MORIC - Chapter 173
Chapter 173: Preparing to Go Home
The person sharing a secret with Chi Yueshan was still reading the latest news.
The new secretary brought Xi Zhoumeng a cup of tea, unable to resist another glance at the rumored genius commander.
A small-scale Zerg Tide had just receded yesterday. With Commander Xi at the helm, they were simply invincible; every command was a precise directive.
Even though many felt the live satellite feed had been edited, the fact that her arrival had turned the tide of the war for humanity was indisputable.
The mecha named Moon-Swallower was exceptionally magnificent in appearance. As it weaved through the dense, disgusting swarm of Zerg, it was like a falling snowflake—nimble and elegant.
Many were curious about what this Commander Xi, who had never fully shown her face, looked like.
The new secretary looked curiously at the female Alpha sitting at the desk, only for disappointment to spread through her the next second.
Because the woman was still wearing a veil even now.
So the rumors were true. Commander Xi really never showed her face.
But someone had interviewed Officer Wen, who was by no means inferior, and she had said that Commander Xi was a fine female Alpha.
This assessment was a bit too perfunctory, and many people publicly stated that Wen Liuyun and Commander Xi must have an old grudge.
But from the current intelligence, the two of them had joined the military together and, in just three short months, had transformed from ordinary people into imperial talents. This clearly pointed more towards a close friendship, didn't it? It was just a case of two Alphas, one of whom had also married and had a child at a young age.
Moreover, Commander Xi had even collaborated with scholars from the U-Galaxy to develop a weapon capable of repelling the Zerg, increasing the win rate in this war by several tens of percent.
It was just that…
They still hadn't found the Zerg Queen.
Perhaps the new secretary's daze was too obvious, as Xi Zhoumeng put down the electronic document in her hand and asked, "Is there something else?"
Because this time-space was not the one her physical body belonged to, Xi Zhoumeng's rejection reaction was growing stronger and stronger.
She had a strong premonition that her time was running out.
But there was still so much she wanted to know.
This very weakness made her look nothing like the battlefield commander an ordinary person would imagine; instead, she resembled a noble lady.
Even under such conditions, she maintained a high standard of treatment.
And no one dared to defy her.
"N-no, nothing."
Even though the female Alpha was veiled, the pair of eyes she revealed were captivating enough. It felt as if one more glance would cause one to drown in them.
The secretary's voice trembled as she turned and left.
Xi Zhoumeng had no intention of continuing the conversation. She finished reading the document in her hand and finally understood why this Prime Century had ended up in such a state.
It could have been completely changed.
But being able to jump to this point in time was already the result of Xi Zhoumeng's huge gamble, the price of which was her body's rejection. She couldn't afford to be picky.
At this moment, Xi Zhoumeng stared at the records, which read like a royal secret, thinking that this information was worth it even if it bankrupted her.
No wonder Chi Yueshan and I could never find anything no matter how much we investigated later. It really was a royal secret, to the extent of altering history.
Xi Zhoumeng took a bite of a muffin, her gaze falling on the line: [The Third Princess, Sheng Xiqian, has been secretly sent into the universe by the Eldest Princess. Her specific destination is unknown.]
By the time she arrived in the Prime Century, the Zerg had already appeared. Before that, a royal coup had taken place.
The royal family of the Prime Century was nothing like its later incarnation, which no one wanted to inherit. It was a highly coveted prize. Even in a technological world, family members would still turn against each other for power.
Originally, the heir to the empire was the Eldest Princess, Sheng Xilin, but she had an accident at the age of twelve that left her crippled, and the right of succession fell to the second princess, Sheng Xiwu.
That would have been fine, but in this kind of succession based on bloodline, all full-blooded siblings had a claim.
Even if the third princess had no interest whatsoever, she would still be despised by her sister, who had been corrupted by her brush with power.
At the age of sixteen, Sheng Xiqian was poisoned by the second princess, Sheng Xiwu, and rendered mute.
If she had only been made mute, it wouldn't have been a big deal. After all, the empire's requirements for an heir were good health and a dignified bearing.
But the triplets were not identical, not carbon copies of each other; the girls born were each unique. The most refined was the eldest, the most modest was the second, and the most beautiful was the third.
Sisters with such a background did not have a relationship as good as that of ordinary sisters.
The eldest and the third shared similar hobbies, and the third never mocked her crippled sister. Instead, whenever she had free time, she would take her traveling to various planets across the galaxy.
They tried to find the end of the universe, encountered turbulent magnetic fields, and never felt that this life was bad.
Once the second princess ascended the throne, they could move out of the royal palace. They had already agreed to live together and support each other for the rest of their lives, but they never expected that the second princess would still fear that the third would rise up and once again snatch away the position she had worked so hard to obtain.
If she had only been poisoned mute or killed, the eldest might not have suffered so much. But the second princess had turned the third into something neither human nor ghost and had even dragged her off for genetic experiments.
Because the second princess wanted her power to be eternal, her life to be endless.
Xi Zhoumeng still couldn't shake her habit of making annotations when reading stories.
It was just that this time she wasn't reading smut, so she couldn't make any other kind of commentary. She sighed, not quite understanding this obsession with longevity.
What's the point of living so long? All alone, how boring would that be?
Even without reading further, she could guess what "genetic experiments" meant. It was clearly that laboratory at the passage between the upper and Lower Worlds.
The Zerg on the capital planet had yet to recede, which was a testament to the success of this experiment.
It was all greed, leading to a thousand years of unrest for a world.
The eldest, Sheng Xilin, had been raised as the heir. A broken leg didn't mean she had lost her mind. Her academic record was brilliant, and she was famous in her field of knowledge. When she got ruthless, the second princess was no match for her at all.
It was no exaggeration to call Sheng Xilin a genius. Even when the second princess forbade anyone from helping and completely isolated Sheng Xilin, the eldest still managed to rescue her youngest sister.
Even if she didn't become queen, she could be a top-tier researcher.
But who would have thought she would end up researching how to make a dead body live again in another body.
She couldn't save the sister of the past. She could only store Sheng Xiqian's consciousness in a Zerg egg she had meticulously crafted and let a fully automated spaceship, filled with fuel, send Sheng Xiqian to a new world where she could survive.
The "new world" might have been a pretense, perhaps just a phantom dream. Sheng Xilin didn't plan a route. When the fuel ran out, the ship would land on the nearest planet.
As for the future…
She hadn't considered it. She chose to go and kill Sheng Xiwu.
Her first attempt failed.
The heir had ascended the throne and was now the rightful queen, while Sheng Xilin, the former heir, became a traitor, sentenced to be hanged.
Sheng Xiwu could have had Sheng Xilin executed by firing squad, but she chose to torture her in the most humiliating way.
She made her walk to the execution ground in shackles, letting everyone see why Sheng Xilin couldn't be queen.
Because she couldn't walk properly, she was unworthy of the position.
And at the final moment, she had to tell her.
Why are your legs like this?
I did it.
But Sheng Xilin's expression was calm. She just gazed at the sky, where dark clouds obscured the sun, wondering if her little sister was still journeying through the universe.
Wondering if that consciousness had successfully parasitized a host.
If you can't be a human, then being a Zerg isn't so bad. My little sister, even as a Zerg, you will be the most beautiful Zerg.
With wings as thin as a cicada's, a multicolored carapace, and a beautiful tail.
It's just that I can't accompany you on your journey through the stars anymore.
But it doesn't matter. This time, I don't have to be human anymore either.
Humanity is so ugly. The hall was full of spectators, old friends from the past, acquaintances from banquets, all standing on the opposing side.
And yet, the person who gave the order still had to deliver a verdict for her—
"Sheng Xilin, you have disrupted the order by researching non-biological entities. The sentence of death by hanging will be carried out immediately."
The speaker wore a crown and held the queen's scepter. An obsidian bracelet exuded a low-key luxury even on a rainy day.
Sheng Xilin was disheveled, completely devoid of her former grace as the Eldest Princess. She listened and laughed, finally letting out a sigh and saying to Sheng Xiwu—
"Xiwu, the road ahead is still long."
The scepter and crown you coveted, and that bracelet, I've replaced them all.
The text and images in this electronic document had Xi Zhoumeng completely engrossed.
Wen Liuyun knocked on the door for a long time without getting an answer. If it weren't for an urgent military situation, she wouldn't have wanted to break the door down.
Because the door fell to the ground with a loud crash.
Xi Zhoumeng was startled, and the jewels on her veil clinked together with a tinkling sound.
She looked heartbrokenly at the door panel on the floor, then at Wen Liuyun, who knocked on doors as if she were committing a home invasion, and thought, Is there something wrong with everyone in your Wen family?
"What are you doing? Assaulting a superior officer? Don't want this month's salary?"
Xi Zhoumeng closed the electronic document and looked at Wen Liuyun.
The other woman said, "My apologies."
There was no particular respect in her tone. "Commander Xi, a new Zerg Tide is here."
Xi Zhoumeng hadn't even finished her muffin, her mind still full of the exclusive secret that the former royal lady-in-waiting had sold her for a high price.
Xi Zhoumeng: "So what if it's here? You go handle it."
Wen Liuyun: "..."
She took a deep breath. "You are the supreme commander."
Xi Zhoumeng slowly took a sip of tea before reluctantly standing up. "Let's go."
However, her physical condition had indeed been looking poor recently. Wen Liuyun asked, "Can't you just see a doctor?"
Xi Zhoumeng: "This is lovesickness. I miss my wife so much."
They had known each other for over three months and had fought off countless Zerg Tides, but Wen Liuyun had rarely heard Xi Zhoumeng mention her wife and daughter.
"Even during wartime, wouldn't it be safer to bring them here?"
Xi Zhoumeng shook her head. "Others might not know, but you know where I came from, don't you?"
As she walked out, she started humming an out-of-tune melody, singing, "I'm a celestial fairy from beyond the heavens, so beautiful it angers gods and men, what do you mortals understand?" Wen Liuyun's mouth twitched as she listened.
But Xi Zhoumeng was only being flippant. Once she got into her zone, her aura was overwhelming.
She asked Wen Liuyun, "How is the queen now?"
When Xi Zhoumeng arrived, Queen Sheng Xiwu was already gravely ill. It was said that many doctors consulted with her daily, but they still couldn't diagnose what was wrong.
Wen Liuyun: "News came yesterday that her spirits are much better."
Xi Zhoumeng sighed, thinking, Much better? I think the consciousness invasion is complete.
To be honest, Sheng Xiwu deserved it. Everything happening now was her own doing.
But Sheng Xilin had willingly become a Zerg and was now clearly the Zerg Queen. This wave after wave of Zerg Tides was her revenge, escalated to target all of humanity. She wanted to destroy everything.
Xi Zhoumeng: "Cannonfire, here's the thing."
Wen Liuyun was already on the transport belt. Before every battle, they had to go through several rounds of checks.
After the mechas were mass-produced with the help of people from the U-Galaxy, humanity's combat power had greatly increased. The War God Mecha piloted by Wen Liuyun had also become the most admired mecha by the children of this generation.
Wen Liuyun found the person beside her very strange. She clearly had a strong presence, yet she always hid in the background whenever it was time to take the spotlight.
It was as if she didn't care about such things, wholeheartedly dedicated to the survival of humanity.
Just like how she had suddenly appeared that day. To this day, Wen Liuyun's daughter, Xiaotie, still believed that this Xi Nianchi person was a real fairy.
Wen Liuyun got goosebumps from being called "Cannonfire." Just as she was about to ask what was going on, she heard the female Alpha beside her say, "Do you want to be a hero?"
"There's a golden opportunity right now that could make you a noble of the capital planet."
Wen Liuyun shook her head. "I don't want to. I have a wife and child. What's the point of being a hero? Having a stable job is good enough."
Xi Zhoumeng scoffed, practically writing "you have no ambition" on her face.
She got straight to the point. "I'm about to die. There are some things I need you to do."
"After this battle is over, I will adopt a child and register her under my name, with my surname. I'll need you to help take care of her in the future."
"You don't want to be a noble, but I insist on it. I deserve it, okay? The top spot among the nobility must belong to our Xi family."
It was unclear what she was thinking, but she was smiling so much that Wen Liuyun almost began to wonder if she was the one who didn't know what was good for her.
Xi Zhoumeng: "And we'll be immortalized for a thousand years."
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