Chapter 9 — Cosmic Contract: Alpha Bride

But I persevered.21I found a job as a janitor at an armor repair station. The boss is a one-eyed Beta, with a hot temper but very good workmanship. The wages are meager, the work is hard, every day is tiring, my hands are full of grease and small wounds. But I felt a feeling of stability that I hadn't felt in a long time. I use my own hands and mind to earn a living — no longer relying on family glory. At night, lying on a rickety wooden bed that made a creaking sound, I couldn't help but remember the past. Remembering Chu Du Tham who always gently gave me a glass of warm water at the right temperature. Remember Tham Thanh Huyen with her meticulous, clean, and orderly notebook. Remembering Black Tieu - his mouth was always causing trouble, but he always unconsciously blocked me in training. Remember their pheromones… the sweet scent of peach, the cold scent of cedar, and the burning breath of the scorching sun. Then I woke up, my whole body was covered in cold sweat. Damn it! Remember what they did! I punched the wall hard — my knuckles hurt. Is it because of the after effect of being marked? Even though I was several galaxies away from my relatives, the mark they forcibly carved on me still ached, as if reminding me of that despicable past. Are not. This is not nostalgia. It's hatred. Yes, it was hatred that made me remember every detail so clearly. I became increasingly quiet, focusing all my attention on work and self-improvement. I took advantage of all my free time to learn - researching the structure of combat armor, practicing close combat techniques. Days passed in that monotony and tension, day by day, day by day. I thought I would stay like that forever — until I saved up enough money, left here, went to a distant star region, completely burying the past. Until… that day. As usual, I was lying under an old mineral armor repairing the chassis in the maintenance workshop. The large metal structure obscured most of the vision, only the sounds of tools clashing and vague noise could be heard from afar. Suddenly a familiar voice cut through all that cacophony, clearly ringing in my ears. "Are you sure it disappeared in this area?" "Yes, the last signal pointed to this planet. Spread out to find, maintain contact." It was the voices of Chu Du Tham and Tham Thanh Huyen. Even though it was quite a distance away, I absolutely couldn't hear it wrong. They are not dead yet. They have come all the way here. A huge panic immediately gripped me, my heart was pounding, almost bursting out of my chest. The wrench in my hand made a "ding" sound and fell to the ground. "Hey! New kid! What are you doing?" — The boss's voice shouted from above. I didn't care anymore. Almost instinctively, like a panicked rabbit, I rushed out from under the armor. Before I could see the direction clearly, I ran desperately into the most chaotic and crowded back alley behind the repair workshop. "Hey! What are you running?!" — The screams behind the boss gradually drowned in the noise. I couldn't care anymore, there was only one thought left in my mind: Run. It is absolutely impossible to get caught again.22The back alley is cluttered and full of trash and discarded parts. I relied on the little knowledge of the terrain I had accumulated over the past time and ventured through each alley. Behind me seemed to be the sound of rapid footsteps, along with a call that sent chills down my spine. "Lang Da, stop." They discovered me. Fear made me feel empowered, running faster. At a turn, I pushed open the rusty iron door that was half closed - leading to the underground sewer system - and without hesitation jumped down. The darkness, the humidity, the stench was indescribable. I don't care

Everyone, just run with your head down and run through the cold and narrow pipe, just hoping you can escape the pursuer behind you. I don't know how long I ran, until I could no longer hear the sound of footsteps, until I was completely exhausted, then I sat down in a puddle of cold wastewater, leaned against the pipe wall and panted - my heart felt like it was about to explode. In the darkness, only the sound of my rapid breathing and the sound of dripping water remained. Why did they find their way here? Could it be that that explosion didn't cause any injuries to them? Has the Empire's power spread to this remote star region? Or is Enigma's tracking ability much more terrible than I thought? Impossible. Can't stay here anymore. I must leave this planet immediately. I struggled to stand up, groping my way forward. I don't know how many dark pipes I crawled through, but I finally found a way out and gingerly climbed out. 23 Outside it seemed to be an abandoned industrial park, deserted with no people, only rusty equipment and overgrown weeds. I breathed a little sigh of relief, adjusted my messy clothes, tried to make myself look less suspicious, then turned and walked towards the black market. But before I could go far, a strong and sturdy arm suddenly reached out from the darkness among the waste containers and pulled me in! "Um!"