FT DR Chapter 134: Die Together

Chapter 134: Die Together

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The president himself stepping in clearly violated security protocols, but who could stop Jin Zhe’s ruthless determination? No one in the entire federation, not even Mu, could hold him back!

Jin Zhe donned his gear and entered the fray, piloting his favorite mecha from his military days, the “Hyena.” It was agile and extremely responsive. Special Agent One joined him as the co-pilot to ensure his safety to the maximum extent. They worried about his sixty-year-old body handling the intense neural stimulation of the mecha, but he adapted effortlessly, showcasing his extraordinary physical capabilities and versatility.

In the vast expanse of space, the battle had dramatically shifted. The fleet that originally besieged the research starship had been breached by the presidential fleet, causing four or five ships to retreat to repair and evacuate their crews. However, the remaining ships showed no fear, instead closing in tighter to re-encircle the presidential fleet and the remains of the research starship.

If these attackers had previously aimed to capture the research starship alive, once the presidential fleet arrived and numerous lifeboats emerged, they abandoned their “gentle” tactics. They launched a large number of unmanned drones to exploit weak points in the presidential fleet and deployed dozens of heavily armed mechas in a frenzied assault on the research starship’s wreckage.

Clearly, they recognized the presidential fleet’s insignia. Compared to Qinsha a research starship containing the secrets of a guide, the fleet symbolizing the president’s highest authority was a much more valuable target. Killing the president would throw the Federal Government into chaos and decapitate the Federal Legion. Thus, aside from those dozens of mechas, all enemy firepower focused on Federal One!

In this situation, Jin Zhe’s intervention was crucial. Under his command, the mecha squad quickly formed an effective defensive formation, tightly protecting the transport ships that were receiving lifeboats. Jin Zhe also ordered Federal One to deploy twenty space vehicles from its lower deck, manned by his guard, to attack the enemy fleet’s flagship and escort ships—capture the leader to win the battle!

The two sides engaged in a face-to-face battle in space, Jin Zhe’s over twenty years of military experience showing its full advantage. His eight ships, under his command, managed to withstand the full frontal assault of over forty enemy ships. The outnumbered mecha squad maximized their impact, surrounding the research starship and repelling several waves of the enemy’s mecha attacks.

The last lifeboat launched from the ship. Jin Zhe breathed a sigh of relief and commanded the mecha squad via multi-angle communication, “All personnel have evacuated. Prepare to abandon the research starship and escort the presidential fleet out of the encirclement!”

The teams responded in unison. Jin Zhe, ever cautious, saw the lifeboats entering the transport ship. Before retreating, he connected with the transport ship’s communication, asking, “Has Dean Mu returned?”

“Not yet!” The captain’s anxious voice came through. “The last lifeboat only had his two assistants. They said Dean Mu is still inside, dealing with core experimental data in Lab 8! They mentioned that the research mainframe uses the military’s latest ‘black box’ encryption technology. Even if the starship is destroyed, the technology-secreting chips won’t be damaged. If the enemy gets hold of them and deciphers the codes, all the technology will be leaked!”

“Are there any lifeboats left?” Jin Zhe asked grimly.

“There are a few backup lifeboats, but the captain said the backup launch bay was hit by enemy fire. The system shows errors, and it’s unclear if they can be used!”

Jin Zhe’s face turned ashen, his jaw muscles tightened, but he couldn’t utter a single angry word. The backup launch bay was malfunctioning. Even if Mu finished dealing with the data, he likely couldn’t get out. Besides, he was injured… It seemed he was prepared to sacrifice himself.

Sitting in the “Hyena” cockpit, Jin Zhe made the first selfish, impulsive decision of his sixty-year life in a split second, “All personnel, retreat. Secretary Hobart, Vice President, and Speaker of the Parliament will jointly oversee preparations to enact the Federal Presidential Succession Act.”

The multi-angle communication fell silent, then the chief of staff’s trembling voice asked, “Are you sure you want to prepare to enact the Federal Presidential Succession Act, Your Excellency?”

“Order Defense Secretary Balon and the Independent Brigade Commander General to strictly enforce the Act’s execution,” Jin Zhe’s voice was low and resolute, without a trace of hesitation. “I am about to enter the research starship wreckage to search for survivors. If I am not alive within twenty minutes, the presidential fleet will immediately retreat to the Tianque Spaceport and enact the Federal Presidential Succession Act!”

A heavy silence followed, then the voices of the chief of staff, guard commander, and special operations leader responded solemnly, “Yes, sir!”

The “Federal President Succession Act” stipulated that once the federal president left office or was unable to perform presidential duties, the vice president, secretary of state, speaker of the parliament, and other cabinet members would sequentially take over until the current presidential term ended, at which point a regular presidential election would be initiated to elect a new successor.

Jin Zhe requested the successors to jointly take responsibility and prepare to initiate the “Federal President Succession Act,” indicating that he was ready to leave office, or rather, that he was prepared to live and die together with Mu.

It had been sixty years. From the moment he was born, Jin Zhe was endowed with the highest expectations by his parents. After coming of age, he had always adhered to his parents’ last wishes, making the maintenance of federal unity his life’s top priority. He thought he would continue this way forever; he believed that after sixty years of countless trials by blood and fire, his heart was as solid as a rock, and he would never be swayed by anyone or anything.

But he was wrong.

Maybe I’m getting old… After issuing his highest directive, Jin Zhe operated his mecha to block the enemy ship’s attack and struggled to fly toward the wreckage of the research starship. This decision was not made on impulse but was the result of careful consideration—when he heard that Mu was trapped in the wreckage and might not survive, his first instinct was not to retreat but to rush in and rescue Mu immediately or die with him.

A person’s first instinct reflects their most direct desires. Five years ago, or even two years ago, he would not have had such thoughts. As president, he would have retreated first, abandoned the research starship, and led the survivors to break through the enemy’s encirclement to ensure the greatest interests of the federation. But today, at this moment, his blood boiled, and his strongest desire was to die in the arms of the man he had held dear for thirty-five years.

He was old, no longer the invincible iron-blooded Jin Zhe, no longer the calm and decisive president who could make the right judgments. His consciousness and his body could no longer bear this enormous pressure. If not today, then tomorrow, he would inevitably make a decision he would regret.

Rather than that, he might as well die for a worthy cause. He had considered the federation far too much in his life. In his last years, maybe he could indulge a little, be a bit selfish, and undertake a daring adventure.

The “Hyena” mecha rushed toward the research starship’s wreckage. Despite Jin Zhe’s “all retreat” order, his special operations team loyally maintained his safety, even defying his command by deploying two mechas behind him, following him toward the wreckage.

The “Hyena” finally approached the wreckage. Its right arm transformed, extending a long rescue passage that connected to an intact exit at the rear cabin of the wreckage. Inside the mecha, Jin Xuan removed the neuron threads from his body and stood up. “You stay here. If I don’t come out within ten minutes, evacuate immediately.”

“Yes, sir!” Special Agent One, who had followed him for six years and held deep feelings for him, watched as Jin Zhe walked toward the elevator, his eyes reddening. “Please come back safely, Mr. President!”

Jin Zhe raised two fingers in a salute at his forehead and left gracefully. After he entered the rescue passage, Special Agent One immediately contacted the two mechas following them, ordering the co-pilots to follow the president into the wreckage to ensure his safety, leaving only one person on each mecha to wait outside.

Jin Zhe entered the starship wreckage through the rescue passage, relying on his extraordinary strength to pry open the deformed metal plates, finally penetrating the interior of the starship. Based on the starship’s internal layout he had previously studied, he determined the location of Laboratory No. 8 and crawled toward his destination through a relatively intact ventilation duct. A few minutes later, two special agents found his trail and followed him into the duct.

There were only ten minutes. Jin Zhe had calculated this time repeatedly. The presidential fleet was barely holding on. If they didn’t break through the encirclement within half an hour, they might never escape. Thus, he had to bring Mu back to Federal One within twenty minutes. It took about eight minutes for the mecha to return from the wreckage to Federal One, meaning he had to pull Mu out of the lab and get him onto the “Hyena” mecha within ten minutes.

I can do it, I must! Jin Zhe crawled quickly through the ventilation duct, ignoring the torn metal plates that shredded his shirt and lacerated his back, and reached the top of Laboratory No. 8 at the fastest speed. The pain affected his consciousness; he felt a slight red mist cloud his vision, making him even more anxious. His age was too advanced, and prolonged use of inhibitors had impaired his self-regulation abilities. Even a minor injury could cause mental fluctuations, potentially leading to mania.

“Mu!” Jin Zhe pulled out a ray gun to cut through the metal wall of the ventilation duct while shouting Mu’s name. He heard a faint response from inside the lab, vaguely recognizing Mu’s familiar voice.

With a “bang,” he kicked open the half-cut metal wall. Jin Zhe held onto the edge and jumped into the lab, finding it mostly destroyed. The mainframe was deformed, the coolant system broken, and dry ice quickly evaporating, filling the space with dense carbon dioxide.

“Mu!” Jin Zhe put on a filter and searched through the white mist for Mu. 

Suddenly, he heard a surprised voice from above, “Mr. President?!”

Jin Zhe’s heart pounded. He looked up to see Mu lying on a thick condenser pipe, staring at him in shock.

“Come down quickly, I’ll take you away!” At this moment, Jin Zhe had no time to worry about the issue of bonding heat. He sprinted toward the metal wall, lightly tapped his toe on the vertical surface, and leaped onto the condenser pipe, wrapping his arms around Mu to rescue him from above.

“How are your legs? Can you still walk?” Jin Zhe asked loudly. 

Mu held his breath and nodded, his voice hoarse, “I can walk… The door is deformed and won’t open. The carbon dioxide is leaking, so I climbed up to breathe. There’s not enough oxygen left; we need to leave immediately.”

“Let’s go.” Jin Zhe, without further words, lifted Mu by the legs and pushed him into the ventilation duct, then followed in after him. The two crawled towards the mecha’s waiting spot, one after the other.

The narrow ventilation duct, only half a meter square, almost fully accommodated Mu’s slim body. He crawled forward with all his strength, trying his best to control his body and not release his pheromones. But the compatibility between him and Jin Zhe was so high that within a few meters, he found himself unable to suppress his instincts. Guide pheromones began seeping from his pores.

Jin Zhe was less than twenty centimeters behind Mu. He didn’t dare stray too far from Mu, knowing how dangerous their proximity could become, but he feared any sudden incident that might occur—such as the metal wall deforming under pressure or a fire breaking out. He needed to protect his guide at all costs. Consequently, he was the first to catch the scent of Mu’s pheromones—an overwhelming, sweet, intoxicating aroma, fresh and sexy, as alluring as an aphrodisiac. Despite his efforts to resist, his mental cloud became irresistibly immersed.

Every centimeter forward felt like climbing a mountain. Under Mu’s influence, Jin Zhe also started emitting pheromones. The intense scents mingled and collided in the confined space, causing subtle tremors, making the already thin air feel thick and sticky, like a quagmire, binding their bodies, making every step agonizing.

Fortunately, both of them had extensive experience with restraint. Though their bodies were out of control, their willpower still governed their rationality.

The short distance of ten meters took nearly three minutes to cover. Mu was drenched in sweat, droplets falling from his chin onto the duct walls with soft sounds. Occasionally, when Jin Zhe looked up, he could see the wet ends of Mu’s hair and the faint shine of moisture on his smooth skin.

Jin Zhe wasn’t faring much better. The bonding heat’s effects were most severe on a strong sentinel like him. He could feel his pants tightening uncomfortably.

“Mr. President!” The special agents who had just entered the duct heard their movements and called out loudly. Jin Zhe immediately responded, “I’m here. I’ve found Dean Mu. Move back and let us out!”

“Yes, sir!” The two special agents were overjoyed and immediately backed out of the duct, waiting at the entrance to assist them.

At that moment, the mecha standing guard outside transmitted an urgent warning via multi-angle communication, “Hurry! Get out now! The enemy ship has sent a large vessel over! We can’t hold out much longer!”

Hearing the anxious voice of Special Agent One, Jin Zhe’s heart tightened. He grasped Mu’s ankle and, with all his strength, pushed him forward, “Go!”

Mu was propelled several meters through the uneven ventilation duct, tumbling out of the exit. The two special agents immediately caught him, supporting him to the ground. Inside the duct, Jin Zhe lost his footing due to the recoil, falling back a meter. He gripped the metal wall tightly, ready to continue crawling forward when he suddenly felt a shift beneath him. The duct cracked at his waist with a loud crash, splitting in two.

The broken duct fell, creating a steep slope. Jin Zhe cried out, trying to grip the walls to steady himself but couldn’t stop the fall. His hands slipped, and he plummeted through the gap, crashing into the damaged engine room!

“Roar!” His Barbary lion let out a pained growl, startling the special agents waiting outside. 

They shouted in unison, “Mr. President!”

Jin Zhe landed on a massive turbine blade, his right arm sliced deeply by the blade, sending waves of excruciating pain through him. He couldn’t help but cry out in agony, then gritted his teeth, cradling his injured arm, and pulled it free from the blade. Blood spurted from the wound, covering his body and face. He tried to move his fingers, finding only his thumb twitching slightly. The other fingers felt detached, unresponsive.

Bones, tendons, and nerves were severed… Jin Zhe’s heart sank. The immense trauma caused his mental cloud to surge uncontrollably, red mist filling his vision as waves of mania assaulted his rationality—he was on the brink of a manic episode!

“Evacuate with Dean Mu immediately!” Jin Zhe used his remaining will to connect to the terminal. Fortunately, his left hand was still functional. “I’m trapped by the turbine. There’s no time to rescue me. Initiate the Succession Act. The vice president must defend the federation and thwart Hannibal’s plot to divide humanity!”

After speaking, he severed the communication, lying silently on the blade, cradling his bleeding right arm. He had many things he wanted to say to Mu, but he knew this wasn’t the time. Mu was a warm-hearted person beneath his cold exterior. Any words now might drag Mu down to die with him.

Dying together had a cruel sweetness, but he couldn’t let it become reality. He was grateful, more than ever, that he hadn’t marked his guide. He was dying, but his mate and daughter could live safely. For a sentinel, nothing was a greater blessing.

Jin Zhe closed his eyes, hiding the red mist clouding his vision, and quietly waited for the end of his life.

“Awwooo—” Jin Zhe’s Barbary lion let out a dying wail. Its massive body moved through the chaotic wreckage, its eyes filled with red mist from the mania, casting one last longing glance at Mu before resolutely turning away and leaping through the broken ventilation duct. As a higher-dimensional being, it could transcend the dimensional boundaries to escape the ruins but could not save its master, only choosing to die alongside him.

At the end of the ventilation duct, the two special agents heard Jin Zhe’s final order and showed painful expressions. However, they were well-trained federal soldiers and knew that in times of crisis, they must obey superior orders. They supported Mu on both sides. “Dean, the President asks you to leave first!”

Mu stood there, petrified, until they touched his sleeve, snapping him back to reality. He hoarsely said, “No, you go. I’m going to save him.”

The special agents exchanged a look, silently sighed, and forcefully held his arms. “Please cooperate with us, Dean. The President instructed the Vice President to prepare to implement the Succession Act before coming to rescue you. Please follow his last will.”

“No! Let me go!” Mu struggled fiercely, shouting, “You have no right to force me to follow his orders. I’m not his subordinate! Let me go!”

“Please be rational, Dean!” One special agent finally lost patience and shouted, “Do you think we want to abandon the President? He got stuck in the turbine to save you. He’s now in a manic state; even if we go down, we can’t save him. You’ll be torn apart if you go down!” As he spoke, his eyes reddened. Jin Zhe, though temperamental and strict, was deeply respected by everyone around him for his efforts for the Federation. None of them wanted to abandon him, but they had to obey his orders!

“No, he won’t hurt me.” Mu stared unblinkingly, shaking his head slowly, a tear escaping down his cheek. He took a deep breath, but his voice still trembled like leaves in the wind. “You go, I’ll go find him. He’s the President; he shouldn’t die like this, killed by mania. I want to be with him.”

Mu began to sob uncontrollably. He had never felt so vulnerable in his life. He felt that everything he had held onto for over fifty years was like an illusion, worthless, insignificant. He regretted not letting Jin Zhe mark him thirty-five years ago, preferring to be exiled with him and live a life of obscurity in a remote mining area. He regretted not accepting Jin Zhe’s proposal two years ago, wishing he had given up his career to stay by his side like a shadow. He regretted not falling with Jin Zhe through the broken duct, preferring to die with him in the darkness rather than facing a long life where they could only meet in dreams.

Tears streamed down Mu’s face like a child’s. He brushed aside the special agents’ hands and softly but clearly spoke the words he had suppressed for thirty-five years, “I am his guide. I must be with him. If he dies, I cannot live.”

Under the astonished gazes of the special agents, Mu forced his quantum beast to manifest. The orange-red Icarus butterfly fluttered gracefully in the dim starship wreckage, like an unreal dream. It circled Mu’s shoulder once and then, following his instruction, flew through the wreckage into the broken duct where Jin Zhe had fallen.

“Please, tell my daughter Yan,” Mu wiped the tears from his face and walked towards the broken duct following his butterfly, “she has two fathers, one is Mu, and the other is Jin Zhe. No matter which world or dimension we are in, we will always love her, bless her. Please, for our sake, grow up happily and live strongly.”

In an instant, a deathly silence fell. The enemy ship’s roar, the wrecked ship’s groan, the mecha’s urging… all sounds were blocked by an invisible force. The two special agents stood like wooden stakes in the wreckage, watching Mu’s slender figure disappear into the darkness. It took them a long time to come to their senses, exchanging shocked glances, barely believing what had just happened.

But they knew it was all real. The butterfly was real. Dean Mu of Aston Medical School, the President’s dream lover, was indeed a guide, a hidden guide.

“What do we do?” one special agent asked his companion. 

The companion shook his head, “It’s too late. Our fleet can’t hold out long enough for him to rescue the President. Until the Succession Act is implemented, he’s still the President, and we must obey his highest orders.”

Silently nodding, the special agents ran towards the exit where the mecha awaited, one after the other.

Five minutes later, the countdown began. The Presidential fleet recalled all mecha and started breaking through the enemy encirclement. An hour later, they finally broke through, escaped pursuit, activated the warp drive, and headed for Tianque Spaceport.

At the same time, Hobart, following Jin Zhe’s last will, initiated the Federal Presidential Succession Act, announcing that the Vice President would temporarily assume the President’s duties. He strictly ordered the Independent Column “Star Fleet” to head to the civilian port where the President had been attacked to search for the bodies of the President and Dean Mu.

On the distant Alpha Front, aboard the returning “Heavenly Fleet,” Jin Xuan received Hobart’s official letter. He stood like a statue by the porthole of the control room, neither going mad nor crying out. Hours later, he calmly instructed the navigator, “Continue the return journey. No one is to inform the Chief Medical Officer of the President and Dean Mu’s attack. Violators will be dealt with according to military law.”

He then notified the small fleet stationed at the base camp to evacuate all family members and logistics personnel from the star core to Tianque Spaceport and instructed the large fleets stationed at various space fortresses to assemble immediately and surround the “Moon Fleet” bases on the Alpha Front, ensuring not a single enemy soldier escaped.

At the end of the year 858 of the Ephemeris, the largest civil war in human history began to unfold.

 

 

 

 

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