Tag: o pretends to be b (page 1 of 4)

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Lucas was so strong that Luo Ran was easily held above the ground with his legs wrapped around Lucas’ waist.

With his body pressed flat on the table, Luo Ran felt that this pose was too awful.

“Sir…” Luo Ran took a deep breath, then said with a bit of anger, “You’ve kissed me, so please put me down.”

His lips were torn, and his cheeks and ears were both bright red.

“Are your sure?” Lucas smiled and pinched a lock of his hair. “Then why are you so red?”

“…” Luo Ran looked away. “I’m not.”

Lucas was noncommittal but let go of him.

Luo Ran pushed himself up and made to get up, but as soon as he stood, his whole body went soft. If not for Lucas catching him, he would have collapsed again.

“Oh-ho?” Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Did my kiss make your legs go soft?”

“…”

“I didn’t expect it, Secretary Luo, you look so serious on the surface but why are you so lewd,” he grinned. “You can’t even stand. Do you like me that much, otherwise why are you like this?”

Luo Ran felt ashamed and angry enough to die.

That was because Lucas’ pheromones were too aggressive…!

Lucas had completely released control over his pheromones, and now the strong smell of tobacco had penetrated every molecule of air, depriving Luo Ran of both breath and sanity.

Lucas had never been like this before, because for him, things like love were superfluous.

Could it be that… Lucas was too stimulated by the kiss, and the new experience made him lose control? Or did he think that Luo Ran was a beta, so there was no need to restrain himself?

Luo Ran supported himself against the table as his breathing turned heavier.

Lucas looked at Luo Ran, who was trying to endure it, and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Pretend, keep pretending.

It’s obviously hard to keep going.

What, am I so untrustworthy?

Little bastard.

He even dared to lie to him, he was clearly an omega.

Lucas decided to watch Luo Ran pretend to the end, he needed to be bullied.

Who made Luo Ran so courageous.

Grabbing his clothes by the collar, Lucas chuckled in a low voice, “You still haven’t answered me yet, why pretend to be dead, you can’t stand up? Your face is that red?”

“Sorry,” Luo Ran said, taking a deep breath. “Maybe I… Maybe it’s because I haven’t recovered yet.”

“Really?” Lucas sneered.

“…Sir, let me go.” Luo Ran lowered his head and gripped the table tightly.

Because of his status and aura, no alpha had ever been brave enough to release even a little bit of pheromones in front of him. This was therefore the first time he experienced being attacked by alpha pheromones. But strictly speaking… it wasn’t an attack, only a provocation.

Luo Ran didn’t know why just this provocation could make him unable to walk, it could only be said that the familiar scent made him too comfortable.

This… This is bad.

“It’s really because you haven’t recovered yet? Not any other reason?” Lucas’ hand was still on Luo Ran’s collar.

The pheromones became even stronger.

It wasn’t an alpha’s suppression towards its own kind, but a kind of teasing aimed towards the opposite sex. Of course, Lucas still had some restraint and didn’t force him into heat.

“What other reason can there be?” Biting his bottom lip, Luo Ran felt unusually annoyed.

It was hard for him to resist Lucas when he was being so insistent.

He also couldn’t remind Lucas to restrain his pheromones, because a beta should be unable to detect pheromones.

“It’s not as if I’m using much force, just go if you want to.” Lucas let go with a smile. “What? Can’t move?”

“I can.” Pushing Lucas away, Luo Ran walked out with clenched fists, and didn’t turn back even once.

Lucas: “…”

…This little bastard.

Luo Ran refused to show weakness no matter what, he still refused to rely on him.

And it was the same as before.

Lucas scratched at his hair irritably.

Falling in love really was a thankless thing.

Two days after the battlefield was cleaned up, the battleships rejoined the main fleet and returned to the capital.

And as before, they were welcomed with gorgeous fireworks.

As soon as Lucas arrived at military HQ, the first prince sent someone to handle the authority handover. To the outside world, they said that the admiral was taking a rare vacation.

Regarding this long-awaited holiday, the Empire’s citizens were very happy.

Lucas is finally willing to rest!

There was finally time for him to build a better relationship with Secretary Luo, the process of making an excellent heir to the Empire could also be put on the agenda!

When would they be born?

They were so anxious!

“Admiral, the investigation team’s report is out.”

Luo Ran handed the report to Lucas with a subtle expression on his face.

“What?” Lucas asked as he took it.

He skimmed over it, then also paused.

The day after his incident with the mystery omega, the reporters arrived very fast.

And by following the clues provided by Princess Zhou Mingzhu, they found that…

The person who communicated with the reporters that day was Cyril.

Lucas’ older brother, Cyril Aldor.

Who was also First Prince Zhou Mingyu’s confidant.

“Heh.” Lucas tossed the report on the table. “How brave of him.”

“At this point, we can already conclude that the eldest prince is targeting you. It doesn’t matter whether he was the one who drugged you, because we’ve already gone against him regarding the UNK — we have to guard against him no matter what,” Luo Ran said, holding some documents. “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll handle the handover and public relations in the next two weeks so that no one will be able to take advantage of it.

“And…” he lowered his eyes. “Your mother knows of your holiday and asked you to go back this weekend, do you want to…?”

“Go!” Lucas sneered. He had accounts to settle.

“Yes, then I will arrange transportation.” Then Luo Ran continued, “His Highness Zhou Mingkai also invited you to play billiards this afternoon. Please remember to attend; if necessary, I can also organise other relaxing activities for you.”

“…” Lucas frowned at Luo Ran.

Professional, calm, detached.

“Luo Ran, are you angry?”

Luo Ran blinked, then replied seriously, “No. I am not.”

“You’re angry!” Lucas stood and went closer.

Subconsciously, Luo Ran stepped back. He felt unusually nervous.

Lucas gritted his teeth and growled out, “What are you hiding for, get over here!”

“…”

“Sir, let’s talk.” Luo Ran looked down at the documents in his hands. “You, you’ve only fought wars before, and you haven’t spent long in contact with betas or omegas, you may not understand your feelings.”

Lucas only snorted. “Why would I get close to those people, disgusting.”

He took advantage of the situation to say, “It is precisely because you haven’t been close to many people and only had me to accompany you for a long time. You don’t have many people to choose from, so you naturally think you like me.”

Lucas was a little dizzy just listening to him. “What the hell are you talking about, I said I only like you.”

Blushing, Luo Ran went through the lines in his head several times to ensure he wouldn’t confuse himself before he dared to open his mouth. “I also said… I said, you haven’t had many choices. If in the future you meet someone better, more suitable, you would understand.”

“You’re always stuck on this fucking thing, do you want me to go on a date with someone else to prove it to you! I said it already, you’re the only one for me, the only one!” Lucas said angrily. He only lacked a sign to wave around, proclaiming that he liked Luo Ran.

“Sir, you want a blind date?”

“…”

“Would you like me to arrange one for you?”

“…Scram!”

Lucas turned and strode away.

Luo Ran let out a relieved breath. He clutched the folder to himself as he quickly ran downstairs.

However, his mind was full of Lucas’ sonorous voice saying clearly: the only one.

As Luo Ran went out the door, he crashed straight into a pillar.

Ouch…!

He covered his forehead, feeling both angered and annoyed.

H-He wasn’t nervous.

Ow.

He’d already decided to keep a distance and to be an ordinary employee working under Lucas.

But Lucas was too… he was too much.

It was as if he was a city, and Lucas was the general who sieged the city and closed in step by step.

—— XXXX ——

At the clubhouse.

As soon as Zhou Mingkai saw his good brother whom he hadn’t met for a long time, he asked urgently, “I saw it online, you confessed to Secretary Luo?”

He finally confessed!

His hard work wasn’t in vain!

Lucas hummed in reply, then leaned against the table and frowned. “But it’s so strange, he clearly likes me a lot but he still rejects me, won’t rely on me, and always keeps his distance. That guy’s playing hard to get, that unpredictable little bastard.”

Zhou Mingkai: “…”

Damn.

Somehow, Lucas still hadn’t realised Luo Ran’s lie.

Zhou Mingkai hesitated, but still couldn’t help but say, “Admiral, if you had half of my EQ, the Empire’s excellent next generation would be attending kindergarten by now.”

He felt very helpless, he’d thought that the two had already reached the last step, so he ran to vote for the name of the Empire’s excellent inheritor.

Now it looked like the vote would be useless.

“He always rejects me!” Lucas said irritably, now sitting on the sofa and crossing his legs. “I’ve done everything!”

“…” Although Zhou Mingkai didn’t know how Lucas courted people, if a steel straight man like Lucas was chasing him, he might’ve boarded a transport and fled overnight.

Secretary Luo, my condolences.

“Then why would Secretary Luo reject you?” Zhou Mingkai couldn’t laugh or cry, so he opened a bottle of wine, took a cue, and started a game of pool first.

Lucas frowned. “He said I only knew him, so of course I would pursue him, I don’t actually like him.”

“And then?”

“And nothing.”

“…Ah.”

“He didn’t explain anything, and he didn’t tell me what to do,” Lucas growled out.

Falling in love was so troublesome!

“Then you’ll have to find out for yourself, chasing people is different from fighting.” Zhou Mingkai shot a ball into a corner pocket, then turned and smiled. “But Admiral, what do you do before you fight a war?”

Feeling that this question was inexplicable, Lucas frowned. “What else can we do, just analyse the situation and prepare the weapons.”

“Exactly!” He clapped his hands together. “If you don’t analyse the situation first, how can you rush to start! You’re being too impatient.”

He couldn’t wait to give himself a Best CP Fan award.

Right then, a notification sound came from Lucas’ terminal.

It was a message from the captain of the investigation team.

Admiral, Secretary Luo went home. According to the investigation, his parents ran into a matchmaker when they went to an ancient earth temple to seek marriage — they requested contact details for three alphas.

Lucas: ??!

“Bastard…!” Lucas was so angry that he threw the terminal away. “He’s going on a blind date again!”

Zhou Mingkai glanced at the text. “Huh? No way, right…? I think he won’t go, his mental state hasn’t recovered yet, and he’s been so busy.

“Otherwise…” the prince grinned. “Lu Bei and I are planning to watch the opera. Admiral, do you want to change it up a bit and have a ‘date’ with Lu Bei? See what Secretary Luo says?”

“You and Lu Bei going to the opera together?” Lucas asked with a raised eyebrow.

Zhou Mingkai, this was…?

“Hmph! Don’t you think weird things! I don’t have any intentions with him at all, that guy, with a personality like that, not even my mother watches me that closely.” Zhou Mingkai imitated Lucas, growling, “It’s the cabinet ministers who’ve been pestering Lu Bei all this time and sent him the tickets. I just helped him block them a bit since he’s still a representative of the royal family and an omega, it’s inconvenient for him.”

“Go!” Lucas sneered. “Luo Ran can go on a date, why can’t I?!”

He wanted Luo Ran to feel jealous and care about him.

So Lucas picked up the terminal and sent him a text message.

Lucas: I’m going on a blind date with Lu Bei.

Luo Ran replied very quickly.

Luo Ran: Congratulations ^v^

Lucas: A date!

Luo Ran: Received, wait a minute, I’ll forward you a dating guide right away.

Lucas: “…”

He was so angry that he threw the terminal away again.

---

Author:
The terminal dedicated to love: Huh…?
Lu Bei, who was happily preparing to go on a trip with Scumbag Zhou: Huh…?

Translator:
Well, that’s a wrap! It’s been a fun 45 chapters, and while I haven’t been the most, uh… consistent translator… we did go through 206,403 characters and 125,955 words. Thank you to all you wonderful readers who stuck with me until now.

My next project will be one of three novels I’m wavering between — the current plan is to translate the free JJWXC chapters of them all, then leave it to a vote. In the meantime, here are the raws if you want to take a look:

[Western Chu] Unparalleled Conqueror (and NovelUpdates)

The National Teacher Returns at Warp Speed

A Transmigrated Figure Skater Becomes an Author

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The imperial fleet flew towards the mine, meeting the pirates head-on.

Artillery roared as the two fleets crossed paths.

The pirates soon reacted and turned back in order to stop the imperials.

Lucas didn’t board Lion 01, because there was currently no need. Instead he stood on the main bridge and gave orders to the imperial troops through the comms.

“Don’t get bogged down, maintain our forward momentum! Our goal is to occupy the mine!”

This was a very risky move because the mine had openings in every direction, it was easy to attack but hard to defend.

Since the Imperial fleet’s purpose was to prevent the pirates from taking the UNK, what Lucas should do was to drive away the pirates aggressively, not to take over a mine which had no way to be defended.

But the moment he gave the order, no one defied him.

For these military officers, worship and blind obedience towards Lucas were embedded in their bones.

In this battle, Freeman stayed behind and did not go out with Wang Qiuyang and the others.

Lucas had to devote his entire attention to the battle situation and might not have the time to pay attention to Luo Ran, so he would assign a trusted lieutenant to him.

Although Luo Ran himself felt that it was unnecessary.

“My apologies, Adjutant Freeman,” Luo Ran smiled at Freeman from where they watched the battle through a window, “I’ve kept you back here.”

He thought to himself, These officers would probably rather go out and fight than stay here where it’s safe.

“No!” Freeman immediately replied. “I’m very proud that the admiral ordered me to protect you! This is a responsibility greater than fighting a war!”

Luo Ran: “…”

A second later, he still bit the bullet and asked, “May I ask, why do you think so?”

Freeman answered very seriously, “First, you are the admiral’s partner, your safety directly affects the admiral’s ability to fight and thus the Empire’s peace! Second, you are a key contributor to the Empire’s excellent next generation! All in all, I am protecting a cornerstone of the Empire!”

“…” Luo Ran silently turned back to the window.

Seeing that Luo Ran didn’t reply, Freeman smiled at him. “Secretary Luo, you like the admiral as well, right?”

“…” He was quiet for a long moment before he said, “Of course I like him.”

But whether it was that kind of like, he didn’t know.

And he never could have imagined that Lucas would seriously want to develop their relationship in this direction, it was too outlandish.

He couldn’t react at all.

Luo Ran chuckled, then changed the topic. “Is this the bitter-cold mine?”

“Yes!”

Looking out the window, they could see pits and machines below them, as well as warships and gunfire coming from both sides.

“Well, I hope the people above don’t use UNK to do bad things,” Freeman said, shaking his head. “And hopefully they don’t draw attention to us either.”

If they really continued to research UNK as the first prince wished, then the soldiers would inevitably be injected with UNK.

“I’m not afraid of sacrificing for the Empire, and I’m not afraid of fighting interstellar pirates! But I don’t want to be injected with poison, die for no reason, lose my mind and hurt people, or turn into a tool who only knows how to fight.”

“The admiral won’t allow such a thing to happen,” Luo Ran stated. “I won’t either. Our army has dignity — we are defenders, not zombies or tools.”

Freeman grinned. “Yeah.”

Boom——

The battleship shook violently.

Outside, the imperial fleet had successfully occupied the mine and forced the pirates back with overwhelming firepower.

The battleship landed directly above the mine entrance. Although their numbers were comparable with the pirates, they temporarily held the upper hand with superior equipment and tactics.

“It’d be great if there’s no UNK,” Freeman said, “this thing makes people go crazy, can’t the Empire not use it?”

“Impossible.” Luo Ran gently tapped the window frame. “People will want to use UNK as long as it exists, the benefits are too great. The only variable is how they use it.”

Beep—— Beep——

An alarm suddenly sounded in the battleship and the lights were replaced with red emergency lighting, looking a little ominous.

“Alert, all non-combatants please go to the vault…”*

“Alert, an S-class guided missile is about to be deployed…”

“Estimated time four minutes and thirty-one seconds…”

A projector showed the route to the vault on the wall.

At the same time, Lucas’ voice came from Freeman’s radio.

“Take Luo Ran to the vault, his mental state can’t bear the noise.”

“Yes sir!”

…An S-class guided missile?

Here?

Right above the mine?

Luo Ran’s eyes widened.

Everyone knew how powerful this weapon was, yet it was to be used here?

Perhaps…?

“Secretary Luo, let’s go!” Freeman said. “I’ll take you to the vault!”

If the imperial side was going to fire an S-class guided missile, the pirates weren’t going to take that lying down. They would undoubtedly retaliate in equal measure, which would blanket the battlefield in deafening explosions; the flagship would then increase cabin pressure to raise their defenses,* and violent shaking was a given. Lucas and the other soldiers might be fine, but the ordinary workers and Luo Ran whose spirit was damaged had to avoid it as much as possible.

“Okay.” Luo Ran glanced in the direction of the bridge and paused, then obediently followed Freeman to the safe area.

The vault in its sealed state isolated them from all sounds and changes in the outside world. Luo Ran sat down and leaned against the metal wall, staring out the singular tiny, round window in a daze.

The window couldn’t be opened, and neither was the scene outside any clearer because the vault was sealed, but he still quietly looked at it.

It was pitch black in all directions, and this vault only had the two of them.

“Secretary Luo…” Freeman began carefully, sitting opposite Luo Ran, “when you recover, you can go out and fight next to the admiral side by side, this is only taking a short rest.”

Luo Ran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Do you think I’m disappointed that I can’t go on the battlefield?”

Freeman didn’t speak.

“How can that be,” he said. “The admiral didn’t hire me to help him fight a war. If there’s a war, he has you, and Adjutant Lu, and Adjutant Wang and all the others. My duty is to help him take care of the internal affairs and logistics.” He smiled. “Everyone has their specialties. I’ll be very happy if I can do my job well, why should I burden the admiral more by poking my nose in in an unrelated field?”

Freeman stared blankly at the gentle yet confident Luo Ran.

The majority of his time was spent in the borderlands and he was the adjutant Lucas trusted the most who was stationed at the Empire’s borderlands, and only recently was he transferred back, so he wasn’t as familiar with Luo Ran as Lu Cheng or Wang Qiuyang.

Only now did he understand what Lu Cheng meant by ‘golden partner’ and ‘mutual support’.

At this moment, Luo Ran discovered that the window had been covered by white smoke and flames.

Booooom————

Missile launch.

The entire battlefield shook — presumably, the pirates broke the pot and used weapons of similar power.

Their weapons may not be as powerful as those of the Empire, but they were equally terrifying.

Only after the smoke gradually dissipated could Luo Ran vaguely see the situation outside.

His eyes widened.

The entrance to the mine… collapsed.

The entire opening was buried under mud and stone, and explosive shockwaves had caused the mine to sink.

Under Lucas’ provocation, the pirate and imperial fleets had collectively destroyed the bitter-cold mine, the source of UNK ore.

Freeman also lost control over his emotions. “Holy shit…”

They really hadn’t intended to blow up the mine on M4, after all, the M4 mine entrance wasn’t big, but he hadn’t expected that incident to give Lucas… inspiration?

This was too crazy…!

The explosion affected the surrounding trees and land, and the entire mine had been instantly razed to the ground.

“No wonder… No wonder!” Freeman made a noise of understanding. “Yesterday the admiral told me and Old Wang to tell Luobing to pull all the workers from the mine so that no one would be left there after the pirates arrived, but not to do anything else… So he’d had plans since then! But he didn’t say anything!”

Luo Ran was also surprised.

He hadn’t been told either.

Lucas had probably also been thinking it over and actively looking for opportunities, after all, it wasn’t certain that this course of action would succeed.

But he still did it in the end.

For the Empire’s soldiers.

And also for Luo Ran.

No one could take away or hurt a lion’s possessions.

Lions guarded their territories fiercely.

Luo Ran stared blankly out of that small round window.

An unknown amount of time later, the vault door was pushed open.

A tall man stood at the doorway, bringing the bright outside light with him into the darkened vault.

Lucas seemed even more reliable than usual with his figure silhouetted against the light.

Luo Ran blinked.

At this moment, the scene behind Lucas became a field of purple flowers.

I’m hallucinating again, he thought.

By now, he could more or less distinguish between hallucinations and reality, unless he was very tired.

“It’s over, come out.” Lucas stepped forwards and put an arm around Luo Ran’s waist. He was here to pick him up.

Though he felt like a sour pickled fish,* Freeman still couldn’t help covering his mouth and crying.

What a wonderful love.

Luo Ran followed Lucas out of the vault and back to the bridge.

The pirates had been defeated once again and many of them fled, though the imperial forces had also captured quite a few and were now in the process of cleaning the battlefield.

Ever since Admiral Alton killed the former leader of the pirates — that is, Huntsman’s father — and Lucas was promoted, the pirates had never won in a straight fight against Lucas despite looting up and down the Empire.

This was because firstly, Huntsman wasn’t as good as his father, and secondly, Lucas was indeed very capable.

But it was also thanks to Huntsman’s amazing stability that he was able to continuously wear down the Empire slowly while looking for opportunities to turn the situation around.

Luo Ran saw that the outside environment was now barren dirt, with a huge crater centered on where the mine used to be. He shook his head. “You’re crazy.”

“That’s true,” Lucas grinned, proud and domineering, looking as if he was afraid of neither heaven nor hell.

Kill buddhas if buddhas came, kill gods if gods came.

Fearless people had always been lunatics.

“I just want to know what those dogs in the capital look like now! Since they don’t have a good way to use UNK, then don’t use it! No way can they hurt my troops.” No way can they hurt my secretary, Lucas thought as he hugged Luo Ran closer by his waist.

* * *

Half a day later.

Shi Xiuqi’s trembling voice came from within a conference room.

“Crazy! He’s crazy! The admiral’s gone crazy…!” Shi Xiuqi gripped the report, still unable to believe it. “The admiral flattened the mine in Luobing’s east district to the ground!”

“Why are you so excited?” Second Prince Zhou Mingjing asked with his arms crossed over his chest and a raised eyebrow. “It’s just that there’s no UNK. There are normal mines all over Luobing, there’s no need to worry.”

“The important part is the UNK…!” Shi Xiuqi’s entire face was distorted.

His heart hurt for half a day when the M4 mine was destroyed, and now…

Shi Xiuqi felt he was about to go crazy too.

“You soldiers and ruffians… you never think about the Empire’s future development!”

It wasn’t just the first prince’s faction who showed regretful expressions.

No one thought that the UNK would be destroyed just like this.

It was simply gone.

The previous disputes suddenly became meaningless. If they never found another UNK mine, the Empire would never be able to take advantage of this new energy source.

“Shut up!” Zhou Mingjing couldn’t take it anymore. He slammed the table and shouted angrily, “Soldiers fight on the front line with their bodies to protect a bunch of dog officials like you, do you have the face to speak against them!”

Shi Xiuqi jumped, not expecting Zhou Mingjing to start scolding him to his face.

Another of the first prince’s supporters spoke up. “We acknowledge and cherish the sacrifices of our soldiers, but the situation is different now, Your Highness shouldn’t use moral kidnapping. All mechas and battleships of the Empire are monitored, we all know what happened. There was originally no reason for things to turn out this way and the UNK mine could’ve been preserved, but Admiral Lucas ordered to fire a missile and purposefully targeted the mine!”

“Nonsense!” The second prince’s supporters also stood to speak. “According to the analysts, the admiral had every reason to use such a method in order to win!”

The ensuing dispute turned to whether or not Admiral Lucas intentionally blew up the mine.

Analysts on both sides had their own opinions.

“That’s enough!” First Prince Zhou Mingyu shook his head. “No matter what happened, the UNK is now ruined, there’s no point in arguing more. It’s just…” he lowered his eyes. “Admiral Lucas took action before the Empire made a decision, this is undeniably overstepping his bounds.”

“Yes,” someone else said, “the admiral holds a lot of power. If the army only acts on his personal interests instead of for the greater Empire, that would be a disaster!* Today he can blow up a mine, tomorrow he might blow up the capital!”

These words infuriated the people who were part of the military. Several of the senior officers had hair-trigger tempers and they immediately began shouting and quarrelling, and some were even on the verge of starting a brawl.

The room descended into a mess.

* * *

The events of the capital hadn’t reached Lucas’ out-going fleet for the time being, he was currently eating with Luo Ran.

It was only after their meal that Lu Cheng forwarded him the report.

“Tsk.” Lucas raised an eyebrow as he read it. As expected.

“What happened?” Luo Ran wasn’t used to it yet, he wanted to return to his work post quickly.

“The Council is asking me to temporarily hand over management authority of the army and ‘rest’ for half a month,” he said, rolling his eyes. It seemed like the first prince wanted to weaken his authority.

Luo Ran frowned lightly.

“What are you afraid of? That guy Zhou Mingyu worked so hard to give me a holiday, I’m quite happy,” Lucas sneered. 

The first prince thought too simply.

Even if he left for half a month, he and Luo Ran hadn’t worked hard in vain. The military department was solid, the first prince would never be able to swallow even half a bite in only half a month.

Besides, the Empire relied on him to fight their battles, how could they really let him ‘rest’.

“I’ve studied public relations, I won’t let anyone discredit you,” Luo Ran said. “I’ll pay closer attention once we go back to the capital.”

His meaning was that he would return to work once they arrived back at the capital.

Lucas frowned.

“Sir, please stop preventing me from working,” Luo Ran said helplessly. “I’m not that delicate.”

“Fine. But I have conditions.”

“Hm?”

Lucas pointed at himself. “Kiss me and I’ll let you get back to work.”

Luo Ran: “…”

Who ever heard of a secretary who had to sell his own body to his boss in exchange for more work?

No one would believe it!

Luo Ran looked down with a flaming red face. “Sir, please don’t…”

“I’m not making trouble, there’s no work for you if I don’t get a kiss,” Lucas said righteously. “I’ve researched it, other bosses have even more unspoken rules they use, it’s already very kind for me to ask for a single kiss.” He propped his leg against the table with a grin. “Come on.”

Luo Ran: “…”

He took a deep breath in an attempt to maintain his rationality and stated coldly, “Sir, if I don’t return to work, the documents will accumulate, and the one who suffers in the end will be me.

“The most important thing is that if I don’t return, after you are forced to hand over your authority, a tiny mistake somewhere will seriously cause consequences.”

His work really couldn’t drag on any longer, Luo Ran thought. And… he might have been tortured into having Stockholm syndrome. These days, with him prevented from looking at any paperwork, he felt uncomfortable all over, and he had a sense of emptiness as if he were wasting his life.

“If it weren’t for your last sentence, I would’ve believed you.” Lucas raised an eyebrow. “I said it already, use a kiss to trade.”

“…”

“Luo Ran,” he said, grinning, “I’m going on holiday. Zhou Mingyu so kindly gave me time to pursue you, we can take our time.”

“…”

Seeing Luo Ran still sitting upright, putting on an appearance of distant professionalism, Lucas only felt annoyed.

This little bastard.

He didn’t care so much, he directly grabbed Luo Ran’s collar and pinned him to the table.

Luo Ran’s eyes widened.

Then Lucas leaned over and pressed their lips together.

“Mmph…”

Luo Ran was firmly nailed to the table. Lucas kept him down with a hand on his head, so he could only passively allow the kiss.

Lucas’ kissing skills had always been poor, he wasn’t much different from a big dog biting everywhere he could reach.

The scent of tobacco made him dizzy, so much so that Luo Ran suspected he did it on purpose.

But Lucas clearly knew he was a beta, why would he do this? Why would he use his pheromones to tease him…!

After it was finally over and they separated, Lucas still looked unsatisfied. “If you just gave in and kissed me earlier, you could’ve done it on the cheek or something, this is what you made me do.”

“Sir…!” Luo Ran panted for air. The corners of his eyes were red as he said in annoyance, “You’re too unreasonable, it’s time to break up.”

“Yes, I’m coercing you using unspoken rules.”

Lucas was very frank.

---

Translator:
This chapter is actually my favourite in the entire novel, in particular the conversation between Luo Ran and Freeman about how he and Lucas have different specialties. Did I refuse to drop the novel despite barely updating for the past year just so I could translate this part? …Maybe.

Footnotes:
1. Vault [地基]: lit. base; from context it’s a safe place to store non-combatants on the battleship during combat. Also I think it’s funny to be vaulted for your protection.
2. The flagship would then increase cabin pressure to increase defenses [主战舰为了提高防御能力也会提高气压]: not sure what the 提高气压 could be referring to other than air pressure?
3. Sour pickled fish [酸菜鱼]: reference to Chinese web slang where jealous = sour; other variations include feeling sour, being a vinegar jar (because vinegar is sour), chugging vinegar etc.
4. Hate to say it but I think the first prince’s faction has got a point. Monopolies are hardly ever a good idea, and it’s even worse if it happens in the military. That’s called a dictatorship.

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Luo Ran ran from the office to the corridors to the main deck in a blind panic.

In fact, he kind of regretted it.

After all, Lucas was still chasing behind him, and still shouting crazily.

He could be said to be exactly the same as the god of slaughter he was in the rumours.

“Luo Ran! You get the fuck back here!”

“I like you! Did you hear or not?!”

“Be my wife already! What’re you running for!”

Now, not only Luo Ran, the entire battleship heard it.

Everyone knew it, and they all began shouting.

“Answer him! Answer him!”

“Get together! Get together!”

Luo Ran hated that he couldn’t die on the spot.

But he’d already run, wouldn’t it be more embarrassing to stop?

So he hardened his scalp and rushed to his room with all his might.

Bang!

He managed to get back to his room, but just as he wanted to close the door, Lucas was even faster than him and stuck a foot against the door to block it before grabbing Luo Ran’s collar.

“Little bastard, get out here!”

Luo Ran lost his balance. He felt himself be roughly pulled out of his room and crashed directly into Lucas’ chest.

“Ow.”

Then he felt Lucas hug him fiercely, wrap him in his arms, and haul him into the room before pressing him against a wall.

“Run! Keep running and I’ll tie you up,” Lucas said angrily. “You wanna run again?!”

Saying so, Lucas lightly patted Luo Ran’s cheek.

He was in Lucas’ arms, chest against chest. Their lips almost touched and his hands were once again raised high.

This posture inevitably made Luo Ran arch his back slightly, sending his chest and waist forwards and made him stick to Lucas.

As the two exchanged breaths, Lucas’ aggressive pheromones made Luo Ran a little weak.

He didn’t understand why he was suddenly so sensitive to Lucas’ pheromones, to the point that something was clamouring within him, telling him to surrender to the alpha in front of him. 

And there were even…

Even signs of going into heat.

What on earth is going on?

Could it be because Shen Xiluo injected him with imitation alpha pheromones?

With trembling fingertips, Luo Ran clenched his teeth, trying not to reveal his secrets.

“…Not running.”

“Then did you hear me? I said I like you, I want to date you, and I want to get married and have children in the future,” Lucas said.

“…”

“Why aren’t you talking? Do you agree or not, say it.”

“…Sir, what’s wrong with you?” Luo Ran asked dispassionately. “Are you having a psychotic episode?”

“Who’s fucking psycho, you’re psycho.” Lucas pinched a strand of Luo Ran’s hair which hung next to his ear. “Didn’t you keep seducing me, you little bastard?”

Lucas thought, Luo Ran will definitely agree.

In the end, Luo Ran liked him too much.

Hey.

Lucas rubbed his chin, ready for Luo Ran to demur and play hard to get before finally accepting joyously.

“…Sir, please wake up. As an employee, I have always urged myself to concentrate on work, and not think of falling in love and getting married all day.”

Lucas: “…”

His tone was cold as he said seriously, “I also think that as one of the top secretaries of the Empire, I should conduct myself properly as a secretary and work hard.”

Lucas: “……”

Fuck.

Weren’t these his own words from before?

Petty little guys had to be punished!

“I was stupid before, you don’t need to remember that!” Lucas said.

“Sir…” Luo Ran began, overwhelmed, “What’s going on with you? Are you playing tricks on me?”

“Playing tricks?” Lucas clenched his teeth. “Who’s playing with who right now?”

Lucas bowed his head. “You’re so smart, can’t you tell whether I really like you or not? Can’t you tell what I’ve been doing?”

“…” Luo Ran’s ears and face were burning, and his heart seemed to be tumbling, tumbling, tumbling.

“Just one word, yes or no!”

“…” Helpless, Luo Ran said, “How can I agree… Admiral, stop making trouble.”

“…Luo Ran, you bastard.” Lucas took a deep breath. “Why won’t you agree!”

“Sir…!” Seeing that Lucas was still intent on it, Luo Ran could only gnash his teeth and explain, “Why would I agree! I’m your secretary, you’re my boss! How can I be in a romantic relationship with my own boss?”

He’d never even thought about it!

…Okay.

Maybe he thought about it a tiny bit.

But it was still impossible!

It was too sudden, too inexplicable.

Who would like their job so much that they fell in love?

“Then you’re pretty professional,” Lucas sneered.

Luo Ran smiled back. “I’ve always endeavoured to be a professional secretary, solving problems for the admiral is my top priority.”

“Would you die if you’re a little less professional?” Lucas squeezed the tip of Luo Ran’s chin and said with an alpha’s pressure, “Think about me a bit, don’t just focus on work all day long!”

“…” Standing stick-straight, in an unhurried and flat tone, Luo Ran replied, “Admiral, six years ago as your secretary on my first day, you warned me that I shouldn’t have crooked thoughts, and said that a competent secretary of the Empire I should dedicate my heart to being.

“I irritated you because I wasn’t skilled enough until you fired me. I begged you for a week before a chance to reapply you gave me. So your lessons I’ve always remembered, I strived to be an excellent all-round secretary.”

Lucas: “…”

So, now was… him taking his revenge?

“…You’re pretty nervous,” Lucas commented. Not a single sentence came out of his mouth without mistakes.

“No, I’m very calm.” Luo Ran leaned against the wall with his head down, not looking at Lucas.

A long time later, Lucas sighed deeply. “Luo Ran.”

“…”

“Luo Ran, I didn’t know it before. The first time I saw you, the first time I spoke to you, I didn’t know that you would become the person I loved the most in the world,” Lucas said seriously, word by word, as he looked at Luo Ran. “At the time, I didn’t know that you would be the only one I liked, the only one I wanted to cherish, the only person I wanted to have. If I knew, then I…”

Starlight shone through the windows and fell on Lucas’ severe features, casting shadows beneath his eyelashes.

Luo Ran’s heart skipped a beat and his mouth opened uncontrollably.

“Then you…?”

Lucas: “I’d definitely fuck you first! It won’t be like now with you dragging things out.”

“………”

Why do I have to talk to Lucas about this topic here, Luo Ran thought despairingly to himself. “Sir, it’s late… I’m going to bed.”

“Wait.” Lucas insisted on this. “Your answer!”

“My answer is — sir, stop making trouble, I’m your secretary, and I can only be your secretary,” Luo Ran replied.

Lucas pressed closer. “Do you not believe that I like you?”

“No, Admiral, I’m only your secretary.” Luo Ran lowered his head and said in a tiny voice, “I’m your secretary…”

A growl bubbled up in Lucas’ throat as he looked at the indifferent Luo Ran.

This bastard.

“Sir, I’m going to bed…” Luo Ran tilted his head away. “Let me go.”

“…”

Lucas released him with a darkened expression.

Luo Ran carefully inched away, and just as carefully approached his bed to get ready to sleep.

Lucas watched him lie down expressionlessly and without a word, until he pulled up the covers and closed his eyes.

“Asleep?” Lucas asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

“…” Luo Ran didn’t move a muscle as he pretended to sleep.

“Good, asleep is good.” Lucas raised an eyebrow. “If you’re asleep, you can’t argue with me.”

Saying so, Lucas simply laid down next to Luo Ran and hugged him.

Luo Ran: “…”

H-He made a mistake.

Lucas pressed Luo Ran closer as if wanting to melt him into his arms. He rubbed Luo Ran’s head, saying, “Okay, I’ll accept your challenge.”

Luo Ran: “…”

What did he do…?!

Lucas continued in a low voice, “I’ll officially pursue you starting today. I’m not your boss but your suitor, anyways, you’re mine either way. No matter who I am to you, you’re my wife.

“Husband is fine too, it’s just a title, but you’ll always be mine.”

Luo Ran wondered why he still wasn’t asleep yet.

He was flushed and hot all over.

Tonight, his boss told him, I like you.

I want you.

His boss said that his past self didn’t know how much his current self would like him.

His boss said that he wanted to pursue him.

Oh, I’m going crazy.

* * *

Not only was Luo Ran going crazy that night, so was the forum.

[Bump] Holy shit the admiral finally proposed to the secretary??! Pics or it didn’t happen!! Wonderful love!

[Serious] Collection of Eyewitnesses to The Marriage Proposal

@Autumn Rays, Winter Sun: AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! As soon as I opened the door I saw the admiral kabedon the secretary and about to kiss him, the secretary’s face was so red! Then the admiral proposed right in front of us brothers! The secretary was so shy that he ran away, but the admiral chased after him and said he wanted to be the secretary’s wife and husband! A wonderful love!

@XXX: I’m a janitor on board that battleship, today I was lucky enough to see the admiral and secretary chasing each other through the battleship, playing and flirting! The admiral even promised to marry him, saying he wants the secretary to give him a baby! A wonderful love!

@XXXX: A battleship officer here! Today I saw the admiral and the secretary pulling at each other in front of the secretary’s room, then the admiral was dragged into the room, then he spent the night in the secretary’s room! For shame! o(*////▽////*)q A wonderful looove!

@XXXXX: wtf it really is a wonderful love, a wonderfully amazing love! The competition for the name of the Empire’s excellent next generation from before has finished its prelims too, I think they’re onto the fourth round now? It seems like the top three names will come out after this fight! Right on time!

[Collection] A Sweet Romantic Tour of Phainon!

–The admiral and his secretary toured Phainon according to our most popular guidebook! Chocolate factory + Phainon’s great tree + Meteor Plains, if your date doesn’t go well, we won’t take your money!

@XXX: A native of Phainon here! Who knew that I’d be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Empire’s national CP in such a remote place! Today I, who works at XX Chocolate Factory, saw the admiral come in in high spirits to buy chocolate!

And the important thing is!

At the counter he asked me what chocolates are suitable for lovers!

It’s a wonderful love!

All in all, the admiral and his secretary are still very sweet together, and now they’re going to fight together!

[News] The Admiral and His Secretary are Going to Luobing to Intercept Interstellar Pirates Who Aim to Rob UNK!

[Blessings] Let’s wish the admiral and his secretary a smooth trip, let’s wish them luck and victory in their battles!

* * *

After a day’s travel accompanied by everyone’s well-wishes, their fleet arrived at Luobing’s borders.

“Achoo!” Luo Ran couldn’t resist shivering.

Neither his body nor his mental state had completely recovered, so his ability to keep warm was much worse than before.

It’s really worthy of being called Luobing’s frontier,* he thought.

He stood in front of a window on the battleship. When he looked out, the scene was that of an endlessly frozen wasteland covered by snow and ice.

Fine snowflakes fell from the sky onto a ground with nary a blade of grass, and all he could see was white.

Right now, they were still a distance away from both the pirates and the bitter-cold mine.

The pirates had probably already detected them, which was why they were moving so quickly in their direction.

Lucas put his jacket on Luo Ran, then curled his arm around his shoulders as he said, “I guessed they’d come here.”

“Mn,” Luo Ran nodded. After all, the mine was empty and difficult to defend, as was the spaceport; their respective fleets had both just entered the atmosphere so their positions weren’t the most ideal. “That’s good too.” In this way, the bitter-cold mine could be preserved — unlike the mine on M4.

Lucas chuckled, then turned to look at Wang Qiuyang. “Ready the fleet, we’re charging at the mine! Use the mine as our stronghold!”

“Huh…?” Wang Qiuyang’s eyes widened.

Even Luo Ran, who’d always understood Lucas, felt a little surprised at this.

“Yes sir!”

The Imperial warships rushed towards the bitter-cold mine together.

---

Author:
Ranran: My life is too hard, it’s too hard to be a secretary QAQ

Translator:
Methinks confessing in public has a high likelihood of giving exactly that sort of public pressure on the receiver. It’s a dick move, don’t do that. And the forum doesn’t make things any better either, the future really has no privacy huh.

Reminder that c58 will be the last chapter I’ll post for this novel.

Footnotes:
1. Luobing’s frontier [落冰边疆]: frontier of course invokes images of cold & suffering, while Luobing is made of the characters 落冰, meaning falling ice; the only way it could be more obvious is if it was named This Place Is Cold.

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After Luo Ran woke up and was accompanied through his rehab sessions by Lucas, he ate a very satisfying bowl of hot porridge. Before, Shen Xiluo had been worried that his body was too weak so his meals had all consisted of nutrient tubes.

The two sat face to face at the dining table, Lucas with a bowl of plain white rice and Luo Ran with a bowl of plain white porridge. It looked quite bleak, so much so that anyone looking at them might wonder if the life of an admiral was really so miserable.

“Admiral!”

They were halfway through their meal when Wang Qiuyang and several other adjutants barged in.

Wang Qiuyang jumped when he saw Luo Ran.

“Knock when you come in next time,” Lucas said.

“Uh, yes…” Wang Qiuyang rubbed his chin with a dry smile. Thankfully he hadn’t interrupted any steamy scenes, otherwise he might be silenced.

Over the course of several expeditions in the past, Lucas and his adjutants had developed the habit of not bothering to knock when they went into their rooms.But now that the admiral’s Secretary Luo was here… hehehe.

“What’re you in a hurry for?” Lucas ticked up an eyebrow. “Going to give birth?”

Wang Qiuyang went closer. “Sir, it’s not good, the pirates went to Luobing’s east district.”

“East district?” Luo Ran frowned. “The UNK mines?”

“Yes!” Freeman replied. “According to the projected route given by our scouts, their goal should be the UNK mine.”

There were two UNK mines which had been discovered and excavated thus far: one was on M4 which had been destroyed, and the other was on Luobing, close to a spaceport. If pirates wanted to raid it, there was a good chance that they would succeed.

“They’ve really gone crazy, are they trying to gamble their last hand?” Lucas sneered.

“Sir, we can’t let them take Luobing’s mines so easily,” Luo Ran said. “What arrangements are there on Luobing’s side?”

Freeman reported, “They’ve already requested help from the Empire, but His Highness the First Prince said to let Major General Mokka take the lead, and we should go back to the capital to rest.”

“Rest?” Lucas laughed in anger.

“Damn!” Wang Qiuyang snorted coldly. “The first prince is a maggot blinded by profit! For the sake of his little benefits, can he even give up the mine!”

“It’s not a little benefits, it’s a lot,” Freeman corrected him.

If the research into UNK continued, then as the leader, the first prince would naturally earn a lot; and if he then succeeded the throne, his contribution to the economy and the sciences would be a big advantage.

“Okay! Stop talking about the royal family,” Lucas said, waving his hand. “Go get ready, we don’t care about whatever orders they give! Tell Major General Mokka not to bother, we’re going straight there!”

“Yes sir!”

After the adjutants left, Lucas shovelled in the rest of the rice, then looked over to Luo Ran who’d already finished his food. “Since there’s still a bit of time, I’ll take you outside to take a walk.”

“Yes…? Are we going to patrol the camp?” Luo Ran asked.

“Just taking a walk.”

“…Purely a walk?” Luo Ran frowned ever so slightly. He didn’t understand why Lucas wanted to do such a meaningless thing with him. It would have made sense if they were going to an amusement park to relax like during his vacation, but now…?

“The scenery on Phainon is pretty good, and there’s a famous chocolate factory here,” Lucas said proudly. “I checked.”

“Okay.”

Just to see the scenery and eat chocolate…

This was too weird. There weren’t any objectives or anything, it was completely unlike Lucas’ usual style.

But since Lucas wanted to go, he might as well keep him company.

The two left the battleship and transferred to a hovercar.

* * *

The hovercar soon arrived at the chocolate factory. Luo Ran glanced at the plain and monotonous square factory, paused, then his gaze slid to Lucas.

“I’ll go and buy some for you.”

“Okay.”

Five minutes later.

As Lucas boarded the hovercar, he tossed a bag of chocolates at Luo Ran. “Done, there’s one of every type.”

He said it as if checking in while on a mission.

Someone who didn’t know what was going on would think he was conducting an investigation.

Luo Ran opened the bag mechanically, and started eating mechanically.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Next stop.” Lucas opened his terminal and frowned. “Phainon’s great tree, it’ll take ten minutes.”

Luo Ran: “…”

Luo Ran felt that something was wrong. He leaned closer to take a look at the terminal.

“What are you looking at! Sit properly!” Lucas reacted very quickly and hid the screen.

But Luo Ran had managed to catch a glimpse of the first line.

Luo Ran: “…”

[Phainon’s Romantic Getaway for Two! The 10 Best Places for Couples!]

Luo Ran: “……”

Was he crazy or was Lucas crazy.

Luo Ran hugged the chocolates and nestled in the hovercar’s cushioned seats, his face so red that it burned.

Chunks of dark chocolate liquor melted in his mouth, and its bittersweet taste stung on his tongue.

He clearly had a good capacity for alcohol, but now this little piece of chocolate was so potent that he felt dizzy.

No wonder, no wonder when he woke up, Lucas had been so… strange.

Can it be…

No, why?

Luo Ran felt a string in his mind snap.

Why…!

What kind of development is this!

“Does it taste good?” Seeing Luo Ran’s face turn red, Lucas stretched out a hand curiously. “Give me one too.”

Luo Ran clutched at the bag. “It’s good. I-I’m sorry, the last piece of chocolate liquor I ate.”

Lucas: “…”

Lucas rubbed his nose and said, “Did you see it, the terminal?”

“No.” Luo Ran immediately shook his head.

“Then we’ll go to Phainon’s tree now?” Lucas asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No need, I think we should go back…” Luo Ran, not daring to look at Lucas, lowered his head. He very much resembled a ripe apple right now.

Lucas smiled, then completely ignored his opinion.

Phainon’s tree, like the Empire’s tree of marriage, was a remnant from the time of ancient Earth. It too stood tall and unwavering throughout the ages, and so it became another symbol of romance.

It’s just that the one in the capital had people seeking marriage, while this one was for lovers wishing for a good life together.

Once the two got off the hovercar, Lucas followed the guide and bought a ribbon from a nearby stall, wrote his and Luo Ran’s names on it, and hung it on a branch.

“Task complete,” Lucas said stiffly. “Next stop.”

Luo Ran: “…”

“Okay.”

With Lucas being so stilted, it relieved a lot of Luo Ran’s embarrassment.

Just endure it for today, he thought, I’ll just pretend I don’t know what he’s doing.

Anyways, Lucas was the one who made this ‘date’ into a mission.

* * *

For the next stop, Lucas took Luo Ran to an open, remote space. The barren and flat land stretched as far as the eye could see, without a single blade of grass, but the sky above glowed with beautifully psychedelic colours. Unlike the plain night sky of the capital, the sky here was more like a painter’s colour palette, with purple, pink, and blue nebulae slowly drifting overhead as if in a dream.

“What’s going on?” Lucas frowned as he looked out the window at this quiet scene. “Didn’t they say you can see meteor showers at this time?”

He’d wanted to make the hovercar AI turn on the candlelights on the ship when the meteors fell, then he could take out roses and confess his love to Luo Ran.

He’d already practised his confession script.

99 roses to represent my dedication, a sky of meteors to represent my sincerity! Meteors may be fleeting, but my love for you will never change!

I like you, be with me!

This was what he found on the internet, and Lucas was very satisfied with it.

Luo Ran smiled dryly. “Maybe we missed it.”

“No way, right? Wait a bit more.” Lucas glared upwards.

Luo Ran reluctantly waited with him.

After a while.

“Admiral.” Luo Ran hesitated, then opened his mouth again. “Are you…”

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

Half an hour later.

Lucas thumped the window frame angrily. “The internet is full of liars.”

Luo Ran could only lean back on his seat and close his eyes to rest in preparation for the next battle.

They waited for a long time until it was clear that it truly wasn’t happening before Lucas indignantly brought Luo Ran back.

He also shot a fierce glare towards the sky as he left.

Luo Ran: “…”

Luo Ran let out a relieved breath.

—— XXX ——

Upon returning to the battleship, everything had been prepared, and their fleet was ready to leave M4 and chase the pirates down to Luobing’s frontier town.

They were about to take off. Luo Ran, eager to avoid Lucas, said, “Sir, I’ll go check on Lion One’s progress, I’ll see if it’s fixed yet.”

Then he slipped away.

Lucas wanted to follow, but he had to go to the bridge to set their route, so he could only let him go for now.

Luo Ran soon arrived at the repair hangar.

People came and went within the hangar, and they were all there for Lion 01; after all, the big guy was really complicated to repair.

“Secretary Luo, you’re here.” The leader of the mechanics was a male alpha about the same age as Xia Zhi who looked very scholarly, and was currently looking through some papers.

“We’ve troubled you, Mr. Qi,” Luo Ran said, knowing exactly how difficult Lion 01 was to work on.

“No trouble, it’s my honour to work on the ‘wife’ of the Empire’s god of war,” Mechanic Qi Wen smiled at Luo Ran, and then, as if thinking of something, hurriedly added, “I mean the concubine, please don’t mind, Secretary Luo.”*

“…” Luo Ran didn’t want to speak.

He turned to look at Lion 01. The big guy looked a little cramped here; its exposed parts and circuits where its arm had been cut off had already been repaired, but the new arm hadn’t been installed yet.

The arm was currently placed nearby. “The new parts need to be painted after they’re finished, but that would make Lion One’s old and new colours uneven, so we’re planning to simply repaint the whole thing,” Qi Wen said.

Luo Ran nodded.

With a smiling glance at Luo Ran, he continued, “The admiral came to see me personally yesterday, to tell me to use Lion One’s original colour, since that’s his lucky colour.”

Luo Ran stiffened.

Qi Wen looked back at Lion 01 and said with emotion, “Lion Origin and Admiral Alton fell in battle a long time ago. When Lion One was just made, wasn’t that the second year you were the admiral’s secretary? Your relationship hasn’t changed for so many years, I really admire it.”

Luo Ran was frozen in place. After a moment, he asked, “Lion One’s colour… is it really because of my hair? It isn’t a coincidence? It wasn’t the mecha master’s decision?”

“Huh?” Qi Wen frowned lightly, then asked in a surprised tone, “You don’t know?”

Seeing Luo Ran’s expression, Qi Wen hesitated, then explained helplessly, “That year, I was fortunate enough to accompany my teacher during Lion One’s design phase. When they were discussing its colour, my teacher asked for the admiral’s opinion, and after he thought for a while, he said to use the same colour as your hair.”

Luo Ran lost the ability to speak.

“My teacher specially brought me to look at your hair, and it really was beautiful. My teacher was very excited, he drew out the whole design as soon as he got back.” Qi Wen couldn’t resist taking another peek at Luo Ran’s long hair.

At the time, his hair was only shoulder length, it wasn’t nearly as long as now.

“Luo Ran!”

Upon turning, Luo Ran saw Lucas, who’d finished his official duties, striding towards him.

Qi Wen tactfully left.

Luo Ran was still a little unbalanced.

Things were going way beyond his cognition.

“Let’s go, you’re still not fully recovered, go back and rest.” Lucas grabbed Luo Ran’s wrist and dragged him back to his office.

The moment they stepped into the room, they saw the window light up.

Lucas was taken aback.

It was a meteor.

It turned out that they hadn’t missed it, tonight’s meteor shower was just delayed.

Countless bright lights streaked across the sky, trailing their dazzling tails.

Meteors fell like rain.

Luo Ran was rather surprised.

Watching meteors on a battleship in space was a completely different experience from watching it on-planet.

More beautiful, more shocking. In his trance, it seemed like the meteors were right in front of him, like he could touch them if only he stretched out his hand.

He could vaguely see an outline of the rocks within the meteors’ glow, but this hardly detracted from their beauty.

“Luo Ran, when I left on this expedition, I said that I had something to say to you,” Lucas said.

Luo Ran nodded. “Yes.”

Bang!

Lucas abruptly pressed Luo Ran against the window, caging him in his arms.

Luo Ran’s hands were raised above his head into a posture of absolute surrender, with no way to escape.

It made him feel both nervous and embarrassed, though he’d experienced this pose many times before.

“Admiral,” Luo Ran whispered, “let go…”

“It’s a bit late now, and not what I planned. However…” Lucas paused, then looked straight at Luo Ran, a little nervous.

The distance between them was close, very close, so close that their noses were about to touch.

* * *

Bang–!

“Sir! We’re ready to leave!” Wang Qiuyang shouted as he crashed in along with a large group of officers. “Us brothers are just waiting for you to go to the bridge and give the order! Admiral… eh?”

“…”

The most terrifying thing was silence.

Wang Qiuyang stared blankly at Lucas who was pressing Luo Ran against the window.

Oh, he thought, I’m done for.

Fuck.

“Wang. Qiu. Yang.” Lucas looked like a god of death.

Luo Ran thanked heaven, thanked earth, and thanked Wang Qiuyang. He broke free from Lucas’ restraint and smiled widely at the adjutant. “It’s nothing, you can say it.”

Wang Qiuyang: “…”

If the madam wanted the minister to die, the minister couldn’t not die.*

Greeting death like an old friend, he said, “It’s just…”

“You shut up!”

Unexpectedly, Lucas interrupted him. He smirked at Luo Ran. “Fuck! You think I’m too scared to say it with them around?! I’m saying it today even if lightning splits the battleship apart around us!”

With dread building in his heart, Luo Ran turned on his heel and ran away.

Lucas immediately chased after him, and with a sonorous and powerful voice, shouted at the top of his lungs, “Luo Ran! I like you, everything I did today was to tell you, I like you! Not the ‘like’ between a boss and employee, it’s the ‘like’ like I want to mark you! It doesn’t matter if you’re a beta or omega!”

Luo Ran: “…”

“Luo Ran, can you be my wife?”

Luo Ran: “…..”

Luo Ran ran faster, running straight out the office.

“Stop right there!”

Lucas chased him outside. “Or you can be the husband, I don’t care!

“Luo Ran!

“I like you, did you hear me?!”

The entire audience gasped.

Oh, gods.

It’s a wonderful love.

---

Footnotes:
1. Concubine [小老婆]: lit. little wife; contrasts with 大老婆 (lit. big wife), which refers to the official wife. Dates from the days when a man was allowed multiple wives.
2. If the madam wanted the minister to die, the minister couldn’t not die [夫人要臣死，臣不得不死]: a play on the phrase 君要臣死，臣不得不死, meaning ‘if the lord wants the minister to die, the minister must die’, mainly expressing that the minister/subordinate should be loyal. Based on Confucius’ writings so you know it’s to enforce class/status; the following phrase is 父要子亡，子不得不亡, meaning ‘if a father wants his son to die, the son must die’.

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Luo Ran didn’t know how long he slept.

It must have been for a long time.

But it was very comfortable. At first he’d felt cold, but then he suddenly fell into a warm embrace which was also filled with his favourite smoky scent, as if he was lying on a grassland, surrounded by the bitter yet mellow scent of dried grass.

* * *

“Get up!”

Luo Ran hazily saw Lucas glaring at him from atop a platform at the military HQ. The man wore a navy blue combat uniform, clean and neat, which showcased his smooth lines of muscle.

It was a dream, right?

Luo Ran went back to five years ago.

That was his second year as Lucas’ secretary, and also the second year after Lucas agreed to teach him how to fight.

He originally didn’t even know how to kick, but under Lucas’ inhuman training, he could now hold his own in a fight.

The only thing was that he had to report to the infirmary every day, if not with cramps here then with wounds there. He was hardly ever unscathed.

Luo Ran pushed against the ground and staggered up, then felt his body pounce forwards and throw a punch towards Lucas.

Thump!

Lucas easily stopped his fist and used his other hand to hit Luo Ran’s abdomen.

Luo Ran instantly fell to the ground. He clutched at his stomach, momentarily unable to stand.

“Get up! Keep going!” Lucas snapped. “Is that all you can do?

“It’s useless to have good looks in a fight, and it’s worse than useless to cry!” Lucas pulled Luo Ran up by the collar and lifted his hand as if to punch him in the face.

Luo Ran had no strength at all, but in desperation, he forced himself to block Lucas’ hand and threw himself forwards to strangle him by the neck.

“That’s better.”

Raising his leg and smoothly kicking Luo Ran off the stage, Lucas looked at Luo Ran who’d once again fell and said, “Get up, you can’t admit defeat, you have to overcome all obstacles.”

He taught Luo Ran self-confidence, taught him to go forward, taught him to not be afraid of anything.

* * *

“Get up!”

* * *

Luo Ran shuddered, then slowly opened his eyes.

“Luo Ran…?”

Lucas had moved aside to rest his eyes, but as soon as he saw Luo Ran’s eyes open a crack, he went up and hugged him in excitement.

“…?” Luo Ran dazedly stared at Lucas’ forbidding face which was magnified countless times, still a little confused.

His arms and legs were somewhat stiff, he couldn’t move, and his mind was empty, as if he’d just experienced a great catastrophe.

“Luo Ran, you bastard.”

Lucas gripped Luo Ran’s wrist as his chest heaved violently.

Luo Ran had slept for three whole days, and as time passed, Lucas felt like he would go mad.

Upon the sight of Luo Ran still confused and unguarded, he couldn’t help but lower his head and kiss those chapped lips.

“Mmph…?!”

Luo Ran’s eyes widened. As soon as he woke up and before he could realise what was going on, he received such ‘treatment’, which muddled him even more.

His breath was stolen away by the kiss. Lucas’ actions were both intense and rough, as if he wanted to tear Luo Ran apart and swallow him into his belly.

“Sir… W-Why…” Only when Luo Ran spoke did he discover that his throat was so dry.

Luo Ran grabbed at Lucas’ back, trying to resist but completely unable to exert any strength.

“Punishment.” After finally ending the kiss, Lucas held himself up with one hand on the bed as he watched Luo Ran pant for breath. “You little bastard, you can’t not be punished.”

“…?”

The next second, Lucas bowed his head again and harshly bit Luo Ran’s lips. As they exchanged air, Lucas pressed the back of Luo Ran’s head to deepen the kiss.

“Hurts…”

Luo Ran frowned deeply, trying to breathe properly.

He felt that he might have woken up wrong.

Then, Lucas gaped at Luo Ran who’d fainted in front of him once again: “???”

He anxiously pressed the emergency call button.

Shen Xiluo and several other doctors soon arrived.

Shen Xiluo glanced at Luo Ran whose lips were red, peeling, and even swollen, then looked at Lucas. “…” He pushed up his glasses. “Sir, although I support your relationship with the secretary in order to promote the Empire’s economy and complete the task of producing an excellent next generation, you can’t be such a beast.”

“…”

“What happened to Luo Ran…?!”

Shen Xiluo looked over the instruments, then pushed up his glasses again. “He’s fine.”

“…He passed out!” Lucas snarled impatiently. “You’re not checking on him?!”

Shen Xiluo could only go up and give Luo Ran a cursory scan, before stepping back and saying, “He’s fine, it’s just that he was kissed until he ran out of air. Admiral, you’re very fierce.”

Lucas: “…”

Luo Ran, who was pretending to be unconscious: “…”

Shen Xiluo wondered what on earth happened for Secretary Luo to fake unconsciousness as soon as he woke up.

Maybe there was some hope for the Empire’s excellent next generation?

Shen Xiluo rubbed his chin then said as if just thinking of it, “Secretary Luo will wake soon.”

Then he collected his doctors and left.

Lucas: “…??”

Still a little confused, Lucas sat back down.

Three minutes later, Luo Ran indeed woke up again.

“…”

The two stared at each other.

“You faked it?!” Lucas finally reacted, shouting, “You fucking lied to me again?!”

“…” Pointing to a cup on the table, Luo Ran whispered, “…Thirsty.”

“…”

While cursing under his breath, Lucas poured hot water, helped Luo Ran sit up, then personally fed him the water.

Luo Ran: “…”

Luo Ran had never expected to be treated like this. He lowered his head doubtfully and drank.

Yet Lucas’ expression was as fierce as ever.

After he finished drinking, Luo Ran spent a moment trying to gather his thoughts before leaning against Lucas to ask in a low voice, “What happened…? How long was I asleep?”

Lucas frowned. “Do you not remember what happened in the mecha?”

“The mecha…?” Luo Ran hesitated. “I remember we boarded the mecha, then I passed out in an explosion.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Mn, your spiritual state got another shock with the explosion.” He pulled Luo Ran close until they were back to chest so that Luo Ran could lean on him more. “Your spirit was unstable, so Shen Xiluo injected you with alpha pheromones.”

You little liar, let’s see how long you can pretend.

Keep pretending, keep pretending!

Heheh, I’ll look forward to it.

Lucas, who was planning his retaliation, deliberately didn’t explain anything.

“So that’s it.” No wonder I feel strange, Luo Ran thought. 

And Lucas’ pheromones made him feel very comfortable.

“Now, we’re at…?”

“We’re camped out above SAT-12, after you do your rehab, I’ll take you down for a walk.”

“Oh…”

“Luo Ran.” Lucas tilted Luo Ran by the chin until they could look each other in the eye, and said seriously, “Don’t do this next time.”

“What…?”

“Next time there’s danger, don’t rush up without care for your own safety, protect yourself first, okay?”

Luo Ran blinked.

“You can’t ever try to pilot my mecha again. The next time something like this happens, the most important thing is to protect yourself. If you’re ever this reckless again, I’ll beat you up,” he said.

“I… didn’t succeed, right?” Luo Ran asked nervously.

“No.” Lucas smiled until his eyes squinted.

Somehow, Luo Ran felt that Lucas was being weird.

Very weird.

He seemed to be angry, but he was also very gentle.

Gentle to the point of absurdity. This wasn’t like Lucas, he’d never been like this before.

“Admiral…”

“Hm?”

Luo Ran stared blankly at Lucas. “Are you okay?”

“Why would I not be okay?”

“…”

“Admiral, I can do it myself.” Luo Ran wanted to escape.

“Don’t move,” Lucas snorted angrily. “Rest properly.”

Luo Ran jumped in fright. “Okay…?”

He didn’t have the energy to think too much either, after all, his mental state wasn’t good, and with how comfortable Lucas’ pheromones were, he soon fell asleep again.

* * *

The next time he woke up, Luo Ran was much better.

Lucas was doing paperwork next to the bed. This time, he proactively poured Luo Ran some water when he saw that he was awake.

“Thank you.”

Luo Ran took the cup, then glanced at the pile of documents beside Lucas. “Sorry… I think I can go back to work after resting for a while longer.”

“…” Lucas said helplessly, “There’s no need.”

Lucas went closer and rubbed the back of Luo Ran’s head. “Does it still hurt?”

Luo Ran shrank back in embarrassment. “It doesn’t.”

Too strange.

This is too strange…!

“Okay, then I’ll help you do rehab.” Lucas pulled the rehab machine closer and helped Luo Ran stand up.

“I can do it myself,” Luo Ran said as he broke free, “I’ll do it myself…”

It wasn’t that Luo Ran was embarrassed.

He was mostly afraid that Lucas, this blockhead, would tear his bones apart.

If that happened, never mind the rehabilitation, even his life would be gone.

“Shush.” Afraid that Luo Ran would fall, Lucas stuck close as he supported him into the machine.

The machine was very simple. Luo Ran only needed to hold on to the bar as he twisted his waist and lifted his legs.

“Be careful.” Lucas pressed the machine with one hand to ensure it was balanced, and held Luo Ran’s waist with the other. “Let’s start, slowly, don’t force it.”

Luo Ran: “…”

Was he still sleeping? Was he dreaming?

“Thank you, sir.” Luo Ran looked away with his ears turning red.

The atmosphere was cosy and… not quite right.

Luo Ran paused, desperately trying to find another topic to dispel the ambiguous yet awkward atmosphere. “I vaguely remember something important happening as I was passing out. Rather than robbing UNK, the pirates seemed to be aiming more to assassinate you.”

“Yes,” Lucas said with a frown, “They’d also wanted to kill me before, but this time was different. Compared to profit-seeking pirates, they acted more like hitmen.”

Hesitating, Luo Ran suggested, “Could it have something to do with the changes in the capital…?” He didn’t say the rest.

Could it be that the first prince, seeing that he’d lost all favour with Lucas and guessing that he would support the second prince, had simply…?

Lucas raised his eyebrows. “It doesn’t have to be the first prince. To act at a time like this, anyone would think of him, so someone else might have wanted to kill two birds with one stone. After killing me, they could pit the first prince.” Then he added, “Of course, it may also be that the first prince knew we would think of this, so he just broke the boat.”

“There are others who might collaborate with pirates,” Luo Ran suggested.

Even if they excluded the highest-ranking officials, there were many people who had access to the Empire’s secrets.

“We can only start with Princess Zhou Mingzhu,” Luo Ran concluded with a sigh.

Lucas summarised how Zhou Mingzhu met with prostitutes.

“Prostitutes?” Luo Ran frowned.

How could a dignified princess meet with those people? Did Zhou Mingzhu herself know about this?

“I ordered Lu Cheng to ask her directly. If she doesn’t want anything to happen to her wedding, she has to tell the truth,” Lucas said.

“Mn.”

Coincidentally, just as Lucas said this, an encrypted message came from Lu Cheng.

Luo Ran finished half an hour of rehab and sat to rest for the time being.

Lucas turned on the projection screen to let Luo Ran read with him.

After a moment, Lucas frowned slightly.

When Lu Cheng showed Zhou Mingzhu photos of the three women, she was so scared that she honestly confessed.

Zhou Mingzhu had always been a noble princess, there was no way she’d allow herself to get into a scandal before marriage. Thus, she could only sign a nondisclosure agreement with Lu Cheng — she would tell the truth, but they couldn’t make it public.

Lu Cheng then recorded her statement, which Lucas now played.

“I… I used to have a crush on the admiral. It wasn’t anything special, most of the omegas in the capital would like him as long as their circumstances weren’t too bad. And my brother has a good relationship with him, so of course I knew him a bit better too. When the viscount — that is, Viscount Vincent — found out about it, he told me that he could help me get together with the admiral, and he said it so confidently too.

“I’d always wanted to meet the admiral, but never had a chance to. So Vincent said to find him at Royal Father’s birthday banquet and… confess.

“He said he found three makeup artists for me, that they would make me so beautiful that the admiral would definitely accept… After all, the admiral had just ended his engagement with Nina, and I, no matter how you look at it, I’m definitely better than Nina!”

Luo Ran and Lucas met eyes.

Vincent… was from the second prince’s faction.

Was the second prince the culprit?

But as someone from the second prince’s faction, how could he so blatantly connive against Zhou Mingzhu? It seemed more like someone was framing him.

The two kept listening.

“Vincent brought me to a room and introduced me to the three makeup artists, then he left. But then when I accidentally broke a teacup and one of the women leaned down to clean it up, I saw the glands hidden underneath her hair. I became a little scared, because… because there was a flower tattooed on the glands… everyone in the Empire knows that only prostitutes would have a flower tattoo there. I didn’t know what to do, I just ran…

“After that, I suddenly went into heat. I was so dizzy. I somehow went upstairs where I met the Zerg prince, and later he told me I’d been drugged.

“I’m afraid to say these things, since… Vincent and my second brother are close, I… I’m not stupid.”

Speaking of this, the princess became a little sad.

No matter whether it was the first or second prince, they were both her brothers. And yet they were willing to use her identity as a princess, as a female omega, to advance their schemes. It was no wonder that afterwards, she was willing to tacitly permit Zhou Mingkai’s plans, and even grew a bit closer to him.

Although Zhou Mingkai was ignorant and incompetent, he at least wouldn’t plot against her.

“So…” Luo Ran said as he frowned, “if I’m not mistaken, the mastermind originally wanted to drug you and then send Princess Zhou Mingzhu and the three women to your bed? But for some reason they didn’t do it in the end, maybe because you were resistant to the drug or because the princess escaped. And due to the drugs, the princess spent an amorous night with the Zerg prince.”

Then Mou Kadi was indeed a gentleman to not use this to blackmail Zhou Mingzhu.

“Moreover, Mou Kadi’s room was very close to yours. Her Highness only ran into him because the mastermind’s target was originally you.”

It was because Mou Kadi went out to get a drink that he happened to see both Zhou Mingzhu and, later, Luo Ran who went upstairs while wearing white.

Everything had a logical explanation.

“Of course, this is predicated on the fact that Princes Mingzhu didn’t lie,” Luo Ran said.

“Probably unlikely, she doesn’t have any need to, not unless she’s one of the ones behind it,” Lucas said, “and the chances of that aren’t high. She and Zhou Mingkai are the same, they’ve both been raised to die by the royal family.”

Luo Ran nodded.

He thought harder.

Why?

Why did Lucas have to have relations with Zhou Mingzhu and those three women?

A long moment passed as he thought it through, and his brows furrowed into a frown.

“Ah…!” Luo Ran clapped his hands, suddenly thinking of something. “Sir!”

“Mn.”

“Don’t you think that the reporters came too quickly that day?” Luo Ran asked. “Why did they come so fast, how did they know to interview you? And who let them in?”

Lucas frowned.

That was true.

“Maybe…” Luo Ran paused, then continued, “maybe the mastermind wants to ruin your reputation?”

–The Empire’s admiral took advantage of the royal birthday banquet to force the princess and some prostitutes to have an illicit affair, playing wildly all night, taking no one into his eyes.

If rumours like that spread, it would be a major blow to both Lucas’ reputation and his CP with Luo Ran, undoubtedly collapsing his image.

Not to mention that if he got addicted to drugs, he — an SSS-grade alpha — would be completely uncontrollable, so similar news would also emerge in the future.

“Heh,” Lucas sneered.

What a beautiful plan!

Luo Ran felt terrified.

If the scheme had succeeded that day… then everything would be over.

Fortunately, Lucas’ physique was strong enough that Zhou Mingzhu discovered it early, and…

Fortunately, he went upstairs, and the one who had a one night stand with him wasn’t someone who wished him harm, but himself…?

Wait, that seemed wrong.

Just when he wanted to speak, Luo Ran suddenly felt pain lancing through his head, so harsh that he fell to one knee.

“Luo Ran…!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He closed his eyes tightly as he gasped for breath.

Lucas hugged him with one hand and pulled out a syringe of medicine from his pocket with the other.

It had been almost an entire day since Luo Ran took his last injection, it was indeed time for another dose.

Luo Ran was a little surprised to see Lucas take out the medicine.

Had Lucas… put Luo Ran’s medicine in his own pocket?

After the injection, Luo Ran vaguely saw the scene behind Lucas change before his eyes.

From the barren monochromatic medical ward on a battleship, it became their office, the place they were most familiar with.

Familiar beds, familiar cabinets, the window sill covered in wisteria flowers, the desk piled high with paperwork — evidence of their presence was everywhere.

“Sir, we’re back in the office,” Luo Ran said blankly.

Lucas paused, then rubbed the back of Luo Ran’s head. “Yeah, you need to rest.”

Lucas picked him up and put him on the bed.

“Go to sleep, Ranran.”

Lucas imitated the nickname used by Xia Zhi and Luo Ran’s family.

Luo Ran froze. “What?”

“I said, go to sleep, Ranran.” Lucas pulled up the covers. “Good night.”

---

Author:
I heard the lion’s going to confess in the next chapter!

Translator:
Neon Dragonfly (neondragonfly.org) has very kindly offered to take over this novel after c58, so… hip hip hooray!

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Looking at the stars from a mecha was very different to looking at the stars from a battleship.

The stars seemed much brighter. Looking out to the vast universe from this tiny space through a tiny window, you would fully realise how insignificant you were.

Luo Ran wasn’t scared; he was even quite excited.

He’d never thought that he could one day sit in Lion 01, see this scene of the universe, and see how Lucas was usually like.

But soon there was no time to appreciate scenery. He saw rows upon rows of warships, belonging to the interstellar pirates who’d rushed over.

“Don’t worry, they’re still reeling from last time, there’s no way they can fight seriously,” Lucas smiled and raised his eyebrows. “You just watch.”

Lucas had always been confident and domineering on the battlefield.

Whether he won or lost, as the commanding officer, he couldn’t be timid.

He was the god of war, and would always be what the god of war should be — one man able to hold out against ten thousand.

Luo Ran quietly watched Lucas organise the army as he held the manual.

Lucas used both hands to control the mecha, and his whole attention was on the display which showed an overview of the battlefield. Blue dots represented their own forces, while red dots represented the enemy.

He looked at those bright dots and gave orders over the comms, controlling the direction of the army formation, grasping the overall situation.

It was the first time Luo Ran watched Lucas do this at such a close range.

Calm yet not cowardly, cautious yet self-assured.

A Lucas like this made Luo Ran unable to move his eyes away.

On the one hand, he observed the battlefield with Lucas, and on the other, he couldn’t resist resting his gaze on the way Lucas operated the mecha’s controls. From his mechanical fingers, Luo Ran’s gaze naturally flowed up to his sharp, distinctly handsome throat and chin.

Boom——

Boom——

Artillery fire focused on Lucas’ Lion 01, it seemed like he was the obvious target.

Perhaps it was because they knew their chances of victory weren’t high that the pirates were fighting so hard, like desperate wolves backed up against a cliff.

Huntsman, currently commanding his fleet, was trying his best to break out of the Imperial forces’ siege and doing his damndest to get to Lucas.

Lucas wasn’t afraid of him in the least but right now Luo Ran was with him, so he took care to skirt around the rear, not leading the charge as he usually did.

Luo Ran couldn’t help but remind him, “Behind…!”

He’d already noticed it. He manipulated the control column to bring Lion 01 into a vertical leap, neatly avoiding the gunfire coming from behind them.

“Admiral, you’re their target!” Luo Ran frowned.

“That’s to be expected, we’re both here,” Lucas said, also frowning slightly. “Wang Qiuyang, when will our backup arrive?”

“Sir! The reinforcements are currently at coordinates X6-Y1, ETA is four minutes eleven seconds!”

Although everyone in the team were elite soldiers, there were too few of them, so it wasn’t easy for them either.

In just a few minutes, pirates had surrounded Lion 01 in all directions.

“Don’t worry, backup is almost here, we can break out soon,” Lucas’ eyes glinted, “so just sit tight.”

Rumble——

Rrrrrrrumble——

All artillery fire was aimed at Lion 01, to the point that Luo Ran could barely see through the window for the smoke and muzzle flashes.

Lucas relied on his precise calculations to avoid the shelling. Under his control, Lion 01 didn’t look like a cumbersome mecha at all, but rather resembled a real life agile lion.

It required a heaven-defying level of spiritual power for anyone to make this hunk of heavy metal which ordinary people couldn’t even power up move so lightly.

“Careful…!” Luo Ran had also been calculating their enemies’ positions. He nervously pressed Lucas’ shoulder and called out, “Coordinates X4-Y6!”

Lion 01 used an almost-impossible angle to avoid a guided missile, utilising its flexibility to the extreme, but in the next second, Lucas was stunned.

A huge battleship endured artillery fire to come towards him, ignoring all attacks. Even when it was almost blasted into a burning wreck, it still insisted on charging him like crazy.

Although Lion 01 was able to avoid missiles, it couldn’t hide from a gigantic battleship disregarding its own life to rush at it as if in a suicide attack.

But even if it did hit and sacrificed both its structural integrity and everyone on board, it still wouldn’t do much damage to Lion 01 the mecha — what it was doing was meaningless.

Were the people on board crazy?

Boom———

The battleship indeed crashed into Lion 01 with a loud noise and violent shaking, it happened so quickly that they had no time to dodge.

When the battleship exploded, Lucas used one hand to maintain his mecha’s balance and the other to pull Luo Ran into his chest and cover his ears.

Boom——— Boom!

The explosion was so loud that it almost shattered their eardrums. The cockpit shook as if in a vortex, so much so that if it weren’t for Lucas’ quick actions, Luo Ran would’ve been thrown far away, and the booms would also have hurt his spirit.

“This bastard…!”

A light flashed in Lucas’ eyes. Now he knew why the pirates’ flagship was so determined — it was filled to the brim with a shocking amount of gunpowder!

Just the enemy flagship crashing into Lion 01 wasn’t enough to destroy it, but if the gunpowder inside also exploded, then…

But they couldn’t eject either; if they did, he and Luo Ran would be blasted into smithereens long before reinforcements arrived! Lion 01 was their bulwark.

Lucas held Luo Ran close as he manipulated the mecha.

Then, an incredible scene happened–

Lion 01 raised its left hand which held a sharp sword… and cut off its own right hand!

Its right hand fell, taking with it the attached battleship the moment the gunpowder within exploded.

Luo Ran watched as a crimson flower burst into existence beneath the mecha, blowing both the battleship and its separated hand to pieces!

All this happened in a matter of moments. After this series of inhuman operations, even someone as strong as Lucas felt a bit dizzy.

A few seconds later, another warship charged at them.

It must have wanted to repeat the trick.

Luo Ran’s breath caught. “Admiral!”

Lion 01 couldn’t lose another arm, they had to dodge!

These pirates are crazy…!

It wasn’t easy to build a battleship capable of withstanding the Imperial troops’ bombardment, and pirates weren’t rich in resources in the first place. How many lives and materials did they sacrifice for this?!

But on the other hand, if they could use these to exchange for Lucas’ life, then the pirates would have gained a lot.

“Admiral!”

They were out of time…!

Luo Ran broke free from Lucas’ grip and reached for the control column.

Whoosh——

Lion 01 narrowly avoided death with a weirdly stiff posture, and the battleship which missed them was soon shot down by the Empire’s other mechas.

After dodging, it seemed as if Lion 01 finally couldn’t hold on, and it fell uncontrollably.

“Luo Ran…!”

Lucas, now awake, took over control and steadied Lion 01.

Their reinforcements had finally arrived.

* * *

In the cockpit, Lucas, completely confused, hugged Luo Ran to himself.

Just now, someone forcibly connected to his spiritual power. It was only because it was Luo Ran whom he had no defence against and was 3S grade that it succeeded.

Lucas had felt as if he’d been electrocuted, and for a moment, the scent of white tea pierced into his deepest nerves.

He hadn’t rejected it.

Then there was a violent bump, Lion 01 moved under Luo Ran’s control, and they avoided the pirates’ battleship.

After this, he collapsed onto the console and lost consciousness.

“Luo Ran!”

Lucas picked him up, only to see Luo Ran’s chalky white face. A stream of blood trickled from his ears, flowing along the lines of his face and chin to drip down.

“Luo Ran…!”

Lucas vaguely understood something.

At this moment, Luo Ran was held in Lucas’ arms, shivering all over and looking like he was in extreme pain.

He was already in an extremely fragile state with injuries both physical and mental, now that it was compounded with how he forcibly broke into Lucas’ spiritual sea and took control of an unreasonably heavy mecha like Lion 01, it was no wonder he couldn’t hold on.

“Luo Ran, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…” Seeing Luo Ran like this, Lucas couldn’t help holding him closer, feeling ice in his veins.

He couldn’t panic.

Taking a deep breath, he turned on the comms and said, “Cover my retreat to the flagship! Dr. Shen go on standby, Luo Ran is hurt!”

“A-Admiral…” Luo Ran gripped Lucas’ clothing dazedly. His entire body trembled from pain, his back already soaked through with cold sweat.

At this moment, he felt as if someone had peeled back his scalp and was relentlessly hammering his head.

He’d never felt this way before. It was like something had blocked his perception of the outside world, making his mind so chaotic that he couldn’t understand anything that was happening.

“Luo Ran…”

Lucas used one hand to make the mecha retreat and the other to hold Luo Ran.

Luo Ran was still trembling.

The situation was critical.

Lucas took another deep breath, then lifted his hand to the back of Luo Ran’s neck, pressed him to his shoulder, and pulled down his high collar. There, he bit down on Luo Ran’s nape.

Sure enough, his teeth dug into a raised piece of soft flesh — an omega’s gland.

With the interaction between his pheromone disorder and spiritual collapse, the originally light scent of white tea burst out at this moment. If not for the fact that he was still on an active battlefield and had to control himself, Lucas would’ve been instantly brought into a sympathetic rut.

“Mmph!”

An alpha bit his most vulnerable place. Despite not knowing what was going on, Luo Ran still subconsciously twitched, then his whole body went limp.

As Lucas bit into the gland and poured his own pheromones in, he gently rubbed Luo Ran’s head to comfort him.

In his daze, Luo Ran faintly felt something invade him and take over his entire being.

It was a very strange feeling, but also very comfortable.

Luo Ran still hurt a lot, but the pain gradually eased.

What happened later, he had no idea. He completely passed out.

Lucas gave Luo Ran a temporary mark. He was still a little absent-minded as he looked down at the flushed, unconscious form in his arms. Only his muscle memory and subconscious reflexes ensured their safe arrival to the flagship.

“Admiral!” Shen Xiluo had long stationed himself at the landing pad with medical equipment and a stretcher. Upon seeing Lucas exit the mecha carrying Luo Ran, he immediately demanded, “What happened?”

“He…” Lucas opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to form words for a while.

When Shen Xiluo got closer, he understood the situation with a single glance.

He pushed up the frame of his glasses. “Fortunately you reacted quickly, and knew how to help Secretary Luo.”

Saying so, he directed Lucas to put Luo Ran on the stretcher and rapidly began first aid, injecting him with the necessary drugs.

As he watched Luo Ran’s pale face, Lucas thought to himself that Shen Xiluo was right.

He’d been a blind idiot.

---

Translator:
Gunpowder and explosives in space… Just… just ignore it… Is this happening in the atmosphere or something… but it’s not mentioned… suspend disbelief… (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻  I can’t ignore it! Author, at least use lasers!

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“The admiral…?” Luo Ran wasn’t just a little surprised. When he last spoke to Lucas, he had been only three hours away from M4 and now only a day and a half had passed, so how…?

Shen Xiluo and Lu Cheng supported Luo Ran back to the bed, where he dug out a bottle of painkillers from his pocket, swallowed a pill, and then waited for the pain in his head to subside.

This was different from ordinary headaches. A dull pain came from deep in his skull, depriving him of the ability to think. He had been fine when he was lying down and resting, but as soon as he had to focus on negotiating with the first prince for an extended time, his body couldn’t endure any longer.

“Yes!” Lu Cheng said. “Admiral really is back! He’s currently in the B4 system, already in Imperial territory!* Everyone in the Empire knows!”

Luo Ran rubbed his temples and leaned against the headboard. “He’s alone?”

“There’s a small team with him.”

“Colonel Lu!* Colonel Lu!” Lu Cheng’s radio once again transmitted the sound of the guard-captain below. “The first prince is going to force his way in!”

Lu Cheng’s eyes widened. Motherfucker, this guy’s too shameless!

“Colonel Lu! Major General Chen, Major General Mokka, and Lieutenant General Luo are here to stop them!”

Lucas was the head of the military and Luo Ran was his secretary, not to mention that everyone already tacitly recognised him as the admiral’s romantic partner.

Now that the royal family wanted to kidnap people, those officers at the military department each with tempers worse than the last naturally couldn’t sit idly by. They immediately brought their private soldiers here to help.

“Adjutant Lu.” Luo Ran, gripping the bed sheets, resisted the discomfort to say, “Don’t do anything!”

“Huh…?” Lu Cheng stopped.

“Don’t let our guards move, and more importantly, don’t let those people from the military department intervene!” Luo Ran said sternly. “Adjutant Lu, you go down and stop Lieutenant General Luo’s group right now! We must not do anything to injure the royal family’s people! Go, hurry up!”

The military department was already a sensitive topic, especially with how Lucas controlled more than half of the Empire’s military power. It would be bad if they ‘ran wild’ in the capital or, even worse, used weapons.

“Yes sir!” Luo Ran looked so serious that Lu Cheng became serious as well, and said through gritted teeth, “But, but if we don’t do anything, the first prince’s people will break in!”

“No, they can’t take me away,” Luo Ran smiled. “Isn’t the second prince also here? He won’t let me be taken away, that would mean letting the first prince ally with the military department.”

Lu Cheng was taken aback.

He didn’t understand it, but since Luo Ran said so, he’ll just do it!

Just as he turned to leave, Luo Ran pulled him to a stop and gave one last reminder. “Let the second prince help on his own initiative, you can’t speak to him or hint at him, much less ask him for help, do you understand?”

“Yes!”

After Lu Cheng left, Luo Ran’s breath became a little short, so he took another pill.

“Secretary Luo is still injured, the current situation is normal,” Shen Xiluo, who was standing nearby, said. “You just need to recuperate for a while.”

“Yeah,” Luo Ran nodded.

“I’ll remind you again — although the painkillers are effective, try not to take too much or else your body will develop resistance, and taking more drugs to overcome this will only hurt you in the long run.”

Luo Ran paused, then said, “I’ll do my best, but there’s no choice right now.”

Shen Xiluo pushed up his glasses by their frame. “As you are an SSS omega, my suggestion is to find a SSS alpha to assist you in pheromone soothing.”

“…” Luo Ran turned away. “Ah.”

He pretended not to hear it and turned on the radio Lu Cheng had left for him just in case.

As soon as it was turned on, he could hear a series of noisy shouts and collision sounds.

He frowned.

It seemed that the first prince’s people and the second prince’s people had started a dispute downstairs.

Luo Ran was on the hospital’s highest level, so he couldn’t hear anything directly. Everything was as peaceful as always up here, but things had already devolved into a mess down there.

He was silent for a moment, then turned and asked, “I’m a beta, wouldn’t it be fine if I went to the first prince’s lab?”

“Don’t even think about it, if you really went, do you think you can still hide your 3S omega identity?”

Although Luo Ran understood this rationally, he still felt uncomfortable just sitting there when it was so chaotic below, he wanted to solve this troublesome situation that happened because of himself.

Of course, he was most worried about causing trouble to Lucas and the military department.

“Ow…”

Luo Ran frowned and rubbed his head.

He couldn’t think anymore, thinking would only hurt.

“Secretary Luo, you lie down first,” Shen Xiluo said as he pressed him down, “stop thinking for now.”

* * *

At the hospital’s ground floor.

Neither the first prince nor the second prince showed their faces, they only sat in their respective hovercars and observed the situation.

The first prince’s guard-captain reached the hospital’s stairs before being stopped by the second prince’s guard-captain, and the two were in a stalemate for a while before the first prince’s guard-captain made the first move, wanting to use his shield to push his opponent out of the way.

The first prince was indeed in a hurry, because Lucas had already reached B4 and was about to arrive at the capital.

If he couldn’t finish things before then, he could only wait to be dealt with.

Zhou Mingyu was making a bet.

He would either draw the army to his side in one fell swoop and continue the experiments, or he would have to completely sever ties with Lucas.

“Please don’t interfere with official duties!” The first prince’s guard-captain shouted at the people blocking his way. “Secretary Luo hasn’t received adequate care and is unwell! His Highness wants to help him!”

Lu Cheng was nervously watching the situation from nearby.

He’d already persuaded people from the military department to retreat, but they were still guarding outside and refused to leave.

Bang——

Right then, the hospital’s main doors suddenly slammed open.

A tall and mighty man stood in the doorway with a terrifyingly fierce expression, his aura so overwhelming that people could barely breathe.

When Lu Cheng saw Lucas, he directly swore out loud.

He’s back…!

The admiral really came back!

Trembling with excitement, Lu Cheng ran up to him. “Admiral…! Secretary Luo said not to fight with the royals, so our people–”

Whoosh——

Before he could finish, Lucas unhesitatingly picked up a chair and threw it at the first prince’s guard-captain. “Why the hell’d I care about that!” he sneered.

The man’s expression was full of arrogance, resembling a lion with all its claws and teeth bared.

The guard-captain was knocked unconscious, and the scene went a little out of control for a while.

Lucas ordered his team to hold position outside, then leapt up the stairs himself with a sword in hand, shouting, “Everyone scram!”

With this, everyone was stunned.

Even the first and second princes came out of their hovercars.

The two entered the hospital, and what they saw was Lucas standing alone on the stairs, his condescending gaze, and the two teams who were previously entangled with each other standing aside. No one spoke a word.

“Don’t say our army is abusing its power in the capital! I’m standing here by myself, let’s see who dares to go up!” Lucas shouted. Then he directly pierced the sword into the ground with a boom.

Although Lucas’ sword was made out of the best materials that could be found in the Empire, both sharp and strong, how much strength did one need to be able to drive it into solid concrete?

The SSS-grade alpha unscrupulously unleashed his pheromones at this moment, completely crushing all the alphas and betas present.

Some people with lower spiritual strength had already started panting, unable to breathe freely.

The thick scent of tobacco swirled around them and pierced into their nasal cavities as if declaring sovereignty.

The second prince stood still, on the one hand controlling his breathing, and on the other hand watching this trainwreck in motion.*

Heh, he wanted to see how his beast of a brother could overcome this.

“Admiral…” First Prince Zhou Mingyu smiled and said, “Please calm down, we can find a way to cure Secretary Luo together.”

Lucas’ gaze fell on Zhou Mingyu.

Zhou Mingyu could feel the pheromone suppression targeting him, as if a pair of giant invisible hands were pressing on his shoulders, pressing him down until he couldn’t stand upright. The pheromones relentlessly invaded his mind, causing him stinging pain.

He silently resisted it, a few drops of sweat beaded at the corner of his forehead and he seemingly inadvertently held the table next to him for support.

“Zhou Mingyu, I heard you want to forcibly steal away my secretary?” Lucas sneered.

“You misunderstood,” Zhou Mingyu smiled. “It’s just that I noticed that Secretary Luo was forced to stay by Doctor Shen yet hasn’t received proper treatment, he was ill when we met. I originally wanted to understand the situation better in order to help, but who knew that Adjutant Lu would drag me out, so now I have reason to doubt Secretary Luo’s safety.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Mingyu continued, “I’m very willing to help, whether now or before. Admiral, matters on M4 haven’t yet concluded, it isn’t appropriate for you to be here. I only want to take care of Secretary Luo for you, give him the best treatment, and bring him to the research team so that we can work together to solve the issue of UNK’s future.

“Secretary Luo is a beta, he won’t be affected by the side effects of UNK radiation but his power can save both the Empire and all other alpha and omega.”

“Now you’re just spouting bullshit, like hell I’d care if he’s a beta or omega!” Lucas said as he easily pulled the sword out. “You won’t touch him!”

On the floor, numerous cracks surrounding a small hole were revealed.

As soon as Lucas pulled out the sword, the atmosphere condensed.

The first prince’s soldiers tensed and silently clenched their weapons.

Lu Cheng watched all this in horror.

“Admiral, you’ve misunderstood, no one wants to hurt Secretary Luo!” Zhou Mingyu maintained his dignified appearance, only when someone got closer could they see the sweat on his brow. He frowned, saying, “Who was it that sent you misleading information, causing you to leave M4 early to come here? You don’t have to worry, Admiral, Secretary Luo is–”

Before he could finish, Lucas roared back, “You take care of yourself! My secretary is my responsibility, now that I’m here, no one else can interfere!”

“Admiral!” Shi Xiuqi, who was standing at Zhou Mingyu’s side, said in a suppressed voice and a red face, “You, uh, you’re speaking with His Highness the First Prince! How can you be so arrogant!”

Boom——!

Then, everyone saw Shi Xiuqi’s chubby body flying out like a football.

Lucas had picked up a chair and threw it at him with overwhelming force, so Shi Xiuqi flew out along with the chair.

Shi Xiuqi collapsed on the spot with his arm at a strange angle, the bone had presumably snapped.

This man who only knew how to cater to others for the sake of interests was in so much pain that his eyes were filled with stars. He curled into a ball and shivered in fright, not daring to speak.

Zhou Mingyu’s face was a sheet of white.

How did he forget that Lucas had never put the law in his eyes, this was a lunatic…!

“What are you doing, Admiral?” Zhou Mingyu asked coldly. “Will you act rudely? Here?”

Lucas sneered. He wasn’t afraid.

“Admiral.”

Lucas stopped.

Hearing a familiar warm voice from behind him, he turned around to see that Luo Ran had come down at an unknown time.

Luo Ran stood with one hand gripping the stair’s railings and the other hand holding onto an IV drip stand.

He was now suffering from pheromone disorder and his spiritual power was badly damaged, so Lucas’ aggressive pheromones combined with the swirling mixture of other alphas’ pheromones made him feel rather uncomfortable.

But he worried that if he didn’t come down, things would become even more chaotic. After all, he’d been monitoring things over the radio.

It didn’t matter who acted first or why they acted.

If Lucas’ forces did something in the capital, the one in the wrong must be him, no reason needed.

“Admiral,” Luo Ran, bracing himself, called again.

Lucas immediately stepped forwards and supported him by the waist. In a low voice, he asked, “Why did you come here?”

Glancing at the people below, he gestured for Lu Cheng to deal with it, then accompanied Luo Ran back upstairs.

When he took a closer look at Luo Ran, he saw his chalky white face and his foot which was still covered in a cast. Lucas paused, then simply swung him into his arms.

“Admiral…!” Luo Ran only felt his feet becoming weightless before he was picked up.

“Hush,” Lucas whispered, “I’m back, don’t worry.”

This simple sentence made Luo Ran freeze.

Actually, even if Lucas didn’t come back, he still had a way of solving the problem, he wasn’t a soft target to be bullied at the mercy of others.

But Lucas did come back.

Luo Ran smiled. “Mn.”

Lucas carried him back to his room, where he dropped him on the bed. “Sleep!”

I understand what Shen Xiluo said, Luo Ran thought.

At first, he did have a headache, but now that Lucas, a 3S alpha, was here and not emitting aggressive pheromones, a tobacco scent surrounded him and invisibly soothed his injuries, making him feel very comfortable.

So when Lucas got up to go back downstairs, Luo Ran subconsciously reached out and grabbed Lucas’ sleeve.

Lucas stopped.

Luo Ran abruptly came to his senses and retracted his hand, then turned his head away and said, “I-I wanted to ask, what’s going on on M4? Why did you come back?”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “I won the first battle and came back after arranging things, now Wang Qiuyang is still there holding down the fort. Stop worrying, it’s just an M4. We can win no matter what we do.”

“Yeah.” Luo Ran lowered his eyes.

Lucas smiled, then sat down next to the bed again.

“Just let Lu Cheng take care of that mess down there,” he said. “Afterwards, I’ll take you to M4, we’ll leave at most three hours later.”

Luo Ran was taken aback. “Okay.”

“Go to sleep, don’t be scared.,” Lucas said, sitting by the bed. “I’ll stay right here.”

Lucas’ entire body was covered in dust, and he still carried hostility and filth from the battlefield. Truthfully, he looked a little out of place just sitting like this.

There was quite a distance between M4 and the capital. For the sake of getting here faster, it could be said that Lucas did absolutely everything in his power to speed up.

Luo Ran looked at Lucas’ sturdy and straight back. At this moment, he was using his terminal to contact Wang Qiuyang to follow up on the battle situation. He kept his voice low as they discussed countermeasures, presumably not wanting to disturb Luo Ran from slumber. 

Luo Ran’s heart moved. He got up, and then leaned against that wide, powerful back.

Lucas completely froze in place.

Luo Ran just slept against Lucas like this, not minding how uncomfortable his posture was.

And though Lucas still held his terminal, he didn’t dare to move, nor did he dare to speak.

With the warmth on his back, all the anger and frustration he came back with were smoothed away. They had only been separated for a few days, but he’d missed Luo Ran very much.

At this moment, he suddenly realised what he was feeling.

Lucas thought —

It’s over.

I fell.

—— XXXX ——

Three hours later, Lucas brought Luo Ran onto a warship, then set off for M4.

Before leaving, Luo Ran went to see Xia Zhi to report his safety. Shen Xiluo would also go with them; although he was worried about Xia Zhi, Luo Ran needed him more.

The first prince was unwilling, but he couldn’t stop them.

His options all disappeared the moment Lucas came back.

–He lost the bet.

No one thought that Lucas could use such a short time to conquer M4, then return so quickly.

It was insane.

On the warship, the prior scene was replicated — Luo Ran lay down, while Lucas sat nearby talking with Wang Qiuyang.

After a while, Lucas saw that Luo Ran truly fell asleep, so he got up and went to find Shen Xiluo.

“Admiral?”

Shen Xiluo was currently on the bridge, having a video call with Xia Zhi.

Lucas glanced at his terminal, then raised his eyebrows. “You reconciled with Doctor Xia?”

“Should be, I feel he’s treating me better,” Shen Xiluo said proudly. “It’s probably because I studied hard, and my skills finally satisfied him.”

Lucas: “…”

Fuck.

Lucas suddenly felt that he lost badly.

He and Luo Ran hadn’t even confessed to each other yet.

“Admiral, you don’t need to be discouraged, keep working hard.” Shen Xiluo encouraged Lucas very professionally.

“…”

Lucas snorted, then got to the point of his visit. “Luo Ran… is it really just a spiritual power problem?”

The expression on Shen Xiluo’s face didn’t change one iota as he pushed up his glasses. “Yes, it’s something unique to betas, resulting from resonance with the UNK’s electromagnetic field.”

“Can a beta really resonate with UNK?” Lucas frowned slightly.

He and Luo Ran had been with each other for so many years and they knew each other well.

But he suddenly wondered… Did he miss something?

“There has never been such a case before, but evidently, Secretary Luo did resonate with UNK as a beta,” Shen Xiluo said.

Lucas frowned harder.

In the time he recently spent with Luo Ran, the secretary would often act strangely as if seeing something that wasn’t there, and his reactions were slower.

His symptoms were exactly the same as those of omegas with pheromone disorder and spiritual power collapse.

“Could you have… misdiagnosed him?” Lucas asked slowly with furrowed brows.

“…” Shen Xiluo, feeling that his professionalism was being insulted, said sternly, “Admiral, please have more confidence in me. I won’t misdiagnose you even if you turn into an omega!”

“…”

“Else you suspect that your secretary is hiding his gender?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then you haven’t found anything even after so many years?” Shen Xiluo sighed and cast Lucas a sincerely loving look.

Although this question was to help Luo Ran hide his identity, it was also something Shen Xiluo truly thought. 

Lucas: “…”

“Shen! Xi! Luo!”

Just as Lucas was about to settle their accounts, the warship’s alarm suddenly sounded.

The alarm was so sharp that it woke everyone up. Lucas’ eyes froze, and then he reluctantly let go of his terrible friend and went to the monitoring room.

Adjutant Freeman, who had followed Lucas back on this trip, reported, “Pirates are chasing us!”

By now, they’d travelled for a day and were very close to M4. Presumably, these were pirates sent to reinforce their people on M4 and detoured to stop them by the way.

After all, the team Lucas brought was small and built for speed; the lower their defences, the faster they could move.

Lucas glanced at the red dot on the screen, then said, “It’s okay, we’ll fight them here and Wang Qiuyang will bring the rest of the army here to meet us.” He cracked his neck. “You stay here and wait for my orders!”

“Yes sir!”

Before setting out, Lucas turned to go to Luo Ran’s room.

Luo Ran had also been woken up by the alarm and had washed up, tidied himself, dressed, and was now ready to go at any time at Lucas’ instruction.

Lucas smiled and raised an eyebrow at this. “Oh? Secretary Luo, are you commanding the troops this time?”

Luo Ran only chuckled in reply. “I thought you would ask me to go with you.”

Lucas snorted a few times.

He’d guessed right.

Lucas worried that the pirates would be the same as last time, wanting to take Luo Ran as a hostage.

The main battleship he brought this time had few strong points other than its speed, so he would never be able to relax if he left the injured, mentally unstable Luo Ran behind on the ship.

He might as well bring him onto his mecha, where he could personally protect him.

“It’s just that the mecha will shake a bit,” Lucas said.

“That doesn’t matter, you don’t need to worry about me,” Luo Ran said seriously. “I can take it no matter how much it shakes, you pilot it as you like, Admiral.”

Although Luo Ran said so, since Lucas was bringing Luo Ran, he would naturally avoid the thick of the fighting.

“Let’s go.”

With his arm around Luo Ran’s waist, he brought him up the ladder and into the mecha.

Contrary to Luo Ran’s expectations, the mecha’s cockpit was rather spacious, to the point that he could lie flat.

Of course, he wouldn’t lie down.

This was the first time Luo Ran had gone into any mecha, so everything was very new to him. He kept looking around everywhere curiously.

The closed cockpit was well-lit, and the control panel in front was filled with dense buttons and other control surfaces.

Luo Ran found himself sitting on the warming cushion he gave Lucas before he left.

“How is it?” Lucas asked, “Is there anything uncomfortable?”

Logically speaking, this was an enclosed space, so Luo Ran should have been scared — however, Lucas was there and he could still see everything outside, so he felt quite good.

“Nothing.”

He picked up the operating manual placed inside the cockpit and endured his headache to read through it carefully.

“You don’t need to read that, you can’t pilot my mecha,” Lucas said as he activated Lion 01 with his fingerprints. “Mine is operated using pheromones and spiritual power, you don’t have them.”

Besides, other alphas couldn’t pilot it either. In this world, there were only two people who could: Lucas, and the omega who established a spiritual connection with Lucas.

“I know, I’m just curious.” Luo Ran matched the buttons in the manual to the control panel as he flipped through the booklet, looking very serious as he did so.

Luo Ran truly was curious.

Anyone would be curious about the one known as the Empire’s sharpest blade and strongest shield.

“We’re going,” Lucas said. “If you can’t get used to it, lean on me.”

“Okay.”

Lion 01 slowly rose, left the battleship, and rejoined the vast expanse of space at a steady speed.

---

Author:
Today’s is as thick and long as before! Ranran is going to pilot a mecha next chapter, so… eheheh he finally loses his disguise

Translator:
Why is the author so diligent… as much as I like it as a reader, I’m sick of translating 6k character chapters… (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

Footnotes:
1. He’s currently in the B4 system, already in Imperial territory [他现在还在B4荒星，但是已经在帝国范畴里]: each half of the sentence implies something directly contradictory somehow. I did my best.
2. Colonel Lu [陆队]: as far as I know 队 when used as a suffix refers to the leader of a squad of people (of nebulous size), so captain would be more correct, but damn I want more ranks than just admiral, adjutant, and captain.
3. Watching the trainwreck in motion [隔岸观火]: lit. watching a fire from the opposite bank [of a river]

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Luo Ran was having a dream.

It was very dark — he seemed to be in a spacious but not especially well-lit place.

Where… is this?

Then, he saw a light source in the distance, which was particularly obvious in the darkness.

He was irresistibly drawn to that silvery light mixed with dazzling scarlet.

Following this light, Luo Ran came to a cave where the walls were covered with countless glowing stones with red lines.

These had been named UNK because they were an ‘unknown’ type of ore.

This was a cave filled with UNK.

UNK from both Luobing and M4 were hidden deep within mines and needed intense digging to find, completely different from this cave where UNK lay around like common gravel.

Luo Ran reached out to stroke the stone, only to feel a shudder go through his body. Then his eyes opened and he woke up.

“Secretary Luo.”

The first thing Luo Ran saw was Shen Xiluo, standing nearby and holding a file in his hands. Shen Xiluo’s features were originally stern, and now they were even more solemn.

After all, Xia Zhi had also been injured in the blast, but Shen Xiluo couldn’t accompany him due to work responsibilities.

It wasn’t only Shen Xiluo there. Also present were various research institute staff, the first and second princes, as well as several Council members.

Luo Ran looked around and found that he was currently in a VIP room of the Capital Hospital, which was Shen Xiluo’s territory.

He felt both surprised and confused.

What happened?

He tried to move his body, then sat up and leaned against the headboard.

There was pain emanating from all over his body, presumably from the fall, and he was definitely affected by the explosion, but it was mostly just some superficial scrapes and burns. The most seriously injured part was his left leg, which was in a thick plaster cast. It must have fractured.

Somewhat impatiently, Shi Xiuqi said, “Secretary Luo is awake, we can start the experiment now!”

He instructed someone to bring a tray over, on which was placed a piece of unrefined UNK.

Having just woken up, Luo Ran’s mind whirled as he tried to understand.

Just what is happening?

“Secretary Luo, when you fell, you coincidentally fell on a bag of UNK, which melted upon contact,” Shen Xiluo said.

“…!”

Luo Ran’s heart skipped a beat.

Then his omega identity…

“This is a major discovery, a great leap forward!” Shi Xiuqi’s entire face was flushed with excitement as he said tremblingly, “If a beta can refine UNK with only their bodies instead of with spiritual power, then all our problems are solved!”

“Yes,” the first prince smiled, “and the number of beta is much higher than alpha and omega. If beta can refine UNK, then there wouldn’t be the current issues with spiritual collapse either.”

Luo Ran paused, then calmly put away all his words and expressions.

It seemed that Shen Xiluo was the one who treated him and Xia Zhi when they fell unconscious and he didn’t allow anyone else to interfere while he himself didn’t say anything, so his omega status was still hidden.

Luo Ran glanced at Shen Xiluo, who looked as professional as ever.

The UNK ore was placed in front of Luo Ran, as were everyone’s gazes.

Luo Ran still leaned against the headboard, a little hesitant.

“You don’t need to worry, Secretary Luo,” Shen Xiluo pointed out, “Just do it.”

After a few seconds, Luo Ran gently laid his hand on the ore.

Then, a miracle happened.

No one in the room could help being amazed.

They saw the silver stone began to crack starting from the place under Luo Ran’s hand, then it slowly turned into a thick liquid substance until the entire outer layer of the UNK disappeared, leaving behind a tiny piece of essence.

Luo Ran himself was also stunned.

…What is this?

“Oh Heavens, you’re clearly not an omega but how can you still…!” Shi Xiuqi’s eyes shone. “Secretary Luo, after you recover, please be sure to participate in the experiments!”

“Director,” Shen Xiluo interrupted in a steady voice, “Secretary Luo can only resonate with the UNK like this because his body was changed by the electromagnetic fields induced by the explosion. However, this resonance will not last long — it will disappear in two days at most.”

Shen Xiluo’s serious demeanour, paired with his figures and data as well as his well-known familiarity with spiritual power, ensured that no one doubted his words.

Then he opened a report to explain his points one by one.

“Betas have no spiritual power, so they are especially vulnerable to UNK radiation. This is especially true for the incident at the spaceport, where the mass UNK explosion caused a magnetic field around the entire area.”

One-third of the packages at the spaceport were swapped for explosives, but that still left two-thirds as UNK.

“In any case, let Secretary Luo have a good rest for now,” Shen Xiluo said. “The explosion and resonance caused some damage to his brain and he will inevitably have some symptoms, so he needs to take it easy.”

Shi Xiuqi originally hadn’t wanted to leave, but after a glance from the first prince, he could only obediently go out.

When only Shen Xiluo and Luo Ran remained in the room, Shen Xiluo immediately said, “Secretary Luo, some people already suspect you’re an omega.”

Luo Ran frowned.

“But you can’t expose it, especially not in the current situation. The admiral isn’t here and the first prince’s people can’t wait to use you for experiments even though you’re a beta — if you become an SSS-grade omega, they would only become more extreme.”

Maybe even to the point of outright robbery.

Luo Ran raised his head and said sincerely, “Doctor Shen, thank you, thank you very much for not saying…”

“I knew the first time I saw you that you are an SSS-grade omega,” Shen Xiluo said slowly.

As a skilled doctor and pheromone researcher, he could tell with a single glance what gender people were, but he wouldn’t proactively mention it.

Luo Ran was taken aback.

Then, he suddenly stopped talking.

He just stared forward in a daze with empty eyes.

“Secretary Luo?” Shen Xiluo frowned slightly.

Luo Ran didn’t react.

“Secretary Luo.” Shen Xiluo accurately tapped Luo Ran’s temple, causing him to shudder and come back to his senses.

“Why did I…”

“It’s normal.” Shen Xiluo dragged a chair closer, sat down, then seriously explained, “Secretary Luo, I will now tell you your actual situation.

“You have refined UNK but your spiritual power is SSS-grade, so the side effects will take longer to show themselves — unlike other omega, your body will not immediately send signals to indicate maladaptiveness. This explosion can be regarded as a trigger.

“The UNK explosion did cause resonance, but it was your pheromones which resonated. I don’t know what will happen because this has never happened before. I can only judge that for an unknown reason, your spiritual power is very compatible with UNK.

“This, in addition to the pheromone resonance, led to you being able to melt UNK with your bare hands. It is currently unknown how long this state will last. At the same time, your spiritual consciousness suffered secondary trauma caused by a violent external force, so you will also suffer symptoms such as delirium, fatigue, and migraines.”

Luo Ran indeed felt a little tired, he had to make an effort to understand Shen Xiluo’s long speech.

Pausing for a moment, Shen Xiluo then handed two bottles of medicine to Luo Ran. “These are the medicines you need to take. One is for stabilising your pheromones, two pills a night. The other one is a painkiller, take it as needed.”

“Thank you.”

“Rest well.”

Shen Xiluo left after taking care of Luo Ran’s side, he still wanted to see Xia Zhi.

After he left, Luo Ran stared blankly at his white ward.

As the smell of disinfectant filled his nose, he suddenly missed the scent of earth.

He thought to himself, maybe he was too used to smelling tobacco.

Luo Ran supported himself with the IV stand to get up, wanting to open the window, but when he looked up, he saw that the originally empty window sill was now filled with hanging wisteria flowers.

It was exactly the same as the wisteria in the office.

So beautiful.

He kept looking at it absent-mindedly until his terminal beeped and vibrated with a notification.

Luo Ran picked it up.

“Luo Ran.”

It was Lucas’ voice.

Luo Ran paused.

“Luo Ran.”

“Oh, Admiral.”

The familiar voice coming from the terminal suddenly made Luo Ran feel relieved.

When he looked up again, the wisteria flowers were gone.

“Luo Ran, how are you?” Lucas asked, his voice low and hoarse. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” Luo Ran spoke slowly, trying to organise his words. “It’s only flesh wounds. My left leg is broken but it doesn’t hurt after injecting anaesthetics.”

Lucas was silent for a while, then: “Did they make things hard for you?”

“No.” So far, Luo Ran hadn’t felt anything significant was happening, but he guessed that it must have become chaotic outside and the two sides must have quarrelled again.

“Luo Ran, you wait for me to go back. I want to see who can bully you.”

“Okay,” Luo Ran couldn’t resist smiling.

“Wait for me.”

“Mn.”

Lucas made a serious vow to Luo Ran.

When the call ended and he put down the terminal, Luo Ran noticed that the wisteria flowers had completely disappeared.

–When he thought of him, the wisterias bloomed.

But after the call, there were no wisteria flowers left. Luo Ran peacefully lay down and continued sleeping.

* * *

Thump!

Lucas, who just finished the call, harshly slammed his fist on the railing in front of him.

The railing shook and dust scattered around it.

Wang Qiuyang stood next to him not daring to speak.

This had to happen just when they left.

His chest violently heaved up and down.

“Should we… turn back? Or after we land at M4, I and the other adjutants can take care of things and Admiral can take a small team back.” Wang Qiuyang straightened. “I will bring victory to the Admiral at any cost!”

Grasping the railing, Lucas closed his eyes for a long moment, opened them, and then said in a suppressed voice, “No need. Current ETA is three hours, let the warships go faster.”

Then, Lucas turned and strode away from the bridge.

“Finish it quickly! Fight earlier and we’ll go back earlier!” The hostility in Lucas’ eyes was so thick that even an alpha like Wang Qiuyang couldn’t control his fear.

* * *

Elsewhere, Shen Xiluo hurried downstairs after finishing Luo Ran’s file.

When he pushed open the door to Xia Zhi’s ward, he saw that Xia Zhi was already awake and undergoing a physical examination under the care of several other doctors.

Shen Xiluo went closer, pushed up the frame of his glasses, and said, “I’ll do it.”

Xia Zhi glanced at Shen Xiluo and took a deep breath. “No need, it’s done.”

Luo Ran had protected Xia Zhi rather well when they fell, so he didn’t receive any serious injuries and even had quite a bit of energy now. 

After the other doctors left, he immediately grabbed Shen Xiluo.

“How is Ranran? He’s an omega…”

Xia Zhi’s hands were shaking. As soon as he woke up, he heard that Luo Ran could melt UNK with his bare hands, which scared him half to death. He originally suppressed it because he didn’t want others to see through him, but now that he saw Shen Xiluo who also knew this secret, he couldn’t bear it anymore.

“He’s fine, I covered it up,” Shen Xiluo said, holding Xia Zhi’s hand. “He’s been prescribed Mental Stabiliser DX-56.”

Xia Zhi let out a breath. “As long as he’s fine, as long as he’s fine…” He lowered his head. “It’s all my fault…”

“First, this isn’t your fault, because you participated in neither the bomb’s making nor its installation,” Shen Xiluo stated seriously, “second, Luo Ran being fine doesn’t mean the situation is fine, this turmoil isn’t over yet.”

“Huh…?”

Shen Xiluo sat on the edge of the bed still holding Xia Zhi’s hand, and Xia Zhi was so focused on Luo Ran that he didn’t notice anything was wrong.

“People with the first prince and second prince have surrounded the hospital, just waiting for an opportunity,” Shen Xiluo said. “Shi Xiuqi hasn’t left either, he’s still downstairs.”

“…?” Xia Zhi was confused. “Why?”

“The first prince wants the research into UNK to continue, so he wants Secretary Luo to join the research institute — he’s ready to kidnap him at any time. The second prince is the opposite, he’s here to stop the first prince,” Shen Xiluo paused for a moment, then continued, “and do the admiral a favour by the way, hoping to win him over.”

Xia Zhi was shocked for a moment when he heard this, then when he ran to the window to see, indeed, there were soldiers standing outside the hospital.

“Asshole…” Xia Zhi glared. “This is a blatant threat! He’s threatening Ranran!” He paced back and forth, saying, “What if we announce Ranran’s SSS-grade omega status? The Empire has always protected omega, not to mention 3S-grade.”

“You’re too naive.” With a voice as dead as stagnant water, Shen Xiluo analysed, “The Empire protects omega because they are weak, but also because they can use spiritual power, and the stronger the power, the more they are protected, precisely so they can be used in times like this.”

Xia Zhi’s entire body stiffened.

Shen Xiluo continued, “We can put it off now because Secretary Luo is a beta. But that changes if he’s an omega. It would be inevitable to be caught and repeatedly injected with UNK in order to find the secret of melting UNK with his hands.”

“…The law prohibits inhumane experiments like that!” Xia Zhi trembled.

“The law is what the royal family and the Council say it is, and experiment proposals go through the research institute director.”

“Then… is the first prince not afraid of the admiral coming back and dealing with him!”

The two princes were obviously competing for Lucas’ power before.

“If Secretary Luo really joins the research team, then not only will the admiral not ‘deal with him’, but he will automatically join the first prince’s camp and participate in the experiment. Else why do you think the second prince is so anxious to stop it?”

Xia Zhi sat heavily and cracked his knuckles one by one. “Shen Xiluo, what do we do, Ranran is a 3S omega, I don’t know why he’s so familiar with UNK, but we can’t let them take him away… if they inject him with UNK, you know what’s going to happen! His spirit is already damanged!”

“Mn,” Shen Xiluo nodded, “I will do my best.”

He put his arms around Xia Zhi’s shoulders stiffly, as if trying to comfort him.

Xia Zhi blinked in surprise for a few seconds, and when he recovered, he looked at Shen Xiluo strangely.

“You…” The corners of Xia Zhi’s lips twitched upwards. “You’ve changed quite a lot.”

“Do you like it?”

“…You weren’t so kind before. When something like this happened, you would only put the Empire’s interests first, like a robot without emotion. I thought you would say that, then…”

“Is that one of the reasons why you broke off the engagement with me back then? Apart from my bad skills.”

With Shen Xiluo suddenly saying that, Xia Zhi froze again. “I…”

Shen Xiluo interrupted him. “So I changed, I’ve been studying hard in the last few years.”

“By watching porn?” Xia Zhi asked, torn between laughing and crying.

“Intimacy is the emotion most intuitive for humans to express, this is also within my scope of study.”

Xia Zhi: “…”

Shen Xiluo gazed seriously at Xia Zhi. “If I do well this time, would you consider having dinner with me?”

“…” Xia Zhi, smiling, said lightly, “That depends on your performance.”

—— XXXX ——

“Secretary Luo…!”

This sleep of Luo Ran’s lasted a day and a half. By the time he woke up, Lu Cheng, who had been guarding the door, had come in.

Luo Ran pressed at his temples, forced himself to concentrate, and asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you here?”

“Report! It’s the admiral who asked me to come, to protect you!” Lu Cheng said.

“Protect me?” Luo Ran slowly frowned.

“The first prince dispatched his personal soldiers to guard outside the hospital, and the second prince did as well,” Lu Cheng said. “Please believe in me, Secretary Luo! No one can kidnap you while I’m here!”

“Did you also bring troops?” Luo Ran had a bit of a headache.

This was the capital, so they wouldn’t break out into open combat and this was just using private soldiers such as bodyguards to suppress others, but the current situation still wasn’t ideal in the least.

And this was all due to him.

A pause later, Luo Ran ordered, “Arrange something for me, I’ll talk with His Highness the First Prince or Director Shi. Don’t let things get worse.”

“This… Yes sir.”

After a while, Zhou Mingyu himself came alone, perhaps to show his sincerity.

“Secretary Luo, are you feeling any better?” Zhou Mingyu dragged a chair closer to the bed and sat down, smiling. “I originally wanted to send a few nurses to help take care of you, but Doctor Shen insisted on doing everything himself.”

“Having Doctor Shen is enough,” Luo Ran also smiled.

“Secretary Luo, allow me to get straight to the point,” Zhou Mingyu said. “My goal is simple — I hope that you can cooperate with the research team, find out how a beta can refine UNK, bring the Empire higher, and save the other alpha and omega.”

Luo Ran said nothing.

“Secretary Luo, you know that I… that in my heart, you’re different.” Zhou Mingyu poured Luo Ran a cup of warm water. “I will look after you and ensure your safety.

“Can you believe me?”

“…Your Highness.” Just as Luo Ran wanted to say something, he felt a sharp pain in his head, and then his vision fell into chaos.

“Secretary Luo…!”

“Secretary Luo!”

Two people who were waiting outside, Lu Cheng and Shen Xiluo, abruptly rushed in.

“Your Highness, Secretary Luo’s mental state isn’t good now, can you step out first…!”

Luo Ran hadn’t thought that this would happen so suddenly either, apparently, he couldn’t concentrate for too long before his spirit wasn’t able to hold on.

“Apologies…” Luo Ran pressed his forehead. “Can I contact you later by terminal?”

Zhou Mingyu hesitated, but in the end, he still left.

Not long after, Lu Cheng received a call for help on his radio.

One of the guards stationed outside shouted, “The first prince’s people have a doctor here and want to go in, saying they’re here to pick the secretary up for treatment!”

“…” Lu Cheng’s eyes narrowed as he shouted back, “Don’t let them in!”

Five minutes later.

“The admiral is back…!”

Luo Ran vaguely heard this sentence and was stunned.

What?

---

Author:
Write a little plot this chapter, next chapter will be sweet!

Translator:
I’m so done with the author’s aversion to naming things

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“Luo Ran!”

Lucas was still chasing him, just as fiercely as before.

Luo Ran covered his ears as he ran. Two grown men — one an admiral of the Empire, the other one of the best secretaries of the empire — ran downstairs one after the other, making all the guards shocked stupid.

Soon, Luo Ran boarded his hovercar and successfully escaped.

All in all, although Luo Ran thoroughly lost this battle, now he at least knew that the messes his previous dates turned into… really were done by Lucas.

But even if Lucas wanted to make things difficult, he would at most blacklist them.

However, Yu Han’s mother was originally in contact with Luo Ran’s parents, yet now even Yu Han’s family members refused to get close.

It shouldn’t be… right?

Although Lucas was stubborn, his personality wasn’t that barbaric.

Luo Ran felt as if he was missing something, but romance wasn’t a priority for him, so he let it go.

…Lucas was the bigger problem right now.

Their relationship seemed to be gradually getting out of control, and now…

Luo Ran covered his face and burrowed into the hovercar’s sofa.

Oh dear.

But in just two days, neither of them had the time to talk about this.

–Something happened at the UNK Special Research Centre.

An alpha who was injected with UNK suddenly went berserk and his spiritual power collapsed, injuring two beta researchers and an omega refiner. The two beta only had superficial wounds, but the omega’s spiritual power was damaged and they fell into a coma.

Not everyone could be as lucky as Luo Ran. Most omega who suffered damage to their spirit had issues ranging from mental illness to becoming a vegetable for the rest of their lives.

Omega going through spiritual power collapse would experience hallucinations, severe migraines, muscle weakness, and so on, while alpha were the opposite — they would lose their rationality and self-control, and attack everyone around them as if they’d gone crazy.

The alpha who went berserk, a researcher at the centre who volunteered to become a research subject, had already been subdued and was now undergoing treatment.

And the injured A-level omega was the youngest child of Major General Mokka. Major General Mokka’s family had no intention of letting this pass and had already brought a lawsuit against the research centre, intending to fight with the government until the end.

Lucas was the head of the military, so the big leaders all listened to him.

And he wouldn’t be just a bystander once something like this happened.

As Lucas’ representative, Luo Ran was currently speaking for him at a conference.

“This person is Ann Mokka,” Luo Ran said, gesturing to a photo projected behind him. “As everyone knows, the Empire’s laws are biased towards protecting the weaker omega, so if the government doesn’t give an adequate explanation for this incident to the Mokka family, I fear it will chill the hearts of everyone in the military.”

Director of the Research Institute Shi Xiuqi, a slightly chubby middle-aged man, frowned. “Just arrest the alpha who went berserk and charge him according to the law, let him make reparations.”

That alpha was an ordinary civilian, he had no worries about dealing with him.

After a pause, Luo Ran’s brows furrowed as well. “It isn’t entirely the alpha’s fault, it was only because he was injected with UNK that he lost all rationality and judgement — to lay all blame at the feet of the alpha because they are innately stronger would also be an injustice. In the researchers’ opinion, this event is the fault of the experiment, and UNK should not be used by humans.”

Next, he presented the alpha’s psychoanalysis report, which showed that the incident wasn’t intentional.

The alpha also stated that he was willing to pay compensation to Ann Mokka, whether through monetary means or pheromone soothing — in summary, he would do his best to cooperate with all of the Mokka family’s requests.

“So the problem isn’t the person, but the things involved.” Luo Ran then presented reports from the project manager, Xia Zhi, and the representative of the medical department, Shen Xiluo.

“Doctor Xia is in charge of the project’s security, and Doctor Shen is in charge of the staff’s safety. Now, they’ve both made it clear that this project is not suitable for further research.”

The data in the report was very clear. Xia Zhi and everyone had worked through the night to produce it.

It stated that UNK could provide six times as much energy as a normal ore, but at the same time, the radiation it emitted could destroy an alpha or omega’s spirit.

And since it couldn’t be refined by machines, this meant that they could no longer use UNK in the future.

“This…” Shi Xiuqi glanced at the eldest prince Zhou Mingyu, frowned, then said, “This was just an accident, a unique event, it doesn’t mean everyone would be affected by the UNK radiation.”

“Please read this section of the report,” Luo Ran said as he pointed to the projection screen, “Doctor Shen has conducted numerous tests on both the immediate damage and long term consequences of UNK radiation on the human body.

“It is an indisputable fact that chronic exposure to UNK leads to spiritual collapse and even death for alpha and omega. There is currently no cure, but this does not exclude the possibility that there will be one in the future.”

“Yes, there are side effects,” Shi Xiuqi acknowledged, “but it isn’t as if you don’t know the great benefits of UNK either. We can’t stop just because of a single accident. I’m younger than Doctor Shen and Doctor Xia — if they don’t dare to continue, I dare.”

The second prince, Zhou Mingjing, frowned. “Our energy was sufficient even before we had UNK.”

“That’s true, but we do have UNK now. Are we going to give up technological progress?” Shi Xiuqi asked. “Since we can be better, why stop here?”

Two factions soon emerged due to the UNK issue —

One party insisted on continuing to develop the UNK, led by the eldest prince. This group also included Shi Xiuqi and Lucas’ brother Cyril.

The other party advocated giving up the UNK and keep using the previous ores in order to protect the spirits of alpha and omega, led by the second prince.

The Empire was already somewhat divided due to the issue of imperial succession, but now, this became much more obvious.

Luo Ran was also a little surprised that the second prince, who was once part of the military and had a tough and unyielding personality, would choose to protect people at this time.

Or perhaps it was as Lucas said — that it was precisely because he experienced battle that he treasured lives more.

However, Lucas only observed from the sidelines without getting involved, and Luo Ran only explained the situation as objectively as possible.

Even if they did have any thoughts, they wouldn’t choose a side, because once they did, it wouldn’t be regarding the UNK but regarding the throne.

The second prince glanced at the eldest prince and sneered, “People are more important than energy — the Empire only exists because of the people, and energy is only a tool of the people. I hope my big brother and the director won’t put the cart before the horse.”

The eldest prince shook his head. “Second brother, you’re too short-sighted. In fact, it’s the people who only exist because of the Empire. Only when the Empire is strong can we protect our citizens. And although progress requires some sacrifice, if we don’t do it, the Empire can only be crushed by other planets.”

“Brother, who doesn’t know that you’d gain a lot from UNK?” the second prince retorted sternly. “This accident was a wake-up call, I hope you can at least recognise that. UNK isn’t an energy source, it’s a poison. Yes, it can make people stronger, but the side effects are also significant, enough to cause death. In other words, if the Empire is greedy for the power of UNK, we’ll suffer a backlash sooner or later!”

The dispute between them became fiercer and fiercer, the smell of gunpowder within the room became more and more intense; the situation could explode at any moment.

Shi Xiuqi interjected: “Second Highness, you’re incorrect. It isn’t just an energy source, it’s also something that can make the Empire invincible! We cannot fear it just because of its capabilities, we have to conquer it! If we can control this power and give it to our soldiers, it would be a piece of cake to solve the pirates! We would be the strongest existence in the universe!”

Bang–!

The previously silent Lucas smacked the table with such force that everyone jumped.

“Let’s see who dares to use UNK on my soldiers,” he stated with a cold face.

The eldest prince slowly frowned, while the second prince said in a soothing tone, “Yes, neither soldiers nor citizens are mere tools or weapons to be used.”

They have now confirmed that UNK would cause damage to an alpha or omega’s spiritual power, and long term use would cause physical weakness, spiritual collapse, and even death.

“Admiral, please calm down.” The eldest prince gave Shi Xiuqi a glance, then continued evenly, “Our main goal is still to refine UNK to use it as a source of energy. As for the problems regarding spiritual power, I think we need to continue researching in order to find a solution. Both we and the Empire must rise to the occasion.”

“Continue researching?” the second prince snorted. “Do you mean choosing a few unlucky alpha or omega and injecting them with UNK, that kind of research? Use them until the end, then find a new one?”

Zhou Mingyu frowned. “Brother, you’ve crossed the line.”

“Lucas, you have to know what would happen if pirates got their hands on UNK,” Cyril said with a glance at Lucas. “Even if our imperial soldiers don’t use it, pirates will! How will we fight with them then?”

“Che!”

Lucas let out a loud snort, then folded his arms across his chest and crossed his legs. “Don’t say nonsense if you haven’t been to war! Do you think the soldiers are all cowards like you? As long as we have a single sword, my people can go toe to toe with pirates even if they become immortals! We’re not afraid!

“My warriors aren’t weapons, and they aren’t tools! Don’t talk to me about using drugs, I’ll bring victory to the Empire, but I won’t exchange their lives for it.”

Although Lucas was only sitting there, his aura still made Cyril breathless, and his bearing was such that no one in the room dared to refute him.

After a while, it was the eldest prince who broke the tense atmosphere. He smiled widely and said, “Admiral, I can understand your feelings, but it would truly be very troublesome if UNK lands in the hands of the pirates. I received an urgent report this morning — I think you knew this earlier than me, Admiral — that a new mine was discovered on M4 in the outer system, but it and the planetside garrison have already been captured by pirates.”

Of course Lucas knew, the military headquarters received the distress signal very early that morning.

“I know,” Lucas said without any ups or downs. “We’re setting off tomorrow, I’m personally bringing people to clean up M4. The military department is already preparing for it.”

“We can’t keep going like this,” one of the eldest prince’s supporters said, “we now know that these bitter-cold mines aren’t exclusive to Luobing, they might show up on any sufficiently cold planet.”

The second prince raised an eyebrow. “So you want to fight fire with fire? The enemy are devils, so we should turn our own soldiers into devils?”

The two sides continued to argue, while those from Lucas’ faction continued to watch.

But from the few times Lucas spoke up, one could already see his opinion. And when the second prince spoke, he always intentionally or unintentionally counted Lucas among his own camp.

They argued for half a day without end, getting more agitated as time went on until they even brought up the imperial power struggle, so they could only suspend the meeting for now.

After Lucas and Luo Ran left the conference room, Shi Xiuqi and a duke* from the second prince’s faction ran over to chat.

“My daughter Nina especially likes to read stories about you and your secretary recently, Admiral, she likes you a lot,” the duke grinned.

Shi Xiuqi smiled a not-smile. “It’s just children making a fuss online, Duke doesn’t need to care.”

Lucas felt so annoyed that he simply turned around and left.

Luo Ran smiled. “Yes, I sometimes also take a look at the holonet when I have free time.”

In conclusion, a single incident caused countless waves, but no matter how chaotic the capital was, the most important thing for Lucas was to deal with the pirates on M4.

As soon as the meeting ended, Luo Ran and Lucas went to the military headquarters. 

There wasn’t much time to prepare, Lucas was going to depart tomorrow.

Luo Ran went back to the office and took thick cotton gloves and coats out from storage, then placed countless warming cushions in the mecha.

Lucas was surprised when he saw this just before his departure.

“There’s no need,” he said as he rolled his eyes, “It’s just a little colder, I only need to endure it a bit, it’s not a big deal.”

Luo Ran only chuckled.

It was currently early morning with a grey sky hanging overhead. Lion 01 had been transported into the warship and Lucas now stood next to the warship’s door. He looked at Luo Ran and said, “I’m leaving.”

“Yeah.” Luo Ran nodded.

This scene had happened too many times, seeing Lucas off had happened too many times. Luo Ran had already gotten used to it.

From their youth until now.

He was forever watching Lucas step into a warship and leave in the dark, chaotic early mornings, and then watching Lucas return triumphantly amid sunshine and fireworks.

“Luo Ran.”

“Hm?”

“After I deal with M4, I have something to say to you,” Lucas said, pursing his lips. “You wait for me.”

“What…? Can’t you say it now? Or use your terminal…” Luo Ran said.

“Shush.” Lucas patted Luo Ran’s head. “I still need to think about it.”

“I…”

“The ceremony.” He spread out his hands. “I’m leaving.”

Luo Ran hesitated, then leaned close and hugged him, whispering, “I wish Admiral a smooth journey.”

This was a very frank hug in the past, but now Luo Ran’s face was a little red. 

Especially because he could hear Lucas’ heartbeat in this posture.

“Okay, luck charging complete.” Lucas let go of him. “See you.”

Lucas turned and went into the warship.

Luo Ran watched Lucas’ back disappear into the warship’s gaping maw, then its solid steel doors closed.

Following this, innumerable warships, aircraft, and mechas lifted off.

* * *

In the following few days, Luo Ran had very little time to rest.

The vast majority of his time was spent taking care of matters related to UNK, not to mention how Lucas, the one who was in charge of the overall situation, wasn’t there.

“Secretary Luo!”

Rong Duo handed a report to Luo Ran. “From the research institute.”

“Thank you.”

The newest batch of UNK from Luobing would arrive today. This was the last batch Luobing was sending before the UNK transports were suspended.

And Xia Zhi’s suggestion was to let Luo Ran take a team to protect this batch elsewhere until the people above made a decision, otherwise another storm would be set off in the research institute if it’s sent there.

Luo Ran got up. “I’m going to the port, Xiao Duo, can you tidy up the documents we’re using today?”

“Okay!”

The spaceport was close to the military camp on the outskirts of the city, and as a transit point for military cargo, it was guarded heavily.

Now that Luobing’s transport ship had landed, a large group of people were very carefully unloading packages from it to transfer on to the Empire’s cargo ships.

The packages were all filled with UNK.

“Ranran, you’re here!” Xia Zhi was there with a checklist. “You’re right on time.”

He randomly picked one of the packages to inspect.

Luo Ran handed him a pair of scissors.

“Wait,” Luo Ran ordered, seeing something.

“What…?” Xia Zhi also saw the red light coming from within the package and stiffened.

“Xiaxia–!”

Bang———

A red cloud exploded into existence, its shockwaves shaking even the nearby trees.

* * *

“Admiral…”

Lucas, who was spacing out on the main deck, turned to see Wang Qiuyang’s terrible expression. “What? M4 was sucked into a black hole?” he raised an eyebrow.

“No… It’s Secretary Luo… something happened.”

Lucas froze.

“But he’s fine! He’s okay!” Wang Qiuyang hurriedly added. “He’s not hurt.”

With a face even darker than Wang Qiuyang’s, Lucas ordered in a low voice, “Speak.”

“Luobing installed a lot of bombs in the latest shipment. When Secretary Luo and Doctor Xia went to inspect a package, the mechanism inside activated and explosives went off at the port. Fortunately, Secretary Luo and Doctor Shen were standing on a high platform, Secretary Luo reacted quickly and jumped off with Doctor Shen, so they don’t have any serious injuries, just some superficial flesh wounds.”

“Bombs?” Lucas shouted. “Are the sensors at customs and the hyperlane broken?! They don’t have any detectors left? The inspectors are all dead? What do you mean superficial flesh wounds!”

Lucas immediately pulled out his terminal to call Luo Ran, only to remember that he probably wouldn’t be able to pick up. He was a little anxious as he held the terminal, and his expression was so stormy that he seemed as if he were going to devour people.

“We’re still investigating… It should be a problem on Luobing’s side, their plans were interrupted by our people’s actions. The government has also started an investigation into the details,” Wang Qiuyang reported. “You don’t need to worry  about their injuries, Admiral… We have a different problem.

“For some reason,” Wang Qiuyang said with a bitter face, “after the explosion, Secretary Luo could melt and refine the UNK with his bare hands.”

Lucas completely froze in place. “What did you say?”

“Um… Melt UNK with his bare hands,” Wang Qiuyang repeated, still feeling surreal. “The capital is in complete chaos…”

---

Author:
One of his identities is about to be revealed, light a candle for Secretary Luo

Translator:
The cost/benefit of UNK research has happened over and over in our history too whenever any new substance pops up — the most obvious parallel is probably polonium, which eventually killed Marie Curie from radiation, leading to uranium etc. Despite the pro-research side being the antagonists here, neither side is strictly wrong. Thoughts? And Happy New Year!

Footnotes:
1. Duke [公爵]: unsure if this is a name (Gong Jue) or a ducal title

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