Last Night’s Video

Leinster stared​‍‍​​‍​​‍‍‌​⁠​‌​⁠⁠‌​‍‍⁠⁠ at the young man, his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles in his cheeks were visibly taut. After a few seconds, however, he relaxed.

“No, I won’t kill you. Not yet. That would be too easy for you.”

Leinster ran his rough thumb across He Zhun’s face, his lips curling into a malicious smile.
“You’ll come to understand, He Zhun—without me, you’re nothing in this Church. I’ll be waiting to see you regret this, to watch you come crying and begging to me.”

Such threats meant little to He Zhun. He tilted his head slightly and leaned into Leinster’s palm, the movement oddly reminiscent of a small animal seeking affection.
“So, all I have to do is cry and beg?”

“…”

Leinster’s heart skipped a beat, it felt as though he’d punched a pillow instead of landing a blow. Frustrated, he grabbed He Zhun’s jaw, forcing him to lift his head in discomfort.

“That trick won’t work on me anymore, brat!”

“…Won’t it?”

He Zhun’s face showed a hint of discomfort, but he met Leinster’s gaze and, gripping the alpha’s wrist, he spoke clearly.
“Then perhaps you could let go, so I can try this trick on Lady Lia instead. Who knows? It might still work on her. Or perhaps on Bernard from the Stigmata Research Institute. Or even Elder Mandala, who outranks you… Oh, I’ve just remembered, isn’t he here right now?”

Bang!

He Zhun’s back slammed against the floor-to-ceiling window, the impact making a heavy, dull sound. With Leinster towering over him and gripping his jaw, He Zhun had to strain his muscles and stand on tiptoe just to stay upright.

“…You’re such a wretch, He Zhun.”

Leinster’s expression was as dark as it could get. Despite his apparent dominance, it was clear he was being thoroughly manipulated by the young man before him.

“Can’t fucking survive without a man’s attention, can you?!”

He Zhun’s handsome face contorted slightly in pain, but even with his jaw clenched in Leinster’s grip, his words were still clear.
“Of course I can. Because Lia’s just much gentler than you are.”

—The nickname was very deliberate.

And, as expected, it worked. Leinster’s possessive rage flared instantly, his face twisting into one of the ugliest expressions He Zhun had ever seen. The alpha’s body even radiated a faint but unmistakable murderous intent.

“What now? Have you sunk so low as to let an omega fuck you?!”

“…No. I know my place and would never compare myself to the beautiful Saintess. Besides, what could an omega without glands possibly accomplish?”

He Zhun reached up to touch Leinster’s face. His fingertips, as cold as ever, were paradoxically gentle.
“Otherwise, why would I come looking for you?”

The grip on He Zhun’s jaw loosened slightly at his words. He moved his tongue against his cheek, feeling the ache in his muscles subside somewhat.

“Heh, came looking for me?”

The sinister alpha glared down at him like a predator eyeing its prey.
“That’s not what you said when you were so eager to cling to Cecilia.”

Back then, when Leinster heard that Cecilia was trying to win over He Zhun, he couldn’t sit still. His possessive rage overwhelmed him, but in the end, He Zhun had doused him in cold water ——

Faced with an enraged Leinster, He Zhun had not shown fear. Instead, his every word was a biting taunt.

[Originally, the Illusory God Church had three Archbishops: Chris, Olero, and you, Leinster. When the Holy White Tower fell during Huo Chao’s rebellion, Olero was killed, and Chris was turned into a mechanical puppet by Cecilia. Later, several others replaced the third Archbishop, but from beginning to the end, only you, Leinster, have remained in the same seat.]

[So, I initially thought you were intelligent—capable, strategic, and resourceful. That’s why I chose you. But I’ve come to realize you’re not as strong as I imagined. You’re just older than Cecilia and have the advantage of being an alpha. In every other respect, she surpasses you.]

[A few months ago, during the Winter Star mission, you showed some cunning by sending Cruzi to the frontlines as a scapegoat, sharing the risks and responsibility. You even applied for a large number of space-warp devices. But despite all that effort and investment, the end result? All you brought back was a wreckage.]

Space-warp devices were single-use, extremely expensive, and impossible to mass-produce. Therefore, their use required approval from the Pope.

The Illusory God Church had used up one-third of its supply during the attack on the Dawn Legion and most of the rest during the Earth evacuation.

For the Winter Star mission to retrieve the Forbidden Abyss, Leinster had mobilized a massive fleet and used a significant number of these devices, but all he had to show for it was a single wreckage.

As a result, he was punished and sent to the Discipline Hall. His status and reputation took a severe hit.

[Now, the Pope’s trust in you is at an all-time low. Even Cecilia, whom you once overshadowed, has climbed above you. If I were you, I wouldn’t waste my time competing with her over a beta. I’d focus on regaining the Pope’s trust and securing power and status within the Illusory God Church.]

The young man sneered coldly.
[So, Leinster, compared to Cecilia, your value to me is significantly lower. All you have left is your alpha brute strength to make me submit. It’s pathetic, Leinster.]

That icy gaze and merciless mockery left a deep impression on Leinster.

After a long silence, Leinster had let out a chilling laugh.
[You’ll come crawling back and begging me, brat.]

The next day, he received the task of incorporating the remaining soldiers from Bright City into the troops and immediately set out to reside in the second secret military base on Holy Dew Planet.

—Which is where they were now.

But it was too soon.

Leinster had known that one day He Zhun would come looking for him again, but he hadn’t expected it to be this early. Still, he had no intention of asking why. It was obvious—this cunning little fox must have sniffed out some benefit to gain from him, or perhaps he had hit a wall with Cecilia.

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The handsome young man stood on his tiptoes, holding onto the alpha’s broad shoulders. He extended his soft tongue and licked Leinster’s Adam’s apple. His voice was deliberately soft, even a bit like coquettishness.
“Do you really… not want me anymore?”

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In the next instant, he violently opened the younger man’s coat and leaned down to touch his lower back in a way that was both teasing and humiliating. He Zhun’s body tensed slightly, the forceful caress making it difficult for him to stay steady. But he neither resisted nor showed any intention of avoiding the alpha’s actions.

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“He Zhun, isn’t this the result of all your meticulous planning over the years?”

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He Zhun closed his eyes tightly, turning his head away but not denying a word.

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Although the circumstances weren’t entirely identical, in the end, they had all died because of the Holy Stigmata.

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But the Empire didn’t have Holy Stigmata materials or the experimental subjects he needed. So, from a young age, He Zhun had the idea of infiltrating the Illusory God Church, though he lacked the means. That opportunity finally came when Jiang Ci was thirteen, during his kidnapping incident.

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Leinster bit down on the young man’s earlobe, deliberately increasing the pressure to elicit a restrained moan from He Zhun.

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Meanwhile, the same topic was being discussed in Zhou Jiuya’s office.

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“Yes.”

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Jiang Ci was stunned. It took him a long time to process the words.
“Why… why would he do that? I don’t understand.”

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Zhou Jiuya glanced at Huo Xianfeng who was lying on the sofa.

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“…”

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“So… so He Zhun did it for…?”

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Zhou Jiuya massaged his temples.
“Back then, he was too young. He likely didn’t realize the political purge was a cover-up.”

“…”

Half an hour later, Jiang Ci walked out of the Legion Commander’s office, dazed.

Huo Xianfeng asked him, “Want to take a walk?”

“Sure.”

That day, Jiang Ci didn’t go to the Central Temple or return to the warship. Instead, he found an empty, windswept hillside among the ruins and sat there, letting the cold wind blow past him.

“Huo Xianfeng, do you think if I had discovered He Zhun’s secret earlier, things would have turned out differently?”

“You overestimate yourself, Jiang Ci. He wouldn’t have let you find out.”

Huo Xianfeng’s words were often sharp and direct, and this time was no exception. Perhaps because he had also tasted the bitterness of revenge, he could understand He Zhun’s actions and even appreciate them to some extent.

Jiang Ci was startled but found himself unable to refute.

“…That’s right.”

He sighed sadly, praising him out loud.

“He Zhun is so clever. He has always been… incredibly brilliant.”

There are thousands of powerful alphas in the world, but only a handful of betas and omegas.

Jiang Ci now realized there were only two betas he knew whom he could call truly exceptional: one was the Emperor of the Empire, Pei Changyun, and the other was He Zhun.

“Huo Xianfeng, I want to try to bring him back. If I can’t, then I’ll find a way to help him.”

“…Mn.”

This reaction surprised Huo Xianfeng. He turned to look at Jiang Ci’s profile and immediately noticed the change in him.

This time, upon discovering He Zhun’s secret, Jiang Ci’s reaction was different. Though he felt sadness, he also understood it. While he blamed himself, he didn’t spiral into self-doubt. His first instinct was to take action.

Jiang Ci clenched his fists tightly, speaking softly.
“The next time we meet, I won’t be so pathetic…”

“Mn.”

They sat silently side by side for a long time until Jiang Ci suddenly turned to stare at Huo Xianfeng.

“…?”

The look made the younger man raise an eyebrow, puzzled.
“What?”

“Huo Xianfeng, you’re not jealous?”

“…Hmph, over someone like He Zhun?”

Huo Xianfeng scoffed and abruptly stood up, turning to leave.
“Let’s go. I’ve got something to finish.”

Jiang Ci was confused and followed him.
“…What is it?”

“Oh, just the video you recorded last night.”

Huo Xianfeng glanced at him with a faint smirk.
“I didn’t expect the esteemed Major General to have such… peculiar hobbies.”

Jiang Ci froze.
“…?”

A second later, he realized what Huo Xianfeng was talking about.

“!!!”

Last night, Jiang Ci had planned to secretly record a video to capture Huo Xianfeng’s shy reactions. However, his attention had quickly been diverted by Huo Xianfeng’s tail, and one thing had led to another. He completely forgot about the recording and it had continued running the entire time.

But how did Huo Xianfeng find out about it???

And judging by his tone, he had already watched most of it!

Oh God!!!

Jiang Ci immediately sprinted after him.
“Huo Xianfeng—!!!”

m1zushi: i just dig toxic yaoi, it’s so tasty when omegaverse have AXB couples, how the power dynamics are overthrown and he zhun is so much smarter than leinster (:blobcheeky:)

and going back to the main couple, hxf being a partner who supports a-ci’s decision 😭😭🥹 and also teases him lolll