Chapter 49: How Can There Be Such an Infuriating Omega in This World? Part 1
The cabin was plunged into darkness.
Yu Shi gasped for air, his body trembling as if he had just been pulled from the water. He struggled to peel off his protective suit and crawled toward the hatch.
By the dim glow of the indicator lights, he finally saw Xie Ren through the glass, clinging to the outer airlock. He let out a long, shaky breath.
Through the hatch and his helmet, Xie Ren gave him a smileāone that held a trace of his usual roguishness. Yu Shiās heart felt hot, and it was only then that he realized his hands were shaking uncontrollably.
He made a series of gestures, asking how to open the door.
Xie Ren pointed to a nearby button and gave him a playful waveāa “long time no see” gesture.
Yu Shi reached for the button and pressed it. His smile vanished. He pressed it several more times, but there was no response.
He immediately mouthed the words: The button is broken. Is there another way?
Xie Ren made a gesture telling him to stay calm and then vanished from the window.
Yu Shi paced the cabin anxiously. About ten minutes later, he heard a tapping sound coming from beneath the floorboards. He quickly leaned down. “Xie Ren?”
The floor was thick, making Xie Renās voice sound muffled and distorted. “It’s me. Cough.”
Yu Shi felt a wave of relief. “How are you down there? Did you take your helmet off?”
Xie Ren coughed twice. “Thereās an isolation bay at the bottom, but the oxygen levels are low. See if you can find a drill to make a hole in this thin section.”
He tapped against the thinnest part of the floor to show the location.
Yu Shi said, “In that case, I’ll find some tools and just pry the whole isolation bay open.”
“No. If we hit asteroids or take fire, being without an isolation bay is too dangerous,” Xie Ren argued. “Iāll stay here for now. See if you can get the comms working. If you can, I need you to contact someone for me.”
“Understood. Give me a moment.”
Xie Ren chuckled. “No rush. Weāve already escaped death. Take your time.”
Yu Shi used the password Xie Ren gave him to unlock the command bridge. A short while later, he returned. “I checked the instruments. Hull integrity is at 45%, and weāre out of ammo. The energy stones will last for three days. The navigation system is locked; looks like weāre heading for the Ninth Zone. Thereās no comms signal.”
He added, “But the most urgent problem is that I don’t know how to pilot a warship. I don’t think I can land this thing safely.”
Xie Ren listened and then laughed. “Itās only been a few days, and Instructor Yu is already familiar with the Horus. You must have spent your time on the Aton 1 doing research. No wonder Old Tang calls you a genius.”
“Youāre still laughing? If the landing fails, weāre both finished,” Yu Shi said, leaning against the air vent and letting out a sigh.
Hearing him move closer, Xie Ren couldn’t help but lean toward the vent as well. “Are you hurt?”
The scent of Vanda orchids was like an intoxicating drug. Even as faint as it was, he could catch a thread of the fragrance.
The light floral scent was actually more alluring than usual.
“Just a few scrapes. Theyāll heal soon,” Yu Shi said.
“Thereās a medical kit on the wall. Patch yourself up.”
“I’m fine. I don’t feel like moving.”
Xie Ren thought for a moment and said, “The space in here is small. If you keep releasing pheromones and trigger my rut, thereās no telling what might happen.”
Yu Shi froze, and then his face began to burn.
He had actually been teased by his own student. He snapped, “You have no self-control,” as he went to find the medical kit.
Xie Ren, ever thick-skinned, replied easily, “Facing an Omega like Instructor Yu, having self-control would be the strange thing, wouldn’t it?”
Youāre the one being strange right now.
Yu Shi didn’t want to engage him like this. He asked as he applied the healing agent, “How did you end up here?”
Xie Ren snorted. “I just drifted along. Just my luck to run into that spy. He wrecked my ride, too. Iām going to be bankrupt by the time I pay for the repairs.”
Yu Shi frowned. “Speak properly.”
The other side went quiet for a moment before answering in a lighter tone. “Fine. Tiangui issued an interstellar warrant. I was hunting for that man, Qin Yin.”
“Hunting a spy all by yourself?” Yu Shi asked softly. “Xie Ren, do you take me for a fool?”
Xie Ren went silent. It took a long time for him to admit, “Yes. I came for you. But I didn’t want you to feel like you owed me. I did this of my own will; it has nothing to do with you.”
Yu Shi fell silent, his gaze incredibly complex.
Sensing the tension, Xie Ren spoke up anxiously, “Don’t let it weigh on you. K9 had orders to rescue you anyway; I just got there first. It won’t affect me that much. Besides, you destroyed those classified files, so I can claim we were working together to redeem ourselves…”
Yu Shi interrupted him, his voice low. “Thank you, Xie Ren.”
Xie Ren froze. A smile spread across his face, and he scratched his head. “Heh. To hear a ‘thank you’ from Instructor Yu in this lifetime… it makes it all worth it.”
“If you ever need my help in the future, just ask. I will do everything in my power to assist you,” Yu Shi said seriously.
Xie Ren teased, “Really? Then I want a perfect GPA this semester. Can you do that?”
Yu Shi smiled. “Iāll even help you publish in Particle.”
In the cramped cabin, despite being unable to see each other, they could both sense the smile in the other’s voice. Through the thick plating, it felt as though they were leaning against one another.
Xie Ren muttered under his breath, “If Iād known the rewards were this good, Iād have asked for something much more daring.”
“What?” Yu Shi hadn’t caught it.
“…Nothing.”
“By the way, I have to apologize to you. I lost 9527.”
He explained what had happened. “It should be on its way to the Seventh Zone. Fortunately, itās inside the bionic. Once the battery dies, it will enter hibernation. Weāll have to wait until weāre back to use specialized equipment to track the signal.”
Xie Ren marveled, “AI has evolved that much? It can actually control a human… Itās a bit creepy when you think about it. Don’t worry; once we land in the Ninth Zone, Iāll send people to find it.”
He spoke thoughtfully. “If Olo wants to copy you, they might have copied other high-level individuals too. I need to get word to my dad about this.”
He realized his slip of the tongue a second too late. Yu Shi suddenly remembered the Sidewinder. He had been too overwhelmed to think about it before.
Yu Shi went quiet. Xie Ren hadn’t noticed the shift yet.
“Answer me honestly,” Yu Shi said sternly. “How were you able to operate Marshal Xieās gun?”
The isolation bay went dead silent. It was so quiet one could have heard a pin drop.
Xie Renās breathing became heavy. His scalp felt itchy with nerves. He stammered, “IāI…”
He finally remembered his “impoverished student” persona. He had used it to gain sympathy and had even mooched several meals. Now he had inadvertently exposed himself, and there was no way to talk his way out of it.
This is bad.
Yu Shi saw his hesitation and assumed it was some painful secret. He connected the dots: the past behavior, the family trauma, the job at the stables, and the secret connection to Xie Chengfeng.
He asked tentatively, “Are you Xie Chengfengās illegitimate son?”
Xie Ren: “…”
Instructor Yu is brilliant, but he clearly doesn’t have a cynical bone in his body.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, Xie Ren had no choice but to confess his true relationship with Xie Chengfeng. This time, Yu Shi truly went silent.
“Instructor Yu, are you angry?” Xie Ren asked nervously. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied. But you were so intent on helping me that I just… I lost my head for a moment…”
He considered several excuses but ultimately decided not to dig the hole any deeper. He apologized sincerely. “It was my fault. I apologize. Iāll never lie to you again. Can you forgive me?”
Yu Shi frowned. “How many sons does Xie Chengfeng have?”
Xie Ren didn’t understand the question, but he answered obediently. “As far as I know, just me. If there are others, I don’t know about them.”
“…”
Yu Shi thought to himself: He’s the only son. That means the person at the matchmaking stable was him.
Absurd. Utterly absurd.
Going on a blind date with my own student? What is the world coming to?
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