Translator: Moonlit
Editor: Aiya-ge
The warning alarms, triggered by the invasion of intruders, echoed throughout the underground base.
The combat forces were on high alert, but the atmosphere in the research lab remained incredibly relaxed.
This was the temporary stronghold of Chongye, and no one had ever been able to breach their defenses of layered weapons and disruptors.
A researcher activated disruptors within a 20-meter radius with practiced ease. “There always seem to be some fools who want to disturb our research.”
“I heard that people from the Empire have infiltrated,” another person chimed in, “Is the Empire preparing to rise up in resistance? Haha, guess how long they can hold out this time.”
“They are overestimating themselves,” the researchers chuckled, “After the Empire’s Marshal Macca leaves the battlefield, the entire Empire will become our territory.”
The experimental subject sat nearby, having already been injected with Nan, a special element that allowed rapid growth of his body. Once it was fully assimilated, the researchers would inject him with NK-03.
Now that the assimilation was nearing completion, though the alarms were still blaring, the lab personnel ignored them, retrieving the stored NK-03. The colorless, transparent vial of the drug appeared quite ordinary.
“After you take the drug, you will feel excruciating pain,” a researcher told the experimental subject, “Endure it. You will feel your heart stop, and your body temperature drop. At this point, you must believe that you are still alive. After enduring the pseudo-death state, you will be halfway to success, and Nan will help you survive.”
The experimental subject nodded, his eyes lifeless. The researchers were about to open the vial of NK-03 when suddenly, they smelled the scent of blood.
They followed the smell of blood and saw a bullet-sized hole appear in the center of the experimental subject’s forehead, dark-colored blood slowly oozing from the hole.
The carefully prepared experimental subject was dead.
The researcher holding the NK-03 took a couple of involuntary steps back, fear evident on their face. “What’s happening?”
“He’s dead! Where is the life support pod? Get the life support pod!” another panicked researcher shouted.
“We only have one vial of Nan! We’ve already administered it to him, he can’t die!” a third researcher cried.
The alarm grew louder, and the chaotic sounds from the corridor drew their attention. They looked around with vigilance, only to see something crashing straight into their lab through the specially reinforced glass.
They stared in horror as it turned out to be one of their own colleagues from Chongye!
The body was covered in blood, sliding down the glass onto the floor, emitting a disturbing sound.
The researchers staggered backward, incredulous. All their colleagues lay dead on the floor, covered in blood.
“Who…who’s there?” one researcher nervously confirmed that the disruptor shields were all activated, “Don’t worry, no one can harm us.”
“Alert more people! We’re researchers, and now someone has infiltrated here! What about the others? Are they all dead?”
As members of the pharmaceutical research team, they had never seen anyone breach their underground base. The situation felt surreal, and the surrounding bodies seemed like illusions.
They tried to contact the combat forces, but there was no response.
“Secure the NK-03! Hide it in the secure box! And release the previously developed poisonous gas!” someone ordered forcefully.
“Make sure this fearless and brainless intruder has no way out!” the panicked individuals continued to threaten, as if their words alone could make the intruder feel fear.
“Who do you want to have ‘no way out’?” a low, raspy voice echoed sharply in their ears, “You’re quite confident, Chongye scums.”
The voice, with a grainy quality akin to the scythe of a grim reaper, instantly froze these individuals in their tracks.
They were all too familiar with this voice.
Wading through blood and bodies, Walter, accompanied by his subordinates, strolled towards them.
The researcher who had opened the secure box in a panic, attempting to place the NK-03 inside, suddenly felt a fierce mental force piercing through his heart.
The NK-03, which had slipped from his hands, was enveloped by Gu WenCheng’s mental power and was sent in his direction.
Walter’s white mask was now smeared with blood, and the trail of bloodshed he had left behind made him appear like a demon.
Though Walter was a figure who evoked both danger and allure among Imperial citizens, for the Star Thieves, he was a terrifying demon incarnate.
What’s even more terrifying was that all their disruptors and shields were useless against this demon. How much stronger had he become since their last encounter?
Walter held the NK-03 in his hand, examining its color under the lights. “So, it was in your possession.”
“When I drank this stuff, I didn’t pay any attention to what it looked like,” Walter chuckled lightly. “Now that I have it, it’s your turn.”
One of the researchers picked up the latest development in their research, a new type of serum derived from the elements extracted from NK-03, highly toxic. His voice trembled as he threatened, “Stop.”
Walter did indeed stop in his tracks.
But before the researcher could feel relieved, his head had already been pierced by the sharpness of Walter’s mental power.
In the next moment, all the researchers in the lab had been killed.
What others saw was that the mysterious and elusive Chongye had been completely wiped out in Walter’s hands.
Nord and the others couldn’t believe it. “Is it over now?”
Walter, with veins bulging on the back of his hand as he held the NK-03, let out a light laugh. “Of course.”
Having obtained the serum, the next step was to “face death.”
Li ZouXing.
How could I willingly sacrifice so much for you?
It had been a long time since they had witnessed Walter’s overwhelming power, and his subordinates were only now realizing that… their leader seemed to have become even stronger.
“The next target is the leader,” Walter turned around, and his subordinates quickly followed. He muttered to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear, “Kill him, and it will all be over.”
His subordinates behind him walked with ease, wearing proud smiles on their faces.
They followed Walter, unaware that they were following death.
Walter was a lone wolf, but there were always those captivated by his charisma, loyal to him, and willing to sacrifice themselves.
They had followed Walter for many years, and done many things. Even when Walter was on the brink of life and death, they hadn’t given up.
Walter admitted he was exceptionally selfish.
To shed his identity as Walter, he had to cast away everything that came with it, including these loyal subordinates.
His steps forward were slow and rhythmic, but his eyes were deep and terrifying.
He wasn’t just going to kill the head of Chongye, or even just himself. He was also going to kill these fiercely loyal subordinates.
Gu WenCheng, with all his ruthlessness and coldness towards others, had reserved his only tenderness for Li ZouXing and his team.
Anyone could call him cold and cruel, but only those who were truly important to him knew just how much he was willing to sacrifice for one person.
Ice filled Walter’s eyes.
But the person who appeared ahead shattered all his coldness, leaving him stunned in place.
Li ZouXing stood in the middle of the corridor, looking at him.
His eyes were clear, showing no signs of being hypnotized.
Walter stopped in his tracks, and they stared at each other from a distance of a dozen meters.
“You—” His voice was hoarse, revealing emotions that Walter shouldn’t have displayed. Walter closed his eyes briefly, then his tone became playful and casual. “How is it that I can run into you everywhere I go, my good boy?”
Li ZouXing’s lips began to crack, a sense of restlessness oozing from every strand of hair. But when he saw Walter, he fell silent instead, refusing to speak.
Under his gaze, Walter visibly became anxious and took several steps forward. “Why aren’t you speaking?”
The silence between two people who loved each other was like a dull knife tearing at their hearts.
Finally, Li ZouXing spoke. His voice was soft, but in the silent corridor, everyone could hear him.
He said, “Gu WenCheng.”
Three words, one after another.
Gu WenCheng.
Suffocating.
Breath stopped, and the heart momentarily ceased to beat. Something seemed to be constricting around Walter’s neck, making it difficult for him to even breathe.
He paused for a while, taking his time before he could laugh again, feigning an interested expression. “What did you call me?”
Li ZouXing’s eyes twitched at the corner, and then he raised his gaze, repeating, “Gu WenCheng.”
Gu WenCheng would never know what he had been through.
His mental power couldn’t overcome Gu WenCheng’s, and he was completely defenseless. In the beginning, Li ZouXing had indeed been successfully hypnotized by Gu WenCheng.
But when he heard that Gu WenCheng was planning to let Walter die, his mental power had boiled over like scalding hot water, and an endless mix of fear and anger allowed him to break free from the hypnosis.
During this process, in the struggle to break free, no one could truly understand his feelings.
There was no danger or pain, yet it was an extraordinarily sophisticated form of torment.
His lover was about to do something foolish for him, but he could only stand there, desperately shouting in his mind, “Don’t!”
After breaking free from the hypnosis, Li ZouXing had relentlessly searched for Walter. That feeling of urgency, where his steps felt like they were floating, was something he never wanted to experience again in his life.
Walter’s heart sank completely.
Li ZouXing had no idea what he was thinking, but he looked at him with a heavy gaze.
Gu WenCheng’s previous behavior clearly indicated that he didn’t want Li ZouXing to know his secret as Walter.
So, Li ZouXing acted as if he didn’t know, playing the role with remarkable authenticity.
But now, this guy was about to throw away this identity for him, take risks, and experience the uncertainty of life and death.
Who the hell allowed him to do this?!
Taking a deep breath, Li ZouXing turned around. “Let’s go. Let’s deal with them first.”
After resolving the issue with Chongye, they could deal with their own problems.
What did it mean for Walter to go die with blood on his hands while Gu WenCheng only wanted to be his hero?
Luckily, he had found him before anything happened.
Li ZouXing walked quickly, fingers clenched, not uttering a word. He followed his mental power towards the most heavily defended area.
Along the way, he encountered members of Chongye, either seriously injured or dead at his hands. Because the Dream Team’s strength was beyond Chongye’s expectations, the entire hotel had fallen into chaos.
Ji Yu’s mental voice came into his ear, “We’ve found Weiss, but we haven’t found the list.”
“We’re heading to the top floor right now,” Li ZouXing said expressionlessly, with murderous intent, “The list might be there.”
“Do you need us to come over?”
Gu WenCheng felt dazed, following him like a child who had made a mistake, uncertain about what to do. Beside him, his subordinate, Nord, spoke in a low voice, “Chongye attached great importance to this experiment. Most of the Star Pirates are here. You’ve wiped out the underground base, so now the top floor has the most people.”
Walter’s breath became heavy.
Because his subordinate had uttered the words “wiped out” in front of Li ZouXing.
But Li ZouXing didn’t show anything, he just continued the telepathic conversation with Ji Yu, “No need, you guys keep searching downstairs. Call us if there’s danger.”
Li ZouXing knew that his expression and tone were off, but he didn’t have the mood to change it right now.
And as his most intimate lover, Gu WenCheng realized for the first time that Li ZouXing could also be so angry.
But why was his ZouXing so furious?
Gu WenCheng sighed bitterly. Wasn’t it because Gu WenCheng was Walter, and Walter was Gu WenCheng?
One was a clean-cut military academy student who knew everything about him, and the other was a star pirate who had done all sorts of bad things in the interstellar.
The thing Gu WenCheng least wanted him to know had eventually been discovered by him.
In silence, they had already reached the top floor. Li ZouXing didn’t waste words; his mental power intricately entangled with the limbs of the enemies, locking them to the ground with blood.
The killing power of his mental power had reached its maximum. Stepping over the fallen enemies, he continued forward with a cold face.
Nord stared in astonishment at Li ZouXing.
This guy was actually so formidable?
Walter followed closely behind him.
Their methods of killing were different. Even up to now, Li ZouXing’s hands have taken very few lives.
This was the difference between the two of them.
They gradually approached the heavily guarded room on the top floor, and as they got closer to the room, Li ZouXing’s actions became more difficult.
The densely packed mental interference devices disrupted the smoothness of his mental powers. He decided to stop using mental powers altogether and took the weapon specially developed by Ling Nian from his waist. He aimed it at the crowd and fired.
With a loud “boom,” a path was cleared through the enemies.
“…,” Walter opened his mouth, but Li ZouXing had already walked three meters away.
“Keep up,” Li Zouxing said after sensing that he had stopped in place, “Gu WenCheng, follow me.”
Gu WenCheng, who had been addressed by his full name, silently followed.
Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming sense of grievance.
Even though Li ZouXing was still ahead of him, protecting him from all dangers, he still felt wronged.
This emotion came out of nowhere, and it rushed to his nose very skillfully.
He wanted to hug him.
The atmosphere around the two big shots didn’t seem right, and Nord and the others, as their subordinates, were even more nervous.
But it didn’t matter who went first because they hadn’t encountered any difficulties along the way. Li ZouXing, leading the way, had already kicked open the door to the top-floor room.
An aggressive energy beam instantly rushed towards him, but it struck two layers of protective shields.
Ignoring all the interference devices, Walter activated a shield to protect his beloved and looked at Li ZouXing with concern.
Li ZouXing looked at him and suddenly said, “Do you know why I haven’t blinked my eyes even once?”
“Because I know you’ll protect me,” he continued, “Gu WenCheng, Walter, that’s called trust.”
His actions never stopped. He kept his eyes on Walter, raised his gun, and fired fiercely into the room.
Author’s Note:
Gu WenCheng believed that Li ZouXing couldn’t accept his identity as Walter. So he intended to discard anything related to Walter, and he was quite ruthless in that regard. Li ZouXing thought that Gu WenCheng had never wanted him to know about his dual identity, so he went along with his wishes and pretended not to know.
Ah, the misunderstandings of a young couple.
P.S.: Don’t expect a big battle. With Walter’s level of strength, no one is his match.
