First Interstellar Guide Chapter 47: Confession

Chapter 47: Confession

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Hummingbird landed agilely above Tang Ce’s airship, her face pale. Tang Ce asked urgently, “Birdie, what’s the situation down there?”

Hummingbird gritted her teeth, “Those claws have merged into a mass; I can’t get down at all!”

Vulture also flew to Hummingbird’s side, Zhao Feng’s face extremely grim. “They’ve been engulfed by the beast pack!”

The three in the sky could only see the dense claws converging into a purple sea. Lu Zexuan and Yu Ran’s figures completely disappeared within this sea. Countless monsters were relentlessly attacking them. Lu Zexuan exhausted his energy and lost his ability to fly. Their situation was dire!

At this moment, the sentinels on the Eagle starship were discussing fervently—

“What is Yu Ran doing? He, a guide, rushed into the beast pack. Is he planning a double suicide?”

“Don’t curse, what do you mean by double suicide? Major Lu hasn’t died yet!”

“Major Lu will be fine! Every time, he manages to turn danger into safety…”

“But, I just saw his flying ability vanish, and he fell straight down. White Eagle disappeared too.”

The people on the starship were anxious.

Mohr clenched his fists, looking pale as he stared out the window—if Lu Zexuan and Yu Ran really sacrificed themselves here, he didn’t know how to console the emotions of the sentinels next. To everyone, Lu Zexuan was not only the most reliable captain but also the mental pillar of everyone in the Eagle Special Forces!

Just as everyone was anxiously waiting, suddenly, a familiar white arc lit up in the distance. Following closely, Lu Zexuan spread his huge wings and flew straight up from the depths of the purple sea, carrying Yu Ran!

Tang Ce shouted, “They’re back!”

Hummingbird was so excited she almost cried, “That’s great, they’re safe!”

Zhao Feng also breathed a sigh of relief. The old general had instructed them to protect Yu Ran and Lu Zexuan. If Yu Ran and Lu Zexuan sacrificed themselves together, they would have to return and report, risking their lives! Thankfully… thankfully, they both came back!

Lu Zexuan pressed the voice headset and his voice was hoarse. “Everyone has worked hard; let’s all return to the starship.”

Tang Ce, Hummingbird, Chameleon, and Zhao Feng, who were responsible for the rescue, also returned to the starship on the airship. The starship’s hatch closed, and although everyone had been injured to varying degrees, under Lu Zexuan’s reckless rescue, everyone in the Eagle Special Forces survived.

They hadn’t lost a single comrade! The sentinels looked at Major Lu covered in wounds, tears welling up in their eyes— This was their captain, the leader they were willing to follow to the ends of the earth!

Everyone excitedly greeted him, “Major Lu!” 

“Are you alright, Major Lu?”

Lu Zexuan was covered in blood, with one arm pierced through by sharp claws, the bandages on his shoulder soaked through with blood. With his uninjured arm, he held Yu Ran tightly around the waist. At this moment, Yu Ran showcased his acting skills, pretending to faint in Lu Zexuan’s arms. His head rested gently on Lu Zexuan’s chest, his face pale and weak. 

Lu Zexuan was speechless. You’re acting so well. What happened to the fierce momentum you showed when attacking the monsters with the nine-tailed fox?!

Mohr saw Yu Ran faint and hurriedly asked, “What happened to Ranran?”

Lu Zexuan looked at the guy “sleeping” in his arms and explained in a low voice, “He used too much guide essence to save me, depleted his mental energy, and fainted.”

Sure enough, there were traces of blood left from extracting guide essence on Yu Ran’s arm. The sentinels present also detected a faint scent of guide essence in the air— Right, Yu Ran’s guide essence matched with Major Lu’s by over 98%! So when Lu Zexuan’s abilities were exhausted and he was on the brink of going berserk, Yu Ran’s guide essence was his lifesaving elixir!

No wonder Yu Ran rushed out without hesitation; it wasn’t “double suicide,” but to save him. The sentinels looked at the unconscious youth in Major Lu’s arms with a touch of respect in their hearts! This kind of disregard for his own life, rushing out to save others—truly worthy of being the person Major Lu is interested in.

Yu Ran was too brave, too decisive! Fortunately, with him, Major Lu was able to wake up in time and break out of the beast pack. Yu Ran was Lu Zexuan’s lifesaver. For all the sentinels of the Eagle Special Forces, he was also their lifesaver!

For a moment, the sentinels looked at Yu Ran with gratitude in their eyes. Especially Hummingbird, who already liked Yu Ran’s little fox. She felt even more proud now, as if saying, “I ship them and they’re so sweet together.” Birdie waved her hand. “Quick, don’t get in the way here; let Ranran rest properly!”

Lu Zexuan nodded to Hummingbird and carried Yu Ran to his own bedroom, laying him on the bed.

—You better pretend for a while; I’ll settle the score with you later.

Lu Zexuan glanced at Yu Ran before turning to leave, heading to tend to his own wounds. Mohr was waiting for him at the door, and Lu Zexuan asked, “How are everyone’s injuries?”

“Don’t worry, Major Lu. I’ve treated all the injured, and there are two who are more severe, while the rest have only superficial wounds. Your wound also needs to be thoroughly disinfected to prevent infection. Let’s go to the medical room,” Mohr replied.

Lu Zexuan nodded and followed Mohr to the medical room, where he changed out of his clothes soaked in blood. Mohr took a disinfectant cotton swab and cleaned his wound before bandaging it again. “The wound on your shoulder needs to be treated in the healing chamber,” Mohr said.

“Not urgent. There’s only one healing chamber, so let the more severely injured go first,” Lu Zexuan replied quietly.

Sentinels had a perception of pain several times higher than ordinary people. Mohr couldn’t imagine how intense the pain was for Lu Zexuan when his shoulder was torn open by claws. Men were usually resilient; Lu Zexuan didn’t make a sound throughout the disinfection process.

Mohr fetched a pill from the drawer and handed it to him, pouring a glass of water as well. “Emergency painkiller. Take one to alleviate the pain,” he said.

Lu Zexuan took the pill and swallowed it with water. Seeing his complexion improve slightly, Mohr asked curiously, “By the way, didn’t Ranran only study at the Sanctuary for half a year? I remember that the guide academy only teaches mental tendrils’ healing techniques. Where did he learn the skills to pilot an airship? He seems so proficient.”

Lu Zexuan said calmly, “I taught him.”

Mohr was stunned. “You taught him?”

Lu Zexuan lied without changing his expression, “Yes, after all, he’s a guide with the army. In emergencies, he might need to use an airship for escape. During the days at the White Tower, I taught him some operational techniques. He’s very smart and has a good memory, so he learned quickly.”

Mohr suddenly realized and laughed, “No wonder he could pilot an airship into the beast pack to save you… Ranran is really devoted to you. He didn’t hesitate at all when he heard you were in trouble; he flew out immediately. I didn’t even react in time to stop him.”

Really? Did he rush to save me without any hesitation? Was he not afraid of putting himself in danger? These galactic creatures were never seen before; even Yu Ran, with his powerful S-level attack guide’s mental energy, rushing in could mean he might not return, or worse, end up dead and forgotten. But he still went ahead.

Please trust me one more time. I have never had any ill intentions toward you.

Yu Ran’s words suddenly echoed in his mind, leaving Lu Zexuan with complex feelings. Can I still trust him?

A guide with two spirit bodies? Unheard of. Yu Ran infiltrating the Eagle Special Forces, he must have some ulterior motive. All of his previous conclusions were wrong! Yu Ran’s background must be fake. He couldn’t be a newly awakened C-level guide, nor could he be an orphan from a barren planet. Maybe the mysterious deaths of those officials on Planet B73 and the theft of information from the Sentinel Academy were all related to Yu Ran.

His initial suspicions were not wrong; Yu Ran’s origins were indeed suspicious! He had been deceiving me all along, even using me—this realization stabbed at Lu Zexuan’s heart. But he still risked his life to save me… If it weren’t for him, I would have died long ago.

Lu Zexuan’s mood was extremely contradictory. Seeing his complexion not too good, Mohr couldn’t help but worry. “What’s wrong? Is the wound hurting a lot?”

Lu Zexuan shook his head. “It’s fine. Just tired. I’ll go back and rest first.”

“Alright, then go and get some sleep quickly. By the way, are we leaving the Dorado Constellation?” Mohr asked.

“Yeah, let’s go to a nearby safe planet to rest for a couple of days. We can discuss our plans later,” Lu Zexuan replied.

Mohr nodded and turned to leave, intending to inform Vice Captain Xiong Kai of the situation.

Xiong Kai happened to pass by outside the medical room, and he should have heard their conversation just now. Meeting Mohr’s gaze, Xiong Kai asked with concern, “I wanted to check on Major Lu. Is he alright?”

Mohr said, “He’s fine. This injury doesn’t affect him much. He’s just tired and going back to rest.”

Xiong Kai breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. I heard Major Lu’s orders just now. I’ll have the starship set sail.”

“Okay, then… Let’s head to the nearest planet in the Norma Constellation,” Mohr said.

The starship gradually quieted down as the injured sentinels went back to their quarters to rest. Xiong Kai started the starship, and the Eagle starship quickly left the Dorado Constellation, heading into the vast universe toward the Norma Constellation.

***

Lu Zexuan walked into the dormitory, and Yu Ran was still pretending to be asleep. White Eagle shouted in his mind, “How does he have two foxes?! Ahhh! The red fox looks so cool, and the little white fox is so cute! Can I play with both of them in the future?”

Lu Zexuan responded coldly in his mind, “If both foxes team up to bully you, can you handle it?”

White Eagle froze. “They… would… bully me?”

Lu Zexuan continued, “That nine-tailed fox can instantly control powerful beast leaders. What do you think?”

White Eagle flew away with a sense of grievance. If the two foxes teamed up to bully it, that would be too miserable for it, right?

After dismissing the not-so-bright spirit body, Lu Zexuan approached the bed and looked coldly at the pretending-to-be-asleep Yu Ran. Feeling the sharp gaze of the sentinel, Yu Ran couldn’t keep up the act anymore. He opened his eyes, smiled at Lu Zexuan, and gently connected their foreheads with green mental tendrils.

“What do you want to say? Let’s say it quietly in the mental world, so no one can hear us,” Yu Ran said.

Lu Zexuan felt a slight dizziness as he entered Yu Ran’s mental landscape. Mohr once described Yu Ran’s mental landscape as a limited area of ​​a lake surrounded by dense fog, with clear boundaries. But now, Lu Zexuan found that the fog around the lake had already dissipated. Yu Ran’s mental landscape… turned out to be an unimaginably vast primeval forest!

The forest was full of towering trees, their branches robust, and their leaves intertwined to form a vast green canopy. Under the trees, countless flowers bloomed in competition, and in the distance, the sound of flowing water could be heard. Warm sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, making the whole forest vibrant and full of life.

A fiery nine-tailed fox taller than the trees and a slightly smaller snow-white fox stood in front of Lu Zexuan. The two foxes stood side by side, the nine-tailed red fox with a cold expression while the white fox wagged its tail, still looking innocent and harmless.

Lu Zexuan was speechless. Yu Ran’s mental world was so rich and colorful. He thought he understood Yu Ran enough, but it turned out that what he knew was just the tip of the iceberg.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Zexuan tried to maintain a calm tone as he said, “Aren’t you going to give me an explanation?”

The illusion of Yu Ran came to Lu Zexuan’s side and looked at him earnestly. “First of all, I want to apologize to you—I’m sorry, Lu Zexuan, I’ve been using you.”

Lu Zexuan was speechless. Yu Ran was being so straightforward that Lu Zexuan couldn’t even get angry at him. As their eyes met, Yu Ran’s eyes were clear and sincere, while Lu Zexuan’s eyes were sharp and piercing. He stared fiercely at the person in front of him and gritted his teeth, asking, “The three people who died mysteriously on Planet B73…”

Yu Ran admitted straightforwardly, “I killed them.”

Lu Zexuan’s expression changed. “The information from the library of the Sentinel Academy…”

Yu Ran said, “I stole it.”

Lu Zexuan didn’t dare to ask further. He clenched his fists, suppressing the urge to send the guide in front of him straight to the military prison, closed his eyes lightly, and quickly calmed down. He asked in a low voice, “Who are you? What is your purpose for lurking around me?”

Yu Ran replied, “Have you heard of the Starlight Special Forces?”

Lu Zexuan was taken aback, “Never heard of it. Is it a special unit of the Starlight Legion?”

Yu Ran glanced towards the depths of the forest and said softly, “That’s a unit personally formed by General Xie Xi of the Starlight Legion, a special team composed entirely of aggressive guides. This team was usually used for covert reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.” Yu Ran paused, then looked at Lu Zexuan and said, “I was the first Captain of the Starlight Special Forces.”

Lu Zexuan’s heart trembled slightly, he couldn’t believe the person in front of him. The person was no longer the cute and innocent youth he remembered. When serious, Yu Ran indeed exuded a sharp and competent military aura. His clear eyes were calm and resolute, and his whole demeanor had changed.

— The Starlight Special Forces, an investigative unit composed entirely of guides. Yu Ran was actually the Captain of this special unit?

Lu Zexuan furrowed his brow, “I’ve never heard of this unit at all. How can I be sure what you’re saying is true?”

Yu Ran said slowly, “Five years ago… No, six years ago now, at the graduation ball of Star Calendar 494, we once passed by each other. At that time, I accidentally cut my finger and you caught the scent of guide essence from me—your suspicion was not wrong, I’m not 18 years old. In fact, I’m the same age as you, graduated in the same year.”

Lu Zexuan was speechless.  After circling around, wasn’t his intuition correct? The guide essence he smelled at the ball was indeed from him!

Yu Ran continued, “Members of the Starlight Special Forces need to carry out covert missions, so this unit has always been kept secret. Six years ago, there was a traitor within the Starlight Legion who leaked General Xie’s whereabouts. That disaster was not an accident, but intentional.” At this point, Yu Ran suddenly clenched his fists, his voice turning cold, “The reconnaissance battalion of the Starlight Legion was annihilated, and all the guides of the special forces also sacrificed themselves. General Xie Xi and Professor Qin Luo died in that accident… I’m the only survivor.” He lowered his head, a hint of imperceptible sadness flashing in his eyes, “My escape pod was swept into the South Triangulum Constellation, and I was lucky to survive. After returning to the capital star, I changed my identity and appearance, just to find out the truth of that year and give my sacrificed comrades an explanation.”

Listening to him slowly recounting the events of the past, Lu Zexuan still had doubts in his mind. All of this was Yu Ran’s word alone, relying solely on his words. If Lu Zexuan believed him directly, wouldn’t it be too naive? But subconsciously, he wanted to believe Yu Ran. Because everything Yu Ran said matched with what happened back then.

The sentinel mutation incident had been investigated by the Starlight Legion. General Xie Xi led the expedition back then, supposedly on a secret mission, but the news that came back was that General Xie died in battle— She led the elite forces of the Starlight Legion, with a large number of S-class and A-class sentinels and guides. Even if they encountered ferocious high-intelligence extraterrestrial creatures, it wouldn’t lead to the annihilation of the entire army, right?

Moreover, in the area where the Starlight ship exploded, there were no extraterrestrial creatures in the following years. Lu Zexuan had suspected that the events of that year were not simple, but he was not familiar with the Starlight Legion, and with his identity, he couldn’t investigate the secrets of other legions. He only knew that the area where the Starlight ship exploded happened to be near the South Triangulum Constellation—this secret was only known to the high-level military!

Yu Ran said that his escape pod was swept into the South Triangulum Constellation and survived, which matched.

Lu Zexuan’s mind was in chaos, his subconscious telling him to believe Yu Ran, but as a soldier, his vigilance prevented him from completely dispelling his guard. After all, Yu Ran had disguised himself too well before, his acting skills were simply top-notch, deceiving him until now…

Who can guarantee that Yu Ran isn’t trying to continue deceiving him to gain more trust and achieve more goals?

Seeing Lu Zexuan hesitating, Yu Ran candidly said, “I know you won’t believe my word alone, after all, I have no evidence to prove what I’m saying, and I lied to you for so long, it’s right for you to remain vigilant. But I hope, no matter what doubts you have about me, we can settle them privately in the mental world. Don’t expose my identity in front of others, can you?”

Lu Zexuan was speechless. This request wasn’t unreasonable. If what Yu Ran said was true, he might be an undercover agent sent by the high-level of the Starlight Legion, carrying out extremely dangerous missions. The consequence of his identity being exposed would be death.

Lu Zexuan didn’t dare to take this risk. After a moment of consideration, he nodded and said, “Okay, I can cooperate with you temporarily to conceal it from others. But I hope, from now on, you won’t lie to me anymore. You should know what you’ve done, if it’s not for a special mission, I can send you to prison at any time.”

Seeing that the sentinel seemed a bit angry, Yu Ran immediately raised his hand and said, “I promise not to lie to you anymore.”

Lu Zexuan paused and asked, “What’s your real name?”

Yu Ran was silent for a moment, “A name is just a code, you can call me Ranran, my nickname is Ranran.”

Lu Zexuan, “…Ranran?”

Yu Ran nodded and said, “Yes, from now on, I will call you Zexuan. In the eyes of outsiders, I saved you at great risk, and our relationship is closer, which is more reasonable.”

So, you’ve been acting all along, and you want to continue acting? Am I just a tool in your performance? Lu Zexuan furrowed his brows, forcefully severed the mental connection, turned around, and stopped talking.

Yu Ran was speechless.

The Nine-Tailed Fox reminded, “He’s angry. You’ve lied to him, used him, treated him as a tool, you’ve gone too far.”

The Little White Fox said, “Shouldn’t we comfort him a bit?”

Yu Ran helplessly said, “Let him calm down. The information I told him today is too much, he needs time to digest. But I believe he will figure it out. I haven’t misjudged him.”

Author’s Note:

Although Ranran confessed, from Lu Zexuan’s point of view, Ranran had been lying all along, what he said had no evidence, so it’s impossible to believe him directly. Trust will be built during their cooperation in battle.

Lu Zexuan only liked Ranran a little before, but after seeing the real side of Ranran, he will completely fall in love with him~