Chapter 62: Admirer?

Chapter 62: Admirer?

Ming Bai and a small group of soldiers speculated about the relationship between Cang Cheng and Hilmeth. Meanwhile, in a luxurious palace-like building, a woman dressed in red threw her holo-device to the ground and stomped on it twice, fuming.

Her best friend, Sang Ning, had just sent her a photo.

In the photo, Hilmeth and Cang Cheng were aboard the same shuttlecraft, the ambiance between them perfect, giving off an indescribable feeling.

Sang Ning: "The general might just be looking after him. Feifei, don't overthink it."

Looking after him?

Did looking after him require getting so close?

She had admired Hilmeth for so many years; didn't she understand his personality? No one dared to get close to him.

And now… the general and that so-called fifth prince were so close?

Fu Congfei fumed: "How can the general be with someone like this!"

Fu Congfei's brother, Fu Huai, was a team member under Hilmeth, holding the rank of major general. He could be considered one of the general's confidants.

Fu Congfei had admired Hilmeth since childhood, constantly talking about him in front of her brother Fu Huai, much to his annoyance.

What could he do about his sister's obsession with his superior?

So, what could he do? Spoil her, of course!

Fu Congfei was a die-hard career fan of Hilmeth. All she wanted was to see him get promoted, dominate the battlefield, and defeat those arrogant aliens from other star regions.

But now, what did she see?

She actually saw Hilmeth and the fifth prince from the Canglan Star Region, who was rumored to have only looks but no real skill, sitting in the same vehicle, with Hilmeth looking so… so gentle?

Was this reasonable?

Worried she might be misled, Fu Congfei asked her brother Fu Huai for clarification.

Fei: "Brother, any news about the general recently?"

Huai: "Rare for you to message your brother, and it's to ask about the general? Brother is heartbroken~"

Huai: "Crying face with wide noodles.JPG"

Fei: "Stop pretending to cry, tell me quickly!"

Huai: "Sigh… if my sister doesn't care about her brother, what can I do? I can only accept it."

Huai: "I asked Vice Admiral Qin Yan, and he said the general has been getting along well with the fifth prince recently. But I wasn't there, so I don't know the details of the situation."

Fei: "!"

Fu Congfei's mind raced.

What Qin Yan said confirmed her suspicions.

The general was indeed treating that fifth prince differently.

No, she absolutely could not allow the general to go astray.

Romantic relationships will only slow down the General's reaction speed.

The General must remain undistracted to become a hero of the Canglan Star Region.

Fu Congfei immediately decided that she would meet the fifth prince and make him reconsider.

The next day, after obtaining information about Cang Cheng, Fu Congfei successfully staked out Cang Cheng at a villa in Sector D of the summit.

However... as soon as Cang Cheng entered Fu Congfei's sight, she blinked in surprise.

Cang Cheng, standing on the second floor of the villa, was bathed in gentle sunlight.

His flawless face carried a faint smile, and his calm demeanor was unlike anyone Fu Congfei had ever met.

She had assumed some sly seductress had won the General's favor, but... how was the other party so seemingly perfect?

He was quite captivating...

Fu Congfei hesitated for a moment but quickly regained her focus.

No, no.

No matter how attractive Cang Cheng was, he couldn't be with the General.

Cang Cheng was the one who had bewitched the General.

She needed to catch him in a compromising situation and make him reconsider.

Fu Congfei continued to observe Cang Cheng secretly for an entire day and afternoon, but instead of finding any incriminating evidence, her legs became sore from squatting for so long.

Just as she was about to consider her next move, she saw Cang Cheng, who had been inside the villa all day, slowly walking towards her.

Was she... discovered?

Fu Congfei had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Cang Cheng stopped in front of her before she could activate her optical stealth mode.

"Miss, have you been watching me for an entire day? May I ask what your business is?"

Cang Cheng's eyes were still curved, but his pure black eyes held no warmth.

Despite his delicate appearance, he gave Fu Congfei a sense of danger.

After deactivating her stealth mode, Fu Congfei reflexively jumped back a couple of steps to distance herself from Cang Cheng.

She couldn't figure out how Cang Cheng had spotted her while she was invisible. Was her stealth training so lacking?

She cleared her throat and spoke seriously, "Fu Congfei, battlefield analyst for General Xilimos, and younger sister of Fu Huai."

"Miss Fu, what business do you have with me today?"

"I’ve got my eye on your place and want to exchange residences with you."

Fu Congfei took out her room card, "My residence has a lakefront view in Building 13, Sector C, with beautiful surroundings and fresh air. You wouldn’t be at a disadvantage by swapping houses with me."

Cang Cheng shook his head, "I'm sorry, but no."

Fu Congfei wouldn't back down: "I'll add another 8 million, to trade for your house."

Cang Cheng remained unmoved: "No deal."

Fu Congfei raised her voice: "What will it take for you to move away from the General?"

Cang Cheng instantly understood; this young lady was clearly a admirer of Xilimus.

"I'm living just fine here. Why should I change my residence?"

"The General is already embroiled in scandal with you. You've tarnished the General's reputation! How can you still have the nerve to stay so close to him?"

Cang Cheng couldn't help but laugh.

Him?

Tarnishing Xilimus' reputation?

This was truly unjust...

He was merely a delicate spirit engraver, with physical strength rated at D-level. How could he possibly do anything to the pinnacle of combat power in the Azure Star Domain?

"Oh? What exactly are they saying out there? I'm quite curious."

Cang Cheng wanted to see how others were spinning the story.

"They... they say..."

Fu Congfei opened her mouth but found there were no rumors to speak of.

It all started with a single image, and from there, everything was just her imagination.

Even her brother only managed to find out that Hilmeth and Cang Cheng were close friends, but there were no real rumors to back it up.

"They're saying the general has some kind of inappropriate relationship with you and treats you differently."

Fu Congfei insisted, "Look, you'd better move out right away."

Cang Cheng saw through her lack of confidence and chuckled softly.

"I can live wherever I want, and you have no authority to tell me otherwise."

"How can you be so unreasonable? If the general gets smeared because of you, do you think you can handle the consequences?"

"What does any of this have to do with me?"

Fu Congfei became agitated. "The general is the symbol of hope for the Canglan Star Region, a hero. Do you even realize who he is? And who are you? You should know your place!"

"If you drag the general down, even a hundred of you wouldn't be enough to make up for it."

At this point, Cang Cheng had nothing more to say.

He turned on his heel and started to walk away.

Seeing that Cang Cheng wasn't taking her seriously, Fu Congfei's anger boiled over.

"If you're not going to cooperate, don't blame me for using force."

Without warning, Fu Congfei lunged at Cang Cheng.

Fu Congfei's awakening level is A-, and she has been trained militarily since childhood, with combat skills on par with active-duty soldiers.

She felt that taking on Cang Cheng would be a sure thing, after all, he was known to be a useless ornament.

Fu Congfei swiftly swept her leg.

However, the expected scenario of Cang Cheng being knocked down did not occur.

Her leg collided with a thick, short earthen wall, causing no harm to Cang Cheng at all.

At the same time, a cold blade had already pressed against her neck.

The bone-chilling cold seeped into her skin, making her soul tremble.

In less than a second,

Fu Congfei was subdued.

She could hardly believe it.

This... This is Cang Cheng?

The useless ornament, the Fifth Prince... Cang Cheng?

"Don't move around, I'm not skilled with weapons."

Cang Cheng held an ice-made blade, pressing it tightly against Fu Congfei's carotid artery. With just a little more force, he could sever this vital vessel.

After being promoted to a senior mage, Cang Cheng's control over elements became even more proficient, allowing him to condense elements into solid form without the need for Spirit Runes.

Because of this, the small earth wall Cang Cheng had just condensed, and the ice blade less than 10cm in his hand, required minuscule amounts of Mental energy, which Fu Congfei completely failed to detect.

Cang Cheng’s smile faded, and his pitch-black eyes turned as deep and oppressive as the night.

"Don't bother me again. Otherwise, next time, your head will be on the line, got it?"

Fu Congfei didn't dare to move, and she was too terrified to speak.

So she could only blink rapidly to indicate that she understood.

Oh no...

She had thought he was an innocent rabbit, but now she realized he was a ruthless killer.

Oh no… She was so wrong.

How could she have been so naive as to think the fifth prince was really that weak?

Clearly, he was a power player who could crush her with a single blow.

"You got that?"

Fu Congfei blinked rapidly.

With that, Cang Cheng retracted the ice blade.

The water element instantly transformed into steam, dissipating into the air without a trace.

The earth wall that had blocked the sweeping kick had already merged with the ground, leaving no trace.

Fu Congfei was too distracted to think about the ice blade or the earth wall. She left in a daze.

In her mind, she couldn't shake the image of Cang Cheng's serene face, bathed in sunlight, as well as the sharp look when he threatened her with the blade.

Her heart was beating fast.

How could anyone be so perfect? So effortlessly switching between gentle and sharp.

One moment soft, the next sharp...

Prince Cang Cheng is way too mysterious!

If the General and Prince Cang Cheng were together, I guess I could live with it.

From now on, Prince Cang Cheng is my new crush.

Fu Congfei was very excited, and she immediately told her best friend Sang Ning about it.

Fei: "Sang Sang, you won't believe this, but Prince Cang Cheng is like the second most perfect person I've ever met..."

On the other end of the comm link, Sang Ning replied with phrases like 'and then?' and 'I see,' while lowering her gaze in thought.

Then, Sang Ning forwarded the message from Fu Congfei.

*

On the border of Luo Ri Star

"The planetary defense system has detected 3 class A warships, identified as belonging to the space pirates 'Super Outburst'."

The AI announcement sounded, and at the Luo Ri Star combat command center, Ming Bai had already locked onto the routes of the three ships through calculations.

"Let's try the newly commissioned class A warship."

Ming Bai calmly ordered, "Cang Ye, take care of these three."

"No problem, M."

In the warship's command room, Cang Ye, usually known for his goofy demeanor, skillfully maneuvered the latest A-class starship.

Cang Ye hadn't touched a starship for 10 years, but he was still able to control it smoothly.

This indicated that the armed forces of the Canglan Star Region had made no progress in these 10 years.

"Main cannon optical stealth deactivated. Port and starboard ion cannons energy filled, tracking guns 1-20 loaded."

"Mental energy assist standard activated."

"Target locked, full ship attack!"

A scorching white energy beam sliced through the silent universe, simultaneously hitting the three pirate ships in silence.

Under the intense light of the explosion, the three pirate ships were reduced to cosmic dust.

"Cang Ye, mission accomplished.

Another peaceful day. I wonder when I'll see my little brother again."

Cang Ye piloted the starship back safely.

On the screens of the bombed star pirate ships, the words "data transmission completed" were displayed.

But these words were ultimately consumed by the cannon fire, leaving nothing behind.

*

Several days passed. The summit was in full swing, and one win-win cooperation agreement after another was being signed, filling the people of the Canglan Star Region with joy.

However, a breaking news report shattered the crowd's happiness.

"On the 21st, the third prince was attacked in the palace. After treatment, his injuries are not serious.

The suspect, identified as Mù (last name), has been apprehended. The suspect used drugs to control relevant personnel and successfully administered a lethal dose of poison to the third prince.

Further details are still under investigation."

For a moment, the Star Net was abuzz with discussions.

"Wait, was the third prince attacked? Am I seeing this right?"

"Even the main planet isn't safe?"

"The fourth prince died in battle ten years ago, the second prince passed away from illness two years ago, and now the third prince has also fallen victim to an unfortunate event... Is the Canglan Star Region just cursed or what?"

...

"Hey! Did you notice, the suspect has the same surname as the Mù family? And the method used was poison, too. Could it be that the Mù family did this?"

"Don't speculate. The Mù family has a good relationship with the third prince. They've secured numerous projects thanks to him. There's no way it's the Mù family."

"It really is the Mù family. When I passed by their main residence this morning, it had already been sealed off. All projects involving Mù family members have also been halted."

"No way, right? Why would the Mù family do something like this?"

...

People were baffled, and the third prince was equally confused.

The Mù family had reached their current position thanks to his support. How could they suddenly turn against him?

Although the third prince's life was not in immediate danger, part of his body had started to become mushroom-like. His hands had completely turned into mushroom-like shapes, and even if the mushroom-like arms were removed and replaced with new limbs, they would revert to their mushroom-like state within 24 hours.

How did the Mù family develop such a sinister poison?

Execute them. They must be executed!

The third prince was furious.

In the interrogation room, based on the confession of the mastermind, Mù Jiāyuè, most of the Mù family members were involved in the plot to harm the third prince.

The motive was that the distribution of profits hadn't been negotiated properly. The third prince had taken the largest share of the profits, leaving the Mù family with only scraps, which caused dissatisfaction among all of them.

"The case is closed."

"It's closed?"

"Mù Jiāyuè's confession is enough. Additionally, we uncovered a significant amount of banned toxins in the Mù family's underground lab, and the surveillance footage also captured scenes of the Mù family plotting to eliminate the third prince.

The evidence is conclusive. It doesn't matter if they don't confess."

"That's great! I thought it would take many days of interrogation! But then Mù Jiāyuè confessed everything. I wonder what made him confess so quickly."

Mù Jiāyuè, under control, helplessly watched as 'himself' fabricated evidence of the crime in the Mù family, 'himself' visiting the Third Prince's mansion to poison him, and then 'himself' confessing and implicating everyone in the Mù family once the incident was exposed.

Mù Jiāyuè was powerless to do anything; he could only watch himself become the main culprit.

All of this was Mù Xīng's revenge, for the jealousy that drove him to conspire with the lab to frame Mù Xīng, and ultimately dig out Mù Xīng's spirit core with his own hands, even desecrating the grave of Mù Xīng's sister.

After that, his father became the owner of Mù Pharma thanks to Mù Xīng's leftover formulas, bringing in hundreds of billions annually and catapulting their family to become new elites on the main planet.

As for Mù Jiāyuè himself, he used Mù Xīng's spirit core to successfully achieve a 'secondary awakening' from a D-grade Awakened to a B-grade Awakened, enjoying the privileges of a powerful and wealthy second-generation Awakened.

Life was too good, and Mù Jiāyuè had forgotten that everything they had was ill-gotten.

Now, clearly, it was time to pay back.

He was wrong, he truly knew he was wrong.

But it was already too late.

Mù Xīng would not let them off.

*

After wrapping up some personal business, Mù Xīng returned to his villa in District D, his steps light and confident. In his hand, a petri dish contained a light green spirit core emitting a faint glow.

This was originally Mù Xīng's spirit core, which he had personally retrieved.

After aligning with Cang Cheng, the Mù family could no longer affect him. However, being able to send the Mù family to hell much earlier than expected made Mù Xīng very pleased.

All of this was thanks to his master.

Without his master's support, Mù Xīng could not have developed the mind-controlling pharmaceuticals or resolved the Mù family issue without getting his hands dirty.

What a perfect day.

Mù Xīng knocked on Cang Cheng's door, and after receiving permission to enter, he knelt on one knee to report.

"Master. The matter with the Mù family has been resolved. I also took care of some unregistered labs and undisclosed research funds belonging to the Mù family.

The Third Prince was poisoned with a fungus growth compound, causing his body tissues to gradually mushroomify during the drug's effect. Unfortunately, the advanced medical facilities on the main planet intervened, stopping the process before the Third Prince could fully mutate. He is out of danger."

Mù Xīng couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret—he had come so close to eliminating the Third Prince, who had attempted to poison Cang Cheng.

Cang Cheng, who had been messaging Hilmeth, set his light computer aside.

"These are your private matters; you don't need to report them to me."

"I want to be completely transparent with you, Master."

Mù Xīng insisted, "It was you, Master, who lifted me from the depths and gave me the strength to start anew. Everything I have belongs to you."

Cang Cheng nodded, "I am fortunate to have such a subordinate as you."

Recalling the first day he met Mù Xīng, although the other was weighed down by a heavy reality, he still stood tall and proactively made a deal with him.

At that time, Cang Cheng was only interested in Mù Xīng's cultivation technology, just wanting to have proper food.

But over the past six months, not only had Mù Xīng methodically established a cultivation base on Luo Ri, creating substantial wealth, but he also never stopped pursuing advancements in pharmaceuticals.

Mù Xīng was truly driven!

"By the way, my lord. The first phase of research on the colorless and odorless biochemical weapon is complete. Thanks to the Mù family’s funding, I’ll have a planetary-level biochemical weapon ready within six months."

As he spoke, Mù Xīng adjusted his glasses, the lenses flashing with a cold, unsettling gleam.

"I appreciate your earlier support, my lord. You will not be disappointed."

Hmm?

Cang Cheng cocked his head, puzzled.

Something felt off.

A planetary-level biochemical weapon?

He hadn’t asked Mù Xīng to work on this—so why was Mù Xīng thanking him?

Cang Cheng was about to press further, but Mù Xīng’s eager, almost feverish expression stopped him.

Cang Cheng didn’t fully grasp what was happening, but he respected the passion of his researchers.

An extra ace up Luo Ri’s sleeve wouldn’t hurt. Still… wasn’t this trump card a little too dangerous?