FT DR Chapter 136: Together in Battle

Chapter 136: Together in Battle

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

The starship wreckage was burning, the temperature in the power center rising steadily. Even inside the studio, it felt scorching hot. Though the oxygen system was still functioning, it was clearly struggling, and the air around was becoming increasingly thin.

This large starship probably wouldn’t last more than an hour or two in such a state. Jin Zhe, losing too much blood, felt dizzy. But he dared not rest for too long. When the painkillers started to take effect, easing the bone ache slightly, he said, “Help me up.”

Mu hesitated. As a doctor, he couldn’t let a severely injured patient get out of bed at such a time. But as a guide, he couldn’t disobey his Sentinel’s command. After a moment of hesitation, he supported Jin Zhe’s back and helped him up.

Jin Zhe felt dizzy again. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he silently gathered his strength. Suddenly, his brow furrowed. “What happened to your hand? Is it injured?”

“Just a minor scratch,” Mu replied, opening his palm to reveal a shallow wound across it, caused by the turbine blades earlier. Perhaps due to nerves, he hadn’t felt the pain until now.

It didn’t hurt him, but Jin Zhe would be in agony. It would hurt more than losing an arm for him. Losing an arm, he could get a mechanical replacement and still be the president, but Mu was a surgeon, his hands irreplaceable. Even a small injury could potentially affect his career. Worriedly, Jin Zhe said, “You need to treat it quickly. What if it leaves a scar? It might affect your surgeries in the future…”

“It’s okay, the wound isn’t deep, the scar won’t be severe,” Mu replied, already resigned to the situation. He had already exposed his identity as a guide; he wouldn’t be able to work outside anymore, and opportunities to wield a scalpel might be scarce. Life always involved sacrifices. Faced with destiny, there was nothing they could do.

Sensing his fluctuating thoughts, Jin Zhe understood instantly. Holding his hand, he fell silent for a moment. Mu smiled faintly, comforting him in turn, “The Federation is in a crisis. One more doctor or one less doctor doesn’t make much difference. But one more president or one less president is crucial. Everything I’ve strived for ultimately aims to make guides more free, and the Federation more stable. Our paths may differ, but in the future… we will be one. There’s no need to lament over these trivial matters.”

Speaking of “being one,” his face reddened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. Jin Zhe looked at his resolute and sincere black eyes, feeling deeply fortunate to have him, regardless of waiting for thirty-five years or until death, it was all worth it.

Some words didn’t need to be spoken; actions were enough to show determination. Despite bearing the weight of two people’s ideals, Jin Zhe didn’t feel burdened. Instead, he felt an endless surge of strength. Taking a deep breath, he stood up with Mu’s support.

Losing an arm made his body somewhat unbalanced, especially with the reduced gravity. Jin Zhe walked around the cabin with Mu’s help, barely adapting, sweat dripping down his forehead, clearly struggling.

Mu wiped his sweat, and he obediently allowed it, sighing self-deprecatingly, “Getting old.”

Recovering so quickly despite losing a hand, even a young Sentinel would find it challenging, right? Mu marveled at the president’s remarkable recovery, even as he joked about it. Seeing his reaction, Jin Zhe chuckled. Jin Zhe glanced at the red mole in the center of his collarbone, then changed the subject, teasingly saying, “But old age brings wisdom.”

“What do you mean?” Mu sensed the teasing tone and looked down, a wry smile forming. He was about to retort sarcastically, but seeing Jin Zhe’s pale face, he swallowed his words and asked instead, “Do you want something to eat?”

Noticing Mu’s change in expression, Jin Zhe felt a tingling sweetness in his heart. He had experienced Mu’s sharp tongue; a couple of remarks from him could make one’s blood boil. Now, seeing him endure it like this, it was evident how much he cared. But teasing his wife could wait for later. Right now, the priority was to regain strength and escape with his wife. Jin Zhe quickly refocused and asked, “Is there anything to eat here?”

“There’s water and nutrient packs,” Mu replied, helping Jin Zhe to a chair and fetching the food left behind by the crew, nutrient packs and vitamin water. He handed them over, saying, “Try to eat more. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” Then he sat down beside him, tending to the wounds on his hand and leg.

Unable to assist, Jin Zhe didn’t bother with formalities. He quickly consumed four servings of nutrient packs and two bottles of vitamin water, wiping his mouth. “I’m full!”

Mu marveled at Jin Zhe’s wolfish eating speed, thinking that not only did the president have the recovery ability of a beast, but also the appetite of one. However, seeing Jin Zhe’s complexion gradually improve, he felt very happy. He smiled at Jin Zhe and slowly sipped on a bag of nutrients.

Jin Zhe admired Mu’s calm and composed demeanor in the face of danger. He reached out and wiped a smudge of black ash off Mu’s nose with his thumb, saying, “Take it easy, eat slowly, I’ll wait for you.”

Mu instinctively dodged but couldn’t avoid it. Being single for fifty years, he felt somewhat uncomfortable with this kind of affectionate touch between partners. Just as he was hesitating whether to remind Jin Zhe to be more mature and not play these games, Jin Zhe stood up, swaying, and walked to the power source control console. He removed the panel with one hand and bent down to observe the humming machinery inside.

“What are you doing?” Mu forgot to tease and put down the nutrient pack to follow. “Can I help with anything?”

“Of course,” Jin Zhe smiled. “Eat more, conserve your energy, and be ready to run with me later.” He gently turned Mu’s body halfway around. “Go on, I’m just doing some software work. I can handle it alone. If I need your help, I’ll ask.”

Mu couldn’t be bothered with being coy. Since Jin Zhe said he didn’t need help, he wouldn’t insist. He returned to the table and continued eating. Jin Zhe opened the backstage control panel of the mainframe and quickly checked the damage to various modules. The inspection was startling; the starship’s power source was about to burn out, the oxygen generator could last for another half an hour, and the temperature control system was collapsing… The gravity simulation device was still operational, but it was meaningless for them now.

It seemed they needed to leave here as soon as possible. Jin Zhe activated the escape system and found that the main ejection pod was empty; all lifeboats had been deployed. There were still three lifeboats in the backup ejection pod, but the ejection mechanism was broken and couldn’t launch.

Well, at least there were three lifeboats they could use. Jin Zhe connected to the external surveillance system, projecting a spherical holographic screen onto the console. Seeing that the fleet besieging them had not left yet, only reduced by half, he didn’t know if they had been damaged by the president’s fleet or if some had already retreated, leaving a small portion here to clear the scene.

Adjusting the viewpoint to the furthest, Jin Zhe saw the nearest artificial structure, the civilian port that had been mostly destroyed by enemy fire earlier.

A plan of escape quickly formed in his mind. Jin Zhe manipulated the main control system to cut off the oxygen supply to multiple compartments, designating their studio as the preferred oxygen supply unit. Then he reallocated the temperature control mechanism, setting the temperature here to 25 degrees Celsius. A few minutes later, the air around them became noticeably more abundant, and the temperature became very comfortable. Mu looked around in surprise. “How did you do that?”

“A little magic,” Jin Zhe smirked proudly, pointing at the holographic screen. “Part of the enemy fleet hasn’t left yet. I reckon they’ll send people or probes in to clear the scene soon. We’ll hide in this studio; it’s close to the burning power source. Their main targets should be the laboratory and the mainframe. They shouldn’t search here too thoroughly. We’ll wait for them to leave before we figure out a way to get out.”

Mu looked at the surveillance images, puzzled. “Get out? Go where?”

“There,” Jin Zhe pointed to the broken civilian port. “The atmospheric shield is still up, indicating that there are facilities there that haven’t been destroyed, and possibly survivors. We’ll first try to get there, then find a way to contact the president’s fleet or nearby military stations.”

It was a feasible plan, but… “How do we get there?”

“With the lifeboats,” Jin Zhe said. “There are three lifeboats in the backup ejection pod that we can use. The ejection mechanism is broken, so they can’t launch automatically. When the enemy fleet leaves later, we’ll go over and see if we can fix it. If not, we’ll figure out a way to temporarily install thrusters on the lifeboats and then blast a hole in the cabin door to rush out.”

The president had quite the imagination… Mu felt that every step of Jin Zhe’s plan sounded feasible, but executing it would be extremely risky. However, no matter how unreliable Jin Zhe might seem, at this moment, he had no better option to rely on. He could only go with the flow and nodded. “Okay.”

As Jin Zhe expected, a few minutes later, the enemy fleet released hundreds of probes into the wreckage of the starship to search for life signs. Most of the probes gathered in the rear compartments, laboratories, and main control rooms, with only a few scattered around the power chamber. Because Jin Zhe had blocked all information about their whereabouts, none of the probes detected their presence.

After ten minutes of probing, the enemy fleet sent out two tentacle-type rescue mechas, which dismantled the mainframe in the control room and laboratories and took them away, along with some undestroyed pharmaceuticals. Jin Zhe observed everything outside through the surveillance system and looked at Mu inquiringly. Seeing Mu shake his head, he knew that Mu had taken care of those things, and there was no risk of leakage.

After the tentacle mechas left, instead of immediately withdrawing, the enemy fleet sent a small flying saucer over. Mu watched the monitor, puzzled. “What’s this?”

“Mind wiping,” Jin Zhe squinted his eyes. “There’s a guide on the saucer; they want to make sure there are no survivors in the wreckage. It’s standard procedure for the military.”

“Standard procedure… So, you mean they’re military?”

“Otherwise?” Jin Zhe sneered. “Besides the Federation, who else could have such a large fleet?” 

The federal military was divided into two parts: the Federal Legion under the Defense Secretary’s jurisdiction and the Voyager Army led by Hannibal. There was no doubt that the fleet besieging them belonged to the latter.

A strong mental shock suddenly struck, and Mu immediately erected a mental barrier, concealing their consciousness clouds. Fortunately, the attacking power of the opponent’s guide was not very strong and was easily blocked back.

The small flying saucer circled around the wreckage and then withdrew. Mu breathed a sigh of relief. At times like this, he was actually very afraid of encountering other guides. If the opponent’s attacking power was slightly stronger, he would not be able to organize an effective barrier and would have to rely on Jin Zhe. Under the marking state, he would have to create a “well”… Well, doing so would be a bit painful for him, but overall bearable. However, Jin Zhe’s energy consumption was too high. Even though he was “growing stronger with age,” he probably couldn’t do another marking after the amputation surgery.

“What are you thinking?” Jin Zhe felt his fluctuating consciousness and noticed his slightly distorted expression. He asked with concern, “Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

“…Not really.” Mu blushed and immediately suppressed his emotions, warning himself not to think about those strange things easily in the future. Empathic sensing was really annoying!

After waiting for a few more minutes, the enemy fleet began to retreat. At the same time, the starship’s main control system also sounded the alarm, indicating that the oxygen generator had stopped working, the temperature control system had malfunctioned, and all crew members had to abandon ship immediately.

“Let’s go.” Jin Zhe opened the cabinet, inside were the simple spacesuits provided for the crew. “Let’s hope this thing can get us from here to the lifeboat ejection pod.”

“Let’s do what we can and leave the rest to fate.” Mu, who had been a doctor for decades and had seen many life and death situations, had little attachment to whether they could survive. After experiencing the ups and downs of the past few hours, he didn’t have much obsession with whether he could survive. He helped Jin Zhe put on the spacesuit, carefully adjusting the buckles, and asked, “How is it? Is it tight?”

“It’s fine.” Jin Zhe looked at Mu’s nose, which was close at hand, and couldn’t help kissing it lightly. “Thank you.”

Mu was taken aback, feeling a bit… unsure whether he was helpless, irritable, or embarrassed after Jin Zhe’s repeated teasing. He hardened his heart, suddenly grabbed the back of Jin Zhe’s head, and tiptoed to kiss him, sucking on his lips for a while before letting go, sternly saying, “Is this better, hmm?”

Jin Zhe was stunned by this sudden happy kiss. Although the other party’s emotions seemed a bit off, it was enough to make him intoxicated. His tall figure swayed a bit, not caring about Mu’s fierceness at all. He licked his lips with a lingering desire and said, “Of course… Much better.”

Facing the old hooligan, Mu’s temporarily conjured killing intent vanished instantly. He licked his lips awkwardly and said, “Let’s go.”

The two looked at each other, raised their eyebrows at each other, and then smiled simultaneously. They put on their helmets, adjusted their oxygen, and floated out of the studio cabin door.

Outside was a mess, with no oxygen, the power source completely extinguished, and the temperature in the power chamber dropping below zero. Apart from the flying ashes and dust everywhere, there were only icicles hanging on the condensation pipes. Jin Zhe, who was originally from a military background, quickly adapted to walking in zero gravity after losing an arm. Seeing Mu floating unsteadily, he used a connecting strap to tie their waist belts together and dragged him towards the direction of the lifeboat ejection pod.

Everywhere was twisted and deformed metal walls, collapsed pipes blocking the corridor. Fortunately, before Jin Zhe came out, he had activated the remaining internal cameras on the starship to design the route and brought cutting tools. With Mu’s help, they managed to navigate through the debris and arrived at their destination together after half an hour.

The situation in the ejection pod was much better than expected. The hardware was not damaged; the lifeboats couldn’t launch because the control program of the ejection port had crashed. Jin Zhe breathed a sigh of relief, opened his personal terminal to connect to the ejection device, and restarted the program, restoring it to normal.

“Alright, we can go.” Jin Zhe’s mood was very cheerful as the plan proceeded smoothly step by step. He opened the hatch of the lifeboat, made an elegant gesture of “please,” and said, “Please board, Dean.”

Unfortunately, because of the bulky spacesuit, the posture looked quite ridiculous.

Mu couldn’t help laughing. He climbed into the lifeboat with both hands and feet and said, “Thank you, Your Excellency, the President.”

“Hehe.” Jin Zhe laughed along, sat down in the chair next to him, closed the hatch, and took off his helmet. “Are you ready? We’re about to depart!”

With a wave of his hand, the Queen said, “Depart!”

Jin Zhe set the ejection target coordinates to the location of the civilian port, activated the ejection device, and after a slight tremor, the ejection port in front opened. With a “buzz” sound, the thrusters propelled the lifeboat out of the wreckage of the research starship, swiftly flying towards the port.

After a brief sense of weightlessness, Mu looked through the transparent canopy and saw the vast expanse of space outside. The Zhifu Chain Nebula reflected the light of the stars, resembling a long jade ribbon spanning the horizon. The partially destroyed civilian port lay directly ahead, its remaining lights twinkling like struggling embers. Dim as they were, they represented the only hope for survival.

An hour later, the lifeboat began to decelerate, passing through an open docking port and smoothly landing in a surviving dock. Jin Zhe activated the external sensors, and the system indicated that there was sufficient oxygen outside and the temperature was suitable. They could disembark.

“Let’s go.” Jin Zhe removed his spacesuit, opened the hatch, and helped Mu out of the lifeboat. The two looked around and found that although the damage here was severe, it was slightly better than they had imagined. Most of the buildings had collapsed, but there were scattered lights in the ruins, indicating that there were still survivors.

Mu had been worried all along, but seeing this scene, he breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s great. I was afraid that the attackers would treat the port the same way they treated us. Fortunately, we left in time, and they didn’t have time to sweep through here.”

“Their target was the research team. They won’t waste ammunition on civilians.” Jin Zhe said while extending his left hand, giving him a meaningful look. Mu hesitated for a moment before placing his right hand in Jin Zhe’s. Satisfied, Jin Zhe held his hand and led him towards a collapsed terminal building.

“Wait, are we just going like this?” Mu was worried. “What if someone recognizes you? What if news of your survival leaks out? Will they come back to attack here?”

“I’m the President, not a mouse crossing the street. Shouldn’t they be the ones fearing me?” Jin Zhe smiled. “Don’t worry, they won’t come back. This is the jurisdiction of the Independent Fleet. They can launch a surprise attack, but they can’t organize large-scale battles. The presidential fleet has already broken out of the encirclement. They dare to come back, they’re looking for death.”

Mu nodded, then asked the question he had been curious about all along. “Who exactly attacked us? Why did they appear in the Independent Fleet’s jurisdiction?”

“Rebels,” Jin Zhe’s face became solemn. “It could be the ‘Capture’ fleet or other factions of the Voyager Army. As for why they bypassed the ‘Tianzhu’ fleet’s defense line and appeared in the Independent Fleet’s jurisdiction, there is only one possibility—there are insiders in the Independent Fleet.”

Mu was shocked. “The Voyager Army has defected?”

“It’s possible,” Jin Zhe said. “I only received a message from the ‘Tianzhu’ patrol in the Alpha Line earlier this morning. Jin Xuan noticed unusual movements in the ‘Capture’ fleet, suspected that there were traitors within the ‘Moongate,’ and placed them in the Independent Fleet’s jurisdiction. He just didn’t expect the first target to be your research starship. Speaking of which, I admire Jin Xuan’s intuition. This kid seems to have a bigger brain than most people, whether in art or in military matters. He knew that I came to Tianque for an inspection in advance, and… well, to get closer to you, so he reminded me to pay attention to your safety. I happened to be returning from a nearby space fortress inspection and checked your route midway. Originally, it was just a precaution, but I didn’t expect to coincidentally encounter your attack. It’s really fate.”

“It truly is fate.” Mu also felt deeply moved. “Let’s hurry up and go. The refugees inside must be very panicked. With your appearance, the situation can stabilize as soon as possible.”

Jin Zhe nodded. He had completely recovered his mobility under normal gravity. Seeing that Mu was limping a bit, he turned around to support him. “Is your leg still hurting? Do you want me to give you a painkiller injection?”

“It’s not too bad,” Mu said. “But even if it were, I couldn’t let someone who just had an amputation surgery carry me. How about you? Is your arm hurting? Do you want a painkiller?”

“I’m fine, I’ve eaten too much and feel a bit bloated. Why don’t you piggyback me, and it will help with my digestion,” Jin Zhe said, bending over in front of him. “You climb up by yourself.”

“…Climb up by myself?” Mu felt like Jin Zhe was teasing him again. Seeing his broad shoulders and strong back, he felt a warmth in his heart and actually climbed onto his back, hugging his neck tightly. “Here’s your chance for me to return the favor.”

Jin Zhe laughed heartily. Dean, whether solemn, shy, or sarcastic, was truly fascinating! Truly the favorite in my heart!

 

 

 

 

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