Chapter 92: Beep— Unlock successful
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
A dark gray battleship slowly entered the Sigma Sector, its indicator lights blinking to signal the fleet lingering near the battlefield wreckage. The Federation star police vessels, their sides marked with eight-pointed stars, responded in kind, flashing their lights back.
Shattered starship debris floated among the ruins, while the police had already activated electromagnetic containment fields to prevent any evidence from drifting into space. Fragments of wreckage collided with the fields, igniting flashes of colorful electricity. The dead and injured had been fully evacuated. The remaining officers were collecting evidence at the scene.
On the battleship’s bridge, a figure appeared on the display.
“Hello, General Zhou. I’m Federation Star Police Inspector Podnos, currently commanding the Sigma Sector 109 site.”
“Hello, Inspector Podnos,” Zhou Yunchen said, hands clasped behind his back, his expression cold. “I’ve read all the reports sent by your department. Is there any new information at the site?”
“We are scanning the scene to reconstruct the battle scenario,” Podnos said. “You previously inquired about the blood splatter from the victims. We conducted a second examination of the traces.”
Zhou Yunchen froze for a moment before realizing that the victim Podnos mentioned was Lu Yao. He had never associated that term with Lu Yao.
Podnos continued, “The results were the same as the first scan. Massive blood loss from impact injuries. We did not find the victim’s body. But, as you know, in space warfare, bodies often disappear—either propelled beyond the battlefield by force or vaporized by high-energy plasma cannons used by both sides.”
He saw Zhou Yunchen’s face darken further. Podnos closed his mouth slowly, and after a moment of fatigue, he said, “General, you’ve seen much more than I have. Many of our partners, colleagues, and comrades’ bodies have drifted in the cold void, never to be recovered.”
Zhao Minghe sat near Zhou Yunchen at the controls. He glanced at the General, noting the veins bulging along his neck, his jaw clenched so tightly it was pale. Zhou Yunchen’s eyes were shadowed deep beneath his brow, like black ice.
“I understand… Inspector, let me know if there’s any new development. I’ll remain in the Sigma Sector today. I’ve brought military personnel specializing in jump-point analysis; they need on-site data to calculate the Black Sea Pirates’ jump destination.”
“Understood, General. Thank you. Our technical personnel have tried some calculations but failed. Hopefully, your team will have new findings.”
The communication ended. Zhou Yunchen remained standing, gazing through the nearby battlefield debris as if trying to see to the far edges of the universe.
Zhao Minghe leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Sir, you haven’t slept in three days. You should rest for a while.”
“No, I don’t need to.”
“General, nothing has progressed. Standing here changes nothing. Please rest. If there’s news, I’ll inform you immediately.”
Unable to resist his persistent aide, Zhou Yunchen finally nodded and left the bridge for his quarters. The Ares remained at the Skye Hawk exercise site as flagship, while Zhou Yunchen brought a battleship with him to the Sigma Sector for closer inspection.
The ship’s crew quarters were uniform and cramped—just a metal bunk and a built-in wardrobe. Zhou Yunchen closed the door. The lights were about to activate automatically, but he squeezed his eyes shut, slid down the wall, and sat on the floor, leaning against the metal door. He hadn’t slept for days. Zhou Yunchen wasn’t a machine. Fatigue crept through his mind and nerves in relentless waves, yet he refused to sleep or leave the bridge.
Being alone or asleep would flood him with guilt, pain, and anxiety about the unknown future, like a tidal wave engulfing him completely. How had he lost Lu Yao…? How could he…?
His heart felt squeezed and released in violent, repetitive jolts. Blood rushed through him, almost bursting. For the first time, fear gripped him with a physical weight, sending his muscles aching. Even leaning against the wall, his emotions made sleep impossible, draining him further. Time became meaningless.
He closed his eyes. The lights in the room were bright and lonely, yet he felt as if he were sinking into an endless, bottomless darkness. The battleship remained steady. Conversations echoed down corridors as a muted hum, shattering when they hit Zhou Yunchen’s door, unable to penetrate the private space of agony he occupied.
Time passed—he couldn’t tell how long. Suddenly, a shrill vibration startled him awake. He shot open his eyes, cold sweat on his forehead, and saw his personal AI assistant. It was a private communication.
Li Mo.
Zhou Yunchen frowned. Why was Li Mo contacting him now? Since obtaining the temporal stream coordinates and leaving New Blue Star alone, Zhou Yunchen hadn’t heard from him. He and Lu Yao had discussed that Li Mo might not be able to achieve his goals via the temporal stream, but obsession was powerful; it could drive someone for a lifetime. Had Li Mo found what he sought?
The call ended automatically after several unanswered rings. Zhou Yunchen rubbed his brow, not intending to call back. A few seconds later, the communication rang again. Li Mo was insistent. He pressed the accept button.
“General Zhou, do you have a moment? I need to tell you something.”
For some reason, Li Mo’s voice sounded urgent. Zhou Yunchen remained impassive, eyes closed slightly. “I have a moment. Speak.”
“I saw the joint Federation and military special wanted notice for the Black Sea Pirates.”
“Mm.” Zhou Yunchen responded lightly. The interstellar police website constantly posted bounties for various pirate organizations. This time, because of the Black Sea Pirates’ audacious acts, their name was front-page, and the reward was ten times higher. Li Mo would have seen that.
“Some of my… friends also informed me about the incident during the Skye Hawk exercises.”
The military hadn’t disclosed Lu Yao’s abduction yet. Zhou Yunchen wasn’t surprised that Li Mo still had military contacts. The aimless chatter clouded in his mind, fading into air. He wanted to hang up—but Li Mo’s next words jolted him awake. Unaware, Zhou Yunchen instinctively clenched his fingers, accidentally hanging up.
Zhou Yunchen: “?”… “!”
General Zhou sat on the floor, fumbling to dial Li Mo’s communicator. The moment the call connected, he asked urgently, “You said you found the Black Sea Pirates’ trace?”
“Yes,” Li Mo replied. “I’m currently in the Nameless Sector. Their starship Yuantao entered the B System after arriving here. They’ve likely landed on some barren planet. It’s not their base, so I can’t determine the exact landing site.”
Nameless Sector, B System… A strange sense of familiarity surged in Zhou Yunchen’s mind. A name hovered on the tip of his tongue, and a strong premonition overpowered his rational thoughts. “B13! Check if they landed on B13.”
“Understood. I’ll investigate, but it may take some time.”
“I understand. I understand,” Zhou Yunchen said, breathing rapidly. Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, and his oxygen seemed to drain away.
Nameless Sector, B System, Planet B13—a place profoundly significant to Lu Yao. He had lived there alone for nearly a year and built the first mecha of his life on that very planet. The Black Sea Pirates’ target was indeed more than provocation—they were after Lu Yao.
“Li Mo, I’m heading to the Nameless Sector now. Give me the coordinates.”
“You’ll need to pass through a jump gate to enter the Nameless Sector. I’ll provide the gate coordinates and meet you there.”
“Get inside!”
Lu Yao’s shoulder was shoved gently, careful not to use too much force and risk him fainting again. Although there were no omegas among the pirates, Creisson had traveled far and wide. He had seen many omegas but had never encountered one as delicate and fainting-prone as Lu Yao. Could the Federation tolerate someone like him as their Chief Engineer?
Still recovering from massive blood loss, Lu Yao staggered a few steps. Once inside the lab, he leaned on the nearest table to catch his breath. Torque, held by a burly pirate, saw his owner in such a state and mewled anxiously, “Meow… meow…”
Creisson followed, slapping a hand on the table. “Look here. I’ve prepared everything you’ll need: supercomputers, intelligent simulators, analyzers… these are enough to build a starship; creating a mecha should be within reach.”
At the far end of the lab, another door slowly opened, revealing a huge space beyond. Cold air rushed back, and the columnar darkness could easily fit three standard mechas. The railings were icy to the touch, and the towering concrete walls, streaked with water damage, disappeared into the shadows. More tightly sealed labs lined the opposite side, awaiting new arrivals to open them.
Lu Yao’s lab contained a wide array of scientific instruments of varying types and models, seemingly pieced together from here and there. “Give me my cat first.”
“You want to run?”
“According to our agreement, give me the cat, and I’ll start work.”
“Hah.” Creisson sneered, evidently not understanding why Lu Yao cared so much for this small creature. He lifted Torque by the scruff and tossed him to Lu Yao. Lu Yao quickly stepped forward, catching Torque in his arms. The cat, overwhelmed, nuzzled into Lu Yao’s chest, burrowing into his clothes for warmth.
“You better start immediately. I’ll provide access to the database but cut off all external communication. Don’t think about contacting anyone to escape.”
Lu Yao gave him a cold glance, saying nothing. After the pirates left, Lu Yao held Torque close, walking around the lab to check for camera coverage. He confirmed there were no blind spots except for the bathroom.
Torque mewed pitifully, rubbing against Lu Yao’s neck. Lu Yao lifted the cat’s front paws, checking the triangular metal tag on his chest fur. He pressed his fingerprint. Beep— Unlock successful.
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