Free Web NovelChapter 221: Chapter 221: Drifting in the Void
While Yue Yue and her husbands were surrounded by the warmth of the Sea Empire, the situation in the floating remains of Dune City was much darker.
The great spaceship was currently suspended in a pocket of unknown space. Without a set destination, it drifted aimlessly through the void, like a lonely star without any destination. Inside the command center, the air was heavy and cold.
Xing Luoguang stood by the massive glass window, staring out at the stars. He had been awake for several days now. Contrary to what many thought, he had actually regained consciousness only a few hours after his brother, Xing Luoye, had left with Yue Yue.
Since then, he felt as if the sky had fallen on his head.
He had woken up to a nightmare.
Their home, Dune City, had been brutally attacked by the Empire. His brother had made the ultimate sacrifice, surrendering himself and their precious mate to the enemy just to save the remaining citizens.
To make matters worse, they were both still suffering from the King Scorpion’s venom.
Xing Luoguang was now the only one left to lead. The weight of the entire city’s survival rested on his shoulders, while his brother and Yue Yue were in the hands of the very people who had destroyed their peace.
He paced the room restlessly, his footsteps echoing in the silence. The worry was like a poison of its own, slowly rotting his spirit from the inside out. He wanted to jump onto a ship and chase after them, but he was trapped here.
Just then, Xing Zhen, his brother’s most trusted right-hand man, entered the room. He looked tired but remained steady.
"Prince, you must stop pacing," Xing Zhen said firmly. "Your brother left specific orders for you."
Xing Luoguang turned, his eyes bloodshot. "Orders? He’s in the hands of the Empire, and you want me to sit still? How can I not worry?"
Xing Zhen stepped closer, his voice lowering.
"Prince Luoye told me to tell you this: Wait. He said he would be back soon with the antidote. Until then, your only job is to stabilize Dune City and find a safe way to settle our people. He told me to ensure you don’t worry about anything else. Everything is under control."
Xing Luoguang froze. He looked at Xing Zhen with a confused and incredulous expression.
"Under control?" he repeated. "He’s a prisoner, the city is a wreck, and we are lost in space. How is any of this under control?"
Xing Zhen didn’t offer any more details. He simply stood there, a silent wall of loyalty, following the final commands he had been given. He wouldn’t say another word, leaving Xing Luoguang to grapple with his own frustration.
Xing Luoguang turned back to the window. He was deeply confused by how quickly things had escalated.
He felt like a pawn in a game he didn’t understand, praying that his brother’s confidence wasn’t just a lie to keep him calm.
He was losing his mind. Every minute that passed felt like a sharp blade twisting in his chest.
Why was his brother hiding so much from him? And what about Yue Yue? Was she even safe?
How could his brother take her with him? Didn’t he say that she was already in the fleet ready to depart?
Remembering her innocent face, he couldn’t help but sigh.
He remembered that night, the night he had promised her his life. He had sworn to protect her, to return to her side, yet he hadn’t even been able to see her beautiful face one last time before she was taken. freewebnσvel.cøm
The guilt was eating him alive. He felt like a failure as a male and as a guardian.
Then, a sudden, cold realization hit him.
They were poisoned. Both of them. But how? Why hadn’t he noticed it sooner?
And the timing was too perfect, the moment they were weakened by the venom, the Empire’s forces had surrounded them. It couldn’t be a mere coincidence. It felt like a trap that had been set long ago.
He whipped around, his eyes burning with a desperate intensity as he looked at Xing Zhen.
"Does my brother know something?" he demanded, his voice cracking. "Was this planned? Is that why he’s so calm?"
Xing Zhen’s expression shifted instantly. He clamped his mouth shut, his jaw tightening so hard the bone stood out. He looked away, refusing to meet Xing Luoguang’s gaze.
That silence was the only answer Xing Luoguang needed. His heart sank. Xing Zhen was definitely hiding something from him on his brother’s orders.
"Tell me!" Xing Luoguang roared, finally losing his temper. "I am the prince of Dune City too! I have a right to know what is happening to my mate and my brother!"
When Xing Zhen still refused to speak, Xing Luoguang turned to storm out of the room. He was going to find the truth himself, even if he had to tear the ship apart to find the hidden logs.
But as he took a step, a sudden, violent convulsion racked his body. He buckled forward, clutching his chest as a sharp, burning pain exploded in his lungs.
Cough!
A spray of thick, black blood splattered onto the cold metallic floor.
Xing Zhen’s stoic expression froze. He rushed forward, catching Xing Luoguang before he could collapse.
"Prince! Don’t move!" Xing Zhen shouted, his voice finally showing a hint of panic.
He quickly pulled out a medical scanner, checking Xing Luoguang’s vitals.
"It’s the poison," Xing Zhen muttered, his face pale. "It hasn’t flared up again, but it’s still there. The suppressant is only holding it back. If you lose your temper and strain your core, the venom will melt your insides before the antidote even arrives."
He forced Xing Luoguang into a chair, his grip firm.
"Please," Xing Zhen whispered. "Don’t make your brother’s sacrifice useless. Just wait. He is doing everything to save you."
Xing Luoguang stared at the black blood on the floor, his vision blurring. He felt helpless, trapped in his own body while the people he loved were worlds away.
He was suddenly overwhelmed by a crushing sense of uselessness...forced to live in the shadow of his brother’s sacrifice, yet unable to even prove himself as a male capable of protecting his own female.
