Ah Sui had spent an entire night overcoming his fear, but in the next two days, Blairand never set foot in the prison again. Even General Aks, who would usually inspect regularly, had vanished. The only zerg who still showed up every day, rain or shine, was the fat cook, delivering meals as scheduled.
Ah Sui asked him to help find Blairand, but each time the cook returned with a troubled expression, saying, “Grand Leader, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but Major General Blairand and General Aks have been in the flagship for meetings these past two days. The area is full of guards, and I can’t get in at all.”
It’s over. Blairand must be angry.
This was the only thought in Ah Sui’s mind when he heard those words. He despondently fell back onto the bed, like a lazy salted fish. What if Blairand really thinks he’s been avoiding him? Normally, he could explain things when they met, but now he couldn’t even see him. This was a disaster.
Xu Cenfeng saw that Ah Sui looked dejected and came up with a mischievous idea. “Just cause a scene. If you make a fuss, Blairand will definitely come over to check on you. Anyway, you’re a male zerg, so the guards at the door won’t dare to hit you.”
Ah Sui opened his eyes and looked at him. “What if they do hit me?”
Xu Cenfeng replied, “What are you afraid of? They can’t beat you.”
“I won’t fight back.”
Ah Sui had learned his lesson and wasn’t falling for Xu Cenfeng’s trick. Those female soldiers were all fierce, and it wouldn’t end well if a real fight broke out. He got up and walked over to the railing, glancing outside. He then noticed a guard on duty outside. After a moment of thought, he suddenly clutched his stomach and began to groan in pain.
“Ow! Ow, my stomach hurts so much! Help! My stomach!”
Xu Cenfeng was stunned when he saw this. “What are you doing?”
Ah Sui, however, made a “shush” gesture to him, signaling for him to stay quiet.
When Ah Sui was younger, he would use this trick to slack off during his martial arts training. Though his acting wasn’t top-notch, it was certainly practiced. He thought to himself, If I’m really sick, surely Blairand won’t ignore me, right?
After all, the prison was holding two male zergs, so the guards didn’t dare to ignore them. Hearing the shouting, one of the guards quickly walked to the cell door and was startled to find Ah Sui lying on the bed, clutching his stomach and rolling around. “What’s wrong with you?” he exclaimed.
Ah Sui lay on the bed, clutching his stomach, his face pale and looking like he was seriously ill. He struggled to speak, “I… My stomach hurts so much… Please go report to your Major General, and take me to see a doctor…”
Ah Sui was a high-profile prisoner, so the guard didn’t dare to let him out on his own. “Wait here, I’ll go report to the Major General right away!”
With that, the guard hurried off to the flagship to report the situation. At that moment, Blairand was discussing the battle plans with Aks. When he heard that a male zerg in the prison was ill, his movements paused involuntarily. “What did you say?”
The guard ran in, out of breath, pointing outside as he said, “M-Major General, there’s a male zerg in the prison who seems to have a stomach ache and is asking to see a doctor.”
Blairand frowned ever so slightly. “Which one?”
The guard didn’t know Ah Sui’s name, so he tried his best to describe him. “He’s quite tall, with black hair and black eyes, and looks fairly young.”
”Is it Ah Sui?”
Upon hearing this, Blairand’s footsteps paused, as though he was preparing to go check on him. However, Aks, standing nearby, simply waved his hand at the guard, signaling for him to leave. “Send a military doctor to take a look. If there’s nothing serious, there’s no need to report back.”
It was unclear whether Aks’ words were directed at the guard or at Blairand.
The guard could only follow the instructions and leave.
Seeing this, Blairand withdrew his steps, glanced at Aks, and spoke seriously, “They are not only interstellar pirates, but also precious male zergs. Within the territory of the Salaranfa Law, every military female has the duty to ensure their safety.”
Aks had always felt that Blairand was paying too much attention to those two male zergs. “I know, of course, but he just has a stomach ache. There’s no life-threatening danger. Even if there were, the military doctor would report it. Those interstellar pirates are likely going to raid the camp tonight. What you should focus on now is how to catch them all, not those malicious interstellar pirates.”
Blairand didn’t want to raise Aks’ suspicions, so he reluctantly returned to his desk to discuss the battle plans. However, he seemed distracted throughout the meeting. Meanwhile, Ah Sui was being escorted out of the prison by several military females and received timely “treatment” in the medical room.
“The patient doesn’t have any major issues. It seems he just caught a chill while sleeping at night.”
The military doctor immediately saw that Ah Sui was faking his illness, but feeling awkward about exposing it, he pretended not to notice and went through the motions, giving him a few packs of cold medicine to drink.
Ah Sui lay on the sickbed for half the day without seeing Blairand’s figure, and finally couldn’t help but quietly open his eyes and ask, “Isn’t the Major General coming?”
The soldier responsible for guarding him glanced at Ah Sui, thinking to himself that this male zerg was just a prisoner now, not some esteemed guest. It was only a stomach ache—there was no reason for the Major General to come personally. “If your blood purity were over 50%, maybe they’d come,” the soldier replied.
Although his tone wasn’t very polite, the soldier’s words were, in fact, true.
Ah Sui was deeply disheartened by this and completely at a loss. He lingered in the medical bay for a long time before finally agreeing to return to his cell. In the meantime, he even made various unreasonable demands in an attempt to draw Blairand over, including but not limited to things like taking a bath, washing his hair, and changing clothes—luxuries that a prisoner would never normally be granted.
However, every time the soldier went to report back to the flagship, his requests were approved, yet Blairand still did not appear.
After seeing the doctor, several soldiers escorted Ah Sui back to his cell. Xu Cenfeng, hearing the noise, turned around to look and saw that Ah Sui was carrying a thick blanket in his arms, dressed in a clean set of clothes. However, for some reason, his expression looked dejected.
Xu Cenfeng, puzzled, asked, “Did you see Blairand?”
Ah Sui shook his head in disappointment and tossed the blanket onto the bed. “The doctor said my stomach hurts because I caught a chill at night, and that I just need to cover up with more blankets. Blairand still hasn’t come.”
Tsk, this is tricky.
Xu Cenfeng comforted him, “Just be patient for a few days. He can’t ignore you forever. Maybe he’ll come in a couple of days.”
Ah Sui had no other choice, so he lifted the blanket and lay down on the bed to sleep, hoping it would make time pass more quickly. “I’ll sleep for a while. If Blairand comes, remember to wake me up.”
The foldable bed in the prison was hard and uncomfortable, and Ah Sui hadn’t really gotten much sleep for the past few days. After speaking, he wrapped himself tightly in the thick blanket and quickly drifted off to sleep.
He slept straight through until nightfall.
When Blairand finished his meeting and walked out of the starship, most of the guards outside had been intentionally reassigned by Aks under the pretext of being called out, leaving only a small squad patrolling the area. The cold night air was biting, and Blairand stepped through the thick snow on the ground. He first stopped by the logistics camp and finally made his way to the prison to check on Ah Sui.
They hadn’t seen each other for just a few days, but it felt like a century had passed.
Blairand recalled the way Ah Sui had turned pale with fear when he saw him that day. Lowering his gaze, he slowly opened his right hand, and the light slipped through his long fingers. He could still vaguely remember the trembling sensation of Ah Sui’s legs shaking from fear.
Why was he so afraid?
Even when he lost his sanity and turned into his zerg form, he had never considered harming Ah Sui…
Blairand couldn’t make sense of this question, so he simply gave up thinking about it. The question no longer mattered to him. This male zerg had already been captured by the army, locked up in the prison, unable to escape…
He waved away the guard nearby. His military boots landed silently as he walked directly to the cell where Ah Sui was held. Through the bars, he saw Ah Sui wrapped in a blanket, sleeping soundly.
Blairand’s light blue eyes darkened at the sight. He tossed and turned for days, unable to sleep, troubled by Ah Sui’s fear of him, yet here the other was, sleeping peacefully in the prison.
Blairand had just bought a bowl of hot soup from the logistics camp. Holding the bowl in his left hand, he lightly tapped the cell door with his right hand, producing a soft humming sound. “Ah Sui.”
His voice was low and gentle, like a cloud that couldn’t dissipate.
Ah Sui, with his keen hearing, didn’t even need Xu Cenfeng to call him. With a swift motion, he sat up from the bed, a tuft of hair sticking up from his head. He looked up at the door of the cell, and there, standing outside, was a familiar figure in military uniform. It was none other than Blairand.
Ah Sui was stunned. “Blairand?!”
He quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and walked to the cell door. His face was filled with barely contained joy. “You finally came. I’ve been waiting for you for days.”
A thought flickered in his mind: Aren’t you afraid of me?
Blairand didn’t ask that question in the end. He passed a bowl of still-warm soup through the small window. “Didn’t you have a stomachache? Drink this soup. Only you can drink it, and finish it all.”
The first part of his sentence sounded relatively normal, but the last two instructions felt strange, no matter how they were heard. Xu Cenfeng, with his sharp senses, picked up on a hidden meaning and instinctively looked up at the cell door, just in time to meet Blairand’s gaze. “Don’t sleep tonight. I’ll find a chance to let you out.”
Ah Sui and Xu Cenfeng were both stunned upon hearing this. “Tonight?”
Both of them had dreamed of escaping the prison, but they hadn’t expected the opportunity to come so suddenly. Blairand, as one of the commanders, wasn’t worried about the consequences of releasing two high-risk prisoners?
Ah Sui was a bit concerned. “What about you? What will you do?”
Blairand shook his head slightly. “It’s fine. I have my ways.”
Blairand couldn’t stay here too long, lest Aks notice something suspicious. He watched as Ah Sui finished the soup and was about to leave. However, just as he took a few steps, he was called back. “Blairand—”
Blairand turned around and saw Ah Sui suddenly reach through the bars, gesturing for him to come over. Confused, he walked over, but the next moment, Ah Sui grabbed his hand, holding it tightly.
Ah Sui was still a little scared, his hand trembling, but it was much stronger than last time. Seeing Blairand appear somewhat stunned, he leaned against the bars and quietly explained, “Actually, my stomach doesn’t hurt.”
He just… wanted to see Blairand…
Blairand lowered his gaze to their tightly clasped hands, faintly feeling Ah Sui’s subtle tremors. Ah Sui was still scared, but for some reason, he was holding on tightly, very tightly.
“Mm…” Blairand softly responded, almost inaudible. “I understand.”
From the moment Ah Sui made a fuss about wanting to take a bath and change clothes, Blairand knew. This zerg was definitely pretending to be sick, and most likely, it was to see him. Blairand hadn’t originally planned to come; he didn’t want to see Ah Sui’s pale, frightened face again, but he still came.
“I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
Ah Sui had originally planned to say that, but then he felt it might come off as too obvious, so he changed his words. “Are you still angry with me?”
Blairand paused for a moment. “I’m not angry with you.”
He was telling the truth.
Ah Sui breathed a quiet sigh of relief upon hearing this. He held Blairand’s hand for a while before letting go, leaning against the bars and whispering, “Then I won’t sleep tonight, I’ll wait for you to come and rescue me.”
Blairand looked at him deeply. “Do you really want to escape?”
Ah Sui, of course, didn’t like being in prison. He nodded when he heard this, looking a bit pitiful. “I don’t want to stay here anymore, please rescue me soon.”
Upon hearing this, Blairand seemed like he wanted to ruffle Ah Sui’s hair, but because of the bars, his hand lifted halfway before dropping back down. He spoke vaguely, “Take care of yourself, I’ll come later.”
After speaking, Blairand walked directly to the control room, opened the protective barrier in the middle of the hallway, separating Ah Sui’s cell from the others, and then turned to leave.
Ah Sui kept his gaze on Blairand’s retreating figure until it disappeared around the corner, then finally withdrew his gaze. He sat back down by the bed, but he had completely lost the desire to sleep. In a lowered voice, unsure, he asked, “Cenfeng, are we going to escape tonight?”
Xu Cenfeng let out a slow breath and muttered to himself, “Yeah, we can escape tonight.”
They had already been delayed in the prison for too long. If they stayed any longer, no one knew if fate might throw a wrench into their plans.
Ah Sui and Xu Cenfeng waited anxiously in the cell, struggling to pass the time. However, there was no sign of movement outside until the early hours of the morning, around 2 a.m., when the sudden sound of rapid gunfire echoed from outside. Startled, they immediately rushed to the ventilation window to check on the situation.
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
The army was stationed on the outskirts, surrounded by shrubs and forests. In the early hours of the morning, around two or three o’clock, it was the time when exhaustion hit hardest. The soldiers on duty, yawning, were just about to switch shifts when several smoke anesthetic grenades suddenly landed at their feet from all directions. Thick smoke instantly billowed up, quickly spreading and filling the air.
The soldiers, realizing something was wrong, quickly covered their mouths and noses with their sleeves, shouting loudly to wake up their comrades who were sleeping in the camp: “Not good! Wake up, we’re under attack!”
As soon as his words fell, the sound of dense gunfire erupted from all directions, and chaos immediately broke out. A large group of space pirates, dressed in black combat gear, emerged from the snowy shrubs. While firing their guns at the army, they swiftly infiltrated the starship that was holding numerous prisoners.
Ah Sui watched as a group of interstellar pirates suddenly stormed in, guns in hand, immediately starting to wildly smash at the cell door. They fired frantically at the lock, releasing all the imprisoned pirates inside.
“Quick, move! Our ammo won’t last much longer!”
The interstellar pirates were blinded by rage, not even caring if the zergs inside the cell were on their side. They rushed out together without hesitation.
Ah Sui and Xu Cenfeng’s cell was in a corner, separated by a security light gate. One of the interstellar pirates fired at the light gate for a long time but couldn’t break the mechanism. With a regretful tone, he called to Ah Sui and the others, “Brothers! I can’t help you! This light gate is too sturdy to break. We’ll have to retreat for now!”
Ah Sui was stunned, and instinctively said, “Then… I wish you a safe journey.”
Xu Cenfeng stood quietly beside him, also offering his well wishes, “Safe travels.”
At this moment, Ah Sui finally understood. Blairand must have planned to use the interstellar pirates’ prison break as an opportunity to free them. There were likely already many soldiers hiding in the dense forest outside, and these interstellar pirates, walking straight into their trap, were doomed.
Aks had already led his team to an ambush position in a nearby ravine. He watched as the interstellar pirates and their comrades fled into the forest. After waiting quietly for half an hour, he made a signal to his subordinates: “Follow them quietly, don’t let them notice.”
One of his subordinates, concerned about their numbers, asked, “General, there are too many interstellar pirates. Should we bring an extra squad?”
Aks replied calmly, “No need. Our numbers are sufficient.”
The dinner that the cook had sent over today contained a significant dose of slow-acting paralytic poison, which was expected to take effect in about half an hour. Those prisoners who had been freed wouldn’t become allies to the interstellar pirates but would instead become a burden to them.
After saying this, Aks led his team into the dense forest, their figures disappearing into the depths of the night, leaving behind only the aftermath of the battle.
Blairand waited until Aks and his team had left, then took the key to the prison and walked into the starship. In just a few moves, he unlocked the prison door and urged A Sui and Xu Cenfeng in a low voice, “Hurry, follow me. Aks’ team will be back soon. If we wait too long, we won’t have a chance to escape!”
Ah Sui and Xu Cenfeng quickly left the prison and followed Blairand into the snow outside. At this point, only a small squad of soldiers remained on guard at the camp, and they looked remarkably familiar — it was Quike and Julian’s team.
Quike saw Ah Sui and Xu Cenfeng escaping from the prison, showing no intention of stopping them. In fact, he even pointed them towards a path, lowering his voice and urgently signaling, “Big Boss, General Aks just went to the left, you should run to the right quickly!”
“To the right?!”
Ah Sui had learned from his past mistake when he didn’t listen to Quike, which led to Xu Cenfeng’s tragic fate. This time, he quickly took the advice and, without hesitation, ran to the right with Xu Cenfeng. Blairand then retrieved a black military rucksack from the starship, armed himself with a gun, and followed closely behind to escort them.
The snow-covered terrain was difficult to navigate, especially with the dark night obscuring the path ahead, making their escape even more challenging. After running for about half an hour, Ah Sui suddenly felt something wrong with his body. His hands and legs went numb, and a dizzying sensation overwhelmed his mind, growing stronger with each passing moment. In the end, he couldn’t hold on any longer, falling to his knees before collapsing to the ground.
”Thud—!”
Ah Sui didn’t hit the ground; instead, he was steadily caught in Blairand’s arms, who had been escorting him from behind. It seemed that Blairand wasn’t surprised at all by Ah Sui suddenly fainting, his expression remaining unchanged.
Running ahead, Xu Cenfeng noticed something was wrong. When he turned around, he saw that Blairand had stopped at some point, his right arm securely holding the unconscious Ah Sui. The light blue eyes of the female zerg seemed to blend with the surrounding icy world, beautiful yet devoid of any warmth.
Xu Cenfeng had been running too fast, and upon seeing this, he couldn’t help but exhale sharply. The cold wind rushed into his lungs, making his limbs and bones tremble with the chill. “What happened to Ah Sui?”
Blairand’s expression remained calm, and his voice carried a strangely gentle tone amidst the wind and snow. “He’s fine. I just let him have a good rest.”
Xu Cenfeng remembered the bowl of soup and, startled, exclaimed, “You put something in his food?!”
Blairand didn’t respond, merely tossing the military backpack towards Xu Cenfeng’s feet. It landed in the snow with a dull thud. “Inside the bag, you’ll find some money and food. If you go another few hundred meters, there’s a starship parked there. Take the supplies and head north. Don’t come back.”
Xu Cenfeng knew what the outcome was likely to be, but still couldn’t help frowning and asking, “What about Ah Sui?”
“Ah Sui?”
Blairand chuckled softly at the question. His brows and eyes were as gentle as jade, evoking the image of the clear moon in the sky, but his voice carried an untraceable tone. “Ah Sui doesn’t need to escape. He’s not suited to be an interstellar pirate, nor is he suited to running away…”
He paused for a moment before continuing, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty. “He will stay with me.”
Although Ah Sui might feel some resentment if he ever learned that Blairand had let Xu Cenfeng go and purposely drugged him to stay behind, Blairand couldn’t help but tighten his embrace around Ah Sui as he thought about this.
If Xu Cenfeng knew what was on Blairand’s mind, he would surely advise him not to worry. Ah Sui had long since lost the desire to be an interstellar pirate or continue fleeing, and he had been wanting to leave the West for some time. In the end, this outcome was for the best for everyone.
Xu Cenfeng never expected that they would part ways in this manner…
“Whoosh—”
The cold wind howled, carrying snowflakes that fluttered down in the air. There was no moon tonight, and the outskirts appeared especially desolate and barren.
Xu Cenfeng bent down to pick up the backpack from the ground, brushing off the snow that had gathered on it. In a daze, it seemed as if he sighed, but there was also a sense of relief, as though he had finally completed his last mission. “Take good care of Ah Sui, and tell him this for me.”
Upon hearing this, Blairand lifted his gaze. The long lashes on his eyes were dusted with a layer of light snow, and he waited silently for the rest of the words.
Xu Cenfeng stood on the snowy slope, with a bundle on his back. His deep voice traveled through the wind, faint and distant: “Tell him not to be sad. No one can be together forever. When the snow melts next year, we’ll meet again in the same place.”
By next year, the north would welcome a warm spring. The people who were missed would eventually be reunited, and those who had parted ways would return to one another. They might not be able to return to their hometowns, but they could gather together and look up at the same bright moon from afar.
Xu Cenfeng finished speaking, waved goodbye to Blairand, and turned to step into the wind and snow. His voice drifted back with a hint of carefree amusement: “Next year, come over with Ah Sui, visit Hossburgh. I’ll treat you both well.”
Hossburgh? The northern territory?
Blairand furrowed his brows imperceptibly at Xu Cenfeng’s words, clearly not understanding the meaning behind them. He lifted his gaze and saw that Xu Cenfeng was already growing distant. Finally, he looked down at the male zerg in his arms, who had fallen unconscious, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He then bent down to lift Ah Sui in his arms and returned to the camp.
Meanwhile, Quike and Julian, along with the others, were gathered together, speaking in low voices. Since Ah Sui and Xu Cenfeng had been captured, they hadn’t been able to eat or sleep well, tormented daily by the guilt of their conscience. Now, they could finally set down the heavy burden that had weighed on their hearts.
Quike’s eyes filled with tears as he spoke, “The Big Boss has finally escaped. I’ve been so guilty these past few days that I couldn’t even eat, I’ve lost several pounds.”
Julian let out a heavy sigh, “I hope the Big Boss and the Strategist can turn things around and never be interstellar pirates again.”
Those two male zergs were quite skilled, good-looking, and with pleasant personalities. They could thrive anywhere, so why did they choose to become interstellar pirates? Thankfully, Major General Blairand was willing to lend them a hand, or else the Big Boss would never have escaped this lifetime…
Hmm? Big Boss?
Julian’s gaze inadvertently swept over, and he suddenly saw a familiar white figure coming back from a distance, holding a male zerg with black hair and black eyes. He was momentarily frozen in place. “Major General Blairand?”
Ignoring their stunned looks, Blairand walked past them, carrying Ah Sui and heading straight into the starship he usually used to rest. He placed Ah Sui in a private compartment inside. This starship was rarely visited by anyone, and even if someone wanted to forcibly enter, they would have to pass through a fingerprint verification system. In many ways, it was extremely secure—after all, the most dangerous places are often the safest.
After completing these actions, Blairand turned and walked to the window. He raised his hand and lowered the window halfway, allowing the wind and snow to pour into the cabin. His light blue eyes fixed on Quike and the others outside. He smiled gently, but the dangerous aura surrounding him was impossible to ignore. He raised a finger to his lips and whispered a single word:
“Shh…”
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