Chapter 23: Zao Zao’s skill is ‘Eternal Control’

**Chapter 23: Zao Zao’s Skill is “Infinite Control”**

Little Chuzao was currently sitting in the vehicle, huddled next to Mei Lun.

He had folded his wings and let his halo vanish. The little cub looked somewhat frail—his round eyes had a slightly downturned outer corner that gave him a naturally harmless appearance. His lashes were long, curled, and thick. His pale little face was smudged with dust, and he was wearing thin clothes as he clung tightly to his unconscious relative, looking like a pitiful little creature.

It was hard not to feel sympathy for him.

Wen Qingyu was driving. She glanced back at the rear seat, then smoothly shifted gears to accelerate. Her ponytail bounced as she sped toward their meeting point.

Wen Qingfeng sat close to the small child. After thinking for a moment, he took off his coat and wrapped it around the little cub.

Chu Zao was still dazed.

In other words, although he seemed tough on the outside, he had never experienced anything like this before. His folded wings still hurt, causing his back to tremble slightly. He was still shocked, instinctively staying by the unconscious Mei Lun’s side.

Wrapped in the oversized coat, the little cub looked up with confused yet bright eyes but remained firmly by Mei Lun’s side.

Wen Qingfeng didn’t know how to comfort him. He scratched his head.

"Don’t worry—he’s your grandpa, right? He’ll be fine. Even on remote planets like ours, His Majesty and the imperial princes care about our medical conditions. If we get him back soon, stop the bleeding, and help him regain his strength, everything will be okay."

Little Chuzao nodded.

His fluffy black curls gently shook with the motion.

Such a tender little cub—heart-meltingly adorable—

"Hey sis, drive faster—"

"I’m already going as fast as I can. How about this—we lose some weight and pick up speed?"

Wen Qingyu kept her eyes on the road, expressionless. Then she glanced sideways at Wen Qingfeng.

"Bro, what do you think?"

Wen Qingfeng: …

"I think that’s a bad idea."

"Then shut up."

"Fine, fine."

The little cub blinked his big eyes. His tension eased a bit in this atmosphere.

The vehicle drove into a temporary area enclosed by wire fencing.

Many similar vehicles were parked here, though their fronts were equipped with tools like mechanical arms and hooks.

This place was a wasteland—not loose sand, but hard-packed dark-brown ground with almost no vegetation. Most basic mineral-rich planets in the galaxy looked like this.

Across the flat terrain stood clusters of temporary shelters made from dark-green specialized materials. At the center of the square, Saint Cas’s crimson flag fluttered in the cold wind.

Eight or nine families had gathered here to guard the mining zone.

They were all young adults in their twenties. As the vehicle pulled into the base, two or three youths stood together, holding steaming cups of tea and talking seriously.

They heard the noise and looked over as the tent flap was lifted, revealing the other young people who had stayed behind at the base coming out.

"Qingfeng, Qingyu, you're back? Everything go okay?"

They stepped forward.

"We were just talking about whether to go look for you. Today's been weird—after you reported some unusual activity nearby and went to check it out, the comms went haywire. The first team already left to find you."

"Don't worry," Wen Qingfeng jumped down from the vehicle. "It wasn’t the Thieves—it was some weird disaster we’ve never seen before. A giant rift tore open in the sky, and a bunch of stuff got thrown down. That’s probably what messed up the comms. Once they’re back online, have the team turn right around."

As he spoke, he glanced back at the vehicle.

"We’ll need to clean up the area later. I also caught a whiff of blood, so we should sterilize the place. Squad leader, Qingyu and I rescued two survivors from the disaster. They’re also from Saint Cas, used to live on Imperial Star. Both are hurt and want to contact the Empire. But to reach the military outpost on the other side of the planet is too far—one might not last that long. So Qingyu and I brought them back first. Maybe we can get someone to run them over later?"

"Injured compatriots?"

The squad leader frowned deeply.

"How do you know for sure? You know those Thieves will stop at nothing for profit. You should’ve checked them out better—"

Mid-sentence, the squad leader suddenly caught sight of something and fell silent.

On the tall vehicle, a tiny figure—about five years old—was clinging to the door, looking at him.

Those clear amber eyes blinked once, twice.

Xiao Chuzao worked up his nerve—he stood up and met the man’s gaze.

"Uncle, Zao Zao and Grandpa Mei Lun aren’t bad guys. Daddy's coming soon, and Daddy will pay for Zao Zao and Grandpa Mei Lun."

Just like how Daddy bought fruit for Zao Zao before.

Zao Zao would figure out how to pay him back later.

The little voice was soft, and after a moment of thought, the child held back from showing his halo or wings.

From what these uncles were saying, this place wasn’t safe, and it was far from the Imperial Star—Zao Zao had made it this far because he knew when to keep a low profile.

It was all up to the kid now. He focused on keeping himself and Grandpa Mei Lun hidden while waiting for Daddy to arrive.

Wen Qingfeng shrugged. "Squad leader."

The squad leader: "...Fine."

Those ruthless Thieves were indeed wicked, but no five-year-old could fake innocence this convincingly—if this was an act, they’d eat their hats.

"Quit yapping and get over here."

Wen Qingyu called from the vehicle.

The other youths in the base rushed over.

They carefully lifted Mei Lun off the vehicle.

At first, Mei Lun instinctively resisted, but the little one quickly calmed him.

Xiao Chuzao, suppressing his discomfort, waddled after them on his short legs, following them all the way to the medical room.

Mei Lun’s crown had shattered—for the Crown Clan, this meant he had already died once. Though his psychic energy had settled, his condition was way worse than expected. His face remained ghost-white, and now that he had relaxed, he was completely out of it.

Xiao Chuzao clung worriedly to the bedside, tilting his little head up to look.

A group of people looked grim. They had already learned on the way just how severe Mei Lun's injuries were—although not penetrating, many wounds were deep enough to expose bone and blood wouldn’t stop flowing.

But when they started treating him, they were surprised. Although the severity of the wounds was still visible, the bleeding had already stopped with basic first aid—his healing abilities were remarkable.

"He's fine now."

Those who had been preparing to leave for the main base to contact others and bring back more advanced medical equipment paused in astonishment.

Imperial Star folks are something else, huh? Even their healing powers are this strong.

Xiao Chuzao tilted his little head, blinking slowly like he was processing this. His tiny voice finally carried a hint of cheerfulness.

"Really?"

"Mmhm, really."

The medic answered.

Wen Qingyu brought over a wet towel, and the little one obediently took the half-dry cloth to wipe his face.

The others watched. The squad leader crossed his arms, studied them for a moment, then gave in. "We just checked—our short-range communications are back online, which matches what you said. You two have no assignments this afternoon, so you get a few days off. Take them to the Saint Cas regional military outpost in the southern part of the planet."

Xiao Chuzao’s eyes lit up immediately.

In his babyish tone, he stiffened his face and mimicked Amos’ manner, solemnly saying, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Squad Leader: ...

The squad leader drew a sharp breath.

Jesus, this poor kid—who could resist? Someone come get this child already!

So young and already looking after his grandpa—it was truly heartbreaking.

The hardened man finally managed a stiff reply.

"You're welcome."

"Squad Leader, quit pretending you don't care, hahaha!"

Someone teased nearby.

"Mind your own business! Don’t you all have work to do?! Get on patrol!!"

...

Mei Lun’s wounds were cleaned and disinfected again, which took some work, and he was temporarily placed on an empty bed.

In the small base, some guys were still working on modifying the Wen siblings’ vehicle to make it more comfortable for Mei Lun.

Others were getting ready with food and water for the next few days.

Xiao Chuzao got a tube of nutrient paste and two or three small potatoes.

The little one sat at the entrance of the medical room, holding his food, blinking before taking a careful bite of a potato.

Soft and sticky—and pretty much tasteless.

All in all, it's pretty good.

The little cub was used to eating these plants, so he accepted them readily, taking small, careful bites.

Wen Qingfeng walked over and sat down beside the little cub.

He was carrying a nutrient drink and a small plate of potatoes.

With a smile, he said to the little one, "We grew these ourselves, you know. But the soil on Mining Planet 78 is terrible. We managed to grow them, but they didn’t turn out well—tiny, just little nubs. Still, the taste isn’t bad. Just for a taste."

Chu Zao had already finished one small potato and sincerely praised in a soft voice, "You’re amazing. Zao Zao tried growing food once, but it all died."

"Hah! Bet you used a pot, huh?" Wen Qingfeng laughed. He had come specifically to comfort the little cub.

"Kids are always curious, and parents usually allow such explorations. But you’ll pick it up better when you’re older."

Given Mei Lun’s insane healing ability, Wen Qingfeng and the others could tell his mental energy was high—he’s probably from some high-up family in Saint Cas’s imperial capital.

When Chu Zao said that, Wen Qingfeng naturally assumed the kid had messed around with planting stuff at home and botched it.

The imperial capital’s gotta have top-notch schooling, so this kind of thing was normal.

Chu Zao, mid-nibble on another potato, guiltily rubbed the tip of his nose.

He didn’t wanna admit that he’d once tried growing fruits and edible flowers on fertile plains—only for his crops to keel over while the rest of the land thrived. He had originally hoped to create a stable food source so he wouldn’t have to scavenge, but in the end, he gave up and went back to scavenging.

"Eat up. Once you're full, we’ll set off soon. Don’t worry—I’ll have my sis step on it so your family can pick you up as soon as possible, okay?"

The little cub nodded, eyes shining up at him.

"Speaking of which, I’ve never left Mining Planet 78. No clue what’s out there. What’s daily life like in the imperial capital? Do they cram you with studying? Can you just enlist straight away? I heard you can even join the Royal Guard?"

Wen Qingfeng couldn’t hide his curiosity about the outside world.

But Chu Zao didn’t know much about these things either.

He nibbled on his potato—

"Zao Zao’s not in school yet..."

"Oh, right, you’re still too young."

Wen Qingfeng let out a big laugh.

But the little cub was curious—"Then why don’t you go see the imperial capital?"

At this point, Chu Zao didn’t have a strong concept of "home." His world had always been tiny—just him, alone. Now, it was still tiny, just with a few more people in it.

When faced with trouble, the little cub’s survival instincts kicked in—he would hide.

If someone bullied him and discovered his dwelling, he would decisively move elsewhere.

He didn’t understand many emotions yet.

"No time for that yet," Wen Qingfeng said.

"You will someday. After you go back, I'll come see you on the Imperial Star. But for now, I have to guard my home."

"Home?"

"Yeah, right here—"

Wen Qingfeng pointed at the ground beneath his feet.

"This is where we were born. Our ancestors lived here, once enslaved and oppressed as mining slaves, until the Crown Clan’s lords liberated us, giving us shelter and fair trade. We could exchange for food, water, and everything we needed to live. Though we didn’t experience that era ourselves, we all know its story."

As Wen Qingfeng spoke, his eyes burned with intensity.

"That’s why we swear—our oath is to bring glory to the Sacred Crown!"

They hoped the glory they offered would make the crown that saved them shine even brighter. They could do little, but they kept striving.

"The Thieves come to steal our minerals, take over the mining hubs, mine recklessly until the planet is ruined, left a lifeless wasteland. Our duty is to stop this. This is Saint Cas Empire territory—we won’t let them get away with it!"

Xiao Chuzao stared at him, awed by the fire in his gaze.

"I…"

The little one, soft-spoken, barely got a word out when the camp erupted into chaos.

"Thieves!! It’s the Thieves!! Get ready!!"

"Captain! Their starships are everywhere!"

"It’s an ambush!! There are too many of them!"

"Dammit! Must be because we’ve been patrolling too much lately. They haven’t succeeded once in months—this is revenge!"

"Luckily, comms are back up. Get backup from HQ now!!"

Wen Qingfeng froze for a moment, his face hardening. He stood, grabbed the kid, and pushed him gently into the room behind them, his voice firm.

"Stay inside. Don’t come out now, understand?"

Xiao Chuzao froze in shock, tears already forming in his eyes.

It was like he heard Grandpa Mei Lun’s voice again—

*"Zao Zao, stay here and don’t come out."*

Xiao Chuzao suddenly clutched Wen Qingfeng’s sleeve.

The child was small, still holding a nutrient pack and half-eaten potato in his hands. Swamped in Wen Qingfeng’s oversized coat, he looked so small.

Wen Qingfeng paused for a second.

"Nothing will happen."

He gave the kid’s head a quick pat.

Xiao Chuzao bit his lip.

Though he let go, the five-year-old little one hesitated for two seconds before still heading toward the door.

He had been tricked once by Grandpa Mei Lun—he didn’t believe it. Besides, Zaozao needed to know what was happening. He still had to protect Grandpa Mei Lun.

Just as countless raiders descended and gunfire had already erupted—the sound of curtains being pulled open suddenly came from the window behind him. Xiao Chuzao turned back in shock and uncertainty.

At this moment, in the boundless cosmos.

Countless colossal machines advanced swiftly. These mechanical titans capable of conquering entire civilizations had set off in a frenzy from Saint Cas’s imperial core. Warp-drive technology was pushed to its daily safety limits as they raced toward the frontier outpost of Saint Cas’s territory.

The empire’s domain was too vast, but by employing warp technology, a journey that would have taken a full day and night could be shortened to mere hours.

Yet Amos still chafed at the delay.

His gaze, seemingly calm, was fixed on the star map—specifically, the mining colony at the empire’s border, marked with its designation.

Planet No. 78.

Surprisingly, Mei Lun’s psychic energy showed no signs of detonation. The portable locator device was still functioning.

Xiao Chuzao might still be with Mei Lun.

But another report came in, and Amos frowned—

"Your Majesty, we continued precise tracking of Saint Cas’s mining Planet No. 78 to determine whether Prince Mei Lun’s position had shifted. It appears there has been movement, but the displacement was negligible, and no communication has been established with us. Of course, given how far-flung these mining colonies are, equipping an entire planet with planet-wide comms systems is impractical. However, during our tracking, we detected another prince’s beacon signature—it’s Prince Kaman."

Kaman, belonging to the same generation as Mei Lun in the Crown Clan, was notoriously reclusive. From Amos’s earliest memories, Kaman had always avoided interaction with others. After his crown began to fissure, he resorted to increasingly extremist measures.

Ultimately dissatisfied with the Crown Clan’s methods of self-preservation—though he still carried their beacon signature—he defected. He had joined countless interstellar labs, offering himself as an experimental subject, yet never achieving his desired outcome. Every lab he joined was eventually destroyed by him.

After that, he vanished for a long time, only occasionally transmitting signals to confirm that his crown had not yet fully shattered—that he was still alive.

The Crown Clan was far from maintaining a united front internally.

Especially in the last two generations, many issues had arisen.

Yet they maintained an unspoken understanding: even if they left the Crown Clan, even if they abandoned the Saint Cas Empire, they still carried their beacon signatures. They knew—if they ever lost control and couldn’t self-terminate, only another Crown Clan member could suppress them.

And now, Kaman—unfathomable in his motives—had appeared on Saint Cas’s mining Planet No. 78.

"Continue at full speed. Do not avoid floating asteroids—vaporize on sight."

Amos glanced at the time.

"Compress the remaining half-hour journey to twenty minutes."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The Saint Cas Empire’s warships raced toward the small planet at full speed.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chuzao shivered uncontrollably as he stared at the tall man climbing in through the window.

The man had an unnervingly striking appearance, exuding a gloomy aura. His hair was still jet-black, adding to his oppressive presence. His attire was unkempt—a long black coat, a turtleneck sweater, slightly worn trousers—and his complexion bore a sallow pallor that spoke of chronic sleeplessness.

Without even glancing at the little one by the door, his crimson irises locked onto Mei Lun’s face as he gave a cryptic laugh.

"Mei Lun?"

"Wh-who are you?"

Xiao Chuzao snapped back to reality and wanted to rush over to protect Grandpa Mei Lun.

He reached out, attempting to summon his little bow.

But Kaman merely glanced sideways at Xiao Chuzao, the icy gaze in his eyes freezing the little one in place—he was terrified, his psychic energy momentarily recoiled.

He was too young. He had never faced such pressure before.

His hands and feet went cold, numb with fear. He couldn’t summon his little bow, but he still trembled as he mustered his courage, angrily hurling a nutrient canister and struggling to make his way to Mei Lun’s bedside.

His tiny voice quivered slightly: "Stay away from Grandpa Mei Lun!"

What was this? Kaman reached out and effortlessly caught the thrown canister. He raised an eyebrow, eyeing the adorable yet pitiful little thing.

A child of an unknown race—hah, had Mei Lun become so obsessed with raising offspring that he’d even adopt one from another species?

Or was this some kind of special "therapy" of Mei Lun’s?

Kaman absentmindedly juggled the nutrient can, acting casual. He concealed his nearly shattered crown and wings, giving Mei Lun one last glance.

Since Mei Lun was here—there was no need to worry. Mei Lun’s condition wasn’t great, but the Saint Cas forces would likely arrive soon. He needed to leave early.

Kaman prided himself as the most unique among their generation of the Crown Clan. Most of the Crown Clan rejected those experiments, but he was different—he believed that anything worth doing could solve their race’s plight, no matter the cost.

Unfortunately, those labs were downright crooked, all trying to exploit his weakness and turn him into their weapon.

After wiping out countless interstellar labs, Kaman eventually washed up on the fringes of the Saint Cas Empire.

He was nearing the end of his life.

In his final moments, he got the urge to do something more for this empire.

So he infiltrated a local thieves’ group, waiting to take them all out.

Originally, he had planned to disrupt their operation—with his protection, Planet 78 wouldn’t suffer any harm. But unexpectedly, these guys were weirdly protective of this tent, so he peeked inside for a look and ended up running into an old friend.

And a very strange child.

Kaman watched as Xiao Chuzao now stood guard by the bed.

He wasn’t about to stick around. He could feel his psychic energy growing unstable again, slipping further out of control. His halo was barely intact… With two steps, he strode back out through the window and quickly radioed the reckless gang leader of the thieves.

"I’ve got something to take care of, so I’m heading back first. Don’t screw up."

At the last moment, he unfurled his wings and glanced back.

He had already taken off, but his speed was too fast—only a fleeting glimpse of golden light remained.

Midair, Kaman paused, thoughtful—what was that just now?

A very strange feeling.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chuzao finally managed to summon his little bow.

The little one gripped it tightly, staring at the window—was he really gone?

The youngling remained on guard for a while before carefully closing the window. Xiao Chuzao had seen the wings of the man who’d just left, but he couldn’t dwell on it.

Outside, the gunfire had died down a bit.

Xiao Chuzao tightened his grip on his little bow, crouching by the doorway and peering out.

His big, round eyes were wide with tension.

The number of Thieves approaching was overwhelming. Only eight or nine locals from nearby homes had gathered here to defend. Even though the base team remained unscathed, they were trapped like rats in a trap.

The head Thief jeered, "The Crown Clan’s reach doesn’t extend this far, yet you keep giving me trouble. If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll think I’m some weakling you can bully!"

"Boss is right!" one of the gang shouted. "Brothers, this is our chance—their comms are down! Let’s show them what we’re made of!"

"Hah," scoffed the squad leader. "Comms down? Who fed you that ancient intel?"

"Hold steady! Backup's coming! We must hold the line! Protect everything here and honor the Sacred Crown!"

"Honor the Sacred Crown!"

In an instant, the defenders' morale surged, reversing their earlier slump.

What should be done?

What could Zao Zao do?

Xiao Chuzao tightened his grip on the little bow, took a deep breath, and raised it. Spotting an enemy lifting a gun, he drew the bowstring with his still-scarred, small hands. A faint glow of spiritual energy clung to the arrow, slowly forming into a small energy arrow.

Don’t panic…

Zao Zao can do this…

Dad said Zao Zao has to grow up—

Zao Zao isn’t an ordinary little angel; Zao Zao is of the Crown Clan!

Focus… aim… loose.

Swish—

The pale golden energy arrow flew forth, unseen by all.

It struck a Thief standing beside the Gang Leader.

The man abruptly lowered his gun, gazing dazedly at the Gang Leader—since when was the boss this hot?

Heart pounding, he blurted out, "Boss, I’m crazy about you—wait, what?"

What the—?

Gang Leader: …?

His crew: ???

The defenders, primed for a last stand: ???

"Have you lost your damn mind?!" roared the Gang Leader, snapping his gun up.

"Light ’em up—!"

Swish—

The tiny arrow struck the Gang Leader's mind again, instantly twisting and altering it.

The Gang Leader, who had been glaring at the guy next to him, slowly lowered his gun—what was going on? Why did this repulsive jerk suddenly seem more and more... handsome?

"Oh, I love you too... huh?"

The 'audience' witnessed a cringe-worthy 'lovefest' and all gasped in unison.

Hold up, hold up—

Is this right???