Chapter 68: W Collection Bonus Chapter

Chapter 68: Extra Update for Word Count Milestone

Yan Wanqiu used a mix of carrot and stick, and after this display, the city lords who'd been nursing grudges over their defeat were now completely won over.

With the fall of Resort Star K322 fresh in their minds, no one dared to slack off. The meeting broke up, and they hurried off to start putting Yan Wanqiu's plans into action.

Thanks to how quickly they surrendered, aside from Xiansong City, which took the hardest hit, the people in the other cities had no clue what had even happened. All they knew was that overnight, word of an alien invasion was spreading like wildfire, while the cities had suddenly gained a bunch of well-paying jobs. Anyone who passed the physical and enlisted could support their whole family outright. As a result, weapons production and recruitment went even more smoothly than Yan Wanqiu had expected.

But that's a story for later.

At that moment, after seeing the city lords off, Yan Wanqiu walked a ways down the road with Xie Chi.

Xie Chi knew the detailed intel he'd dropped today about the Mechanical Civilization must have gotten Yan Wanqiu's attention.

The guy was probably planning to ask where he'd gotten his intel, which was why he was walking him out.

Xie Chi had his explanation ready, quietly waiting for Yan Wanqiu to ask.

After a bit, Yan Wanqiu finally spoke.

"You've been through a lot lately, and today you even lost your ring and got spooked. Starting tomorrow, you're back on duty."

Xie Chi shook his head. "No hardship at all—I've rested real well this past month."

Yan Wanqiu shot him a sly smile. "Lab food must be pretty good, huh? You've put on some weight."

Xie Chi: "..."

Damn it, he had been keeping up with his training every single day.

Before, he'd been so busy he barely had time to breathe—even with Ji Chou watching him, his weight had been dropping. A month at the lab had only put a little weight back on him, but Yan Wanqiu made it sound like he'd blown up like a balloon.

But Xie Chi couldn't tell if Yan Wanqiu was joking or subtly hinting he needed to get back to work, so he could only play it safe: "It's decent, but I usually bring my own food, and my wife brings me stuff sometimes too."

This time, Yan Wanqiu was the one left speechless.

After another moment, Yan Wanqiu spoke. "I proved it to you."

"Hm?" Xie Chi didn't catch on right away.

Yan Wanqiu stopped and turned to face him. "Not long after you killed Yuan Mingshan, right when we'd just made an alliance with Shuofeng City, I told you I wouldn't lose to Yan Huishi—that I'd take the whole North Domain Star within four months, tops."

"So, Xie Chi, what do you say?"

A distant memory came rushing back.

Xie Chi remembered now—it was right after Yan Baiyue's death, when Yan Wanqiu had learned the truth about his mother's death, which triggered a relapse of his Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome, and he'd personally killed Yuan Mingshan.

Back then, Yan Wanqiu had shown him a sand table on a light screen. On it, Shuofeng City first started trading weapons with Blizzard City, then Xiansong City, and then the whole North Domain Star.

Finally, not long after the war between Blizzard City and Xiansong City kicked off, Shuofeng City fell without a fight.

Exactly what was happening now.

High prices to lure enemies in, economic warfare to bring them down.

Xie Chi finally realized, several beats too slow, that Yan Wanqiu had laid out his whole plan to him ages ago.

He just hadn't understood much of it back then, only feeling awed by Yan Wanqiu's bold claim without thinking any deeper.

Now, Yan Wanqiu had proven his words weren't just hot air.

Xie Chi's heart sped up against his will—a rush of excitement from suddenly realizing he'd been part of this declaration of war against fate and its stunning victory all along.

Other than that, he felt a little lost.

What did Yan Wanqiu want him to answer?

"Your Majesty... is pretty impressive?" Xie Chi ventured. "Your Majesty's foresight is amazing—I only now get what you meant back then, and I'm in total awe."

Yan Wanqiu didn't seem impressed by the flattery, dropping his gaze without a word.

Xie Chi struggled to come up with more. "Um... also, Your Majesty is super generous. Even after being targeted by the North Domain Star, you're willing to put aside personal grudges in the face of a big disaster, and also..."

"Enough." Yan Wanqiu cut him off with a helpless sigh. "It's getting late—go get some rest. We'll pick up the meeting tomorrow morning to talk about how to deal with the Mechanical Civilization. The info you gave is crucial. If possible, I'll need you to put together detailed materials tonight for tomorrow's meeting."

Xie Chi was a little surprised.

Wasn't Yan Wanqiu going to ask where he'd gotten the intel?

As if reading his confusion, Yan Wanqiu said meaningfully, "Everyone's got their own secrets. As long as they don't clash with my interests, I don't plan to pry. Everything you've brought to the table has been in our favor—that's enough."

Xie Chi understood.

That was true. At the end of the day, he and Yan Wanqiu were just lord and subject. Just like Yan Wanqiu wouldn't dig into what Mr. Ai went through to harvest glands, or why You Fuzhu became both a city lord and a doctor, or what conspiracy was behind Bai Fengyun's legs and Bai Yang's stunted growth.

Yan Wanqiu's goal was revenge and protecting the entire Kingdom. If he stuck his nose into everyone's personal affairs, he wouldn't be His Majesty—he'd be a neighborhood mediator.

Xie Chi lowered his head slightly. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Yan Wanqiu nodded. "Go ahead. If there's anything else you want as a reward, you can tell me anytime."

Xie Chi had originally wanted to ask Yan Wanqiu for more money—he'd finally saved up a bit, but fixing the house had eaten most of it.

But just as the words were about to leave his mouth, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he changed his mind: "Your Majesty, there's actually one thing I'd like to ask."

Yan Wanqiu raised an eyebrow. "What is it, so serious?"

Xie Chi said carefully: "After all this is over, could you give me one of your hairs, Your Majesty? One that's got to be pulled out from the root."

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

Xie Chi had never given up on looking into Ji Chou's identity. He'd long since figured out that pulling a hair from the root—unless the person cooperated—would inevitably tip them off no matter how gentle he was.

So, he might as well just ask directly when he got the chance.

He'd already asked Ji Chou before, and now he was asking Yan Wanqiu for one too.

Yan Wanqiu rubbed his temples, his head throbbing as he wondered what kind of idiot Xie Chi really was, while also doing the math on the timing.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Fine."

After this was all over, he'd be ready to leave the North Domain Star for good.

If Xie Chi was still by his side by then, even if he took the hair and ran tests to find out the truth, there'd be no chance of escape.

Unaware of his intentions, Xie Chi beamed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

He thought for a moment, then added, "And with things being so busy lately, what about my time with my wife...?"

Yan Wanqiu let out a sigh. "Same as always."

Xie Chi was even happier.

Tomorrow was the day he was supposed to meet with Ji Chou, and Yan Wanqiu's agreement meant that after tomorrow's meeting, he'd still get another day off.

He was buzzing with energy, cheerfully saying goodbye to Yan Wanqiu before heading out.

Yan Wanqiu watched him walk away, a slight smile tugging at his lips despite himself, before it quickly faded.

The Mechanical Civilization had emerged too early, and things across the Northern Domain Star were far from optimistic.

Even though the entire Northern Domain Star had submitted to him, Xie Chi still hadn't shown any sign of staying.

Xie Chi.

Yan Wanqiu quietly rolled the name around on his tongue.

It didn't matter. He still had time.

He would win Xie Chi's loyalty through the most honorable means, no matter what.

.

The next day.

The Mechanical Civilization's surprise attack on Resort Star K322 sent shockwaves through the internet. Anyone with half an eye could see Yan Huishi was playing both sides against the Mechanical Civilization. Countless subsidiary stars quickly organized armed forces and openly broke away from the main star.

The subsidiary stars' swift reaction was largely thanks to Yan Wanqiu's behind-the-scenes push—he'd outright published the Mechanical Civilization's weaknesses, countermeasures, and blueprints for replicating their electromagnetic guns and cannons.

Quantum guns were too hard to produce and impractical to share, but Yan Wanqiu had no problem sharing the outdated electromagnetic weapons.

He couldn't exactly expect the subsidiary stars to fight the Mechanical Civilization's electromagnetic cannons with ordinary guns.

Fear came from the unknown. Now armed with guns, cannons, and strategies, the subsidiary stars were noticeably more organized. The United Kingdom's political structure made it impossible for the main star to dominate alone, which directly slowed Yan Huishi's advance on the Northern Domain Star.

Xie Chi wasn't idle either. He compiled everything he knew, synced up with the city lords at five in the morning—who'd clearly also been up all night—then handled Snowstorm City's work, finally dragging his weary feet home for a nap at noon.

Xie Chi sighed.

It wasn't until Yure got locked up that Xie Chi realized how useful he'd been.

Even with his terminal's help, handling everything took him most of the day. He really had no idea how Yure had managed to keep up.

There was another meeting tomorrow. He might as well ask Yan Wanqiu if Yure could help him out from prison.

After all, these were special times—it was more important to put capable people to work.

Xie Chi thought this as he slowly pushed open the door.

His wife had texted this morning saying she wouldn't be here until evening. He'd planned to down a nutrient drink for lunch and crash, so he wouldn't be too hungry, wouldn't mess up dinner with his wife, and wouldn't get caught staying up all night and skipping meals...

Hmm?

Xie Chi stopped short at the sight of an extra pair of shoes by the door.

The lights inside were on, and the sound of stir-frying drifted from the kitchen, along with the smell of food. A familiar male figure came into view.

Long white hair, broad shoulders, narrow waist, wearing an apron.

Xie Chi's eyes lit up. He kicked off his shoes haphazardly, slipped into slippers, and hurried inside, wrapping his arms around the man from behind: "Wife!"

Yan Wanqiu heard the door open but didn't expect Xie Chi to suddenly hug him from behind. Startled, he turned, freed a hand, and flicked his forehead. "Don't mess around—I'm cooking."

Xie Chi was overjoyed. After letting go, he pressed close to the masked man, chattering away: "Wife, why are you here so early? I thought you'd only come tonight. Wife, don't you still need to take care of your stomach? Let me cook instead. Oh, and since the war is starting soon, you should keep drones by your side at all times..."

Yan Wanqiu pinched his mouth shut. Xie Chi's eyes went wide, letting out muffled "mmm mmm" sounds.

He chuckled softly: "Someone tattled on you, saying you haven't slept since yesterday. I guessed you wouldn't eat properly, so I came early to give you a proper meal."