MPWATMBC Chapter 116

The situation has become somewhat delicate.

The fake Audie controls the flower spider, the pirates control the real Audie, and Ryan and his team… they control the ammunition depot.

Everything is interconnected, mutually restraining one another.

What is controlling the fake Audie?

It’s Ryan’s promise. In their prior, brief exchange, they had tacitly completed a deal—if the fake Audie helped, Ryan would ensure she got the life she wanted after his victory. With this agreement, the chain was truly and completely secured.

For a moment, the scene was eerily silent. The stillness lingered, broken only by the occasional spasms of the flower spider that had been hit by the insecticide. It twitched pitifully, its many eyes conveying its discomfort and helplessness.

The tall leader, watching his beloved flower spider writhe and cry out in pain, looked as though his heart had been torn apart. He roared, “Get out! Let go of Hua Hua!”

‘Audie’ pursed her lips, as if to say: Look, hadn’t she already told them? She was irrelevant, dispensable, and no one cared about her. ‘Audie’ looked at Ryan with grievance in her eyes, silently telling him that she truly didn’t matter.

The flower spider twitched twice. ‘Audie’ said, “Don’t come any closer. If you do, I’ll kill it—this damned bug. I’ll tear off all its legs, pop its eyes, and stomp hard on its belly, like smashing a pile of disgusting broccoli.”

On the way from the “eastern” cave town, Ryan had used insect repellent spray multiple times. While walking through the desert at night, none of the beasts lurking throughout the sands noticed them, ensuring their safe passage without any attacks. At the time, Ryan explained that the spray masked their scent, making them undetectable to the creatures. What he hadn’t mentioned was that, in large doses, this repellent could incapacitate any living being, humans included, and a flower spider was no exception.

‘Audie’s’ hand glided over the flower spider’s body. This creature, once so domineering within the walls, now trembled and let out pitiful hissing sounds, trying to elicit sympathy from its captors. But it wasn’t cute or endearing, and its appearance was far from convincing enough to tug at the heartstrings of any little girl. The only one in the room distressed by its state was the pirate leader, who gazed at the flower spider with heartbreak. “Baby, Hua Hua, don’t cry. Daddy will get you out soon.”

The flower spider hissed, “Sss sss.” Hurry up, then! If it could speak, that would undoubtedly be its reply.

‘Audie’ laughed loudly and then applied pressure to the spider, “accidentally” snapping off one of its legs. The flower spider let out a weak, anguished hiss, writhing in pain. ‘Audie’ seemed to thoroughly enjoy the moment, an uncontrollable wildcard in the situation. Without warning, she suddenly raised her hand and pointed at the “strategist,” declaring, “Fake—it’s a man.”

Fan Lanting reacted in an instant, wasting no time. He swiftly drew a gun and pressed it against the pirate leader’s head. “Release her.”

The pirates were dumbfounded. Instinctively, they reacted by pointing half of their guns at Fan Lanting. If he dared to act, he would be riddled with bullets instantly.

The stalemate continued.

Bandner looked anxiously at Ryan, unsure what this man was thinking or why he remained motionless in the face of the deadlock.

Ryan had always said he was waiting. Waiting for what? Reinforcements, of course.

Suddenly, a meteor streaked across the sky. It left a brilliant and dazzling trail in the night, a rare sight on the Savage Star. For a moment, it drew everyone’s attention. As the meteor vanished, a faint white dot lingered in the sky. That white dot began to grow, becoming larger and larger, until it transformed into a massive, imposing figure in everyone’s eyes—a majestic, winged lion hovering above them. Its overwhelming presence weighed down on everyone, suffocating them with its sheer authority. It didn’t even need to brandish weapons; its mere appearance struck an irreparable blow to their morale.

Ryan gazed at the beast-like mecha that seemed so close he could almost reach out and touch it. Through the lion-shaped mecha, it was as if he could see Auston himself. A grin spread across his face as he said casually, “See? This is the result I was waiting for.”

He had brought Yuan Chu and Code Zero along, not merely to pilot the starship or gather intelligence. They were equipped with signal transceivers that allowed Ryan to communicate with the outside world independently, without relying on the strategist’s external network. The device, however, could only locate a signal and be used once within a span of ten to fifteen days, making it a precious tool.

When chaos erupted within the walls, Ryan had immediately sent the two to contact Auston, urging the army to speed up their advance.

Ryan looked up and saw two small mechas standing side by side on the back of the beast-shaped mecha, their heads lowered as they gazed at him. Yuan Chu’s eyes flickered, as if sending a smug message: “I got closer to the General before you did.”

Ryan: “…”

A cannon emerged from the shoulder of the white beast-shaped mecha floating above the walls, its dark barrel aimed directly at the stone houses below. At the same time, Auston’s voice came through: “Drop your weapons.”

The unspoken message was simple: Don’t drop your weapons, and you’ll all die.

Under the crushing dominance of absolute firepower, reasoning was unnecessary. The arrival of the army marked the pirates’ inevitable doom. The pirates were subdued one by one, and even the flower spider, which had been incapacitated, was treated the same as the pirates. It, too, was a bloodstained executioner.

Inside the walls, soldiers worked in an orderly manner. Bandner sat with his sister and the others from the “eastern” group, their expressions filled with confusion. He instinctively looked up, searching for Ryan’s figure, and spotted him effortlessly.

Ryan stood side by side with General Auston, the two of them forming a striking scene amidst the ruins within the walls.

“Brother.”

Bandner instinctively responded, “Mm.”

Audie blinked nervously. “Brother, are we safe now?”

Bandner glanced at the efficient soldiers carrying out their tasks and nodded. “Yes, definitely.”

Audie hesitated before asking, “Will we be able to live on the surface?”

Bandner reassured her, “We can.”

Audie lowered her head and murmured softly, “I… I don’t want to leave Savage Star.” She had never left before; her entire world was the cave town and the beast-filled Savage Star. The outside world felt overwhelming and unfamiliar to her.

Bandner looked at her gently and said, “You don’t have to.”

Audie suddenly lifted her head to look at her brother. “Huh?!”

Bandner ruffled Audie’s hair and said with a soft smile, “Yes, if you don’t want to leave, then we won’t.”

His mindset had matured greatly. Under Ryan’s guidance and influence, he had learned to think calmly and rationally instead of impulsively chasing his desires. In the past, he had been reckless, fixated on leading his people out of the cave town and Savage Star, determined to secure Imperial citizenship and live a legitimate life. He had constantly emphasized his vision to his people, painting a rosy picture of the outside world, yet failed to notice the confusion in their eyes or the elders’ worried expressions. He had dismissed their concerns as the cautious hesitation of old age. Looking back now, Bandner realized how naïve and immature he had been.

Bandner said, “Do you see the general standing with Ryan? He’s a great person and my idol. I want to talk to him about staying on Savage Star and building a city of our own here. Audie, would you like that?”

Hearing her brother’s vision, Audie’s eyes lit up. She nodded vigorously. “I’d love that! This is our home, and I’m willing to fight for it.”

Bandner laughed. “Don’t keep saying ‘I’d love that.’ Save it for when you’re marrying your future groom.”

Audie puffed up her cheeks and declared, “I’ll marry someone amazing in the future—someone like…” She tilted her head, considering carefully, before settling on a name. “Someone as incredible as Fan Lanting!”

Bandner froze. “…Isn’t that a bit too amazing?” He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he realized, at least she hadn’t set her sights on someone like Ryan—that would’ve been nearly impossible to match!

Bandner muttered to himself, “Not bad, not bad.”

Meanwhile, Fan Lanting sneezed, rubbing his nose as he briskly walked toward Ryan and Auston. Freed from his heavy disguise, he moved with ease. After a quick greeting, he said, “I’ve been wondering whether the pirate leader ever figured out I was impersonating someone else. He said he didn’t.”

This answer left Fan Lanting slightly disappointed—it seemed he had overestimated the leader, imagining him to be more cunning and calculating, as though every meaningless action hid some deeper intent.

“I also asked him why his ghoul-faced rose spider could live so long.” Fan Lanting looked at Ryan expectantly, clearly hoping for a reaction.

Ryan, ever perceptive, played along. “Why?”

“Because it’s a hybrid species!” Fan Lanting groaned in disappointment, shrugging. “I thought he might have some secret cultivation method, or maybe had access to some life-extension biotech. But no, that’s the answer. Truly disappointing. I also asked him why he collected Huaxia books. He thought about it for a long while and finally said it was because he was bored and found them interesting at the time.”

Every answer felt underwhelming, and Fan Lanting decided to quit overthinking in the future. He’d leave wild speculation to… well, to novelists and storytellers.

Finally, Fan Lanting said, “As long as you threaten the leader with his flower spider, he’ll spill everything. Turns out he’s just a pirate obsessed with petting his spider. I even got the starfield coordinates from him—they’ve already been sent to the General’s personal terminal.”

Auston nodded slightly. “Mm, you’ve worked hard.”

Fan Lanting smiled. “It’s nothing, General. I’ll take my leave now.” He tactfully decided not to linger and interrupt Ryan and Auston’s private time.

Of course, to Ryan, being surrounded by bustling activity hardly counted as “private time.” With only some finishing tasks left to handle, a senior officer could easily oversee the situation. Auston didn’t need to be here in person—this entire operation could’ve been managed remotely with his instructions.

But Auston came because Ryan was here.

Looking at the man he had missed day and night, Ryan said, “I found a beautiful sight here.”

Auston gazed back at the person who occupied his thoughts. “Are you going to show me?”

“That’s exactly my intention,” Ryan said. “Shall we go?”

“Alright.” Auston’s usually stoic face softened with a smile. “Let’s go.”

The “beautiful sight” Ryan spoke of was the sea of fireflies he had seen on the way, along with the ant-built city below, illuminated by the glowing insects. It was a masterpiece of nature, a breathtaking and mythical scene that made people reluctant to leave.

The two of them sat on the ground, side by side, shoulders leaning gently against one another. There was no overly intimate gesture, yet their closeness was palpable.

After quietly admiring the scenery for a while, Auston spoke. “The interim government has been dissolved. The new government is now established, and its first order of business will be the national memorial ceremony.”

“Are we going to Dawn Avenue to pay tribute to Qin Feng?”

Auston nodded. “Yes, in half a month.”

Ryan decisively said, “I don’t want to attend in person.” He didn’t even want to watch any livestreams, videos, photos, or news about the national memorial…

Auston smiled, pressing his lips together. “Mm, neither of us will go.”

Ryan smiled back. “I just want to go home and see our little one.”

“Do you want to do a holographic call?”

With the arrival of the military, a signal station had been set up on Savage Star, so communication was no longer an issue.

“The child must be asleep by now,” Ryan said, sighing, feeling a little wistful about the lost opportunity for their two-person world.

Auston replied, “He just woke up. It’s afternoon on the planting star, and he’s just finished his nap.”

Ryan nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Alright.”

The communication was connected, and Ryan saw his child materialize in front of him. He reached out, but his hand only touched the air. Despite the distance of thousands of miles, it almost felt like he could sense the child’s warmth. He was nervous, fearing that his child would look at him with the same unfamiliar gaze. But to his surprise, the little one blinked and shouted brightly, “Daddy!”

Ryan, filled with a mix of hope and fear, widened his eyes. “Tuantuan, Daddy missed you so much.” His heart was overwhelmed with emotion—his son had called him first.

Auston secretly gave Tuantuan a thumbs-up, and the little one smiled widely. He rushed toward Ryan’s embrace, but when he missed, he wasn’t afraid. This was a game they often played. He stood up and tried again, calling out in his babyish voice, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy…” Ryan eagerly opened his arms to receive him, feeling a deep sense of fulfillment in his heart.