FT DR Chapter 137: Together Victorious

Chapter 137: Together Victorious

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

The terminal was in a mess, with half of the lightweight metal supports collapsed, insulation materials burnt to a crisp, and three out of four entrances blocked by collapsed building materials. Jin Zhe, carrying his wife on his back, circled half of the terminal before finally finding the only accessible entrance.

There was a gaping hole in the dome, and looking up, one could see the semi-transparent atmospheric shield. The first-floor lounge area looked like it had been hit by a large energy blast, with a large crater in the ground. However, the second floor was intact, with bright lights shining through the collapsed beams.

“Is anyone there?” Jin Zhe shouted loudly. 

Before the echo died down, hurried footsteps sounded, followed by a man poking his head out from between the beams, loudly asking, “Hey! Are you survivors too? How many of you are there?”

“Two of us, my mate and me,” Jin Zhe replied. “We’re both injured. Is there somewhere safe upstairs?”

“Yes, yes!” The man was very enthusiastic, sticking his arm out from the gap and pointing to a dark corner. “There’s a safe passage over there. Take the stairs up. We’re in the number one supermarket. There’s food here and some basic medicine.”

Jin Zhe breathed a sigh of relief, carrying Mu along the safe passage upstairs, passing through a deformed corridor. Suddenly, the scene opened up—surprisingly, the small supermarket on the second floor was intact. The man who had guided them was waiting at the entrance, next to a wheeled chair.

“Hey! I see your mate has injured his leg,” the man said considerately, pushing the wheeled chair over. “Use this. Unfortunately, there are no wheelchairs in the supermarket.”

“Thank you.” Jin Zhe placed Mu in the wheeled chair. 

The man noticed Jin Zhe’s missing right arm, the shirt sleeve tied around his shoulder, still oozing blood, and involuntarily sucked in a breath. “Wow, brother, you’re seriously injured. Your arm was lost, impressive… Let me help you push him. Do you want to take a wheeled chair too?”

“No need, I can walk.” Jin Zhe found him amusing, but it was good to encounter helpful people at such times, better than encountering selfish ones.

The three entered the supermarket, where several dozen survivors had gathered, half of them elderly people and children. They were sitting or lying down, in a mess, but their spirits were still high, greeting Jin Zhe and Mu one by one:

“Oh, you’re pretty badly injured.”

“It’s okay, as long as we’re alive.”

“Come sit here. There’s an inflatable sofa.”

“Better lie here. My mattress can fit one more person.”

Jin Zhe responded to each one and asked the man who had welcomed them, “How many survivors are there here?”

“More than seventy,” the man replied. “When the terrorist attack happened, our crew organized everyone to evacuate. About half of the people here were the first group rescued. They’re all elderly and children. Later, after the attackers left, we gathered more people, totaling more than seventy… How about you? Why did it take so long for you to seek help? Where were you before?”

Only then did Jin Zhe notice that he was wearing an airport ground crew uniform, so dirty that you couldn’t even see the color, no wonder he was organizing refugees here. “We just returned from space, our lifeboat just landed.”

“Wow, you guys are really lucky!” The ground crew clicked his tongue. “Are you from the research starship? I thought you were all bombed by terrorists. It’s so scary. I’ve never seen such a big scene in my life. Ah, it’s better to stay in the capital for safety. I won’t come out to work again. My mom was right, not listening to the elderly leads to losses…”

He kept talking, and an old lady sitting on a massage chair next to him had been eyeing Jin Zhe up and down. Suddenly, she jumped up, her movements as agile as an athlete, and Mu almost heard a “crack” from her spine.

“You’re the President!” The old lady pointed at Jin Zhe in disbelief, her missing front teeth unable to hide the excitement in her voice. “You, you, you’re President Jin Zhe! I’ve seen you on the news!”

A little boy standing next to her, licking a lollipop, was startled by her, dropping his candy. He picked it up and wiped it on his clothes, tilted his head to look at Jin Zhe, “Granny, he’s not the President, he doesn’t have a hand!”

“Hello, ma’am.” Jin Zhe resumed his friendly presidential demeanor in front of the crowd. “You have sharp eyes. I am Jin Zhe.”

“Wow!” The old lady jumped up again. 

Mu heard another crisp sound from her spine and had to remind her, “Don’t get too excited, ma’am, watch your spine.”

“Oh my God, I’ve seen the living President!” The old lady was too excited, randomly grabbing a marker pen from the shelf behind her. “President! I’m your fan. I voted for you in both elections! Please give me an autograph!” She pointed to her sleeve. “Sign here.”

Jin Zhe chuckled, “I’m not very good at writing with my left hand. Don’t mind if it looks bad.” He then scribbled his name on her sleeve.

“What’s wrong with you? How did you…” The old lady looked at his right shoulder, her eyes suddenly turning red. “How did you get injured like this, sob, sob, sob…”

“Don’t cry, ma’am.” Jin Zhe quickly handed her some tissues. “Being alive is already lucky. Everything will be fine.”

“Sob, sob, sob, with you here, everything will be fine. I believe in you.” The old lady wiped her tears and then turned to Mu. “I know you, you’re Dean from Aston Medical College. Please, stay with President Jin Zhe, he loves you so much. Your inauguration speech was so touching, I cried when I watched it.”

Mu was really uncomfortable with being the center of attention like this, not knowing what to say. Jin Zhe noticed his discomfort and quickly said, “We’re already together, haha. We’ll register for marriage soon.”

Their conversation drew the attention of others, and before they knew it, the surrounding refugees had gathered around. Even in these times, seeing a living president was a rare occurrence, let alone Jin Zhe, a highly popular President. Everyone expressed their condolences to them, urging them to take care of themselves, congratulating them on finally being together with their beloved.

What was originally a bleak scene of evacuation gradually turned into a wedding atmosphere. More than seventy people showered them with flowers and blessings, Mu sitting in the wheeled chair with a forced smile on his face, feeling like his face was starting to cramp. He couldn’t help but deeply doubt whether he could handle the “first mate” role that was thrust upon him.

Finally, when everyone quieted down, Jin Zhe asked the ground crew, “Have you contacted the outside world?”

“No,” the ground crew shook his head despondently. “Communication was interrupted before the attack, probably because the terrorists jammed the signal. Then they bombed the relay station, so we couldn’t contact the outside world anymore. But we had an agreement with the nearest station. If they don’t receive our regular signal within twenty-four hours, they’ll send a ship to check on us.”

“When was the last regular signal sent?” Jin Zhe asked. 

The ground crew counted and replied, “Ten hours ago.”

So, there were still fourteen hours left… Jin Zhe frowned and said, “In that case, take me to the relay station. Maybe I can fix it and transmit the message as soon as possible.” 

There were many injured here, and there might be even more at other points, and a delay of a dozen hours could be fatal. Besides, he had to get the news of his survival out. As the symbol of the federal government, the more turbulent the times, the more his presence could stabilize people’s hearts.

The Succession Act should have been activated by now, with the Vice President temporarily assuming the role of president. According to the regulations, once his death was confirmed, or if he couldn’t return to office within seventy-two hours, the Vice President would be sworn in. So he had to establish contact with the cabinet as soon as possible and return to the public eye within seventy-two hours.

Jin Zhe was highly respected among the people, and the ground crew was delighted to work with him. Other refugees also expressed their willingness to help. Jin Zhe selected a mechanic and an electronic engineer, and the four of them set off to repair the relay station.

Mu was worried about his condition and had originally planned to accompany him, but his leg injury prevented him from climbing high, which might cause trouble for Jin Zhe, and besides, there were several injured people here who urgently needed treatment. So he didn’t go with them and just gave Jin Zhe a painkiller shot before he left.

Jin Zhe led the small repair team through the ruins, climbed up to the damaged relay station. Fortunately, it had only been affected by the shockwaves of the energy blast, and the main structure was intact. With Jin Zhe’s background as a former Voyager Army special forces soldier and former NTU agent, he was basically an all-around expert in mechanical information. With the help of the mechanic and engineer, they replaced the damaged parts and quickly restored the relay signal.

Once the line was connected, Jin Zhe’s first call was to Hobart. Hobart heard his voice through his personal terminal and shouted, “I knew you were still alive!” before choking up. 

Jin Zhe also felt emotional and briefly explained his experience to him, saying, “There may be several hundred survivors in the port. You should have the nearest station come to support. The research starship has been completely destroyed, so there’s no need to go there anymore.”

“The orders from the President’s Fleet have been received. ‘Star Chariot’ fleet left for the port an hour and a half ago and is expected to arrive within ten hours,” Hobart said. “The stations also know about your attack and have sent a small fleet to assist you. They should arrive even earlier. Their main force, along with several other interstellar fortresses, are intercepting the fleet that attacked you.”

“Do you have any preliminary information? Who attacked us?”

“It might be the ‘Hunters’ fleet,” Hobart said. “The Alpha Array had a loophole, and they somehow got hold of the research starship’s itinerary, bypassed the Array, and attempted to abduct Dean Mu’s party. Other interstellar fortresses have also been attacked by them. ‘Celestial Chariot’ and ‘Star Chariot’ are reallocating manpower to counterattack.”

“What about the ‘Moon Chariot’?” Jin Zhe asked solemnly.

“‘Moon Chariot’ is also participating in the joint operation, but… ‘Celestial Chariot’ believes their loyalty is questionable,” Hobart whispered. “General Yan has endorsed Jin Xuan’s views and ordered him to monitor General Latika’s movements throughout.”

“I see,” Jin Zhe’s expression turned very serious. “The Succession Act has been activated. Before I am safe, the Vice President will temporarily assume the role of President. You and Balon must mobilize the Federal Navy and be prepared to intercept any rebellion from the Voyager Army.”

Hobart’s voice faltered. “The Voyager Army rebellion…”

“I don’t know why Hannibal would act at this time. I thought he would wait a few more years,” Jin Zhe said heavily. “Regardless, he has taken action. The ‘Hunters’ ambush should only be a prelude. The real war is about to begin. The Independent Corps is limited in military strength and probably unable to withstand the subsequent attacks from the Voyager Army. We must plan ahead.”

“Yes,” Hobart trusted Jin Zhe’s political sensitivity very much, especially since the scale of this attack was too large and the losses to the Federation were too heavy. If it was confirmed to be the work of the ‘Hunters,’ Hannibal’s ambitions would be laid bare.

“I’ll gather the refugees here and wait for the rescue fleet from the station,” Jin Zhe said. “We’ll talk about everything when we meet again.”

After ending the communication, Jin Zhe returned to the airport supermarket with the ground crew, mechanic, and engineer. During their absence, Mu had already dealt with the injuries that could be treated. Fortunately, most of these people had escaped relatively early, so there weren’t many severe injuries, and no one was in critical condition.

Jin Zhe selected several stronger individuals from the refugees and sent them out to contact other settlement points, spreading the news of the impending rescue and tallying the numbers. Mu asked them to inquire about the extent of injuries, bringing over any severe cases they couldn’t handle or allowing him to go and check on them himself.

With a president in place, everyone had a backbone, and they all set off to fulfill their tasks. Mu and Jin Zhe finally had a moment to rest.

The storage room had been converted into a temporary medical room. Mu examined Jin Zhe’s wounds, rebandaging and applying anti-inflammatory ointment. Jin Zhe was indeed weak, and after working so hard for this long, he was tired. He lay down on the carpet and closed his eyes.

Mu finished treating his wounds and cradled Jin Zhe’s head on his thigh, gently massaging the acupoints on his head. “Did the rebels only attack our starship? Were there any other attacks?”

“Yes, ‘Celestial Chariot’ and ‘Star Chariot’ are fighting back,” Jin Zhe replied. There was no need to keep secrets from Mu; his mind was open to the guide. “Jin Xuan is guarding the Alpha Array, and the pressure this time is great. I’ve already put the navy on standby, ready to come to their aid at any time.”

Mu hesitated for a moment and asked, “Is Wu Chenghe with him? Will they be in danger?”

“Danger is inevitable,” Jin Zhe said. “They are soldiers, and soldiers’ duty is to resist aggression and defend the Federation. They have been training for a long time, and this is the time for them to play their role.”

Mu’s hand suddenly loosened, his brows furrowed, and he seemed lost in thought. Jin Zhe sensed his concern, opened his eyes to look at him, and asked, “Are you worried about them?”

“Of course,” Mu came back to himself and said softly, “Wu Chenghe, that kid, is so foolish and stubborn…”

“It seems like you care about him a lot,” Jin Zhe sat up and looked into his eyes. “Does he have a special significance to you?”

Mu’s eyes darkened, and he met Jin Zhe’s gaze. After a while, he said softly, “You must have thoroughly investigated me, haven’t you? So you must already know the answer to this question.”

Jin Zhe shook his head. “No, your information is very complete, flawless even. I didn’t find anything.” He paused for a moment and said, “Well, I did learn some things beyond the data, but there’s no evidence, just speculation.”

“Then you did find out, didn’t you?” Mu smiled faintly. “The result is the same. You know who I am, and you know why I treat him well… That’s right, he’s my nephew. His mother is my younger sister.”

Although he had long suspected the reasons behind this, hearing him say it aloud was still quite shocking. Jin Zhe held his right hand and gently rubbed it. Mu whispered, “I am an invisible guide. From birth, I faced the fate of being sent to Tungusic because of the guide gene. At that time, the massacre had not yet ended, and I had a serious heart and lung deformity. Once sent to Tungusic, death was inevitable. In order to let me survive, my mother privately donated a large sum of money to the Free Guide Organization, falsely claiming that I had died young, when in fact she sent me to Teacher Sienna.”

He smiled faintly and said, “I had already shown guide traits before undergoing the transplant surgery. After recovering, it was difficult to return to my own family, so I decided to truly consider myself an orphan. My mother understood my choice and supported my education for many years. Later, I became a leader in the Free Guide Organization and, to avoid causing trouble for my family, voluntarily severed contact with them. Over the years, I knew I had a sister, but I never met her. Before I could contact her, she passed away and left custody of the child to his biological father, Hannibal.”

Speaking of Hannibal, Mu’s eyes were somewhat cold. “I have always suspected that my family’s decline is related to Hannibal, but I have no evidence. All I can do is take care of Wu Chenghe as best as I can and prevent him from becoming the next victim of the family.” 

Although Jin Xuan didn’t say some things directly, he guessed a few. Why Hannibal favored Wu Chenghe so much, almost wanting to keep him in his pocket… But these words were not suitable to say to Jin Zhe and could only be brushed over.

“I am also investigating this matter. The downfall of the Wu family and Wu Xi’s death were both caused by Lancer. The military has evidence, and Wu Chenghe knows. However, we cannot currently locate Hannibal.” Jin Zhe summarized the information Jin Xuan had found in Tartaros years ago to Mu and then paused before asking, “Does Wu Chenghe know that you’re his uncle?”

“Heh.” Mu chuckled and said, “I guess he’s already suspicious. Two years ago, he secretly took a sample of my blood. I suppose it was for DNA comparison, but this child is very patient. Two years have passed, and he still hasn’t told me the results.”

“Perhaps he’s waiting for you to tell him voluntarily,” Jin Zhe said. “This child is exceptionally patient in important matters. He respects you and must be guessing that you have your reasons for not telling him.”

Mu’s gaze softened, nodding slightly. “Yes, although he’s foolish and clumsy in small matters, he’s incredibly smart in important ones. Sigh, he’s even better than me.”

“Who says so?” Jin Zhe glared. “You’re not allowed to belittle my mate in front of me, nor yourself!” 

Mu choked on his words, rubbing his forehead. Dealing with Jin Zhe’s constantly wandering thoughts was somewhat overwhelming. Who knew Jin Zhe had more to say, “By the way, with this situation, won’t your family relations be quite confusing? Should Wu Chenghe call you uncle or aunt… and the children, is Zhuang Zhuang their cousin?”

Mu felt a headache coming on. “…” Wasn’t it a waste of brain cells to consider such questions at this time? He sighed heavily. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s not talk about this. Take a rest; with such severe injuries, even the strongest person can’t endure. We don’t know when rescue will arrive.”

Jin Zhe closed his eyes, shifting slightly on his lap, and said, “Hmm, you do care about me. They keep dragging me for autographs… Why am I not left-handed like Jin Xuan? How long will it take to learn to write my name properly now?”

Mu smiled. It turned out his biggest concern about losing his right arm was the inability to sign autographs for fans. He gently stroked his hair and said, “Go to sleep. Everyone is counting on you. You’ll eventually learn.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jin Zhe, still recovering from his injuries and having been active for several hours, quickly fell asleep, emitting a slight snore from his nostrils.

“Big yellow cat,” Mu recalled Zhuang Zhuang’s nickname for him for some reason. Jin Zhe’s lion, half asleep, raised his eyelids slightly and responded with a “meow” before falling back asleep. The Icarus butterfly was perched on his right ear like an orange-red bow.

Star Core Asteroid Base.

The Tianzhu Military Hospital was in the midst of a tense evacuation. Ever since receiving the message from the Cruiser Fleet several hours ago, Dean had instructed administrative staff to organize doctors and patients to board ships and fly to the Tianque Spaceport for refuge.

Most people still didn’t know what had happened. Some wounded patients were reluctant to leave, and doctors had to persuade them one by one. Chen Miaomiao, an emergency room intern, followed the attending physician from ward to ward, informing patients, arranging nurses and workers, and was busy beyond belief. After finally packing up the emergency department patients and getting them onto the starship, he received news of the evacuation himself — the hospital wanted him to serve as the ship’s doctor and fly to the Tianque Spaceport with the patients.

Chen Miaomiao returned to his dorm to pack his belongings. In the residential area, he encountered many military dependents also preparing to evacuate, only then realizing that something major must have happened. Asking a familiar person, the person’s face was full of fear, “I don’t know either, it seems like someone crossed the Alpha Frontline and is preparing to attack the Independent Brigade. The Star Core Base is in danger! Hurry, let’s go, Tianque Spaceport is the safest!”

The Alpha Frontline breached? Chen Miaomiao was shocked and almost couldn’t speak. Jin Xuan and Wu Chenghe hadn’t returned from their patrol yet. How could the Alpha Frontline have been breached? And who attacked the frontline?

A guess he least wanted to consider popped into his mind. Chen Miaomiao shuddered — on the opposite side of the Alpha Frontline was the Beta Frontline, right? Could it be that the “Assassin” Fleet attacked the Independent Brigade? Heavens! “Assassin” was the Voyager Army’s fleet. If they acted on their own, it would be fine, but if it was at Hannibal’s command, it meant that the entire Voyager Army stood against the Federation!

Where was the Third Army? What role were his parents playing in this war?

Chen Miaomiao’s mind was in chaos. He quickly ran back to the dormitory, opened the terminal, and tried to contact his father, Chen Zhen, at Seiling Military Harbor. He had been too busy lately and hadn’t spoken to his family for over a month. Had something happened while he was unaware?

The line was dead. Seiling was in a state of information blackout, completely cut off from the outside world.

Chen Miaomiao’s heart sank.

 

 

 

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