Chapter 42: Another Unexpected Incident

“I’m really sorry,” Wu Hongyuan said apologetically. “I didn’t expect him to suddenly pull this move. Don’t worry, we will never forcibly take someone else’s property, whether you are a resident of Jugu or not. In fact, if you’re willing, I can apply for Jugu residency for you and your… husband.”

Yes, after being able to communicate somewhat, Shi Chan relied on the scar on his face—knowing that people wouldn’t examine him too closely—and directly said that Xi Ming was his husband.

However, what puzzled Shi Chan was that this place had no examples of two men being together, nor were there men with the ability to conceive.

“But when you leave here, don’t say he’s your husband,” Wu Hongyuan sincerely advised. “Other people won’t understand, and it will cause trouble. Only I know about this, and I won’t tell anyone else. When you leave, just say he’s your friend or your brother.”

When Wu Hongyuan first heard Shi Chan say that the injured man was his husband, he was so shocked that he couldn’t react for an entire day. But since he had always viewed Shi Chan as an alien—despite his appearance being quite similar to theirs—he thought of it as two alien men being together, which made it less shocking in his mind.

“Alright, I understand.” Shi Chan didn’t care about others’ opinions, but avoiding trouble was always preferable, so he followed Wu Hongyuan’s suggestion. “He’s my brother, his name is Shi Ming.”

Shi Ming—Mission. Perhaps it was fate.

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The next day, Shi Chan sat in the supply truck Wu Hongyuan had mentioned, bringing Xi Ming along with him, as well as the mecha.

Shi Chan had no idea how Wu Hongyuan negotiated with others, but when they left, none of Zu Jiang’s men showed up. Instead, Wu Hongyuan and his subordinates all came to see him off.

“Take care. If you need anything, just write to me. I’ll help however I can,” Wu Hongyuan said, patting Shi Chan’s shoulder.

“You’re the most even-tempered person I’ve ever met!” Cheng San was much more open with his emotions, his sun-darkened face showing clear reluctance. “If we ever get the chance, let’s meet again. You’ve got a friend in me for life.”

The others also gave their well-wishes. Over the past few days, they had spent a lot of time together, and Shi Chan had taken every opportunity to learn their language by questioning whoever he could.

Many of them also wished for Xi Ming and Shi Ming to recover soon. Shi Chan smiled, thanking them one by one.

“I left you my address. Once we settle down somewhere, I’ll send you my new address. You all have to come visit if you get the chance,” Shi Chan said, waving from the truck.

Once the rescue station in the distance grew smaller, Shi Chan finally took a closer look at the so-called “supply truck” he was riding in.

The front cab was separate from a sealed rear compartment. Since Xi Ming wasn’t in a condition to stay in the front, Shi Chan stayed in the back with him.

Before long, the truck started bumping along the road.

Back in the Empire, Shi Chan had never experienced anything like this when traveling by starship. Various items in the compartment were jolted into the air momentarily before crashing back down. Even Xi Ming, who was lying on several layers of bedding, was getting jostled.

“Brother Ming.” Shi Chan immediately reached out to hold Xi Ming, adjusting their position. He sat in a corner of the compartment, letting Xi Ming lean against him, using his own body to cushion the impact.

With all the noise from the moving vehicle, Shi Chan didn’t speak much. He simply rested his chin on Xi Ming’s shoulder, holding him close in the dimly lit space.

Though Xi Ming remained silent, he had become more responsive since waking up. At least, when it came to eating and drinking, he would now open his mouth and swallow, rather than forcing Shi Chan to feed him mouth-to-mouth as he had when he was unconscious.

Now, as Shi Chan held Xi Ming, one hand protecting his body, the other intertwined with Xi Ming’s fingers, he noticed a small reaction—Xi Ming’s blank eyes shifted slightly downward.

They traveled for an entire day, encountering a particularly rough and bumpy stretch of road. Worried that Xi Ming might feel unwell, Shi Chan continuously used his spiritual power to heal and soothe him.

Just as he exhausted his spiritual energy, Shi Chan suddenly felt something off—his nape felt warm, and his body gradually grew weak and sore.

His grip on Xi Ming’s hand suddenly tightened as his heart sank. “Brother Ming… I think I’m about to enter my heat.”

Too much had happened recently, and he had completely forgotten about the fact that Omegas had heat cycles.

Xi Ming’s ears picked up on the words, but his chaotic mental state made it difficult to process information quickly. Even though the term “heat” triggered a reaction in his brain, his body remained unresponsive.

Shi Chan hadn’t expected Xi Ming to be able to help in his current condition. He simply stated the fact before checking the items stored in his spatial bracelet.

Unfortunately, the bracelet containing his inhibitors had been left behind on the starship. The one he had now only contained his terminal, nutrient solutions, some mecha parts he had previously collected, and various supplies he had gathered over the past few days.

“It should be fine,” Shi Chan reassured himself. “I already tested it before—Alpha markings can be dissolved with spiritual power. A heat cycle is nothing. Even other Omegas can endure it. I should be fine too.”

Having reasoned through it, Shi Chan felt much calmer.

Meanwhile, Xi Ming’s fingers slowly tightened around his hand.

Shi Chan immediately noticed the increased strength and turned to look, his voice filled with excitement. “Brother Ming? You heard me, didn’t you?”

Xi Ming didn’t respond, but Shi Chan wasn’t discouraged. After all, that grip hadn’t been his imagination.

He recalled that it was the mention of “heat” that had provoked a reaction from Xi Ming.

Shi Chan’s eyes curved in amusement as he looked into Xi Ming’s eyes and coaxed him gently. “Brother Ming, did you hear that I’m about to go into heat? Are you really going to stay unresponsive? Aren’t you worried about me?”

“You used to stay with me every time I went into heat. Are you really going to miss this one?” Shi Chan leaned in close to Xi Ming’s ear, suppressing a chuckle. “Don’t you want to mark my glands? If you keep staying unresponsive, your previous efforts will go to waste.”

Finally, Shi Chan added teasingly, “Brother Ming, do you think there might be other Alphas around here?”

Of course, there weren’t. But Xi Ming didn’t know that. He had woken up in a state of confusion and hadn’t had time to understand the situation.

A few minutes later, Xi Ming finally reacted again—his body trembled slightly, and he muttered weakly under his breath.

Shi Chan leaned in to listen, barely catching the faint, broken words.

“No…”

“…d… should…”

“I, I…”

Realizing the tactic was working, Shi Chan’s eyes lit up. He immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

After a long moment of muddled speech, Xi Ming finally forced out a clear word: “Mine…”

Shi Chan almost laughed out loud. Alphas and their possessiveness truly knew no bounds—his body was in such a terrible state, and yet, instead of calling for help, the first thing out of his mouth was “Mine.”

“Yes, yes, I’m yours.” Shi Chan’s smile was tinged with bitterness as he pressed his forehead against Xi Ming’s. “As long as you wake up, I promise you—anything you want will be yours.”

As he saw Xi Ming still struggling, Shi Chan raised his voice. “Including me. I’m yours too!”

Xi Ming finally calmed down.

“You really are…” Shi Chan wanted to laugh, but his eyes grew hot with emotion. “I feel like I’m truly getting to know you for the first time.”

Then suddenly, Shi Chan’s expression shifted. “Wait, I hear something.”

He tilted his head, listening carefully.

Moments later, his brows furrowed. “There are a lot of footsteps.”

“Where’s the driver? We need to get out of here!” Shi Chan pounded on the compartment. “Driver! Someone’s coming—we need to go!”

“Driver? Driver!”

After minutes of knocking with no response, Shi Chan gave up. He could hear the driver’s quickened heartbeat inside but heard nothing else.

“We’re leaving on our own.”

Swiftly wrapping Xi Ming in layers of blankets, Shi Chan held him close and moved to open the back door—only to find it had been secretly locked from the outside.

Now he was sure the driver had been bribed.

With a hard kick, Shi Chan forced the door open. He didn’t want to leave the mech behind, so he quickly stored it in his spatial token. Then, holding Xi Ming in his arms, he jumped out and ran in the direction with fewer people.

The loud bang of the door being kicked open drew attention. Spotlights immediately turned toward Shi Chan’s face. Some people started chasing them, while others ran toward the rear compartment.

Shi Chan began to struggle. If his spiritual energy hadn’t been depleted, if his heat hadn’t just happened to start now, he could have easily escaped with Xi Ming.

But fate was cruel—all the worst things had to pile up at once. Shi Chan now faced a choice: abandon Xi Ming and escape alone, or stay and be surrounded with him.

Without hesitation, Shi Chan chose the second option.

To make matters worse, the people who had gone to check the back of the supply truck discovered the mech was missing and shouted, “It’s not there—stop them!” as they approached with weapons drawn.

In Shi Chan’s arms, Xi Ming’s ears twitched. His lips moved as if trying to say something, but no sound came out.

“Brother Ming, it’s okay. They’re only after the mech. We’ll be fine,” Shi Chan tried to reassure him, though he wasn’t entirely certain. His spiritual sense kept sweeping behind him, dodging attacks as best he could.

But his heat suddenly intensified. His steps faltered and he staggered, though he still managed to shield Xi Ming. However, he took a hit to the shoulder—blood quickly spilled, the scent sharp and metallic, splattering across Xi Ming’s face.

“It’s fine, just a scratch.” Shi Chan didn’t even groan, gritting his teeth and pressing forward.

But even the strongest willpower couldn’t make up for a failing body. Soon, he took a second hit, then a third…

“This heat really picked the worst time…” Another shot struck Shi Chan in the knee, dropping him to the ground. The attackers drew closer. Shi Chan swallowed the blood rising in his mouth, his voice trembling, “Brother Ming… should I hide you, or… should we die together?”

The next moment, Shi Chan made a choice on Xi Ming’s behalf. He said with a smile, “I’ll hide you. You can’t argue with me right now anyway.”

Thankfully, the terrain wasn’t flat—there were valleys and ravines. Ignoring the multiple injuries on his body, Shi Chan used an old blood-stemming technique from his past life and found a concealed spot to place Xi Ming.

“Don’t worry. Once I lead them away, I’ll come back for you.” Shi Chan didn’t believe he would die at the hands of a few ordinary men. He’d survived far worse in his previous life. As long as he had a breath left, he could recover.

He used the little spiritual energy he had regained to heal Xi Ming, then bent down and kissed him gently. Trying to steady his voice, he said, “I was just teasing earlier. Neither of us is going to die. Wait for me.”

With that, Shi Chan ran in the opposite direction, holding a bundle of blankets packed with dirt, making it look like he was still carrying someone.

“There he is!” someone shouted as they spotted Shi Chan.