Chapter 648 - 3: Gu Ningxuan’s Otherworldly Travels (Part 3)

Gu Ningxuan saw the expression on the other’s face, slightly lowered his head, and his mind was in turmoil. The truth obscured by fog revealed its vague visage. He understood... this Gu Qidong in front of him might not be the person he knew. If that’s the case, then is he a familiar stranger? He shouldn’t confuse the emotions between the two, or he’d be thrown into chaos.

"Naturally, but... in the interest of fairness, can I ask Admiral Gu to answer a few questions for me? An even exchange, so neither of us is at a disadvantage." Gu Ningxuan contained all his emotions and looked at the other calmly. His dark eyes were unperturbed, entirely devoid of the slightly naive impression from before, instead giving off a mental pressure.

Then, Gu Qidong and his son realized that this young man increasingly resembled their third son (third brother), to the point of nearly being indistinguishable _(:з)∠)_ They dared to swear, it wasn’t because they didn’t understand their family enough, but rather because this person before them was so remarkably similar...

"You have some nerve to say such things to an Admiral." Gu Qidong suddenly laughed, his serious expression vanished instantly, but it didn’t lower Gu Ningxuan’s guard, it made him even more vigilant. "However, I agree to your request, since you’re also called Gu Ningxuan."

Gu Ningxuan remained silent, bitterly smiling internally, not expecting to encounter such a scene, being regarded as someone else’s stand-in? If it was an acquaintance, he certainly couldn’t accept it, if it was a stranger... naturally, he wouldn’t care.

"I’ll ask first, previously Admiral Gu mentioned Qiming Star fell more than twenty years ago, due to the Insect Race... could you explain what exactly happened? I left Qiming Star just over a year ago, it was perfectly intact... though it did experience two inexplicable attacks, that couldn’t be considered a fall." Gu Ningxuan looked into Gu Qidong’s eyes, not allowing the slightest deception.

Gu Qidong and Gu Ningzhi were momentarily astonished upon hearing that Qiming Star was intact a year ago. Their first reaction was that the other was lying, but... there was a quiet voice inside them saying to believe this young man, that what he was saying was true.

"Over twenty years ago, many strange creatures suddenly appeared on Qiming Star. They bit anyone they saw and had a penchant for eating human flesh, liking anything that provided them with the energy needed for growth... Those creatures were peculiar, evolved at an alarmingly fast rate, were ferocious in battle, and had extremely high fertility with short reproduction cycles... Qiming Star didn’t hold out for long before it fell." Gu Qidong explained.

This period of history was exceptionally humiliating for humanity, leaving a deep scar. Many people who lost loved ones are unwilling to recall this event. The moment those creatures appeared, the whole Qiming Star plunged into a desperate, blood-soaked world.

"Insect Race?" Gu Ningxuan closed his eyes, recalling what Su Jiameng had once said, then thinking of her novel, his inner struggle was fierce. The Insect Race that Gu Qidong spoke of was eerily similar to what he understood... could the novel have become reality?

"Heh, actually, not long ago you came into contact with those things. When we found the warship, quite a few low-end Adhesive Devouring Worms were trying to consume the corpses on the ship. We spent a lot of effort clearing them out, finding you as the sole survivor on the entire ship." Despite opposing the Insect Race for twenty years, the swarms of low-level Adhesive Devouring Worms, while troublesome, were not threatening.

"Is that so..." Gu Ningxuan slightly closed his eyes, wanting to suppress the tumultuous emotions within, "I’ve asked my question, does Admiral Gu have any questions? As long as it’s within my answerable range, I won’t evade."

Although Gu Qidong knew that this young man wasn’t his son, he still found himself liking him. The first question he chose was relatively simple, not making things difficult, "Why were you in such a hurry to get to Qiming Star, and who are Xiao Meng and the two children?"

Upon this, Gu Ningxuan’s heart was both sweet and bitter, grateful to be alive, yet he didn’t even know where he was, let alone how to find his spouse and their children, "Xiao Meng is my beloved, Huaixi and Huaifeng are my children."

Beloved... children? A father already? Gu Qidong was surprised, sizing up Gu Ningxuan, then glanced resentfully at his second son. Gu Ningzhi decisively chose to look away. It’s no wonder Gu Qidong was resentful, with the war intensifying, all three sons of the Gu Family had returned, but not one was willing to find a pretty girl to start a family, have a couple of kids, and enjoy the warmth of a family...