Chapter 143: Planet Z9
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Lin Xu laid Yuanxiao gently into the crib. The little dragon squirmed and let out a few sleepy grumbles before quickly drifting off again. But Lin Xu couldn’t sleep. The things Chen Jinshan had hinted at still spun circles in his mind.
He opened the military terminal Heinrich had left behind and logged into the military database using Marshal Chu’s credentials, accessing First Legion information.
There wouldn’t be any real military secrets in the surface-level system, but Lin Xu could still review personnel transfer records. He navigated to the First Legion’s page, scrolled through the most recent entries, and found the notice of General Luca Neumann being appointed Deputy Commander of the First Legion and taking over command of the Military Police and Imperial Guards. Scrolling down a bit further, he spotted another Neumann—Gasco Neumann’s dismissal notice.
The report was detailed: Gasco had been convicted of bribery, embezzlement, and falsifying military reports. The Imperial Military Tribunal had sentenced him to life in prison. He was currently incarcerated on Planet Z9 in the Crescent District. Just like the other members of the Adjudication Bureau…
Lin Xu searched further into Planet Z9 and learned that it was specifically designated for political prisoners of the Empire. The conditions there were significantly better than the outer-rim penal colonies. At the very least, inmates didn’t have to worry about being beaten to death by their cellmates. Even Duke Paris, a former high-ranking Adjudication official, had been imprisoned there. Z9 was only five astronomical units away from Endymion—not too far, relatively speaking.
Lin Xu considered his options. If there were still people alive he could reach, maybe he could pry some answers out of them. He needed to know how many people had been involved in the attempt on Marianna’s life, and just how deep the royal family’s involvement went.
If Lin Xu wanted to cut off all future assassination attempts, he at least needed to know who had been in the know—so he could eliminate them, one by one.
He steadied his breath and used the military’s high-precision starmap to confirm Planet Z9’s coordinates and its internal defense systems.
Heinrich’s clearance even granted access to satellite imagery around Z9’s surface. Lin Xu was able to locate the probable holding cells of both Duke Paris and Gasco Neumann.
There were still a few hours until dawn. Lin Xu sent Curator Zhao a request for leave, then laid down and dozed for three hours.
The next morning, he brought Yuanxiao to the temporary apartment where Arnold was staying. Arnold, still bleary-eyed, jumped slightly when he opened the door and saw Lin Xu standing there.
“Mr. Lin—did something happen?”
“I need your help watching Yuanxiao for a bit,” Lin Xu said, holding up the carrier backpack. Yuanxiao was still curled inside, hugging their tail and sleeping deeply.
“No problem,” Arnold replied at once.
“Food’s in the bag. He’ll remember to eat on his own, so don’t worry. He doesn’t need much care—just keep him within sight and make sure he stays safe.”
“Are you heading out to handle something important?”
“I’m going to ask someone a few questions. It’s not convenient to bring Yuanxiao.”
Arnold could tell Lin Xu didn’t want to elaborate, so he didn’t press. After a brief farewell, Lin Xu made his way to a military warehouse on the outskirts of town. He showed his credentials to the guard and entered the compound, heading for a secure room. He verified access with both a password and an iris scan before the doors unlocked.
There stood Bard, the black mecha, towering and unmoving. Previously, Heinrich had ordered Abyss Fleet engineers to run a full performance check on Bard, restock its weapons systems, and fully charge its energy cells. It had been stored here under military protection ever since.
Lin Xu activated the mecha, climbed the deployed ladder, and entered the cockpit. He had no intention of flying Bard to Planet Z9. Even though the journey itself would be trivial for the mecha, he would be blown out of the sky by Z9’s planetary defense system before he ever made landfall.
He chose this location purely for security and discretion. He had another way of getting to Z9. Lin Xu sealed the cockpit and activated isolation mode. From his bag, he pulled out a handful of dragon crystals and high-grade power cores. One by one, he crunched them between his teeth and swallowed them. Warm, surging energy coursed through every inch of his body.
Once he had consumed every last crystal, his abilities were fully recharged. He double-checked Z9’s coordinates, then put on a bionic face mask. His expression was calm and resolute as he raised one hand—and with a slash through the air, he tore open a rift in space and stepped through it.
The Imperial had a rather unique way of imprisoning its high-profile criminals. Planet Z9 had been terraformed by humans into a highly Earth-like world, covered with towering mountains, flowing rivers, and abundant vegetation and wildlife. On the surface, it looked natural and serene. But overhead, a dense electronic net of surveillance and defense systems blanketed the skies, designed to block any possible prison break attempts.
Each prisoner was placed in a vast, isolated area. The guards provided basic food, clothing, and shelter—but the inmates saw no other humans besides themselves, and were denied access to any electronic devices.
After entering the detention zone where Gasco was held, Lin Xu spent some time searching before finding him. Gasco had only been here a few months, and hadn’t yet been driven mad by the complete lack of communication. But judging by his jittery expression, it wouldn’t be long.
When Gasco saw Lin Xu wearing a mask, he stared blankly for half a minute before breaking into wild delight—quickly replaced by deep suspicion.
“Who are you?” Gasco demanded, standing up from the steps outside his cell.
“I’m here to ask you some questions,” Lin Xu said coolly.
“What’s your bargain?” Gasco sneered, flaring his nostrils.
People like them were able to remain on a comparatively comfortable world like Z9, instead of being sent to harsh frontier planets, only because the information they held was dangerous enough to make those in power wary.
Gasco immediately saw that Lin Xu was not an official. He was here for the secrets in his head—and Gasco believed he still had enough leverage to negotiate. If the deal went well, maybe he could get taken off Z9.
“Bargain?” Lin Xu’s tone was indifferent, as if making a simple statement. “Why would I bargain with you?”
“Then we have nothing to discuss,” Gasco said, feigning a reach for the alarm on his wrist—to threaten Lin Xu with guards. But Lin Xu knew he wouldn’t actually press it. Gasco still clung to hope for negotiation and escape.
“I want to know if you were responsible for the G398 miner incident.”
Lin Xu’s question caused Gasco’s pupils to contract sharply. He hadn’t expected anyone to risk so much just to ask that. It was just a routine purge. Lin Xu read the answer clearly on Gasco’s face, then pressed further.
“Marianna Perser’s murder—are you involved in that too?”
“You came for that?” Gasco raised an eyebrow. “I can tell you the truth, but at a price… ah!”
Before he could finish, Lin Xu stepped forward, grabbed Gasco by the hair, and slammed his head against the wall. Gasco let out a pained scream. A warm, metallic liquid dripped down his forehead.
“I’m not here to negotiate. Just answer my questions.” Without giving Gasco time to recover, Lin Xu yanked his head against the wall again while twisting both his arms until they popped out of their sockets—rendering him unable to press any alarms.
Gasco had military training—his physique and combat skills were formidable. But under Lin Xu’s control, he couldn’t resist. His mind buzzed with pain. Seeing Lin Xu about to strike again, Gasco shouted, “I know! I know! The G398 incident was my responsibility. The murder case—I know about that too. But the decisions came from the Adjudication Bureau! Do you know the Adjudication Bureau?!”
“I know. You mean to say the blame isn’t yours?”
“I—ah!”
Lin Xu slammed him to the floor and stepped on him, leaning close.
“You must know the former Adjudication officials have all been dismantled. I know you all formed one massive decision-making machine, but someone had to carry it out. Who else knows about this?”
“Cough cough—ease up. Also… we worked with the Capital Star Police Department’s chief detective—called Rolson!”
“Where did you find the assassins?”
“They were hired! Hired! By Bovajiah’s people—you should look for him! He’s still loose outside.”
Lin Xu ignored the diversion and continued.
“Is the royal family involved?”
“What isn’t related to them?”
Lin Xu kicked him. Gasco groaned but still said, “Find Paris! He’s locked up here too. He handled royal affairs!”
Lin Xu figured there was nothing more to squeeze out and knocked Gasco unconscious, leaving him aside. After erasing his own traces, Lin Xu reopened a spatial rift and traveled to Paris’s cell. Paris revealed more.
He said Lanser had drugged Heinrich to drive a wedge between the two, the emperor was aware, and the crown prince even offered assistance. He also confirmed Gasco and the newly appointed General Luca Neumann had never gotten along. Likewise, the Adjudication Bureau’s new members had no connection with them. But the assassinations continued. The real mastermind hadn’t been caught yet. And it was highly likely the true mastermind was the very person who had orchestrated the imprisonment of all those former Adjudication officials.
– –
Capital Star, Eastern District — Crown Prince’s Palace
In the vast, cold office, Crown Prince Leo paced back and forth. Before him floated the remote projections of two messengers, both clad in military uniforms and wearing solemn expressions.
“Your Highness, do you think His Majesty has been acting strangely lately?” one asked.
“Yes,” Leo said anxiously. “General Hill, my father’s personality has changed drastically. I hardly recognize him anymore.”
“That’s not unusual,” the other replied.
“General Neumann, it’s not just a personality change,” Leo stopped pacing. “If it were, I wouldn’t be this worried. But my doctor told me someone recently accessed my genetic records. Besides me, only my father and my late mother have that permission. So it must be him—but he’s never done something like this before.”
Capricciosa furrowed her brows, careful not to jump to conclusions. “Go on.”
“I also learned from the Research Institute that he has restarted projects on cryogenic hibernation and brain-related studies,” Leo continued. “What is he planning? Is he trying to explore colonies beyond the Einstein Galaxy? Or maybe use hibernation to send me away from the Empire?”
His words hung in the air, silencing Capricciosa and Gália Hill for a moment.
Finally, Capricciosa broke the silence with a cold joke: “Maybe he wants his son to lie in a cryo-chamber, chasing the edge of the universe’s expansion to make a great discovery in physics.”
The joke was so chilling Leo didn’t know how to respond. Cryogenic hibernation technology had been in use since the Ark Fleet era. But after multiple cases of system failures causing crew deaths in stasis, the Empire’s early science ethics banned the topic. No one expected the emperor to revive it.
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