MORIC - Chapter 170

Chapter 170: Who's the Gifted One?

"How many tubes of nutrient solution is that?"

Xi Shuang's voice, coming through the mecha's central control, was a little hoarse.

The person who should have answered her didn't.

A mid-grade Zerg ahead was cleaved in two by the black mecha's kinetic axe. Corrosive blood splattered on the ground, even sizzling and releasing white smoke.

Ling Xun: "That's Senior Wen's seventh tube of nutrient solution."

Ling Xun's voice was also tinged with fatigue. She and Xi Shuang hadn't been fighting with the same intensity as Wen Xinghuo.

At least the two of them had waited for their injuries to heal before going to the front lines. Wen Xinghuo had been fighting with the Expeditionary Force ever since Xi Zhoumeng and Chi Yueshan disappeared.

After Sheng Yangkui was taken away, she was like a madwoman. She didn't seem to need any rest, patrolling outside almost day and night without a break.

The mecha technicians of the Expeditionary Force were suffering immensely, because every time Wen Xinghuo returned, the mecha sent to them absolutely required top-level maintenance.

The problem was, even if they could get similar materials for this kind of first-generation mecha, the forging techniques couldn't be mastered overnight.

Wen Xinghuo had always been seen as good-tempered, but perhaps having her wife forcibly taken away proved her own powerlessness. At a time like this, she retorted to the mecha technician, "Then why can someone without a mecha technician's license fix it?"

The lead mecha technician: "What?"

Wen Xinghuo: "When I first bonded with it, this mecha was also in very poor condition. A junior of mine helped me fix it."

The lead mecha technician: "Impossible. The craftsmanship of mechas from that era is different from now. Even if..."

Wen Xinghuo: "Then that means you're incompetent."

Standing to the side, Xi Shuang hurriedly dragged her away. Ling Xun stepped forward to explain to the lead technician, "I'm sorry, sister. My senior has been a bit irritable lately because her Omega is gone."

She had a gentle appearance and a scholarly air, lacking the typical murderous aura of an Alpha at first glance.

She was also a sweet-talker, calling women who should be "auntie" "sister" instead. She got along swimmingly with the Expeditionary Force's logistics team, and many people, upon hearing she didn't have a partner, wanted to set her up.

Ling Xun refused, saying she had a fiancée.

This time, she put extra emphasis on "gone," and the lead technician immediately understood.

She said, "Oh," and waved her hand, indicating she would let it go.

But a bit of professional pride remained. She glanced at Wen Xinghuo being forcibly dragged away by Xi Shuang and asked Ling Xun, "So what's the story with that junior she mentioned? I've heard the 'War God' Mecha is incredible, so it's understandable she'd call me incompetent. After all, the modifications are quite good."

"Is she also a student at your academy? An Alpha?"

The Expeditionary Force's mecha technician teams were basically composed of Alphas and Betas; there were absolutely no Omegas in the military.

Ling Xun shook her head. "She's an Omega."

She thought of Chi Yueshan, of her dedication to mechas back at the academy, and the videos she would occasionally send while helping them inspect and optimize their mechas before the practical training. She said solemnly, "She's really amazing."

The lead technician was inevitably surprised. She pushed up her glasses. "I've seen her welding marks. Some of them are lost techniques."

The older female Alpha looked at the smiling student before her. "Is she a survivor from the U-Galaxy?"

Ling Xun: "I don't know."

The lead technician: "In a few days, a part of the Expeditionary Force will be heading to the Capital Star to regroup and re-equip. I'll be on the ground too. Can I meet this child?"

Ling Xun faltered. A little sad, she sighed. "She disappeared along with Commander Xi's daughter. We don't know when..."

The topic was a bit heavy. The lead technician patted the girl's shoulder. "You all should head back first. I'll see what I can do about her mecha."

Ling Xun: "There's no need to rush the repairs. She's in a bad mood lately, and I'm worried she'll have an accident if she rushes to the front lines."

But the stubbornness of Wen Xinghuo's character was already beginning to show.

She hated the Zerg to the bone. Even though the strength of the mecha after the technician's repairs didn't reach the level of Chi Yueshan's optimizations, it was still enough to support her in battle.

After all, her spiritual power was very high, and the mecha, no matter how powerful, was just an auxiliary tool. At this moment, as white smoke filled the air amidst a cold rain, Xi Shuang yelled, "You've killed everything in this area! That's seven tubes, sister! Your stomach won't be able to take it if you keep this up."

Their combat experience was growing richer. At first, they needed an Expeditionary Force general to lead them, but after a month, Wen Xinghuo was already qualified to be a team leader.

She just didn't take her own body seriously enough.

Xi Shuang: "That's enough. We've been out for several days. If you keep drinking, I don't want to. We have a meeting tonight."

Her voice cracked, making what should have been a stern roar sound like a duck being strangled.

Ling Xun laughed out loud.

Xi Shuang yelled, "Hey!"

Only then did Wen Xinghuo show some reaction.

She said, "What time is the meeting tonight?"

Xi Shuang: "Seven o'clock. No high-grade Zerg have appeared on this planet for seven consecutive days. The situation on the Capital Star is getting worse, though. Commander Xi said we can switch to a new plan."

Wen Xinghuo said, "Oh."

Xi Shuang thought about the reason for her deathly demeanor and sighed again. "Don't think the worst. Look, it's not time for the succession ceremony yet."

"There's still a chance."

Ling Xun: "After all, Marshal Shen is on our side."

But Wen Xinghuo wasn't the least bit happy. She was like a gourd that had been completely muted by poison, falling silent again.

The mechas returned, and a profound silence grew within the downpour.

Xi Shuang closed the channel to Wen Xinghuo and said to Ling Xun, "What did that mecha technician say last time? Is her mecha unfixable?"

Ling Xun hummed in affirmation. The Zerg corpses on the ground, seen through the curtain of rain, looked like the festering remains of rotten human bodies.

"If it could be fixed, it wouldn't have been left in the display room for so long. After all, the last time this mecha was bonded was hundreds of years ago. I looked it up; the person who fixed it back then was someone from the U-Galaxy who came to Guyun Academy for advanced mecha studies."

Xi Shuang: "What a hassle."

She glanced at the departing black mecha. "Did Wen Xinghuo even hear me about the meeting tonight?"

Ling Xun: "Try to be understanding. If it were you being sent to the royal palace to be parasitized by a Zerg, I'd go crazy too."

She suddenly blurted out a sentence that left Xi Shuang unsure whether to get goosebumps first or to playfully tease her cousin for loving her so much.

Xi Shuang awkwardly changed the subject. "But wasn't Sheng Yangkui intercepted?"

It was something Xi Mingguang had mentioned during a small meeting one day. She said Shen Yu had settled the person safely and told Wen Xinghuo not to worry too much.

But the official reports were all about the Queen, including repeated rumors that she was going to hold the succession ceremony.

And that she had gifted a large amount of jewelry to Sheng Yangkui.

It was actually quite laughable. After the succession, everything in the royal palace would belong to Sheng Yangkui, so what was the point of gifting her jewelry?

Yet the public knew nothing. Only Wen Xinghuo knew what medium the Zerg in the palace used for its consciousness invasion.

But that bracelet had already been taken by Xi Zhoumeng.

She could only hope that Sheng Yangkui wouldn't accept any gifts.

The weather had been abnormal since the Zerg Tide arrived. There were no seasons to speak of, though the seasons weren't very distinct to begin with.

The temperature inside the Expeditionary Force's spaceship was kept constant year-round. That evening, when Xi Mingguang held a meeting, she had Wen Xinghuo and the other two come and listen in.

Over this period, these three Alpha students from Guyun Academy had proven themselves to be the future of the Empire.

At least Xi Shuang had blended in with many people, fully showcasing her nature as a social butterfly.

Wen Xinghuo was silent as usual, sitting next to Xi Shuang and staring blankly at the star chart.

Xi Shuang asked her, "Let me ask you something."

Wen Xinghuo glanced at her, signaling her to get on with it.

Her long hair had been cut much shorter. The sawtooth-patterned hair tie that was a memento from her mother had been given to Sheng Yangkui by Wen Xinghuo.

With medium-length hair, Wen Xinghuo looked even sharper, especially with the scar that cut through her eyebrow. In the blink of an eye, it seemed she could unleash an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Xi Shuang: "What was that thing Zhoumeng had you give to Commander Xi before?"

Wen Xinghuo shook her head, indicating she didn't know what was inside either.

Xi Shuang stroked her chin, looking at Xi Mingguang's bracelet. "Why do I get the feeling it's a bracelet?"

Wen Xinghuo thought this person was so damn gossipy, chatting about what someone was wearing while a meeting was going on up front.

Ling Xun stepped on Xi Shuang's foot under the table.

Xi Shuang almost cried out in pain but immediately covered her mouth, only able to express her agony with her vivid eyes.

Yet her cousin was smiling gently and gracefully, as if nothing had happened.

Wen Xinghuo mouthed, "Serves you right."

Xi Shuang: ...

The trio of observers was just there to fill the numbers. Xi Mingguang went through several rounds of topics with her subordinates, and after wrapping up, it was time for casual conversation.

Someone asked, "I heard Xi Li invested in a well-known laboratory on the Capital Star to research magnetic fields. Have there been any results?"

Another person asked, "Is it Dr. Duan's lab? I have a niece who works there, but I heard Dr. Duan had a relapse of an old illness and isn't involved in the research anymore."

...

Xi Mingguang didn't say much. She wasn't one to engage in small talk.

But her subordinates loved to gossip when they weren't working, like when they saw the footage of Xi Zhoumeng piloting the "Moon-Swallower" Mecha descending from the sky.

And that extra hook on the tail of her mecha, which she could extend and retract with such ease, capable of hooking Ling Xun's mecha away directly.

It was clear that besides the superior materials, her spiritual power was not to be underestimated.

"Your fourth child becoming an Alpha is really..."

"Zhoumeng, ah, I never expected her to be so skilled at piloting a mecha. That spiritual power..."

"But that child has been delicate since she was young. Who knows where the Folded Space teleported them to? There are no records of it..."

As soon as the formal meeting ended, the scene became as noisy as a wet market.

Xi Shuang's ears perked up. She thought, as expected, many people felt the same sense of disillusionment as she did.

"Oh, and an Omega disappeared with Zhoumeng, right?"

"Is that the Commander's fourth child's Omega?"

"She must have marked her, with Zhoumeng's spiritual power being so high. I heard my kid say before that her compatibility rate with that Omega from the Lower World is very high."

"So she even gets a partner assigned to her. No need to worry about that, then."

"Are you stupid? With Zhoumeng's qualifications, would she ever have trouble finding a partner?"

Xi Mingguang was also speechless.

Her original intention was to let this group, after a month of high-intensity combat, gather for a good chat to de-stress, and perhaps discuss combat techniques.

After all, the younger generation was present.

Who would have thought this bunch would be so incredibly gossipy.

Just as Xi Mingguang was about to lose her temper, she suddenly felt a strange fluctuation in the space around her. She stood up to check the situation, and Xi Shuang let out a loud cry.

Everyone's gaze turned to Xi Mingguang's position.

An Omega had appeared there.

Xi Shuang: "Yueshan???——"

Ling Xun stood up.

Wen Xinghuo was no longer dejected; the pen in her hand flew to the floor.

Chi Yueshan was very dizzy. She had just been telling Xuan Ping that it wasn't a honeymoon. Before she could share what that rascal Xi Zhoumeng had done with her good friend, Xuan Ping had shouted, "It's overlapping!"

Chi Yueshan didn't even have time to ask what that meant.

A familiar sensation of the world spinning around her, and she seemed to see countless images of parallel spaces again.

This time, she clearly witnessed the ending of the world without Xi Zhoumeng.

It was a world where Wen Xinghuo lived on, all alone.

Chi Yueshan didn't like that ending very much. She had just closed her eyes when a feeling of weightlessness washed over her.

The next second, she seemed to have landed on something.

Xi Mingguang, with quick eyes and fast hands, held onto the swivel chair, afraid Chi Yueshan would fall.

But she reacted too quickly. The chair didn't move back but forward, and Chi Yueshan's head bumped against the table.

Xi Mingguang: "Are you alright?"

Chi Yueshan looked up blankly and saw pairs of eyes below the platform, and Xi Shuang jumping up and down at the very back.

She shrank back in fright, but Xi Mingguang held the chair steady.

Chi Yueshan: "Commander Xi?"

Xi Mingguang looked around but didn't see Xi Zhoumeng. She was about to ask something when she saw Chi Yueshan's unconcealable belly.

Xi Mingguang froze.

Xi Shuang had already rushed up. She had wanted to give her long-unseen Omega junior a hug of the century, but she too was dumbfounded.

She cursed, "Holy shit," and asked in shock, "Is your hundred-percent compatibility so awesome that you can give birth in just over a month?"

Get instant access to all chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next