OVPBM 36 Part 2

Before Lu Yunwan could process the scene, a voice rang out beside his ear.

“Yunwan!”

“Brother Yunwan!”

Before the original host had even straightened up, a boy who looked like a primary school student slammed into his arms like a cannonball.

“Brother! You’re finally back!”

A young couple hurried over and pulled the child out of the original host’s embrace.

“Sirong, don’t be so impatient! Yunwan has been traveling for days. Let him rest first.”

Lu Yunwan froze for a moment. A few seconds later, he realized that the speaker was the original host’s mother.

But Lu Sirong clearly paid no attention to her words. “My gift, my gift! Brother, where’s my gift!”

He wrapped his arms around the original host’s waist and began to shake him.

The original host, who had been elegant and aloof just a second earlier, instantly broke down the moment his ticklish spot was touched. He dropped into a squat and burst into laughter.

“Stop, stop! I’ll give it to you in a moment!”

Lu Yunwan had never expected that the legendary Regent had such a side to him. So he could not stand being tickled either!

“Get up! You’re not a child anymore. You’re still wearing the Imperial Military Academy uniform. Pay attention to your image.” The original host’s mother hurriedly reached out to pull him to his feet.

Lu Yunwan saw that although she spoke in a scolding tone, her brows were filled with pride.

“All right, all right.” The original host stood up and gave a light cough.

Only then did the family of four board the old aircraft together.

“Here, your gift.” Once they were seated, the original host took a blue medal from his pocket.

“Wow!” Lu Sirong’s eyes widened instantly. “Is that the Top Cadet medal?!”

The Top Cadet medal of the Imperial Military Academy was so well known that even Lu Sirong, who was still in primary school, recognized it at once.

The original host’s father finally spoke. “That’s too precious. Just let him take a look at it. What if he loses it after you give it to him?”

“It’s fine.” The original host ruffled Lu Sirong’s hair vigorously, turning it into a messy tangle before withdrawing his hand. “There will be plenty more of these in the future.” As he spoke, he pinned the medal onto Lu Sirong.

Lu Sirong held his breath. “I’ll take good care of it. I’ll wear it all the time. I won’t even take it off at night when I change into pajamas!”

“Yeah, right.” The original host was clearly not convinced.

“Be serious.” Predictably, even the original owner’s mother echoed the sentiment.

Lu Sirong lowered his head and gave a small “hmph” before finally touching the medal carefully and saying in a serious tone, “In the future, I want to be like Brother Yunwan and become a powerful human.”

At that time, Lu Yunwan was not yet the Regent.

He was not only his family’s pride, but the pride of humankind as well.

“Alright.” The original host casually pinched the flesh on Lu Sirong’s cheek. “But you have to aim to be even better than me.” His tone was unbelievably gentle. 

“Mm!”

The small aircraft gradually melted into the night sky, and the scene in Lu Yunwan’s mind ended there.

Perhaps influenced by that fragment of memory, Lu Yunwan felt his mood lighten considerably.

He opened his palm again and lowered his gaze to the medal once more.

He had not expected that the original host and Lu Sirong had once shared such a good relationship. But then why had he taken the gift back?

Could it be that the dignified Regent was actually this stingy?

Lu Yunwan slipped his gloves back on, placed the medal inside the old clothing, and returned it to where it had been kept.

* * *

The rotation assignment to guard the frontier planets was anything but easy.

Star pirates appeared there from time to time, black holes were densely scattered, and the interstellar environment was extremely complex.

Although Chu Xuanzhou’s mental power had awakened, his mecha piloting skills were still only at an entry level.

Worried that something might happen to the protagonist, Lu Yunwan had privately ordered his subordinates to install a locator on Chu Xuanzhou’s mecha and optical-brain.

When he saw the corresponding signal on his own optical-brain, Lu Yunwan could not help muttering, “Pervert.”

…I really have been corrupted by proximity.

Originally, Lu Yunwan had only intended it as a precaution. He had not expected that just a few days later, that icon would actually light up.

“Alert! Alert!”

“Mecha under unknown attack!”

Immediately afterward, the real-time projection captured by the locator appeared before Lu Yunwan.

He saw more than a dozen gray unidentified mecha attacking the planet where Chu Xuanzhou was stationed!

—The protagonist had truly encountered star pirates on the frontier planet!

“Meeting adjourned.” Almost the instant the icon lit up, Lu Yunwan rose from the sofa.

The subordinates seated farther away exchanged bewildered looks.

Just as they were wondering what he intended to do, they heard the Regent say in a deep voice, “Deploy the TX-9H starship. We are going to the frontier planet.”

* * *

The planet where Chu Xuanzhou was stationed was called “Alexis”. Its resources had long since been exhausted, and it lay far from the Empire’s core territories.

However, because of its crucial coordinates, the military still dispatched personnel to guard it regularly.

According to what Chu Xuanzhou understood, a war had taken place on Planet Alexis only two months ago.

“Your Highness! These star pirates have a record of hijacking mecha and threatening the Empire. Please ensure your safety at all costs!” A voice sounded in Chu Xuanzhou’s ear.

Hearing this, the young man frowned slightly.

Planet Alexis sat at the crossroads of several major interstellar powers. If the star pirates occupied it, their movements would become far more convenient.

They had previously taken nobles inside their mecha hostage, temporarily forcing the Empire to relinquish Planet Alexis.

If Chu Xuanzhou remembered correctly, that incident had ultimately been resolved personally by Lu Yunwan.

The Regent had piloted a mecha to Planet Alexis alone. Ignoring all communication requests from the other side, he had directly killed both the merman noble held hostage and the star pirates together.

At this moment, the viewport outside the mecha blazed with the harsh light of laser weaponry. The situation was extremely dangerous.

Yet at the thought of that, Chu Xuanzhou still could not stop himself from smiling faintly…

Killing the star pirates along with the hostage. That was indeed something only the Regent would do.

“I understand. Thank you for the reminder,” Chu Xuanzhou said softly to the companion who had just warned him, the smile already gone from his face.

Hearing his calm voice, the speaker felt somewhat reassured.

After spending time with him, he had realized that Chu Xuanzhou possessed a composure and rationality unlike that of the royal family.

Since he said so, he would surely be careful.

In truth, the warning was not misplaced.

The star pirates seemed thoroughly prepared this time. They paid almost no attention to the other mecha and instead drove straight toward Chu Xuanzhou’s position.

But what the man had not anticipated was that the moment their conversation ended, Chu Xuanzhou did not evade them. On the contrary, he steered his mecha directly toward the pirates.

The chaotic battlefield before him did not frighten him. If anything, it stirred him.

The shattered fragments of mecha and the roar of artillery ignited the bloodthirsty, combative instinct buried deep within Chu Xuanzhou.

“Your Highness!!”

Seeing this, everyone around him grew tense.

But Chu Xuanzhou seemed not to hear the shouts at all.

He focused intently, using his formidable mental power to control the mecha as it drove straight into the heart of the star pirates’ formation.

At the same time, a notification sounded in his ear, “TX-9H starship is approaching the airspace.”

Lu Yunwan was coming.

Chu Xuanzhou’s gaze softened at once; even the killing intent within him diminished slightly.

On one side of Planet Alexis lay a black hole. On the other, a dense asteroid belt.

Whichever direction one flew, the slightest mistake would result in total destruction.

The other mecha stationed near Planet Alexis saw that Chu Xuanzhou and the pirates were heading straight toward the asteroid belt!

They immediately gave chase, but before long, the density of the asteroids forced them to slow down. Gradually, they fell farther and farther behind.

Chu Xuanzhou was plunging into danger.

Just as unease began to spread across the space surrounding Planet Alexis, a massive black starship appeared in the starfield.

Lu Yunwan saw that the mecha deep within the asteroid belt emitted only a faint signal, roughly indicating a direction.

As the highest-class combat starship currently in existence, the TX-9H lacked the agility of a mecha, but its firepower was overwhelming.

Clad in black, the Regent stood before the starship’s viewport. He input the coordinates from the locator into the ship’s optical-brain and looked ahead coldly.

“Clear the route.”

As he spoke, Lu Yunwan silently curled his fingers into a tight fist.

“Yes, Your Excellency the Regent!”

In a blinding burst of light, the asteroids blocking the starship’s path were blasted into dust.

The TX-9H did not pause for a single second, charging directly toward the direction indicated by the locator.

Seconds later, a planet shrouded in orange-red storms and a graveyard of shattered mecha came into view before Lu Yunwan…

There, suspended intact in midair, was the mecha belonging to Chu Xuanzhou.

It seemed he had replicated his previous maneuver, relying on speed to lure the pirate mecha into crashing against the planet before him!

Seeing this, Lu Yunwan finally let out a breath of relief.

Thank goodness.

To prevent information leaks from undercover agents, these mecha did not upload real-time positioning data.

Fortunately, he had installed a locator system on Chu Xuanzhou’s mecha in advance. Otherwise, they would never have found this place so quickly.

However, just as Lu Yunwan prepared to approach the mecha and confirm whether Chu Xuanzhou was unharmed, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.

It was Chu Xuanzhou.

—In the depths of space, with signals distorted by interference, the young man’s voice sounded strangely unfamiliar.

But that was not the point.

Lu Yunwan heard him tentatively call out, “Your Excellency the Regent?”

“It’s me.” Relief slipped into Lu Yunwan’s voice at once. “Your Highness, are you injured?”

“No…” Chu Xuanzhou paused before adding, “Thank you for Your Excellency’s concern.”

Lu Yunwan exhaled quietly.

Yet before he could fully relax, Chu Xuanzhou suddenly asked, “How did Your Excellency find this place so quickly?”

There was hesitation in his voice, but he asked nonetheless.

Having gained real combat experience, Chu Xuanzhou knew that the military’s systems alone could not have tracked him here.

Lu Yunwan: ……

The question sent a flicker of tension through him.

But in the next instant, he recovered.

As the main villain, there was no need for him to conceal anything from the protagonist.

A soft laugh brushed past Chu Xuanzhou’s ear.

The next moment, a red light flared before his eyes.

The hidden locator embedded within his optical-brain appeared openly in front of him.

—Lu Yunwan had directly exposed the locator!

Across the vastness of space and the drifting ruins, the Regent’s voice carried over.

It was hoarse, threaded with helplessness.

“What should I do, Your Highness? I love you far too much…”

As the distance between them closed, Lu Yunwan’s voice sharpened into clarity.

That soft chuckle seemed to fall right beside Chu Xuanzhou’s ear.

“I love you so much… that I want to keep you trapped forever in the palm of my hand.”