DPM Chapter 20-Wedding Night (1) Part 2
Translated by Snowfall77
Wu Xingyun didn’t remove his helmet. He just took a step back, saying into his communicator: “Report. The target has been shot. Over.”
The ship’s communication system, using loudspeakers, repeated Wu Xingyun’s unemotional announcement.
“Report. The target has been shot. Over.” The words echoed throughout the ship, coming back to rest over Ouyang Liu’s corpse stiffening with unresolved grievances.
The rest of the team arrived quickly, promptly cleaning up Ouyang Liu’s body and the blood stains. They packed him in a steel coffin, to be frozen. His remains ready for transportation back to the Federation.
Since the ship’s alloy window had been broken, space flight would not be possible. Luckily, they were on a resource-rich planet, with abundant oxygen, suitable for human survival.
They piloted the ship slowly back to their base. There, the mechanics set about synthesizing glass strong enough for transmission point jumping. When finished, they replaced the window.
The escort team had originally planned to leave in the morning, however the situation had changed. Both Wu Xingyun and Lu Hai felt it would be best for the team to leave precipitously, to avoid Mozun reneging in any way.
Lu Hai checked inventory, finding that Ouyang Liu had dragged the safe to the launch chamber. He belatedly fretted: “Lucky we got the ship back in time. Otherwise, if Ouyang Liu had made it off-planet, he would have destroyed all the evidence. Tell the Federation a pack of lies, make us out to be traitors. While we’d be stuck here trying to manufacture a new ship. By the time we’d get back to the Federation, with no evidence, no witnesses…It would have been too late.”
Wu Xingyun remained in his Ghost armor. Ignoring everyone, he cradled his gun, crouched in a corner.
He’d just shot and killed a man, without a moment’s hesitation. He never wavered when in battle. He’d been trained to be a decisive, determined soldier. Therefore, when he raised his weapon, his only thought would be to terminate the enemy.
Now the fight was over, and he’d gone back to being himself, feeling at a loss.
Had Ouyang Liu truly been damned? Did Wu Xingyun really have the right to end Ouyang Liu’s life?
Wu Xingyun couldn’t find the answer, couldn’t hardly think about it.
Lu Hai and those slated to leave had already boarded the spacecraft. Regarding Ouyang Liu’s cadaver, Lu Hai commented regretfully: “You blew his brain out, sure enough. Even if he is frozen, when we get back they won’t be able to extract memories from his cerebral cortex for evidence.”
Wu Xingyun just made a “hmm” noise. He’d hardly been thinking about such things, when he’d had his gun trained on Ouyang Liu. Instead, he’d single-mindedly focused on angles, what amount of force would be most effective, so that the dead body could still be used a zombie combatant if need be.
Lu Hai, sensing Wu Xingyun’s gloom, even after eliminating a traitor, figured Wu Xingyun must be worried. Lu Hai patted him on the shoulder. “Rest assured, if the Federal court summons you, we’re your witnesses! We’ll prove you made the right choice, killing Ouyang Liu.”
By the time Wu Xingyun looked up, Lu Hai was already on the gangway, waving goodbye to him.
The gangway leisurely retracted, as the ship gradually made its wobbly rise into mid-air, until with a whoosh it flew into the night sky.
In the dark hung a momentary blue dot, then nothing.
Wu Xingyun stood still in the central square of the base. Watching the blue point disappear, he felt ineffably melancholy.
He could hear the hum of insects, see dust motes floating under the lights. This wasn’t his first companionless mission. He’d done missions by himself before. But he’d never felt lonely. Because he’d known he’d eventually return to the Federation, to his company, and to his home.
Now his desolation sharply cut through him, distinct and painful.
Even the team of ten soldiers, along with the handful of miners, farmers, and scientists that had remained behind were no consolation.
For the first time, Wu Xingyun realized he could never go back. Home, the Federation, were very distant places now, farther away the emanations of a galaxy a hundred thousand years ago.
When he couldn’t distinguish anything in the starry sky anymore, Wu Xingyun slowly started walking back.
His task, being precise, would officially begin this evening.
From now on, he would remain on Yuanxing, a representative of peace. Mozun’s wife, to live with until death. Or until another war ignited.
He couldn’t seem to make his legs go fast, silently crossing the vast grasslands, watching the luminescent insects floating around. He’d never seen such things in the Federation, but he’d learned about them before coming. Fireflies. A creature previously unique to Earth, brought by Mozun to this similar planet.
Surrounded by the blinking glows, a solitary figure crossed the plains, set on completing his mission.
Too soon, he reached Mozun’s city.
Neon lights flickered everywhere, yet no pedestrians wandered the streets. The barely populated planet descended into deathly stillness at night.
Wu Xingyun remembered how to get to Mozun’s house. On the way, he passed where the wedding ceremony had been held. Already, the place had been cleaned, balloons, ribbons, and banners all vanished. Only a single street lamp shone dimly.
Through the faint light, Wu Xingyun realized it was raining, the sprinkles elongating like sliver threads.
Looking up, Wu Xingyun could no longer see the stars above. Yuanxing had no moon, making the nights even darker.
Following the path he recollected, Wu Xingyun found the small, lighted building quickly enough.
Its titian beams, contrasted with the barren, garishly bright main streets, gave the house an illusion of warmth.
Then Wu Xingyun thought of Mozun, and the comforting aura shattered. He took a deep breath. Tonight, there was another tough battle to fight.
Checking the time, Wu Xingyun found that dawn would be in five hours.
He went to enter the house, than stopped. His attire was rather inappropriate, still in his Ghost armor, with blood on his boots.
Should he switch clothing? Not that he had much options.
As he was hesitating, a voice came from the front room: “You’re back. Why don’t you come in? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
“Oh.” Wu Xingyun pushed open the door, peering into the room.
The house seemed the same as he’d left it. The black-clad man was sitting on the sofa, appearing a little tired, hand gently rubbing his brow. And the words the man spoke didn’t match the cold, harsh Mozun Wu Xingyun knew. “It’s raining outside. I thought you wouldn’t come back tonight.”
Wu Xingyun stood at the door, not knowing how to answer.
A hand under his chin, Mozun looked at Wu Xingyun: “Come in. This is your home now.”
A brief illusion come over Wu Xingyun, as if this scene was just his family waiting for him.
He tread forward, entering the room, the door swinging shut behind him.
Standing up from the sofa, Mozun moved deliberately. Staring at Wu Xingyun, step by step, Mozun came to his bride.
Mozun’s expression was clearly displeased, even more so when his eyes fell on Wu Xingyun’s blood-stained boots.
Even if the boots had been clean, Wu Xingyun couldn’t have hoped to hide from Mozun’s keen senses.
Indeed, Mozun’s voice became chillier: “You killed someone? Who?”
“That’s our internal affair,” Wu Xingyun answered. “You don’t have the right to ask.”
Mozun was too close again, and Wu Xingyun instantly took a step back, bumping against the closed door, with nowhere else to go.
His gaze boring into the small soldier before him, Mozun considered just how long he’d been waiting for.
Originally, Mozun had thought he’d have plenty of nighttime to spend with his newlywed spouse. He’d even specifically come home early, only to unexpectedly find no one in the bedroom.
“Today is our wedding day, you shouldn’t have blood on your hands!” Mozun’s sounded like it was coming from his chest. “You didn’t follow our agreement! Now you’re going to get your due punishment.”
Mozun lowered his head, leaning in towards Wu Xingyun’s lips.
DPM Chapter 20-Wedding Night (1) Part 2
Translated by Snowfall77
Wu Xingyun didn’t remove his helmet. He just took a step back, saying into his communicator: “Report. The target has been shot. Over.”
The ship’s communication system, using loudspeakers, repeated Wu Xingyun’s unemotional announcement.
“Report. The target has been shot. Over.” The words echoed throughout the ship, coming back to rest over Ouyang Liu’s corpse stiffening with unresolved grievances.
The rest of the team arrived quickly, promptly cleaning up Ouyang Liu’s body and the blood stains. They packed him in a steel coffin, to be frozen. His remains ready for transportation back to the Federation.
Since the ship’s alloy window had been broken, space flight would not be possible. Luckily, they were on a resource-rich planet, with abundant oxygen, suitable for human survival.
They piloted the ship slowly back to their base. There, the mechanics set about synthesizing glass strong enough for transmission point jumping. When finished, they replaced the window.
The escort team had originally planned to leave in the morning, however the situation had changed. Both Wu Xingyun and Lu Hai felt it would be best for the team to leave precipitously, to avoid Mozun reneging in any way.
Lu Hai checked inventory, finding that Ouyang Liu had dragged the safe to the launch chamber. He belatedly fretted: “Lucky we got the ship back in time. Otherwise, if Ouyang Liu had made it off-planet, he would have destroyed all the evidence. Tell the Federation a pack of lies, make us out to be traitors. While we’d be stuck here trying to manufacture a new ship. By the time we’d get back to the Federation, with no evidence, no witnesses…It would have been too late.”
Wu Xingyun remained in his Ghost armor. Ignoring everyone, he cradled his gun, crouched in a corner.
He’d just shot and killed a man, without a moment’s hesitation. He never wavered when in battle. He’d been trained to be a decisive, determined soldier. Therefore, when he raised his weapon, his only thought would be to terminate the enemy.
Now the fight was over, and he’d gone back to being himself, feeling at a loss.
Had Ouyang Liu truly been damned? Did Wu Xingyun really have the right to end Ouyang Liu’s life?
Wu Xingyun couldn’t find the answer, couldn’t hardly think about it.
Lu Hai and those slated to leave had already boarded the spacecraft. Regarding Ouyang Liu’s cadaver, Lu Hai commented regretfully: “You blew his brain out, sure enough. Even if he is frozen, when we get back they won’t be able to extract memories from his cerebral cortex for evidence.”
Wu Xingyun just made a “hmm” noise. He’d hardly been thinking about such things, when he’d had his gun trained on Ouyang Liu. Instead, he’d single-mindedly focused on angles, what amount of force would be most effective, so that the dead body could still be used a zombie combatant if need be.
Lu Hai, sensing Wu Xingyun’s gloom, even after eliminating a traitor, figured Wu Xingyun must be worried. Lu Hai patted him on the shoulder. “Rest assured, if the Federal court summons you, we’re your witnesses! We’ll prove you made the right choice, killing Ouyang Liu.”
By the time Wu Xingyun looked up, Lu Hai was already on the gangway, waving goodbye to him.
The gangway leisurely retracted, as the ship gradually made its wobbly rise into mid-air, until with a whoosh it flew into the night sky.
In the dark hung a momentary blue dot, then nothing.
Wu Xingyun stood still in the central square of the base. Watching the blue point disappear, he felt ineffably melancholy.
He could hear the hum of insects, see dust motes floating under the lights. This wasn’t his first companionless mission. He’d done missions by himself before. But he’d never felt lonely. Because he’d known he’d eventually return to the Federation, to his company, and to his home.
Now his desolation sharply cut through him, distinct and painful.
Even the team of ten soldiers, along with the handful of miners, farmers, and scientists that had remained behind were no consolation.
For the first time, Wu Xingyun realized he could never go back. Home, the Federation, were very distant places now, farther away the emanations of a galaxy a hundred thousand years ago.
When he couldn’t distinguish anything in the starry sky anymore, Wu Xingyun slowly started walking back.
His task, being precise, would officially begin this evening.
From now on, he would remain on Yuanxing, a representative of peace. Mozun’s wife, to live with until death. Or until another war ignited.
He couldn’t seem to make his legs go fast, silently crossing the vast grasslands, watching the luminescent insects floating around. He’d never seen such things in the Federation, but he’d learned about them before coming. Fireflies. A creature previously unique to Earth, brought by Mozun to this similar planet.
Surrounded by the blinking glows, a solitary figure crossed the plains, set on completing his mission.
Too soon, he reached Mozun’s city.
Neon lights flickered everywhere, yet no pedestrians wandered the streets. The barely populated planet descended into deathly stillness at night.
Wu Xingyun remembered how to get to Mozun’s house. On the way, he passed where the wedding ceremony had been held. Already, the place had been cleaned, balloons, ribbons, and banners all vanished. Only a single street lamp shone dimly.
Through the faint light, Wu Xingyun realized it was raining, the sprinkles elongating like sliver threads.
Looking up, Wu Xingyun could no longer see the stars above. Yuanxing had no moon, making the nights even darker.
Following the path he recollected, Wu Xingyun found the small, lighted building quickly enough.
Its titian beams, contrasted with the barren, garishly bright main streets, gave the house an illusion of warmth.
Then Wu Xingyun thought of Mozun, and the comforting aura shattered. He took a deep breath. Tonight, there was another tough battle to fight.
Checking the time, Wu Xingyun found that dawn would be in five hours.
He went to enter the house, than stopped. His attire was rather inappropriate, still in his Ghost armor, with blood on his boots.
Should he switch clothing? Not that he had much options.
As he was hesitating, a voice came from the front room: “You’re back. Why don’t you come in? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
“Oh.” Wu Xingyun pushed open the door, peering into the room.
The house seemed the same as he’d left it. The black-clad man was sitting on the sofa, appearing a little tired, hand gently rubbing his brow. And the words the man spoke didn’t match the cold, harsh Mozun Wu Xingyun knew. “It’s raining outside. I thought you wouldn’t come back tonight.”
Wu Xingyun stood at the door, not knowing how to answer.
A hand under his chin, Mozun looked at Wu Xingyun: “Come in. This is your home now.”
A brief illusion come over Wu Xingyun, as if this scene was just his family waiting for him.
He tread forward, entering the room, the door swinging shut behind him.
Standing up from the sofa, Mozun moved deliberately. Staring at Wu Xingyun, step by step, Mozun came to his bride.
Mozun’s expression was clearly displeased, even more so when his eyes fell on Wu Xingyun’s blood-stained boots.
Even if the boots had been clean, Wu Xingyun couldn’t have hoped to hide from Mozun’s keen senses.
Indeed, Mozun’s voice became chillier: “You killed someone? Who?”
“That’s our internal affair,” Wu Xingyun answered. “You don’t have the right to ask.”
Mozun was too close again, and Wu Xingyun instantly took a step back, bumping against the closed door, with nowhere else to go.
His gaze boring into the small soldier before him, Mozun considered just how long he’d been waiting for.
Originally, Mozun had thought he’d have plenty of nighttime to spend with his newlywed spouse. He’d even specifically come home early, only to unexpectedly find no one in the bedroom.
“Today is our wedding day, you shouldn’t have blood on your hands!” Mozun’s sounded like it was coming from his chest. “You didn’t follow our agreement! Now you’re going to get your due punishment.”
Mozun lowered his head, leaning in towards Wu Xingyun’s lips.
