Ten minutes later, the warship that had just returned departed again from the First Army’s central base.
Due to the hasty departure, the accompanying soldiers numbered fewer than five hundred. Who knew how many people wanted to assassinate Elansno—even if he was an S-level evolver, he couldn’t withstand continuous bombardment. If his whereabouts were leaked, it would be extremely dangerous.
Dr. Kane, who had just finished examining Elansno’s wounds, hadn’t even warmed his seat before being forcibly dragged onto the warship by Kang Quan, who stormed into the medical room with a dark expression.
Kane finally caught his breath and glanced at the Admiral’s back in the command room, saying with a headache: “Adjutant, I believe I informed you that the Admiral needs rest right now, otherwise his injuries will worsen.”
“I know.”
Kang Quan looked toward the command room, his brow furrowed tightly.
Something was wrong.
He knew Elansno’s attitude toward human life was nearly indifferent, but he wouldn’t easily kill people close to him.
This was also one of the reasons he dared to manage Elansno’s eating habits.
But just now, he had truly felt killing intent.
Kang Quan had no doubt that if he had continued to persuade and delay the return to the Imperial Capital, the next second a bullet would have pierced through his skull. This had never happened before.
“It’s best not to go in right now,” Kang Quan pulled back Kane, who was preparing to go in and urge Elansno to rest properly.
The latter didn’t understand: “But the Admiral should be resting now. Otherwise, why did you drag me up here in such a hurry? To watch the Admiral torment himself?”
No, it was just that his instinct told him it would be better to bring Kane along for this trip to the Imperial Capital.
Kang Quan’s thoughts circled in his mind, but in the end he said nothing.
…
Imperial Capital.
No matter how chaotic other sectors were, the Imperial Capital remained prosperous and peaceful—a place where every inch was worth its weight in gold, gathering the Federation’s upper-class network of relationships.
After routine inspection, the First Army’s warship docked directly at the port outside the Imperial Capital.
Except for the Imperial Capital Guard, leaders and soldiers from the First and Second Armies who wanted to enter the Imperial Capital needed to undergo ‘binding disarmament’ at the Imperial Capital port.
The so-called binding disarmament meant that mental power evolvers had to wear suppression rings, while non-mental power evolvers needed to surrender all weapons and equipment.
Gong Du had just walked to the edge of the port when a squad of guards who appeared to have been waiting there approached him.
The captain at the front gave him a military salute: “Admiral, please put on the suppression ring.”
“The Admiral doesn’t need binding disarmament when entering the Imperial Capital. Don’t you know this?” Kang Quan frowned and blocked them.
The Admiral had too many enemies. Although the Imperial Capital was safer than other places, several years ago he had still encountered a suicidal assassination. Wearing a suppression ring and unable to use mental power, the Admiral had been severely injured and nearly lost half his life.
Since then, Emperor Rosh had personally issued an order exempting Elansno from binding disarmament.
The guard captain remained neither servile nor overbearing: “This subordinate knows, but this is precisely His Majesty’s order.”
“What?”
“That’s enough,” Gong Du interrupted Kang Quan, looking up. “Where’s the suppression ring? Bring it here.”
The guard captain’s attitude was very respectful. He beckoned, and immediately a soldier came forward holding a metal tray with a black collar inside.
Gong Du’s shoulder was injured and he shouldn’t move much, so he indicated for Kang Quan to put it on him.
The suppression ring fit perfectly, its cool touch pressing tightly against the neck’s arterial pulse.
This thing—Gong Du wasn’t wearing it for the first time. After such a long interval, wearing it again and feeling the mountain-like mental pressure transmitted from his brain domain, he actually felt somewhat nostalgic.
The suppression ring was made from the essence of crystal meteorite iron. After technological processing, it had a special suppressive effect on mental power. The higher a person’s mental power level, the stronger the suppression—especially severe for S-level.
The guard captain nearby saw that Elansno’s expression didn’t change at all after putting it on, and was inwardly amazed.
He himself was a C-level mental power evolver and naturally knew how much mental compression one had to endure after wearing a suppression ring. His attitude became even more respectful: “Please follow me.”
They only led Elansno away alone. Kang Quan, along with Dr. Kane and the other accompanying soldiers, were blocked at the port.
Only after Elansno’s figure could no longer be seen did Kang Quan lead people back to wait by the First Army warship, unable to help muttering: “Are the people at the administrative office behind this…”
The administrative office had always been at odds with the Admiral. Had someone instigated something that made His Majesty require the Admiral’s binding disarmament?
Dr. Kane didn’t care about such matters and shook his head: “The wound on the Admiral’s shoulder may still have residual weak magnetic fields left by minerals. The suppression ring is also made of crystal meteorite iron. I’m worried that the combination of two magnetic fields will destroy the effectiveness of the treatment medication.”
Kang Quan was slightly stunned, then his expression darkened. After pondering for a long time, he still opened his light brain: “I’ll contact the guard captain and ask him to look after the Admiral.”
Guard Captain Lan Zhouhe was famously upright and honest—asking him for this small favor wouldn’t be a problem.
——
Lan Zhouhe brought Gong Du into the palace’s main hall, stopping at the entrance to the council chamber. “His Majesty is waiting for you inside.”
Gong Du’s body temperature was burning higher and higher, and the suppression ring had also become hot from the fever.
Lan Zhouhe’s voice suddenly lowered, hesitating: “Are you… injured?” When he had greeted him at the port, he had faintly smelled blood. Along the way, the scent hadn’t dissipated—instead, it had become more obvious.
They weren’t injured, so the wound could only be on Elansno.
The left shoulder under his black military cloak was soaked through. Gong Du realized the medication had lost effectiveness and the gunshot wound was reopening. He glanced at Lan Zhouhe and said lightly: “No, you may go.”
Lan Zhouhe said no more. After Gong Du entered, he waved for the guards in the area to retreat to a distance.
Only one person was in the vast council chamber.
Emperor Rosh sat high upon the steps, the jewels on his scepter magnificent and noble.
“You’ve arrived?”
Elansno knelt on one knee, his right hand pressed to his heart in salute. “I didn’t know it was Your Majesty summoning me earlier. I came late—please punish me, Your Majesty.”
Fine cold sweat beaded his temples, but his body lines were extremely taut and fluid, containing explosive power not to be underestimated. Unfortunately, his pale neck wore a suppression ring, his formidable strength sealed within his body like a vicious beast trapped in a cage.
No matter how fierce a beast, find its weakness and you can still pull its claws and fangs.
Emperor Rosh smiled as he looked him over, then walked down from the steps, saying warmly: “What foolish words. You are my right arm. Besides, I know the administrative office has grievances against you. You completed the B6 sector matter very well.”
“Though I’m afraid you’ve been wronged—the public opinion on StarNet hasn’t been favorable toward you.”
Elansno: “The First Army is the sharpest blade in Your Majesty’s hand. Your Majesty’s commands are where the blade points. Elansno doesn’t care about public opinion.”
The order to bombard B6 sector was officially the First Army’s decision, but the person who actually gave the order was indeed the Emperor.
There was a fundamental difference between the two.
If Elansno ordered the bombardment, he would bear the bloody debt and at most gain another reputation for cruelty and coldness. But if the Federation Emperor gave the order, he would likely lose the people’s hearts.
Emperor Rosh nodded: “Having you wear the suppression ring to meet me this time is also to give an explanation for the B6 sector bombardment. Publicly, I must impose some punishment on you.”
News that Admiral Elansno had brutally bombarded B6 sector, that His Majesty was furious and ordered him to wear a suppression ring into the Imperial Capital for punishment—under the manipulators’ control, this would probably spread throughout the Imperial Capital before the day was out.
“Elansno understands.”
“Good that you understand.”
Emperor Rosh looked down and noticed blood between Elansno’s fingers, making a sound of surprise: “You’re injured?”
Elansno looked at his right hand—his fingertips were crimson red. The wound must have seeped blood that soaked through his military uniform. When he had saluted just now, pressing his right hand to his heart, he had accidentally gotten it stained.
“…A minor injury. It will heal quickly.”
“Oh? Who could have injured you?”
Those light golden eyes like the morning sun flashed through Elansno’s mind again. He pressed his lips together but instinctively concealed what had happened, saying quietly: “Probably an assassination in the Northwest Sector. The perpetrator is still being pursued.”
“The Northwest is becoming more and more audacious,” Emperor Rosh merely sighed. “I’ll have Director Pei from the research institute take a look at you later.”
Like casual conversation, he asked offhandedly: “Have you had anything particularly interesting happen around you recently? Tell me about it.”
Elansno shook his head: “Nothing.”
“Any interesting dreams then? I dreamed about you as a child yesterday.”
“Your Majesty jests. How could Your Majesty dream about things that Elansno himself doesn’t know?” A drop of cold sweat fell from his chin as Elansno answered half a beat slow.
The air was silent for two seconds.
“Is that so,” Emperor Rosh straightened up and smiled. “Then there’s no helping it.”
The suppression ring suddenly loosened, but the clasp quickly shot out a flash of cold light, piercing into Elansno’s skin as cold liquid was injected.
Elansno swayed and collapsed to the ground.
The surroundings fell quiet again until a side door opened somewhere. Director Pei, accompanied by two others, quickly carried away the unconscious Admiral.
Emperor Rosh: “Director Pei, he lied to me just now—something that’s never happened before. Is this a sign he’s about to remember?”
Director Pei was a gentle-looking middle-aged man: “The chip implanted in his brain domain detected mental fluctuations that, after comparison, highly match those from fifteen years ago. Elansno must have received some stimulus, otherwise…”
When humans experience different emotions, their brain domains produce different mental fluctuations. Brain domain chips could detect the generation of specific mental fluctuations at any time.
“However, in this subject’s opinion, the Admiral hasn’t remembered yet.”
“Nonsense. If he had remembered, would he have obediently put on the suppression ring?” Emperor Rosh’s eyes flashed with disgust. “You know what to do with disobedient dogs, don’t you?”
“This subject understands.”
Director Pei bowed and left through the secret passage behind the side door. The council chamber fell quiet again, as if no one had ever been there.
The council chamber’s main door moved almost imperceptibly, that extremely thin crack silently closing.
Lan Zhouhe hurried away from there, his heart pounding wildly, cold sweat covering his palms, but his cerebral cortex was more active than ever before.
He had originally left, but after receiving Kang Quan’s message asking him to look after the Admiral, he had brought some wound medicine to wait. He hadn’t expected the council chamber door to be improperly closed, allowing him to witness Elansno collapsing at Emperor Rosh’s feet.
Though he couldn’t hear what they were saying inside, this clearly contradicted the external rumors of Emperor Rosh’s extreme trust in the Admiral.
How could this be?
How could Emperor Rosh move against Elansno? Fear of his growing power? No, impossible. In the current situation, if the First Army lost Elansno, it would definitely fall into chaos.
Something was wrong.
Lan Zhouhe’s steps stopped abruptly. He turned and headed toward the palace’s surveillance room, his expression grave, his pace quickening.
He had a premonition that he had stumbled upon an extremely obscure secret—one that Emperor Rosh absolutely didn’t want anyone to know about.
The council chamber area was all under surveillance. If Emperor Rosh discovered he had been there, his fate would only be death.
Lan Zhouhe stopped at the surveillance room entrance, took a deep breath, entered with a composed expression, dismissed everyone inside, took out a black backup light brain, and overwrote the council chamber’s surveillance footage.
Only after confirming there were no oversights did he breathe a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead as he thought about the scene he had just witnessed.
He frowned, reopening the backup light brain.
Should he sell the information about what just happened to the Northwest…
A few seconds later, a gleam flashed in his eyes as he suppressed the impulse in his heart.
Forget it. After lurking in the Federation royal family for so many years, if he were discovered because of today’s incident, the loss would far outweigh the gain.
He should investigate this matter thoroughly before deciding.
Lan Zhouhe left the surveillance room, turning to disappear into the complexly winding corridors.
Author’s Note:
PS: Lan Xia is the older brother, the Admiral is the younger brother! Some of you have gotten it mixed up~
**
