A lot of people could understand why Pistura, Fu Qingqing and the others had come over. They were brothers and disciples of Guan Feng after all. But why did the Gen Family come over?
Gen Xingchen was the next successor to King Fuji's throne. Right now, Gen Xingchen's every action represented the entire Gen Family, and the current King Fuji was slowly ceding power to Cillin. Therefore, Gen Xingchen's arrival silenced a lot of people while they were still gossiping about Guan Feng and Cillin's wrongdoings and making wild guesses about Cillin and Guan Feng.
They could talk about the royal family in their hearts, but they couldn't say it out loud.
At the same time, many people's attention had shifted from the sea blue gold leak to Silin.
The previous King Fuji, Gen Xingchen's grandfather, Gen Liao, wasn't a good-tempered man.
It was an open secret among the upper echelons that Gen Liao and Guan Feng didn't share a good relationship. Many people knew that Gen Xingyao, Gen Xingming and the others had suffered a lot at Guan Feng's hands when they were still in the affiliated schools. Guan Feng would more or less feed them more or less. After all, Guan Feng's influence in the affiliated schools was pretty big, and his identity as a royal prince wasn't going to give Gen Xingming and the others any advantage.
It seemed that no one with the word "Gen" in their name or anyone with a Gen Family tag in their name had ever fared well in Guan Feng's hands. Among the students Guan Feng had personally taught over the years, the Gen Family was the only one that didn't have a student of Guan Feng's. Moreover, Guan Feng wouldn't show up where Gen Liao was, and Gen Liao wouldn't go where Guan Feng was. Even if the two of them had to go together, they would treat each other like complete strangers. There was no sense of politeness between them at all. It was as if looking at each other for an extra moment would hurt their eyes.
Who would've thought that both sides would show up for a greenhorn like Silin at the same time?
It was good enough that the Gen Family didn't slander Silin after what happened to Guan Feng's student. Why would they show up to support Silin? Unfortunately, he was here to hold the fort.
The Imperial Guard and the Joint Garrison Army's eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets when they saw Gen Xingchen talking to Cillin in a friendly manner.
Gen Xingyao and Gen Xingming didn't come with them this time. Gen Xingchen was the only one who came with the Gen Family.
Inside the room, Silin, Pistura, Fu Qingqing, Goryeo, and Gen Xingchen were sitting around a table. Gen Xingchen didn't make things difficult for Pistura and the others. His attitude was neither warm nor cold, but he was smiling at Silin.
Through his conversation with them, Cillin learned the reason why they were guarded so strictly.
At first, they thought that sea blue gold wouldn't be too important even if it was an upgrade recipe, but things seemed to have escalated when Silin handed over the latest recipes. Moreover, the higher-ups were definitely hiding something important from them. Pistura and the others' expressions told them that they must know something, but they weren't allowed to talk about it carelessly.
After all, they were under surveillance right now. Their conversation would be monitored, so Gen Xingchen didn't reveal his secrets to Silin. However, he did drop a bomb on him.
"After this is over, my grandfather wants to see you. He originally wanted to come over immediately, but the current situation is a little complicated, so he can only wait for this matter to pass. "
Everyone's first reaction was — bullshit!
Their second reaction was — how is that possible?!
Their third reaction was — Silin is a member of the Gen Family!
Pistura shot Silin a glance. He was sure that Guan Feng knew about Silin's background, and there was no way he would accept a student who was related to the Gen Family. He didn't know the truth, but he believed that his teacher must have his reasons.
Gen Xingchen's words weren't just for Silin. They were for the other eavesdroppers as well. How dare you not treat someone the previous King Fuji wants to protect?
Goryeo and Fu Qingqing exchanged a glance with each other. It looks like Silin wouldn't have suffered any grievances even if they hadn't shown up. Our little junior brother sure hid his strength well.
The previous King Fuji's visit to Silin was within Silin's expectations. He already had this speculation after meeting Gen Xingchen. Is this finally going to end after so many years?
After the group left, Silin went back to his bedroom and leaned against a chair to read a book. Huimao crouched on top of the egg he had spat out earlier. He had been very bored lately, but he didn't have much of an appetite. The eggs he had eaten a few days ago were enough to last him for a while. However, he was annoyed at being locked up in a crappy place like this, so Silin tossed the egg to Huimao to play with. He could eat it if he got tired of playing with it.
The surface of the egg wasn't smooth, so Huimao was able to scratch himself on it. That was why the egg had become Huimao's favorite pastime. Every time he saw Huimao dozing off on top of the egg, Silin felt like he was a cat sitting on top of an egg, even though the ratio between the two was very different right now.
Since there were a lot of people supporting him, Silin had fewer restrictions on his movements inside the building. However, the outer layer of the building was still heavily guarded. Silin had a feeling that this lineup wasn't just because they were afraid that Silin would leak the recipe. It was more like they were guarding Silin himself.
Was he being watched by someone?
Silin had always trusted his instincts. He had a feeling that there was a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows, waiting to strike when he was caught off guard.
This person must have something to do with the decision made by the higher-ups and the information Pistura and the others couldn't reveal.
Silin didn't understand why he was being targeted by someone. He might be Guan Feng's student, but he shouldn't have the right to receive such treatment, should he?
That was why Silin asked his question when Goryeo came to visit him the next day, "Am I being watched by someone?"
Goryeo was surprised by Silin's question for a moment before smiling helplessly. "I knew I couldn't hide it from you." He let out a long sigh before asking, "You're the one who discovered it, aren't you?"
Silin knew that Goryeo was referring to the sea blue gold recipes, so he nodded.
"That's right. Even if I can't get my hands on it, it's still possible to get you there."
Silin frowned. Wasn't this a little too arrogant? Wasn't this openly opposing the Empire? Not to mention opposing the RAS...
No, there were people who didn't care about opposing the nobles and the RAS!
Not every new technology was under the control of the RAS. There were always people who didn't want to join the RAS or work for the nobles. Instead, they formed their own organization and scattered themselves all over the Empire. They were also the biggest headache the Empire had been unable to clean out for a very long time — Black Viper!
Black Viper was the biggest dark force in the Empire. It had existed for a very long time, and every Mist Bodhisattva Emperor would do his best to clean out Black Viper's organizations, but to little avail. Every time Black Viper's forces were wiped out on a large scale, some nobles would always be dragged into the mix. That was the biggest headache.
They obeyed the orders of the nobles, but some of them were willing to fall into their trap.
The people of Black Viper were always unscrupulous. They could turn a prosperous planet into a dead one, sell drugs or bacteria that the Empire strictly prohibited, and they would never be caught.
Silin hadn't fought against Black Viper before, but his three senior brothers and sisters had. That was why Pistura and the other two weren't just here to support Silin. They were here to protect Silin as well. After all, it was better to trust one's own people more.
Goryeo glanced at Silin's expression and guessed that the young man understood what he was going to say. He patted Silin's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we're all here."
Silin rolled his eyes at him. "I'm not afraid."
"Wait for five more days. If we can't find those people by then, we'll take you back to the imperial capital."
Before leaving, Goryeo shot a glance at Huimao, who was sleeping on top of the egg with its eyes closed. He asked Silin, "Is the cat hatching the egg?"
"Yeah."
Goryeo imagined Huimao hatching the egg and eating the newborn sea beast. It was strange no matter how he thought about it. Felines were indeed eccentric.
While sending Goryeo off, Silin suddenly looked outside the window as if he sensed something.
"What are you looking at?" Goryeo followed Silin's line of sight and saw only a few buildings that looked the same. They weren't very tall, and there was nothing out of the ordinary about them.
"Nothing, just looking at the scenery outside. It's been a long time since I last went out."
"You brat! It hasn't even been ten days. Back then, Teacher Guan held a gun to my head and forced me to reflect on my mistakes for more than twenty days. You're already doing a good job. "Goryeo punched him with a smile." Just wait a little longer, I'm almost there. "
After Goryeo left, Silin shot another glance in that direction before moving his gaze away. He flicked Huimao's ear and said, "Let's go. We're going to sleep in the room."
Huimao opened his eyes. He didn't look sleepy or lazy at all. Instead, he looked like he was suppressing some kind of excitement. He kicked the egg off the table with his paw, jumped off the table, and rolled the egg toward the resting room.
Fortunately, the egg was very sturdy. A normal egg would've turned into a mess after two or three kicks.
Every time Cillin saw Wheeze 'abuse' the egg, he would wonder if the final egg really hatched a sea beast. Would the sea beast suffer from congenital concussion?
A pair of eyes suddenly appeared on the roof of a residential building not far from the one Silin was staying in. Its back was facing Silin.
… …
Another four days passed after Goryeo spoke to Silin. The investigation hadn't made any progress during this time, and it was as if the two kidnapped scholars had vanished into thin air.
"It's tomorrow, isn't it?" Huimao crouched on the egg and asked Silin.
"Yeah." Silin looked out the window.
Huimao wagged his tail and muttered, "Why isn't it showing up yet …"
"Soon."
Pistura and the others were sitting in the building next door, but the atmosphere was very serious. The closer it was to the deadline, the more vigilant they needed to be. This was the experience they'd gained after coming into contact with Black Viper.
In front of the three of them was a surveillance feed of Silin's room. Even Silin's room was being monitored. On the feed, Silin was talking to Huimao and scratching Huimao's chin.
Gen Xingchen's room wasn't too far away from Silin's building. He was sitting on a chair and going through some documents. Even though he wasn't in the imperial capital or the Gen Family's headquarters, there were still some things he needed to take care of. This was what the would-be King of Fuji had to do, and it was called "government affairs".
"Your Highness, Ha Turei is here." A subordinate came in to report.
Ha Turei was one of Gen Xingchen's subordinates. Gen Xingchen had ordered him and a few others to investigate Black Viper. Ha Turei must've returned for something important.
"Let him in." Gen Xingchen didn't even look up from the document in his hand.
After Ha Turei came in, the tall, muscular man saluted Gen Xingchen respectfully and said, "Your Highness, there's news!"
Due to Gen Xingchen's identity, this building and its surroundings were all Gen Family members. The other guards wouldn't set foot in this area.
Gen Xingchen walked out of the building with Ha Turei and a few other servants behind him. He signaled the Gen Family guards to stay put and go to Silin's room.
Since the deadline was approaching, the security around Silin's building had tightened.
When Gen Xingchen arrived, he was the only one allowed to enter just like the last few times. The others had to wait outside.
Ha Tu Lei and the other four attendants did not have a good attitude towards the guards outside, and the guards outside also pretended not to see them. Everyone had their own masters to do their jobs, and it was none of their business if they were unhappy! This was an order from above, and we only needed to obey.
When Gen Xingchen arrived at Silin's room, Silin and Huimao were rolling the egg around like a ball.
Seeing Gen Xingchen, Silin looked up and smiled, "You're here!"
Huimao's claws left a few scratches on the egg and rubbed them together.
Gen Xingchen nodded and pulled over a chair to sit down, "I received the news today, so I came to inform you so that you can prepare."
"Prepare for what?" Silin stood up and faced Gen Xingchen.
"Today might not be so peaceful."
"Is that so?" Silin pushed the sea beast egg to a corner and ignored Huimao's protests. He looked at Gen Xingchen and said, "I know it won't be peaceful either."
The moment he said this, Silin's hand flashed with silver light and slashed at Gen Xingchen like a bolt of lightning.
Zzzt — —
The smiling Gen Xingchen was cut in half, but there wasn't a single drop of blood. The part that was cut open wasn't flesh, but metal! Being split in two after the sound of electricity.
This person was a robot!
Not to mention that the scanners in the building hadn't detected anything at all!
Pistura and the others next door saw everything that happened on Silin's side very clearly.
Something's wrong! Black Viper is on the move!
The three of them jumped out of the window at the same time and fired at almost the same time.
The five people who came with "Gen Xingchen" were shot in the forehead almost at the same time, but none of them bled. Moreover, they were able to move normally and evade the attacks even after being shot.
All five of them were robots as well!
At the same time, on Gen Xingchen's side.
Gen Xingchen walked up to the badly deformed robot that had been turned into a pile of scrap metal. After taking a look at it, he put away his gun and walked out while stepping on the robot's head. His subordinates were already on the move.
Who would've thought that Black Viper would send robots this time!
The peaceful area was instantly engulfed in the flames of war the moment the anomaly began. Robots and mechanical animals swarmed out of the surrounding buildings.
Not only could Black Viper's robots avoid detection by the scanners, they could also change their forms. They weren't robots that were completely controlled by humans, but more like trained agents and assassins.
One of the robots transformed into a leopard after its arm was chopped off and leaped around to avoid gunfire. Their movements were agile and difficult to lock onto.
Pistura leaped past the soldiers and landed on a protruding corner of the building in a couple of jumps, firing repeatedly with a backhand.
Three shots, three hits.
The bullets pierced the chests of three robots and exploded, reducing them to scrap metal.
"Where's Silin?!" Pistura asked the guards who came out of the building where Silin was.
"I didn't see him, he's gone!"
"Fuck! Find him! "
"Yes, sir!"
The guards were all on high alert when they saw Gen Xingchen. They let out a sigh of relief when they learned that this was the real Gen Xingchen and not a robot. They were a little confused.
These robots could change their forms and make it difficult for people to notice them. The soldiers tensed up even more when Fu Qingqing found out that some of them had hidden among the soldiers and shot arrows at them. They didn't know if the person behind them was a robot or not, and they all suspected that it was an accident.
These robots were very cunning. They constantly changed their forms from robots to different "people" and shuttled through this group of people at an extremely fast speed. They would even collect human blood and smear it on their bodies when they turned into "people" to confuse their vision.
"Their goal is to stall us. Let's not waste our time here. Our main goal is to find Silin!" Pistura said to Fu Qingqing and Goryeo.
"Alright!"
Fu Qingqing and Goryeo decisively withdrew from the fight and left the situation to the imperial guards and the Allied Garrison. Gen Xingchen also sent his men to find Silin. His identity didn't allow him to act as he pleased like Pistura and the others. Therefore, the only thing Gen Xingchen could do right now was to settle the situation as best as he could.
The Gen Family guards followed Gen Xingchen closely and didn't give the robots a chance at all. Everyone else who got too close to Gen Xingchen was treated as a suspect and executed. That was why the robots couldn't find a chance to cause trouble for Gen Xingchen.
Many of the surrounding buildings were damaged and riddled with holes, but most of the residents had evacuated by the time the garrison arrived. Therefore, there weren't many innocent casualties.
The robots were fully equipped, and they didn't seem to be tired at all. Laser beams and cannons clashed with each other. The laser beams arced through the air like the feet of a crab before crashing down and shaking the ground.
The war zone expanded, and the nearby residents and planetary government personnel hurriedly fled the area lest they get caught in the crossfire.
The flames of war were burning fiercely here, and Celine was in hot pursuit.
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