TCPUAAV Chapter 65

 

 

After Lansing left, the little mermaid returned home.

 

As soon as he reached the doorway, he saw his father, 09, and the little ones all waiting outside.

 

The moment they saw him, the little dragon cub and the little fox were the first to rush up, one clung to his arm, the other to his tail.

 

The little dragon cub tilted his head up and shouted, “If that scoundrel dares to come looking for you again, we’ll beat him up and throw him out!”

 

“Exactly!” The little fox chimed in, “There are so many of us! We’ll knock his teeth out!”

 

The two little ones were full of righteous fury. A step slower to react as always, Ruan Jiao watched him for a moment before shuffling forward. Mimicking their actions, he wrapped his tiny arms around the little mermaid’s other arm and murmured in a garbled voice, “Bro… brother, hug.”

 

The soft antennae on his forehead drooped slightly, swaying gently as if sensing his emotions.

 

The little dragon cub, who had just been clamoring about beating up the bad guy, suddenly stiffened and switched his focus. “Jiao Jiao said ‘brother’ first! I win!”

 

“He wasn’t even talking to you,” the little fox retorted, clearly unconvinced. “Doesn’t count as your win.”

 

The little mermaid pressed his lips together, smiling as he was surrounded by the noisy, lively cubs and ushered inside.

 

With a major nuisance out of the way, he slept especially well that night.

 

At the bottom of the clear pool, there was a large bed designed to resemble a seashell. The beautiful little mermaid curled up with his tail wrapped around himself, his body forming a half-circle as he slept soundly. His pale blue, translucent ear fins fluttered faintly.

 

Above the still water, two rubber ducklings floated quietly.

 

Rong Heng stood by the poolside, watching him for a while before agilely leaping off the second-floor balcony.

 

His first stop was the Fragrance Tower Manor.

 

Mo Li had already received his message and was waiting in the drawing room.

 

“Have you found out everything?” Rong Heng got straight to the point, not wanting to waste time.

 

“We’ve uncovered part of it. The middle-aged man is Wright Libienne, the youngest son of Belman, the Grand Elder of the Merfolk Clan. Because he was born late in Belman’s life, he has always been deeply doted on. However, he’s nothing more than a useless playboy, over thirty years old and still accomplished nothing, relying entirely on Belman to pave the way for him. This time, he came to Planet B3024 with Lansing, most likely to gain some prestige by association.

 

“As for Lansing Libienne, he is the clan leader’s only son. However, he has been subjected to strict training from a young age and has rarely appeared in public. Since birth, he has been revered as the ‘Holy Son’, the chosen heir of the Merfolk Clan and the next Governor of Sijialan.”

 

The Galactic Empire governed nine administrative regions, spanning twenty-four star systems and over three hundred habitable planets. Each planet had its own distinct local culture and governance system. However, since the Empire’s establishment, all nine regions had acknowledged Sikkim as the capital planet and pledged allegiance to the Emperor. The highest-ranking officials or rulers of other planets were granted the title of Governor.

 

For generations, Sijialan’s governorship had always been held by the leader of the Merfolk Clan. It was said that every Holy Son born into the clan possessed an overwhelming power capable of making all merfolk submit.

 

“But judging by the laboratory Ruan Yuebai described, it seems this Holy Son isn’t quite living up to expectations.” Rong Heng sneered.

 

If Lansing truly possessed such overwhelming strength, the Merfolk Clan wouldn’t have needed to establish a secret laboratory and produce countless identical test subjects. It was obvious that something had gone wrong with the so-called Holy Son, forcing them to create clones to compensate.

 

And in the end, they even pushed Lansing, one of those experimental subjects, to the forefront.

 

“But there’s something odd about all this,” Mo Li said. “From the information we’ve gathered, both the Merfolk Clan leader and the elders sincerely support Lansing as the Holy Son and have high expectations for him. Even someone as notoriously biased as Belman reprimands Wright every time he causes trouble for Lansing and keeps trying to push him closer to his cousin.”

 

“If Lansing were just a manufactured experimental subject, I can’t believe that those arrogant water-breathers would genuinely embrace him.”

 

If only one or two people showed favoritism, that would be one thing. But even the Merfolk Clan leader was acting this way, now that was truly puzzling.

 

“We can investigate further later,” Rong Heng said. “Where are they now?”

 

“They’re currently staying at an estate owned by a wealthy merchant in the inner city. But Wright and Lansing don’t seem to get along. Wright rarely returns to the estate, spending most of his time indulging in the inner city’s pleasure dens.”

 

“Got it.” Rong Heng nodded and turned to leave. “Keep watching them.”

 

Before his words had even fully settled, he had already vanished from the drawing room.

 

Using the shadows for cover, Rong Heng smoothly infiltrated the inner city and found the estate Mo Li had mentioned.

 

Originally, he had come to give Lansing a warning.

 

But after what he saw, he temporarily abandoned that plan. Hidden in the darkness, he leisurely settled in to watch the show.

 

In the courtyard, a drunken Wright glared with arrogance. “Ha! Finally caught you red-handed, didn’t I?”

 

“You discovered an escaped experimental subject and didn’t report it. If the clan leader and my father find out, you won’t get away with this.”

 

“What experimental subject?” Lansing’s expression remained indifferent.

 

“The mermaid from that repair shop. Don’t think I don’t know your dirty little secrets. If it weren’t for the clan leader going to great lengths to create a suitable body for you, you’d be nothing but a sickly invalid. What makes you think you can compete with me?” Wright sneered triumphantly. “I saw everything today, you seem to be on rather good terms with that experimental subject, huh? Trying to cover for him? Can’t bear to let him die?”

 

He raised his smart device with a malicious grin. “How about I help you make a choice? You either go kill him yourself right now, or I contact the clan leader and tell him everything.”

 

“You saw what happened this afternoon?” No matter how Wright provoked him, Lansing remained composed, unshaken.

 

Wright hated that fake calmness of his to the core, gritting his teeth. “Of course I did! I even recorded it. Want to take a look?”

 

“Belman, that old fox, actually raised an idiot like you.” Lansing sneered, leisurely pulling out his blaster. “But you’re right about one thing, someone does need to die.”

 

“Go on then, go kill that experimental subject with your own hands,” Wright smirked, but the next second, his expression froze.

 

The blaster was aimed at his forehead.

 

Lansing’s smile deepened. “But the one who needs to die isn’t 047. It’s you.”

 

With that, he pulled the trigger.

 

A high-energy blast obliterated Wright’s skull, leaving a gruesome mess.

 

Lansing didn’t spare it a second glance. He bent down, picked up Wright’s bloodstained smart device, found the recorded footage, and deleted it. Then, he extracted the identity card embedded inside before firing another shot, shattering the device completely.

 

The commotion in the courtyard finally alerted the estate’s owner.

 

A middle-aged man with a scruffy beard stepped out to investigate, his bloated body wrapped in silk pajamas, making him look utterly ridiculous.

 

Seeing the corpse on the ground, its head blown apart, and the young man standing calmly in the courtyard, the man’s lips trembled for a long while before he finally managed to stammer, “L-Lord Libienne, I, I saw nothing!”

 

Lansing looked at him with a smile.

 

Before the man could turn and flee, Lansing shot him without hesitation.

 

Walking over to his corpse, he murmured softly, “Sorry, but I find that dead men keep secrets better.”

 

Then, he entered the estate ahead of schedule, systematically eliminating everyone inside.

 

By the time he returned to the courtyard, he had already changed into a fresh, clean suit. His gaze swept toward Rong Heng’s hiding spot, and he called out, “Esteemed guest, how much longer do you plan on watching?”

 

Rong Heng stepped out from the shadows, glancing at the corpses on the ground. “Who would’ve thought those brainless fish would raise such a vicious wolf?”

 

How interesting.

 

Lansing, however, looked surprised to see him. “This insignificant little garbage planet really is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. I never expected to find the former imperial crown prince here.”

 

He deliberately emphasized the word “former,” his tone laced with mockery.

 

“I’m not here to trade insults with you.” Rong Heng ignored the provocation, his gaze settling on the shattered smart device. Changing his initial plan, he said, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since we share a common foe, why don’t we do business?”

 

Lansing raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “I’m listening.”

 

The two of them stood in the courtyard, discussing matters for a long time.

 

Afterward, Rong Heng left, while a great fire engulfed the estate, destroying all traces of what had transpired the night before.

 

The massive blaze in the inner city caused quite a stir, with even the outer city catching wind of the news.

 

“I heard the fire was so intense it burned for five whole hours before the emergency firefighting robots managed to put it out,” Xiong Yuanyuan recounted animatedly, practically spitting as he talked.

 

“Apparently, some big-shot died in the fire too. Now the entire inner city guard is out in force, searching for the arsonist. Once they finish sweeping the inner city, they’ll probably start searching the outer city next.”

 

“Do you think this will affect us?” Xiong Fangfang asked worriedly.

 

People in the outer city didn’t particularly care about what happened in the inner city. The fire, and the so-called noble who perished in it, were nothing more than gossip, just some fresh tea to sip on. However, if the inner city authorities increased their manpower and started conducting searches, that could seriously disrupt life in the outer city.

 

“Even if they do start looking for the arsonist, it’ll only last a few days. Just keep your head down and stay out of trouble.”

 

As Ruan Shiqing spoke, he remained focused on his work, meticulously lubricating the joints of a small robot.

 

The golden little robot sat contentedly on a tiny stool, holding a bottle of lubricant needed for maintenance.

 

And nearby, a certain well-informed individual was sprawled out on a lounge chair, basking in the sunlight with his eyes half-closed, enjoying a leisurely afternoon.

 

 

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Well… that escalated quickly…

 

Also, gotta love how author-sama teases us about their cooperation without actually letting us know anything orz

 

Thanks for reading!

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