Wang Luan drove the mecha frame around outside for an entire day, and came back empty-handed.
She hurried back before the sun set. Yan Qiongyu could tell from her expression alone that she had probably returned empty-handed, so he didn’t ask how her day had gone outside, only said, “You’ve been tired all day, sit down and rest first.”
Wang Luan jumped down from the mecha, covered in dust and grime, like a middle-aged breadwinner who’d run around a construction site all day but still hadn’t gotten paid, and sat down beside Yan Qiongyu.
“Today I ran really far, and still didn’t find anything edible. This desolate planet really seems to not even have a single plant. I also didn’t see any living creatures.”
“It’s fine.” Yan Qiongyu’s tone was gentle. “Comparing with the star chart, we can more or less confirm that we’re probably on a planet near Sector 13 of the t6 system. I’ve read some introductions to remote star systems before. The planets in this area aren’t completely barren; there is biological activity.”
“Tomorrow I’ll go with you. We’ll go a bit farther.”
He was always like this—when he spoke, he was unhurried and composed, making people unconsciously believe him and calm down as a result. Wang Luan was a little surprised. “Is your illness a bit better?”
Yesterday he had spoken very little, as if saying a few more words would be exhausting. Today he looked much better—not only sitting outside waiting for her to return, but also even of his own initiative said so much.
“It’s a bit better.” Yan Qiongyu’s expression didn’t change. In fact, before Wang Luan came back, he had just injected himself with the second suppressor, so he had temporarily recovered some energy.
He only had one suppressor left, and this first heat period still had at least three days to go.
“That’s great. Then tomorrow we’ll go together, bring everything we need, and leave this desolate area to take a look.”
“Alright. I might still be a bit uncomfortable these next two days. Sorry to trouble you.”
“It’s fine. You helped me a lot before too.”
Wang Luan’s tone was very earnest, as if she truly felt that he had given her a great deal of help.
But in reality, she had helped him far more, saving him a lot of trouble.
Yan Qiongyu never felt gratitude or a sense of owing anything when he used others. Only now, looking at Wang Luan’s face smeared with dust and sweat, a gray, blotchy mess, did he feel something oddly unfamiliar in his heart.
Wang Luan was a very foolish person—foolish in that even with an alpha’s body she would never become the typical alpha of this world; even with a noble status that was valued, she would never become a typical noble. She always stubbornly held on to who she was.
After sitting and resting for a bit, Wang Luan got up to get some water. When she walked to the rocks, she was startled by a dark shadow.
Because that shadow had been completely motionless, and when she walked closer it suddenly lifted its head and let out a strange cry, like a wild beast.
Wang Luan covered her pounding chest. “It’s the Fifth Prince. When did he wake up? Why is he making that kind of sound?”
Yan Qiongyu said lightly, “He woke up at noon. Maybe it’s a bout of berserk syndrome combined with the impact—he’s turned into an idiot now.”
“Turned into an idiot?!” Wang Luan thought to herself—could it be that she had beaten him stupid?
The Fifth Prince was still tied up. When he saw her approach, he bared his teeth and screeched at her, who knew what animal he was imitating. Wang Luan hallucinated a black dog, and immediately didn’t dare get any closer, retreating back to Yan Qiongyu’s side.
“The wind’s picking up. Let’s go inside and rest,” Yan Qiongyu said. “We still need to get up early tomorrow to pack.”
“Is it okay to leave the Fifth Prince outside like this?” Wang Luan asked, lying on her side on the air-cushion bed.
“It’s fine. He won’t freeze to death.” Yan Qiongyu’s tone was flat.
Wang Luan asked again, “Actually, there’s a heater inside, so it’s not that cold. Do you really have to hold me?”
Yan Qiongyu: “I feel cold. I’m truly sorry for making Miss Wang Luan uncomfortable?”
Wang Luan: “Forget it, just hold me.”
He was sick—what could she say. Besides, even though he said sorry, he didn’t look like he had any intention of letting go.
In a place this barren and deathly silent, it seemed that only each other could be relied on. Many concerns and feelings of shame blurred under the pressure of survival.
If it were a week earlier, Wang Luan couldn’t have imagined sleeping while holding a roommate who normally lay on the opposite side of a clear boundary.
Yan Qiongyu didn’t do anything; he was just holding her. When Wang Luan lowered her head and saw his hand—long and pale—and then looked at her own, she saw that after fighting and working these past two days, her hands had tiny cuts on them and were a bit dirty.
She was looking at her own hand; Yan Qiongyu was looking at her face. There was a conspicuous smudge of grime on her cheek. Yan Qiongyu suddenly raised his hand and wiped at her cheek.
Seeing the dirt on his fingers, Wang Luan also subconsciously wiped her face herself.
“You’ve smeared it even more,” Yan Qiongyu said.
“There’s nothing I can do, there’s no water to wash with.” Wang Luan pouted, then shifted a bit to the side with three gray finger streaks on her face, so Yan Qiongyu wouldn’t find her annoying.
She still remembered when they had first met—he had worn gloves even when extracting gland fluid. Now it was different; even the sweat on their bodies was mixed together.
Yan Qiongyu lowered his forehead to rest against Wang Luan’s shoulder and breathed in her scent. She didn’t have the smell of pheromones on her, only the outside wind, earth, sunlight, and her own natural scent.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, Wang Luan heard the Fifth Prince screaming outside. If it had been the same strange howling as before, that would’ve been fine, but now he was wailing loudly, crying his heart out like a child, crying while calling for his mother.
Wang Luan: “…………”
She turned over to face Yan Qiongyu, poked his chest, and discussed it with him. “How about I drag him inside? It’s so cold out there that he’s crying like a ghost.”
Yan Qiongyu didn’t object and loosened his arms.
Wang Luan quickly dragged the Fifth Prince into the room and placed him in last night’s corner.
Under the light, the Fifth Prince looked especially miserable, lying on the ground like a dead dog, without strength yet still crying and fussing. Because he hadn’t had water for a long time, his lips were peeled and white; when he opened his mouth to cry loudly, his lips split, his mouth bloody as he cried.
Wang Luan silently took a bit of water over. When the Fifth Prince smelled the water, he excitedly leaned in to drink, his movements urgent and reckless, almost knocking the container over. Seeing him waste it, Wang Luan lifted it and poured it for him. The Fifth Prince opened that bloody mouth and drank every last drop.
After standing up and placing the container aside, Wang Luan was climbing back onto the bed when she heard the Fifth Prince behind her crying unclearly, shouting, “Mom! Mom! Want… water!”
Wang Luan stumbled and fell onto Yan Qiongyu. She hurriedly climbed back up, turned around speechless, and said, “Don’t shout nonsense!”
The Fifth Prince grew anxious, crying and making a fuss, laboriously lifting a head swollen like a ball and propping it against the edge of the bed as he shouted, “Mom! Water!”
Yan Qiongyu, who hadn’t spoken all this time, stretched out his hand, pressed it against the Fifth Prince’s head, and shoved him heavily back down. “Don’t make noise.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but when the Fifth Prince heard it, he immediately quieted down, not daring to scream anymore, lying on the ground without moving.
“Huh, he’s really scared of you. As soon as you speak, he doesn’t dare make a sound,” Wang Luan found it strange.
“Maybe it’s because my mental power affects him,” Yan Qiongyu said.
Wang Luan felt a bit relieved. The Fifth Prince being stupid now meant that at least he wouldn’t, like before, inexplicably try to kill her or fight her.
After sleeping through the night, she woke up refreshed and split the last nutritional supplement with Yan Qiongyu. During this time, the Fifth Prince stared at her pitifully with wide-open eyes, and Wang Luan could only pretend not to see it. There wasn’t a single bit of extra food left. Next, they’d all starve together.
Wang Luan packed up and bundled together everything usable as much as possible, placing it on the mecha, with some hung on the mecha’s arms. Luckily, the mecha’s power source was good and the materials were excellent, so the load wasn’t a problem.
By the end of packing, all that was left was the Fifth Prince, still constantly calling for his mother.
“Are we bringing him along?”
“Bring him.” Yan Qiongyu glanced at the Fifth Prince, then withdrew his gaze.
At least he was a living thing. If it really came down to it, making use of waste wasn’t out of the question.
“I went in this direction and that direction the past two days. How about changing directions today?” Wang Luan didn’t dare trust her luck anymore.
Yan Qiongyu chose a direction, and Wang Luan drove the mecha forward, beginning the monotonous journey.
Wang Luan noticed Yan Qiongyu leaning back in the temporarily set-up seat, his head tilted to the side as if he had fallen asleep again. He was still running a fever, his breathing more rapid than yesterday.
He didn’t look anxious, but in his heart he must know the situation was not good—otherwise, he wouldn’t have dragged his sick body out and of his own initiative proposed coming with her.
They had brought everything with them. This time they could go farther. Even if they didn’t find anything today, maybe there would be good news tomorrow.
Hunger was still bearable. As long as there was water, they could hold on for a few more days. Perhaps before they found food, someone would find this place and come to rescue them?
Wang Luan felt that she was being so optimistic and strong it didn’t even seem like herself. By her usual temperament, being hungry and exhausted while surviving in such a harsh environment, she should have long since fallen into low spirits and anxiety. Yet these past two days, her mood had been quite good.
At the tip of her nose, she caught the scent of Yan Qiongyu’s pheromones again.
Wang Luan suddenly remembered how she had been during her last susceptibility period—how low and despondent she was, yet the moment she smelled Yan Qiongyu’s pheromones, she became excited as if injected with chicken blood.
Yan Qiongyu’s pheromones were simply the most powerful antidepressant for her.
So… could this be the reason Yan Qiongyu was releasing pheromones? To stabilize her emotions?
Wang Luan felt like she suddenly understood everything. When Yan Qiongyu opened his eyes again to check the surroundings, Wang Luan took the chance to turn her head and say to him, “Yan Qiongyu, you’re amazing.”
Yan Qiongyu: ?
He didn’t pursue where that remark came from. The effects of the previous suppressor injection had already faded, and he had once again fallen into the heat. Enduring the pain now consumed all of his energy.
This was how the heat period was—the more one resisted, the stronger the backlash. This was why almost all omegas would accept being marked by an alpha: because it was too unbearable, and once marked by an alpha, they wouldn’t have to suffer this torment.
Yan Qiongyu’s body was collapsing, yet his mind remained calm.
From the very beginning, he had never considered being truly marked by any alpha. His body could only belong to himself. He could not tolerate being controlled or dominated by anyone.
His consciousness did not sink completely into darkness. He could vaguely perceive the movements outside, but his body was temporarily unable to move, and he couldn’t open his eyes.
The wind brushing his face grew colder. He thought night must have fallen.
The jolting beneath him never stopped—the mecha was still moving forward. The Fifth Prince’s shouting rang out for a while, then quieted down again.
Wang Luan was speaking, seemingly calling his name. Then, he was guided and supported by a pair of hands, leaning against her soft, warm body.
“Yan Qiongyu, you absolutely must not die.” Her voice carried a faint choking sob.
Of course I won’t die. This level of hardship is nothing, Yan Qiongyu thought.
