Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 8

Ying Feng’s voice successfully stopped Ling Xiao’s struggles. Seeing that the person in his arms had become quiet, Ying Feng finally slowly lowered his hand.

Ling Xiao was held in an incredibly intimate posture, half-embraced by Ying Feng. Their bodies were pressed together without any gap. The breath exhaled by Ying Feng hit the nape of Ling Xiao’s neck, like invisible pigments mixed in, successfully turning that spot red.

Someone entered, and rustling sounds resonated throughout the lab. The two of them hid in a corner behind a cabinet, unsure of what was happening, and didn’t dare to peek out.

The door was opened again. The person who had come in earlier was evidently surprised by the newcomer, expressing his emotions with his voice. “Why are you here?”

It was a familiar male voice they had heard not long ago, gentle and refined.

“Don’t forget, I used to work here. I know very well what you’re up to.”

The second voice was even more familiar. Ling Xiao and Ying Feng exchanged glances knowingly. It was Dr. Yao. If they hadn’t reviewed the lab’s data earlier, they would have been very surprised by that statement.

Zhi Shang managed a forced smile. “I can’t hide anything from you. The situation is urgent now.” There was another round of clattering, and this time Ling Xiao heard the sound of glass clinking. Zhi Shang’s speech became much faster. “Driving an aircraft to the lighthouse is impossible, but luckily, we still have the ‘Embers II’ left by our mentor.”

“But the second generation of Embers wasn’t fully developed back then. Teacher said it’s only a prototype with severe side effects.”

“We can’t be picky now.”

Unable to suppress their curiosity, Ling Xiao and Ying Feng risked peeking out. Fortunately, the two inside were focused on their task and didn’t notice the unusual movement.

Dr. Yao saw Zhi Shang deftly extracting chemicals from a bottle into a syringe. She stopped him. “Let me do it. Don’t forget, I’m your Qizhu. My abilities surpass yours.”

Zhi Shang smiled and patted her head. “Your duty is to protect the fledglings. Mine is to protect this place. I don’t have much time. I need to go.”

After speaking, he lifted the syringe without hesitation, but his action paused in that instant.

Incredulity filled his eyes. “You…”

The two onlookers, Ling Xiao and Ying Feng, could see that Zhi Shang’s action wasn’t voluntary. His hand trembled, struggling to voice a single word.

Dr. Yao effortlessly took the syringe from him, placing a soft kiss on his lips and whispering in his ear, “A Qizhu’s command must be obeyed.”

Frozen, Zhi Shang watched as Dr. Yao injected the orange liquid into her body. She gave him a light smile and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The base alarm sounded again, and the danger level rose. The largest meteorite resulting from a planetary explosion was approaching rapidly, and the lighthouse was right in its path.

“Report: The meteorite will hit the lighthouse in one minute!”

“Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven…” The system started the countdown.

“Prepare the photon cannons,” the deputy researcher ordered.

“The firing angle isn’t ideal. The meteorite is too close to the lighthouse, and there’s a risk of collateral damage,” a staff member reported.

The deputy researcher slammed the control panel in frustration. Where on earth had the chief gone at this critical moment?

“Will the lighthouse be destroyed?” The students covered their mouths anxiously, some already on the verge of tears.

The staff looked deeply troubled. Despite working here for so long, this was the first time they had faced such a dire situation.

The system diligently counted down, “Ten, nine, eight…”

Just as everyone in the command center was at a loss, someone suddenly pointed at the monitor screen. “Look!”

A flash of light streaked by, and an almost transparent protective shield enveloped the lighthouse.

“Someone activated the emergency shield!”

Almost simultaneously, a massive meteorite with a trail of fire and thick smoke came from the horizon, directly hitting the lighthouse. A massive impact sound echoed, and the flying dust and smoke ruthlessly engulfed the lighthouse.

People stared anxiously at the monitor screen. After a while, the smoke dissipated, and the lighthouse stood intact.

Cheers and sighs of relief erupted in the hall. Some clutched their chests, some hugged passionately. For the students, it was their first time experiencing such a tense moment, feeling as if a century had passed.

Ling Xiao and Ying Feng hid in the shadows, oblivious to the events outside apart from a distant muffled sound. They could only watch as Zhi Shang remained frozen in place, as if under a spell, until the noise subsided, and the spell was lifted.

“A’Yao!” As soon as Zhi Shang could move, he rushed out.

Now was their chance. Ying Feng pushed Ling Xiao. “Go quickly!”

Ling Xiao dashed from their hiding spot towards the door. But after just a couple of steps, he doubled back. Ying Feng, who was already outside the laboratory’s main door, frowned. Before he could scold, Ling Xiao appeared again.

“This.” Ling Xiao opened his hand, revealing the unlocking device Ying Feng had forgotten.

Ying Feng held back his words, took the unlocking device, but felt that something was off about Ling Xiao.

“What are you holding?” He stared at Ling Xiao’s other hand, which Ling Xiao guiltily hid behind his back.

“Nothing. Let’s go before someone comes.”

Ying Feng didn’t have time to argue. They quickly returned to Zone G. Sure enough, staff were looking for the missing students. Seeing them, one approached. “Are you alright?”

“When the alarm sounded, we panicked and got lost,” Ying Feng calmly explained.

Ling Xiao feigned confusion. “What happened earlier?”

Ying Feng shot him a glance. Noticing his hands were empty, he wondered what he had taken from the lab and where he’d hidden it.

“There was a nearby asteroid disintegration, but the alarm has been cleared,” the staff explained. “It’s good you’re safe. I’ll take you back.”

“An asteroid disintegration? Is Dr. Yao and the other students okay?” Ling Xiao’s primary concern was the former, but to avoid suspicion, he pretended to know nothing about the earlier events in the lab.

“The students are in the main hall. No one was injured. Assistant Yao left a while ago, but she should be fine.”

“You just called her Assistant Yao?” Ling Xiao quickly picked up on the slip.

“Oh, no, Dr. Yao,” the staff corrected hastily. “I misspoke.”

Recalling the documents he’d seen earlier, Ling Xiao probed, “Actually, Dr. Yao mentioned she worked here before and was under a renowned mentor, something like Tai…”

This was a risky move by Ling Xiao, one that even made Ying Feng silently nervous.

The staff looked surprised. “You mean the former Chief Researcher Tai Yin? She told you about him? You two must be close.”

“Well, kind of.” Ling Xiao sighed in relief. “Dr. Yao often takes care of us and shares personal stories.”

“Dr. Yao… I mean, Assistant Yao, indeed worked as an assistant researcher here, but that was over thirty years ago,” the staff member shared.

“Not only that, she was a direct apprentice of the former Chief. The previous Chief rarely took apprentices, and in recent decades has only taken three. One of them is the current Chief you just met, Dr. Zhi Shang.”

“Why did Dr. Yao not continue working here but instead became a school doctor at our academy?”

The staff hesitated, then said, “It’s because of an incident over thirty years ago. The former Chief made an irreparable mistake. Assistant Yao and her junior chose to support their mentor.”

“After the former Chief left, the righteous Dr. Zhi Shang was promoted as the new Chief Researcher. Assistant Yao, who was about to become a formal researcher, was stripped of her qualifications due to the incident.”

Ling Xiao connected the dots. “What about Dr. Yao’s junior? Where is he now?”

“You mean Yu Quan? After realizing his mistake, he repented, reported his mentor to the military department, and made amends. He was allowed to stay, but given his qualifications, he should have been promoted a long time ago. However, he remains an assistant, a consequence of the past.”

Ling Xiao pondered. “What kind of person was the former Chief Tai Yin?”

The staff member thought for a moment. “Describing him as a genius is an understatement. He was upright, mature, and respected by all who worked with him. He was extremely intelligent and persistent, sticking to what he believed in. Perhaps it was this persistence that led him down a tragic path.”

He remembered the grief and regret from years ago. Every word he said came from the bottom of his heart. He once held profound admiration for Tai Yin, treating him like a guiding light. Tai Yin’s betrayal must have shattered the adoration of many people like him.

What surprised Ling Xiao more was that Dr. Yao was also involved in the event from those years. He wondered what role she played, torn between gratitude towards her mentor and justice. No doubt, Dr. Yao must have felt torn inside.

Walking and lost in thought, Ling Xiao suddenly saw the figures in his mind materialize in front of him. Dr. Zhi Shang was supporting a weak Yao Tai as they approached. Yao Tai’s face was flushed, and her breathing was rapid. She was clearly suffering from the side effects of some medication.

Upon seeing them, Ling Xiao immediately approached with concern. “Dr. Yao, are you okay?”

Yao Tai weakly shook her head. Zhi Shang spoke on her behalf. “A’Yao isn’t feeling well at the moment and won’t be able to take you back.”

Ling Xiao knew it wasn’t as simple as just feeling unwell, but he pretended to be ignorant. “Alright, Dr. Yao, please take care.”

Yao Tai managed a faint nod. Following them, Ying Feng gave her a slight nod, and they passed each other.

“Someone from the base will escort you back to the academy. We apologize for the unexpected turn during your field trip,” a staff member said.

“Don’t mention it. It was just an accident,” Ling Xiao thought to himself. If not for this accident, they wouldn’t have easily entered the lab. “Will you be the one escorting us back?”

“No, the base has strict regulations. Someone from the outside team will take care of that.”

“By the way, after all this talk, I still don’t know your name.”

The staff member smiled. “My name is He Gui. If you ever come back, feel free to reach out.”

Ling Xiao and Ying Feng followed He Gui back to the main hall. Three people rushed over upon their return. Ping Zong and Lan Sheng bombarded Ling Xiao with questions, while Zhu Yue naturally stood by Ying Feng.

Ling Xiao brushed off their inquiries with the excuse of getting lost, all the while stealing glances at Ying Feng. Ying Feng, on the other hand, seemed indifferent to Zhu Yue’s concerns and eventually started ignoring him.

Ling Xiao thought to himself, ‘If our blood were to mix, I wonder if you’d still act so indifferent towards him.’ But just entertaining this thought made him feel uneasy, a sense of suppression settling in his chest.

On the other side, Zhu Yue was quite unhappy. “Where did you go? Why were you with Ling Xiao?”

Ying Feng’s indifference wasn’t just toward Ling Xiao. He was equally cold to Zhu Yue, who was always chasing after him. “That’s none of your business.”

Zhu Yue had just made a significant decision, but Ying Feng’s continued indifference made his resolve waver. “I’m just worried about you.”

“I don’t need your concern.”

Ying Feng turned and walked away, leaving a hurt Zhu Yue biting his lip.

“The alarm has been lifted. The protective shield can be deactivated,” a voice from the command center announced.

Following the command, a staff member pressed the deactivation button. The protective shield that had been enveloping the base slowly descended. The unfiltered sunlight once again poured in, but to the naked eye, there was no discernible difference.

Deep within the base, on a windowsill, two drops of dark red liquid were present. One of the droplets quivered slightly, rolling to the side and merging intimately with the other.

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The author has something to say:

In the Tianxiu galaxy, the star corresponding to the Sun is called Zhiyang¹ and the planet corresponding to the Moon is called Haoyue². Hence, the light they emit/reflect is called sunlight and moonlight. The reason for this setting is not due to the author’s laziness but to make it easier for you Earthlings to understand. It’s hard for the author to spread our star culture.

¹Scorching sun.
²Bright Moon

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