Paranoid Alpha Chapter 30: Last Gleam

Chapter 30: Last Gleam

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai

After Lyss finished speaking, he promptly closed communication, and the fleet fell into an unprecedented silence. 

The next second, a particle cannon suddenly fired, directly hitting a nearby starship. Although the starship immediately activated its shields, the right compartment was still damaged.

Chaos erupted within the starship. “Captain!” an operator urgently worked the controls, angrily reporting, “The Far Voyager suddenly attacked our ship. The ship’s structural damage rate has reached fifteen percent!”

The captain of the Star River ship looked grim. “Did the Far Voyager just intend to follow the Marshal’s order and fire?”

“Report!” a nearby soldier replied, “Not only did they obey the order, but they were the first wave of attackers!”

“As expected… they already knew that the Chief was in that mech, their objective was to launch a military coup.” The captain turned to the star chart, his expression stern. “All units, lock onto the targets marked red!”

Less than three minutes after the start of the military exercise, the entire drill had turned into a cosmic inferno.

The cosmos brimmed with particle beams like columns of light. In the vacuum, no sound echoed; only the debris of countless starship wrecks from the barrage floated amidst the flames.

The tragic saga of humans killing each other replayed, history cycling as if caught in a loop.

Dale stood enraged within the continually shaking command ship. Those influenced by Lyss were relentlessly attacking him. Several commanders even initiated communication, attempting to persuade him to surrender.

These commanders soon discovered they could only send messages to Dale. Moreover, their messages vanished into thin air, receiving no response.

As the captain of the Star River ship attempted to say something, nearby starships suddenly activated self-destruct mode. The immense shockwave pushed the Star River ship several kilometers away, causing chaos inside, with many soldiers falling to the ground.

“It seems that reason won’t work…” The Star River captain swallowed the blood that surged in his throat, steadying himself against the command console. “Dale is obstinate, conspiring. Targets locked, prepare to fire—”

Inside the command ship, Dale angrily interrogated the communications officer, “I ordered you to connect me to those starships! What are you doing?!”

The communications officer sweated profusely. “Reporting, Marshal… our starships seem to have been invaded by some virus. We can only receive external messages and can’t send replies.”

Dale’s face suddenly turned cold upon hearing this. After a pause, he abruptly turned around. “Where’s the mech Lyss piloted?!”

“Reporting, Marshal, the Chief—” The soldier paused midway and corrected, “Lyss’s coordinates are rapidly moving toward our direction!”

Dale clenched his teeth until they nearly cracked, angrily chuckling upon hearing this. “Indeed, why was our Chief so confident today? The council truly is a bunch of fools, choosing an artificial human as the Chief, are they trying to repeat the mistakes of centuries ago?!”

Artificial humans were a taboo throughout the entire interstellar community. This statement shocked everyone present, rendering them speechless momentarily.

Dale continued with a grim face, “Contact the Empire.”

The communications officer cautiously spoke up, “Could it be that the Empire’s systems have also been compromised…?”

“If the Chudai System couldn’t do it, do you think he could?” Dale darkened his expression. “If Lyss indeed has such capabilities to infiltrate the Empire’s fleet system, why bother with this? He could have directly blown up the command ship, wouldn’t that be better?”

The communications officer dared not say anything more, sending a connection request to the Empire’s command ship.

Before long, their request was answered from the other end.

Dale was pleasantly surprised, trying to appear in control, “Your Highness, as you can see, our side has initiated the plan as agreed. Why haven’t you acted yet?”

“Initiated the plan?” Chris chuckled lightly. “But from my end, it seems your people are being attacked.”

Dale keenly sensed something amiss but still kept a stern face. “Chris, now’s not the time for jokes. Our fleet has been infiltrated by artificial humans. Kindly come and support us.”

“Artificial humans?” Chris exaggeratedly raised an eyebrow. “If what Marshal Dale says is true, controlling starships as an artificial human is no small feat. The soldiers attending this exercise have been carefully selected. Losing even one would be a heavy cost. I dare not make decisions independently. How about this: I’ll contact the Emperor and the Prime Minister first. Once they decide, I’ll assist you. How’s that?”

Dale couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you reneging on your word?!”

“How can that be called reneging?” Chris shrugged. “I’m merely a Crown Prince, purely attending this military exercise as a diplomatic representative. If even my father, the Emperor, can’t personally mobilize troops, then neither can I. I hope you understand.”

Dale finally realized he had been deceived. Clenching his fists tightly, almost breaking his nails, he accused, “You—you conspired with Lyss?!”

“Marshal, you jest.” Chris smiled faintly. “Mr. Lyss is the only legitimate Chief of the Triss Federation. As an Imperial diplomatic representative, it’s essential and lawful for me to engage with him appropriately.”

Dale couldn’t contain his rage any longer. “Lyss is an artificial human! Your association with him will eventually harm your Empire—”

“Marshal, you really do have a sense of humor.” Chris didn’t believe him at all and even chuckled. “I’m not a three-year-old who’d be scared by an artificial human. Since the military exercise cannot continue, we’ll return to the Empire first. Looking forward to our next cooperation, Marshal.”

Leaving behind these meaningful words, Chris waved his hand, and the communication abruptly ended.

Dale angrily pounded the console. Suddenly, a soldier beside him exclaimed in fear, “Marshal—the mech is locking onto us! But we can’t lock onto it!”

Dale, overwhelmed by anger, lost his sense of reason. “Just a mere cruising mech! Activate manual mode immediately, bring out the control stick!”

Lyss sat expressionless within the dimly lit mech, effortlessly evading two particle beams by maneuvering the control stick. Then, he pressed the launch button, causing two starships following him to freeze in mid-air.

“Warning! Warning!” an urgent message came from the mech. “Four button-nuclear bombs are approaching!”

Lyss’ expression changed. He swiftly maneuvered the controls, evading the four nuclear bombs in an extremely agile manner. Then, he abruptly turned, and two invisible shockwaves followed suit.

The two starships behind him were in mid-maintenance and couldn’t detect the incoming nuclear bombs in time.

Dale noticed the nuclear bombs were about to hit his people. His face changed, intending to detonate them prematurely. The signals sent out received no response, and the nuclear bombs continued hurtling towards the two starships.

Dale never imagined Lyss could control even the detonation of nuclear bombs. Finally, at that moment, a hint of fear arose from the depths of his heart. “Lyss—”

Inside the dimly lit mech, Lyss observed the star chart, calculating positions. Once the nuclear bombs reached their intended positions, he slowly shifted his gaze away.

The shockwaves suddenly caught up with the nuclear bombs, and the two starships were immediately blasted into fragments.

A silent nuclear explosion enveloped the area, yet Lyss showed no concern.

“Marshal!” a soldier within the command ship exclaimed fearfully. “Two of the four button-nuclear bombs we launched haven’t exploded yet. Moreover… moreover, they suddenly changed their course and are currently moving towards us—”

Dale, filled with terror, yelled, “Quick… quickly activate the shields!”

It was too late.

The last two button-nuclear bombs flew past the mech in the direction they came from. The shockwave upon their explosion was formidable. Lyss gripped the controls, attempting to pull back, but at that moment, he suddenly felt an unexpected palpitation.

“——!!”

The two nuclear bombs abruptly exploded, and the enormous flagship was instantly turned into a silent firework. Lyss was too close; the shockwave expanded instantly. The mech, appearing minuscule before the shockwave, was violently thrown outward, like a small boat tossed in a raging sea.

The protective mechanisms within the mech immediately exploded. Lyss was firmly secured to the seat as the massive turbulence hit. He felt a sudden dizziness and nausea, involuntarily frowning and clutching his abdomen.

…Why now?

When it rains, it pours. Several unfamiliar starships suddenly appeared on the star chart, clearly chasing after him. 

Gritting his teeth, Lyss, one hand covering his abdomen, struggled to reach for the control stick.

It’s Sekaninaite… Lyss pondered despite the churning in his stomach. If Sekaninaite couldn’t find Lu Xingye, Chris wouldn’t be willing to help. That’s why he went against the Empire’s will and came after me, despite everything…

Thinking about this, Lyss felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Perhaps due to his emotions, the dizziness lessened slightly. He endured the discomfort, grabbing the control stick and abruptly pulling back, finally stabilizing the mech.

With Dale dead, the remaining rebel forces were just a motley crew. The most crucial task now was to return to Triss. The rebel forces at headquarters, upon receiving news of the internal war in the exercise, would undoubtedly defect. Returning to headquarters at this moment would allow him to obliterate them. Therefore, Lyss had no intention of lingering in battle.

As Lyss planned to move the mech away and exit the battlefield, a familiar palpitation and nausea hit him. He gripped the control stick and closed his eyes abruptly.

The battlefield changed in an instant. A moment’s pause was enough to be fatal.

An electromagnetic cannon pierced through the mech’s rear wing, instantly causing Lyss to lose consciousness on one side of his body. He raised his still functioning right hand, struggling to crush the silver badge on his chest at the earliest moment.

At that moment, Triss headquarters received the signal indicating the Chief’s demise. After a brief silence, the entire headquarters erupted into chaos unprecedented in its intensity.

The second electromagnetic cannon followed, and Lyss gritted his teeth, grasping the controls to barely dodge this attack. Cold sweat trickled down his spine, and an unusual sensation emanated from his abdomen.

Pain and a peculiar sensation mixed together. Lyss sat in the pilot’s seat, breathing heavily. Gradually regaining sensation on one side of his body, he was soon met with intense pain.

Seeing that the electromagnetic cannon was ineffective, the enemy abandoned it, opting instead for particle cannons.

The familiar red light began to flicker, but Lyss no longer had the strength to control the opponent’s systems.

The beam suddenly shot out. Just before it was about to hit, something collided with the mech, sending it flying out.

Amidst the intense shock, Lyss almost immediately lost consciousness. Just before passing out, he seemed to see on the star chart that familiar morphing mech.

It suddenly revealed its full form, standing in front of Lyss’s mech like an ancient deity from mythology.

…Why did it come back?

With blurry questions, Lyss slowly closed his eyes, descending into darkness.

Author’s note:

The little dog has returned to rescue.