Chapter 54

Chapter 54

At the border port of the Grath Empire, a starship bearing the insignia of the Klay Empire came to a stop, blending in among a cluster of merchant vessels.

Being a border port, inspections were exceptionally strict, and the waiting time was particularly long.

Inside the loaded cargo hold of the starship, several men sat or crouched on top of the crates. They all wore blue work uniforms, but their movements revealed remarkable agility and physical power. They were laughing and talking loudly, cracking vulgar jokes and swearing profusely.

Two men were not participating. They were at the very back. One was a young man, also in work clothes, casually tossing a small knife up and down in his hand.

The other wore a large black robe over his work clothes, the hood pulled up to cover the upper half of his face. He seemed slightly more composed, but it was still clear he was in his youth.

The young man's attitude was noticeably more casual and nonchalant. "You actually managed to trick the Klay Empire into providing us cover."

The man opposite him remained silent, leaning against a cargo crate the whole time.

The young man was used to it. He idly twirled the small knife in his hand and said to his companion, "Faceless, isn't it about time you took that hood off? Should I be glad you didn't wear your mask and those mummy-like wrappings here? You can't possibly infiltrate looking like this later. Don't worry, none of the people brought this time will leak our appearances."

The young man said casually, "They're all disposable."

The man leaning against the crate, called Faceless, paused for a moment before finally removing his hood, revealing his face. It was a rather handsome and refined face.

The young man stared unabashedly, scanning Faceless up and down before losing interest and looking away. "I thought you'd be ugly. Turns out, there's nothing special about you."

He said with waning enthusiasm, "You're familiar with Grath. We're counting on you for the infiltration."

Faceless's voice was somewhat hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. "Zero Three, it's been a long time since I've been here. Infiltrating the capital from here will take a considerable amount of time."

The young man called Zero Three wasn't in a hurry.

"Can't be helped. The controls are too strict. This is the only loophole we could find. But no rush, our Emperor hasn't left the capital yet."

Zero Three suddenly threw the small knife, embedding it deep into a cargo crate. "Once he leaves, we'll go steal Grath's treasure."

...

Inside the Grath Palace, it was as quiet as usual.

"Stop for a moment."

Norton called out to Ye Mo, who had just emerged from the small garden and was about to cross the hall carrying a bouquet of flowers. When Ye Mo turned to look at him, he said, "We'll still do the mental soothing today."

Ye Mo nodded.

This meant Norton would come over before bedtime in the evening. Sometimes Arnold would accompany Norton.

Norton had been performing mental soothing on Ye Mo for several consecutive days now, which was somewhat more frequent than usual. Previously, it was only done when his mental energy data showed slight fluctuations.

Ye Mo paused at the door, somewhat puzzled, but didn't voice his question.

Instead, Norton noticed his confusion and proactively explained, "I have to be away for about a month. The doctor suggested I perform as much mental soothing as possible for you before I leave."

"I'm departing tonight."

The Insect Tide was approaching.

The Grath Empire's defense lines were already deployed, and the internal territorial defenses were swiftly put in place.

However, Grath was also responsible for vast other regions within its star sector. They needed to coordinate with the nations governing those areas to temporarily establish Grath command posts and ports on their planets for supply ships from the rear to dock.

Norton would tour these command posts to ensure everything was in order, then return to the Grath defense line, staying at the most intense part of the Insect Tide front throughout its duration.

Norton did not plan to take Ye Mo. Arnold would also stay behind with Ye Mo in the capital.

According to the doctor, based on Ye Mo's current data, he could completely last one to two months without mental soothing. If concerned, they could perform as much soothing as possible before departure.

Although Norton had prudently planned to return once a week during the trip, a few extra sessions of mental soothing couldn't hurt.

Ye Mo seemed not to have expected Norton to explain to him. He hummed in acknowledgment, replying, "Alright, Father."

Norton had originally turned to return to his study, but Ye Mo subconsciously took a small step toward him.

Norton caught that faint sound and stopped, looking back at Ye Mo. "What is it?"

Ye Mo extended the armful of flowers slightly toward Norton. "I was just pruning the garden. Many flowers were trimmed. I thought... we could put them in the vases in the study?"

Norton nodded, and the father and son walked toward the study together. Ye Mo spread the large bouquet out on the desk, and Norton brought the vases and placed them nearby.

Norton imitated Ye Mo, trimming the flower stems.

Sunlight streamed in through the window.

Norton suddenly felt again that perhaps he could, after all, become a qualified father.

When evening came, after performing the final mental soothing session for Ye Mo, Norton opened the door to find Secretary-General Lin and Adelaide already waiting outside.

It was already quite dark. This was Norton's first nighttime departure.

Norton said to Arnold beside him, "You stay behind, Arnold."

As the Imperial Guard Commander, Arnold typically stayed by Norton's side.

Arnold quickly agreed. Norton didn't need his protection, and no one present found it odd. Arnold leaned close to Ye Mo's door and whispered, "Is he asleep? I want to go in and spend a little time with him."

...

Ye He had been within the Imperial Guard. He was following senior members to gain experience, and the Imperial Guard's training was even more rigorous than he had imagined.

April had entered the same batch and was undergoing training together. Today was their first time being permitted to follow formal members to the Grath Palace for guard duty.

This was mainly because Emperor Norton had left the capital, taking a portion of the Imperial Guard with him, so they could temporarily take on guard duties. Accompanying Emperor Norton was also a primary way for Imperial Guards to gain experience.

Guarding the Grath Palace was not a particularly heavy duty. There were many Imperial Guard members, and they took turns.

As newcomers who had recently graduated, they hadn't started formal rotations yet and were just there for the experience.

Just as Ye He and April got off the hovercar, an explosion sounded from within the Grath Palace, followed by rapidly spreading smoke.

The Imperial Guards in the vicinity reacted swiftly. "Activate the mental energy shielding devices! Secure the entrances! Conduct a search!"

More smoke grenades detonated in succession, mixed with actual explosives.

Ye He and April were hastily instructed by a senior, "Conceal yourselves."

Ye He stared at the smoke not far away, rapidly simulating a map and the landing points of the smoke grenades in his mind. The moment he analyzed the results, he immediately headed southeast. There were three possible infiltration routes for the enemy. If it were him, he'd use all three, with the other two for small fry and the southeast for the main force.

April instinctively followed Ye He.

Ye He drew his sword while running, swiftly coating it with his mental energy.

He was right. He quickly blocked the opponent's path while attempting to send a signal. Even against an S-class, he could hold them off for a moment.

Just as he was about to send the message, Ye He swiftly retreated, tumbling to the side. He touched the side of his ear and his hand came away bloody—a wound ran from his cheek to his ear, and the communication device there was destroyed.

Ye He tensed his body and looked back at the assailant. That small knife had been imbued with spiritual power—S-class, most likely—potent enough to pierce his heart.

Suddenly, Ye He threw himself down. The small knife that had been behind him seemed to be pulled by a string, returning to the attacker's hand.

There were four or five of them. The one at the front still held the small knife, seemingly surprised that Ye He had dodged it. "Huh?"

Ye He's alertness peaked. Spiritual power could be used to pilot mechs, invade warships, or attack others, but it required a material that easily conducted spiritual power.

Someone who could wield spiritual power to this extent was extremely rare.

The young man produced another small knife from seemingly nowhere, tossing both knives playfully toward Ye He.

Ye He dodged swiftly. By the time he stopped, one knife had already stabbed into his side. His arms and body had sustained several wounds, the most dangerous one running from his neck to his jaw.

At that moment, April also arrived. He instinctively called out, "Ye He."

The young man seemed very interested in Ye He and was about to try again. He now held five knives, but just as he was about to throw them, the man beside him stopped him, saying in a hoarse voice, "Zero Three, I'll handle the cleanup. You go inside."

The success of this attack relied on speed. Any longer, and they'd be in trouble once the Imperial Guard reacted.

Zero Three seemed reluctant but agreed. "Fine, we'll go first. You can handle two rookies, right?"

Ye He tensed his body, clutching his side, watching them openly divide the tasks before leaving the young man with the hoarse voice behind.

April also came to Ye He's side. They warily watched the remaining young man.

They had already realized how formidable the opponent was, especially since Ye He's side had been pierced once, ruling out any strenuous movement.

The man approached step by step, pausing in front of them for a moment before finally speaking. "Your name is Ye He?"

...

While chaos erupted outside, Arnold was sitting on the carpet with Ye Mo. Nearby were several photo albums, with pictures scattered all over the floor—all of Ye Mo. Arnold had requested copies from the Ye family and had them made into photos. When Adelaide delivered them earlier, Ye Mo had noticed.

Arnold had no choice but to bring Ye Mo along.

"I'll put your childhood photos in the album. In exchange, you can look at our childhood albums. Thankfully, Mother took many photos of us."

Ye Mo opened the album.

Arnold, meanwhile, enthusiastically placed Ye Mo's photos into the album. Suddenly, Arnold's movements paused.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Ye Mo was still holding a photo, looking at Arnold in confusion. "Arnold?"

Arnold climbed out the window. This was the third floor. He stood on the narrow window ledge outside, looking at Ye Mo as the wind tousled his hair.

"There's movement among the Imperial Guard. Stay here. Don't worry, I'll guard downstairs."

After saying this, Arnold turned and leaped down.

The Imperial Guard defending the palace sprang into action. Most of them possessed A-class or S-class spiritual power, forming a formidable line of defense.

The final line of defense was Arnold.

Arnold drew his sword, pointing it sideways toward the ground. Few rats dared to challenge the defenses of the Grath Palace.

Explosions echoed from not far away, growing closer. Dust was kicked up, and smoke began to spread.

Arnold closed his eyes, crouching slightly as he gathered momentum. When the area nearby was also enveloped in dust and smoke, he charged forward. No one was visible in the smoke, only the sound of clashing sword blades.

Spiritual power erupted in an instant.

The intruder quickly retreated, barely managing to resist with spiritual power.

Arnold still wore a spiritual power suppression device around his neck, yet he remained composed. He straightened up and approached step by step. "I'm surprised. It's been many years since a rat has managed to slip past the Grath Imperial Guard's defenses."

The person opposite Arnold was half-crouched, head lowered, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He laughed hoarsely. "I'm the only one. I underestimated the strength of the Imperial Guard Commander."

"The Grath Imperial Guard is more troublesome than I imagined."

As he spoke, he looked up, his eyes filled with fervor.

"So, what must the great Grath be like?"

Ye Mo's floor had gone into lockdown mode. The windows and doors automatically sealed shut.

The room fell silent.

Ye Mo knelt on the soft carpet, surrounded by scattered photos.