Chapter 49: The Li Family

Chapter 49: The Li Family

After persuading the little girl, the lizard was delighted. It waved its hand with a smile, allowing Luo Le to leave first while it prepared itself.

Once Luo Le saw the lizard's figure vanish around the corner, he got up and left.

He headed for the spot where they had arranged to meet.

Under a vast leaf.

When Luo Le arrived, he spotted a chrysalis there. The thought of Huo Lanjing being inside made him burst into laughter.

Huo Lanjing: "Did you find something?"

Luo Le recounted everything that had happened and then asked, "Is everything alright on your end?"

"Mm-hmm."

They couldn't speak the insect language, so their only excuse for not being able to communicate during this mission was that they were injured.

However, keen ears would detect something amiss, but fortunately, they didn't grow suspicious.

"Huo Lanjing, he was probably an Imperial citizen before. Was there anyone who left a deep impression on you, someone who held a particular grudge against the Empire?"

Huo Lanjing frowned and pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

Luo Le sighed. It made sense; Huo Lanjing spent barely any time in the Empire throughout the year, so how could he know?

As far as he knew, there wasn't such a person.

"Still, there's one that matches."

"Who?"

"The omega from the Li family."

Looking at him with confusion, Luo Le asked, "The Li family?"

Why had he never heard of them?

Huo Lanjing perceived his confusion. "Thirty years ago, the military requested the head of the Li family to assist in a mission. However, during the operation, he betrayed the military, exposing them and causing significant losses. As a result, the military issued an order to capture all members of the Li family."

Luo Le asked, "What happened then?"

"When the military arrived, the Li family's residence was already consumed by flames. From that day on, the military ordered the erasure of any trace of the Li family's existence."

Huo Lanjing's account did align with the story Luo Le knew.

But...

"Didn't all the Li family members perish in the fire? And why specifically the Li family's omega?"

"His biological card signal flashed two years ago."

Luo Le nodded, understanding now. The military must have been concerned about the potential danger the Li family could pose.

"What did the Li family do before, and why did they need his assistance?"

Huo Lanjing paused before responding, "I'll send you the relevant information later."

Luo Le couldn't see his expression, but he could easily guess it was one of disdain, just by thinking about it.

Did he think Luo Le was being too inquisitive?

Luo Le turned away. He didn't want to continue being the eager one while Huo Lanjing remained indifferent.

"That's all for now, then."

Just as he was about to speak, Luo Le noticed the lizard approaching and quickly patted his hand.

Following Luo Le's gaze, Huo Lanjing also saw the lizard.

The lizard came over and scanned them from side to side. "You two..."

Luo Le glanced at the person beside him. "We're having a chat."

"I've never seen anyone around you before. I didn't expect you to have such a preference."

The lizard gave a teasing glance at the cocoon beside Huo Lanjing. "But are there reproductive barriers between the two of you?"

Luo Le appeared flustered. "We were just discussing something, not what you're thinking."

The lizard snorted. "Boring. Alright, come with me. I have something for you to do."

Luo Le acknowledged with a soft sound and left with him, gesturing at Huo Lanjing before he went.

Huo Lanjing had no idea what they discussed; he only saw Luo Le leave with the lizard.

Luo Le followed him to prepare. He was responsible for testing some necessary equipment.

He needed to check if the readings were normal before the transformation could begin.

"Are you really going to participate in the transformation?" The lizard's sudden appearance startled him.

Luo Le pondered for a moment. "Yes, I am."

By participating, he would have the chance to interact with the little girl and delve deeper into the secrets.

In the evening, Huo Lanjing had sent him all the information.

It turned out that the Li family had been involved in biological research in the past. The insectoids had attempted to curry favor with them, and upon learning this, the military had sought their assistance.

Something must have transpired between the insectoids and the Li family member. Perhaps they were convinced by the insectoids or bribed, thus deceiving the military.

With incorrect intelligence, the military marched into an insectoid trap with thousands of troops, resulting in the loss of twenty-five hundred soldiers.

The imperial upper echelons were enraged and ordered the extermination of every member of the Li family.

If that person was indeed from the Li family, it was understandable why they would harbor hatred towards the empire.

Luo Le sighed, finished his ablutions, and went to sleep.

In the following days, he dedicated himself to testing and adjustments. After three days, he finally completed the task.

Huo Lanjing wasn't too busy in the repair department those days. He wandered around, gathering information from various sources.

There were places he couldn't enter, but he managed to create a map based on the information he collected.

Luo Le shared with Huo Lanjing the matter of the transformation surgery.

He suggested proceeding as planned and adapting to any unforeseen circumstances.

The little girl was an imperial citizen, and the moment Luo Le laid eyes on her, he recalled the previous kidnappings involving children from the empire.

Back then, due to concerns of causing panic, the military region had suppressed the information, preventing it from spreading.

If not for his mentor mentioning it, Luo Le would have been unaware as well.

On the fourth day, just before the transformation surgery was about to commence, he finally had a chance to interact with the little girl.

Both he and the girl were clad in blue-and-white hospital gowns, each wearing an identification bracelet with a number on it.

His read 19567, while hers read 19566.

This likely indicated the sequence of those who had undergone surgeries.

Luo Le glanced sideways to see the little girl huddled on the bed, trembling with fear. It seemed she was very scared.

After some thought, he got out of bed and walked over to embrace her. "Don't be afraid, big brother is here. Everything will be alright."

He spoke in the Empire's language, which the little girl should understand.

For some reason, his heart ached when he saw her like this.

The little girl lifted her tear-streaked face. "Big brother, I'm the same as them. I don't want to become a monster..."

Luo Le stroked her hair. "Who are they? Were they children you played with?"

Many children had been kidnapped from the Empire. However, during his exploration these few days, apart from this little girl, he hadn't seen any other children.

The little girl seemed to be recalling a painful memory, her face filled with distress. "They... They're dead. Those people gave us medicine. When I woke up, there were only a few of us left. Then, they were taken away and turned into monsters. I don't want to, I really don't want to..."

Luo Le paused. "Don't be scared. I won't let that happen to you."

Suddenly, the door opened. Luo Le put her down and lay back on the bed.

Afterward, several insectoids came and pushed them into the operating room.

They were in the same operating room as the little girl; apparently, only the lizard had this capability.

Surrounded by pristine white walls, Luo Le couldn't tell where they were.

The lizard hadn't divulged any information either, maintaining strict confidentiality.

In a short while, the lizard pushed a small cart and entered alone, with the insectoid shutting the door to the operating theater behind them.

Luo Le frowned at the sight. Was he really going to do it alone?

The lizard approached the little girl and spoke to her, "Don't be scared, sweetie. Uncle will help your brother first. You just take a little nap, okay?"

Luo Le watched as the lizard administered an injection to the girl, who promptly fell asleep.

The lizard then returned to Luo Le's side.

"Yours is relatively straightforward, with a high success rate. Don't be afraid," he said.

Luo Le gripped the knife on his back, staring straight at the lizard.

The lizard suddenly frowned and lowered its head to sniff. "Why do you always smell like someone from the Empire?"

It took a step back. "No, you're from the Empire."

Luo Le sensed trouble and quickly jumped off the bed. Wrapping his arm around the lizard's neck, he pressed the knife against its throat.

"Stay still, get us out of here."

The lizard suddenly laughed, as if the knife was nothing to be concerned about.

"Who are you to this little girl?"

Apparently, Huo Lanjing and the others had not been discovered yet. Luo Le felt a sigh of relief.

"Never mind who I am. If you don't value your life, I can send you on your way anytime."

The lizard relented. "Alright, alright, I'll take you both out."

Luo Le wrapped the little girl in a sheet and slung an arm around the lizard's neck.

The lizard led them through the corridor, answering anyone they encountered with a smile, thus dispelling any suspicions. The journey was uneventful.

Luo Le didn't expect him to be so compliant, which made one wonder if he had an ulterior motive.

After walking some distance outside the door, they found themselves in an area devoid of people.

"Is this far enough?"

Luo Le put down the little girl and, in a flash, moved behind the man, attempting to bind him.

However, before he could touch him, the man barely dodged and, with a playful grin, twirled his book knife in his hand. "I've done everything you asked. Now you want to tie me up?"

Luo Le felt his body but found no knife. He shielded the little girl behind him as he stared at the man. "Are you the omega from the Li family?"

The lizard was taken aback. "You investigated me?"

Luo Le looked at him puzzled. "Why do you hate the Empire when it was your Li family who betrayed it first?"

The lizard suddenly grew agitated as he spoke, "He didn't betray the Empire!"

Luo Le pressed on, "But it was his message that led to the military losing over twenty thousand soldiers."

"The message he sent was correct! It was the military personnel who misunderstood and conveyed it wrongly!"

Luo Le remained vigilant, unsure if he could trust the lizard's words.

The lizard retorted, "It was the military who initially sought help from our Li family, yet they left him in danger without protection. In the end, they destroyed our family. They all deserve to die."

Luo Le countered, "Then why don't you hate those traitors? You've lived in the Empire for so long, surely you have some attachment to this land. Don't you truly wish for the insectoids to rule the Empire?"

The lizard seemed to find this hilarious and burst into laughter, "Do you think they didn't know? They knew. The traitors were dealt with long ago. Our Li family has been engaged in biological research for generations and refused to be affiliated with the military. How could the Empire tolerate us? They had their sights on the Li family from the start."

With that, he pointed his knife at Luo Le, "You're from the military, which military district?"

Luo Le scooped up the girl from the ground and ran towards the door like a man possessed.

The lizard hadn't anticipated this reaction. He gave chase but was out of breath after less than five minutes.

This was an aftermath of the transformation, and he had yet to find a solution.

Wait, if that person was from the military, it meant that someone from the military had infiltrated.

The lizard held the communicator, "The Empire's military has sneaked in. Investigate everyone who returned from missions four days ago. Suspect them all, and err on the side of caution rather than letting any slip through."