Chapter 121: Who’s Knocking?

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Lu Yao wanted to finish some work before sunset, but his mind was a muddled haze, too restless to focus. After staring at a few lines on the document, he gave up, climbed the stairs, and pushed open Zhou Yunchen’s bedroom door. Without hesitation, he threw himself onto the bed.

He grabbed a pillow and pressed it over his face. Even though the linens in this room were washed every week, the powerful molecules of Zhou Yunchen’s alpha pheromones clung stubbornly to the fibers, wrapping Lu Yao completely in his scent. Perhaps this was one of the benefits of a permanent AO mark, Lu Yao thought dimly—the alpha’s pheromones could soothe an omega’s frayed and sensitive nerves whenever needed.

Lying flat on his back, he did nothing but watch the sunset sink slowly from sight. When the air outside had darkened into deep blue, a communication request from Zhou Yunchen lit up his screen. “The ship’s time is four in the morning,” Lu Yao murmured as he shifted the light screen above him. “You haven’t slept?”

“I rested for a little while,” Zhou Yunchen answered. There were faint shadows under his eyes, but his entire posture was still tightly wound. “I figured you’d be finishing your work around now, so I wanted to talk. I still have three or four hours before the next round of duties begins.”

“Did you hear about what happened on the Shiyuan Star?” Lu Yao asked.

“I did. The military has already stepped in to investigate. The situation is under control. Don’t worry.”

Under control? “You’re not part of the investigation?”

“No. I’m currently overseeing parade preparations. The Shiyuan Star incident is being handled by another fleet.” Lu Yao considered that. If Zhou Yunchen wasn’t directly involved, then his knowledge of the details was limited. It wouldn’t do to burden him with his own chaotic speculations. Still, there was something he had to say. “Be careful with the Hera red crystal concentrate these days.”

“Again, that reason?” Zhou Yunchen asked.

“Yes… Is this a military secure channel?”

“It is.”

Lu Yao pressed his lips together before continuing. “A few days ago, the Dark Current Experimental Zone picked up energy liquid radiation disturbances. Coincidentally, another energy transport ship exploded nearby. Chang Jian checked the records—the Helios Group’s ships had temporarily altered their trade routes, so the explosions might have been intentional. We’ll continue looking into it, but for now, just be careful.”

“All right.” Zhou Yunchen studied Lu Yao through the screen, noting how his eyelids were beginning to droop. “Are you about to sleep?”

“Did you want to talk more?” Lu Yao asked, fighting the fatigue.

“No, go to sleep. Don’t turn off the video. Let me just watch you for a bit.” His voice dropped, gentle.

Lu Yao moved the camera aside, pulled the blanket up to his chin, and buried himself beneath it. Eyes closed, he could still hear the faint sound of Zhou Yunchen’s breathing through the mic.

After a moment, he reached for the olfactory stimulator and slid it on, letting the scent of guaiacwood pheromones flood his nose. Warmth, dryness, and safety wrapped him completely, like a shelter in the heart of winter.

Perhaps going without scent stimulation for so long had one advantage—now even the faintest aroma set his nerves trembling in vivid sensitivity. On the other end, Zhou Yunchen realized Lu Yao had fallen asleep in his bed. He was curled into a small ball, hair spilling across the sheets like a drift of cloud, already deep in sleep within minutes.

In the middle of the night, Lu Yao stirred awake at the touch of something warm and soft. Blinking open a slit of his eyes, he saw Torque clambering over his knees and arms in the darkness, wriggling under the edge of the blanket. The little cat nestled at his waist, curled its tail tight, and purred itself to sleep.

Outside, rain pattered against the lawn, soaking the cold earth. Lu Yao stroked Torque’s belly and drifted off again.

Bang. Bang—

A thunderclap tore through the thick clouds, splitting the sky above the central district. Lightning flared, illuminating the darkness for a heartbeat. Lu Yao jerked awake at the repeated thunder. Dawn had not yet arrived, and the drizzle had turned into a torrential downpour, a waterfall crashing over the city streets. He exhaled, ready to close his eyes again, when another series of heavy thuds shook the air.

Bang. Bang. Bang—

The world remained dark. The purple-red glow of the city’s light pollution bled across the sky, with no second lightning strike to follow. That noise hadn’t been thunder. Fully awake now, Lu Yao listened carefully. The pounding continued—dull and forceful, as though something were being struck with immense weight. Reaching beside him, he realized Torque was gone. Frowning, he got up and went downstairs, half-expecting to find the little cat tearing through the house.

As he descended, the lights flicked on automatically. The AI intoned, “Mr. Lu, due to storm damage, the district’s power systems have been compromised. The municipal department is repairing them. The villa has switched to backup power. Travel is not advised for the next three hours.”

Lu Yao finally spotted Torque on a shelf in the wall cabinet, the white cat bouncing around inside one of the compartments, shedding fur in every direction.

“Torque, come down.” Lu Yao held out an arm. After a moment of tilting its head in thought, Torque leapt gracefully into his embrace, rubbing its head insistently against him. Lu Yao scratched its back and carried it upstairs, intent on resuming his sleep.

Bang. Bang. Bang—

The pounding came again, louder this time, sharp and clear. Lu Yao turned his head toward the source. The front door. Someone was knocking.

“Who’s outside?” he asked the AI.

“Apologies. External circuits are offline. Surveillance cameras are unavailable.”

Lu Yao’s eyes narrowed. Outside, the storm raged, rain hammering relentlessly. Whoever it was at his door, they refused to relent.

He locked Torque in a room, ignoring the cat’s confused mewls, then detached a mechanical arm with a laser emitter from the household robot. Gripping it tightly, he moved cautiously toward the front entrance.

The villa was located in a military district, where security was airtight. Even if thieves had somehow slipped in, they would never be foolish enough to pound on the door like this. Who had come looking for him?

Lu Yao hadn’t deliberately concealed his whereabouts, but returning to Zhou Yunchen’s villa that night had been entirely unplanned. Only Mo Feng and Zhou Yunchen knew. Was it someone they both knew?

Lu Yao tightened his grip on the cold metal arm he held and placed his other hand on the doorknob. Slowly, he cracked the door open. The warm interior light sliced into the stormy darkness, falling across the visitor’s face in long bars.

The man stood drenched by the downpour, bedraggled and gasping for breath. He looked nothing like himself, yet Lu Yao recognized him at once. “Qin Lanshan? What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” Qin Lanshan answered curtly. He still had half his body in the rain. After wiping water from his face, he asked, “Can I come in?”

He wore nothing but his base uniform, without even a winter coat. The fabric clung to his thin frame, soaked through, and Lu Yao saw no trace of any weapon on him.

Lu Yao studied Qin Lanshan’s slight figure. Compared to his own abs honed on R68 and the weapon-like mechanical arm in his grip, he was confident he could win a fight if it came to it. He slowly opened the door wider to let Qin Lanshan in. But the next moment made him freeze. Another man staggered in behind Qin Lanshan.

Rainwater dripped from Qin Lanshan’s body, cold fury carved into his face as he dragged someone forward by the collar and shoved him through the doorway. The man looked even more wretched—aged, bloated, and trembling from head to toe. His clothes were soaked through, his words incoherent, one eye swollen and bleeding. Qin Lanshan’s knuckles were stained red, and Lu Yao had no doubt who had inflicted the injury.

Only when Qin Lanshan hurled the man into the middle of the floor did Lu Yao recognize him: Chen Kuo, the Chief Engineer of Qin Lanshan’s Second Research Base. The old man, already past a hundred years, now lay crumpled on the ground. Qin Lanshan kept a boot planted on his back as though afraid he might crawl away.

Outside, the storm hammered the city like relentless drumbeats. Lu Yao stared at Qin Lanshan. “What are you trying to do?”

Qin Lanshan’s breathing came hard and fast. “I was going to take him to the police, but I was afraid I’d be stopped. So I brought him to you first.”

“I don’t understand.” What could have pushed Qin Lanshan to assault his superior officer and show up at Lu Yao’s door in the dead of night?

“He—” Qin Lanshan jabbed a finger at Chen Kuo, seething with rage, before turning back to Lu Yao. “Chief Engineer Lu, please, contact General Zhou immediately. The director of the Mecha Research Institute went to the fleet garrisons to inspect mecha equipment. Chen Kuo tampered with the director’s ship. The entire military district’s comms are locked in high-alert mode. No outside calls are getting through. I had no choice but to come to you.”

“I lost my head—I lost my head…” Chen Kuo’s last shred of conscience made him clutch at Qin Lanshan’s trouser leg, sobbing through his ruined eye. A chill struck Lu Yao’s heart. He immediately tried to reach Zhou Yunchen. While the call connected, he pressed Chen Kuo. “What exactly did you do?”

“It wasn’t me—it wasn’t me—I didn’t want to do it,” Chen Kuo stammered, barely coherent, his mind unraveling. Qin Lanshan shook him by the collar. “What do you mean, it wasn’t you? Was someone else involved?”

“But the beasts are coming, the beasts are coming…”

The call went through. Lu Yao stepped aside and asked quickly, “Where is the director of the Mecha Research Institute? I just received word that someone sabotaged his ship.”

From the starship’s porthole, Zhou Yunchen looked out into the dark void. “He’s aboard his own ship, docking at port. What sabotage? We’ve already checked every vessel entering the garrison zone. Nothing slipped through.”

“I don’t know. The culprit is barely making sense,” Lu Yao replied, glancing at Chen Kuo. “But get the director off his ship immediately, and run a full inspection.”

“All right. I’ll give the order now.” Zhou Yunchen trusted him without hesitation. But the next instant, alarms blared on Zhou Yunchen’s end. A shrill siren pierced the line, nearly splitting Lu Yao’s eardrums.

“Emergency! A-class beast detected—Lightning Squid—closing in fast!”

“What? A beast?” Even Zhou Yunchen faltered. The fleet was docked at the Rose System’s edge, guarded by exploration corps. How could a beast attack now?

“Prepare for combat!” He broke into a run toward the bridge, leaving Lu Yao listening to the silence that followed his command.

“Zhou Yunchen?”

At last, Zhou Yunchen’s strained voice returned. “Yao… the director’s ship—just now—it was rammed by the beast. It crashed.”

The world went silent. Then Chen Kuo’s shrieks tore through the villa. “It was me—it wasn’t me!”

Thunder roared outside, shaking the skies. The Chief Engineer of the Second Base had lost his mind. Lu Yao thought that was the most absurd thing he would face tonight. But when dawn broke, an even greater horror reached him— The beast tide had come.

 

 

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