TCPUAAV Chapter 55

 

The sky had already darkened.

 

A deep blue night stretched overhead, void of stars—only two artificial moons cast their dim glow over the world.

 

The strange cub sat stiffly on the small stool, his back straight, hands resting neatly on his knees.

 

Facing the repair shop entrance, he stared inside with wide, unblinking dark red eyes. His vertical pupils gave his gaze a dull, lifeless quality.

 

A truly peculiar cub.

 

Even in his humanoid form, it was difficult to determine his species.

 

When Ruan Shiqing stepped outside, the cub turned his head ever so slightly, his eyes locked onto him, unwavering.

 

It seemed that this cub only paid attention to him.

 

The surrounding environment, other people—none of it seemed to exist for him.

 

But the moment Ruan Shiqing appeared, his stiff posture would undergo subtle changes.

 

“Do you want to come inside?”

 

Kneeling down in front of the cub, Ruan Shiqing spoke gently.

 

Even though the child looked unusual, there was no way he could leave such a young cub outside alone in the dark.

 

So, he extended an invitation.

 

If the cub wanted to enter, Ruan Shiqing would take him in for the night.

 

If he refused, Ruan Shiqing wouldn’t force him.

 

Although B3024 Star’s security was lacking, at least within the shop’s defense perimeter, it should be relatively safe.

 

But the cub did not react at all.

 

He continued to stare at him, unmoving.

 

…Is he mute?

 

Or perhaps he was abandoned because he couldn’t communicate?

 

After all, Ruan Shiqing had never seen a cub like this around here before.

 

Sighing softly, he draped a small, pale yellow blanket over the cub’s shoulders.

 

“If you don’t want to come inside, you can sit here for now,” he said, pointing at the shop door.

 

Fearing that the cub didn’t understand, Ruan Shiqing slowed down his speech.

 

“I won’t lock the door. If you get sleepy or scared, you can come into the courtyard to sleep, alright?”

 

The cub, half-wrapped in the little blanket, only shifted his eyes slightly.

 

Still, no response.

 

Ruan Shiqing adjusted the blanket for him, then turned to leave.

 

He had barely taken a few steps when he heard the faint sound of footsteps behind him.

 

Turning back, he saw the cub slowly following him, still wrapped in the tiny blanket, one corner dragging on the ground.

 

But he didn’t seem to care about it at all.

 

When Ruan Shiqing stopped, the cub stopped too, his large eyes fixed on him the entire time.

 

His gaze was blank, grayish—completely devoid of reflection.

 

So he does understand words.

 

Gesturing for 09 to bring the stool inside, Ruan Shiqing locked the door and then crouched in front of the cub.

 

Gently, he readjusted the blanket, making sure it sat properly on the small figure.

 

“Since you’ve come in, let’s go upstairs and rest,” he said.

 

He took a few steps forward, watching from the corner of his eye—

 

The cub followed.

 

Only then did Ruan Shiqing feel at ease and continue upstairs.

 

The cub followed at his own slow pace, his movements sluggish as if weighed down by something unseen.

 

Ruan Shiqing didn’t rush him.

 

Once they reached the top, he fetched a clean towel and carefully wiped the cub’s hands, feet, and face before leading him to an unused bedroom.

 

He pointed to the bed 09 had already prepared.

 

“You can sleep here tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll see if I can find your family.”

 

The cub stood motionless in the middle of the room, still staring at him.

 

Ruan Shiqing couldn’t tell if he had understood or not.

 

After thinking for a moment, he decided to go wash up first.

 

Since the cub’s response time was unusually slow, he figured that by the time he finished, the cub would have climbed into bed.

 

But when he came back, he found that—

 

The bedroom was empty.

 

Just as he was about to go search for him, a small figure caught his attention.

 

Near the door of his own bedroom, a tiny lump sat curled up.

 

The cub had wrapped himself tightly in the pale yellow blanket, huddling at the threshold of Ruan Shiqing’s room.

 

His small body was curled into a tight ball, arms hugging his knees, head resting on them.

 

His eyes were closed, and his thin, delicate tendrils drooped against his forehead.

 

He looked pitiful.

 

“Why are you sleeping here?”

 

Ruan Shiqing approached, gently shaking him awake.

 

The cub’s eyes fluttered open, staring up at him, without saying a word.

 

Ruan Shiqing shook his head with a soft chuckle.

 

A cub that couldn’t speak—there was no point in asking questions.

 

Sitting outside his door… maybe he just didn’t want to sleep alone.

 

He bent down, picked up the little cub, and placed him on the other side of the bed.

 

“Then sleep here tonight.”

 

The cub lay still, watching him for a moment before finally closing his eyes.

 

His hands were neatly folded over his stomach, sleeping in an almost unnaturally proper posture.

 

Ruan Shiqing glanced at him once, then drifted off to sleep himself.

 

When Ruan Shiqing woke up, the cub was still in the exact same sleeping position as last night.

 

His thin tendrils drooped softly over his forehead, rising and falling slightly with his breath.

 

He seemed to have slept well.

 

Moving quietly, Ruan Shiqing went to the washroom to freshen up.

 

When he came out, he found that the cub had already woken up—

 

He was standing at the washroom door, still wrapped in the pale yellow blanket, just watching him.

 

“You’re up early,” Ruan Shiqing said, gently wiping the cub’s face before leading him downstairs.

 

The Xiong brothers had just opened the shop, flipping the sign to “OPEN.”

 

Seeing Ruan Shiqing come down with the strange cub, they were as curious as ever.

 

“Should we put up a ‘Lost Cub’ notice?” Xiong Yuanyuan asked. “Though I haven’t heard of any family around here missing a cub—especially one this weird-looking.”

 

Though Beastkin often had strange beast forms, a cub like this was unusual even by their standards.

 

“Let’s put one up,” Ruan Shiqing agreed.

 

Then, heading to the kitchen, he grabbed a nutrient tube and handed it to the cub.

 

The cub held onto it tightly and, as always, followed right behind him.

 

As Ruan Shiqing sat down to read the news, the cub settled at his feet, still wrapped in his small blanket, clutching the nutrient tube—Motionless.

 

Although he seemed to lack communication skills and was incredibly slow to react, he was very clingy.

 

After finishing his news browsing, Ruan Shiqing glanced down—The cub was still holding onto the nutrient tube.

 

Taking it from him, Ruan Shiqing twisted it open and held it to his mouth.

 

“Ah—” he prompted.

 

The cub stared at him, unmoving, before finally opening his mouth and imitating him—

 

“Ah—”

 

His voice was soft, slow, and drawn-out, with the gentle lilt unique to young cubs.

 

So, he can speak.

 

Ruan Shiqing fed him the nutrient paste, and the cub hesitated before carefully biting down on the tube and slowly drinking it all.

 

*

The Lost Cub notice stayed up for four or five days.

 

Yet, no one came to claim him.

 

Even after the Xiong brothers went out to ask around, no one knew of any missing cubs—Many people even said they had never seen a cub like him before.

 

With such distinctive features, someone should’ve remembered him.

 

But after asking all around town, everyone insisted they had never seen him.

 

The little robot had been circling the cub for a while, studying him.

 

Eventually, it lowered its voice and whispered to Ruan Shiqing,

 

“Could he have been abandoned on purpose?”

 

Its tone was downcast, feeling sorry for the cub.

 

From its data collection on the holonet, it had learned about abandoned cubs—Some were left behind for practical reasons, but many were simply thrown away.

 

To avoid getting caught, parents who intentionally abandoned cubs would often smuggle them onto garbage transport ships, letting fate decide where they ended up.

 

A cub like this one—with strange features and almost no communication ability—Was highly likely to have been abandoned.

 

“Then stay here.” Ruan Shiqing had been harboring the same suspicion.

 

He sighed and ruffled the cub’s hair. “If no one comes to claim you… then just stay here.”

 

There were already four cubs in the house.

 

One more wouldn’t make a difference.

 

Besides, this cub—though odd at first glance—Was actually incredibly easy to take care of.

 

Wherever Ruan Shiqing went, the cub followed.

 

Always clinging to him, always silent.

 

He didn’t cause trouble.

 

He was always quiet and obedient.

 

At mealtimes, Ruan Shiqing would hand him a nutrient tube, and he would eat it without fuss.

 

At bedtime, he would lie down on his own, waiting for Ruan Shiqing to tuck him in before closing his eyes.

 

Even his breathing was quiet.

 

A cub with an almost non-existent presence—Yet somehow, always there.

 

Ruan Shiqing simply let him be.

 

*

 

Bringing the cub into the workshop, Ruan Shiqing didn’t start work right away.

 

Instead, he sent a message to Mr. Rong, asking about the cubs’ training.

 

After four or five days, he hadn’t heard from them—The communication devices he gave them had gone unused.

 

The first time he tried reaching them, Mr. Rong had replied:

 

[The mission requires confidentiality. No video calls allowed.]

 

Ruan Shiqing wasn’t worried about their safety.

 

But after getting used to having the cubs around, the house now felt a little too quiet.

 

Since the cubs weren’t used to typing, he could only rely on Mr. Rong’s messages to communicate with them.

 

But this time, there was no immediate response.

 

They must still be training.

 

So, Ruan Shiqing set his communicator aside and focused on his work.

 

*

 

After three days of travel, Rong Heng’s group finally reached the jump wormhole near Balham Star.

 

According to Noah’s data, in two days, a convoy of transport ships from the Balem Weapons Factory would emerge from this location, heading for Balham Star.

 

The convoy consisted of five ships, carrying:

 

500 laser rifle production units, 200 laser cannon production units, 600 additional weapon manufacturing devices, and a fleet of fully automated mechanic robots essential for the production line

 

With this haul alone, they could establish the most advanced laser rifle and laser cannon factory on B3024 Star.

 

And yet, this convoy was just a minor transport fleet under the Balem Weapons Factory.

 

The cyan warship activated its cloaking system, lying in silent ambush near the jump gate exit.

 

Inside the war room, Rong Heng, Hector, and Mo Li were finalizing their strategy, while the three cubs sat nearby, listening in.

 

“The transport ships are heavily armed,” Hector pointed out.

 

“All of them come equipped with light and heavy laser cannons, as well as ion cannons—basic standard defenses. If we take them head-on, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

 

“No need for a direct assault.” Rong Heng reviewed the warship’s firepower inventory.

 

“Our flagship has fifty fighter jets, twenty bombers, and two gunboats. We’ll deploy the fighters and bombers to ambush the convoy the moment they exit the jump gate.

 

“Meanwhile, our main ship will jam their communications and cut off their escape routes.

 

“If we encircle the transport fleet, we can corner them and take them down smoothly.”

 

Rong Heng drew a tight containment ring around the wormhole’s exit on the holo-map.

 

The transport ships were powerful, but their massive size severely limited their mobility.

 

By forcing them into a restricted zone, they could: suppress their firepower, trap them in a tight space, and exploit their lack of maneuverability.

 

If the transport ships got desperate and started firing, their own weapons could be turned against them by maneuvering agile fighters into their line of fire—forcing them to accidentally attack each other.

 

Mo Li nodded. “We have forty-six people—enough to handle five ships.”

 

“We can divide into two attack waves and rotate.”

 

“If the first wave gets overwhelmed, they pull back, and the second group moves in.”

 

“Our fighters and bombers have more than enough numbers to keep this up.”

 

“Then it’s settled.” Rong Heng concluded.

 

“You two spend the next two days familiarizing your teams with the area.”

 

Mo Li and Hector agreed, each assigning specific tasks to their units.

 

Mo Li left first—he needed to gather his men and deliver a pre-mission briefing.

 

Meanwhile, Rong Heng and Hector remained in the war room.

 

The three cubs, who had been quietly observing, finally couldn’t hold back any longer.

 

“What about us?”

 

“What do we get to do?”

 

The little dragon cub and the little fox looked up eagerly.

 

When they first boarded the warship, they were thrilled—but after three days of boredom, their excitement had completely worn off.

 

The warship wasn’t nearly as fun as home.

 

They couldn’t even contact their dad.

 

And worst of all—Snowball wasn’t with them.

 

Shortly after boarding, Snowball had been taken away for “special training.”

 

Only the little mermaid knew the truth—That Snowball was actually Rong Heng in disguise.

 

But he had promised to keep the secret, so he hadn’t told anyone.

 

“You’ll have a job too,” Rong Heng tapped the table.

 

“First—tell me, what has interested you the most over the past few days?”

 

The little fox was the first to respond.

 

“Guns!” she blurted excitedly.

 

The little dragon cub followed immediately.

 

“Fighter jets!”

 

The little mermaid, who couldn’t speak, simply reached out and tapped the control console, his blue eyes sparkling.

 

In the past three days, the cubs had explored every corner of the warship.

 

The little fox was obsessed with the laser weapons stored in the armory.

 

She had begged Hector to let her try them, but since she hadn’t been trained, he had refused.

 

In the end, she only managed to get a mini laser pistol—a toy version with no power supply.

 

The little dragon cub had his heart set on piloting a fighter jet. The ones parked in the hangar looked so cool and fast. Just imagining himself piloting one was enough to make him giddy with excitement.

 

The little mermaid had been quietly fascinated with starship piloting.

 

Unlike the other two, he had no interest in weapons or combat.

But watching Mo Li maneuver the warship through deep space had sparked his curiosity.

Rong Heng glanced at Hector and jerked his chin toward the two excitable cubs.

 

“Then Heli and Nota are your responsibility.”

 

Then, turning to the little mermaid, he raised an eyebrow.

 

“You’re coming with me.”

 

Hector signaled his agreement.

 

No problem.

 

The three cubs, who had no idea what was about to happen, just stared at the two men in confusion.

 

 

 

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I feel so sad for the lil guy ;-; Also, Rong Rong… you’re too much for my heart… the cubs are too young for this!!!!

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~