Shadows of the Deep Space Chapter 1648: 531: Sorry (2)

October 2, 16:00.

Both the Light Shuttle and the Blood Ghost faced an assault from unknown creatures, forcing the two sides into a mandatory temporary truce.

October 2, 18:00.

The unidentified monster continued its relentless prowl. Not a single soul who ventured out returned.

October 2, 23:00.

The monster turned its aggression toward the ships, driving the Light Shuttle to the verge of destruction.

October 3, 00:00.

Colonel Lin Chuyu made the decisive choice to pilot her biological mecha alone, drawing the creature away from the others.

Su Ming fell into a heavy silence upon reading this log. He could almost feel the crushing isolation, desperation, and iron resolve she possessed in that final hour. Rhein and the rest of the crew exchanged wary glances, unsure of how to react. Survival aboard the vessel was far from certain without factoring in the danger of distracting such a beast, particularly while piloting a biological mecha.

After several minutes of profound quiet, Su Ming reached out to navigate further through the records.

October 3, 06:00.

Both the Light Shuttle and the Blood Ghost managed to flee the monster’s pursuit, yet we find ourselves completely adrift….

…

Su Ming scrolled down, discovering nothing but blank space thereafter.

“Celeste, is the data corrupted? Why is there no more information?”

“The file is intact. The secondary power source failed. The black box recorded audio which indicates that after 08:00, all activity ceased,” Celeste explained.

Upon hearing this, Su Ming turned his gaze toward Ankaga.

“Ankaga, take a squad to investigate the central control room of the Blood Ghost.”

“Understood!”

Ankaga gathered his men and departed immediately.

With his orders given, Su Ming stood motionless, scanning the logs repeatedly as his expression grew increasingly grim. Rhein and his companions hovered nearby, lacking the courage to speak.

A long while later, a remote transmission from Ankaga reached Su Ming’s symbiotic armor.

“Boss, the power plant of the Blood Ghost is functional, but the central control room has been shattered; there are no useful clues to be found,” Ankaga reported.

“I understand. Return to the ship,” Su Ming replied grimly.

“Yes!”

Ankaga responded at once.

At this moment, Rhein spoke up, his voice heavy with hesitation. “Boss, please accept my condolences.”

Su Ming remained mute, simply turning away and drifting off. Seeing this, the rest of the group followed closely, exiting the central command deck.

Shortly after, Su Ming’s party reached the living quarters. Their mechas were docked in the main corridor, with Hamiu and the others stationed as guards.

Su Ming engaged the gravity assist on his symbiotic armor and entered the room solo, while Rhein and his companions trailed behind in silence.

He soon arrived at Lin Chuyu’s quarters, pushing open the partially ajar door. Inside, the space was in complete disarray, with furniture and personal possessions floating in the zero-gravity environment.

Su Ming stepped inside alone. As Rhein and the others prepared to follow, Su Ming halted them with a raspy command.

“Rhein, search the other quarters. Gather the belongings of our fallen comrades so we may return them to the Federation to be given to their families—they at least deserve a keepsake.”

“Understood!”

Rhein led his team away immediately, leaving only Allu and Angel behind.

Su Ming stood in the center of the room, taking in his surroundings. He spotted a damaged photograph frame floating near the desk and retrieved it. The picture within showed Su Ming, Lin Chuyu, and An Ruoxue perched atop the Star Wall.

Su Ming carefully extracted the photo and tucked it away securely. He moved toward the wardrobe and pulled the doors open, revealing a collection of clothes, including a uniform from the Imperial Court Academy. Seeing these relics deepened his silence.

Allu stepped forward softly. “Let us handle this, sir.”

“Very well,” Su Ming nodded faintly.

Allu and Angel began to sift through the items, looking for significant memorabilia. Observing them tidy these final relics, a wave of melancholy washed over Su Ming, and he reflexively averted his gaze.

Suddenly, a blue diary drifted past him. Su Ming’s hand shot out, catching it. The journal, bound in actual paper, had been preserved quite well.

He opened the front cover, revealing Lin Chuyu’s name written in elegant script. For a moment, he felt dazed before turning to the second page.

Old Era 4606, August 3rd.

Today marks my 6th birthday. Mother bought me a beautiful dress and prepared a feast. I was so happy! But my greatest joy was Father’s return. He gave me a special gift: this diary. Father told me that even when he couldn’t be by my side, I could document my happiest memories to share with him later….

Old Era 4607, September 7th.

A dark day. Guests came to our home bearing terrible news. Father has gone missing within the Mist Star Sea. Mother wept uncontrollably, and I felt so helpless and miserable.

Old Era 4607, September 15th.

I woke from a nightmare and went to find Mother, only to see her sitting alone in the living room, crying in silence….

Old Era 4607, December 1st.

Ever since Father disappeared, Mother has been consumed by grief and weeping. To escape the painful memories, she brought me away from Starlight City to settle in the Thirteen Regions, where she opened a flower shop using her savings. Though she tries to appear strong, I often find her clutching Father’s photo, weeping silently in the dark. It was then that I vowed to cultivate hard, become strong, and journey into the Mist Star Sea to retrieve Father….