Chapter 53: This is the Room Card
The next day, the unit returned. As soon as they entered the house, they saw Yu Shi tied to a chair.
Anna was trembling with fear, but she managed to keep her voice steady as she explained the situation and demanded her daughter back.
The officer asked, “Why is there only one of you? Our informant said there were two.”
Before Anna could speak, Yu Shi piped up. “He abandoned me and ran.”
The officer walked over to him, studying him with a wary, downward gaze.
Yu Shi met his eyes without flinching. As the soldiers prepared to step forward, the officer held up a hand. “Wait.”
Anna watched them anxiously, pulling her two sons tight against her.
“Hey. Where’s your man?” the officer asked her.
She whispered, “When the Alpha was running away, he hit my husband so hard he gave him a concussion. He’s at the town clinic right now. Please, I beg you—give me my daughter back.”
The officer looked quite surprised. He hadn’t expected the Alpha to be such a coward.
Yu Shi said coldly, “Enough talk. Now that I’m in your hands, do whatever you want.”
The officer replied, “You aren’t military. I have no use for an Omega. Tell me the truth—who are you people? And where did your Alpha go?”
Yu Shi put on a look of impatient irritation. “I’m just a traveling merchant. He’s logistics for the Allied Forces. I’m sure Anna already told you about our ‘romance.’ If you take me with you, I have a way to lure him out.”
“You want to turn on him? I thought the two of you were so in love,” the officer said suspiciously.
Yu Shi replied with venomous hatred, “I hate nothing more than betrayal. He tied me to this chair last night just so he could use me to buy time to escape. I am not letting him go that easily.”
He played the part perfectly. The officer’s brain seemed to struggle with the information, but after a moment of thought, he decided to take Yu Shi back with them.
the transport van was almost entirely sealed; it was impossible to see the route. After more than an hour, they arrived at the camp in town. The distance was exactly as Xie Ren had calculated.
Someone placed a blindfold over his eyes and led him a short distance before pushing him into a room.
The sound of Feifei’s crying reached his ears. Yu Shi immediately ripped off the blindfold to find himself in a room that resembled a prison cell. Feifei was huddled in a corner, clutching her rag doll and sobbing.
Yu Shi rushed over to check on her. Fortunately, she wasn’t injured.
The iron bars on the window clattered shut. Startled by the sound, Feifei began to wail even louder.
Yu Shi ran to the window and shouted, “When are you letting her go? According to military regulations, you have no right to imprison a child!”
A voice drifted in from outside. “As soon as you lead us to that Alpha, she can leave.”
“Treating civilians like this will get you sent to a military court!” Yu Shi yelled, slamming his fist against the bars.
A burst of arrogant laughter echoed back. “Hahahaha! Go ahead and tell it to the Interstellar Court then.”
Yu Shi looked around. The facilities were rudimentary, and there were no surveillance cameras. He knelt beside Feifei and said, “Do you want to see your mommy and daddy?”
Feifei nodded through her tears. “Want… want Mommy.”
Yu Shi lowered his voice. “Then promise me one thing. No matter what happens next, you mustn’t make a sound. If you can do that, I’ll take you to see your mommy. Alright?”
Feifei sniffled, her crying stopping as she nodded firmly. “Want Mommy.”
Yu Shi pulled her into his arms and sat in the corner with his eyes closed, waiting patiently.
About ten hours passed, and Feifei eventually fell asleep. The guards had brought food once during that time.
A while later, a commotion broke out outside.
Yu Shi crept to the window. He heard shouting: “The granary is on fire! Quick, get the water!”
Yu Shi thought to himself with a touch of helplessness that Xie Ren’s “distraction” tactic was ruthless. Burning their food supply meant they would be hunted to the ends of the earth.
He used a sharp edge to saw through his bonds, using half the rope to tie Feifei to his back and wrapping the rest around his hands.
Soon, another shout echoed through the camp. “We’re under attack! Open the gates and let the prisoners out! The rest of you, help with the fire!”
A soldier sprinted over and threw open the cell door. He was holding handcuffs and shouted, “Get your hands out! Stay where you are… hey, where did they go?”
He stared into the empty cell, his face pale with fear. Suddenly, Yu Shi appeared behind him and yanked the rope tight around his neck.
The soldier clawed at his throat, struggling violently as he let out a series of gurgling rasps. Yu Shi hesitated for a split second before delivering a sharp blow to the man’s nape, knocking him unconscious.
The outside of the camp was pure chaos. Yu Shi took advantage of the darkness and the confusion to slip past the gates with Feifei. His gland had mostly recovered, and his movements were agile and sure. He successfully made it out of the prison sector.
This regiment had four separate outposts. Xie Ren had followed the van and discovered that the prisoners were being held at the smallest one, which was also the site of the granary.
With a granary nearby, his job was easy.
Causing enough commotion to make one man sound like a company was his specialty when he was outnumbered.
After setting the fire, he had scaled a high tower, dealing with the sentries in seconds. Now he sat perched on the railing, waiting for Yu Shi’s signal.
The night air was chilly, and the flames in the distance cast a flickering orange glow. The tower was unnervingly quiet.
Too quiet.
Xie Ren’s brow suddenly furrowed. It was an instinct honed from years of crawling through piles of corpses. Subconsciously, he reached for the mechanical pistol Yu Shi had made for him.
The moment he gripped it, a laser dot settled on his forehead.
“Drop the weapon and raise your hands,” a voice blared from the tower’s speakers.
Xie Ren froze. There was a sniper in the shadows.
He looked toward the source of the laser, mentally calculating the distance.
The voice on the speaker seemed to read his mind. “I advise you not to try anything. That gun in your hand isn’t going to hit a sniper.”
It wasn’t just a sniper; there was someone calling the shots.
Xie Ren scanned the area without expression, slowly raising his hands.
The voice let out a cold laugh. “I actually admire you. To storm a camp single-handedly and stay this calm—you must be a high-ranking officer. Now, do as I say. Take off your mask and get down from that tower.”
Xie Ren’s ears twitched. He looked down but saw no one.
The signal for these speakers was poor; the operator couldn’t be far. If he wasn’t at the base of the tower, then—Xie Ren looked up at the very top. There was a small compartment there, just large enough for one person.
The voice continued, “If you cooperate, I’ll consider reporting to my superiors and letting you and your partner die quickly. Of course, if you…”
“To hell with your superiors!” Xie Ren spat out an oath. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed the railing and vaulted up to the three-meter-high spire.
Before the sniper could even react, he had dropped from above and gripped the man’s throat.
It was a Beta officer. Stunned by the sudden assault, he froze for two seconds before recovering and beginning a desperate struggle in the cramped space.
As their figures intertwined, the sniper didn’t dare fire for fear of hitting his own commander.
The officer was surprisingly skilled. He managed to knock the gun from Xie Ren’s hand, and the two began to trade blows with their bare fists.
Xie Ren’s fists hammered into the man’s face. The officer was a tough bastard; even with blood pouring from his nose, he didn’t make a sound. He fought back fiercely, clinging to the railing to keep from being thrown over the edge.
As the fight intensified, a signal flare streaked through the night sky.
Yu Shi was out.
In the moment Xie Ren was distracted, the officer managed to rip the mask from his face.
Time was running out. Xie Ren began to fight for the kill, a punch shattering the officer’s eye socket. At the same time, he reached for the man’s spine, intending to snap his neck from behind.
Suddenly, the officer let out a frantic shout. “Stop! Stop! You… wait!”
Xie Ren said coldly, “Say it to the Reaper.”
Instead, the officer began to shake with intense excitement. “No, it isn’t like that! Stop! Are… are you Xie Ren?!”
Xie Ren froze. He stared at the man with a chilling, predatory gaze. He tightened his grip. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”
The officer was trembling all over. “It’s you. It really is you. My god, Xie Ren… I’m your uncle’s adjutant!”
“Bullshit!” Xie Ren roared, his voice full of shock and fury. “My uncle died years ago.”
The officer, his face a bloody mess, gasped out, “Your mother is Jiang Yuzhen. Your uncle is Jiang Songjin… he isn’t dead. He’s alive and well…”
Xie Ren’s grip suddenly loosened. He stared at the man in disbelief.
The officer struggled to turn around. “Your mother saved my life once. She took me to your house when you were just a little boy… My god, you look exactly like her. I knew I couldn’t be mistaken.”
As Xie Ren stood there in shock, the adjutant spoke into his radio to the sniper. “Cease fire. Is the Brigade Commander there? I have a major discovery.”
Half an hour later, Xie Ren and Yu Shi were sitting in the outpost’s meeting room.
The garrison was a unit known as Ridu, a famous private army in the Ninth Zone. Xie Ren saw their signature sun-and-moon totem and remembered clashing with them years ago.
The Brigade Commander was a tall, imposing Alpha. He strode into the room, and the moment he saw Xie Ren, he recognized the face. He stepped forward and pulled the younger man into a crushing embrace.
“A-Ren! It really is you! I thought they were joking!” He was so moved that tears filled his eyes, and his voice was shaking.
“Uncle! I can’t believe you’re alive!” Xie Ren’s eyes also turned red as he returned the embrace.
He had only seen Jiang Songjin when he was a child. After more than a decade, he still recognized the familiar features.
Jiang Songjin laughed and cried at the same time. “I don’t even have to guess. That old man of yours told you I was dead, didn’t he? Dammit, that old bastard is a real piece of work!”
After learning that Xie Ren was now a commander in the Falcon Regiment, he couldn’t help but marvel. “I had no idea the commander I was facing that time was you. I remember thinking the other side was pulling some brilliant moves. Good. It seems our Jiang family has a worthy successor.”
Xie Ren remembered the granary and stood up abruptly. “Uncle, I’m so sorry. I had no idea this was your camp. The granary…”
The adjutant laughed. “Don’t worry. The fire’s already out. By the way…”
He looked at Yu Shi, and Jiang Songjin followed his gaze.
Xie Ren shot Yu Shi a look and said with fake awkwardness, “This is my wife. His name is Yu Shi.”
Even though this was his uncle, Xie Ren felt it was safer to stick to their established personas for the time being.
Yu Shi played along. “Hello, Uncle.”
Jiang Songjin nodded repeatedly. “Hello, hello! It was all a misunderstanding. Forgive us for the scare. Xiao Zhang, hurry and take that little girl back. Her parents must be worried sick. Make sure she’s comfortable.”
The adjutant reached for Feifei, but she was so scared she buried her face in Yu Shi’s chest.
Yu Shi stood up. “I’ll go with her. She’s shy around strangers.”
He knew the two men needed space to talk, so he left the meeting room with the adjutant.
Jiang Songjin watched them leave, unable to stop himself from offering praise. “That Omega is quite something. He stayed calm and didn’t panic. I heard he took down several of my men without even killing them. Your taste is better than your father’s.”
That last comment came out naturally, but his face darkened as soon as he said it. “If it weren’t for that power-hungry father of yours, your mother wouldn’t have gone missing.”
Xie Ren asked, “Uncle, have you been looking for her all these years?”
Jiang Songjin was from Tiangui, and his presence deep in the Ninth Zone now made perfect sense.
He nodded with a sigh. “I have. But after all this time, there hasn’t been a single lead. Let’s not dwell on that now—we haven’t seen each other in years! Tonight, we talk. Come, have a drink with your uncle!”
The fire in the camp was out, and patrol squads were moving back and forth.
Yu Shi sat in the passenger seat of a vehicle. The driver was the adjutant, who introduced himself as Zhang Xin and told Yu Shi to call him Uncle Zhang, just like Xie Ren did.
Zhang Xin laughed. “I never would have guessed an Omega could fight like that. My boys said you nearly escaped on your own.”
“I’m sorry for injuring them. Truly.”
Zhang Xin waved it off. “It just shows they need more training. It isn’t your fault. Your pheromone rank is quite high, and your combat skills are equal to any soldier’s. Do you have a military background?”
Yu Shi was cautious and didn’t want to elaborate. He kept it brief. “I’m not a soldier. I was just trained as a child.”
Zhang Xin smiled. “You don’t need to be so guarded. You won’t be able to return to the Falcon Regiment for a while; you’ll have to stay at the camp for a bit.”
“What exactly happened over there?” Yu Shi asked.
If it were just a minor conflict, it shouldn’t take this long.
“You haven’t heard? Your Heaven’s Punishment commander has lost contact. The head of the Falcon Regiment garrison has left the Ninth Zone. I doubt they have time to come for you right now.”
Yu Shi’s expression sharpened. “Marshal Li is missing?”
“Yeah. Tiangui issued a notice. They’ve given the Sixth Zone one month to find him, or they’re sending in the troops.”
Yu Shi realized they couldn’t afford to wait for a rescue. He had to get word back immediately.
They delivered Feifei safely to her family and gave Anna’s household a generous reward before returning to the camp.
It was late at night by the time Zhang Xin dropped him off at a hotel in town, not far from the outpost.
“This hotel is our temporary guest house. Important visitors stay here. The Brigade Commander was worried an Omega wouldn’t be comfortable in a camp tent, so he prepared a room for you. here is the room card,” he explained.
“Thank you.”
Zhang Xin said with a chuckle, “Get some sleep. Don’t stay up too late.”
With that, he drove off. Yu Shi felt a bit puzzled by the man’s grin as he used the card to enter the hotel.
The hotel offered the best accommodations in town. The decor was heavily influenced by the desert aesthetic, and the corridors were covered in sound-dampening carpets. Once inside, the interior was even more lavish.
It was a suite. The bedroom was at the very back. The entryway rug was made of wool, and the walls were adorned with sisal decorations. Tequila and cactus plants sat on the coffee table. The whole place looked as if it had been specially prepared for a comfortable stay.
Yu Shi was just about to head for the bedroom when he heard the sound of running water from the bathroom.
He stopped in his tracks, wondering if Zhang Xin had given him the wrong card.
A second later, Xie Ren pushed the door open. He was wrapped in a towel, his torso bare. drying his hair, he said, “Is that the midnight snack? You can just leave it in the living room…”
The two men froze as their eyes met.
Yu Shi felt a wave of dizziness as he realized the meaning behind Zhang Xin’s parting smile. They had been intentionally put in the same room.
Xie Ren looked even more shocked than he did. “You… how did you get in here?”
Translator’s Note:
Terms used in this chapter:
- Tiangui (天晷): The Republic/Central government.
- Susceptibility period (易感期): The Alpha equivalent of Heat (Rut).
- Neiren (內人): A traditional/humble term for “my wife” or “my better half.”
- Ridu (日椟): The name of the private army (Sun-and-Moon).
- Ninth Zone (第九區): The desert region.
- Horus (荷魯斯號): Xie Ren’s ship.
See you in Chapter 54!
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