Chapter 205 – Xu He: “I tried to stay out of it, but you just had to drag me in!”

Sun Moon Empire.

Inside the dormitory.

"This… this… this…"

He Caitou looked both shocked and furious, waving his hands in refusal."You want me to be emperor? At least take a look at your own worth! You need the life to take it first, right?"

"Your Highness, the late Emperor was murdered by traitors. Now vile men control the Sun Moon Empire. This is a blood feud you must not forget!"

Before him, a man in black kneeled on one knee, speaking with fervor.

"The slaughter of my family—I could never forget that!" He Caitou's expression darkened. Some of his true depths finally surfaced, and he dropped the act. "My family of twenty-seven, and the palace guards—all died in that sea of blood. Yet now the Sun Moon Empire is filled with music and dancing. Under the leadership of that Xu Cheng fellow, the empire has grown even stronger. The commoners have forgotten the former emperor, forgotten the coup. They even worship Xu Cheng, a traitor's son, as a wise ruler. Of course I refuse to accept that!"

"I'd love to eat his flesh and drink his blood!"

He Caitou's face contorted with fury, no longer bothering to hide it.

No wonder he was once the crown prince—he still carried a trace of imperial aura. The kneeling man felt it press down on him, yet couldn't hide the flicker of joy in his lowered eyes. This was what the Crown Prince should be like!

My Crown Prince is destined to be Emperor!

"With such determination, I understand. Even if it costs me my life, I'll see you on the throne!" the black-clad man said excitedly.

"Hmph. You're just a eunuch. What use are you?" He Caitou snapped.

"I am indeed useless," the man replied in a shrill voice, unfazed. He smiled instead."But Your Highness, what if we ally with Shrek Academy? That might change the odds, no?"

"Shrek Academy?" He Caitou's eyes narrowed. His usual dopey appearance vanished, replaced by a flash of cunning.

"That's right. My previous letters were vague on purpose, because I needed to tell you this in person: we've secured Shrek Academy's support. From the looks of things, that false prince is about to launch a continental war. Meanwhile, our loyalists within the military remain, even after multiple purges. We still have close to a hundred people at the mid and lower ranks."

The black-clad man's voice was sinister."If we spring an ambush in key battles, or betray them at a critical moment, I don't believe the Sun Moon Empire could withstand us!"

He Caitou fell silent.

Thousands of years ago, Shrek Academy had rallied dozens of Title Douluo to utterly crush the unstoppable Sun Moon Empire's army, forcing them into a humiliating peace treaty. The shockwaves from that victory still echoed across the continent.

That was why so many hidden sects still feared them. Even in its current declining state, Shrek's mere name made them hesitate.

Shrek's influence was terrifying—not something built overnight, but over millennia. On this land, it held an unshakable authority.

As someone from the Sun Moon Empire, He Caitou knew well the terrifying combat power their troops could unleash.

And yet… he hesitated.

Because maybe, just maybe, Shrek could pull off another miracle.

"What are their demands?" He Caitou asked, deep in thought.

"They insist on being given missile technology. Mecha tech—especially Xu Cheng's mecha—must be handed over. Also, a supply of raw materials. For the next hundred years, the Sun Moon Empire is not allowed to refuse."

"And…"

"Such national humiliation!" He Caitou slammed the table, yet his expression oddly lightened, even curving into a smile."This prince… agrees!"

"Your Highness is wise!" The old man in black hurriedly dropped to the ground, kowtowing three times.

Just as they were about to burst into laughter, buzzing sounds rang out beyond the door.

In the quiet of night, the noise was especially jarring.

"Something's wrong…" He Caitou stood, ready to check it out.

BOOM!

An explosion thundered through the room.

The dorm door shattered instantly. Smoke bombs flew inside—no, tear gas too.

He Caitou's heart lurched. He opened his mouth to speak, but began coughing violently. His eyes teared up, snot streaming as he gasped and choked.

The black-clad old man quickly sensed something was wrong. With a sweep of his robe, the smoke around them dispersed slightly, leaving a small clear space.

"Your Highness, I'll get you out of here!"

He said urgently.

"…Cough… cough…" He Caitou looked up through watery eyes, seeing the dorm's roof blown open. Outside, a squad of crimson-armored female soldiers had completely surrounded the building.

Terror gripped his heart. He couldn't speak.

"Move an inch—and die."

A cold female voice rang out from outside the building.

Instantly, dozens—maybe hundreds—of red targeting dots landed on them. He Caitou could sense the overwhelming destructive power of the level-six and level-seven soul cannons now trained on him.

He and the old man had no doubt: one wrong move, and they'd be turned to mush.

He Caitou: "…"

Old Man: "…"

"You two know why we're here, don't you?" the leading woman sneered.

Glancing at He Caitou's face—now drained of all hope—she scoffed and waved dismissively."A useless coward who thinks he can stir up trouble against His Highness? Delusional. Your true identity's been known to every branch of the military for ages. We only spared you because of your royal blood. Otherwise, do you think you'd still be standing?"

"Take them away. Throw them in the dungeons!"

As she finished speaking, several crimson-armored figures dropped lightly to the shattered dorm floor. They placed soul-suppressing shackles on both men and led them away in pairs…

He Caitou gave a despairing glance to the equally stunned old man.

This was a trap, and they had been the prey.

It was tailor-made for him.

Yes, he resented the Sun Moon Empire. He would've gladly used and discarded it if given the chance. Otherwise, he would never have secretly fed Shrek that intel.

But now, with his mouth gagged, dragged off like a prisoner—and so cleanly too—it was obvious: the bait had been laid long ago.

He could even guess that his dorm room likely had a Recording Crystal, capturing everything he just said…

"Mmph! Mmmph!! (This is all your damn fault, you old bastard! I had my act down perfectly…)"

He Caitou glared at the old man beside him, furious.

What a pig teammate!!!

The old man drooped his head, not daring to look at him.

----------------

"Is Teacher Xuan really that good at researching soul tools?" Zhang Lexuan, dressed in a luxurious outfit, was eating a special dinner from the Mingdu Grand Hotel. She changed outfits several times in the fitting room before finally selecting the one she wore at the last royal banquet. After all, after that night, the two had barely slept and had spent the night indulging, which showed Xu Cheng's affection for her.

"He's a tech guy, but a few years ago, he wasn't valued much. If you're talking about pure technical skill, he could probably rank in the top five of the Sun Moon Empire," Xu Cheng said with a smile, picking up a piece of peanuts and casually chewing on it.

The two chatted casually.

"Is that so?" Zhang Lexuan asked, a bit puzzled. "Such a talented person, why hasn't he been valued?"

"His emotional intelligence is too low, close to zero," Xu Cheng replied lightly.

"Wherever you go, emotional intelligence and intelligence matter. You can be a little low on one, but you can't lack it entirely. No matter how good your skills are, unless you hold a unique method that no one else can replicate, you're still replaceable."

"Really?" Zhang Lexuan covered her mouth and chuckled.

"If he even had a tiny bit of emotional intelligence, he wouldn't be struggling to even apply for research funding," Xu Cheng said, shaking his head with a smile.

As for Xuan Ziwen, Xu Cheng found him quite interesting.

In the original story, Xuan Ziwen was a typical research-type talent, a blank slate who believed in science without borders. Because he couldn't show his skills in the Sun Moon Empire, he ended up following Huo Guo and Tangmen's secret weapons to escape.

As for so-called treason... Xu Cheng didn't really care. His character wasn't a big deal, and as long as he was under his control, Xu Cheng would later toss Huo Guo into Xuan Ziwen's lab to work for the empire.

He was magnanimous about it.

Of course, if Xuan Ziwen dared to betray him again, Xu Cheng wouldn't hesitate to kill him, no matter how far away he was.

"Do you have something on your mind?"

They were on the top floor of the Mingdu Grand Hotel.

The largest shareholder behind the hotel was the royal family, so places where others couldn't enter, Xu Cheng could easily book just by notifying them.

In the background, faint sounds of instruments could be heard—the harp, flute, and other stringed instruments creating an elegant and warm atmosphere.

According to the owner, all of these performers had soul weapons as their instruments. The fact that they could gather such a group of musicians spoke to the extravagance of the place.

"Ahem, no..." Zhang Lexuan coughed a bit and lowered her head, a hint of sorrow flashing in her eyes.

She would rather Xu Cheng notice that something was wrong with her, forcibly pin her down, so she wouldn't have to feel so conflicted and helpless.

Xu Cheng would catch her, then interrogate her…

Zhang Lexuan didn't know why, but she felt a strange anticipation.

But with Xu Cheng's thick-headed nature, he definitely wouldn't understand this.

He was so smart in the outside world, but couldn't even recognize his own abnormality? Zhang Lexuan thought to herself.

"This doesn't seem like you. The Senior Sister I know is always graceful and gentle. You're not the type to space out so often," Xu Cheng said with a smile.

Zhang Lexuan's heart suddenly tightened, excited, nervous, and yet hopeful.

She waited for Xu Cheng to apprehend her.

"What's this? You want to try something different tonight? Getting too excited?" Xu Cheng said with a grin.

Zhang Lexuan: "..."

"Mm." She answered weakly.

"Alright." Xu Cheng clapped his hands, and a smile appeared on his face. "Then let's make it a little more thrilling."

With the sound of clapping, several red-armored female soldiers appeared around them, surrounding the two. The musicians stopped playing, bowing their heads in fear of getting involved in the affairs of these high-ranking individuals.

"Ah Cheng, what is this..." Zhang Lexuan asked, her face filled with astonishment.

"I didn't expect you to betray me," Xu Cheng said, his eyes slowly closing. Just as Zhang Lexuan panicked and tried to explain, the captain of the Fire Phoenix squad stepped forward, her expression cold. "Shrek Academy intends to interfere in the internal affairs of the Sun Moon Empire. They contacted the remnants of the previous imperial family, Prince Xu He, and plan to use a method of internal cooperation to control the Sun Moon Empire. The evidence is irrefutable. The Shrek Academy students have been arrested, and the representative of the exchange student, Zhang Lexuan, is now under investigation!"

"I-I could never do that! Ah Cheng, you have to believe me! I..." Zhang Lexuan's eyes showed panic, and she was about to say more, but then fell silent as she looked at Xu Cheng.

She wasn't afraid of being imprisoned, but she was terrified of being misunderstood by Xu Cheng. That would be worse than death.

Xu Cheng let out a breath, his gaze briefly flicking to Zhang Lexuan.

"Take her away."

...

(End of this chapter)