OVPBM 9
by MochiChapter 9 – Chu Xuanzhou’s True Face
Inside the mech, the charged particles generated by the artificial devices collided with elements in the atmosphere, creating a gorgeous band of dark green light.
The man-made aurora draped over Lu Yunwan’s face like a thin veil, and at this moment, he was the demon from the legends who lured others toward ruin.
And those words were like a curse carved into Chu Xuanzhou’s heart…
The aurora lit up Planet Kaixi’s eternal night, and the enormous mech bearing the planetary totem descended beside the high platform. Lu Yunwan finally shifted his gaze away and walked toward it.
This was the final segment of the event: reviewing the new model mechs that had just completed service.
This was the first time Lu Yunwan had boarded a mech since transmigrating into the book.
He had the officer responsible for guiding him remain where he was and entered the mecha cockpit alone.
The mech was currently in autopilot mode, and outside the massive porthole stretched a silent, flowing sea of stars.
Under the stark white lighting, the minimalist cockpit seemed especially cold.
Lu Yunwan sat directly in the main pilot seat, slowly tightening his grip around the control lever as he tentatively attempted to use his mental power to control this colossal machine.
There was something he had been far too curious about for far too long—
What exactly did Song Feiyan mean a while ago when he said, ‘Heard you almost died. Can’t even pilot your mech anymore’?
“Disengaging from autopilot mode.”
“Increasing speed.”
The moment the prompt ended, the mech that had been flying slowly suddenly pitched forward. A powerful backward force slammed into Lu Yunwan.
“Holy shit!” He immediately released the control lever, letting the mech return to automatic flight mode. Then he slowly pressed his lips together.
He had only used a little mental power just now, yet it immediately accelerated.
How was this anything like “not being able to pilot a mech”?
At the same time, Lu Yunwan could clearly feel that the original host’s mental core had no issues whatsoever.
…If Song Feiyan’s words weren’t false, then what exactly had caused the original host to be unable to pilot a mech?
If physiological reasons were excluded, then only psychological ones remained.
In his previous life, Lu Yunwan had heard of many people who, due to developing psychological barriers, were unable to properly use their abilities.
But the original host was a ruthless villain who had lost all humanity, so he should not be having this kind of problem… right?
“Your Excellency the Regent, did something abnormal occur here?”
Sensing the mech’s sudden acceleration, the security personnel rushed in immediately.
Chu Xuanzhou also entered the cockpit behind them.
“It’s nothing.” Lu Yunwan lowered his gaze, back facing them.
Through the reflection in the porthole, Chu Xuanzhou saw—
A flash of sorrow passed across Lu Yunwan’s face.
He lifted a somewhat weary hand and pressed hard against his brow.
They had clearly spent many days together already, yet in that instant, the person before him felt unfamiliar to Chu Xuanzhou.
…He had never seen the Regent like this.
The cockpit fell completely silent as Lu Yunwan slowly stood up.
Bad news!
Lu Yunwan belatedly realized something extremely important. He certainly could pilot a mech, but he absolutely did not know how to fly one!
Although the Regent no longer often led troops personally, a flaw like this must never be exposed.
…He had to find time to learn from the very beginning.
Lu Yunwan’s low mood persisted even as he boarded the starship for the return journey. Fortunately, those around him were long accustomed to his unpredictable temperament, so no one noticed anything amiss except for Chu Xuanzhou.
* * *
Inside the lounge, Lu Yunwan opened his optical-brain to check the messages from his subordinates.
Unlike the mysterious and secretive original host, he never hid such things from the protagonist.
A young man with dazzling blond hair appeared in the holographic projection. “Your Excellency the Regent, I’ve found some leads regarding the matter you asked me to investigate last time.”
The young man’s name was Aitewen, the original host’s confidant, whom Lu Yunwan had never met since entering the book.
Seeing this message, Lu Yunwan realized that Aitewen had been sent by the original host to investigate something.
“There were trace amounts of toxins found in her remains,” Aitewen said.
Across the lounge, Chu Xuanzhou slowly turned his gaze toward him.
He clenched his palm tightly.
Before Lu Yunwan could recall who “she” was, the young man in the holographic projection continued, “Your Excellency, your guess was correct. The Empress Dowager’s death truly had something suspicious about it. She did not die a natural death, but the exact cause and the person who killed her will still need more time to investigate…”
Oh, the Empress Dowager.
…Huh? Wait, no!
“She” was the Empress Dowager???
A huge question mark slammed down on Lu Yunwan’s head.
A second later, he belatedly remembered that in order to frame the protagonist, the Regent had once publicly questioned the Empress Dowager’s death and sent people to thoroughly investigate it.
In 《 The Merfolk Empire 》, it was written that the Regent had merely made up a random excuse to pin the blame on the protagonist.
That investigation did not last long and ended with Chu Xuanzhou’s exile.
Yet the scene before his eyes told Lu Yunwan…
The original host had stumbled onto the truth entirely by accident.
He had unintentionally triggered a hidden plotline: the Empress Dowager’s death really did have a problem!
But she had already reached the natural lifespan limit of a mermaid.
Who would choose to act at that very moment?
Aitewen’s message finished playing, and the lounge fell into heavy silence.
As Lu Yunwan digested the information, the light in Chu Xuanzhou’s violet eyes dimmed.
The tension and intricate calculations normally concealed deep within them were instantly replaced by vulnerability, as if he had become a completely different person.
Chu Xuanzhou sensed the imminent arrival of danger.
He decided to strike first.
“Your Excellency the Regent.”
From the other side of the lounge, Chu Xuanzhou stood up, suddenly interrupting Lu Yunwan’s thoughts.
“Your Excellency the Regent… I have something I want to tell you.”
Lu Yunwan blanked for less than a second, then immediately slipped into character.
The Regent sitting on the sofa lifted his chin with a smile, gently nodding toward Chu Xuanzhou. “All right, speak.”
A silver-blue white dwarf1A white dwarf is a small, dense stellar remnant formed when a star has exhausted its nuclear fuel and is extremely hot and bright despite its size. drifted slowly past the porthole, and the cold rays from the dying star brushed against the merman’s profile.
Dressed in an ice-blue silk shirt, his long hair loosely tied behind him, Chu Xuanzhou looked as though he might dissolve into foam and vanish from the world at any moment.
Chu Xuanzhou suddenly lowered his gaze and smiled.
His smile carried a faint trace of self-mockery, yet there was also a lightness to it that Lu Yunwan had never seen before.
For an instant, the youth set down every defense he normally held before Lu Yunwan, fragile to an unbelievable degree.
“Your Excellency the Regent, there is something… I don’t think I should hide any longer.” Shedding his usual coldness, Chu Xuanzhou’s voice sounded rough and grainy.
He paused for a few seconds, as though summoning every last bit of courage, then raised his eyes to look at Lu Yunwan. “It’s about the Empress Dowager.”
Could it be that Chu Xuanzhou had a lead?
Although internally bewildered to the extreme, Lu Yunwan still smiled with practiced mystery. Polishing his cane, he asked casually, “Oh? And what would you like to tell me?”
“……”
The merman bit down hard on his lip.
His sharp canine teeth instantly pierced the lower lip, and bright red blood beaded out eagerly from the wound.
The light in his purple eyes dimmed little by little. Chu Xuanzhou fixed his gaze on Lu Yunwan, then spoke in a trembling voice, “Your earlier suspicion wasn’t wrong.”
“The Empress Dowager’s death… really did have something to do with me.”
Despair saturated every word he said.
It was clearly the simplest sentence possible, yet saying it seemed to drain every last drop of strength from him.
After speaking, the youth slowly closed his eyes.
He stood there quietly, awaiting the judgment of fate.
Lu Yunwan: “……”
* * *
Why is this different from what was written in the book?
Lu Yunwan was still smiling, but in reality, he was about to crack apart.
The original host’s mouth must have been blessed! He had somehow guessed everything right?!
The instant the sense of absurdity washed over him, fear surged in as well.
The Empress Dowager was Chu Xuanzhou’s only family. For what purpose would Chu Xuanzhou kill her…?
Wasn’t the early-stage Chu Xuanzhou supposed to be pure, clean, and utterly incompatible with the royal family?
As if sensing the doubt swirling in Lu Yunwan’s mind, the youth’s voice drifted to his ears once again.
Chu Xuanzhou’s voice was soft, so soft, “Those months on the Capital Planet were the happiest days of my life… Your Excellency the Regent, at that time I thought I had finally gained family and a home… but I never expected that in her final moments, the Empress Dowager suddenly tried to kill me…”
A tear fell from the corner of Chu Xuanzhou’s eye, hitting the floor with a sharp splatter as if shattering into pieces.
Merfolk in their migratory period were often ruled by desire.
Aside from lust, there was also the instinct to hunt, along with bouts of physiological pain that surged without warning.
Some merfolk used medication to numb themselves, but heavy use of such drugs would overstimulate the brain, causing desire to spiral further out of control, sending the merfolk into brief episodes of losing control.
In simpler terms, they went mad.
From what Lu Yunwan knew, the Empress Dowager indeed had rumors of being bloodthirsty and violent… So did Chu Xuanzhou kill her out of self-defense?
The initial tension gradually faded. Holding a wait-and-see attitude, Lu Yunwan slowly absorbed Chu Xuanzhou’s words.
In the spacious cabin, he had unknowingly become the youth’s only listener and support.
Another tear struck the ground. Chu Xuanzhou slowly opened his eyes.
The tears had snuffed out the light in his purple pupils; it was as if he seemed to break with them. He let out a self-mocking smile and shook his head. “Maybe someone like me… was never qualified to have any of that…”
His trembling voice and the extreme sorrow in his expression struck Lu Yunwan straight in the heart.
The protagonist had grown up on a lower-class planet, finally brought home by his only family, only for her to lose control and try to kill him… That was truly miserable.
“All of this was stolen by me, Your Excellency… I betrayed your trust.” Chu Xuanzhou took a deep breath and finally revealed his true purpose. “Please rest assured, I will cooperate with any investigation or publicly admit everything.”
“No—”
Lu Yunwan immediately shoved aside all the chaotic thoughts in his head and rose to stand beside Chu Xuanzhou.
What a joke! If the protagonist turned himself in and is locked up, then awakens his mental power from the trauma and flees, wouldn’t the plot just return to the original script?
Besides, self-defense is his right!
After a few seconds of silence, the Regent slowly removed his black gloves, revealing the pale skin hidden beneath the velvet and the hideous scars coiled over it. “Your Highness, do you think I only discovered this today?” Lu Yunwan fluently opened his eyes and began spouting nonsense.
“That message earlier was played for you on purpose.” As if.
“This is just a reminder, Your Highness. You were far too careless.”
The youth across from him trembled lightly. “Why would you…”
“Your Highness, I am very hurt.” Lu Yunwan cut him off.
His cold hand reached toward the corner of the youth’s eye. With the gentlest of motions, he wiped away the tear clinging to Chu Xuanzhou’s lashes.
“It’s not because you deceived me, but because you lost to me…” he said, glancing softly in the direction of the holographic projection.
Chu Xuanzhou stared at him in disbelief.
“There is no shame in wanting to live. You may use any means necessary, but your methods must be sophisticated.”
He brushed his finger across Chu Xuanzhou’s lips, wiping away the smear of red.
Lu Yunwan smiled lightly, then slowly licked the blood from his fingertip, whispering beside Chu Xuanzhou’s ear, “Deception is never shameful. It is a survival instinct written into the DNA of every creature.”
“Like a chameleon, or the lappet moth that disguises itself as a dead branch.” He slowly ran his hand through Chu Xuanzhou’s long hair and spoke softly, “If you want power, if you want to kill me, then you must learn to disguise yourself…”
𓇼 ˚｡⋆ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞⋆｡˚ 𓇼
Author’s Note:
Lu Yunwan: There is too much information, and my brain has crashed. What am I even saying? Whatever, I was going to fake my death anyway, so I might as well say it. [entering full resignation mode]
Chu Xuanzhou (Interstellar good tea brewing2“好茶熬制中” literally means “good tea is being brewed.” It means someone is brewing juicy drama, preparing a good show, about to produce gossip/chaos, or quietly scheming something entertaining. Traditionally, “熬制” evokes slowly decocting tea or medicinal herbs, implying deliberate preparation. In modern internet slang, “好茶” is a playful metaphor for something interesting or noteworthy that others will want to “sip.”)
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