Chapter 168: Marshal Meng Zhenhua
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The texture of the large white egg was strange—like jade, or some kind of calcium compound—but its hardness was definitely beyond anything jade or calcium compounds could match. Lin Xu needed to be careful.
He chose a spot near the upper middle section and gently traced a line with his thumb claw. If he pressed a bit harder, he could cut through the eggshell directly, but he feared his mermaid-sharp claws would injure the little dragon inside.
Heinrich watched Lin Xu’s movements, almost holding his breath.
Lin Xu supported the large white egg, then switched to his index finger and applied a little more pressure. The claw followed the seam, slicing a small opening in the shell. Inside, everything was pitch black.
Lin Xu furrowed his brow and wedged the front edge of his claw deeper into the seam, continuing to cut along the eggshell. The faint sound of grinding echoed softly. The large white egg didn’t move. That wasn’t normal—unless Yuanxiao was in a deep sleep.
Lin Xu took a deep breath and sped up his movements, slicing the entire top portion of the shell off to reveal the inside. The little dragon was not there.
Inside the whole egg, there were only a few pieces of semi-soft padding. When the egg was shaken, the padding shifted and thumped, giving the illusion that the dragon was still inside—but there was no life at all. Lin Xu’s brows knitted tightly, his mouth pressing downward. His expression turned cold and terrifying.
He touched the padding and found it felt like a synthetic sponge.
“This isn’t Yuanxiao’s egg.” A low voice rumbled from deep within Lin Xu’s throat.
“Did Arnold encounter anything unusual while delivering the egg to you?”
Heinrich’s face turned icy. “That’s exactly why he piloted the escort ship alone to the Dionysus sector—worried something might happen. But he still ran into an ambush by mercenaries. His ship was destroyed. Arnold was knocked unconscious by the blast shockwave. It was a group of Star Pirates under Guy who rescued him and brought the egg into my hands.
“At the time, I didn’t notice anything wrong.”
Heinrich’s voice cracked. Guilt and self-reproach rose in his chest. The egg contained his own child, and he had kept it by his bedside, watching over it day and night. Yet after all these days, he hadn’t noticed a single problem.
“It really wouldn’t have been easy to detect,” Lin Xu said, closing his eyes. He didn’t blame Heinrich. If it hadn’t been for the abnormal energy fluctuations he detected and his cautious decision to check the egg’s contents, they might never have found out. “The more important question now is: where is Yuanxiao?”
Heinrich took the separated eggshell from Lin Xu’s hands and paced back and forth in the room.
“This is a fake egg. But it was so similar to the original that I didn’t notice anything was off. Arnold didn’t stop for supplies at all between Capital Star and here. Besides the mercenaries and Star Pirates, he didn’t meet anyone else. He has no enemies. The mercenaries weren’t after him—they were targeting the Yuanxiao egg from the start.”
“They want to steal a rare species and sell it for money?” Lin Xu asked.
Heinrich looked up at him. “Do you really think that?”
“No,” Lin Xu almost ground his teeth. He’d rather believe the mercenaries stole the egg to ransom it back; then they could wipe out the mercenary base and rescue Yuanxiao anytime. But from what he knew, things weren’t that simple. “We always carried Yuanxiao and his egg with us. No one had the exact data for the egg. After stealing the egg, they didn’t want us to know and used a fake egg to cover it up for a while.”
“The large white egg’s data…” Heinrich thought for a moment. “The few times I accompanied Yuanxiao to places requiring records, I only took him to register as an Imperial citizen. Registration only required his presence—not the egg. Also… I once took him to Zhou Pingbo’s lab for an examination. But there’s no way Zhou Pingbo was behind this.”
“I know it’s impossible,” Lin Xu said, trusting Heinrich’s ability to judge character. “But Zhou Pingbo used an Imperial-funded official lab. Even with extremely high confidentiality levels, that only protects from external leaks. If someone with high clearance inside wants the data, it takes very little effort—and it’s hard to detect.”
“Internal high-level personnel…” Heinrich unconsciously raised his chin as he looked at Lin Xu, his gray eyes cold like mist—a look he often wore when locking onto his prey. “Have you already thought of a possible suspect?”
Lin Xu almost forced the name out, syllable by syllable, between his teeth. “Alfred Nobleson.”
Heinrich’s breath caught briefly as he confirmed the name once more, then hesitated. “The Alfred Nobleson from three thousand years ago?”
“That’s him. He’s not dead. His consciousness is now attached to the Emperor’s body. The accusations against me—academic misconduct and attempted murder—are all his doing.”
“I thought you two weren’t enemies.” Heinrich recalled seeing Alfred in Lin Xu’s memories—a classmate and colleague who had more interactions with Lin Xu, without any apparent conflicts or grudges.
“It’s complicated,” Lin Xu said. “All I can say is he’s insane. He doesn’t hate me, but he definitely doesn’t intend to let me live peacefully.”
“What will he do with Yuanxiao?”
“As long as Yuanxiao doesn’t leave the egg’s protection on his own, conventional methods can’t open it,” Lin Xu said. “Alfred… he wouldn’t just kill Yuanxiao outright. His goal isn’t to extract some benefit from me. I think before I reconnect with him, he won’t harm Yuanxiao. But once we meet again, who knows what will happen.”
Alfred might use Yuanxiao as leverage against Lin Xu, but being as mad as he was, he could also want to hurt Yuanxiao just to watch Lin Xu break down in pain.
However, to satisfy that twisted desire, Alfred would have to carry out the act himself in front of Lin Xu. Until then, Yuanxiao was relatively safe.
Lin Xu had originally planned to secretly use the Alliance’s power to manipulate things and strike at the Imperial royal family and nobles. But now it seemed he had to personally return to Capital Star after stirring up the Imperial waters, to snatch his child back and show Alfred the true meaning of power.
– –
The sunlight shone brightly over Capital Star. Alfred sat in his study, listening to Neumann’s report on the pursuit of the Victoria.
“You say Heinrich took five Imperial starships and disappeared in the Long Whale Region?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s the message from the Fourth Legion,” Neumann replied. “The Victoria vanished in the 780 star system.”
“A jump?”
“The Fourth Legion detected spatial fluctuations, but the patterns don’t match those caused by jumps or warp engines. Meanwhile, a group of physicists on Haven were conducting spatial experiments using pulsars and supergiants in the 780 system. The Fourth Legion suspects the experiments caused the abnormal fluctuations.
“They asked the lead researcher, Brummer, who said their quantum science experiments might interfere with spatial sensors. But the details remain academic secrets. They refused to share specifics with the Fourth Legion.”
Lin Xu’s trail was also lost in the Long Whale Region. Alfred leaned back in his chair, his face darkening. He guessed Heinrich’s disappearance was likely connected to a rendezvous with Lin Xu. Why would Lin Xu choose the Long Whale Region? If he headed to Dionysus where Heinrich had defected, he might have some protection.
But the Long Whale Region was dominated by massive capital groups beyond even the Crescent District’s political reach. Lin Xu’s resources and contacts weren’t enough to move those corporate giants quickly. Haven could be a hiding place since Imperial law didn’t apply there, making capture difficult.
A rumble… then a thud—Alfred’s thoughts were interrupted. He looked down at the round table beside him, where something had rolled off. It was Lin Xu and Heinrich’s egg. The little dragon inside had a funny name: Yuanxiao Volans—“Flying Dumpling.” Ha.
Alfred couldn’t open the egg or get the little dragon out. But the dragon locked inside wasn’t asleep. He locked himself inside and would even push the egg around when bored. He seemed aware that a stranger was nearby and tried to roll the egg far away from Alfred.
Now the egg had tumbled off the table and was rolling toward a corner, where a window let in sunlight. The fine rug on the floor was bathed in warm light.
The large white egg rolled into the corner, half in shadow cast by the wall. Then it backed up a bit, fully exposing itself to a square patch of sunlight pouring through the window, using the sun to warm itself. Alfred smiled watching Yuanxiao.
He knew Lin Xu couldn’t hide forever—whether seeking revenge or reclaiming the egg he’d given birth to. One day, Lin Xu would come for Alfred himself.
– –
Exiled Alliance Fleet, Central Dockyard
The doors to the hibernation thawing chamber were tightly shut as a group of officers in military uniforms with high-ranking insignia argued loudly.
“I still don’t think we should place so much importance on this Lin Xu. The history he knows, we already know. After all, it’s only that filthy, dark Imperial regime that would rewrite its own history to blind everyone. Even elementary students in the Alliance know what the real history looks like,” the blond man gestured emphatically as he spoke.
“Watch your words, Posito!” the female general standing across from him shot back sharply.
“Conti, you believe in the Whispering Faith; I don’t,” Posito said. “Besides, Godric has already reported back—Lin Xu is not the incarnation of the Spiritual Monarch.”
Conte sneered. “Because he can practically be called the Spiritual Monarch’s ancestor. Show some respect.”
“Alright, alright, you two,” a slightly overweight man in a suit stepped forward to mediate. “Even though we agreed to bring Mr. Lin here, we should be ready to communicate and exchange ideas. Even if the information he brings isn’t that useful, having another awakened one from the Imperial side is beneficial to us.”
“He also brought the Victoria and Heinrich Chu,” said a man with silver hair—Largo Paris, Supreme Commander of the Michael’s Sword Defense Line and current Alliance admiral. “Heinrich Chu’s combat ability is formidable. From what I know, he has no strong loyalty to the Imperial. Even if Lin Xu is just an ordinary man, Heinrich Chu can be of use to us.”
The suited man added, “General Paris is right. Everyone should see the many sides of this matter. New members joining isn’t a bad thing. As for how to treat them, we’ll wait until Marshal Meng Zhenhua recovers from hibernation to make a decision.”
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