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The silver mech, both beautiful and formidable like moonlight, broke into a realm of orange-blue flames. It tugged on the massive chamber that had its metal shell melted by the intense heat.
As the cabin section detached from the spacecraft in the oxygen-deprived void of outer space, the flames gradually ceased to burn. The casing of the energy reactor glowed red from the scorching flames, yet no energy leaked, and there was no sign of a dreaded explosion.
Witnessing how Pei Zhaozhou effortlessly resolved the crisis, everyone who had anxiously sweated for him burst into cheers and excitement.
“General Pei is incredible!”
“General Pei is a real man. I’d respect no one but him!”
Despite the crisis being averted, the intelligent AI, Silver Arc, strongly opposed: “Master, you could have called other mech pilots. It wasn’t necessary for you to take the risk yourself!”
Pei Zhaozhou, piloting the Silver Arc, stood outside the spaceship, his amber-golden eyes filled with contemplation and doubt. He said, “I didn’t enter the spacecraft.”
Silver Arc’s AI was almost driven to garbled code by frustration.
“Master, even if you didn’t enter the spacecraft, there are still unknown risks. If you continue to disregard the young master’s and Mr. Si’s words, I will report this to Mr. Si.”
Pei Zhaozhou frowned slightly, changing the subject. “Silver Arc, investigate whether the cabin fire was accidental.”
“What is inside the energy reactor?”
Pei Zhaozhou looked at the peacock-blue energy reactor with a puzzled expression. The flowing liquid always made his nerves sense a hint of danger.
Silver Arc replied, “It’s a conventional energy pool, commonly found in civilian spacecraft… Inside the cabin, a partially damaged body was discovered, likely the victim of this accident. The temperature in the cabin rose rapidly due to a malfunction in the temperature control system, causing the circuit to overheat… It’s highly likely that this is the reason why Silver Arc couldn’t establish a connection to the system circuit. Unfortunately, the owner of that body died on the spot.”
Pei Zhaozhou’s gaze grew deep as he observed the passengers being rescued one by one from the K108 spacecraft, until the last passenger safely reached the rescue ship without any mishaps.
Pei Zhaozhou began to question whether he was being influenced by Si Huaixi. Maybe he was overly concerned, and those star pirates had actually fled long ago.
Driving the silver mech back to the original spacecraft, a pair of cold black eyes observed everything, brimming with jealousy and regret. However, upon seeing the undamaged right cabin section of the K108 spacecraft, calmness returned to those eyes.
There was a young corpse lying by his feet, undoubtedly the enthusiastic soldier from the rescue team earlier. The male passenger put on the soldier’s clothes and pressed a button on his face, causing his ordinary features to contort like puzzle pieces, forming a new likeness.
He picked up the body of the young soldier and threw him into the boundless coldness of outer space. He still held the soldier’s identification card in his hand.
Transformed into a different appearance, the male passenger entered the spacecraft without any obstruction. Suddenly, someone greeted him.
“Isadore, why did you take so long to return? Where did the passenger you rescued go?”
The male passenger mimicked the smile of the young soldier and said to others, “Oh, he went to rest.”
“Why didn’t you bring him for a check-up? The rest of the passengers are all unconscious due to extreme weakness. By the way, Jeff arrived so slowly.”
The male passenger’s eyes darkened with ruthlessness. He smiled without saying much, until the person looked at him in confusion and muttered, “Why are you so quiet today?”
“I’m tired from the mission today.”
“Oh, alright then, go rest.”
“Hey, Jeff, why are you so late too?”
Jeff, with a stiff smile, replied, “The mission was very hard, which delayed me.”
“Really? Then tonight, Jeff, let’s have a drink together. I’ll bring out my secret stash of vodka to help you relax.”
Jeff’s gaze locked with the male passenger’s, as if exchanging some sort of information. Upon hearing the familiar words, Jeff coldly said, “I’m tired today. Maybe next time.”
“Why does even Jeff seem strange today?”
“Do I?” Jeff said with a smile.
Back in the cockpit, Pei Zhaozhou couldn’t relax. He listened to his subordinates’ reports and discussed the follow-up measures for dealing with the star pirates who had hijacked the K108 spacecraft.
“General Pei, the passengers on the spacecraft are mostly settled. The medical team is currently providing treatment. Due to being bound by the star pirates for too long, most passengers haven’t eaten and are physically weak. We urgently need more repair pods, but the supply is insufficient. Alternatively, we can send them to a nearby planet for treatment, but it will take four to five days to reach the closest one.”
“Alright, Vice Officer Si will return within a day or two. His ship still has dozens of repair pods, which should be enough for temporary emergencies.”
“The K108 spacecraft’s propulsion and systems are damaged, rendering it unable to return to the capital on its own. Should we dispatch the Imperial Transport Department to tow the K108 spacecraft back to the capital?”
The affairs were finally dealt with, and it was already past midnight.
The stars in the universe remained constant, distant clusters twinkling with radiance. Inside the spacecraft, the lighting was dim, neither bright nor dark.
The smart brain, Silver Arc, urged Pei Zhaozhou to go back and rest.
“Master, it’s already 1:55 a.m. You’ve long exceeded the recommended sleep time for expecting fathers. For your well-being, if you don’t sleep on time, Silver Arc will report you to Mr. Si.”
“At 9:40 a.m. and 10:57 a.m., Mr. Si contacted, but you didn’t have time to answer. So, Silver Arc responded to Mr. Si’s messages, using the excuse that you were asleep. When Mr. Si returns tomorrow, if he finds out, he will definitely give you a good scolding.”
Pei Zhaozhou furrowed his brows slightly, feeling somewhat dissatisfied with Silver Arc’s recent behavior of taking advantage of Si Huaixi’s authority. He pursed his lips and said, “Understood, I’ll try to get some sleep earlier.”
He knew it was time to rest, but whenever he got busy, it never seemed to end. As he walked back to the rest cabin, he encountered a familiar soldier, someone he had seen on the K108 spacecraft, one of the soldiers involved in the rescue mission. It was customary to greet superiors in the military. The soldier, named Jeff, stood at attention and saluted, saying, “General Pei, hello!”
A faint doubt flickered in Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes as he asked, “Hmm, didn’t you participate in the rescue mission today? Where are you going so late?”
Jeff, the soldier, hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile and replying, “General Pei, some comrades invited me for a drink tonight, so I might come back late.”
Pei Zhaozhou was not known for being a strict superior, but drinking during a mission violated regulations, and the consequences could be disastrous if they encountered an enemy attack. With a stern gaze, he said, “Drinking is prohibited during missions. Tomorrow, you will have to do an additional one hundred sets of weight training and write a three-thousand-word self-reflection for your superiors. If you violate the rules again…”
Jeff’s face turned pale, and he quickly nodded, saying, “Yes, General Pei, I won’t dare to do it again.”
Pei Zhaozhou’s expression remained serious as he said, “Don’t linger, go back to your rest cabin.”
Jeff obediently lowered his head, showing sincere remorse. Occasionally, he would try to approach Pei Zhaozhou when he was not looking, his cold and lifeless black eyes fixed on him like a venomous snake.
[Target acquired… Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…]
Suddenly, Pei Zhaozhou felt a gentle kick in his stomach. His brows furrowed momentarily before relaxing, and a faint smile of tolerance and helplessness appeared in his eyes.
He must have stayed up too late, and now the baby was protesting. Pei Zhaozhou comforted the restless little one inside him, and within half a minute, there were three or four fetal movements. It seemed that the baby was unusually active.
Just as Pei Zhaozhou was feeling puzzled, his golden eyes tinged with weariness, and he couldn’t help but yawn. He glanced sideways at the soldier who was still standing there, not moving, but didn’t pay much attention.
Upon returning to the rest cabin, he noticed a plate of cherry tomatoes left on the table. It was specially prepared for him by the smart brain, Silver Arc, who said that eating more fresh fruits would be good for his health as an expectant father.
Pei Zhaozhou ate a few cherry tomatoes, and it seemed that the baby inside him was quite satisfied with the taste. On the way back, there were more than ten fetal movements, and now the little feet had finally settled down.
Only after Pei Zhaozhou’s figure had completely disappeared did Soldier Jeff still stand there, his mind echoing with a sentence.
[Target acquired… Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle… Initiating… Eating cherry tomatoes…]
Jeff’s pupils were vacant, and he suddenly stood up, muttering to himself, “Mission… eating cherry tomatoes… Where can I find cherry tomatoes?”
With a dazed look in his eyes, Soldier Jeff wandered toward the kitchen in the late night. Waiting for him was a male passenger who had disguised himself as a soldier, Isadore.
Just as he emerged, he saw his companion murmuring about cherry tomatoes.
“Something went wrong. Reset and start from scratch.”
Isadore’s dark eyes narrowed as he reached out to touch Soldier Jeff’s cervical vertebrae. Unexpectedly, he found a button in that spot. After pressing it again, Soldier Jeff remained motionless for a moment before his gaze regained clarity.
Isadore locked eyes with him and said, “The mission continues.”
Soldier Jeff nodded.
As General Pei stayed late, Yu Feiwen, his temporary adjutant, had to stay even later, organizing the remaining documents. He grew tired, yawning and tears welling up, until his spirits suddenly jolted upon reading a piece of information in the files.
“Over four hundred passengers were rescued today from the K108 spacecraft. If I hadn’t received the rescue report from Vice Officer Si, I might not have noticed anything unusual. But when I compared the rescue list, there were twenty-seven extra people…”
“Where did these twenty-seven extra people come from?!”
The unexpected incident of nearly exploding energy reactors had kept the soldiers busy escorting the passengers, leaving no opportunity to investigate the numbers. Did someone take advantage of the confusion and slip in unnoticed?
Yu Feiwen’s eyes widened in horror. He had to inform General Pei immediately!
Grabbing the data files from the table, Yu Feiwen hurriedly rushed out of the cockpit, with his companions assuming it was something urgent.
But it didn’t take long.
‘Yu Feiwen’ returned with a lifeless expression on his face.
His companion looked puzzled and asked, “Where were you in such a hurry? And how did you come back so quickly?”
“Nature’s call waits for no one, you have to be fast. By the way, I ran into General Pei, and he wanted to speak with you.”
“General Pei? Alright, just keep an eye on the cockpit for a while. I’ll be back soon.”
Before long, his companion returned as well.
Sitting calmly next to ‘Yu Feiwen,’ with a lifeless expression on his face.
They made a few adjustments on the control panel, redirecting the ship’s course towards the K108 spacecraft.
The two of them sat at the control panel, seemingly engaged in idle chatter, their calm eyes gazing at the vast expanse of the cosmic starry sea.
“Why did the mission fail earlier?”
“The cause is unknown.”
“Subject 0316 lost control and prematurely exploded, impacting the mission layout. However, there is still one cabin left, storing a planetary-level liquid core with enough power to destroy a medium-sized planet.”
“After this mission, what’s the next task?”
“Seems like there won’t be another task.”
When they approached within a hundred kilometers of the K108 spacecraft, their unusual actions caught the attention of the smart brain, Silver Arc. It immediately activated the emergency brakes, halting the ship within a ninety-kilometer range.
“Why did you bring the ship here, Yu Feiwen?!”
Silver Arc was frustrated, as someone had deviated from the designated flight path.
“Have we been discovered? Has the mission failed?”
“Not yet. Ninety kilometers still falls within the blast center. The planetary-level liquid core explosion affects a radius of one hundred thousand kilometers.”
‘Yu Feiwen,’ locked out of control of the ship’s weapons by Silver Arc, remained calm. Silver Arc simultaneously awakened Pei Zhaozhou in alarm, while interrogating ‘Yu Feiwen.’
“Give up. I control all the operational permissions here. You can’t control the ship’s weapons. You are not Yu Feiwen. Who are you exactly?”
“Is the mission about to fail?”
With a cold glance, ‘Yu Feiwen’ said to his bewildered companion, “Subject 0316 gave me an idea. Just in case, I had Subjects 0415 and 0417 stay near the energy reactor in the right cabin. Now we are at a safe distance…”
With two resounding booms.
Vast amounts of energy were released, instantly igniting the entire expanse of the starry sea.
Like a detonating sun, everything it touched evaporated into smoke, ash, and dust in an instant.
Suddenly, Si Huaixi jolted awake from his sleep, his heart still racing as he opened his eyes, his pupils still filled with lingering fear, and he chuckled in confusion.
Impossible…
He dreamt of Brother Pei disappearing.
TL: I don’t know why, but I felt really sad when I read this chapter for the first time. Maybe I was just wondering what would happen next and how SH would react! Even now, knowing the ending, I still felt a sting when I proofread the chapter last time and read those last 3 lines. It’s just a little sad and still hurts even now. Cheer up!
By the way, there will be no update tomorrow or on the upcoming Sundays. I’m taking a break on Sundays. But don’t worry, there will still be updates from Mon – Sat! So stay tuned!  (ง •̀_•́)ง
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ