Chapter 118: Prenatal Education Was Important
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Aboard the S297 fast-attack ship, there was a basic training room outfitted with a combat arena, gym equipment, holographic simulation stations, and a shooting range.
By the time Lin Xu arrived, Heinrich was already at the range, firing off rounds. In his hands was a large-caliber photonic pistol. As it charged, a faint bluish glow pulsed through the white gun casing, humming softly with building energy.
A muffled, resonant blast followed. The photonic round shot out in a flash and struck the steel target a hundred meters away. The crash of impact and the sharp hiss of heated metal echoed back to the firing line.
Bullseye.
The gun barrel began its automatic cooling sequence as Heinrich lowered the weapon and looked toward the approaching Lin Xu. Lin Xu gave Heinrich’s arm a quick pat before stepping past him and heading through the opposite door into the gym. “Keep going. I’m just going for a run.”
“Mm.” Heinrich nodded. Once Lin Xu’s footsteps faded around the corner, he picked the gun back up and resumed aiming at the target.
The military training equipment of the interstellar era was still unfamiliar to Lin Xu. Some of it was even designed for zero-gravity conditions, which made it even harder to get used to.
After listening to the AI’s explanations about how to use the machines, he ended up choosing the simplest option: the treadmill. A couple of hours of running, a shower afterward—and outside the training room, Heinrich would usually be waiting to grab a meal together.
In the days that followed, Lin Xu developed a routine: after finishing battles in Star Ocean, he’d head straight to the training room to work on his fitness. But as they drew closer to the Dionysus District, the StarNet began to slow down. Non-military signal access became increasingly unstable and spotty.
Eventually, Lin Xu gave up on the simulation games altogether and started spending more time reading and exercising. He even dragged Blackie and Snowy onto the treadmill to get them moving.
Ever since entering space, the two rabbit-cats had become increasingly lazy. And now, with Guy feeding them treats, they were starting to grow fat little cheeks.
Lin Xu also began practicing with Heinrich at the range. He was perfectly comfortable using old-fashioned mechanical guns, but photonic weapons had a different aiming system. Unlike mechanical guns, they required a whole new set of muscle memory and practice to get a feel for.
On the flip side, Heinrich wasn’t used to mechanical firearms. He dug an old, dust-covered mechanical gun out of the S297’s armory, along with several boxes of bullets, and asked Lin Xu to coach him. Compared to photonic guns, the mechanical ones had much stronger recoil and muzzle jump.
With no suppressors available, the mechanical gunfire was painfully loud—especially in the enclosed space of the indoor shooting range. Both Lin Xu and Heinrich wore noise-canceling earmuffs and safety goggles. The smell of gunpowder and metal thickened the air.
After several days of gunfire, even Guy came wandering over with the baby in his arms. The moment Lin Xu spotted Adrian, he instinctively pressed Heinrich’s hand down, signaling him to lower his weapon.
“Did we wake you guys?” Lin Xu asked.
“Mechanical guns really are loud,” Guy said with a laugh, walking over. Adrian stared at them with wide, brilliant blue eyes and reached his hands out toward both men. “You can hear it through multiple rooms. But it worked out—Adrian loves loud noises. He insisted on coming over to take a look.”
“He’s not scared?” Lin Xu asked, a bit surprised.
“He’s fine.” Guy bounced Adrian gently in his arms like a cradle. “He’s used to it. Out in the border zones, you hear gunfire all the time. It never stops. Most of the illegal groups out there use mechanical guns too. The sound is deafening.
“Only the official Imperial arms factories have the tech to produce high-energy weapons. We tried to get permission to build a military factory in the borderlands, but the committee rejected it. Said it was too risky. They were worried about a weapons leak.
“Honestly, I kind of wish those little gangsters would steal a few photonic guns. Then their turf wars wouldn’t be so goddamn loud. But in the end, the higher-ups in the Special Zones have basically abandoned the borderlands. Letting people fend for themselves.”
Adrian continued to reach out, babbling, “Ah… eh… ba…”
“Oh no, you don’t,” Guy said, quickly catching Adrian’s outstretched hand before he could grab at Lin Xu. “Just because you like loud noises doesn’t mean I’m letting you hang around here. Your hearing can’t handle it. Hey now, sweetheart, isn’t Daddy cool? Why do you always want to run off to someone else?”
Lin Xu raised a brow. “Maybe because your shooting skills with a mechanical gun kind of suck.”
Guy’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, when I was growing up in the border zones, my family was poor. We couldn’t afford guns or ammo, so I never had a chance to practice. Then I joined the corps, and everything was photonic. No time to train for accuracy. But if we’re comparing—my mecha piloting skills are definitely better than yours.”
Lin Xu gave a nonchalant shrug. “Not necessarily.”
It had to be said—maybe it was the combination of consistent workouts and firearms training, but Lin Xu’s adrenaline levels seemed to be running high. He was practically buzzing. And when Guy made that offhand comment, it ignited a long-dormant competitive streak in him.
He hadn’t piloted a mecha that many times, but his proficiency wasn’t bad. After all, a mecha pilot’s ability was closely tied to their physical combat skills and battle instincts. Back at the Military Academy, students were required to undergo extensive hand-to-hand training before they were even allowed near a real mecha.
Guy seemed to realize that too.
Since the ship was currently in transit, it wasn’t practical to haul out a mecha for a sparring match—but their hand-to-hand skills would speak volumes.
“Wanna hit the arena?” Guy asked.
“Let’s go,” Lin Xu agreed without hesitation.
Grinning, Guy casually handed Adrian off to Heinrich. “Marshal Chu, babysit for me, would you?”
Then he turned and strode off toward the combat arena alongside Lin Xu. Only then did Heinrich understand why Lin Xu had stood so stiffly like a statue while holding the baby the other day. Adrian was incredibly soft and squishy, a tiny thing who giggled non-stop in his arms. Heinrich stood frozen for a moment, his face tight, before briskly heading after them.
Guy was actually taller than Heinrich, and even more muscular—an A-Class alpha. Back in the borderlands, he had never sparred with Lin Xu. At the time, Lin Xu had been so skinny he’d looked like a walking skeleton. Guy had worried that a single punch might knock him into the afterlife.
But this little skeleton had taken down alien beasts ten times larger than a human. Guy had always been a little suspicious of the almost physics-defying strength Lin Xu seemed to possess. Now, finally, he had a chance to test it out.
At first glance, especially with no weapons involved, Lin Xu’s build put him at a clear disadvantage. Facing someone like Guy in unarmed combat looked like a losing game.
Then Lin Xu’s fist sliced past Guy’s face like a gust of wind, and Guy ducked just in time, shouting, “Are you serious?!”
Lin Xu retracted his arm and bent his elbow, driving it toward Guy’s chest. “We’ve got med pods on board.” The implication: even if they got hurt, a few days in the pod and they’d be good as new. Guy stepped back with his right foot and planted himself in a low stance, absorbing the hit to seize a chance to grab Lin Xu’s attacking arm.
Lin Xu didn’t bother trying to pull away. Instead, he planted a foot on Guy’s knee and used the grip on his wrist to launch himself upward, flipping clean over Guy’s head. An alarm blared in Guy’s mind. Years of experience told him to raise his other hand to shield his shoulder—and just in time.
As expected, Lin Xu’s next move was to lock his arm around Guy’s neck. But Guy had the upper hand now. Before Lin Xu could use the leverage to flip him, Guy shifted his weight hard to the side, using gravity to slam Lin Xu down onto the mat.
Lin Xu didn’t hesitate. He kicked Guy hard in the calf, unbalancing him. As Guy teetered, Lin Xu followed through, yanking his captured wrist free and landing a solid punch on Guy’s shoulder. The force knocked the bigger man over, and Lin Xu sat up over him.
Dizzy from the sudden motion, Guy reacted fast. He hooked an arm around Lin Xu’s waist, ready to throw him off—but as he tensed and tried to follow through, he froze. It gave Lin Xu the opening. Instead of struggling against the hold, Lin Xu raised his fist and aimed a blow at Guy’s head. But Guy didn’t even try to dodge. Still caught in his daze, he just stared.
In that flash of a moment, Lin Xu changed course. His fist slammed into the rubberized mat beside Guy’s head, deforming the material on impact. The floor didn’t rebound fast enough to keep up. A deep imprint of Lin Xu’s fist was left behind.
“What are you spacing out for?”
“Oh. Oh…” Guy let go, letting Lin Xu climb off. “You win.”
He sat up, watching as Lin Xu gave him a cursory glance and walked off toward Heinrich. Something nagged at him. Something didn’t feel right… Since when did people have abs that hard?
Lin Xu grabbed a water bottle and took a swig, then raised one arm and rotated his shoulder a few times before following it with a quick stretch.
Still holding Adrian, Heinrich asked, “You hurt?”
“No. My ligaments have been acting up lately. My back and hips get sore easily.”
Guy, listening from a distance, stiffened. That didn’t sound right at all. Back when he had carried Adrian, he’d experienced the same kind of ligament pain—caused by hormonal changes and the strain of a baby pulling on his back muscles.
As he got up from the floor and walked the short distance over to retrieve Adrian, his mind turned over the past few days. The motion sickness.
Lin Xu had always been sensitive to the hyper-acceleration of interstellar ships, especially back in the borderlands—but paired with everything else, a bolt of realization struck Guy like lightning. No. Wait. Let’s think about this…
He remembered a rumor back on Capital Star. There had been gossip that Heinrich and Lin Xu had a secret child. The rumor had died on its own when the couple registered their marriage but no baby ever appeared.
But no one had ever said a beta male like Lin Xu couldn’t get pregnant. They just didn’t have a child yet.
Lin Xu and Heinrich chatted briefly about their next stop, then Lin Xu returned to the gym equipment. As he approached a set of dumbbells, Guy turned to Heinrich with a conflicted expression and asked, “Is it safe for him to be working out like that?”
Heinrich blinked. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“…No reason,” Guy said, forcing a casual tone. “Just… mental and physical well-being, you know. That stuff’s important.”
Lin Xu was in good shape. Working out during pregnancy wasn’t a problem as long as the person felt up to it. At least… that’s what Guy tried to tell himself.
From the moment the S297 fast-attack ship departed Capital Star, it had only carried two passengers: Lin Xu and Heinrich. Now, with Guy and his group aboard, the ship was livelier—but still lacked a doctor.
After suspecting that Lin Xu might be pregnant, Guy—once a pregnant alpha himself—began instinctively paying closer attention to Lin Xu’s condition. He started subtly suggesting that Lin Xu scale back his intense anaerobic workouts and the more violent man-machine combat simulations, offering gentler alternatives like flexibility training instead.
Another time, when passing by the lounge and noticing Lin Xu reading with his legs slightly cramped, Guy handed him a small container of calcium tablets. Lin Xu raised an eyebrow, visibly puzzled.
“You need to increase your calcium intake right now,” Guy explained patiently.
During fetal development, the baby draws large amounts of calcium from the parent’s body. That’s why cramps in the legs and feet are common during pregnancy. Lin Xu thought it over, then silently accepted the tablets and chewed a few according to the recommended dose.
He already knew that extended time in low-gravity environments could lead to bone density loss, but the ship had artificial gravity. Back during the Abyss Fleet’s long expedition to ancient Earth, he hadn’t had any issues—so he had assumed it wasn’t something he needed to worry about. Apparently, he had been wrong. Trace mineral supplementation was still necessary.
Before he could put the bottle away, Guy materialized again with a cup of industrial-grade milk substitute. Lin Xu gave him a side-eye, baffled by this sudden, over-the-top attentiveness. Just as he raised the cup to take a sip, a faint scent of vetiver drifted in from behind, wrapping around him like smoke.
He turned slightly—Heinrich was standing in the shadows at the corner of the wall. Guy noticed it too, even faster than Lin Xu did. Alphas were naturally sensitive to any hint of territorial pheromones—especially when they carried an edge of warning. Heinrich’s cold expression didn’t help matters. With a quiet sigh, Guy got to his feet and slipped away from Lin Xu’s side without another word.
A short walk down the corridor later, he turned to glance back—and sure enough, Marshal Chu had followed him. Guy came to a stop. Heinrich did too, standing a few feet away, his silver hair catching the ship’s sterile lighting, his expression glacial and unreadable.
Guy met that icy stare and the subtle sour scent of jealousy head-on. Then, with nothing but sincerity in his voice, he offered a suggestion.
“Marshal Chu,” he said, “you should really spend more time with Lin Xu.” On the surface, it sounded like a provocation. As if he were saying: If you don’t keep him company, another alpha just might.
But before Heinrich could so much as frown, Guy added, “A father’s presence during pregnancy plays a huge role in the baby’s development.
“When Alonso and I were expecting, we were both so busy with work, constantly apart, and we didn’t think much of it at the time. I still regret that. You’ve got some free time now, Marshal Chu. Why not spend it talking to Lin Xu?”
Guy could see it clearly—both Heinrich and Lin Xu were the quiet type, people comfortable in long silences. They communicated without words, and it worked for them. But for a child’s early language development, that kind of dynamic could become a problem. Guy was already mentally flipping through which early education books he should start recommending to Heinrich.
Author’s Note:
Guy: He’s pregnant. Give him more calcium.
