Chapter 158 - Rescue
translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha
Floating City monitoring room.
The alarms were blaring––
Researcher Song suddenly stood up, “We’ve caught traces of Little Witch’s tracking signal! The Empire’s capital, Ark Star Harbor. The frequency of the signal was confirmed there. Go and find out which star ship just landed…”
The Floating Base tower woke up from its long period of depression.
The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard. Mao Dongqing quickly mobilized all the controls, and Wei Shi stared at the signal fluctuations on the screen.
Tens of thousands of cosmic units away from them, the pulse beat slowly and lightly.
Researcher Song’s eyelids jumped. He could imagine the thin wrist that was exposed to the Empire’s cold, damp winter air.
Mao Dongqing spoke in a low voice, “The star ship will depart in 10 minutes. The fastest time of arrival to the Imperial capital from here is five hours.”
Wei Shi interrupted, “Four hours.”
The military port connection opened up in emergency mode, and Researcher Song ran after them, only to hear Wei Shi speak forcefully, “Switch to a new energy supply, open the energy shield to the maximum, turn off the warning system, and head straight through the high-risk asteroid belt.”
The energy supply was loaded up.
Researcher Song was short on breath, his fingers tapping on the virtual keyboard, and his brain quickly working through data to finish the calculations.
“… Four hours and five minutes, the fastest possible time.” Researcher Song was struck dumb with awe.
The hatches slammed shut, and the small warship charged through the sky. And at almost the same time, tens of thousands cosmic units away––
The Empire, the Capital Star.
The security inspection robot and Shao Yu both focused their gazes on Wu Jin.
The probe was still beeping.
Wu Jin was silent. There were no metal b.u.t.tons on his entire body. His left hand was in his pocket, and his expression was cold and uncooperative.
Shao Yu’s eyes shifted like electricity and locked tightly on Wu Jin’s wrist.
He could see a bulge in his pocket.
“Take it out.” Shao Yu smiled slightly, “Let me see what kind of toys you’ve hidden away, darling.”
Wu Jin slowly raised up his eyelids and pursed his lips unhappily.
The youth raised up a corner of the pocket, and silver flashed. Shao Yu, however, straightened up abruptly, his eyes flashing with excitement. He stepped forward and pulled out the metal handcuffs that Wu Jin had stolen from the star ship!
“Give it to me.” Wu Jin enunciated his words and lifted up his chin, “Give it back to me.”
Shao Yu’s breathing stalled. He loved Wu Jin’s arrogant appearance. He licked the corner of his lips and looked at the handcuffs, “So you liked this one.”
Wu Jin stared at him. His face was pale, but he looked like a baby leopard with bared teeth and flying paws.
Shao Yu’s cold fingertips rubbed against the handcuffs, and he even seemed to be trembling with excitement. His perfect customized creation enjoyed the same pure desires as he did.
The handcuffs were respectfully returned to Wu Jin by the Marquis Shao Yu. His deep voice was hoa.r.s.e and unnatural, and something seemed to rattle as he said, “I will obey, my little master.”
Wu Jin didn’t say a word. He casually put the handcuffs back into his left pocket as the robot continued to perform its duties.
After a short time, the green light blinked on.
The two of them had smoothly been released through customs.
The luxury suspension car had been waiting for them near the Star Harbor since a long time ago, and the servants with white gloves opened the door for them. The car lifted up and flew past thousands of bustling people.
The Imperial style was both elegant and charming.
Unlike the metal jungle style of the Federal metropolis, the Empire imitated Baroque architecture that had once been popular for a period of time. The floors were paved with marble and stone bricks, and light flickered off the slightly damp ground, reflecting ever changing shadows.
Shao Yu opened the window. Wu Jin’s back grew even colder, and his neck shrank in because of the cold wind.
“You will like my manor and my stables.” Shao Yu spoke elegantly, “As well as the pumpkin carriage I had made especially for you. Before you, I would break the leg of anyone who wanted to climb into the carriage.”
Wu Jin’s eyebrows jumped up slightly, but his expression remained stiff in the cold wind.
The suspension car holding the two people sped all the way to the outskirts of the city and finally came to a stop outside a small manor. Standing in the cold wind was a lady who had lifted her head up to look in their direction.
Outside the manor entrance were people who were peering inside curiously. It was obvious that the woman had been waiting for a long time.
She looked a little like Shao Yu. The overcoat she wore was simple and unembellished, and she had several shallow wrinkles around her eyes. The woman’s self-maintenance was excellent, and it appeared that she had deliberately ignored these lines so that her always serious face carried a few traces of kindness from her years.
“Ah Yu!” The lady called out softly.
Shao Yu sneered, startling the servant who drove the car, “Madam, why did you come out?”
This was the famous d.u.c.h.ess of the capital, the head of the House of Lords, and a former honorary judge of the high court. She was also Shao Yu’s biological mother.
“This is Little Jin, right?” The d.u.c.h.ess showed a gentle smile and waved elegantly. A maid immediately came forth to put a coat around Wu Jin.
Shao Yu instantly looked at the maid with dangerous disgust.
The maid retreated in fright.
“I’ve heard Ah Yu mention you before.” The d.u.c.h.ess waved at Shao Yu to calm down, then walked over to Wu Jin and looked at him lovingly, “I”m not an old-fashioned parent, don’t worry. In fact, I don’t object to your being together, and I even hope that you and Ah Yu can become partners.”
The d.u.c.h.ess lamented, “Ah Yu lived in the Federation with his father in his early years and had an unhappy childhood. I didn’t protect him well then, and now, I just hope that he can follow his heart in the future. It’s good that you’re also a Federal native. This way, when Ah Yu thinks about the Federation, it won’t be with nothing but hatred.”
“Let’s go.” The d.u.c.h.ess looked at Shao Yu, and Wu Jin couldn’t see her expression clearly.
She immediately took Wu Jin’s hand, and her palm was as cold as Shao Yu’s. “Don’t treat me like a d.u.c.h.ess. I’m just a mother who is just as nervous as you meeting you. After all, my son likes you.”
Wu Jin looked silently at the d.u.c.h.ess.
This lady was sincere and kind. The pa.s.sers-by outside the manor looked respectful, and the servants in the garden showed gratefulness as she pa.s.sed by.
She was gentle and considerate, and except for the similarities in their appearance, she was nothing like Shao Yu.
After they entered the castle-like villa, she immediately urged Shao Yu to go and clean up Wu Jin’s room. The d.u.c.h.ess had a level of authority at home that couldn’t be ignored.
She led Wu Jin into a side room, then pursed her lips slightly.
Wu Jin said nothing.
A long time later, she seemed to have weighed things in her mind countless times and finally turned to stare into Wu Jin’s pupils, “Little Jin, if there’s anything that’s inconvenient to say in front of him, you can tell me in private.”
Wu Jin stilled slightly.
The d.u.c.h.ess seemed to have made up her mind after some difficulty. She pulled her chair closer, and her gaze was tender and compa.s.sionate, “Ah Yu’s personality is solitary. He’s never brought you home before, and we don’t believe that he could suddenly have a lover appear out of thin air. If you didn’t come back with him voluntarily, you can let me know, and I’ll send you off now.”
The estate was quiet and silent as they neared evening. Shao Yu was still in another courtyard on the other side of the manor, and the suspension car was still stopped at the door. The d.u.c.h.ess was sincere and gentle, and her promises were like the most beautiful of temptations. A portrait of her in her youth hung on the wall, showing her dressed in a fair and just judge’s robe, a white wig, and holding a charter in her hand. She appeared firm and unselfish.
It took less than six hours to arrive at the Imperial capital from Floating City. As long as he could obtain a promise from the d.u.c.h.ess to operate the suspension car at the entrance––
The d.u.c.h.ess continued to look straight at Wu Jin’s pupils.
Wu Jin opened his mouth and spoke slowly and quietly, “I don’t remember.”
The d.u.c.h.ess sighed. She started to say something, then stopped and sent Wu Jin outside.
The maid took Wu Jin to have a rest, “Please wait a moment.”
Wu Jin nodded. The door closed, and he sat down slowly on the sofa, his breathing suddenly growing cold and rapid.
She’d been looking at his pupils the entire time.
The pupils were controlled by the parasympathetic nerves, which was one of the most difficult to control signs of the subjective consciousness. The d.u.c.h.ess never looked anywhere else, just like Shao Yu had when he first woke up in the star ship.
Downstairs.
All the servants were dismissed, and the d.u.c.h.ess spoke slowly, “There are no problems.”
Shao Yu understood what she meant and turned to go.
The d.u.c.h.ess stressed again, “I’ve helped you bring him back. Remember what you promised me. Next year, in March, you’ll run for the president position of the reform labor union. The warehouse guarantee is here with me––”
Shao Yu’s steps didn’t stop at all.
The d.u.c.h.ess snapped, “Shao Yu!”
Shao Yu sneered.
The d.u.c.h.ess spoke without thinking, “What do you mean by this?” She took a deep breath, then suddenly, strangely restored her appearance to a motherly kindness, “In the past four years, how many mind calming agents have you used? Now that your scabbard is back, promise me that you’ll stop. The doctors have said that drug abuse affects the entire hormonal system and even your personality––”
Shao Yu turned back and looked at her directly, “Who was it that gave me those additional dosages back then?”
“––You lied and claimed that you would provide me with the best medical conditions, and I promised to do what you wanted. And then? The best medical conditions was the abuse of the mind calming agents? Four tubes of mind calming agents were what you personally injected me with. Are you regretting it again now? How could the Duke’s son be a madman?”
The d.u.c.h.ess was momentarily unable to form words.
Shao Yu strode to Wu Jin’s room. Portraits of the Duke’s children were hung up on the wall along the corridor.
In the portrait, the Shao Yu from six years ago had a tightness to his eyebrows and appeared solemn and dignified. His eyes were like the boundless desert, and he was an eagle within it.
Outside the portrait, the Shao Yu of six years later laughed loudly with a distorted expression on his face, but his steps were smooth and quick.
At this time, he was like a young man who had just encountered his first romance.
He would step on the scabbard and return to the throne.
A few minutes later, Wu Jin was forced to follow behind Shao Yu. They walked through the complicated maze of corridors and ended up in front of a bas.e.m.e.nt.
Shao Yu gracefully opened the door for Wu Jin and leaned over to speak in Wu Jin’s ear, “You said before that you would give me a gift.”
Two psychotherapy chambers were set up in the center of the bas.e.m.e.nt. Several doctors quickly came forward to press Wu Jin into the chair.
Wu Jin paused, then burst out with all his strength and struggled desperately, but because he’d been out of energy for so long, he was still packed into the treatment chamber, his back slamming violently into the metal cabin. The anesthetic gas caused him to suddenly lose his voice.
“Behave.” Shao Yu’s voice was nihilistic and devout, “You and I are both the most perfect of creatures.”
“You are the embodiment of all my wishes.”
“Little Jin, I cherish you so much.”
“I created you. You sacrificing yourself for me is exactly how things should be.”
“Be good and help me open the emotional lock. When you come out, we’ll follow fate and be together.”
When the cabin closed and sank down, Wu Jin was still struggling with the last of his strength––Shao Yu looked at Wu Jin, who was imprisoned inside, like a coffin that was filled with sealed treasure.
Shao Yu ordered, “Give him an injection of MHCC.”
He turned and stepped into the other treatment cabin, but seemed reluctant to part with him and looked sideways at Wu Jin again.
The doctor inquired carefully, “My… my lord, are we starting now”
Shao Yu happily snapped his fingers, “Yes. Play a symphony.”
This would be his first important date with Wu Jin.
The music flowed out as smoothly as flowing water. The beat of the A Major tune in 2/4 time was light and soft. Shao Yu hummed a minor tone and closed his eyes, and the two treatment instruments were connected together at the same time.
The music entered the second movement.
In the treatment cabin, deep inside the world of their consciousness, Wu Jin and Shao Yu opened their eyes at the same time.
The R-Code Base was full of snow. The instructors came over slowly, their hands wrapped in chains, their eyes white and cloudy, like a string of walking corpses.
“I killed them.” Shao Yu suddenly appeared behind him, “Because they couldn’t undo the lock.”
Shao Yu reached out to Wu Jin.
The symphony infiltrated into the world in their consciousness, and snowflakes seemed to float along with the music.
Shao Yu took off the emotional bracelet on his wrist and put it on Wu Jin.
Wu Jin suddenly fought back.
The youth’s eyes burst out with the desire to survive beyond anything else. His bones and muscles were coordinated to the extreme in the depths of his consciousness, and the tip of his fist stabbed Shao Yu’s carotid artery.
Shao Yu sighed and easily controlled Wu Jin.
The scene in their consciousness changed again.
Outside the R-Code Base training ground were many scattered genetically modified subjects. The two of them pa.s.sed by, but they didn’t seem to see them at all. They were nothing but fragments of Shao Yu’s memory.
Wu Jin panted while under Shao Yu’s control. He could see Mao Dongqing walking past, Wei Yan walking past, and––
“Wei Shi…” There was a dark shadow over his vision, and because he was too weak, it seemed that he would fall unconscious at any second. However, Wu Jin fought desperately against Shao Yu’s wrist and used all his strength to shout, “Wei Shi! Wei Shi!”
Shao Yu’s expression finally changed, “You still remember him.”
“However, he doesn’t remember you.”
The emotional lock kicked in.
The third movement of the symphony was like a magnificent lament.
Snowflakes began to fall. The 17 year old Wei Shi was oblivious to Wu Jin’s cry for help and turned to leave.
Shao Yu laughed.
Wu Jin stared fiercely at Shao Yu, like a badly wounded beast unable to take revenge. After that, the emotional lock entered through the bracelet, and severe pain slammed into him––
The snowflakes burst apart and scattered.
The pain was blocked.
Intense light from reality penetrated into the depth of his consciousness. There were sounds of huge collisions and gunshots mixing in with the symphony, and the scent of sulfur and ammunition rushed into his nose.
The remote manor burst into flames. Four hours. Wei Shi rushed down from the star ship and slaughtered a path inside. The doctors in the bas.e.m.e.nt screamed in horror, and the d.u.c.h.ess, who’d been forced to lead the way, begged for mercy.
The 12 bodyguards from Floating City cut off the entire estate. Someone was shouting loudly, “Brother Wei, don’t be impulsive––”
Wei Shi opened up the treatment cabin with brute force.
Wu Jin was curled up inside, unconscious.
Deep in his consciousness.
R-Code Base.
The 17 year old Wei Shi disappeared from view.
At almost the same time, the 27 year old Wei Shi appeared amidst the violent snowstorm. The man pulled Wu Jin into his arms.
Shao Yu’s consciousness collapsed.
The earth shook, and the sky shattered.
Countless bricks, tiles, and rubble pounded down.
Wei Shi used his back to shield Wu Jin tightly, but he couldn’t contain the trembling of his arms.
Wu Jin hugged him back with all his strength.
Juurensha: Yesss WS to the rescue!
xiin: translating these chapters was toughhhhh. my poor baby~ but you’re back with Wei Shi now and everything will be okayy!!!!