Chapter 115: Probably Forced
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
A sleek, slender S297 swift cruiser was traveling along the IN16 interstellar route, its curvature engine engaged. The shield around the vessel shimmered in fluctuating hues as particles collided against the barrier.
The IN16 route connected the Crescent District with the Dionysus Sector. After completing two-thirds of its journey, the vessel would enter non-Imperial space. Ten more light-years, and they’d reach Thales.
Inside the cruiser, a black and a white rabbit-cat were locked in a brawl on the bedroom’s king-sized bed. Claws and fangs flashed as tufts of fur flew through the air.
A housekeeping bot, detecting the airborne fur, blinked its red alert light furiously. But the rabbit-cats refused to yield, leaving the bot helpless, unable to clean the masters’ bed. All it could do was stare blankly and repeat, “Cleaning in progress. Cleaning in progress.”
Before leaving Endymion, Lin Xu had built a little nest for the blue squirrel family in the warehouse and left them plenty of food. Blackie and Snowy had both come aboard with Lin Xu. He was worried that if they stayed behind, they’d go roaming for food and get lost in the vast Cacamorra Plains. Finding them again would’ve been nearly impossible.
The S297 was slower than the S105 they’d ridden before, but the trade-off came in the form of more internal space and a smoother ride. The Blizzard mech had been safely stored in the onboard mech bay. Bard had been sent to the Abyss Fleet’s tech division for maintenance and didn’t accompany them on this leg of the journey.
Originally a military vessel, the ship’s interior was functional and rugged. Heinrich hadn’t made major modifications—just had a new bedroom set installed, added a kitchen, and a holo-pod. The upgrades made the voyage more tolerable. The IN16 route still had StarNet coverage, so Heinrich and Lin Xu spent the past few days diving into Star Ocean for head-to-head matches.
Over the past few months, their in-game rankings had slipped off the charts entirely. But after a few solid days of gameplay, the names Dragon of Destruction and Unnamed were once again climbing the leaderboards. Still, the accounts remained closed to friend requests, which disappointed many fans.
But Pullman Jr. couldn’t have been happier—he had added Unnamed as a friend back when the account was first created. He’d sent several solo challenge invites to Unnamed recently. Unnamed accepted each one, and every single time, Silver Moon Sword got mercilessly stomped. Unnamed’s combat style was brutal but precise, entertaining to watch. Clips of Silver Moon Sword getting demolished had already surpassed ten billion views on the game forums.
Once again, Pullman Jr. was thrashed. When they returned to the virtual lounge, he messaged Unnamed.
[That’s the 27th time I’ve lost to you… sigh. I even practiced that snowy mountain dungeon in real life. Thought I’d have the home turf advantage.]
Lin Xu rarely replied, but this time he lingered on the message for a few extra seconds. That snow mountain dungeon was modeled after a real-world simulator field run by Deep Blue Military Academy on Ares—a mountain he had once seen from afar while flying over.
[You are a student at Deep Blue?] Lin Xu asked.
[Yeah! Are you?]
[No. I told you—I’m just a regular guy.]
Pullman didn’t believe it. He figured Unnamed was hiding his identity.
[Okay, okay. Well, I’m about to graduate and still don’t know which legion I’ll be assigned to.]
[Where do you want to go?]
Pullman paused. Today’s Unnamed seemed unusually chatty.
[First Legion.]
[Trying to stay on Capital Star, or heading to the Zerg front?]
[The Zerg, of course!] Pullman replied enthusiastically. [We Military Academy cadets trained so hard—we’re meant to serve the Empire and protect humanity!]
[Mm.] Unnamed’s response was brief and emotionless, like he couldn’t care less about such lofty ideals. But Pullman wasn’t discouraged.
[Besides, mecha combat is more effective against the Zerg. Against Star Pirates, rebels, and smugglers, you mostly rely on ship-mounted weapons. First Legion’s mecha unit is the best—other than Marshal Chu’s Abyss Fleet, anyway. Speaking of which, did you see Marshal Chu’s marriage announcement?]
[I know.]
Heinrich and Lin Xu hadn’t hidden their visit to the marriage registry office. That same night, media outlets were buzzing about Marshal Chu marrying the heir to the Perseus Group.
Online onlookers, always eager for drama, started wailing about how even the noble Marshal Chu had fallen to the lure of wealth—conveniently forgetting that just days before, they had been accusing Lin Xu of gold-digging his way into a beta-fueled power marriage.
Heinrich even said the Emperor himself asked him the next day about what was going on between him and Lin Xu.
[So, uh…] Pullman rubbed his hands together. [Do you know the inside scoop? Does Marshal Chu actually like him? Or was he forced? There’s a ton of gossip online, but none of it sounds legit.]
Pullman still believed Lin Xu was a high-ranking officer in some legion and might know the truth.
Lin Xu: “…” He thought Pullman’s question was just as ridiculous as the gossip. After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Xu typed:
[Probably forced.]
[I knew it!]
Before Lin Xu could respond further, the chat window abruptly closed—Heinrich had reached over and hit the exit icon. Lin Xu turned to face the man beside him. Marshal Chu had been watching the whole conversation. His brows were tightly furrowed, his expression stern.
“I wasn’t forced,” Heinrich said flatly.
Lin Xu smirked. “Sure. If I hadn’t forced you, you’d be nothing but frozen bits in that Earth glacier by now.”
Heinrich went quiet, seeming to consider that seriously. Then, without a word, he disappeared from the game interface—logging off completely. Lin Xu raised an eyebrow. Before he could gloat, a wave of warm breath brushed his neck. But he was alone in the virtual lounge.
Lin Xu immediately logged out. When he opened his eyes, Heinrich’s silver head was right in front of him. He had pried open the holo-pod lid and leaned in, wrapping his arms around Lin Xu’s shoulders—then bit down on the curve of his neck, teeth grinding like a predator clamped on its prey.
Instinctively, Lin Xu kicked Heinrich in the gut. As Heinrich grunted in pain, Lin Xu yanked the neural connectors from his temples and, with a burst of strength, flipped out of the pod and pinned Heinrich to the floor. Then he sank his teeth into the alpha’s scent gland.
Lin Xu didn’t have a gland on his own neck—Heinrich’s earlier bite had just been symbolic. But the alpha’s gland at the nape of his own neck was hot, sensitive, and releasing waves of that distinctive vetiver scent. Lin Xu hadn’t meant to bite down for real.
But then the whole cruiser suddenly shuddered—and his sharp canines, unchecked, sank deep into the gland. Blood, mixed with pheromones, flooded his mouth. The heady taste of energy clouded his senses in an instant.
“Heinrich…”
“Lin Xu, wait.”
Heinrich swiped a hand over the back of his neck, wiping away the blood. Right now, he needed to hear the AI’s report on what was causing the starship to tremble.
But Lin Xu lowered his head again, taking Heinrich’s bloodied fingers into his mouth. He licked them slowly, deliberately, tracing the lingering energy from each one like he was committing it to memory.
The AI spoke, calm and neutral. “Report: Starship detects abnormal spacetime status. Forcefield disturbance.”
Heinrich ran his hand through Lin Xu’s long hair and down his spine, letting him rest at his neck, teeth gently grazing the skin like a warning.
“Integrate the spacetime fluctuation data,” Heinrich said. “Give me specifics.”
A string of data followed.
“Preliminary calculations: Spacetime disruption influenced by interstellar route shift. Central Traffic Authority reports damage ahead on this route.”
“Reduce speed. Scan again.”
A few seconds later, the AI connected to an incoming call.
“Captain of the S297, this is Chief of Staff Guy from the Sixth Legion. My unit encountered a Zerg ambush along the next section of the route. We’re deploying high-energy particle weapons. The IN16 route will be affected. Please, disengage the curvature drive to avoid structural damage to your vessel.”
Heinrich kept his voice calm despite Lin Xu still biting him.
“Hello, Chief Guy,” he replied. “This is Heinrich Chu, current commander of the S297 swift cruiser. We’ll power down the curvature engine. Do you need support at the Zerg engagement site?”
The IN16 route was one of the weaker points along the Florence Defense Line—Zerg attacks weren’t uncommon there, usually brief and brutal.
“Marshal Chu?” Guy’s voice rose in surprise. “We’ve got it under control on our end. The damage to the route is unfortunate. Apologies for the inconvenience—it’s an honor, sir.”
