Chapter 49: Xiao Sa’s Alliance of Interests

Chapter 49: Xiao Sa's Alliance of Interests

"Wait, Lord Landis!" President Sa suppressed his anger. "Spiritual healers have traditionally been part of the Royal Association. We've never had a healer join the military before; it goes against established protocol!"

Landis turned back and looked at him coldly. "Xiao Sa doesn't have a mental entity. By the Empire's definition, he isn't considered a healer at all."

"Moreover, he hasn't joined the military. He's already graduated from the Mech Academy, so what rule does this violate?"

President Sa choked on his words.

Landis said impatiently, "Is forcing Xiao Sa to join the Royal Association the third prince's idea, or do you have a direct order from His Majesty?"

President Sa immediately shut his mouth. His Majesty wouldn't bother with such trivial matters; of course, there was no order.

In fact, even the third prince was brought in by him. But if Xiao Sa were allowed to act recklessly outside, the military, which already harbored resentment towards the Royal Association, would only have more reason to be dissatisfied.

With Xiao Sa as a point of comparison, the resentment would only grow. If this continued, the Royal Association's reputation would suffer.

It was even possible that the military would use Xiao Sa's inhibitor as a pretext to negotiate down the price of inhibitors provided by the Royal Association, which President Sa could not accept.

He watched Landis lead Xiao Sa away, frowning with frustration and helplessness.

※※※

Landis led Xiao Sa onto the flight vehicle and first touched Xiao Sa's fingers, then his cheek.

"Where were you just now? Why are you so cold?"

He then unfastened his thick military coat, intending to drape it over Xiao Sa.

Xiao Sa helplessly placed a hand on his. "I'm not cold. I sneaked into the Royal Association's research lab earlier and took a look at their cryogenic storage facility."

Landis looked at him disapprovingly and placed Xiao Sa's hand into his own coat pocket. "You're taking quite a risk. The Royal Association's research lab is a confidential area; outsiders can't easily enter."

"How did you get in? If you had been caught, it would have been troublesome."

Landis felt a headache brewing, wondering why his partner was so curious about everything.

First, he liked to search for alien traces in the Exploration Corps, and now he was wandering around the Royal Association's lab.

Xiao Sa leaned in close, lowering his voice seriously. "Guess what I found in the cryogenic storage?"

Landis looked at him impassively, raising an eyebrow. "The corpse of a military officer?"

Xiao Sa was genuinely surprised. "How did you know?"

"What kind of expression is that?" Landis shook his head. "Many officers sign agreements with the military and royalty to donate their bodies for autopsy, to help research solutions for mutations."

"The initial discovery of inhibitors was also developed through dissections of mutated military bodies. Without research on these bodies, how can medical and spiritual treatments advance? It's an unfortunate necessity."

"The cryogenic storage is likely used for preserving bodies, so it's not unusual to find military remains there. Bodies stored there are usually from officers who agreed to donate their remains. If they didn't agree, the bodies would be cremated following standard procedures."

"Is that so?" Xiao Sa still felt something was off. "But I also saw the body of the former Fourth Corps commander, Admiral Eric."

The former commander of the Fourth Corps was sentenced for treason. Why would someone who betrayed the Empire still donate their body?

Landis wore a bewildered expression, then shook his head in silence. "I can't comment on this matter. After all, he was executed for treason. Someone might be trying to 'make use' of the traitor's remains."

"But those who reach the rank of Admiral usually sign the agreement, and I'm no exception."

He looked at Xiao Sa seriously, "You'd better not be curious about this. The charge of treason against Admiral Erik has been officially confirmed."

"His former subordinates are either dead or in hiding, and no one will clear his name."

Xiao Sa looked at him discontentedly, "Can't you just take that agreement of yours and tear it up? It makes me uncomfortable."

Landis smiled, kissed Xiao Sa's hand, and said, "Don't worry about me, with you here, I definitely won't die." Besides, I still have to take care of you.

Xiao Sa's expression was subtle; Landis was getting better and better at charming him. Unfortunately, this felt like a loss in the 'Good Husband' competition.

After a moment of thought, he switched to a different topic.

"Today, the third prince and the president of the Royal Association came to see me. From their conversation, I'm puzzled by something. The royal family is very defensive and controlling towards the military."

"There's one thing I find strange. Why do people still join the military despite the risks, when so many lower-ranking soldiers don't receive proper care and treatment, and the mortality and mutation rates are so high?"

Landis' smile faded, and he returned to his serious expression, saying,

"The class structure in the empire is rigid. The royal family and the high nobility control vast resources, wealth, status, and technology, and they monopolize healers and inhibitors through the Royal Association."

"It's very difficult for people from the lower classes to cross class boundaries. The Heavenly Ascension Arena and the military provide the fastest channel for these people to rise in class."

"Everyone needs inhibitors, but they are provided for free to the military. Accumulating military merits can not only exchange for inhibitors, but also wealth and status."

"Moreover, the Central Mind prioritizes marriage matching for military personnel, and it's even possible to be matched with a noble."

"These benefits are unavailable to other lower-class individuals, who often struggle to survive on low-grade inhibitors."

"Their lifespan and genes cannot compare with those of the middle and upper classes, and they will eventually be cast aside by society."

"Joining the military, although dangerous and prone to mutation, is already the fastest way to cross class boundaries."

Xiao Sa nodded thoughtfully.

"Since the internal contradictions of the Dawn Empire are so sharp, why don't the lower-ranking officers and lower-class people rebel? The military does have the strength to rebel."

Landis' brows furrowed more and more, clearly not wanting to delve into such a dangerous topic:

"Because the high nobility of the empire intermarries extensively with middle and high-ranking officers to win them over."

"This time, if it weren't for the fact that you and I are a 100% match, my family would have preferred to arrange a marriage with another noble to consolidate power."

"Most importantly, there is the external threat of the humanoid mutants, which constantly threatens the safety of the empire and human society."

"So even though the internal class contradictions are deep, resisting the external enemy always takes priority."

"After all, even a flawed system is better than chaos. Who can guarantee that if there's a conflict with the royal family, it won't paralyze the frontlines and give the humanoid mutants an opportunity?"

"No one can bear such blame and become a scapegoat in history."

Xiao Sa stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.

He suddenly asked, "Suppose there's another channel that can stably provide high-grade inhibitors?"

Landis said, "Actually, on some chaotic lower planets, there are healers outside the Royal Association who secretly produce inhibitors."

"But the quality of inhibitors from such channels varies greatly. They are fine for ordinary people in society, but the military has high requirements for inhibitors; low grade and low concentration are of little use."

"And once it develops into a certain scale, the royal family will immediately send troops to encircle and suppress it."

"The four elite legions, besides fighting on the front lines against humanoid mutants, have another duty: to exterminate illegal groups and dark organizations."

"Allowing it to develop would undermine the foundation of the royal family's rule."

He looked at Xiao Sa and said in a softened tone, "You don’t have to worry. You don’t have a mental entity, so you’re not considered a spiritual healer."

"Even if you produce some inhibitors or perform some healing, it won’t threaten the Royal Association’s monopoly."

"You are my spouse. The royal family won’t touch you."

Xiao Sa looked at him in silence. Unluckily for him, Xiao Sa had other plans—specifically, to undermine the royal family.

Mass-producing inhibitors would be an excellent breakthrough.

If he could become a spiritual healer, then perhaps his clan members could too. That way, inhibitors could become the foundation for him and his clan members to stand on.

However, it was clear that Landis was highly loyal to the empire and had a strong sense of duty. Even if he was dissatisfied with the royal family, he wouldn’t confront them.

Xiao Sa couldn’t help but reach out and touch Landis' golden hair. Though this man appeared cold and sharp-tongued, he was actually gentle, warm, and kind-hearted.

Landis restrained himself from swatting away Xiao Sa’s mischievous hand and asked with a hint of frustration, "What are you doing now?"

Xiao Sa gave a cryptic smile. "Nothing much. I just remembered the big golden retriever we used to have at home."

Landis: "???" Did he just compare him to a dog?

※※※

The next day, Landis returned to the military headquarters.

Xiao Sa decisively took out the Pox agent formula he had brought back from the lab and began his research.

As he examined the listed raw materials and proportions, most of them weren’t particularly rare.

The most precious material was the healing factor produced and extracted by a spiritual healer’s exclusive mental entity.

Xiao Sa had no mental experience. He produced inhibitors using extracted pheromones.

The essence of pheromones was a strong signal that could stimulate the recipient’s neural network and spiritual sea.

A powerful Alpha’s pheromones could repel harmful signals and then stimulate the recipient’s spiritual sea to rejuvenate and self-repair.

However, mass production would still require professional assembly line equipment, which was evidently monopolized by the empire’s nobility.

"Haino, help me look up the suppliers of inhibitor production line equipment."

Haino quickly pulled up a list from the database.

Xiao Sa immediately saw the old tech conglomerate at the top of the list—a family he had dealt with before, the Lot family.

Their new mechs were still unsold after he destroyed one with a single punch.

Xiao Sa opened his contact list, found his old friend Kaman’s profile, and swiftly typed a message:

"Got a business opportunity for you. Interested?"

Though he’d left the Capital Mech Academy long ago, the group chat was still buzzing.

Ever since the news and short videos of Xiao Sa defeating the humanoid mutants on Frostfall Star spread to the Mech Academy, his old classmates have been going wild, finding various ways to show off that they were classmates with Xiao Sa, wishing they could frame his picture at the entrance of the classroom.

Kaman replied quickly with several cat confusion emojis:

"Bro Sa, are you possessed or did someone hack your account? Who would dare hack my brother's account? I’ll get a hacker to take them down in no time!"

Xiao Sa: "..."

"You didn't get your account hacked again, did you? Want another round of needles in the dark? [Needle in the Dark.jpg]"

Kaman sent a meme of a kitten scratching its head: "Ah, it's really you, Brother Xiao."

Xiao Sa wasted no time, opening a voice message and cutting straight to the chase: "Kaman, does the tech group under your family have production equipment for inhibitors?"

Kaman: "Sure, Brother Xiao. Are you running low on inhibitors? I can hook you up."

Xiao Sa said: "I don't need inhibitors. I was wondering if you could get your hands on some old equipment that's been phased out?"

Kaman was stunned: "Old equipment is usually scrapped at recycling facilities."

"Sometimes, old equipment gets sold on the black market, often on lawless lower planets. If you need cash, just let me know."

Xiao Sa said helplessly: "I'm not short of money either."

He paused, then rephrased the third prince's vague promises and sent them to Kaman.

"You’ve always been overshadowed by your older brother. Don’t you want to carve out your own path and build something that’s yours?"

"Since you won’t be the Lot family’s heir, why not create your own legacy for your children?"

"My team could really use someone with your skills. If you’re ready to make a difference, I can help you get there."

"With me, wealth, status, and recognition will come easily."

Kaman, still a cadet and new to the real world, was completely taken aback by the offer.

Who is Brother Xiao? The genius who led his class, crushed the beast tides in the Exploration Corps, and took down alien overlords on Frostfall Star!

Following Brother Xiao, how could he possibly lose?

Excited, Kaman decisively said: "Brother Xiao, just give me your orders. It's quite simple to get old equipment since new equipment is heavily regulated. What exactly are you trying to do?"

Xiao Sa: "Nothing much, just planning to run a small business selling inhibitors. Do you want to join? If you contribute with technology, I can give you a 20% share."

Kaman was instantly awed.

With his limited experience, Kaman knew that the inhibitor business was incredibly profitable, controlled by the nobility and the Royal Association, with the Lot family being one of the key players.

It was just that the inhibitor business in his family was always controlled by his father and elder brother.

Even if he wanted to get involved, he couldn't, since he wasn't the family heir.

Kaman had vaguely heard rumors about Xiao Sa treating and soothing soldiers in the Exploration Corps.

He thought it was just hearsay, but it turned out that Xiao Sa was actually a spiritual healer!

If he could get the equipment and Xiao Sa could provide the inhibitor formula—maybe this could really work!

Kaman's spirits immediately lifted, his heart pounding: "Brother Xiao, can I really join?"

Xiao Sa said in a tempting voice: "Absolutely. Join us, and you’ll be an original shareholder from day one."

Kaman said excitedly, "Alright then, I'm in!"

Xiao Sa quickly created a small group chat with Kaman and renamed it "Expand and Thrive, Reaching New Heights."

After dispatching Kaman to set up the production equipment, Xiao Sa immediately reached out to Broken Peak.

One ally wasn't enough; he needed to rally more people who shared his goals and tie them to his cause.

Xiao Sa told Broken Peak about discovering Admiral Eric's corpse in the research facility.

Broken Peak replied quickly, with a serious tone, "Impossible. Admiral Eric was a hot-tempered and straightforward person."

"I don't know the full story behind the treason charges, but there's no way he would have donated his body to the royal family!"

Broken Peak sent several exclamation marks, expressing his anger about the situation.

"In fact, before the Empire sentenced Admiral Eric for treason, several officers from the Fourth Legion had been sent to rehabilitation centers due to mutations, and the Admiral had visited them a few times."

"After the incident with the Admiral, those former colleagues vanished one by one."

"Only a few of us are still hanging on. If we hadn't crossed paths with you back then, we'd all be dead by now."

Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Xiao Sa directly told him, "Since you're no longer part of the military and have no stable supply channel for inhibitors, I have a way to provide high-concentration inhibitors steadily."

"But I need your help to find some raw materials, and after the inhibitors are made, help me distribute them. I can provide a batch for free for you to use."

Broken Peak was stunned for a moment, shocked by Xiao Sa's large-scale plan.

After being a pirate leader for many years, he understood even better than Kaman how terrifyingly profitable the inhibitor market was.

He knew of several gangs that had made their fortunes smuggling inhibitors.

There were even brazen gangs that specialized in kidnapping lone spiritual healers and forcing them to produce inhibitors for sale.

The gang that Xiao Sa encountered on the lower planet was one such example.

However, they were casually wiped out when Landis happened to lead the legion there.

Despite the Empire's strict ban on producing and smuggling inhibitors, the demand was so high that the trade became even more widespread and harder to stop than drug trafficking.

Broken Peak cautiously asked, "It's only right to help you with these things. But aren't you the spouse of General Landis? Does he know about this?"

The reputation of the third legion's general struck fear into all pirate and gang groups.

He had wiped out countless pirate groups and criminal organizations. Now, his spouse was going to smuggle inhibitors?

Was this some kind of 'official-pirate alliance?'

Xiao Sa said calmly, "Of course Landis doesn't know. I will cooperate with you as a leader, and you need to keep my secret."

"I'll give you a 20% share. After that, you and your brothers will have a steady supply of inhibitors."

Broken Peak was silent for a long time.

With such a huge opportunity, it was hard for him to resist.

While Xiao Sa had saved his life, he couldn't ignore the survival and future of his crew.

More importantly, Xiao Sa controlled the inhibitor supply and had General Landis's backing.

After all, we are their mortal enemies. It's obvious that we were able to escape the pursuit of the Third Legion on the lower planet because Xiao Sa convinced General Landis to let us go.

Otherwise, it's hard to say whether my brothers and I would still be alive.

Broken Peak took a deep breath and, after careful consideration, finally gave a positive response.

"Rest assured, sir, I will honor the contract, just give me your orders. Thank you for informing me about Admiral Eric's situation as well. We will continue to investigate this matter."

Xiao Sa discussed the collaboration details with Broken Peak again and then ended the call.

With Haino helping him monitor, he wasn't worried at all that their conversation would be leaked or intercepted by the empire's network technology department.

Xiao Sa mused, wondering if he was leveraging Landis' influence to his advantage.

Thinking about it, he added another person to his "expand and strengthen" group.

For him, making money with inhibitors was a small matter. What was more important was gaining more connections and resources in this gray industry.

If he wanted to obtain more secret information from the royal family and uncover the truth, such an intelligence and power network was absolutely essential.

He still needed to develop more contacts.

※※※

Landis didn't know what Xiao Sa had been busy with lately, especially during the day. Either he didn't know where Xiao Sa went or he was holed up in the study doing something.

Xiao Sa often looked exhausted, as if he had been overusing his mental energy, constantly yawning and never getting enough sleep.

Landis didn't interfere further. As long as Xiao Sa wasn't thinking about joining the legion to go to the battlefield or dealing with aliens, he was already very satisfied.

But recently, Landis had a new worry.

That night at eleven, after Landis had showered and was ready to cuddle with Xiao Sa in bed, Xiao Sa had already fallen asleep instantly.

Landis turned off the light and lay down next to Xiao Sa.

The gentle pheromones from his partner filled the air around him. Usually, this scent would quickly calm him to sleep.

But recently, for some reason, he always felt a sense of emptiness inside.

He thought his desires had waned after turning thirty, but being with Xiao Sa had only intensified them, especially lately.

Landis moved closer to Xiao Sa and took a deep breath of his pheromones from the back of his neck.

A tingle started below and crept up his spine.

Instead of easing the sense of emptiness, it became more intense, and he couldn't help but tense his thigh muscles.

His skin seemed to become more sensitive, and even switching to softer silk pajamas couldn't ease his longing for skin-to-skin contact.

Landis gently inhaled. The muscles in his abdomen tightened slightly under his pajamas.

He gently hugged Xiao Sa from behind, kissed his side neck softly, and asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Xiao Sa, are you asleep?"

Xiao Sa's face was calm, already sound asleep, and didn't respond to Landis' actions.

Landis' boldness grew. He slowly kissed down from Xiao Sa's shoulder until his head was buried in the quilt.

In his sleep, Xiao Sa felt a vague, unscratchable itch, a heat building with no way to release it.

It felt like he was lying next to a furnace or soaking in a hot spring. The heat finally roused him, and he groggily opened his eyes in the dark, only to see a dark shape bulging beneath the blanket.

“Landis…?” Xiao Sa mumbled.

The figure under the blanket abruptly sat up.

Xiao Sa thought he must still be half-asleep or had opened his eyes wrong, so he sank back into the pillow and closed his eyes again—what weird dream was he having?

Suddenly, a searing chest pressed down on him. Landis braced himself on either side of Xiao Sa, his breath hot against his skin. “Xiao Sa, are you awake?” Landis asked, his voice urgent.

He grabbed Xiao Sa’s hand and wiped away a trace of moisture from the corner of his mouth.

Xiao Sa’s eyes flew open. “Landis, what are you doing?”