Transmigrated Into a Scummy Alpha Who Stole the Male Lead's Mermaid Fiancée - Chapter 69

Standing guard beside Lan Xing’s tank, Yu Ke grew increasingly restless and anxious.

Over the past few months, Yu Ke had grown accustomed to traveling alone through space. Solitude had become her norm, sometimes she went half a month without a single opportunity to speak. Her days were a monotonous cycle of eating, sleeping, and piloting the ship, each one blending into the next in a repetitive, drawn-out existence.

Now, back by Lan Xing’s side, Yu Ke finally felt human again. She could feel sorrow, grief, unbearable loneliness, and heart-wrenching despair. Her only hope was for Lan Xing to wake up.

Once she awoke, Yu Ke would take her far away from this place of turmoil, to somewhere no one could find them. They would bask in the sunlight every day, living a carefree yet fulfilling life.

There was so much Yu Ke wanted to tell Lan Xing, to share the stories from her journey, to confess how dull and tedious these days had been, to admit how desperately she had missed her.

In Anna Su’s eyes, Yu Ke’s despondency was a waste of time. The chief physician of the Blackwater Republic not only had cold eyes and a mechanical arm, her heart was equally frigid.

“Have you found Lan Xing?” Anna Su asked expressionlessly.

Yu Ke shook her head, overwhelmed by a sense of defeat unlike anything she had ever felt.

“The good news is that Lan Xing’s condition is stable for now. At least you don’t have to worry about her dying immediately,” Anna Su said, almost smug about her own attempt at humor.

Yu Ke paid no attention to her remarks. Gazing at the sleeping beauty in the tank, she countered, “Will finding Lan Xing really save her? I mean, must we sacrifice Lan Xing’s life to save Xing’er?”

“It seems you still can’t make up your mind. In that case, it might be better not to save her at all. What good would finding Lan Xing do? To you, isn’t she just another person you love?” Anna Su retorted.

“You don’t understand…”

Anna Su let out a scornful laugh.

Yu Ke continued, “I’m not questioning your medical expertise. I’m just wondering if there might be another way to save Xing’er. For instance… what would Isabelle do?”

At the mention of Isabelle’s name, Anna Su froze abruptly. Yu Ke looked up and saw her body stiffen. Her ever-steady mechanical arm trembled suddenly, and the forceps in her hand clattered to the floor with a sharp clang.

“You know Isabelle?” Anna Su’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

“We once saw Isabelle on an abandoned colonial planet, or rather, the fourth-generation Isabelle,” Yu Ke said.

“If you say so, then the credibility should be quite high.” Anna Su let out a sigh and slowly sat down.

Yu Ke had never seen her like this before. She studied Anna Su for a moment before asking, “What is your relationship with Isabelle?”

Yu Ke’s words plunged Anna Su into a reverie. After thinking for a long time, she said, ” Isabelle… that name is unforgettable to me. Once, she was my teacher, though at the time, I didn’t know she was the renowned Isabelle.”

“Under her influence, I became deeply interested in cloning technology. Back then, I was also passionate about cloning humans. I created many clones with her, most of which were contributed to the Imperial Legion. They were sent to the battlefield like bullets, some dying in combat before even surviving a single day. At that time, I took great pride in my cloning skills, until my hometown was occupied by the Imperial Legion, and my lover was killed by them. Overwhelmed with grief, Isabel told me I could clone him… I followed her advice almost without hesitation. Of course, at the time, I had no other choice. If I wanted my lover back, the only way was to clone him.” At this point, Anna Su’s expression grew deeply sorrowful. Her mechanical eye no longer reflected any light, dim as a starry sky shrouded in clouds.

Yu Ke couldn’t help but ask, “What happened next? How did he turn out?”

Anna Su lifted her face, revealing an expression that was half-smile, half-sob. She seemed to be crying, but her hollow eyes shed no tears.

“I cloned my lover. From every angle, he was identical to my beloved. But deep down, I knew he wasn’t the same person.” Anna Su smiled faintly as she told Yu Ke, “No matter what Isabelle said, I always believed in my heart that the clone wasn’t my lover. So, later, I sent him to the battlefield too, only this time, he joined the Revolutionary Army.”

“He died in battle again and again, and I cloned him again and again, until he became as insignificant as an ant in my heart, until I even killed him with my own hands, or rather, killed his clone. Over time, I grew increasingly restless and tormented. I hated Isabelle for introducing me to this technology, for setting me on this path.”

“So, I cut off my own arm and gouged out my eye to stop myself from continuing with cloning.” Anna Su raised her arm and shook it at Yu Ke, then added, “See, this is the arm I cut off.”

Yu Ke inwardly clicked her tongue, her eyebrow twitching slightly. “I thought you modified it for surgical convenience.”

Anna Su gave a mocking smile, her body trembling lightly. Her tone remained relatively calm as she said, “Later, because I cloned my lover and sent them to the battlefield to help the Revolutionary Army achieve victory, I earned their trust. I was even awarded a medal and became the Chief Physician of the Blackwater Republic.”

Yu Ke fell silent, her eyes filled with sympathy.

Anna Su glanced at her, idly fiddling with the mechanical components on her right hand with her left, and said nonchalantly, “Don’t look at me with that expression. I don’t need your pity. The only thing that can cause me pain now is the name Isabelle.”

Yu Ke replied, “Though I sympathize with your plight, I can’t understand your hatred for Isabelle. Researching clones was your choice. Even without Isabelle, you would have chosen this path.”

“Who else can I hate besides her?” Anna Su retorted angrily. “Everyone else is dead, and Isabelle is still at large. She incited the clone war! She escaped using her methods, and everyone believes she’s dead. Only I know she’s still alive because I understand her tactics all too well!”

“When the Revolutionary Army stormed the clone laboratory, Isabelle was burned alive. Everyone thought this devil was dead, but I saw with my own eyes how she copied her brain data. I know she must still be lurking somewhere in the universe!”

“You say you’ve seen Isabelle, I don’t doubt that. If one day Isabelle tells you that you can clone Lan Xing to replace the one you love, don’t believe her.” Anna Su’s lips twitched as she stared at Yu Ke and said, “I am the living proof.”