Chapter 144: News [The leader is dead! Please...
Delech is dead.
——It is said that he was ambushed by the orthodox army and died in battle.
When the news reached the 25th system, it was early morning and Atalan was signing documents.
His fingers were long and slender, with distinct joints, and his pen-holding was always elegant and impeccable. But the moment the adjutant finished his whispered report, his hand suddenly clenched.
“Crack!”
The metal pen broke in two in his palm, ink splattered, and the dark liquid dripped through his fingers, forming a hideous stain on the snow-white document.
The room was eerily silent.
The adjutant held his breath and dared not look up.
He saw veins bulging on the back of Atalan's hands, and his knuckles turning pale from excessive force, but there was no expression on his handsome face, and his golden eyes were as cold as frozen amber.
——
7:03 AM,
Xirui pushed open Atalan's door with a warm breakfast in his hand.
The cold light of the terminal screen was reflected dimly on Atalan's face.
He sat at his desk, his shoulders and back tense, with a pile of open files and battle maps in front of him, as if he had not slept all night.
"Ranta."
Xirui sighed and gently placed the plate on the table.
"If you keep going like this, your body will collapse."
Attaran did not answer.
His gaze fell on a certain point in the void. After a long while, he finally spoke in a low voice, his voice extremely hoarse:
"Cerie..."
Xirui's heart trembled.
Atalan slowly raised his eyes. His golden eyes, which were always as sharp as knives, were now filled with dull pain, as if someone had forcibly cut out something precious from him, and even his breathing was tinged with blood.
"Deleshi...is dead."
Just a few words, but they carry a weight of weight.
Xirui's fingertips trembled slightly.
He put down his plate, walked forward quickly, half-knelt down, and hugged Atalan's stiff shoulders in his arms.
The scent of ebony and agarwood instantly enveloped the other person, warm and comfortable, like a silent shelter.
"Ranta..."
He called softly, and gently stroked Atalan's back with his palm, feeling the muscles under his palm tense.
"I know...you're sad, and here with me...you can cry."
Atalan's body trembled violently, his head buzzed, but his heart felt like it was about to break.
The leader of the rebel army gritted his teeth, his jawline as sharp as a blade, as if he was trying hard to restrain something.
But Xirui felt that his shoulders were gradually getting wet.
——Those were the tears of the rebel leader.
The proud and always calm and self-possessed leader now collapsed silently in Xirui's arms.
Xirui felt his heart being tightened.
He tightened his embrace, pulling Atalan deeper into his arms.
Xirui could feel the person in his arms trembling slightly, like a golden iris on the verge of breaking in a storm.
Atalan's voice was muffled on Xirui's shoulder, with an unprecedented fragility, like the painful cry of a wounded beast.
Xirui ran his fingertips through Atalan's soft blond hair, stroking it carefully.
"Deleshita..."
Atalan suddenly clutched Xirui's clothes, his voice filled with suppressed sobs.
"How could he... How could he die like this..."
The morning light outside the window gradually brightened, but it could not shine into this room shrouded in sadness.
Xirui felt Atalan's body temperature coming through his uniform, which was much cooler than usual. He gently took off his coat and put it on Atalan's shoulders.
"I'll go reheat your breakfast." Xirui said softly, but he felt Atalan suddenly grab his wrist.
"Cerie, don't go."
Atalan raised his head, his golden eyes bloodshot and red at the corners, like a wounded beast, "Just...stay with me for a while."
Xirui's heart felt like it was being pricked by a needle. He squatted down again and let Atalan lean on his shoulder.
They just leaned against each other quietly, letting time pass in pain and loss.
The light slanted in through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a golden dividing line on the floor. Too many times, separation from life and death comes so suddenly.
This is war, this is a battlefield.
There is bleeding all the time, and the place is filled with blood all the time.
Xirui's strong arms were wrapped around Atalan tightly. He could feel every ridge of the other's spine, like a string about to break, which had been stretched to the extreme and would make a sound in the next second.
Atalan rested his forehead on his shoulder, his long golden hair falling down and brushing against the side of Xirui's neck as he trembled with grief.
Two thin layers of military uniform fabric could not block the transfer of body temperature at all.
Xirui could clearly feel the chill coming from Atalan - the kind of chill that seeped from his bones, as if all the vitality had been sucked out of his whole body.
He subconsciously tightened his arms, trying to warm the other person with his own warmth.
"Cerie, I'm going to make them all pay! They have to pay!"
Atalan's fingers unconsciously tugged at the fabric on Xirui's back, his knuckles turning white.
The uncontrolled, labored breathing revealed that he was on the verge of collapse.
"Okay, I'll accompany you. They will definitely pay the price."
Xirui's chin rested on the top of Atalan's head.
He could smell the faint scent of golden irises in the other person's hair, mixed with the salty taste of tears.
Xirui gently stroked Atalan's back with his palm, like stroking a wounded cat.
He wanted to say something, but found that any words seemed pale and powerless at this moment - those words of condolence became ridiculous blasphemy in the face of such a deep loss.
So, Xirui just hugged Atalan tighter.
Delshi is also Xirui's comrade-in-arms.
On the battlefield,
The first lesson is loss.
Everyone will die, and everyone may die.
We must accept this cruel fact.
Atalan buried his face in the male's shoulder.
After a while, Xirui could feel the fabric on his shoulders being soaked with warm liquid, but he pretended not to notice and just gently stroked the back of Atalan's neck with his thumb, like soothing a wounded beast.
Time passed minute by minute until the sunlight finally climbed to their feet.
Atalan finally moved, his voice muffled in Xirui's shoulder, hoarse and terrible. The immense pain made him almost speechless:
"Cerie, I hate it so much, I really hate it...why...why..."
The Grim Reaper's scythe is incredibly fair.
Whether poor or rich, whether kind or vicious, everyone will eventually die.
In fact, there was only enough time for Atalan to vent his emotions, and they hugged each other for a while.
This morning, Atalan must rush to the front line - this is the last battle.
Win,
It would completely break down the walls of the empire.
Perhaps, the news of Delshi's death had a great impact on Atalan, so Xirui was left in the 25th galaxy by Atalan.
——It’s relatively safe here.
Even though Xirui was helpless and wanted to refute, when he saw Atalan's almost red eyes and pleading eyes, Xirui finally had to compromise.
Of course, the premise is that if there is an emergency or danger, Atalan cannot stop Xirui from rushing over here.
The 25th galaxy - this strategic location woven from steel fortresses and interstellar routes is like a sharp knife against the throat of the empire.
Its value is enough to rank in the top three.
The main garrison fleet was split into two groups. The main force rushed to the front line with Atalan, while the remaining elite forces were wedged like nails at the channel nodes, commanded by Xirui.
On the fifth day, the first battle report came from the front line - the battle situation was ten times more brutal than expected.
On the seventh day, the wreckage of three thousand Rebel warships turned into a space junk belt.
In the surveillance footage, the burning hull exploded silently in the vacuum, like a grand death firework.
The rebels were at a disadvantage.
On the eighth day, Atalan lost contact with his troops.
The tenth day.
A transmission came from Atalan's lieutenant.
[The leader has been killed! Please evacuate the twenty-five star systems and return to within thirty lines! Evacuate immediately!]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
