OVPBM 34 Part 2

In Lu Yunwan’s view, this world had developed in a distorted manner for hundreds of years. To completely change humankind’s disadvantaged position, it was not enough to rely solely on Chu Xuanzhou. Human strength had to be enhanced from the root.

This experiment was an excellent opportunity.

For the sake of living more comfortably after his staged death, it was very necessary to put in some effort now.

—But as the “main villain,” Lu Yunwan would of course never admit that.

He set down his coffee cup and lightly propped his forehead with one hand.

“This is a mutually beneficial transaction. You will obtain the experimental results, and in the future, anyone who has participated in the experiment, even every human who benefits after its success, will become my support and help me consolidate my position. No matter how much they hate me or wish to distance themselves from me.”

Lu Yunwan’s tone was languid, and his words were selfish to the extreme.

The inspiration for this speech came from the young man who had mocked him at the luncheon.

Hearing this, the flame that had just ignited in Yin Manxin’s heart was immediately extinguished.

Lu Yunwan smiled at Yin Manxin and Fang Yixue. His gaze was cold to the extreme, tinged with faint ridicule.

As teachers who had once personally witnessed him step from the Imperial Military Academy onto the interstellar stage, they had seen countless reports and even rumors about Lu Yunwan.

Yet never before had they so clearly realized that this Regent, who now held power over the entire interstellar realm, was no longer the powerful yet somewhat naïve human from the Imperial Military Academy of years past.

* * *

The starship left Planet Chenmu and reentered its route.

Lu Yunwan sat before the optical-brain, browsing materials related to the experiment.

As Lu Yunwan’s personal assistant, Chu Xuanzhou had likewise been granted permission to access this information.

After reading for a while, Lu Yunwan’s gaze secretly shifted to Chu Xuanzhou.

When he had been speaking with Fang Yixue and Yin Manxin earlier, Chu Xuanzhou had not been present. Now that he had seen the additional condition of the experiment, his expression had indeed turned puzzled.

The protagonist was most likely wondering why he prioritized humans.

After hesitating briefly, Lu Yunwan closed the optical-brain.

Those words he said earlier were borrowed from somewhere else, and Chu Xuanzhou, who had heard the original, was obviously not someone he could fool so easily.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Yunwan slowly walked to Chu Xuanzhou’s side.

“Your Highness, do you find those people pitiful?”

Lu Yunwan extended his hand, reaching toward the light screen without actually touching it. His tone was calm and casual, devoid of discernible emotion.

“Their consciousness is muddled, their reason gone, like walking corpses… bound within a metal tomb at the bottom of the sea.” At this point, pity and compassion finally entered his voice. “They cannot live like normal people, nor do they even have the right to die.”

“They once piloted mecha and roamed freely to every corner of the interstellar realm. But now they are trapped here, without even the right to choose death.” Lu Yunwan’s mood gradually grew heavy as well.

He might not truly understand those patients.

But in his previous life, Lu Yunwan had seen more than enough ability users who had been attacked by zombies.

To continue living in the form of a zombie was, for them, far more unbearable than death.

Having grown up neglected on a lower-class planet, Chu Xuanzhou had never been taught lessons in “pity” or “compassion.”

In truth, Lu Yunwan’s words stirred not the slightest ripple in the merman’s heart. He did not care at all about those patients.

Yet skilled at disguising himself, Chu Xuanzhou did not reveal this.

The young man turned off the optical-brain and gave Lu Yunwan a slight nod.

“Does Your Highness know who is responsible for their current state?”

Chu Xuanzhou hesitated briefly before answering, “The war?”

“No.” Lu Yunwan moved around the sofa and sat down beside him. He carefully brushed the young man’s long hair back behind his ear. “It is the medical center, and the equipment manufacturers.”

Lu Yunwan’s voice remained just as light as before, but this time the content of his words finally caught Chu Xuanzhou’s interest.

“Why does Your Excellency say that?”

Lu Yunwan let out a disdainful laugh. He casually tapped Chu Xuanzhou’s knee with his fingers. A tingling sensation traveled up along the nerves of his leg and spread through his entire body.

“Those machines merely keep them barely alive as walking corpses. They cannot truly save them.” Lu Yunwan looked down at his own fingers as he whispered to Chu Xuanzhou, “Their original purpose was simply to secure enormous funding from the military.”

Even Chu Xuanzhou was shocked by these words.

If those few sentences were to spread, they would certainly cause an uproar across the interstellar realm.

Chu Xuanzhou’s expression pleased Lu Yunwan. He suddenly laughed and stood up, as though mocking the young man’s naivety.

The Regent forcefully grasped Chu Xuanzhou’s chin, compelling him to raise his head and look at him. “Your Highness, you do not truly believe the Empire is so kindhearted, do you? Or perhaps you think those pieces of junk that can only sustain life are worth such massive military expenditures?”

Lu Yunwan’s words pressed forward step by step.

The young man shook his head with some difficulty.

But his reaction did not interrupt Lu Yunwan’s actions. The Regent even increased the strength of his grip and said gently, “Your Highness, look.”

The light screen suddenly lit up.

As the Regent, Lu Yunwan possessed the authority to log into the military’s backend system.

Chu Xuanzhou watched as Lu Yunwan directly opened the project report.

Just as he had said, a string of astonishingly large numbers appeared before his eyes.

A hush settled over Lu Yunwan. All his emotions were concealed within those heavy, unreadable eyes.

…Is the Regent sympathizing with those patients?

Just as Chu Xuanzhou could not help forming such a suspicion, the contents on the screen changed once more.

“Your Highness, these are the people behind those institutions and machines.”

As expected, Chu Xuanzhou saw many familiar names of merfolk nobles on that page.

But he was certain that Lu Yunwan’s purpose in saying all this today was not merely to show him such trivial information.

The light screen darkened again.

Lu Yunwan slowly leaned closer to Chu Xuanzhou, the distance narrowing with deliberate, unhurried inevitability.

So close that Chu Xuanzhou felt the illusion that he was about to kiss Lu Yunwan’s lips.

That familiar, muted scent wafted toward him. The young man’s heartbeat raced frighteningly fast.

But this time, no kiss came.

Instead, he heard the Regent let out a soft laugh beside his ear, then say in a voice both gentle and regretful, “Besides them, there is also me.”

In fact, the last page of the report should originally have borne his name.

Silence settled over the starship.

“What you are doing is no different from severing ties with the Capital Planet.” Chu Xuanzhou looked at Lu Yunwan with a complicated expression, his emotion impossible to discern.

Lu Yunwan finally released his grip. He straightened up and shrugged indifferently. “That works out perfectly.”

—He had reached his current position through years of “mutual benefit” with those merfolk. But now, as the Regent, Lu Yunwan no longer needed to “cooperate” with the nobles.

On the surface, there seemed to be nothing wrong with his words. Yet Chu Xuanzhou keenly sensed the danger hidden within them.

Given Lu Yunwan’s current status, if he merely wished to distance himself from the merfolk aristocracy, he would not need to go to such complicated lengths.

Offending a portion of the nobles was a minor matter. Fundamentally altering humankind’s status was the real issue.

By that time, every merfolk in the Empire’s upper echelon would regard him as a mortal enemy.

The young man recalled the “deal” between Lu Yunwan and himself. A sudden realization struck him… Lu Yunwan seemed to be consciously and unconsciously pushing himself toward destruction through various means.

Lu Yunwan was doing this deliberately.

The moment Chu Xuanzhou grasped this, panic rushed over him.

…He had to stop Lu Yunwan.

The young man lowered his head. At that moment, the starship arrived at Planet Cangrui and began its rapid descent.

Watching the scenery outside the window shift continuously, and looking at Lu Yunwan, who stood right before him yet felt as distant as a star across the heavens, a thought began to crystallize in Chu Xuanzhou’s mind.

Just as Lu Yunwan had once said, ‘To kill Lu Yunwan, Your Highness doesn’t lack strength. You lack power.’

And to stop Lu Yunwan, what he lacked was also power.

If Lu Yunwan had no power, if he were no longer the Regent, if he… became his possession.

Then would he no longer be able to leave?

At least until today, Chu Xuanzhou had held no interest in power or ruling over others. Not long ago, his sole objective had merely been to survive.

But this realization made the allure of power dawn on Chu Xuanzhou.

—Just like those patients trapped in the medical center, sustained by machines as walking corpses, unable even to die.

Power could even defy a person’s will and forcibly keep them in this world.

When he lifted his gaze again, they were filled with carefully feigned fear and disapproval.

The starship landed at that moment. Chu Xuanzhou stood up and remained silent for a while before pressing his lips together and murmuring with faint disappointment, “I thought you were doing this for humankind.”

He knew he could not let Lu Yunwan discover his true thoughts. Remembering how the other man preferred his clear, untainted gaze, he deliberately spoke that way.

Just as expected of the protagonist!

Hearing Chu Xuanzhou’s words, Lu Yunwan silently sighed to himself. Just as the novel had described, he was so pure, so incompatible with the royal family. At the same time, Lu Yunwan could not help worrying that he could not go on like this.

“Your Highness, when you stand high enough, there is no difference between humans and merfolk.” Lu Yunwan sighed softly, gave Chu Xuanzhou a gentle embrace, and spoke helplessly into the young man’s ear.

The young man remained silent.

Just as Lu Yunwan finished this performance and was about to release him and step off the starship, the young man swept his arms up without warning, pulling him into a fierce embrace.

Chu Xuanzhou was extremely strong. Lu Yunwan’s waist began to ache under the force.

He did not see the young man lower his head slightly, resting his chin on his shoulder.

Chu Xuanzhou’s gaze grew murky.

Beneath the black fabric lay a bite mark, the first gift he had ever given to Lu Yunwan.

…Power. Only it could keep Lu Yunwan by his side.

Chu Xuanzhou slowly closed his eyes. His lips parted as if guided by a primal pull and, through the layer of clothing, once again pressed his sharp teeth slowly against Lu Yunwan’s shoulder.