Lessons on Raising a Partner

Chapter 55: To win, you have to bleed

“What about Lydney?” Carl looked around for Lydney at once. Ayulon’s had good eyesight. The darkness was nothing to him.

“I’m here,” Lydney’s voice came from deeper inside the cabin.

When Carl listened, he didn’t even grab the flashlight Alia handed him. He ran straight to Lydney. “How did you fall there? Did you get hurt?”

“No, but I seem to be stuck.”

“Don’t move! I’ll be right over.”

“I seem to be able to move.” Lydney struggled to get up there and did not know what to press. The cabin shook violently. In a moment, all the lights gradually turned on. One by one, they lit up every corner of the cabin. The blinding white light hurt Lydney’s eyes. He reached out and blocked them. Carl’s pupils shrank, but it was only a dragon’s automatic reaction from the strong light.

Hai’an was also punctured by the light, the corners of his eyes immediately provoked some physiological tears. Auguste saw Hai’an raise his hand to cover his eyes, and immediately put his hand in front of Hai’an, covering his face.

All the lights on the control desk in the spaceship were on.

“Hello, welcome to Expeditionary Ship 9.” The spacecraft’s intelligent system sent out a deep bass greeting.

When Alia went to the console and pressed a few buttons, the door of their subcompartment opened. “All the information is in the main control room. We’re going to the main control room.”

Along the way, only the white lights were on overhead, the whole ship was silent, the cabin was covered with a layer of grey, and, in some places, the wall lights were flashing and smoking. Jamie was walking carefully ahead with a heavy machine gun.

“Why are you so careful? There’s not even a body here.” Colin walked behind carelessly and said something casually.

Corson thought his brother’s mouth was too cheap. “Why are you so annoying?”

“I’m telling the truth. Isn’t it good to have nobody?”

As Auguste walked, he suddenly squatted down because there was a dried-up bloodstain under his feet. Carl went to him and looked around. There was a door next to them. Carl opened the door and found it was a kitchen.

“The blood of an Ayulon.” Carl sniffed at a knife on a cutting board.

Colin was shocked, “What? Someone ate an Ayulon?”

Carl did not answer him, but frowned tightly.

“The main control room is coming. Let’s go and see the ship’s records first.” Alia stood at the door and said to them.

Once each spaceship started to operate, there would be a ship’s diary, following the spaceship into space, recording everything that happened on the spaceship, as long as the ship’s diary was found, everything will be easy to do.

“Yes.” Auguste agreed, but did not move.

Hai’an looked up at Auguste. He was looking down at the ground, not knowing what he was thinking.

Auguste, this is... Are you afraid?

Colin looked at Auguste and Carl, sighed and took the lead. But when they opened the door of the main control room, they were disgusted.

In front of the main control room was a transparent floor window, which was similar to the design of the Vagrant. They could clearly see all the scenes outside from the inside. But now the transparent glass was full of flesh-pink worm monsters. Their fine and dense feet twisted and wriggle on the glass.

This visual effect was really not beautiful.

Colin, the first to step into the main control room, couldn’t do it. “Fuck, I’m going to throw up.” He leaned against the door frame and squatted down. “It’s disgusting.”

Alia went up to the main console and pressed the light shield, which covered the slender legs of the worm monsters outside, but she tried to search the ship’s travel records and found that they had to have crew qualification certificates to check the diaries.

“We have no credentials.” Alia put down her hand. “And I can’t decipher this defense system.” But then she waved to Lydney, “Lydney, you try it.”

“Ah? Okay.” Lydney was called by name, a little stunned, but immediately agreed. “I’ll try.”

Lydney’s slender fingers were tapping fast on the keyboard, and the screen kept popping out some code, reflecting on his pale brown eyes and printing out a ray of light.

The waiting time was long, and Auguste took Hai’an out.

“Auguste, where are you going?” Carl shouted behind him.

“I’ll check out the crew’s dormitory.” Auguste’s low voice came from afar.

Colin stood up from the ground as soon as he heard it. He wanted to go to the crew’s dormitory to see what he might find. “I’m going too.”

“Then you all go. I’ll stay with Lydney.” Carl moved a chair and sat next to Lydney.

“Okay,” Jamie stood up and put the heavy machine gun on the table in the main control room. “Let Carl and Lydney stay here. Let’s go to the crew’s dormitory and have a look.”

“All right.” Alia also put down her backpack. There should be no danger on the ship. Besides, Lydney would be safe with Carl’s protection.

Auguste, holding Hai’an in his arms, entered the crew member’s bedroom. There used to be two people living there. The towels and toothbrushes in the bathroom were in pairs, and there were two pillows on the bed. Hai’an also saw a picture frame on the bedside table. Auguste also sees it. He walks over with Hai’an and picks up the picture frame.

There are two very handsome men in the picture. A weaker looking man hangs around the neck of a strong man and laughs very happily. The strong man has his hands around his waist tightly as if he were afraid of falling down. He also has a gentle smile on his face.

Under the frame was a row of small letters, which Hai’an could not understand, but Auguste could, “Jerry and Bolink.”

This was a couple.

Auguste lowered the frame and picked up a book near the frame, which seemed to be a diary.

[Ephemeris 3499, June 22. Bolink and I have been trapped on this planet for nearly five months. Everyone has died, and it is not known whether Karan has brought the seeds back to the main star. The food is almost finished. I don’t know how long Bolink and I can last. ]

[Ephemeris 3499, August 25. I’m pregnant, but I dare not tell Bolink that the rescue team is not here at all, and we’re going to die.]

[Ephemeris 3499, October 8. Bolink is cutting his flesh. We can’t find any other food. What should I do? ]

...

A few pages were scribbled at the back, and Auguste could not see clearly what the owner of the diary had written. After turning back several pages, only one page could be clearly written.

[Ephemeris 3500, January 1. Today is the first day of the New Year. Last night I killed Bolink. I don’t want him to suffer any more. Before Colonel left, he said to us that we will win in the new year. If we want to win, we must bleed. War is the only way for us to usher in peace. But I don’t know when a tomorrow without smoke will appear, because neither I nor Bolink will have a tomorrow. I love you, Bolink. I love you forever. ]

The diary ends there, with a blank space behind it. This should have been written by Jerry. In this small book, there were heavy words.

Auguste held his diary and remained silent for a while. The diary was written in Ayulon’s language. Hai’an could not understand anything, but now the air seemed to be filled with an indescribable heavy sorrow.

“Auguste, Lydney has deciphered the ship’s record.” Carl rushed in from the outside, only to find Auguste in a daze with a book in his hand.

Carl was stunned for a moment, came up and grabbed the diary, and quickly turned it over.

After a long silence, Carl took a deep breath and patted Auguste on the shoulder. “From the day you joined the army, you should know that sacrifice is indispensable. Don’t be too pessimistic. He didn’t write about their children, in case they survived.” Hai’an never imagined that Carl, who had always been like a child, would one day come back to comfort Auguste by saying, “Let’s go and see the ship’s record.”

“Carl.” Auguste later called Carl’s name, “Thank you.”

Carl walked ahead without turning back. He put his hand behind him and made a “v” gesture.

“Can these records be translated into Star Common Language? I can’t understand it at all.” Colin stared at the dense Ayulon text on the screen and said with a painful face.

“I’ll try.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to go directly to Carl or Auguste for the translation?” Jamie stood silent and said.

“No,” Colin first objected. “Didn’t Auguste and Carl leave Ayulon’s star when they were very young? What if they can’t read?”

Jamie: “...” He didn’t know how to refute.

“Yes!” Lydney folded his hands and gave a crisp applause. “It’s been converted into Star Common Language. Fortunately, there’s a Star Common Language package on this ship, otherwise Carl would really be invited to translate it.”

“Let me see!” Colin stretched his neck and put his face in front of the screen. “Lydney, you’re terrific. I feel like there’s almost nothing you can’t do.”

Lydney gave a shy smile and did not answer. Colin was so close to Lydney that Carl, who had just come inside with Auguste, was unhappy to see the scene. He stepped in and separated Lydney from Colin.

“Why are you and Lydney so close?” Carl’s tone was so bad that he could almost smell the strong vinegar in the air.

Even Hai’an found something wrong between Lydney and Carl. Carl was too possessive of Lydney. Just like Auguste to him, Hai’an blushed a little at the thought.

If he thought about it carefully, Carl monopolized Lydney all day. If someone got close to Lydney, Carl would be unhappy. Was this not love?