Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Seeing Lu Wei cover his head, the evaluators were also horrified.

They immediately paled and surrounded him. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Send him to the hospital right away."

"I'll call a doctor now!"

Lu Wei frowned and waved them off. "It's nothing."

They sighed in relief. "That's good. You can't afford to get hurt."

They treated him like a national treasure.

Lu Wei: ?

But he was in no mood to deal with them. "I have cubs to take care of at home. There's no way I can go to war with you. Do whatever you want with that residence permit."

Well, at worst, we could sleep on the streets with the child on a makeshift bed.

The kid was used to it anyway.

The inspectors' expressions, which had just shown signs of improvement, turned even paler.

"You have a child?"

Lu Wei spread his arms, revealing the graceful contours of his toned forearm muscles. "Can't tell I'm a family man? My kid is two and a half years old."

Evaluators: "..."

Sent.

Two and a half years old?

Such a perfect candidate, from the tips of their hair to the soles of their feet, from their speech to their actions, from their appearance to their fashion sense, they were an impeccable substitute that perfectly matched the Queen.

They have a child??

The evaluators, in reality, were desperate planet lords searching for someone: "Is it really your own child? Are you sure it's your offspring? A child from your Hanbagu, carrying your genes?"

There's still a chance to salvage this situation!

Lu Wei's fists itched with the urge to punch: "Are you looking for trouble? If it's not mine, then whose is it?"

The evaluators shielded their heads, dodging his words.

Wow.

It felt like that fist as big as a sandbag was about to come crashing down for real, no joking around.

Even when hitting someone, he was so impeccable!

If it weren't for the fatal flaw of having a child, they would have sent him straight to Emperor Star's bed right now.

The evaluators' eyes dimmed, as if the apocalypse were coming tomorrow.

Still not giving up, they asked, "Is it truly so?"

Lu Wei: "What else?"

Evaluator: "But you're only in your twenties."

Lu Wei chuckled. "What? Does your planet have a rule that forbids having children at this age?"

Every word he said seemed to hit a nerve.

They gave a weak smile.

How could someone with such an impeccable personality have a child?

And how could they dare to present him to the Emperor with a child?

If the Emperor found out they were sending him a cuckold, they'd be lucky to escape with their lives.

The evaluator, feeling defeated, asked casually, "Then what about your wife?"

Lu Wei chose his words carefully. "We're currently living apart temporarily."

Evaluator: "Oh."

Lu Wei watched their initial enthusiasm turn to despair on their faces.

He couldn't fathom what had befallen this group, leaving them with such a bleak demeanor.

The evaluator inquired, "You're married and have children, correct?"

Lu Wei: "Mm-hmm."

Evaluator: "Good."

That was it.

In the end, Lu Wei's status was temporarily retained, but the selection process would continue for others.

He didn't bother delving into why they seemed to regret their interest upon learning he had children. He'd assume they had a sudden pang of conscience.

As long as they left him alone, that was all that mattered.

In the evening, the father and son followed their usual routine of seeking respite from the heat.

The young prince secretly nudged Lu Wei: "Daddy, the melon's going to fall."

Despite having no contact with Emperor Star for such a long time, he hadn't proactively sought a solution.

He sensed an inclination within himself to evade the issue.

Huo Nian rubbed his face, feeling guilty about this indulgence in apathy.

Lu Wei gazed at the ceiling, "I'm thinking about a lunatic."

Then, he began to sketch out the vague image of this eccentric individual: "Dad only remembered today, I've been feeling like I've forgotten someone. He seems to be a lunatic."

He would laugh when scolded, and even when hit.

Such a perplexing person.

Unable to recall who exactly, but given their intimacy, it could only be his runaway wife.

Lu Wei faintly recalled his impression of this person was an urge to strangle her, often leaving him with gritted teeth from frustration.

She would often label him as a "sissy."

And that's when he would get so angry that he lashed out.

—A grown man like him was actually called a "sissy" by his wife!

And he actually hit and scolded his wife?

Lu Wei hissed, "That doesn't sound right. I wouldn't have abused a woman, would I?"

With a chubby hand supporting his chin, the little prince nodded, "Hmm, yes."

Lu Wei shook his head and sighed, "I can't recall anything. It's really a complete blank."

The young prince's eyes sparkled, "Could it be that Mom wasn't a woman?"

After that, both of them fell into a thoughtful silence.

Surprisingly, everything made sense when envisioning them as males.

However, Lu Wei firmly denied it, "Impossible."

He, Lu Wei, was an authentic straight man.

How could he have a male spouse?

Moreover, how could he have a child with a male partner? Danjiao was his genuine offspring.

Lu Wei scoffed, "I'm certain it's a girl." Absolutely, positively, there was no way it wasn't!

Pang Qiu responded casually, "Oh, I see."

Was that so?

Yet, a spark of hope ignited within the young prince's heart. If Lu Wei could accept a male, then perhaps he could facilitate a relationship between him and his father?

Emperor Star, Royal City.

Several attendants escorted the scarred man, now in shackles.

Compared to his previous confident demeanor when he was here, the man now trembled on his knees, his face pale as a sheet, with dark circles beneath his eyes, resembling the Wu Star.

Each planet they searched, his tale grew colder.

From E Star to Patra Star, then to K Star, they found neither the child he mentioned nor the queen.

Of course, His Majesty suspected that the man was lying.

The scarred man admitted that at the time, he was indeed disoriented, thinking he might have mistaken the details, thus unjustly suffering imprisonment.

But now, he was certain he hadn't been wrong.

He had stolen the ring from a child.

That planet was indeed K Star!

Ever since the scarred man failed to find any leads after taking them to the Z galaxy and was thrown into prison, he wouldn't have been released if not for his claim of discovering new information.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Tortured and disheveled, the scarred man eagerly shared what he had learned upon his release.

The Emperor nonchalantly gestured for him to proceed.

The scarred man, well aware of the Emperor's madness, dared not keep anything back.

"I found that one-eyed Gyrfalcon at a custodial facility on planet K. It must be the same one I brought before you previously."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, reminding him, "Planet K has already been thoroughly searched."

Scarred Man: "Perhaps the child is no longer in the Z galaxy, or perhaps they're on another planet. The fact that the Gyrfalcon is there indicates that I wasn't lying to you. I did indeed encounter a child wearing a ring."

Huo Nian's eyes darkened significantly. "What about the child?"

The scarred man shook his head. "Only the Gyrfalcon was there. It was said to be under the care of a child, which is why I'm certain it must be that same child!"

The emperor didn't speak. The scarred man, panting heavily, dared not lift his head as he spilled everything he knew: "Before, I took advantage of that child being engrossed in catching the eagle to switch the rings. He seemed quite fond of the Gyrfalcon, so there's an eighty percent chance that the child who took care of the ring was him."

Not even blinking, the Emperor of Emperor Star commanded, "Capture everyone involved in the ring's custody."

The attendant immediately bowed and set off to carry out the order.

The scarred man's lips were devoid of color as he clenched his fists tightly.

All he prayed for now was any clue about that little brat, no matter how insignificant it might be.

That child might have stolen the queen's ring, or perhaps obtained it by chance. In any case, anything that could provide information would do.

He didn't want to endure more torment here.

Without even casting a glance at him, the emperor waved his hand, signaling for his guards to take the man back.

Lowering his eyelids, his dark pupils aimlessly traced the patterns on the carpet.

K Galaxy.

It was the K Galaxy once more.

"Your Majesty..."

The attendant stood at his side, bowing as he whispered into the emperor's ear.

Huo Jin raised an eyebrow. "The K Galaxy again, huh?"

The servant lowered their head. "Perhaps they're afraid of Your Majesty's wrath."

But they really dared to think of sending someone to His Majesty's bedside. Hadn't the lessons from before made it clear what would happen to those sent here? Besides, in the emperor's mind, the queen had merely vanished, not died.

And yet they dared to seek a substitute for the queen. They truly weren't afraid of driving His Majesty mad.

There was no warmth in the emperor's eyes. "Since they're sending someone here, it means they haven't found Lu Wei, hence this desperate move."

If that child was so beloved, why was the one-eyed eagle in the custody office?

There was only one reason – he couldn't bring it back.

The Emperor gently rubbed his knuckles.

The Z Galaxy's genetic ecology was underdeveloped, and the Gyrfalcon was classified as a moderately dangerous species. While Planet K allowed its entry, there were certainly planets that forbade the Gyrfalcon's presence.

This explained why the Gyrfalcon had been found intact in the K Galaxy.

That child must have come from one of those even more backward planets.

Huo Jin lifted his eyelids. "Investigate which planets in the Z Galaxy prohibit the Gyrfalcon."

"Also, let those old men abandon their shortcuts. I want a thorough search of the entire Z Galaxy."

The attendant acknowledged and immediately conveyed his instructions.

However, the investigation wouldn't be easy. The Z Galaxy was indeed backward, and they took the rule against invasive species very seriously. Several planets had banned the Gyrfalcon.

The attendant reported the findings one by one, listing out the suspect planets.

The more primitive the place, the more they tend to reproduce. The Z-star system had a significantly higher population than the average across the galaxy, with countless small planets. Filtering out planets based on the absence of Gyrfalcons would not narrow down the search much.

Huo Jin narrowed his eyes. "Wu Star is quite close to K Planet, and it also prohibits Gyrfalcons from entering."

Servant: "Yes, Adela Planet meets the criteria as well, and there's also..."

These were probably the most likely candidates.

His Majesty: "Surround all of them with people."

Servant: "I'll arrange the fleet immediately."

No matter how many there were, the Emperor Star's military forces could easily handle it.

Ink-like shadows swirled in Huo Jin's eyes.

The breakthrough was right before him. As long as he kept his gaze fixed, he would surely capture the person.

Just knowing that he was still alive was enough.

If that person were indeed in the K Galaxy, they would now be like a fish in a jar, unable to escape.

Even if they weren't, there was still a way in.

He looked in the direction of Little Pang Qiu.

This "Huo Nian" would surely bring him some surprise too.

In any case, the individual couldn't escape.

Once caught, their legs would be broken.