Chapter 60

Chapter 60

The guard returned and sat down beside Ruan Yunchu. He took the seat on the aisle, where he could see more and attract more attention.

Hearing the screams and interrogations ahead, Ruan Yunchu gently clenched the healing stone in his palm, rubbing his thumb over its surface. The tiny, sharp pain cleared his fuzzy thoughts a little.

Before long, a group of people came toward them, and someone ahead of them was taken hostage.

"Are we just going to watch?" Ruan Yunchu asked, expressionless, his lips moving slightly.

The guard thought for a moment. "Don’t worry, someone’s handling it. We'll wait for backup."

But soon, Ruan Yunchu noticed that these people seemed to be searching for something in the crowd. Those who were caught were harshly interrogated, trembling under the threat of heavy weapons, looking especially pathetic.

His gaze darkened a little. He glanced sideways at the soldier beside him and made a judgment.

"They’re here for me."

It wasn’t a question; from the moment he spoke, he was utterly certain.

The soldier paused for a moment, then said in a steady tone: "Don’t worry, we’ll protect you."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a blinding light radiated from the windows that still had their blinds open, and a powerful mental pressure with paralytic effects spread through the cabin in thin strands.

In the blink of an eye, the chaotic crowd was subdued. The unconscious rebels lay scattered on the floor, leaving only the heavy panting of the injured echoing in the starship.

Sensing the soldier beside him let out a long breath, Ruan Yunchu knew he wasn’t as calm as he appeared on the surface.

He asked, "Did Yan Zhuo know this would happen?"

The soldier replied, "The Commander gave us specific instructions before departure. The rebels’ movements have been erratic lately, and we’ve made thorough preparations. You don’t need to worry about any surprises—we'll definitely get you to T-star safely."

Ruan Yunchu didn't reply at all.

He watched as those barely alive were dragged out, and the medical team came in to treat the wounded. Soon, the cabin fell silent again, and those around him started chatting as if nothing had happened.

"..."

The soldier seemed a bit uneasy. After a moment’s thought, he added, "You really don’t need to worry. As Alliance soldiers, we won't let people die without doing anything. The people are the ones we need to protect."

He wasn’t much of a talker, but the Commander had instructed them before departure to reassure Mr. Ruan and keep him from worrying, so he had to push himself to keep talking.

"If you feel tired, you can rest for a while. After all, there’s still a long way to T-star."

"Mm."

Ruan Yunchu guessed his intentions and compliantly closed his eyes. Though he wasn’t sleepy at all, he pretended to rest to give the person next to him some quiet.

A long time passed. Inside the starship, it was quiet. The faint murmurs of conversation didn’t disturb him but instead made him even drowsier.

Before he knew it, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

"..."

On the other side, A-star had already received news of the attack on the starship fleet.

After getting the details, Yan Zhuo connected to the line. Hearing the report of only minor casualties from the front lines, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When the Alliance’s briefing ended, he spoke in a low voice: "What’s the situation with Ships 3 and 5?"

The other side quickly gave a reply. Though he had only asked about Ships 3 and 5, they still went over the entire situation in detail.

"The rebels primarily infiltrated Ships 2 and 6. Ships 8 and 10 at the rear were also partially affected, but not severely—only a few people suffered minor injuries."

"Alright."

Yan Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief and ended the communication.

He went over the battle situation carefully, but before long, the communicator rang again with unwelcome news.

"B-star has been heavily infiltrated by rebels. Ruan Jing was just sent to the central hospital, but within two minutes of the soldiers leaving, he was abducted."

Yan Zhuo furrowed his brows. Hearing this news, he wasn’t particularly surprised. In fact, ever since he learned that Ruan Jing was to be transferred, that vague sense of foreboding had never left him.

He admitted to being an unfeeling person, hardly invested in most things in life—even the Alliance he had always "served" was not something he served willingly, but rather the Alliance that needed him.

If he had to elaborate, perhaps he fought for the suffering people.

But honestly, he did have some feeling for the Alliance. After all, it had taken him in when he was at his most desperate.

For a long time, the Alliance’s image of justice had been deeply ingrained in people’s minds. He had never doubted it—until the first time Alliance intelligence clearly leaked out.

He was sure that only those he trusted knew that information. At the time, he even suspected his comrades who had fought through life and death with him, but later he suddenly realized: while only a few of them had devised the battle plans, the detailed intelligence still had to be reported up the chain.

What if the leak came from within the Alliance, known for being as secure as a fortress?

Today’s incident with Ruan Jing had turned his suspicion into a solid fact.

Even the fact that Ships 2 and 6 were the primary targets today was only a feint he set up in advance to smoke out the leak. So he couldn’t—and wouldn’t—trust anyone in the Alliance anymore, not even on his private communication line.

Fortunately, he had always been a commander who didn’t follow orders, which was exactly why his superiors had long wanted to get rid of him.

Now was the time for him to use his power.

Half an hour later, the Commander’s personal guards were granted special clearance to leave the star. No one knew that the top commander of the interstellar forces had slipped away with them, leaving the main star.

-

On the other side, Peng Zhongying, stationed at the Alliance headquarters, was exhausted. Every time he contacted higher-ups, he only got told to wait for news from B-star. And the Commander had been missing without a trace for half an hour now.

The rank of Lieutenant General might sound high, but when it came to making real decisions, he realized he had zero real power.

Frustrated, he began to question the Alliance’s arrangements.

Those who hadn’t been on the front lines for decades only knew how to just stall and drag things out. If this had been a few years ago, when he always followed orders strictly, he would have stayed put without a second thought. But now, he couldn't stay composed at all.

What should he do?

He watched the footage of B-star officers chasing the kidnappers without any success, and couldn’t help clenching his fists as he stood up.

Just then, his terminal, which had been quiet for ages, suddenly beeped.

It was a tiny, barely audible sound, but he somehow had a premonition and immediately opened the message.

Yan: "1"

Peng Zhongying was stunned for a few seconds. When he realized that the other party was quoting his offhand complaint from earlier, it suddenly clicked.

Soon, a Commander’s top-level authorization document was delivered to him, granting him temporary authority to remotely command the various stars.

No decision needs to be reported; once an order is given, it's as if the commander himself gave it, and all subsequent responsibility will be taken by Commander Yan.

Peng Zhongying suddenly stood up, his eyes burning with a fighting spirit he hadn't felt since the front lines.

-

He'd been asleep for a long time. Ruan Yunchu's mind was groggy, and he sensed something was wrong, but he just couldn't seem to wake up.

From somewhere far away, it seemed like there was a struggle. Only when he felt himself being lifted did he struggle with all his might to open his eyes.

Everything around him was shaking. He caught vague glimpses of cloth matching the rebel uniforms he had seen on the starship.

A sharp alarm suddenly blared in his head. He snapped his eyes wide open, but felt a sharp sting on his neck.

The person noticed he had woken up and immediately became alert. "Don't move. Don't make a sound, or we'll blow this starship. All these people will die because of you."

It was a blatant threat.

Ruan Yunchu took a deep breath. He didn't have much strength—even if someone rescued him, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long and would just be dead weight.

Furthermore, he had originally been protected by the commander's own guards. If these people could take him away under such tight surveillance, they were far more formidable than he had imagined.

In the end, he kept his mouth shut. It was only when he reached the starship docking bay that he struggled to take off his wrist terminal, took a small piece of the crown, and discarded the rest.

A fierce wind hit his face. The people on either side staggered and put on masks. A mask was also placed on his face, but it seemed to contain some strange gas, and within moments he grew dizzy and passed out again.

After bringing the person back to the starship, the leader let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but start to brag.

"We've brought him back safe and sound."

The main seat was empty. Only a blurry figure appeared on a sleek screen. The person's sitting posture was slanted, even appearing somewhat sleazy and twisted; his usual calm demeanor was completely gone, and his tone was full of excitement.

"Bring him here quickly."

"Yes, we'll soon shake off the pursuers."

When the figure on the screen disappeared, those who had been bowing their heads returned to normal. They strode forward to send the unconscious person into a room, ready for the big operation.

On the other side, the guards who had lost him had just managed to stabilize the starship after another attack when they realized the person they had been guarding was gone.

The soldiers originally assigned to personal protection looked like they'd lost their minds. Only when someone shook them awake did they suddenly regain their senses.

When confronted with questions, they just mumbled the same thing.

"I saw… myself."

By the time he received the news, Yan Zhuo had already landed at the B-star outer space station at top speed, but at this point he had already lost all hope.

His investigation revealed that Ruan Jing had been swapped after leaving A-star. Even the 'Ruan Jing' who entered B-star was not the original one.

It was just a puppet.

When he learned that Ruan Yunchu had been taken by the rebels, it felt like a sudden blow snapping him awake. A surge of rage flooded through him.

Everything had been arranged. The entire starship was filled with people he had personally placed.

How could this still happen?

The screen in front of him was still flashing with accusations from his superiors. He took a deep breath and looked through them one by one, his dark eyes icy cold, as if he were looking at dead men.

"Revoke the authorization for Lieutenant General Peng immediately!"

"Please return to A-star immediately to take command!"

"General Luo is requesting a call..."

"Mr. Commander, the A-star Alliance high command has organized an emergency temporary meeting. You are already late! Please attend the meeting immediately!"

He blocked all messages and went into his private interface.

"Surveillance coordinates are off course."

"Surveillance terminal is destroyed."

"Surveillance target lost."

Yan Zhuo's eyes dimmed slightly. He stared at the screen for god knows how long.

"..."

When he woke up again, his surroundings had completely changed.

Ruan Yunchu raised his eyes and looked around. He found it was a very quiet room with dim lighting. The small bed he was on was only about one meter wide, clearly an interior design of the starship to save energy.

He sat up, his head still throbbing with pain.

Actually, he was fairly resigned to his current situation. From the moment Ruan Jing was sent back to A-star, he knew this day would come.

"Ruan Jing."

He murmured softly, then couldn't help but laugh.

This person, thrown out by the rebels as bait, might very well be on the same route as him. These crazy desperadoes were waiting for them to go and save the so-called 'Chief.'

That's right. From the very beginning, he knew that the rebels weren't after Ruan Jing with the T021 agent. Although this person was useful to them, it wasn't worth this huge risk.

Moreover, Yan Zhuo himself was on C-star at the time. The rebels were so resourceful that they couldn't have failed to get that information.

So, it was all a setup.

Now he just needed to wait.

He didn't know how much time had passed. There was no time in the room, and his terminal had been discarded on the starship. When he was starting to feel drowsy again, he finally heard the door unlock.

Two fully armed figures appeared at the door. The men in black were masked and stood on either side.

"Come out. Someone wants to see you."

Ruan Yunchu looked at them for a while, then got up and off the bed. As he passed by the two, he didn't look away at all.

Both had identical tattoos at the corners of their eyebrows: a semicircle with a blade piercing the center, sharp and clean.

Ruan Yunchu averted his gaze. For some reason, that semicircle seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

The long corridor was empty. The doors on both sides were tightly shut, clearly to prevent him from seeing too many secrets.

After walking a short distance, Ruan Yunchu saw Ruan Jing at a central transfer point. His wrists and ankles were tightly shackled, and as he walked, the heavy chains dragged on the floor. He looked even more like a prisoner than Ruan Yunchu.

When he saw Ruan Yunchu, a sarcastic smile curled on his lips.

"Oh, so you did come. I thought you'd have tighter protection."

In this situation, Ruan Yunchu wasn't in the mood to bicker, and only asked calmly, "How'd you end up in chains?"

Ruan Jing, followed by only one person, looked way more messed up than Ruan Yunchu, and his face tensed up.

"How should I know."

He wasn't going to say anything, so Ruan Yunchu stopped asking.

But not long after they walked, Ruan Jing grew restless again and started chatting with him.

"Did you see the mark around their eyes? Know what it means?"

"..."

Ruan Yunchu didn't speak, just gave him a look—the message was obvious.

The person behind Ruan Jing stared hard at him, but it didn't faze Ruan Yunchu at all; his tone was actually light. "Do you know that the commanders before Yan Zhuo weren't called commanders?"

Ruan Yunchu hummed in acknowledgment.

"Among the generals who opened the stars back then, there was a very elite and powerful team. That semicircular mark is very similar to their symbol. It's just a pity that the rebels split off from them back then, and they never truly conquered, so they're just playing a little game of make-believe victory."

The moment Ruan Jing finished speaking smugly, the person behind him activated his terminal screen.

The next second, the chains on Ruan Jing's ankles flashed with blue cobalt sparks, and his body went rigid.

Ruan Yunchu: "..."

It took a full five minutes for Ruan Jing to catch his breath, his gait stiff as if his legs were numb from the electricity.

Ruan Yunchu ignored him and strode out of the connecting tube between starships.

When he reached another starship with more internal space, he instinctively glanced up at the air vents around him. Ruan Jing followed his gaze but didn't seem to catch on.

The black-clad man who had been trailing them stepped forward, leaning in close to Ruan Yunchu. "This starship is the Chief's personal ship. The lower level is specially designed with healing fluids for his safety."

Ruan Yunchu lowered his eyes, stunned. "Your rebels are loaded."

The man behind him chuckled softly. "You're too kind. It's all for the Chief. Without him, our rebels wouldn't be worth much."

Ruan Yunchu glanced at him, meeting a pair of slanted, smiling eyes. "You look young."

The man smiled. "I've been with the Chief since I was fifteen. I even attended the military academy on A-Star before. Maybe I might've run into Mr. Ruan before."

Ruan Yunchu said, "So you must be one of his trusted men."

"I wouldn't say trusted, but I am absolutely loyal to the Chief. So whatever he entrusts me with, I'll take care of it."

Hearing that, Ruan Yunchu put two and two together. "Were you the one who first boarded the starship?"

"Yes." The man admitted straight up. "We were just trying to confirm your location back then. Good thing it paid off."

Ruan Jing, listening from the side, asked curiously, "Hey, buddy, what's your name? You look kind of familiar."

The man gave him a casual glance and answered offhandedly, "Noah."

Ruan Jing wanted to say something more, but the man had already turned to follow Ruan Yunchu, as if he couldn't be bothered with him.

Before long, they arrived at a door that was totally out of place with the rest of the starship's style. It was decked out, resplendent, somewhat resembling the gates of the Alliance, but missing that solemn dignity.

Entering the room, just a few steps in there were fancy ornaments, clearly antique.

Ruan Yunchu wasn't interested, so he didn't pause like Ruan Jing did; instead, he strode further in.

A figure in a wheelchair came into view. Noah hurried over and bowed his head to report.

"Chief, he's been brought."

Ruan Yunchu looked up as the Chief turned toward him. His dim, lifeless eyes suddenly lit up, and he extended a hand, gesturing for Ruan Yunchu to come closer.

He was a man who looked middle-aged but worn— yes, even though his features outwardly appeared around forty-five, his hunched back and demeanor made you think of a giant beast past its prime.

Ruan Yunchu didn't move. He stood still, staring intently at the man.

He never would've guessed this was the scheming mastermind behind the rebels.

Seeing he wasn't cooperating, the Chief wasn't angered. Instead, he gave a satisfied laugh. "Seeing you both present puts me at ease. Noah, you did well. Go ahead and start the preparations now."

Noah said okay and turned to lead Ruan Yunchu out, but he didn't budge.

The Chief had already settled back in his chair, but upon seeing this, he straightened up, looking puzzled.

"Mr. Ruan," Noah said in a low voice.

Ruan Yunchu remained unruffled. "Preparations for what?"

"I'll take you to the destination now. You'll know when we get there."

Ruan Jing cut in, "What's there to say? Obviously, it's to prepare for receiving the T021 agent to heal the Chief."

"No." The Chief's words were followed by two heavy coughs. "You don't need to do that. Mr. Ruan Jing goes to the research lab, and young Mr. Ruan just has to sit tight and wait for good news."

"If that's the case, I'm afraid I can't go along with that." Ruan Yunchu said casually. "Since I'm already in your territory, if you want my cooperation, shouldn't you also satisfy my curiosity?"

Noah's voice turned cold. "Mr. Ruan, since you know you're on our turf, you should know your place and not ask too many questions."

Ruan Yunchu wasn't fazed at all. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"That's enough, Noah. Don't be so harsh with Mr. Ruan. After all, he's a young omega, easily spooked." The Chief's tone was affable, smiling. "I'm happy to oblige, since even if you tried to send a message out, it would be absolutely impossible."

Ruan Yunchu brushed off the teasing and asked, "You want Yan Zhuo's genetic information?"

At that, the Chief, Noah, and even Ruan Jing, who'd been spectating, were stunned.

The Chief dropped his smile. "You're sharp."

"Other than that, I can't think of a reason you'd kidnap me."

The Chief said, "Then, what do you think?"

The guys in black beside him were on full alert, but Ruan Yunchu was unyielding. "At first, I also thought you were the one who truly needed the T021 agent. But when I saw your condition when I walked in, I realized I was wrong."

He stepped forward, frowning slightly as he gazed at the Chief's aged appearance.

"Your body isn't natural aging. I'm leaning toward thinking that some smart aleck forced himself into this state for more power."

The Chief's expression shifted. Noah quickly snapped, "Shut up."

Ruan Yunchu did not stop. "Since you are willing to engage in such crazy research, it proves that you are also dissatisfied with your prime self. Across the entire galaxy, the strongest is nothing more than the Supreme Commander of the Alliance. Based on the technologies you previously developed, you want to copy everything about him onto yourself."

"..."

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell into dead silence.

"Holy crap," Ruan Jing sucked his teeth.

The Chief stared calmly at the slender, aloof omega for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"You are right. You are somewhat clever, but unfortunately, what does it matter even if you know?"

Having said that, his smile faded, evidently having lost all patience, and gestured for Noah to take him away.

Ruan Yunchu frowned slightly and said bluntly, "I have one more question."

The Chief sighed, "I'll answer just one more question."

"How are you going to target Yan Zhuo? You should know his abilities better than us ordinary citizens."

"Citizens?" The Chief snorted. "Do I need to say more about your relationship with him? Commander Yan has revealed no weakness all these years. Now that an opportunity has finally come, I naturally need to make good use of it."

His worst fear had come true. Ruan Yunchu's eyes darkened. "I am right here. What do you plan to do?"

"This is already the second question, but I can still be merciful enough to answer you." The Chief smiled. "Do you think, with our technology, we still need you to go in person?"

"Did you not, on Planet A, encounter someone... who looked exactly like you?"