Paranoid Alpha Chapter 29: Unexpected Changes

Chapter 29: Unexpected Changes

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai

Inside the room, a remarkable silence fell. Lu Xingye widened his eyes in surprise, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“But…” Instinctively, he wanted to speak, but as the words left his lips, he felt an unparalleled difficulty. There was no “but.” Just as Lyss had mentioned, Sekaninaite had discovered his identity. If they couldn’t capture him, Sekaninaite would rather jeopardize their own future than keep this information from the current royalty.

For the empire’s reputation, they would undoubtedly continue to pursue him. As a race that shared common ancestry with Mannstadt three hundred years ago, Triss and the empire indeed had the power to wage war, but—there was no need. Lu Xingye was merely an insignificant figure, at best, considered one of Lyss’s associates. But that didn’t mean much. As long as the Chief wanted, there were plenty of alphas willing to comply.

The Federation had no reason to antagonize the empire for him, and Lyss was no different. As for Lyss’s initial reason for keeping him around, it didn’t seem important anymore. He could directly extract information from those chips. Rather than wasting time on Lu Xingye, who knew nothing, it would be faster to read the chips directly.

Lu Xingye even admired his own clarity. He bitterly swallowed his final words, the hint of self-mockery curling his lips. “I should have had some self-awareness long ago.”

His tone was light, as light as a feather landing on Lyss’s heart. But Lyss felt a prick, almost unbearable, and closed his eyes. Normally, Lu Xingye wouldn’t miss these details, but his current mood was numb to despair, naturally ignoring Lyss’s strangeness.

“After I leave, how do you plan to deal with those moles in the military?” Lu Xingye asked calmly but numbly. “I don’t know why Triss’s internals are in such disarray, but other departments can be put on hold for now. The military’s issues can’t be delayed any longer.”

Lyss turned to look out the window. “Tonight’s military exercise—those who can’t sit still will collaborate with outsiders. But Chris has agreed to my conditions; he won’t intervene.”

In an instant, Lu Xingye understood everything.

Contact established through Sekaninaite and Chris, followed by the empire sending false signals to certain people in the military. Some believed tonight would be an opportune moment for a military coup and applied to participate in the exercise.

Little did they know, Chris had already agreed with Lyss, and the empire’s warships wouldn’t offer any assistance.

All of this was within Lyss’s plan. Everyone was a pawn to him.

Suddenly, Lu Xingye felt exhausted. “If, and I mean if, Sekaninaite tells Chris about me, and he betrays you, what would you do then?”

“It won’t happen,” Lyss shook his head. “The previous imperial crown princess died under mysterious circumstances. Following that, several imperial princes disappeared without a trace, most likely at Chris’s hand. Among the adult princes and princesses of the royal family, he’s the only one left. There’s no one left who could threaten his position. But if Sekaninaite reveals your existence at this time, what do you think he’d do?”

Lu Xingye paused before widening his eyes abruptly. “…He wouldn’t acknowledge my identity. He’d kill Sekaninaite and then find an opportunity to eliminate me.”

“Exactly,” Lyss nodded lightly. “Even if he clashes with Triss afterward, at least this time, on the surface, he wouldn’t betray our alliance.”

…He had calculated everything, even Chris, whom he’d never met.

Lu Xingye couldn’t hold back anymore. He turned away from Lyss, afraid that tears might escape him in this final moment. That wouldn’t be dignified.

“At the end… do you really not want me?” But he still asked, like an abandoned puppy seeking reassurance repeatedly, hoping to make the other person stay.

It was embarrassing, Lu Xingye thought to himself, ears trembling. A complete and utter loss.

If Lu Xingye had asked, “Don’t you plan to keep me,” Lyss could have exploited the loophole in the question. But Lu Xingye asked if he was “wanted.”

Do I really not want him? Lyss questioned himself deep inside, assessing the results given by the code.

Yet, under the consideration of interests, it might not be the best outcome, but it was the most “correct.”

Normally, Lyss wouldn’t have been able to answer anything at this point. But he subconsciously glanced at the time; there were only two hours left until the military exercise began. If Lu Xingye didn’t leave soon, it would be too late.

Lyss felt as though his emotions had been drained from his body. For the first time, he went against the initial code. “Yes.”

Lyss had promised Lu Xingye that he’d never lie, but in that moment, he broke his word.

The devout believer who completely trusted the deity finally realized that he’d been forsaken. Like a lost dog, Lu Xingye left without hesitation.

The sound of the door locking echoed. Lyss lowered his gaze, seeking solace as he placed a hand on his abdomen.

My little dog is gone, he thought quietly. He won’t be coming back.

A synthetic being couldn’t defy its code unless there was a higher command overriding the code.

In theory, no code could surpass the level of the original code unless modifications were made to the original.

At the moment of uttering that lie, Lyss realized that his original code had changed. But it was too late to verify now. Upon regaining consciousness, he would attempt to say something illogical, like “It’s daytime outside now.” as always, he wouldn’t be able to make any sound.

Confirming his speculation, Lyss couldn’t feel any joy. His emotions seemed frozen, devoid of any teasing, resembling a true synthetic human under the depiction of humanity.

But there was no time to dwell on this. There was an hour and a half left until the military exercise began.

Lyss removed his cloak, took out an ion gun from his luggage, and walked out of the resting area without hesitation.

As expected, the resting area was now desolate, with none of the guards returning to find their pins.

Lyss walked out alone from the resting area, finding all the backup mechas and starships parked outside were gone. He finally understood the meaning behind Dale’s words earlier; they believed that by restricting transportation, he couldn’t escape the planet.

Too bad, Lyss thought, undisturbed. If he’d known the marshal was this foolish, there would have been no need to keep him until now.

Lyss didn’t realize that his emotions seemed to fluctuate slightly differently than usual. Quietly, he walked out of the resting area. As expected, a patrol mech blocked his path.

“Chief, sir, the exercise is about to begin. Please return to the resting area to avoid accidents,” a voice with electric undertones came from within.

Lyss looked up coldly. “Move aside.”

The person within seemed surprised that Lyss dared to confront the mecha alone. After a moment’s hesitation, they spoke again, “The marshal has ordered that nobody leaves the resting area today. Please return, or… I will fire.”

Under the cover of the night, Lyss stood in a silver military uniform before the massive mecha. The lights from the resting area illuminated his silver accessories, making him seem almost divine for a moment. Facing the imposing mech, there was no fear, only an aura surpassing humanity.

The soldiers inside the mech were stunned, and after regaining composure, one gritted their teeth. “Apologies, but you seem to have misjudged the situation. The marshal has ordered that nobody is permitted to leave the resting area today. Please return. Otherwise… I will fire.”

After speaking, the cannon on the mech glowed faintly and slowly aimed at Lyss. Lyss, without a word, began to walk forward. The soldier inside the mech, seeing this, broke into a cold sweat. On one side was the marshal’s command—if successful, he wouldn’t be just an ordinary soldier anymore. But on the other side was Lyss, the true Chief of the Alliance. Even if the marshal’s actions were exposed, Lyss might be deceased by then, yet the soldier wouldn’t have a good outcome.

Amidst his turmoil, he suddenly closed his eyes, taking a gamble for his future and honor. He raised his hand to press the launch key. Unexpectedly, the cannon showed no response. The mech seemed frozen in place, motionless.

The soldier’s eyes widened in terror. Glancing at the control panel, he saw a red warning: “WARNING! WARNING!”

What’s happening? Why now—?

Just as the soldier panicked, the mech descended without anyone operating it. Caught off guard, the soldier nearly vomited from the motion. As he struggled against dizziness, the hatch suddenly opened on its own. Terrified, he looked up and saw a figure walking in against the light, with snowy-white beast ears atop their head. The golden eyes bore no emotion, resembling a true deity from ancient times.

The military boots made a crisp sound as they stepped onto the mech. Trembling, the soldier slid down to the ground. “Chief… Chief, I made a mistake, it was all because of Dale… I really am not… Chief, please spare me, I really… Ah—!”

Half an hour remained until the military exercise began.

On the command ship, Dale received a message from headquarters. Upon hearing the interrogation from the other end, he replied, “The exercise won’t start for another half-hour. Why the rush?… I understand. According to the plan, once the exercise starts, I’ll directly shoot down the uncontrollable starship and bring our people back to help you. The Empire’s people will be dealt with as agreed before… Lyss said a bunch of useless crap this morning, and some guys might be wavering. But it’s not a big deal; I’ll have those wavering fools shot down.”

After some more conversation, Dale’s expression changed. Sneering, he said, “Being enchanted by an omega and wanting to be a wolf king, what an idiot.”

Having cursed his own comrades, Dale glanced at the time. Three minutes remained until the exercise started. He turned and walked to the control panel, awaiting the moment.

At that moment, a peculiar bright spot appeared among the previously arranged starship formations on the star chart. Frowning, Dale lashed out at the guard ship, “What’s with an unidentified starship? What are you all doing?!”

“Reporting, Marshal,” the soldier he scolded quickly reported a set of coordinates. “A mecha has been found at these coordinates. After inspection, it was originally a cruise mecha from the resting area, but it appeared here for unknown reasons. Shall we shoot it down?”

After a few seconds, Dale’s face suddenly changed. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Lyss—”

The soldier on the other end was startled. “The Chief? What happened?”

Dale paused for a moment, then came up with a brilliant strategy. His expression turned from dark to light, unable to resist smiling inwardly: “Lyss, since you’ve given me this chance, don’t blame me for taking advantage of it.”

“The cruise ship appearing here suggests that the Chief’s safety is under serious threat,” Dale pretended, “In any case, notify the entire army to immediately shoot down this mecha.”

“But…” The soldier hesitated, “There wasn’t supposed to be a supreme commander for this exercise.”

Dale’s face darkened, and he coldly said, “Do you intend to defy military orders?”

The soldier hurriedly replied, “No, sir. I’ll do it immediately.”

With one minute left until the exercise began, all starships received the Marshal’s command. Some immediately adjusted their targets toward the suspicious cruise mecha, and after hesitation, a few others followed suit. But a few remaining commanders remembered what Lyss had said earlier in the day. Ultimately, these commanders bit their tongues and issued the same order: “Hold fire for now.”

More than half of the Triss fleet slowly turned their targets toward the suspicious cruise mecha. As the final ten-second countdown began, hundreds of particle cannons on the starships started charging simultaneously. The night sky immediately lit up with countless star-like dots.

The mecha remained unexpectedly still amidst this scene.

Seeing this, Dale displayed an inevitable smile. He pushed aside his aide and personally pressed the launch button.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Dale slammed the launch button, and hundreds of starships chose the same action. The particle cannons instantly shimmered with a dark red glow.

But soon, the smile froze on Dale’s face. Everyone, including him, froze at that moment—

Hundreds of brightly red-lit particle cannons suddenly began to flicker simultaneously. Red dots filled the entire night sky, resembling the eyes of some supernatural being. After blinking three times, they all fell silent.

The universe fell into a deathly silence. The Imperial warships showed no movement, seemingly unable to understand Triss’s situation.

Many commanders who had pressed the launch button were suddenly filled with an inexplicable fear. The overly eerie phenomenon made them pause.

After his initial shock, Dale frantically reached for the command ship’s broadcast system. But a string of crimson warnings appeared on the star chart: “WARNING! WARNING!”

“Marshal…” His aide was incredulously shocked. “What’s going on… Is the ship’s system malfunctioning?”

Dale, sweating profusely, bit his lip. “Artificial intelligence… no, an artificial human! There must be an artificial human among us! This is exactly like what’s written in the books—there’s a human traitor among us!”

As he spoke, a visual appeared on the star charts of all Triss starships. Many gasped in shock, staring at the person in the image.

“Hello, everyone.” Clad in a silver military uniform, Lyss sat calmly at the command station. As if overlooking all existence, he addressed the universe, “Marshal Dale has attempted a military coup, and there are federation traitors like him among our troops. So, I’ve sent people to install control systems on the warships to be used in this exercise. Any ship attempting to lock onto fellow comrades will be marked red like the Imperial warships.”

“Here, I officially declare the mission of this exercise—stay alive, eliminate the traitors and enemies.”