FT DR Chapter 15: The Unlucky Lucky Break

Chapter 15: The Unlucky Lucky Break

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Marlow was somewhat perplexed, but being a strong sentinel, he wasn’t easily shaken. In the chaos of the morning, Wu Chenghe’s mind wasn’t entirely focused, and the mental cues he gave Marlow weren’t very strong. When Hannibal asked him, Marlow gradually recalled a few details. “No, he left. He attended the opening ceremony. I saw him there.” As he struggled to recall the morning’s events, he continued, “There was a bit of an incident in the morning. Some students got into a fight during the opening ceremony. I was worried he might get hurt, so I pulled him out of the auditorium. Later… he seemed to be feeling ill, said he wanted to go home. I wanted to take him to the school clinic, but he refused, only asking me to help him get permission from the teacher…” He paused, furrowing his brow. “Oh no, I forgot to help him get permission!”

“He was feeling ill?” Hannibal’s pupils contracted slightly. “What illness? What were the symptoms?”

“I… I forgot,” Marlow said, puzzled. “Strange, why do I feel like my memories of this morning are so fuzzy? I can’t recall many details. What’s going on?”

Hannibal, looking at his son’s bewildered expression, vaguely understood something. He patted Marlow’s shoulder reassuringly and said, “Maybe you’re just tired, after all the commotion with the fans yesterday. Forget about Charlie’s matters; I’ll help him get permission from the teacher later.”

Marlow still felt a bit strange. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his memories from leaving the auditorium to Wu Chenghe’s departure this morning were off, like pieces of a shattered mirror pieced together but with missing fragments.

“Forget about it; it’s time to take a break. Anyway, thank you for taking care of Charlie,” Hannibal teased his son with a smile. “But don’t be jealous; he’s different from you. I’m taking care of him to fulfill a promise.”

“Forget it, who would be jealous of him!” Marlow felt irritable at the mere thought of Wu Chenghe and waved his hand dismissively. “I’m going to take a shower; I want to sleep early tonight.” 

With that, he left his father and went upstairs. His caracal appeared through the wall and ran in, circling Hannibal once before attempting to reach his shoulders with its claws. The black-chestnut eagle glared at it disapprovingly, and the caracal bared its teeth before sulking away.

No matter how tough and independent he appeared on the surface, he was still a sixteen-year-old boy, admiring and relying on his father from the bottom of his heart. Quantum beasts couldn’t fake that.

Hannibal smiled as he watched his son’s retreating figure until he disappeared around the staircase corner. Then, he slowly regained his solemn expression and glanced at Lilith, who was busy in the kitchen, before heading upstairs to his study.

“Yuna?” As soon as he entered the room, Hannibal connected to Yuna’s communication.

“Commander,” the secretary, who was online twenty-four hours a day, immediately responded. “Do you have any orders?”

“I have an urgent task for a few people, and the list is ready. I’ll send it to you shortly, and you must message them to depart within ten minutes.”

“Understood.”

“My apartment is now under full lockdown. For the next twenty-four hours, apart from the owners, no one else in the entire community is allowed in or out.”

“Understood.” 

Hannibal ended the communication and quickly drafted a list, including all the sentinels living in the same community as Wu Chenghe. Within ten minutes, these individuals would leave their homes to carry out tasks far from the community and wouldn’t return for twenty-four hours. With the community under lockdown, no new sentinels would enter.

Having arranged everything, Hannibal breathed a sigh of relief, but his brow remained furrowed. He paced back and forth in his study, as if making a difficult decision, until after the tenth lap, he stopped.

The wind had picked up outside. In recent days, the area had experienced high levels of static electricity, and the observatory had forecasted artificial rain before dawn. Hannibal glanced at the rolling dark clouds outside, took his coat from the rack, and prepared to leave.

At that moment, the black-chestnut eagle on his shoulder suddenly moved, emitting an affectionate low chirp. Immediately afterward, Lilith’s caracal sauntered through the study door. It circled Hannibal’s legs before settling beside him on the carpet, resting its head against his shin, its ice-blue eyes gazing softly into his.

Hannibal’s expression briefly conflicted, but he quickly made a decision. He hung his coat back on the rack gently, stroked the caracal’s head affectionately, and walked towards the bedroom.

At seven in the morning, the biting wind carried a faint dampness, and the air was chilly.

A starship from the federal capital, Planet Dunkirk, slowly descended at Gabriel Military Harbor’s No.1 dock. Passengers disembarked in small groups, among them a tall Chinese youth.

His long, black hair was neatly tied behind his head, cascading down his back. He wore a worn-out iron-gray T-shirt, deliberately torn at the neckline, revealing healthy tan skin and a rose tattoo on his collarbone. His jeans, washed to a pale white, had a few tears at the knees, but because his legs were long and straight, he didn’t look sloppy; rather, he exuded a casual, artistic vibe.

Rain? Jin Xuan looked up at the sky, draped his coat over his shoulders, and headed towards the exit, dragging his suitcase along.

“King!” His manager hurried over. “Are you sure you want to leave alone? The organizers have arranged everything at the hotel.”

The strong wind tousled Jin Xuan’s dark hair. He put on his sunglasses, raised the collar of his coat to cover half of his face, and replied, “Goodbye.”

The manager shrugged helplessly. “Alright, you’re the boss. Your call.”

Gabriel’s artificial air made Jin Xuan uncomfortable; everything here felt fake. He didn’t linger and gave his manager a cold nod before striding towards the exit.

After passing through the security gate, his right hand suddenly trembled. Jin Xuan’s thick eyebrows furrowed, and after a full minute, seeing no intention of the other party to hang up, he reluctantly answered, “Bro?”

President Jin Zhe’s voice came through the line, “The professor says you didn’t hand in a thesis but a classical guitar sheet music. Jin Xuan, do you not want to graduate? Do you want me to support you for the rest of your life?”

“Isn’t it inappropriate for someone who can’t even operate a cooking machine to say such things?” King, who usually spoke sparingly, unleashed a torrent of words only at moments like this. He sarcastically retorted, “If I remember correctly, I’ve been supporting myself all along. Besides withdrawing our parents’ sperm and eggs from the embryo bank twenty-four years ago, stuffing them into an artificial womb, and then labeling it ‘Jin Xuan,’ have you done anything else for me?”

“You motherfucker, who the hell are you talking to, you sloppy ghost? Believe me, I’ll immediately break you down into sperm and eggs and stuff you back into the bank!” The usually composed and humble President exploded in anger. “Do you still want your degree? Or do you plan to wear a master’s gown at your doctoral graduation? Is it performance art? You’re really making a joke with your life, but unfortunately, you’re using my life, and you’re joking with me!”

“Save your energy to vent at those softies in parliament; no matter what you say, they’ll kneel and lick your boots.” Jin Xuan added a mocking tone, “I’ll handle the thesis myself, no need for you to worry!”

“Don’t challenge my bottom line, Jin Xuan. Parliament’s affairs are none of your business!” Jin Zhe was completely speechless with his brother. “Do your thesis obediently, or you’ll find out that your dear big brother isn’t soft or cute at all; he’s a demon!”

“You should go to a blind date event.” Jin Xuan sneered, “Let them send you a guide, so you don’t end up with another demon… I bet the training program at the guide school will surely meet all your special requirements.”

“Come at two in the afternoon.” Jin Zhe, unwilling to argue further, succinctly stated, “If you’re even a second late, you won’t set foot in Dunkirk’s capital for a whole year.”

“…Deal.” Ending the call, Jin Xuan muttered a string of low, ambiguous curses, gesturing with his middle finger in the direction of the capitol’s Star Cluster, then used his personal terminal to connect to the public transportation system and summoned a self-driving taxi.

Over an hour later, the taxi dropped him off at an upscale community next to the military base, where Jin Zhe owned a private property he had purchased during his service in the Voyager Army, but hadn’t used for many years.

“Please undergo identity verification; this area is currently under lockdown, non-residents are not allowed to enter.” Two patrol officers blocked the taxi at the entrance. Jin Xuan frowned; he had hurriedly left without asking his brother for resident privileges, so he only had an entry key.

Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to disturb him at this time? After all, he had just unleashed his wrath… Jin Xuan hesitated for a moment, then decided to handle it himself. “Wait for me.” He set the taxi’s outer wall to opaque mode, opened his personal terminal, and activated a bunch of hacking software he had used in his spare time, easily cracking the property management system’s backend and adding his own resident privileges.

“Found it.” Jin Xuan rolled down the car window and extended his right hand.

Are you looking for your right hand after searching for so long? The patrol officer raised an eyebrow, scanned his palm with a scanner, and with a “beep,” the system confirmed his resident identity, so they opened the gate.

“Do you think he looks familiar?” His companion asked, “He looks like that artist in the advertisement at the entrance, King, just a bit more handsome without makeup.”

“Did he get plastic surgery?” The patrol officer sneered, “Young people nowadays go crazy chasing stars. My son worked part-time for more than half a year to save money for double eyelid surgery, claiming it’s the same style as King’s. Damn, who am I raising him for?!”

His companion patted his shoulder sympathetically.

Entering the community, the wind grew stronger, mingled with a faint drizzle. Jin Xuan found his brother’s property, grabbed his suitcase, and headed towards the gate. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew a dark red strap in front of him.

Jin Xuan caught the strap, realizing it was a tie, woven with the name and emblem of “Gabriel Basic School,” obviously a school uniform accessory. He flipped it over, and on the back was embroidered with a rather awkward Chinese name, “Wu Chenghe.”

Where did this brat come from, losing even his school tie… Jin Xuan scoffed, about to stuff it into his coat pocket when he suddenly stopped.

What’s this smell? He held the tie to his nose and detected a faint sweetness, almost imperceptible due to being blown by the wind all night and slightly dampened by the rain, but… Too! Sweet!

Yes, this smell was too sweet for him. Even if it was just a hint, it made his heart race endlessly. It was the pheromones of a guide that perfectly matched him! Damn, Gabriel Military Harbor was amazing; he found a guide as soon as he got off the ship! A wild guide!