“Sir, the… the basement is full of Omegas from the Lower City.”
Pairs of dark eyes widened in the dim, foul-smelling world. The eyes were dull and lifeless, filled with an aura of despair and helplessness.
A living hell was nothing more than this.
Song Qisheng finally realized that the auction house was not that simple; the star pirates must be behind it. He had come here to save the young master, but inadvertently, he had taken down the star pirates’ nest!
The power behind the star pirates was complex, involving the Fu family and even the crown prince, Yuan Ming.
Thinking of this, Song Qisheng wiped away his sweat. Had he known earlier, he would not have tried to show off by volunteering for the rescue mission.
Now, he was truly being roasted over a fire.
He was caught in a dilemma.
Although he had pleased the Star Lord, he had offended the crown prince.
In mid-air, Ha Tu launched an attack. After failing to slash Lu Jin’s mecha, he struck again with his laser longsword toward the white mecha. The silver sword shadow struck like lightning, capable of turning surrounding concrete and steel into dust.
Fortunately, Lu Jin managed to dodge every attack. He quickly gained the upper hand, circling behind the blue-black mecha and slamming his alloy shield heavily against the opponent’s head, knocking a chunk off the mecha’s skull.
In the cockpit, Ha Tu was left dizzy from the impact. He had not expected this white mecha, which appeared to be made of average materials, to be so agile and swift.
He did not dare to delay any longer. Wanxiang City involved countless dignitaries and nobles. If he were caught, there was no guarantee those people would not kill him to save face. Therefore, he had to flee! He had to escape immediately!
He gripped the joystick, attempting to pilot the mecha away.
However, the mecha’s legs felt as though they were being held tightly by something. The warning alarm began to beep on the display.
He looked down and saw two exotic beasts with their bloody mouths wide open, firmly gripping the mecha’s legs.
“Damn it! The exotic beasts have escaped! Run!”
While the guards were rescuing the Omegas, they had accidentally opened the cages holding the exotic beasts. In an instant, countless bizarre beasts rushed out.
Long-term torture in a place devoid of sunlight had made their temperaments manic and violent. They attacked anyone they saw.
Fortunately, although they were frenzied, they seemed to know who were “their own” and who were the villains. They did not harm the Omegas who had been imprisoned in the dungeon like them; they only vented their fury on the market thugs and Alpha guests.
Without the aid of drugs and iron cages, these thugs and Alphas were no match for the exotic beasts. After a few rounds, many were dead or severely mangled.
Two exotic beasts scrambled up the exterior of the blue-black mecha, lunging through the gap where the head had been smashed and into the cockpit to bite Ha Tu.
One of Ha Tu’s ears was torn off, and his shoulder was bitten. He let out a piercing scream. He pulled out the laser gun from his pocket, ignored the pain to kill the two beasts, and tried to restart the mecha. However, Lu Jin had already walked up to him. One foot stomped onto the mecha’s energy ring, causing it to explode instantly. It could no longer function.
Ha Tu cursed in rage as he crawled out of the mecha. Perhaps the beasts remembered his face; as soon as they saw him appear, they swarmed toward him frantically.
Ha Tu fled toward the rear, only to run straight into Song Qisheng’s group.
Song Qisheng shouted: “Don’t run!”
Covered in blood, Ha Tu had no choice but to climb up the ruined walls. But as soon as he reached the top, he saw a massive exotic beast waiting for him. The beast suddenly opened its mouth, its dozens of foul-smelling tongues lashing out to bite him.
He instinctively reached out to block. His left forearm was wrapped by countless tongues; when he pulled it back, only a section of white bone remained.
“Ah!”
The intense pain numbed his nerves. He only felt that his left hand was cold, cold to the bone. He could no longer exert any strength, and his body gave way, falling from the heights.
Just before he hit the ground, Lu Jin controlled the mecha to catch him.
Ha Tu could not be allowed to die like this; that would be too easy for him. He should be put on trial and hanged amidst the spittle of tens of thousands of citizens.
Lu Jin threw Ha Tu into an iron cage. The cage that was meant to imprison Omegas and exotic beasts had now become his home. Only by staying in here would he avoid being eaten alive by the beasts.
The situation outside was a total mess. Guards, market thugs, Alpha guests, and exotic beasts were slaughtering one another. Blood was splattered across the ruins, thick smoke billowed, and wails were constant.
The Empire’s most mysterious den of iniquity had been transformed into this state in the blink of an eye.
Before long, after the exotic beasts had finished venting their rage, they let out roars toward the sky and ran off.
The remaining market thugs, seeing that Ha Tu had been captured and their cause was lost, stopped resisting. They knelt on the ground with their hands behind their necks to confess. The masked Alpha guests also had their masks torn off during the fight.
The ugliness hidden in the darkness was now exposed to the public.
Seeing this, Chu Li knit his brows and asked: “Admiral, are we leaving?”
“Yes.”
The Omegas had been rescued, and the star pirates’ nest had been destroyed. If they stayed longer, they might leak their identities.
However, before leaving, there was something to take.
Lu Jin piloted the mecha to land beside the spacecraft and took out the box Ha Tu had hidden underneath it. What exactly was inside that Ha Tu had refused to leave behind even while fleeing for his life?
Ha Tu, lying in a pool of blood and fading in and out of consciousness, saw this scene. He wheezed, wanting to speak, but Song Qisheng ordered the cage to be dragged away. He could only watch helplessly as Lu Jin took the box.
Song Qisheng stood on the ruins, directing the guards to arrest people. The exotic beasts had fled, but they were not important. What mattered were Ha Tu and the guests of the auction.
As for that white mecha…
Song Qisheng was about to go over and question the white mecha, but he saw it fly into the sky, its form disappearing into the horizon in an instant.
Song Qisheng frowned as he watched the direction where the mecha vanished. This white mecha was not on the mecha department’s registration list. Its material looked ordinary; it should be a civilian mecha that had been modified with military combat functions.
Even so, the level of this mecha should only be around B-level. Yet, this operator had used a B-level mecha to defeat Boss Ha Tu’s S-level mecha.
When did the Empire gain such a hidden talent?
Chu Li sat in the cockpit, looking through the glass window at the auction house that had turned into ruins. The sword that had been hanging over his heart finally landed safely.
The notorious star pirates were now officially history.
Thinking of this, he opened his optical brain to tell the good news to Ruan Ruan, only to find that Ruan Ruan had already seen the news via the Star Network and had sent him a message first.
[Xiao Li, did you see the news? The star pirates have been taken down! That’s wonderful!]
[Sob, Xiao Li, that white mecha is so cool! Will you be that cool when you pilot a mecha in the future?]
Chu Li originally wanted to say a lot, and his fingers typed out a bunch of words, but in the end, they all turned into a single word: “Yes.”
Yes.
He would be that cool in the future.
Lu Jin, standing behind him, did not intend to eavesdrop. However, he was too tall; with a slight downward glance, he saw Chu Li chatting with someone whose profile picture was a pink cream cake.
It was that person again. They called him “Xiao Li.”
Lu Jin’s eyelids drooped. The mecha suddenly performed a 180-degree rotation in mid-air. Chu Li was caught off guard and pressed backward into Lu Jin’s arms. Lu Jin’s hand naturally wrapped around his waist, and warm breath came from above his head.
“Careful.”
Chu Li closed the communication and shifted uncomfortably. He felt they were pressed too closely together, which was a bit awkward.
“Admiral, where are we going now?”
“The Lower City.”
“Eh?”
Lu Jin glanced at him and explained: “You still owe me a meal.”
Chu Li instantly remembered the meal that was supposed to happen but was forced to be delayed because of the incident with Song Xu.
“The Lower City doesn’t have very good ingredients. We should find a restaurant in the Upper City instead.”
“There is no need for such trouble.”
Chu Li pursed his lips and did not argue further.
An hour later, the two appeared in Chu Li’s home in the Lower City, because Lu Jin said he wanted to taste Chu Li’s cooking.
As a Beta who only knew how to make porridge and soup, Chu Li suddenly felt a surge of pressure.
Compared to the Nebula Villa, Chu Li’s home was like a grotto. It was poorly ventilated and dim, with a pitch-black interior. One room served as both the kitchen and living room, while the other was the bedroom.
The bedroom had previously been partitioned down the middle, with Chu Li and his grandfather each taking half. Since his grandfather passed away, Chu Li had slept there alone.
This was the first time Lu Jin had visited Chu Li’s home. Standing inside, his tall stature nearly reached the ceiling beams. He lowered his eyes to observe the traces of Chu Li’s past life: three pots of succulents sat on a low windowsill, with a kaffir lily placed beneath it.
The walls were covered in various newspapers and drawings. From a peeling corner, one could see the scorch marks left on the wall from a massive fire.
That fire had swept through nearly the entire Lower City. Those who survived were all people who had escaped death by a hair’s breadth.
Chu Li sat before the stove, preparing hollyhock porridge for Lu Jin. As he added firewood, he explained, “Admiral, my home doesn’t have any high-quality ingredients. Please bear with it.” He had borrowed the hollyhock flowers from his neighbor, Uncle Su Nuo.
Lu Jin replied, “Anything is fine.”
Seeing how easygoing he was, Chu Li suddenly blinked and smiled. “However, I do have some wine.”
At the mention of wine, Lu Jin’s expression stiffened slightly.
Chu Li didn’t notice. He dug a dark jar out from a hole in the corner of the wall. Upon opening the lid, a faint aroma of aged wine wafted out.
He brought it over to Lu Jin. “This is a wine jar my grandfather scavenged from somewhere. He only shared a glass with Uncle Su Nuo during holidays. If you don’t mind, you can have a taste.”
Lu Jin said, “Okay.”
After finishing the porridge, Chu Li made an egg drop soup as well. He didn’t let Lu Jin help. Having nothing to do, Lu Jin took out the brocade box he had seized from Ha Tu.
The black brocade box was square and about forty centimeters high. Perhaps because Ha Tu had been in a hurry to flee, he hadn’t had time to lock it.
Lu Jin opened the box, expecting to find gold, jewelry, or perhaps some biochemical weapon. However, inside lay an egg covered in black scars.
Frowning, he took the egg out and inspected it thoroughly.
Chu Li, stirring with a soup spoon, caught a glimpse of the egg. His expression froze for a moment before he asked nonchalantly, “That’s what was in the box?”
Lu Jin nodded.
“What kind of egg is it?”
“It should be the egg of an exotic beast.” After saying it, Lu Jin felt something was off. If it were that simple, why would Ha Tu carry an exotic beast’s egg while fleeing for his life?
There was likely more to this egg than met the eye.
He took a photo and sent it to Tu Feng, instructing him to investigate the egg’s origins.
Chu Li withdrew his gaze. Half an hour later, the porridge and soup were ready.
Lu Jin sat on a small stool. With nowhere to put his long legs, he had to stretch them forward, accidentally kicking the table leg and nearly spilling the soup and porridge.
Chu Li said, half-teasingly and half-seriously, “This small temple of mine really isn’t fit to host a great deity like you, Admiral. Please be patient with me.”
Lu Jin chose his words carefully. “Not at all. This place feels very much like a home.”
Outside the window, a light evening breeze blew. Inside the room, the firewood crackled. This was the true essence of daily life.
Quiet and beautiful.
Chu Li thought of the Nebula Villa. By comparison, this place did feel more like a home because the atmosphere of a humble life was everywhere.
“Try the porridge.”
Lu Jin scooped a spoonful. The japonica rice was soaked until soft and fragrant, paired with the tender, sweet hollyhock petals. A faint, fresh scent lingered on his palate.
As the warm porridge entered his stomach, he felt a sense of comfort and ease spread through his body.
“There’s egg drop soup too, try some.” Chu Li served Lu Jin the soup. Realizing that the porridge and soup might not be very filling, he added, “I’ll make you some noodles later. My noodles are delicious too.”
Since the star pirates were destroyed today, he was in an excellent mood and exceptionally attentive toward Lu Jin.
“No need, this is enough.” The table was small, and with a reach of his hand, Lu Jin pressed down on Chu Li as he was about to stand up.
Chu Li sat back down and muttered while eating his porridge, “Well, tell me if you get hungry later.”
“Okay.”
He didn’t know what seasonings had been added to the egg drop soup, but the flavor was bold. Lu Jin usually didn’t eat strongly flavored food, yet this time he found the taste quite good.
In the interstellar era, food had been replaced by nutrient solutions. He didn’t usually waste much time on eating. This was the first time in his conscious memory that he had spent so long over a meal.
Through the rising steam, he looked at Chu Li. Their gazes met unexpectedly. In the dim light and the silent stillness, it felt as though something was slowly growing.
It was warm, it was suggestive, and it was kept close to the heart.
Chu Li lowered his eyes, set down his bowl, and noticed the wine nearby. He changed the subject. “Admiral, would you like some wine?”
There were no wine glasses in the house, only ceramic bowls. He poured a bowl of wine for Lu Jin. Lu Jin took a sip, his cold features showing no reaction.
Chu Li was about to ask him how it tasted when he saw Lu Jin suddenly collapse face-forward onto the table.
Thud!
His forehead hit the table.
Chu Li was stunned for a moment. Once he reacted, he quickly helped him up. “Admiral, what’s wrong?”
Lu Jin’s neck and face were flushed red. His eyelids fluttered with difficulty as he whispered a faint reply, “I’m fine.”
After saying that, he passed out again.
Chu Li checked his condition and confirmed that he had the kind of “one-cup-and-out” allergic constitution. Fortunately, his heartbeat was steady and his breathing was smooth, so it wasn’t a serious issue.
“An alcohol allergy. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Chu Li couldn’t help but sigh. Looking at Lu Jin’s flushed face, a helpless smile played on his lips.
Lu Jin’s body was very heavy. It took Chu Li quite a lot of effort to help him onto the bed. As he turned to leave, he suddenly heard the man on the bed call his name.
“Chu Li.” Lu Jin instinctively grabbed his wrist.
He thought Lu Jin had woken up, but when he turned around, he found the man’s eyes were still closed and his lips were flushed red. It seemed as though that call had been his own hallucination.
“I’m here.” He sat by the bed to keep Lu Jin company, his calm gaze resting on Lu Jin’s face.
Lu Jin seemed a bit tired today. As he slept, his brow was slightly furrowed, making his deep brow bone appear even more prominent.
His features were filled with a cold and detached aura.
Based on appearance alone, he truly seemed unapproachable.
Chu Li couldn’t help but criticize him in his heart. His gaze drifted downward to Lu Jin’s wristband. The wristband flickered with a faint light in the darkness; someone was sending him a message.
After a while, he gently pried Lu Jin’s hand away and walked to the wall hole where the wine jar had been stored. He reached inside to rummage for something.
After digging for a long time, he pulled out a round object covered in dust and dirt.
Blowing away the dust, he saw the uniquely patterned black scars. The scars were intricate and crisscrossed, resembling some ancient pattern.
He placed this object next to the brocade box and compared it with the egg inside. They looked almost exactly the same.
They were likely eggs from the same species.