Chapter 79: Luring the Enemy Deep

Chapter 79: Luring the Enemy Deep

"Did you hear? The Fifth Prince, Cang Cheng, was hauled away by the authorities. They’re saying he’s got some shady connections with aliens from other star regions."

"A lot of people saw the scene where the fifth prince was escorted away; there are even photos! I told you this pretty-boy prince suddenly aced the Exchange Competition. Perfect shots and cool under pressure with the Giant Rock Star people—it turns out it was all an act with the aliens!"

"What a creep! I actually started liking Cang Cheng after the Exchange Competition. Who knew he’d bribe those rock-heads just to clean his name? How does someone like that even breathe?"

"Traitor of the Canglan Star Region!"

"How can someone like him still bear the title of prince? He should be stripped of his title and thrown into prison!"

"Drive the fifth prince out of the Canglan Star Region, exile him!"

"Cang Cheng is nothing but a crawling worm!"

……

The hashtag #CangChengWeaponLeak quickly went viral, making Cang Cheng the talk of the Canglan Star Region.

Some people had just started warming up to this handsome, calm prince, but after seeing the news, they jumped right into the hate train.

Soon, all sorts of insults were attached to Cang Cheng’s name, and someone even Photoshopped Cang Cheng’s face onto a worm, dubbing him 'Cang Worm' in a sick twist.

Netizens on the Star Net thought it was a perfect depiction.

*

Cang Cheng was locked in an interrogation room, his hands and feet bound to an electric chair with metal cuffs, and a metal collar tight around his neck.

The metal collar was connected to a specially made metal chain behind him, which linked to a controller above. The controller could be adjusted to bring Cang Cheng to the brink of suffocation.

These metal restraints looked solid but were actually flimsy—Cang Cheng could break them with ease.

However, he wanted to root out the mastermind behind the scenes, drive the third prince out of his life, and help Hilmeth in the process. So… when a group of armed men stormed into his home, Cang Cheng pretended to be weak and frightened, allowing himself to be cuffed and locked up here.

He had been here for two hours.

If an ordinary person were locked up in such a place for no reason, they would probably suffer a mental breakdown in less than an hour, maybe just 20 minutes.

But Cang Cheng remained eerily calm. He yawned, and the tears that welled up in his eyes made him look even more vulnerable.

To think, this trip to the main planet had been one chaotic mess for Cang Cheng. Between the C20 summit, being forced into the Exchange Competition, and now being framed and locked up, he’d had no break.

It’s been nearly a month, and Cang Cheng couldn’t stop thinking about Luo Ri.

With a 'click,' the door to the interrogation room opened, and a well-dressed middle-aged man entered, his uniform adorned with the insignia of a major general.

Cang Cheng recognized him—it was Deputy Director Soroth from the weapons manufacturing department.

Cang Cheng put on a look of surprise.

The sudden light made Cang Cheng squint, and the tear at the corner of his eye made his dark eyes look even more innocent.

With his innocent look and slightly flustered expression, Cang Cheng seemed like a helpless, trembling lamb, ready to be crushed at any moment.

"What are you doing here, Deputy Director Soroth?"

Cang Cheng’s voice trembled slightly.

At the same time, the AI contact lenses activated live broadcast mode.

"Prince Cang Cheng, I’ll get straight to the point," said Sorou, with an arrogant and condescending attitude.

He didn’t take Cang Cheng seriously at all, seeing him as nothing more than a small ant that could be crushed at will.

Even though Cang Cheng bore the title of prince, and even though he seemed to have some value in the Exchange Competition, in the eyes of those in power, he was no different from an ordinary civilian who could be disposed of at will.

After all, wasn’t the fifth prince easily captured through their joint effort?

The fifth prince’s hard-earned rehabilitation was soon turned into a disgrace to the galaxy with a little push.

Ruining someone’s reputation and destroying them is that easy.

With a pompous tone, Sorou said, "To spare you from unnecessary harm, just admit to the weapon leak!"

Panicking, Cang Cheng said, "What weapon leak? I don’t know anything about it. I have nothing to do with this..."

He struggled, but the shackles held him firmly in place.

Seeing this, Sorou sneered in disdain.

"Whether you admit it or not, you’re going to take the fall for the weapon leak.

You leaked the weapons of the Canglan Star Region to gain support from other star regions.

You framed the third prince because you wanted to eliminate a rival and compete for the throne with the first prince.

Your motives are obvious, and we’ve got all the evidence we need. We’ve prepared everything for you; all you need to do is confess."

Angrily, Cang Cheng said, "I didn’t do any of what you’re saying! You have no evidence!"

With a cold laugh, Sorou opened his optical brain and played a video that was still in production.

In the video, the 'Cang Cheng' was seen frequently visiting other star regions, conducting transactions of various information with aliens. The 'Cang Cheng' in the video also gave orders to whitewash himself in the Exchange Competition and frame the third prince.

Everything looked so realistic that, if not for a few glitches, it would have been nearly impossible to spot the forgery.

"This is our most advanced holographic technology, with a realism rate of 99%. See, isn’t this enough evidence?

We had to rush it, so there are still some bugs, but don’t worry, the versions people see in the future will be flawless."

Seeing this, Cang Cheng seemed greatly shocked, trembling all over. "Why me? Why?"

With a cold smile, Sorou said, "Because you’re the perfect scapegoat! Your status is sufficient, your motives are clear, and you’ve been quite famous recently.

I heard you have a good relationship with General Xilimos. It would be even better if we could drag the general down. I’ve had enough of that damned outsider..."

Cang Cheng shouted, "Don’t you dare speak about the general!"

Sorou walked up to Cang Cheng, viciously grabbing the metal chain in front of Cang Cheng’s neck and slowly tightening it.

He watched as Cang Cheng struggled to breathe under his grip.

"Still worried about him? Prince, you’ve got a lot of nerve. General Xilimos won’t live for many more years. We’ll send him on a one-way mission. Maybe you two can reunite in the afterlife."

"So, suspect Cang Cheng, do you admit to secretly communicating with another star system and leaking the weapons of the Canglan Star Region?"

The shackles around Cang Cheng's neck were tight, and the thin air made his vision blur, leaving his face as pale as paper.

He was unable to speak.

"Sorry, I forgot, you're unable to speak."

Suo Luo let go of his hand.

Cang Cheng coughed violently while gasping for air.

His voice was hoarse. "Cough... So, you're saying that the weapons of the Canglan Star Region were leaked by you, right?"

"You're not as foolish as I thought."

"Why...?"

"For power."

Power is the most alluring force in the world; once you possess it, you become consumed by it.

Isn't it only natural to desire even greater power?

"The other star system promised that if the Canglan Star Region falls, they would reward us with control over it. A deal like this would tempt anyone, wouldn't it?"

Suo Luo's words were filled with greed.

"Will you confess, Cang Cheng?"

Cang Cheng closed his mouth, saying nothing.

Suo Luo sneered.

He stepped back and picked up a remote control, the switch for the electric chair.

"Seems like you won't confess so easily. That's fine too. After you go through a fun process, you'll definitely confess."

"Your Highness, you are the one responsible for leaking Canglan Star Region's weapon information. This fact can no longer be changed. For your own sake, I strongly urge you to confess now."

Cang Cheng's voice was very weak. "I didn't do it."

Suo Luo narrowed his eyes. "Then don't blame me for being impolite."

Saying that, Suo Luo pressed the switch of the electric chair.

He wanted to watch Cang Cheng be tortured to the point of being unrecognizable, crying, and then confessing obediently. What does it matter that you're the fifth prince? You'll end up just like a dog, at my mercy.

But when he pressed the button, nothing happened.

The electric chair didn't activate.

Suo Luo pressed it twice more, still with no effect.

Suo Luo instinctively felt something was wrong. He looked up and saw Cang Cheng, who had just been tortured to near death, now wearing a leisurely smile.

Trap!

And at that moment, the specially made metal door was kicked open.

The door crashed open, sending echoes through the vast, empty chamber.

Hilmeth approached, backlit, his presence radiating an almost tangible sense of lethal authority, casting a heavy murderous atmosphere over the entire area.

A silver plasma pistol was in his hand, its muzzle already pressed against Soro's back of the head.

"Soro, I am arresting you for leaking classified information from the Canglan Star Region. Do you have any defense?"

*

Meanwhile, above the border planet Luo Ri, a black hole suddenly appeared in the sky. From within the black hole emerged a device composed of two interlocking, hollow squares rotating at a 45-degree angle.

The device activated, and the Cang Stones embedded within it began to assemble under the energy circuit's influence, connecting the energy.

From afar, it looked like a crown on the planet, mysterious and brilliant.

A developing planetary-level weapon was being initiated.

Ming Bai was connected to multiple neural units, his thoughts filling the entire room's neural interface display.

"Interdimensional connection established. Ultra-long-range folded space cannon activated. Target coordinates: main planet, weapons manufacturing department."

"Coordinate analysis in progress…

Space path folded, target locked,

Error correction count 1, correction amplitude 0.03%

Error correction coefficient 2..."

A few days ago, Ming Bai had received a signal from Cang Cheng, knowing that Cang Cheng had a big operation these days.

Lord Cang Cheng had his own plans, and Ming Bai would not interfere. He was merely providing a little bit of remote military support from a distant border planet.

If anyone dared to harm Lord Cang Cheng, he wouldn't hesitate to let his untested weapon 'accidentally' destroy the main planet.

As soon as Cang Cheng activated the live broadcast on his enhanced AI visor, Ming Bai forced everyone's optical brain to pop up the broadcast interface.

*

"The disgraced Fifth Prince is streaming live? Didn't they lock him up? How is he even able to stream?"

"What a shameless bastard! He's the scum of the star region."

"Who cares why? Follow me, and let’s flood his live stream with hate—drown him in it!"

……

The fact that the Fifth Prince, Cang Cheng, who was entangled in the weapons leak scandal, had actually started a live broadcast quickly spread across the Star Net.

Cang Cheng's name had been in the spotlight these days, and anything associated with his name would definitely not have low heat.

So, within 10 seconds of the live broadcast starting, tens of millions of viewers had already joined.

They had just started cursing and had only typed half of their words when they were stunned by what was happening in the live broadcast room.

Why was Cang Cheng strapped into an electrocution interrogation chamber?

And why was the interrogator not a relevant official, but the deputy director of the weapons manufacturing department?

This was a blatant attempt to coerce a false confession!

Danmaku:

"???"

"Is this some kind of act? Is he trying to clean up his image again?"

"The Fifth Prince is really getting into character! We're not falling for it again."

"I'll temporarily stay quiet; this situation doesn't seem simple."

"Let's wait and see."

...

The audience, who were originally filled with anger, gradually calmed down.

They suddenly remembered that the Fifth Prince, Cang Cheng, was just a prince with no power or influence. He was exiled to a border planet right after his birthday, clearly out of favor.

The Fifth Prince was poor and lacked influence. He had no access to weapon blueprints or any connections to aliens from other star regions. Therefore... the Fifth Prince couldn't have leaked the weapon configuration of the Canglan Star Region.

Considering the obviously irregular interrogation now...

What if someone is deliberately framing the Fifth Prince?

Then they watched as Solo pressured Cang Cheng to confess, using holographic tech to forge evidence, all while smirking arrogantly.

When Solo tightened the metal chains around Cang Cheng's neck, people were furious—some slammed their fists on tables, others smashed their personal devices.

Danmaku:

"This is straight-up torture! What kind of justice system is this?"

"The Fifth Prince can hardly breathe! Someone save him!"

"If even a prince can be bullied like this, it shows just how lawless the other side is."

"Cang Cheng's breathing is getting weaker—does he even have air left?"

"Should he just give in? He can't take much more of this."

"He can't confess; it would have legal consequences."

"Should he just suffer through the punishment and torture for nothing?"

...

The contrast couldn't be clearer: Solo, the privileged elite who treats everyone like dirt, versus Cang Cheng, the neglected prince who is physically weak but refuses to break.

The spectators hated Solo to the extreme, and in turn, they sympathized with Cang Cheng to the extreme.

Cang Cheng hadn't done anything; he was a victim of power, framed, and now being forced to confess.

Oh man, they were just trashing Cang Cheng!

What had they done...

"The authorities have been alerted, but who knows if they'll do anything."

"I'm sorry, Fifth Prince, I apologize for what I just said."

"Seeing Prince Cang Cheng almost suffocating, I felt tears welling up."

"A deputy director acting like this? No wonder the Weapons Institute is so corrupt. It’s been nearly a decade since they’ve developed any new weapons."

"Taken away, locked in an interrogation room, treated like this... Why must Cang Cheng suffer like this?"

"He just helped the Canglan Star Region secure a victory in the Exchange Competition, he’s a hero too!"

"Is there anyone who can save him now?"

……

Almost everyone’s heart ached for Cang Cheng, and their guilt reached its peak.

Cang Cheng did nothing, so why is this happening to him?

However, when they heard that Soro admitted to being involved in the weapon leak, everyone lost it!

Abusing his power, breaking the law, and committing crimes—just because he can!

Just because Cang Cheng has no power, making him the perfect scapegoat, does it mean the innocent Cang Cheng should be framed?

"Rotten to the core!"

"Unbelievable that this is happening on the main planet!"

"Where are the police? Why haven’t they shown up?"

"Police? I doubt it... They’re probably trying to shut down the live stream! Too bad it won’t turn off."

"General! Come and arrest him!"

"General!! This is a matter of life and death!! Hurry!"

……

Soro had no idea that everything he did was being recorded and broadcast live across the entire star region, as he reveled in the joy of toying with a life.

He pulled out the controller, ready to press it.

Everyone watching screamed "No!!" in horror.

The fifth prince’s fragile body—who knows what kind of scars such an electric shock would leave.

And just at that moment, the general appeared.

His face was cold and stern, his presence overwhelming, as if shrouded in a layer of frost, colder than the polar ice caps.

Seeing this, everyone watching the live stream breathed a sigh of relief.

The general appeared like a legendary hero, descending from the sky on a rainbow-colored cloud at this crucial moment.

The general had arrived—Prince Cang Cheng would be saved!

Just as everyone was about to witness the hero's rescue, the live stream abruptly cut off.

Everyone: ??

Wait, the live stream is at a crucial point, isn't it?

You're disconnecting? You disconnected again?

*

In the interrogation room, Hilmeth didn't hesitate to break Soro's hands, then put restraints on him and sent him into the military's vehicle.

At the same time, the entire weapons institute, the main planet's police department, and the propaganda department were all surrounded by the military.

The weapons institute and the police department were in collusion, acting nefariously together, while the propaganda department fanned the flames, attempting to turn Cang Cheng into the scapegoat of the entire Canglan Star Region.

If Cang Cheng were just a powerless prince, their coordinated efforts would have succeeded.

However, thanks to the mysterious live stream, their actions against Cang Cheng had been exposed to the public, causing widespread outrage.

No matter how much those in power might want to hush things up, this time it definitely wouldn't be so easy to brush under the carpet.

All involved personnel will be thoroughly investigated, and during this time, the weapons institute will cease operations, while the police department and the propaganda department will be temporarily taken over by the military.

Hilmeth assigned the follow-up work to Fu Huai and Qin Yan.

At this moment, the usually cold-faced general now looked even colder. He pulled Cang Cheng into his car, and all the way, he remained silent, radiating an air of displeasure.