The cleanup efforts took more than a week to complete initially. The Zerg corpses were incinerated on-site, and the stone slabs from the underground lair were crushed and processed. The ashes of the burned Zergs were treated and buried underground, filling in the pits and serving as nutrients for the planet.
During this time, the military discovered a vast quantity of untainted spiritual stones and materials underground, likely accumulated by the monsters over the years. According to the laws of gifting, these items also belonged to Qiao Zhiya, and no one else had the right to handle them.
On a rainy morning, three flagship vessels officially set sail for home. The national teacher resigned from his position and, with Jian, bid farewell to Nataxi, boarding Chu Rong’s flagship to return to the Federation with them.
Everyone stood in the command room, watching the image of the slowly shrinking planet on the screen. For a moment, no one spoke.
As clouds gathered, the view turned into a blinding white light, and then the scene changed, revealing the asteroid belt once more.
Qiao Zhiya formed a magic array in midair, using Chu Rong’s blood to activate it. As the array lit up, a red thread appeared, pointing the way before transforming into a string on Chu Rong’s wrist.
“Northeast,” Chu Rong said, breaking the silence in the room.
Fan Xiangnan immediately adjusted the course, and everyone seemed to awaken from a dream.
Zhuang Yu stretched and remarked, “Nearly two months have passed… Time flies.”
“Military academy exams should be approaching,” Lin Zhen responded, casually twirling a strangely shaped electronic pen in his hand, hinting at his good mood. “After the exams, fifth-year students will enter the military for training. I wonder what kind of cadets we’ll get this year.”
Zhuang Yu frowned at the reminder of Lin Zhen’s tough training methods for new recruits and retorted, “That’s why we rarely get new recruits willing to join our ship!”
“But our crew members are the best,” Lin Zhen proudly stated.
The subtly praised “crew members” exchanged pleased glances, and the atmosphere lightened.
Nearly two months?
Qiao Zhiya, caught off guard by Zhuang Yu’s comment, suddenly remembered something. He quickly checked the calendar on his communicator and then, stunned, tugged at Chu Rong’s sleeve, calling, “Chu Rong…”
“What’s wrong?” Chu Rong immediately responded, grasping his hand and looking down at him.
“Dasao’s due date… is around these days,” Qiao Zhiya said, showing Chu Rong the calendar. He murmured, “No wonder I felt like I was forgetting something… I actually forgot about the baby. We planned to finish the mission early to be there for the birth, but I forgot…”
Everyone froze, and Zhuang Yu let out a distressed cry, hurriedly flipping through her records before burying her face in her hands in frustration.
“Yan’an got pregnant around last summer, so the due date is indeed near… Oh no, we might have missed the baby’s birth already…”
She looked at Qiao Zhiya and Chu Rong, unsure of what to say.
No one had expected the expedition to the asteroid belt to take so long. Everyone knew how much Qiao Zhiya looked forward to the birth of Gu Yanan’s child. Although Chu Rong had not shown much emotion, he undoubtedly cared deeply about this first child in the Chu family.
Now, it seemed they might miss the birth of the first new member of the Chu family in this generation, all because of a monstrous disruption. The room’s atmosphere grew tense. Chu Rong squeezed Qiao Zhiya’s hand, seeing him staring blankly at the calendar, his ears drooping. Frowning, Chu Rong turned to Fan Xiangnan and ordered, “Increase speed for the return journey as much as possible.”
Fan Xiangnan sighed, “Sir, I mentioned before that the flagship is too large to navigate quickly through the asteroid belt. We’re already at maximum speed.”
Qiao Zhiya’s eyes dimmed as hope faded. Looking at the calendar, where the due date had been marked with a bright red flower, his ears drooped completely.
He blamed himself, thinking that if he hadn’t been down for those days and had actively helped with the planet’s cleanup, they could have finished sooner and returned in time. With his three-element magic and mecha piloting skills, he could have sped up the process.
Seeing Qiao Zhiya’s distress, Chu Rong gently cupped his ears and, after a moment’s thought, turned to Qiao Yi, asking, “Uncle, is the custom-built ship you used still operational?”
Custom-built ship?
Qiao Zhiya’s eyes brightened at the thought of the small ship his mother had built. He looked at Qiao Yi, full of hope.
Qiao Yi, unable to bear disappointing his son, nodded and said, “It can be used, we just need to replace the magic crystal.”
Qiao Zhiya’s ears perked up immediately, and he looked back at Chu Rong.
“We’ll leave first,” Chu Rong decided, withdrawing his hand from Qiao Zhiya’s ears. He then turned to Lin Zhen and Fan Xiangnan, saying, “The flagship is temporarily in your hands. As for the navigation guidance…”
“I can create another guidance array, it just needs someone with family in the Federation. Only a small amount of blood is required,” Qiao Zhiya eagerly interjected, clearly anxious to return home.
“Use my blood. My family is all in the Federation,” Lin Zhen volunteered, offering his arm.
Given the importance of the navigation task, it had to be entrusted to someone reliable with interstellar piloting experience. With Fan Xiangnan having no remaining biological family, Lin Zhen was the logical choice.
Qiao Zhiya stepped forward to begin setting up the guidance array but hesitated midway, looking to Chu Rong for approval.
Chu Rong nodded, and Qiao Zhiya happily continued, setting up the array next to Lin Zhen.
After a brief preparation, the A-hatch of the Chu family’s flagship opened, and a small spacecraft shot out like a bolt of lightning, heading into the asteroid-laden expanse ahead.
Meanwhile, at the Federation’s Capital Planet, Gu Yan’an reclined on a sofa, rubbing her slightly uncomfortable belly. She marked off another day on her calendar, her worry growing.
“Dasao, I’m sure Qiao and Erge are fine. Remember, last time they were gone for two months before emerging from the asteroid belt, and this time they had to deal with monsters. It’s normal for it to take a bit longer; don’t worry,” Chu Yan reassured her, trying to sound optimistic and cheerful as he handed her a glass of milk. “With Zhuang Yu-jie away and Dage so busy, and me only able to come home on weekends, maybe it’s best if we go to the hospital early. They have professional care teams, and I can—”
“Clang!”
Gu Yan’an suddenly grimaced, dropping the glass of milk, and clutched her belly.
Chu Yan was startled by Gu Yan’an’s sudden change, seeing her clutching her belly, he stammered, “D-dasao, you… you aren’t…”
“Don’t panic, it’s just my water breaking,” Gu Yan’an calmly instructed, grabbing his hand as the tightening sensation in her belly subsided. “Go, tell the old butler to prepare the hovercar and inform your Dage.”
Chu Yan, feeling a bit steadier, helped her lie back on the sofa before rushing towards the kitchen, shouting, “Old butler! Old butler! Hurry! Dasao is going into labor! Prepare the hovercar!”
The Chu household was thrown into chaos. Chu Huai, who was in a meeting with Xiang Lingyun and others, received the news and hurriedly announced that the meeting was postponed, rushing out the door.
His assistant, Zuma, quickly gathered the documents, apologized to the others, and followed Chu Huai out.
“Blam!!”
The meeting room door slammed shut.
Xiang Lingyun and Wei Xiongchang exchanged a look of mixed emotions, then quietly left.
Meanwhile, the mini-spaceship piloted by Qiao Zhiya had just exited the asteroid belt. As soon as the communication device had a signal, Qiao Zhiya anxiously tried to call home, but no one answered. Panicking, he called Chu Yan next, but there was still no answer. Desperate, he tried Chu Huai, but was met with the same busy tone.
“Don’t worry,” Chu Rong reassured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Sensing something might be wrong, Chu Rong called Chu Huai’s assistant, Zuma, instead.
This time, the call was answered quickly. Zuma, surprised and excited, exclaimed, “Marshal, you’re back? When did you return? Was the mission successful? I’ll go notify—”
“What’s going on at home?” Chu Rong cut him off, noticing that Zuma was in a hospital setting. “When did my Dasao go to the hospital?”
Zuma, caught off guard, replied instinctively, “About an hour ago. Her water just broke, she hasn’t started contractions yet, so…”
Chu Rong hung up abruptly and immediately called the nearest border space jump station, saying, “This is Chu Rong. I need to use a special channel. Please arrange it quickly.”
Using special channels, they rushed back and arrived at the capital planet the next morning. Chu Yan and Chu Huai called to inform them that Gu Yan’an was fine, though labor was progressing slowly since it was her first child.
Qiao Zhiya, unable to contain his anxiety, transformed into a small golden dragon, restlessly flying around the room.
Qiao Yi and Mi Lai, who had accompanied them back, exchanged a glance, feeling a mix of helplessness and sentiment. Seeing Chu Rong, they both shared a look of regret.
‘Qiaoqiao/Baby found a male partner, so my hope of seeing little dwarfs and little elves grandchildren might never come true. Sigh…’
