Chapter 61

Chapter 61

By the time the Commander's personal forces arrived, the starship fleet had already temporarily docked at the space station for rest and resupply.

Yan Zhuo finished reviewing all the internal surveillance across the starship, his eyes finally lingering on the footage of Ruan Yunchu being taken away by that group. The young man appeared to have lost consciousness, slung over someone's shoulder—a sight so glaring it pained him deeply.

But as the group reached a blind spot in the cameras, a wrist terminal tumbled clattering to the ground.

Just seconds earlier, it had been securely fastened around the young man's wrist.

Yan Zhuo withdrew his gaze, letting out a quiet breath of relief before picking up the terminal on the console.

Simple, light-colored—it was indeed the one Ruan Yunchu had been wearing. However, one of the side crowns was missing from the watch, clearly taken by its owner.

He let out a long, relieved breath, gripped the watch in his hand, and pressed it to his lips in a soft kiss.

-

The temporary halt on Planet A had not dulled the fighting spirit of his personal guard. They had almost immediately pinpointed the enemy's escape route. The starship was placed under tight security, and as the Alliance starship's doors opened, countless soldiers surged forward in unison.

Those inside could barely feel anything but the starship's vibration. Soon, well-equipped troops poured through every breached door.

A powerful mental pressure spread through the hall, the clash of forces from both sides nearly annihilating the air pressure between them as the struggle intensified.

By the time Yan Zhuo stepped aboard the starship, his men had already secured it inside and out. The rebels lay sprawled in the corners, and as his gaze swept over them, someone stepped forward to escort him inside.

"The ship's commander killed himself as soon as we broke in. We've detected three locked rooms aboard, all on the second level."

Yan Zhuo said, "Hack the internal system. Pinpoint the coordinates."

"Understood."

After giving all the orders, Yan Zhuo, finally reassured, made his way to the second floor.

On missions, he had always been calm and composed—even on the brink of death, he felt no trace of fear. But now, walking toward the second floor, even those few steps felt unbearably long. The image of the young man kept surfacing in his mind, and he couldn't help wondering what expression he would see on his face when they met.

"Commander." The soldiers in the corridor acknowledged him with a nod. "The first two doors have been opened. Inside were only equipment and documents. The last one is locked from the inside, and we detected only one person—an omega."

Yan Zhuo nodded and stepped into the corridor.

No one followed behind him.

His figure disappeared around a corner. The soldiers standing on either side remained silent for two minutes before someone whispered.

"Did you hear? The one the rebels took this time is the Commander's omega?"

"Where did you hear that? Since when does the Commander have an omega?"

"I'm not sure about the source. Someone heard it from Assistant Xiao. She was stationed on Planet A for years, and she turned down posts just to take care of that person."

"I can't imagine what it's like to live with someone like the Commander. Must be pretty stifling."

"How can you say that? What's wrong with the Commander?"

"..."

Yan Zhuo was unaware of the discussion behind him. He reached the door, bent down to examine the lock, and quickly found a way to open it.

With a click, the door swung open slowly. A faint wisp of pheromones seeped through the crack. Yan Zhuo paused briefly before activating the sealed smart-home system.

The room was small. The young man stood with his back to him, barefoot on the carpet, wearing a loose, oversized shirt. Hearing the sound, he turned his head to cast a glance at Yan Zhuo—and then turned back again.

That glance carried a hint of detachment and scrutiny—familiar, yet also carrying an unsettling strangeness.

After putting on some clothes, the young man turned around and complained, "Why did it take you so long?"

His shirt was only loosely buttoned, revealing a large expanse of fair skin and his collarbones. As he moved, the hem swayed, hinting at the tops of his thighs—an indescribable allure.

Yan Zhuo's expression remained unchanged. "I got delayed. They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"What could they possibly do to me?"

The young man walked up to him, looked up at him, his face expressionless. Damp strands of hair hung loose on his shoulders, and his whole body radiated a chill. At first glance, he seemed no different from usual, but upon closer inspection, his features were slightly more youthful than the one Yan Zhuo was used to seeing.

Just as the young man was about to rest his hand on Yan Zhuo's arm, Yan Zhuo subtly sidestepped, avoiding the touch, and turned to walk out the door.

"Get me a set of clothes."

Soon, someone brought over a simple set of athletic wear. Yan Zhuo took it, closed the door, then handed it to the young man.

"Put these on. We need to leave. It's dangerous here."

The young man blinked at him, a confused, puzzled expression in his eyes, as if he didn't understand what Yan Zhuo meant.

"Oh. Aren't you going to help me change?"

"You can change yourself."

The young man said nothing more. He slipped into the oversized shirt, turned as if to say something else, but found Yan Zhuo had already left the room. He was alone.

Two minutes later, he emerged from the room fully dressed, and Yan Zhuo placed a cap over his head.

"Follow him."

Yan Zhuo casually pointed to his adjutant, who gave the young man a small nod before leading him down the long corridor, separating from Yan Zhuo's group.

The young man seemed puzzled. "Aren't we going together?"

The adjutant was reluctant to answer at first, but remembering that the person before him might be someone important to the Commander, he replied patiently, "The Commander still has matters to handle on the starship. We'll wait for him on the secure starship."

"Oh."

Finally, the young man fell silent.

After they parted ways, Yan Zhuo let out a sigh of relief. Behind him, someone, now that the tension had eased, boldly started asking about the rumor that was on everyone's mind.

These were the earliest followers of Yan Zhuo, including some who had studied alongside him at the military academy and fought side by side with him—even if their positions were different now, their bond was strong. Though Yan Zhuo was usually a man of few words, he treated them well.

Upon hearing the question, Yan Zhuo stopped in his tracks, turned around, and glanced at them, his face devoid of expression. "Who told you?"

"No idea. It's what people are saying."

Someone added, "So, is it true?"

Yan Zhuo's eyes darkened slightly. "He's not."

"Just another rumor, huh." someone said, sounding disappointed.

Yan Zhuo thought for a moment, then admitted the truth: "There is indeed such a person, but it's not him. Didn't you notice something different about him?"

His voice got a bit stern with the last remark, and the others' expressions grew serious as they began to recall carefully.

"Something is off. He doesn't look scared at all."

"Even if he's calm, he shouldn't be acting this way."

"Didn't we have a meeting before we left?" Yan Zhuo frowned slightly.

Someone nearby added: "It's the latest technology developed by the rebels—directly replicating an identical version of you."

"Damn, that's disgusting."

"So the one just now..."

Yan Zhuo gave no confirmation, stating calmly: "Spread the word quietly. Don't let him find out. Treat him like a regular civilian and keep him safe, but be cautious with him. Although I know the real person well, no one can predict what kind of modifications the rebels' product has undergone."

"Understood."

Yan Zhuo snapped out of it and strode toward the control room, forcing himself to stop worrying about Ruan Yunchu's safety for now.

After taking care of everything on the starship, they returned to the starship. Yan Zhuo had just issued the command to track those coordinates when the adjutant hurried in.

"Commander, that person we brought back earlier has been insisting on seeing you."

Yan Zhuo frowned slightly, then suddenly thought of something: "Where did you take him?"

"To your private room."

Yan Zhuo's expression suddenly changed, and he bolted out the door.

When the door was shoved open, the youth was sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, holding two photos, studying them thoughtfully.

Yan Zhuo reached out and took them, glancing down at the cold eyes in the photo, and only then did his heart stir.

He loosened his grip on the photos slightly, tucked them into the inner pocket of his coat, and said, "What are you doing messing with my things?"

The youth looked up at him with confusion: "Why can't I look at them? Isn't that me on them?"

"..."

Yan Zhuo didn't want to argue with him. Besides, the person in front of him had Ruan Yunchu's face, making it hard for him to say anything harsh.

"You have your own private room. Someone will take you there later."

"Are you coming with me too?"

Yan Zhuo stood by the bed, meeting his expectant gaze, but felt something was off.

Did the rebels have any brains? Making a counterfeit with such a different personality—their tech is lousy. The only thing that made him patient at all was that face.

He said casually, "Everyone has their own room. Your task is to stay in yours and not wander around. I'll have someone bring you food regularly."

"But I want to stay with you."

Yan Zhuo: "Then I'll give you this room. I'll have someone prepare another one for me."

The youth frowned deeply, watching the handsome man turn and leave, his gaze fixed on the door for a long time, unable to look away.

After a long while, when no one returned, he sighed, lowered his head, and looked at the hand protruding from his sleeve.

"..."

On the screen was a pair of fair and slender hands, fingers stretching and curling, the angle slightly tilted, as if puzzled by how things had turned out this way.

Ruan Yunchu watched for a long time, then withdrew his gaze.

Certain that the man would not reappear, Noah closed the screen and said thoughtfully, "He seems to have figured something out."

The Chief sitting in the main seat wore an expressionless face, a serious tone: "This isn't good. 04 isn't strong. If seen through, there may not be much chance of success."

"Should we send reinforcements?"

But the Chief cast a meaningful glance at Ruan Yunchu beside him: "Not for now. I still have faith in my own child's abilities. He will surely retrieve the item."

Ruan Yunchu did not return his gaze. He just sat in his original position, still replaying the images he had just seen in his mind.

Yan Zhuo seemed to be in good shape. A few times the camera got really close to him, he still didn't seem to notice the surveillance on 04.

For someone like him, this was highly uncharacteristic.

"Mr. Ruan, now that your questions have been answered, shouldn't you just do what we say?"

The Chief's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Ruan Yunchu slowly came to his senses, scanned the old man, and rose calmly: "Of course."

The Chief was fed up with talking to him. This omega was nice to look at, but his personality was too cold and stubborn, making him hard to get along with. Every casual remark could leave the Chief stumped for a while.

Catching his signal, Noah led the man out of the room.

To be honest, he didn't get why Ruan Yunchu had seemed to foresee something and insisted on looking at their exclusive surveillance system. He guessed that someone might have leaked information during a discussion, but he couldn't be sure.

Just as he was thinking, the man ahead suddenly turned around and asked, "What food do you have here?"

His eyes beneath long lashes were clear and striking. That cool glance seemed to have a little hook in it, causing Noah's heart to inexplicably skip a beat.

In the past, he had supervised people—some were handsome prisoners or cooperative businessmen who had made a pass at him—but he had never felt this way before.

Very strange... He suspected Ruan Yunchu had some ulterior motive toward him, but the other man didn't wait for an answer and simply turned back around, continuing forward.

It really seemed like his imagination.

That glance had clearly carried no particular emotion, just like the man himself—cool and detached.

Noah shook his head, casting those strange thoughts out of his mind, and hurried to catch up, rattling off a dozen dishes like he was reciting a menu.

After listening, Ruan Yunchu asked casually, "What do you like to eat?"

Noah paused briefly, then said, "I usually just drink nutrient solution. It's more convenient. I don't have much time for eating."

"Are you busy later?"

"Not at the moment." Noah hesitated.

Ruan Yunchu then said, "Eat with me. Just pick whatever you want."

"You—"

Noah thought Ruan Yunchu was being way too obvious, but the words of accusation got stuck in his throat and he couldn't bring himself to say them.

Ruan Yunchu looked confused, as if he didn't understand his meaning.

Locking eyes, Noah still backed down. "It's nothing."

After escorting the man to the outside of the research lab, he went to the kitchen to place an order. When he returned, he saw the young man standing at the sink washing his hands. His cool, pale, slender fingers passed through the stream of water, the pads of his fingers tinged with light pink, giving them a glossy, lustrous sheen.

Very beautiful.

After washing his hands, Ruan Yunchu pulled out a tissue to dry them and sat down on a seat in the lounge by the window.

Beside him was a floor-to-ceiling window, through which he could see the long corridor. Across the small round table was another chair, clearly prepared for him.

Noah thought for a moment, then sat down opposite him and briefly introduced the dishes he had ordered.

"Mm, it suits my taste," said Ruan Yunchu.

Noah unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling a bit hot, he simply put down the hand he had been resting on the table, leaned back in his chair, and widened the distance between them.

This seemed to make him feel better, but then Ruan Yunchu said, "So, what do you need me to do? If you've really studied me, you should know that I'm just a student and have never been in a research lab."

"We know that, but we are also well aware of your innate talent," Noah said, still holding back. "Once you get inside, you'll understand naturally."

"Is there any difference between inside and here?"

Noah thought for two seconds and answered honestly, "Inside is completely sealed off from the outside."

"Is that so?"

Catching his thoughtful look, Noah's tone became a bit more serious as he reminded, "You can't send any messages to the outside from here either. Only certain equipment works here."

Ruan Yunchu looked somewhat surprised.

Noah seemed quite pleased with his expression and snickered, "Otherwise, why do you think we didn't search you when you boarded the starship?"

"I see."

Ruan Yunchu didn't ask further. Through the window beside him, a figure appeared—someone pushing a cart to deliver their meal.

Noah had ordered a lot, and the table was almost completely covered. Ruan Yunchu picked up his utensils and selected a bowl of the milder mushroom rice and placed it in front of him.

"You don't eat spicy food?" Even though Noah had reminded himself countless times not to observe the person in front of him, he simply couldn't help it.

"Not right now."

Ruan Yunchu, in contrast, was much colder.

Noah watched him eat with his head down, not saying another word to him, and felt strangely uncomfortable.

Not long after, Ruan Yunchu put down his utensils and took a sip of water.

"If there are no other requests, I'll escort you inside." Noah composed himself and stood up.

"Mm."

As soon as Ruan Yunchu finished speaking, the tightly closed steel door in front of them suddenly opened. Someone came out stretching, and when they saw who was standing outside, they abruptly cut off their yawn halfway.

"You..."

Ruan Jing's expression could be described as a mix of emotions. The dark circles under his eyes were extremely noticeable, showing he hadn't relaxed since he went in.

Noah nodded slightly at him. "Mr. Ruan, how's your work going? Have you completed your tasks?"

"Nonsense, do you think they'd let me out if I wasn't done?" Ruan Jing rolled his eyes, not showing any politeness to the Chief's confidant. He then turned to Ruan Yunchu and complained, "I'm telling you, you'd better not go in, or they'll work you until you pass out, then inject you with a stimulant to keep you awake."

Ruan Yunchu had never given him a friendly look. He merely averted his gaze and stepped up the stairs.

But the next second, he slipped on the step.

Noah almost instinctively reached out to support him, but the other firmly grabbed his wrist.

The grip was strong, making him chuckle inwardly.

Though calm on the surface, he was after all a fragile and timid omega. Perhaps he had been putting on a brave face this whole time.

Thinking this, he felt a little better about his earlier embarrassing reaction. Gazing at that beautiful face, he said softly, "It's okay."

Ruan Yunchu steadied himself using both hands on Noah and nodded slightly. "Thank you."

Ruan Jing watched their interaction from the side and found it amusing. "What, you finally came to your senses? Decided to leave that Yan Zhuo and join the rebel faction?"

Ruan Yunchu, as if not hearing him, entered the research lab without a backward glance.

Noah watched his back until the door clicked shut, then withdrew his gaze and turned to Ruan Jing, clearly displeased. "Mr. Ruan, you have only fifteen minutes to eat."

Ruan Jing's face turned various shades of green and white. "What's with this double standard? If you think about it, since my uncle has an agreement with you, shouldn't we be on the same side?"

But Noah ignored him and left directly, leaving behind a leftover portion of fried rice on the table.

Ruan Jing: "..."

-

The more Noah thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He admitted that he was attracted to this prisoner, especially since he was of age.

However, what that man just said made him very uncomfortable.

Young Master Ruan was close to the commander—everyone knew that. But he could sense that there were no signs of the other being marked, suggesting they were at most lovers, or perhaps it was just unrequited on the commander's part.

Noah had grown up weathering many storms with the Chief. As soon as this thought occurred to him, he headed straight to the Chief's lounge.

Having been interrupted too many times over the past two days, the Chief had nearly lost his patience, but after hearing Noah's request, he suddenly became interested.

"You want Young Master Ruan?"

"Yes, he is very good-looking, and fits my image of my future partner. If possible, I'll settle him on the barren planet where we're stationed."

The Chief thought for a moment. "This is easy enough, and you are indeed of age. However, his alpha is Yan Zhuo, which is a bit tricky. But... if Yan Zhuo dies, everything becomes simple."

Noah was thrilled. "You mean, if we can manage to kill him, then Ruan..."

"Then he'll be yours."

Noah showed a confident smile. "I will definitely kill him."

Faced with such an exuberant and confident attitude, the Chief was gratified, but he still said, "Don't underestimate the enemy. Remember, he killed your older brother."

Noah's expression gradually grew serious, and his eyes blazed with intense killing intent.

"I will kill him to avenge my brother, then claim my wife."

"..."

The man's arrogant voice echoed through the office. Yan Zhuo leaned back, tapping his fingers absently on the desk.

A faint smile curled at the corners of his mouth, but his icy eyes were full of coldness.