every month now."

"Now that you mention it, that’s true, but..."

Before they could dig deeper, an urgent assembly call sounded. Their expressions changed instantly, and they immediately stood up and headed out.

Half an hour later.

After the meeting, Yan Zhuo walked through the long corridor back to his room, his face cold and expressionless.

Only when he returned to his room and sat on the bed did his face show signs of exhaustion.

As the Commander, he couldn’t show any emotion in public; it would affect morale. During the meeting, he had maintained his usual demeanor. Now that he was tired, only one name remained in his mind.

For some reason, ever since the meeting started, a strong sense of unease had been weighing on him, as if something terrible was happening.

His heart was pounding faster than ever, almost to the point of intense pain.

Unable to bear it any longer, he suddenly stood up and strode out of the room.

The door to the communications room was shoved open. Someone looked up impatiently, but froze when they saw who it was, then quickly stood up.

"C-Commander!"

Yan Zhuo hummed in acknowledgment. "I need to contact A-Star."

Several people immediately began establishing the connection and handed the equipment to Yan Zhuo. They took the hint and left to attend to their own tasks.

This method of communication was fairly dangerous and was not used for trivial matters. Yan Zhuo was abusing his power as commander for the first time.

Before long, the line was connected.

"Hello, A-Star Alliance Center."

Yan Zhuo’s anxiety spiked. He said coldly, "This is Yan Zhuo. Connect me to Lieutenant General Peng Zhongying."

"Yes."

Shortly after, the line was picked up again.

"Commander?" Peng Zhongying’s voice sounded strangely tense. "What are your orders?"

Yan Zhuo remained silent for a full five seconds. Peng Zhongying took a deep breath and was about to ask again when he heard Yan Zhuo’s icy, ominous tone.

"Is something wrong with him?"

"..."

Peng Zhongying was silent for a long time, his head full of warnings from his superiors. But in the end, he let out a heavy sigh and explained the events from beginning to end.

"That’s the gist of it. We found a custom wheelchair near the bodies. Although the bodies and clothing were charred beyond recognition, we were able to confirm the identity through the wrist terminal and the inhibitor."

When he finished, he couldn’t help but feel distressed, already imagining how furious the commander would be.

"I’m sorry. I messed up. Assistant Xiao also feels guilty..."

Time ticked by, and Yan Zhuo slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his dark crimson eyes were calm.

"I understand."

The call was disconnected.

Peng Zhongying stared at the screen showing the ended call in shock, but he felt no relief.

-

A few days later, the victims were buried together in the Alliance's special mausoleum.

Chen Quan stood before the tombstone, heaved a slow sigh, and placed the flowers down.

Wu Ming had cried his eyes red, while Lin Qing stood beside him with a grim expression.

When Assistant Xiao arrived and saw this scene, her heart ached deeply. She didn't spot the Ming brothers in the crowd, and a mix of emotions welled up inside her as she grasped what it meant that "when people leave, the tea grows cold."

She knew that the Commander had already heard the news, but there was no way for him to get back now.

Was it really over like that?

She recalled the first time she met Ruan Yunchu—a young man far more mature than his peers, always calm and collected, who needed the Commander to deliberately tease him just to get an impatient frown.

At first, she didn't understand why, if the Commander truly cared for him, he'd go out of his way to annoy him. But later she realized all he wanted was to see that lively expression.

And indeed, every smile and frown of Ruan Yunchu's was captivating.

It was such a shame... that they would never be seen again.

Assistant Xiao took a deep breath, placed the flowers before the tombstone, and suppressed the tears welling up in her eyes.

Rest in peace.

"..."

After Ruan Yunchu's incident, the Ruan family was sealed off from the inside, with all matters handled solely by Chen Quan, and gradually faded into obscurity in the Alliance.

The rebels who carried out the attack in the A-Zone center were captured, and A Star started strict inspections of incoming and outgoing starships. A month later, no one talked about the theater incident anymore.

Ming Ya had cried her eyes out at home and was in a bad mood all day.

This left Ming Yuan not only having to work and do rehab every day, but also needing to look after his little brother's moods, completely wearing him out.

"If you're feeling this down, why don't you go talk to Yunchu?"

Ming Ya's eyes widened, a little hurt. "How am I supposed to talk to him?"

"He's awake now."

The moment Ming Yuan finished, Ming Ya jumped up and ran upstairs.

When the door was pushed open, Ruan Yunchu was standing by the window, looking out at the distant scenery.

Standing?!

Ming Ya almost thought his eyes were deceiving him, but after rubbing them and looking again, he saw the young man turn around and give him a faint smile.

"Yunchu!"

He rushed over and wrapped his arms tightly around him.

Ruan Yunchu steadied himself with one hand on the windowsill, nearly knocked off balance by the impact, and said, "Are you trying to put me back in a wheelchair?"

Ming Ya finally snapped to his senses and held him carefully. "Yunchu, what... what exactly happened to you?"

His eyes were red, remembering how he had nearly cried to death two months ago when he heard of Ruan Yunchu's death. It was only then that Ming Yuan had reluctantly led him upstairs, where he saw Ruan Yunchu sleeping peacefully in a healing pod, putting his mind at ease.

"I thought you had just barely survived inside, but now you're..."

Hearing this, Ruan Yunchu didn't know how to answer.

He couldn't exactly say he'd planned to escape while using the restroom but accidentally ran into a rebel ambush, which led to this whole fake death situation.

But he had to admit that this brutal situation was actually making him safer.

When Ming Ya heard his brief explanation, he finally let out a huge sigh of relief. "You have no idea! You almost scared me to death!"

Ruan Yunchu sat on the couch and ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just..."

He hadn't expected that there would be others inside who hadn't managed to get out in time.

Even though his goal had ultimately been achieved, and the fact that everyone thought he was dead made it even more covert, it still didn't sit well with him.

Ming Ya, though usually slow on the uptake, wasn't stupid. Seeing his expression, he knew what was on his mind and quickly changed the subject. "So what are you going to do now? Should I send word to Uncle Chen? He must be devastated."

"No need." Ruan Yunchu shook his head. From the moment he decided to leave, he didn't want to drag anyone else into it. But seeing Ming Ya's sad expression, he added, "He knows."

"You already told him?"

"Mm-hmm."

To be precise, it was just a hint.

But fortunately, Chen Quan was sharp enough to catch his meaning.

Ming Ya was about to ask more, but Ruan Yunchu just patted him on the head and said, "I'd like to talk to your brother for a bit. Can you ask him to come up?"

Ming Ya immediately nodded and left the room.

Two minutes later, Ming Yuan entered and closed the door. Before Ruan Yunchu could ask, he volunteered, "The identity and starship are ready. The lockdown ends tomorrow. You can set off in a couple of days."

Ruan Yunchu nodded slightly, then looked up at him sincerely. "Thank you for bringing me back. Honestly... you could have left me on the starship. It might have been slower, but I would have woken up eventually. Bringing me to your home might implicate you."

"Since we were the ones who provided the starship for your escape, whether I brought you back or not doesn't matter much." Ming Yuan was pretty easygoing about it.

Ruan Yunchu let out a quiet sigh and smiled.

"I sincerely thank you. If there's ever a chance in the future, I'll do my best to repay you."

"Being able to walk around freely like this is already thanks to you." Ming Yuan's smile faded. "So, are you really leaving? Once you go, it might be very difficult to come back."

Ruan Yunchu understood what he meant but could only offer a helpless smile.

"I've already confirmed it countless times."