FT DR Chapter 28: Two Comedies and One Tragedy

Chapter 28: Two Comedies and One Tragedy

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Wu Chenghe “saw” another guide’s mental tendrils for the first time. In the gray world constructed by lines, they resembled fluorescent “ribbons,” sweeping back and forth in the vast space, leaving faint traces wherever they passed. 

Wu Chenghe was still young, not very skilled in controlling the consciousness cloud. He dared not build the barrier too large, barely covering the aura of Jin Xuan and Chen Miaomiao. The stronger the person, the brighter the aura. Chen Miaomiao was an ordinary person, and injured, so his dot was very dim, easily concealed by a thin barrier. Jin Xuan’s aura, on the other hand, was extremely powerful, his shining brightly. Wu Chenghe struggled to dismantle his own mental tendrils, weaving layer after layer of barriers to barely cover its brilliance.

Wu Chenghe’s consciousness fluctuations aroused suspicion from the other guide, and the fluorescent “ribbons” began to gather rapidly, sweeping towards their direction. Wave after wave, those powerful mental tendrils pounded against Wu Chenghe’s constructed barrier, unable to find any suspicious auras. However, unwilling to return empty-handed, they increased their intensity, launching fiercer sweeps.

Wu Chenghe felt his fragile barrier was like a paper dam being battered by surging waves, with the danger of collapsing at any minute. But he didn’t sit idly by; instead, he exerted all his strength to reinforce it. Every time a layer was brushed away by the opponent’s sweep, he added another layer.

Time seemed to freeze, each second stretched infinitely. Wu Chenghe didn’t know how long he could hold on. His brain felt like a burning coal, trying to release as much heat as possible, burning even its core. He was on the verge of collapse, his headache unbearable, heart pounding, sweat pouring like rain. His once black eyes slowly turned into eerie vertical pupils. He felt his brain slipping out of control, gradually becoming immersed in the world of consciousness, losing normal perception of the real world.

He fell into a semi-conscious state.

Jin Xuan sensed Wu Chenghe’s powerful consciousness and noticed his aura being concealed behind a sturdy barrier. But at the same time, he also realized Wu Chenghe was overextending his mental capacity – his body was heating up, nerves in his limbs twitching, on the brink of collapse.

He was only seventeen, his brain not fully developed. Such reckless overextension could likely cause permanent damage… Jin Xuan started to panic, squeezing his hand, getting no response. He lifted his body slightly, discovering his clothes were soaked, even the tips of his hair dripping with sweat.

“Wu Chenghe?” Jin Xuan tapped his face gently. Wu Chenghe slowly opened his eyes, his vertical pupils lost and unfocused, unresponsive to external stimuli.

This was an extremely dangerous situation; he had completely lost control… Jin Xuan panicked, softly calling his name, “Wu Chenghe, wake up, Wu Chenghe!”

“Senior? What’s wrong with Senior?” Chen Miaomiao also noticed his abnormality, anxiously asking, “King, why did Senior pass out? Is he injured?”

Jin Xuan didn’t know how to answer his question, so he stayed silent, laying Wu Chenghe down on the ground, turning off the breathing converter, dismantling the motor inside, tearing apart the positive and negative connections, carefully tearing open the insulation at the tip, creating a makeshift shocker.

“What are you going to do?” Chen Miaomiao understood his intention, sitting up against the freezer wall. “Are you going to shock him?”

“He passed out. If he doesn’t wake up, he’ll permanently become like this,” Jin Xuan said as he pulled off Wu Chenghe’s shirt, aiming the wire at his chest, gently touching. Wu Chenghe’s body jerked, emitting a faint groan from his mouth. His large eyes opened, staring blankly at the ceiling. The vertical pupils gradually dilated, returning to round pupils.

“Wu Chenghe?” Jin Xuan carefully held him up. “Talk to me, Wu Chenghe!”

“He, he found… us.” Wu Chenghe felt as if he had been pulled out of water, too weak to barely speak. “I, I’m sorry, I’m… so useless…”

“Senior, Senior, what’s wrong with you?” Chen Miaomiao was puzzled and alarmed, looking at Wu Chenghe, then at Jin Xuan. “King, what is he saying? What happened to him?”

“You’re amazing,” Jin Xuan said as he covered him with his shirt, holding him in his arms. “I’ve never seen anyone as powerful as you.”

Wu Chenghe sighed. His brain was in a fog, vision blurred, ears ringing. But he had done his best. The opponent’s guide was too powerful. Being able to hold on for so long, he was already proud of himself.

Perhaps this was fate, predetermined. They were destined to die here.

A bright light suddenly swept through the porthole on the laboratory door. Jin Xuan’s pupils shrank suddenly, placing Wu Chenghe next to Chen Miaomiao, saying, “Watch him.” Then he approached the porthole, pressing against it to look outside.

A giant “Raptor” mecha stood in space, with a conspicuous winged lion emblem engraved on its left chest. Its headlamp was scanning the ruins of Zone A.

“It’s the Voyager Army!” Jin Xuan exclaimed with joy. “It’s the ‘Raptor’ mecha! Ivanov’s people are here!”

“Ah! Rescue is coming? That’s great!” Chen Miaomiao exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Wu Chenghe’s hand. “Senior, don’t sleep, someone is coming to rescue us!”

Wu Chenghe was exhausted, on the verge of collapse. It took him a while to understand what he meant. His heart relaxed slightly, nodding vaguely.

Jin Xuan found the communication frequency of the reinforcements and intercepted Ivanov’s communication, loudly saying, “Is this Ivanov’s squad captain? I am Wu Chenghe’s mentor, Jin Xuan. We are in the water sample laboratory in Zone A with three people. Wu Chenghe has suffered serious mental trauma. Please, send the lifeboat quickly!”

After a rustling sound, Ivanov’s voice came from the other side, “Okay, we have locked onto your location. The lifeboat will arrive in two minutes.”

Jin Xuan returned to Wu Chenghe’s side, picking him up horizontally. Just as he was about to go to the door, he suddenly felt a violent shake around him, and then the entire laboratory began to tilt.

“What’s going on?” Chen Miaomiao was already terrified, clinging to the freezer door in panic.

Jin Xuan stabilized himself, saying, “They’re fighting. Don’t be afraid. Ivanov has the ‘Raptor’ mecha; the attackers are no match for him.”

Indeed, the “Raptor” held off the enemy, and the laboratory was no longer under attack. Over a minute later, a small rescue starship approached their location and sent over a single-person lifeboat. Jin Xuan gently placed Wu Chenghe into the cabin, closed the hatch, and sent him back.

The second lifeboat arrived, and Jin Xuan put Chen Miaomiao into it. Chen Miaomiao cried loudly. As he left, he held his hand, saying, “King, thank you, thank you and Senior. Don’t worry, I will keep your secrets. Unless you decide to reveal them yourselves, I won’t tell anyone.”

Jin Xuan nodded. “Thank you. Actually, I just like him, but he doesn’t like me. Today… the situation is special, so he’s a bit confused, which is why he’s been closer to me. But when we get back, it probably won’t be the same. Um, since you have a good relationship with him, could you help me…”

“Don’t worry!” Chen Miaomiao had completely become a fan of their CP (couple), and hearing his idol speak so much to him was simply too honored! “I’ll do my best to brainwash him when I’m with him. You’re so perfect and good to him; he’ll definitely fall for you!”

Jin Xuan’s lower eyelid twitched, vaguely feeling that he might have entrusted the wrong person.

“I’ll treat you guys to a meal when we get back!” Chen Miaomiao waved reluctantly. “See you on the ship later.”

“See you later.” Jin Xuan couldn’t help but smile a little and closed the hatch for him.

As the two lifeboats departed one after the other, Jin Xuan waited, waited… Five minutes passed, then ten minutes passed, but the third lifeboat still hadn’t arrived.

A sense of foreboding rose in his heart. He tried contacting Ivanov, but there was no response. He searched through other communication channels, but to no avail. Looking through the porthole, he saw the “Raptor” mecha flying away from the space station, clearly retreating after the fight. And the escort starship had already become too distant to see with the naked eye.

Why did they leave like this? The previous conversation clearly informed them that there were three people here. Why wasn’t there a third lifeboat? The answer was clear—they never intended to save him; someone wanted him dead.

The Barbary lion paced anxiously, evidently aware of the danger. Jin Xuan’s face turned as cold as ice. After a while, he picked up the breathing device he had dismantled from the spacesuit and the one Wu Chenghe left behind, attached them to his belt, and went towards the storage room where he had found Chen Miaomiao earlier.

“They won’t come back,” he said to his lion, his voice as cold as ice. “Someone wants me dead.”

The Barbary lion growled angrily, and Jin Xuan chuckled coldly. “Perhaps all of this was aimed at me from the beginning.” He paused, a hint of sadness passing through his eyes. “And… I’ve dragged him down with me.”

The Barbary lion huffed, nervously pacing around his feet. Jin Xuan patted its head. “Don’t worry, I won’t let them succeed so easily. You idiot, they haven’t even found his quantum beast. I won’t let you disappear with me.” With that, he grabbed onto the ventilation duct and floated inside with a light jump.

Wu Chenghe was mentally exhausted and passed out as soon as he entered the lifeboat. He didn’t know how long had passed when he heard someone calling his name, “Charlie, Mr. Charlie!”

Wu Chenghe struggled to open his eyes, his vision blurry, like being shrouded in mist, unable to see anything clearly. A faint light flashed before his eyes. He squinted and finally saw a blurry figure.

“He’s awake! Oh, he finally woke up!” The person noticed he was awake and exclaimed excitedly. “Squad captain, Mr. Charlie woke up.”

Wu Chenghe’s senses were disordered, his eardrums were throbbing with pain from his voice, and he let out a weak groan. The person held the back of his head and put something on his temple. Wu Chenghe felt a sharp pain in his temple and couldn’t help but scream, “Ah!”

The pain vanished in an instant. He felt much clearer in his mind, and his vision became clearer. He moved his neck laboriously and found himself lying on a treatment bed, with a black man wearing a medical badge standing beside him, and Ivanov standing anxiously on the other side.

“Mr. Charlie, how are you feeling?” Ivanov asked nervously. “They said you suffered severe mental trauma. The doctor just gave you electrotherapy stimulation. How do you feel now?”

“It, it hurts, but much better.” Wu Chenghe gasped. His brain was still confused, but he hadn’t forgotten what he was concerned about. “Jin, Jin Xuan? And Chen Miaomiao, were they rescued?”

“Rest assured, leave the rest to me.” Ivanov said vaguely, not directly answering his question.

Wu Chenghe was too tired to hear his perfunctory tone and sighed in relief. “Oh, okay, thank you.”

“Yes, rest assured, the squad captain will take care of everything.” The medical officer comforted him gently, adjusting something on the instrument above his head. “It’s good that you woke up. You’re too tired. Take a rest; you’ll see the commander after a nap.”

Wu Chenghe wanted to say something, but his consciousness was overwhelmed by heavy drowsiness. His lips moved twice, then he quietly fell asleep.

The treatment chamber quieted down. The flight surgeon said, “Let him sleep. There’s no specific medication for this kind of mental trauma. Resting more and relying on self-healing is the only way to recover. It’s strange, he’s just an ordinary person, why would he be subjected to mental attacks? It’s fortunate that he woke up. If he had turned into a vegetable, how would we explain to the commander?”

“What’s there to explain?” Ivanov frowned. “With such a huge deviation in our actions and such serious injuries, the commander will definitely be furious.”

“Battle is battle, there are always unpredictable accidents. We did our best.” The flight surgeon patted his shoulder. “Captain, don’t be discouraged. Regardless of the process, at least the result is what the commander asked for.”

“That’s all we can do.” Ivanov’s expression remained gloomy. “I didn’t expect the remnants of the Free Revolutionary Army to have such strong firepower. We were blocked for so long and almost didn’t make it in time to rescue the people. Damn it! The intelligence from the Second Army was completely wrong; it wasn’t a small ship that escaped, but three medium-sized ships!”

“Perhaps it was intentional on their part,” the flight surgeon pondered for a moment. “Just like the Mayflower incident last time, wasn’t that how they did it? If your cavalry hadn’t happened to pass by, all those people on that ship would have died. Speaking of which, why does General Lancer want to get rid of Mr. Charlie so desperately? Just because he’s the commander’s illegitimate child from before marriage? It’s unlikely. The commander’s wife has accepted it, so why is he still so persistent? Using rebel forces, providing false intelligence, this could lead to a military court.”

“The commander’s personal matters are beyond our understanding. Besides, maybe the commander also wants to use the rebel forces… just for different goals.” Ivanov said heavily, pausing for a moment. “Forget it, as soldiers, obedience is our duty. These matters are not for us to comment on. When the battle report is submitted, let the commander decide everything. Regardless, with such large casualties and the entire space station destroyed, the Second Army can’t escape blame, especially with the President’s brother among the casualties…” He glanced complexly, “I hope the Federation won’t go to war with the Voyager Army because of this. Although we’re just swords in the commander’s hands, I don’t want to point them at our own compatriots.”

The flight surgeon’s expression was grave, evidently considering the same question. After a while, he patted Ivanov’s shoulder and said, “Write the battle report. We’ll be back to Gabriel in two hours.”

Two hours later, the assault ship of the vanguard team landed outside the Gabriel Military Harbor, and Commander Hannibal personally waited at the port, his tall figure as straight as a spear, exuding a heavy killing intent.

“Commander.” Ivanov stood at attention, feeling his heart trembling with fear, almost unable to meet his eyes due to his stern demeanor.

“How is he?” Hannibal’s voice was flat, so calm it was suffocating.

“He suffered severe mental trauma, but he’s awake now. The flight surgeon said he’ll gradually recover with rest.” Ivanov replied in a low voice, feeling his calves trembling uncontrollably. 

At this time, the flight surgeon and several members of the vanguard team pushed the two wounded men out of the cabin. Hannibal immediately went forward, gently lifting the blanket covering his son, confirming that he had no external injuries, and sighed in relief, “Take him to the First Hospital immediately and have the director organize a medical consultation.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hannibal then turned to the other wounded, “How is Chen Miaomiao?”

“He has a fractured shinbone and a ruptured blood vessel, but fortunately, someone gave him first aid, so there wasn’t much bleeding. The flight surgeon has re-treated his wounds, so he should recover soon without any sequelae.”

Hannibal nodded, then turned to Yuna, who was following closely behind him. “Immediately send a letter to Genery Popova in my name, informing her of her son’s situation. Pay attention to the wording, so as not to provoke the anger of the Third Army.”

“Yes, sir.” Yuna replied respectfully.

Everyone went about their duties, and Hannibal finally looked at Ivanov. Ivanov took a step forward and whispered, “There was a deviation in the plan. There were many more rebel soldiers than the intelligence indicated, and we were ambushed, unable to arrive when they attacked the space station. Nearly all the people at the school were killed. Mr. Charlie and Dr. Jin, as well as Chen Miaomiao, hid in a cryogenic chamber in a water sample laboratory. Following your instructions, we only rescued him and Chen Miaomiao…”

Hannibal raised his hand to stop him from continuing, saying, “I’ve received the battle report. The intelligence provided by the Second Army was incorrect, but your remedial measures were acceptable. However, the space station suffered such a severe terrorist attack, the results were too devastating, your predictions were inadequate, the rescue was delayed, and you can’t escape blame.”

Ivanov’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, standing at attention, “Yes, sir!”

“Wait for your punishment,” Hannibal said expressionlessly, his voice cold. “Although there are no survivors on the space station, since it involves His Excellency the President’s family, we must proceed with caution. Gather the entire vanguard team, return immediately now, and conduct the final search and rescue on the asteroid.” He emphasized, with a pointed tone, “Not a single doubt can be overlooked. We must find Dr. Jin Xuan’s body. We owe the President an explanation, understood?”

Ivanov fully understood his meaning, and his cold sweat became even more severe. “Yes, sir!”

“This is your chance to make amends,” Hannibal said calmly. “The obituary for the President has been drafted. I hope to send it out within twenty-four hours.”

“Understood, sir!”

Half an hour later, the vanguard team, which had just returned, embarked once again on the journey to the asteroid. Hannibal watched the assault ship disappear into the dark space, a mocking smirk curling his stern lips.

It seemed that his dear father-in-law was even more anxious than he had imagined, resorting to providing false intelligence to use the remnants of the Free Revolutionary Army to target his own son. After months of suppression by the Fourth Quarter Fleet, those remaining scraps of the Free Revolutionary Army harbored deep hatred towards him. Hearing that Wu Chenghe had stepped out of his protection, they would naturally seek crazy revenge. He had originally intended to use them to kill someone else, but he almost implicated his own son. Fortunately, Ivanov wasn’t too incompetent, and the little guy was lucky enough to escape.

Well, in any case, the result was what he wanted. Although many people died in vain and a teaching space station was destroyed, it might not be a bad thing after all.

That overly arrogant old man knew too much and reached too far. It was high time he learned a lesson. He was the Commander, but more importantly, the head of the family. No matter who he wanted to adopt or what he wanted to do, it was none of anyone else’s business to meddle in!

“Yuna,” Hannibal turned back, walking towards the exit of the small flying saucer. “Prepare a letter to be sent to His Excellency the President, informing him that due to the negligence of the Second Army, the remnants of the Free Revolutionary Army successfully broke through. There was a fierce battle between them and my elite vanguard team at the Grasshopper Space Station, resulting in extensive casualties. My eldest son was seriously injured, and his brother… his fate is unknown. The vanguard team is now conducting the final search and rescue, but I have prepared for the worst. Please, ask him to prepare himself mentally.”

“Yes, sir.”

The black-and-chestnut eagle circled in the silent harbor, emitting a triumphant long cry in the high latitude space.

Author’s Note:

Jin Xuan: Fuck! You left me in that blasted space station, and you have the nerve to ask for my thoughts?!!!

Author: Digging nose, danger is a tool to enhance emotional warmth. Darling, see how good I am to you.

Jin Xuan: Thanks a lot!

Author: You’re welcome.

Jin Xuan: … (╯°Д°)╯ ┻━┻