Chapter 268

Chapter 268

Anthony had anticipated her bluntness and responded naturally, "I wasn't tracking you. The Marshal sent me to protect you. Since you can solve the Zerg venom problem, you're now the most valuable asset in our camp. Besides my daily personal protection, there's also a dedicated security detail you can summon. As for why I found you here, it's simply because the Governor's office sent word."

"...Personal protection?"

A supervisor is just a supervisor, but you make it sound so nice, Eve thought sarcastically. She pushed her veil up, revealing her eyes, and stared icily at Anthony. Unfortunately, he had long since developed an incredibly thick skin. "Everything is based on your wishes. If you have any suggestions, feel free to voice them."

Suggestions that are voiced but never adopted?

Even Frigga was brought up; what more could she say?

Eve curled her lips into a fake smile. "No, nothing," she said.

Sleep was out of the question. Eve sat up from the bed and put her hat back on. The God of Death Butterfly quickly dove into her spiritual sea from behind.

Anthony had brought a military vehicle. It looked ordinary on the outside but had many powerful modifications inside. Before getting in, he played the gentleman, opening the door for her. The royal family's years of etiquette training had clearly paid off. Many wealthy young ladies passing through the central district of the main city were drawn to this elegant young officer with his refined demeanor.

Eve sat in the spacious seat, tapped the window lightly, and raised her chin slightly, impatiently. "Enough with the display, Your Highness. Let's go."

"Is it my imagination?" Anthony narrowed his eyes and asked softly after getting in the car, "You seem to have some issue with me."

It wasn't a question.

He glanced through the rearview mirror at the alchemist, who was staring out the window with her arms crossed. The woman's profile was cold and unfeeling, reminding him of the grand entrance she had made when she first appeared at the starship port.

Anthony's heart stirred, and he suddenly asked, "Lu Zhan, didn't you kill a Zerg-infected person at the starship port yesterday? Tell me the truth: did you only realize the person was infected when you arrived at the port, or did you notice it earlier and deliberately wait until landing to act?"

Eve said, "What if I say I only realized it after landing? Would you believe me?"

"No."

"...Then why bother asking?" Eve turned her head and gave Anthony a look as if he were insane. "I was sent by your sister to keep an eye on you. Even though your status isn't what it used to be, there are still many people who want you dead. If it weren't for you, do you think I'd travel all the way here?"

Anthony fell silent. Unica had only said she sent someone to look after him, but no one would have expected her to send an alchemist. So when he saw Lu Zhan, he didn't make the connection at all.

Though still curious about how the two had ended up together, he hadn't forgotten that when he first found the alchemist, she seemed to have just checked into a high-end hotel to catch up on sleep.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, Anthony tentatively said, "I really don't mean to monitor you. It's just that the Marshal is worried that you lack a foundation in the legion, making many things inconvenient. So she asked me to accompany you as a personal security detail. Were you sleeping earlier? Do you need to rest a bit more after we return?"

Eve snorted and ignored him. Anthony was about to say more, but a commotion ahead caught their attention. "What's going on?"

It seemed to be a quiet bar not far away, with many people coming and going. Their uniforms suggested they were from the same noble family—only nobles would bother hiring so many people and enforcing identical attire. It might be some family's embarrassing affair. Anthony was very curious, but with a scowling alchemist in the car, he didn't dare test her patience.

Unexpectedly, Eve told him to stop. "Wait."

Anthony: "Do you know someone there?"

He quickly recognized them as people from the Garcia family. Having been in the Swan Star System for a while, he could identify the Governor's family. He heard the alchemist had visited Governor Garcia this morning, so perhaps she wanted to get out and greet them.

But was this person really that polite?

The question had just formed in Anthony's mind when Eve, in the adjacent seat, pulled a pistol from the side of the car, leaned out the window, and unexpectedly fired into the crowd.

The Luna Butterfly suddenly stirred in her spiritual sea. With a bang, the target was a gray-clad man mingling in the crowd. In the pleasant climate of the main city, his fully covered attire seemed extremely out of place. All the Garcia family attendants, curious onlookers, and nearby tourists were utterly terrified and began to panic, trying to flee.

But Anthony reacted faster than them. Though he didn't understand what Eve was doing, he pressed the communication button to summon nearby troops while pushing the car door open, raising his military badge high, and shouting sternly, "Quiet, quiet! Everyone stay where you are and wait. Don't panic, please follow instructions!"

His voice alone couldn't calm the crowd, especially with the Governor's wife and her eldest son present. Eve glanced at him but didn't holster her gun. Instead, she pulled the trigger again. The gray-clad man, who had been thrashing violently on the ground like a fish out of water, emitted an indescribable foul smell. A large, patterned moth was trying to emerge from the bullet hole in the back of his head but was killed by Eve's two follow-up shots.

The man gasped twice and then lay still on the ground, dead.

Eve kept her gun raised, holding it steadily toward the crowd. Her wide black hat tilted to cover most of her face, her voice cold and emotionless. "Guns have no eyes. Stay where you are."

As if intimidated by her, the previously restless crowd gradually quieted down, shaking with fear. Anthony ended the internal military communication and turned to look at her in surprise. "You fired directly into the crowd? Aren't you afraid of harming innocent people?"

"I'm not a soldier; I don't follow your rules," Eve's eyes shifted slightly. "Besides, the Zerg parasite on that man was mature. If I hadn't shot, it could have infected others at any moment."

The legion's doctors and personnel from the Alchemist Association were already on their way. Fortunately, it was a weekday, and though the central commercial district was crowded, it was still manageable. Soon, a narrow path opened in the crowd, and a woman with silver hair tied in a bun emerged, followed by several servants. She bent down and knocked on Eve's window.

"Lady Lu Zhan," the Governor's wife, having experienced many emergencies, remained calm even with Eve still brandishing the gun to intimidate the crowd. "May I ask what's happening?"

With a click, Eve stopped spinning the gun. Anthony, who had been quietly observing this unconventional alchemist, saw her abrupt movement and felt a jump in his eyelids. He quickly interjected before Eve could speak, "Don't worry, Madam. As you can see, a Zerg parasite has infiltrated the crowd. We're not sure how many others are infected. We need to wait for the inspection team to arrive and check everyone. If no one is infected, they can leave unharmed."

The Governor's wife frowned worriedly. "A parasite infiltrated the main city's urban district? Is checking these people enough? Should we also check those who had contact with them in the past few days?"

"Only adult Zerg have the ability to infect," Eve answered flatly before Anthony could explain. "There are level differences among life forms. Humans with higher spiritual power levels are less likely to be infected. The Zerg parasitic infection in that man's head only matured today, so its infectivity is limited. Rather than that, I think you should be more concerned about why an infected person appeared in the main city's urban district."

Her words were almost a direct accusation of the legion's inadequate inspection work. Anthony's face paled slightly, but he forced a smile and invited the Governor's wife to wait in the car. Unfortunately, she declined.

"Thank you, but my good-for-nothing son is here today," the Governor's wife said with a bitter smile. "I won't delay your duties. I'll invite you both over another day."

After gathering the information, she left. By then, the temporarily dispatched personnel had begun their work. Aircraft landed slightly farther away, soldiers tied yellow-and-black "No Entry" tapes to utility poles, and the lead doctor, Deputy Director Hu, greeted Eve before starting work. Even the Alchemist Association sent three on-duty Three-Star Alchemists and five Two-Star Alchemists to help. Their proactive cooperation made Anthony take notice.

Order at the scene gradually stabilized. Though fear still lingered on people's faces, they behaved more calmly, waiting their turn for inspection.

Anthony returned to the car and tapped the steering wheel, asking Eve, "Did the Governor's wife run off because of you?"

"You might as well say it's because the legion is incompetent, so she's eager to distance herself from you."

"That's possible too. But how did you spot that person's abnormality in the crowd? Even Alice, who's most sensitive to such things, couldn't do that, let alone draw a gun and fire. Aren't you afraid of killing the wrong person?"

Eve said, "Just an alchemist's secret. Don't ask too much."

High-level Spiritual States are unique to each individual. Even if Frigga were here, she wouldn't expect Eve to have a Mind Control-type Spiritual State similar to Alice's. Besides, alchemists are generally weak, so even if suspicious, they'd only think Eve might have other methods.

Sure enough, after her words, Anthony shrugged and didn't ask further. Soon, he received another communication. Eve propped her chin and said, "You seem very busy. So why did you apply to Frigga to follow me?"

"..." Anthony's heart skipped a beat. He quickly recalled his earlier words to ensure he hadn't slipped up. "The Marshal told me—"

"Oh, come on. Frigga doesn't care if I live or die. When she first met me, she didn't even ask my name before dismissing me. And she probably didn't tell you that we actually crossed paths at the winter ball?"

Eve looked at him mockingly and pointed toward the white box in the military doctor's hand. It was a parasite detection kit rushed out by the Imperial Research Institute. She recognized it because when Unica took orders from the military to produce these, she had consulted Eve for some Alchemy-related advice.

"Frigga doesn't like alchemists; otherwise, she wouldn't keep supporting the institute," Eve declared. "Sending someone to prevent me from dying outside is already generous. How could she send you?"

Among the four great families, the Oliver Family is tightly bound to the Alchemist Association, the Medici family is adept at socializing and gets along with everyone, even secretly nurturing a Zuo Li. The Luo family enshrines Long Quan. Only the Cavendish family has a lukewarm relationship with alchemists. If not for her identity being cleared while with Unica, Eve might not have entered the legion base so smoothly.

Anthony was speechless for a moment. Admitting he had volunteered to follow her now would make him seem inferior. He also couldn't bring himself to say in front of Lu Zhan that she gave him the impression of being a troublemaker—given the alchemist's shooting accuracy, it was better not to say such things.

The communicator in his hand beeped incessantly, likely indicating something urgent. Seconds later, the other side activated the auto-connect function, and a clear female voice rang out bluntly, "Anthony Otto, where are you? If you're there, say something."

It was Alice.

Her intention was simply to confirm if Anthony was listening, but before he could speak, Eve, from the other side, playfully made a squeaking sound.

Anthony: "..."

Is this new alchemist's personality just too terrible?

Alice quickly identified the "little mouse" and asked in surprise, "Lu Zhan?"

Eve responded lazily, "I'm just passing by, don't worry about me."

"Are you with Anthony right now?" she asked. She hesitated for a moment, as if considering whether the following words were appropriate for Eve to hear, but soon she had no time to dwell on it. Someone seemed to be urging her from behind, so Alice spoke rapidly and urgently, "Marshal Frigga isn’t in the camp right now. Do you know where she is or when she’ll return?"

"The Marshal left the camp last night. The Royal Zerg in the Tail Star systems was abnormally active for some unknown reason. To prevent further losses, the Marshal took her personal guard and left last night. The return date is uncertain."

Frigga left last night?

Then why set up this test for me? That's insane—it turns out she never intended to evaluate it in the first place.

No wonder he’s her nephew with connections—asking him was the right move. Eve acted aloof but was all ears. However, the other two assumed she was aligned with the eldest princess, basically making her one of their own, so they didn’t bother hiding anything from her.

"She fell into the trap."

Alice’s voice was somber: "The Royal Zerg’s disturbance was deliberately caused. The Fourth Princess drove another Royal Zerg here from the neighboring Aquarius star system. Though it’s unclear how she managed it, without the unified command of the Zerg Queen, the Royal Zerg resist each other, which caused the disturbance of the Royal Zerg in Cygnus yesterday. That’s why the Marshal left early."

Anthony suddenly understood her implication, his eyes widening: "Your meaning is..."

"Yes. Right now, Chris is leading the Fourth Army to surround the Cygnus main star, claiming that the Royal Zerg has escaped and Frigga is incompetent in command. She needs to take over and reorganize the army remaining in the camp to support Frigga," Alice spoke with great seriousness. "Anthony, you are the highest-ranking officer in the camp aside from the Marshal. Taking command is only natural. I know you might not want to see Chris, but you must step up now."

Anthony remained silent for a long time. Wearily, he slowly covered his face, as if unable to comprehend why, after everything, he still found himself at the same crossroads as before.

After a long pause, he said, "Chris has better command skills than I do. Perhaps it’s not so bad to let her take charge."

"Is this considered desertion?" Eve suddenly asked, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"No, this is called being practical. That’s the reality," Alice seamlessly picked up her words without hesitation. "Though the cost may be heavy, the princess despises the Marshal. I can assure you, once military power falls into Chris’s hands, Anthony, you should say goodbye to your aunt for good."