Limited Ambiguity Chapter 49 Part 2

Chapter 49.2

The two bombs exploded in the distance, like flames suddenly igniting in the darkness, devoid of beauty apart from the danger they posed.

Seeing two red dots on the starmap, Lu Fenghan didn’t linger in battle but instead accelerated towards the jump point at full speed.

Outnumbered and outgunned, it would be foolish to insist on confrontation.

Unexpectedly, the two small ships seemed to be piqued by the aggressive maneuver of the microstarship and deviated from their original course, firmly pursuing them.

Were these space pirates so idle? Lu Fenghan cursed inwardly, but outwardly, he remained as calm and composed as the deep sea. In his mind, he quickly calculated the distance to the jump point, then glanced at the enemy starship approaching behind.

With a sudden sharp brake while speeding, the microstarship abruptly descended. The starship trailing behind, caught off guard, continued its rapid advance, about to pass over the microstarship.

In that fraction of a second, Lu Fenghan pressed the fire button. The small particle cannon immediately deployed and fired vertically upwards, hitting the enemy starship squarely on its hull!

The explosion cast a fiery glow on the control panel. Lu Fenghan didn’t have time to admire the “fireworks.” He released the control lever, lowered the power system to its lowest setting, and leveraged the force field generated by the explosion of the small ship to be pushed away like a leaf in the wind, avoiding the incoming projectile once again.

Lu Fenghan raised an eyebrow. “How many shots did they fire?”

Qi Yan: “Five.”

Lu Fenghan lightly tapped his fingertip on the metal surface of the control stick. “They certainly went all out.”

With that, he abruptly shifted the power system to its highest setting, pulling the control lever sharply backward. The microstarship veered sideways like an arrow released from a bow, while simultaneously, a projectile shot out from the cannon, hitting the enemy’s power source directly!

“Direct hit. Let’s go.” Lu Fenghan maneuvered the microstarship, swiftly streaking through space like a falcon. He pointed to the bright spots marked on the starmap. “Here’s the wormhole, and here’s the coordinates of the people coming to pick you up. You’ll be able to return safely to Lagoon Nebula when everything outside calms down.”

He didn’t know if the last sentence was to reassure Qi Yan or to reassure himself.

Meanwhile, on Lu Fenghan’s personal terminal, the transfer of the Pojun data core had reached sixty percent.

Looking at this number, Lu Fenghan felt a genuine sense of satisfaction.

It was as if the two of them still had a strong connection even when apart. Or perhaps, no matter what the situation in the future, he now had a reason to visit him— Pojun seems to be having operational issues, can you take a look?

Such thoughts diluted the separation anxiety.

The microstarship approached the jump point, then swiftly melded into it like a bullet.

Lu Fenghan released the control lever and gripped Qi Yan’s wrist. Realizing the awkwardness of his action, he casually remarked, “I just remembered, your personal terminal isn’t configured on your left hand.”

He disguised his intention as checking the progress displayed on Qi Yan’s personal terminal, but after saying it, he showed no intention of letting go.

Qi Yan made no attempt to pull away either.

The interior of the wormhole was a chaotic swirl of light and shadow, a visual assault that left them disoriented and slightly queasy. Yet, the two remained still, their hands tightly clasped together.

The time they tried to prolong slipped away quickly. From the moment they departed the jump point, Lu Fenghan activated the protective shield. However, no matter how careful Lu Fenghan was, he didn’t expect that what awaited them head-on would be a shockwave generated by an explosion!

The entire microstarship, like a tiny boat tossed about in a raging sea, capsized to one side. After observing, Lu Fenghan deduced that three Alliance starships and three rebel starships were engaged in a fierce firefight. For some reason, they accidentally entered this newly opened wormhole, transporting them directly from Leto to this vicinity.

And just moments ago, it was two medium-sized Alliance ships that exploded.

Lu Fenghan cautiously avoided the battle zone and headed straight for the rendezvous coordinates.

At this moment, within the battle zone, the three enemy starships had already surrounded the remaining Alliance starship. Just as the barrels of their cannons were heating up in unison, the Alliance starship suddenly maxed out its power systems in an unstoppable force, swiftly assaulting the enemy starships!

Flames erupted wildly as the Alliance starship self-destructed, engulfing all three enemy starships in the inferno!

After the explosion, the remaining enemy starships quickly redirected their cannons, indiscriminately targeting Lu Fenghan and Qi Yan’s location.

Lu Fenghan’s brow furrowed.

Before he could react, a medium particle cannon had already struck in front of him. Lu Fenghan agilely evaded it, but the attack range of the medium particle cannon was too wide. Despite moving at full speed, the microstarship still sustained damage.

Without hesitation, Lu Fenghan pressed a button.

The “ship damage” alarm was joined by a faint sound. Qi Yan realized he was strapped into his seat. He turned sharply to Lu Fenghan. “What are you doing?”

Lu Fenghan didn’t answer.

At the same time, like a burst of fury, the medium-sized enemy starship fired another medium particle cannon!

Despite narrowly avoiding it again, the red light indicating “ship damage” on the control panel became even more glaring.

Qi Yan quickly understood. He faced Lu Fenghan’s tense profile, his fingers trembling.

Lu Fenghan knew that Qi Yan had already understood.

Unlike the situation before the jump.

The two starships they encountered earlier were small in size and light in payload, so they were still capable of putting up a fight. But the one before them now was a medium-sized starship, equipped with an ample supply of medium particle cannons.

And once again, it was in a state of enraged aggression.

Despite Lu Fenghan’s tactical brilliance and exceptional operational skills, he was still unable to contend with the insurmountable hardware gap.

Even the ability to dodge consecutive attacks just now was only thanks to nearly a decade of frontline life-and-death trainings.

Qi Yan’s throat tightened. Heart racing, his gaze fixed on Lu Fenghan. “The people coming to pick me up are on their way—”

“Boom—”

The cabin alarm merged into a chaotic cacophony!

“Shield damaged, disengaging in fifteen seconds, 15, 14, 13—”

“Ship’s power system compromised, countdown two hundred seconds, shutting down soon, 199, 198, 197—”

“Heat source detected approaching! Please evade!”

“Oxygen levels in the cabin dropping rapidly, please take caution!”

Lu Fenghan dodged another barrage of medium particle cannon fire, but the entire starship was buffeted by chaotic energy fluctuations, trembling as if on the verge of disintegration.

Amidst the chaos, he reached out and pinched Qi Yan’s pale face, his voice still casually indifferent, “No time.”

Following the contours of Qi Yan’s face, Lu Fenghan’s hand paused at his jaw, gently lifting it upwards. Amidst the violent shaking and the blaring alarms, he lowered his head, leaned in, and pressed his lips against Qi Yan’s.

They were cool, yet soft.

Softer than he had ever imagined.

Lu Fenghan nibbled on Qi Yan’s lower lip, firmly but gently, mindful of Little Delicate’s fear of pain. Suppressing his own natural tendency for dominance, he relaxed his grip, holding for just two seconds.

It was a kiss rushed by circumstances.

The transparent shield rose the moment he withdrew his hand, forming a tight escape pod, enclosing Qi Yan within its safety.

Lu Fenghan instructed, “Inject oxygen into the escape pod.”

Upon hearing these words, Qi Yan shook his head vigorously, eyes reddening as tears streamed down his face, moistening his cheeks.

He stared intensely at the man before him. “Lu Fenghan, don’t do this… You’ll die!”

But there was only lip movement, no sound.

Qi Yan’s palm pressed against the transparent barrier, his knuckles strained to the point of losing color. His fingernails dug into the cuticles, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Lu Fenghan didn’t actually know what to say at a time like this.

He had contemplated dying in battle before. His envisioned scenario involved ensuring that the strategic follow-ups were passed on before his demise, so that the interim command wouldn’t be left in disarray. Once these instructions were given, there would be nothing else left to do.

He hadn’t designated a beneficiary for his death gratuity. With no family to claim it, the money would be used to support the families of fallen soldiers.

But the current situation was beyond his calculations.

The person before him seemed like an unexpected twist of fate as well.

He gazed at Qi Yan through the transparent shield, unable to shake off his concern. “I’m sorry for making the decision without your consent. If possible, forget this memory.”

Qi Yan bit his lower lip, shaking his head vigorously. Soon, blood welled up at the spot where Lu Fenghan had just kissed him.

A glaring red.

Lu Fenghan suppressed the pain in his heart, took one last look at Qi Yan, and ordered, “Escape pod, detach immediately!”

Qi Yan’s voice was so hoarse that he couldn’t make a sound. He continued to gaze at him, half his body pressed against the transparent shield, hoarsely calling out:

“Lu Fenghan—”

“Lu Fenghan—”

The electronic voice announced, “Detachment sequence ready!”

Lu Fenghan’s gaze remained focused, his voice incredibly gentle. “Be good. Your rescuers will arrive soon. Return to the Lagoon Nebula, and don’t come out until the war is over.”

“Lu Fenghan…”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“3—2—1—Detaching!”

As the escape pod was ejected, Lu Fenghan piloted the micro-starship, abruptly turning and then decisively attacking the enemy starship.

Qi Yan was trapped inside the escape pod, watching the damaged micro-starship receding into the distance, until it became a mere speck, until it vanished from sight.

He clutched at his collar, fingers spasming in a pallid grip, overwhelmed by grief that left his face ashen. He retched violently, his insides churning so intensely it felt like he might vomit blood.

In his heart, something was forcibly torn away.

With oxygen depleting in the starship, Lu Fenghan’s head began to spin. He regulated his breathing, piloting the microstarship, guiding the rebel medium-sized starship closer to the jump point.

Before this, the thought of “making sure Qi Yan survives” had been like an iron shard lodged in his mind.

Now, he couldn’t help but think that Qi Yan would surely blame him, but this was truly the only thing he could do now.

There was only enough oxygen in the pod for one person. Another second, and both would risk suffocation.

The shield had been shattered, the starship’s hull damaged. With just a tiny bit of force, the hull would lose all protective function, leaving them both exposed to cosmic radiation.

The situation was dire, with no time for the rescuers to arrive.

There was no turning back.

He didn’t regret it. Whether Qi Yan blamed him or resented him in the future, he didn’t regret it.

As long as Qi Yan was alive.

Qi Yan was still young, hadn’t seen much yet. He seemed aloof, but watching a fountain show could make him happy. Everything was novel to him, and even tying his bandage in a simple bowknot would keep him delighted for a long time.

Despite appearing smart, he was absent-minded in daily life.

Moreover, how could Lu Fenghan’s protected one die here?

Quickly calculating the distance of the escape pod at this moment, Lu Fenghan maneuvered the precarious microstarship and plunged into the jump point.

Following closely behind were the medium particle cannons and enemy starships.

A silent explosion.

The microstarship turned to powder. Lu Fenghan felt himself floating in the wormhole, countless lights and shadows reflected in his eyes, as if he were in a strange state of consciousness detachment.

He closed his eyes.

Qi Yan was safe.

Thinking of this name, he realized once again that he didn’t want to die like that. So, instead of approaching the medium-sized vessel to self-destruct, he crashed into this place.

He had once pondered early epitaphs, signed condolence funds, and written a will of no more than fifty characters. He had imagined countless scenes of death, even prepared himself to die for the Alliance at any moment, to sacrifice himself for the stars.

But now was different.

He had someone he wanted to take care of.

Someone he couldn’t bear to part with, even in the final seconds of his life.

At the moment his consciousness began to fade, the personal terminal on Lu Fenghan’s wrist lit up slightly. The characters on it changed from “Reception Progress: 100%” to “Forced Activation.”

January 7th, Year 217 in the Star calendar, the Foundation Day of the Alliance.

General Nie Huaiting personally wrote a letter titled “A Message to Fellow Citizens of the Alliance.”

“…The entire Fontaine-1 has fallen, its defenders slaughtered. Leto garrisons have bled for miles. The populace is in a state of panic. All of this is because traitors from within our ranks have been spreading rumors of the enemy’s invincibility, inciting unrest, sowing discord, and even colluding with the enemy for personal gain, disregarding the lives of their compatriots, endangering the safety of the Alliance.

……

The enemy is not an invincible god, nor an army that cannot be defeated. The galaxy still endures, and our fiery blood still flows. We shall march forth, undeterred by death, and with the name of victory, we shall honor the fallen and instill awe across the stars!”

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