Part 2
Xie Ren carefully reached over the rose petals and placed his hand over the back of Yu Shi’s hand. Yu Shi’s skin was slightly cool, and holding it made his heart race.
“That young person has admired you for a long time,” he murmured softly. “But lately, that admiration seems to have gone bad. What should he do, Advisor Yu?”
Answering him was Yu Shi’s quiet breathing, along with the chirping of insects stirring with the feeling of spring.
After learning of Xie Ren’s decision to leave, Jiang Songjin didn’t force him to stay, but instead sent men to help them repair the starship.
Zhang Xin accompanied them to the site. When he saw Yu Shi effortlessly put together a high-precision dial, the look in his eyes shifted from peacefulness to pure worship.
He said incredulously, “The engineers in our battalion take a week to fix a dial like this. How do you do it so fast?”
“Practice makes perfect,” Yu Shi’s hands didn’t stop moving. “I loved taking apart my dad’s watch dials since I was a kid. The ones I’ve broken number in the hundreds, if not a thousand.”
Zhang Xin burst out laughing, “I really couldn’t tell you were so mischievous as a kid. Sigh, it’s a pity Ah Ren decided to go back, otherwise we could have bribed you to stay and be our weapons advisor.”
Yu Shi smiled. Zhang Xin helped him install the instrument panel, then turned to move some supplies.
Xie Ren had just installed the cabin door and was washing the engine oil off his hands by the lake when Zhang Xin patted him on the back.
“Your Omega is incredibly capable. He’s practically taken over all the precision instruments, and his efficiency is higher than the entire engineering corps. I’ve never seen anyone restore things this fast,” Zhang Xin praised.
Xie Ren’s lips curled up. “Of course, he is…”
He paused, “…he’s a graduate of Kowa University.”
Zhang Xin said dismissively, “You meant to say he’s a Senior Researcher, right? Actually, I could tell. How could an ordinary weapons manufacturer be this good? I know you don’t want to stir up trouble.”
Xie Ren stayed silent for a few seconds before admitting, “In this kind of territory, exposing too much isn’t good for him. Thank you for understanding.”
He turned to look at the starship. With the company’s help, it should be fully repaired in less than three days.
Following his gaze, Zhang Xin hesitated before saying, “You guys will be leaving soon. The Brigade Commander applied for a clearance chip from higher-ups. We hope you can return to Zone 1 without any hurdles.”
Xie Ren punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Thanks for the good wishes, brother.”
Zhang Xin suddenly said, “Your mother saved my life twice. The first time was when I was twenty. I had just gone to the battlefield and accidentally stepped on a landmine. If your mother hadn’t rescued me in time, I would have died on the spot. She was just a young intern back then; she was clearly terrified of blood, yet she had to feign composure to comfort me.”
Xie Ren rarely heard about Jiang Yuzhen from others. No one in the Xie family would proactively mention her. He couldn’t help but ask, “Were you close to her?”
“Fairly familiar, I guess. I started following the Brigade Commander when I was fifteen, so I’d see her occasionally.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “I originally thought she would continue saving lives and fulfill her dream. I didn’t expect her to marry a man like that later. Your grandmother was dead set on a political marriage and had her eyes on a girl from another major family, but your mother was determined to marry your father. Without the blessing of either family, he gave her a grand wedding.”
“Unfortunately, fairy tales always end with a floor full of trivialities. She didn’t have a good life after marriage. Every time she called the Brigade Commander, she was deeply depressed. She wanted to leave the Xie family many times, but the Xie family wouldn’t let you go, and you were too young back then. She couldn’t bear to leave you behind.”
Xie Ren could roughly guess the events of the past, but hearing it so bluntly for the first time still hit him with a tremendous shock.
He clenched his fists, his throat choking up continuously as his eyes brimmed with a deep red.
“I know your family wouldn’t tell you these things, but I think you have the right to know. Later, she came to Zone 9 to find the Brigade Commander, but… she went missing on the way. After your mother disappeared, the Brigade Commander applied for a permanent residency order. Later on, he completely broke away from K9 and came to Ridu.”
He asked, “How are your grandparents? I’ve never met them, nor have I heard they were coming to look for your mother.”
When Zhang Xin said this, there was a suppressed tone of resentment.
Xie Ren shook his head, “After my grandmother found out she went missing, she was filled with deep remorse. She fell ill and passed away not long after. My grandfather treated my mother very well and never made things difficult for her, but he firmly believes she is already dead.”
Zhang Xin let out a long breath, “I never expected things to change so drastically and end up like this. Since your grandfather thinks she’s gone, why did you still come looking for her?”
Xie Ren’s eyes burned as he said hoarsely, “I believe she must be alive. My mother would never yield to anything. No matter what happened, she would try her absolute best to survive.”
Zhang Xin was left speechless. He turned his head, rubbing his face roughly, and let out a low sigh.
Three days later, the starship was fully repaired. After a simple test run, the two bid farewell to Jiang Songjin.
Jiang Songjin reluctantly held Xie Ren’s hand, asking once more, “Are you sure you won’t consider staying and conquering new territories with your uncle? This is a borderless zone. The power we could wield here in the future is far beyond your imagination.”
Xie Ren replied, “Uncle, I have to go back.”
“Alright then. You and A-Zhen are the same, both stubborn to the bone,” Jiang Songjin said helplessly. “If you ever run into trouble, come back and find your uncle anytime.”
He looked at Yu Shi and smiled, “Nephew-in-law, take good care of yourself too. You’ve only stayed here for a few days, but you’ve already gathered quite a following. Those engineers who helped you fix the starship admire you with all their hearts; they said they’re going to bypass the firewall just to study your writings when they get back.”
Yu Shi felt a bit awkward hearing that title and let out a dry laugh.
“We’re leaving, Uncle.”
They boarded the starship. The battered Horus started up once again, ascending amidst the vast yellow sands, sailing toward the boundless, starry universe.
The people below gradually shrank into tiny dots as Jiang Songjin watched them leave with reluctance.
Yu Shi walked into the cockpit, studying the route map while saying, “Good thing the protection system was robust; the internal structure barely took any damage. The energy stones and supplies are enough to get us to Zone 6.”
They purposefully chose to bypass Zone 7, flying directly to Zone 6 and then crossing the border.
Xie Ren engaged the autopilot, opened a bag of ladyfinger biscuits, and held one up to Yu Shi’s lips. “Want one?”
To avoid raising suspicion over the past two days, he had often played the role of a good boyfriend while outside, constantly feeding Yu Shi. In just a few short days, he had already developed a terrifying habit.
Yu Shi wanted to dodge the hand, but the biscuit was strawberry flavored.
The sweet strawberry filling carried the aroma of fruit jam, as if a plump strawberry had been squeezed for its juice, waving at him and shouting, Come eat me, come eat me.
It would be impolite not to eat it.
Yu Shi opened his mouth and bit down on the tip of the biscuit, carefully avoiding Xie Ren’s fingers, nibbling and swallowing it little by little like a rabbit eating grass.
Xie Ren stared for a moment, swallowed hard with difficulty, and turned his face away.
How can someone be so cute even when they’re just eating?
Yu Shi noticed the voice recorder in his hand and asked, “Where did that come from?”
Xie Ren snapped back to reality and said, “Uncle Zhang gave it to me. He said it was a gift, and told me to listen to it only after getting on the starship.”
He didn’t think much of it and casually pressed the play button. Zhang Xin’s voice echoed from the device.
He seemed to have struggled greatly before finally speaking these words: “Ah Ren, you should have left the companion star by now. I thought about it, and I still need to tell you something. The Brigade Commander repeatedly ordered me not to tell you, but after chatting with you that day, I think you have the right to know.”
The cockpit fell silent. The two exchanged a look and continued listening with grave expressions.
Zhang Xin said, “Your mother is indeed not dead. Five years ago, in a laboratory, we found her necklace.”
“You’ve been to that laboratory too. It’s the one from the time you entered the nuclear radiation zone—the Duomen Laboratory.”
Xie Ren shot up from his seat, overwhelmingly thrilled, murmuring, “I knew it… I knew she wouldn’t die! Wait, why would it be in the laboratory? And why didn’t Uncle tell me? Are you saying he…”
He turned his head, only to find Yu Shi sitting stiffly in his seat, his face as pale as a sheet of paper.
Duomen Laboratory. That nightmarish name had awakened far too many memories.
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