Chapter 102

Chapter 102

This was an incredibly swift battle, insignificant compared to the grandiose skirmishes at the front lines, failing to draw anyone's attention.

At most, the citizens of the Imperial Capital Star were slightly puzzled about why Cheng Jiu would return at such a time.

The imperial palace, perhaps overconfident in its victory or having its defense weakened by the crown prince taking away most of its forces, was as fragile as a thin sheet of paper, easily punctured and subdued in less than half an hour.

Soldiers from the Ninth and Fourth Legions fought such an effortless battle for the first time.

Everything in the subterranean world was thoroughly scavenged, leaving only people to guard it.

And Lin Sicheng truly witnessed for the first time in human history what abilities an evolved higher-level human possessed.

Overpowering an S-rank sentinel with ease, as if he were a child devoid of martial prowess.

Lin Sicheng's face flushed crimson, his neck clutched by Lin Fu, his twisted expression akin to a contorted worm.

Desperate, he struggled and croaked, "Pretending? Have you been pretending all along... You're 3S-rank, not just 2S!"

Lin Fu, holding him by the nape of his neck, remained detached, not responding, but turned to glance at his aide.

The aide activated the light computer, initiating a live broadcast across the galaxy on the Fourth Legion's official network.

The light computer's imaging capability captured dynamic visuals, its quality rivaling that of a camera.

In the frame, Lin Sicheng was dragged by Lin Fu, legs dangling limply, tracing long marks on the ground.

Lin Fu walked slowly through the subterranean world's corridors, the camera following him, capturing the diverse corpses of bugs, both grotesque and spectacularly beautiful, suspended in huge transparent liquid glass columns along the hallway.

Following the bugs, human bodies were preserved in jars—men, women, sentinels, guides, the elderly, and children, and at the very end, an infant the size of a palm, seemingly newborn.

Curled peacefully in the preservative liquid, it appeared as though still in its mother's womb, surrounded by amniotic fluid, vibrant with life.

Whether human or animal, there's an innate tenderness and compassion towards the young, born from a reverence for life and the legacy of renewal.

The aide's gaze lingered on the jarred infant, and after a long moment, he looked away, his expression softening. Yet, when his eyes returned to Lin Sicheng, they carried a more aggressive loathing.

Descriptions in text can feel like peering through frosted glass, lacking clarity. No matter how Lin Sicheng had been previously described as a deserter, responsible for the demise of an entire planet, or even orchestrating the poisoning of his own nephew, none of these combined struck as powerfully as the sight of a palm-sized, newborn life snuffed out in its vessel.

Lin Sicheng believed he was conducting a grand experiment, a breakthrough for humanity, but to others, what they saw could no longer be called human.

Not even animal.

He was no different from those wriggling, compound-eyed, repulsive bugs.

Perhaps even a robot, should it come to life, would seem more human than him.

Drenched in cold sweat from agonizing torment, Lin Fu's psychic power was unbearable for him. His mind felt as if pierced and sliced by needles and knives, causing his lips to tremble. While weakly flailing, he clutched desperately at the hem of Lin Fu's clothes, hissing through clenched teeth, "Had I known, I would've experimented on you the moment you were born... You're more useful than anyone, any subject... If only I had known..."

Lin Fu's gaze was downcast, his thick, raven-feather-like lashes veiling most of his pupils, obscuring the light and rendering his eyes inscrutable, leaving only a creeping chill to silently spread.

He raised his hand, casting the man aside.

Lin Sicheng crashed against the wall and slid to the ground, clutching his chest as he coughed desperately, vomiting a pool of blood.

Other test subjects, subdued by the Fourth Legion, followed behind, witnessing everything, biting their lips, daring not to utter a sound.

These days, they had grown accustomed to seeing Lin Fu lying in bed, eyes closed, unconscious, never imagining that this guide could be so ferocious.

Someone, unable to bear it, closed their eyes.

Suddenly, a cold sneer was heard: "When the newborns were taken for experiments, I don't recall any of you refusing to watch. Now you pity this piece of trash."

The barrel of the gun pressed against the neck.

The test subjects could only open their eyes tremblingly, meeting Lin Fu's dark and cold gaze.

He looked down and kicked Lin Sicheng again: "What's this pain? A few more kicks won't kill him."

The adjutant ended the video recording.

The public need not know of the Major General's cold side.

The test subjects were taken away by the Fourth Legion, awaiting their final handling. Meanwhile, Lin Sicheng, after being kicked several times by Lin Fu and vomiting blood incessantly, was picked up again and taken to the Lin family home.

Cheng Jiu came striding from behind, first glancing at Lin Fu's revitalized complexion, slightly relieved, then stooped to look at Lin Sicheng, extending his hand and saying, "Let me carry him; it'll dirty your hands."

Lin Fu casually handed the person over and opened the car door.

It didn't take long to get to the Lin family home.

At this time, all the members of the Lin family were at home, even Luo Qirui had returned here due to Lin Fu's departure, but her relationship with the Lin family was more discordant than ever.

When Lin Sicheng was dropped at the doorstep, the household robots were the first to sound the alarm, and then Lin Xiujian came downstairs to see his youngest son.

Both his legs were broken, his front was covered with his own vomit, his complexion ashen, drenched in sweat; his appearance could not be more wretched.

Lin Xiujian was taken aback; he hadn't seen his youngest son in person for a long time, communicating only through secret channels. In his memory, his youngest son was an exceptionally intelligent and outstanding child, never at a disadvantage, his pride and hope.

Standing not far away were his grandson and grandson-in-law, their eyes coldly observing the person on the ground.

Lin Xiujian realized that something was terribly wrong. Before he could speak, Lin Fu and his companion turned and returned to the car, without the slightest intention of interacting with them.

Lin Sicheng, pressing one hand on his leg, struggled to get up and shouted hoarsely at Lin Xiujian: "Dad! Catch him! Grab Lin Fu! We've all been mistaken, he's 3S! Catch him, and my experiment will be successful, a great achievement! Hurry!"

Lin Xiujian had no way of apprehending Lin Fu. When Lin Sicheng revealed that Lin Fu was of the 3S level, everything became clear.

It turned out that all this time, Lin Fu had been putting on an act. All that feigned weakness, downfall, and the supposed need to return to the Lin family to be a worthy match for Cheng Jiu, were all part of an elaborate play staged by the duo for the entire interstellar audience!

They had gained nothing from this, and even now, Lin Sicheng, whom he had pinned great hopes on to elevate their family to the upper echelons of nobility, lay on the ground gasping like a dog.

In just a moment, Lin Xiujian seemed to have aged decades.

He stared at his youngest son, hesitant about whether to further offend Lin Fu for his sake.

After much internal struggle, he conceded that reconciliation with Lin Fu was unlikely. Besides, his youngest son was an S-class Sentinel after all; he could still strengthen the Lin family... At the very least, there was still the option of contacting those insectoid species.

Lin Xiujian reached out to lift Lin Sicheng.

Just as he grasped Lin Sicheng's shoulder, a surge of psychic force suddenly invaded, piercing into Lin Sicheng's mind, causing him to scream in agony, roll his eyes back, and collapse, spewing fresh blood that splattered all over Lin Xiujian's face.

Lin Xiujian distinctly felt Lin Sicheng's S-level star psychic force dissipating at a rapid pace, like a boiling kettle in uproar. Before he could react, the kettle seemed to explode with a bang.

...From that moment on, Lin Sicheng was no longer an S-class Sentinel, but a powerless invalid, much like Lin Fu had once been.

The difference was, Lin Fu's psychic force had a chance to recover, whereas Lin Sicheng's never would.

He would remain an invalid forever.

……

Having dealt with Lin Sicheng, Lin Fu and Cheng Jiu swiftly headed to the front lines.

The Ninth and Fourth Legions had been holding their positions, silently concealing their traces in this battle, striking without making a sound.

As soon as the news of their victory reached the rear, the Fourth and Ninth Legions immediately launched a grand offensive.

The insectoid species’ momentum, previously unstoppable, came to a sudden halt, and they were then just as swiftly driven back by the combined forces of the Ninth and Fourth Legions.

They had initiated two insect tides in less than a year.

Moreover, in the tide targeted at Lin Fu, they had wasted a substantial amount of military force and resources. They hadn't recovered enough to launch another tide.

They had been banking on Lin Fu's death to tie Cheng Jiu down with emotion, and then seize the empire’s territories from that useless crown prince.

What they hadn't anticipated was the several months of acting Lin Fu and Cheng Jiu had engaged in.

For Lin Fu and Cheng Jiu, expelling such insectoid species was a task devoid of any difficulty.

They were like a steel blade, suddenly thrusting into the heart of the enemy, not only reclaiming all the planets but also conquering dozens of S-class planets, incorporating them into the empire's territory, irresistible!

*

Citizens on the StarNet were completely stunned as they witnessed the absurd developments of this war.

Many had seen the Fourth Legion's live broadcasts on the official network, and the recorded videos were watched over and over again by countless people.

Their faces were metaphorically slapped raw, especially when the tide of war turned and Lin Fu and Cheng Jiu swiftly reclaimed planets, rendering the insectoids utterly non-threatening.

All the panic and talk of fleeing now seemed utterly absurd.

From the initial shock and disbelief to the gradual realization of the role they had played, people flocked to the official networks of the Ninth and Fourth Legions to apologize, with Lin Fu's account inundated with messages of contrition.

But Lin Fu never replied to anyone, nor did he make any public statements.

The war at the front continued.

The conflict lasted far longer than anyone had anticipated, a total of two years and three months.

Lin Fu penetrated the insectoids' inner sanctum, decapitating the insectoid queen and nearly annihilating the higher ranks of their species.

Upon his return to the Imperial Capital, his first act was not to accept royal awards or attend military council meetings, but to surround the council and royal family, disarm them, and make arrests.

At the same time, an announcement was published on the official network of the Fourth Legion.

"Due to the higher-ranking insectoids' ability to morph into human forms and mimic human behaviors, and given the council and royal family's early entanglement with the insectoids, it's uncertain how many humanoid insectoids they've concealed. Effective today, a comprehensive investigation will be conducted. Furthermore, the council and royal family's betrayal of humanity disqualifies them from leading humankind. As of this announcement, they are officially deposed. The Fourth, Ninth, Fifth, and Sixth Legions will jointly deliberate on a new governing body. Further notices will follow."