Chapter 21: Losing Control; What Should He Do? What Could He Do?
Seeing that the person he was pinning down was truly angry, Feng Jingtian slowly released Zhuang He. He wasn’t a fool; if he truly enraged the other, he would likely be the one to suffer the consequences.
The moment he was released, Zhuang He immediately shoved Feng Jingtian to the floor and turned to leave without looking back.
Feng Jingtian fell to a sitting position on the floor, laughing with his head down. Seeing that Zhuang He had already opened the door, he said unhurriedly, “The news about the Council of Elders is true.”
These words made Zhuang He stop in his tracks. With a cold face, he turned back to look at Feng Jingtian and reached out to close the door again.
Feng Jingtian scrambled up from the floor. Though the posture was somewhat clumsy, he made it look exceptionally elegant and noble. He smartly straightened his clothes and sat on the sofa, patting the empty spot beside him with an obvious meaning.
But Zhuang He simply leaned against the door, showing no intention of following his lead and sitting down.
“Fine. I imagine you’ve already guessed part of the truth.”
Feng Jingtian shrugged and sprawled his long arms across the sofa, squinting at Zhuang He as if he wanted to peel his skin and swallow his bones.
“In fact, it’s been a long time. It’s just that there was a lack of evidence.”
Feng Jingtian smiled, tilting his head as he looked at Zhuang He and saying word for word, “Take a guess. Is my dear Royal Father still the same one from before?”
As soon as these words were out, Zhuang He froze in place. In his memory, the King was very strict and demanding, yet very kind toward his children and very dedicated to governing the Empire. It was only because of his advanced age in recent years that the center of governance had gradually shifted toward several Princes, allowing him to enjoy some leisure.
Could such an old man be related to the Zerg?
But the words Feng Jingtian spoke couldn’t be entirely groundless.
Seeing Zhuang He fall into silence, Feng Jingtian also sat on the sofa without speaking, merely staring at him. Those eyes were as cold and damp as his Black Mamba.
“What are your plans for later?”
No matter how much he disliked this man, Feng Jingtian was still an Imperial Prince—and one very likely to inherit the throne. Zhuang He didn’t want his relationship with him to become too strained. At the same time, he was strong enough that the Prince didn’t dare be too unreasonable with him.
Feng Jingtian toyed with a small object in his hand, thinking for a long while before saying, “Evidence must be found first. Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before the Empire is corroded by the Zerg.”
With that, his gaze fell on Zhuang He once more. “Don’t make a scene for now. I’ll contact you as soon as there’s new information.”
Zhuang He thought for a bit and briefly recounted the incident with Shi Yan to Feng Jingtian, offering his speculation: “I suspect the next person they want to alienate is Shi Yan, but for some reason, they didn’t succeed.”
“The fact that Shi Yan could become a commander second only to you isn’t just an empty title. Otherwise, why would those Zerg only dare to pick on the useless ones?”
Feng Jingtian let out a sarcastic laugh and placed the small ornament aside. “Rest early. Use fewer Soothing Agents; they’re bad for the body.”
Words identical to Shi Yan’s made Zhuang He freeze for a moment, but he gave no response, simply turning to leave.
Feng Jingtian sat on the sofa listening to the receding footsteps, his eyes gloomy and complex.
＊
Zhuang He lay on the sofa with his eyes closed to rest, thinking about what Feng Jingtian had just said.
If even the King… then it was too terrifying.
Even if he was somewhat unwilling to recall his childhood experiences, it was undeniable that the King had truly brought a stable life to the people of the Empire.
What should be done now? What was the next step? His mind was a mess.
It felt as if his entire life he had been pushed forward by others, giving him a sense of immense helplessness.
What should he do? What could he do?
Zhuang He fell into a state of confusion. Golden spiritual power flowed from his chest in a disorganized manner.
The butler-cat jumped over, and a sharp alarm rang out. The fiery-red phoenix circled Zhuang He within its wings, comforting him silently and sorrowfully.
The kitten immediately activated the house’s protection system to ensure the spiritual power wouldn’t destroy it or leak out.
It was unclear how much time passed—long enough that the butler-cat was prepared to report to the main system—before Zhuang He finally woke up.
He retracted his spiritual power, stroked the phoenix and the kitten, and let out a long breath, staring blankly at the ceiling.
This was his destiny. He was destined to sacrifice everything for the Empire, including his own life.
Jade on the outside, rot on the inside. Perhaps that evaluation was correct.
Zhuang He stood up unsteadily and flopped onto the bed, intending to rest for a while, but his stomach let out a gurgle.
The butler-cat trotted to his side on its tiptoes, meowing and rubbing against Zhuang He’s neck.
“Just make whatever.”
The kitten meowed again and ran to the kitchen to operate the mechanical arms to cook.
The extremely irregular frequency of his meals caused some slight pain in Zhuang He’s stomach, but after a few bites of warm food, the pain eased a bit.
After eating, even the last trace of sleepiness vanished. Zhuang He simply began to modify Lu Yin’s class schedule.
The assessment was imminent. Lu Yin’s current state wasn’t suitable for continued training; it was better to stop now, rest well, and then do one day of intensive training right before the assessment.
Between modifying the schedule and handling some other military affairs, he watched the sky outside turn dark.
Zhuang He stretched, stood up, and walked out the door, intending to light a cigarette. But as soon as the thought occurred to him, the kitten ran over and meowed at his feet.
“Alright, alright.”
Zhuang He picked up the kitten, holding it up to his shoulder and asking, “Want to go for a walk?”
The butler-cat gave a dainty meow, clearly very willing.
Zhuang He chuckled, rubbed his nose against the kitten’s wet nose, closed the main door, and took the kitten out to play.
But before the man and the cat had walked for long, Zhuang He keenly sensed an anomaly in the air. The kitten felt it too; its fur stood on end, and it let out a low hiss toward a certain direction.
Zhuang He held the kitten in his arms and surveyed the surroundings; nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
He turned to head back, only to hear the sound of wind racing from behind. Zhuang He immediately turned and dodged to the side.
Once he stood steady and looked closely, that massive, fluffy white tiger looked somewhat familiar.
Lu Yin’s mental body?!
Zhuang He was shocked. Mental bodies rarely left their masters unless the master…
He placed the kitten on his shoulder. At this moment, the White Tiger ran to his feet, let out whines and growls in a submissive posture.
Zhuang He half-knelt and lightly stroked the tiger’s head, asking softly, “Did something happen to Lu Yin?”
The White Tiger jumped around in agitation, wanting to bite Zhuang He’s hem but not daring to close its mouth on it.
“Don’t worry. I’m going over now. You go back and guard him first.”
Hearing Zhuang He’s gentle and firm assurance, the White Tiger whined and growled for a long while before leaving, looking back with every step.
Zhuang He immediately took the kitten back home. After leaving it there, he grabbed his light-brain and headed straight for the Academy dormitories.
He knew where Lu Yin lived, so it didn’t take long to reach the dormitory building.
Zhuang He used his own identity card to swipe through the security gate and headed straight upstairs.
Reaching the room, Zhuang He’s expression was somewhat grim. He could already sense the overwhelming spiritual power.
Fortunately, it was currently dinner time, and most students weren’t in the dorms. Coupled with the fact that Sentinels aren’t very sensitive to other Sentinels’ spiritual power, it hadn’t caused a large-scale commotion.
He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Zhuang He simply used his identity card to swipe through their door lock as well and stepped inside.
The living room was filled with Lu Yin’s spiritual power. He used the density of the power to find the boy’s room and knocked again, but there was still no response.
At this point, the White Tiger leaped out again. Mental bodies aren’t obstructed by physical objects, allowing it to move freely.
The White Tiger frantically wanted to pull Zhuang He into the room, but when he turned the handle, it was locked.
Just then, voices came from outside: “Eh? Why does it feel weird… my back feels chilled.”
It was Lu Yin’s roommates; Zhuang He had an impression of them.
Liang Tong and Hua Huijiang were talking as they walked into the dorm, but they were startled to find their door wide open.
“Holy crap! We’ve been robbed!”
Liang Tong rushed in with a stride, only to see Zhuang He standing at Lu Yin’s door. He braked sharply, staring at Zhuang He and then at the closed door.
Hua Huijiang, who followed, also saw Zhuang He and immediately ran forward to greet him: “Chief Zhuang.”
“Mhm. Do you have the key to his room?”
Liang Tong nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes. One moment, Chief, I’ll go get it.”
With that, he turned to rummage through a small drawer in the living room. Hua Huijiang asked with concern, “Chief, what’s wrong with Lu Yin?”
Earlier, he and Liang Tong had asked Lu Yin to go to dinner, but the boy’s mood seemed poor. His face was gloomy, and he had locked himself in his room and hadn’t come out.
They thought Lu Yin had been scolded by Chief Zhuang and was thus unhappy, so they hadn’t thought much of it.
Thinking about it now, the anomaly they had sensed in the hallway just now seemed to be the pressure of 3S-grade spiritual power.
Liang Tong hurriedly brought the key and opened the door. As the door opened, the immense pressure nearly knocked Liang Tong and Hua Huijiang to the floor; only Zhuang He stood firm like a mountain.
He stepped quickly into the room. The White Tiger guarded the doorway, letting out low growls at the two roommates.
Once inside, Zhuang He felt that things were very bad. Lu Yin was lying on the bed, waves of spiritual power frantically leaking out. Even though Zhuang He was a veteran of a hundred battles, he found it somewhat difficult to withstand this 3S-grade pressure.
He quickly supported Lu Yin, trying to hoist him up, but failed. At this point, the White Tiger trotted in, circling the bed.
Zhuang He pondered for a moment and beckoned the tiger over. “Can you carry him?”
The White Tiger whined and growled in a low voice. Zhuang He felt relieved and shouted toward the door, “You two, come in!”
Liang Tong and Hua Huijiang were looking in with worry. Hearing Zhuang He call them, they rushed in as well.
“Chief.”
“Help me out. Put Lu Yin onto his mental body. I’m taking him for soothing.”
Liang Tong and Hua Huijiang answered in unison and, together with Zhuang He, finally managed to lift the tall, heavy Lu Yin onto the White Tiger’s back.
Lu Yin’s spiritual power was still leaking out. Liang Tong and Hua Huijiang gritted their teeth to endure it. Fortunately, both were S-grade, so it wasn’t an issue for the moment.
Seeing that the White Tiger had the person secured, Zhuang He turned to instruct them: “I’m taking him now. Help him request a leave of absence for tomorrow’s classes. Once it’s settled, I’ll personally go to communicate with the Academy.”
Before Liang Tong and Hua Huijiang could even agree, Zhuang He hurried away, with the White Tiger carrying Lu Yin following close behind.
“This…”
“Don’t worry. With Chief Zhuang around, Lu Yin will be fine.”
Hua Huijiang patted Liang Tong’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Now we have to find a way to clear out the pressure Lu Yin left behind, or the other students won’t be able to stand it when they return.”
Liang Tong nodded, opening all the doors and windows to let the gradually fading spiritual power completely dissipate.
Once Zhuang He and the tiger-man duo returned home, he immediately ordered the butler-cat to activate the house’s protection to ensure Lu Yin’s spiritual power wouldn’t leak out again.
“Just drop him on the floor.”
Zhuang He didn’t have the strength to carry Lu Yin to the bed. Besides, there was only one bed in this house.
Lu Yin lay on the cold floor, his body burning hot, his spiritual power still leaking out. His consciousness seemed completely blurred.
Zhuang He half-kneels beside him, taking Lu Yin’s hand. The moment their skin touched, golden spiritual power flowed out continuously like water.
How did it come to this…
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