TCPUAAV Chapter 123

 

Rong Heng remained silent for a long time.

 

He wanted to ask whether Siyan was critically injured or still alive, but the words caught in his throat. No matter how deeply he rejected the man, Siyan was still his father. He couldn’t truly be indifferent to the news of his death.

 

It was Hector who saw through his hesitation. With a shrug, he offered, “He’s not dead. Word is, he’s seriously injured and has been escorted back to Palka Palace under heavy guard. But the exact situation is hard to get a read on.”

 

He then frowned, recalling something else that left a bad taste in his mouth. “Not sure if it’s because the merfolk caught wind of the assassination attempt, but the Sijialan front has begun mobilizing their fleets on a massive scale. Looks like they’re preparing to launch a counteroffensive.”

 

The Empire was already plagued by internal unrest and external threats, and now, with the Emperor’s fate uncertain, those scheming sea creatures couldn’t wait to stir the pot.

 

Hector had another theory he didn’t share aloud: a royal banquet venue should have been guarded to the teeth, and yet a dozen shuttles managed to crash straight into it. It was hard not to wonder if the merfolk had a hand in it.

 

But there was no proof—just suspicion. And seeing how obviously unwell Rong Heng looked, Hector kept it to himself.

 

Rong Heng merely gave a soft hum in response, distracted and distant.

 

Back at the repair shop, he didn’t go into the bedroom immediately. Instead, he stood alone on the balcony, lost in thought.

 

His mind drifted again to the days when his mother was still alive, to those books densely filled with notes that had helped him immensely.

 

She had once said, “Siyan is a genius. He never needs to take notes when reading.”

 

Rong Heng closed his eyes and exhaled slowly before calling Lucien.

 

The call didn’t connect. Just as he was debating whether to send a message, he received a request from Lucien instead.

 

He hesitated briefly, then accepted the call. “Lucien.”

 

“Good day, Your Highness.” Lucien was as formal as ever, though he looked a bit worse for wear. Perhaps it was age, or perhaps his health—he looked pale and frail.

 

Rong Heng asked out of courtesy, “Are you unwell?”

 

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. An old illness flared up—nothing serious.” He coughed lightly and then shifted the subject. “Does Your Highness seek me out today regarding His Majesty the Emperor?”

 

There was a probing tone to his words.

 

Rong Heng paused, but didn’t deny it. “How… is he?”

 

“From what I’ve gathered, His Majesty suffered some injuries, but nothing fatal,” Lucien said carefully. “The three financial leaders who attended the banquet were hurt more severely.”

 

Though his words were veiled, Rong Heng read between the lines—and his expression turned cold. He sneered, “He really is ruthless.”

 

To drag those three down with him, Siyan had even been willing to sacrifice himself.

 

Lucien wisely avoided commenting and changed the subject. “The Zerg have run rampant through the Empire’s star systems lately, yet His Majesty seems consumed with court politics and shows no interest in sending military aid to the affected planets. The peace and stability of the Empire may depend on Your Highness.”

 

“I understand.” Rong Heng was silent for a moment before continuing. “You’re in Sikkim. You’re better informed. Keep an eye on which planets are calling for aid. If I can get there in time, I’ll send support.”

 

“Your Highness is magnanimous.” Lucien bowed respectfully. After exchanging a few more pieces of intelligence, they ended the call.

 

Rong Heng put away his terminal and stared absently at the sunlight outside before slowly walking into the bedroom.

 

Ruan Shiqing was still asleep. His complexion was rosy, his expression peaceful. If not for the fact that he’d been unconscious for over half a month, Rong Heng might have believed he was about to wake at any moment.

 

But that hope—he’d entertained it countless times, only to be let down just as many.

 

That quiet disappointment pricked at his heart like countless tiny needles, too painful to speak aloud.

 

He couldn’t afford to show weakness or sorrow. With Ruan Shiqing down, he had to shoulder the role of head of the household—caring for the cubs, protecting the people and things he held dear.

 

Only by doing so could things return to normal when Ruan Shiqing finally woke up.

 

He sat by the bed for a while, telling Ruan Shiqing about the recent news. He didn’t sugarcoat anything—good or bad—and also told him that he might need to lead troops to reinforce other planets, meaning he wouldn’t be able to stay by his side all the time.

 

In the past, when Ruan Shiqing was awake, Rong Heng never knew what to say to him. But now, he found himself talking more and more.

 

After a while, he glanced at the warm sunlight outside and suggested, “It’s a beautiful day. The falling star vines in the backyard are even more lush than before. You haven’t seen them since you came back—I’ll take you to have a look, alright?”

 

He said it as if asking for permission, but no reply came.

 

After a pause, he added softly, “Not saying anything means you’ve agreed.”

 

With that, he leaned down and carefully removed the monitoring wires from Ruan Shiqing’s arms and legs, then gently scooped him into his arms and carried him downstairs.

 

Just as he said, the falling star vines in the backyard were thick and lush, their leaves filtering sunlight into soft, dappled patterns—warm and serene.

 

Rong Heng laid Ruan Shiqing down on the lounge chair the cubs used to love. The chair was wide—Ruan Shiqing only occupied half of it. After a moment’s hesitation, Rong Heng sat down on the other half, gently cradling him in his arms.

 

It was the first time he had openly embraced him in his human form.

 

The warmth of Ruan Shiqing’s body against his own made Rong Heng’s heart race, his ears flush red. He let out a shaky breath and buried his face in the crook of Ruan Shiqing’s neck, nuzzling gently. The golden sunlight streamed down from above, wrapping the pair in a soft, tender glow.

 

In a voice no one else could hear, Rong Heng whispered into his ear, “Hurry and wake up. There’s still so much I haven’t told you.”

 

The cubs, just returning from the weapons factory, caught sight of the scene—two figures nestled together on the lounge chair. They exchanged glances but didn’t approach. Instead, they tiptoed inside and quietly headed upstairs, leaving the moment undisturbed.

 

*

 

War, as expected, broke out right on schedule.

 

Perhaps due to their plans being prematurely exposed, the Zerg abandoned their previous silent, creeping tactics and launched a full-scale assault on planets within the Empire’s territory.

 

There was no discernible pattern to their attacks—one moment, a planet in the central zone would be under siege, and the next, news would break of a distant front-line system falling prey to the swarm.

 

And yet the Empire, now effectively leaderless with the Emperor gravely injured, was unable to provide timely support. By the time Imperial reinforcements arrived, the Zerg had already come and gone, leaving nothing behind but devastated homes and hollow-eyed survivors staring blankly at the soldiers who had come far too late to protect them.

 

On the holonet, public outcry grew more intense by the day. Many began to long for the reign of the former Queen, saying tragedies like these had never occurred under her rule.

 

The merfolk took the opportunity to fan the flames, even going so far as to issue an open statement denouncing Siyan as an incompetent ancient human unfit to be Emperor—then formally launched their counteroffensive.

 

The flames of war had been ignited. But no one seemed to care about the Zerg ravaging the star systems, or the planets that had been obliterated in their wake.

 

People stirred up trouble, each for their own agenda, but not a single voice rose to say, We can’t sit by and do nothing. We must aid the planets under Zerg attack.

 

Rong Heng read through every chaotic report and news brief before finally calling a meeting.

 

“I’m planning to redeploy most of the troops stationed in the Yanji District and abandon the front-line region’s defenses.”

 

This was a decision he had reached after careful thought. Due to the long-standing war against the Zerg, the majority of the Empire’s forces were concentrated at the front lines. These were elite soldiers, hardened by countless battles, experts at fighting the Zerg. But now that the enemy could move freely through the Empire’s star systems, keeping those soldiers at the front served no purpose. It was better to pull them back, reorganize, and take the fight to the Zerg.

 

“That’s not a bad strategy,” said Merrell. “But abandoning the front-line defenses will definitely cause unrest.”

 

Rong Heng had commanded in Yanji for years. From high-ranking officers to the lowest-ranked soldiers, there wasn’t a single one who didn’t respect him. With just one call to arms, the troops would follow without question.

 

But the rest of the Empire might not understand his reasoning.

 

As the first district to withdraw its forces, Yanji could easily be labeled as cowardly—accused of retreating in fear.

 

“Let them say what they want,” Rong Heng said with a dismissive scoff, clearly unconcerned.

 

Seeing the determination in his expression, Merrell said no more. Instead, she pounded her right fist to her chest over her heart. “We pledge our lives to follow Your Highness.”

 

Naturally, the others voiced no objections. Only Hector raised a hand after some thought. “I’ve got a few loyal subordinates stationed at the Ota front line. Should I call them over?”

 

Back then, he’d gone to the front mostly to stay out of Garland’s way. Though he had performed admirably in battle against the Zerg, he hadn’t made much effort to establish his own power base. So it was impossible for him to mobilize all of Ota’s forces—but he did have a few trustworthy men.

 

Now that they had their own weapons factory, and the military base on the neighboring unnamed planet was steadily under construction, all they lacked was manpower.

 

Rong Heng nodded in agreement. With assignments given, the group adjourned and returned home.

 

The four little ones followed him silently.

 

They walked back to the house without a word. It was dinnertime, and Rong Heng, thinking of what he needed to say next, took the initiative. “I’ll make dinner. You guys go play for a bit.”

 

…???

 

The cubs stared at him, eyes wide, words caught in their throats.

 

They had never—ever—seen Snowball cook.

 

But Rong Heng had already rolled up his sleeves and marched solemnly into the kitchen, even turning down 09’s offer to help.

 

The cubs and 09 crept to the kitchen door and peered in, suspicious and cautious.

 

Heli, worried, whispered, “When did Snowball learn to cook?”

 

Nota shook her head. “No idea.”

 

Ruan Jiao’s tentacles waved hesitantly. “He never said he could cook!”

 

Even the usually composed Ruan Yuebai looked troubled. “His Highness wouldn’t need to cook for himself.” And since coming to Planet B3024, Rong Heng had never set foot in the kitchen—so he definitely couldn’t cook.

 

They gulped nervously, eyes fixed on the figure moving about inside the kitchen, their unease growing by the second.

 

Then 09, who had been observing quietly, dumped a whole bucket of cold water on their hopes. “His movements are unskilled. He’s a novice.”

 

The cubs: …

 

…All right, then.

 

 

---

 

Oh come on Rong Rong is doing his best lol!!! I’m gonna cry seriously this chapter was so bittersweet ;’(

 

Thanks for reading!

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