Missing position
"Do not move."
When the cold, hard object pressed against his waist, Kuwano stiffened.
She is currently planting trees on the outer edge of the mine pit.
It was a pulse gun, which, when condensed through mental energy, could instantly pierce her kidneys.
"Who are you?" Sangye heard her own voice remain calm. This wasn't due to her extraordinary courage, but rather the result of her training on Black Tower Star.
The person behind him was silent for a moment, then said sarcastically, "It hasn't been long, and you can't even recognize my voice anymore?"
Sangye's mind raced, initially thinking there was only one possibility: the person who awoke first. However, according to the information she had gathered, that person's mental state was damaged, rendering them incapable of combat and making it impossible for them to return here.
Only one person had the ability to conceal the news of his awakening and secretly travel to Black Tower Star.
Qiu Linghua.
In the spiritual landscape of Sangye, the sycamore tree's alarm bells blared, immediately sending a distress signal to the little sycamore.
Ignoring her reaction, Sangye spoke again, trying to calm her down: "Are you here to take revenge on me?"
To her surprise, the person behind her didn't react at all; she just pondered for a moment. "I came here today simply to have a talk with you."
However, the pulse gun pressed against Kuwano's lower back did not move at all.
"You speak, and I'm listening."
"Ji Qin and the others are dead, Yue Cheng is still in a vegetative state, and Tao Liu has lost her ability to fight." This memory is painful. "I want to know, why do you hate us so much? We did it for your own good. Did you think that staying in the military region, doing a low-paying 9-to-5 job, would give you a good future?"
"..." Even though he couldn't fully empathize, Kuwano still found it very ridiculous.
These women, relying on their family background and status, take it for granted that they can control other people's lives, and under the guise of doing what's best for you, they constantly justify their actions, and in the end, they even ask the victims "why they hate them".
"Didn't you think about this before you asked it?" Kuwano replied with the same sarcastic tone. "You, and all of you, did you ever consider that I don't want to accept your condescending charity? Did you realize that I don't need you at all? Do you know that I can live perfectly well without you?"
Before Qiu Linghua could finish her rebuttal, she was immediately interrupted by Sangye.
"If you think your arrangements are perfectly reasonable, then why can't you accept my justified retaliation against you? Why do you find it unbearable when it happens to you?"
"You see me now. I've been exiled to this planet. Do you think I'm not doing well?" Sangye's question was like a final blow to Qiu Linghua, whose body, which had not yet fully recovered, was almost on the verge of collapse.
“I was initially a little guilty, but seeing how incorrigible you are now, let me tell you, I have no regrets whatsoever. If it happened again, I would do the same thing.” Sangye turned around, ignoring the pulse gun pointed at her abdomen. “I will kill you all again.”
From a young age, Du Yuan said that she was the type of person who would rather die than live in dishonest relationships, and would never be hypocritical with anyone.
Kuwano felt that if he were to die here today, it would be because of this personality trait.
The expected pain did not come. The little phoenix suddenly appeared out of nowhere, as fast as lightning, and its sharp claws dug deep into Qiu Linghua's wrist, almost breaking it off.
The pulse gun fell.
Qiu Linghua cried out in pain.
Kuwano was pulled into a warm embrace.
"Why do you always get into trouble the moment I'm not around?" Lin Changli's heart was pounding.
Kuwano himself wanted to ask this question.
"I can't believe she actually came." Lin Changli was incredulous. "Wasn't she supposed to be unconscious in the hospital? How did she get here?"
"Marshal, you've gotten too cold-hearted now that you're gone," Sangye joked. "The men you sent to keep watch didn't even do a good job."
The little phoenix wouldn't let go, and if Sangye hadn't stopped it, its sharp beak would have already pierced a hole in Qiu Linghua's head.
Sangye stepped forward, moved the little phoenix onto his shoulder, and used his mental energy to heal Qiu Linghua.
With the help of her mental energy, Qiu Linghua's external injuries healed rapidly, but her expression changed from pain to astonishment.
Her lips trembled violently, and she could barely utter a whisper: "You're not her..."
Kuwano was detected as soon as he revealed his spiritual power.
The original Sangye and she were not the same spiritual entity.
Kuwano lowered her head and turned her attention back to her wrist.
"Where is she?" Qiu Linghua leaned closer with difficulty, unable to believe it.
“She also passed away.” Kuwano did not choose to lie. “It was shortly after the incident.”
Qiu Linghua propped herself up. Having been bedridden for a long time, it was only thanks to her strong will that the muscles in her legs did not atrophy.
"Your Highness, how could you..." Qiu Linghua looked at Lin Changli.
Lin Changli simply nodded slightly.
"You can go now. Let's not see each other again. Let's go our separate ways," Sangye said. Qiu Linghua stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar face for a long time.
“You should be able to walk by yourself?” Sangye stood up. “The person who brought you here smuggled in should take you back, right? It can’t be a one-way trip.”
Watching Qiu Linghua's departing figure, Sangye frowned.
"Did you come all this way just to get scolded by you and then beaten up by me?" Lin Changli stood beside her, arms crossed.
"You just want an answer, don't you?" Kuwano could understand this mentality; not everyone can act rationally.
That's what they said, but a heavy weight remained on Sangye's heart, as if a storm was brewing.
The very next morning, this momentous event occurred.
Qiu Linghua has disappeared.
The first person to discover this was the guide who gave Qiu Linghua a mental cleansing session every morning.
Shortly after, Qiu Lingxin received the message.
Qiu Linghua's terminal positioning disappeared on Black Tower Star.
In order to monitor Qiu Linghua's health condition daily, the terminal she wears has many functions, including recording.
Her conversation with Sangye was transmitted back to Qiu Lingxin in its entirety.
While the crime of illegal immigration is serious, it pales in comparison to the disappearance of a person, especially when the person comes from a noble family with great power and has a doting older sister.
The "Your Highness" in Qiu Linghua's recording prompted Qiu Lingxin to immediately confront the emperor, demanding a thorough investigation of Black Tower Star and questioning Sangye and Lin Changli.
On Black Tower Star, there is only one person who can be addressed as Your Highness.
That evening, warships representing the royal family and the court arrived on Black Tower.
A young woman was the first to disembark from the warship. She had a similar appearance to Lin Changli, and they both looked very much like Lin Shuangqiao. She had black hair and golden eyes that shone like gold.
Behind her followed an angry Qiu Lingxin, a calm-looking Imperial Grand Justice, a stern-faced Police Chief, and others.
"Black Tower Star has been really lively these past few days. I've never had so many people here before." Aso Ment said calmly. If it were only Qiu Lingxin who came, she really wouldn't have stood here to greet her.
"That must be Her Highness the Princess." Jiang Sili stood behind her, the couple both looking equally calm. "She looks a lot like the Marshal. I never expected His Majesty the Emperor to send over such a treasured princess."
“When it comes to loving one’s child, who wouldn’t favor their own?” Aso Ment said. “Any news about Qiu Linghua?”
"We probably won't get definite news until we've passed those satellite transport stations," Jiang Sili replied. "There's no signal during a space jump."
Aso Ment frowned slightly. "Why would this suddenly happen?"
Jiang Sili gently shook her head. "I don't know."
Sangye and Lin Changli returned to the main base almost simultaneously.
"Brother!" Lin Yangchuan greeted him excitedly.
"Where is my sister! Where have you taken my sister?!" Qiu Lingxin wanted to tear Sang Ye to pieces, but was held tightly by several police officers behind her.
The police took Sangye and Lin Changli to different houses for questioning.
Duke Melusine Seren appeared outside the door, silently observing everything before him.
Sangye patted Lin Changli to comfort him, and before going inside, she glanced back at Jiang Sili.
Jiang Sili avoided her gaze.
“Colonel Kuwano, you should know that your situation is very unfavorable right now.” The police chief, with her short, neat hair, looked at the documents in her hand. “You and the missing person had previous conflicts, so you have a strong motive. Moreover, the last place the missing person was seen was Black Tower Star, and the recording also shows that you had an argument before disappearing. The voiceprint comparison shows a match. Although this can only be used as a supplementary tool, it will greatly influence the jury's verdict on you if the case goes to court.”
“I think you understand,” the director said. “So I hope you will cooperate actively.”
This inquiry yielded absolutely no answers.
Sangye had a vague guess in her mind, but she had no evidence and could not say it out loud.
*
Late at night. In the hangar.
The main base's hangars house many exclusive warships. High-ranking military officers each have a custom-built warship, which, through mental verification, allows them to temporarily disconnect from Eve.
A tall figure appeared inside the hangar.
His footsteps were silent, like a snake lurking and crawling.
He walked toward one of the exclusive warships, its silver-white fuselage adorned with black serpent patterns, a design once exclusive to the G77 Legion.
"Are you giving up on yourself? Using your own warship?" A voice rang out behind him, clear as a phoenix's cry. "That's too conspicuous, too easy to be tracked down."
Jiang Sili stopped in front of the cockpit door, maintaining the gesture of reaching out to touch it.
He looked at the pattern that once represented glory, thought for a moment, and then replied, "Why involve others? Let me bear the burden of what we couldn't resolve back then."
Lin Changli and Sangye emerged from the darkness. "So you know where Qiu Linghua is."
Jiang Sili shook his head: "You may not believe it, but I really can't confirm it. But there's a high probability that she's with the White Wolf Gang now."
"So you really haven't contacted the White Wolf Gang again?"
"...I've only contacted my sister once."
“His Majesty sent me the review report that Melusin submitted to him. We all know exactly where that red line points. Melusin can see it, His Majesty can see it, and I can see it too,” Lin Changli said.
"The White Wolf Gang has been secretly running a human smuggling business, targeting not only guides but also the families of Sentinels who want to visit Black Tower but whose official applications take too long. They've also been cooperating with the Loda, regularly stealing Black Crystals from the mines and selling them on the black market. Didn't you and Aso Ment tacitly approve of all this?"
"So you can only pretend you don't see it, right? Pretend you don't see it, settle accounts behind their backs, and protect them secretly." Lin Changli spoke detachedly, as if the money stolen wasn't his. "Isn't it exhausting for you to only be able to stand on one side?"
Jiang Sili lowered his hands, letting them hang at his sides. No one could see his expression.
"The White Wolf Gang ran into some trouble, and they urgently need money. They didn't even recognize Qiu Linghua, the second daughter of the family they once stole from, before accepting her job and smuggling her to Black Tower Star. Then they continued stealing black crystals, but Qiu Linghua saw them. They didn't have time to deal with it, so they kidnapped her," Sangye guessed. "General, am I wrong?"
"I'm just curious why Duchess Melusin clearly saw it, but didn't say anything? That's so unlike her."
Jiang Sili turned around, his usually gentle face now cold and hard, like a sinister snake.
-----------------------
Author's Note: I've made some plot changes, removing the character Tao Liu. Qiu Linghua's appearance directly introduces conflict.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
