FT DR Chapter 132: Storm Brewing

Chapter 132: Storm Brewing

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

On the forty-second standard day of the annual cruise, the fleet reached the outermost edge of the Alpha Front.

Not a single expected accident occurred, no disturbances, no checkpoints, no ambushes… everything went smoothly, unbelievably so.

On the forty-third day, the fleet rested at the last supply station of the Alpha Front. Jin Xuan made the decision to return, informing the navigator, “Set sail for the Star Core in eighteen hours.”

“Yes, sir,” the navigator replied solemnly, asking, “Shall we return by the same route?”

“No, we’ll take a different route.” Jin Xuan drew a winding arc on the holographic starmap. “We’ll follow this direction on the way back.”

“This route has poor conditions, too close to the Zhi Fu Chain Nebula. Turbulence and magnetic storms can cause significant damage to propulsion systems,” the navigator hesitated, “and if we proceed in this direction, we’ll inevitably intersect with the Beta Front in several places. If we encounter the First Army’s checkpoints, it’s likely to lead to conflict.”

“I just want to see if they’ll take action against us.” Jin Xuan marked several points on the just-ended route. “This cruise has been too smooth. Whenever we’ve approached these points near the Beta Front before, they’ve always sent out fleets to demonstrate. But this time, there’s been nothing. I sense something’s wrong.”

“The case of setting up checkpoints without authorization has just been settled, and the military court’s ruling came down not long ago. Perhaps they’ve been taught a lesson and dare not harass us again in the short term,” the navigator said. “I think they still fear the Federal Military Court. It’s said that Commander Hannibal is very angry and has heavily punished those involved.”

“I don’t believe they’d behave so well,” Jin Xuan scoffed. “If they knew how to restrain themselves, they wouldn’t be the Voyager Army. “Using fluorescent color, he marked several points on his newly planned route. “When we return, we’ll check these points. If we still don’t encounter their people, there’s probably a significant problem.”

“What kind of significant problem?” Wu Chenghe had just finished an internal technical exchange on navigation medicine and shuttle back to the flagship. Hearing Jin Xuan’s words, he leaned over and asked, “Is there a problem with the navigation?”

“Not at the moment.” Jin Xuan took off his military cap, dusting off the medicine powder on the brim. “But if they remain inactive when we return, there’s likely to be a problem.”

“Huh? Isn’t it good if they remain inactive?” Wu Chenghe didn’t understand much about strategy, leaning on the console to ask him. Jin Xuan looked at his slightly messy short hair, forcibly suppressing the urge to immediately go over and tousle it, saying, “The Voyager Army excels at fighting three to one. If we approach them this closely and they don’t come out to fight us, it means there are very, very few personnel left at their main base. But we all know that the ‘Capturers’ fleet is a quarter larger than the ‘Tianchuan,’ so…”

Wu Chenghe’s expression changed, “So you suspect that the ‘Capturers’ haven’t been staying at their main base recently but are on some secret mission.”

Jin Xuan couldn’t hold back anymore, patting his head approvingly, “Yes, that’s why I must probe them.”

The navigator silently turned his head, indicating that he hadn’t seen anything and inviting them to display their affection freely. Wu Chenghe felt a bit embarrassed, avoiding his dirty hands and solemnly saying, “Isn’t the ‘Capturers’ mission to guard the Beta Front? During our annual cruise, they’ve left their main base. That doesn’t seem quite logical.”

“If they have a more important mission, then it would make sense,” Jin Xuan shrugged helplessly, “Unfortunately, we don’t know what their important mission is. Our intelligence agencies have been a bit negligent these past two years.” Though he said that, he also knew how difficult it was to extract information from Hannibal. Unlike Lancer General, Hannibal had extraordinary talent in military management, shaping the First Army into an impenetrable fortress over the past decade. Jin Zhe had been trying to infiltrate during his time at NTU, but so far, he hadn’t managed to place a single spy in his core staff.

Wu Chenghe was also quite helpless about this, but he still had some trust in Jin Xuan’s intuition, furrowing his brow and saying, “What if they sneak past the Alpha Defense Line while we’re on our cruise? The biggest task of the ‘Capturers’ seems to be confronting us. If they have a secret mission, it’s probably related to our jurisdiction.”

“It shouldn’t be a big problem. The fleet left behind by the ‘Tianchuan’ will keep an eye on our home base. Besides, there’s also the ‘Yuechuan,’ they’ve been on interstellar patrols. Once fleets with other designations enter the Independent Vertical Fleet’s territory, General will be notified immediately,” Jin Xuan said. “Plus, Jin Zhe is inspecting this side. If we can probe the truth during our return journey, it’s a good opportunity to catch Hannibal and drag him to the military court again, giving him a slap in the face.”

Wu Chenghe liked Jin Xuan’s ruthless and sinister face. He chuckled, saying, “You’re the boss, we all follow your lead.”

“Absolutely,” Jin Xuan continued, rubbing his temples. “We’re setting sail in eighteen hours, so take this time to rest well. The return journey will be challenging, requiring frequent periods of sleep and wakefulness. Your health is weak; don’t make yourself sick.” 

Since receiving a letter from the Tianchuan Hospital, Wu Chenghe had been falling ill—low-grade fever, abdominal pain, and vomiting several times. His already slender figure seemed even weaker, which greatly worried Jin Xuan.

“I’m fine now,” Wu Chenghe didn’t want Jin Xuan to be distracted at this time, saying nonchalantly, “Just a slight case of jet lag sickness. The medicine the navigation doctor prescribed has helped a lot.”

“Forget about those navigation doctors. Don’t bother with them anymore,” Jin Xuan’s mood soured at the mention of them. “Are you a navigation doctor or are they navigation doctors? If they can’t handle the cases, they should resign. Why should you be dragged into consultations? Am I too easygoing? Would other full-time military doctors be borrowed and lent out like this?”

Wu Chenghe quickly smoothed things over, “It’s nothing, I volunteered for this. Hey hey, don’t you know I’m the Goddess of Navigation?”

“Go rest. You’re not allowed to leave the flagship before departure,” Jin Xuan reached out and hugged his waist, noticing that his previously fitted military uniform was now somewhat loose. His brows immediately furrowed, and he called a steward, “Tell them from today onwards, Lieutenant Wu is not to use the shuttle without my orders, and no other ship’s navigation doctors are allowed on the flagship. My full-time doctor needs rest!”

Wu Chenghe couldn’t argue with Jin Xuan, and he was indeed quite tired, so he didn’t object. He tucked his military cap under his armpit and went to rest in the interior cabin, only giving Jin Xuan a gesture of disdain as he left.

They started to have a look. Jin Xuan raised an eyebrow, a look of “What are you going to do about it?” on his face. The steward and the navigator indicated they hadn’t seen anything and silently dispersed.

Over the next five days, they advanced along the route Jin Xuan had determined, undergoing a minor curvature propulsion. They reached the first test point. This point was very close to the Beta Front. Normally, if the Tianchuan dared to approach the Capturers’ checkpoints like this, they would have been intercepted long ago, with warning shots at best. If they encountered someone more trigger-happy, they could end up in a fight.

But this time, only two small warships came out from the checkpoint to negotiate with them, warning them to leave immediately and not to provoke beyond the Beta Front. Jin Xuan received their warning without reply, nor did they linger. He immediately informed the fleet to change course and return in the direction of the Alpha Front.

In the main control room, Jin Xuan’s expression was very solemn. The navigator stood by, adjusting the course. He initiated a multi-angle communication, summoning the captains of several main battleships together, and said seriously, “I just received a response from the checkpoint. It seems that something is wrong. I suspect that the main force of the Capturers’ fleet has withdrawn from the Beta Front. Pessimistically speaking, they may have already quantum leaped into the star domain under our Independent Vertical Fleet’s jurisdiction.”

Several captains looked grave. A major hesitated and said, “We haven’t received any warnings from the remaining fleet. If the Capture Fleet had crossed the line, how could they possibly have gone unnoticed?”

“Alpha is a three-dimensional front line. No matter how big our fleet is, once we spread out, our defense network will become thin,” Jin Xuan said. “For the past two years, we and the Capturers have been studying each other’s defense formations. While we can find their patrol patterns, they can also find ours. Nothing can be perfect. We must prepare for the worst.” In fact, he hadn’t mentioned the more serious matter. Ninety percent of the Alpha Front belongs to the Tianchuan’s defense zone, but there’s also a small part belonging to the Yuechuan, and the fleet commander of the Yuechuan, General Latika, used to belong to the Second Army under Hannibal.

Before coming to the Independent Vertical Fleet, Jin Zhe told him to closely monitor General Latika’s movements. Initially ordered to take over half of the Second Army’s power, it was impossible to replace all of the original personnel. It was necessary to leave behind some relatively loyal individuals as buffers, and General Latika was one of them. Jin Zhe didn’t fully trust this Indian-origin female general, so he had been reminding Jin Xuan to pay attention to her movements.

A year ago, Hannibal’s son Marlow applied to join the Independent Vertical Fleet and ended up in the Yuechuan fleet. Jin Zhe suspected it was the result of Hannibal’s private operations. Therefore, in the first half of the year, he arranged for someone to infiltrate General Latika’s staff. However, they hadn’t obtained conclusive evidence to prove her connection with Hannibal.

“The previously planned route needs to be changed,” Jin Xuan told the captains. “I suspect that other numbered fleets have entered our jurisdictional area. We must join forces with the remaining fleet for a detailed inspection. So, from now on, we’ll switch to high-speed curvature propulsion. We must return to Star Core as quickly as possible!”

The captains all accepted their orders without questioning. Jin Xuan’s military intuition was exceptional, and over the past two years, they had witnessed his quick and decisive actions. In times like these, there was no room for dissent. They immediately contacted the navigators to formulate curvature propulsion routes. Jin Xuan closed the multi-angle communication and sent a battle report to Yan Que, stationed on the other side, asking him to inquire about the situation of the Yuechuan fleet. Afterwards, he wrote a separate letter to Jin Zhe, detailing his suspicions and deductions, asking him to pay extra attention from his position at Yan Que.

With everything arranged, Jin Xuan went back to the interior cabin to visit Wu Chenghe. However, as soon as he entered, he saw Wu Chenghe lying listlessly on the bed, with an unopened bag of nutrients beside him.

“How are you feeling? Do you want to eat something?” Jin Xuan asked softly, feeling extremely sorry for him. “Or are you still not feeling hungry? What’s wrong with you? Is it some sort of radiation sickness?”

“I have laziness syndrome,” Wu Chenghe said weakly. “I want to eat, but I can’t even be bothered to move my hands.”

Jin Xuan was speechless. He picked up the nutrients, opened them, and fed them to Wu Chenghe, supporting his chin and teasing, “Do you want me to use my tongue to shove it down your throat?”

“…No need, your tongue is too long. Just thinking about it makes me full,” Wu Chenghe struggled to sit up, pushing back his messy hair. “I feel like something’s not right.”

“What’s wrong?” Jin Xuan continued to squeeze the nutrients, but Wu Chenghe turned his head away, refusing to eat. 

He said, “I feel like I might be pregnant again.”

Jin Xuan’s eyes widened suddenly. “You’re not serious, are you? Have you called for the ship’s doctor?”

“Not yet… don’t feed me, I don’t want to eat. I’ll go to the medical room for a pregnancy test later,” Wu Chenghe said. “No need to call for other ship’s doctors. We don’t have any specialists in male health, and I can take care of myself.”

Jin Xuan carefully examined his expression, making sure he wasn’t panicking, angry, or scared. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Don’t worry. If you’re pregnant, we’ll deal with it together.”

“I’m not afraid,” Wu Chenghe said. “I’m just a little worried that frequent sleep cycles during the return journey might not be good for the embryo.” After two years of being with the twins and after being brainwashed by Mu, he was quite calm about having a child now. It’s only four or five months of hardship. If they could have more daughters like Zhuang Zhuang, what’s a little trouble?

Jin Xuan had always known that he was particularly conflicted about having children. Seeing him so calm this time was quite surprising. But as long as he was willing to have the child, he was willing to kneel down and pray to his wife. He said warmly, “Don’t worry about that. We’re heading back at full speed now. You just need to keep sleeping, and by the time you wake up next, we’ll be at the Star Core.” He then briefed him on the situation he had reported to the captains earlier.

Wu Chenghe nodded and got up to change clothes, preparing to go to the medical room for a pregnancy test. But as he reached the door, he suddenly said, “Do you think this abnormality with the Capture fleet has anything to do with Dean?”

Jin Xuan’s expression changed briefly, but he quickly returned to normal and said, “Why would you connect these two things?”

Wu Chenghe scratched his head, realizing he had just blurted it out, and now thinking it didn’t make much sense. “I just said it casually. It’s probably just a coincidence,” he said before opening the door and leaving. Seeing his back disappearing down the corridor, Jin Xuan immediately jumped up, closed the door, and opened his personal terminal to send Jin Zhe an additional message.

Wu Chenghe’s speculation actually made sense. Otherwise, the timing wouldn’t have been so coincidental. But Wu Chenghe’s body was unstable now, and he didn’t want him to worry. They would deal with everything once they returned safely to the Star Core.

Before setting sail, Jin Xuan received accurate news—he was going to be a father again. Unfortunately, it seemed that they were not destined to have daughters, as this time Wu Chenghe was carrying a boy. Fortunately, there were no twins this time, just one child, so the pregnancy period wouldn’t be as difficult.

Due to the special circumstances, Jin Xuan did not spread the news of Wu Chenghe’s pregnancy, only notifying a few people who would closely protect him. Then, he placed him in a hibernation chamber specially designed for pregnant men. If all went well, they would return to the Star Core within twenty days.

The starship where the embryo research team was located stopped at a civilian port twenty days after leaving the Star Core base for a brief rest. It wasn’t necessary to stop here, as it wasn’t far from the Tianque Spaceport, but there were a bunch of Kazumi Koyama’s precious mice on board, and these little creatures couldn’t endure long periods of hibernation. In order to avoid Kazumi Koyama locking himself up again, everyone could only patiently accommodate him, stopping and going along the way, progressing at a slow pace.

Mu walked around in each cabin after coming out of hibernation, making sure that both the adults and the children were okay, and the mice were still alive. Slightly relieved, just as Zhuang Zhuang insisted on going ashore for a walk, Mu handed over all the ship’s affairs to the Navy lieutenant responsible for security. He took his daughter ashore for a stroll, intending to buy some snacks for her at the port supermarket to satisfy her cravings.

“Dad, when are we going to see the twins again?” Zhuang Zhuang asked as she walked, playing with her little yellow cat. Taotao and the little master were already quite in sync, weaving “8” patterns around her feet like a circus dog, playful and clever.

“It will probably be a long time from now,” Mu never lied to his daughter, always telling her the truth no matter how harsh the reality might be. Seeing Zhuang Zhuang’s saddened expression, he added, “This area is under military jurisdiction, and we can’t come here without official business.” Seeing Zhuang Zhuang’s frown, he tried to comfort her, “But their dad will be on a long vacation back on Planet Dunkirk next year. I’ll ask the president to let you stay with them for a few days then, okay?”

“Okay!” Zhuang Zhuang brightened up at the prospect, and after playing with her little lion for a while, she suddenly asked, “Dad, they said the president is chasing after you, is that true? Are you going to marry him?”

Mu couldn’t help but laugh at the mention of marriage. Pretending to be serious, he asked, “Do you like him? Do you want him to become part of our family?”

Although Zhuang Zhuang was smart, she wasn’t smart enough to figure out such complex ethical relationships. She tilted her head and thought for a while before asking, “So if you marry him, will he become my stepmother?”

Mu pretended to think for a moment and replied, “Probably not. He’s a man, so he can’t be your stepmother.”

Zhuang Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief and said cheerfully, “That’s good then! You should marry him, Dad, I agree!” Zhuang Zhuang immediately started spinning around happily, even though she was wearing the silver jumpsuit designed for hibernation, she still managed to exude the aura of a princess.

Mu couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Zhuang Zhuang laughed along, then remembered her Akita and asked, “So if you marry him, can you bring Jin San Pang to live with us?”

Mu laughed until tears filled his eyes and said, “Probably.”

“In that case, why don’t you hurry up and marry him?” Zhuang Zhuang immediately sold her dad out. “The president is the president, after all. If you marry him, does that mean I’ll be a princess?” Every little girl has a princess dream, and Zhuang Zhuang, the violent little girl, was no exception. After getting Mu’s affirmation, she immediately became excited and spun around, even though she was wearing the silver jumpsuit designed for hibernation, she still managed to exude the aura of a princess.

Carrying his vain daughter, Mu walked to the entrance of the supermarket, just as he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet, followed by another tremor. He paused for half a second, immediately realizing something was wrong. He bent down and scooped his daughter up, hurrying back to the starship.

“Boom!” A deafening explosion erupted just two or three meters away, accompanied by a dazzling white light. Mu’s eyes were stinging from the glare, and the ground beneath his feet suddenly tilted slightly! He couldn’t help but kneel down, but he held Zhuang Zhuang tightly in his arms and shouted, “Close your eyes and ears, don’t look, don’t listen!”

Zhuang Zhuang screamed loudly, but obediently closed her eyes and buried her face in her father’s neck, her chubby hands covering her ears as she yelled, “Taotao, run!” The unstable consciousness of the child made her scared, and the little Barbary lion was even more scared, running around Mu in a circle before suddenly disappearing.

The earth shook, the ground tilted, and the deafening explosions echoed all around. Mu was almost blinded by the white light, only able to discern the situation around him through his consciousness. He struggled to stand up, holding his daughter as he staggered back to the starship.

Without knowing who or why, without any warning, the attack came crashing down. Mu ran forward desperately, feeling like every second was an eternity. His daughter’s soft little body was in his arms, her warm breath spraying on his neck. He didn’t know if he would be hit by a stray bullet, but he knew he had to protect Zhuang Zhuang, his only daughter.

His left hand vibrated, and his personal terminal was activated. Through the communicator implanted in his auricle, Mu heard the voice of the Navy lieutenant, “Dean, where are you? Please hurry back to the starship, we are under attack by unknown enemies and must leave here immediately!”

“I’m here, open the right rear hatch!” Mu replied loudly. But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a numbness in his left leg, and his whole body fell uncontrollably to the ground. Fortunately, he leaned to the side slightly, barely protecting Zhuang Zhuang in his arms.

“Dad! Dad, what’s wrong with you!” Zhuang Zhuang rolled out of his arms, grabbed his arm in panic, and then saw his thigh, screaming, “Dad, you’re bleeding! There’s so much blood!”

“Don’t cry!” Mu sternly stopped his daughter, struggling to stand up and dragging her hand as they ran forward. “Quick! Get on the ship, walk by yourself, act like a little squad leader, don’t embarrass Dad!”

Zhuang Zhuang was not yet four years old and had never experienced such a terrifying situation. She couldn’t help but burst into tears, but when Mu shouted at her, she was a little scared and followed him, running towards the starship gangway.

Another bomb exploded nearby, and Mu was overturned by the blast, hitting the gangway. He immediately pushed Zhuang Zhuang up with his hands, “Get in! Climb up by yourself! Dad will be right there!”

“Dad!” Zhuang Zhuang saw that his entire leg was stained red with blood, and she refused to walk by herself. She tried to pull him up by his arms, but she was too small and weak to make any difference.

At a critical moment, a tall figure rushed out from the smoke and gently lifted Mu up. “Dean, are you okay? Is your leg injured or just grazed by a bullet?” 

It turned out that Yin Bo had also taken Kazumi ashore to buy things. He ran back quickly when the attack occurred, still wearing the snacks he bought for his son around his neck.

Mu breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I’m fine, just grazed by a bullet… We need to get on the ship quickly and leave here!”

Yin Bo carried his son on his neck, supported Mu with one hand, and hugged Zhuang Zhuang with the other, striding up the gangway and bringing everyone into the cabin.

 

 

 

 

 

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