Chapter 29.1: Hidden possessiveness takes root, wraps around and sprouts sharp horns
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The red alert sounded again, “Alert! Area G is under attack, please alert the area!”
The explosion shockwave dented the door that Lin Xu was holding against, and the force spread upward along Lin Xu’s arm against the door, half of his body stiffened and numbed.
“Professor Lin!” Ryan rolled and tried to step forward. Lin Xu raised his hand to give a stopping motion, confirming that the aftermath of the explosion was over, before releasing the door and allowing Ryan to move.
Ryan was on the verge of tears when the young man sitting on the couch reminded him, “Don’t touch his hands, they might be hurt.”
He then handed Lin Xu a tissue to wipe the blood from his ear. Lin Xu coldly used the paper to plug the blood coming out of his ear, “Let’s go out together, we’ll talk about the details later.”
The young man patted Ryan’s shoulder to calm him down, Lin Xu turned in front and took a lot of effort to pull open the lock of the door that had been deformed by the explosion.
The heavy metal door opened inch by inch, revealing a charred and chaotic scene in the corridor, and when he looked up, a black muzzle of a gun was pointed at Lin Xu’s head.
The light gun was accumulating energy, and the darkness in the muzzle gradually emerged as a ghostly blue mass of light.
The alpha vice-marshal he had just met was holding the light energy gun, behind him stood other companions. He faced Lin Xu’s waveless gray eyes seriously and cautiously, “Dr. Lin, I apologize for the cautionary measures I have to take now, please explain the explosion that just happened.”
On the Victoria, all weapons of mass destruction were kept in the armory, and only some of the generals and patrolmen had guns with them, so there should not have been a high-intensity explosion, especially in the high-security area H and area G.
The alert red light continued to flash while the two sides were deadlocked. Ryan held his breath, even the always calm young man also frowned.
The scorching smell and heat from the explosion was still spreading when Lin Xu replied, “The ship got mixed up with a directed bomb, targeting me and Ryan Kalt.”
His voice was smooth, firm, and vaguely unmistakably superior. The vice-marshal’s grip on his gun loosened, then tightened again. Lin Xu watched his subtle movements and slowly raised his hands, a move that made the vice-marshal’s muscles tighten.
“Lord vice-marshal, do I look dangerous?”
The vice-marshal couldn’t answer that question. He almost felt his heart stop with tension and wariness as he was watched closely by Lin Xu’s gray eyes hidden under his messy hair, but reason told him that Dr. Lin was just a frail, urbane scholar with a thin, non-aggressive build.
“Dr. Lin, do you know what kind of person planted the bombs?”
Lin Xu said the two bombs were aimed at himself and his student, but the fact now was that one bomb blew up area H and the other was dropped by Lin Xu himself in the area G corridor, blowing up the control room opposite G576.
None of the alleged targets were injured.
“This is a military secret, vice-marshal Parisen, stop your questioning.”
The cold familiar voice rang out behind him. Vice-marshal Parisen immediately put away his gun, the sound of military boots stepping closer and closer. Parisen’s companions separated into a pathway for this purpose. Parisen spun around and saluted at attention, “Greetings Marshal!”
“Greetings Marshal!” all the officers saluted in unison. Heinrich returned the salute with a raised hand, and his gaze traced coldly over the horrific blast trail, finally landing on Lin Xu’s face, his cheek rubbed with dust, his neck with traces of blood that could not be wiped away. Under Heinrich’s gaze, Lin Xu lowered his arms and looked back quietly.
“Gentlemen, please keep this matter confidential until specific notification is given.”
“As ordered!”
The Abyss Fleet had always been strict in its military discipline, and the words of Heinrich Chu were the supreme command, and his authority could not be violated.
“Arnold, send someone to protect the site until the lab, and Ruth’s forensics and recovery are finished.” Heinrich nodded sideways, and the officers surrounding the corridor complied, all backing away, “Lin Xu, Kalt, let’s talk somewhere else. And Ika, follow.”
“Oh, understood.” The young man following Ryan responded, returned to the room to pick up an electronic board, and trotted to catch up with Heinrich’s men.
Although Lin Xu insisted that he was not injured, Heinrich still insisted that he go for a medical examination. Lin Xu had no choice but to undergo a fully automated examination of the medical bay under Ruth’s guidance.
The result was that everything was normal except for a slightly damaged eardrum.
Lin Xu, who was not used to the mechanical doctor’s probe going deep into his ear canal, almost shuddered for a moment. He tried to say he didn’t need medication when Heinrich held him down and said, “Don’t move.”
Lin Xu didn’t move, but regretted it a little as Heinrich’s hands filled him with the drops, the cotton swab gliding gently through his ear canal, half his head tingling, his body tensing with a soft grunt.
“Does it hurt? It’ll be all right in a minute.” Heinrich accelerated the movement of his hands, the tingling reaching Lin Xu’s shoulders and back, and he even tensed his knees.
Ryan felt that he should not be here. He tugged Ika’s sleeve, signaling him that the two of them would go crazy and they should leave. Ika showed a simple and confused look, and his careless attitude towards such an ambiguous scene made Ryan envious for a moment. If he could be so calm, he wouldn’t have been scolded by his father all the time when studying mecha, and finally scolded out of rebelliousness.
After treating the wound, Heinrich took the hot towel and disinfectant from the mechanical doctor and helped Lin Xu clean up the blood on his neck, but it was too late to send him back to change out of his blood-stained space suit. They spent some time in the medical room, during which time Ruth had expedited the preliminary forensics results. Zhou Pingbo was waiting for them in the lab.
Because of the need for secrecy, Heinrich led the several people to the lab through special passageways that required identification. Along the way, Lin Xu swept a few sideways glances at Ryan’s newest friend.
Ika was young, wearing a T-shirt instead of a space suit, white and thin, but unlike Lin Xu’s almost sickly-feeling slenderness, he looked like he was simply unathletic, and his brown eyes had a hazed look to them, like an owl’s.
Surprisingly, Lin Xu caught a glimpse of a messy scar at the back of his neck where the glands were located, the scar was half covered by a silver, pendant necklace with a painted eye with two vertical bars, not quite genuine.
Judging by its appearance alone, Ika might be an omega with his glands removed.
—
The researchers in the lab had been cleared out by Zhou Pingbo, and they each only knew the results of the tests they were responsible for in part, and could not piece together the full event.
Zhou Pingbo discreetly held the full report in his own hands. But all the report could give was a string of bomb composition and structural analysis; it would not directly tell the answer to the conspiracy.
When the three of them entered the lab, Zhou Pingbo was holding his chin in his hand, examining the charred fabric fragments on the test bench. His gaze was deep, and even when he caught a glimpse of Heinrich’s shiny shoulder patch, he simply nodded at him, “It is indeed a targeted bomb, as Dr. Lin said, with a program that targets Dr. Lin and Ryan Kalt’s genes. As soon as the same genes are detected within three meters, it will explode.”
Heinrich, “The bomb model?”
“Unknown, at least I haven’t seen it. It is embedded in the whole suit like a circuit net, the contact area becomes larger and the power is multiplied, also by this technology to avoid the hazardous material screening during boarding. I sent the explosives composition list back to my friend at the Capital Star Hazmat Control Bureau to see if he could find a matching explosives model, not excluding the possibility of a homemade product.”
Heinrich nodded, “Abyss Fleet has been on covert alert on the Nature’s Evolution and has not begun capture operations for the time being. No one can leave the Nature’s Evolution until it reaches Silver Airfield.”
“From the complexity of the bomb placement, it can be confirmed that the tailor in charge of the tailoring was involved in the operation.” Zhou Pingbo pulled the corners of his mouth, “We can start by investigating his background, this kind of bomb making skills can’t be learned by a small tailor.”
As soon as Ika came in, he pulled a stool and sat down very casually, looking down and tinkering with his electronic screen, but at that moment he suddenly looked up, “It’s Haven technology.”
“You know?” Zhou Pingbo sat up straight in surprise, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“You just mentioned this, before just asking about the specific model of this bomb, I don’t know the exact answer, but I can identify the characteristics of Haven technology.” Ika said innocently.
Zhou Pingbo knocked his brain, speechless at this poking and bouncing temper of Ika, found Lin Xu looking at Ika, he sighed resignedly to make introduction for this kid, “This is Ika, the chief engineer of Ruth, the creator of the artificial intelligence of the Victoria, he’s from Haven.”
Ika waved his hand in a formal greeting. Only Ryan exclaimed, “Didn’t you say you were writing the program for the Victoria?”
“I am.”
“Is a chief engineer the same as a regular programmer?” Ryan was in tears, he thought he would find a companion for the next three months of the journey, but he didn’t expect to find a core member of the Victoria directly. Zhou Pingbo interrupted, “Ika, which lab’s technology is on Haven?”
Haven was a planet living in the frontier of Imperial, the environment was suitable for human survival. With the lack of resources, coupled with the long distance, as well as the proximity to the Alliance frontier, often affected by war, the initial development of the planet into tourist conditions hasn’t even started.
Later, a group of scientists in the Empire rebelled against the politicized demands of the Empire on the development of science and technology, formed a group, pooled money to buy Haven, to the flag of truth and freedom, rejecting the Imperial ideological constraints. After hundreds of years of development, Haven became the Imperial technology town.
The Alliance’s Sword of Michael defense line was sandwiched between the Alliance and the Empire, on the one hand, it was to prevent the Alliance from attacking, on the other hand, it was to prevent the outflow of Haven technology. In addition, they added the Horn of Gabriel defense line to protect Haven’s communication with the Empire.
Although, in recent years, Haven and the Capital Star relationship was relatively moderate, Zhou Pingbo belonged to the Imperial Institute faction, and his access to Haven’s knowledge was limited.
Ika fondled his necklace, “The genetic technology looks like the style of Memo Labs, the bomb is… There are three labs that can make similar mechanized products, but I didn’t think any of them would be involved in the assassination operation.” He added after a moment’s thought, “If Marshal’s forces are not comfortable entering Haven to conduct investigative activities, I can submit a review request to Haven’s Technology Ethics Review Committee and they can perform the relevant investigation.”
“No rush first.” Lin Xu, who had been silent, spoke up, and as the crowd’s thoughts resembled a confused ball of wool between one word and another, he tried to grasp out viable ideas, “Marshal, at first we thought that the killers who planned a series of attacks, including the one on Endymion, had a clear political purpose. They used weapons and personnel from the borderlands in a conscious effort to conceal their identities, this time, why not do so again?”
Ika’s face showed bewilderment, “What kind of political purpose?”
“To solidify the legitimacy of Imperial power and their political cornerstone.” Zhou Pingbo took a sip of water and briefly dropped a shocking bombshell. Ika was very cooperative, calmly “Oh.” Not sure if his code-filled brain couldn’t comprehend the words, or if it just didn’t seem like a big deal in his perception.
“Ah.” Ryan followed with an odd sound, then mused, “But what does this have to do with the scientists on Haven? They were never too fond of the Emperor…”
The cold assertion dripped from Lin Xu’s lips, “Unless they think something will trump their distaste for the Emperor and point both sides to the same target.”
“Ancient Earth? What could be wrong with that…” Ryan still didn’t understand, but it was Lin Xu and Zhou Pingbo who were silent, and Ika played with his necklace without speaking.
After a while, Lin Xu looked up, his gaze gradually firm, “Marshal, I’m going to the Silver Airfield banquet.”
Heinrich frowned hesitantly, “If they miss with one blow and launch a second attack at the banquet, you…”
“I would very much like them to strike.” Lin Xu said, “I don’t believe they knew there would be a party before they boarded the Nature’s Evolution, and that I would have a custom-made tuxedo made on a certain day, and that the assassin sent for that purpose would happen to be a tailor. Marshal, when you initially boarded the ship, you said you set a trap up on the Nature’s Evolution and waited for them to make their move, and now, they’ve made their move. These people are cautious, patient, and have complex technology at their disposal, and I hope we can resolve this issue quickly and not leave the pitfalls for a dangerous galaxy filled with more unknowns later.”
Lin Xu’s voice was like a hardened blade being sheathed, biting and forcing, the lab was quiet for a moment, the crowd even unconsciously controlling their breathing until Heinrich’s response broke the deadlock, “Alright, Arnold will add you to the list of confirmed guests.”
“Make sure you stay out of my sight during the party and keep yourself safe.”
“And… What about me?” Ryan weakly raised his hand.
Lin Xu didn’t hesitate, “Come with me.”
Heinrich said tacitly at the same time, “After berthing into the airfield, Abyss Fleet will be overhauled and resupplied, the traffic is complicated, and there is no guarantee of absolute safety on the Victoria.”
“Okay…” Ryan’s wish was granted, but this time, he really couldn’t be happy.
“Does Dr. Lin need another tux?” Ika suddenly asked, “I just wrote a sewing program for Ruth, there is no ready-made fabric on the Victoria, but it can be altered with another suit, this time to ensure there is no safety problem.”
“Alter one, please.”
“Thanks.” Ika replied gently and then buried himself in his program again.
Heinrich listened and said in a deep voice, “Use my military uniform.”
“All right.” Ika replied flatly, seemingly unaware of anything, except for Zhou Pingbo who gave an extra glance to Heinrich who kept moving closer to Lin Xu.
Ryan, “What about mine?”
“I’ll get Arnold to lend one to you.”
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