TCPUAAV Chapter 73

 

With Dares and Merrell joining the fight, the pressure on the school was significantly reduced.

 

After a half-hour break, Hector and the little dragon cub swapped out the little mermaid and the little fox so they could rest. The group continued rotating shifts, and with the elite troops assisting them, they managed to push the swarm of Zergs back by several hundred meters in just about twelve hours. They then transported a large number of shield generators from the armory and activated a protective shield, fully enclosing the school.

 

With the shield in place, everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

 

The little dragon cub flopped onto the ground, his bat-like wings sagging with exhaustion. Seeing this, the little fox also collapsed against his back. Before long, the little mermaid joined them, hugging his blade as he nestled into the little fox’s fluffy tail.

 

“I’m so hungry…” The little dragon cub rubbed his flat stomach and muttered.

 

The past two or three days had drained him completely. He had been relying on only a small amount of nutrient solutions and energy supplements, and his stomach had protested countless times.

 

“I want to eat Daddy’s cooking,” the little fox said, flicking the tip of her tail. Her silver eyes narrowed slightly as she licked her lips involuntarily.

 

Hearing their conversation, the little mermaid buried himself entirely into the plush tail and soon dozed off.

 

Drowsiness was contagious. After mumbling a few more words, the little fox and the little dragon cub couldn’t resist yawning either. Before long, they leaned against each other and drifted off into a hazy slumber.

 

Not far away, the adults who had been discussing the next steps paused, their gazes inevitably drawn to the three cubs sleeping in a heap.

 

Hector glanced at Merrell out of the corner of his eye. He knew he might get roasted for it, but he still couldn’t help but boast, “Isn’t my son adorable?”

 

Merrell still found it hard to believe that this terminally single, hopelessly straight-laced dragon had managed to have a child. “While baby dragons are undeniably cute, I seriously doubt you raised such an adorable cub yourself.”

 

Her gaze shifted to the red fox sprawled entirely on top of the little dragon cub. “And if I’m not mistaken, the other two are a hybrid of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan and a mermaid, right?” She let out a surprised exclamation. “I’ve never seen the Four Great Noble Clans get along this well.”

 

At every military meeting before, hadn’t they always ended up bickering?

 

Even though they were the Empire’s Four Great Nobles, when it came to arguing and tearing each other down, they had never cared much for noble elegance or dignity.

 

“That’s just because you haven’t seen enough,” Hector muttered, shooting a glance at the Crown Prince, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, resting. Internally, he scoffed: Your dear Crown Prince is quite ‘united and harmonious’ with the cubs too. If you knew the truth, your eyeballs would probably pop out.

 

After a brief conversation, Dares and Merrell resumed leading their troops to clear out the Zergs, while Rong Heng and his team stayed put to rest, waiting for reinforcements from the armory.

 

—The school was not a place to linger for long. Before the Zerg tide surged again, they needed to evacuate the cubs to the safety of the armory as soon as possible.

 

With the immediate crisis on the surface temporarily resolved, the cubs who had been sheltering in the basement finally emerged under their teachers’ guidance.

 

Leading the charge was Ruan Jiao. However, the moment he spotted the three cubs sleeping on the playground, his hurried steps slowed down. The antennae on his forehead, which had been standing upright, relaxed and drooped slightly.

 

He circled the sleeping cubs, carefully examining them to make sure they weren’t injured. Only after confirming they were unharmed did he walk over to Rong Heng.

 

Rong Heng was sitting against the wall, his long legs bent, head lowered, and eyes half-lidded.

 

His clothes were still relatively neat, making him seem not too disheveled at first glance. But Ruan Jiao could sense the deep exhaustion radiating from him, along with a faint scent of blood.

 

He was injured.

 

Ruan Jiao crouched down in front of him and tentatively reached out to touch his forehead.

 

“What are you doing?” Rong Heng lifted his eyelids to look at him, catching his hand and letting out a low chuckle. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

 

He gave the little cub a gentle push toward the sleeping ones, his voice hoarse as he said, “Go play over there.”

 

Ruan Jiao furrowed his brows, his large eyes staring stubbornly at him, refusing to withdraw his hand.

 

They locked gazes for a few moments before Rong Heng finally let go of his hand, muttering, “Do whatever you want.”

 

These cubs, every single one of them, were becoming more and more disobedient.

 

Ruan Jiao placed his hand on Rong Heng’s forehead, sending a soft and soothing energy over. The tension and extreme fatigue that had been weighing down on Rong Heng gradually eased. Before he realized it, his tightly wound body relaxed, and he drifted into sleep.

 

*

 

By the time Rong Heng woke up again, another four to five hours had passed.

 

The noisy commotion around him roused him from sleep. As he opened his eyes, he saw two walker vehicles entering the school grounds.

 

Once the walkers came to a stop and lowered their boarding ramps, a crowd of people rushed out, their voices filled with urgency as they called out specific names.

 

Several faces looked familiar. Rong Heng guessed that these were most likely the cubs’ parents.

 

The cubs who heard their names called responded loudly and excitedly ran toward their parents, only to be scooped up into tight embraces.

 

By now, the cubs had already moved past the initial fear and helplessness, replaced instead by exhilaration. Their parents, however, reacted differently, some burst into tears, others choked back sobs as they clung to their children.

 

The cubs, puzzled, couldn’t understand. Why aren’t we crying, but Mommy and Daddy are?

 

The cubs’ school had been the epicenter of the Zerg attack. With almost no defensive measures in place and the cubs being so fragile, many parents had already braced themselves for the worst when they encountered the swarm. Upon learning that the school hadn’t fallen and that all the cubs had survived, they couldn’t wait a second longer and rushed over immediately.

 

The one leading the rescue was none other than Ruan Shiqing.

 

After confirming the situation was stable, he had immediately gathered a team and piloted the walkers over to evacuate the cubs.

 

He was the last to step out of the vehicle. Looking around, his gaze quickly landed on Ruan Jiao, but after scanning the area, he couldn’t spot the other four cubs.

 

“Where’s Heli and the others?” Ruan Shiqing asked with concern.

 

Ruan Jiao clasped his hands behind his back, blinked, and said nothing.

 

Ruan Shiqing: ???

 

Judging by Ruan Jiao’s reaction, it didn’t seem like anything had happened to them. He picked up the cub and decided to ask the teachers instead.

 

Meanwhile, three other cubs were nervously hiding in a corner.

 

“Hurry up and decide what to do!” The little fox urged. “If Daddy can’t find us, he’ll start worrying!”

 

“Just go with what I said,” the little dragon cub replied calmly. Having gone through this once before, he remained composed. “As long as Daddy hasn’t actually seen us, we don’t say anything. That way, we’re not technically lying.”

 

The little mermaid hesitated.

 

—The cubs had woken up after just four hours of sleep. Ten minutes ago, the little dragon cub had gone off in search of food when his sharp ears picked up his father’s voice. Instinctively, he had called the little fox and the little mermaid to hide with him.

 

Now, as they huddled together, they exchanged glances.

 

They didn’t even know why they were hiding, but since they were already doing it, they figured they might as well come up with a plan.

 

Thus, the conversation unfolded.

 

The little dragon cub was adamant about remaining his daddy’s precious baby, so based on his previous experience, he proposed this strategy.

 

The little fox, having shrunk herself down to a smaller form, figured that if the little dragon cub could do it, so could she. So she readily agreed.

 

Only the little mermaid hesitated. “But what if Daddy finds out later? Will he be mad?”

 

He was not the type to lie easily.

 

Plus, looking down at himself, he realized that although he had reverted to his merfolk form, he had clearly grown. How am I supposed to explain this to Daddy?

 

The three cubs stared at each other in silence.

 

Unfortunately, before they could come up with a solution, Ruan Shiqing had already found them.

 

Scooping up both the little dragon cub and the little fox in one swift motion, he peered down at them. “What are you all doing hiding here?”

 

All the other cubs were waiting to be reunited with their parents, yet his own were playing hide-and-seek with him.

 

“N-nothing!” The little dragon cub stammered, his eyes darting around. In a panic, he suddenly pointed at the little mermaid and blurted, “Yuebai grew bigger! He’s embarrassed! We were comforting him!”

 

The little fox’s ears immediately perked up as she nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he’s shy!”

 

The little mermaid: ????????

 

The little mermaid was utterly stunned as he stared at the two traitorous cubs who had just sold him out. His lips pressed together tightly.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s attention immediately shifted upon hearing their words. He looked the little mermaid up and down, then gestured with his hands. “You have grown a bit.”

 

His form had lengthened slightly, his features losing some of their childlike roundness and gaining the delicate sharpness of a young adolescent. His blue fishtail had also become longer, the once light blue scales darkening into a deeper hue, reflecting a faint, beautiful shimmer.

 

“Our little Yuebai is finally growing up,” Ruan Shiqing said, both surprised and delighted. He ruffled the cub’s hair fondly before pausing. “But why does it have to happen at this moment…”

 

He glanced at the little mermaid, who had his head lowered, and asked, “Is the cart too small now?”

 

The little mermaid: …

 

His entire face flushed red. After struggling for a moment, he bit his lip and gave a stiff nod.

 

“It’s fine, I’ll make you a new one when we get back,” Ruan Shiqing reassured him before putting down the two cubs in his arms and instead scooping up the little mermaid in a cradle hold. He gestured for the other cubs to follow.

 

Then, in a gentle tone, he comforted the little mermaid, “Growing up is a good thing. There’s no need to be embarrassed. But the merfolk race can transform into a fully human form, right? Maybe I should ask Lansing to teach you…”

 

The little mermaid, who had already learned how to shift forms: “…”

 

Even the fin-like extensions on the sides of his ears began to burn with embarrassment. Unable to handle it, he buried his face into his dad’s chest.

 

Then, remembering the two culprits responsible for this whole mess, he turned his head and glared at the little dragon cub and the little fox with a look of pure accusation.

 

The two cubs, walking guiltily beside him, hunched their shoulders and shrank back.

 

Only Ruan Jiao, completely out of the loop, tilted his head in confusion, wondering what was going on.

 

Back on the school grounds, Ruan Shiqing spotted Rong Heng stepping out from the building. He took the initiative to greet him, his expression filled with genuine gratitude. “It’s all thanks to you that the cubs made it out safely this time.”

 

????

 

To be honest, the cubs had definitely played their part in defending the school.

 

Rong Heng glanced at Ruan Shiqing, who seemed completely oblivious, then at the guilty-looking cubs behind him. His brow lifted slightly in amusement.

 

So these little ones aren’t so well-behaved in front of their dad, huh?

 

He chuckled. “I thought we were already friends. Between friends, there’s no need for such formalities. Protecting the cubs was simply my duty.”

 

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony,” Ruan Shiqing replied with a bright, sincere smile. “Once the Zerg tide recedes, come over for a meal.”

 

The smile in Rong Heng’s eyes deepened, and he nodded in agreement.

 

After exchanging a few more words, Ruan Shiqing prepared to take the cubs back to the armory. But as he noticed Rong Heng following along alone, he couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Where’s Snowball? Why isn’t he with you?”

 

He had always assumed that Snowball was constantly by Mr. Rong’s side.

 

“…”

 

The prince, who had completely forgotten about that detail, stiffened for a moment.

 

But fortunately, he was much better at keeping a straight face under pressure than the cubs were. With a grave expression, he smoothly explained, “Snowball got injured unexpectedly. I had Dares take him for treatment first.”

 

“Injured? Is it serious?” Ruan Shiqing asked with concern. “The repair shop has a medical pod. If necessary, I can move it to the armory.”

 

“No need.” Rong Heng’s eyelid twitched slightly, but he forced himself to continue the lie with a straight face. “The warship is already equipped with a medical pod. Dares has taken him there ahead of us. He just needs to rest in it for a day or two, and he’ll be fine.”

 

The explanation made sense, but something about it felt… off to Ruan Shiqing.

 

He frowned slightly, trying to pinpoint what exactly seemed strange.

 

But before he could dwell on it further, 09, who had been waiting impatiently on the walker vehicle, popped his head out and called for him excitedly.

 

For now, Ruan Shiqing set aside his lingering doubts, leading the cubs onto the vehicle as they made their way back to the armory.

 

 

---

 

RONG HENG IS DIGGING HIMSELF DEEPER LMAO how are you going to explain coming to dinner but not bringing “Snowball” with you? Also, isn’t it funny how they’re still calling him Snowball (even his supposed “brother”) when they already know his “name”?? x)

 

Thanks for reading!

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