FT DR Chapter 58: Pressure

Chapter 58: Pressure

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After Wu Chenghe’s condition stabilized, he was sent back to the surface and was accommodated in the Saint Martin Research Center under Mu’s arrangement.

After receiving injections of the special medicine six times, he finally regained consciousness. However, due to severe mental trauma and significant adult reactions, most of the time he remained in a semi-conscious state, only awake for two or three hours a day.

“Poor child,” Sienna sighed sadly after reviewing his case, “encountering such things during adolescence is really too dangerous.”

“He’s very strong and will pull through,” Mu, who hadn’t rested for several days, said with a pale face. “But he’s too weak right now, and adolescence may last a relatively long time.”

“Why not leave him here for a month or two, and I’ll take care of him?” 

“School is about to start, I have to take him back,” Mu said, “and leaving him here would be troublesome for you.”

“Oh, Mu, don’t you even trust me?” Sienna chuckled and sighed, “You’re too cautious with that child, you have to keep him close to feel safe.”

Mu shook his head with some sadness, saying, “I won’t allow any more mishaps. Sienna, you don’t know how dangerous that day was.” He remembered how Wu Chenghe had lain in Jin Xuan’s arms, and he still shuddered at the thought. “I arrived too late, and I didn’t expect him to be kidnapped by mercenaries.”

“Well, that’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself too much,” Sienna said, leading him to sit on the sofa by the window. “Come on, tell me about the details of what happened then; there’s still a lot I don’t understand.”

 After the incident, Mu had stayed at Black Pearl Spaceport, avoiding contact through personal terminals to prevent leaks.

“I received a message from my assistant that the starship carrying the medicine had an accident, so I immediately took a batch of drugs and rushed over. At that time, the wreckage of the ‘Evolution’ hadn’t been cleared yet, and the rescue team was mainly focusing on the passenger cabin, not the cargo hold.” Mu recounted softly, “I made some simple arrangements and went alone to the crash site, only to meet three students who had escaped from the mercenaries…”

Mu vividly remembered the situation at that time. He dismissed everyone and rushed to the scene alone, only to encounter the panicked Balon brothers and Miss Lancer halfway there. They looked extremely disheveled, like deserters from a battlefield, still holding weapons.

“Dean! Dean, help!” Miss Lancer, who was usually aloof, rushed towards him, tears streaming down her face. “There are people, many people, they all have guns…”

Mu was startled by her disjointed words, grabbing her by the collar, he asked, “What are you saying? Calm down, who are these people?”

“They’re bandits, or mercenaries, or thieves, we don’t know why they’re here, it seems they’re looking for something.” Young Balon, relatively calm, interjected, “Their leader was injured by the wreckage of the starship and they kidnapped Wu Chenghe, forcing him to perform surgery on their leader!”

“What?” Mu’s mind buzzed at once, grabbing Young Balon’s collar, “Where is he?”

“Just at the section from the passenger cabin to the cargo hold.” Young Balon said somewhat dazedly, The ‘Evolution’ is too big, and he followed Miss Lancer all the way, not really understanding the situation around him.

“What about you guys? Were you kidnapped too?” Mu looked at the weapons in their hands, “You escaped, still armed, why leave him behind?”

“W-we didn’t leave him, he let us go.” Young Balon felt guilty and ashamed, “He performed extracorporeal circulation for their leader. Threatened that if they didn’t let the three of us go, he would shut down the machine. He was afraid that if we all left together, we’d be caught up, so he stayed there to control the machine.”

Mu’s heart sank, with Young Balon’s few words, he had already fully imagined everything Wu Chenghe had done. He forced himself to stay calm and told the three of them, “The network is down now, keep moving forward, report to the investigators when you see them, don’t alarm the ordinary passengers and the injured, so as not to cause chaos. I’ll go check the situation.” 

After sending away the three students, Mu hurried forward, but as a guide, his muscle strength was too weak, and he struggled to climb over several cracks. By the time he reached the wreckage, nearly ten minutes had passed, and he estimated that the nearest police would arrive in another ten minutes.

Between the organization’s interests and Wu Chenghe’s safety, he hesitated for a moment and reluctantly chose the former. If he could, he would have been willing to risk his life to save the child, but the Saint Martin Center was related to the safety of thousands of people. He couldn’t let anyone get hold of that batch of medicine; he couldn’t be so selfish.

He took a detour, found the location of the cargo hold, and crawled in through a crack, searching for the insulated box containing the secret medicine according to the number provided by his assistant, but he couldn’t find it. However, there were signs of rummaging in the cargo hold. He pondered for a moment and guessed that someone might have already been there, found the batch of medicine, and stolen it.

It must have been the people who kidnapped Wu Chenghe.

Time was running out. He ran wildly along the interior passages of the wreckage, almost running his lungs out, and finally approached the location mentioned by Young Balon. It was then that he heard a few gunshots. Without considering that he was unarmed, he ran towards the crack where the shots came from.

He encountered a sentinel with a Barbary lion quantum beast, and a Barbary lion was biting the sentinel. The man was dressed in civilian clothes, but it was clear at a glance that he was a soldier. He concluded that this was the mercenary who had kidnapped Wu Chenghe, so he launched a mental attack without hesitation, inducing mania in him, causing him to crash into the cabin wall and die.

Then, he found out that someone had saved Wu Chenghe before him.

“The person who arrived before me is called Jin Xuan, a teacher at Aston University Strategy Academy, holding the rank of Staff Sergeant. He killed four of the mercenaries and rescued Wu Chenghe.” Mu’s expression was somewhat complicated, a mix of relief, guilt, and annoyance. Pausing for a moment, he said, “I was too angry and anxious at the time, completely unaware that there would be others present, so when I controlled the sentinel, I didn’t hide my identity and was discovered by Jin Xuan. Later, I wanted to kill Jin Xuan to silence him, but was stopped by Wu Chenghe.” He paused, smiled helplessly, “I was really careless, Sienna, I spent all day with that child, and didn’t even realize he was in love.”

“In love?!” Sienna exclaimed, “You mean that child is with a teacher from the Strategy Academy? Goodness, he never mentioned it.”

“Yes, Jin Xuan admitted it himself.” Mu felt uncomfortable at the thought of Jin Xuan; that guy was too troublesome. He insisted on coming to the Saint Martin Research Center this time. If it weren’t for his brother ordering him to stay at the port to assist the information center in tracking down hackers, there would be no way to deal with him.

“Wait, you just said he had a Barbary lion, so Jin Xuan is a sentinel?” Sienna asked incredulously, “And he didn’t mark him? Or has Wu Chenghe been hiding his guide identity all along?”

“No, Jin Xuan knows everything, but… God! That guy is just a freak. I’ve heard of him before. When he was doing his doctorate, he was a celebrity at the school, with more fans than the president.” Mu rubbed his temples, saying, “By the way, I haven’t told you yet, his brother is the President. If it weren’t for the president asking him to stay at the port to help with the investigation, he would have wanted to come here.”

Bringing a Staff Sergeant to the center was like stabbing the organization in the back, even though he was a civilian Staff Sergeant. Sienna was dumbfounded for a while before saying irritably, “The President’s brother… Goodness, how did this child get involved with politics? It’s really dangerous. In the days you were absent, the police have been pressuring the Lyra Constellation mining company, reportedly on the President’s orders. He has been pushing the police.”

“It’s only a matter of time before the mining company compromises. The federal government won’t let go easily after so many deaths. We have to produce a formula.” 

“I’ve arranged for someone to create a fake formula, but it will take time,” Sienna sighed. “The mining company has agreed to postpone for a while.” Pausing for a moment, she said in a low voice, “Mu, this President is too tough. He’s completely different from the old president. If this continues, the organization will be in great danger. I think we should use the power of the congress to prevent his reelection, or find an opportunity to impeach him.”

Mu’s expression fluctuated, and after a moment of silence, he said, “Sienna, perhaps from the organization’s perspective, a president like this is too domineering, but I believe it’s time for the federal government to stand firm. If they continue to be weak, they may not be able to restrain the Voyager Army. If the Voyager Army breaks away from the federation, peace will be lost forever. Under such circumstances, can anything good come out of it? We are guides, but we are also citizens of the federation. I believe the unity of the federation should always take precedence over guide freedom.”

Sienna looked into his eyes seriously, “Mu, to be honest, are you saying this for the unity of the federation, or to restrain the Voyager Army and strike at Commander Hannibal?”

Mu’s gaze suddenly sharpened, “Sienna, I swear by Hippocrates, I will never put personal grievances ahead of human unity. My private matters will be resolved through private means.”

“I’m sorry, child, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have doubted you,” Sienna felt guilty, “I was just…”

“Sienna, you don’t need to apologize to me. Your questioning also serves as a reminder to me. Sometimes I’m not calm enough.” After a moment of thought, he said, “I believe the style of this President should bring more benefits than harm to us. The organization has existed for so many years, it’s no longer as secretive as before, many people know of our existence. We protect so many guides, and who knows how many people are eyeing them. For a long time, we’ve been able to survive because of the peace and sound legal system of the federation. If the situation deteriorates to the point where unity cannot be maintained, the environment we rely on for survival will be shattered.”

He looked sincerely into Sienna’s eyes, “Sienna, there’s nothing scarier than war. At that time, guides will become the most terrible wealth. Forget about the organization, even guide schools won’t be able to guarantee their human rights.”

Sienna fell silent. She had to admit that Mu was right. Times were changing, and now was different from a hundred years ago. The Voyager Army was becoming increasingly powerful, showing signs of breaking away from the federation. The government had been weak for years, and if this continued, humanity would surely face war.

Moreover, the federation’s attitude towards guides was also changing. From imprisonment to protection, although most people still lacked freedom, at least they could choose suitable partners within a certain range.

“I’ll talk to the members of congress,” Sienna said. “I’ll pressure the congress to put some pressure on the president. He’s too overbearing.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that his style is a bit… strange.” Thinking of Jin Xuan, Mu felt that his brother probably wasn’t an easy person to deal with. “Do we have any information about the mastermind behind the mercenaries?”

“No.” Sienna’s face became solemn when she mentioned this. “Our current clues are similar to the police’s. I’m also waiting for news. But I suspect whoever caused such a big commotion isn’t an ordinary terrorist organization. It might be a force within the federation.”

“You mean…”

“I suspect it’s someone from the military,” Sienna said in a low voice. “This batch of medicine can promote embryo differentiation and increase the probability of guide births. Seventy percent of the federation’s sentinels are concentrated in the military. Without them, they are more eager to obtain more guides. Especially the Voyager Army, their style is more ruthless, just like their commander, who would go to any lengths for his own sake, without regard for the safety of civilians.”

“If it’s really the Voyager Army, it may take some time to find clues.” Mu said, “Our organization’s capabilities are limited. Instead of letting the police investigate, we should focus on dealing with internal traitors.”

The box of medicine almost taken away by the mercenaries on the “Evolution” was an embryonic differentiation inhibitor. The Free Guide Organization had been committed to improving the living environment of guides. When guides were hunted down in the past, they protected them. Now that guides were confined, they supported those who were hidden as free guides, while trying to solve the problem at its root.

Only by increasing the birth rate of guides, shrinking the ratio of two hundred thousand to one, could guides truly be liberated. If they could achieve a ratio of two to one, or even ten to one, they could use the power of congress to abolish the “Guide Protection Act.”

At a ratio of two hundred thousand to one, all talk of freedom and human rights is just empty rhetoric. However, this interference agent is still in the trial stage, and hasn’t even undergone biological experiments yet. Although the Saint Martin Research Center gathers the most excellent medical scientists in the federation, it is located on Planet Dunkirk, under the government’s watchful eye, so many experiments cannot be conducted there. Therefore, Sienna contacted a remote planet in the Lyra Constellation and had someone bring the first batch of finished medicine over for biological experiments.

“Yes, we must first eradicate the traitors,” Sienna nodded solemnly. “Our internal secrecy is becoming increasingly loose. This tragic incident has caused profound distress. In the future, if research progresses and arouses ambitions in certain individuals again, this tragedy may repeat itself. Or perhaps we should just hand over the formula to the federation…”

“Embryonic interference is unconstitutional,” Mu reminded her. “Once it’s made public, the center will be shut down, and all scientists, including you and me, will be brought to trial.”

“Yes, we can’t do that,” Sienna shook her head. “I’ll go over everyone involved in this matter in detail and reconsider the personnel arrangements.”

The worried pair divided their tasks and planned to come up with a passable formula to give to the police while the mining company stalled for time.

However, the supposedly strong-willed President turned out to be more brutal than they imagined. Just the day after Mu returned to the Saint Martin Research Center, a deliberately condoned riot swept through the entire York City. This was because the police revealed during the second press conference that the terrorists’ target was the medication provided by the Saint Martin Institute for the mining company, and the friends and family of the victims of the “Black Pearl Massacre,” as well as concerned citizens, immediately organized protests, surrounding Saint Martin Hospital, demanding that they hand over the formula immediately to urge the government to intensify its investigation into the masterminds behind the scenes.

The protests lasted for two days. On the third day, half of the protesters split off and surrounded another pharmaceutical company. This was because there were rumors from the police that this company had originally developed skin medication for the mining company, but now that Saint Martin had developed a vaccine, causing a large amount of the skin medication to go unsold, it was highly likely that they had bribed mercenaries, leading to the massacre.

The pharmaceutical company was utterly unjustly treated. Its windows up to the tenth floor were smashed by the angry mob. The president, in despair, joined forces with the Pharmaceutical Association and ordered the Lyra Constellation mining company to abandon the commercial confidentiality agreement, and immediately hand over the formula to Saint Martin. Otherwise, the association would ban any company from selling any drugs to them in the future. At the same time, the association held a press conference to repeatedly clarify that the pharmaceutical industry would never do such despicable things.

By the fifth day, Saint Martin Hospital was at its wits’ end. All the directors unanimously demanded that the research center immediately cooperate with the police and hand over the formula, and the hospital would bear all the economic losses caused by the breach of contract.

Sienna had experienced what real power and real politics were. Congress hinted that this matter was entirely orchestrated by the President’s hands and advised her not to confront that old rogue, otherwise, the other side might have even more disgusting tricks waiting for her.

With no other choice, Sienna hastily submitted the formula hastily drawn up to the police on the sixth day. It was a medicine that could enhance the sensory extension of sentinels, very domineering, causing frequent mania, but greatly increasing the combat power of sentinels. Handing over such a formula was also to divert the police’s attention to the military, as only soldiers, especially those from the front lines like the Voyager Army, would need such medication the most.

In the morning when the formula was submitted, all kinds of protests withdrew, and the Pharmaceutical Association also quieted down. Mu finally found time to take a nap, but when he woke up, he immediately went to see Wu Chenghe. However, when he pushed open the door of the ward, he found a tall figure sitting inside, surprisingly Jin Xuan.

“How did you get in?” Mu was startled. The center’s security was quite strict, with various layers of access control. Without Sienna’s authorization, no one could enter.

“I just walked in,” Jin Xuan said. “I registered at the front desk yesterday, but I didn’t get permission. I figured you guys might be too busy to approve visitors, so I came up on my own this morning.”

Mu immediately recalled Jin Xuan’s old profession—official hacker.

“He just ate something and fell asleep,” Jin Xuan didn’t explain the details of how he “just walked in.” He lowered his voice, picked up the thermos Wu Chenghe had left behind, and handed another one to Mu. “I made this myself, fresh fish porridge. Would you like some?”

Mu wanted to decline, but as soon as he took a breath, he caught a whiff of the enticing aroma. The words “no need” couldn’t come out of his mouth, and instead, he said, “Thank you,” and took the porridge to eat by the bedside.

To win a man’s heart, you must first conquer his stomach! Jin Xuan rubbed his chin, realizing that famous sayings were indeed true… But something seemed off?

“Stay for a while and then leave. He needs rest,” Mu ate a few spoonfuls of porridge, finding it smooth and delicious. It lifted his spirits slightly after days of feeling low. “And from now on, I’ll give you half an hour of visitation time every day. From eight to eight-thirty in the morning, you can use your personal terminal to swipe through the access control and enter, but don’t stay for too long.”

“Only half an hour?” Jin Xuan couldn’t accept it. “How about half a day? I’m not doing anything else, and I won’t disturb him. Can’t I just sit here and watch him sleep?”

“You said he’s sleeping, so what’s there to watch?” Mu was exasperated.

“This is how it is when you’re in love,” Jin Xuan sympathetically enlightened him. “Just seeing someone is so satisfying, and you want to keep looking at them, especially when they’re sick. He must also like having me by his side; he can feel it.” 

The poor old bachelor must be as lonely and cold as Jin Zhe… Should I steal some of Jin Zhe’s sperm and give it to him? Wait, why do I keep wanting to please him? He’s not my mother-in-law… Jin Xuan was bewildered, then thought again and felt that it wasn’t his problem; it was Mu’s overthinking. This guy always acted as Wu Chenghe’s guardian, even more protective than Hannibal.

Ah, old men are really scary. Maybe I should steal some sperm from Jin Zhe to prevent him from treating my little guide as his own son.

Mu was creeped out by his cheesy confession and felt a bit nauseous even with the fish porridge. “No, it’s only half an hour a day!” To placate him, he decided to offer him a sweetener. “By the way, was it your birthday recently?”

“Huh? Yeah, how did you know?” Jin Xuan was surprised.

“Uh, he bought a gift and hid it in my house. I saw the card.” Mu said, “So don’t disturb my treatment. Wait for him to recover early so he can give you the gift on your birthday. If you persist, I’ll throw away the gift. Anyway, he doesn’t have the energy to go out and buy a new one.”

Too much, isn’t it?! Jin Xuan didn’t expect him to use such a life-threatening matter to blackmail him (hey!). After hesitating for a while, he tragically said, “Okay.” I’ll just sneak in after you both fall asleep at midnight.

Mu was quite satisfied with his compliance, bowed his head to continue drinking the porridge, when his left hand suddenly shook. It was Sienna. “Mu, an important guest has arrived. It’s the President. He’s here to see Wu Chenghe, and he’s already upstairs.”

The President? Mu had no good feelings towards His Excellency the President. He had been driven crazy by the protests these past few days and was just thinking of avoiding him when the door was knocked, and a burly man walked in.

In that split second of recognition, both men froze. Mu met Jin Zhe’s eyes, and his pupils involuntarily shrank. The Icarus butterfly on his shoulder fluttered nervously, spinning in the air and landing on his head. Although it was transparent throughout the entire process, Mu could feel its excitement and nervousness.

 

 

 

 

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