Chapter 30
At the command center.
After Wen Xingchen finished relaying the intelligence, everyone in the room fell into silence. In such an atmosphere, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows and speculate, “So, it was indeed known a long ago, right?”
Several high-ranking officials exchanged glances and wore bitter smiles. Indeed, they had already discovered the true intentions of those interstellar pirates, but what could they do after discovering it?
With their current forces, they could barely maintain stability on the battlefield, let alone stop such a powerful self-destructive energy release. The interstellar pirates were clearly bent on mutual destruction with the Imperial Navy!
The head of the academic affairs, Zhu Zhai, briskly entered the command center and went straight to the side of Bing Cang. He said with a stern expression, “Principal, the airship outside is ready. Please leave quickly!”
Wen Xingchen lowered his eyes slightly, his expression was indifferent. It was evident that the military had probably already decided to abandon the base under such dire circumstances.
However, Bing Cang seemed to have not heard anything and remained standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the Imperial Navy deeply embroiled in the war. A fierce fire glimmered in his eyes.
After a moment, he sighed deeply and said, “Zhu Zhai, take the others and leave. Take as many as you can.”
Zhu Zhai’s body trembled slightly upon hearing this, but he gritted his teeth and raised his voice again, “Principal, please leave quickly!”
“Bing Cang, this is an order!” Bing Cang turned around, looking at Zhu Zhai calmly, “No matter how the battle situation is now, someone must stay behind. And that person can only be me! The Imperial Navy is my lifelong dedication. Now, I must accompany those children to face the final outcome. But you are different, you are still young, and your path ahead is long. If this place becomes a ruin after today, then the mission of rebuilding the Imperial Navy will be left to you, understood?”
“Principal…” Zhu Zhai’s eyes were filled with emotions as he choked on his words for a moment. Finally, with tears in his eyes, he showed determination and said, “The others, follow me!”
Tears welled up in everyone’s eyes, and the hunched back of the old principal, at this moment, seemed remarkably tall and steadfast.
Their steps hesitated for a moment, and then they all stopped and turned around, facing the old man with white hair, giving a respectful military salute. “Principal, take care!”
Bing Cang’s lips curved into a faint smile, waving his hand at them as if it were a casual farewell during regular dismissals. “Alright, go now.”
Such an attitude made it seem as ordinary and natural as when he bid farewell to others during their regular meetings.
Wen Xingchen stood amidst the solemn atmosphere, a hint of complex emotions flickering in his eyes.
Inside the room, everyone had already left one after another. Bing Cang turned around and saw Wen Xingchen still standing there. He looked surprised and asked, “Wen’s kid, why aren’t you leaving with them?”
Wen Xingchen glanced at the intense artillery battle in the sky and asked in return, “Now that everyone is gone, how are we supposed to continue the fight?”
Bing Cang was unexpectedly choked for a moment, but he laughed. “This year’s freshmen are truly more interesting than the last.”
Seeing Wen Xingchen’s resolute expression, he didn’t insist and smiled warmly as he patted his shoulder. “Perfect. Communications are down, and I do need someone to deliver a message for me. Contact the Imperial Patrol Unit and tell them to prepare for Operation XII.”
Wen Xingchen didn’t inquire about the specific details of “Operation XII” and simply nodded calmly. “I promise to complete the mission.”
Bing Cang was very pleased with his attitude and smiled amiably. “Go then.”
Wen Xingchen quickly left, but when he reached the door, he subconsciously looked back.
The old principal’s weathered figure stood alone in the spacious command center, with the countless artillery battles forming the grandest backdrop, yet like the eternal, tall, and unwavering pillar of the Imperial Navy, giving people an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
He took a deep breath and closed the door with force.
…
At this time and place, the relatively stable battle zone had prepared numerous airships for evacuation. Unfortunately, the number of students in the academy was simply too large, and no matter how many evacuation fleets there were, it was still a drop in the bucket.
The entire Imperial Navy had long become a hell in the midst of the war. The areas with more intense clashes couldn’t send teams to assist in evacuation; they could only helplessly leave those students to fend for themselves.
At this moment, Lu Jingning was heading towards Zone 23 of the antiaircraft defense, which was now a desolate battlefield covered with debris.
As he quickly moved forward, he observed the surrounding situation attentively. Along the way, he inevitably encountered several patrolling interstellar pirates. He easily took care of the smaller groups, and discreetly avoided the larger ones.
From what he observed along the way, it was apparent that these interstellar pirates were trying to turn this area into an independent base at the Imperial Navy because of the presence of Omega students, who were already rare in a military academy like this.
Everyone knew that the Pruxians had a unique obsession with Omega pheromones, which was essentially their most potent source of energy.
Observing along the way, Lu Jingning could see that batches of Omega students were being captured by the interstellar pirates. The situation confirmed his judgment.
The interstellar mothership’s powerful cannons led to significant energy consumption for the Pruxians themselves. To achieve faster charging, they needed a large number of Omega students to supply pheromones. For them, these Omega students were not just for fulfilling their sexual desires; it was primarily to restore their energy.
As he approached Zone 23, more Omega strike teams appeared in his field of vision. Lu Jingning halted his steps after a while.
From this distance, he could see that Zone 23 had already been completely evacuated, and the scene was extremely tragic.
It seemed that the Omega students had either fled or been captured, and there was no trace of them left.
Looking up at the interstellar mothership above, he furrowed his brows slightly.
He did have the intention of sneaking on board the mothership to have a look, but it seemed he needed to wait for the right moment!
While pondering, he suddenly heard the sound of intense fighting.
Lu Jingning blinked and followed the sound, and soon, he saw several fleeing Omega students, with an Alpha protecting them.
Looking more closely, he couldn’t help but smile.
Oh, it turned out to be an old acquaintance.
However, the person he knew as You Zeyang had lost his usual arrogance. Covered in blood-stained clothes, he looked extremely disheveled. Despite still wielding a laser sword in his right hand, his left arm occasionally oozed sticky blood, showing that he was seriously injured.
Several Omega students he was protecting were also desperately fleeing, but the pursuing interstellar pirates were relentless. After a long battle, both You Zeyang and the Omega students were clearly reaching their limits.
You Zeyang had escorted five batches of Omega students by now, and they were discovered in the ruins not far from the antiaircraft defense zone. They could have completed the evacuation mission again, but they were intercepted by the interstellar pirate patrol on their way.
An eight-person team was reduced to three by his hand, and now, five of them were relentlessly chased by the remaining five interstellar pirates.
After a whole day of fighting, You Zeyang’s stamina had long reached its limit. With bloodshot eyes, he stared at the interstellar pirates pursuing from behind, panting as he quietly instructed the Omega students, “I’ll find a way to hold them back. You guys find a chance to escape to the west where our support team is. Remember, don’t stop on the way, understand?”
The Omega students suppressed their tears and choked, “Understood! But, senior, what about you? They’ll really kill you!”
You Zeyang impatiently spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered, “What are you afraid of? If I get killed, it’ll still be heroic! You guys run, and my mission is to help you evacuate safely. Should I just cowardly run away alone? That’s downright disgraceful!”
The Omega students listened to his words and fiercely wiped away the tears at the corner of their eyes, forcing themselves to suppress their doubts. “Rest assured, senior, we’ll do whatever it takes to escape!”
Yu Zeyang smiled satisfactorily. “That’s the spirit of the top students in the Imperial Navy!”
With a determined expression, he faced the approaching space pirates and took a deep breath. In the moment of counterattack, he shouted, “Now! Run!”
The Omega students, relying on all their strength, moved decisively forward as Yu Zeyang intercepted the pirates.
The pirates were already annoyed by Yu Zeyang’s interference. They watched as the Omega students suddenly went mad and ran wildly. It took them a moment to react, and they showed a hint of murderous intent when they saw the bloody Alpha student standing before them.
Facing their hostility, Yu Zeyang remained unafraid and even smiled. “Stop staring, you won’t catch up with them!”
With a laser sword in hand, he exerted his last bit of energy, his expression becoming more relaxed despite the multiple wounds and bloodshed.
Gradually, Yu Zeyang’s movements inevitably slowed down. After parrying the final attack from the pirates, he finally fell heavily to the ground.
Gasping for breath, he held onto the laser sword for support. As the pirates closed in step by step, a mocking smile appeared on his lips. It was time to end this.
In the moment when the crimson beam flashed before his eyes, he had already prepared himself for death. However, to his surprise, he felt no pain. Instead, he heard the desperate screams of the pirates.
Confused, Yu Zeyang looked up and saw a figure moving like a ghost through the bloodstained scene. He couldn’t see clearly what weapon the person held, but it seemed that with each strike, the pirates fell to the ground.
Soon, silence enveloped the area. When he regained his senses, the person had already walked over to him with a smile. “Ah, Vice President, you owe me a huge favor now, you know?”
Yu Zeyang felt that the voice was incredibly familiar. It wasn’t until later that he realized, amidst all the blood, that it was Lu Jingning’s overly exuberant face.
Feeling weak, Yu Zeyang was about to collapse, but Lu Jingning caught him and lifted him onto his shoulder. While dragging Yu Zeyang away, Lu Jingning continued talking, “You don’t need to thank me too much. If it weren’t for your protection of your classmates, I might not have bothered to intervene. I’ve always disliked you, and I’d have enjoyed seeing those pirates cut you down!”
At this moment, Yu Zeyang finally managed to gasp for breath and muttered, “Why… are you here?”
Lu Jingning glanced at him and shrugged. “Who knows?”
Yu Zeyang: “…”
Even at this time, this guy was still as annoying as ever!
Yu Zeyang didn’t have the strength to argue back and closed his mouth tightly, trying not to get agitated. He leaned on Lu Jingning’s shoulder, catching his breath heavily.
However, Lu Jingning seemed to have no intention of letting him rest and continued teasing, “I thought you were so fierce, but you turned out to be so weak against the pirates. I easily handled them with a stick. Aren’t you embarrassed to be chased by them for so long?”
He laughed, “Look at you now, in such a miserable state. I have to say, after I save you, your heroic deed will be known throughout the entire Mech Society. Maybe then you won’t look down on Omegas anymore. Isn’t it great to have a life-saving benefactor?”
Yu Zeyang: “…”
He felt that if the pirates didn’t kill him, this annoying little guy would probably do it for them.
After finally catching his breath, Yu Zeyang was ready to retort, but Lu Jingning suddenly stopped talking and gestured for him to be quiet. “Someone’s coming!”
After a while, a group of about twelve space pirates appeared in the distance. They were speaking in the common Star language, which Yu Zeyang understood a little, but his weakened state and lack of pheromone energy made it impossible for him to concentrate on gathering intelligence.
However, Lu Jingning seemed to be fully immersed in his role. He acted weak and helpless, crying out in a frightened voice, “Ahh! I’m so scared! I can’t fight, and I’m really weak! Please, don’t kill me! Please don’t capture me! Sob, sob, I’m really scared. Let me go, I don’t want to be captured by you!”
The pirates were taken aback by this unexpected turn of events.
While Yu Zeyang was dumbfounded by the sudden change in the situation, Lu Jingning had managed to draw their attention away from him completely.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Lu Jingning skillfully manipulated the situation, and before long, the pirates had fallen into his trap. They were now eager to capture the “vulnerable” Omega.
Yu Zeyang watched as Lu Jingning lured the pirates away, leaving him bound and gagged, but he couldn’t help but feel impressed by the guy’s resourcefulness.
Left alone, he could only wait and hope for a rescue team to find him soon. With his current state, surviving until then would be a test of fate.
As he contemplated his situation, he couldn’t help but marvel at Lu Jingning’s acting skills, making him almost forget the dangerous predicament they were in.
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
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What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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Thank you for the chapter! Seems like our MC just got his ticket to the main ship 🙂