Picking Up An Alpha On Garbage Star - Chapter 70

Following Xie Yu’s instructions, Rong Mulan quietly spread the news among the aid delegation that anyone willing to pay could leave the front lines and return to the Central Star.

 

No one wanted to stay on the front lines. Besides enduring hardship, they were also being relentlessly squeezed for money by the Independent Army. If they didn’t leave soon, they would be completely drained.

 

Rong Mulan circulated among the aid delegation members. During the three days they spent in the Komo Star System, a third of the members had already paid their “deposit,” totaling 570 million. Rong Mulan transferred all the money to the Independent Army’s finances and received unanimous praise and admiration from the finance department.

 

Over the three days, Rong Mulan took the aid delegation to three planets. At each planet, the finance director would dutifully come out and lament the financial losses directly or indirectly caused by the rebel occupation, continuing to plead poverty.

 

The aid delegation members had become numb. In just a few days since their arrival on the front lines, they had already been forced to part with a significant amount of money and make promises.

 

To make matters worse, some threatened to expose them on the Star Network if they didn’t fulfill their promises!

 

The Independent Army hardly resembled a military force anymore.

 

It was like a group of bandits.

 

Commander Xie Yu had earned the title of “Bandit Leader.”

 

After three days in the Komo Star System, the spaceship finally returned to the operations center. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they would be safe from further demands for money and benefits now that they were back at the command center.

 

But they had breathed too soon.

 

Xie Yu informed them that since the aid delegation also served as a battlefield observation group, they naturally had to visit the battlefield. After resting for two days at the operations center, they would proceed with the army to the Canghai Star System on the third day.

 

This wasn’t the romanticized notion of touring the front lines, delivering inspiring speeches, and returning in glory. The Independent Army was actually sending them to the Canghai Star System!

 

No one wanted to go to the battlefield. If it came to fighting, the Independent Army might not be able to care for them. If they died on the battlefield, all their honor and wealth would vanish, and no one could bear such a result.

 

Rong Mulan’s “ransom” plan continued, with more and more aid delegation members paying high deposits to leave before being sent to the Canghai Star System. The deposits were even higher than before, but they had no other choice; they didn’t want to die.

 

Rong Mulan collected the deposits with a smile, totaling 1.8 billion—nearly double Pei An’s initial estimate of 1 billion. After boarding the spaceship, there were still remaining payments to be made.

 

Pei An felt conflicted after hearing Rong Mulan’s report.

 

“I realize I underestimated how wealthy these people are.”

 

Who spends tens of millions so casually?

 

Pei An kept his word. After the aid delegation members paid their “ransom,” he handed them over to Rong Mulan for their return trip on a luxurious passenger spaceship.

 

Of course, Pei An didn’t cover the fuel or rental costs.

 

As long as they could return to the Central Star, spending some money was nothing. They had already spent a significant amount; renting a spaceship was hardly a concern.

 

The spaceship was indeed very comfortable, with each person having their own suite, large and soft beds, delicious food, and a massage bathtub.

 

Riding such a luxury spaceship back to the Central Star brought them to tears. The few days on the front lines had been the hardest they’d ever experienced, and they had no courage to face it again. They just wanted to escape.

 

Some left on the spaceship, while others remained at the operations center facing the Independent Army.

 

Austin’s expression darkened. He hadn’t expected that the people he had worked so hard to gather would abandon him, leaving him alone on the front lines. Not only did they not take him with them, but they didn’t even inform him. Austin was fuming inside.

 

Aside from Austin, a few others stayed behind. Except for Kauff Mondrei, who thought of himself as Pei An’s future confidant and was foolishly trying to earn favor, the rest were Austin’s supporters. Even if they wanted to leave, they couldn’t.

 

Positions were not secret, and those who had boarded the spaceship loathed Austin. Naturally, they wouldn’t warn those still aligned with Austin and let them suffer on the front lines.

 

No, it would be best if they died on the front lines.

 

Since they were to act as a battlefield observation group for the Canghai Star System, it would be better if they perished there and never returned to the Central Star.

 

“Major Rong, I’d like to speak to you privately,” Austin said. He didn’t want to go to the Canghai Star System. His only plan now was to find a way to escape.

 

As for everything else, he would handle it once he returned to the Central Star. He wouldn’t let the Independent Army get any of the money or items they wanted. He intended to put the Independent Army in a difficult position.

 

Rong Mulan blinked. Surely Austin didn’t know that the other aid delegation members had been deliberately let go as part of her plan?

 

“Your Highness, please speak,” Rong Mulan said, neither servile nor overbearing.

 

Austin stepped closer, narrowing the distance between them to a level that was quite inappropriate for an omega.

 

“The thing is, after spending so much time with Major Rong, I’ve developed a strong admiration for you. So, I’d like to ask if you would be interested in becoming my royal consort?” 

 

Rong Mulan: “……”

 

Where did Austin get such confidence?

 

Rong Mulan almost vomited from disgust at Austin’s proposition.

 

Suppressing the impulse to punch Austin, Rong Mulan quietly stepped back to put some distance between them.

 

“Sorry, Your Highness, but I already have a fiancé, and we are very happy together.”

 

Please don’t tell me you want to be the third party.

 

Austin didn’t give up easily. Almost frenzied, he said, “Major Rong, does your fiancé have more money and power than I do? Is he as outstanding as I am? I am the Emperor’s favorite prince, as you should understand.”

 

Rong Mulan was truly nauseated. Austin was both oily and self-important!

 

“Your Highness, my fiancé and I are very happy together,” Rong Mulan reiterated. “I am aware that my status does not match that of a prince, and I would not make such a demanding request. Please do not dwell on this matter any longer, or I will have to report this to my superior, Commander Xie Yu.”

 

You, with your delusions, can’t even compare to my fiancé. My fiancé could easily overshadow you.

 

Rong Mulan muttered silently to himself.

 

Hearing Xie Yu’s name made Austin anxious, and he naturally did not want to escalate the matter with Xie Yu. Moreover, he didn’t truly care for Rong Mulan; he just wanted to use him. If Rong Mulan was not an option, he would find someone else.

 

With his desired result unattainable, Austin’s politeness ended, and he turned away abruptly.

 

Rong Mulan’s well-trained manners couldn’t stop him from rolling his eyes at Austin.

 

“I have to report this to the commander,” Rong Mulan said, directly giving Xie Yu a tip-off.

 

Receiving Rong Mulan’s report, Xie Yu snapped the pen he was holding.

 

Austin, after all these years, still hadn’t changed. Once, he was the one manipulating others’ fates from a high position; now, he had become the one being manipulated.

 

Though Austin hadn’t physically interacted with Rong Mulan, Xie Yu wasn’t going to let him off the hook.

 

He tossed the broken pen into the trash and, with a playful smile, picked up another pen.

 

…

 

Pei An’s work had been alleviated by the large sum of funds he managed to secure. He no longer had to worry about saving money or making money every day. In fact, he even got to leave work early.

 

Before leaving the office, Pei An repeatedly confirmed with the secretaries, “I can really leave two hours early?”

 

The secretaries all answered in unison, “Yes!”

 

Pei An sighed with relief and excitedly clenched his fist.

 

Since he had two extra hours, he could go pick up Xie Yu from the military base!

 

Pei An eagerly drove his hover car, planning to surprise Xie Yu by not giving him a heads-up.

 

His work was essentially done, and Xie Yu was busy with military affairs. Not wanting to hinder Xie Yu, Pei An decided to wait outside the base for him. If Xie Yu didn’t come out, he would contact him then.

 

The military base was vast and housed a large number of troops. Pei An, wearing a technical staff badge around his neck, wandered around casually.

 

His primary responsibilities had shifted to Independent Army affairs, but he was still the Chief Technical Officer of the Independent Army, so he had been given a badge for his role.

 

The Independent Army, continuing the 258th Legion’s tradition of treating technical staff as servants, showed utmost respect when they saw Pei An’s badge, making him both amused and exasperated.

 

Until he accidentally ran into Austin, and he couldn’t smile anymore.

 

Why was Austin wandering around? They were supposed to be sent to the Canghai Star System tomorrow, and he still had time to wander around?

 

Seeing Austin was repulsive. Pei An turned to leave, but Austin’s sharp eyes spotted him immediately. Austin called out to him loudly, making it impossible for Pei An to pretend he didn’t hear.

 

Pei An texted Xie Yu with a straight face, including his location: “Come quickly and get rid of this fly!”

 

Austin, with a look of delight, approached Pei An, practically running towards him with an enthusiastic expression.

 

“Mr. Pei, what a coincidence to run into you here!”

 

Such a boring start.

 

What a coincidence? I don’t want to run into you.

 

“Your Highness, do you need something?” Pei An asked coldly.

 

Austin looked hurt. “I’m just very glad to meet Mr. Pei. I didn’t realize Mr. Pei didn’t want to see me.”

 

Yes, I don’t want to see you, so can you just leave?

 

Pei An looked up speechlessly. What kind of drama was Austin trying to play?

 

Of course, Austin wasn’t going to leave. After failing to win over Rong Mulan, he decided to target someone else, and as the Secretary-General of the Independent Army, Pei An was a more suitable candidate than Rong Mulan.

 

Well, suitable, except he’s likely to be beaten up by Pei An’s fiancé.

 

“Mr. Pei, organizing such a large force to fight the enemy in a time of national crisis is truly impressive! To be honest, I greatly admire someone like you.” Austin forced a not-so-pleasant smile, but he was quite confident.

 

Pei An: Thank you, I also admire myself.

 

Seeing that Pei An did not respond, Austin continued, “Mr. Pei, I’ve met many omegas, and you are definitely the most worthy one among them.”

 

Pei An: ??? Why does this sound so wrong?

 

As expected, Austin then said, “Mr. Pei, may I have the honor of pursuing you as my omega?”

 

Pei An: …

 

Pei An was so disgusted that he started to gag.

 

Xie Yu arrived in a hurry and was alarmed to see Pei An gagging. Manju had said that Pei An couldn’t get pregnant anymore, so they hadn’t used any medication after complete marking. Why was Pei An throwing up?

 

“An An, are you pregnant?” Xie Yu asked, worried as he patted Pei An’s back.

 

Pei An waved his hand: No, I’m just disgusted.

 

Austin’s face fell completely. Pei An was already involved with Xie Yu!

 

Not wanting Xie Yu to know about his confession to Pei An, Austin quickly left. Alphas were terrifying when they were angry. Austin had previously thought Xie Yu was nothing special, but after being tortured on the front lines, Austin realized he was no match for Xie Yu.

 

“Xie Yu, get some people to put Austin in a sack!” Pei An finished gagging. “He’s too disgusting.”

 

Xie Yu was puzzled: “How did he disgust you?”

 

Pei An recounted the entire incident to Xie Yu.

 

After hearing this, Xie Yu’s anger flared up immediately: “First he tries to woo Rong Mulan, and after failing, he dares to target you!”

 

“What?” Pei An was shocked by Austin’s shamelessness. “He also tried to woo Major Rong?”

 

Xie Yu pulled out the chat records between Rong Mulan and Austin to show Pei An.

 

Pei An: !!!!

 

“Shameless, I want to castrate him!”

 

With Austin’s character, he must have deceived countless omegas and betas. He’s nothing but a rotten vegetable.

 

“I have the same intention.” Xie Yu whispered his plan to Pei An.

 

Pei An, satisfied after hearing the plan, thought Austin deserved it.

 

…

 

“This medicine really guarantees lifelong protection with just one dose?” Xie Yu asked, doubting the tiny, seemingly harmless pill he had received from Manju.

 

Manju smiled slightly. “You can try it yourself.”

 

Xie Yu shivered. “Manju’s products are always top-notch! Thanks for the generous sponsorship!”

 

Manju adjusted her disheveled hair. “I should remind you, don’t accidentally take it yourself. There’s no antidote for this medicine.”

 

Xie Yu carefully stored the pill. “Don’t worry, Doctor Manju. I won’t accidentally ingest it. Such a good thing should be given to the right person.”

 

Today, he would make sure Austin cultivated himself properly.

 

Though, Austin wouldn’t last many days anyway.

 

That night, Xie Yu brought a bottle of wine to Austin, with only a single glass. Austin drank, and Xie Yu watched him drink.

 

“Pei An told me about what happened today. Your Highness, isn’t this a bit unethical?” Xie Yu placed a 500-milliliter bottle of wine heavily in front of Austin. “How do you plan to explain this?”

 

If this were the old Austin, flaunting his power on Central Star, he would have scolded Xie Yu by now. But now, on Xie Yu’s turf, he could only hold his tongue.

 

“I apologize,” Austin said, trembling as he filled a glass with wine. “General Xie, please watch. I’ll drink it all.”

 

Austin closed his eyes and steeled himself, swallowing the entire glass of strong liquor.

 

Unlike the red wine he usually drank, this was baijiu, a high-proof Chinese liquor. One glass down and Austin was choking, tears streaming from his eyes as his throat burned.

 

Austin turned the empty glass towards Xie Yu. “General Xie, see? I drank it all.”

 

On the surface, he appeared submissive, but inside, he was already plotting Xie Yu’s demise.

 

Xie Yu tapped the bottle. “Your Highness, drinking just one glass of the wine I brought—isn’t that a bit disrespectful to me?”

 

Austin’s eyes widened. “You want me to drink the whole bottle?”

 

Xie Yu idly picked at his nails. “Why not? Can’t you?”

 

Austin wanted to retort, “I’m a prince, you can’t do this to me,” but he understood the reality. The operations center was Xie Yu’s domain, and the troops there followed Xie Yu’s orders. At a single command, they would gladly shoot him.

 

“Of course, I can,” Austin said through gritted teeth, pouring another glass. “It’s only right that I apologize to you, General Xie.”

 

Glass after glass, Xie Yu watched coldly as Austin drank until the bottle was empty. By then, Austin was completely unconscious, his face as red as a boiled crab.

 

Xie Yu dragged Austin to a hard bed, tossed him onto it, and left with the empty bottle and glass.

 

Why should he waste time on trash like Austin when he could be spending that time with Pei An?

 

Austin was truly a plague.

 

Outside, Pei An was waiting by a streetlamp.

 

“Is it done?” Pei An walked up. “Since it’s still early, how about we go on a date?”

 

Xie Yu smiled. “But first, help me dispose of the evidence.” He handed Pei An the bottle and glass.

 

Pei An nodded, releasing his psychic energy to pulverize the bottle and glass into dust.

 

“Alright, now we can go on our date,” Xie Yu said, taking Pei An’s hand. “Where to?”

 

“Shall we visit the research center?” Pei An tilted his head. “Would you like to see our team’s latest achievements, Commander Xie?”

 

Xie Yu replied, “It would be my honor.”

 

The research center was not nearby, so they drove. Xie Yu drove while Pei An navigated from the passenger seat.

 

Given the importance of the research center, it was guarded by Xie Yu’s most trusted soldiers, the first ones to get to know Pei An, absolutely loyal and reliable.

 

When Pei An and Xie Yu arrived at the research center, their presence startled everyone. Since the formation of the Independent Army, the two of them had rarely had time to visit.

 

“I thought it looked like you two,” Xiao Xue said, walking over with Yan Yue, who was carrying two lunch boxes. “What brings you here?”

 

“Star Path has made significant progress,” Pei An’s eyes sparkled with pure enthusiasm. “I brought Xie Yu to take a look.”

 

“Alright, you two go ahead and explore the research center. Yan Yue and I will join you after we eat.”

 

They had just finished a major task that day, working late into the night due to a burst of inspiration.

 

Pei An agreed and began showing Xie Yu around the research center.

 

Many staff members were still working, as they often worked at odd hours when inspiration struck. To ensure they didn’t overwork themselves, the center had attendants to drive them home and make sure they rested.

 

Pei An stopped at each lab, explaining to Xie Yu what he knew, and merely observing those he was less familiar with.

 

Their destination, Star Path, was at the end of the hall.

 

“Star Path means the journey of starlight. As we know, the starlight we see is not emitted in real-time; it traveled through time and space before reaching us,” Pei An smiled. “Isn’t that a romantic name?”

 

Xie Yu gazed at Pei An, thinking Pei An himself was like starlight, traversing time to meet him.

 

“Romantic indeed, but its function is anything but,” Xiao Xue said as she and Yan Yue returned from dinner.

 

Xiao Xue pointed to a missile mounted high on a rack. “Commander Xie, Star Path is an interstellar missile for cross-galaxy strikes.”

 

Xie Yu was stunned. “Cross-galaxy strikes?”

 

The difficulty of crossing a galaxy was immense, especially considering the energy required. Could such an interstellar missile really be built?

 

“That’s Pei An’s design concept,” Xiao Xue said, seeing Xie Yu’s shock.

 

“I believe Star Path will be built soon,” Xie Yu expressed his confidence immediately, dismissing any doubts. He would never doubt Pei An.

 

“The Star Path missile collects light energy along its path to power its propulsion system,” Pei An explained, his eyes curving into a smile. “Traveling with light, isn’t that romantic too?”

 

Though he loved designing weapons, Pei An’s motivation was never war. Unlike rebels who sought chaos for their gain, his goal was peace.

 

Peace couldn’t be achieved with mere words. To truly secure it, one had to ensure that no reactionary forces could start a war.

 

Using violence to end violence wasn’t ideal, but in warfare, it was the best method.

 

Only by defeating all those who sought to incite war could peace be maintained.

 

Xie Yu looked at Pei An, feeling that he was not just starlight, but a star himself—brilliant, dazzling, and worthy of admiration.