I Married A Degraded Alpha
Chapter 98: [Bonus - ]Taking the Initiative and Being Passive

Chapter 98: [Bonus Chapter]Taking the Initiative and Being Passive

The topic of conversation on the battleship these last few days was about the mysterious beta.

"How are you guys so sure there’s only one? I think there’s a bunch. Otherwise, how could over a thousand of us soldiers have our ’Sea of Consciousness’ sorted out in just two days?"

"That’s a good point. Could it be the betas already on our battleship?"

"No way. Have any of the betas on the ship ever helped you sort out? Was it this good? It’s miles apart."

"Shh, keep it down. If you upset the betas, they might stop helping you."

"Do you think it might be those two SS-tier betas?"

"They’re on another battleship."

"So who is it?"

"Who cares? If they want to stay hidden, we should help cover for them, not expose them."

"Fair enough."

"..."

Officer Lyao, passing by, stroked his chin, deep in thought.

That night, Yuri heard another thud against the wall. "Wait, I’m sure I’ve sorted out every soldier on this ship," she sat up abruptly, murmuring.

Tuss, from the other bed, rubbed his forehead and said, "When Officer Lyao was restocking the energy stones at the transfer station today, he transferred soldiers from the other two battleships to ours."

Yuri: "...ha."

Tuss looked at her, puzzled. "Isn’t this what you want?"

Yuri: "Taking the initiative and being passive aren’t the same. I prefer to take the initiative."

Tuss raised an eyebrow, "So, will you help?"

Yuri gritted her teeth, "Yes."

With Officer Lyao’s transfer, the battleship now had over three thousand soldiers. It took Yuri three days to sort out every single person’s Sea of Consciousness.

With Officer Lyao involved this time, Yuri wasn’t worried about being discovered, and she completely cleared out any hidden threats in the soldiers’ Sea of Consciousness.

After sorting out the Sea of Consciousness for over three thousand soldiers, the battleship finally reached Planet Alpha.

Everything in their manor was as it had been, clean and new.

Yuri felt a sense of belonging when she returned, which was a strange new feeling for her.

"Why do you look so surprised?" Tuss asked.

"Coming back to our own home feels different." Yuri responded, feeling relaxed and at ease.

At the mention of "our home," Tuss softened. He asked, "What do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you."

Home isn’t home without a home-cooked meal.

"When did you learn to cook?" she remembered Tuss, like her, was clueless about cooking. They had spent almost every day together, and she didn’t know when he learned that.

"I learned in a virtual kitchen on interstellarnet. I can’t promise it’ll taste good," Tuss admitted.

"Just make what you can. I’m not picky." Yuri was somewhat excited.

As Yuri waited on the couch, she fell asleep.

When she woke up, Tuss was reading a book nearby. He gave an awkward smile, "I couldn’t make anything, so I ordered food online. Want to eat now?"

Yuri: "...Sure."

It turns out that even someone as smart as Tuss couldn’t learn to cook.

On Yuri’s second day back to Planet Alpha, the manor was filled with baskets of fruit and fresh flowers. They were all gifts from the prominent families of Planet Alpha, including the Cheng and Hiro families.

This surprised Yuri. Is it a gesture, or do they want to repair their relationship with me? If it is the former, I don’t really care; if the latter, I’m ready to toss the fruit baskets out.

"If they’re not saying anything, let’s pretend we don’t know anything. Just treat them like normal gifts," Tuss said.

"How do you deal with normal gifts?" Yuri looked at the courtyard full of fruits and various supplements, somewhat overwhelmed.

Tuss thought for a while before suggesting, "Maybe donate them to some facility for children or homeless?"

Yuri’s eyes lit up, "That could work."

On the third day since Yuri and others returned to Planet Alpha, rumors began to circulate online that the Second Commander’s Sea of Consciousness was on the brink of losing control.

In less than an hour, the entire Alliance knew about it.

"Is it true?"

"If it wasn’t, the Alliance would have stepped in. Rumors about the Second Commander can’t be spread lightly."

"They say that after the war, three SS-tier betas have been taking turns guarding the Second Commander, continuously sorting his Sea of Consciousness, but they can’t stop the collapse."

"Rumor has it that all of the Second Commander’s descendants returned to the family home yesterday. He wants to put his affairs in order while he’s still lucid."

"It seems like it’s true. We’re about to lose an SSS-tier alpha in the Alliance, how sad."

"The Second Commander participated in over a hundred battles in his life, killed countless insectoids, and made a significant contribution to the safety and stability of the Alliance. It’s hard to believe such a great man can’t escape the collapse of his Sea of Consciousness."

"Isn’t the Second Commander less than a hundred years old?"

"Yes, he’s not even ninety yet. The Second Commander is only eighty-eight, which is middle-aged in interstellar terms."

"It seems the higher the alpha rank, the shorter the lifespan. There’s no gain without loss, the universe is fair."

"..."

In the evening, after the sun set, a familiar face arrived at the manor.

"You’re always busy. What brings you here?" Yuri poured a cup of tea for Officer Lyao.

"I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. Try guessing why I’m here," Officer Lyao suggested.

"Are you here for me, or for Tuss?" Yuri asked.

"You." Officer Lyao took a sip of his coffee.

Hearing this, Yuri leaned back on the sofa, looking at the ceiling in silence. "No need to guess. I already know the answer."

Officer Lyao smiled, talking with a smart person was always easy.

"Where’s Tuss?" After finishing his cup of tea, Tuss still hadn’t shown up.

"He’s probably in the gym. He usually stays there for about three hours. It’s been two hours already, so he’ll be another hour. Are you in a hurry?" Yuri asked.

"I’m not in a hurry, but the one I’m here for is. He’s already on his way to the rehabilitation center."

Even though it was called a rehabilitation center, it was more like a prison. An alpha gone mad would be locked in a sealed room hundreds of meters underground until all the psychic power in their Sea of Consciousness dissipated, only then would they be released.

Every alpha who came out turned into a fool, with their alpha rank dropping again and again, becoming no different from an omega.

Ten minutes later, Yuri and Tuss changed into their uniforms, looking like regular soldiers, indistinguishable from Officer Lyao’s guards.

Officer Lyao led them unobstructed all the way into the rehabilitation center. Just a few steps in, Yuri heard sobbing.

She looked up and saw Saina among the group. It seemed like they were her family members.