Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Locked Gate
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They wandered the streets for a long time without finding anything related to media, not even public transportation. In the end, it was Gavin who stepped up, chatting with locals to pry out that this planet was called Shurong.
Heinrich could recite the names of every planet in the Empire's territory, and Shurong wasn't among them. This place definitely wasn't part of the Empire. He poked around the back alleys and returned to find Gavin standing by the roadside, tossing a wallet up and down in his hand.
“...”
Heinrich asked warily,
“Where’d that come from?”
“Stole it.”
The former Alliance Marshal answered with casual ease.
Celia’s public image was one of shining integrity, but in private, he was a master of all sorts of shady tricks—he just rarely put them to use. The first time Heinrich’s jaw had dropped was two hundred years ago, when he’d just become the Marshal’s bodyguard. A foreign ambassador had visited, carrying vital intelligence documents, and the man was paranoid and cautious. The Alliance Parliament sent in several glamorous spies, but they all came back empty-handed. In the end, Marshal Celia handled it himself. With a warm embrace, he swiped the documents in a flash of speed, and the ambassador was none the wiser.
So the thieving Marshal and his accomplice Emperor went and bought some clothes, then had a hearty meal. As they left the tavern, Heinrich asked Gavin,
“Out of the city?”
Gavin nodded firmly.
“Out of the city.”
This town was the first sign of civilization they’d found after all their trouble, but it reeked of weirdness everywhere. More importantly, there was no way to send a distress signal to the outside world from here. Staying offered no point.
Both men knew it well. They hurried and finally reached the city gate just before evening, only to find the checkpoint still open—but the guard booth was empty, not a soul in sight.
Gavin headed toward the narrow gate that allowed only one person through at a time. But as he neared, a blue light flashed across what looked like an empty doorframe:
“Please show your exit permit.”
Gavin froze in his tracks. Heinrich strode up.
“Don’t move! That gate’s got high-voltage current!”
“What’s going on?”
Gavin frowned.
Just then, a passerby approached from outside the checkpoint. He gave them a strange look, stepped through the narrow gate without issue, and headed into the city along the stone path.
“...”
Gavin was full of doubts. He tentatively reached toward the gate. When his hand was still half a meter away, another blue light flared:
“Please show your exit permit!”
Heinrich picked up a stone and tossed it toward the outside of the checkpoint. With a sharp sizzle, the empty entrance erupted in interlocking blue light, incinerating the stone to ash!
Heinrich: “...”
Gavin: “...”
Both realized they’d capsized in the gutter. After all that, the city wasn’t defenseless at all—it let people in but not out!
“Where do we even get an exit permit...”
Gavin’s temple twitched as he asked, though he knew it wasn’t a good idea. Whoever designed this town had made it clear: enter if you want, but you’re not leaving. The residents’ oddities probably stemmed from that.
What the hell was this place? A military stronghold? A top-secret testing ground?
“Take another route? Maybe there’s another way out...”
Heinrich scanned the surroundings. But the sun was setting, and nightfall was approaching on this planet. Strangers in a strange land with highly sensitive identities—it was a terrible idea to sneak around someone else’s turf in the dark.
“If the checkpoint’s like this, the other exits are probably sealed too.”
Gavin fell silent for a moment.
“What kind of people set up a welcome mat on their turf but won’t let guests leave?”
The two exchanged glances. After a long pause, Heinrich gave his answer:
“—They need visitors.”
Need them for what? Had previous visitors left?
If not, where did they go?
Best not to dwell on it.
A normal traveler would’ve gone straight to the town enforcement office to inquire. But these two—one a resurrected Alliance Marshal, the other the living Emperor—any rash move could spark a major diplomatic incident. The best play was to avoid stirring trouble and slip out quietly.
With the only road blocked, they had no choice but to head back into town.
It was evening by the time they returned to the inn. The innkeeper was pacing anxiously in the front hall. The moment he saw them, he stopped dead and asked delightedly,
“You’re back?”
He tried to hide it, but the oddity in his demeanor was plain as day. Both Heinrich and Gavin noticed, but they played dumb.
“Sorry to worry you,”
Gavin smiled.
“The town’s scenery is nice. We took a few extra loops...”
The innkeeper waved it off— no problem, no problem. He led them upstairs to the rooms and insisted on treating them to dinner. A short corridor from the front hall connected to the backyard, filled with flame grass and moonlight flowers. Amid the greenery sat several dainty coffee tables, where four or five people were already eating with heads down.
They were all sturdy Beta men in their prime. As Heinrich and Gavin passed, they glanced up with feigned indifference.
“What would you like?”
A hovering menu floated before them. The innkeeper looked at them eagerly.
“Our house moonlight flower wine is a specialty. Pairs perfectly with the milk-juice steak. And after you eat, you can rest in your room...”
The two immediately claimed they had no money and left it to the host. The innkeeper headed to the kitchen to prepare food and drink. Heinrich pretended to adjust his boot, sneaking a glance at the Betas’ table on the way up. He could tell they were eavesdropping intently.
He sat back down and shared a subtle look with Gavin.
A moment later, Gavin asked casually,
“We’ve been out so long—haven’t your friends come looking for you?”
“Of course they have,”
Heinrich replied coolly.
“No rush. I’ll let them stew a couple days... until I feel like dealing with them.”
“Then who were you contacting last night?”
Heinrich was momentarily at a loss for words. Gavin pressed,
“Was it that Omega girl your parents set you up with?”
Gavin’s face was stormy, his dark eyes bright and deep. Heinrich stared at him for a few seconds, then snapped,
“—No way! I just can’t stand that little brat Edna. What’ll it take for you to believe me?!”
Gavin: “...”
The others stopped pretending, openly turning to watch the spat. Once Edna came up, Gavin faltered. After a beat, he asked coldly,
“How should I know? She’s smart, beautiful, from a fine family—who wouldn’t like her?”
Heinrich fired back,
“Not necessarily. Think a good family makes you special? Real men build their legacies, not coast on birth. They say when the Alliance fell to the Empire, all those surrendering lapdogs were from ‘fine families’...”
“She’s beautiful! Smart! Sweet and understanding!”
Gavin’s composure cracked as he raged,
“Even without the family, she’d score perfect—who wouldn’t like her?”
“I don’t! One day I’ll—”
Heinrich was about to say one day I’ll kick her ass when the innkeeper arrived with a tray, looking awkward.
“Um, dinner’s here...”
Gavin and Heinrich’s eyes swept the tray. Two perfectly seared milk-juice steaks, one on each side. The sauce for Gavin’s was on the left; for Heinrich’s, on the right.
The innkeeper set the meals down, about to invite them to dig in, when Gavin shot to his feet:
“I knew you were lying! Even now, you’re still hung up on her!”
He grabbed Heinrich’s plate and smashed it in his face with a bang.
“I hate you! Go to hell!”
Heinrich: “...”
Innkeeper: “...”
Everyone: “...”
Heinrich’s face was stone. Sauce and juices dripped from his hair onto the table with a splat. Gavin, still fuming, snatched his wine glass and splashed it in his face with a splash, then stormed off.
The garden fell deathly silent.
“...Sorry,”
Heinrich stood with a wry smile a few seconds later, wiping his face hard with a napkin.
“He’s got a temper. Gotta go calm him down... Sorry to waste your effort on this meal.”
The innkeeper floundered, glancing instinctively at the guests, who signaled him frantically. Heinrich ignored it. After a moment, the innkeeper forced a smile.
“No worries, no worries. There’s still one left. Can’t skip dinner—why not take it up to him?”
Heinrich knew he couldn’t refuse. He thanked him cheerfully, picked up the tray, and headed upstairs.
Gavin was circling the room, checking for surveillance. Without looking back as Heinrich entered,
“Juice didn’t get in your mouth, right?”
“Nope.”
Heinrich set the tray down.
“You noticed too?”
“Nothing strange. Everyone here’s Beta—they’re wary of Alphas by nature. If they want to make a move, they’d neutralize you first.”
“What if yours is poisoned too?”
Gavin smirked.
“Wasting all that effort just to kill us both? This one’s probably just laced with sedative at worst. Pretend to take a bite and spit it out. Dump the rest anywhere. Return the empty plate to ease his mind, then see what tricks they pull tonight.”
Heinrich was tall and stern-faced, not the approachable type, but he took Gavin’s words to heart without quibbling over poison or sedative. A moment later, he returned the empty plate to the innkeeper. Back in the room, he pointed to his mouth.
“You were right. My tongue’s numb.”
Gavin wasn’t surprised.
“Go rinse. Lie down and pretend to sleep. Might be a tough fight tonight.”
By now, night had fully fallen. The room’s auto-system kicked in, adjusting to the perfect rest temperature. Just one big bed; they lay on it fully clothed. Heinrich couldn’t hold back.
“Gavin...”
His voice was low, thick with husky magnetism. Gavin felt a shiver race to his fingertips, his own voice softening.
“What?”
Heinrich didn’t speak. In the dark, he reached for Gavin’s nape, rubbing the spot with bite marks, even lightly scratching the skin with his nail.
Gavin’s first impulse was to snap at him, but a suffocating wave of sweetness crashed over him. The Alpha’s scent, his touch, the repeated caress on the mark... Every bit intoxicated him. Speechless, he melted boneless onto the bed, fighting back gasps.
“Feels good?”
Heinrich whispered.
In that instant, Gavin got it: An Alpha held massive sway over an Omega he’d fully marked. The so-called mental control between A and O started with physiological influence.
“L-Let... go!”
Gavin forced out through gritted teeth.
Heinrich paused. Just as Gavin braced for force, he withdrew his hand silently.
“I want you not to be scared,”
he murmured.
“I’ve got everything...”
The protective words caught Gavin off guard, unaccustomed. After a beat, it hit him: for the first time, he was in the vulnerable spot—and an Alpha was vowing to protect him.
“You...”
Gavin started to retort when the door lock clicked.
Both froze. The room went utterly still. After a long moment, the door creaked open cautiously. The innkeeper slipped inside.