Chapter 59: Never Separated

The thought of Shao Ye had Lu Zhanxing struggling to keep his anger from boiling over. The fire inside him burned hot, but he shoved it down, forcing his focus back to the enemy's movements, refusing to let his emotions take control.

Out in the square, the pirates' armed forces stood at attention, a tight wall of muscle and weapons, dominating every crucial pathway, eyes sharp, ready to strike at the first hint of trouble. Every inch of their position screamed dominance, and Lu Zhanxing could feel the tension in the air, thick enough to cut through. It was the calm before a storm—and he wasn’t about to let it catch him off guard.

Shao Lan was talking to them, but the distance was too far to make out what was being said. The words were lost in the air, like whispers on the wind.

However, the members of the special ops squad were trained to read lips, and they did it with precision.

Lu Xinglan spoke first, his tone cutting through the tension like a knife: "Shao Lan, do you still remember our deal?"

Shao Lan’s eyes shot up to meet him, her gaze colder than the steel walls of a tomb. The hostile animosity between them was palpable, yet their temporary truce held, even though it felt like a thin, fragile thread. It wasn’t like the bloodthirsty rage she felt when she first saw his video call, when the mere thought of him made her want to rip his skin off. But the game was still on. Were they allies, or was Shao Lan just using Lin Na and him as pawns to get her brother back? She wasn’t sure.

Lu Zhanxing, steely and calculating, decided to hold off for now. He'd let the pieces fall where they may, watching this chaotic situation unfold before making any real moves.

Shao Lan flicked a glance at Lu Xinglan, a look so cold, it felt like he was already on death’s doorstep, just waiting to collapse.

Then she turned to her bodyguards, barely lifting her chin in a gesture that said, "Bring it here."

"Yes, ma’am," they responded, rushing forward, carefully transporting a bio-chamber with steady, deliberate steps.

Lu Xinglan’s gaze locked on the chamber containing Lin Na, and it was like someone had punched the air out of his lungs. His body stiffened, his eyes rimmed red as if a fire had been lit inside him, searing through every inch of his soul.

His knees buckled, and he collapsed beside the chamber, trembling hands hovering over the glass, barely touching it, as if afraid to break the fragile connection. His eyes glazed over with an overwhelming mix of longing and despair. There, just a breath away, but forever out of reach.

It was the kind of pain that hurt in ways words couldn’t capture. The worst kind of distance? When you realize you never had the chance to make someone fall in love with you before they slipped away forever.

Shao Lan frowned, her voice laced with impatience: "Where's my brother? I want to take him now."

Lu Xinglan slowly rose, his arm sweeping out with calculated precision. Instantly, his crew of heavily armed pirates swarmed in from all sides, closing in like a cage, the barrels of their weapons gleaming coldly under the harsh light. The atmosphere shifted, tightening like a bowstring, ready to snap.

But Shao Lan didn’t flinch. She was ice, calm and calculated, as though none of this phased her. Her voice, however, could freeze the very air: "Lu Xinglan, are you trying to start a war?"

Lu Xinglan’s eyes were empty, drained of hope, a shadow of a man who had already given up on everything. He sighed, defeated, and muttered, "Shao Lan, our deal was you’d bring Lin Na back. Now that you’ve failed, why the hell do you think you get to take my brother?"

Shao Lan’s eyes narrowed, an icy chill radiating from her. Her voice was a venomous whisper through clenched teeth: "Lu Xinglan, you better not even think about touching my brother."

Lu Xinglan grinned, a cruel, cold smirk that promised death without regret. "Bring the gift."

The words barely left his mouth before a doctor, clad in a white coat and trembling like a leaf in the wind, stumbled forward, a black box in his hands. He presented it to Shaolan with a shaky, forced reverence.

The box was elegantly wrapped with a delicate ribbon, the kind you’d give for something precious. But the card attached told a different story. It read: "For Lu Zhanxing’s 27th birthday. —Lu Xinglan."

The weight of that gift was heavier than any weapon, a reminder of the ruthless game they were all playing.

Shao Lan furrowed his brow, suspicion and wariness written all over his face. “Didn’t expect you to remember his birthday, let alone go out of your way to get him a gift. But this—this doesn’t look like a good one. What’s the deal, handing me the present meant for Lu Zhanxing? What’s your angle?”

Lu Xinglan replied, slow and unfazed, “Of course... I didn’t get the chance to deliver it myself, so I thought I’d ask you, Commander Shao, to handle this last little favor for me.”

Shao Lan's expression hardened, like he’d heard the most absurd joke in the world. He remained unmoved, his voice cold as ice. “Lu Xinglan, you think you can use me to do your dirty work? You’re delusional. If you’ve got the guts, go kill Lu Zhanxing yourself. Don’t try to pin it on me.”

Lu Xinglan, barely lifting an eyebrow, shot back, his tone laced with mockery. “Commander Shao, I always thought you were as cold as stone, but now I see it—you’re still so damn worried about your brother’s opinion, aren’t you? That’s why you’re too afraid to do what needs to be done with Lu Zhanxing, huh?”

Shao Lan’s patience snapped. The calm facade was gone, and his voice turned cutting. “Cut the crap. Hand over my brother. Whether you run off to the ends of the earth or stay holed up in this pirate den, I’ll let it slide. This is my final offer. Don’t make me use force.”

Lu Xinglan sighed, as though already resigned to his fate, slowly walking to the incubation chamber, kneeling with an almost reverent air.

“Commander Shao,” he said, his voice detached but laced with deep sorrow, “I have nothing left. I don’t even need to worry about the future anymore.” He paused before continuing, “This gift is for you. Thank you—for allowing me to reunite with Lin Na in my final moments.”

With a wild, almost deranged look in his eyes, Lu Xinglan opened the chamber without hesitation.

“Commander, watch out!” his bodyguards shouted. Quick as lightning, they pulled Shao Lan out of harm’s way, taking him far from the incubation chamber.

The moment it opened, a chilling mist poured out, followed by a thick, green poison gas. It leaked into the air, spreading with deadly intent.

The research team had been tinkering with Lin Na’s body for days, experimenting with deadly viruses, parasites, and bizarre substances. Any one of them could kill a normal person in an instant. The poisonous gas was even more dangerous than the one released in the eighth star system.

But Lu Xinglan didn’t flinch. He calmly pulled out the IV drip from Lin Na’s body, lifting her from the viscous fluid of the chamber. Clutching her to his chest, he whispered softly, like a man possessed. “Lin Na, we’re finally together. On the road to the afterlife, I’ll hold your hand and never let go.”

Everyone stared, shocked by his near-insane, reckless behavior.

Without the life-supporting conditions of the chamber, Lin Na’s body rapidly deteriorated, decaying as black blood oozed from her orifices. Tears of blood poured from her eyes, dripping down onto Lu Xinglan’s chest, burning through his flesh, hissing as they went.

But Lu Xinglan seemed oblivious, his face painted with a blissful, satisfied smile. “Lin Na, in the next life, could you love me just a little more? That’s all I ask. Just a little... and I’d be content.”

Of course, the dead can’t respond, but Lu Xinglan kept muttering, convinced that he had received an answer. “You didn’t say anything, so I’ll take that as a yes. See you in the next life, my little princess.”

He tilted his head slowly, his lips pressing against Lin Na's cold, lifeless ones in a kiss so tender it defied the venom searing through his veins. The poison, relentless as a swarm of ravenous ants, devoured his flesh, gnawed to his very bones, leaving them stark and exposed.

It was a sight too grotesque to stomach, a grim spectacle that turned even the strongest hearts to stone.

Shao Lan sneered, her expression twisted in unrestrained disgust as she shot a glance at the macabre display. Her lips curled in revulsion, brows knotted tightly, as if the scene itself was an insult to her senses. Without a second glance, she turned her attention to the gift box on the ground, crouching to pick it up.

One of her guards, visibly uneasy, stepped forward with a warning. "Commander, that box could be rigged—with gas, explosives, who knows. Best not to open it."

She barely acknowledged his concern, brushing it off like a pesky fly. With a flick of her finger, she popped the lid open.

What came next hit her like a freight train. Her eyes widened, pupils constricting to pinpoints. Her hands trembled, the box slipping from her grip.

A sharp crash shattered the tense silence. The box split apart on the floor, spilling its gruesome contents: a small glass jar, now fractured, releasing the acrid stench of formaldehyde into the air.

Even Shao Lan, ruthless and unflinching, a woman who’d sent countless lives to hell without so much as a blink, staggered back at the sight. Her face blanched as she turned away, unable to bear the vision of the tiny, mangled lump of flesh preserved in the vile liquid. Her steps faltered, and it took every ounce of willpower not to collapse.

"You bastard," she hissed, her voice a simmering volcano ready to erupt. Then, as if a dam had burst, her fury exploded.

She snatched the guard's pistol with a feral snarl and fired. Shot after shot tore through the air, raining lead with the ferocity of a thunderstorm. The clip ran dry, but her wrath was insatiable, her breathing wild and ragged as she glared at the smoking barrel.

Her scream cut through the chaos like a blade. "Kill them! Wipe every last one of these scumbags off the face of the earth! I don’t want a single survivor! Not one!"

The guards moved without hesitation. "Yes, Commander!"

What followed was pure carnage. Bullets ripped through the air, shattering bodies and scattering pirates like chaff in a hurricane. Though outnumbered, Shao Lan’s elite unit shredded their opposition with brutal efficiency, their enemies crumbling like a house of cards.

Amidst the storm of gunfire, Shao Lan moved like a specter of vengeance. Bullets whizzed past her, but she didn’t flinch. Her focus was razor-sharp as she cut a bloody path through the battlefield, her eyes locked on her goal: the medical ward.

She tore through the resistance, her movements precise and unyielding, leaving only silence in her wake. It didn’t take long before she reached the ward’s threshold.

A doctor stumbled out, nearly crashing into her. His face turned ashen when he saw her, his knees buckling. He raised trembling hands in surrender, his voice shaking. "P-please… we’re just following orders! Don’t kill me!"

"Where’s the patient you butchered? Take me to him," she demanded, her pistol pressing against his forehead, her tone icy enough to freeze the blood in his veins.

"This way," he stammered, too terrified to resist. He shuffled forward, leading her to a room where her brother lay.

Shao Lan’s breath caught in her throat. "Brother!" she cried, the word cracking with raw emotion.

She rushed to his side, her hands trembling as they gripped his. Tears spilled freely, streaking her hardened face.

Behind her, the doctor made the mistake of trying to slink away. Without even turning, Shao Lan fired. A clean headshot.

Her brother lay pale and still on the bed, his body marred by the aftermath of a brutal operation. Bandages wrapped his abdomen, and though unconscious, his face was a mask of torment, his brow furrowed as if trapped in a nightmare he couldn’t escape.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking as she clutched his hand. Tears streamed down unchecked, falling onto his skin. "I never meant for this. Never. I’ll fix this. I’ll take you far away, somewhere safe, somewhere no one will ever find us. Just like before. Just you and me, living simply, without all this chaos."

Her words were desperate, a frantic promise to undo the horrors that had been unleashed. But in her heart, she knew—there would be no going back. Only vengeance. And it would scorch the earth.