ABFA Chapter 61

Inside the tunnel, the three of them fell into a long silence. What exactly was the thing that the planet Sacrede had created back then?

For a brief moment, Jiang Yue suspected that her own body might be the thing Sacrede had created. But upon further thought, she felt she was just flattering herself and giving herself too much credit.

This body was nowhere near powerful enough to be considered unimaginable. She could feel hunger, cold, discomfort, and pain; she bled when injured, and during exam week, staying up late to study would even make her heart race. Surely Sacrede couldn’t have poured the strength of an entire planet into creating a body that was practically full of weaknesses.

If they were going to create something, it would be something like the Terminator or the Transformers—a robot of that caliber—or perhaps mass-produce superpowered individuals like those in Marvel.

Zhang San had also said that this body was not a product of this era. Could it be that this body’s ability was immortality?

Jiang Yue muttered to herself inwardly. Holding Chang Geng’s hand, she felt a growing urge to act.

No!

She couldn’t be impulsive. Impulse is the devil!

What if she slit her own throat and then couldn’t come back to life? That would be a colossal loss!

After her expression went through a whole range of changes, Jiang Yue asked, “Could it be that this body of mine is also a product of contamination? Is that why it can absorb the energy of the white crystals without undergoing mutation?”

Zhang San stroked his chin and said thoughtfully, “It’s possible. Maybe it’s even more incredible than that. But when I was in prison, I observed you for a while. Your body hasn’t gone beyond the scope of humanity, you still need to eat, drink, use the bathroom, and sleep just like the rest of us.”

While the three were talking, a burst of chaotic footsteps suddenly echoed from above the tunnel. Zhang San raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. Jiang Yue pressed her ear against the wall, and the noisy sounds immediately became clear.

A group of people were banging sticks against the ground, knocking and probing everywhere. The voices of scavengers filled the air.

“Where did they go? Even if they were choked to death by the thick smoke, there should at least be bodies. How could they just disappear into thin air?”

“Maybe they went into the tunnel. Strange… where’s the entrance to this tunnel? Could it be underneath the kang?”

“Why don’t we just tear the kang apart and take a look? Then we’ll know.”

The scavengers immediately started dismantling the kang. After another round of banging and smashing, someone cursed loudly: “Damn it all! Forget a tunnel, we couldn’t even find a rat hole!”

Jiang Yue lowered her voice and asked, “Is this tunnel secure?”

Pan Bu’en replied, “That depends on what you mean by ‘secure.’ It’s actually pretty easy to discover. But without that net, anyone who comes in is going to fall to their death.”

Jiang Yue said, “What if they set the place on fire? The tunnel has poor ventilation, and those children are weak, they wouldn’t be able to withstand the smoke.”

“This tunnel has another exit,” Pan Bu’en replied. “It leads to the warehouse where Xiao Xia stores scrap materials.”

So there was a backup plan after all. Half of Jiang Yue’s worries immediately eased.

But when she thought about the children, her heart tightened again. She couldn’t help asking Pan Bu’en: “But what are we going to do about those kids? Given the current situation, we have no way to take care of or settle them anywhere.”

Pan Bu’en sighed. “An Omega without glands isn’t worth much anymore. Xiao Xia has already prepared the knives.”

An Omega who loses their glands will lose the ability to reproduce. Their lifespan will also be shortened by two-thirds. Their skin will gradually become rougher, and their bones will slowly grow thicker and sturdier.

That nauseating feeling surfaced in Jiang Yue once again.

It was just like saying, “A woman without a uterus is no longer worth anything.”

Since when did the ability to bear life become a kind of original sin?

Breaking the silence, Pan Bu’en spoke. “Time is tight. The two of you should help as well. I’ve seen how steady your hands are when holding a knife.”

Zhang San wore his usual carefree smile. “Sure. This is what I’m best at. Comrade Li Si, my dear, would you like me to give you some clinical guidance?”

Jiang Yue shot him a vicious glare.

The three of them left the tunnel and followed Pan Bu’en all the way to the place where the children were staying.

This was an enormous mine cavern.

Inside, it was filled with rows of rusty metal bunk beds. The beds were packed tightly together, leaving almost no space between them. The children sat upright on the beds, each of them holding a small lamp in their hands.

The Fat Boss sat in the center of the cavern. In front of him was an alcohol stove with a pot of water boiling on it. Inside the pot were many sharp knives being sterilized.

He looked up. “You’re here?”

Pan Bu’en nodded.

Zhang San glanced into the pot, then turned to look at Jiang Yue, who had remained silent the entire time.

He leaned close to Jiang Yue’s ear and said softly, “If you can’t bear to watch, then don’t. At worst, I’ll handle your share as well. Removing glands isn’t some especially complicated or bloody surgery. Look how scared you are.”

“I’m not scared,” Jiang Yue replied stiffly.

Zhang San smiled. “Then is it sympathy? To be honest, we’re both Alphas. There’s really no need for you to empathize this much.”

Jiang Yue ignored him.

The Chubby Boss used a slotted spoon to fish the sterilized knives out of the boiling water. Beside him sat a gray bucket. He lifted the lid, revealing that it was filled with all kinds of candy.

Jiang Yue couldn’t bear to look any longer. Her expression showed clear distress as she asked softly, “Does it have to be this way? Is there really no other solution?”

The Chubby Boss shook his head. “If we don’t remove their glands, once these children are caught by those scavengers, they’ll immediately be subjected to endless gang r*pe. Do you know how long it’s been since those scavengers last had contact with an Omega? They’re a bunch of beasts who’d get aroused even seeing a mouse hole.”

“After the gang r*pe, they’ll sell these Omegas off, or turn them into cash cows and force them into prostitution day and night. And if they get pregnant during it, selling the babies becomes another considerable source of profit.”

Jiang Yue asked in despair, “Doesn’t anyone take care of this?”

“The Federation does. Every year they come to the junk planet to count the Omega population and take them away. But you know how it is, this place is full of filth and hidden corners. Not everyone is willing to hand over their Omegas.”

The Chubby Boss did not lower his voice.

The Omegas in the room sat quietly on their beds. Each of them held a small lamp in their hands, looking like lambs awaiting slaughter. Their expressions were calm; no one showed any particular sadness.

Jiang Yue even found it absurdly possible that the only truly distressed person here was herself. Pan Bu’en and the Chubby Boss had already become numb; Zhang San was simply a born sociopath with little capacity for empathy.

Only she had moved from a peaceful era into Beta Star filled with swarms of Zergs, and then from the prosperous Beta Star into this lawless junk planet.

And now she was being forced to face such a cruel scene.

Jiang Yue rubbed her hands together. She paced back and forth in the room several times before finally unable to hold it in any longer and spoke up: “If I can get in contact with the Beta Star military, would these children have a chance to leave this place?”

As soon as those words fell, both Chubby Boss and Pan Bu’en turned to look at her with blank, stunned expressions.

The Chubby Boss opened and closed his mouth like a clamshell. After a long pause, he finally said, “Li Si… when you first came to me to sell scrap, your clothes were already in tatters, but I could still tell they were prison uniforms from First Prison. You’re an escapee. And now you’re talking about contacting the Beta Star military? Do you have a death wish?”

Jiang Yue raised a hand. “Let’s be clear first, I’m not some self-sacrificing hero. Do you know why I was exiled to the garbage planet?”

Chubby Boss, Pan Bu’en, and Zhang San all shook their heads.

Jiang Yue said, “I was exiled to the garbage planet because my psychic entity exploded and injured someone.”

Pan Bu’en’s eyes lit up slightly.

The Chubby Boss sucked in a sharp breath. “Holy crap, how old are you? You already managed to materialize your psychic power!”

Zhang San clicked his tongue in amazement. “My god, Li Si, just how many surprises are you still hiding from us?”

Jiang Yue raised a hand again. “Stop, stop. This isn’t the time to talk about that. The point is what comes next. Not long ago, I discovered that my psychic entity hasn’t disappeared. That means the charges against me were invalid from the beginning.”

Zhang San was shocked. “Then why aren’t you back on Beta Star? Is scavenging on a garbage planet really that fun?”

Jiang Yue glanced around. There were children everywhere, and it wasn’t convenient to speak here.

She walked outside. The three of them followed behind her. Only after finding a relatively secluded spot did Jiang Yue finally stop.

Jiang Yue leaned against the mine wall and said, “On one hand, I feel I deserved it and should suffer here on the garbage planet. On the other hand, I don’t think this matter is that simple. It’s very likely that some people in the Federation have also noticed the abnormalities in my body. My intuition tells me that staying on Beta Star wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Everyone was stunned by the twists and turns of Jiang Yue’s experience.

Jiang Yue continued, “I originally didn’t plan to return to Beta Star. That was never part of my plan. There are still some things I can’t bring myself to face. But now I feel…”

She scratched her head a little awkwardly. “I guess… I can’t just let my own psychological issues and doubts completely ruin these children’s futures, or stand by and watch this happen coldly.”

“Right now I’m fine with it. I’m just worried it might bring trouble to you, Zhang San, and Senior Pan Bu’en.”

Jiang Yue hesitated and looked toward Zhang San and Pan Bu’en.

Zhang San grinned casually. “That’s easy. I’ve got two nano masks. Not only can they change your appearance, you can even alter fingerprints.”

Jiang Yue looked at Pan Bu’en.

After a long silence, Pan Bu’en finally said, “I’m fine as well. So many years have passed, no one would recognize me as the Pan Yue from back then.”

His aged voice carried a deep sense of desolation. For a soldier, leaving the battlefield he once swore to defend was a regret he would carry forever.

Zhang San glanced at them and suddenly said, “But this tunnel can’t be discovered by the military. It’s full of white crystals. If they find it, we won’t be able to live peacefully ever again.”

Jiang Yue said, “There’s no way to hide this. Unless we blow up the tunnel.”

Pan Bu’en replied, “Of course it can be blown up.”

The Chubby Boss grinned. “You think those scavengers never tried to move on this place before? It’s only because there are really explosives here.”

The evacuation began.

The children were quickly moved to another section of the tunnel.

Everything was now ready. The most important question was whether Jiang Yue could successfully contact her former roommates.

Jiang Yue climbed out through another entrance of the passageway. This was a warehouse used by the Chubby Boss for storing scrap.

Over the years, his dealings with Pan Bu’en had been strictly private; the other scavengers had no idea that he and Pan Bu’en shared such a solid, longstanding connection.

Jiang Yue asked, “Is there a satellite here? What if there’s no signal?”

The Chubby Boss replied, “We’ll have to go near the base station. The signal is stronger there.” He pushed out a motorcycle from the warehouse.

A group of scavengers were still gathered around the small shack, digging around and trying to find the entrance. The two of them glanced over and quietly slipped away through a side path.

The day was rather rough. Halfway there, acidic rain began to fall, forcing them to put on black raincoats and continue riding through the downpour.

“How long will it take?”

“An hour.”

The motorcycle struggled forward through the acidic rain. Some of the droplets splashed onto Jiang Yue’s exposed ankles, and the intense burning sensation made her grimace in pain.

Jiang Yue glanced at the time: 9:27 p.m. The military academy lights-out was at 11:00. At this hour, her roommates were probably still in the dorm, either studying or doing some exercise.

An hour later, the acid rain finally stopped. Jiang Yue’s ankles had also swollen up noticeably.

The Chubby Boss clicked his tongue. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? We could’ve stopped the bike and adjusted your pant legs.”

Jiang Yue hissed through the pain. “We Alphas are thick-skinned. This kind of injury is nothing. The real matter is more important.”

The motorcycle stopped at the signal base station. The Chubby Boss pulled a green terminal wrist device from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Yue.

“Can this terminal be used?”

“Yes. Zhang San said it works.”

In terms of technology, Jiang Yue still trusted Zhang San quite a bit. This was someone who could casually pick a micro-robot out from between his teeth to scout the way, casually produce two nano masks, and naturally also casually pull out a functioning terminal.

He was a Star-era version of Doraemon.

Jiang Yue looked up at the towering signal tower. A flash of lightning split across the night sky, illuminating the silver structure in stark brilliance.

What she would face after returning to the Federation Military Academy no longer mattered. What she was most hoping for now was simply that the communication satellite would do its job properly.

After silently praying for a while, Jiang Yue tremblingly dialed a number. This was Xi Boyu’s contact method.

It must connect. It must connect. It must connect.

Please. Please. She begged all the gods and Buddhas she could think of to bless her, bless the signal so it could travel from this damned junk planet all the way to Beta Star, and bless Xi Boyu to pick up the call.

That was the future of 302 children!

All of it rested on this one number!

Federation Military Academy, Rose Zone, Dormitory Building 1, Room 2708.

After finishing the day’s classes, the roommates lay around for a while before resuming their own activities.

Jiang Sen had received a pair of limited-edition sneakers. The shoes were decorated with two delicate green leaves, and the veins of the leaves were inlaid with tiny green crystals. Carefully, he put them on and showed them off to his roommates.

“This was bought for me by Ye Qian! How is it? Isn’t it nice-looking? Isn’t her taste great?”

He had already repeated this line more than fifty times today. The others had gone from polite enthusiasm at the beginning to complete indifference now, and couldn’t even be bothered to respond anymore.

Jiang Sen could only let out a dismissive “Tch~” and went to stand in front of the mirror, admiring himself.

Bai Wang was working on his Form Strategy assignment, grumbling as he wrote about how useless the whole thing was. “Practice produces real knowledge, homework is all just superficial stuff!”

Everyone else in the dorm had already finished the Form Strategy assignment long ago. Only Bai Wang, the “Sleep God”, suffered from severe procrastination and insisted on finishing it on the very last day.

At this moment, four copies of homework were laid out in front of him for reference, yet he still wasn’t satisfied.

Kuri was wearing headphones, playing a game. He had recently become obsessed with a rhythm game, and in just a week, he had already pushed his name onto the leaderboard. The game had just ended, fireworks burst across the screen, and the word “Victory” popped up.

Xiang Sui’s hobby was much more down-to-earth: whenever something unpleasant happened, a good barbecue would fix it. If it still didn’t help, then he’d just eat another round.

Right now, he was sitting shirtless in his chair, eating barbecue while a small projector on the wall played a TV drama. The pile of skewers on his desk had grown into a mountain. He devoured honey-glazed chicken wings one after another, not even bothering to spit out the bones.

Xi Boyu sat at his desk and took out a box of acne patches from the drawer. His skin hadn’t been in great condition lately, there was a red pimple on his chin that hurt badly whenever it was touched.

The location of that pimple was extremely awkward. It looked almost like a bright red “matchmaker mole”¹ something Xi Boyu, a perfectionist by nature, simply could not tolerate.

After disinfecting it with alcohol, he used tweezers to carefully pick up a patch and apply it.

Just as the mint-colored acne patch was smoothly placed, his terminal suddenly popped up with an incoming communication request.

It was a completely unfamiliar number. Xi Boyu frowned in confusion, then glanced at the last six digits of the communication code—only to suddenly realize it was a number from the garbage planet!

He shot up to his feet so abruptly that the chair behind him toppled to the ground with a loud crash, drawing everyone’s attention.

Xiang Sui wiped the oil from the corner of his mouth and looked at him in surprise. “What’s wrong? Did your pimple burst?”

Xi Boyu accepted the communication request, and Jiang Yue’s voice came through from the distant junk planet.

A dull rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, and her voice stood out with unusual clarity amid the roaring storm.

“Xi Boyu, it’s me, Jiang Yue.”

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