Chapter 101: Yan Gui Xing, is he dead?
The sword that had been hanging over his head had finally fallen.
Whatever Commander Fang said after that, Mu Mu couldn’t hear. All he heard was a sharp, deafening roar, followed by the complete silence of the voidâthe same silence he’d once been so familiar with after taking off his hearing aid.
In that instant, Mu Mu felt no emotion at all. He felt no sadness, no grief, no worry, no despair. It was an utterly empty state, as if his entire being had been scooped out and placed in a vacuum.
Then, his vision blurred, dissolving into a flurry of dancing static.
The whole process lasted only a minute, but to Mu Mu, it felt like an eternity.
Next, the vacuum was ripped away, and all his senses rushed back. Pain and despair flooded his heart, threatening to burst the tiny organ. In agony, Mu Mu clutched at the fabric over his chest, his body curled into a fetal position as he fell to the floor. He gasped for air as if he couldn’t breathe, and tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes, leaving deep, wet marks on the ground.
Mu Mu’s sudden movements startled Zheng An, who had been staring wide-eyed and dumbfounded at the news, as well as Wangwang, who was lying on the floor airing his belly.
Wangwang’s reaction was faster than Zheng An’s. He agilely flipped over and scrambled to Mu Mu’s side, nudging his head against Mu Mu’s arms and shoulders, whimpering anxiously.
Zheng An finally snapped out of it, cursing under his breath. In two steps he was at Mu Mu’s side, pulling him up by the arms and gently settling him back in the chair.
“Mu Mu, are you okay? Are you alright? Say something, say something, don’t scare me like this!” The temperature in the store was low, but Zheng An was so anxious that a bead of sweat had formed on his brow.
Mu Mu just stared, his eyes red and vacant, seemingly looking at nothing at all.
The commotion drew the attention of the store clerk, a simple, honest-looking middle-aged woman whom Zheng An had hired for cheap. Since Yan Gui Xing had already left by the time she started working, she didn’t know who he was or what his relationship was with the young store manager. She had never gossiped about it in front of Mu Mu. Now, seeing Mu Mu look so lost and heartbroken, she was surprised. She walked over and asked, “Boss, why is the little boss crying?”
It was Zheng An’s first time seeing Mu Mu like this, and he was at a loss for how to comfort him. He waved her away impatiently, telling her to go back to work.
The woman was clumsy with words and, though she wanted to help, she didn’t know what to say. After a clumsy nod, she really did go back to stocking shelves.
“Mu Mu? Little fool?” Zheng An knelt in front of him and waved a hand before his eyes. Seeing Mu Mu’s unseeing gaze, he fretted, “You’re scaring me, you’re acting like you’ve gone silly.” He paused, then added, “Oh wait, I mean, not that you looked silly, you’re already a little fool to begin with.”
He didn’t know how to console Mu Mu, so he figured he might as well just take him home. Crying would be easier in the privacy of their apartment. Zheng An called out for the clerk to mind the store, not caring whether she heard him or not, and hoisted Mu Mu onto his back. Calling to Wangwang, he dashed home. The convenience store and their apartment were just across the street from each other. In his haste, he didn’t even notice Mu Mu’s weight, and it took him less than five minutes to get back.
He put the still-dazed Mu Mu on the sofa and hurried into the kitchen to get a glass of water. By the time he returned, Mu Mu had come back to his senses and was frantically wiping away his tears. Relieved, Zheng An felt the exhaustion hit him all at once. He panted for a moment before downing the entire glass of water himself.
“You’re okay? You have no idea how much you scared me just now. You were sitting there, then all of a sudden you just fell to the floor and started crying. You wouldn’t talk, just stared into space like you were an idiot. Oh wait, I mean, not that you looked silly, you’re already a little fool to begin with.”
Mu Muâs tears hadnât stopped flowing. With a sniff, he looked at Zheng An through his red, swollen, watery eyes, his voice thick with a heavy nasal tone. “An An, they said Gui Gui died.”
The word “died” made Zheng An’s heart sink. His throat felt tight and dry. He instinctively reached for his glass to take another drink, but it was already empty.
Mu Mu wasn’t really asking for an answer. Even though he was drowning in grief, he still refused to run from reality. “No,” Mu Mu said, carefully recalling Commander Fang’s words. A flicker of light sparked in his bloodshot eyes. “He said he was missing, not dead. That means it’s very possible Gui Gui is still alive.”
Zheng An’s eyes were also a little red. He was an emotional person, but Yan Gui Xing had never done anything to harm him. He had even allowed him and Mu Mu to use his Star Coins. While he didn’t want to crush Mu Mu’s hope, he also felt that indulging in fantasy would only hurt him more in the end. So, he steeled himself and said bluntly, “Mu Mu, a lot of the time, missing means dead.”
Just as he expected, Mu Muâs frail body trembled. The color of his face and lips faded even more. Zheng An continued, “Mecha need a pilot. If the mecha blew up, how can the person inside still be alive?”
“He wouldn’t be,” Mu Mu insisted, shaking his head. “I don’t believe he would die.” Without waiting for Zheng An to reply, he pulled out his terminal, found Achi in his contact list, and initiated a call.
In the quiet living room, the terminal’s call-waiting tone rang relentlessly. It continued until the call timed out and disconnected automatically. Achi never answered. Mu Mu bit down on the soft flesh of his lip and called again. Still no answer. He tried a third time, but the result was the same. His eyes grew redder. He roughly wiped his face with the back of his hand. When the calls to Achi didn’t go through, he tried Shaxia, and when that failed, he tried Luo Tang. He was determined to keep going, convinced that at least one of Yan Gui Xingâs confidants would answer.
The usually cheerful ringing of the call-waiting tone now sounded oppressively loud in the silent living room, urgent and grating. Zheng An found himself struggling to breathe. He took a few deep breaths and said, “Let it go. They’re not going to answer.”
“They will,” Mu Mu said, a vacant look in his eyes as he scrolled through his contacts again. “They’re just busy. They’ll answer as soon as they’re done.”
Zheng An frowned and looked away, his words cruel and his tone merciless. “Mu Mu, don’t be naive! General Yan is dead, and they have a million things to do! You’re nothing more than a stranger to them. Why would they answer your call?”
Mu Mu was about to mention his legal status with Yan Gui Xing, when his terminal vibrated frantically. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Looking at the name ‘Achi’ on the screen, he fumbled to accept the call. Achi’s voice, raspy and raw, crackled through the terminal. “I’m sorry, Little Madam, I was in a meeting, and I didn’t have my terminal with me.”
“It’s okay,” Mu Mu said, shaking his head frantically even though he knew Achi couldn’t see him. His voice was thick with tears. “It’s okay, I’m just glad you answered.”
From the heavy sniffles in Mu Mu’s voice, Achi could tell he had been crying. He was silent for a moment, then, without being asked, he gave the bad news. “I’m sorry, Little Madam, we still haven’t found the boss. The explosion was too sudden, the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva exploded along with the enemy starship. We’ve only managed to find a few fragments of the mecha, and there was no trace of the boss nearby.” Achi actually wanted to say “no remains.”
“How could this happen?” The tears that had almost stopped, once again flowed freely from Mu Mu’s eyes with Achi’s grim news. He covered his mouth with his hand, trying to muffle his sobs.
“Please don’t cry, Little Madam,” Achi’s voice was stiff and clumsy, but the sincerity was there. “The boss wouldn’t want you to be worried. We will continue the search and rescue with everything we have.” The background noises on Achi’s end were loud and chaotic, suggesting he was surrounded by many people and was quite busy. Mu Mu understood the situation and told him to get back to work, reassuring him that he was fine.
Achi was worried about Mu Mu, but he had pressing matters to attend to. He told Mu Mu to leave him a message if he needed anything, then quickly hung up.
Mu Mu sat on the sofa, clutching his terminal tightly, tears streaming down his face. Zheng An scooted closer and handed him a pack of tissues, consoling him, “The fact that he answered at all is good news. Don’t worry too much, finding someone is a time-consuming job.”
“I know,” Mu Mu said, roughly wiping his face. “I know. I believe they’ll find Gui Gui. I believe they will.” He repeated those last few sentences over and over like a mantra, and Zheng An, unable to do anything else, simply sat beside him in silence.
About half an hour later, Mu Mu abruptly stood up, startling Zheng An, who jumped up as well. “What’s wrong, what’s wrong?” Zheng An asked. Mu Mu drifted towards the bedroom like a ghost, saying, “Mumu’s sleepy. Mumu’s going to sleep now.”
Zheng An and Wangwang followed close behind. The dog, being quick, slipped into the bedroom just before Mu Mu closed the door. Zheng An was a step too slow. He looked at the closed door, still worried, and knocked on it. “Get some rest,” he yelled. “Call me if you need anything! I’ll be right outside!”
[Author’s Note]: The protagonist survival law dictates that Yan So-and-so will not die.
Recommended Reads
