TCPUAAV Chapter 85

 

 

Ruan Shiqing spent nearly two hours before finally filling up the storage unit.

 

At the edge of the starfield, the explosions were becoming more intense. Shockwaves, like turbulent waves, pushed the two of them adrift in space. Occasionally, scattered meteors shot past at high speed. If not for Rong Heng holding onto him tightly, he wouldn’t have been able to steady himself at all.

 

Watching the increasingly violent explosions at the periphery, Ruan Shiqing clutched the storage unit in his arms. “We need to go back now.”

 

The explosions were intensifying; it was no longer safe to linger.

 

The two returned to the shuttle and removed their spacesuits. Ruan Shiqing held the storage unit as if it were a priceless treasure, while Rong Heng took over the controls, piloting Glory away from the unstable starfield at full speed.

 

The sensor array data showed that an even larger explosion was brewing behind them. They had to escape as quickly as possible.

 

The shuttle accelerated to its limit, but the explosions were spreading even faster.

 

Waves of violent shockwaves struck, carrying debris and meteors that pelted the shuttle. The once-stable craft now shook uncontrollably.

 

Rong Heng activated the deflector shields and called out to Noah, “Calculate the time needed to escape versus the explosion timeline.”

 

“At maximum speed, estimated time to escape: seventy-three minutes. The explosion is expected to reach peak intensity in twenty-six minutes,” Noah’s voice carried a trace of concern. “Severe turbulence and meteor swarms will accompany it. Danger level: S-rank. Please prepare accordingly.”

 

Ruan Shiqing was momentarily startled. This shuttle’s AI was also called Noah? And its voice was identical to the AI in his own neural system.

 

However, he didn’t have time to dwell on this. The information in Noah’s report made his heart sink. He furrowed his brows. “How long can the deflector shields hold?”

 

“At peak explosion intensity, a maximum of ten minutes,” Noah responded.

 

That meant they had, at most, thirty-six minutes.

 

But they needed seventy-three minutes to reach the wormhole exit. In other words, when the shields collapsed, they would still have only covered half the distance. The remaining half… they would have to endure unprotected.

 

If they couldn’t withstand it… Ruan Shiqing didn’t dare to think about the consequences.

 

“Don’t be afraid.” Rong Heng switched the shuttle from semi-autonomous mode to full manual control. His eyes were fixed on the real-time data on the control panel as he skillfully maneuvered, dodging the meteors and massive vortices rapidly closing in behind them.

 

“I brought you in, and I’ll take you out.”

 

His gaze never wavered, his expression calm and composed as he piloted the shuttle.

 

Ruan Shiqing, who had been feeling anxious—perhaps even secretly regretting dragging Rong Heng into this—gradually calmed down as well. He clutched the storage unit tightly and softly responded, “Mm.”

 

But the explosion arrived even faster than expected. By the seventeenth minute, the darkness behind them had already been engulfed in a blazing inferno. Shockwaves, carrying shattered meteors, surged violently toward the wormhole exit.

 

The impact of the turbulence and debris slammed into the deflector shields, making the shuttle shudder violently as warning alarms blared.

 

Rong Heng’s brows knitted tightly as he watched the shield integrity drop rapidly—the explosion’s power was several times greater than they had predicted.

 

Even Glory wouldn’t hold.

 

He made a swift decision and said to Ruan Shiqing, “The explosion is too strong. Glory won’t last. Get to the escape pod.”

 

Ruan Shiqing was stunned. “What about you?”

 

Rong Heng glanced at him, meeting his worried gaze. He reassured him, “There are two escape pods. You go first. When Glory can’t hold anymore, I’ll get in too. The escape pod’s shielding and structure are strong enough to withstand the explosion.”

 

Ruan Shiqing eyed him doubtfully, as if afraid he was planning something reckless.

 

Rong Heng couldn’t help but chuckle, his expression serious as he promised, “I won’t lie to you. I said I’d take you out, and I will. I won’t leave you behind. I’m not that foolish.”

 

Massive starfield explosions like this were rare, but for someone like Ymir, who had survived countless battlefields, this wasn’t the worst situation he’d faced.

 

Back in Baghdad, he had survived being surrounded by over a hundred fighter ships bombarding him. Compared to that, this wasn’t even a tenth as dangerous.

 

Ruan Shiqing was still half-skeptical, but there was no better option. He pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on Rong Heng. “I trust you.”

 

So don’t betray my trust.

 

Rong Heng freed a hand, tracing two fingers across his brow in a solemn gesture of promise. “Go.”

 

The escape pods were located at the rear of the shuttle—oval-shaped, metal-sealed containers stripped of all unnecessary systems and components. They were equipped only with three layers of deflector shields and an ultra-durable outer shell. In the event of danger, the shuttle’s occupants could use these pods to evacuate. Once detached, the escape pods would automatically send distress signals and location coordinates.

 

Seeing the two escape pods placed side by side, both in optimal condition, Ruan Shiqing finally let go of his doubts. Clutching the storage unit tightly, he stepped into one of them.

 

The escape pod sealed shut, cutting him off from the outside world.

 

In the cockpit, Rong Heng squinted slightly as he watched the blinding explosions growing ever more intense behind him. His fingers moved swiftly across the control panel. “Noah, how much longer can we hold out?”

 

“Twenty minutes at most,” Noah responded. “The explosion has reached its peak. From here on, the energy output will gradually decrease.”

 

But even though the energy would diminish, a starfield explosion of this magnitude was still not something that could be endured casually.

 

“That means we only need thirty more minutes to get out. That’s enough.”

 

Rong Heng glanced at the control panel, glowing red with warnings, and unfastened the top button of his uniform. “Send our coordinates. Have Dares bring a rescue team as soon as possible.”

 

Noah acknowledged the command and transmitted the distress signal to B3024 Star.

 

Eighteen minutes later, Glory’s energy system was struck by a meteor. The impact caused a power leak.

 

With its energy supply cut off, the shuttle’s engines shut down completely, leaving it adrift. It was now nothing more than a helpless vessel caught in the raging currents of the explosion, battered by countless meteors. Like a lone boat tossed about in a stormy sea, Glory swayed violently, on the verge of being swallowed whole.

 

Rong Heng moved toward the rear of the shuttle. Seeing that the occupied escape pod was ready, he initiated the detachment sequence.

 

With a soft mechanical hiss, the oval escape pod disengaged from Glory and was immediately swept up by the surging shockwaves, hurtling toward the wormhole exit.

 

In the next moment, Rong Heng leaped from the shuttle. As he left Glory behind, his form shifted—expanding in an instant into the massive figure of a Ymir.

 

With powerful strokes of his wings, he surged forward, swiftly catching up to the escape pod that had been swept away by the currents.

 

Behind him, Glory, which had reached its absolute limit, was torn apart by the violent turbulence, shattered into fragments in the blink of an eye.

 

Carefully, Rong Heng caught the escape pod in his mouth. Using the force of the shockwaves, he propelled himself forward at high speed.

 

Yet, maneuvering in weightless space was far more difficult than moving on solid ground. Even as a Ymir, his speed couldn’t compare to the near-light-speed capabilities of a shuttle.

 

The raging currents slashed against his body like invisible blades, and every stray meteor blocked his path before slamming into him with devastating force.

 

Rong Heng grunted, furrowing his brows as he cast a glance backward.

 

The explosion behind him was still ongoing, though it seemed slightly weaker than before.

 

He didn’t dwell on it for long. Instead, he quickly shrank his form, releasing the escape pod from his mouth and curling his body around it, securing it within the safest space—his abdomen.

 

With all four limbs wrapped protectively around the pod, Rong Heng stopped relying on his own strength to move forward. Instead, he surrendered himself to the violent currents, allowing them to sweep him and the escape pod toward the wormhole exit.

 

This was the fastest and most energy-efficient way to escape—though it meant enduring considerable pain.

 

Rong Heng pressed his lips together, disregarding the sharp stings radiating through his body as he tightened his hold on the escape pod.

 

At times like this, he thought, it would be nice if the dragon race were here. Their thick hides could withstand impacts much better.

 

The Crown Prince brooded sourly.

 

Those stupid, clumsy dragons—this was probably the only advantage they had.

 

*

 

Rong Heng clutched the escape pod tightly, unsure how long they had been drifting in the dim, swirling vortex of the wormhole.

 

Maintaining the same posture for an extended period, combined with the turbulence and constant meteor strikes, had left his body somewhat numb.

 

Yet, he remained fully alert.

 

It wasn’t until the very moment when the violent currents hurled them out of the wormhole’s exit that his tensed mind finally loosened—at least he no longer had to worry about the collapsing wormhole twisting unpredictably and crushing them into stardust.

 

He stretched his stiff limbs slightly, but the movement tugged at his injuries, making his brow furrow in irritation.

 

How troublesome.

 

His Highness the Crown Prince was in a foul mood. Once he got back, he’d have to come up with yet another excuse to explain his injuries.

 

At this moment, he truly understood what it meant to tell one lie and then have to spin a hundred more just to cover it up.

 

It was a situation where there was no turning back.

 

If he came clean and admitted that he was actually a powerful Ymir, and that his injuries were simply the result of drifting through space unprotected for an hour or two, Ruan Shiqing would immediately see through his identity.

 

After all, everyone knew that the former imperial crown prince was an only child.

 

He didn’t have a younger brother.

 

The mere thought of this possibility made Rong Heng inexplicably guilty.

 

If Ruan Shiqing found out that Snowball was actually him, would he be angry?

 

…Probably.

 

With no sense of time in the endless dark expanse of space, Rong Heng felt as though he had been drifting for an eternity. Until rescue arrived, he didn’t dare to relax for even a second, forcing himself to stay awake.

 

But keeping his mind clear only left him more prone to overthinking—such as imagining Ruan Shiqing discovering the truth, kicking him out, cutting ties completely, and never seeing him again.

 

That was absolutely unacceptable.

 

By the time Dares’ battleship arrived, the crown prince was still caught in the depths of his being-kicked-out paranoia.

 

The battleship’s hangar bay doors slowly opened. Dares piloted a fighter, extending a mechanical arm to retrieve both Rong Heng and the escape pod, hauling them into the ship’s interior.

 

Rong Heng lay sprawled on the deck, his four limbs still tightly wrapped around the escape pod.

 

Dares jumped out of the fighter, immediately alarmed at the sight. He waved a hand in front of Rong Heng’s face. “Your Highness? Your Highness?”

 

“What?” Rong Heng snapped impatiently.

 

Hearing him speak, Dares finally let out a relieved sigh, mumbling under his breath, “I thought you were…” He didn’t finish, just rubbed his hands together with an awkward laugh.

 

Rong Heng shot him a look of pure disdain, unwilling to engage.

 

As if a Ymir could die so easily.

 

Seeing that he still wasn’t moving, Dares hesitated before reminding him, “Your Highness… you can let go of the escape pod now.”

 

They were safe. There was no need to keep clinging to it, right?

 

Then, remembering some gossip Merrell had shared a few days ago, Dares’ expression suddenly turned strange. His gaze flickered back and forth between Rong Heng and the escape pod he was cradling protectively.

 

Wait a damn minute—could Merrell have been right???

 

“You idiot.” Rong Heng caught his weird look and finally lost his patience. “My limbs are numb!”

 

“…Oh. Ohhh.”

 

So that was it.

 

Dares quickly shut down the wild thoughts running through his head, feeling both relieved and a little foolish. He hurried over to help pry open the crown prince’s stiff limbs and extract the escape pod from his grasp.

 

See?

 

The day His Highness gets into a relationship is the day pigs learn to climb trees[mfn]He means that nothing will become impossible if that happens lol[/mfn].

 

Even if he manages to find a partner, there’s no way His Highness would ever[mfn]He means that Rong Heng is worse than him in terms of love. He can find an arranged spouse or something, but not a “love” since he is too pragmatic lol[/mfn].

 

 

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH that was crazy of him

 

Also, I wonder if Ruan Ruan is going to start feeling suspicious now or not yet, especially with the little bit with Noah

 

Thanks for reading!

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