Chapter 106: Collapse

Chapter 106: Collapse

"Title: Oh My God!"

Many days ago, some netizens lamented that the forum, missing the big news about Xu Qingran, hadn't seen the 'spectacle' of the entire internet refreshing their homepage for him in a long time.

Today, Xu Qingran delivered the excitement they had been anticipating.

The current affairs homepage of the Star Horizon forum was once again flooded with posts exclaiming "Oh My God!"

At the same time, content from Xu Qingran's live broadcast, including terms like Silver Star, Silver Dragon City, and Dragon City, shot to the top of the trending searches. The new term "Dragon City" came from two sentences Xu Qingran said.

"From now on, it won't be called Silver Dragon City anymore."

"It's called Dragon, because dragons should fly in the sky."

As for the trending searches about Xu Qingran himself.

At the top wasn't his name, but—

#I Took It Back#

"Oh My God—"

"So damn handsome, the little lunatic is just too damn cool!"

"My family asked why I was kneeling while scrolling through my phone. After I told them the reason, they're all now following the news."

"Who gets how I, a history student from the Silver Dragon Battalion, cried my eyes out watching the live broadcast! Always reading about the glory of Dragon in books, dreaming countless nights to see it again in my lifetime, yet despairing due to the inaction of our faction."

"With family elders who moved from Dragon, I totally get the above! My grandpa always shows me photos they took back in Dragon. The old Silver Dragon City was so beautiful, it always felt like such a capital city could never be replicated."

"Don't worry! Today, Young Master Xu showed us that there's always hope!"

"Long live Young Master Xu! (Ditching the hater label) (Becoming a loyal fan) (Going wild)"

"Help! Can anyone explain how he pulled it off? This is incredible!"

"Just know that Young Master Xu is awesome!"

Silver Star, formerly known as Silver Dragon City.

Now Dragon City. Also, as Xu Qingran said, the 'big gift' he planned to give to the Dragon system officers at his meeting. When they heard the news, it felt somewhat unreal, until they all gathered in their offices, waiting for Xu Qingran's live broadcast, and saw the old city, now clear of war's smoke and fog, standing desolate.

Spotlessly clean, with no trace of devils.

It gave everyone goosebumps.

Xu Qingran regretfully said during the live broadcast, "Sorry, Dragon has many habitable stars, but for now, I can only reclaim Silver Star for you."

At that moment, everyone watching the live broadcast shouted in their hearts.

—No, Colonel Xu, why are you apologizing!

What do you mean by 'only' reclaiming Silver Star? Isn't that already amazing enough? How can someone even make an apology sound so arrogant!

"There's still a lot of planning and preparation needed for Dragon, so I won't chat much longer."

Xu Qingran's live broadcast didn't last very long, and before signing off, he leisurely said, "I hope my first words to you in the next broadcast are—Welcome to Dragon City."

As the live stream quickly went dark, the flood of comments kept coming.

Exclamation marks filled the screen, and someone shouted—

"Little lunatic, you're getting cocky! Where's your QR code!"

"Don't make me beg for your payment code, I wanna help build Tianlong City!!"

"I heard that the biggest investor in the Tianlong system now is the Mo family, and they've already built tons of cool resorts and shopping districts. Think the Mo family will set up some fun spots in Silver Dragon... I mean, Tianlong City later on?!"

"I’m dying for Silver Star to get fixed up!! I want to move there!"

"Could Tianlong pull off a dark horse move among the 13 star systems and successfully turn things around? Damn, should I snag some property in Tianlong now before prices go through the roof?"

"With the current crisis outside, I can't go out, and I’ve got cash to burn and nowhere to spend it! I want to participate in the construction too!"

If regular politicians saw this, they’d probably step up for their factions, pompously declaring that the empire and their factions are loaded and don't need the people's contributions.

But Xu Qingran’s never been one to play nice.

Thirty minutes after the live stream ended, he directly posted the official link of their Tianlong system on social media, with the note: Donation links are live—feel free to throw cash our way. The more, the merrier. Thanks!

Turns out, Xu Qingran’s a cash magnet.

His OG fans are loaded, spamming question marks, cussing him out, and tossing cash his way all at once.

Where there are people who like Xu Qingran, there are those who envy and hate him in the dark.

They jumped in to stir the pot, saying—the situation in the entire empire's star systems is clearly worse than Tianlong's. As citizens of prosperous star systems, instead of helping the Silver Dragon Battalion donate resources to the military, they are enthusiastically helping the already gradually safe Tianlong, which is just plain ridiculous.

Xu Qingran's fans are also very confident.

They straight-up posted screenshots of their donations to the Silver Dragon military defense, ranging from hundreds to thousands, even tens of thousands and millions, shutting those haters right up.

"Damn, I’ve got cash—can’t I pitch in too?"

"LOL, this morning, some data whiz who went from hater to fan traced the IPs of those haters and found out their donation records were zero. How do these haters even have the guts to trash fans who’ve actually donated for the country?"

The haters were fuming.

They used to get owned by Xu Qingran, and now they can’t even take on his fans.

Unable to find fault with Xu Qingran on this matter, the discussion shifted to another topic.

They started discussing how Xu Qingran alone managed to make all the devil tribes on Silver Star disappear and reclaim the old Silver Dragon City. Some even floated conspiracy theories suggesting that the devil tribe's disaster was brought by him, and that he is not actually human but the incarnation of the devil army in the empire, hence he can control them.

But this theory was quickly denied by most people.

"Quit trashing our little lunatic, if he were really the leader of the devil tribe, would he have endured so much crap earlier?"

"People who say and agree with such statements haven't read history, have they? The devil tribe invaded the empire last century, and Young Master Xu wasn't even born yet."

"By this logic, shouldn't the entire Xu family be thoroughly investigated? Maybe they are all descendants of the devil tribe."

When Xu Qingran saw this comment, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

In a way, these haters actually guessed half right. But he had no intention of responding publicly. For the public, the result is what he wants to give them, and as long as the process isn't illegal, he has the right not to disclose it.

Xu Qingran didn't plan to respond, but someone outside did it for him.

General Shen took to his official account to call out the most aggressive troll who initially spread such rumors, saying, "If you're mentally ill, go get treatment and stop embarrassing yourself online. Do you need me to recommend a reliable doctor? [Smile] And, Colonel Xu has never been on his own."

Yes, Xu Qingran has never been on his own.

At least not now. He not only has a large number of supportive fans, loyal military guards ready to back him up, and the Tianlong citizens who support him, but also many influential families who are on good terms with him.

Most importantly, there's Shen Tingyu, who always steps in at critical moments to shield him from the whirlwind of public criticism.

The public was stunned.

After all, Shen Tingyu has always been known for his refined and restrained demeanor. Even when he was being harshly criticized himself, he never clapped back at netizens. Yet now, this was just one of many times he's publicly defended Xu Qingran, each time more fiercely than the last.

The kicker? When people checked the troll's profile, they discovered that they were actually a die-hard fan of Shen Tingyu.

They had even posted many wishes to be with him, to fight alongside him, and even to marry him. Now, they were publicly roasted by their own idol, probably wanting to crawl into a hole and die.

Everyone still remembers that Shen Tingyu has publicly admitted that he is in a relationship.

—By the way, who's the lucky person?

"If it weren't for their public statements that Young Master Xu is engaged to Shen Tianyi, I would really suspect that the partner General Shen mentioned is Young Master Xu."

"Indeed, their bond is just too strong; I've never seen officers from different factions so close."

"I'm just curious, wouldn't General Shen's significant other be jealous?"

"Let's be real, maybe General Shen's partner is actually the little lunatic? They might have privately swapped engagements with the Shen family."

"Hands off the little lunatic, we're not making any deals here, let the little lunatic shine on his own."

"99% compatibility, even the mighty Shen family can't say no to this match, right?"

Xu Qingran saw Shen Tingyu's statement.

After chuckling and hitting the like button, he started arranging personnel to begin the planning for the renovation of Yinsheng.

By the time he finished, it was already midnight.

He didn't return to the villa but leaned back in his office chair, massaging his temples with his eyes closed, trying to rest.

Xu Qingran hadn't been sleeping well these past few days.

If you looked closely, you could see the dark circles under his eyes. But most people thought he must be busy and worried about Tianlong and Yinsheng, with no time to rest. Only he knew that it was because he had been having nightmares.

The dreams were filled with nothing but painful memories from past lives.

It was as if they were digging out the deepest anxieties and shadows from his heart, forcing him to relive bitterness and grief, thereby affecting his mood. He had to admit, these dreams were definitely getting to him.

Clearly, it was the work of another consciousness lurking within him.

Shen Tingyu had said at the time that the second step for the devil to destroy the original carrier's soul consciousness was to deeply excavate those things that could trigger his dark emotions. When emotions are affected and become low, the energy of the soul also decreases, making it easier for further invasion and devouring.

—During the initial investigation, the devil king saw him as a potential vessel, just like Shen Tingyu, because he detected this dark side in him.

"Xu Qingran, I agreed to your terms, sacrificing so many of my clansmen to help you gain the current praise," the consciousness still in his mind said to him, "I hope you can abide by our cooperative agreement and let me see the prosperous era 'we' truly wish to see."

Xu Qingran propped his head with one hand, slowly opened his eyes.

He chuckled lightly, "Don't make it sound like you've suffered a loss. Tianxing is the most valuable and important galaxy in Kaan, where all the main departments are located. I traded Tianxing for Tianlong, which you were already bored with. Isn't that a fair deal?"

"Don't rush or be too greedy."

"We humans have a saying: 'Haste makes waste, and you might burn yourself.'"

The voice in his mind went quiet.

Xu Qingran, dealing with the devil these past few days, kept up his usual flamboyant and aloof attitude. He acted like an arrogant ruler, seemingly intoxicated by the control of power, which actually eased some of the devil's concerns.

After all, humans' craving and greed for power, gradually immersing and losing themselves, is one way it can crush their souls.

Xu Qingran, to lure it deeper, didn't try to control the dark emotions it stirred up.

But while indulging them, he also had to manage and ease them, like walking a tightrope over a deep canyon. No matter how confident he was, one wrong step could send him tumbling into the abyss.

Xu Qingran closed his eyes and rested for a bit before pulling out his phone to message Shen Tingyu.

He texted, "Where are you?"

"Shen Tingyu: I'm at the Eagle space station, taking a break."

The reply came back fast, as usual.

Shen Tingyu had just stepped off the shuttle and was in the space station store, grabbing some drinks and bread.

Right after paying, he got Xu Qingran's text.

After sending a reply, Xu Qingran didn't text back.

But then a call came through.

Shen Tingyu always liked it when Xu Qingran reached out first.

The dull mood of his lonely trip back lifted a little, and he asked warmly, "What's up?"

There was a pause before Xu Qingran's cool voice came through, "I'm feeling a little down."

"I want you to keep me company, talk to me."

Shen Tingyu paused in his tracks.

It was daytime at the space station, bustling with people and noise, but he still caught every word Xu Qingran said. With a bag in hand and the communicator at his ear, he fought the urge to drop everything and rush back to Tianlong.

"Sure."

Shen Tingyu headed to a quiet rest area in the space station and booked a private room.

Xu Qingran added, "Talk about whatever."

"Or don't talk at all." He chuckled at his own contradiction, "I might just fall asleep while we chat."

Shen Tingyu could tell he hadn't been sleeping well and asked, "Is it because of that?"

Xu Qingran did not answer directly, instead picking up a pen from the table and twirling it between his fingers.

After a long while, he said, "You're right, this matter is harder than I anticipated, I'm always too confident."

Shen Tingyu followed the staff to his private room without speaking.

Only after he entered the room, locked the door, and had a quiet, independent space, did he hear Xu Qingran continue, "But I really liked what you said—that I'm not alone."

"I know what you mean," Xu Qingran said.

Everyone thought that Shen Tingyu was referring to his strong popularity and backing. But he understood that Shen Tingyu actually meant that he would be by his side.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingran smiled.

His eyes crinkled, and his mood lifted slightly upon hearing the voice on the other end: "So I think, with you here, there's definitely no problem."

"That's what really gives me confidence."

Shen Tingyu's ears burned.

Xu Qingran was naturally quite independent and strong-willed, rarely speaking in such a soft tone or acting coquettish. But when he did, it was somewhat fatal to Shen Tingyu.

After his sentimental moment, Xu Qingran calmed down a bit.

His tone returned to normal: "So, you've got to stick with me, okay?"

"Don't hang up, even if I doze off."

"If I end up with nightmares, you're on my silent list for a month."

Shen Tingyu: "..."

He was torn between amusement and exasperation, and could only comply: "Okay, okay, you win."

When Shen Tingyu entered, he casually borrowed a book from the shelf outside.

He sat in the room, eating the bread he had bought while flipping through the book, sharing some of its contents with Xu Qingran.

Ironically, it was the typically strong-willed D-type who was in need of emotional comfort.

But as they talked, it was the lively E-type who found greater satisfaction simply in hearing his partner's voice. Even when all that was left was the gentle rhythm of breathing on the other end, he couldn't bring himself to end the call.

Xu Qingran slept as long as Shen Tingyu remained in the room.

At this moment, Tian Shen had completely fallen into chaos.

First, its most prized defense system went down, leading to an invasion by the devil army, turning the already daunting repair efforts into an even greater challenge. Nearly all the military forces across the galaxy were deployed, clashing fiercely with the invading devils throughout Tian Shen.

With the ferocity of their assaults, ensuring total safety was almost out of the question, and the cities on Tian Shen's habitable planets inevitably bore the brunt. Though not at its worst yet, the coming days were set to be a grueling battle.

The situation was urgent. With Yin Long unwilling to cooperate in dispatching personnel, Mu Ziyue's General Affairs Department also faced an unexpected crisis.

A cache of confidential and previously unknown criminal evidence was leaked, and all staff members were killed, impacting not only Jin Yi but also undermining the royal palace's authority. Now, citizens were taking to the internet to debate the monarchy's flaws and whether it deserved to be toppled.

These were external impacts.

The scandal within Mu Ziyue's General Affairs Department, which unveiled numerous dark secrets, also led to deep internal rifts.

As the primary galaxy commandeered by the royal palace, Tian Shen employed officials from both Yin Long and Jin Yi. Now, uncovering the extent of Yin Long's injustices, with numerous veteran officials slain by Jin Yi and the royal palace, the Yin Long populace was incensed.

Thus, a majority of the Yin Long military personnel who had been serving the royal palace and Tian Shen went on strike.

Including the guards stationed at various space station checkpoints, as they left their posts to return to other Yin Long galaxies, the control at the checkpoints became more relaxed. As a result, residents who were previously forbidden to leave, desperate to survive, began to forcibly break through the checkpoints and flee.

Engineers from Yin Long also chose to leave.

Some of the more upright and fierce Jin Yi military personnel also felt wary and disappointed with the royal palace. Under the circumstances of being forcibly summoned, they too chose to strike and return to their Jin Yi jurisdictions, which were also in great need of them.

In a short span of time, the Celestial system and even the entire royal city were swiftly overrun.

The demon army officially succeeded in their invasion, rapidly seizing several districts and advancing towards the main city where the palace stood.

Inside the palace, aside from the guards, most of the servants and maids had fled.

Those who remained were largely individuals nurtured by Su Ya herself; they were fiercely loyal to her, and whether they fled or not made little difference.

Outside the palace, the sun shone brilliantly.

Su Ya walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and calmly gazed at the somewhat deserted royal city outside, soaking up the warm sun.

On the opulent silk-draped bed behind her, Mu Mingrui, who had just woken up, frowned and coughed softly. His clouded eyes did not turn towards the person by the window, as if he hadn’t noticed her presence or deliberately chose to ignore her.

This was Mu Mingrui’s room.

Early in the morning, Su Ya, who hadn’t personally visited Mu Mingrui in a long time, had unexpectedly decided to visit. And Mu Mingrui, who had been in a coma for many days and was on the brink of death, had also surprisingly woken up on his own today.

His eyes shone with a long-lost vitality, his complexion slightly brighter, giving him a much livelier appearance.

Even so, his body was still too weak to get out of bed.

Su Ya, dressed in a deep purple high-necked long-sleeved gown with a jade pendant worth millions in gold around her neck, lingered in the sunlight for a long time before turning to look at the man on the bed.

Mu Mingrui’s age wasn’t actually that old.

He was probably only in his fifties this year, still quite young in this world. If he had the ability, he could even gallop across battlefields. But now, his hair was more white than black, streaked with silver, and his face was covered with wrinkles and dark spots, making him look like a man in his hundreds—a far cry from the dashing man who once had girls swooning.

Su Ya walked over to the bed and sat down.

She sat upright, her demeanor elegant, as she gazed down at him with a serene smile: "Mu Mingrui, you really have a good son."

Her voice was soft and gentle, without a hint of anger.

Mu Mingrui coughed a few more times, his eyes devoid of emotion: "Aren’t all my sons such 'good' sons?"

The word "good" from his mouth carried a double meaning.

Su Ya looked at him with a smile and said, "You’re really something, aren’t you?"

"After all these years, her son has grown so much, and you still can’t forget her. If it weren’t for you secretly granting her son so many favors behind my back, would the royal city and Celestial system have fallen so low?"

Su Ya had realized a few years ago that Mu Mingrui had ties with Shen Tingyu.

Although not frequent, he was always accommodating Shen Tingyu’s needs, granting him favors as long as it didn’t cross the line. By the time she discovered it, it was already too late to stop. Shen Tingyu, with Mu Mingrui’s help, had steadily climbed the ranks within the Golden Wing Battalion.

By now, the Golden Wing was utterly dependent on his aid.

Every night, she would wonder if she should have killed Shen Tingyu when she had the chance.

But each time, the answer was no.

She had kept Shen Tingyu alive to pressure Mu Ziyue.

To push her son to become stronger and more ruthless, to become a qualified emperor. Now, Shen Tingyu’s success merely signified her son’s failure. If she couldn’t raise a child stronger than the rest, she had only herself to blame.

So Su Ya would not regret it.

She would only blame Mu Ziyue for turning out to be incompetent, wasting so much of her time and resources, yet still losing to Shen Tingyu.

Mu Mingrui laughed upon hearing this.

He asked self-mockingly, "Am I really that affectionate?"

"I have so many children and wives—how can I be considered affectionate?"

At this point, Mu Mingrui sighed deeply, "But when it comes to ruthlessness, at least I fall short compared to you."

"Even willing to sacrifice your own son like a pawn, you are indeed fit to be the queen and wield power."

Su Ya knew he was referring to the sixth prince, Mu Zixuan.

She wasn’t surprised that Mu Mingrui had found out about this, most likely through Shen Tingyu.

"Oh, wait... you still have moments of slight affection," Mu Mingrui suddenly said.

Su Ya's gaze slightly shifted to his face.

Listening to him say something that was somewhat unexpected for her, "I knew long ago that the sixth child is not our son."

A slight flicker finally appeared in Su Ya's calm eyes.

But it was just a brief flicker.

Mu Mingrui turned his head, looking towards the window that was freely welcoming the sunlight, his tone calm, "It's quite laughable, someone as cold-blooded as you can also have a first love that you can't forget for decades."

"But... in the end, you still killed him yourself."

"To protect your position, to make sure this secret would never be discovered."

Mu Mingrui's voice trailed off, "Su Ya, in this world, there are no walls that don't let wind through."

The elegant smile on Su Ya's face slowly faded with each of his words.

Turning cold, like a venomous serpent.

Matters related to the royal family are always messy.

Before Su Ya was matched by her family with Mu Mingrui, she had a first love. It must be said, that man was indeed her true love, but unfortunately, he was merely the scion of a modestly wealthy family, unable to bring benefits to her and her family.

After the Su family discovered that she and Mu Mingrui had a high compatibility, they suggested she enter the palace.

And Su Ya was never the type of gentle woman willing to play the role of a dutiful wife and mother. She had her own ambitions, she aimed high, she wanted to stand in a higher place to experience the winds and vistas of power.

So, she immediately chose to abandon her first love and set her sights on winning over Mu Mingrui.

Even though the compatibility between the two differed by only about 5%, even though she still preferred her first love. Life after entering the palace was far from the idyllic life she had imagined. Because she wanted more and more, and every day she had to worry about her position being snatched away at any time.

Later, she indeed gained more, but her relationship with Mu Mingrui deteriorated.

To him, she was too strong and cold, and she found him indecisive and not ruthless enough. Later, there was the incident with Shen Qianning, and the disputes between Shen Tingyu and Mu Ziyue as they grew up, his E-type potential, and so on.

Exhausted both physically and mentally, she had a brief reunion with her first love.

It wasn’t for long, but that moment of indulgence unexpectedly resulted in her having a child. Although at that time, out of guilt, she had used some means to find excuses to have relations with Mu Mingrui a few times, which just happened to cover it up.

The truth about the child was eventually known by her old flame.

Suya calmly thought through and analyzed their future together, worried that this man, who was deeply obsessed with her and harbored a bit of resentment for her past heartlessness, might become a threat to her in the future, so she had him eliminated.

This is also why she didn’t intervene when Mu Ziyue plotted against Mu Zixuan and tried to tarnish Mu Zisheng’s reputation.

She was also concerned that one day the truth about Mu Zixuan not being of royal blood would be discovered. What Mu Ziyue saw as killing two birds with one stone, she saw as killing three.

Looking back now, it seems quite laughable.

Mu Mingrui admitted that he had known about these things all along. Knowing but not exposing her, watching her smugly believing she had hidden it well—was he pleased?

Suya asked him, "So, are you going to reopen my wounds now, to settle scores and seek revenge?"

Mu Mingrui did not deny it, only saying, "What does revenge even matter now?"

"You and I chose this path for our own reasons, tormenting each other for years. Now, as a dying man, I’ve grown indifferent to everything and just want to end our feud quickly."

"In the next life, it’s better if we never cross paths again."

After saying this, Mu Mingrui closed his eyes, seemingly exhausted. His chest was still slightly heaving, obviously feeling fatigued after the brief exchange, wanting to rest again.

Suya stared at him, her smile cold. "Release? Let go?"

"Have I ever told you how obsessive I am? Even if there’s little love between us in this life, even in death, you’ll never escape the enmity between us!"

Mu Mingrui’s eyes stayed shut, refusing to acknowledge her.

Suya glanced at him again, then suddenly drew a knife from her robe.

With an elegant smile, she raised her hand and plunged the knife into his chest.

At the first stab, Mu Mingrui, still conscious, winced and let out a muffled groan. Even so, he did not open his eyes to look at her.

After pulling out the knife, Suya stabbed again and again.

She stabbed repeatedly, as if trying to force him to open his eyes and look at her through the pain. But until his last breath, the old man kept his eyes tightly shut, refusing to look at her or the world again.

Just like back then, when she attended the palace banquet for the princes and princesses, following the orders of the Su family and her father.

She stood before Mu Mingrui, but his gaze never settled on her, instead darting around as if searching for someone.

Who was he looking for? Of course, it was Shen Qianning, the young lady of the Shen family.

At the time, Shen Qianning was just a girl of fifteen or sixteen.

As a noble family’s daughter, she was naturally among the invited guests. Before Suya could interact with Mu Mingrui, her gaze was fixed on him, monitoring his every move to ensure her plan wouldn’t fail.

Perhaps two souls with an extremely high compatibility always feel something different from each other at the first sight of meeting.

She noticed that Mu Mingrui, upon seeing Shen Qianning, was deeply captivated by her. If not for the many people around him needing his attention, he might have directly broken through the crowd and rushed to her before the banquet officially began, disregarding etiquette and rules.

Suya, of course, would not allow this to happen.

No one could stop her from marrying Mu Mingrui, who had the most imperial demeanor. As long as he was supported by the Su family, it was only a matter of time before he ascended the throne. The Su family had already invested so much in Mu Mingrui, she would not let the benefits be taken by others.

So she took advantage of the time before the dance began, followed Shen Qianning, and finally found her moment alone.

In a secluded corner without surveillance, on a cold winter day, she pushed Shen Qianning into the pond.

The water wasn’t deep, so Shen Qianning didn’t drown to death.

However, her heavy dress caused her to struggle for a long time. Su Ya pretended to stumble upon her and became the one who found her. She called for help to save her, and without alerting most of the royal family, she watched Shen Qianning being quickly taken away by the Shen family.

Rumor has it that Shen Qianning fell seriously ill for several days because of this.

Meanwhile, Su Ya seized her chance, becoming the one who danced with Mu Mingrui at the ball. Using her exceptional dancing skills, she managed to capture Mu Mingrui’s attention, changing the course of events.

Su Ya stabbed Mu Mingrui several times.

The years of maintained calm and composure finally shattered at this moment. She gripped the blood-stained knife handle tightly, yelling in anger and despair.

After a while, Su Ya pulled herself together.

Drenched in blood, she pushed open Mu Mingrui’s door and walked out step by step, her face expressionless.

On her way out, she ran into the few remaining servants and maids in the palace.

They looked shocked by her blood-soaked, crazed appearance but still cautiously asked, “Your Majesty, are you okay…”

Su Ya gave a cold glance to the maid who approached with concern.

In the next moment, she raised her knife and killed the maid. Not stopping there, she started attacking others around her, as if she had gone mad, killing anyone in her path.

Chaos erupted in the palace for a moment.

The servants and maids, who were neither fighters nor allowed to carry weapons, scattered in all directions. Even the guards armed with knives and guns could only draw their weapons to threaten, too scared to move forward. It wasn’t until Su Ya pulled out a gun and started firing wildly that they were forced to act.

Reluctantly, a trembling guard shot at her.

Not hitting a vital spot, but injuring her gun-holding hand and shoulder, forcing her to stop her attack.

At that moment, a group of golden-winged soldiers suddenly burst into the palace.

“Don’t move! Drop your weapons!”

The leader and his team surrounded everyone in the palace, including the guards.

Following them, the general of the Golden Wing Camp stepped in.

His blue eyes, a mix of warmth and severity, finally landed on the disheveled woman.

Su Ya, who had been ignoring everyone, finally showed a reaction upon his appearance.

She stared at his face and eyes for a long time, then suddenly chuckled, “Shen Tingyu? It’s a pity you’re not dead.”

“Where is Ziyue?” she inquired.

Her sudden calmness in conversation seemed as if she had forgotten the dire situation she was in.

Shen Tingyu replied, “Dead.”

“Rest assured, there’s not a whole body left.”

After hearing this, Su Ya did not break down emotionally as before.

She nodded calmly, “I see.”

Su Ya, injured, was escorted out of the palace by a group of soldiers.

Still holding her head high and maintaining a righteous and confident posture.

She suddenly stopped in front of Shen Tingyu.

She glanced at the Royal Guards outside the hall, obediently following Shen Tingyu's orders, then stared straight ahead and asked him, "As a general, how can you control all the troops in the palace?"

Royal Guards.

The only military force that answers solely to the king, beyond anyone else's command.

Shen Tingyu paused for a few seconds.

Then he said, "The last time I saw Mu Mingrui, he handed over the royal edict he carried."