Exclusive Possession – CH 041

Chapter 41.

Yi Pucheng smiled faintly. “Deal. Your Highness, I will give you two minutes.”

The space outside the cabin remained dim, and the mercenary warship opposite us stood silently in confrontation, like a black monster. As Yi Pucheng finished speaking, his long, narrow eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of provocation in them.

Mu Xian stood silently, his expression aloof and unfathomable. The cabin was quiet for a moment; I could only hear my own heavy breathing.

At this moment, Mu Xian suddenly curved the corners of his lips into a faint smile.

“Yi Pucheng, you’re a robot,” he said.

robot! ?

I felt my mind go blank for a moment.

I remember Morin saying that in the Stan Empire, building fully humanoid robots was illegal. However, on other planets, it wasn’t necessarily restricted, and robots could be built to resemble humans exactly.

So Mu Xian meant that Yi Pucheng’s exterior was that of a person, but inside he was all metal?

I couldn’t help but look up, only to see Yi Pucheng clearly stunned, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes—this reaction immediately made me believe that Mu Xian was right.

My feelings were indescribable. I had initially perceived Yi Pucheng as sinister, cunning, and even terrifying. But he was actually a robot? Beneath his fleshy exterior, was he just as dim-witted and dull-witted as Morin?

Although the situation was still critical, the thought of Morin immediately made me feel less tense.

At this moment, Yi Pucheng had already suppressed his anger, smiled meaningfully, and suddenly leaned forward, pressing his face close to the screen, looking both handsome and ferocious.

“Unfortunately, you guessed wrong,” he said calmly.

Was I wrong? He wasn’t a robot? But his expression just now…

Before I could think it through, I heard Mu Xian calmly reply, “I haven’t finished. To be more precise, you’re half human and half robot.”

I was even more confused. Half-human, half-robot—what was that? Although Mu Xian also had some mechanical genes, according to Morin, it was just that there were some regulatory metallic micro-elements in his DNA sequence. Mu Xian had absolutely nothing to do with robots.

But Mu Xian was clearly right.

Yi Pucheng’s smile vanished instantly. After a moment of silence, he leaned back and remained silent.

A slightly contemptuous smile appeared on Mu Xian’s face, and he said, “A hundred years ago, a ‘mechanical modification technology’ was developed in the Milky Way. In theory, humans who underwent this modification, that is, half-human and half-robot, could use skin made of liquid metal to simulate and change their appearance and increase their combat power.”

Later, the Galactic Alliance deemed this technology illegal and destroyed all the data; the Xing clan, the mechanical race that invented this technology, also left the galaxy and disappeared without a trace, and the technology was lost.

But some galaxies had been illegally researching this technology, and now it seemed someone had succeeded.

Yi Pucheng’s lips curled into a mocking smile: “You seem to know quite a lot.”

Listening to their conversation, I felt a chill run down my spine—modification, turning a living person into a cyborg? The thought was terrifying. So Yi Pucheng was still human, just modified? He could use liquid metal skin to change his appearance at will?

so……

All the clues flashed through my mind like lightning—Adop, who was suddenly thrown out of the cabin on the day of the final battle; Adop, who behaved promiscuously with the nurse in the infirmary; Adop, who said meaningfully that Samuel was a good girl; Adop, who had just been ejected from the cabin wearing a white spacesuit; and in front of me… Yi Pucheng, who was also wearing a white spacesuit.

Mu Xian’s somewhat cold voice rang out: “On the day of your defeat, you killed Adop and took his place.”

Yi Pucheng actually smiled again, his eyes narrowed: “Why would you rather believe that I’m a cyborg who’s almost impossible to exist than doubt that Adop’s one of my people?” Although he was smiling, his tone was very cold.

Mu Xian paused for a moment before replying, “Adop’s parents were killed by mercenaries, so he couldn’t possibly be one of yours.”

So that was how it is. So when Mu Xian saw “Adop” escaping from our plane today, he already knew it was a fake?

Wait a minute, if Adop was fake from the start… I remembered the model he gave me on behalf of the pilots before we went to Softan, and I broke out in a cold sweat—the model must have had problems too. If Mu Xian hadn’t been so disgusted with it, we probably would have been in trouble long ago.

“Clap! Clap! Clap!” Crisp applause rang out. Yi Pucheng wore a half-smile, then crossed his arms and looked at Mu Xian, slowly uttering four words: “Very good. Perfect.”

Mu Xian looked at him calmly: “I hope you will keep your promise.”

“Mu Xian…” I couldn’t help but speak up. He was leaving me to go alone. What would he do?

Mu Xian quickly turned to look at me, his gaze stern, signaling me to shut up. I was taken aback; a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes, but he immediately turned back to look at Yi Pucheng.

“Sorry,” Yi Pucheng’s slow voice rang out, “the bet we made earlier was just a joke. To cut the weeds, you have to nip them in the bud.”

I was filled with both hatred and anger. Although I had somewhat expected Yi Pucheng to go back on his word, he was truly shameless.

I couldn’t help but look at Mu Xian, whose face was also icy cold, with a mocking smile flashing in his eyes.

But looking at him, my anger subsided. Because…

Because I didn’t have to leave him alone anymore, I could continue to stay with him.

I stared at him blankly.

Suddenly, the screen flickered, and the image blurred. Yi Pucheng’s voice faded away with the image: “One minute left, Your Highness, Miss Hua Yao. Cherish these last moments to say goodbye. Goodbye.”

***

The cabin fell into complete silence, a deathly silence.

I looked at Mu Xian, and he turned to look at me, too. His fair and delicate face showed a moment of stunned expression, but his gaze quickly returned to its calm and sharp state.

“Mu Xian, what do we do now?” I tried to make my voice sound calm, wanting him to know that I completely trusted him.

He didn’t answer, but strode over, pulled me quickly to the back cabin, sat me down, and secured us both to a chair with the seatbelt. I looked at his fair, jade-like face and quietly let him do as he pleased.

Suddenly, I felt his warm, strong hand cup the back of my head, and then my face was pressed against his chest. The pressure was a little strong, and my face stung slightly. But smelling his fresh, familiar scent and hearing his steady heartbeat, I felt inexplicably at ease.

At that moment, his deep voice came from above: “I just activated the emergency communication system, but Yi Pucheng is unaware of it. The fleet received the signal and will soon send someone to jump here.”

I was taken aback, then overjoyed—so that was how it is! I remembered that before I spoke with Yi Pucheng, he had typed a series of commands on the keyboard; it turned out he had activated the emergency communication system.

I looked up from his embrace: “You were just saying all that to Yi Pucheng to buy time?”

“Um.”

No wonder he spoke so much in one breath, unlike his usual concise self, and I also thought he couldn’t possibly believe that Yi Pucheng would keep his promise.

I couldn’t help but laugh and hugged him tightly. “That’s great! You scared me to death! I thought I was going to be blown up. You’re amazing. So what do we do now? The hatch is locked; how are we going to get out?” Even though I was used to his calm and collected demeanor, looking at his cool and serene face, I still couldn’t help but feel a flutter in my heart.

But he didn’t answer, nor did he smile. His dark eyes were deep and unfathomable, and suddenly he lowered his head and kissed me. He kissed me forcefully, as if with a familiar, intense desire. I felt as if he had completely swallowed my breath, and I was held tightly to his chest, unable to move an inch.

I was puzzled as to why he would ask for a kiss at a time like this. Shouldn’t we be trying to get help? Just as I was about to push him away, his lips moved away slowly and with great restraint. He rested his chin on my head, and his deep, gentle voice slowly spoke: “Hua Yao, there isn’t enough time.”

I was still a little breathless from his kiss, my mind went blank, and my breathing seemed to become sluggish.

Not enough time? Not enough reinforcements to come and rescue us?

I stared blankly up at him: “Is it too late?”

He didn’t answer, but just looked at me and said, “You will be fine.”

Hearing him say that, a strong sense of foreboding washed over me, and my voice became hoarse: “You are going to use your mental power? But Morin said you can…”

You would die.

He didn’t answer at all, just stared at me, his black eyes as if covered with frost, cold and hard.

“Don’t be afraid; I know what I’m doing.”

Did he know his limits? Could he control his mental power?

My mind went blank. This morning, he was still looking at me with that calm and gentle gaze, and I was lost in thought. He said his wife was beautiful, that 100,000 people in the capital would see me, and domineeringly demanded that I wear a veil.

But now, he was risking his life to use his mental powers to protect the two of us? I knew there was no other way, but I was really scared. What if something happens to him? What if I lose him…?

I didn’t want to lose him.

My nose tingled, and tears fell.

Through my blurry vision, he seemed to be silently staring at me the whole time. Then he lowered his head and gently pressed his face close to mine. Nose to nose, lips to lips. His warm breath lingered on my cheek, his voice almost inaudible.

“If I die, Hua Yao, I’m sorry.”

If I die, Hua Yao, I’m sorry.

This was the last thing I heard Mu Xian say before I lost consciousness.

The moment he finished speaking, I felt a surge of scorching heat rush out of his body. In an instant, I was enveloped in this burning heat, nestled in his embrace. It was his mental energy field, a mental force several times stronger than before. He closed his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, his marble-smooth face appearing as if he were asleep or perhaps already dead.

A pale blue light enveloped us, surrounding my vision. The outside world had been turned upside down, but our world remained silent. I saw the cabin above me explode into jagged fragments; I saw flames leaping up from my feet like venomous snakes. Then I saw the pale blue glow, like the pure halo of a star, quietly yet powerfully spreading rapidly outwards.

Everything was swallowed up by this soft and vast light. The wreckage of the plane was engulfed, the flames were extinguished, and even the debris floating in space was leveled by the light.

And we began to spin, to spin wildly. In the darkness, I saw a dazzling silver light enveloping the mercenary warship not far away—Yi Pucheng was about to leap away.

The next second, the blue light arrived. The warships of Yi Pucheng were as if dragged out of the leaping light by an invisible hand, silently torn into pieces, without a sound.

Everything went black before my eyes, and I lost consciousness.

***

The sound of water, the faint sound of water lapping against the shore, vaguely entered my ears. I felt a splitting headache, opened my eyes, and looked up.

The first thing I saw was a murky gray sky. Not the gloom of an overcast day, but a deep, somber gray that seemed to be the very color of the sky. My gaze slowly descended, and I saw the sea. The seawater was also gray, looking like an endless expanse of dark silk, gently floating.

Then came the beach, the rocks, and the soil. Everything was gray. Even next to the rocks, there were one or two small, weak plants, which were also gray.

This was a gray world. Where did I fall? Which… planet did I fall onto?

I sat up and found myself all alone on the vast beach. Apart from the sound of the waves, the world was so quiet it felt as if it were devoid of any life.

Where did Mu Xian go?

Recalling his overwhelming spiritual power that swept away everything and his face that seemed to be sleeping in the blue light, my heart ached, and a terrible guess arose: Could it be that he… disappeared along with his spiritual power?

No, definitely not.

I suppressed the pain in my heart and stood up unsteadily. My clothes were still intact, and I only had a few minor scratches on my body—Mu Xian had protected me.

The beach stretched out before me, rugged and pebbly, seemingly endless. In the distance, I could vaguely make out forests and mountains. My spacesuit indicated good air quality; I opened my mask and found breathing relatively easy.

I walked with uneven steps, not knowing how long I’d walked. My heels were starting to ache, but I endured it and kept going. I had to find Mu Xian. But what if he hadn’t fallen to this planet?

Thinking of him, I walked aimlessly. Finally, I came to a winding stream, also gray, nestled in the same gray grass. I tested the water with the miniature probe that came with my spacesuit; surprisingly, the water was drinkable. My mouth was already parched, so I scooped up a handful and gulped it down.

After drinking the water, I felt utterly exhausted and collapsed onto the grass, staring blankly at the vast sky. If he were also on this planet, he couldn’t be far away. But which way should I go?

“Well……”

Suddenly, a hoarse groan came from behind me. The sound was so low that it was almost inaudible, but to my ears, it was as shocking as thunder.

An indescribable joy welled up within me, and I turned around abruptly, only to see a huge gray rock standing at the foot of the hillside. Behind the rock lay a tall man.

Mu Xian!

I stumbled and ran over.

Closer, closer still. The man’s spacesuit was burned black and torn, and his mask had fallen to the side. I suddenly threw myself on top of him, grabbed his arm, and saw his face clearly.

I froze.

The dark gray marks couldn’t conceal his handsome face. His thick eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes were tightly closed; he was still unconscious but appeared to be in great pain.

It was Yi Pucheng? Why not Mu Xian?

I remember his spaceship was also affected by Mu Xian’s mental energy, so he also crashed onto this planet. How did he not die? A scourge lives on forever!

I stood up abruptly, overwhelmed with anger and disappointment. Seeing that he was still unconscious, I didn’t want to look at him again and turned to leave.

After taking only a few steps, a thought flashed through my mind: stop.

He was unconscious and completely unprepared.

If he woke up, the first thing he would do is kill me and Mu Xian.

I turned to look at him, stood stiffly for a moment, then made up my mind and quickly walked back to his side.

He fell silent and didn’t utter another sound; his chest rose and fell faintly, indicating he had fainted again. I searched his body for a while but couldn’t find the pistol and dagger—perhaps he had lost them when he fell to the planet.

I had no choice but to pick up a heavy stone from the side and aim it at his head.

Deep breath… I was going to smash someone to death, crush him alive. His brains might splatter and his flesh might be mangled… I steeled myself, forced myself to stop thinking, closed my eyes, and brought the rock down with tremendous force—

“Thump!” A heavy thud resounded, and I felt my heart tremble violently with the sound.

“Ah!” A cry of pain rang out, and I opened my eyes abruptly. I saw that Yi Pucheng’s head was covered in blood, and he was covering his head with one hand, suddenly starting to cough violently…

It failed! They didn’t kill him, but they woke him up!

I was incredibly frustrated, thinking that I was just grasping at straws in my desperation. He was a cyborg; how could I possibly kill him by smashing him?

I dared not strike a second time, so I hurriedly threw the stone away and ran away!

“Ah!” I had just stood up when I felt a strong hand grab my right ankle, and I was instantly unable to move. I lost my footing and was pulled to the ground.

I was terrified. I turned my head shakily and saw Yi Pucheng pressing one hand to his forehead and grabbing my ankle with the other, looking up at me. Blood was streaming down his face, making him look terrifying.

“Yi Pucheng, let go!” I roared.

His thick eyebrows furrowed again as he stood up and approached me, his dark, bright eyes seeming to be scrutinizing me intently. The sight of blood on his face terrified me, and I turned my head away. After a while, I heard him speak.

“Do we know each other?”

I froze, then turned to look at him.

He peered around, asking, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Where’s this?”

“…I don’t know where this is. I was already here when I woke up,” I replied, looking at him.

He pounded his head with his hand, released my ankle, grabbed a handful of grass from the ground, pressed it against the wound on his forehead, and looked at me suspiciously again: “What did you call me, Yi, just now?”

I was taken aback, and a cautious joy rose in my heart—he would not, could he…?

He probably had amnesia.

He was strong, and I was weak. Given his personality, he wouldn’t need to fake amnesia to deceive me. I wonder if his brain was damaged by my attack? Or maybe it was damaged when Mu Xian attacked him in space.

Is this… a stroke of luck amidst misfortune? I wonder how long it would take for his memory to return?

“…Yi Pucheng.” I couldn’t think of a solution for the moment, so I had to answer truthfully.

“Yi Pucheng?” He slowly repeated his name, pondered for a moment, then his sharp gaze returned to my face. “Anything else?”

I shook my head: “I don’t know. We were on a passenger spaceship together. You were sitting in front of me, and I only heard your name. Then the spaceship crashed, and I can’t remember what happened.”

He stared intently at me, and I tried my best to make my eyes appear innocent and guileless. But being stared at like that made me feel really uneasy.

After a moment of eye contact, he asked again, “Who are you?”

“The civilians of Stan,” I replied.

He nodded, whether he believed me or not, but after looking me up and down, he actually laughed. “Not bad looking. Looks like my luck isn’t too bad. Even in my misfortune, I still have a beautiful woman by my side.”

His sleazy tone disgusted me. I forced a smile but made up my mind—I’d sneak away the next time he fell asleep. If I ran now, firstly, I couldn’t escape, and secondly, he’d become suspicious. After all, what normal woman in distress would want to leave her companion? If I left, wouldn’t that expose my grudge against him?

Then he touched his forehead again: “Why am I bleeding?”

“Maybe it was from a collision,” I replied, feigning doubt.

He glanced at the large rock beside him, splattered with blood, and nodded: “Come help me bandage this.”

I had no choice but to bite the bullet and was about to walk over when I suddenly saw his gaze shift to behind me. Then I heard a pattering sound coming from the stream behind me, as if something was stepping out of the water.

My heart leaped into my throat, and I turned around quickly—

A tall man in tattered clothes stood up from the stream, clutching his forehead. His handsome face looked unusually pale, and his eyebrows and eyes appeared even darker, shockingly so.

Mu Xian!

My throat felt like it was blocked by a lump, and an overwhelming joy surged forth, almost engulfing me. Danger, Yi Pucheng—all were thrown to the winds. I ran towards him with all my might, but he stood still, his dark eyes like a deep, still pool, staring at me without a word.

I practically crashed into his arms, hugging his waist tightly: “Mu Xian! Mu Xian!” I had no other words, just repeatedly calling his name.

He was soaking wet and freezing cold. But I couldn’t care less; I buried my face in his chest, tears blurring my vision: “You are alright! That’s so good!”

Feeling his supple chest and strong arms again, I instantly relaxed.

But after hugging him for a while, I realized he didn’t hug me back and was unusually quiet. A sudden realization struck me—Yi Pucheng was still behind me! Mu Xian must be wary of him!

I immediately stood on tiptoe, put my mouth close to his ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of us could hear, “Yi Pucheng has amnesia.” Without me saying anything more, he definitely knew this was an opportunity!

Then I looked up at him.

Surprisingly, those cold, dark eyes didn’t look at Yi Pucheng but were fixed firmly on me. Seeing me look up, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, then his dark brows furrowed slightly, and he slowly spoke: “You are…”

I am?

My mind went blank for a moment, then I heard Yi Pucheng’s voice behind me: “Beautiful lady, your lover? Bro, do you know where we are?”

I turned stiffly to look at Yi Pucheng and heard Mu Xian beside me reply calmly, “I don’t know. And who are you?”