TCPUAAV Chapter 127

 

The Crown Prince, utterly furious, drove the onlookers away with force before finally making his way into the courtyard.

 

In the front yard, the Xiong brothers were working alongside the service robot, sweeping up the fallen leaves that had piled up everywhere. The continuous cycle of the Falling Star Vines—growing, sprouting, fruiting, withering—had left the entire courtyard blanketed in a thick layer of dead foliage. At a glance, it even had a strange resemblance to the tropical rainforest scenes preserved in old archival footage.

 

Rong Heng stepped onto the thick carpet of leaves, but didn’t stop to ask questions. With brute force, he tore open a gap in the dense vines and strode straight upstairs.

 

The three little cubs followed anxiously behind him.

 

Only when he saw the person he had longed for lying peacefully on the bed, face flushed with healthy color, did the tension in Rong Heng’s chest finally ease.

 

His steps slowed as he approached the bed. The moment he got a clear look, he noticed something was off. “What happened to him?”

 

09 gave a brief rundown of the events, though he couldn’t offer any clear explanation. “It all happened overnight. Mr. Garland already came to check on him—the cause is still under investigation.”

 

Rong Heng instinctively turned to look at Ruan Jiao. The little cub weakly shook his head, his tendril drooping low—clearly upset.

 

Upon hearing that there was no actual physical issue with Ruan Shiqing’s body, some of the urgency drained from Rong Heng’s expression. He lowered his gaze to look at the still-sleeping youth once more, then said to the cubs standing guard by the bed, “You stay here and look after Daddy. I’m going to check in with Garland.”

 

Just as he turned to leave, he paused as if remembering something, then reached out and scooped the sulking Ruan Jiao into his arms. “You’re coming too.”

 

The little cub nestled into his chest, clutching tightly at Rong Heng’s shirt, and rubbed against him in a cautious, dependent manner.

 

Aside from his father, the cub relied most on his “Snowball”—Rong Heng.

 

Once they stepped out of the courtyard, Ruan Jiao asked in a hushed voice, “Will Daddy wake up?”

 

Rong Heng lowered his eyes to meet the cub’s gaze, and it was easy to see the unease and anxiety buried deep within.

 

Daddy had suddenly fallen ill, and the cub had been left all alone in the house. He must’ve been terrified.

 

Rong Heng gave a comforting smile and gently ruffled the cub’s hair, his tone firm and reassuring. “Daddy will definitely wake up.”

 

They boarded the shuttle, and Rong Heng sped off toward the weapons factory.

 

Garland’s lab had been hastily set up in a temporary wing of the factory. Though assembled in a rush, the equipment inside was top-grade and fully functional.

 

By the time Rong Heng arrived, Garland had already completed the tests and was waiting with the results in hand.

 

“You got here just in time. I found something,” Garland said gravely, gesturing for Rong Heng to look at the report.

 

Rong Heng took it and scanned through, his brows drawing together in a deep frown. He glanced down at the cub in his arms, who looked completely clueless, then shook his head instinctively. “That’s impossible.”

 

But even as he said it, his voice lacked conviction.

 

To ensure the accuracy of the results, Garland had run the tests three times. Each time, the outcome was the same—Ruan Shiqing and Ruan Jiao were biologically related, and the DNA sequence match between them was extraordinarily high.

 

Even higher than any of the previous matches they’d seen with other Zerg.

 

Ruan Jiao’s connection to the Zerg ran deep—so deep, in fact, that he might be a higher evolutionary form of the species. The humanoid Zerg variants they’d encountered before could very well have been modeled from his genetic blueprint.

 

Though he lacked an insectoid form, he still bore several distinct Zerg traits: the tendrils on his forehead, crimson eyes reminiscent of compound Zerg vision, and the ability to influence—or even control—lower-grade Zerg.

 

But Ruan Shiqing? He had none of that.

 

He had grown up on a garbage planet, exhibited no visible Zerg features, and possessed no special abilities linked to them. If it weren’t for the lab report in front of them, he would be the very definition of an unaltered ancient human.

 

No matter how one looked at it, there should be no reason for a genetic match between him and the Zerg.

 

Rong Heng’s frown deepened. He looked down again at Ruan Jiao, who was blinking up at him with wide, confused eyes—clearly not understanding what was being discussed.

 

He gently set the cub on a chair and began pacing the room, collecting his thoughts.

 

His mind drifted back to Ruan Jiao’s origin.

 

Back when Ruan Shiqing found Ruan Jiao, Rong Heng hadn’t been on Planet B3024 yet. But he remembered what Ruan Shiqing had told him afterward: Ruan Jiao had suddenly appeared at the doorstep of the repair shop.

 

At the time, Ruan Shiqing thought he’d been abandoned. Seeing the little cub waiting quietly by the door, he couldn’t bear to turn him away and took him in. The Xiong brothers even helped ask around to see if anyone had lost a child. But when no one came forward, the matter was quietly dropped.

 

But now—if Ruan Jiao and Ruan Shiqing really were related by blood, then Ruan Jiao’s appearance at the shop… could it have not been coincidence at all?

 

Could it be that he had come specifically to find Ruan Shiqing?

 

And there was another question none of them had ever asked: Where had Ruan Jiao come from? And more importantly, how had he arrived on B3024?

 

Rong Heng abruptly stopped pacing. He crouched down to Ruan Jiao’s level, meeting the cub’s eyes, and after a moment of thought, asked gently, “Did you come to Planet B3024… to look for Daddy?”

 

The little cub tilted his head and thought hard, then nodded firmly. His lips pouted slightly, as if remembering something unpleasant. “Didn’t know the way… looked for a long time.”

 

Rong Heng exchanged a glance with Garland, then asked further, “Had you seen Daddy before? Why did you want to find him? How did you get here all on your own?”

 

Ruan Jiao shook his head, his little brows furrowing. “Don’t know… I was in an egg. Drifted here.”

 

He held up his hands and made a clumsy oval shape, his words halting and unsure.

 

In truth, even he hadn’t known what exactly he was searching for, or why.

 

He had stayed in the egg for a long, long time. Most of that time was spent asleep; only occasionally did he regain a faint awareness, enough to sense the outside world. But as time went on, Zerg began to pierce him with needles. It was painful, and even those brief moments of wakefulness became unbearable. So he chose to sleep even deeper.

 

Then, one day, he suddenly sensed a faint, gentle aura—so subtle, yet so overwhelmingly familiar and comforting.

 

That instinctual pull shattered his shell.

 

Driven by an unstoppable impulse, he broke through the restraints of the egg membrane and staggered out.

 

He had no idea where that aura came from, but he knew he had to follow it.

 

He wandered aimlessly for a long time, exhausted, and once again wrapped himself into an egg, drifting wherever his instincts led.

 

Until that aura grew strong enough to rouse him again—and that time, it led him straight to Ruan Shiqing.

 

Ruan Jiao’s story, fragmented though it was, supported the lab results in its own way. He couldn’t fully understand the connection between them, but the truth was becoming clearer.

 

Seeing that, Rong Heng didn’t press further. He simply asked Garland to continue the investigation, then picked up the cub and headed back home.

 

Upstairs, the other cubs were still keeping watch beside Ruan Shiqing’s bed. Meanwhile, 09 had joined the Xiong brothers in clearing away the fallen leaves in the yard.

 

Due to the unknown cause of the rampant vine growth, none of them dared to touch the Falling Star Vines themselves.

 

But based on what Ruan Jiao had said, they were starting to suspect that the explosive vine growth was triggered by Ruan Shiqing’s spiritual power going out of control.

 

Though Ruan Jiao had the ability to boost the vitality of the vines and encourage them to grow, he couldn’t possibly create such a massive phenomenon alone.

 

This, too, was yet another sign—

 

Ruan Shiqing was far from ordinary.

 

This new understanding brought a trace of unease to Rong Heng’s heart. But knowing that they finally had a lead—a tangible direction to pursue in uncovering the cause of Ruan Shiqing’s coma—he gradually began to relax.

 

No matter what connections Ruan Shiqing might have to the Zerg, he himself would never change.

 

Rong Heng returned upstairs to check on him again. Seeing the monitoring data was all stable, he felt reassured and then brought the cubs outside to deal with the wildly overgrown Falling Star Vines.

 

By then, the vines had ceased growing, stopping right at their fruit-laden peak.

 

Everyone was assigned a set of trimming tools. Under 09’s command, they carefully began shaping the overgrown vines into something beautiful and ornamental.

 

By the time the yard was finally back in order, night had fallen.

 

Exhausted, the little ones had reverted to their juvenile forms and sprawled out by the pond in the backyard, unwilling to move another inch.

 

Following 09’s precise aesthetic guidelines to sculpt the vines into artistic and decorative shapes had turned out to be even more tiring than fighting Zerg. It was a test not just of physical stamina, but mental resilience too.

 

The cubs lay around on their backs, bellies up, not even wanting to take a bath.

 

“Come wash up,” Rong Heng called, emerging from the bathroom with towels and body wash in hand.

 

But none of the cubs budged, all lazily splayed out as if pretending not to hear.

 

A vein popped on Rong Heng’s forehead. With a deadpan expression, he reached out and grabbed the nearest one—a tiny dragon cub—and dropped him into a warm bath. Then he squeezed out some soap and began awkwardly scrubbing him down, trying to lather up some bubbles.

 

The little dragon whined in protest, clearly dissatisfied with Rong Heng’s clumsy technique.

 

Rong Heng sneered and gave his tail a yank. “Then wash yourself.”

 

The little dragon immediately flopped over the edge of the tub, playing dead.

 

With his sleeves rolled up, Rong Heng washed the little dragon, then moved on to the little fox. By the time he got to Ruan Jiao, he was ready to be done—but thankfully, the shy little mermaid had already washed himself clean.

 

Once all the cubs were scrubbed and fresh-smelling, Rong Heng tucked them onto the wide lounge chairs by the pool, then finally went upstairs to shower and change.

 

By the time he came back down, the cubs were already fast asleep.

 

Just like before, the three little ones had curled into a warm, tangled pile—one squashing another’s tail, another resting his head on someone’s belly. The little mermaid had fallen asleep by the edge of the pool, arms pillowed beneath his head, blue tail gently swaying in the water with each ripple.

 

There were no visible stars in the skies of Planet B3024, but overhead, the Falling Star Vines were bursting with golden fruit. Illuminated by the warm glow of the courtyard lights, they sparkled amidst the leaves like a galaxy suspended above their heads.

 

Rong Heng’s expression softened. He bent down and gently scooped the cubs into his arms. He also woke the little merchild, coaxing him to return to the water to sleep.

 

This time, Rong Heng had only been back on B3024 for three days when he received another communication from Lucien.

 

The last Zerg attack on Manin had exposed serious flaws in the Imperial military chain of command—due to endless internal buck-passing, the army failed to provide timely support, resulting in devastating losses. If not for Rong Heng’s intervention, Manin could’ve ended up just like the fallen planet Driftwood.

 

After the crisis was resolved, Manin’s governor publicly posted an open letter of thanks and released combat footage online—on the official planetary website and the holographic web.

 

The message and video rapidly went viral. The Eastern Alliance, along with the Orient, was thrust into the spotlight once more.

 

People quickly dug up the earlier warning broadcast the Eastern Alliance had made via livestream. Back then, most had dismissed it as fearmongering—until Lunka was wiped out by the Zerg, proving the warning had been all too real. And now, with the Empire’s army failing to arrive in time, it was the Eastern Alliance who stood tall, pushing back the Zerg without hesitation.

 

Public sentiment soared.

 

The Eastern Alliance’s reputation skyrocketed. A wave of imitation followed—civilians began copying the members’ masked appearances, even sparking a full-on mask trend.

 

That was the backdrop when Lucien contacted him again. “According to the latest intel, His Majesty the Emperor has recovered. They say he underwent the ‘Divine Augmentation Program.’”

 

Rong Heng didn’t look surprised. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “And what about those three ruling morons who were supposedly injured?”

 

“They all followed suit,” Lucien replied. “While you were on Manin, they were undergoing the procedures too.”

 

Rong Heng gave a knowing smile. “So tell me, did the Emperor really go through the augmentation because he was at death’s door… or did he just use himself as bait to lure those idiots into it?”

 

Lucien remained silent.

 

But Rong Heng clearly didn’t need an answer. He cut the topic off abruptly. “You contacted me so suddenly—another planet under attack?”

 

Lucien’s voice turned grim. “Yes. Parka in the Ota region sent an urgent distress signal to the military yesterday.”

 

Rong Heng’s brow furrowed. “The Zerg are moving far too often lately. It’s like… they’re in a rush.”

 

“Exactly,” Lucien confirmed. “The situation’s unstable, the future unclear. This is your moment, Your Highness.”

 

Rong Heng grunted in acknowledgment. “Send me the coordinates. As for everything else—let’s talk after we kill all the damned bugs.”

 

A soft ping from the smart terminal—coordinates received.

 

He cut the call, adjusted the brim of his hat, and headed upstairs.

 

He’d only just gotten back, but it was time to leave again.

 

First, he needed to say goodbye to Ruan Shiqing.

 

 

 

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So to summarize it: Queen Farah and that gentle Queen Zerg wanted to come to a truce > They got betrayed by both of their sides (I assume it’s distrust born of so many years fighting?) and a fight broke where both Queens died > The Zerg Queen had two eggs in her final moments (Ruan Shiqing & Ruan Jiao) > Ruan Jiao was found by the “mean” Zergs who used his genes to evolve (so they can take over the galaxy and get the “Celestial Stones”?) > Ruan Shiqing was hidden away and we don’t know what happened to him or how he has memories of another life/thinks this is a novel he read > Ruan Shiqing “transmigrates” > He slowly established himself and collect new members of his family > Jiao Jiao “feels” him and decides to come for him…

 

Then we have the Siyan ordeal:

He ambushes Rong Heng and declares the Crown Prince dead > He knows that he’s alive and well and contacts him as Lucien, clearly against “Siyan” and wanting to uphold Queen Farah’s ideals > He marries Thea Bart (to manipulate her and Old Bart and get his hands on one of the 4 major conglomerates of the Empire) > He revives that crazy human enhancement project that was considered to be against all laws of humanity > He gets Old Bart to go through the procedure (again, by pretending to be a concerned son-in-law, we get the implication that it turns Old Bart into a puppet basically) > He keeps on acting tone deaf and careless as an Emperor and even feeds the negative public opinion > He purposely gets injured and “goes through” the enhancement himself so the other three heads follow suit > He makes sure that Rong Heng’s side gets to help the Empire and gain the approval of the public

 

So it makes me think… Does Siyan know of Queen Farah’s decision to make a truce with the Zergs? Did those 4 conglomerates (and Sijialan/the mermaid clan/the fox clan) have a hand in sabotaging that? Is that why he wants to do this? Does he want to avenge her or make her wish come true??

 

And the most important question… Why does Ruan Shiqing think this is a novel he read if he’s technically born from the late Zerg Queen??? Did his soul just “take over”???

 

(My brain melted but at least we had fluff moments of Papa Rong taking care of his cubs well in the absence of Papa Ruan.)

 

Thanks for reading!

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