The Fake Son Wants to Live [BL]
Chapter 196 - Abandoned

Chapter 196: Chapter 196 - Abandoned

Eren’s communicator buzzed again, a sharp and persistent vibration against his thigh where it was stuffed deep in his pocket. He shifted slightly, pretending to adjust his posture while pressing his leg down to silence the sound. Now wasn’t the time to check it. Not with Jian in the middle of what looked like the most intense tactical discussion of the decade.

A large map was spread across the old wooden table in front of them, its corners weighted down with stray rocks and empty water bottles. It was slightly wrinkled, but clearly marked. Red pins, blue markers, and circles drawn with a shaky hand covered nearly every inch of the terrain. Eren’s eyes followed the lines drawn from one continent to another, and the sheer scope of the route made his stomach tighten.

Jian’s finger traced along one of the red paths, his voice low and determined. "We’ll start moving north along the ridge. By the time we reach the coast, we’ll curve east, cross the mountain passes before winter hits, and then down through the valley cities. Every populated zone we pass through, we’ll clear. We’re not just running—we’re making Earth liveable again."

Eren stared at him in disbelief. "You mean... we’re walking?" he finally said, blinking hard.

Jian nodded, deadly serious. "Yes. On foot. It’s the best way to cover ground, make contact with survivors if any are still hiding, and eliminate any Graylings along the way. No blind spots."

Eren felt the sweat pool at the back of his neck. He was a soldier. He had gone through battles, witnessed war, fought and bled and nearly died more times than he could count—but walking around the entire planet?

His eye twitched.

He snuck a glance at Varon.

The tall, unreadable man stood like a statue beside him, arms folded, expression still. Not a word of protest. No grimace. Nothing. Just that usual calm mask. _{f|re(e)web.n\ovel. (c)o.m}

Then Eren looked at Xing Yu, whose gaze was fixed firmly on the map, his grey eyes hard to read. Xing hadn’t moved an inch either, hadn’t even blinked, it seemed.

Are they serious? Are they really okay with this?

Eren shifted uncomfortably. His communicator vibrated again, and he finally gritted his teeth, sneaking a hand into his pocket and pressing the mute function blindly, all without breaking eye contact with the map as if he were completely focused.

Internally, he was screaming.

This is insane. We have ships. SHIPS. Fast, hovering, long-range scanning ships. Sure, they’re exploratory class and not equipped with heavy weaponry, but we could at least use them to travel. To scout. Even the mother ship has hundreds of soldiers—it could deploy them to different zones. We don’t need to be doing this all by ourselves.

He opened his mouth, thought better of it, and then closed it again. Jian was still speaking, explaining the terrain, how they would need to plan their meals, how they’d survive through unpredictable weather conditions. The whole thing sounded less like a mission and more like an endurance trial from hell.

Eren’s eyes flicked back toward Varon one more time, hoping for even a twitch of disapproval. Nothing. That quiet gaze remained locked on Jian, as if silently agreeing to every word.

What is wrong with everyone?

Even Xing Yu—of all people—wasn’t pushing back. He knew how dangerous the Graylings were. He knew how unpredictable Earth had become. And yet, here he was, arms crossed, silently nodding as if walking around the globe with three other people was a perfectly sound military strategy.

Eren exhaled sharply through his nose.

They’re serious. Oh god, they’re actually serious about this.

The communicator in his pocket vibrated again. Harder this time. He ignored it.

Fed up with the relentless vibrating in his pocket, Eren finally yanked his communicator out with an annoyed sigh. "What now—" he muttered, but as he glanced at the screen, his irritation was quickly replaced by dread. Several messages were flooding in—urgent ones—from soldiers stationed aboard the mothership.

His eyes skimmed the most recent notification.

"Eren! We are leaving! The mothership is leaving! God, this is a mess—why aren’t you responding!?"

"What?!" he gasped, the blood draining from his face.

He sprang to his feet so suddenly the chair clattered to the ground behind him. His heart was pounding as he dashed toward the window, pushing aside the worn curtain. His breath caught.

Through the thinning canopy of trees, he could see it—barely. A massive silhouette above the clouds, hulking and unmistakable in shape, already retreating into the sky. The mothership. The Farians were actually leaving.

"General!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Quick!"

Xing Yu and the others immediately rushed to the window. Nansich ran up beside Eren, jaw slack as he followed their gazes. Varon silently appeared behind them, his brows drawn tight. Jian was the last to arrive, his expression twisted in disbelief.

For a few seconds, no one spoke as they all watched the mothership fade from view, becoming smaller and smaller until it vanished beyond the horizon.

Xing Yu’s lips pressed into a thin line, fury smoldering behind his steely eyes. Without a word, he pulled out his communicator and connected it to the mothership’s command line. The signal took a second to go through, but then the screen flickered—and Dican’s face appeared.

The prince’s expression was unreadable, his features unusually stern. There was a flicker of movement beside him—his hand was clearly holding someone else’s. When Xing Yu noticed, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Dican," Xing said sharply, "why did you leave Earth’s atmosphere without notice? We need backup to handle the Graylings."

Dican tilted his head, expression calm, but his tone cold. "Why?" he echoed with mock innocence. "Earth is no longer our responsibility, is it? We came here with a purpose. We found my brother. I found my mate. The mission is complete. It’s natural to return home."

His hand tightened visibly on whoever was beside him—no doubt Bian, hidden just out of view. Xing Yu caught the subtle possessiveness and felt a flicker of something unpleasant stir in his gut.

"That still doesn’t explain why you left without my authorization," Xing Yu growled, keeping his tone controlled but dangerous.

Dican chuckled quietly, condescension leaking through. "Your authorization?" he repeated slowly, eyebrows raising. "Xing... I think you’re forgetting something."

He leaned in closer to the screen, the curve of his lips now unmistakably cruel.

"I am a prince. Royal blood. And you—" he paused, letting the words sink in, "—are a royal servant. You don’t give me orders."

The line cut out without warning. Static.

Silence fell like a weighted blanket over the room.

Eren turned toward Xing Yu, his communicator still clutched in one hand, forgotten. Jian stared at the now-blank screen, fists clenched. Even Varon seemed shaken, his mouth slightly agape, as if he hadn’t quite believed Dican would go that far.

"...That bastard," Eren said under his breath.

Xing Yu’s face remained blank, but his hand trembled slightly where it gripped the communicator. His pride had been cut with surgical precision—and in front of his team, no less.

The betrayal stung.

They weren’t just left behind.

They were abandoned.