Mecha Chapter 263: One of the truths

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

Yuan Xi’s hand moved. He immediately opened his communication device and contacted him. A clear connection sounded in the room, but after a long time with no response, it finally disconnected.

Yuan Xi’s face changed. Since he met Luo XiaoLou, except for the time when the communication device was thrown away by Arthur, this had never happened.

Yuan Xi wrinkled his brow and contacted Luo ShaoTian, but this time it was simply unreachable.

The adjutant sent Wu Qiu out, and arranged for someone to take him to see Wu Chun. He also instructed him not to tell anyone else what he knew, then returned.

By now, Yuan Xi, with a black face, had already changed to contacting Ling Xu, and this time the contact was soon successful.

Yuan Xi’s face was terrible, but his voice was unusually calm as he asked, “What are Luo XiaoLou and Luo ShaoTian doing?”

Ling Xu apparently froze for two seconds before he replied, “Luo ShaoTian and I have different destinations. We separated three hours ago. Their ship should be crossing the jump point right now and probably can’t receive signals. Why? Do you have urgent business with them?”

Yuan Xi closed his eyes, then said, “Something is wrong. In that case, I will contact them again.”

After he ended the communication, Yuan Xi got up and headed out. The adjutant hesitated for a moment before he said, “Your Highness, calm down. If you drop everything now to find His Highness the Prince Consort, then after they announce the identity of His Highness the Prince Consort tomorrow, he will be the sinner of the whole Empire and the whole Federation. He will have to face an endless pursuit. Only you can change all of this, you have already checked half–“

Yuan Xi stopped walking to the door. His face was without any expression, but a horrible and appalling aura spread in the air around him.

The adjutant felt that he wouldn’t be able to dissuade Yuan Xi, but Yuan Xi slowly turned around, then walked back to his desk and said, “Riel. You go over on my behalf. After this, no matter what news or orders you receive, don’t pay any attention. You just remember that your task is to help me protect him.”

The adjutant bowed down deeply, then quickly got up and walked out. As he left, Riel glanced back. Yuan Xi’s face was hidden in the darkness, he could no longer see his expression.

The adjutant felt a pang of unease in his heart. This eerie calmness no longer seemed like one of Yuan Xi’s normal expressions.

Rod pushed open the door to Yuan Xi’s office two hours later, and although after he entered he wished he hadn’t come back, he didn’t dare to exit. The news he had found had to be reported immediately.

“In other words, Shao Rong is the exotic beast that Su Yun brought back to cultivate. Then they have something in their hands that can control the exotic beasts.” Yuan Xi said as he studied the information. “After this, go investigate Su Yun and their method of controlling the exotic beasts. The most crucial thing is what Su Yun and Yue Zhuo did back then.”

“Your Highness, I’ll go right away.” Rod got up and intended to leave, but he gave Yuan Xi a worried look and still advised, “Your Highness, you haven’t had much rest for three days. I think, even for the sake of His Highness the Prince Consort, you should take care of your health–. “

“I’ll be fine.” Yuan Xi said indifferently.

After that, except for the adjutant who came back to report updates of the situation, no one would approach His Highness’ office until Yuan Che pushed open the door.

“What’s wrong?” Yuan Che asked as he sat down on the sofa. “Did you send Luo XiaoLou away just so you could stay out at night in name only?”

Yuan Xi looked up in confusion at Yuan Che, who had come over to mock him. He was about to speak when Yuan Che’s expression suddenly changed. He stood up, pushed Yuan Xi to the side and sat down in Yuan Xi’s seat himself.

The video on the screen in front of Yuan Xi was the video of the last director, Jui Yuan, passed to him by Xia Zuo. It was a video of his life, which was completely different from his work.

Yuan Che stared at the man on the screen, his face getting harder and harder.

Finally, Yuan Che turned his head and asked, “Who is this? What made you think of investigating him?”

“He is Jui Yuan, the last director of the Exotic Beast Institute. The reason for my investigation, you can see, is this chip that Luo XiaoLou found first.” Yuan Che switched to the video that Admiral Gao Chen had recorded from the mecha.

After they watched it, Yuan Xi looked at Yuan Che. “Based on this video, I suspect that Su Yun, Yue Zhuo and Jui Yuan once did something during war with exotic beasts without our knowledge.”

Yuan Che snorted. “Investigating the last big war at this time? You’re investigating this for Luo XiaoLou, right?”

Yuan Xi didn’t deny it. Yuan Che leaned back in his chair for two seconds of silence before he said, “But it’s fortunate that you did investigate them. This Jui Yuan is the one who kidnapped me, and put me in the culture solution before I was sent to the Grey Hole.”

Yuan Xi froze and looked at Yuan Che. “It’s actually him?”

“I recognize that voice. Let’s go. You don’t need to investigate secretly, we can arrest him right now for kidnapping me.” Yuan Che smiled coldly, and took a necklace out of his space button. “I think, among the few fingerprints on this thing, one will be his.”

Four hours later, Yuan Che and Yuan Xi appeared with their men on an asteroid not far from Imperial Capital.

When the door, which was no less secure than an alien shelter, was opened, it was clear that the person inside was still a bit confused. When he saw Yuan Che behind the army, he was a little startled, then he calmed down and an odd smile appeared on his face. “I didn’t expect that you would find this place. However, you found out too late. Things have become a foregone conclusion. There is no point in staying here. I am not going to play with you.”

With that, Jui Yuan’s body flashed, and he was quickly running towards the exit, so fast that it was exaggerated.

Jui Yuan looked like he was in his thirties, and still had a smile on his lips as he ran. He didn’t even give the people who had just rushed in a chance to think and chase. Even if they came prepared, no one could keep him.

But in less than a second, Jui Yuan’s fast-moving body came to a sudden halt before a black figure that was flanked by the room’s specially reinforced, super-hard metal walls.

Yuan Xi looked at him coldly. “If I were you, I wouldn’t be so confident.”

Jui Yuan was a bit incredulous. He had carefully investigated the information on the Yuan Clan. Even if their genetic level was, indeed, powerful, it shouldn’t be exaggerated to this extent. His mobility was clearly no less than the SSS level…

However, Jui Yuan didn’t have the opportunity to think any more. That person was blowing a strong wind.

Ju Yuan’s body moved. He knew the direction he should dodge, but ultimately he couldn’t avoid Yuan Xi’s movements. Yuan Xi’s speed was too fast. Jui Yuan was kicked to the ground, then without giving him time to get up, a flashing blue sword had been stabbed down head-on.

Jui Yuan’s pupils suddenly shrank, and he closed his eyes. But the sword deflected the moment it was about to hit him in the head and lodged in his shoulder, followed by a fist that slammed hard into his face.

Yuan Che pulled Yuan Xi, who was obviously looking for an outlet for his anger, away. “You have more important things to do now.”

Yuan Xi controlled his emotions and stood up. He had Ju Yuan hauled up, then walked inside with Yuan Che, as several professionals began to unlock the information on several computers in the study.

Meanwhile, Yuan Xi found another thickened metal door next door to the study. When he opened the door, he discovered there was actually a frozen laboratory inside.

As Yuan Xi entered the lab, his eyes began to glow with anger, because after the lights were turned on, Yuan Xi realized that the lab was not filled with blood-soaked organs or even dissected exotic beasts as he had imagined. Instead, it was filled with human corpses.

These corpses were all frozen and preserved. Their faces still, and as lifelike as ever.

Two medical professional assistants came over and, after they examined them, said in surprise, “Your Highness, this…these people are still alive.”

Yuan Xi was shocked, and looked at the sleeping people. “Confirm their identities, and find a way to wake them up.”

Yuan Xi left the laboratory. Ten minutes later, someone came over to report. “Your Highness. Those people are all listed as missing people – from all industries, the military, government departments and more. Some people even went on vacation just a few days ago, and haven’t been recorded as missing yet.”

Another person added, “Not all of them are alive. We found two corpses in the innermost freezer. What is most suspicious, is that the cause of death for those two corpses is the same as for that military department officer from the other day.”

Yuan Xi’s expression changed. “Bring it over first and compare.”

Just after those words, the person who was restraining Jui Yuan suddenly shrieked. Yuan Xi and Yuan Che spun around to find Jui Yuan had collapsed. The man beside him probed his nose and finally pulled back his sleeve. The communication device on Jui Yuan’s wrist had gone dark.

“Your Highness, Jui Yuan…is dead,” the attendant officer reported with difficulty. He examined him carefully, while blushing over his dereliction of duty. “The symptoms of death are the same as the previous officer and the two bodies just found.”

Yuan Che looked at Yuan Xi. “Don’t you think something is wrong?”

Yuan Xi nodded, but said nothing, just turned around and walked into the study.

After a searing wait, the professionals finally managed to unlock the encrypted information in the computer, then got up and asked Yuan Xi and Yuan Che to come over and see it.

Yuan Xi’s and Yuan Che’s faces became more and more ugly, and finally, Yuan Che said, “This alone makes Jui Yuan’s crime unforgivable, and I’m afraid that the Institute isn’t blameless either.”

There were a number of experiments. All of them on humans. The last one was named “Miracle.”

In the experiment, they put the eggs into three people’s bodies as culture vessels, and then recorded the growth of the eggs year by year. These three individuals were Yuan Che, Luo XiaoLou and Luo ShaoTian.

The record about Yuan Che was discontinued fourteen years ago, exactly at the time when Yuan Che fell into the Grey Hole. Luo XiaoLou and Luo ShaoTian went from annual blood draws to recently, triennial ones.

In the upper right corner of the lab report, there was a maple leaf-shaped symbol. Identical to the necklace in Yuan Che’s hand.

As for what the so-called egg was, there was no explanation.

Yuan Xi looked up at Yuan Che, and after a few seconds asked, “Brother, you never told me about your time in the Grey Hole. Is that egg still inside your body or not?”

Yuan Che closed his eyes. “No.”

Yuan Xi waited a while longer before Yuan Che spoke again, “He helped me get it out in the Grey Hole, and sealed me there after that.”

Yuan Che didn’t say who he was, but Yuan Xi knew.

The two brothers didn’t go on. Yuan Xi already understood why Yuan Che, who had personally experienced that war, didn’t have a strong objection to the fact that Luo XiaoLou was an exotic beast.

They took all the information and the frozen people with them, then the group boarded the warship.

At this time, Rod’s message came. He has announced the news that the Human Shadow Clan would join the Empire. For this war, the Human Shadow Clan would be an indispensable helper. The Spiritual Power of the octopus people at the front that affected the mecha warriors could be overwhelmingly counteracted when there were Human Shadows sitting in a mecha’s passenger seat. They could even make some spiritual attacks in turn.

After this news and the related information was released on the virtual web, the notoriously hunted Human Shadow Clan didn’t seem so unacceptable anymore. People were expecting a good turn in the war. The long battles and the constant bad news coming through had people terrified, so in this case, it wasn’t hard for the Human Shadow Race to be accepted.

But bad news followed. Intelligence officers in the Federation got the news of the Human Shadow Clan. That and the fact that they had been unable to contact Luo XiaoLou, caused Yue Shang and Su Lan to decide to announce Luo XiaoLou’s identity two hours early.

Two hours early. Yuan Xi looked at the time. They were on their way to the Exotic Beast Institute. What they got from Jui Yuan wasn’t enough. Nothing that could help Luo XiaoLou, except to show he was a victim.

Yuan Che watched Yuan Xi, who stood there quietly, in concern. The room’s advanced temperature control system seemed unable to affect the coldness around him.

The people at the Exotic Beast Institute obviously felt the same way. When they saw Yuan Xi come in with his men, all the staff scuttled far away. Some even pointed them in the right direction without any struggle, they just hoped that those people wouldn’t come near them.

In the deepest part of the facility was a huge metal door. None of the ordinary staff of the facility had permission to enter.

One of the men who had led the way for them, shivered and said, “The director. The director and his assistant are inside.”

The moment the door opened, the sky lightened slightly, but with it came was by no means good. They got word that the news that Luo XiaoLou was an exotic beast had been announced in the Empire and Federation.

The virtual internet had already set off an uproar, although Yuan Xi’s communicator was unusually calm. Apparently the two majesties were willing to give their son time to choose his words.

Yuan Xi walked inside the moment the door opened, while Yuan Che accompanied him.

In this absolutely closed space, by entering that door they were presented with the diametrically opposite situation. A white corridor flanked by a laboratory with a huge transparent glass wall. There was not the slightest secret inside.

This time, no one could see the expressions of Yuan Xi and Yuan Che, who were walking at the front, but the faces of those who followed them inside changed.

“His…His Royal Highness the Prince Consort?!”