Chapter 108: Lieutenant General Kerriman
At the time of when they received the emergency message from Ling Yu, the Hydra Legion’s fleet was just about to begin making its way towards Naomi Star, they were also eight hours away from their destination at the very least. Seeing that it was an urgent state of affairs, Lieutenant Colonel Ian instantly changed its course and space jumped directly to the cosmic wormhole, navigating towards Naomi Star full speed ahead.
At present, Suzaku and Black Dragon were temporarily staying in the Hylte Starfield’s No Man’s Land of the Universe.
The conversation between Rosen and Ling Yu made Lin Yuan disconnect from reality out of pure shock— Ling Yu was actually pregnant. In other words, during the period where the two of them were missing, they had completely marked yet again? Could it be that an absence of inhibitors led to an unexpected estrus?
No matter the cause, the result now is that his dad is having a second child and he is going to be a big brother!
Lin Yuan eventually came out of his stupor, looking at Ling Yu excitedly, "Dad, I will have a little brother or sister?"
Ling Yu finally noticed that his eldest son had been standing next to him the entire time, looking at him in shock. He couldn’t help his face twisting in embarrassment, not knowing how to respond.
Rosen gave a small smile and replied in Ling Yu’s stead: "That’s right, Xiao Yuan, you are going to be a big brother."
Lin Yuan said in excitement: "Wonderful! I don't know whether they will be an Alpha or an Omega, but I will take care of them just the same. "
Lin Yuan's mood became especially good when he thought of a soft little guy who followed him at his heels and obediently called him big brother. En, when my little brother grows up, I can teach him to play with mechs and take him to eat all kinds of delicious foods…
Lin Yuan began to mull over how to be a good brother.
Rosen whispered: "Xiao Yuan, let Suzaku check your dad's body first. He is not feeling very well right now."
Lin Yuan spoke with a rushed cadence: "I’ve got it!"
Ling Yu had originally wanted to refuse, but this father and son duo were abnormally headstrong, Ling Yu had no choice but to helplessly be brought over to the sofa by his son, take the warm water he handed over to him and let Suzaku draw his blood to conduct detailed lab work.
Suzaku soon got the results and said softly: "Master’s health is fine overall, but the vitamin content in his body is a bit on the low side."
Rosen nodded and said: "There wasn’t anything substantial to eat back on Pavo. After we get back, we’ll get the proper supplements."
Lin Yuan parroted along with him: "That’s that, Dad now needs to be strengthening his nutrition, we can’t be negligent about his food and drink."
Ling Yu: "……"
Being coddled like a prized animal makes Ling Yu very embarrassed as a general.
It is undeniable that the feeling of being cared for and being taken care of by this pair of father and son gave rise to an inexplicable warmth in his heart.
When he had given birth to Xiao Yuan, the conditions during his escape were difficult and everything had fallen upon his shoulders. The first time he had gotten pregnant, although it was also ill-timed, having his Alpha beside him and having his caring son to keep him company was something golden. The feeling of being together as a family was completely different from the pain and helplessness from the time he had been all by himself.
Even though his presenting symptoms were more severe than last time, his frame of mind was nonetheless incomparably optimistic.
Looking at the expectation shining in Lin Yuan's eyes and the worried sheen in Rosen’s direct gaze, Ling Yu knew… this time the decision to keep the child was not an incorrect one.
***
Ling Yu finally ended up returning to the bedroom to sleep under the joint coercion of Rosen and Lin Yuan.
In any case, the Hydra Legion fleet wouldn't arrive until early tomorrow morning and it wasn’t an option to land on Naomi Star. They stopped over at the Hylte Starfield for the time being. All they can do is wait.
—Ling Yu needs to rest. This is the mutual understanding held between the father and son pair.
After going the full mile to persuade the stubborn Ling Yu to go back to bed, Lin Yuan returned to the piloting control panel.
Rosen looked at Xiao Yuan who had been thoughtfully helping out with the care of his dad, he was extremely pleased. He couldn't help but say: "Xiao Yuan, there may be a bloody battle encroaching upon us. After you go back, you will stay by your dad's side with Master Zhou Yi. Follow him to learn some more, it’s the perfect setup to keep constant tabs on him."
Rosen deliberately pulled the distance between Lin Yuan and Ling Yu closer, precisely because he could see that Lin Yuan's lively character was Ling Yu’s weak spot. It was an easy way to get the prideful Ling Yu to drop his guard. He also noticed that since the reunion with Xiao Yuan, Ling Yu's cold and indifferent iceberg outer shell had thawed out by a margin… The two of them were very close, Rosen was more than happy to see such a development.
Lin Yuan longed to be with his dad. Hearing what Rosen said, he nodded and agreed, "I’ll do it."
Rosen gave a small smile, "When everything calms back down again, I will bring you guys back home with me."
Lin Yuan smiled. "En!"
Rosen couldn't help thinking: To bring his missus and child home, should the Capital Star's villa be renovated?
***
At 7 o'clock in the following morning, the Hydra Legion’s fleet finally arrived in the Hylte's No Man's Land.
Black Dragon and Suzaku detected their position and immediately adjusted their build to take off from the warship. Lieutenant Colonel Ian caught sight of a black and red blip appearing on the surveillance screen. He promptly opened the hatch to the hold of the warship to let Black Dragon and Suzaku gain entry into the interior of the warship through the hold door entrance.
After the two mechs came to a stop in the hold, Suzaku and Black Dragon lowered their control cabins in tandem.
Rosen and Ling Yu walked out of their respective control cabins. Lieutenant Colonel Ian and the soldiers of the Hydra Legion gave them an orderly salute.
Rosen gave a military salute in return and then calmly said: "Lieutenant Colonel Ian, I’ll be troubling you to find us two sets of Hydra Legion uniforms. We will be needing to impersonate Hydra Legion soldiers to sneak into Naomi Star."
Lieutenant Colonel Ian immediately nodded and said: "Understood, Marshal!"
Prior to setting off, Berg had already prepared several sets of brand new military uniforms for use in case of such emergencies.
Lin Yuan and the others had started off the journey already dressed in Hydra Legion uniforms, only Rosen and Ling Yu needed a disguise. They each took a set of military uniforms and changed into them, fearing that they would be recognized, they intentionally lowered the brim of their hats.
Everyone was ready to stow their mechs away into the space button, Lieutenant Colonel Ian then commanded the warship to prepare for landing.
Not too far from the space station, Lieutenant Colonel Ian connected a signal to the command post and said calmly: "This is Warship C701 of the Hydra Legion. It has completed its mission and returned, requesting to land."
A response from the command post of the space station soon arrived, saying: "Please hold, according to higher-up’s instructions, a routine scan must be conducted throughout the interior of the warship."
The laser scan sent out by the space station enveloped the entire warship. It could very well be imagined that the warship has been reproduced in its entirety on the virtual screen at the command post. Once an anomaly is detected, the request for descent may be refused or even a direct assault may be launched against the warship.
Everyone in the warship held their breaths and tensed, holding a facade of calmness as they let the laser sweep across their bodies.
Everyone was wearing the military uniform of the Hydra Legion. Some which had the brim of their hat greatly lowered making it hard to distinguish one from another in the sea of identical uniforms. On top of that, the receiving party was the troops under the command of General Drew, so only a simple inspection was required to let them through.
Unexpectedly, Lieutenant General Kerriman of the Glory Legion just so happened to be touring the space station this morning. The patrol unit responsible for the security of the space station naturally wanted to put on a good show in front of their commanding officer. Thus, the inspection this time turned into a particularly serious affair.
The red laser slowly swept across the interior of the warship like a spiders web, like a cat's paw lightly pawing across their hearts, they all tightly tensed their back muscles for a moment.
After a brief comparison between the information in the warship to that of the time prior, the officer in charge of the review suddenly wondered aloud: "Back when Warship C701 set off, the total headcount of the crew on the warship was 102… How could two more people be here?"
Everyone's backs suddenly went rigid, you could hear a pin drop inside of the warship!
How could two more people be here?
That's right! In order to keep count of damage assessments and a list of war casualties, each warship will register an in-depth profile and give a count of the number of people when it departs from the planet, they will then conduct a comparative examination and verification upon returning, so as to accurately count any injuries and casualties!
Warship C701 of the Hydra Legion had previously registered the number of people when they left Naomi Star. Upon their return, two more people had appeared, which naturally aroused suspicion.
Hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Kerriman, who was in the middle of touring the space station, suddenly whipped his head around, his penetrating gaze swept towards the image displayed on the monitor. The warship was packed full of soldiers donned in dark green uniforms and nothing seemed to stick out at a glance. Yet there was something strange, he had the constant feeling that there seemed to be the shadow of a figure he knew all too well…
At this moment, a bright voice suddenly sounded from the warship: "You see, it’s like this, I am Brian, the son of General Drew Bayh of the Hydra Legion. This is my roommate, Snow."
Brian seamlessly pulled Snow over and threw his arms around his shoulders, speaking with a glowing grin: "Our school is on vacation, and my roommate and I have come here to have a little fun. We just chanced across the Hydra Legion’s fleet, then I realized that my father was at Naomi Star too. I wanted to go see him…"
Brian had a quick reaction, Snow had to obediently stand beside him and play along with him.
Brian smiled and said: "Lieutenant Colonel Ian is rather familiar with me, so he took me along for the ride."
This was a bulletproof excuse. The Hydra Legion's fleet had just so happened to run into the general's son and took them along for the ride on the way. Although it was extremely out of line in the military’s code of conduct, everyone knew that General Drew's son was the kind of guy who didn’t play his cards according to the rules, there weren't any holes to poke through his defense.
But something still felt off… what about this wasn’t sitting right?
Lieutenant General Kerriman walked to the monitor and directly connected to the internal communications of the warship and spoke in a frosty tone: "The one furthest to the left in the third row… please raise your head."
Rosen's back suddenly went stiff as the dead, his fingers harshly dug into the hollow of his palms— could he have recognized Ling Yu?
Back when Kerriman served in the Dark Night Legion, like Knox and Irene, he was one of Ling Yu’s most trusted adjutants. After the Dark Night Legion’s dissolution, Rosen had invited him to the Glory Legion to entrust him with important assignments. Even if he could recognize him with just a silhouette, he should have still recognized him first… How could Ling Yu be the first thing to tip you off?
In reality, most of the soldiers looked more or less the same when they changed into their uniforms and lowered the brims of their hats, but Ling Yu had a distinct air about him— because he was an Omega, he was not tall and heavily built like a normal Alpha, he had a thin and slender figure, he stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of soldiers.
Although Lin Yuan and Snow were in the same boat, their faces were unfamiliar and had a youthful nature to them. Kerriman only regarded them as new recruits from the Hydra Legion and paid them no mind.
But Ling Yu was different…
That sense of familiarity, it was too much like the person in the memories…
The tense silence lasted for three whole seconds. Everyone clenched their fists and cold sweat rained down their backs, Rosen in particular. His heart had nearly jumped into his throat— other people may not know of the relationship between Kerriman and Ling Yu, but he knows it better than anyone! If his speculation proves to be correct, the person who caused Ling Yu to enter his estrus period was Adjutant Kerriman of the Dark Night Legion, now known as Lieutenant General Kerriman!
Those three seconds seemed to stretch out for an eternity, the atmosphere inside the warship was suffocating.
Lin Yuan glanced at his dad nervously, yet he saw Ling Yu slowly raise his head and calmly salute the officer on the screen with a standard military salute, saying in a still voice: "General."
Kerriman: "…… "
Those glassy black and eyes plunged directly into the heart like a sharp sword.
However, that face did not have the same graceful bearing of the person in his memory. The soldier had a painfully ordinary face that was utterly indistinguishable from a crowd, there were even several unsightly moles smattered on his face.
Kerriman was silent for a moment before he finally waved his hand and said: "Never mind, forget it."
Everyone breathed a unanimous sigh of relief, especially Rosen and Lin Yuan who were mixed in the crowd. They almost had a heart attack just now, but they didn’t expect Ling Yu himself to be so cool and calm. After he saluted, he even offered a polite smile to Kerriman.
The warship was successfully landed at the space station under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ian.
Not long after, Drew sent someone to fetch them. Although he was in charge of defending Naomi Star, it wouldn’t do any good for Kerriman to interfere with the Hydra Legion’s affairs. He could only look from afar at the warship embellished with a serpentine totem. Under the accompaniment of a small fleet, they made their way to Naomi Star.
Seeing Kerriman frowning, a trusted aide beside him couldn't help asking: "General, what's wrong?"
Kerriman didn't respond, he looked pensively in the direction where the Hydra Legion warship faded into the horizon.
Was he seeing things?
Why would he mistakenly think he’d seen that person just now?
However, he will soon become the head commander of the Glory Legion. That person has already been dead for nineteen whole years. What else could there be to worry about?
Kerriman smiled quite gracefully and said: "It’s nothing, go back."
***
Inside the warship, Rosen finally loosened up and pulled Ling Yu to a corner, seeing the strange way he had done up his face, he couldn't help but laugh, saying: "I was really scared just now, I thought he would recognize you…"
Ling Yu looked at Rosen with a gaze as still and calm as a tepid lake and said: "You think too much. Making a mask is child’s play for members of the Undercurrent."
Rosen: "……"
On the bridge, Lin Yuan couldn't help but pat Brian on the shoulder and say: "Well that came out of nowhere, you pulled that one out of thin air."
Just a moment ago, Brian looked Death straight in the eyes and threw out his status as General Drew’s son to resolve the crisis. Lin Yuan couldn't help but admire him a bit.
They landed in a rush, thinking that the space station would not carry out such a stringent inspection of a Hydra Legion fleet. Unexpectedly, they rowed right up shit creek without a paddle and were met by the patrolling officer.
If it wasn't for Brian's speedy quick reaction, there really wouldn’t have been a way to explain off the extra set of people.
Brian was extremely delighted being praised and couldn't help but stroke his chin, "Of course, it's only to be expected that you don’t see my true colors. There’s nothing that can be done about that, my quick-witted intelligence is 100% natural."
Lin Yuan: "……"
Some people really can't be given praise, one praise and their head blows up to the size of a blimp.
Lin Yuan and Snow gave each other a look and at the same time turned their heads, pretending not to see the immensely triumphant Classmate Brian.
The fleet finally landed on Naomi Star without any more bumps along the way. Drew personally came to their rescue and took them to the Hydra Legion’s encampment.
He took Rosen to his personal lounge and as soon as Rosen and Ling Yu took off their masks, Drew couldn't help holding Rosen's hand and said full of elation: "You really aren't dead!"
Rosen smiled a bit, "All thanks to you for sending those people to rescue us."
Drew touched his nose and said: "Ahem… when I saw the remains of the Black Dragon Replica, I thought you'd died… It was Berg who saw that it wasn’t Black Dragon. It was also Berg’s idea to ask Xiao Yuan and the others to find you."
As the leader of the Undercurrent Organization, Drew more often than not thought that his Omega was just an absolute boss.
Ling Yu couldn't help asking: "Where is Berg now?"
Drew replied: "He is in the underground base helping to do the final touches on the new mech."
After answering, his gaze fell on the man with a cold expression in front of him.
Drew: "……."
Looking at each other with complicated expressions and unable to speak for a long while, Rosen couldn't help but smile and take the initiative to break the ice, "Drew, this is Ling Yu, you're familiar with him, aren’t you?"
Drew said awkwardly: "Ah, we’ve been acquainted."
All in all, after being roommates for three years, how couldn’t he be familiar with him?
However, even though they lived in the same dormitory during school back in those days, Ling Yu had an aloof and cold personality. Apart from occasionally sparing a few words with Rosen, he straight up ignored Drew and the other Alphas, he kept himself hidden as far away as he could.
Drew and Ling Yu hadn't exchanged more and a few sentences over those three years, he always felt that Ling Yu had sat so high and lofty in the clouds it was difficult to approach him…
After hearing he was an Omega, Drew’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
At this moment, seeing this old classmate of his who had been “dead” for many years standing in front of him with a placid face, Drew couldn't say a single thing.
After a moment of drawn-out silence, Drew changed the subject: "Udir sent me a secret letter at the first light of dawn, saying that the military will be holding an official funeral for the Marshal today. At the same time, the new head commander of the Glory Legion will also be sworn in. The specifics as to who it is are still unknown."
Rosen gave a barely perceptible smile, "It's Kerriman."
Drew was thrown off, "How are you so sure?"
Rosen said: "Seeing him patrolling the space station so actively, something big must certainly be taking place. I know what he is like." Rosen turned around and asked Ling Yu: "Are you going back to the underground base now?"
Ling Yu nodded, "En, I'll go see Berg."
Rosen said: "I'll go with you."
Ling Yu looked back at him: "You won't go back to the Glory Legion?"
Rosen smiled: "Now’s not the time for that. Kerriman will soon become the next head commander of the Glory Legion. This "Honorably and Gloriously Sacrificed" ex-commander will be making a comeback, how could I not prepare a congratulatory gift for him?"
Seeing the piercing glint flashing through Rosen’s eyes, Ling Yu knew that Kerriman was a dead man walking, he couldn’t help but say happily: "Bring my share of the present too."
Drew: "……"
It was just as if they were back to those college days. Once the two of them started talking, the people beside them were thrown off to the side, out of sight out of mind…
***
Lin Yuan, Caesar, and company were settled in the Hydra Legion encampment by Drew, Ling Yu and Rosen secretly returned to the underground base.
The moment the members of the Dark Night Legion saw Ling Yu, they stood neatly upright and saluted Ling Yu with a clean snapping sound: "General!"
These uniform movements as if they were conducted robotically, represented not only the essence of discipline etched into the legion’s very bones, but the reverence these officers held for their general deep in their hearts and feeling of joy at their general’s return.
This is the land upon which Ling Yu reigns.
Ling Yu gave a small smile and gave a military salute in return to these loyal subordinates of his before taking Rosen to see Berg.
Berg and Dave had finished the final touches of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Seeing Ling Yu, Dave wasted no time in bolting over to him and saying: "Ling Yu, you’ve come back? I just knew you were an "impossible to kill cockroach". You would never have kicked the bucket so easily."
Ling Yu was quite taken aback by that sort of analogy, seeing the birds nest of hair currently sitting upon Dave's head, he helplessly turned around and spoke to Berg: "Are you still touching up the mech? Is it malfunctioning?"
Berg smiled and said, "There haven’t been any malfunctions. It’s just that this SS-Class mech is the first-ever of its kind in the Empire. It cannot fail under any circumstances. If anything goes wrong with the mech’s system, it may result in the destruction of both the craft and its pilot.”
Ling Yu nodded in agreement, "What time can it be expected to be ready?"
Berg said: "It should be good to go by tonight."
Ling Yu and Rosen looked at each other, Rosen nodded at him.
The two didn't understand the art of mech manufacturing, so they just stood off to the side unable to offer a helping hand, they were forced to turn around and return to their lounge.
Rosen went back to the lounge with him. Just as Ling Yu sat down at the edge of the bed, Rosen suddenly stooped down to grab ahold of his foot.
Ling Yu nearly jumped out of his skin, "What are you doing…"
Rosen gingerly removed the military-grade boots off his feet, he looked up at Ling Yu and said softly: "You are pregnant, wearing boots for a long time will make your legs swollen. In any case, before you start getting ready for bed, bathe your feet in hot water and take a good rest."
Rosen turned around and prepared a basin of hot water, he slipped off Ling Yu's spotless white socks and soaked his feet in the water.
Seeing the Marshal, Rosen, crouched by the bed and gently helping wash his feet, Ling Yu sat there stiff as a statue, not knowing what to do. After a moment of silence, he spoke in embarrassment: "You… you don't need to do such things…"
Rosen did not release his hold on the delicate ankle he had in his hand, and carefully massaged the soles of his feet. He looked up at Ling Yu and smiled, saying, "Taking care of my Omega is something I’ve always wanted to do, do you want to deprive me of the right to do so?"
Ling Yu: "……"
The tender look in the man's eyes made Ling Yu's heart suddenly tremble, he simply couldn't bear to refuse.
His feet were lightly massaged in his hands. A warm feeling slowly spread from the bottom of his feet up to the rest of his body. The tenseness of his muscles gradually relaxed. The exhaustion of the past few days seemed to disappear and even the uncomfortable churning in his stomach was also stifled.
After a while had passed, Rosen let go of Ling Yu and helped him pat his feet dry. He turned around and dumped the water, he then returned to Ling Yu's side. He hugged him as if he were made of glass and asked: "Ling Yu, will this be hard on you?"
Ling Yu shook his head and said: "It'll be fine."
Rosen gently tightened his hold, stroked the man's soft black hair, and whispered: "This child shall be given your family name after they are born."
Ling Yu’s shot wide open as he looked at Rosen in disbelief— in an empire fraught with severe Alpha chauvinism, there has never been a precedent for a child with the surname of their Omega parent. Ling is the family surname of Ling Yu's generation, but because both he and his elder brother Ling Feng are Omegas, their nominal ancestral line was threatening to die out…
—As to be expected for the Alpha he had handpicked, Ling Yu was unable to speak a single word with how moved he was.
Looking at Rosen’s serious gaze, Ling Yu was silent for a long time before finally reaching out his hand and gently hugging him back. He nestled his face into his warm chest, listening to his resounding heartbeat, the corners of Ling Yu’s lips lifted ever so slightly in a place where Rosen couldn’t see it.
On the outside, Rosen put on a nonchalant face, but on the inside, he was so excited that his heart nearly burst out of his chest—
This was the first time Ling Yu hugged him back.