Chapter 24
The ship sailed through the warp for several days. During this time, Wen Ling and Miao Weizhen maintained a delicate balance. They would share bland synthetic meals in the small dining area, occasionally discussing course parameters or sharing ancient texts, but they tacitly avoided the most crucial issues. Wen Ling used this time to further familiarize himself with the ship's operations, while Miao Weizhen spent most of his time in his cabin, seemingly planning something.
When the ship finally exited the subspace, the scene outside the porthole made Wen Ling hold his breath.
It was a vast, abandoned metal planet. Countless starship wreckage, broken mechanical megastructures, and fragments of colonies piled atop each other, forming a boundless, silent metal graveyard. Occasionally, arcs of energy flashed through the thin atmosphere, illuminating even deeper wounds.
"This is the 'Star Debris Belt,'" Miao Weizhen's voice sounded behind him, his tone flat. "The graveyard of ancient wars, and also... our destination. Follow me closely, and be careful of radiation and energy turbulence."
The ship expertly avoided the wreckage, glided silently into a hidden entrance made from a massive engine, and docked at an internal dock.
The dock was brightly lit. Several people in practical work clothes were waiting there. Leading them was a tall woman with short silver hair. One of her prosthetic eyes glowed a calm blue light.
"Minister." The woman stepped forward, her voice crisp, her eyes quickly scanning Wen Ling with assessment. "The base is operating normally, and the Iron Throne production line number three has been commissioned."
Wen Ling could vaguely sense from her tone that she was loyal to Miao Weizhen alone.
"Luo Yan," Miao Weizhen nodded slightly and introduced sideways, "Your Highness Wen Ling."
"Luo Yan, base security and the 'Scavenger' operation team." The woman gave Wen Ling a brief courtesy, "Your Highness."
The base's interior was vast and efficient. The corridors were made of cold alloy, and engineers and automated equipment shuttled back and forth constantly. The air smelled of motor oil, ozone, and recycled air. Miao Weizhen led Wen Ling to a living room. "It's safe here. You can move around in a limited way. Luo Yan will be in charge of the connection."
Over the next few days, Wen Ling, accompanied by Luo Yan, familiarized himself with the base. He witnessed the daily life of the base: the engineering team, led by Lao Lin, a taciturn, greasy-handed technician, maintained the massive life support system and power core. Dr. Keith, the head of the medical area, was always smiling, yet could instantly diagnose any abnormality in the human body with the most sophisticated instruments. And then there was Ayuan, who was in charge of the internal crop cultivation. She ran a small hydroponic farm under layers of artificial light, a rare touch of green in this metallic world. Each of them performed their duties, accepting Wen Ling's presence without overemphasizing it.
However, by chance, Wen Ling caught a glimpse of a familiar figure outside the passage leading to the core "foundry workshop" - that was a senior weapons expert who had been executed for "treason" in public reports of the Sailiang military. The man was currently discussing something intensely with Lao Lin, his expression focused, and he did not look like a dead person at all.
Wen Ling was deeply shocked and immediately went to find Miao Weizhen. He pushed open the door of Miao Weizhen's office and asked directly, "I saw Dr. Chen Qiming. Official records show that he was executed three years ago."
Miao Weizhen looked up from a pile of data tablets, his eyes calm, as if he had expected it. "So?"
"You faked his death, hiding a 'dead man' here to develop weapons for you." Wen Ling felt a chill, "How many other people are there like this?"
"He's not the only one." Miao Weizhen put down the data tablet and said in a cold tone, "Dr. Chen is a top energy weapons expert. It would be a waste to let him die in a cell. Here, he can show his true value and build teeth for Sailiang to survive."
"This is deception and a violation of the law."
"Law?" Miao Weizhen sneered, stood up, and approached Wen Ling step by step, his eyes as sharp as a knife. "Your Highness, when the enemy uses starship cannons to talk 'reason' to us, are you prepared to resist with the provisions of the law, or to fight back with the guns and cannons made by me, the 'dead'? To achieve my goal, I can be an executioner or a devil who resurrects the dead. The place you stand now is a nest of countless 'corpses' and 'sins'."
His words were like icicles, piercing Wen Ling's fragile green barrier. Wen Ling opened her mouth, but found herself unable to refute. Under the absolute pressure of survival, Miao Weizhen's logic was cold but effective.
The atmosphere between the two dropped to freezing point again.
The turning point came in an accident: an old energy pipeline deep within the base suddenly ruptured due to overload, and deadly radiation and high-temperature steam instantly filled the channel.
At that time, Wen Ling was familiarizing herself with the area nearby and was trapped by the sudden alarm and leak.
Miao Weizhen rushed to the surveillance camera almost immediately. When he saw Wen Ling trying to find shelter but fell into a dangerous area because he was unfamiliar with the environment, his face changed suddenly. He didn't even have time to put on a full set of protective gear. He just grabbed a portable breathing mask and rushed in.
Amidst the scorching steam and piercing alarms, he found Wen Ling and dragged him behind the relatively safe isolation door. Miao Weizhen shielded himself from the splattering hot liquid with his back, his protective suit instantly corroding and emitting a burning smell. He pursed his lips tightly, cold sweat dripping from his forehead as he fought to contain the pain, but his movements to protect Wen Ling were remarkably steady.
"Don't move, wait for the engineering team." His voice was a little unclear behind the mask, but it carried unquestionable strength.
The crisis was quickly contained by the arrival of Lao Lin's team. Miao Weizhen suffered minor burns on his back and required treatment. In the medical room, as Dr. Keith tended to his wounds, Wen Ling stood by, observing his pale yet calm profile and the metal gear he clutched tightly in his hand, seemingly endowed with strength. The previous estrangement and anger over the "death" incident gave way to a more complex emotion.
This person can talk about using "corpses" without batting an eyelid, can trample on the rules without hesitation, but can almost instinctively use his body to protect him when danger occurs.
At night, Wen Ling returned to the observation deck and found Miao Weizhen there. His back injury clearly prevented him from sitting still. He was still gazing at the star called "The Guide."
Wen Ling walked over and silently handed him a cup of soothing agent prepared by Dr. Case.
Miao Weizhen took it without looking at it, his eyes still fixed on the starry sky.
"That star, the 'Guide.' The oldest beacon of the Siren."
Wen Ling looked at it and saw that the star was exceptionally bright against the background of star debris.
"It has witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations, and has also seen... the comings and goings of many people." There was a rare, almost sighing tone in Miao Weizhen's voice.
"Does it also include the reunion and separation of those 'dead people'?" Wen Ling asked softly, no longer questioning, but exploring.
Miao Weizhen finally turned his head, his eyes as dark as the night, deep and unfathomable. "Your Highness, this road is destined to be filled with filth, betrayal, and unwashable sin. The hands that drove all this are already stained with blood." He paused, his voice low, "You still have a chance to choose to leave and return to a relatively 'clean' place."
Wen Ling met his gaze, remembering his back blocking her way, the coldness with which he spoke of the "dead," and the weariness hidden in his eyes. The confusing clues and contradictory actions all seemed to point to a vague yet vast outline.
"Clean..." Wen Ling's voice was soft, but it was filled with decisive force. "From the day my uncle forcibly sent me away, I could never go back."
He looked directly at Miao Weizhen, his green eyes gleaming brightly in the starlight. "You helped me at Rust Harbor, and just now you stood in front of me. Whatever you were planning—"
He paused, his words clear:
"I'll follow you to the end."
Miao Weizhen stared at him for a moment, his expression unchanged. No approval, no emotion, only a look of almost harsh scrutiny. Finally, he twitched the corner of his mouth ever so slightly, a mocking, yet also a kind of confirmation.
"Remember what you said today." He turned around, looked at the starry sky again, and drank the liquid in the cup.
What drives him is not simply a lust for power, but something deeper, darker, and more resolute. And Wen Ling, having witnessed the depth of darkness and the contradictory guardianship, is being drawn deeper and deeper into the center of this vortex, unable and unwilling to withdraw.
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