Paranoid Alpha Chapter 34: Dreams Shattered

Chapter 34: Dreams Shattered

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai

On the last day, time seemed to suddenly stretch. Lyss lay half-closed in the narrow bathtub, exhausted, water pooling at his chest, soaking his sore, tender skin. An unrivaled comfort and relaxation washed over him, for a moment, Lyss even felt it wouldn’t be so bad to vanish with the space altogether.

His eyelashes quivered, and his golden eyes slowly opened, quietly observing the pool of water. He seemed to have been influenced by Lu Xingye; Lyss thought wearily, he couldn’t continue like this. Triss was probably already in chaos, and if he didn’t return, the political turmoil might affect the lives of the people.

With a tired sigh, he rose from the water, wrapped in a towel, and walked out, saying, “Lu Xingye.”

Lu Xingye was lying on the bed, examining the chip. At the mention, he gently acknowledged, “What is it?”

This time, Lyss didn’t waste words. He went straight to the bed, straddling Lu Xingye.

“―!”

Lu Xingye’s breath hitched, and he moved to touch the waist, but Lyss caught his wrist and twisted it aside.

“Hiss…” Lu Xingye gasped, not with fear but a sense of assurance. “Twice during estrus, I didn’t have any credit but did have to endure. Even if you don’t like it, Chief, you don’t have to be so harsh.”

Ignoring his talk, Lyss forcefully opened his fingers, retrieving the infamous chip.

“Wait…”

Before Lu Xingye could finish, Lyss pressed the chip against his collarbone’s tattoo, but the expected reaction didn’t occur. Lyss’s expression turned grave.

“I’ve said it, but it’s useless.” Lu Xingye held Lyss’s waist, burying his face in the crook of his neck. “This chip, held for so long, has long been rendered useless.”

Frowning, Lyss examined the chip under the light. “It’s impossible. Either you’re lying, or this chip is flawed. Your mother couldn’t have left this chip out of nowhere… What was written in the last few pages of the diary?”

Lu Xingye shrugged, “Can’t reveal it. I’m looking forward to seeing the Chief’s extraordinary methods.”

Lyss paused, then asked, “…What do you mean by “can’t reveal’?”

“It means…” Lu Xingye smiled faintly, leading Lyss’s hand to his neck. “Those pages in the diary have been destroyed.”

Lyss pressed harder on Lu Xingye’s neck, demanding, “What was written in the diary?”

“Well, I’ll tell you. Since you’re so eager to know… Did you find the beginning of the diary strange? My mother writes that Chudai is her child but never mentions what Chudai is called. Only naming it “the Chudai System’ in a few words.”

Lyss suddenly realized what Lu Xingye was getting at. His eyes widened in disbelief.

“I’ve been pondering this since I started reading the diary. Sure enough, on the last page, I saw the name my mother gave to her eldest son, my elusive brother.”

“The Chudai System with that name has vanished, and in ten hours, everything here will cease to exist.” Lu Xingye tilted Lyss’s chin up. “Can you guess why I destroyed those two pages, brother?”

“He emphasized the last two words. Lyss’ breath hitched, and without a word, he released his hand from Lu Xingye’s neck.

After a long pause, Lyss finally spoke, “…Were there only those contents on the last two pages, nothing about this space?”

“Yeah,” Lu Xingye nodded, cupping his face and kissing it twice. “Is there anything else you’d like to know, Chief?”

Busy and occupied for so many years, Lyss never expected to learn about his identity before facing death. Lu Xingye had no reason to deceive him. Those two diary pages, if not destroyed, would spell disaster for the entire Triss if captured by the Imperial fleet.

“…No, nothing,” Lyss slowly closed his eyes, finally accepting his fate calmly.

Until today, Lyss never imagined his death; someone without a past wouldn’t consider a future. The obsession he held for so long could finally be let go. Suddenly, he didn’t have such a strong will to survive.

Perhaps Lu Xingye had truly influenced him. Lyss leaned quietly in the chair, gazing at the eternal night outside the window. After a while, he spoke up, “Actually, being able to die with you, I…”

Lu Xingye abruptly interrupted him with action, lifting Lyss by the waist and laying him directly on the bed. “There are still ten hours left. Instead of saying these things, why don’t we conserve our energy for something else?”

After three seconds of eye contact, Lyss raised his hand to his shoulders, silently agreeing with Lu Xingye’s suggestion, indulging in the final revelry.

Like swans embracing at doomsday, in the face of death, they finally let go of all restraint, revealing the most primal desires.

Both were somewhat uncontrollable, but Lyss was pregnant. Under the influence of hormones, his sensitivity was several magnitudes higher than usual. This behavior should be avoided in the early stages of pregnancy, but when facing imminent death, especially when he had never intended to keep this daughter, he didn’t consider it now.

Under the dim light, the alpha finally showcased his youthful vitality to Lyss, losing the benefits of estrus. Finally, with five hours remaining, Lyss cried himself into unconsciousness.

In the moment before losing consciousness, Lyss thought he wouldn’t wake up again in his life.

The eternal night swallowed his rationality. The sensation of losing consciousness made Lyss feel a strange familiarity, as if he had experienced this scene long ago.

Rarely, he dreamed.

In the dream, it was pouring rain. He was wearing a black coat, holding a little girl, standing quietly in a place.

Suddenly thundering, Lyss looked up abruptly and saw a tombstone in front of him, seeming to bear someone’s name.

Perhaps because the dreamer didn’t want to see the name on it, the dream shattered at that moment.

Consciousness plunged into darkness again. After an unknown time passed, in the desolate darkness, a faint white light appeared.

Lyss blinked his eyelashes tremblingly, slowly opening his eyes, only then realizing he was lying inside a small survival pod. Beyond the transparent protective cover was a space-time crack in darkness and the floating cabin within it.

He frowned, struggling to sit up. His body felt as though it would fall apart, but unlike before, his skin was noticeably rubbed by fabric. After a moment’s pause, he looked down and saw himself wearing the military uniform from Lu Xingye.

Lyss suddenly raised his head. The transparent protective cover faced the main entrance of the cabin. For more than ten days, he had believed the space-time crack was only that cabin, never imagining Lu Xingye had hidden a survival pod outside the crack!

His heavy mind instantly became clear, and his heart pounded uncontrollably.

Something was wrong. Lyss forced himself to calm down and analyze: What did Lu Xingye really want?

The vague attitude, torn diary pages, and the suddenly discovered crack… 

Lu Jin had been researching for so many years. Those two pages in the diary surely didn’t just contain a name; maybe it was a way to leave this place. But Lu Jin ultimately got trapped here. So why would Lu Xingye put him in a survival pod? The only difference between them and Lu Jin was the number of people.

Realizing Lu Xingye’s intentions, Lyss’ pupils contracted. When he regained his senses, ignoring the numbness and fatigue, he punched the transparent shield in front of him.

Surprisingly, Lu Xingye walked out from the cabin. He no longer had the craziness of the past few days; he looked calm and indifferent, just like before.

Through the transparent protective cover, Lu Xingye looked at Lyss, who had brightly shimmering gold eyes due to emotional fluctuations. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Give it up. This shield is made of meteorite characteristics. Even if you can tear a mecha apart, you won’t break this shield.”

Lyss, rarely angry, questioned coldly, “Lu Xingye, what do you want?!”

“The three chances for a reset are used up.” Lu Xingye smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I lied to you.”

After three seconds of eye contact, Lyss abruptly closed his mouth, turning to look at the core of the escape pod.

“I’ve destroyed the core. Even if you can hack it, you won’t get out,” Lu Xingye stood at the door, pressing the protective shield, looking at Lyss with a complex smile. “The only way out for us is to blow up the crack. But blowing it up requires someone to operate… Between the two of us, only one person can make it out alive.”

Although Lyss had guessed what he intended to do, when he actually heard Lu Xingye say it, he turned abruptly, pressing the safety lock and, with force, tried to release it. “If we’re blowing it up, I’ll be the one! You’re only eighteen. Don’t forget your mother’s will; she wanted you to live…”

“But I want you to live,” Lu Xingye interrupted. “People are selfish.”

Angered and speechless for a moment, Lyss, disregarding his sore muscles, tried to break the safety lock.

“Don’t waste your effort.” Lu Xingye shook the spare core in his hand. “I’ve welded the safety lock. The only backup core is here.”

With a deep look at Lyss, Lu Xingye slowly spoke, “Forget about me, Chief.”

The author has a note:

Well, perhaps it’s a bit intense (runs away with a shield). But I promise, this is the only bit of intensity! There won’t be any more!