Chapter 181: I’ll Give Her an Offer She Can’t Refuse
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
This was enough to confirm Zhou Pingbo’s suspicions. Capricciosa’s heart turned utterly cold. She stayed silent on the comm channel with Zhou Pingbo. Knowing she needed time to collect herself, Zhou Pingbo didn’t push further. Instead, he politely ended the call and prepared to contact Lin Xu and Heinrich to ask about their next move.
“Professor Zhou!” One of his assistants suddenly burst into the lab, breathless and panicked. Zhou Pingbo set down his caffeinated drink, the dark circles under his eyes even darker than usual. “Xiao Xu? What time is it? Why are you in such a rush?”
“Professor,” the assistant panted, “someone… someone’s here to see you.”
“Me?” Zhou Pingbo flipped through his schedule. “It’s the seventh already? Is Principal Li here to discuss the lab’s construction plans? Fine, I can go meet him now.”
He got up and headed for the door, but his assistant just stood there, frozen. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you coming?”
The assistant frantically shook his head. “No—no, it’s not Principal Li, it’s…”
Before he could finish, Zhou Pingbo heard the sound of multiple footsteps approaching—at least a dozen. The steps were even, disciplined… and heavy with gear. Who could it be?
Frowning, Zhou Pingbo stepped out of the lab, only to come face-to-face with a cold, expressionless man.
“It’s—”
“Professor Zhou,” the man interrupted. “I’m the captain of the Third Gendarmerie Unit. You are under suspicion of attempting to probe Imperial secrets. Please, come with us.”
“It’s… the Gendarmerie,” the assistant finally finished, his voice shrinking to a whisper.
Zhou Pingbo thought to himself that, clearly, his skills as a spy weren’t nearly refined enough if he’d been caught this easily. I’m doomed. Still, his expression remained calm. “Captain, my work itself is classified Imperial business. Unless you can provide proof, how exactly is my doing my job considered a crime?”
The captain’s tone hardened. “Professor Zhou, does attempting to investigate the Imperial Palace also fall under your official duties?”
Zhou Pingbo smirked coldly. “Heh. The Gendarmerie arrests people without following Imperial law. Defending myself here will only be wasted breath. Xiao Xu, pull the Number Three Program Recorder. I’ll be having a very lively debate with the captain’s superiors.”
“Ah?” the assistant stammered.
“Hurry,” Zhou Pingbo said evenly. “The captain’s handcuffs are getting impatient.”
“Right, right!” The assistant bolted into the lab, pulled the recorder, and then stood frozen as he watched Zhou Pingbo being led away by the Gendarmerie.
– –
“Zhou Pingbo’s been arrested,” Heinrich reported. Meng Zhenhua and Lin Xu sat nearby, their expressions grim.
The Number Three Program Recorder in Zhou Pingbo’s lab was an emergency measure he’d designed for himself. If anything happened to him in the lab, removing it would automatically send the lab’s final video logs to specific recipients. Heinrich had received one of those messages. He suspected a few other trusted colleagues of Zhou Pingbo’s had as well.
“The Imperial Gendarmerie has emergency authority,” Heinrich said, his voice low. “Their arrests aren’t bound by Imperial civil law. I’m worried about Zhou Pingbo’s situation.”
“If Alfred was the one behind this,” Lin Xu said slowly, “then Zhou Pingbo’s life isn’t in immediate danger. Alfred’s habit is to imprison people for as long as necessary and only bring them out when he needs them.
“But… if Alfred has already discovered Zhou Pingbo’s involvement, he might also be able to deduce Zhou Pingbo’s connection to us.
“The next attack will come soon.”
“What are you planning?” Heinrich’s gray eyes, like a fog-shrouded abyss, fixed on Lin Xu.
“It’s time to strike Capital Star.”
Meng Zhenhua’s brows furrowed. “Now? Are you certain?”
“This is an opportunity,” Lin Xu replied. “The next wave of Zerg attacks will be even fiercer. The only way to break the cycle is to destroy the royal family’s control over the Zerg and pull out the vortex they’ve created.”
“The Alliance Fleet will need time to reach the Crescent District,” Meng Zhenhua said. “And to get to Capital Star, we’ll have to break through layer after layer of Imperial defenses.”
“But we still have Capricciosa.”
“The truth about the Zerg might ignite her anger,” Heinrich said. “But she might not be willing to betray the Imperial or give up all the power she has.”
Lin Xu’s gaze turned to Meng Zhenhua. “That depends on how you negotiate with her—and what you can offer her in return.”
For a moment, Meng Zhenhua stared at Lin Xu, and it felt as though he’d been transported back three thousand years, standing once again before the calculating, unshakable Commander Lin.
Capricciosa was the commander of Imperial’s First Legion, a noble by birth, with immense power at her command. Even if she defected to the Alliance, all they could offer her was a title—one that would be little different from the one she already held, only with far greater risk. That wasn’t enough to tempt her.
But… if the Alliance and Imperial were to become one, and she placed her bet now… she could gain far more. A top predator, driven by absolute determination, with a voice that could bend others to his will.
“All right…” Meng Zhenhua nodded. “I’ll give her an offer she can’t refuse.”
The people of Crescent District could clearly feel the Imperial military tightening its grip. A suffocating sense of looming danger hung over the district like a storm about to break. Meanwhile, the Alliance forces advanced step by step through the Long Whale Region. Word spread that the conglomerates controlling the planets there had surrendered almost without resistance. With no ground support, the Imperial fleet suffered defeat after defeat.
The citizens of the Crescent District furiously cursed those “spineless” capitalists. In response, the residents of the Long Whale Region fought back online, arguing that they needed military support to clear out the growing number of Zerg swarming their systems. The arguments spiraled into a toxic war of words.
The people of Imperial worried the Alliance army would soon reach their doorsteps. Yet they could not entirely refute the complaints of the Long Whale Region natives. In response, Imperial deployed the Fifth Legion to suppress the Alliance and the Zerg. The Third and Fifth Legions fought side by side, achieving a major victory on Alexandria.
When the news first reached the Crescent District, the people erupted in celebration, filled with hope for a brighter future. But that hope was short-lived. Word soon came that Gália Hill, the commander of the Fifth Legion, had tried to press the advantage only to be surrounded by Zerg and gravely injured.
Given the current state of medical technology, “critically injured” was practically a death sentence. Rumor had it that the emperor flew into a rage over this and even kicked the crown prince so hard he broke his leg.
When Capricciosa visited the prince, he was leaning on crutches, struggling through rehab with the help of a therapist while an intelligent wheelchair sat nearby. As soon as he saw her, Leo waved for the therapist to leave and slowly lowered himself into the chair, letting out a pained breath.
“Your Highness,” Capricciosa asked, frowning, “did your medical pod malfunction?”
With an injury like a fracture, one day in a pod should have been enough for a full recovery. Why was he still limping through physical therapy? Leo smiled faintly. “No. It’s working. I just didn’t use it.”
“Why?” Capricciosa couldn’t imagine Leo was a masochist.
“The emperor’s the one who broke it. How could I dare heal it right away?”
Capricciosa’s frown deepened. Leo’s expression darkened as he sighed. “I actually did heal it once. But the next day, when the emperor saw me walking just fine, he broke it again. His temper’s been awful lately, so I figured I’d better leave it alone rather than risk making him angry enough to break it a third time.
“Anyway, General, you’ve heard my story. Now, tell me—why are you here? As far as I know, the Supreme Council ordered you to keep cleaning out the Zerg. The Florence Defense Line is the only front that’s still delivering victories.”
“I want to see Luka Neumann.”
“Oh? He’s your cousin, isn’t he? He’s living his life as usual. You could just contact him directly.”
“I don’t want anyone to know I’m the one asking for him,” Capricciosa said flatly.
Leo froze, staring at her. “What exactly are you planning?”
“To save your life,” Capricciosa replied, “and keep your leg from being broken again.”
“…,” Leo fell silent, a sinking feeling growing in his chest. Short of killing his father and the emperor, what else could possibly guarantee that? Leo knew that whatever was wearing his father’s body wasn’t truly his father. But until now, he had only sought to keep the emperor’s power in check, to maintain a safe balance for himself. He had never considered killing him.
But…
“I’d prefer assassination,” Leo said quietly. “If you’ve come back to Capital Star in secret and you’re meeting with the commander of the Imperial Guard, are you trying to stage a military coup? If I help you, the council could question my legitimacy as heir to the throne.”
Capricciosa almost laughed. She didn’t have the heart to crush Leo’s naïve hopes for the throne. Leo looked at her mocking expression and pressed on. “General Neumann, you know as well as I do that the emperor of the Marion Empire doesn’t hold real legal authority. He only commands the military because he’s who he is—he has the connections, the resources, and the means. If it were about the throne, he would’ve taken my body long ago.
“If you storm the palace with your legion and kill him, you’ll still have the council and every single military committee to deal with. One legion alone won’t be enough to control the Empire.”
But Capricciosa wasn’t alone. She had already struck a deal with the Alliance. According to the plan, the Alliance fleet was already en route to the Crescent District.
“Stop bluffing, Leo,” Capricciosa said. “Bring Luka to me, and I’ll make sure you stay alive.”
She stepped forward, towering over the prince in his wheelchair, and drew her photon pistol. With the cold barrel, she tipped his head to the side. His crutch lay out of reach, and without help, he couldn’t stand. All he could do was turn his head, trying to escape the icy press of the gun. His hands and feet went cold. Capricciosa wasn’t here to bargain. This was an order—backed by a threat.
“When do you want to see him?”
“As soon as possible. Once he finishes his report to the emperor, bring him and his men here.”
“Here? The prince’s residence?”
“Are you planning to take me hostage too?”
“Or would you rather let the council turn you into their puppet? Pick one.”
Leo gritted his teeth. “I’ll bring them.”
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