TCPUAAV Chapter 115

 

Thank you hlyl0611 for the ko-fis ♡ Bonus chapter coming in a moment!

 

 

 

Before they found Rong Heng’s group, the little mermaid unexpectedly ran into Ruan Shiqing first.

 

Just as Ruan Shiqing leapt down from the small craft and was about to head deeper into the station, he saw the little mermaid and Ruan Jiao walking toward him.

 

The little cub, who had been grumpily twitching his antennae moments ago, instantly perked up the moment he spotted his father—his antennae snapped upright, his pupils widened slightly, and then he tugged the little mermaid along in a dash toward Ruan Shiqing, throwing himself into his arms.

 

Still small despite having been well-fed for so long, Ruan Jiao could only wrap his arms around Ruan Shiqing’s leg and tilt his head up to gaze at him, his deep crimson eyes curving into delighted crescents.

 

Ruan Shiqing bent down and picked him up, giving him a little lift. Ruan Jiao instantly hugged his neck tightly, nuzzling in close.

 

Holding the affectionate cub in his arms, Ruan Shiqing looked over at the little mermaid.

 

Though calling him “little mermaid” no longer felt quite right—Ruan Yuebai, now in his full human form, had grown into a refined and graceful young man. He was dressed in the clothes Ruan Shiqing had prepared for him, with his seaweed-blue hair neatly braided behind him, adorned with delicate ornaments. A pair of thin-rimmed golden glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, partly hiding the sapphire gleam in his eyes. He had shed the awkwardness of youth and now carried a quiet dignity and composure.

 

Ruan Shiqing took a moment to really take him in—this version of Ruan Yuebai he hadn’t properly seen before.

 

It was Yuebai who felt embarrassed under his father’s gaze. His cheeks flushed a shade of red, and he shifted awkwardly on his feet. He was used to interacting with his dad in his juvenile form—able to act spoiled and affectionate without hesitation. But now, standing in his grown-up form, he suddenly felt a strange psychological barrier, one that made it hard to run into his father’s arms like Ruan Jiao.

 

Ruan Shiqing stepped forward and, like he used to, gently rubbed his hand through the boy’s hair.

 

“I told you—you’d grow up to be very beautiful.”

 

The little mermaid had grown into a noble youth, still as exquisite as ever—a masterpiece of the Creator’s own hand.

 

Ruan Yuebai’s eyes lit up. He instinctively leaned into the palm, a smile curling on his lips and joy flickering deep in his blue eyes.

 

After the brief reunion, the three of them turned their attention to business. Ruan Shiqing hadn’t seen Rong Heng or the others since arriving at the station, and naturally found that strange.

 

That’s when Ruan Yuebai explained what had happened in the control room, and his growing suspicion about Sally.

 

Ruan Jiao didn’t wait—he immediately jumped in to “report” with righteous urgency:

“Sally! Bad bug!”

 

The two cubs’ words drew Ruan Shiqing into silent thought. Having just arrived at the station and not yet interacted with the two survivors himself, he had the advantage of a more objective perspective.

 

“An entire planet gets wiped out… and only two hostages survive? That is suspicious.”

 

Especially when, according to Ruan Yuebai, the people of Driftwood Star had resisted until their last breath. Whether soldiers, researchers, or ordinary civilians, they had all laid down their lives to create a chance for any potential rescuers.

 

Not everyone could face death so bravely—but the behavior of these two survivors was simply too abnormal.

 

Someone who could access the control room’s key systems couldn’t be just an ordinary assistant—at the very least, they had to be a key personnel. Someone like that would’ve long since accepted the risk of death as part of their duty. Even if they didn’t die with their post, they should never have surrendered without resistance.

 

Even under surveillance, anyone with that level of access had countless ways to send out a distress signal. Yet in the entire week since Driftwood Star had fallen, not a single anomalous message had reached the outside world.

 

This could only mean one thing: these two survivors were more than just victims. They were likely collaborators with the Zerg.

 

But between humans and Zerg, there had been generations of blood-feuds stretching back thousands of years. Ruan Shiqing simply couldn’t imagine what kind of benefit would make anyone willingly help the Zerg.

 

Unless…

 

They weren’t human at all.

 

The thought was so bold, it startled even Ruan Shiqing himself.

 

He turned his head slightly to glance at Ruan Jiao, reaching out to lightly tap one of his twitching antennae. “Jiao Jiao… did you sense something?”

 

Ruan Jiao nodded and furrowed his brows, thinking hard. But he didn’t know how to put it into words—his little face scrunched up with frustration.

 

After a long struggle, still unable to find the words, he simply leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Ruan Shiqing’s.

 

A gentle wave of energy rippled between them.

 

The cub hadn’t spoken aloud, but Ruan Shiqing could suddenly hear him—like a fragmented stream of thought, childlike and halting, yet crystal clear.

 

“Their… spirit… wave… is different.”

 

“Sally and the Zerg… they’re the same.”

 

“That’s so weird.”

 

“I don’t get it.”

 

When the little cub straightened up, Ruan Shiqing’s expression flickered. It took him a moment to snap out of it. He stared at the cub with a complicated look. “Why didn’t Jiao Jiao use this before?”

 

Ruan Jiao lowered his head and fiddled with his fingers, speaking softly. “Only Daddy can.”

 

No one else could.

 

This was probably one of the cub’s unique abilities. Ruan Shiqing didn’t press the issue further, instead letting his thoughts return to the identities of Sally and the other one.

 

According to Ruan Jiao, the two were somehow connected to the Zerg. But all these years, there had never been a case of Zerg transforming into human form. The Empire’s understanding of the Zerg was still stuck at viewing them as unintelligent, low-level creatures. There was no reason for them to suddenly mutate like this…

 

Unable to come to a conclusion, Ruan Shiqing decided not to act rashly and to consult Rong Heng first.

 

Rong Heng and 09 had taken the little ones to scout the area, and Ruan Shiqing waited a bit before they returned.

 

The two little cubs had just gotten off the flyer when they spotted him from afar. With a cheer, they bolted toward Ruan Shiqing, eager to be the first to reach him.

 

Unfortunately, they’d forgotten that they were still in their human forms.

 

The little dragon cub was as tall as Ruan Shiqing now, and the little fox wasn’t much shorter either. The tall, lanky boy and girl both dove for their dad’s arms—only to crash into each other and bump heads.

 

Clutching her aching forehead, the little fox was the first to snap: “Why’d you run into me?!”

 

The little dragon cub’s head was ringing too, but he wasn’t backing down. “You’re the one who ran into me!”

 

They both turned toward Ruan Shiqing at the same time, identical looks of grievance on their faces, silently pleading, “Daddy, tell them it was their fault, not mine.”

 

“…”

 

Ruan Shiqing cleared his throat and didn’t answer the question. Instead, he very fairly ruffled both of their heads.

 

Only then did the two cubs settle down, each claiming a side while sneaking glares at the other.

 

Trailing behind them, the crown prince also rolled his eyes—hard.

 

Tch. Childish.

 

He looked at Ruan Shiqing, his dark golden eyes subtly lighting up, the eagerness in them well hidden. “Why are you waiting here?”

 

Ruan Shiqing smiled at him and gave a quick rundown of the situation with Sally and the Zergs.

 

As expected, Rong Heng’s expression turned serious. “Before the ship left Driftwood Star, I actually suggested they leave with it. But they refused.” He paused, then said thoughtfully, “If they really are connected to the Zerg—or worse, if they are Zerg in humanoid form—then staying behind must mean they have some kind of agenda. Maybe we should just go with the flow and see what they’re up to.”

 

He hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and quietly shared his latest findings with Ruan Shiqing.

 

Even after thousands of years of conflict, their understanding of the Zerg’s internal workings was still minimal.

 

If the other side truly was Zerg, this might be a rare opportunity to gain intel that could tip the scales in their favor.

 

Ruan Shiqing had the same thought and agreed with Rong Heng’s plan.

 

After that, no one mentioned the topic again as they returned to the space station.

 

Sally and the other staff member, Jason, were in the middle of repairing damaged equipment. When they saw the group return, they put down their tools and came over.

 

When they noticed the unfamiliar face among them, the two showed just the right amount of confusion.

 

Ruan Shiqing extended his hand with a friendly smile. Since they were all technical workers, they naturally had more in common, and before long, he was getting along with them like old friends.

 

During their conversation, Ruan Shiqing noticed that Sally was far more talkative and had a thorough understanding of the space station, while Jason was quiet and came across as extremely reserved. But since Ruan Shiqing had his suspicions, he kept subtly steering the conversation in Jason’s direction, making it seem like he was just being considerate of his more introverted colleague.

 

But several times, Jason failed to respond to his questions—just stared at him blankly.

 

Though Sally always smoothed things over, Ruan Shiqing couldn’t help but feel that Jason’s behavior didn’t fit that of someone merely shy or taciturn. It was more like… he hadn’t fully learned how to function in human society yet—much like Ruan Jiao when he first came home.

 

This only further confirmed Ruan Shiqing’s suspicions.

 

He lowered his gaze, carefully hiding the shock that rippled through him. Then, picking up on Sally’s own probing, he casually brought up, “Reinforcements will be arriving in a few hours. We just did a preliminary scan of the surface—turns out the Zerg eggs underground are still incubating. Once the troops arrive, we’ll launch a large-scale bombardment. That’ll be the fastest way to wipe out the nest.”

 

Sally frowned. “But if we do that, Driftwood Star…” She seemed to be holding something back, stopping short of finishing her sentence.

 

“I understand how you feel,” Ruan Shiqing said gently, his voice comforting. “But Driftwood Star is already a dead planet. We have to think in terms of the bigger picture. A large-scale bombardment might devastate the planet’s ecosystem in the short term, but it will also completely eradicate the Zerg.”

 

“And besides, based on the last data Driftwood Star transmitted, we found something else buried underground…” His tone grew deliberately vague as he watched Sally’s face for any telltale reaction.

 

Sure enough, her expression shifted—but only for a split second. If Ruan Shiqing hadn’t been watching closely, he might have missed it entirely.

 

Sally quickly recovered, putting on a puzzled look. “Besides the Zerg nest? What else could be down there?”

 

Ruan Shiqing just smiled, saying nothing more, projecting a cryptic air. “I’m not entirely sure. Just something… unfavorable to the Zerg.”

 

As he watched Sally unconsciously clench her fists, and saw Jason finally lift his head to stare at him directly, Ruan Shiqing gave a faint smile and excused himself.

 

Rong Heng had, in fact, told him earlier that they’d discovered something underground. But it had nothing to do with the Zerg.

 

It was about Driftwood Star itself—possibly, its survival.

 

Rong Heng had said that during their deep-earth scans, their fighter had picked up a faint distress signal buried in the depths—an encrypted emergency code only used by military personnel in extreme conditions.

 

He suspected that life on Driftwood Star might not have been completely wiped out. Maybe, in the face of disaster, a portion of the population had managed to relocate deep underground—and survived.

 

But for now, that was only a theory. Whether it was true or not would depend on what the reinforcements uncovered once they arrived.

 

Ruan Shiqing had deliberately mentioned the large-scale bombardment to provoke a reaction—and it worked.

 

Sally’s subtle reaction confirmed it.

 

It seemed increasingly likely that their reason for staying behind was closely tied to the underground Zerg nest.

 

 

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I thought maybe he was referring to “another” dad in the previous chapter (like y’know, an egg has to come from somewhere, right??) but nope, he was referring to Ruan Ruan… Is he related to Zergs too??? Or maybe they’re both from a different world/dimension?? my head hurts lol

 

Thanks for reading!

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