Chapter 109: A Life-Saving Debt Repaid With Oneself
Yan Gui Xing had absolutely no guarantee of surviving a jump from his mecha through a laser net with two starships on the verge of self-destructing. But he wasn’t about to just sit there and let a lunatic from the Insectoid army drag him down. So, he chose to abandon his mecha and bail out to save his life.
Before he bailed, Yan Gui Xing intentionally put his terminal, which contained his last will and testament, and his dog tag into his uniform pocket. The cold metal pressing against his skin gave him a slight sense of peace. That way, even if his body was unrecognizable, the people clearing the battlefield would at least be able to identify him by his dog tag and bring his terminal back to Mu Mu.
Speaking of bailing, the emergency equipment for a mecha pilot is on their combat suit. Parachutes are too big and too easy to target, making them difficult for a pilot to operate from the cockpit. All a pilot has to do is pull a thumb-sized black button on the chest of their combat suit, and the suit quickly inflates. A thin layer of wings and fins extends from the inner arms and outer thighs, allowing a pilot to land safely from a height of up to 300 meters. The research for this suit was based on the gliding mammal from ancient Earth known as the flying squirrel.
Of course, the combat suit had a clear disadvantage: its low altitude limit. After inflating, the suit became thin and could be easily pierced or torn by laser fire. For these and other reasons, pilots rarely ever used it in combat. Perhaps because there was so little data on it, the research on the suit never made a breakthrough.
Yan Gui Xing’s altitude at that moment was already over 300 meters. According to the available data, bailing from that height was extremely dangerous, with only a 40% chance of survival. But Yan Gui Xing had no time to think. He set the mecha’s self-destruct sequence and jumped out. He glided like a flying squirrel through the laser nets of the two damaged starships, plummeting toward the ground, while his Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva charged between the two enemy ships.
A massive explosion then echoed across the Frontier Star. The fiery blast lit up half the sky, and the powerful shockwave pushed Yan Gui Xing directly toward the ground. Luckily, the inflated suit provided a simple cushion, preventing him from dying on impact. Unfortunately, because of the prolonged war, the ground was far from smooth. It was littered with broken bricks, glass, and metal shards, with no trees or grassy areas to soften the fall. Yan Gui Xing survived, but he was severely injured and unconscious. When he woke up, the intense pain throughout his body made his mind a blur. He relied on his instinct to survive, constantly moving, hiding his tracks, and searching for water until Mu Mu found him.
In Yan Gui Xing’s eyes, simply surviving was a miracle. He had achieved victory, so he wouldn’t have to worry about the next few General elections and could even become a candidate for Admiral. Seeing Mu Mu’s face, it seemed he had forgiven him and was willing to go home with him. Yan Gui Xing was a complete winner, and all he had to do now was calmly rest and heal his injuries.
But when he saw Mu Mu’s tearful eyes filled with heartache, he had an idea. He began to play the victim card, hoping to ask for something more. For example, he wanted the fake marriage certificate he had conned him into signing to become real.
“Mumu, I was in a rush back then, and I was thinking too much. I tricked you into signing that marriage certificate.” Yan Gui Xing’s pale face showed a faint, frail smile. His once-smooth cheeks were now covered in two dark scabs. The injured beauty not only hadn’t become ugly but, because of his emaciation and scars, he had a touch of delicate charm. His voice was hoarse and magnetic. “I’m sorry, Mu Mu. Please don’t be mad at me, okay?”
Even Mu Mu, as simple as he was, knew Yan Gui Xing was using his charms. Could it work? As a matter of fact, it did. Mu Mu was a man who was a sucker for a pretty face. His eyes were wide, and his hand moved as if on its own, reaching out to Yan Gui Xing’s face. He knew his fingertips were rough, so he used his soft palm to gently caress Yan Gui Xing’s cheek, afraid of hurting him.
“I don’t blame you, Mumu. I know you did it for me. If it wasn’t for that marriage certificate, the military people wouldn’t have cared about me, let alone offered a guard team.”
Yan Gui Xing knew this would work on Mu Mu. He squinted his eyes, tilted his head slightly, and rested his face in Mu Mu’s hand. He said in a gentle voice, “I’m glad you don’t blame me. But that certificate was a fake. I tricked you, so it doesn’t count.”
He intentionally paused there, smiling as he watched Mu Mu’s reaction. Just as he expected, Mu Mu was stunned. He blinked twice and let out a small “Ah?” before muttering, “It doesn’t count?” His eyes drooped in disappointment.
“That’s right, that one doesn’t count. But I want to ask for a real one.”
“Huh?” Mu Mu asked, looking up at Yan Gui Xing in a daze. “What makes it real?”
Yan Gui Xing’s expression became more serious, but his pale lips were still curled in a smile. His mesmerizing green eyes were locked on Mu Mu. “Mumu, that time you went into the repair pod for your ears, I told you I had something to say to you when you came out. But I broke that promise and never went to find you. The things I wanted to say were delayed by all the awful things I did.”
Yan Gui Xing looked around at the small, rundown house and then at his own bandaged body, a bitter smile on his face. “I know this isn’t the best time. But I don’t want to wait anymore. I’m afraid I’ll miss my chance again.”
“Mumu, I love you. You can think of it as love at first sight, or love that grew over time. I was just too clumsy to realize my love for you in time, which is why I did so many bad things and hurt you.”
“I’m sorry, Mumu,” Yan Gui Xing apologized again. “I used to think that as long as you were happy, it was okay if you weren’t with me. Isn’t loving someone about making them happy? But as Ksitigarbha kept telling me to run, as I was severely injured and close to death, I realized I couldn’t do it.”
“Mumu, I can’t love you and let you go. I just can’t. At that moment, I even had the nerve to think, ‘Good, I tricked him into signing the marriage certificate. I’m his legal partner. Even if he ends up with someone else, I’ll be his first partner.'”
Mu Mu had been on the verge of tears from Yan Gui Xing’s confession, but he couldn’t help but let out a small, helpless laugh. He raised his hand and gently patted Yan Gui Xing’s leg.
Yan Gui Xing pulled Mu Mu into an embrace, pinching the base of Mu Mu’s left ring finger with his thumb and forefinger. “Mumu, the old Yan Gui Xing who broke your heart is dead. The Yan Gui Xing who is alive now has brought you victory as promised and promises to love you, stay by your side, and make you happy. Will you sign a marriage certificate with this Yan Gui Xing and become legal partners?”
It was impossible not to be moved by a confession from the person you love. Mu Mu was soft-hearted, and Yan Gui Xing’s self-analysis moved him to tears. He forgot all about Yan Gui Xing’s injuries, turned, and buried his face in his chest, sobbing as he nodded and said, “Okay.”
Yan Gui Xing was struck by the sudden embrace, which hit his fractured ribs. He winced in pain and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. But when he heard Mu Mu’s “okay,” he felt that the pain was nothing. As for his earlier words about letting Mu Mu go, that was just him playing the victim. If he had really planned to let Mu Mu go, he wouldn’t have had that marriage contract in the first place. Although a large part of the reason for the contract was to ensure Mu Mu’s safety after his death, a small part of it was also so he could die as Mu Mu’s legal partner and leave a mark on his life that no one else could ever live up to.
Now that Mu Mu had traveled all the way to the Frontier Star to find him and saved him from a pile of dead bodies, there was no way he was letting go. There was an ancient saying on Earth: “A life-saving debt is repaid with a promise of oneself.” Mu Mu had saved his life, so naturally, he should marry him. Yan Gui Xing had already thought out a backup plan. If Mu Mu had refused, he would have “threatened” him with the debt of saving his life and stayed by his side. Luckily, Mu Mu agreed, and he didn’t have to show him too much of his darker side.
Yan Gui Xing’s title went from General to fiancé, a change he had requested. He considered the proposal too informal. There were no flowers, and most importantly, no ring. How could a proposal without a ring be a proposal? For all of his rebellious and wild ways, Yan Gui Xing was surprisingly old-fashioned in some areas.
Mu Mu, who was equally set in his ways, didn’t quite understand Yan Gui Xing’s obsession with a ring. He looked at his slender fingers and thought about how uncomfortable it would be to have something on them. But seeing Yan Gui Xing excitedly describe the style of the ring, he swallowed the “no” he was about to say. It’s fine, as long as Gui Gui is happy, Mu Mu comforted himself. If it feels uncomfortable, I’ll get used to it.
The question of their relationship had always been a stone in Yan Gui Xing’s heart, but now that it was settled, he felt a huge weight lifted. Even his wounds seemed to be healing faster. In reality, it was Yan Gui Xing’s own strong body and the military-grade special medicine Xiaoting had packed that were helping his wounds heal so quickly.
After about half a month, Yan Gui Xing’s external wounds were mostly healed, with only a few broken bones and internal injuries left. During this time, they were still completely cut off from the outside world. Even Mu Mu, as slow as he was, knew something was wrong. He asked Yan Gui Xing worriedly if another war had broken out.
Yan Gui Xing was as cut off from news as Mu Mu and had no idea what was going on. But the one thing he was certain of was that they shouldn’t stay on the Frontier Star. He and Mu Mu had to leave as soon as possible.
[Author’s Note]: A useless tidbit of knowledge: The age difference between Yan So-and-so and Mumu is 48 years. An old bull and tender grass.
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