Forcibly Marked by My Fiancé’s Best Friend - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Lian Xu stepped out of the headquarters, emerging into the bustling open-air armored field of the base.

Mechs of various models had been pulled out and lined up in neat rows for inspection and observation. Seeing Lian Xu emerge, Lan Jia—standing in the distance atop a lift platform—waved at him.

His slightly curly golden hair shimmered under the sunlight.

Lian Xu walked over, standing before the row of majestic mechs.

The Alpha scanned Lian Xu from head to toe, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on a button on Lian Xu’s chest before shifting away. He spoke softly: “…Try out the new flight craft I developed!”

What?!

Before Lian Xu could ask for clarification, Lan Jia jumped down from the high platform, grabbed Omega’s wrist, and pulled him through the crowd toward the R&D station. The station utilized full retinal recognition to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering and stealing critical research.

Even the staff working inside could only enter under the guidance of the base commander.

Originally, the base had three R&D stations dedicated to mechs, flight crafts, and military weaponry, respectively.

As this was Lian Xu’s first time at the SCA base, he wasn’t intimately familiar with the interior, but he had heard of these three stations that held the military lifeblood of the entire Imperial planet. However, as he passed by, he noticed a building that looked nearly identical to the others but was guarded by a squad of highly trained heavy infantry.

Even Admiral Pei was positioned in the middle of that detail.

He followed Lan Jia into the flight craft R&D station, his mind filled with questions.

Lan Jia enthusiastically introduced Lian Xu to the latest batch of flight crafts. They were small and exquisite; their exteriors appeared far less cumbersome and complex than previous models.

Lian Xu was ushered into a small flight craft with a silver-white hull and flowing purple light on its tail fins. It was only eight meters long—the smallest flight craft he had ever seen.

During the Lakala War, the smallest craft used by the opposition was eleven meters long, which was publicly known as the smallest combat-class flight craft in the galaxy.

He hadn’t expected the SCA base to create something even smaller and more agile.

Lian Xu glanced at the console; the functionality had actually increased despite the smaller size.

Lan Jia stood on the lift, one hand gripping the hatch of the craft, and smiled. “I guarantee this is the most suitable flight craft for an Omega to pilot in the entire Milky Way!”

“Take this for your trip. Consider it a favor—help us test its maneuverability and safety coefficients!”

To put it bluntly, this newly built craft hadn’t undergone a series of rigorous tests yet. Lian Xu was expected to carry out his mission while simultaneously field-testing the craft and providing feedback data.

Lian Xu frowned. He wondered how the Prince could say something so irresponsible without even blushing.

Lan Jia seemed entirely unconcerned, appearing to have a level of confidence in Lian Xu that exceeded expectations.

“Don’t worry, it’s sturdy,” Lan Jia added after a thought. “To put it bluntly, even if you were to… sacrifice yourself gloriously, this thing probably wouldn’t even break.”

As he spoke, Lan Jia suddenly leaned half his body inside. The pilot’s seat was flush against the console, making the space cramped to begin with. The Alpha squeezing in made the air feel thin and the atmosphere claustrophobic; the two of them were pressed tightly against each other.

He pressed a blue button. As he lifted his head, the tip of his nose brushed against the Omega’s chest. Both of them froze for a moment.

“Sorry, it’s a bit crowded.”

Lian Xu wanted to shove the Alpha’s head out of the tiny space, but his status as Vice Commander meant he dared not act on the impulse. He simply leaned back helplessly. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Lan Jia smiled to himself, thinking that Shen Zaizhou had a very keen eye. Any other Omega would have blushed by now, either pressing closer or pushing him away in a fit of pique. Someone this calm was truly a rare find.

“You are a capable officer,” Lan Jia said. “This blue button is for saving your life in an emergency…”

Lan Jia suddenly paused. His gaze dropped to a button on Lian Xu’s chest. He tapped it, then rubbed the pattern on it with his thumb.

“Why is your button different from mine? It actually looks quite nice.”

Hearing this, Lian Xu instinctively looked at the buttons on Lan Jia’s uniform. Without looking closely, it was impossible to see a difference.

The Command Center had made a new set of uniforms for the newly appointed core members. Lian Xu had been wearing his old uniform during training and had only changed into the new one after his heat ended, so he hadn’t noticed any discrepancy.

After Lan Jia pointed it out, he realized his button was indeed missing a ring of engraving.

“Alright, have a pleasant journey,” Lan Jia backed out. “Don’t forget to give me your feedback!”

He closed the hatch and snapped his fingers.

The staff understood the signal and opened the skylight.

Lian Xu buckled his seatbelt, started the craft, and rose steadily according to the staff’s instructions.

Not only was the craft sophisticated, but it was also easier to operate than previous versions. Almost everything could be handled via buttons; even the joystick on the right was smoother, reaching its limit with just a light flick.

Once he had cleared the base and was cruising steadily, Lian Xu breathed a sigh of relief. This craft was indeed much better than the old ones. This meant Omegas wouldn’t have to be eliminated from service due to the difficulty of mech and flight training. More talented Omegas could take to the battlefield instead of being forced into medical or logistics roles.

Lian Xu smiled and took out his light-brain to record his experience. Since he promised feedback, it had to be precise. Although the Prince had spoken jokingly, Lian Xu knew this craft had likely never seen a real trial.

He was the first.

The temperature in the cabin was a bit high. Feeling stifled, Lian Xu unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt to loosen his collar. As he moved to adjust the temperature, his collar shifted, and the top button accidentally scraped against Adam’s apple.

“Hiss…” He touched the spot, feeling a bit exasperated.

To think a tiny button could actually scratch the skin.

He touched the other buttons and realized the material was different. The others were perfectly smooth, but this one…

BOOM—

PEW PEW PEW—

The flight craft shook violently. Lian Xu immediately changed course, diving downward. Three crafts had suddenly appeared, sticking to his tail like glue.

Shells rained down from all directions. A momentary lapse in concentration would lead to a direct hit; the impact sent the craft tumbling through the clouds.

Lian Xu stabilized the craft and urgently pressed a button. A laser beam shot out rapidly from the bottom of the tail fin. One of the pursuing crafts failed to dodge; its side wing was pierced through, sending it rolling clumsily through the air.

At that moment, a black metallic craft with garish lights approached from the left wing, firing laser rounds. Lian Xu couldn’t dodge them all and took a few hits, but fortunately, the power wasn’t high. Aside from some turbulence, there was no damage.

In the past, such a heavy barrage would have likely disabled a craft already.

“Damn useless trash, get in there!” The man in the black craft had a vicious look in his eyes. He snapped at the third teammate who was still able to attack. “I didn’t hire you to put on a show! If he lands alive, I’ll have your head!”

After cutting the comms, the man charged his craft directly toward Lian Xu.

The attacks from the left were constant. Constant dodging wasn’t a long-term solution, but a direct confrontation offered no clear advantage. They were too close; Lian Xu didn’t know the full power of the ordnance loaded on his craft and feared a miscalculation might result in total destruction.

He pulled the joystick, trying to create distance. But just as he shook one off, another white craft lunged up from below.

Lian Xu dodged nimbly.

The opponent continued the pursuit, refusing to let go.

Lian Xu clicked his tongue. “Troublesome.”

He scanned the three rows of buttons and tried functions he hadn’t seen before.

With a loud thump, a thermal shell fired from the side wing. It moved so fast he could barely see it. Under atmospheric pressure, the thermal shell split into countless tiny spheres, swarming toward the enemy craft.

Upon impact, a massive cloud of reddish-black smoke erupted.

Lian Xu: “…”

So it’s just a smoke bomb that looks like a thermal shell.

“Motherf***er! These Imperials are devious! I can’t see a thing! Number Three, get in there! Aren’t you a killer? Kill him!”

Relying on years of combat experience, Number Three struggled out of the smoke. “Not enough ammo, and the hull of his craft is too hard. We haven’t even left a dent.”

The man narrowed his eyes. A material that wouldn’t even dent? Could it be…

“Sh*t! Those damned Imperials stole our research! Stole our resources! Number Three, you must kill him! He’s definitely here to steal more resources, don’t let him succeed!”

Suddenly, the man realized something was off. He was here alone?

“Sh*t! Number Three, wait! Retreat! It’s a trap! He’s just the bait—watch out, don’t get surrounded!”

Number Three frowned. He had heard the Imperial officers were cunning, and today proved they were indeed sinister.

“But Boss, if we retreat like this, what if they take the resources?”

“What ‘take’? That’s clearly stealing!” The man thought for a moment. Though unwilling, they couldn’t afford to be captured. “Go! We go back and get reinforcements. Don’t let them leave alive!”

After their brief conspiracy, the two chose a humiliated retreat.

Lian Xu’s hand hovered over the console. Before he could fire a second smoke bomb, he saw two crafts covered in smoke-bomb powder—carrying their battle-damaged teammate on top—speed past him.

Lian Xu: “…”

Before he could process the sudden ambush and even more sudden retreat, his light-brain began to beep incessantly.

Seeing the caller ID, Lian Xu disconnected the call almost without hesitation.

But the person was persistent and called again. Lian Xu disconnected; the other party called back.

It was clear they wouldn’t stop until he answered.

Lian Xu took a breath, switched the craft to autopilot, enabled the automatic defense search, and then connected.

“Where are you?” His cold, questioning voice came through even before his face appeared on the display.

Haunting.

That was the only word Lian Xu could think of to describe him.

“Resting. Going on a trip.”

As he spoke, Lian Xu saw the Alpha on the other side frown deeply, his face a picture of disbelief. Lian Xu curled his lips slightly, waiting for the lecture.

“The situation is this tense and you actually have the heart to rest? To go wandering off somewhere? What leisure. Should I praise you?”

Lian Xu looked down. As expected.

“Be clear. Where exactly did you go?” He asked again.

The smoke cleared, and the view opened up. The craft moved steadily; the three mysterious attackers were nowhere to be seen. The radar showed no suspicious signs; everything appeared calm.

Ahead was the interstellar transit track. Lian Xu looked up and saw a black vortex.

The flight craft entered the interstellar orbit smoothly. He leaned back relaxedly, his tone light: “Do I need to report my whereabouts to you? Who do you think you are?”