Two projections

Zhou Jiuya⁠⁠‍​⁠​‍​⁠⁠‌‍​‍‌‍‌⁠⁠‌‍‌⁠⁠ was feeling extremely uncomfortable right now.

—He was at his limit.

Because from his perspective, the whole situation looked like this: the child from his family ran off to the lawless Winter Day Planet, and in less than half a month, the once pure omega was temporarily marked.

And who did this? Some wild man with no money, no house, no mecha, who even has to wear Jiang Ci’s clothes.

From a parent’s point of view, it’s as if a prime piece of cabbage had been eaten by a pig.

This feeling was too unbearable.

Zhou Jiuya was practically suffocating.

Even though he’s an extremely rough Alpha, who doesn’t know how to connect with kids and definitely can’t raise them, he genuinely cares for Jiang Ci. Back when the experts said Jiang Ci should attend kindergarten, Zhou Jiuya made sure he went to the best one.

No one knows how much of a headache it was for Zhou Jiuya to complete the homework assigned by the teacher in the parents’ group chat every day. It was more of a headache than handling military affairs or fighting on the battlefield. But he still had to meticulously and seriously finish it.

Then, Zhou Jiuya had to attend parent-teacher meetings. Since Jiang Ci was antisocial, uncooperative, and often caused trouble, Zhou Jiuya was frequently called in by the teacher for a scolding.

To avoid revealing his identity as the Legion Commander and bringing unnecessary trouble to Jiang Ci, he had to disguise himself every time before going in to get scolded.

Zhou Jiuya and Jiang Ci rarely communicated. First, because Zhou Jiuya himself grew up lacking familial warmth—he was a stain on the Jiang family as an illegitimate child.

Plus, his many years in the military made him completely disconnected from the softer things in life like family and children.

On top of that, his brother’s kid had a naturally difficult personality. Jiang Ci didn’t like the things other children enjoyed and was nothing like other omega kids who were soft, sweet, and coy. Jiang Ci didn’t know how to act spoiled, and he rarely spoke unless absolutely necessary.

The child preferred to hide away in Jiang Jinsheng’s lab, tinkering with strange machines, and cared about nothing else.

Well, like father, like son.

Zhou Jiuya didn’t understand any of that. He was busy every day, so he thought as long as Jiang Ci ate well, drank well, didn’t get sick, and grew up safely, that was enough. As for everything else, whatever the child wanted, he provided; whatever the child wanted to do, he let him do. It was basically a free-range upbringing.

It was probably because of this lax education that Jiang Ci was kidnapped and left with severe psychological scars.

So, since Zhou Jiuya himself didn’t fulfill the responsibilities of a guardian, when Jiang Ci said they had already terminated the guardianship relationship, Zhou Jiuya had no standing or right to interfere with Jiang Ci’s personal feelings any further.

Officially, as a Legion Commander, he couldn’t meddle in the personal lives of his subordinates; and privately, since Jiang Ci was already an adult and they weren’t close, he had no control.

So Zhou Jiuya endured it, refraining from interfering too much. And because of the unclear relationship between Huo Xianfeng and Huo Chao, he didn’t develop too much of a dislike for Huo Xianfeng—just some irritation from a parent’s standpoint.

However, as a parent, Zhou Jiuya couldn’t just do nothing. He initially planned to bring them back to the Capital, keep them under his watchful eye, and investigate Huo Xianfeng’s background before making any further decisions. After all, the guy seemed to have decent combat skills.

Zhou Jiuya didn’t even have time to come up with a concrete plan before the two of them disappeared during the Church’s ambush, along with the Forbidden Abyss’ wreckage and the core inside Bai Ze.

They were gone for almost a month, leaving Zhou Jiuya so stressed that his hair turned white at an alarming rate.

Finally, when some news came and they met again today—well, great!

Last time they met, it was a temporary marking. This time, it’s a complete marking!

The Legion Commander was practically furious enough to cough up blood. He’d managed to uncover quite a bit about Huo Xianfeng’s background by now, but it was already too late.

His prized “cabbage” wasn’t just taken by a “pig”; it had been completely ravaged by a bug.

Zhou Jiuya’s face was pale and he repeatedly clenched his fists. On top of that, every air he breathed was filled with the heavy scent of Huo Xianfeng’s pheromones on Jiang Ci. It felt like a knife was being twisted in his heart, and each breath drove the blade deeper.

Beside him, Ye Shu, an A-class Alpha, also had an unpleasant expression on his face. Aside from the fact that Jiang Ci had been marked, there was the issue of Huo Xianfeng’s pheromones being overwhelmingly powerful, making Ye Shu instinctively feel extremely uneasy and threatened.

Alphas are naturally competitive and territorial, especially when it comes to the rare resource that is an Omega.

While most people had assumed Huo Xianfeng might be an S-class Alpha, that was simply because human classifications didn’t go beyond S-class.

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If even an S-class Alpha like Zhou Jiuya felt such an intense threat…

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The person before them… No, it should be said, the Zerg King.

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Clink.

A crisp, delicate sound drew everyone’s attention to the knife Huo Xianfeng had just set down.

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Most people were focused on the knife, but Pei Changyun was looking at the black ring on Huo Xianfeng’s ring finger.

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—He was searching for evidence that Huo Xianfeng wasn’t Huo Chao.

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At this moment, Huo Xianfeng finally lifted his gaze. Then, Humanity’s Emperor locked eyes with the Zerg King.

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When you’re familiar with someone down to their very bones, you don’t rely on their appearance to recognize them.

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But Huo Xianfeng’s eyes were cold. Even when looking straight ahead, they gave the impression of someone who was looking down on you with indifference from a great height—as if a king was gazing upon ants.

Even without pheromone suppression, and with a vast distance between them, Pei Changyun felt an intense pressure at that moment.

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He had the kind of dominance that was ingrained in his very genes as a being above billions of Zergs. Even without releasing any killing intent or making any threatening moves; just that one look sent a deep danger alarm through Pei Changyun.

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Maybe Huo Chao had muttered about Pei Changyun too many times in front of Huo Xianfeng, so Huo Xianfeng knew the other party’s age.

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Huo Chao died at 29, making Pei Changyun 27 at the time.

Now, it has been 300 years since Huo Chao’s death, so Pei Changyun is 327 years old this year—right at the prime of human life.

Moreover, as a Beta, his slightly more slender physique made him appear even younger.

Pei Changyun had black hair and green eyes, with soft facial features that were better described as delicate rather than handsome. His appearance made him look less like a decisive monarch and more like a refined and skillful diplomat. However, he had changed greatly from the sharp and cold Beta youth Huo Xianfeng had seen through Huo Chao’s perspective.

The current Pei Changyun, having survived Earth’s destruction, political upheaval, and having personally established a new empire, could no longer conceal the brilliance that his appearance failed to mask.

Years of ruling had given him a naturally authoritative presence, and even his seemingly delicate beta features did nothing to diminish his dignity.

Huo Xianfeng narrowed his eyes.

He had to admit, Huo Chao had good taste. It was not in vain that the fool had spent so much effort chasing him for half a year. After all, after Huo Chao died, Pei Changyun did clean up his mess very well.

He even managed to hold his own against the Church, slightly gaining the upper hand, despite lacking both Huo Chao and the Forbidden Abyss.

From the perspective of gene propagation, Huo Xianfeng found himself somewhat admiring Pei Changyun.

The two of them stared at each other for several seconds without saying a word and the atmosphere quietly grew tense.

Until the Forbidden Abyss cautiously spoke up, “Huo Chao left behind a video, saying it should be played when you meet all of them. Should I play it now?”

The Forbidden Abyss’s words were directed at Huo Xianfeng. Perhaps the earlier scene of Huo Xianfeng consuming the mecha core had left a significant psychological impact on Forbidden Abyss, causing this 3S-class mech—the only one of its kind in the world—to subconsciously use the polite ‘you’ when addressing Huo Xianfeng.

“Yes, play it,” Huo Xianfeng replied, leaning back in his chair.

Nora, who had been standing by, immediately collected the dishes and stood quietly behind the King.

The video left by Huo Chao…

Those words instantly made everyone, except Huo Xianfeng, tense up.

Pei Changyun’s gaze darkened, and his fingers clenched involuntarily.

It was obvious that the video had been left specifically for Huo Xianfeng.

When Huo Chao died, he hadn’t left a single word for Pei Changyun.

Yet for Huo Xianfeng, he had left behind so much…

Pei Changyun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then looked up.

At this moment, the black ring was removed from Huo Xianfeng’s ring finger and floated beside him. In the next second, with a soft “beep,” the Forbidden Abyss took over the projection system in the meeting room.

Eerie blue lights began to emit from all four corners, eventually converging together like countless intricate threads weaving into a tapestry.

The projection started from the bottom up—a pair of black military boots, straight and long legs, broad and upright shoulders, and finally, a face. In just a few seconds, Huo Chao‘s figure was fully projected.

Many people said that Huo Xianfeng looked just like Huo Chao, but to Jiang Ci, the two were completely different. Even their outward appearance, which seemed similar at first glance, was actually quite distinct.

Jiang Ci looked at Marshal Huo Chao, the epitomized image of a savior in the minds of everyone—mature, steady, dignified, and handsome.

If Huo Chao’s face gave the impression of a benevolent leader with the people’s welfare at his heart, then Huo Xianfeng’s would be that of a King who looked down upon the world—handsome, cold, and inherently noble.

This was their biggest difference. They were different, yet each possessed their own unique charm, like the sun, moon, and stars, each shining brilliantly in their own realm.

A-Ci: Uncle, he is not a poor boy.

Zhou Jiuya: If Uncle could beat him, he would be dead now