Chapter 120: The Mantis Catches the Cicada, While the Oriole Is Behind 3
Vic angrily slammed the alloy door of the detention room open, and cold, hard air rushed in, accompanied by the low roar of the starship engine.
He had just stepped through the door before he could react.
The tea stains on the cuffs and the wrinkled fabric were all shouting out impatience, but Ye Heng, who was leaning against the bulkhead, interrupted him.
"The Second Prince was stopped, right?" Ye Heng's voice was emotionless, as if he was stating an established fact.
The blue light of the energy bracelet on his wrist reflected in his eyes, but it failed to suppress the coldness of understanding.
Vic's anger instantly shot up to the top of his head, and just as he was about to scold "How dare you laugh at me",
Ye Heng's second sentence came floating over: "Second Prince, how many times do you think you will be stopped from now on?"
This sentence was like a basin of cold water, which extinguished Vic's anger but also brought out the doubts in his heart.
He stared at Ye Heng's calm face, then glanced at Lin Yao, who was sitting on a metal chair, tapping the seat with his fingertips carelessly.
Suddenly he realized that the two of them didn't take his fake-come-true plan seriously at all. Instead, they were like two spectators who were not involved in the matter and saw through his predicament.
The sound of footsteps from the Royal Guards came from the corridor. Vic turned around abruptly and waved his hand with a fierce look in his eyes: "Everyone, retreat fifty meters! Anyone who dares to come closer will be punished by military law!"
The soldiers didn't dare to say anything more and quickly turned around and retreated. The alloy door slowly closed, completely separating the prison cell from the outside world into two worlds.
"What do you mean?" Vic finally spoke, his voice low and with a barely perceptible tension.
He walked up to Ye Heng, staring down at him, trying to regain the initiative by using the prince's pressure, but Lin Yao gently took over the conversation.
Lin Yao raised his head and his eyes fell on Vic's clenched fist, where there were still red marks from hitting the main console.
"The person who stopped His Royal Highness the Second Prince was undoubtedly the Third Prince Karen." His voice was soft, but every word was clear.
“People in the royal family only consider profit when doing things.
If there weren't enough benefits, Karen wouldn't take the risk and stop you with the lame excuse of 'Zerg investigation'."
Vic's Adam's apple moved, but he didn't refute.
Of course he knew Karen's ambition, but he couldn't figure it out.
Is it worth it for Karen to go to this extent just to delay the time when he would show off his military achievements?
Lin Yao seemed to see through his thoughts. His fingertips tapped the chair with a crisp sound and he asked:
"Second Prince, what kind of interests do you think would make Karen willingly bear the charge of 'delaying important royal business' in order to keep you out of the Central Star?"
These words were like a needle, piercing through Vic's previous anger and anxiety.
He originally wanted to answer Lin Yao, but Karen stopped him because she wanted to embarrass him.
But after Lin Yao's reminder, Vic suddenly remembered that the old emperor had been in a coma for half a month.
I think of Karen's pride when he took over the imperial power, and of the noble families on the Central Star who were ready to make a move.
The purpose of procrastination is not to embarrass him. What is hidden behind the procrastination may be Karen's conspiracy to completely control power.
The detention room fell silent, with only the occasional buzzing sound from the energy bracelet.
Vic's expression gradually changed, from initial anger, to confusion, and then to a hint of fear.
He looked at Ye Heng and Lin Yao, and suddenly realized that he seemed to have fallen into a bigger trap.
And these two "prisoners of war" in front of him may be the only ones who can help him break the deadlock.
"Have you figured it out?" Ye Heng looked at the change on Vic's face, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
His fingertips gently stroked the blue light patterns on his wrist. This cold restraint was the best proof that Vic did not trust them.
Vic's Adam's apple moved, and the prince's pressure from before had long since dissipated, replaced by an anxiety that was difficult to conceal.
He took a step forward, almost getting in front of Ye Heng, his voice filled with pleading:
"You guys have to have a solution, right?
As long as you can help me break through the blockade and return to the Central Star smoothly, I will accept all the conditions we agreed upon before, and I can even increase them. I will do what I say!"
Ye Heng did not respond, but turned to look at Lin Yao. The two exchanged glances.
The deep meaning in that look made Vic's heart sink inexplicably.
Lin Yao slowly stood up, making a slight noise as he rubbed against the metal back of the chair. He walked up to Vic and stared straight into his eyes.
"Second Prince, this is not the first time we've dealt with each other. What happened to the conditions you agreed to during the negotiations?"
He pointed at Ye Heng's wrist: "How can you make us trust you?"
Vic's face turned pale, and he opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by Lin Yao:
"You were afraid that we would betray you, so you kept a backup plan; we were also naturally afraid that you would betray us and sell us out to Karen to show your loyalty.
The foundation of cooperation is trust, but you broke the rules first."
Vic was speechless after being confronted by Lin Yao. Just when he was brainstorming,
Ye Heng spoke slowly, his voice still calm: "There are ways to break the deadlock."
Vic's eyes lit up, and just as he was about to ask what method he could use, he was stopped by Ye Heng's words:
"But this can only be done by him and me." He leaned back against the bulkhead and pointed at Lin Yao.
"All you have to do is let us go and trust us."
"That's it?" Vic frowned. Ye Heng didn't tell him his plan, which made him feel uneasy. He was about to refute.
Lin Yao sneered: "Second Prince, you don't think we will tell you everything, right?" He walked over to Ye Heng and sat down beside him.
"It seems that the Second Prince has no choice but to trust us. After all, it is you who is anxious to break the deadlock, not us."
The air in the room became tense again.
Vic looked at the two men in front of him. They were clearly wearing shackles, but they were like chess players who controlled the overall situation.
As a prince holding military power, he became the passive party because of Karen.
He knew that Ye Heng and Lin Yao were not lying, and they did have reservations about him.
But he had no other choice. Karen was delaying time, and the situation on the Central Star could get out of control at any time. He could only take a gamble this time.
"Okay." Vic finally gritted his teeth and nodded, then turned and walked towards the hatch.
"I'll arrange to remove the handcuffs and open the channel right now. But remember, if you dare to play tricks on me, we'll both be destroyed!"
The alloy door slowly closed. Lin Yao watched Weike disappear from view, then turned to Ye Heng and whispered, "Have Ye Mang and the others arrived?"
Ye Heng nodded to indicate that they had arrived as planned. Regarding another question Lin Yao asked,
Ye Heng said that he just needed to help Vic get to the gate of the Central Star, and as for the rest of the story... it had to go according to their plan.
The light in the room was still cold and hard, but this time, the initiative quietly returned to the hands of the two prisoners.
Vic, who was at the end of the corridor, was still excited about the upcoming breakthrough, but he didn't realize that he had already walked into another chess game set up by Ye Heng and Lin Yao.
—
As soon as the bracelet was removed, Ye Heng immediately activated the micro encrypted communicator hidden inside his collar.
That was a communicator specially made by Bian Miao, which could penetrate the electromagnetic shielding of the starship and directly connect the signal to the Chiying dark line.
"Ye Mang, report the coordinates." Ye Heng's voice was very low.
Three seconds later, Ye Mang's voice came through the radio waves, accompanied by the background sound of the spaceship engine:
"Three nodes behind the Xuanjia starship, the abandoned mines on Gray Mist Star, we are disguised as cargo ships and have been following you.
There were unusual movements in the Karen-affiliated maintenance fleet, and they just scanned our disguised signal, but nothing was revealed."
Lin Yao and Ye Heng exchanged glances, and a hint of understanding flashed across their eyes. Chi Ying's hidden line did not disappoint them.
After hanging up the phone, Ye Heng turned to look at Vic, who had just arranged to liberate them and returned again, and said that he and Lin Yao were planning to bypass the checkpoint.
Before Vic could respond, Ye Heng continued, his words now adding some substance:
"Karen stopped you not because he was afraid you would go back and show off your achievements, but because he was afraid you would hinder his plan to usurp the throne."
"Usurping the throne?" Vic's voice suddenly rose, and the anger he had suppressed before surged up again. "He dares? The emperor is still..."
"The emperor has been in a coma for half a month. The guards in the bedroom are all Karen's men. He also has the final say on the medical parameters of the maintenance cabin."
Ye Heng interrupted him with a cold tone, "Why do you think he delayed for 24 hours?"
"By the time you're stopped until tomorrow, maybe news will arrive from the Central Star that 'the emperor has passed away and the third prince has succeeded to the throne.'
"When the time comes, you can bring us back with you. The Third Prince, who has already ascended the throne, can accuse you of any crime, such as 'colluding with a traitorous general and plotting rebellion,' and use it as a legitimate excuse to get rid of you."
"This bastard!" Vic kicked the metal chair fiercely, causing it to make a loud noise. The anger in his eyes almost overflowed.
"I can't let him succeed! How do you mean by circumventing the checkpoints? Take me with you! I'll go with you to the Central Star and expose him face to face!"
Ye Heng shook his head and tapped the terminal lightly, bringing up a three-dimensional map of Gray Mist Star:
"I can't take you with me. Karen never stopped the starship, but you, the Second Prince.
His inspection fleet must be checking your biological information in real time. Once they find that you are not on the starship, they will immediately guess your plan.
Not only will they accelerate their rise to power, but they will also send a fleet to surround us, and then none of us will be able to escape."
"Then what should I do?" Vic was so anxious that he wanted to grab Ye Heng's arm, but Ye Heng dodged him.
He didn't care that his hands were empty, but continued, "Stay here and wait for him to accuse you of a crime?"
"If you stay, it will be the best deception." Lin Yao added.
"We'll bypass the node, and you'll continue dealing with the maintenance fleet on the starship.
Deliberately spread the news that you are 'dissatisfied with the interception and will protest to the Interstellar Council' to make Karen think that you are still being dragged along.
Wait until we disrupt his succession process on the Central Star, and then you rush back, it will be just in time."
Vic was stunned for a moment, pondering the logic behind this statement.
Indeed, only if he stayed where he was would Karen relax her vigilance, and Ye Heng and Lin Yao would have the opportunity to sneak into the Central Star.
But he was still unsure, staring at the two and asking, "Once you get to the Central Star, how can you be sure you can release the evidence? What if Karen's people catch you..."
"Second Prince, don't worry about this." Ye Heng said with a distant tone.
"We just need you to cooperate with the 'acting', and we will handle the rest ourselves." He didn't reveal the cards he had in his hand.
Vic looked at the two men and knew that they were still holding back. Even the words they said about letting him enjoy the fruits of his labor were probably lies to him, but he had no better choice at the moment.
Vic gritted his teeth and nodded fiercely: "Okay! I'll cooperate with you! But remember, if you dare to lie to me, even if I die, I will drag you down with me!"
Ye Heng didn't respond, but just patted his arm, turned around and walked towards the cabin door with Lin Yao.
The light of the encrypted communicator flashed again, this time with a command sent to Ye Mang:
[Prepare for support. Meet at the Gray Mist Star Mine in 20 minutes.]
The door slowly opened, and Vic stood there, watching the two people's backs disappear at the end of the corridor, feeling anxious and confused.
He knew that this cooperation was still "seeking the skin of a tiger", but he had no choice. Either trust Ye Heng once, or wait to be completely destroyed by Karen.
The cold light in the corridor fell on Vic's face. He clenched his fists and finally turned and walked towards the command cabin.
He had to play this drama well, for himself and for the crumbling throne.
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