After Being Forcibly Marked By My Fiancé’S Best Friend Chapter 13
byLian Xu walked out of the headquarters, where the open-air armor field of the base was bustling with people.
Various models of Mechs were pulled out and neatly arranged for viewing and inspection. Seeing Lian Xu emerge from the headquarters, Lan Jia stood far away on the elevated platform and waved to him.
His golden, slightly curly hair shimmered in the sunlight.
Lian Xu lifted his feet and walked over, stopping in front of a row of magnificent Mechs.
The Alpha scrutinized Lian Xu from head to toe, his gaze settling on a button on Lian Xu’s chest. After a few seconds, he shifted his eyes and said softly, “…Try out the new aircraft I developed!”
What?!
Before Lian Xu could ask, Lan Jia jumped down from the high platform, grabbed the Omega’s wrist, and led him through the crowd to the research and development station. The R&D station used only retinal identification to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering and stealing important research results.
Even the staff working inside could only enter under the guidance of the base commander.
Originally, the base had three R&D stations, used for manufacturing Mechs, aircraft, and military weapons, respectively.
This was Lian Xu’s first time at the SCA Base, and he wasn’t familiar with the interior, but he had heard of these three stations, which were vital to the military lifeline of the entire Imperial Planet. However, as he arrived, he noticed a building that looked extremely similar to the other R&D stations, guarded by a team of well-trained heavy soldiers outside.
Even General Pei was among the troops.
He followed Lan Jia into the aircraft R&D station, his mind full of questions.
Lan Jia was ecstatic as he introduced the latest batch of aircraft to Lian Xu, each one small and exquisite. They looked less cumbersome and clumsy than the previously used aircraft.
Lian Xu was ushered into a small aircraft with a silver-white shell, a tail fin dyed with flowing purple light, and a length of only eight meters. This was the smallest aircraft he had ever seen.
During the Lakalā War, the smallest aircraft used by the enemy was eleven meters, which was already the smallest combat-type aircraft announced across the entire galaxy.
He hadn’t expected the SCA Base to create an aircraft even smaller and lighter than that.
Lian Xu glanced at the control panel; it had only more functions compared to the previous models.
Lan Jia stood on the elevated platform, one hand gripping the aircraft hatch, and smiled: “I guarantee this is the most suitable aircraft for an Omega to operate in the entire Milky Way!”
“Take it on your trip; consider it helping us test its maneuverability and safety rating!”
In short, this newly built aircraft had not yet undergone a series of rigorous tests, and Lian Xu was expected to test the aircraft and provide data feedback while executing his mission.
Lian Xu frowned. He wondered how His Highness could say such an irresponsible thing without batting an eye.
Lan Jia seemed completely unconcerned, apparently having unexpected confidence in Lian Xu.
“Don’t worry, it’s sturdy,” he said. “To put it crudely, even if you make the ultimate sacrifice, it might not break.”
With that, Lan Jia suddenly leaned half his body inside. The gap between the pilot seat and the control panel was already small. The Alpha squeezing in made the space even more confined, and the air seemed to thin out. The two were practically pressed against each other.
He pressed a blue button with his hand, and as he looked up, his nose brushed against the Omega’s chest. Both froze for a moment.
“Sorry, it’s a bit cramped.”
Lian Xu wanted to press the Alpha’s head and shove him out of the confined space, but his identity as the Deputy Commander prevented him from acting on the thought. He could only lean back helplessly: “It’s fine, Your Highness, don’t worry about it.”
Lan Jia smiled, thinking that Shen Zaizhou had truly sharp eyes. Any other Omega would have either blushed by now, or eagerly pressed closer, or angrily pushed him away. Someone this calm was truly rare.
“You are a qualified officer,” he said. “This blue button is for saving your life in an emergency…”
Lan Jia suddenly paused, his gaze dropping to a button on Lian Xu’s chest. He tapped it, then rubbed the pattern on it with his fingertip.
“How come your button is slightly different from mine? It’s quite nice-looking.”
Lian Xu instinctively looked at the buttons on Lan Jia’s Military Uniform. If he didn’t look closely, he wouldn’t notice any difference.
The Command Center had made a new set of Military Uniforms for the newly appointed core members. Lian Xu had been wearing his old uniform during training and only switched to the new one after his heat cycle ended, so he hadn’t noticed anything different about the buttons.
After Lan Jia pointed it out, he compared them and found that his button was missing a circle of pattern.
“Alright, I wish you a pleasant journey.” Lan Jia stepped back. “Don’t forget to give feedback on the experience!”
He closed the hatch and snapped his fingers.
The staff understood and opened the skylight.
Lian Xu fastened his seatbelt, started the aircraft, and ascended steadily according to the staff’s instructions.
The aircraft was not only exquisite but also easier to operate than before, requiring mostly just button presses. Even the joystick on the right was smoother than before, moving all the way down with a light push.
After flying smoothly away from the base, Lian Xu breathed a sigh of relief. This aircraft was indeed much better than the old ones. This meant that Omegas wouldn’t be eliminated because of the difficulty of Mech and aircraft training. More capable Omegas could go to the battlefield instead of being relegated to the medical or logistics teams.
Lian Xu smiled, took out his Optic Computer, and began recording his user experience. Since he promised feedback, it had to be precise and thorough. Although His Highness had joked about it, Lian Xu knew that the newly built aircraft had not undergone any testing.
He was the first.
The temperature inside the cabin was a bit too high. Lian Xu felt stuffy, so he unbuttoned the top two buttons and loosened his inner shirt, then adjusted the temperature down. As he reached out, his movement caused his collar to shift, and the topmost button accidentally scraped across his Adam’s apple.
“Hiss…” He winced and touched the spot, feeling a little helpless.
Just a touch from such a small button, and it actually broke the skin.
He then felt the other buttons and noticed a difference in material. The other buttons were all very smooth, but this one…
Boom—
pew pew pew—
The aircraft shook violently. Lian Xu immediately changed course and flew downward. Three aircraft suddenly appeared, relentlessly chasing him like sticky plasters that couldn’t be shaken off.
Shells attacked from all directions. If he wasn’t careful, he would be hit, causing the aircraft to weave through the clouds.
Lian Xu stabilized the aircraft and pressed the emergency button. A laser beam shot out rapidly from the bottom of the tail fin. One aircraft failed to dodge, its side wing was pierced, and it tumbled awkwardly in the air.
Just then, a black metal-shelled aircraft, flashing its colorful light, approached from the left wing and fired laser shells rapidly. Lian Xu couldn’t dodge all of them and was hit by a few rounds, but fortunately, the power was not strong. Aside from the turbulence, he was unaffected.
In the past, with such a heavy barrage, the aircraft would have likely been destroyed long ago.
“Damn it, you useless piece of trash, get going!” The man in the black aircraft had a fierce look in his eyes. After connecting with his third teammate, who could still launch an attack, he cursed loudly, “I didn’t pay you to put on a show! If you let him land alive, you better bring me your head!”
After cutting off communication, the man piloted his aircraft straight toward Lian Xu.
The attack on the left wing was constant. Simply dodging wasn’t a solution, but confronting him directly wouldn’t yield any advantage either. Moreover, the distance was too close, and Lian Xu didn’t know what kind of powerful shells his own aircraft was equipped with. He was afraid that a slight operational error could lead to the destruction of the aircraft and himself.
He pulled the joystick, constantly trying to increase the distance from the opponent. But just as he shook off the first one, another white aircraft rushed up from below.
Lian Xu deftly dodged.
The opponent continued to pursue, sticking close.
Lian Xu clicked his tongue: “Troublesome.”
He scanned the three rows of buttons, trying out the functions he hadn’t seen before.
With a boom, a thermal shell shot out from the side wing, moving so fast that he barely saw what flew out. Under the effect of the air, the thermal shell dispersed into countless small spheres, densely smashing toward the enemy aircraft.
The moment it exploded, a large cloud of red and black smoke spread out.
Lian Xu: “…”
So, it was just a smoke bomb that looked like a thermal shell.
“Fucking hell, these Imperial bastards are insidious. I can’t see anything. Number Three, get your ass moving! Aren’t you a killer? Kill him!”
Number Three, relying on years of combat experience, struggled to fly out of the smoke: “We don’t have enough shells, and his aircraft shell is too tough. We can’t even make a dent.”
The man narrowed his eyes. A material that couldn’t even be dented, could it be…
“Shit, those hateful Imperial bastards! They stole our research results! And they stole our resources! Number Three, you must kill him for me! He must be here to steal resources again, don’t let him succeed!”
As the words fell, the man suddenly realized something was wrong. He came alone to steal?
“Shit! Number Three, wrong, retreat, retreat quickly! This is a trap set by the Imperial bastards, he’s just bait! Be careful not to get surrounded!”
Number Three frowned. He had long heard that Imperial officers were cunning, and seeing this today, they were indeed insidious and vicious.
“But Boss, if we retreat like this, what if they steal the resources?”
“What steal, that’s clearly theft!” The man thought for a moment. Although unwilling, they absolutely couldn’t be caught. “Let’s go first. We’ll go back and call for reinforcements. Don’t let them leave alive!”
After a round of secret plotting, the two chose to retreat in disgrace.
Lian Xu’s hand was on the control panel, the second smoke bomb not yet fired, when he saw the two aircraft, covered in smoke bomb residue, quickly fly past him, carrying the third aircraft that had been damaged right after its debut.
Lian Xu: “…”
Before he could recover from the sudden, brief attack, his Optic Computer communication started beeping incessantly.
Seeing the incoming ID information, Lian Xu cut the connection almost without hesitation.
But the person was persistent and kept calling. Lian Xu cut it off, and the other party continued.
It was clear that if he didn’t answer, the harassment would continue.
Lian Xu took a breath, switched the aircraft to autopilot mode, activated the automatic defense search function, and then accepted the call.
“Where are you?” He Yu’s face hadn’t popped up yet, but his cold, questioning voice came through the Optic Computer first.
A lingering ghost.
That was the only word Lian Xu could think of to describe him right now.
“Resting, going on a trip.”
As the words fell, Lian Xu saw the Alpha on the other side frown fiercely, his face full of disbelief. So, Lian Xu slightly raised the corner of his lips, waiting for the barrage of criticism.
“The situation is tense, and you still have the mood to rest and wander off to another place? How leisurely and refined. Should I praise you?”
Lian Xu lowered his eyes. It was exactly as he expected.
“Explain clearly, where exactly did you go?” He Yu asked again.
The smoke cleared, and the view was wide open. The aircraft flew steadily forward. The three unknown troublemaking aircraft were nowhere to be seen. The radar detected no suspicious signs; everything seemed calm.
Further ahead was the interstellar transit track. Lian Xu looked up and saw a black vortex.
The aircraft smoothly entered the interstellar track. He leaned back in relaxation, his tone light: “Do I need to report to you where I go? Who do you think you are?”