Chapter 68

Chapter 68

In the dimly lit base, the smell of gunpowder filled the air, and an oppressive, dangerous pressure followed like a shadow, pressing down heavily on every single person.

This was the pressure from the Enigma. The Chief leaned against the wall, coughing up a heavy mouthful of blood, as a violent ringing exploded in his ears.

"Chief!"

Noah's worried voice had just sounded when a loud crackling sound tore through his chest, snuffing out his life.

Military boots trod the cold, hard ground and came to a stop before the Chief. A shadow fell heavily over him, but he dared not look up.

The Chief slumped weakly against the corner of the wall. His gaze traced the dead-end corridor.

The ground was littered with his former trusted men. This base, which he had spent half his life building, was now reduced to ruins. Even the steel wall behind him radiated a scorching heat, as if from a blazing furnace.

Sweat dripped down, seeping into the crevices of his wounds, bringing waves of indescribable pain.

The pain forced the Chief to tense his body, but the next second, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You think you've won? Playing lackey for those old bastards—you'll come to no good."

The young Enigma did not speak. His cold gaze fell on the Chief, as if looking at a beaten dog.

Before death truly came, the Chief found himself surprisingly calm. Exhausted, he leaned against the wall, mustering his last strength to look around. His most trusted subordinate lay not far away, eyes wide open, but already lifeless.

Everything he had once taken pride in had ultimately been destroyed by this young man. How could he not hate it?

He breathed heavily, sneered with his dying breath, "You're quite like your parents. When I killed them, I was in the same posture watching them. Thinking back, it was worth it."

Yan Zhuo showed no sign of being provoked. He only looked coldly at him.

"Do you really think you've won?" The Chief twisted his face into a sarcastic smile. "When you broke in, I had already been informed. Do you think I had no preparations?"

"Save those words for when you're in hell, and say them to your men." Yan Zhuo raised his pulse gun, aiming at the Chief's forehead.

The Chief's pupils contracted slightly. He said in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid your fleet will be wiped out?"

His meaning was clear enough. Knowing the rebels were no match for the Alliance forces, he had devised a plan—even if he perished, he would inflict heavy casualties in return among the Alliance troops, to soothe his resentment.

Yan Zhuo paused with his finger on the trigger.

A few seconds later, the Chief opened his eyes with difficulty and smiled. "I'm not saying I can't tell you, but what will you trade for it? That escape route was my carefully crafted plan."

Yan Zhuo's tone was cold: "What do you want?"

The Chief leaned back against the wall, emboldened. "My research lab is blown up. Years of achievements are wasted. Even if you let me go, it's meaningless. How about... you kneel to me, kowtow three times? What do you say?"

Yan Zhuo didn't move. He looked at the Chief like a dead man.

"Since no one can see it now, Commander Yan, your pride can't be more important than tens of thousands of lives, can it?" The Chief gave a mocking half-smile. "Your lover is on that ship too."

"..."

He had clearly made up his mind, believing Yan Zhuo would surely back down.

Time ticked by. The gun pointing at him slowly lowered. The Chief's smile grew even more triumphant.

But the next moment, Yan Zhuo raised his gun again, this time aiming at his throat.

Three precise shots rang out and took the man's life.

Even as he died, the Chief's eyes were wide open, as if in disbelief.

Leaning down to confirm he was dead on the spot, Yan Zhuo straightened up. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he paused, as if thinking of something, and said in a low voice.

"My parents died in a starship explosion."

This leader who had single-handedly organized the rebels had perfected the art of saying the right thing to everyone. He could deceive anyone effortlessly.

Too bad...

He didn't linger. Turning, he tapped his earpiece and began to issue the order to retreat.

"..."

At the starship center, the replicas retrieved from the base were inspected one by one. Ruan Yunchu, due to his special identity and the three warp jumps that left him feeling unwell, was temporarily unable to participate.

502 spent three days in the research lab and returned clearly unhappy.

At that time, Sanan had also just finished training and came to find Ruan Yunchu. They bumped into each other at the door. When Ruan Yunchu opened the door, he saw both of them looking miserable.

"What's wrong?"

After a moment's thought, he still let them in.

"I'm so tired. They practically want to kill me," Sanan whined.

502 sat quietly in a chair, silent.

Ruan Yunchu thought for a moment, then turned to Sanan first. "Did they send you an invitation?"

"Yeah." Sanan nodded, but didn't look happy.

Ruan Yunchu: "Didn't you want to join the Alliance? Getting into the military academy by special permission—aren't you happy?"

Sanan pouted. "I originally wanted to get in by passing the exam. This feels like nepotism. Don't you think they let me in because of our connection?"

This kid really overthinks things.

Ruan Yunchu sighed. "I have no connections in the Alliance."

"Who says? That certain someone... isn't he?"

Sanan looked sheepish, blinking and feigning innocence.

Ruan Yunchu was silent for a moment. "This is because of your own ability. Don't always be paranoid. If you don't pass the assessments later, you won't graduate."

"Oh."

Sanan was obviously just complaining casually. He had been shut in the training room doing special training these past few days, completely exhausted, only wanting to come to Ruan Yunchu's place to rest quietly for a while.

After dealing with him, Ruan Yunchu turned to 502. He knew that compared to Sanan, who would complain loudly when wronged, 502's quiet nature required even more attention.

"What did you do at the lab today?"

502 looked up at him and answered truthfully: "Gave blood, slept, and chatted."

"Sounds nice." Sanan, sitting idly nearby, interjected.

Ruan Yunchu glanced at him, and the young man coughed once more, turning his head away, falling silent.

"What did you talk about?"

502 glanced at Sanan and said quietly, "They asked a lot of questions, and also how we knew each other."

He's an honest guy; when Ruan Yunchu asked, he wouldn't hold anything back.

Shortly after, Ruan Yunchu finished listening to him and couldn't help but frown.

These were actually routine inquiries from the Alliance, but they felt disrespectful, overly emphasizing how different Replicants are and steering the conversation in a biased direction.

"Do I have to go there every day from now on?" 502 asked, clearly reluctant.

"I'll negotiate with them," Ruan Yunchu said.

As soon as he finished, 502's expression softened a bit. Sanan started chiming in again: "Brother Fu Yun, can you put in a word for me too? It's really exhausting going there every day."

Ruan Yunchu gave him a look, stood up, and grabbed his jacket. "Sure, come with me."

Sanan took it seriously, jumped up abruptly, and followed him out.

The two left the room and walked along the corridor for a short while before Ruan Yunchu turned to look at the person behind him. "Are these training sessions too much for you?"

Sanan instinctively wanted to play the victim, but seeing his serious expression, he had to answer honestly: "Not really, it's just that I feel too tired."

"Then think it through. If you truly want to be a soldier, the future will be a hundred or a thousand times tougher than this. If you can't accept it, I'll help you talk to them. I'll give you half an hour to consider. First, I'll handle 502's matters."

After saying that, they arrived at the starship center. Ruan Yunchu casually pointed out a resting spot for him and entered the research lab himself.

The negotiation went smoothly. They had essentially confirmed 502 was harmless. After returning to Planet A, he would only need to have a guardian arranged for him, undergo two years of campus social training, and then obtain citizenship.

After finishing 502's matters, he was just leaving the lab when Sanan outside abruptly stood up. But before he could speak, officers rushed past on both sides of the corridor.

Ruan Yunchu slightly lifted his chin, and Sanan understood his intention. He turned and grabbed one of the officers.

"Hello, may I ask what happened?"

The officer recognized them and explained what was going on: "A command came in from the rebel base. Several squads of rebels that have been roaming near the G298 sector might attack us on our way back."

Sanan gasped, "Is it..."

Before he could finish, Ruan Yunchu stepped forward quickly. "Is it an order from Yan Zhuo?"

"Yes, they're communicating over there." The officer finished hastily, nodded to them, and strode away.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ruan Yunchu rushed to the command center.

Sanan followed behind him. As they neared the command center in the core of the starship, he saw the crew inside through the thick glass, busy at their stations, and his heart skipped a beat.

Assistant Xiao was inside. They got through without any trouble.

"Rest assured, we have already started deployment, and the nearest planet has also sent reinforcements." After reporting, Assistant Xiao was about to sign off when the hoarse voice on the other end paused and called her name.

Assistant Xiao was about to wait patiently, but when she looked up and saw the young man approaching, her eyes brightened again. "Mr. Ruan is here. Do you want to say something to him?"

The person on the other end let out an audible sigh of relief and said in a low voice, "Pass the communicator to him."

"Yes."

Assistant Xiao immediately switched off the speakerphone and handed the earpiece to Ruan Yunchu.

As soon as he put it on, he heard the other side's faint breathing mixed with static. Ruan Yunchu paused for a moment, then he spoke first: "Where are you?"

Yan Zhuo: "Just got on the warship, coming after you."

There were sounds of the control center on that end. Ruan Yunchu said, "You're piloting the warship."

It wasn't a question; he could tell just from the sound. Yan Zhuo chuckled, "Yeah, the others stayed behind to transport the spoils. I spotted some rare flower seeds among the loot—ones they don't have on Planet A. I'll plant them for you when we get back."

"Be careful. They could turn on you." Ruan Yunchu frowned slightly but couldn't help reminding him, "You should stay with the main group. We're fine over here."

"Honey, I won't get hurt either. Don't be scared."

Was he scared? Now that Yan Zhuo had pointed it out, Ruan Yunchu's anxiety and unease suddenly made sense.

He fell silent without meaning to.

Time was short. Yan Zhuo added, "You worry about me so much but won't say anything nice. Why are you so hard to read?"

Ruan Yunchu lowered his eyes. "If you want to hear sweet talk, you need to come back safe first."

Yan Zhuo chuckled softly, as if suddenly thinking of something, and lowered his voice: "I've worked so hard. When we get back to Planet A, can I get a chance to get back together?"

"..."

Ruan Yunchu didn't say anything for a long time, and the other couldn't help but urge him.

"If you test me anymore, I won't be able to go on. Is it that hard to say you like me?"

Yan Zhuo was being a brat on the other end. Ruan Yunchu felt kind of helpless. "When did I ever say that?"

"Then give me a definitive answer. Are you making it official or not?" Yan Zhuo sounded amused, obviously already knowing the answer, just waiting for him to say it.

"I—"

Ruan Yunchu was about to give in, but before he could speak, the starship suddenly shuddered under their feet, and everyone in the control center stumbled forward.

His lower back slammed into the console; he grabbed hold of something and barely stayed on his feet.

A loud buzz rang in his ears. It took a while for things to sound normal again. Assistant Xiao hurried over to steady him, looking pretty shaken herself.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Ruan Yunchu took off the earpiece crackling with static and realized the connection had dropped.

"Can you reach him again?"

Assistant Xiao lowered her head and tried for a moment. "Seems not. The signal from the Commander is a bit scrambled. He might be near a jump point."

After saying that, she immediately added: "You should go back and rest. The whole ship is on alert. Nothing major will happen. When we reach a safe place, I'll contact the Commander and explain the situation."

Ruan Yunchu hesitated, about to say something, but stopped. He finally nodded in agreement. "Alright."

As he left the command center, some people were being carried by bots to the med bay. Behind them, more injured people were queuing up.

Sanan kept his eyes glued in that direction. "Brother Fu Yun, is there a war going on outside?"

"Probably."

Ruan Yunchu looked away and did not return to his room. "I'm going to the medical room to help. You go back and tell 502 to come find me here."

"Okay." Sanan took two steps, then suddenly turned back. "Brother Fu Yun, I want to be a soldier."

His gaze was serious, much more determined and resolute than his earlier laid-back demeanor—clearly caught up in the tense atmosphere.

Ruan Yunchu a slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "After you notify 502, go help transport the wounded in the rear."

Sanan's eyes lit up. "Okay."

"..."

The moment the call was cut off, Yan Zhuo's face darkened.

He immediately tried to reconnect, but there was no response from the other side, and the connection remained lost.

This situation was not unfamiliar to him. In the years he had faced rebels and space pirates on the front lines, he had encountered countless similar scenarios. He knew that the main force, soon to be reinforced, would be fine. Yet perhaps because of the answer that had yet to be spoken, he felt an uncontrollable irritation.

These bastards have done nothing but evil.

After passing through the jump point, he felt only slight discomfort. He continued piloting, then tried to connect again, but failed.

He began studying the nearest routes, but soon the screen began to crackle and went black.

Sensing what was coming, he frowned slightly, a cold glint flickered in his dark eyes beneath his deep-set brows.

It was coming.

The screen lit up again, and silhouettes appeared on a pure white background—two figures in cloaks of unknown identity.

"Grand Commander Yan," the one on the left said, his voice eerie and crackling with static, while the one on the right remained silent.

Yan Zhuo piloted the battleship nonchalantly, not giving them a second look. "Afraid to show your real faces? Then I'm afraid we have nothing to talk about."

"Your abilities are obvious to everyone. Even if there were a way to kill you, I wouldn't risk it."

Yan Zhuo chuckled and gave his verdict: "Coward."

The man sighed deeply, as if full of regret.

"Over the years, I've always felt it was a pity—you have great ability, yet you've been chasing things you shouldn't interfere with. Do you know how much impact your destruction of the rebels has caused?"

Yan Zhuo had no patience for his rambling. "A traitor hiding within the Alliance—do you even have the right to question me?"

"What do you know? Replicants and genetic modification were such great technologies. Back then, we were so close—just a little more... But then, a group of protesters suddenly emerged from nowhere and snuffed out the budding industry. And among those zealous opponents were your parents!"

Yan Zhuo's eyelid twitched.

The man's tone grew angrier. "The rebels took over all of this. How wonderful—no matter what happened in the future, the blame would never fall on us. But you destroyed it all again. Human life is so fragile and short. If everyone could undergo unlimited modifications, how could the Alliance ever lack capable people?"

Yan Zhuo leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes tightly, and after a long moment, only gave a smirk.

"It's easy for you to support it when it benefits you. But what if one day you're the one who has to pay?"

"Ridiculous..."

"There's nothing ridiculous about it. If my life is on the line, would you two be willing to sacrifice for me?" Before the other could speak, Yan Zhuo slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the right side of the screen. "General Peng Yun, are you willing?"

"..."

The battleship went completely silent.

After what felt like forever, the shadow on the right gradually faded, and an old man in a dark green military shirt appeared in the frame.

He truly looked extremely aged—the wrinkles on his face were deeper than a few months ago, and his sunken, tired eyes were full of sorrow and loneliness.

"Kid, you really shouldn't have said my name."

Yan Zhuo gazed at the old man who'd basically watched him grow up, and slowly sighed. "What I really want to know is when you joined their scheme."

Peng Yun looked deeply at the screen and sighed. "Three years ago."

That was when he had his big surgery. Yan Zhuo vaguely recalled that he had recuperated at the Jiaxie Hospital of the Ruan family.

"Back then, my body could no longer support surgery. Someone recommended this technology to me. I thought... at worst, I would just go on living in that broken body. So I agreed to cooperate without hesitation. Everything after that, you know, went smoothly."

He went from a cripple to a healthy person who could run and jump, even though those obvious side effects hadn't shown up yet.

Yan Zhuo shook his head. "You shouldn't have trusted them. Now you're paying the price?"

Peng Yun touched his wrinkled skin and smiled. "No, I've never regretted it."

With that, he frowned slightly, a flicker of reluctance in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Yan Zhuo. I'll look after your people."

Yan Zhuo looked at him coldly and said no more.

The screen suddenly went black.

The battleship cruising slowly through space suddenly exploded.

Boom—

After the blinding fire, the debris drifted in space, settling into silence.

"..."