Chapter 107: The Naomi Star Blockade
Chapter 107 The Naomi Star Blockade
It was indisputable to all that Lin Yuan had inherited the excellent genes of his two fathers, Rosen and Ling Yu, he had a natural gift for piloting mechs. Ling Yu had only given him a bit of a guiding hand before Lin Yuan quickly familiarized himself with the S-Class mech piloting process and concentrated on piloting Suzaku through the cosmic wormhole.
Under his consciousness's guidance, Suzaku was like a nimble little bird bestowed with a soul.
There were a few choice times Ling Yu thought that this child wouldn't be able to smoothly get by an obstacle, but when he piloted Suzaku by himself, Lin Yuan actually made it through with more mental scars than physical ones with his quick reaction ability.
Seeing his son's earnest and excited appearance, Ling Yu's heart is also very delighted.
Seeing that Suzaku would soon be passing the Pavo Starfield, Ling Yu then spoke in a hushed manner: "Xiao Yuan, let me take over."
Lin Yuan paused, then reluctantly returned the piloting authority to his dad.
Seeing the unwilling look on his face, Ling Yu couldn't help but smile and say: "Don't be so impatient, there will be many opportunities in the future. When that time comes again, Dad will teach you one-on-one… the journey from here on out will be very dangerous, it’s safer for me to pilot.”
Lin Yuan nodded conscientiously, “I understand, Dad!”
The last part of their journey was the most peaceful part of the cosmic wormhole. This was also why Ling Yu dared to teach Lin Yuan to pilot at all. The route from here to Naomi Star would be very dangerous. Although he wanted to teach his son himself, Ling Yu comfortably took back his piloting authority to avoid any incidents.
As if their brains were working on the same wavelength, Rosen soon thereafter connected to Suzaku's communicator and said sternly: "Ling Yu, you better start piloting yourself. There will be no lack of opportunities to teach Xiao Yuan in the future. Do not take any risks in this wormhole!"
The big monster coached from the sidelines while the little monster piloted Suzaku like a madman through the cosmic wormhole…
Watching from behind, Rosen was well on his way to having a heart attack. If this goes on any longer, Rosen wouldn’t be able to bear such torture.
The two parents really had their minds running on the same wavelength, Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Dad has already taken back the piloting authority."
Ling Yu nodded and said to Rosen: "Don't worry."
Rosen still couldn't cease his worries, he frowned and came to a decision: "I'll lead ahead, you follow."
As he finished speaking, Black Dragon immediately increased its speed and barreled directly ahead of Suzaku.
With Black Dragon leading the way, Ling Yu practically didn’t have to make any effort, he just let Suzaku follow Black Dragon.
***
In reality, so long as there weren’t any large-scale spatial shocks, the obstacles drifting in the cosmic wormhole were nothing in the face of mech pilots with skills on Rosen and Ling Yu’s level. It was like a vehicle going the posted speed on a high-speed lane, so long as you bypass it, no harm could come your way.
But as soon as a spatial shock occurs, those large obstacles will violently shift around in the wormhole due to the fluctuation of the airflow, just like a pile-up accident on an expressway, traveling between the scene of an accident would be extremely dangerous in nature.
Fortunately, the stars were in their favor. After carefully surveilling the area, there was no sign that any spatial shocks would occur in the Isville Cosmic Wormhole anytime soon, Black Dragon and Suzaku navigated through the whole journey smooth as butter.
In the control cabin, Ling Yu looked upon his son’s excitement and couldn’t help asking: “Xiao Yuan, do you have an idea as to what happened when you were a child?”
Lin Yuan thought before he spoke: “I only recall living together with you a little before I was four on a warm planet, a place with an ocean… I was sent to Planet Rennes after I turned four years old. I don't remember the rest clearly."
Ling Yu fell silent for a moment, "You don't have any questions about what happened back then? Don’t you blame Dad for sending you away?”
Lin Yuan smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter anymore. I know that Dad must have had no other choice but to send me away. You are a general and there are many things needed to be taken into consideration. I heard that when Dad escaped from Cepheus, there was no shortage of difficulties, the military had listed you as a wanted criminal too… You gave birth to me under such difficult circumstances and gave me the gift of life. What reason is there to blame Dad?"
Lin Yuan looked back at Ling Yu and said with his heart on his sleeve: "If I don’t show compassion towards Dad, then who will?"
Ling Yu: "…"
Lin Yuan smiled and said: "Don't take it to heart, Dad, I’ve never blamed you."
Ling Yu was silent for a long time before he finally put his hand on his son's head and lightly stroked it, even his heart was a bit touched—
A good child, this is Ling Yu’s son!
As an Omega, he should know how difficult it is for an Omega in this Empire. To say nothing of the risks Ling Yu took to become a high-ranking officer in the military. As the Legion Head of the Dark Night Legion, he shoulders far too many responsibilities and life-callings.
If Lin Yuan could still blame his Dad for this, how could he be worthy of Ling Yu's painstaking efforts?
In those trying times, Ling Yu had ten thousand justifiable reasons to rid himself of that unborn child inside of him, but still, he gave birth to his son through hardships and gave Lin Yuan a bright new life; later he took the four-year-old young boy and sent him to Planet Rennes where he dispatched his most trusted subordinates to take care and watch over him, giving Lin Yuan a peaceful life, one free of worry.
With such a Dad, Lin Yuan only had admiration and respect in his heart, there was no blame harbored anywhere.
As the Empire’s only Omega General— the son of General Ling Yu— Lin Yuan only felt an incomparable sense of pride.
Looking at his son's earnest black eyes, Ling Yu couldn't help but give a small smile and gently place his hands on his abdomen.
His heart had been soft back then, he did not abort the fetus inside of him and gave birth to Xiao Yuan under difficult circumstances. Over the years, watching that child grow up little by little, he never regretted the decision he made that year.
This time, although the timing of this pregnancy was less than opportune, Ling Yu looked at his caring eldest son in front of him and somehow, Ling Yu was reluctant to part with the baby inside of him…
Lin Yuan is a nice and sensible boy, he will definitely be a good big brother too.
In the future, this little guy would be there to accompany Lin Yuan… maybe it won't be so bad after all?
Rosen, who was piloting Black Dragon up ahead did not expect that Lin Yuan's thoughtful words caused Ling Yu to wholly change his mind.
***
Black Dragon and Suzaku navigated through the cosmic wormhole for six full hours.
Lin Yuan looked on as his parents piloted past those enormous wrecks from the sidelines, it was like watching a thrilling and exciting 3D action movie right before his eyes.
Several times, Lin Yuan had been so sure that Suzaku was on a collision course straight into a wreck. He couldn't help tightly clenching his fists, his whole body drenched with cold sweat, readying himself to breathe his last breath… In the end, every single time, under Ling Yu’s cool-headed direction, disaster was averted.
It was just as if Suzaku had been bestowed a soul from its master, cleverly brushing by those colossus masses by a hair’s breadth.
Two mechs, one black and one red, blasted through the wormhole at a speed approaching that of the speed of light, just as fish freely swimming in the ocean did.
Lin Yuan watched the god-like operation of his dad, Ling Yu, and gradually mellowed out.
Regardless, no matter how dangerous the situation is, Dad would react at the drop of a hat…
Dad's mech piloting level was truly amazing.
After that, forget about being worried to death, Lin Yuan was even drowsy enough to fall asleep.
In order to find his two fathers, he hadn't slept for two whole days, he honestly couldn’t go on like this…
Ling Yu looked at the little guy resting his body on the control panel breathing evenly and lightly snoring, Ling Yu couldn't help but give a small smile. He took off his military coat and carefully placed it on his son.
Black Dragon and Suzaku soon reached the outer edge of the Isville Galaxy.
Ling Yu then gently touched his son's head and said: "Xiao Yuan, wake up."
Lin Yuan lifted his head up, rubbed his bleary eyes, and asked, "Have we arrived so soon?"
Ling Yu turned around and said: "En… Are you tired?"
It was only natural that Lin Yuan wouldn’t shine a light on the fact that he hadn't had a good night’s sleep for the past two days. Lin Yuan faced his dad's worried look with a nonchalant grin, he scratched his head and said: "Not really, I just got a bit drowsy there for a bit and fell asleep."
Ling Yu no longer broached the subject, he connected to Black Dragon’s communicator and said: "Rosen, don’t approach the space station’s detection range, contact Drew and ask for an update of the situation."
Rosen nodded and said: "Alright"
Before the conflict, the Isville Space Station that had been completely and utterly destroyed was already finished with its repairs.
What was strange was the frequent passing of a patrol unit in the area, they were heavily guarded, it was as if something major had happened. What was even more surprising was that the communication signal between Rosen and the Hydra Legion was directly intercepted by the defense network.
Rosen frowned and said in a low voice: "I can't get in touch with Drew, can you try giving Berg a shot?"
Ling Yu immediately tried to connect Berg's personal communicator using the secret code used in The Undercurrent. After a good while, a connection was established through the communicator. Berg looked at the Ling Yu that appeared on the projection screen in front of him and said in utter disbelief: "Ling Yu? You’ve returned?"
Ling Yu nodded and asked: "What is the situation with Naomi Star? What's the matter? Why are the communication signals being fully intercepted?"
Berg walked up to the corner of the room and said in a low voice: "Before when the military sent people to take away the remains of the Black Dragon Replica, it was entirely in the outer regions of the Isville Galaxy. They instilled the highest possible authority to install a signal interception network, saying that they feared the Federation’s hostile forces stealing information… In reality, all communications between Naomi Star and the outside will be filtered and intercepted by this defense network, most of the content held within the communications will even be intercepted by the military and monitored."
Ling Yu's gaze froze over, "Worrying about the theft of information by the Federation’s hostile forces? What complete and utter nonsense! Monitoring the movements of the Glory Legion and the Hydra Legion is their true objective, right?"
Berg nodded, saying: "That‘s right. But at that time, two generals had come together and proposed such a fair and honorable reason. It wouldn’t have looked good for Drew to publicly oppose it, so he could only let them set up an external defense network."
Ling Yu frowned, "It seems that once we land on Naomi Star, the military will receive wind of it the moment the dust settles."
Berg lowered his head and thought for a while before speaking: "I can't find any openings in the patrol to allow you to land on Naomi Star at present. The fleet of that the Hydra Legion had previously dispatched, the disappearance of this fleet for the past two days has already caught the military’s eye. Naomi Star is under the watchful eye of the military. I cannot hold a conversation with you for more than a 1 minute period, otherwise, it is highly likely to put a blip on their radar."
The communicator used in the Undercurrent organization was designed and manufactured by Berg himself, which can be used for short instances. It could evade the military’s defense network authentication for a brief time. But the ‘defense' in the defense network name wasn't just a filler word. Once the conversation exceeds one minute, suspicious signal sources will still be seized.
Ling Yu said: "Rosen and I will land somewhere else first and think of another way to contact you."
Berg said: "Okay."
Ling Yu effectively ended the connection between the communicators and took a closer look at the cosmic star atlas— they couldn't pilot the mech at a stopping point anywhere over here, in that case, they would be caught by the reconnaissance team at Naomi Star in no time flat. Finding someplace to land as soon as they could was the only thing they could do. The Isville Galaxy was situated between the Empire and the Federation. The border of the Empire was up north and down to the south was a piece of land widely known as No Man’s Land, they couldn’t bypass where they currently were to return to the Empire, so…
Rosen said, “Let's go to No Man’s Land first, then go on from there?"
Ling Yu nodded and said: "Sounds good to me."
The two no longer wasted time speaking needless words. With an understanding reached where an exchange of words was needless, Black Dragon and Suzaku reversed their directions and directly broke through the atmosphere, descending down into the cosmic dead zone in the outer stretches of the Isville Galaxy— the Hylte Starfield.
The reason why this starfield was called No Man’s Land was that there was not a single living thing on this planet.
There weren’t any natural resources, no other life forms, and no oxygen. The starfield made up of five large planets was desolate. Whether it was a passenger spacecraft or a military fleet making its way through, almost no one has ever landed here. In addition, it lacked a space station and there wasn’t a way to connect with the outside world either. This cosmic dead zone was just like an empty graveyard.
***
After Black Dragon and Suzaku landed on the planet together, they simultaneously turned on their illuminated searchlights.
One gold and one red, the two rays of light illuminate the desolate planet. Through the portholes on the side of the craft, one could see the pitted and unlevel surface of the planet. With zero oxygen content and without a living, breathing creature in sight, the barren ground that stretched on endlessly made a coldness uncontrollably wash over from the bottom of one’s heart.
Fortunately, there was enough oxygen in the control cabin, so long as they do not exit the control cabin, they can still persevere for a good few days.
Lin Yuan looked at the desolate sight before him outside the porthole and couldn't help asking: "Dad, is this the Hylte Starfield’s No Man's Land of the universe?"
Ling Yu said in amazement: "How did you know that?"
Lin Yuan said earnestly: "It was mentioned in our first-year textbook."
Because Suzaku and Black Dragon were connected on a communication line, Rosen could also hear the conversation between the father and son. Seeing the two getting along so nicely with one another lifted a weight off of Rosen’s chest.
After a moment of silence, Rosen asked: "Since we can't land on Naomi Star, what is our next plan of action?"
Ling Yu thought for a hot minute before saying: "I just sent Zhou Yi and the others a message just before landing. When the fleet arrives, we will impersonate Hydra Legion soldiers and mix in together with them."
Rosen nodded, "I think so too. Now that the military has sealed off Naomi Star and pushed the Hydra Legion and the Glory Legion into a corner, I presume the Capital Star will soon be mobilized, we must contact His Majesty as soon as possible."
Hearing the words Rosen spoke, Ling Yu couldn't help frowning.
He had been worried that the Capital Star would be home for the occurrence of an unfortunate incident, so he made use of his S-Class mech’s space jump ability to return to Naomi Star at the fastest possible speed. Unexpectedly, Naomi Star was under total surveillance and he and Rosen could not land despite their arrival.
They had to wait for the warships of the Hydra Legions to arrive before they had the opportunity to disguise themselves as soldiers and weasel their way in. But the speed of a fleet was at a rate several hours longer than that of a mech. The more one waits, the more at risk they were for losing the key moment… If they landed with too much haste, the news of Black Dragon and Suzaku’s return could be obtained right as they make contact with the ground. It wasn’t guaranteed that the people lending a helping hand in the Capital Star wouldn’t take action right then and there and put His Majesty in an unfavorable position…
Ling Yu was simply burning with anxiety.
Yet as it so happened, at that very moment a surge of nausea abruptly rose from within the depths of his stomach. The intense nausea made Ling Yu's face go sheet-white seemingly out of nowhere. He immediately turned around and speed-walked over to the washbasin, covering his mouth and dry heaving.
Lin Yuan was spooked out of his wits, he hurriedly followed after his dad to the sink as he asked in worry: "Dad, what's the matter with you?"
Ling Yu waved his hand and made a gesture of reassurance that everything was fine, but such a heart-piercing, retching sound as if he was nearly about to yack up his entire stomach was transmitted right to Rosen's ear through the communicator's connection.
Seeing the scene of Ling Yu keeled over the sink vomiting, Rosen was so distressed he felt himself teetering on the verge of madness!
Ling Yu was pregnant. It was at this time when the symptoms were at their strongest. If the military fell into a mutiny, as a general, he would definitely want to lead the Dark Night Legion into the battlefield. His body would never be able to withstand it…
Should something happen to either him or the child, Rosen would most certainly regret it no matter how in vain regretting it after the fact would be.
Ling Yu retched so violently that Lin Yuan had been frightened into having all of the color drain from his face. He kept reaching out to pat his dad on the back, he moved in a flurry unsure of the best course of action, he couldn't help but look to his father for help.
His love is suffering, but Rosen can only watch from Black Dragon's control cabin, there wasn’t a single thing he could do…
The ridges of his fingernails were tightly thrust into the hollow of his palms, Rosen took a deep breath and finally came to a heart-wrenching resolution.
Three minutes later, his body's reaction finally subsided, Lin Yuan hurriedly handed his dad a glass of water.
Ling Yu drank a glass of water with an ashen face, suppressing the curdling feeling in his stomach, and he then turned back to the control panel.
Looking at Rosen's extremely distressed gaze on the virtual screen, Ling Yu coughed and said in embarrassment: "…it’s nothing, there’s no need to worry."
Out of nowhere, Rosen said in a leveled tone: "Don't keep the child."
Ling Yu said in surprise: "What?"
Rosen looked at Ling Yu's eyes and said word by word: "This isn’t the right time to have a child. I don't want to see you suffering so much… If you get rid of it now, the impact on your body will be minimalized… don't keep it…"
Rosen didn't know how he managed to say those things, every word that came out of his mouth seemed to stab him in the heart.
He couldn’t watch Ling Yu suffer so much. It was without a doubt the best decision to get rid of the child now…
But when he thinks of how the child may grow up to look like Ling Yu, or like himself, thinking of how that little one would inherit the total culmination of their genes, yet at this moment he had no choice but to terminate this life… The pain deep in Rosen's heart was as if a piece of flesh was dug out of his heart.
However, as an Alpha, it is even more unbearable for him to put his Omega through such a hard and dangerous situation than to lose his unborn kin.
At such a critical juncture, should there be a lapse of care taken, if Ling Yu goes, so does the baby.
If such a thing came to life, how could he live on?
Ling Yu's face was pale, he fell silent for a moment then whispered: "I understand your concerns, I am keeping them."
Ling Yu raised his head and met Rosen’s gaze head-on, "Not just because they are our child… but they are still a living being, they are looking forward to coming to this world, aren’t they?"
Rosen: "………"
He always thought that Ling Yu didn't want children, he didn't expect that Ling Yu would actually oppose his suggestion.
The reason why Ling Yu changed his mind actually had a lot to do with Lin Yuan.
—You gave birth to me under such difficult circumstances and gave me the gift of life. What reason is there to blame Dad?
—If I don’t show compassion towards Dad, then who will?
The words Lin Yuan had spoken just now were simple and direct, but it struck Ling Yu's heart like a heavy hammer.
That's right, he had given Xiao Yuan life. When he had fully grown-up, Xiao Yuan was able to fully trust and understand this dad of his.
Then, no matter how trying it is, he will not deprive this second child of their life either.
He could even conjure up an image of the second child growing up to be just as sensible as Xiao Yuan, being understanding of him and standing by him like Xiao Yuan, how could he be willing to kill this bright little life?
Ling Yu rested his hand on his abdomen and smiled, saying: "Rosen, rest assured, the Dark Night Legion isn’t a one-man team. Zhou Yi, Errol, and a sea of highly trusted subordinates are all apart of it. I can protect myself just fine…" Ling Yu paused and looked up at Rosen, "Besides, you’re here too, aren’t you? My Alpha?"
Rosen: "………"
—You’re here too, aren’t you? My Alpha??
With just a simple sentence, the impact it left on Rosen was nearly comparable to Ling Yu saying "I love you" right to his face.
The complete trust of leaving one's own life or death to another person’s hands is even more exciting than those superficial declarations of love.
Rosen looked at Ling Yu with a gentle gaze. A long time had gone by before he nodded tentatively and said: "Okay, I understand."
—I will protect you at all costs… the child too.
—To keep this child, we will work together with everything we have to resolve this mess.
The two looked at each other and simultaneously came to understand the other party’s heartfelt intentions through the windows of their eyes. Like the deep connection shared between comrades-in-arms and even more like the deep connection shared between lovers.
Lin Yuan looked at his father and then at his dad. At first, he was confused and had no clue what it was they were talking about. After hearing this, Lin Yuan's eyes grew wider and wider, and ultimately, his mouth fell wide open in shock.
If at this moment, Ling Yu and Rosen had the mind to spare a glance back at their eldest son, they would have found that their eldest son was already so shocked that they could set a whole chicken egg in his mouth. Unfortunately, the two were locked in such a close and affectionate gaze, their utterly stunned eldest son was left to merely melt into the background…