Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Luo Peng’s face darkened as he looked in that direction. A woman in military uniform emerged from the darkness, her demeanor stern and cold.

“Assistant Xiao, what is the meaning of this?”

Assistant Xiao glanced at him casually. “Captain Luo, I should be the one asking you that. With such a major incident occurring in your jurisdiction, instead of tracking down the real culprit, why are you wasting time here?”

Luo Peng’s face hardened. “I am conducting an investigation. I was about to take the suspect back for questioning.”

Assistant Xiao stepped forward slowly. As she passed Ruan Yunchu, she gave him a slight nod, then turned to Luo Peng, her respect vanishing, replaced by icy coldness.

“Suspect? Mr. Ruan, as the controlling shareholder of Jiaxie Hospital, is the victim.”

Luo Peng gritted his teeth, too frustrated to bother with formalities. “So, Assistant Xiao, are you saying you’re going to protect him?”

“Isn’t my meaning clear enough?”

“...”

Luo Peng’s face darkened.

If the person before him were just some ordinary bodyguard, he could arrest them on the spot. But Assistant Xiao was different—she was the personal assistant to Yan Zhuo. Although she had never fought on the battlefield, she held the authority to issue commands and lead the entire army when the Commander was out of contact.

Earlier, many had speculated about an unspoken relationship between her and Yan Zhuo. But later, she was sent to the front lines alone, where she used her wits to save a nearly collapsed space station. Since then, she had solidified her position, and the rumors ceased.

Facing her, Luo Peng had no chance of winning. Yet his mind drifted to the turmoil within the upper echelons of the Alliance.

If Yan Zhuo were dead...

Remembering what he had endured, the fear and dread when Ruan Yunchu’s bodyguard had broken into his home—those memories had haunted his nightmares for a long time. Now that he knew the bodyguard had disappeared and Ruan Yunchu had returned to A-Star alone, how could he not take the chance to avenge his past humiliations?

“What right does Assistant Xiao have to protect him?” Luo Peng forced a strained smile. “As citizens, cooperating with an investigation is a legal obligation.”

“I apologize, but Mr. Ruan is in a romantic relationship with Commander Yan Zhuo. The two are engaged. As the Commander’s fiancé, I’m afraid you have no authority to interrogate him.”

Assistant Xiao’s calm words struck Luo Peng like a nuclear bomb, leaving his mind buzzing and unable to recover for a long moment.

Fiancé?

A flicker of unease crossed Ruan Yunchu’s face, but he didn’t deny it.

“As for the gene bank trafficking incident over ten years ago, Mr. Ruan was only a child at the time. Are you trying to pin that blame on him too, Captain Luo?”

Luo Peng’s shock had not yet subsided when a surge of anger flared. “So tonight’s incident has nothing to do with him?”

Assistant Xiao promptly turned to Ruan Yunchu. “Mr. Ruan, I trust you will provide a reasonable explanation.”

Ruan Yunchu stepped forward slowly. “From the moment I received news of Yan Zhuo’s incident, I thought that someone as cautious as him would not have missed the battleship’s impending self-destruction. He is an Enigma—what you call a war machine—who has served the Alliance for years, and the list of people he trusted unconditionally is countless.”

Luo Peng lost patience. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that when I got the news, I knew the culprits were those in the so-called upper echelons of the Alliance. So I deliberately let the person they wanted come to Jiaxie, stored his genetic sample, and waited.”

“Do you know what you’re saying?” Luo Peng stared at him in shock. “You’re framing high-ranking Alliance officers!”

Hearing this, Assistant Xiao gave Ruan Yunchu a surprised look.

“Yes, but it’s not a frame-up,” Ruan Yunchu said calmly. “If I were wrong, nothing would have gone wrong at Jiaxie tonight.”

Before the agitated Luo Peng could say anything, Assistant Xiao approached Ruan Yunchu and asked in a low voice, “Are you sure who it is?”

Ruan Yunchu glanced at his watch. “By now, someone should have found it.”

“...”

At the Alliance branch break room.

“Got it?”

“Right here.”

In the darkness, an old man moved slowly, taking a vial from the figure in black.

His coat swayed in the wind. Peng Yun’s deeply lined face looked even more sinister under the dim light. He looked up at the crimson blood sample, a glint in his eyes.

Perfect. With this, he could regain some youth, just like before.

Having tasted the sweetness of rejuvenation, he could hardly control himself.

But he told himself this was the last time—just taking one vial of blood, nothing major.

He went through the long alley, intending to leave the way he came. But when he reached the alley’s entrance, he found many figures outside.

He stopped dead. He immediately turned to take another path—until someone called out to him.

“Uncle Peng.”

His legs felt as heavy as lead; he couldn’t take another step.

Someone walked slowly up behind him and let out a long sigh. “Come back with me.”

Peng Yun froze. After what felt like forever, he finally mustered the strength to turn around, only to meet Lin Zheng’s gaze.

“I...” His lips trembled, words failing him. Being caught by someone he had watched grow up filled him with shame and regret.

Lin Zheng felt sorry for him, so he just said, “Why did you do this? You knew better...”

Peng Yun shook his head. He looked like he’d aged twenty years overnight. “I... I let the Alliance down. I let all of you down.”

Lin Zheng felt a pang in his heart. He had held back the Alliance soldiers outside to give Peng Yun a last shred of dignity. Now, taking a deep breath, though he knew he shouldn’t, he still urged, “Come clean, and you’ll get a lighter sentence. In the end... this isn’t unforgivable.”

But as he said this, Peng Yun suddenly broke down in tears. He could hardly stay on his feet, his face wet with tears. “I killed Yan Zhuo. I should die.”

Lin Zheng froze, thinking he had misheard.

“What did you say?”

But Peng Yun couldn’t continue. He shook his head weakly. “I am the one who should die.”

In that instant, alarm bells went off in Lin Zheng’s head. He instinctively sensed danger, but Peng Yun shoved him away with all his strength.

A glint of steel flashed as Peng Yun aimed the gun at himself.

If there's a chance, apologize to Xiaochu for me... I am unforgivable.

A crisp click.

"Uncle Peng!" Lin Zheng's eyes blazed with fury.

One second, two seconds.

The expected bloody scene did not appear.

Lin Zheng's hands trembled slightly. Peng Yun, bewildered, turned to follow the hand that held his, and after seeing the flamboyant face with slightly raised lips, his finger suddenly lost its grip on the trigger, and his body went limp.

The man reached out to support his arm and said with a light laugh, "Uncle Peng, I haven't even had the chance to come for revenge, and you're already seeking death."

The old man's strained nerves could no longer withstand any blow. He stared fixedly at Yan Zhuo, then crumpled his face like a child and began to cry.

Lin Zheng suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and looked away, unable to bear it.

Yan Zhuo gently wrapped an arm around his shoulder and patted it, his eyes showing a complex and obscure fatigue.

-

The news from below spread slowly under deliberate control. A certain high-ranking Alliance official had just finished his breakfast leisurely and was about to start dealing with political affairs when he received the bad news from last night.

Upon seeing the line “Commander resurrected from the dead,” his face turned ashen. He stared with reluctance at the luxurious and exquisite study for a long time, until the sound of orderly footsteps came from downstairs. Only then did he open the drawer in front of the desk, take out a handgun, and point it at his own throat.

Bang—

In a single day, turmoil broke out in the Alliance.

Even though the news was strictly suppressed, rumors inevitably leaked out.

It was said that many powerful high-ranking officials in the Alliance died, including even a pioneering star general who had made great contributions.

The day after Ruan Yunchu returned home, 502 was also urgently sent back. Lin Zheng did not come with him, but left a message for Ruan Yunchu, saying that he had military duties recently and had no time for other matters.

So 502 temporarily stayed at the Ruan residence and was taken by Sanan to play in the back mountain all day. His originally introverted and timid personality became much more cheerful.

Ruan Yunchu had no interest in inquiring about the Alliance's affairs. He had been away for too long, and Jiaxie was still assisting with investigations. He didn't have much free time for random thoughts.

A week passed quickly. The external situation gradually improved, and Ruan Yunchu was no longer so busy. But Uncle Chen's mood could never relax.

He had already learned about the internal affairs of the Alliance from familiar people and also knew that Yan Zhuo had been murdered.

For these months, he had been worried all the time. But during the turmoil on Planet A, he had never felt fear, only because he knew that no matter the circumstances, Yan Zhuo would never abandon the young master. So he kept waiting.

But he never expected…

"Uncle Chen." A clear voice came from above.

Chen Quan, who was standing in the garden deep in thought, raised his head and responded, "Young master, what is it?"

Ruan Yunchu stood at the edge of the second-floor balcony, pointed to the flower bed in the distance, and said, "Turn on the sprinklers. These flowers have been in the sun all day."

"Okay."

Chen Quan hurried to do it, but as soon as he got close, the automatic timed sprinkler sprayed out a mist of water. He had to step back. He turned around, originally intending to see the young master's expression, but only saw a lonely back.

His expression changed slightly. He patted his damp cuffs and strode up the steps.

When the door was knocked, Ruan Yunchu was tidying up things in the study. Before answering, he stuffed a small wooden box into the bottommost drawer.

Chen Quan strode in with a smile on his face. "Young master, the school has been arranged. When spring comes, Sanan can enroll."

"Mm."

Ruan Yunchu nodded and said nothing.

Chen Quan had exhausted his topics. Standing by the desk, he still didn't want to leave.

And Ruan Yunchu could tell he still had something to say, so he didn't urge him to leave. He just sat in his seat, stacking the photos.

These were all his photos from childhood to adulthood. Some had a gentle and beautiful woman standing beside him, his mother. As he grew older, most were single-person shots. The lower layer contained deliberately styled photos that looked proper but rigid, with no expression on his face.

But there was also a stack of candid photos, taken from various tricky angles. Occasionally he looked at the camera with an expression full of resignation.

Chen Quan looked down, and among them caught a glimpse of two two-person photos. He couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Yan Zhuo is photogenic."

Ruan Yunchu hummed in agreement, and pulled one out. He leaned back in his wheelchair, staring off into the distance in a daze, while Yan Zhuo made a peace sign at the camera, framing him together.

Yan Zhuo was very comfortable in front of the camera and never hesitated to make exaggerated expressions. But because his looks were exceptionally good, he indeed didn't have a single bad photo.

Uncle Chen looked at his expression and felt that although he appeared calm on the surface, he must be hurting inside.

The young master had been like this since childhood. If it was before Madam passed away, he could still show some emotions. But in the final trials, he gradually lost that ability.

His heart felt even more pained. He had to say in a low voice, "Please don't be too sad. If he were still here, he wouldn't want you to be unhappy."

"…"

Ruan Yunchu paused for an unusual two seconds, then looked at him with a subtle expression. "Uncle Chen, what are you talking about?"

Chen Quan only thought he was putting on a brave face. He sighed and said, "Since it's already happened, you don't need to pretend. I already know about what happened to the Commander."

"…"

Ruan Yunchu was silent for a moment and didn't speak.

He was usually like this, his face always indifferent without any expression. Seeing this now, Chen Quan felt even more distressed.

"Don't be too sad."

"Uncle Chen." Ruan Yunchu finally couldn't help but speak. "Who told you he died?"

Chen Quan was stunned, and it took him a while to react. "Isn't it?"

"He's not dead. He's probably purging the Alliance internally right now." Ruan Yunchu raised his eyes to look out the window, his gaze cold. "But since you mentioned him, I also need to remind you of something."

Chen Quan hadn't fully processed this yet, but he immediately stood up straight. "Go ahead."

"If he comes, don't let him in."

"Ah... okay."

This command wouldn't have been strange in the past, but what Chen Quan was curious about was, after all that had happened between them, why was their relationship still so strained?

He left the room thinking it over, and sighed, feeling that it must be Yan Zhuo's fault again.

This guy had always liked to pester the young master, and this time he must have done something bad again.

So from that day on, he sealed off the entire Ruan compound, even having bodyguards follow the housekeeper when she went out for groceries.

As days went by, the Alliance leadership changed, many officers were promoted, and the earlier rumors gradually faded. People's lives returned to normal, though many still continued their protests.

A month passed, and the outcry only grew louder instead of quieter. But just then, several videos released by the official Alliance account quietly addressed the topic.

Ruan Yunchu had been quite idle lately. When he saw the video thumbnail featuring Lin Zheng and 502, he couldn't help pursing his lips before clicking to watch.

They weren't official staged setups—just everyday life.

502 and Lin Zheng sat across from each other, one doing homework, the other writing a military report. The atmosphere was cozy. Occasionally, 502 asked how to write some words. Though he looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth, he had a childish, innocent vibe.

The videos were split into several segments, including one of Lin Zheng taking 502 to an amusement park. After getting off the roller coaster, 502 cried his eyes out. Lin Zheng frowned, stared at him in confusion for a long moment, and finally calmed him down with an ice cream.

The videos had no captions, simply showing ordinary moments. The final segment showed daily footage of replicants living together in a house, learning to write and studying social studies from teachers. On the other side of the screen were students from a normal school.

"We are all one humanity."

After watching the video, Ruan Yunchu paused for a couple of seconds, then looked down at the comments. Most of them were sensible this time. Even though a few complaints were mixed in, their intensity was far less than before.

"Seeing them like this, they don't seem much different from us."

"I thought replicants would be all mechanical or especially violent."

"Wasn't someone saying before that replicants have aggressive tendencies injected into their genes, supposedly very hard to control?"

"But there's no evidence, right? Just spouting nonsense? Is there any data to back it up? The Alliance is definitely more professional than netizens."

"Seeing this, I have to agree. And the originals don't even have any objections—they can live with replicants. We don't interact with them at all, so what are we afraid of?"

"I'll just say this: as long as they receive proper education and are guaranteed not to harm anyone, I wouldn't mind them being out in society."

"Support. Do you think normal humans aren't violent? How many replicants are in the rebels? Even if they're all naturally born, they're still a bunch of lunatics. It's not a genetic issue."

"..."

Amid the heated discussions on the StarNet, the new Alliance conference officially commenced. When the familiar commander's uniform appeared on the livestream, the entire StarNet went crazy.

"Holy crap, who started the rumor that my man died? Open your eyes and see!"

"SOS, the Commander still hasn't taken off that mask. When will we get to see his face?"

"Everyone calm down, this is a livestream."

As per usual, the Commander sat in the center, acting as a stabilizing force. He barely spoke throughout, only rising to honor a few officers with medals and offer his congratulations.

He sat at the back, and for once, he checked his watch several times, leading many viewers to wonder if he was in a hurry to go somewhere.

"I actually pictured an anxious look through the mask?"

"Maybe he's in a hurry to deal with official business hhh. I heard the Commander hates participating in such events the most. And he had to keep his identity hidden even after coming back—it must have been really uncomfortable."

"Want to try my luck at the Alliance Center (jk)."

Ruan Yunchu didn't watch the livestream, but he knew exactly about this event, which had been promoted for many days.

Chen Quan, for once, holed up in his room to watch the livestream. Sanan originally wanted to watch on the huge screen in the living room, but Chen Quan, prudently, dragged him back to his room to avoid upsetting the young master.

The weather had turned cold, so staying in the yard was no longer pleasant. Ruan Yunchu watched the workers finish renovating the temperature-controlled glass room in the back garden, then turned and went inside.

A faint aroma of food drifted from the distant kitchen. He took off his coat and sat cross-legged on the sofa, habitually opening the terminal. Dense news headlines popped up, all bearing the name he knew so well.

His slender fingers hovered in the air for a moment before finally clicking on the top one.

The image appeared: a tall, sturdy man in uniform, with sharp, dark eyes above a black mask. He wasn't looking at the camera, yet it still gave off an intimidating presence. Behind him, the Alliance Hall emblem looked solemn and grand.

The Alliance conference had ended, but the discussion was far from over.

Putting everything else aside, Yan Zhuo truly excelled as Commander. So much so that when news of his death broke, the StarNet was flooded with disbelief and mourning. Now that he had reappeared, the joy was even bigger than when news of the Alliance's victory spread.

Staring at that photo for a long time, Ruan Yunchu finally closed it. He raised his hand to turn on the screen in front of him, intending to finish the movie he had paused earlier.

Having had little entertainment lately, he had even started watching movies he used to dislike.

But he hadn't been watching long when the warmth of the room made him drowsy. His head slowly rested against the backrest, and his thoughts began to fade.

Just then—a sharp alarm blared. The young man on the sofa jolted awake, blearily opening his eyes to see Chen Quan rushing out in a panic, followed by a shoeless Sanan.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Ruan Yunchu calmed down, then hesitated. "Don't worry about it."

Chen Quan exchanged a glance with him, understanding who had arrived.

"I'll go talk to him outside."

Seeing that Ruan Yunchu didn't stop him, he straightened his clothes and walked briskly toward the courtyard gate.

Sanan was about to follow, but Ruan Yunchu stopped him. "Put on your shoes."

"Oh, oh."

The boy scampered back to the hallway to find the shoes he had abandoned.

Chen Quan, with a heavy heart, reached the gate and indeed saw a tall, dark figure. The stern man from the livestream was now all smiles. Seeing him, he smiled and tapped his knuckles on the railing.

"Uncle Chen, please open the gate."

Chen Quan stood inside the gate, looking at him helplessly. "Commander Yan, what brings you here at this hour? Shouldn't you be busy with official business at the Alliance Center?"

Yan Zhuo smiled. "Uncle Chen, when did you get so formal with me? I couldn't show up earlier because of orders from above. I'm here now to apologize. Won't you let me in?"

"It's not that I don't want to let you in." Chen Quan sighed, hesitant. "You could just climb over yourself, couldn't you?"

Yan Zhuo: "I could, but I've come to apologize. If I don't play by the rules, the young master won't see me, will he?"

The atmosphere grew tense. Chen Quan had his orders from the young master, but looking at Yan Zhuo's sincere attitude, he was stuck in a dilemma.

Fortunately, not long after, Sanan finally found his shoes and came running over. As soon as he saw Yan Zhuo outside the gate, he shrieked, "It's you—"

Yan Zhuo smiled silently, raising an index finger to his lips, shushing Sanan.

"Holy crap, Uncle Chen, let him in!" Sanan was so excited he nearly jumped up and down.

Chen Quan hesitated. "You sure about that?"

"Huh?" Sanan said, clearly not following. "What else needs to be confirmed?"

Chen Quan exchanged a glance with Yan Zhuo. "Alright, it's your call. Go open the door."

Sanan was puzzled, but the excitement and thrill of seeing his idol had overwhelmed his reason, so he unhesitatingly went to open the front door.

As Yan Zhuo passed by him, he ruffled his hair.

"Thanks, kid."

Sanan's cheeks flushed red. "You're welcome. This way."

As he finished speaking, he realized the man had already pinpointed the main hall without a word.

But when he excitedly entered the hall, he found that Ruan Yunchu, who had been on the sofa just moments ago, was already gone.

"He must have gone back to his room," Sanan said, glancing at the man beside him.

"It's fine. I'll go find him in the back."

With that, Yan Zhuo, without waiting for Sanan to point the way, strode towards the corridor leading to the back.

He soon disappeared from sight, and Sanan came back to his senses, turning to look at Chen Quan. "Uncle Chen, did the Commander use to come here often?"

"Mm."

Chen Quan hesitated. Seeing that Sanan was still staring in that direction and unwilling to look away, he decided to remind him.

"Sanan, well... Young Master Ruan didn't want anyone to let Yan Zhuo in."

"Huh?" Sanan's eyes widened as he belatedly realized what he had done. "Then should I have stopped him?"

Chen Quan gave him a sympathetic look. "It's fine. Young Master Ruan will talk to you later."

Sanan's expression immediately turned frozen and guilty, but it was obviously too late to regret it.

He looked toward where Yan Zhuo had disappeared, with just one thought: 'Brave man, you absolutely must smooth things over with Brother Yunchu!'

"..."