CH 112.2

Federation Capital Planet. 

At midnight, the military headquarters were extremely quiet. A tall shadow suddenly appeared in the confinement area for important criminals, exuding an aura of killing intent and blood. The shadow smoothly passed through layer upon layer of strict defenses, stopped in front of the innermost detention room, and pushed the door open to enter.

The prisoner, who had been unconscious, seemed to sense something and slowly opened his eyes.

“Ning Tianxing.”

A cold, deep voice rang out as the shadow approached, revealing a face previously hidden in the darkness. A tremendous power that had been sealed within was also released.

“N09 planet, F61 planet, the Kongsuo Fortress, the garbage planets near the Yanhua Fortress, the 3E district of the Empire’s Capital Planet’s border defense…” Chu Rong moved closer, speaking as he slowly approached Ning Tianxing, grabbing him by the collar and saying heavily, “and the already dead Long Baorou. Your secret laboratory, pet park, breeding ground, and the test subjects you were grooming to become the next Zerg Queen, all of these have been destroyed by me. What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for that monster to save you?”

With each statement, Ning Tianxing’s eyes widened further, eventually staring at him in almost utter terror, sensing the dreadful pressure emanating from him. His lips trembled: “You, how do you know, your spiritual power…”

“An Xei is dead.” Chu Rong suddenly let go of him, moving his hand slowly to the top of Ning Tianxing’s head, and said blandly, “It’s time for you to join him.”

Ning Tianxing’s body shook, and he struggled to retreat, saying, “No! You won’t kill me! You need the information in my head, you need me to give you clues, you won’t kill me, I— ah!”

Violent spiritual power energy surged in, easily breaking the mental lock in his brain. Chu Rong searched his memories while coldly looking at him, saying, “Yes, I need these… now I utterly despise that I ever needed these!”

“Boom!”

Ning Tianxing’s eyes suddenly widened, blood started to flow from his seven orifices, and his body began to twitch strangely. His spiritual power went berserk, causing the alloy walls of the detention room to show faint cracks.

Chu Rong, standing at the center of the spiritual power storm, remained completely unaffected. He stared intently into Ning Tianxing’s eyes, and when he saw the look in his eyes suddenly turn dark and calm, he curled his lips and said softly, “Finally here. What do you want to say this time, that this is just the beginning?”

“Ning Tianxing” moved his eyes to look at him with a sinister, hateful gaze and said through gritted teeth, “Again, you have destroyed my pets…”

But Chu Rong didn’t give him a chance to continue his rant. A dagger appeared in his right hand, and with a light slash, he cut open Ning Tianxing’s throat, destroying his vocal cords. Looking into his eyes, he said, “Vermin should always live in the dark. Rest assured, I will root you out.”

With that, his spiritual power surged, rolling towards him fiercely.

“Ning Tianxing” sensed the spiritual power far surpassing SSS level, his eyes suddenly widened even more, his face turned rapidly pale, and his eyes were filled with disbelief. A sound like a broken bellows came from his throat. “Heh… no… S…”

“Bang”, Ning Tianxing fell to the ground in unwillingness. The tightly closed door of the detention room was also forcibly opened from the outside.

Yuan Lie led the charge inside and then stopped in shock upon seeing the scene in the room.

Chu Rong turned around, wiped the blood splattered on his face, and ordered, “Notify Fan Xiangnan to take the flagship to the Empire’s border planet 56X, mining planet C58, the Federation border planet E47, and the garbage planet near Smith’s defense line. There are teleportation devices connecting to the monster’s nest there. Copy them and then destroy them. Also…”

The air was still filled with the powerful spiritual energy emanating from Chu Rong. Yuan Lie felt his own spiritual sea undulating with Chu Rong’s tone, so he quickly stepped back to distance himself from the center of the spiritual power, suppressing his shock at Chu Rong’s appearance and Ning Tianxing’s death. He calmed down swiftly and asked, “What else?”

“Find the whereabouts of the Imperial High Advisor, Qiao might—” Chu Rong suddenly swayed, and his spiritual power abruptly collapsed, causing him to fall to the ground.

Yuan Lie was startled, hurried forward to support him, and called out, “Marshal!”

Chu Rong returned, but he was covered in injuries, his spiritual power exhausted, and his spiritual sea was in danger of collapsing.

Lin Zhen found the almost completely destroyed “Rong Tian” outside the confinement area. The movement tracker showed that Chu Rong had rapidly traveled back and forth between several planets of the Federation and the Empire in just a few days, stopping briefly before returning to the Federation and landing directly at the military headquarters.

This was almost an impossible feat, pushing the mecha’s speed to its limits.

All the doctors at the military headquarters were summoned, and Chu Huai and Chu Yan hurried over as well.

“The spiritual power purification liquid is ineffective!”

“The sedative is not working!”

“The patient is resisting the effects of the hypnotic, he can’t enter the recovery program of the repair cabin!”

“Crack.”

A strange cracking sound echoed, and all the doctors were startled, then horrified to see cracks appearing on the floor, walls, and all the medical instruments. At the same time, faint spiritual fluctuations emanated from Chu Rong’s body.

“Bad news! The Marshal’s spiritual power is going berserk!”

Experienced physician Zhuang Yu’s expression changed drastically. She immediately assessed Chu Rong’s condition and quickly opened the isolation shield on the hospital bed, urging, “Quick, get out! Activate the safety defenses for the entire area! Hurry! The Marshal’s spiritual power seems to have upgraded! We can’t stay here any longer!”

“But—” Chu Yan was anxious.

“No buts, leave now!” Zhuang Yu interrupted him, quickly activating all the calming and protective measures in the room and forcefully driving everyone out.

Not long after everyone safely evacuated, a violent force spread rapidly from Chu Rong’s ward, destroying all the furniture and facilities within range, even causing cracks to appear on the ground.

The alarm in the military area blared crazily, and the newly activated protective shield began to tremble slightly, seemingly unable to withstand the surging violent force.

“This is the highest level of protective shield, capable of withstanding the full force of an attack from a flagship…” Yuan Lie was so shocked he was at a loss for words, both worried and excited. “Is this the power of SSSS-level spiritual power?”

“You’ll only have SSSS-level spiritual power if you survive this. If you don’t, you’ll just be a corpse!” Zhuang Yu’s expression was very serious. As she put on her protective suit, she said, “High-level spiritual power upgrades always have signs. The Marshal’s spiritual power must have been unstable for a long time! But he recklessly held on and missed the best time for stabilization. Now he’s overextending his power without any regard. He is the most reckless and willful patient in the entire Federation! I should just kill him myself!”

Everyone looked at her, speechless. To dare to scold Chu Rong like this, this woman was truly brave and fierce.

“What are you all looking at! Shouldn’t he be scolded? His terrible temperament of thinking he’s the greatest in the world is all because of you people spoiling him!” Zhuang Yu shouted at the group of high-ranking officials, angrily securing her protective shield. She took out a loudspeaker and rushed to the edge of the area’s protective shield, shouting toward the center of the spiritual storm, “Hang in there! If you don’t, Qiao will become someone else’s sweetheart and marry someone else! Chu Rong, you’re just a piece of trash who can’t even protect your lover! Don’t let the whole Federation look down on you!”

“Boom—!”

The ground cracks deepened, and the protective shield that had only been faintly shaking suddenly showed signs of breaking, hinting at an imminent collapse.

Zhuang Yu jolted back a step, letting out a cold laugh as she put down the loudspeaker. She looked at the group of dumbfounded people behind her and said coolly, “See, isn’t that more energetic? A good doctor needs to know how to treat the patient according to their condition. Learn from this.” With that, she angrily threw the loudspeaker to the ground, stomping on it before walking away without looking back.

Chu Yan watched her leave, his worry for Qiao Zhiya and Chu Rong easing a bit. Holding his chest in fear, he said with difficulty, “Are doctors such a terrifying profession…?” He thought that even gentle ladies could turn into fierce masters.

‘No, it’s just that Chu Rong is such a terrible patient.’

Everyone wisely swallowed this thought and looked toward the protective shield — hoping that Chu Rong could get through this. The first SSSS-level genius, the Blue Galaxy needed this miracle.

In the giant forest of the primitive planet.

Qiao Zhiya suddenly woke up, immediately picked up by Qiao Yi, who gently petted him.

“What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare? You fell asleep crying earlier. Are you hungry?”

Qiao Zhiya gradually came to his senses, looking up to meet his father’s gentle gaze. His heartbeat slowly calmed down, and his tail twitched subconsciously. Suddenly thinking of something, he sat up abruptly and started humming and gesturing anxiously.

“Don’t rush.”

Qiao Yi smiled, patting his head gently. “Relax, try to let the magic seep into your voice like before. You might have atavism. Once your bloodline stabilizes, you’ll be able to speak properly again. Don’t worry.”

‘So I will revert back… No, no, that’s not the point right now.’

Previously, he was so overwhelmed by the surprise of seeing his parents that he had completely forgotten about Chu Rong. Before transforming into his current state, he had gone through numerous chaotic events, and everyone was in danger!

The more anxious Qiao Zhiya became, the harder it was for him to speak properly. His tail straightened and his wings flapped chaotically. After a moment of panic, he suddenly thought of something and hurriedly started searching on his person. Then, he realized belatedly that since he had turned into this form, everything on him must have fallen off, including his communicator.

He looked around at the primitive planet’s surroundings and felt even more helpless.

No communicator, no signal, not even a means of transportation. How was he supposed to contact Chu Rong? And considering the black hole scene he witnessed before passing out, along with Chu Rong being outside of his mecha…

“What’s wrong, Baby?” Mi Lai returned with a bowl of meat soup, seeing Qiao Zhiya foolishly searching himself while his tail and wings moved anxiously. She hurried over to comfort him, “Did you have a nightmare? Don’t worry, Mom and Dad are here; you’re safe.”

Qiao Yi also touched his small body with concern, surrounding him with magic, and asked, “Qiaoqiao, what are you looking for?”

Their gentle reassurance calmed Qiao Zhiya down. He looked at his parents, took a deep breath, and tried to speak, but only managed to make some animal sounds. He paused, then infused his magic into his voice and asked anxiously, “Mom, Dad, how did you bring me here? Was there anyone around me before you came? Someone tall, with white hair, very handsome and powerful…”

Parents who love their children can always notice subtle hints in their words. Qiao Zhiya was particularly bad at hiding his emotions – whatever he felt, he showed. So…

Qiao Yi’s worried expression vanished, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Mi Lai put down the meat soup, grabbed Qiao Zhiya’s tail threateningly.

“Baby,” Mi Lai leaned in, her expression tense.

“Qiaoqiao,” Qiao Yi held down his small body, his voice still gentle, but his aura becoming heavier.

Both parents held their easily flustered son in their hands, asking in unison, “That handsome white-haired man, what’s your relationship with him?”

Qiao Zhiya, pinned and with his tail grabbed, felt the weight of his parents’ “concerned” love. His voice choked up, and his chaotic thoughts suddenly condensed. Remembering Chu Rong, he suddenly felt a bit shy. Clenching his little paws, he replied softly, “He, he’s the one I like… His name is Chu Rong, and I want to marry him. So, Mom and Dad, did you see him when you came for me? How is he now?”

“Boom!”

Qiao Yi’s robe and hair moved without wind, power swirling around him.

Mi Lai stood up, pulled out a huge hammer, and smashed it on the ground. Flicking her hair back, she smiled sarcastically, “Oh, so our darling has grown up and already has someone he likes.”

This reaction seemed a bit off. Qiao Zhiya widened his eyes, frozen.

“Qiaoqiao,” Qiao Yi cupped Qiao Zhiya’s stiff body, gently smoothing his back. Recalling the image of a certain man he saw when the magic circle activated, he looked into Qiao Zhiya’s wide eyes and said softly, “When you left us, you were just crossed into adulthood. There were some things I didn’t get a chance to tell you. When choosing a partner, appearance is one criterion, but more importantly, you need to assess their character and abilities. I don’t mind you liking boys, but that white-haired handsome guy, who is just a superficial show-off and a waste of power, is not someone I would recommend.”

‘Superficial show-off, waste of power…’ Qiao Zhiya had never heard his always elegant and gentle father use such harsh words. He was momentarily at a loss.

Elves indeed love beauty, but Chu Rong’s almost perfect appearance was only deemed “superficial” by Qiao Yi. As for strength, true strength admires true strength, but Qiao Yi’s assessment was that Chu Rong was someone who had power but didn’t know how to use it. And the term “waste” completely negated Chu Rong as a person.

Was Chu Rong really that bad?

Qiao Zhiya clenched his paws, quickly regaining his focus. He asked anxiously, “So Dad, you really saw Chu Rong? How is he? Is he safe? Did those black holes hurt you? How did you and Mom get here? Did Chu Rong say anything when you took me away? Did he say anything about my current form…” His voice trailed off, his wings and tail drooping.

Mi Lai frowned deeply, put away her hammer, and pinched his drooping wings, speaking somewhat angrily, “Darling, even as a dragon, you’re the most beautiful and adorable dragon in the world! If that white-haired… white-haired ugly thing dares to dislike you, I’ll beat him to death!”

Qiao Zhiya’s spirits lifted, and he turned to her, eyes bright, “So, Mom, you agree with me marrying Chu Rong?”

“…In your dreams!” Mi Lai gritted her teeth, nearly exploding with anger.

Their soft and cute son had suddenly gone missing, and they had searched for over two years to find him. When they finally did, not only had he transformed into a different species, but his heart had also changed! They were no longer the most loved in their son’s heart! His heart had been stolen by some strange, unknown white-haired ugly thing!

‘Despicable, vile human! How dare you seduce our innocent, freshly grown-up dwarf! Unforgivable!’

Mi Lai, the temperamental dwarf mother, couldn’t handle the shock. Power surged around her, causing the surrounding ground to tremble.

Qiao Yi also frowned deeply. Though he was angry about their son being taken, he was more concerned about some details in Qiao Zhiya’s words.

He recalled the eerie black holes and the dangerous power feedback from the magic circle when they found Qiao Zhiya. His heart sank as he touched his son’s now completely different appearance and asked, “Qiaoqiao, did you encounter any danger in this world? Does your sudden atavism have anything to do with those dangers?”