Evolution - Chapter 126
Chapter 126
But still, even though she had agreed in her heart, she had to be ready to pass the buck!
Ji Changqing barraged Jixin with questions: You’ve got some nerve, brother. You call this a partnership, but once you get your revenge and grab what you want, you’ll just dust yourself off and head back to the Alliance to be a good citizen. Are you planning to leave me holding the bag? If I help you kill your own people, will the higher-ups tolerate my existence? Do I look like a scapegoat to you?
Jixin, who had clearly done his homework like a top student, answered each question unhurriedly. “Once you’re done with your enemies, you won’t be able to stay in the Empire much longer anyway. Do you want to keep roaming the stars, or come to the Alliance with me?”
Ji Changqing’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained impassive. “To rot in prison?”
She was quite curious about the fate this brother of hers had planned for a space pirate.
Despite his confident expression, Jixin didn’t have much faith in this part of the plan. But on the principle that every convert counts, and in order to secure a powerful ally, he put on a masterful performance. “You’re notorious in the Empire, but you’re a nobody in the Alliance.”
The person Ji Changqing was impersonating had orchestrated several major incidents against the Imperial nobility, seeking revenge openly and broadcasting it far and wide. This had greatly offended the dignity of the Empire’s ruling class, naturally earning her a notorious reputation.
But in the Alliance, she wasn’t even a name. At most, she was part of a group, and it was the group’s name that was on the Alliance’s list.
A former core member of a well-known pirate crew, defecting with information vital to the Alliance and wanting to become a good citizen—wasn’t that an attractive prospect?
“Oh, that would require some significant bargaining chips,” Ji Changqing said meaningfully.
Reading between the lines, her lack of an outright refusal meant she wasn’t opposed to the idea and was willing to consider throwing her lot in with the Alliance.
Jixin felt a little more at ease and did his best to show his sincerity to the infamous space pirate. “Doesn’t it depend on your intentions? That will determine how far we need to go.”
“And how far do you think is appropriate?” Ji Changqing’s tone was light, her gaze deep as she stared at the man before her. “Or rather, what bargaining chips do you have that are worth me risking my freedom to cooperate with you?”
She abandoned her previous roundabout style and hit him with a direct question. The perfectly maintained smile on Jixin’s face cracked for a moment, his eyes showing unmistakable astonishment.
Since it had come to this, then perhaps… they should be a bit more frank?!
“My enemy is now also an Imperial noble.”
Also? Ji Changqing smiled with amusement. Among those who had defected from the Alliance, the only two nobles were the heads of the He and Klopp families. “It seems you’ve dug up something big.”
No, no, he hadn’t found anything that could prove the other party was acting under orders.
But that didn’t matter!
He was only seeking revenge, not trying to send these people to court; he didn’t need so-called evidence. As for needing evidence to clear his father’s name back in the Alliance, well, wouldn’t it be enough to make the real culprit confess?
Therefore, he said openly, “Just because I don’t have it now doesn’t mean I won’t have it later!”
Defecting from the Alliance wasn’t a single event, but a long process. The Alliance had no shortage of idiots who resonated with the Empire’s ideology, but most of them could only clamor about their yearning. After all, while they might lack self-awareness, the Empire’s rulers were perfectly clear-headed. Those dregs had no value that would warrant a second glance from the Empire; they were merely cannon fodder to be used to manipulate public opinion at the right moment.
Anyone who could defect from the Alliance, be received by the Empire, and ultimately be ennobled must have provided something of immense value beforehand. Most of the people in this chain of interests were likely just tempted by wealth and got dragged into the mess, sinking together.
They covered for each other and conducted their dealings in secret. The defection of the Klopp and He families would surely unearth a whole network of collaborators, but it was doubtful that even half of them would be exposed.
And that was assuming one had immense faith in the Alliance. It was highly probable that not even thirty percent would be rooted out.
“He must have a list to control and blackmail those in the chain of interests connecting the Empire and the Alliance. As long as we get that information, the Alliance will welcome us. It would be even better if we could kill him before we leave!” Jixin made a throat-slitting gesture.
Thanks to their defection, it didn’t matter what extreme measures he used in the Empire.
He already had a complete interrogation procedure mapped out in his mind!
Jixin also appropriately revealed some intelligence. “As for where these damning things are hidden, from what I know, there are three most likely places.”
He was in the personal guard. Even if he wasn’t trusted enough to be a close-in bodyguard, he was part of the retinue most of the time.
These three places were where the Klopp Family Head spent most of his time.
For this kind of deadly secret that no one else knew about, no one would feel safe leaving it out of their sight.
Ji Changqing clicked her tongue in amazement. This man was truly capable of great things.
She was genuinely tempted.
She didn’t really care what methods were used to get what they wanted. The initial plan to broadly gather information and then find a way to transmit it back to the Alliance was based on their current location.
From the moment they were stranded on the barren planet, she had been scheming. The mix of coercion and kindness on Wendeli was all for the purpose of selecting useful—or rather, exploitable—people.
By imprinting on their minds an image of herself as powerful, just, and reliable, and by offering a helping hand when they were all in dire straits, she had built up goodwill. It was like casually placing a game piece; whether it would be useful wasn't important. What mattered was that when she needed them, they would be of some use to her.
Now, it seemed the effect was quite good. Case in point: on the plantation she managed, everyone was quite obedient. When Klopp’s trusted deputy came to investigate in secret, the information he got was almost entirely what she had allowed people to reveal.
And now there was Jixin, a super-sized bonus!
As for whether he was trustworthy?
Neither of them could say they truly trusted the other. It was just that, for now, this was probably the best option.
She was afraid Jixin would betray her or that this was a setup from the beginning, but wasn't Jixin just as afraid?
The only thing to do now was to commit a crime together, to sink or swim as one, to strengthen the trust between them that was as thin as a cicada’s wing.
Revenge was a dish best served immediately. Once they reached an agreement, they quickly exchanged information.
Neither of them expected that after partnering up, their progress would be so astonishingly fast it felt surreal.
Jixin was already adept at navigating social situations, and now as a personal guard, his access to information was excellent. As soon as he passed along information about his enemy’s whereabouts and habits, Ji Changqing would use her financial might to have Adonis’s people abduct the target and deliver him to a designated location.
The speed of it all was breathtaking, leaving Jixin unsure whether to be happy or afraid.
Was his partner, the former space pirate, really this capable?
But with his enemy delivered right to him, what was there to say? He rolled up his sleeves and got to it! During his off-duty rotations, he began the interrogation under torture.
Ji Changqing went to have a look, as if joining in on the fun. The man had been beaten beyond recognition, but his mouth was still tight. He screamed in agony but, for the time being, held out.
But this wasn’t a problem. No mouth was that easy to pry open, but it wasn’t as difficult as one might imagine, either. It was just a matter of time. Unfortunately, time was what Jixin lacked the most—he still had to show up for his regular duties, which was the greatest obstacle to his entire interrogation process.
He didn’t have enough time, but Ji Changqing did.
After Ji Changqing took over, she didn’t waste energy on more beatings. She kept the man in the same position Jixin had left him in—strung up—and repeatedly doused him with salt water, depriving him of sleep.
The man was held on the plantation she managed. She and Saiweiyala took turns “breaking” him, questioning him bit by bit.
The things she had learned in Huantu Prison were finally being put to good use. All the suffering she had endured in the lab back then was now inflicted upon him.
Within three days, he started talking, revealing information piece by piece.
She showed no reaction, noting everything down and cross-examining him repeatedly. If a single answer was inconsistent with a previous one, he would get the full treatment again.
This went on for nearly a month. In the end, the man would answer whatever he was asked. He even blurted out things he hadn’t been asked about—just begging for a quick end!
He had figured it out. He was probably going to die here. Seeing the new torments these people came up with every day, he wasn’t keen on experiencing them all firsthand. Besides, he had been willing to commit all sorts of evil for the sake of wealth and luxury, for enjoyment, not for suffering!
He was now being tortured to the point where he wished he had never been born. The glory and riches he had imagined were no longer his to have. Could you expect someone who had done so many despicable things to remain steadfast and protect the fortunes of his “teammates”?
What a joke! Right now, all he wanted was to drag everyone down with him! Since they had committed these acts together, they should bear the consequences together. How could he be the only one to take the fall?
During this time, his interrogators focused on an old case from many years ago, interspersed with questions about many other matters he had handled, leading him to a ridiculous guess.
“Are you… from the Alliance?” the man asked, his voice barely a whisper after prolonged torture.
Ji Changqing just snorted, not bothering to answer him.
“I’m willing to return to the Alliance and testify against them.” He didn’t need her answer. All he wanted was for the glorious light of the Alliance to shine on him again. Although nothing good awaited him back in the Alliance, the chance of keeping his life was still high.
A bad life was better than a good death, and right now, hoping for a good death was just a daydream!
Thinking he had figured out the truth, the man felt he had some leverage again and, on the verge of death, tried to bargain with Ji Changqing.
What he got was a savage beating.
He was beaten black and blue, then given just enough medical treatment to keep him alive. That was all.
After he was treated, the interrogation continued. They asked him what he had meant when he tried to bargain, saying he would “tell everything if they took him back to the Alliance.” What else had he not yet said?!
He screamed and cried, filled with regret.
Why on earth had he suddenly become so audacious as to try to bargain with a demon?
Once there was nothing left to squeeze out of him, Ji Changqing happily compiled a detailed intelligence report extracted under torture. She stored it properly and found ways to send back two versions: a simplified one with just names, and a detailed one.
Whether they reached their destination accurately was beyond her control. Her only concern was ensuring that even if they were intercepted, no one would be able to make sense of them.
She also summoned Jixin to send his enemy on his final journey, giving him a redacted version of the confession at the same time.
Jixin felt a profound sense that his partner, whom he had approached in a desperate gamble, had some very deep connections.
Klopp’s side had all sorts of theories about the man’s abduction, but the job had been done cleanly. Their influence in the Empire was limited, so it was impossible for them to find anything. After a bout of helpless rage, they became even more diligent in currying favor with the high Imperial nobility and cautiously managing their own power base.
They were terrified that the perpetrator would be so brazen as to take their lives as well.
The two briefly exchanged updates on their recent progress. Jixin mentioned that in a while, the Klopp Family Head would be traveling to Baoling Planet. If they were to make a move, their chances of success on Baoling Planet were higher than at his home base on Hading Planet.
Based on his experience from the last trip, he believed the Klopp Family Head most likely kept the items hidden at his lover’s residence.
Based on the gossip he provided, Ji Changqing sorted through the information and came up with three key points. First, this lover had been with him since their time in the Alliance. Second, this male Omega had been marked by Klopp. Third, when Klopp was on Baoling Planet, he spent more than half his nights at this lover’s place.
After sorting it all out, Ji Changqing felt there were so many things to mock that she didn’t know where to begin.
Seeing how much the Klopp Family Head yearned for the Empire, to the point of defecting from the Alliance to throw himself into its arms, it was clear he genuinely believed Alphas were inherently superior to other genders.
But now, hearing Jixin’s gossip, it seemed this man might also be a staunch supporter of male superiority over females. And looking at his choice of lover, perhaps he believed that only men could truly love men?
Or maybe he enjoyed the hollow thrill of conquering a strong individual and subjugating them?
But she wasn’t interested in solving someone else’s worldview problems; she just wanted to solve the problem of acquiring intelligence.
In the interim, she went out on a mission and, at the same time, quietly had Adonis help send the first group of people back to the Alliance.
As for how to explain their disappearance to her superiors? Wasn’t she on a mission? Naturally, she wouldn’t know anything about it.
Besides, even a highly valued subordinate of the Klopp Family Head had vanished without a trace. What was the big deal about a few unimportant people? In a place where the rich and powerful ran rampant, you could be dragged away, beaten to death, and dumped just for getting in someone’s way on the street.
Time slipped by to October. After He Qingzhi, Jixin, and a trusted subordinate arranged by Adonis had each staked out and investigated Klopp’s official residence and his lover’s home on Baoling Planet, they all reported that security was tight. A forced entry to steal the items was not feasible.
People like the Klopp and He family heads cherished their lives and wouldn’t go out carelessly. Trying to ambush them as space pirates during their travels between Baoling and Hading Planet? What a pipe dream. This was a starfield renowned for the Empire’s military might!
Just when everyone had tacitly accepted that this would be a long, slow grind, waiting for an opportunity, Jixin unexpectedly played a trump card.
It blew up in their own faces.
The Klopp Family Head’s lover, the male Omega whom Ji Changqing considered even less trustworthy than the Alpha who had tried to proposition He Qingzhi at the New Year’s banquet, had noticed some incongruities in Jixin’s behavior. Using his sharp intellect, he had bluffed Jixin.
He didn’t have any concrete evidence, and Jixin’s response was commendable.
The problem was, Jixin, perhaps under too much pressure and driven to madness, was gradually leaning towards cooperating with the man to take down Klopp, get the items, and escape back to the Alliance.
A marked Omega would unconsciously feel attached to their Alpha and find it difficult to resist their demands. But it wasn’t as if their brain was broken, making them blindly obedient and devoid of their own thoughts and reason.
Saiweiyala’s sister was living proof of that.
What worried Ji Changqing was that this man had been in cahoots with Klopp back in the Alliance. Why the sudden desire to emerge from the mud unstained?
“He’s ambitious and capable. He wanted to climb the ladder, and latching onto Klopp was just a mutually beneficial transaction.” Jixin was inclined to turn the man, or rather, to add another partner to their group, and he spared no effort in defending him. “Even if his military and political career is over when he returns to the Alliance, it’s still better than being a caged bird in the Empire, right?”
“A caged bird?” Ji Changqing was noncommittal. “Isn’t he helping Klopp with his affairs right now? From what I know, he holds considerable power.”
During the six months Klopp was away from Baoling Planet, he had acted as a supervisor, keeping an eye on the personnel there.
Jixin blurted out, “You’re a pirate planning to go straight. Maybe he wants to turn over a new leaf too?”
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment