Jiang Ci was completely immersed in the battle just now and naturally had no time to pay attention to Huo Xianfeng. However, Ye Shu, who had been standing beside the latter since the beginning, witnessed all of Huo Xianfeng’s performances throughout the entire process.
This mysterious youth, who seemed lazy and unreliable, had everyone seemingly dancing to his tune since the moment he appeared.
First, he obtained the remains of the Forbidden Abyss, then effortlessly seized its core. And, after seeing through Ye Shu’s deeply hidden trump card, he smoothly went with the flow. Just now, when everyone thought Cruzi had truly taken away the core, it turned out to be just a game experiment orchestrated by Huo Xianfeng.
At this moment, Ye Shu couldn’t conceal the astonishment and awe in his tone.
“Who exactly are you?”
This was truly an unanswerable question. Huo Xianfeng thought for a moment, turned his head, and asked back, “I’m suddenly curious. What would you do if I really was Huo Chao?”
This question made Ye Shu’s breathing stop, but he didn’t show an overly intense emotion, just giving him a wry smile. “If you were, you wouldn’t ask me such a question.”
Huo Xianfeng nodded, accepting the other’s polite refusal. “Hmm, you’re right.”
Then, the youth casually tossed something.
Snap!
Wan Jiang caught the Forbidden Abyss’ core that Huo Xianfeng threw. The black-silver metal sphere was engraved with intricate and mysterious patterns, with slight traces of smoke and battle damage from Earth’s battlefield three centuries ago.
It was now emitting a beautiful, soft warm light, perhaps because it was briefly activated by Cruzi.
Ye Shu looked at the core in his hand with a complex gaze and asked, “Do you know why I stopped you that night and asked you three questions?”
“?” Huo Xianfeng pondered, but couldn’t find an answer. However, this time, Ye Shu didn’t intend to keep him in suspense.
“Because, from the day Jiang Jingsheng broke through the Church’s technological barrier and developed the ability to control mechas with mental power, up until now, the only individuals who can control mechas at will without relying on the neural chain…”
He looked up at Huo Xianfeng, as if trying to grasp another person’s shadow through him and said, “Besides Huo Chao, there’s only you.”
So, at that time, Ye Shu instinctively felt that there might be a connection between Huo Xianfeng and Huo Chao.
Meanwhile, this was also part of the reason why Huo Xianfeng was able to reclaim the core from Cruzi.
The young man fell silent for a moment and smiled. “I’m honored to be mentioned in the same breath as that great person.”
However, Huo Xianfeng was more interested in the answer to another question now. “Ye Shu, how did you take the control of Wan Jiang from the Legion Commander?”
Huo Xianfeng had fought against Zhou Jiuya and heard about the exploits of this founding hero. Logically speaking, it would be difficult for Ye Shu to seize control of Wan Jiang.
“…”
—Of course, it was the virus chip given by Jiang Jingsheng.
Virus chip…
Closing his eyes, Ye Shu remembered his departed old friend from his distant memories.
[What do you want this thing for?]
At that time, Ye Shu, who was still heavily injured, found Jiang Jingsheng. The latter was tirelessly repairing the Forbidden Abyss’ core day and night, and was very surprised by this strange request.
[He chose Pei Changyun, and I chose the deceased Huo Chao.]
[We are already on opposite sides. Someday, our blades will clash.]
Ye Shu touched the bandage wrapped around his left cheek.
[Before that happens, I need to prepare a trump card.]
At these words, Jiang Jingsheng unexpectedly smiled.
[Why? Why you don’t say that I’ve also betrayed you?]
After all, at that time, Jiang Jingsheng was providing arms and funds for Pei Changyun, effectively standing by Pei Changyun’s side.
[No, it’s different.]
Ye Shu shook his head.
[You never stood on anyone’s side; you’ve always stood on the side of human interests.]
Back then, the Illusory God Church suddenly emerged on Earth. After showcasing technology far beyond human capabilities, they quickly gained significant influence in the Alliance. They also established three major church academies across the Earth, recruiting disciples.
Jiang Jingsheng entered the church academy at the age of seven. By the time he was thirty-five, he had, with his own strength, narrowed the massive technological gap of almost a thousand years to four hundred years, becoming the Church’s number one wanted enemy.
At that time, Ye Shu looked into Jiang Jingsheng’s eyes and earnestly said,
[He said you are a great person.]
Jiang Jingsheng was slightly stunned, and could only lower his gaze and shake his head, chuckling.
[Oh… that guy Huo Chao, he really knows how to flatter me.]
In the end, Ye Shu obtained a miniature nuclear bomb, a virus chip, and substantial financial aid from Jiang Jingsheng. Then, with the remains of the Forbidden Abyss, he went to the Winter Day Planet and established the underground city.
However, these secrets buried during the passage of time were evidently not something Ye Shu would disclose to a stranger whom he knew nothing of except a name.
Seeing the silence from the other side, Huo Xianfeng didn’t press further. After all, he didn’t necessarily need an answer; he was merely using this to convey to Ye Shu—
“City Lord, I think our relationship hasn’t reached the stage where we can confide in each other. What do you think?”
“…”
—It’s indeed so.
However, perhaps because the other party was currently sitting in the cockpit of the Forbidden Abyss, facing such a familiar scene, Ye Shu couldn’t manage to keep his heart guarded.
At this moment, Huo Xianfeng suddenly said,
“By the way, City Lord, the time you can control Wan Jiang shouldn’t be too long.”
“…!!!”
Ye Shu’s pupils shook, and the next moment, he turned around abruptly, only to see Zhou Jiuya suddenly rise, breaking free from the restraints.
Bam!
A large hand forcefully slammed Ye Shu against the wall.
Perhaps the people in the Jiang family have a strong resistance to drugs. With such a large dose of sedative injected, in less than twenty minutes, Zhou Jiuya had already regained half of his strength. He took out the handcuffs and clasped Ye Shu’s wrists in one go, with very skillful and swift movements.
“This farce ends here, Ye Shu!”
The latter didn’t struggle, only responding with a mocking smile,
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“What, are you going to capture me and present me to the Emperor for a reward?”
“…P kbc’a ifa Ufl Jtjcusec tjgw sbe.”
“Tbe jgf pera ublcu ab qea wf ecvfg tberf jggfra, gluta?”
Djmx ktfc atfs kfgf ralii ecvfg Leb Jtjb’r mbwwjcv, atfs tjv obeuta rlvf ys rlvf atgbeut j ibcu jcv vloolmeia qfglbv. Ktflg ecvfgrajcvlcu bo fjmt batfg kjr jigfjvs abb qgbobecv obg ktlaf ilfr.
“…”
Zhou Jiuya suddenly fell silent.
Seeing the other party’s reaction, Ye Shu softly chuckled, as if he had suddenly figured out a long-standing puzzle.
“So, that’s what he meant… That’s what he meant.”
Ye Shu had once asked Huo Chao how he viewed the four of them. The latter pondered for a moment and then answered like this—
Jiang Jingsheng is wholeheartedly dedicated to scientific research. It is his lifetime dream to close the technological gap between the Church and the Alliance. Such a person is destined to leave their mark on history.
Pei Changyun is an ambitious politician. Likewise, he has the shrewdness and intellect to match his ambitions. Although his combat strength is not very high, it wasn’t a fatal flaw because he knew how to compensate for it by using others.
Zhou Jiuya is calm and restrained, with extraordinary military talent. However, he wanted to have everything, and if he didn’t change that, he would probably lose everything in the end.
The more Ye Shu listened, the more curious he became. He then inquired,
[And what about me? What profound meaning do I have?]
Huo Chao rapidly flipped through the documents on his desk without lifting his head.
(You? You’re just a little brat.)
That joking evaluation angered Ye Shu, but at that moment, some urgent military information arrived, and Huo Chao strode out without even having the time to put down his pen. As a result, Ye Shu never got a proper answer.
However, on this day, three hundred years later, Ye Shu suddenly understood Huo Chao’s words from that day. Huo Chao had seen through everyone early on—
Jiang Jingsheng ultimately died for his dream.
Pei Changyun, the overly ambitious brat, went to great lengths to finally overthrow the Alliance and become the founding emperor.
Zhou Jiuya was indeed a military genius, and he deeply valued friendships. But despite his considerable efforts and giving his all, everything he once cherished, whether it was family or friendship, had now turned into a complete mess.
As for Ye Shu…
After such a long passage of time, along the vicissitudes of life, almost everyone had moved on from Huo Chao’s death. Only he stubbornly clung to the remnants of the Forbidden Abyss’ core, sinking into past memories for three hundred years, unwilling to awaken.
Just like a stubborn and childish little brat.
Huo Chao’s casual words from three hundred years ago had unexpectedly become prophecies, gradually fulfilling themselves in the flow of time.
So, would that person foresee his own death?
Probably yes.
At least, that’s what Ye Shu thought. He believed that, aside from Huo Chao himself, no one else could kill him.
Ding—
Wan Jiang’s cockpit returned to calm, and Zhou Jiuya finally regained control of the mecha.
“Report, Legion Commander, the Church has opened a space wormhole, and the aircraft carrier has already jumped and evacuated.”
“Hmm.”
This was a result that Zhou Jiuya had anticipated long ago.
“Clean up the battlefield, then inform the Political Department…”
He paused and then spoke in a serious tone,
“…Prepare to take over the Winter Day Planet.”
“Yes, sir!”
After Zhou Jiuya efficiently arranged the remaining matters, he noticed that Huo Xianfeng was no longer in his original location. Turning his head, he saw that Bai Ze had already finished the battle, and the Forbidden Abyss was crouched beside him. The two were inspecting the scrapped remnants of the Zerg mecha.
“So, it was you who took away the Forbidden Abyss’ core back then?”
Jiang Ci’s confusion from earlier was finally resolved. He mentioned that after Cruzi obtained the core, his strength greatly increased. At that time, Jiang Ci didn’t even have confidence in winning, but the final shot, even though it was not enough to defeat Cruzi, somehow turned him into dust.
“Yeah, this bio-mecha is obviously still in an experimental state, and its power level is very unstable. However, after he steals the Forbidden Abyss’ power, it will indeed have a terrifying boost for a short time.”
Huo Xianfeng confirmed with a sly smile, fiddling with the debris on the ground as if searching for something.
“But if you suddenly withdraw the core, it’s like taking away the main body of a roaring bonfire. Naturally, only a few sparks will remain, and the lack of energy at a critical moment can be extremely dangerous.”
Jiang Ci narrowed his eyes slightly.
Moreover, not only that, but Huo Xianfeng also retracted the core at a very precise moment, just a second before Cruzi was about to activate the defense shield. Essentially, Cruzi directly collided with Jiang Ci’s most powerful attack, the equivalent of him showing his most lethal weakness at the most critical moment.
So, in the end, it wasn’t surprising that it burst into a ball of fireworks.
Jiang Ci found that this guy really liked to use the tactic of pulling the carpet under someone's feet. He either didn’t fight or chose the most effortless way to fight. If it required a bit more effort, he would eliminate the potential threat directly.
The silver-haired major general stared at him with a complex expression. And, in this moment, he felt a subtle sense of relief.
Fortunately—
This young man named Huo Xianfeng wasn’t an enemy.
Otherwise, it would be too terrifying.
Jiang Ci suddenly noticed that the Forbidden Abyss’s hands were empty and furrowed his brows, asking, “Where is the core now?!”
“Hmm…” Suddenly, Huo Xianfeng raised his hand and casually gestured as if fishing something back. In the next moment, the core in Wan Jiang’s hand turned into a silver line and shot straight out.
Snap!
Forbidden Abyss tightened his fingers and accurately caught it. Then, in the next second, Huo Xianfeng threw the core he held to Jiang Ci, saying, “Here, take it.”
His movements were very casual, as if it wasn’t the only SSS-level core in history, but a bouncing ball that children liked.
“If you like it, take it.”
Jiang Ci, who originally was just asking casually: “Huh?”
Zhou Jiuya, who was ready to put away the core properly: “…?”
“???”
Something is gone?????
Jiang Ci hadn’t expected that the other party would do such a thing. It’s important to note that an entire battle was fought over this core that everyone desperately fought for. Yet, Huo Xianfeng just casually gave it to him?
“You… are giving it to me?”
“Yeah.”
The Forbidden Abyss squatted on the ground, supporting his cheek with one hand. Clearly, it should have been the posture of a rural area ruffian, but when he did it, it added a bit of an indescribable charm.
Huo Xianfeng did want a more powerful mecha, but the Forbidden Abyss was too troublesome, involving too many hidden forces. He was afraid of trouble, so he decided not to bother.
Besides—
“Anyway, this thing isn’t fixed, so it’s useless for me to hold onto it.”
“…”
Hearing this explanation, Jiang Ci’s heart was filled with mixed emotions, but in the next moment, he heard the other party say, “If you really feel guilty, you can give me an A-rank mecha.”
Jiang Ci: “…”
Sure enough, he knew that Huo Xianfeng would never suffer a loss.
“…Okay.”
Actually, thinking about it carefully, this was the best way to handle it. After all, although Huo Xianfeng was strong, he couldn’t match the entire First Legion alone. It’s better to hand over the core openly and get some favor in return.
Oh no, the other party even tricked him into giving away a mecha.
B-level and above mechas were considered controlled military equipment strictly under Imperial law, but that only applied to the portion produced by military factories. It didn’t include private manufacturing.
—This was a promise made by Pei Changyun to the Jiang family back then.
However, making a mecha was not something that one person could do alone. In the entire Empire, probably only the Jiang family had the capability. Just like Xiao X, who was originally just a parenting system, Jiang Ci implanted it into a core and turned it into an A-rank mecha.
Rustle—
The ground in the ruins suddenly vibrated slightly.
Whoosh!
The ground suddenly collapsed, and the wreckage of the bio-mecha was swallowed up in the blink of an eye.
Bai Ze abruptly stood up, leaped into the air, and rotated to the side, extending several muzzles and aiming directly at the ground—
If the Forbidden Abyss wasn’t still in the same place, Jiang Ci would probably have fired immediately.
“Huo Xianfeng! Get out of the way! There’s something underground!!!”
His voice suddenly tightened, alerting the young man.
Although he said there’s something, after experiencing the resurrection of the Zerg on Earth, the Major General almost instantly confirmed what was hidden underground.
—Zergs!
Moreover, just now, Huo Xianfeng directly asked Ye Shu and mentioned the existence of a Zerg nest underground on the Winter Day Planet.
At this moment, Jiang Ci didn’t have time to think about when Huo Xianfeng had discovered the Zerg nest. He was just staring at the ground, ready to launch an attack at any moment.
However, at this moment, the Forbidden Abyss did not move. His hand was gently placed on the ground, seemingly sensing something.
[Do you know what’s left on the forelimbs?]
Huo Xianfeng, who had become proficient in communicating with these silly larvae, had suspected something when the Zerg mecha appeared. This suspicion peaked when Cruzi activated the Forbidden Abyss with something unknown and stole its power.
Under the dark ground, the larvae quickly sniffed the lingering scent of the wreckage.
[King, it seems to be brain fluid…]
[It’s brain fluid!]
[A general’s brain fluid!]
These little guys could only speak in short sentences, repeating them over and over.
Huo Xianfeng was slightly stunned, [What is a brain fluid?]
In the next moment, the larvae quickly provided an answer, [It’s the liquid in the brain…]
[Very important liquid!]
[Without it, the Zerg will die!]
[Will die…]
[Die…]
The larvae below shivered and huddled together, repeating these words over and over, a hint of fear evident in their tone.
Seeing that Huo Xianfeng had no reaction and, at this moment, the ground stopped shaking, Jiang Ci frowned and slowly descended.
At this moment, Huo Xianfeng stood up and said casually, “It’s nothing, don’t be nervous. It’s just the residual effects of the battle.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Ci was a bit skeptical, but when he activated the detection system and carefully examined the ground, the facts were indeed as Huo Xianfeng had said.
However, he still felt that something was strange.
Boooooom–
A clear, thunder-like roar came from the sky.
The three mechas on the ground simultaneously looked up, only to see a densely packed army of black mechas descending, casting a vast shadow that covered the sky and obscured the sun. The entire underground city was slightly trembling under this immense pressure.
—This small-scale struggle had finally come to an end.
Huo Xianfeng squinted his eyes, clearly recognizing one fact: at this moment, the Winter Day Planet had completely fallen under the military jurisdiction of the Empire.
Wan Jiang and Bai Ze simultaneously transformed and shrunk, making the two hundred-meter-high steel giants become two tiny figures in the dazzling snow. After a moment’s thought, Huo Xianfeng also jumped out of the cockpit.
—Although Xiao X could serve as the temporary core of Forbidden Abyss, it couldn’t activate the mecha’s space folding function. Therefore, the current Forbidden Abyss couldn’t be carried around like Bai Ze in a compact form.
As a result, everyone in the First Legion saw the huge wreckage of the Forbidden Abyss.
“That is—!!!”
“Is it… the Forbidden Abyss?!”
“Is that Marshal Huo Chao’s Forbidden Abyss?!!!”
“Didn’t they say it was completely destroyed in the nuclear explosion ages ago?!”
“Why is it here?!!!”
At this moment, no one was rejoicing over the small victory just now. All that remained in everyone’s minds was one question—
Who is driving the Forbidden Abyss?!
Who can drive the SSS-level Forbidden Abyss?!!
Before this moment, everyone’s answer would probably have been only one.
But now, a second one appeared in front of them.
Swoosh—
Huo Xianfeng, utilizing the anti-gravity function of Xiao X, landed abruptly with a swift yet cool movement, resembling a black panther leaping down from a tree.
However…
The young man glanced around as he felt countless scorching gazes.
Why were these people looking at him like this?
After all, the current Huo Xianfeng bore a resemblance of three or four points to Huo Chao in his facial features. In contrast to Huo Chao’s cold and sharp appearance, Huo Xianfeng clearly exuded a more youthful and handsome charm.
Moreover—
They both possessed the rare combination of black hair and black eyes.
An incredible but quite reasonable speculation surged into everyone’s minds.
Damn it!!!
The private communication channel of the First Legion exploded.
“Those eyebrows, that hair and eye color, there must be some blood relation, right?!”
“This can’t be Marshal Huo Chao’s son, right???”
“And I just saw it with my own eyes; he jumped out of the Forbidden Abyss’s cockpit!!!”
“Oh my God…”
“…”
Countless military mechas finally landed, pressing down on the debris on the ground with a resounding roar. Subsequently, numerous high-ranking officers and soldiers quickly ran towards that side while in formation. In the process of running, every single person couldn’t help but glance at Huo Xianfeng.
This scene was extremely bizarre—a large group of alpha officers, like a herd of bulls and horses, rushed towards the legion commander, but their eyes were glued to Huo Xianfeng beside him.
If it weren’t for the knowledge that his appearance and figure didn’t match up with the one on Earth, Huo Xianfeng would have suspected that his vest had been uncovered.
“Tsk…”
The young man couldn’t help but lean towards Jiang Ci.
“Take a look at my face. Is there anything on it? Why are these guys looking at me like this?”
Jiang Ci: “…”
Jiang Ci had seen pictures of Marshal Huo Chao, but he spent more time with Huo Xianfeng, and due to the latter’s peculiar personality, he never associated the two together.
However, he still turned his head as instructed but didn’t expect that, at very moment, the other party also approached at the same time.
The dangerous and ambiguous distance suddenly narrowed. And, if it were another five centimeters closer, there might have been a more intimate skin-to-skin contact.
Jiang Ci was slightly startled, then quickly turned back.
“……Nothing!”
“Oh.”
This scene was observed by all the melon-eaters soldiers.
While Zhou Jiuya was quickly receiving the current military reports and making timely deployments and arrangements, at this moment, everyone was more interested in the unfamiliar black-haired youth standing next to the Major General than their small-scale victory.
Naturally, they also noticed the unusual intimacy between the Major General and this guy who seemed to be Marshal Huo Chao’s son.
For any other alpha, if they dared to suddenly approach Jiang Ci, it would only immediately result in them being kicked away into the distant sky by the Major General.
“Major General Jiang Ci—”
Several officers walked towards him, seemingly wanting to say something. This was actually quite normal, but at this moment, Jiang Ci suddenly realized something and sternly shouted,
“Wait! Stop, don’t come over!!!”
Swoosh!
This sound instantly attracted everyone’s attention. The few alpha officers were frozen in place, unable to advance or retreat.
The young man looked back at him in surprise, only to find that Jiang Ci had suddenly tightly wrapped his clothes around him, his face dark and gloomy like an oil pit.
“Huo Xianfeng… It’s all your fucking fault.”
“……..”
Swish—
At this moment, a slight breeze swept over the ruins. A faint scent spread from Jiang Ci, a mixture between an alpha’s pheromones and something resembling the scent of a pregnant omega.
The next second, all the officers and soldiers of the First Legion clearly smelled it.
“……….”
“!!!!!!!”
Huh? !!!
Not Huo Xianfeng casually presenting the forbidden abyss’s core to Jiang Ci
as a courting giftin exchange for a high grade mecha 💀 Poor Cici… what a (hilarious :p) predicament! Thank you for translating <3The courting gift is so true 🤭
🤣🤣🤣
This misunderstanding is so so funny I can’t 😭💖💖
Thanks for the update!
But what did you actually mean by THE chapter again?
😅
it’s the chapter that made me translate this hehe
we get flashbacks that flesh out HC’s character. He’s an extremely intelligent person that sees through everyone’s character and knows their strenghts and weaknesses.
we get to know a bit about Ye Shu and how he’s the one who hasn’t let go and is trapped in the past
besides that we get a bit of info on PCY, the emperor, who still hasn’t made his debut❤❤❤
Pregnancy reveal—assumptions galore—TROUBLE… hahahaha… Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🤣
Haha this is great!!!🤣 but poor JC
The for the chp❤
Pfft, Jiang Ci has a lot of explaining to do!! 🤣
Thanks for the chapter 💞
oh no
thanks for the chapter!
The misunderstanding couldn’t be bigger😂.