Secret Weapon

“Cecilia…”

This name​⁠⁠⁠‌‌​‍‍⁠⁠​‍​⁠⁠​‍‍⁠⁠​‍‍ also came from Leinster’s lips at the same moment.

Panting heavily, his voice carried obvious jealousy and frustration.
“Little fox… You came to see me again because of her?”

“Don’t bite… It hurts.”

After this protest, He Zhun felt the sharp pain at the back of his neck subside, replaced by Leinster roughly licking the area. The coarse texture of his tongue made He Zhun feel like prey subdued by a wild beast. It was Leinster’s bad habit—even if he knew He Zhun was a Beta without glands to mark, he always bit the back of his neck and forced large doses of pheromones into his body.

“Don’t you want to know… what secret mission she was reassigned to after gaining the Pope’s trust by betraying you?”

He Zhun’s bare chest was pressed against the cold glass. His body, lean and pale from long hours indoors, fit the image of a typical beta. Golden lines spread outward from his heart, spreading out across his chest.

Through the glass, He Zhun could clearly see the military aircraft and warships flying outside. Though he knew this classified office likely had one-way mirrored windows, he couldn’t shake the illusion of being watched. It made him nervous.

—Leinster did it on purpose.

“Hmph…”

The alpha’s actions were heavy, but his cold chuckle was soft.
“You cunning little fox… You just want me to help you spy on her, don’t you?”

“…Ugh!”

He Zhun couldn’t help but grunt. Bracing himself against the glass, he continued:
“The Church and the Empire… will go to war eventually. Now that Bright City is gone… Pei Changyun has allied with the Zergs… The Illusory God Church doesn’t stand much of a chance… But the Pope hasn’t made a move against Bright City, which means he has another… another trump card. I suspect it’s Cecilia.”

“Cecilia handed… a genetic transport box to Bernard, the head of the Holy Stigmata Research Institute. I’ve just entered the institute, and my clearance isn’t high enough to access Bernard’s core lab. But I confirmed with Cecilia… that the genes inside aren’t from Huo Xianfeng or Jiang Ci.”

“Leinster, direct combat… You’ve seen Huo Xianfeng. The Forbidden Abyss is in his hands now, and you know how brutal battles against the Zerg army can be. So, reorganizing the remnants of Bright City and other military bases’ forces… is meaningless.”

Leinster understood what He Zhun was getting at.

In battles involving the military, the Church holds little advantage. That’s why the Pope didn’t directly attack Bright City. Instead, he sent the former Alliance Speaker to Eternal Cloud Planet to stir up chaos and weaken Pei Changyun. But that wasn’t enough. They needed something else—something capable of countering Huo Xianfeng.

Clearly, this crucial task had been assigned to Cecilia after Leinster’s failure in his last mission. At this rate, Cecilia would completely overshadow him.

Reinhardt flipped the little fox into his arms and hugged him.
“What do you want to know, little fox?”

“The reasons…”

He Zhun was breathing heavily. His hands reachead up to cradle the man’s head, running his fingers through the short, prickly buzz cut and feeling the faint stings spread across his palms.

“Why did Cecilia betray Bai Min? And… during the kidnapping that year, what was Cecilia doing? Why didn’t she show up? Also… Jiang Ci’s age—why is it a year younger than it should be?”

He Zhun trembled violently, but he forced himself to voice all the questions in one breath.

“The reason? All I know is that Cecilia hated Jiang Jingsheng and used that as leverage to gain the Pope’s attention. But whether that was the sole reason, I can’t say for sure.”

Leinster chuckled.
“But here’s something interesting: even before Cecilia betrayed Bai Min, I had already been assigned the task of ambushing Zhou Jiuya.”

“…!”

He Zhun’s eyes widened in shock.
“You’re saying that even without Cecilia’s betrayal, you all already knew about it…?”

Leinster didn’t elaborate, but his silence confirmed it.

“Do you remember the mechanical puppet warrior by Cecilia’s side?”

“Mm… Yes, that was Chris, whom Cecilia replaced. He injected her with Lomir serum…”

Leinster had mentioned this in the past.

“The day Cecilia was injected with Lomir serum was thirteen years ago—the same day she gouged out her own gland.”

He Zhun’s eyes grew even wider.
“But… but hasn’t Cecilia been a bishop for over twenty years?”

“The Church has three Archbishop positions. Besides Chris and me, the third seat is regularly replaced every few years.”

Without the Alliance’s support and resource flow, the Illusory God Church had faced a leadership crisis. Talents like Leinster and Chris were cultivated during the Alliance era, built with immense resources. Anyone who took the third Archbishop seat after them was leagues below their level—a glaring gap in capability. The death of Cruzi on Winter Day Planet was a perfect example.

“Cecilia indeed rose to the position over twenty years ago due to her betrayal of Bai Min. But at that time, her Archbishop title was merely nominal. And as an Omega, Chris dared to drug her.”

“…That’s right.”

He Zhun muttered under his breath, repeating himself.
“That’s right!”

It all made sense now.

When Jiang Ci was kidnapped, Cecilia had been injected with Lomir serum and, during an intense heat cycle, had gouged out her own gland. It was a miracle she hadn’t died on the spot—there was no way she could have had the energy to appear on Eternal Cloud Planet.

—The logic was a closed loop.

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“If that’s the case…”

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After years of effort, He Zhun had finally touched the edge of hope.

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The little fox, usually cold and aloof, occasionally acted sweet to gain an advantage, but moments of genuine passion and enthusiasm were rare. Leinster’s heart burned at the sight. He returned the kiss with even more intensity, pressing He Zhun hard against the glass. Almost fiercely, he growled:

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He Zhun collapsed onto the sofa, resting against Leinster’s back as he caught his breath. Suddenly, he remembered something.

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Leinster handed him some water, waiting for He Zhun to drink a few sips before setting the cup aside. He then answered the final question:

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“It was your father who saved him, and because of that, your family died.”

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He got up, his movements stiff as he dressed. After carefully smoothing every wrinkle, he donned his glasses, returning to his usual cold and quiet demeanor.

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Leinster knew that he was deliberately provoking him.

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But now the situation was different. There were only two Archbishops, and it was precisely the time when they needed to utilize their personnel. Even if the Pope was briefly disappointed with him, he would still be used in the future. It wasn’t as serious as He Zhun claimed.

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“Little fox, it’s not your place to teach me how to do it.”

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“Wait.”

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He Zhun immediately turned around, his intuition telling him that Leinster was about to reveal some very important information.

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“Pregnant!”

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“It’s a pity that Huo Chao managed to restrain himself even when facing an A-class omega in heat. So, that child wasn’t Huo Chao’s, and later, Huo Chao personally killed that omega and the child inside her.”

The man looked up at the ceiling, seemingly still recalling those frantic and horrifying scenes from back then.

“Then that very night, he alone attacked the Holy Relic White Tower and even attempted to assassinate the Pope.”

He Zhun felt the complexity in Leinster’s tone.

Alphas admire strength, and Huo Chao, being the strongest of that era, was naturally admired by many, including Leinster.

But what use was sending an Omega in heat to Huo Chao?

He Zhun immediately realized it. He wanted to speak, but at that moment, Leinster pushed him out forcefully,

“Get lost, little fox,”

The man grimly smiled at him,

“The time to volunteer yourself is over.”

Bang—

The door shut.

He Zhun stood motionless for a few seconds, then immediately turned and walked away briskly.

He was now certain.

——Huo Chao!

The genes stored in that box were Marshal Huo Chao’s!!!

Yes, how could he not have thought of Huo Chao!

The Forbidden Abyss’ cockpit was spatially folded in its core, so even if the external machinery was destroyed, the cockpit might still be intact, and it must still contain Huo Chao’s DNA!

He Zhun didn’t know what the Church planned to do with Huo Chao’s DNA, nor whether this small tube of DNA could threaten Huo Xianfeng. But if it were him, he would definitely create another Huo Chao!

Because one Stelin and one former Alliance Speaker are not enough, far from enough!

If there is anyone else in this world who could easily shake Emperor Pei Changyun’s imperial authority built over three hundred years,

——Only Huo Chao could.

Even if…

He is fake.

<hr>

“His Royal Highness Huo Chao…”

Cecilia was now crouched in the core laboratory of the Holy Stigmata Research Institute, reaching out to touch the cold incubation chamber in front of her.

She saw a small child curled up in the deep blue liquid, appearing to be only three or four years old. But no one could have imagined that more than half a month ago, it was just a vial of genetic fluid.

“Tsk tsk tsk…”

Cecilia couldn’t help but click her tongue. She stared at the child, watching it over and over, sighing in amazement,

“Even if it’s just a clone, seeing His Divine Son’s such a tender little face is truly a magical feeling.”

Actually, she had an urge to immediately take a photo and send it to Pei Changyun. But this was top secret, and leaking it would probably get her head chopped off instantly.

So Cecilia thought it over.

She stood up and looked back at the head of the Holy Stigmata Research Institute, her smile enchanting but her tone respectful.

“Mr. Bernard, His Holiness the Pope has asked Lia to come and inquire. How much longer do we have to wait?”

Bernard, wearing a mask and hunched over, looked very old. He glanced at Cecilia briefly and spoke coldly,

“Two months.”

“Ah, I can’t wait. His Holiness the Pope said that the powerful and handsome Divine Son is part of our mission to recover the SSS-level asset…”

Cecilia smiled sweetly and tilted her head,

“—The secret weapon.”

M1zushi: Hua Chao’s clone has so much potential for angst and i cant say more or itll become spoilers but prepare your napkins :blobsweats: