TCPUAAV Chapter 122

 

Bonus chapter courtesy of Riehl ♡ Thank you for your support!

 

 

Rong Heng arrived just as Garland received the results of the genetic comparison.

 

Garland sent the electronic file over and voiced his speculation. “Sally, Jason, the newborn Zerg, the three captured specimens, and even… those nine preserved eggs,”—he deliberately left out a certain name that might upset Rong Heng—“they all share more than 60% identical DNA sequences. That means their DNA likely originates from the same Zerg lineage.”

 

While species often share common genetic traits—specific DNA sequences characteristic of their populations—there are still differences between individuals. Fundamentally, this difference lies in the variations in their DNA sequence. [Annotation]

 

In other words, these Zerg weren’t naturally born, but artificially created.

 

That explained why there could be more than one Zerg Queen.

 

“According to the information provided by those three humanoid Zerg, the original Zerg Queen died over a decade ago. A new Queen was never born, yet the Zerg have continued to reproduce. Most likely, they extracted DNA from the deceased Queen and used it to artificially create new Zerg,” Garland said grimly. “Judging by how Sally guarded those eggs, the Zerg must’ve only recently made a breakthrough in this technology. Those ten eggs—they’re newly cultivated Queens. That’s why they’re so important.”

 

Thinking of the newly born Zerg Queen, he couldn’t help but show a look of lingering fear. “Good thing we contained it in time. Otherwise, the consequences would’ve been disastrous.”

 

It had taken everything they had to contain just one Queen. If the Zerg managed to create a true Queen capable of endlessly laying eggs, it was only a matter of time before the Empire lost the ability to resist them.

 

“There might be one thing you’re wrong about,” Rong Heng said. He acknowledged Garland’s speculation but pointed out a discrepancy. He recalled what Ruan Jiao had said earlier and, after a brief moment of hesitation, decided not to keep it to himself. “Run a comparison with Ruan Jiao’s data too.”

 

He paused, then added, “Whatever the results, keep this confidential.”

 

He thought of the little one with tears streaming down his cheeks, and his expression softened for a moment. “I don’t want him to be affected.”

 

Ruan Jiao had, from long ago, displayed an extraordinary connection to the Zerg. His strange abilities, combined with the memories he’d recalled today, only strengthened Rong Heng’s suspicions.

 

Whether his guess was right or wrong, Garland would be the one to confirm it.

 

But Rong Heng would rather be wrong. If he turned out to be right, he still wouldn’t let the child fall into danger.

 

Garland was stunned at first, but then he thought of the child’s unique appearance and quickly understood. He nodded solemnly. “You have my word.”

 

Only after receiving that promise did Rong Heng turn to leave.

 

He returned to the repair shop but didn’t go inside right away—just stood there, looking in from a distance.

 

The shop looked the same as always… and yet, somehow, not quite the same.

 

The Xiong brothers were still running their business. Under Ruan Shiqing’s guidance, their skills had improved significantly, and the shop’s business was thriving. In the past, whenever the brothers worked in the front yard, the little ones would always come out, watching curiously or running around and playing. The golden robot would follow behind, fretting over their safety, or sometimes singing to itself or tending to the vines.

 

As long as the little ones were home, the courtyard was never quiet.

 

But today, it was silent.

 

The Xiong brothers, finished with their work, sat side by side on the steps, their faces drooping in worry. It wasn’t until they saw Rong Heng enter that they forced on a smile and greeted him.

 

Xiong Yuanyuan opened his mouth as if to ask something, but Xiong Fangfang tugged at him, and he fell silent again with a sulky look.

 

Rong Heng nodded to them, his footsteps light as he made his way upstairs.

 

The second floor was just as quiet. The living room was empty—no doubt the little ones were in the bedroom.

 

Rong Heng moved silently. The cubs hadn’t noticed him yet.

 

Heli, Nota, and the little mermaid were gathered around the bed, looking anxiously at Ruan Jiao. Ruan Jiao had his forehead pressed gently against Ruan Shiqing’s, his tendrils swaying softly.

 

After a moment, the little one lifted his head, his tendrils drooping weakly.

 

The three cubs immediately spoke up, voices filled with concern. “Well? How is it?”

 

Ruan Jiao shook his head, bit his lip, and said sadly, “It didn’t work.”

 

Rong Heng, who had been holding his breath, finally let it out. Even though he had expected this outcome, disappointment still washed over him.

 

They had tried before. From the moment it was clear Ruan Shiqing had no visible injuries but wouldn’t wake, Ruan Jiao had made an attempt. He had even tried transferring his own life force.

 

But nothing worked.

 

Rong Heng understood all too well Ruan Jiao’s feeling of helplessness. Ruan Shiqing’s body was like a container already filled to the brim. Spiritually and physically, there was simply no room left for anything more. There was no way in.

 

Aside from the coma, his physical condition was even better than that of an average person.

 

Rong Heng closed his eyes for a moment, steadying his emotions. Then he deliberately made his footsteps heavier, creating the illusion that he’d only just come upstairs.

 

As expected, the little ones immediately scrambled to act natural—some pretended to read, others to chat—hiding their sorrow beneath a carefully constructed sense of normalcy.

 

Rong Heng sat down by the bed and looked at the man still asleep, silently praying for his awakening.

 

*

 

The results of Ruan Jiao’s genetic comparison came back quickly. As expected, the highly overlapping DNA sequences found in the Zerg matched fragments of Ruan Jiao’s genetic code—perfectly aligning with what he had experienced in the past. It confirmed that the Zerg had begun experimenting with his genes a long time ago.

 

However, his genetic makeup was significantly more stable and complex. The artificially created Zerg simply couldn’t compare.

 

After showing Rong Heng the results, Garland destroyed all experimental data.

 

The two of them, in tacit agreement, chose to keep this a secret and refrained from digging any deeper.

 

A Zerg Queen had to be female, and Ruan Jiao was male—not even displaying a Zerg form. Only his dark red eyes and the presence of tentacles bore some resemblance to the Zerg. But so long as they said nothing, no one else would suspect any link to the Zerg.

 

“Now that the Zerg have evolved to take on humanoid forms, do you think there’s a chance they’ve splintered into factions?” Garland ventured a bold hypothesis based on the information at hand.

 

Ruan Jiao’s uniqueness within the Zerg was undeniable. Traditionally, Zerg society followed an ironclad hierarchy, where insubordination was unheard of. Yet they had extracted his genes for experiments—something that ran counter to everything they previously believed about the Zerg.

 

“It’s not impossible,” Rong Heng replied after some thought. Then something came to mind—“Do you remember the couple of years before my mother died? The situation at the front lines eased noticeably.”

 

The Empire and the Zerg had been locked in a bitter war for millennia, with not a moment of respite on the front lines.

 

When the Zerg launched major offensives, emperors with powerful bloodlines would personally lead troops into battle to bolster morale.

 

Yet Rong Heng distinctly recalled a period of one or two years when the Zerg attacks had noticeably decreased. The front lines had been unusually calm. That calm only broke during the battle where his mother lost her life, after which the war resumed with its usual brutality.

 

Garland frowned as he dug into his memory. “I think there were even rumors back then that the Zerg were dwindling in number… that they wouldn’t last much longer…”

 

The media had gone wild with the story at the time. But not long after, the Zerg came back stronger than ever.

 

“But rumors alone aren’t enough to prove anything,” Garland said with a sigh. “As things stand, the Zerg still appear unified. There’s no obvious sign of internal division.”

 

With nothing more to go on, Rong Heng was just about to leave when Hector came rushing in, face full of urgency.

 

“Something’s happened. You need to check the news.”

 

Seeing the gravity in his expression, the two immediately opened their smart terminals and started browsing the news feed. After reading a few headlines, their expressions darkened, hints of sorrow creeping in.

 

“Another planet’s been overrun by the Zerg?” Garland said with a heavy sigh. “They’re moving faster than we expected.”

 

“They must’ve been planning this for a long time,” Rong Heng said grimly, eyes fixed on the news feed.

 

There was no way their movements could’ve been so swift without prior planning.

 

At some point, beyond their awareness, the Zerg had already begun their advance.

 

The Driftwood Star incident hadn’t even settled yet, and now another planet had fallen. This was a silent, bloodless invasion—warfare without warning, without a single shot fired.

 

The string of disasters finally ignited a storm of panic and fury among the public. Holographic networks were now flooded with condemnation of the Siyan government and the military for their incompetence.

 

“What’s the situation on Sikkim?” Rong Heng asked.

 

He had been so emotionally drained lately that he hadn’t paid attention to the outside world.

 

Hector had, though—and his expression turned sour, a mix of anger and helplessness. But when he looked at Rong Heng, he hesitated.

 

“Just say it. Don’t hold back,” Rong Heng said, recognizing the look on Hector’s face. Most likely, Siyan had done something outrageous again.

 

That did it—Hector couldn’t hold it in any longer. “The Emperor really is a piece of work. Two planets overrun by Zerg, and he’s still in the mood to throw a birthday banquet for his father-in-law at a hotel. Serves him right.”

 

Rong Heng turned his gaze toward him. “What happened?”

 

Hector then shared the latest report he’d received.

 

While panic and outrage spread across the holonet, Sikkim—the capital star—remained as extravagant and festive as ever.

 

That very morning, Siyan had thrown a lavish birthday banquet for his father-in-law, Old Bart, at a luxury hotel.

 

The event was extravagant to the extreme. The Emperor himself attended with the Empress, and even the three rarely-seen heads of the major financial conglomerates were invited.

 

Old Bart, who hadn’t appeared in public for ages, looked healthier than ever as he made his grand entrance, surrounded by his children.

 

The banquet was a gathering of elites, swarming with media coverage.

 

But as Hector put it, some things just can’t be taken too far. Siyan had taken things too far—and now he was paying the price.

 

At a time when the public was in an uproar, not only did he ignore the mood of the people, he flaunted his wealth and power with such a grand display—of course someone was going to snap and retaliate.

 

Hector had just received news that the hotel hosting the banquet had been hit by a suicide attack.

 

It happened without warning—over a dozen shuttles crashed straight into the banquet hall and detonated simultaneously. Most of the hall collapsed. The casualties were staggering.

 

The three heads of the conglomerates, and even the Emperor himself, were not spared.

 

 

 

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“he deliberately left out a certain name that might upset Rong Heng” WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???? GARLAND YOU CAN’T JUST LET US SIMMER LIKE THIS???????

 

So Jiao Jiao doesn’t “rule” the Zergs because he is not female… Why did those Zergs before want to take him back though? Was it to use his genes for their experiments?? Still so many questions

 

And the “terrorist group” is back at it again, I wonder if it has any link with “Lucien” (or even what’s Siyan’s goal with all of this)

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~