Chapter 50: Eloping with My Lover to Start a Family part 1
The bell rang, and a cacophony of Alpha voices filled the classroom as the period ended. Some stood up to get water, while others slumped listlessly over their desks.
Zhao Yi twirled his pen with a bored expression. “This teacher’s lecture on mecha history is so dull. He isn’t even half as engaging as Teacher Yu, and his answers to questions are always so vague. Sigh—I really miss Little Fish.”
Ye Bingyang added, “I wonder when Teacher Yu will be back. It’s been so boring these past few days without him. Even Assistant Xu was taken away to help with the investigation. By the way, don’t you chat with him every day? Did he give you any updates on the progress?”
Zhao Yi shook his head gloomily. “His communicator was confiscated. The Investigation Division is always like this—super meticulous and a total pain. I just hope Teacher Yu returns safely.”
A mocking voice drifted over from nearby. “Still ‘Little Fish’ this and ‘Little Fish’ that? You’re a Falcon Regiment reservist, a shoe-in for the outstanding student award, yet you’re calling a spy ‘teacher.’ It’s absolutely pathetic.”
Both their expressions darkened as they turned to look at Han Po, who was sitting with his legs crossed.
Zhao Yi snapped back in a rage, “Stop kicking a man while he’s down. The Third Institute hasn’t issued a notice, nor have they revoked his instructor status. What right do you have to run your mouth? Calling him a spy every chance you get—if you ask me, you’re the damn spy.”
“A bunch of lapdogs,” Han Po sneered. “You lost your souls the moment you saw an Omega. You’ve been charmed into a stupor, haven’t you? How much has he greased your palms? Did he give you extra credits or a payout? You’re speaking up for him when you haven’t gained a thing. You’re a bunch of masochists.”
Ye Bingyang slammed the table and stood up. “What the hell did you just say? Say one more word, I dare you!”
“I’ll say it! What of it? You gonna hit me? You think you’re Xie Ren?”
Just as the two groups were about to brawl, Zhang Meng came sprinting into the room. “It’s over! It’s all over! A real fight is coming!”
Zhao Yi grabbed Han Po by the collar and raised a fist. “The only thing getting hit is this loudmouth!”
“No, no!” Zhang Meng waved his hands frantically. “Stop it, all of you! Heaven’s Punishment just announced big news—Marshal Li has gone missing on his return flight from the Sixth Zone!”
Everyone froze. Even Han Po looked stunned. “What? Who went missing?”
Zhang Meng said with a long face, “It’s all over now. There’s no telling when war might break out. You guys should save your energy for the actual battlefield.”
Silence fell over the classroom, followed a moment later by a chaotic surge of hushed discussions.
High above the Ninth Zone, the Horus was descending like a falling meteor.
Sparks and lightning trailed in its wake, and even the nano-coating couldn’t repair the hull fast enough. The system was frantically broadcasting the severity of the damage.
Yu Shi was flung toward the ceiling, but he managed to grab a handrail with lightning reflexes, narrowly avoiding cracking his head open. Violent vibrations shuddered through the isolation bay, and Xie Ren shouted for him to get his protective suit on.
Five minutes ago, the interceptor ship had been caught in a third-party airstrike, nearly being blown to pieces by enemy fire.
The Ninth Zone commander had been furious. He had carelessly tossed the Horus toward the direction of an oasis before turning back to counterattack.
Hot wars were a daily occurrence here, so Xie Ren wasn’t too surprised, but he hadn’t expected them to just discard them like trash!
The Horus lost all control, plunging straight toward a lake.
Xie Ren shouted for Yu Shi to get into a safety pod and deployed the airbags, bracing for an emergency landing.
The speed of the fall was terrifying. Only five minutes later, a massive plume of water erupted from the azure lake. Yu Shi had just managed to pry open the isolation bay’s barrier when the sensation of weightlessness swept through his body. Even surrounded by airbags, it felt as though he had slammed into solid rock.
The impact nearly made him cough up blood.
Xie Ren scrambled out from the lower level, lunging forward to pull him into a safety pod and shielding the back of his head with his right hand.
Seconds later, the Horus emitted a series of explosive cracks, partially disintegrating in the water. The safety pod ruptured with a bang, and the lake water rushed in, overwhelming them.
Yu Shi was blinded by the surge. He heard his helmet shatter and instinctively gripped Xie Ren’s arm with a death grip to avoid being swept away. Powerful arms held him tight, but they were still no match for the force of the water. Both men were dragged down to the bottom of the lake.
Yu Shi felt as if he were trapped in a nightmare, his body sinking further and further. It was as if an invisible hand at the bottom of the lake were pulling him down into the depths.
Only when a hand grabbed him from above did his descent abruptly stop.
He forced his eyes open, his pupils stinging from the soak, and saw Xie Ren above him. The Alpha’s protective suit had also been shredded, and a trail of bloody bubbles escaped his lips.
Yu Shi held his breath and kicked upward with him.
The two broke the surface one after the other, clinging to a piece of the warship’s shattered hull. They gasped for air as if their lives depended on it.
Yu Shi felt like his lungs were about to burst. He coughed violently, his wet hair shimmering like silver in the sunlight dancing across the rippling lake.
They looked at each other and, simultaneously, broke into the smiles of those who had just cheated death.
Xie Ren let out a hearty laugh. “You look like a drowned cat, Instructor Yu. How pathetic.”
Yu Shi shot back between coughs, “And you look like a drowned dog, Commander Xie.”
“We survived. That was a thrill.”
Xie Ren slapped the water excitedly, splashing Yu Shi’s face. Yu Shi cursed him and scooped up water to splash him back.
As they were celebrating their survival, footsteps sounded on the shore.
Xie Ren, always sensitive to sound, glanced toward the bank. His expression shifted instantly as he moved to block Yu Shi.
A man with a full beard and strange clothing stood by the lake, pointing a gun at them and shouting incoherently in a local dialect.
Xie Ren quickly made a gesture to stop him, speaking in Interstellar Common. “Please, calm down. Don’t shoot. We mean no harm.”
The man remained highly vigilant, keeping his weapon aimed at them as he continued to speak.
“What is he saying?” Yu Shi peeked out from behind him.
“I don’t know. There are many tribes here, and their languages don’t overlap.” Xie Ren pulled him back cautiously. “He doesn’t seem to understand Common. Let’s raise our hands and swim slowly to shore.”
He was the first to take a submissive posture, approaching the bank ahead of Yu Shi. The man also retreated slowly, finally lowering his gun but keeping his distance.
Yu Shi noticed the man didn’t look like a soldier and felt a bit more relaxed. He couldn’t help but comment, “That’s the first time I’ve seen you surrender so smoothly.”
Xie Ren wrinkled his nose. “Don’t be a backseat driver. If we weren’t in a strange place and I didn’t want to alert the locals, I would’ve flattened him long ago.”
Yu Shi asked curiously, “Don’t you come to the Ninth Zone often? How can you not be familiar with it?”
“Coming here and being familiar with it are two different things. Forget me—even the troops stationed here year-round wouldn’t dare head deep into the desert alone.” Xie Ren pulled Yu Shi up onto the shore and continued, “The quicksand belts here shift all the time; the landscape changes completely in a short period. The oases are scattered, so industries can’t really develop.”
“I just hope this isn’t a garrisoned zone. We really don’t want to run into the local military; that would be a massive headache.”
Using hand gestures, he explained to the man that they had arrived here because of a starship crash. He expressed his hope that the man could help them contact their friends.
Fortunately, the man was a local hunter who had been setting traps for rabbits when he heard the massive commotion. Seeing them both soaked to the bone, he indicated that the temperature difference between day and night was extreme. Since the sun was about to set, he offered to take them to his home for the night.
Despite the language barrier, the two of them actually managed to understand his meaning in the end.
Yu Shi found it fascinating as they followed the hunter back to his home.
The house wasn’t far from the lake—a brick-and-tile structure they had built themselves. Inside was a hostess, a young girl, and two older boys.
The hostess knew Interstellar Common. After asking about their situation, she expressed her willingness to help, and the two thanked her profusely.
The woman introduced her family one by one. “My name is Anna. I work at the wool textile factory in town. My husband is Abbu; he’s a worker at a repair shop. This is my daughter, Feifei, and my two sons.”
This oasis had no international affiliation. There had been an Allied Forces garrison five years ago, but they had soon moved on. Because of the frequent conflicts, the area had never seen any real development.
Yu Shi looked around. The one-story house was low and rudimentary. They used kerosene lamps on the table, and a pile of freshly chopped wood from Abbu sat by the stove. It looked very primitive, reminding him of the environment where he had once taught as a volunteer.
The two boys were in the yard playing with mud, smearing it all over each other’s faces. The girl clutched a tattered rag doll and leaned into Anna’s embrace, studying him with curiosity.
Anna gave him a blanket and told him to warm himself by the fire. “Why did your starship crash?” she asked.
Xie Ren began to weave a lie, saying with fake irritation:
“The energy stones ran out. I don’t know which part malfunctioned, but it just fell out of the sky. Once I’m back in the Fifth Zone, I’m definitely taking the manufacturer to court.”
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