First Interstellar Guide Chapter 56: Cousin’s Death

Chapter 56: Cousin’s Death

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Before Lu Cheng’an had his accident, he actually ate cookies given to him by Lu Xiaolong?

Yu Ran furrowed his brows and asked, “Do you suspect that Lu Xiaolong drugged your cousin, leading to his sudden berserk?”

Lu Zexuan replied, “My cousin was a very sunny and optimistic person. Moreover, every time before he departed, Mohr would conduct mental grooming on him. His mental world didn’t have too many negative shadows. Sentinels like him usually wouldn’t suddenly berserk, right?”

There are two situations where sentinels berserk. One is due to excessive ability consumption, leading to berserk and loss of rationality. This initial berserk can be saved, as long as a guide re-grooms the sentinel’s mental world, they can regain consciousness. Tang Ce was saved like this by Yu Ran.

The other situation was when suppressed negative emotions in the sentinel’s mental landscape suddenly erupt under certain stimuli, causing the collapse of the mental landscape. The sentinel will berserk, even mutate into a monster. If not handled in time, the situation becomes more dangerous.

Yu Ran analyzed, “If your cousin didn’t have many negative emotions inside, then only excessive ability consumption would trigger the berserk… Of course, drugs developed by the secret Dark Night Organization could also cause sentinels to suddenly lose control.”

Lu Zexuan clenched his fists, “When my cousin suddenly berserked that year, I thought he did it to save me, because of excessive ability consumption… Since you mentioned that the secret Dark Night Organization was experimenting with sentinels, I carefully recalled, and indeed, there were many things that didn’t make sense. That day, the Eagle starship encountered a cosmic sandstorm, and was forced to land on a strange planet. We encountered a kind of monster we had never seen before, a creature covered with eyes all over its body, and many tentacles. Many team members were taken away by them, and I was also surrounded by monsters.”

“My cousin came to rescue me, it only took a few minutes, how could his abilities suddenly be exhausted?” Lu Zexuan looked at Yu Ran, “It’s more likely that there was a problem with the cookies Lu Xiaolong gave him that year. After taking the medicine, he experienced side effects during the fight, which led to an unexpected loss of control.”

“…” Listening to Lu Zexuan’s narration, Yu Ran didn’t know what to say.

It seems that the secret Dark Night Organization had been planning for a long time. They had already researched drugs for sentinels, but the formula was not yet perfect.

In the year 494 of the star calendar, it was a time node for the activities of the secret Dark Night Organization. They not only infiltrated spies into the Starlight Legion, leaked General Xie’s whereabouts, and wiped out those who knew the secrets, but also infiltrated spies into the Eagle Special Forces, intending to threaten the Legion Commander Lu Tingyu by controlling Major General Lu Cheng’an.

Unexpectedly, the Eagle Special Forces encountered an accident, the dosage given to Lu Cheng’an was not controlled well, leading to his berserk and sacrifice.

The event of the reconnaissance battalion of the Starlight Legion being annihilated caused a great sensation, and both the military and the presidential palace began to investigate. The secret Dark Night Organization was worried about exposure and temporarily ceased its operations. The undercover agent Lu Xiaolong sent to the Eagle Special Forces then lurked down, continuing to monitor the new Captain Lu Zexuan.

Lu Cheng’an was a “failed” experiment of the secret Dark Night Organization. Lu Zexuan was their second target.

This time, they improved the formula of the drug, divided the dosage into more than thirty pieces, slowly releasing it, giving the sentinel time to adapt and buffer. When the accumulation of drugs in the body reached the critical value, the higher-level guide would destroy the sentinel’s mental landscape, directly controlling the opponent’s spirit body, thereby making the sentinel completely become a “puppet without thinking ability”.

As long as they could control the S-class sentinel leader, the other A-class, B-class sentinels would naturally obey. The next step would be to control the entire federation. Their intentions were so sinister and their methods so vicious, it was simply inhuman!

Yu Ran said, “Considering it, your cousin’s sacrifice was in the star calendar of 494 May, which was the same time as the main ship of the Starlight Legion was destroyed. During that period, it was the most active time for the secret Dark Night Organization. At the same time, infiltrating spies into major legions also fits their style… From your description, your cousin’s sudden berserk does indeed resemble the symptoms caused by drugs.”

Lu Zexuan clenched his fists tightly, his gaze icy. “This bastard Lu Xiaolong, my cousin trusted him so much, and he actually drugged him in the snacks!”

Yu Ran gently patted Lu Zexuan’s hand back. “I know you hate the person who killed your cousin, but Lu Xiaolong is just a foot soldier, acting on orders. The real culprit behind the scenes is the key.”

Lu Zexuan quickly calmed down and looked at Yu Ran. “You’re right. Killing Lu Xiaolong now would be meaningless. Since it’s confirmed that he’s an undercover agent planted by the secret Dark Night Organization around us, it’s better to make good use of his identity and have him do something for us.”

“It’s good that you can think like this.” Yu Ran paused and asked again, “What about Mohr? Have you investigated?”

“He was my mother’s student, his background should be fine. He has always been unwilling to leave the Eagle Special Forces, maybe because…” Lu Zexuan closed his eyes and said in a low voice, “He can’t let go of my cousin.”

Yu Ran widened his eyes slightly — couldn’t let go of Lu Cheng’an? Could it be that Mohr had been secretly in love with Lu Zexuan’s cousin all this time?

Bringing up these past events, emotions surged in Lu Zexuan’s deep eyes, and Yu Ran could clearly feel his pain and guilt.

Yu Ran’s mental tendrils were connected to him, and in his mental landscape, black memory bubbles suddenly emerged from the depths of the snowy mountains.

It was a past event that Lu Zexuan forcibly suppressed and didn’t want to mention. At this moment, it vividly appeared before his eyes. The entire mental landscape was covered in clouds.

Strange planets, terrifying galactic creatures…

It was a bizarre creature, covered with strange eyes and black tentacles all over its body. Each tentacle was filled with sharp thorns, waving frantically in the air like a devil’s claws.

The sentinels tried their best to escape, and most of them ran back to the starship. Lu Zexuan accidentally let the tentacles entangle his legs while escaping and was forcibly dragged into the group of monsters.

He was surrounded by monsters, holding a sword, fighting desperately against those monsters. The thorns on the tentacles cut him all over, his body covered in blood. Lu Zexuan couldn’t break free for a while. At this moment, a furious shout came from high in the sky, “Zexuan, be careful!”

A person with huge wings descended from the sky, wielding an electromagnetic knife, fiercely cutting open a path.

Countless tentacles were cut off, and the thick black liquid around them flooded the two brothers like a torrential rain.

Lu Cheng’an grabbed Lu Zexuan’s shoulder with one hand and swiftly chopped the tentacles around him with the other. Lu Zexuan also cooperated with his brother to fight together. The two of them fought in harmony and quickly broke out of the encirclement of the beasts, flying into the air together…

But at this moment, Lu Cheng’an suddenly covered his head in pain and made a painful sound from his mouth.

Lu Zexuan looked back at him in confusion, “Bro?”

Lu Cheng’an’s sclera gradually disappeared, and his pupils were dyed with a strange ink-black layer — the sign of a sentinel berserk.

Lu Zexuan’s heart skipped a beat, hastily turning to pull Lu Cheng’an, “Brother—!”

But Lu Cheng’an, with the last bit of strength, forcibly pushed Lu Zexuan towards the high-altitude airship coming to pick them up.

His voice came intermittently, “Live well… and take care of Mohr…”

Lu Cheng’an seemed to have gone mad, in that instant losing his sanity and wildly slashing around.

The tentacles beneath his feet, like hungry beasts, excitedly entwined around Lu Cheng’an’s body. Lu Zexuan saw his cousin’s body torn apart by those tentacles, glaring blood spraying onto Lu Zexuan’s face, carrying a metallic and sweet smell.

…It was a nightmare that Lu Zexuan could never erase from his memory.

Over the years, he had been wondering why it wasn’t him who died back then? Why did his brother have to go save him?

In fact, the dead knew nothing, it’s the living who suffer the most.

He often dreamed of his cousin’s sacrifice scene in the deep of night, then woke up from the nightmare, sitting on the couch, silently waiting for dawn.

Perhaps Mohr felt the same way as him? Mohr, who came to pick them up at the time, saw the tragic scene of his cousin being torn apart by monsters. How sad must he have been when he recalled that scene in the dead of night?

Lu Zexuan closed his eyes, his shoulders trembling violently.

Seeing him in such pain, Yu Ran couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, gently patting his back to comfort him, saying, “It’s all in the past, your cousin also hoped you can live well. If you’re sad, just let it out, don’t keep it bottled up inside.”

Lu Zexuan turned around, gently embracing Yu Ran, as if trying to draw some strength from him.

Yu Ran soothingly patted his back.

Lu Zexuan buried his face in Yu Ran’s shoulder, and after a long time, finally calmed down, whispering, “I’ll go see Mohr. This mission is very dangerous, I can’t bring him along. If anything happens to him… I won’t be able to face my cousin.”

Yu Ran nodded, “Alright, take the opportunity to persuade him to retire.”

***

Mohr was sitting on the couch, holding a photo in his hands. It was a group photo of all the team members before their first mission with the eagle Special Forces. That year, he was 20 years old, and Lu Cheng’an was 22.

During the group photo, because he was the guide while the others were sentinels, Lu Cheng’an willingly reached out his arm, warmly pulling him close, saying with a smile, “Come on, Mohr, stand here. From now on, you’re our team’s guide, and we’ll rely on you to heal us.” 

The young general, in his sharp military uniform, had a bright and dazzling smile.

Lu Cheng’an was naturally warm-hearted and seemed to treat Mohr like a good brother, casually wrapping his arm around Mohr’s shoulder. Mohr, somewhat germophobic and rarely making physical contact with others, felt a bit stiff being hugged, adjusting his glasses and looking somewhat awkwardly at the camera.

The second photo was taken later before another mission.

Lu Cheng’an had a habit of pulling the team together for a group photo before every departure, because he said, “I hope we can all come back in one piece! In case someone sacrifices themselves during the mission, we should keep a good picture of that hero who fought alongside us.”

Mohr’s album was filled with numerous group photos. As he flipped through the album now, memories replayed before his eyes. Each scene from every mission was still vivid in his memory. But when he reached the last page of the album, there was nothing more. Because, the Captain who used to gather everyone for photos never returned.

…That was their last group photo.

In the picture, Lu Cheng’an still stood in the middle of the team, gently embracing Mohr’s shoulder with a radiant smile. On his other side was the recently graduated Lu Zexuan, with a hint of youthful innocence still on his face.

Mohr’s fingers lightly slid over the photo, finally stopping at the smiling lips of the person.

Over the years, when alone in his dormitory, Mohr would take out this group photo, wiping it clean again and again, flipping through it repeatedly. That vivid and lively smiling face remained etched in his memory, as if that spirited young general had never left.

Mohr’s eyes unknowingly became moist.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door outside. He quickly hid the photo, adjusted his expression, and got up to open the door.

Lu Zexuan was standing at the door, looking at Mohr with a complex gaze. As a guide, Mohr was sensitive to emotions, and he sensed Lu Zexuan’s intense sadness, pain, and anger… many conflicting emotions intertwined, but the most distinct was a strong sense of guilt.

Mohr worriedly asked, “What’s wrong? Did you have a fight with Ranran?”

Lu Zexuan shook his head, “Come in, let’s talk inside.”

Mohr stepped aside to let Lu Zexuan in, then closed the door behind him.

Only then did Lu Zexuan turn to look at him, saying, “Tomorrow, the White Tower will issue new mission orders, and this time, you won’t be going with us. I’ll help you submit a retirement application. You’ve served in the eagle Special Forces for eight years, and it’s time for you to rest for a while.”

Mohr was taken aback, jokingly saying, “Are you trying to kick me out?”

Lu Zexuan lowered his head, his voice hoarse, “My cousin entrusted me to take care of you. This mission is very dangerous, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Mohr was speechless. The usually gentle and scholarly guide, behind the lenses of his glasses, his warm eyes suddenly reddened upon hearing those words, as if there were tears shimmering at the corners of his eyes.

Lu Zexuan saw his hands trembling slightly, and after a long while, Mohr took a deep breath and calmed down, softly saying, “Do you know why I’ve been reluctant to leave the eagle Special Forces? Because, many years ago, someone told me — in the future, the eagle starship would be my home.”

Lu Zexuan was speechless.

Mohr became an orphan at the age of 16, and he had no family left. Later, he went to the guide academy, then to the military medical school. He no longer had a home. But after joining the eagle Special Forces, the cheerful and sunny Lu Cheng’an perhaps gave him a lot of warmth.

For someone like his cousin, the words “this place is your home” might have been just a casual remark. But Mohr took it to heart and remembered it for many years.

Mohr looked at Lu Zexuan, his gaze gentle yet firm, “For me, the best ending in this life is to sacrifice during a mission, just like him. My greatest wish is to be buried in the Southern Mountain Cemetery as a martyr. When that time comes, please place my tombstone next to his, and I’ll be content. I’m not afraid of death. I just don’t want to leave here.”

Lu Zexuan listened to his gentle voice, his heart aching like a knife.

When he joined the eagle Special Forces years ago, Mohr had already fought alongside his cousin for three years, and he only thought of Mohr as a gentle military doctor. His cousin also seemed to care for Mohr a lot, and he thought it was just the Captain looking out for the doctor.

He never expected that feelings had already blossomed between the two during those three years of fighting side by side.

It’s a pity that Mohr, with his gentle and reserved nature, isn’t good at expressing his feelings, while his cousin was a carefree person. They never had the chance to clarify their feelings for each other… and thus they remain separated forever.

Over the years, Mohr refused to leave the team, all because Lu Cheng’an once told him: “This place is your home.”

How could he bear to leave his home? He must have suffered even more than Lu Zexuan over these years, right?

Lu Zexuan lowered his head, his voice incredibly hoarse, “I won’t try to convince you to retire anymore… I’m sorry.”

Mohr smiled gently and said, “It’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself. Even if it wasn’t you who got trapped back then, as long as it was one of his team members, he would have gone to save them. You cousins are both deeply loyal and compassionate. Remember when you risked your life to save all the team members in the Dorado Constellation? He simply made the same choice back then, it was just an accident.”

But his cousin’s death might not have been an accident, it could have been intentional…

Lu Zexuan forcefully suppressed the urge to tell Mohr the truth. Forget it, telling Mohr would only cause him unnecessary distress. Let him and Yu Ran deal with those insane lunatics from the Dark Night Organization.