First Interstellar Guide Chapter 89: Red Spider Planet

Chapter 89: Red Spider Planet

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Qin Xiao’s reaction puzzled both Harrison and Zhu Tianyi. He had taken both of them into the cosmic wormhole and landed on this planet. Obviously, he had known about the existence of this planet long ago. But there was no information about this planet in the federal database… So, how did he know?

Qin Xiao turned around, met the puzzled gaze of the two, and asked with concern, “Your Excellency President, are you alright?”

Harrison solemnly replied, “I’m fine. Marshal, what are you doing here?”

Although Qin Xiao had a fake beard and painted eyebrows, Harrison still recognized his eyes.

Qin Xiao tore off the fake beard and eyebrows, saying, “It’s a long story. I’ll explain it to you in detail.” He gestured “please” and pointed to the depths of the red mist. Zhu Tianyi and Harrison exchanged a glance and had no choice but to follow him.

The red mist in front of them slowly dispersed as if it had spirituality, and Qin Xiao led the two into the center of the red mist.

After walking for about a few hundred meters, they saw a… human camp?

There were many makeshift wooden huts built with branches and leaves. Next to the huts, several storage baskets woven from branches were placed side by side, containing many strange fruits and clear water obtained from bamboo tubes.

In the open space not far ahead, dozens of people formed a circle, and inside the circle, a male and a female sentinel were practicing martial arts.

A familiar voice came, “Birdie, your boxing has improved a lot!”

The girl’s voice crisply replied, “Thank you, General, for your praise, but I still can’t beat Xiao Tang.”

Tang Ce chuckled, “Sister Bird, I just have a slight advantage in physical strength. In terms of speed, you are the strongest.”

Zhu Tianyi and Harrison looked at the scene in front of them in astonishment. Wasn’t this General Lu Tingyu, who had just sacrificed himself by the Eagle Legion not long ago and even had a grand funeral? And weren’t the Eagle Special Forces supposed to have all perished in the Sagittarius constellation? How come they were all alive?

Seeing so many people “playing dead” in broad daylight, even Captain Zhu, who had a strong psychological resilience, couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. Although Harrison maintained a serious expression, a hint of confusion and bewilderment flickered in his eyes.

Qin Xiao had anticipated this and said loudly, “General Lu, long time no see. You seem to be living quite leisurely here.”

A group of people turned their heads upon hearing the voice, then collectively widened their eyes. What’s going on? Three more people came? If they weren’t mistaken, these were President Harrison, Marshal Qin Xiao, and Chief Zhu Tianyi, right? Has this planet become a tourist attraction? Are batches of people falling out of the wormhole?

General Lu Tingyu walked over in surprise and asked, “Marshal? President? Chief Zhu? What are you doing here?!”

Qin Xiao explained, “I secretly left the capital star to find someone here, as for the president and Chief Zhu…”

Zhu Tianyi said expressionlessly, “We escaped here to save our lives.”

Everyone was speechless. The atmosphere on the scene became somewhat strange for a moment. So many important figures actually gathered on Red Spider. This planet inexplicably became the rear headquarters of humanity.

After a moment of astonishment, General Lu Tingyu reacted and lowered his voice, asking, “Marshal, things aren’t going well on the capital star, are they?” 

Otherwise, Marshal Qin Xiao, as a marshal, wouldn’t have personally come to Red Spider.

Qin Xiao nodded and said, “General Lu, please step aside for a moment.”

General Lu said, “Please.”

He led the president, Chief Zhu, and the marshal into the wooden hut he had built. The hut was neatly arranged, with makeshift beds made of dried plants inside, as well as some wooden pots, stools, and so on. It seemed that General Lu was living quite comfortably in the wilderness.

Qin Xiao extended his blue mental tendrils and pulled the three into his mental world. The three felt a blur before finding themselves in the depths of the ocean, surrounded by familiar jellyfish. In this way, their secret conversation couldn’t be eavesdropped on by anyone.

President Harrison suddenly realized and exclaimed, “So, the casualties of the Eagle Special Forces and General Lu’s sacrifice were deliberately orchestrated to deceive the enemy?”

General Lu nodded and said, “Yes, only in this way can the people of the Dark Night Organization relax their vigilance.”

Zhu Tianyi asked in confusion, “Marshal, what exactly is going on?”

Qin Xiao said, “Our people have found some crucial clues. Besides the scientist Morvi, the leader of the Dark Night Organization, there is another person with extremely strong mimicry abilities, who can change appearance at will and impersonate any human he has seen.”

The three were stunned when they heard this.

General Lu asked, “Mimicking others, is it similar to shapeshifting?”

“More powerful than shapeshifting, he can even mimic voices,” Qin Xiao looked at Harrison and asked, “Your Excellency President, have you ever privately met Major General Lu Zexuan?”

Harrison replied firmly, “I only saw him once at the funeral, never privately.”

Qin Xiao said, “That’s right. Major General Lu Zexuan has met you in private— that was the imposter of the Dark Night Organization posing as the president.”

President Harrison gasped, realizing that someone had been impersonating him in the shadows, and his pupils contracted. He clenched his fist lightly, “So, that person has been using my identity to gain support?”

Qin Xiao nodded, “Yes, this is also the key for the Dark Night Organization to grow and infiltrate various fields of the federation in just a few years.”

The three exchanged glances upon hearing this conclusion. Zhu Tianyi finally understood why his investigation into this organization had been stagnant. It turned out that they had planted too many moles in various fields of the federation under the guise of the president. In fact, the president had no idea, and there was a “counterfeit” operating behind the scenes.

Harrison frowned, “No wonder they wanted to assassinate me. As long as I die, the imposter can take my place and be re-elected as the next president.”

Zhu Tianyi asked, “So, they’re also controlling sentinels to gain votes?”

General Lu analyzed, “Perhaps Morvi’s sentinel experiment is just part of it. After the imposter president takes office, their new policies may even aim to eradicate sentinels from a genetic level!” General Lu’s usually good temper flared up, “This organization seems to have a deep-seated hatred towards sentinels. From the clues I’ve gathered over the years, there could be tens of thousands of sentinels driven to madness because of their experiments!”

Tens of thousands of people, it’s not just a simple number. Behind this are tens of thousands of shattered families… Thinking of those sentinels twisted by failed experiments, the group felt both heartache and anger. These people are simply insane, devoid of humanity!

Qin Xiao asked, “General Lu, do you remember what happened in the Horologium Constellation over a decade ago?”

General Lu still vividly remembered this event. He replied, “At that time, out of the 150 soldiers in the Sunday Special Forces, 148 sacrificed, only Otis and Ludwig survived and returned.”

Qin Xiao said, “General Otis has already joined the Dark Night Organization. And Ludwig, who was the guide back then and is now the president of the Guide Association, we suspect he might have been parasitized by galactic creatures.”

This statement shocked everyone once again. Parasitized? So, Ludwig’s appearance hasn’t changed for many years because there’s a terrifying creature from galactic creatures inside him?

Qin Xiao continued, “I secretly left the capital star this time to investigate the incident in the Horologium Constellation years ago. I am a guide with high mental energy but not strong in combat. I need a few trustworthy sentinels to accompany me.”

Zhu Tianyi volunteered, “I’ll accompany you.”

Qin Xiao said, “No, Chief Zhu, you should stay to protect the president.”

Harrison waved his hand, “Don’t worry about me. With General Lu here, I should be safe. If the marshal’s speculation is true, then we’ll be facing the life and death of countless sentinels! Let Xiaozhu accompany you. He has been a chief in the Investigation Division for seven years, with rich combat experience and very keen observation skills. He can protect you.”

This Black Widow’s combat power is indeed strong. Having him accompany would be an assurance. Qin Xiao didn’t oppose anymore and said, “Alright, then Chief Zhu will go with me.”

Zhu Tianyi nodded, “I will definitely protect the marshal.”

General Lu said, “Hummingbird is the fastest sentinel, Zhao Feng and Zhao Quan, this pair of Vultures, have been my trusted subordinates for many years and have great tacit understanding. Let them accompany you. If you need talents in any other aspect, you can directly ask.”

Qin Xiao smiled, “Let Xiao Tang go with us too.”

General Lu was speechless. “Xiao Tang? Isn’t he a newcomer who just graduated from the military academy?”

Qin Xiao said straightforwardly, “His real name is Tang Ce. He’s the undercover I sent to your Eagle Legion.”

General Lu was speechless again. Saying this in front of me, as the Legion Commander, really puts me in an awkward position. General Lu touched his nose and said, “No wonder, he has been practicing martial arts with others these days and hardly ever lost.”

Qin Xiao asked the president and Zhu Tianyi to leave his mental landscape, leaving only General Lu. He looked at the other person and said seriously, “General Lu, there is another secret I need to tell you privately. Yu Ran… his real name is Xie Ran, the only son of General Xie Xi and General Qin Luo, and also the strongest undercover agent I sent to the Dark Night Organization. Everything I said today was discovered by him, and this Red Spider Planet was also discovered by him.”

General Lu couldn’t believe it, “Are you saying Yu Ran? My son’s boyfriend, that C-rank guide Yu Ran?”

That cute and innocent-looking C-rank guide turned out to be General Xie’s son?

Qin Xiao said, “Yes. That child has suffered a lot over the years. In case… I mean, in case something happens during this mission, I hope that when you return to the capital star, you can testify publicly about his undercover identity and restore his name as Xie Ran.” Qin Xiao’s eyes flashed with a hint of pain. “With both his parents gone, he doesn’t have many relatives in this world. I can see that he and your son, Lu Zexuan, are deeply in love. In the future, after we’ve dealt with the enemy, if they can be together, as Lu Zexuan’s father, I hope you can treat him as you would your own son and let Lu Zexuan take good care of him.”

The tone, akin to entrusting a legacy on his deathbed, made General Lu’s heart tremble slightly.

Yu Ran turned out to be General Xie’s son. General Lu found it hard to imagine how Xie Ran, who was barely 20 years old, managed to survive alone, discover this planet, change his appearance to return to the Marshal, assume a false identity, and become an undercover agent for the Dark Night Organization. Xie Ran was born in the same year and month as Zexuan. 

Compared to Zexuan, who had comrades and relatives over the years, what about Ranran? He had walked alone like a lone wolf, facing countless hardships just to infiltrate the Dark Night Organization and uncover so many important clues. Over the years, he had been constantly in mortal danger, unable to even mention the name “Xie Ran” to anyone. If General Xie were still alive, knowing how much her son had suffered, she would surely be heartbroken. Even General Lu couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. 

He took a deep breath and looked at the Marshal, saying, “I’ve remembered your instructions. However, since he is your undercover agent, it should be you who publicly reveals his identity in the future and awards him the First-Class Medal of Merit of the Federation Military Department. I don’t want to take your place in doing this, so please, make sure you come back alive.”

Qin Xiao fell silent for a moment and whispered, “I’ll do my best. I also hope that day will come.”

He hoped that one day, in front of everyone, he could personally say: “Xie Ran, welcome home.”

***

That afternoon, Marshal Qin Xiao led a small elite team consisting of Zhu Tianyi, Tang Ce, Hummingbird, and the Zhao Feng and Zhao Quan brothers, setting off from Red Spider Planet to the unfamiliar Horologium Constellation.

Meanwhile, in the conference room of the Central Academy of Sciences on the capital star, a handsome man with golden long hair stood smiling in front of a mirror and said, “All obstacles that needed to be overcome have been dealt with. Next, we’ll wait for the presidential election and let Harrison continue his tenure.”

After saying this, he looked at the mirror. Suddenly, the handsome man’s features and body began to distort. Underneath his fair skin, it seemed like something strange was wriggling. A layer of skin slowly peeled off, and another layer covered the surface of his body. In no time, a President Harrison with a 99% resemblance appeared in the mirror.