When Cubby woke up in bed the next day, he heard a great deal of banging and clattering outside.
Curious, he poked his head toward the window. His round, steel-blue eyes immediately widened, and he let out a soft “Ooh~”
A huge airship was hovering outside, taking up almost all the space between two apartment buildings. Three or four people in work uniforms were moving in and out of it in an orderly fashion, carrying piles of belongings back and forth.
This was a Federation-affiliated civilian transport airship, capable of carrying nearly a ton of cargo. More importantly, renting the airship meant hiring its security personnel as well. Every one of them was an AAA-class security officer, ensuring the client's personal safety throughout the rental period.
The desolate planet was a place of lawlessness, and airship robberies were hardly uncommon. But the Federation's privately operated transport airships carried ample ammunition, and every pilot aboard was a retired special-operations soldier. No one was eager to rob such a formidable target.
Naturally, hiring an airship like this cost an enormous amount. At two thousand star coins an hour, the price alone was enough to deter most people.
The residents of this violent neighborhood had never seen such a spectacle, and everyone began talking at once:
“Good heavens! I never thought I'd see such an incredible airship in a place like ours!”
“Who's got that much money? Did somebody find a billionaire's long-lost child born after his death? Are they taking the kid back to inherit billions?”
“Look, everyone! It's stopped outside the house of that man with the little boy!”
“No way that posthumous heir would be someone as shabby as him… Could the little boy's biological omega be rich? Maybe someone's come to pick up the child?”
“I'd really like to know what kind of omega would fall for an alpha like Lu Liran…”
“Pfft. If there were a ranking of the alphas nobody in the galaxy wanted to date, Lu Liran would definitely be number one.”
“Boss Duan was after that little boy only yesterday. I heard he was even planning to take revenge. Looking at this, he'd better forget about it.”
“Shh! Boss Duan is coming!”
In truth, Chen Duan had come for exactly the same reason as the other curious onlookers: he wanted to see what this supposedly top-of-the-line transport airship looked like.
As for the rumor going around the neighborhood that he wanted to cause trouble for Lu Liran, Chen Duan dearly wished he could drag out whoever had been spreading such nonsense.
Heaven was his witness, he had absolutely no desire to antagonize Lu Liran. If he hadn't been utterly convinced yesterday that Lu Liran had died in the uninhabited zone, he never would have set his sights on the man's child. He wasn't an idiot.
And that was without even mentioning the thrashing he'd received yesterday, when Lu Liran had pinned him down by the neck.
Even now, the mere sight of that spotless little house made the back of Chen Duan's neck ache.
Forget causing trouble for its owner. He didn't even want to go near the building.
Lu Liran was having breakfast downstairs when he heard movement on the staircase. He looked up and saw his little boy making his way down on his short legs, pattering down one step at a time as he carefully studied the stairs, each almost as tall as his lower leg.
Lu Liran strode over to lift him, only for Cubby to miss his footing and tumble against a step with a thump.
The little boy pouted and patted the offending step as though he were angry with it. But he didn't cry. He rubbed his bottom and immediately stood back up.
A trace of amusement flashed through Lu Liran's eyes. He reached out and scooped the little fellow up.
“Papa!” As soon as Cubby looked up and saw Lu Liran, he broke into a delighted, babyish smile and threw his chubby arms around his father's neck.
“We're moving, Cubby. Is there anyone you want to say goodbye to?” Lu Liran asked gently.
Lu Ziqian blinked and shook his head. “Can Pinky come with us?”
“Of course.”
“Then Cubby doesn't have anybody to say goodbye to!” the little boy declared, kicking his legs excitedly.
“Young Master, everything's ready. We can leave now.” Jin Fei came in from outside. Seeing Lu Ziqian in Lu Liran's arms, his eyes curved into a smile. “The Little Young Master is awake, too.”
“Morning, Uncle Jin~” Cubby waved his hand.
The corners of Jin Fei's eyes crinkled with delight. The sight of the fair-skinned, sweet, obedient little boy made him want to spoil him rotten. He immediately said, “I'll warm up the Little Young Master's rice cereal and bring it along for him to eat on the airship.”
“All right. Thank you for your hard work,” Lu Liran said.
He carried Lu Ziqian outside. With hardly anything else to take, leaving the house was easy.
The neighbors and homeless people crowding around to watch had all been kept several meters back from the front door by the security officers.
Lu Liran swept his gaze across the crowd and spotted Chen Duan craning his neck for a better look. Their eyes happened to meet.
Lu Liran narrowed his eyes slightly.
Chen Duan froze, then spun around and ran, fleeing so wildly that he looked like a man who'd seen a ghost.
“Mr. Lu, I'm An Ke, captain of this airship. All your belongings have been packed, and we can depart whenever you wish.” The tall, powerfully built alpha captain approached Lu Liran. He stood nearly a head taller than him, his expression upright and solemn as he delivered the report exactly as required by the regulations manual.
Lu Liran nodded, then frowned and put a little more distance between himself and the alpha.
An Ke noticed Lu Liran's faint but unmistakable hostility and paused. He was holding a brand-new, small, exquisitely made toy.
It was a little model that could transform into different shapes at will, and it was extremely popular with young cubs.
Carefully keeping enough distance from the boy in Lu Liran's arms so as not to frighten him, An Ke softened his voice. “This is a little gift to mark our first meeting, Little Mr. Lu. I hope you like it.”
Lu Ziqian nestled in Lu Liran's embrace, his eyes wide with uncertainty. He opened and closed his mouth twice, not quite knowing what to do.
The security-team members gathered behind their captain let out quiet little cries. “Aww, a precious little cub! He's every bit as adorable as we thought!!!”
“The others and I prepared this privately as a gift for the little one. I hope it hasn't put you in an awkward position,” Captain An Ke told Lu Liran in a deep voice.
“Thank you.” Lu Liran didn't refuse again. He looked down at the little boy in his arms. “Do you like it, Cubby?”
Cubby nodded. His bright steel-blue eyes gazed curiously at the toy in An Ke's hand, which gave off a faint blue glow. He whispered, “It's the same color as Cubby's eyes. Cubby likes it.”
