Chapter 101.1
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An Leen: Imperial Princess.
An Tyn: Imperial Prince, An Leen’s twin brother. The Fifth Imperial Prince.
An Xei: The Emperor’s younger brother. A Prince and a scholar.
Ning Tianwu: An Xei’s wife, Ning Tianxing’s younger sister.
An Mhu: ex-Third Imperial Prince. Now the current Emperor.
Neitaxi: General from the Empire, the strongest mecha soldier in the Empire.
Feng: The Imperial High Advisor.
Chu Rong also looked at him coldly. Without even giving him any reply, he just directly pierced An Xei’s brain using his spiritual energy, instantly knocking him out.
After ensuring that the command room was secure, he tied up the unconscious An Xei with a silver mesh and tossed him aside. He also enclosed him in an isolation barrier. Then, he bound the remaining individuals together and initiated a communication request to the outside.
Upon receiving the message, Prince An Tyn and the Imperial High Advisor hurried over under the protection of Fan Xiangnan and the soldiers. Seeing that the situation was indeed under the control of Chu Rong alone, they felt a great sense of relief. They quickly expressed their gratitude to him and began to arrange external communications according to the plan.
General Neitaxi on the port also received the message. He sighed as he looked down at the chaos among the Imperial soldiers caused by the video.
During this civil strife, the Empire still hurt its vitality.
Indeed, the restoration of the Empire’s stability and morale after the damage inflicted by An Xei’s actions will likely take a considerable amount of time.
Chu Rong, having completed what he could, exited the command room and found Qiao Zhiya waiting outside. He embraced him and said, “We can go home now.”
Qiao Zhiya nodded, and hugged him back.
Prince An Tyn quickly took control of the command room with the assistance of the Imperial High Advisor, stabilizing the situation. Subsequently, General Neitaxi landed and escorted Prince An Tyn all the way to the palace, openly displaying their movements without concealing their armed forces, which caused various speculations among the people along the route.
After assisting Prince An Tyn in gaining control of the palace, Neitaxi immediately dispatched troops to arrest the private soldiers scattered around by An Xei, swiftly eliminating the influence of Prince An Xei with utmost efficiency.
After gaining basic control of the situation, Prince An Tyn, accompanied by Neitaxi, held a royal meeting with the public, disclosing all the truths to the citizens and announcing the charges against An Xei.
The manipulation of the royal family, framing the Second and Fourth Princes, imposing mental locks on the new Emperor, maintaining private armies, conspiring with the Ning family to overthrow both the Empire and the Federation, and using harmful drugs to mind control soldiers… A series of charges shocked the Imperial citizens, completely shattering the once amiable and kind image of An Xei.
The imperial citizens, who had been deceived by An Xei for over a month, finally saw the long-lost new Emperor during this royal meeting. However, the sight of the vacant, emaciated, and pale young man completely overturned their previous impression of the new Emperor. Throughout the meeting, they couldn’t even hear a complete sentence from the new Emperor!
The revelation of the truth about the war, the collapse of the royal image, and the destruction of the Emperor’s reputation all hit the imperial citizens like a ton of bricks. After the initial shock, came panic.
Yes, the war against the Zerg Queen was indeed victorious, but the Imperial Royal Family was now in tatters, and the new Emperor has become like this. What should they do? What should the Empire do? An Xei has committed such heinous acts against the Federation and humanity. What if the Federation is unwilling to forgive An Xei’s actions and decides to wage war against the Empire?
While the citizens were worried about the future of the Empire, General Neitaxi, along with a group of surviving loyalists, stepped forward. They announced that considering the current physical and mental condition of the new king, they had decided to endorse Prince An Tyn, the Fifth Prince, to ascend the throne, replacing the Third Prince as the new Emperor. Additionally, the Empire would collaborate with the Federation to conduct a joint trial against the Ning family and An Xei for their crimes, holding them accountable and providing an explanation to all citizens.
This decision was widely accepted by the Imperial citizens. They were relieved.
Thankfully, they still had a healthy adult prince, so the continuation of the royal family still had hope.
Prince An Tyn, the Fifth Prince, might be young, but with General Neitaxi’s support, he would surely mature into a competent Emperor. As for the joint trial, it seems that the Federation has not blamed the entire Empire for An Xei’s actions, and instead, sensibly prepared to cooperate with the Empire in punishing those traitors.
—It’s great, it’s great to not have to go through war again.
After pacifying the populace, An Tyn, with the assistance of the Imperial High Advisor and Neitaxi, began a deeper purge of the Empire’s upper echelons. It’s estimated that the clandestine turmoil would continue for quite some time.
Beyond the Empire’s territory, the Chu family flagship sailed.
Chu Rong withdrew his hand and looked at the unconscious Elder Ning on the bed, frowning as he said, “He also has a mental lock in his mind, and the fluctuations are the same as those in Ning Tianxing’s brain. It’s the work of the same person.”
The mission to find An Mhu had already gone for too long, and there were still matters waiting for them to handle on the Federation. So, immediately after stabilizing the situation with An Tyn, they secretly returned home, taking all the Ning family members and An Xei with them. The An Xei awaiting trial in the Empire now was just a placeholder.
Upon hearing this, Fan Xiangnan was stunned for a moment, furrowing his brow as he asked, “The same spiritual fluctuations? There’s a difference of several decades in age between Elder Ning and Ning Tianxing. Could it be that the person behind the scenes started manipulating the affairs of both the Federation and the Empire decades ago?”
“Not only that,” Chu Rong shook his head, recalling the similarly long-standing mental lock in the former Emperor’s mind, and said, “The person behind the scenes has been manipulating the situation for even longer than we thought. The Federation has a decentralized power structure, limiting the influence of the Ning family. However, power in the Empire is centralized in the royal family, first with the old Emperor and then with an Xei. It’s evident that the focus of the person behind the scenes is there, with the Federation being only a secondary concern.”
In his generation, the former Emperor wasn’t the best candidate between his brothers. But he ended up on the throne, which was quite suspicious.
As for the reaction of the former Emperor upon learning of the reappearance of the Zergs… Chu Rong initially guessed that the resurgence of the Zergs was a result of infighting among the former Emperor and his allies. He thought his allies were warning him back then. But now, it seems that the situation was more akin to the former Emperor realizing he had become a discarded pawn after the reappearance of the fake Zergs. The people who once helped him ascend to power had shifted their support to someone else, hence his fear.
So there were never really any allies, and the former Emperor was merely a tool who could only obey commands without question.
Fan Xiangnan estimated the age of the former king and the duration of his reign, then estimated the age of Elder Ning. He was shocked and said, “The person behind the scenes must have been hiding for at least a hundred years. This…”
Thanks to spiritual powers, human lifespan has greatly increased. If the person behind the scenes has indeed been hiding for such a long time, it’s truly terrifying.
The intricacies of this centuries-old conspiracy made their scalp numb just by thinking about it.
“We might need to reconsider the roles of Ning Tianxing and An Xei in this fake Zergs conspiracy,” Chu Rong said, with a solemn expression. After a pause, he added, “Go and check on An Xei.”
Fan Xiangnan’s mood also became heavy. Upon hearing this, he nodded and re-enclosed Elder Ning with a restraining protective barrier before following Chu Rong to the adjacent room.
An Xei was still in a coma, which was specially arranged by Chu Rong.
Dealing with someone who held unknown power in their hands, rendering them unconscious was the safest way to guard against them.
After opening the protective barrier, Chu Rong extended his spiritual power toward An Xei’s brain, only to encounter a feedback force much stronger than the lock in Elder Ning’s mind. Sensing the intrusion, the force not only resisted but also attempted to penetrate Chu Rong’s spiritual sea along the path of his released spiritual power, displaying a fierce hostility.
“Sir!” Fan Xiangnan was shocked. Even he could feel the violent spiritual power just now.
Chu Rong immediately severed the external spiritual connection and waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. However, his gaze towards An Xei grew colder, as he said, “An Xei is indeed the key. The person behind the scenes has an exceptionally deep control over him, even intentionally protecting him. He must have a direct way of communicating with the person behind the scenes. Contact Neitaxi and have him thoroughly investigate everything under An Xei’s name—communication devices, residences, networks of relationships. Search everything that can be searched meticulously. We must uncover any clues linking An Xei to the mastermind.”
Fan Xiangnan hurriedly acknowledged and turned to make arrangements, but he was stopped by Chu Rong’s call.
“The Ning family daughter who married An Xei… Ning Tianwu, wasn’t it? She’s Ning Tianxing’s younger sister, too. Did she wake up already?”
Upon hearing this, Fan Xiangnan nodded and replied, “Awake. Except for Elder Ning, everyone else in the Ning family has regained consciousness. They are currently being detained separately.”
Chu Rong nodded and understood, seeing that it was already late in the evening, he turned and walked out.
Qiao Zhiya was currently preparing potions, and his mood was very low. This journey to the Empire has shown him the terrifying consequences of soldiers controlled by the Ning family’s medications if left untreated for a long time.
The medications made by the Ning family using Zergs secretions were too domineering. Even after treatment, those soldiers will never be able to return to their former selves in their lifetime.
He could only do his best to find ways to make potions for recovery… He worked quickly and efficiently, completely unaware of Chu Rong’s entrance due to his intense focus on research.
Chu Rong walked up behind him, observing his serious study of various herbs and tools on the table. His expression softened, and he reached his arms around Qiao Zhiya’s waist from behind, leaning in to plant a kiss on his perked-up ear.
Qiao Zhiya was taken aback, and the extracts he just got almost spilled.
“Scared you?”
Chu Rong reached out to steady the potion Qiao Zhiya was working on, then decided to take everything from his hands and place it on the table. He then lifted Qiao Zhiya into his arms and carried him to the single-person sofa in the room. He sat down and pulled Qiao Zhiya to lean against him, gently stroking his back.
Seeing Chu Rong like this, Qiao Zhiya knew that he must be feeling upset again. He obediently leaned against him and shook his head while nodding at the same time, replying, “Just a little scared, but it’s fine now.” Then, he kissed Chu Rong on the lips and even tried to gently nibble on his lip.
Between the two, Chu Rong has always been the one to initiate intimacy, while Qiao Zhiya, being shy, rarely expresses affection through kissing. Typically, it’s more about hugs and cuddles. So, instances like this, with Qiao Zhiya initiating kisses and flirting, are extremely rare occurrences.
Chu Rong held his hand tightly and looked down at him with deep eyes.
Qiao Zhiya shyly looked at him back. He then pecked Chu Rong’s cheek once more, then asked in a soft voice, “Is the investigation unsuccessful, is there anything I can help?”
Faced with such a caring lover, any heavy-heartedness would dissipate. Chu Rong didn’t say anything but simply held him tightly, pressing his head gently against his chest and softly rubbing it, then leaning down to kiss his ear.
Qiao Zhiya nestled quietly in his chest, calming Chu Rong down.
The two hugged each other for a while. Finally, it was Chu Rong who broke the silence. “It’s not going well,” he confessed.
Qiao Zhiya looked up at him.
“All the clues point to a mastermind who has never appeared before. Anyone who has had contact with this mysterious person has been locked with mental locks in their minds. We can’t extract any clues from them.”
Chu Rong began slowly, as if he was speaking to Qiao Zhiya as a way to organize his own thoughts. “Based on the information we have now, considering the ages of Elder Ning and the former Emperor, as well as the timing of the former Emperor’s ascension, Elder Ning should have been the first person controlled by that mastermind, followed by the former Emperor. Whether they have any connection between them or know about each other, that is still unclear.”
This was speculation about the previous generation. Moving on to this generation, over twenty years ago, Prince An Xei and Ning Tianwu met, and the two were married. An Xei became connected with the Ning family through this. Based on this, it could be deduced that An Xei became the puppet of the mastermind before marrying Ning Tianwu.
Based on the current situation, it seems that in the Federation, after Elder Ning grew too old, either the mastermind or Elder Ning himself chose Ning Tianxing as the successor to continue serving the mastermind. On the Empire’s side, the mastermind chose An Xei, and it was done without informing the former Emperor, directly abandoning him in favor of An Xei.
From this, it could be concluded that the mastermind has deeper control over the Empire and could manipulate the Empire more freely.
So the conspiracy didn’t start from the appearance of the real Zergs over a decade ago; rather, it originated from much further back in time. The appearance of the Zergs over a decade ago was just a concentrated outbreak of the conspiracy.
Since Elder Ning and the former Emperor were controlled, for almost a hundred years, there was relative peace between the Federation and the Empire. However, in the last twenty years or so, there have been frequent actions. This situation seems more like the mastermind becoming impatient and no longer being as cautious as before. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have suddenly allowed such an obvious connection, like arranging a marriage between individuals from the Federation and the Empire.
And as for what made the mastermind become impatient… According to the age of Elder Ning, the mysterious person should not be young anymore.
An ancient person, one who lurks in the shadows and spreads their web into the upper echelons of the Federation and the Empire, what could he be exerting all this effort for?
The Ning family seeks profit, An Xei seeks power, and this mastermind can even summon the Zergs, indicating considerable strength. For someone with such power, acquiring wealth and authority shouldn’t be difficult. So, what do they really want? Is it simply revenge against society?
Chu Rong stopped analyzing the situation and thought about it.
Qiao Zhiya didn’t reply either. He only looked at Chu Rong back, leaning against his chest as he soothe his emotions with his wood-elemental magic.
“The Zergs.”
After some time passed, Chu Rong’s demeanor suddenly grew heavy. Furrowing his brow, he whispered something under his breath before rising to his feet. He settled Qiao Zhiya on the sofa, kissed his forehead, and quickly said, “You rest early. I’ll go check on something and be back soon.” With that, he swiftly left the room.
Qiao Zhiya watched him leave, raised his hand and touched his forehead, his ears drooping down.
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An Leen: Imperial Princess.
An Tyn: Imperial Prince, An Leen’s twin brother. The Fifth Imperial Prince.
An Xei: The Emperor’s younger brother. A Prince and a scholar.
Ning Tianwu: An Xei’s wife, Ning Tianxing’s younger sister.
An Mhu: ex-Third Imperial Prince. Now the current Emperor.
Neitaxi: General from the Empire, the strongest mecha soldier in the Empire.
Feng: The Imperial High Advisor.
Chu Rong also looked at him coldly. Without even giving him any reply, he just directly pierced An Xei’s brain using his spiritual energy, instantly knocking him out.
After ensuring that the command room was secure, he tied up the unconscious An Xei with a silver mesh and tossed him aside. He also enclosed him in an isolation barrier. Then, he bound the remaining individuals together and initiated a communication request to the outside.
Upon receiving the message, Prince An Tyn and the Imperial High Advisor hurried over under the protection of Fan Xiangnan and the soldiers. Seeing that the situation was indeed under the control of Chu Rong alone, they felt a great sense of relief. They quickly expressed their gratitude to him and began to arrange external communications according to the plan.
General Neitaxi on the port also received the message. He sighed as he looked down at the chaos among the Imperial soldiers caused by the video.
During this civil strife, the Empire still hurt its vitality.
Indeed, the restoration of the Empire’s stability and morale after the damage inflicted by An Xei’s actions will likely take a considerable amount of time.
Chu Rong, having completed what he could, exited the command room and found Qiao Zhiya waiting outside. He embraced him and said, “We can go home now.”
Qiao Zhiya nodded, and hugged him back.
Prince An Tyn quickly took control of the command room with the assistance of the Imperial High Advisor, stabilizing the situation. Subsequently, General Neitaxi landed and escorted Prince An Tyn all the way to the palace, openly displaying their movements without concealing their armed forces, which caused various speculations among the people along the route.
After assisting Prince An Tyn in gaining control of the palace, Neitaxi immediately dispatched troops to arrest the private soldiers scattered around by An Xei, swiftly eliminating the influence of Prince An Xei with utmost efficiency.
After gaining basic control of the situation, Prince An Tyn, accompanied by Neitaxi, held a royal meeting with the public, disclosing all the truths to the citizens and announcing the charges against An Xei.
The manipulation of the royal family, framing the Second and Fourth Princes, imposing mental locks on the new Emperor, maintaining private armies, conspiring with the Ning family to overthrow both the Empire and the Federation, and using harmful drugs to mind control soldiers… A series of charges shocked the Imperial citizens, completely shattering the once amiable and kind image of An Xei.
The imperial citizens, who had been deceived by An Xei for over a month, finally saw the long-lost new Emperor during this royal meeting. However, the sight of the vacant, emaciated, and pale young man completely overturned their previous impression of the new Emperor. Throughout the meeting, they couldn’t even hear a complete sentence from the new Emperor!
The revelation of the truth about the war, the collapse of the royal image, and the destruction of the Emperor’s reputation all hit the imperial citizens like a ton of bricks. After the initial shock, came panic.
Yes, the war against the Zerg Queen was indeed victorious, but the Imperial Royal Family was now in tatters, and the new Emperor has become like this. What should they do? What should the Empire do? An Xei has committed such heinous acts against the Federation and humanity. What if the Federation is unwilling to forgive An Xei’s actions and decides to wage war against the Empire?
While the citizens were worried about the future of the Empire, General Neitaxi, along with a group of surviving loyalists, stepped forward. They announced that considering the current physical and mental condition of the new king, they had decided to endorse Prince An Tyn, the Fifth Prince, to ascend the throne, replacing the Third Prince as the new Emperor. Additionally, the Empire would collaborate with the Federation to conduct a joint trial against the Ning family and An Xei for their crimes, holding them accountable and providing an explanation to all citizens.
This decision was widely accepted by the Imperial citizens. They were relieved.
Thankfully, they still had a healthy adult prince, so the continuation of the royal family still had hope.
Prince An Tyn, the Fifth Prince, might be young, but with General Neitaxi’s support, he would surely mature into a competent Emperor. As for the joint trial, it seems that the Federation has not blamed the entire Empire for An Xei’s actions, and instead, sensibly prepared to cooperate with the Empire in punishing those traitors.
—It’s great, it’s great to not have to go through war again.
After pacifying the populace, An Tyn, with the assistance of the Imperial High Advisor and Neitaxi, began a deeper purge of the Empire’s upper echelons. It’s estimated that the clandestine turmoil would continue for quite some time.
Beyond the Empire’s territory, the Chu family flagship sailed.
Chu Rong withdrew his hand and looked at the unconscious Elder Ning on the bed, frowning as he said, “He also has a mental lock in his mind, and the fluctuations are the same as those in Ning Tianxing’s brain. It’s the work of the same person.”
The mission to find An Mhu had already gone for too long, and there were still matters waiting for them to handle on the Federation. So, immediately after stabilizing the situation with An Tyn, they secretly returned home, taking all the Ning family members and An Xei with them. The An Xei awaiting trial in the Empire now was just a placeholder.
Upon hearing this, Fan Xiangnan was stunned for a moment, furrowing his brow as he asked, “The same spiritual fluctuations? There’s a difference of several decades in age between Elder Ning and Ning Tianxing. Could it be that the person behind the scenes started manipulating the affairs of both the Federation and the Empire decades ago?”
“Not only that,” Chu Rong shook his head, recalling the similarly long-standing mental lock in the former Emperor’s mind, and said, “The person behind the scenes has been manipulating the situation for even longer than we thought. The Federation has a decentralized power structure, limiting the influence of the Ning family. However, power in the Empire is centralized in the royal family, first with the old Emperor and then with an Xei. It’s evident that the focus of the person behind the scenes is there, with the Federation being only a secondary concern.”
In his generation, the former Emperor wasn’t the best candidate between his brothers. But he ended up on the throne, which was quite suspicious.
As for the reaction of the former Emperor upon learning of the reappearance of the Zergs… Chu Rong initially guessed that the resurgence of the Zergs was a result of infighting among the former Emperor and his allies. He thought his allies were warning him back then. But now, it seems that the situation was more akin to the former Emperor realizing he had become a discarded pawn after the reappearance of the fake Zergs. The people who once helped him ascend to power had shifted their support to someone else, hence his fear.
So there were never really any allies, and the former Emperor was merely a tool who could only obey commands without question.
Fan Xiangnan estimated the age of the former king and the duration of his reign, then estimated the age of Elder Ning. He was shocked and said, “The person behind the scenes must have been hiding for at least a hundred years. This…”
Thanks to spiritual powers, human lifespan has greatly increased. If the person behind the scenes has indeed been hiding for such a long time, it’s truly terrifying.
The intricacies of this centuries-old conspiracy made their scalp numb just by thinking about it.
“We might need to reconsider the roles of Ning Tianxing and An Xei in this fake Zergs conspiracy,” Chu Rong said, with a solemn expression. After a pause, he added, “Go and check on An Xei.”
Fan Xiangnan’s mood also became heavy. Upon hearing this, he nodded and re-enclosed Elder Ning with a restraining protective barrier before following Chu Rong to the adjacent room.
An Xei was still in a coma, which was specially arranged by Chu Rong.
Dealing with someone who held unknown power in their hands, rendering them unconscious was the safest way to guard against them.
After opening the protective barrier, Chu Rong extended his spiritual power toward An Xei’s brain, only to encounter a feedback force much stronger than the lock in Elder Ning’s mind. Sensing the intrusion, the force not only resisted but also attempted to penetrate Chu Rong’s spiritual sea along the path of his released spiritual power, displaying a fierce hostility.
“Sir!” Fan Xiangnan was shocked. Even he could feel the violent spiritual power just now.
Chu Rong immediately severed the external spiritual connection and waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. However, his gaze towards An Xei grew colder, as he said, “An Xei is indeed the key. The person behind the scenes has an exceptionally deep control over him, even intentionally protecting him. He must have a direct way of communicating with the person behind the scenes. Contact Neitaxi and have him thoroughly investigate everything under An Xei’s name—communication devices, residences, networks of relationships. Search everything that can be searched meticulously. We must uncover any clues linking An Xei to the mastermind.”
Fan Xiangnan hurriedly acknowledged and turned to make arrangements, but he was stopped by Chu Rong’s call.
“The Ning family daughter who married An Xei… Ning Tianwu, wasn’t it? She’s Ning Tianxing’s younger sister, too. Did she wake up already?”
Upon hearing this, Fan Xiangnan nodded and replied, “Awake. Except for Elder Ning, everyone else in the Ning family has regained consciousness. They are currently being detained separately.”
Chu Rong nodded and understood, seeing that it was already late in the evening, he turned and walked out.
Qiao Zhiya was currently preparing potions, and his mood was very low. This journey to the Empire has shown him the terrifying consequences of soldiers controlled by the Ning family’s medications if left untreated for a long time.
The medications made by the Ning family using Zergs secretions were too domineering. Even after treatment, those soldiers will never be able to return to their former selves in their lifetime.
He could only do his best to find ways to make potions for recovery… He worked quickly and efficiently, completely unaware of Chu Rong’s entrance due to his intense focus on research.
Chu Rong walked up behind him, observing his serious study of various herbs and tools on the table. His expression softened, and he reached his arms around Qiao Zhiya’s waist from behind, leaning in to plant a kiss on his perked-up ear.
Qiao Zhiya was taken aback, and the extracts he just got almost spilled.
“Scared you?”
Chu Rong reached out to steady the potion Qiao Zhiya was working on, then decided to take everything from his hands and place it on the table. He then lifted Qiao Zhiya into his arms and carried him to the single-person sofa in the room. He sat down and pulled Qiao Zhiya to lean against him, gently stroking his back.
Seeing Chu Rong like this, Qiao Zhiya knew that he must be feeling upset again. He obediently leaned against him and shook his head while nodding at the same time, replying, “Just a little scared, but it’s fine now.” Then, he kissed Chu Rong on the lips and even tried to gently nibble on his lip.
Between the two, Chu Rong has always been the one to initiate intimacy, while Qiao Zhiya, being shy, rarely expresses affection through kissing. Typically, it’s more about hugs and cuddles. So, instances like this, with Qiao Zhiya initiating kisses and flirting, are extremely rare occurrences.
Chu Rong held his hand tightly and looked down at him with deep eyes.
Qiao Zhiya shyly looked at him back. He then pecked Chu Rong’s cheek once more, then asked in a soft voice, “Is the investigation unsuccessful, is there anything I can help?”
Faced with such a caring lover, any heavy-heartedness would dissipate. Chu Rong didn’t say anything but simply held him tightly, pressing his head gently against his chest and softly rubbing it, then leaning down to kiss his ear.
Qiao Zhiya nestled quietly in his chest, calming Chu Rong down.
The two hugged each other for a while. Finally, it was Chu Rong who broke the silence. “It’s not going well,” he confessed.
Qiao Zhiya looked up at him.
“All the clues point to a mastermind who has never appeared before. Anyone who has had contact with this mysterious person has been locked with mental locks in their minds. We can’t extract any clues from them.”
Chu Rong began slowly, as if he was speaking to Qiao Zhiya as a way to organize his own thoughts. “Based on the information we have now, considering the ages of Elder Ning and the former Emperor, as well as the timing of the former Emperor’s ascension, Elder Ning should have been the first person controlled by that mastermind, followed by the former Emperor. Whether they have any connection between them or know about each other, that is still unclear.”
This was speculation about the previous generation. Moving on to this generation, over twenty years ago, Prince An Xei and Ning Tianwu met, and the two were married. An Xei became connected with the Ning family through this. Based on this, it could be deduced that An Xei became the puppet of the mastermind before marrying Ning Tianwu.
Based on the current situation, it seems that in the Federation, after Elder Ning grew too old, either the mastermind or Elder Ning himself chose Ning Tianxing as the successor to continue serving the mastermind. On the Empire’s side, the mastermind chose An Xei, and it was done without informing the former Emperor, directly abandoning him in favor of An Xei.
From this, it could be concluded that the mastermind has deeper control over the Empire and could manipulate the Empire more freely.
So the conspiracy didn’t start from the appearance of the real Zergs over a decade ago; rather, it originated from much further back in time. The appearance of the Zergs over a decade ago was just a concentrated outbreak of the conspiracy.
Since Elder Ning and the former Emperor were controlled, for almost a hundred years, there was relative peace between the Federation and the Empire. However, in the last twenty years or so, there have been frequent actions. This situation seems more like the mastermind becoming impatient and no longer being as cautious as before. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have suddenly allowed such an obvious connection, like arranging a marriage between individuals from the Federation and the Empire.
And as for what made the mastermind become impatient… According to the age of Elder Ning, the mysterious person should not be young anymore.
An ancient person, one who lurks in the shadows and spreads their web into the upper echelons of the Federation and the Empire, what could he be exerting all this effort for?
The Ning family seeks profit, An Xei seeks power, and this mastermind can even summon the Zergs, indicating considerable strength. For someone with such power, acquiring wealth and authority shouldn’t be difficult. So, what do they really want? Is it simply revenge against society?
Chu Rong stopped analyzing the situation and thought about it.
Qiao Zhiya didn’t reply either. He only looked at Chu Rong back, leaning against his chest as he soothe his emotions with his wood-elemental magic.
“The Zergs.”
After some time passed, Chu Rong’s demeanor suddenly grew heavy. Furrowing his brow, he whispered something under his breath before rising to his feet. He settled Qiao Zhiya on the sofa, kissed his forehead, and quickly said, “You rest early. I’ll go check on something and be back soon.” With that, he swiftly left the room.
Qiao Zhiya watched him leave, raised his hand and touched his forehead, his ears drooping down.
An Leen: Imperial Princess.An Tyn: Imperial Prince, An Leen's twin brother. The Fifth Imperial Prince.An Xei: The Emperor's younger brother. A Prince and a scholar.Ning Tianwu: An Xei's wife, Ning Tianxing's younger sister.An Mhu: ex-Third Imperial Prince. Now the current Emperor.Neitaxi: General from the Empire, the strongest mecha soldier in the Empire.Feng: The Imperial High Advisor. Chu Rong also looked at him coldly. Without even giving him any reply, he just directly pierced An Xei's brain using his spiritual energy, instantly knocking him out.After ensuring that the command room was secure, he tied up the unconscious An Xei with a silver mesh and tossed him aside. He also enclosed him in an isolation barrier. Then, he bound the remaining individuals together and initiated a communication request to the outside.Upon receiving the message, Prince An Tyn and the Imperial High Advisor hurried over under the protection of Fan Xiangnan and the soldiers. Seeing that the situation was indeed under the control of Chu Rong alone, they felt a great sense of relief. They quickly expressed their gratitude to him and began to arrange external communications according to the plan.General Neitaxi on the port also received the message. He sighed as he looked down at the chaos among the Imperial soldiers caused by the video.During this civil strife, the Empire still hurt its vitality.Indeed, the restoration of the Empire's stability and morale after the damage inflicted by An Xei's actions will likely take a considerable amount of time.Chu Rong, having completed what he could, exited the command room and found Qiao Zhiya waiting outside. He embraced him and said, We can go home now.Qiao Zhiya nodded, and hugged him back.Prince An Tyn quickly took control of the command room with the assistance of the Imperial High Advisor, stabilizing the situation. Subsequently, General Neitaxi landed and escorted Prince An Tyn all the way to the palace, openly displaying their movements without concealing their armed forces, which caused various speculations among the people along the route.After assisting Prince An Tyn in gaining control of the palace, Neitaxi immediately dispatched troops to arrest the private soldiers scattered around by An Xei, swiftly eliminating the influence of Prince An Xei with utmost efficiency.After gaining basic control of the situation, Prince An Tyn, accompanied by Neitaxi, held a royal meeting with the public, disclosing all the truths to the citizens and announcing the charges against An Xei.The manipulation of the royal family, framing the Second and Fourth Princes, imposing mental locks on the new Emperor, maintaining private armies, conspiring with the Ning family to overthrow both the Empire and the Federation, and using harmful drugs to mind control soldiers A series of charges shocked the Imperial citizens, completely shattering the once amiable and kind image of An Xei.The imperial citizens, who had been deceived by An Xei for over a month, finally saw the long-lost new Emperor during this royal meeting. However, the sight of the vacant, emaciated, and pale young man completely overturned their previous impression of the new Emperor. Throughout the meeting, they couldn't even hear a complete sentence from the new Emperor!The revelation of the truth about the war, the collapse of the royal image, and the destruction of the Emperor's reputation all hit the imperial citizens like a ton of bricks. After the initial shock, came panic.Yes, the war against the Zerg Queen was indeed victorious, but the Imperial Royal Family was now in tatters, and the new Emperor has become like this. What should they do? What should the Empire do? An Xei has committed such heinous acts against the Federation and humanity. What if the Federation is unwilling to forgive An Xei's actions and decides to wage war against the Empire?While the citizens were worried about the future of the Empire, General Neitaxi, along with a group of surviving loyalists, stepped forward. They announced that considering the current physical and mental condition of the new king, they had decided to endorse Prince An Tyn, the Fifth Prince, to ascend the throne, replacing the Third Prince as the new Emperor. Additionally, the Empire would collaborate with the Federation to conduct a joint trial against the Ning family and An Xei for their crimes, holding them accountable and providing an explanation to all citizens.This decision was widely accepted by the Imperial citizens. They were relieved.Thankfully, they still had a healthy adult prince, so the continuation of the royal family still had hope.Prince An Tyn, the Fifth Prince, might be young, but with General Neitaxi's support, he would surely mature into a competent Emperor. As for the joint trial, it seems that the Federation has not blamed the entire Empire for An Xei's actions, and instead, sensibly prepared to cooperate with the Empire in punishing those traitors.It's great, it's great to not have to go through war again.After pacifying the populace, An Tyn, with the assistance of the Imperial High Advisor and Neitaxi, began a deeper purge of the Empire's upper echelons. It's estimated that the clandestine turmoil would continue for quite some time.Beyond the Empire's territory, the Chu family flagship sailed.Chu Rong withdrew his hand and looked at the unconscious Elder Ning on the bed, frowning as he said, He also has a mental lock in his mind, and the fluctuations are the same as those in Ning Tianxing's brain. It's the work of the same person.The mission to find An Mhu had already gone for too long, and there were still matters waiting for them to handle on the Federation. So, immediately after stabilizing the situation with An Tyn, they secretly returned home, taking all the Ning family members and An Xei with them. The An Xei awaiting trial in the Empire now was just a placeholder.Upon hearing this, Fan Xiangnan was stunned for a moment, furrowing his brow as he asked, The same spiritual fluctuations? There's a difference of several decades in age between Elder Ning and Ning Tianxing. Could it be that the person behind the scenes started manipulating the affairs of both the Federation and the Empire decades ago?Not only that, Chu Rong shook his head, recalling the similarly long-standing mental lock in the former Emperor's mind, and said, The person behind the scenes has been manipulating the situation for even longer than we thought. The Federation has a decentralized power structure, limiting the influence of the Ning family. However, power in the Empire is centralized in the royal family, first with the old Emperor and then with an Xei. It's evident that the focus of the person behind the scenes is there, with the Federation being only a secondary concern.In his generation, the former Emperor wasn't the best candidate between his brothers. But he ended up on the throne, which was quite suspicious.As for the reaction of the former Emperor upon learning of the reappearance of the Zergs Chu Rong initially guessed that the resurgence of the Zergs was a result of infighting among the former Emperor and his allies. He thought his allies were warning him back then. But now, it seems that the situation was more akin to the former Emperor realizing he had become a discarded pawn after the reappearance of the fake Zergs. The people who once helped him ascend to power had shifted their support to someone else, hence his fear.So there were never really any allies, and the former Emperor was merely a tool who could only obey commands without question.Fan Xiangnan estimated the age of the former king and the duration of his reign, then estimated the age of Elder Ning. He was shocked and said, The person behind the scenes must have been hiding for at least a hundred years. ThisThanks to spiritual powers, human lifespan has greatly increased. If the person behind the scenes has indeed been hiding for such a long time, it's truly terrifying.The intricacies of this centuries-old conspiracy made their scalp numb just by thinking about it.We might need to reconsider the roles of Ning Tianxing and An Xei in this fake Zergs conspiracy, Chu Rong said, with a solemn expression. After a pause, he added, Go and check on An Xei.Fan Xiangnan's mood also became heavy. Upon hearing this, he nodded and re-enclosed Elder Ning with a restraining protective barrier before following Chu Rong to the adjacent room.An Xei was still in a coma, which was specially arranged by Chu Rong.Dealing with someone who held unknown power in their hands, rendering them unconscious was the safest way to guard against them.After opening the protective barrier, Chu Rong extended his spiritual power toward An Xei's brain, only to encounter a feedback force much stronger than the lock in Elder Ning's mind. Sensing the intrusion, the force not only resisted but also attempted to penetrate Chu Rong's spiritual sea along the path of his released spiritual power, displaying a fierce hostility.Sir! Fan Xiangnan was shocked. Even he could feel the violent spiritual power just now.Chu Rong immediately severed the external spiritual connection and waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. However, his gaze towards An Xei grew colder, as he said, An Xei is indeed the key. The person behind the scenes has an exceptionally deep control over him, even intentionally protecting him. He must have a direct way of communicating with the person behind the scenes. Contact Neitaxi and have him thoroughly investigate everything under An Xei's namecommunication devices, residences, networks of relationships. Search everything that can be searched meticulously. We must uncover any clues linking An Xei to the mastermind.Fan Xiangnan hurriedly acknowledged and turned to make arrangements, but he was stopped by Chu Rong's call.The Ning family daughter who married An Xei Ning Tianwu, wasn't it? She's Ning Tianxing's younger sister, too. Did she wake up already?Upon hearing this, Fan Xiangnan nodded and replied, Awake. Except for Elder Ning, everyone else in the Ning family has regained consciousness. They are currently being detained separately.Chu Rong nodded and understood, seeing that it was already late in the evening, he turned and walked out.Qiao Zhiya was currently preparing potions, and his mood was very low. This journey to the Empire has shown him the terrifying consequences of soldiers controlled by the Ning family's medications if left untreated for a long time.The medications made by the Ning family using Zergs secretions were too domineering. Even after treatment, those soldiers will never be able to return to their former selves in their lifetime.He could only do his best to find ways to make potions for recovery He worked quickly and efficiently, completely unaware of Chu Rong's entrance due to his intense focus on research.Chu Rong walked up behind him, observing his serious study of various herbs and tools on the table. His expression softened, and he reached his arms around Qiao Zhiya's waist from behind, leaning in to plant a kiss on his perked-up ear.Qiao Zhiya was taken aback, and the extracts he just got almost spilled.Scared you?Chu Rong reached out to steady the potion Qiao Zhiya was working on, then decided to take everything from his hands and place it on the table. He then lifted Qiao Zhiya into his arms and carried him to the single-person sofa in the room. He sat down and pulled Qiao Zhiya to lean against him, gently stroking his back.Seeing Chu Rong like this, Qiao Zhiya knew that he must be feeling upset again. He obediently leaned against him and shook his head while nodding at the same time, replying, Just a little scared, but it's fine now. Then, he kissed Chu Rong on the lips and even tried to gently nibble on his lip.Between the two, Chu Rong has always been the one to initiate intimacy, while Qiao Zhiya, being shy, rarely expresses affection through kissing. Typically, it's more about hugs and cuddles. So, instances like this, with Qiao Zhiya initiating kisses and flirting, are extremely rare occurrences.Chu Rong held his hand tightly and looked down at him with deep eyes.Qiao Zhiya shyly looked at him back. He then pecked Chu Rong's cheek once more, then asked in a soft voice, Is the investigation unsuccessful, is there anything I can help?Faced with such a caring lover, any heavy-heartedness would dissipate. Chu Rong didn't say anything but simply held him tightly, pressing his head gently against his chest and softly rubbing it, then leaning down to kiss his ear.Qiao Zhiya nestled quietly in his chest, calming Chu Rong down.The two hugged each other for a while. Finally, it was Chu Rong who broke the silence. It's not going well, he confessed.Qiao Zhiya looked up at him.All the clues point to a mastermind who has never appeared before. Anyone who has had contact with this mysterious person has been locked with mental locks in their minds. We can't extract any clues from them.Chu Rong began slowly, as if he was speaking to Qiao Zhiya as a way to organize his own thoughts. Based on the information we have now, considering the ages of Elder Ning and the former Emperor, as well as the timing of the former Emperor's ascension, Elder Ning should have been the first person controlled by that mastermind, followed by the former Emperor. Whether they have any connection between them or know about each other, that is still unclear.This was speculation about the previous generation. Moving on to this generation, over twenty years ago, Prince An Xei and Ning Tianwu met, and the two were married. An Xei became connected with the Ning family through this. Based on this, it could be deduced that An Xei became the puppet of the mastermind before marrying Ning Tianwu.Based on the current situation, it seems that in the Federation, after Elder Ning grew too old, either the mastermind or Elder Ning himself chose Ning Tianxing as the successor to continue serving the mastermind. On the Empire's side, the mastermind chose An Xei, and it was done without informing the former Emperor, directly abandoning him in favor of An Xei.From this, it could be concluded that the mastermind has deeper control over the Empire and could manipulate the Empire more freely.So the conspiracy didn't start from the appearance of the real Zergs over a decade ago; rather, it originated from much further back in time. The appearance of the Zergs over a decade ago was just a concentrated outbreak of the conspiracy.Since Elder Ning and the former Emperor were controlled, for almost a hundred years, there was relative peace between the Federation and the Empire. However, in the last twenty years or so, there have been frequent actions. This situation seems more like the mastermind becoming impatient and no longer being as cautious as before. Otherwise, they wouldn't have suddenly allowed such an obvious connection, like arranging a marriage between individuals from the Federation and the Empire.And as for what made the mastermind become impatient According to the age of Elder Ning, the mysterious person should not be young anymore.An ancient person, one who lurks in the shadows and spreads their web into the upper echelons of the Federation and the Empire, what could he be exerting all this effort for?The Ning family seeks profit, An Xei seeks power, and this mastermind can even summon the Zergs, indicating considerable strength. For someone with such power, acquiring wealth and authority shouldn't be difficult. So, what do they really want? Is it simply revenge against society?Chu Rong stopped analyzing the situation and thought about it.Qiao Zhiya didn't reply either. He only looked at Chu Rong back, leaning against his chest as he soothe his emotions with his wood-elemental magic.The Zergs.After some time passed, Chu Rong's demeanor suddenly grew heavy. Furrowing his brow, he whispered something under his breath before rising to his feet. He settled Qiao Zhiya on the sofa, kissed his forehead, and quickly said, You rest early. I'll go check on something and be back soon. With that, he swiftly left the room.Qiao Zhiya watched him leave, raised his hand and touched his forehead, his ears drooping down.
