Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 81
byChapter 81: The Snake’s Way of Feeding
“Don’t dwell on things that are already in the past.”
Hearing He Chen’s question, Lu Changqing paused, averted He Chen’s gaze, and opened a bowl of hot soup he had specifically packed for him.
“Thank you.” He Chen picked up the spoon, forced down two sips, and then stood up. “I should be leaving now.”
Lu Changqing frowned and stood up as well.
“Take care. Safety first.”
“I know.”
He Chen nodded at him, then looked at Le Yan, ruffling the child’s soft hair. “Be good. Papa will be back soon.”
He Leyan nodded, reluctant to part, and said goodbye to He Chen.
He Chen looked back at Lu Changqing. “Senior Brother, you take care too.”
“I’ll see you out,” Lu Changqing said.
“No need.” He Chen refused, his tone a bit stiff, but softened in the next sentence. “Senior Brother should stay with Le Yan.”
Lu Changqing stopped, raising his hand as if to straighten He Chen’s collar, but He Chen seemed to be in a hurry, or perhaps uncomfortable with this kind of “farewell” scene, and suddenly turned, striding out of the room.
After leaving, he clenched his fingers, wanting to look back, but restrained himself.
Lu Changqing’s hand hovered in mid-air for a moment before dropping back to his side.
Le Yan held his hand tightly: I miss Papa.
Lu Changqing soothingly patted Le Yan’s head, watching the direction He Chen had left, his eyes deep: Is something wrong?
“Have all the people stationed at Han River Base been recalled?” Back in his office, Lu Changqing summoned someone to ask.
“They have been recalled,” the subordinate replied.
Lu Changqing nodded, and after a moment, said, “Have someone come to see me.”
The subordinate acknowledged with a “Yes” and quickly led a person in.
“Was there anything unusual about He Chen during his time at Han River Base?” Lu Changqing asked the person.
“Nothing unusual, apart from the appearance of the Sky Wolf Tribe,” the person answered.
The Sky Wolf Tribe… Lu Changqing sat behind his desk, fiddling with the anchor bookmark He Chen had given him, his fingertip unconsciously tracing the anchor’s curve. “What did the Sky Wolf Tribe say to him?”
“That… This subordinate did not understand the Sky Wolf language. Please forgive me,” the person bowed deeply.
“I understand. You may leave.” Lu Changqing said.
“Yes.” The person retreated two steps and turned to leave, but the person who had brought him in was stopped by Lu Changqing—
“Send all your men to Liaoshan.”
“Yes. To do what?”
“Protect him,” Lu Changqing said. “Protect the father and son. That is the sole mission.”
“Yes.”
The person bowed and withdrew, and the room fell silent.
Lu Changqing closed his eyes, recalling everything He Chen had said to him over the past two days.
Asking about Mister’s subordinates, “not bottling things up”… Were these just coincidences?
He asked about Mister’s subordinates because the Sky Wolf Tribe appeared.
“Not bottling things up” was a sentiment triggered by thinking of Han Jin.
For the first time, Lu Changqing instinctively felt that something was wrong, yet he refused to believe his intuition.
He thought of He Chen’s earnest eyes, which had looked at him almost pleadingly, and forcibly suppressed the image.
No, he must be overthinking things. It was because he had a guilty conscience that he saw ghosts everywhere.
His mental state fluctuated, and a flash of pain crossed his brow, while a streak of dark black appeared on his wrist.
“Don’t let anyone enter,” he instructed his terminal, then stood up and walked toward the inner room. Blood dripped from the gaps between his fingers, which were still gripping the anchor…
*
The night was pitch black, but the council hall of the Lu family’s old residence was still brightly lit.
However, Lu Jingshan’s face was dark and unilluminated by the light.
“You mean, you have already signed the document, and the confiscated assets of the Qian family will uniformly flow into the market for auction?” Lu Jingshan’s eyes were gloomy as he stared at his former trusted deputy and current acting council head, Liang Lunwen.
“Yes,” Liang Lunwen replied calmly. “This is the required procedure. This subordinate acted to ensure there were no mistakes. Many eyes are watching the Council now, and I dare not be careless when handling matters related to the rebels.”
“Dare not be careless?” Lu Jingshan narrowed his eyes. “Dare not be careless, yet you dare to defy my orders?!”
As he spoke, he slammed his hand down hard on the table!
To his surprise, Liang Lunwen’s face did not show the fear and trepidation he expected.
Not only Liang Lunwen, but the expressions of the other few people in the council hall barely changed.
The amiable, round-faced middle-aged man remained amiable.
The honest, square-faced official remained honest.
It was as if Lu Jingshan had not lost his temper or slammed the table.
In the bright light, Lu Jingshan suddenly felt like he was seeing ghosts. Were these still the people he knew?
The ones who relied on him for their livelihood and obeyed his every command?
“My Lord, although the Qian family assets have entered the market, this subordinate did not do nothing. The three research institutes of the Qian family were the most important, and this subordinate has already diverted and absorbed them into our system. The Eldest Young Master knows about this.”
“The Eldest Young Master?” Lu Jingshan raised his sinister eyes.
“Yes. Without the Eldest Young Master’s instructions, how would subordinates like us dare to act rashly?” Liang Lunwen said calmly.
“Nonsense! Since when can his instructions supersede mine?!”
“My Lord,” Liang Lunwen looked regretful. “You are ill. You should rest. With the Eldest Young Master and us subordinates here, you don’t need to worry.”
He stood up from his chair. “This subordinate takes his leave.”
The others also stood up simultaneously. “This subordinate takes his leave.”
With that, they turned and departed.
Only one person, moving slowly, seemed confused about what was happening. He looked at the others, then at Lu Jingshan, gritted his teeth, and followed them out.
“Bastards!”
“Bastards!”
“Get back here! All of you, get back here!”
Lu Jingshan frantically swept the teacups and saucers off the table. The crisp sound of shattering porcelain brought back a sliver of his sanity.
The Eldest Young Master—Lu Jingshan narrowed his eyes: Rebellion. This is outright rebellion!
“Lu Changqing, you dare to betray me and sideline me?”
Lu Jingshan connected the terminal, his chest heaving, staring sinisterly at Lu Changqing.
“Sharing the burden for Father, how can that be sidelining?” Lu Changqing said faintly.
“Since when?” Lu Jingshan asked darkly.
“Since when have I been sharing the burden for Father?” Lu Changqing countered.
Lu Jingshan was furious, but his expression calmed down instead. “Don’t forget, without my medicine, you can’t maintain normalcy for more than a few days!”
“Are you referring to this?” Lu Changqing took out a pill in front of him, crushed it between his fingers, and tossed it into the trash can.
“Father, I haven’t needed it for three years.”
“You, you—” Lu Jingshan clenched his fists. He had been careless, focusing his attention outward, failing to notice such a massive oversight right under his nose!
“You beast, you freak! How dare you?!”
“How dare I what? Betray you, sideline you?” Lu Changqing’s lips curled slightly, and a vertical slit flashed in his pupils. “Is it strange? Has Father never seen how a snake feeds?”
Slowly and deliberately, Lu Changqing uttered four words: “Swallowing whole.”
“Father, you should rest.” Lu Changqing reached out, preparing to end the call.
“Swallowing whole? What have you done? What else have you done? Zero! Zero is mine! Lu Changqing, aren’t you afraid I’ll expose your true face to the public?!” Lu Jingshan roared.
“That wouldn’t be bad either. Let the world know that Father gave birth to a freak,” Lu Changqing said dismissively, ending the call.
Only after ending the call did he stand up and walk out of the inner room. In the corner of the inner room, a metal laundry basket quietly held a set of blood-stained clothes.
“Keep an eye on him. Let him rest and recover at home,” Lu Changqing’s indifferent instruction came from outside the room.
*
“What did you say? The Zero mecha?” A hoarse question came from within the Emperor’s bedchamber.
“Yes.” The military official bowed his head, presenting the report to the pale-faced Emperor lying in bed. “Within forty-eight hours, the rebels have lost Xinguang, Lüping, and Lanfeng—three territories—all because our allied forces acted unexpectedly, swiftly, and coordinated internally and externally, aided by the new model mecha, resulting in frequent victories.”
“Our allied forces, new model mecha?” Emperor Chu Jianheng repeated the words, sitting up halfway with the support of Concubine He. “Tell me, which relief forces are fighting the He family in these places reporting victory?”
“Yes, Shen Xian of Ningjiang Base, Zhao Huai of Guicheng Base, and Ni Feng of Linkang Base.”
“Nonsense!” The Emperor suddenly erupted in anger, sweeping the report off the bed with his sleeve. “What kind of allied forces are these?”
“Your Majesty, what do you mean?” The official was confused.
“What do I mean? These are all Shen Xingzhou’s men! Where are mine?! Someone, someone, summon—cough, cough, cough, cough!!” The Emperor was halfway through his sentence when he was suddenly overcome by rage, leading to a violent fit of coughing.
Concubine He patted his back, speaking gently and considerately: “Your Majesty, please don’t rush. Haven’t we won?”
She turned to fetch tea for the Emperor, but the teacup was knocked over by the Emperor as soon as she brought it near. “Viper! Did you know about this already?!”
“Know what?” Concubine He knelt on the floor, her face showing confusion, grievance, and nervousness, but no guilt. “Your Majesty, what should this concubine know?”
The Emperor looked at her frail figure for a moment, thinking of her continuous care day and night, and his heaving chest calmed slightly. “You don’t know about Zero? Yun Qi doesn’t know?”
“What Zero?” Concubine He looked even more bewildered. “This concubine will ask Yun Qi right now!”
She said, dialing Chu Yunqi’s terminal. The Emperor watched, not stopping her, but sat up straighter on the couch, projecting the authority of a sovereign father.
“Zero? Your son knows.” Chu Yunqi’s first sentence made Concubine He’s heart leap to her throat.
“But your son just found out. I participated in their selection process, but they said I was unqualified.”
“What selection?” Concubine He couldn’t help but ask.
“Mecha pilot selection. Mother, I can’t talk anymore, I need to train.”
“Wait!” Concubine He’s heart jumped again. “You, you are of noble birth, you should just command from the rear!”
“I know,” Chu Yunqi gritted his teeth, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “I’ll handle it carefully. Mother and Father, please take care of yourselves. Your son will return to see you after suppressing the rebellion.”
With that, he performed a respectful bow to them through the terminal and ended the call.
“Your Majesty, surely Yun Qi isn’t thinking of going to the front line?” Concubine He asked anxiously.
“Even if he does, so what? It shows he has some backbone,” the Emperor said indifferently, his eyes deep.
Concubine He carefully said, “Yun Qi probably doesn’t know much about Zero. He’s not the type to lie, as Your Majesty knows.”
“That only proves he’s a brainless idiot who doesn’t even know what’s happening right under his nose,” the Emperor sneered.
Brainless, idiot? Concubine He lowered her gaze. “It is this concubine’s fault for not raising him well. But at least, Yun Qi is devoted to Your Majesty, even willing to go to the battlefield to share Your Majesty’s burden.”
The Emperor was not concerned with how she raised Chu Yunqi. Nor was he concerned about whether Chu Yunqi wanted to share his burden or how he would do so.
He was only concerned with one thing now—
“Didn’t they say there was no core energy source? Now they are mass-producing them and sending them to the battlefield, and you still know nothing!”
After driving away Concubine He and the military official who knew nothing, Chu Jianheng summoned his intelligence officer and asked in a fury.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The latest intelligence is that… that Hanxiao Star has discovered some kind of star mineral that can serve as an energy core.”
“Latest intelligence?” Chu Jianheng laughed in anger. “What’s new about it? Tell me, what’s new about it?!”
The official couldn’t utter a word, dropping to his knees with his forehead pressed directly to the floor.
Chu Jianheng ignored him, muttering to himself: “Hanxiao Star… He Chen, Lu Changqing, it’s them… Cough! Cough, cough! Go, tell Lu Jingshan to roll in here and see me!”
“Also, issue my decree: summon all commanding officers currently suppressing the rebellion in the Pingliao Starfield for a video conference. I have secret orders that I must personally deploy!”
“Yes!” The person immediately took the order and left.
Concubine He’s graceful figure was hidden behind a stone pillar in the outer hall, her slender fingers silently clenched.
*
“You found it. Everyone else is celebrating, but you’re slacking off here?”
In the quiet space above Liaoshan Base, Shen Xian, encased in a Zero mecha, propelled himself next to He Chen, who was similarly clad in a mecha and suspended in the air.
“This thing is really good. I heard yours is the first generation model?” Shen Xian clumsily poked He Chen, wanting to spar with him.
He Chen didn’t want to engage. “Don’t bother me. I’m thinking.”
“Thinking about what? Thinking about someone, right?” Shen Xian chuckled, then said, “Can you help me talk to your Director Lu? I want a custom one too.”
“What kind do you want?” He Chen finally looked at him.
“One like yours.” Shen Xian coveted his semi-transparent shell; it looked incredibly cool.
“No.” He Chen refused without hesitation.
“Why not?”
No reason, except that his… was unique.
It was Logue.
The one among the Twelve Emissaries representing love and protection—He Chen, who was completely ignorant of mythology, had quietly looked up the information.
“Can’t you have some creativity of your own?” He Chen mumbled.
Creativity? Shen Xian looked into the deep, dark space, falling into thought.
He Chen suddenly looked at him. “What kind of person is your other father, Researcher Fu?”
“Very busy, very quiet, gentle, never loses his temper, but someone I’m afraid to provoke.”
Shen Xian recalled, a smile appearing on his face.
“If he’s gentle, why are you afraid to provoke him?”
“I don’t know. Something bad always happens somewhere after I provoke him,” Shen Xian replied, looking at He Chen through his mecha. “Why? Why are you asking about this? Want to learn about daily life between husbands?”
“Get lost.” He Chen kicked him.
“Actually, I don’t really know what kind of person Father Fu was,” Shen Xian avoided He Chen, his voice suddenly subdued.
“He never told me what he was doing, and of course, even if he did, I wouldn’t understand. I always felt Father Fu was mysterious. Occasionally, when he discussed work at home and I was present, he would deliberately avoid the topic.”
“So, do you ever feel like there’s a distance between you and him?” He Chen asked.
“Sometimes, yes.” Shen Xian looked into the distant space, his eyes filled with nostalgia. “But most of the time, no.”
“Why?” He Chen pressed, sounding unusually serious.
“Because I knew he loved me.”
Love? He Chen remained silent, glancing around at his “Logue.”
Shen Xian smiled then, his expression a little sad. “I knew he loved me, but I realized it too late.”
“He didn’t attend my graduation ceremony. Grand Marshal Shen was away, so of course, he didn’t attend either.”
“I was angry at them. Father Fu contacted me, wanting to make up for it with a celebration, but I stubbornly refused and went traveling by myself. And then—”
Shen Xian paused.
He Chen glanced at him, vaguely guessing what happened next.
Marshal Shen and Fu Chen had their accident during that graduation holiday.
“You didn’t get to see him one last time?” He Chen asked.
Shen Xian nodded. “Do you know why I’m so determined to see my stubborn father?”
“I already missed one. I can’t miss the second.”
He Chen was silent, patting his shoulder.
Shen Xian looked at him, his voice pitiful. “So, can we switch?”
“Switch what?”
“Mechas. I want to test if yours secretly has enhanced performance. Why are you so fast on the battlefield?”
“Get lost!” He Chen shook off Shen Xian, who was trying to pry at his mecha. “I have serious business to ask you.”
“What serious business?” Shen Xian asked.
“Did your Father Fu ever say that we Blue Star people and Mister people are actually of the same origin?”
“He did,” Shen Xian answered without hesitation. “They argued about it. I remember it clearly.”
“Who argued?”
“Who else? My two fathers. Old Shen strongly disagreed with Father Fu’s theory, saying Father Fu was fantasizing.”
“Father Fu said it was because Father Shen had killed too many Mister people, staining his hands with so much blood, that he could only view them as pure aliens to lessen the burden on his heart.”
“Old Shen just said he wouldn’t feel burdened even if he slaughtered all the Mister people.”
“When Old Shen was young, there was a period, you know, it wasn’t as peaceful as it is now. Mister people invaded the Empire frequently, and many of his comrades died at their hands.”
“So he hated the Mister people to the bone.”
“Later, they never discussed it again, at least not in front of me.”
“Later, when they had their accident, which was… when Old Shen went into a rampage and accidentally killed Father Fu, someone told me that Old Shen saw Father Fu’s experiment and was overcome with rage…”
Shen Xian paused for a long time here, then continued in a slightly hoarse voice: “But how he saw it, and who led him there while he was in a rampage—”
As Shen Xian spoke, his eyes showed deep hatred. “I must ask the dog Emperor personally—”
He swallowed the last word.
“Is it that person?” He Chen asked.
Shen Xian nodded.
He Chen understood. He patted Shen Xian. “That person must already know about the existence of Zero and has seen that our momentum is wrong. He won’t give us much time.”
“I know,” Shen Xian replied. “The Chu family army is gathering outside the Pingliao Starfield. Now, the He family army has become a defensive line for us instead.”
Shen Xian laughed at this point. “You’re a real bastard, making them fight among themselves.”
“I doubt they’ll fight for long. Defeating Chu Yunlan isn’t difficult. That person cares more about Zero, and about us,” He Chen said calmly.
“So—”
“So their first reaction will definitely be to secretly divide their forces, bypass the He family, and head straight for Hanxiao Star.”
He Chen said, opening a virtual star map and outlining two arrows on it.
“To bypass the He family and go straight to Hanxiao Star, there are only these two routes available. They are long, not fully developed, and fraught with danger. If they really take them, they won’t achieve the effect of a surprise attack.”
“So,” Shen Xian drew a shorter straight line on the star map, “they will choose to tear open a gap in the He family’s defense line and come straight through?”
He Chen nodded.
Shen Xian continued, “Chu Yunlan is on the east side, so the defense will be tight. If they want to catch us off guard, they will definitely choose the western route.”
He slightly corrected the short line.
“Not just the western route,” He Chen further corrected the short line. “Someone in the Chu family army is proficient in interstellar terrain. They must know that behind the fourth quadrant of Changhu Base, there is a jump point. From there, they can directly jump behind Han River Base, close to the Mister Starfield. By jumping first, and then counter-attacking Hanxiao Star from there, they can bypass our current defense line.”
“Then wouldn’t Hanxiao be in danger?” Shen Xian hadn’t known about this jump point before.
He Chen curved his lips. “I am already waiting for the guests to fall into the trap.”
Shen Xian breathed a sigh of relief and punched He Chen. “What about us? What’s the plan?”
“Set up an ambush in advance, cut off the Chu family’s retreat, and take advantage of the gap the Chu family tears in the He family’s line to swallow the western half of the He family’s defense,” He Chen said concisely.
Shen Xian, however, felt his blood boil with excitement.
“Then what are we waiting for? We need to prepare now!” Shen Xian piloted his mecha, turning to descend back to the base.
He Chen called out to him. “What’s your view on the Mister people? Do you support Researcher Fu or Marshal Shen?”
Shen Xian found it strange that he would ask this at such a time.
But He Chen was serious, so Shen Xian thought for a moment and replied, “Father Fu’s perspective was too grand. I don’t have his high level of enlightenment to view the Mister people and Blue Star people as the same.”
“But I also don’t agree with Father Shen’s extreme view that every Mister person should be executed.”
“There are non-belligerent races among the Mister people, and innocent civilians.”
“All I can do is: I won’t offend those who don’t offend me. And we must be strong enough—” Shen Xian raised his mecha arm. “Only when we have overwhelming power is it possible to pursue the ‘Great Harmony’ that Father Fu envisioned.”
Strong enough to achieve Great Harmony… Could this be Senior Brother’s goal?
He Chen clenched his fingers, his eyes profound.
What had Senior Brother experienced all these years? Living as an “alien” among people, under Lu Jingshan’s control… No wonder he always carried a faint sense of detachment.
But despite his detachment, he still appreciated this world.
He still did his utmost to preserve the lives of people like Shen Xingzhou, who viewed him as an “alien.”
He still silently moved toward the best solution he could conceive of to make everything better.
He was playing a lonely game of chess against the world.
In this moment, He Chen truly understood.