After Rebirth, Married to a Deadly Enemy - Chapter 29

 

Cancer Constellation, Planet 99, Port.

 

Bai Xiangxing, Liang Chen, and Xiang Rong were walking slowly with the crowd as they left the port.

 

“Xing, we’ll exit through Gate 3, and there’ll be a car waiting for us over there,” Liang Chen had arranged for pickup in advance.

 

“Alright,” Bai Xiangxing responded. He didn’t hear footsteps behind him and turned to look at Xiang Rong, who was glaring at him with a fierce expression. “What’s wrong? You were perfectly fine on the spaceship. Is something bothering you now?”

 

“Now, can you finally tell me why you brought me here?” About thirty hours ago, Bai Xiangxing suddenly said he wanted to take Xiang Rong somewhere, and then he put him on a spaceship to come here. Throughout the journey, he hadn’t explained the purpose, only saying that once they arrived, Xiang Rong would naturally understand.

 

“I’m taking you to meet someone,” Bai Xiangxing replied.

 

“Who?”

 

“You’ll find out when you meet them,” Bai Xiangxing said, then proceeded forward, leaving Xiang Rong with no choice but to follow.

 

Is he going to say the same thing again?

 

Xiang Rong was getting frustrated, but there wasn’t much he could do, so he continued following Bai Xiangxing.

 

After walking for another four to five minutes, the closer they got to Gate 3, the fewer regular passengers there were around, replaced by military personnel wearing uniforms and combat armor. Xiang Rong momentarily forgot his anger upon seeing the imposing combat armor, and his dead-fish eyes were practically stuck to the armor.

 

“Is Gate 3 a dedicated channel for the military?” Bai Xiangxing asked.

 

“Not exactly,” Liang Chen shook his head.

 

“Then why are there so many soldiers around?” Bai Xiangxing inquired.

 

“The Cancer Constellation has many star pirate groups. When they encounter danger, they often require support from nearby military units. So many planets in the Cancer Constellation offer some conveniences to the military, such as priority access for military personnel, like this exit,” Liang Chen explained.

 

Bai Xiangxing quickly understood the reasoning behind it. “Interstellar travel to and from ports is time-consuming. If there’s convenient access for military personnel, naturally, more soldiers would prefer to come to this planet. And where there are more soldiers, there will be fewer star pirates and thugs.”

 

“Exactly. We accepted a request from the Governor of Planet 99 before to eliminate the Lone Wolf Pirate Group,” Liang Chen said. He was suddenly aware of an ominous feeling and turned to find a boy staring at him with an intense hostility.

 

Furrowing his brow, Liang Chen wondered what was going on with this kid who looked at him like an enemy. This boy seemed somewhat dangerous, and he needed to report this to the boss.

 

“Liang Chen!”

 

Suddenly, a loud shout came from the distance, accompanied by a gust of wind that forced them to step back. Liang Chen’s expression changed as he quickly activated his psychic powers. A gray-white combat suit sprung from a compartment around his waist, covering his entire body in seconds. He turned around, launching a punch in retaliation, causing a resounding bang and a shockwave.

 

“Boom!” The shockwave generated a gust of wind, prompting Bai Xiangxing to instinctively shield Xiang Rong behind him.

 

Xiang Rong was momentarily stunned but then stared at Bai Xiangxing with a complicated expression.

 

“Zhang Ming? What are you doing?” Liang Chen responded quickly, but his response was rushed, and his combat suit was less powerful than the opponent’s. He was pushed back by three steps before regaining his balance. But during the confrontation just now, Liang Chen had already recognized his old rival from his days at the military academy, Zhang Ming.

 

“I just wanted to test your reaction time,” Zhang Ming replied.

 

“Did you not notice there’s someone beside me?” Liang Chen rebuked.

 

Zhang Ming seemed to have noticed the two people standing next to Liang Chen and raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, speaking with a touch of mockery, “Oh, such a beautiful Omega. Is he your partner?”

 

Partner?

 

Bai Xiangxing’s eyebrows twitched.

 

“You’re spouting nonsense! This is our captain’s partner,” Liang Chen hastily clarified their relationship. Alphas can be possessive of their partners, and if this got back to their captain, he’d be in big trouble. While their leader’s relationship with Bai Xiangxing was part of an agreement, their commitment to each other went above and beyond, with one willingly taking on S-level missions for the other and the other enduring the painful process of extracting pheromone samples to heal the other’s injuries. Was this something that could be done within a mere agreement?

 

“Captain’s partner?” Zhang Ming perked up when he heard that the person next to him was the captain’s partner. He quickly altered his tone, no longer being cheeky, and pretended as though what just happened hadn’t occurred.

 

“Is this Shizhen’s?” When Zhang Ming learned that the person was Shizhen’s partner, he suddenly no longer spoke with such an impudent tone, even putting a safe distance between him and them.

 

“You’re still using a Level Three battle suit,” Zhang Ming noted as he looked at Liang Chen’s battle suit.

 

“If my battle suit was on par with yours, would you have been able to push me back with a single punch?” Liang Chen responded, disgruntled. Zhang Ming was wearing a Level Four battle suit, while Liang Chen had a Level Three. The power difference between them was significant, and had it not been for this, he might not have been defeated so easily in their exchange.

 

“My Level Four battle suit has been in use for over a year, and you’re still wearing such an old battle suit. Just look at those components; they seem like they’ll fall apart with a couple more punches. Is the Storm Legion really that poor? You can’t even afford decent Level Three battle suits?” Zhang Ming taunted.

 

“If you’re so confident, why don’t you take off your battle suit and fight me without it?” Liang Chen challenged.

 

“Funny! You can have me take off my battle suit as much as you want. When your Storm Legion goes into battle, do you say to the enemy, ‘Hey, everyone, take off your battle suits, and we’ll fight fair’?” Zhang Ming inquired.

 

“You!” Liang Chen wanted nothing more than to go up and fight Zhang Ming, but when he thought of Bai Xiangxing standing nearby, he forced himself to restrain his anger. “I have something to attend to today, but I’ll come find you for a one-on-one battle some other time.”

 

“Alright, and if you lose, you can come join our Qilin Legion, and we’ll get you a Level Four battle suit,” Zhang Ming said as he walked away, putting on an arrogant air.

 

“Is he your enemy?” Bai Xiangxing asked Liang Chen.

 

Liang Chen was momentarily stunned by the word ‘enemy,’ but he quickly explained, “He’s not an enemy, just someone I didn’t get along with when we were in school.”

 

“I see, like my relationship with Shizhen,” Bai Xiangxing immediately understood.

 

“… You don’t have to use that analogy,” Liang Chen muttered.

 

The three of them continued walking outside, and soon, they left the port and boarded a hovercar waiting for them.

 

“Do you want to go to the hotel to rest first, or should we head to the prison directly?” Liang Chen asked.

 

“Can we see the person directly if we go to the prison?” Bai Xiangxing inquired.

 

“We’ve already informed them in advance, and we can go over there at any time,” Liang Chen nodded.

 

Bai Xiangxing realized that someone seemed easy to deal with, and he turned to look at Xiang Rong, who was sitting beside him. Xiang Rong had a puzzled expression and was gazing at him. “You’re taking me to meet someone in prison?”

 

Bai Xiangxing nodded.

 

Is the person you want me to meet in prison?

 

“Who do you want me to see?” Xiang Rong couldn’t help but ask.

 

“You’ll find out once you meet them,” Bai Xiangxing replied, then instructed Liang Chen, “Let’s head directly to the prison. How long will it take to get there?”

 

“It’ll be quick, about an hour,” Liang Chen said.

 

Xiang Rong was curious, but after waiting for over thirty hours, he didn’t mind an additional hour. The vehicle traveled smoothly, and one hour later, it stopped at the entrance to the Third Prison.

 

The prison warden was already waiting at the entrance, and when a few people disembarked, he promptly greeted them, “Hello, hello, you must be Mr. Bai Xiangxing, the partner of Captain Shi. I’m the warden of the Third Prison, you can call me Warden Wang.”

 

“Hello, Warden Wang,” Bai Xiangxing greeted him with a polite nod.

 

“Warden Wang, I’m Lieutenant Colonel Liang Chen, Captain Shi’s adjutant. We’ve already communicated with you previously,” Liang Chen introduced.

 

“Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Liang.”

 

“May I ask if we can see the person now?”

 

“Yes, certainly. The person is currently in the reception room, and I can take you there now,” Warden Wang said. With that, he led the three of them to the reception room inside the prison.

 

The reception room was not far away, and they reached the door in about four or five minutes. Two security officers holding shock batons were standing guard at the entrance. When they saw Warden Wang coming over, they quickly saluted.

 

Warden Wang waved his hand, saying, “Open the door.”

 

“Understood.” One of the prison guards turned and opened the door.

 

“Mr. Bai, Lieutenant Colonel Liang, we can go in now,” Warden Wang said.

 

Inside, they were met by a prisoner who was incarcerated in the prison. In such situations, it was polite for Warden Wang to enter first to ensure safety for the visitors.

 

Bai Xiangxing hesitated instead of immediately entering and turned to look at Xiang Rong, struggling to express his thoughts.

 

“What’s the matter?” Xiang Rong’s curiosity was piqued, and he wondered what this person was thinking when they had arrived at the entrance.

 

“Um… please don’t get too excited when we go inside,” Bai Xiangxing cautioned.

 

“Why would I get excited?” Xiang Rong rolled his eyes. This was his first time here, and it wasn’t just this prison; he didn’t know anyone in the entire Cancer Star System. He wouldn’t be excited to meet anyone.

 

“In that case, please go inside,” Bai Xiangxing stepped aside.

 

Xiang Rong didn’t think too much and walked confidently into the room. Bai Xiangxing followed closely behind.

 

Inside the room, a young man in prison attire was sitting with his back to them. He showed no response to the entrance of the newcomers, remaining completely still, which was rather eerie.

 

Just when Xiang Rong was about to ask why Bai Xiangxing had brought him here, Warden Wang stepped forward and slapped the table heavily in front of the young man, “Xiangyan, someone has come to see you.”

 

Xiangyan?!

 

Xiang Rong’s entire body trembled, and he abruptly turned to look at the young man who had his back to him.

 

The previously unresponsive young man finally had a reaction. He slightly turned his body, revealing a hint of blue stubble and long hair that almost covered half of his face. His gaze pierced through the strands of hair, devoid of emotions, much like a robot, until he saw Xiang Rong.

 

The young man urgently tried to stand up, but as his body rose halfway, the handcuffs that held him to the chair yanked him back. He frantically tried to free his left hand from the handcuff while calling Xiang Rong’s name repeatedly.

 

“Xiaorong, Xiaorong…”

 

The young man’s hair was incredibly long, and his current appearance seemed quite exhausted. Xiang Rong couldn’t immediately connect him to his brother. However, when he heard the name Xiaorong, his body reacted faster than his mind. He rushed forward, holding the struggling young man. He lifted the long hair that had blocked his vision, finally seeing some familiar features, “Is it you, brother?”

 

Xiang Rong’s voice was hoarse, filled with a quiver of disbelief. He hadn’t seen his brother for three or four years, during which his brother had transitioned from a boy into a young man, causing him to change significantly.

 

The young man was named Xiaorong, and Xiang Rong was afraid that he wasn’t really his brother, which was one of the reasons he hadn’t mentioned it to Xiang Rong at the beginning. He had viewed a photo of Xiaorong before coming here, but the person in the photo was drastically different from the young man he had expected to find. He was scared to tell Xiang Rong the truth, and he wanted to let Xiang Rong figure it out on his own.

 

Xiang Rong hugged his brother tightly, restraining his struggling. He lifted the hair away from his brother’s forehead, finally seeing some familiar features, “Brother?”

 

Xiang Rong’s voice was hoarse, filled with a quiver of disbelief. He hadn’t seen his brother for three or four years, during which his brother had transitioned from a boy into a young man, causing him to change significantly.

 

“What are you doing? Don’t hurt my brother,” Xiaorong’s eyes were locked on the door, and he looked fiercely at Bai Xiangxing and Liang Chen.

 

It was these two who had brought Xiang Rong here.

 

Bai Xiangxing couldn’t believe the connection between the person before him with the intense and suspicious gaze and the gentle, kind brother Xiang Rong had described. This was one of the reasons he hadn’t told Xiang Rong at first. Before coming here, he had seen photos of Xiangyan, and the person in front of him looked far from the youth he had imagined. He was afraid to tell Xiang Rong the truth, so he kept quiet and let Xiang Rong figure it out himself.

 

“Let’s go out,” Bai Xiangxing said.

 

Warden Wang understood the situation and offered, “Shall we go to the waiting room?”

 

In the waiting room, Bai Xiangxing inquired about Xiangyan’s situation, “Xiangyan appears to have been mistreated in the prison. Is that true?”

 

“No, no, in our prison, we hold highly intelligent criminals, and cases of physical violence are rare,” Warden Wang quickly denied.

 

“But Xiangyan’s demeanor doesn’t match that. He looks so guarded and resentful, like he’s been threatened regularly. Could it be that he was like this from the beginning when he was brought in?” Bai Xiangxing smiled and squinted his eyes. However, he didn’t give Warden Wang a chance to answer and instead turned to Liang Chen, “I recall that Xiangyan was handed over to the Cancer Star. Was he like this back then?”

 

To be honest, Liang Chen couldn’t remember events from several years ago, but he understood what Bai Xiangxing was implying. Regardless of the actual truth, he had to shake his head, “No, he wasn’t like this at all, Warden Wang.”

 

Warden Wang was perspiring as he couldn’t determine Bai Xiangxing’s intentions. He hesitated about what to say.

 

“What’s going on, Wang? Do you have something you can’t speak of?” Bai Xiangxing asked.

 

“It’s nothing, it’s just… I don’t know where to start,” Warden Wang wiped his sweat with his hand.

 

Bai Xiangxing saw that Warden Wang was avoiding the question and realized there was more to the story, “Then let me ask. You can answer.”

 

“Please go ahead.”

 

“How long was Xiangyan sentenced, and how much of his sentence remains?” Bai Xiangxing asked.

 

“He was initially sentenced to two years.”

 

“Initially?” Bai Xiangxing narrowed his eyes.

 

Liang Chen also frowned, “I remember he was handed over to you three years ago.”

 

If he was initially sentenced to two years, he should have been released by now.

 

“Due to… certain reasons, his sentence was extended for two more years…” Warden Wang said timidly.

 

“Parole I’ve heard of, but extending a sentence by two years is a first?” Bai Xiangxing asked, “Earlier, Warden Wang, you mentioned that most people here are highly intelligent criminals, and violent incidents are rare. So what happened to Xiangyan that his sentence was extended by two years?”

 

“I… I was forced,” Warden Wang mumbled.

 

“Forced? Tell me more.” Bai Xiangxing straightened up, ready to question further.

 

“We have highly intelligent criminals in the Third Prison,” it was the third time that Warden Wang mentioned “highly intelligent criminals,” and Bai Xiang

 

xing began to suspect.

 

“Many of the inmates here are skilled in various fields. Xiangyan is an alchemist, and before he was arrested, he had developed numerous rare elixirs, including the legendary elixir that could turn a person into an Omega,” Warden Wang explained.

 

What?! Xiangyan developed gender-altering elixirs?

 

Liang Chen was also surprised and turned to Bai Xiangxing.

 

Bai Xiangxing, his fingertips white as he held the teacup, appeared deeply affected but allowed Warden Wang to continue his narrative.

 

“After he was imprisoned, some people approached him and tried to recruit him to continue his research on elixirs, but Xiangyan always refused. These individuals couldn’t achieve their goals, so they naturally wouldn’t allow him to leave. They had connections and managed to extend Xiangyan’s sentence. I am the prison warden, but I have limited authority. I could only follow orders…”

 

“That’s unacceptable! Is there no justice? If they can extend Xiangyan’s sentence by using connections, would filing an appeal not work?” Liang Chen was furious, his fist striking the table, causing the teacup to topple.

 

“Injustice indeed! It is a well-known fact that high-intelligence criminals are imprisoned here, but extending a sentence in such a manner is a first. This is a clear violation of justice,” Warden Wang argued.

 

“Is there any hope for an appeal now?” Bai Xiangxing asked.

 

“That is certain,” Warden Wang immediately confirmed.

 

Bai Xiangxing understood and concluded that Xiangyan’s status had not overcome the influence of the Shi family. That was good; he would do his best to ensure that Xiangyan left with Xiang Rong.