TCPUAAV Chapter 152

 

 

Ever since skipping work with the little ones to return to Planet B3024, Rong Heng’s thoughts had started to drift.

 

The Empire had been restructured, and the fledgling New Republic was still recovering from the devastation of war. With an overwhelming shortage of manpower, Rong Heng had no choice but to shoulder the heavy burden alone, rising early and working late to handle state affairs. But as time passed, the Republic gradually emerged from the shadow of war, and the shortage of personnel was being addressed with new recruits from across the galaxy. Some matters could finally begin to be delegated to the now-functional Galactic Parliament.

 

And so, Rong Heng began to quietly ponder—perhaps it was time for the Supreme Chancellor to take a well-deserved vacation.

 

Right on cue, a report came in: an unmanned surveillance drone had spotted signs of the Zerg near the long-abandoned Blue Planet.

 

Since the Great Migration, humanity had settled in Sikkim as their new capital, slowly building a new home. The original homeworld, Blue Planet, had long since been forsaken due to its harsh environment and distance from the Imperial Core Worlds. After lying dormant for so long, the planet had faded from memory for many.

 

The reappearance of the Zerg near it quickly drew renewed attention.

 

The Zerg’s reproductive ability was formidable—if not dealt with swiftly, another outbreak could lead to yet another disaster. The Parliament and the Ministry of War swiftly reached an agreement to dispatch a fleet to Blue Planet and exterminate the threat.

 

But before any military deployment could proceed, Rong Heng’s authorization as Supreme Chancellor was required.

 

He studied the official report for a while, then casually crossed out the appointed commanding officer’s name and replaced it with his own before signing off in satisfaction.

 

By the time the Galactic Parliament received the signed directive, Rong Heng had already boarded the warship—dragging along the current Director of the Research Institute with him.

 

The coordinates were already set, and the warship glided steadily through the vastness of space.

 

Rong Heng had changed out of his formal chancellor uniform and was now wearing a casual shirt and trousers that matched Ruan Shiqing’s outfit in style, if not in color. The black shirt had its top two buttons undone, exposing a hint of his collarbone. His long white hair was tied back in a low ponytail, shedding some of the unapproachable, awe-inspiring authority he usually exuded and lending him a more down-to-earth air.

 

Ruan Shiqing, long accustomed to seeing him in crisp military attire, couldn’t help but sneak a few more glances at this more relaxed version of him.

 

Rong Heng immediately noticed his gaze. He raised a brow and leaned in, his voice low and teasing. “You like it?”

 

“Mhm,” Ruan Shiqing answered honestly, his fingers playing with the end of Rong Heng’s ponytail as his gaze warmed.

 

Rong Heng’s hair, like the rest of his sleek and silky appearance, felt amazing to the touch—so much so that Ruan Shiqing found it hard to stop himself.

 

It seemed Rong Heng’s deep dive into fashion forums on the holo-net, trying to learn how to dress in a style his boyfriend would like, hadn’t been in vain after all.

 

Pleased with himself, Rong Heng gently pressed Ruan Shiqing’s hand down and coaxed him into the rest cabin. “This trip might take ten days, maybe even half a month.”

 

“Sampling the energy mine will take that long?” Ruan Shiqing frowned, confused.

 

Rong Heng felt a twinge of guilt—he hadn’t yet told Ruan Shiqing the true destination of their voyage. To keep the little ones from finding out and insisting on coming along, he had told Ruan Shiqing that a rare and unstable energy mine had been discovered on a nearby planet. The planet’s environment was so hostile that only they, with their unique physiology, could handle the task.

 

The planet was, in fact, close to Sikkim—just a two-hour round trip. It wouldn’t have affected their schedules much at all.

 

Which was why Ruan Shiqing had agreed to come so quickly.

 

Now, hearing it would take such a long time, Ruan Shiqing grew suspicious.

 

Rong Heng cleared his throat, but as he thought of the upcoming honeymoon-like journey, he regained his confidence. “Sampling is just one part of the trip. There’s something else we need to do.”

 

“What is it?”

 

Only then did Rong Heng finally explain the situation—the recent sighting of Zerg near Blue Planet. With a righteous expression, he added, “The Zerg originated from Blue Planet. Now that they’ve reappeared in its vicinity, it’s essential that we investigate personally.”

 

“It is necessary,” Ruan Shiqing agreed, though his eyes narrowed slightly with understanding. “But it doesn’t have to be us, does it?”

 

Rong Heng averted his gaze, still trying to play it cool. “It’s safer if we go ourselves.”

 

By now, Ruan Shiqing had fully figured out what this was about. Rong Heng had been too tied up in Sikkim to make time for even a proper date—now he was using this opportunity to sneak in a break.

 

But on second thought, ever since they’d relocated to Sikkim, the two of them had barely had a moment alone. This little scheme of Rong Heng’s wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

 

Even the Supreme Chancellor needed time for romance—and rest.

 

So he nodded in agreement. “Yes, we should definitely go ourselves.”

 

Then, unable to suppress his lingering concern, he asked, “Did you make all the necessary arrangements in Sikkim? Did you tell the little ones?”

 

Rong Heng answered without hesitation, “Everything’s taken care of.”

 

Relieved, Ruan Shiqing relaxed into the plush sofa and began thinking about how they would spend their upcoming vacation.

 

Rong Heng sat beside him but had no romantic thoughts at the moment. Instead, he stealthily opened his smart terminal.

 

They’d been gone for three to four hours by now, and the little ones had likely returned to Palka Palace—only to find 09 at home and no sign of their parents. Anticipating this, Rong Heng had secretly used Ruan Shiqing’s smart terminal to temporarily block the kids’ contact numbers once they boarded the ship. With no way to reach Ruan Shiqing, the kids would surely turn to him instead.

 

Sure enough, their family group chat had already exploded with messages.

 

Little Dragon Cub: [Is Dad working overtime today? No one’s answering calls.]

 

Little Dragon Cub: [Where’s Snowball? He’s gone too?]

 

Little Fox: [I heard the Zerg were spotted near Blue Planet. Maybe Snowball’s handling it?]

 

Ruan Yuebai: [I just asked 09. He said Snowball left work early today.]

 

After reading the flurry of messages, Rong Heng finally replied:

 

[There’s been a Zerg sighting near Blue Planet. I wasn’t comfortable leaving it unattended, so I’m going to check it out. We’ll be back in about half a month. There’s a new project at the Institute too, so Dad has to stay there for around ten days. While we’re gone, take good care of yourselves ^__^]

 

Hearing that he was already en route to Blue Planet, the kids immediately began asking questions about the situation there. Rong Heng made up a bunch of plausible-sounding details to placate them. Once he was sure they hadn’t gotten suspicious, he finally closed the smart terminal with satisfaction.

 

This journey was meant to be their time. Just the two of them.

 

At such a young age, already raising five children at home, Rong Heng felt he was more than entitled to claim some well-earned benefits.

 

While Rong Heng and Ruan Shiqing were off relaxing and enjoying a well-deserved date, the little ones back home were growing increasingly suspicious.

 

It was the little mermaid who first voiced his doubt: [Something’s off about Snowball’s attitude.]

 

The little dragon and little fox, carefree as ever, hadn’t sensed anything amiss. They widened their eyes in confusion. “What’s off?”

 

“Snowball sent a smiley face,” said Ruan Jiao—usually a beat behind everyone else, but unusually perceptive this time. “He seemed like he was in a really good mood.”

 

The little mermaid gave him an approving glance and summarized, “That’s kind of suspicious.”

 

By all logic, Snowball shouldn’t be that happy about going off alone on a long trip.

 

Recalling Rong Heng’s earlier message, the little mermaid declared, “Let’s go check the Research Institute!”

 

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

 

The four little ones immediately piled into the land cruiser and raced off to the institute.

 

But when they got there and asked around, they were told that Ruan Shiqing had left around noon—supposedly for an urgent matter brought to him by the Chancellor. The researchers weren’t quite sure of the details, but the little ones needed no further explanation.

 

Snowball had run off with their dad behind their backs!

 

“That’s outrageous!” the little dragon growled, slapping his bat-like wings in anger.

 

“Exactly!” The little fox bared her teeth. “He lied to us!”

 

The little mermaid said, “They’ve definitely gone to Blue Planet.”

 

“We’re going too!” the little dragon and little fox shouted in unison.

 

“Let’s go!” Ruan Jiao immediately added his vote.

 

With unanimous agreement, the little ones wasted no time. That very night, they launched a warship and set course for Blue Planet.

 

Life for two was even more wonderful than Rong Heng had imagined.

 

Officially, the mission was to investigate the Zerg presence on Blue Planet—but in reality, Rong Heng hardly cared about the few scattered Zerg. After all the effort he’d gone through to lure his beloved out here, his true goal was very simple: to fall in love in peace and live a shameless, carefree life free from interruptions.

 

That was why he hadn’t brought many personnel along—and those he did bring were deliberately stationed in the lower decks. No one was allowed to disturb the main cabin.

 

Before departure, Rong Heng had done his homework on the holo-net. Not only had he studied the latest fashion guides to match his boyfriend’s tastes, he’d even taken the time to learn about “100 Must-Do Couple Activities.”

 

That way, even during a potentially boring space voyage, they’d have plenty to do together.

 

Rong Heng was quite pleased with himself.

 

The only one not quite so pleased was his partner.

 

After gently declining Rong Heng’s suggestion to drink juice in the style of a wedding toast, Ruan Shiqing was both mentally and physically exhausted. He seriously considered how to tactfully explain to his boyfriend that perhaps it was time to stop relying on these not-so-brilliant couple’s guides.

 

Whether it was “toasting drinks like newlyweds,” “balloon-blowing contests,” or “sunflower seed eating competitions,” all of it was just… ridiculous.

 

Utterly brainless.

 

Thankfully, just as Ruan Shiqing was reaching the limits of his patience, Blue Planet finally came into view.

 

He exhaled a long breath and gave Rong Heng a genuine, heartfelt smile, quickly placing the drink Rong Heng had just handed him back onto the table. “Time to prep for landing.”

 

Rong Heng, though a little disappointed, set the drink aside and followed him to the cockpit.

 

Contrary to their expectations of a dead, decaying world, the blue planet below was blanketed in vast swathes of green.

 

The closer they got, the clearer the lush greenery became.

 

Those green patches were plants.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s expression turned to one of astonishment. He was reminded of what he had once seen in a crystal globe—Blue Planet teeming with verdant life.

 

After thousands of years of recovery, the blue world had finally regained its original beauty.

 

“Land immediately!” Ruan Shiqing said, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

 

The massive warship pierced through the atmosphere and slowly descended onto a flat plain.

 

Sensors and scanners continuously fed back data from the planet’s surface.

 

Oxygen levels were optimal. No toxic substances detected. Conditions were excellent.

 

They didn’t even need to wear protective suits—they could step outside directly.

 

As the warship’s doors lifted and the gangway lowered, Ruan Shiqing grabbed Rong Heng’s hand and eagerly stepped onto the surface. Gazing around at the lush vegetation, he inhaled deeply.

 

The fresh air here was far beyond anything found in the botanical gardens of Sikkim.

 

The soldiers who followed behind were equally stunned by the planet’s thriving plant life. As they looked around, they realized that many of these species were either critically endangered or believed extinct—now growing wild and free beneath their feet, thriving in abundance.

 

 

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lmao poor Rong Rong nobody gets him

(P.S: I will be uploading all the three extras today, so stay tuned for the rest <3)

 

Thanks for reading!

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