Somewhere aboard the Xingyue, two martial artists wearing black masks that only revealed their eyes and cloaked from head to toe in wide capes were walking one after another along a dark corridor. Between these two black-cloaked martial artists walked Lilya and Ryan, the very people Batengping and Zhang Wen had been searching for.
“Hurry up,” the martial artist behind Lilya urged in a low voice. As a Saint-ranked psionic master, Lilya could distinguish with just one listen that the voice was not his natural tone. The mask he wore must contain some device that distorted his voice via psionic means.
They didn’t even forget to disguise their voices… Lilya frowned tightly and recalled what had just happened.
A few minutes ago, Lilya had left Zhang Wen’s room, intending to sneak back to the first deck of the Xingyue to reunite with her fellow maids when the two black-cloaked martial artists suddenly appeared on either side of the corridor.
Their strange attire naturally triggered Lilya’s alertness. However, before Lilya could utter a sound, the martial artist now walking behind her flashed several hand signals that startled her.
They were actually secret signals used by high-ranking officers of the Imperial Guard!
Yet, as the Chief Deputy of the Imperial Guard, Lilya knew better than anyone that on Kasares Star in the Southlands, besides herself and Zhang Wen, there absolutely couldn’t be any other personnel from the Imperial Guard. In other words, the meaning behind the signals wasn’t to prove they were officers of the Imperial Guard, but rather to let Lilya know they were fully aware of her true identity!
After completing that series of signals, the two black-cloaked martial artists swiftly approached Lilya while she was still shocked. “If you don’t want everyone to know who you really are, don’t make a sound—just come with us!” One of them whispered a warning before the two of them positioned themselves one in front and one behind Lilya.
They pressed the button for the floating elevator, preparing to take Lilya away. Unexpectedly, when the elevator doors opened, they ran straight into Ryan.
Ryan let out a startled scream, instantly knocked unconscious by the martial artist in front.
“Take him with us. Move!” The black-cloaked martial artist’s tone was short and commanding. The two quickly led Lilya and Ryan into the elevator.
The two black-cloaked martial artists’ quick response when Ryan appeared, and their shrewdness and caution in stopping the elevator on the third deck, already made Lilya feel they were no ordinary adversaries. Now, this latest discovery made Lilya realize they might be even more formidable than she had imagined.
As Lilya pondered silently, the group of four had already quietly passed through a long corridor.
Before boarding the Xingyue, Lilya had already studied its structure and cabin layout. She knew that the first deck was divided into two areas—north and south—by a central gate. The southern area was the entertainment center of the Xingyue.
With video rooms, swimming pools, gambling centers, small bars, and various other entertainment facilities, the southern area of the first deck was also where the sexy maids of the Xingyue lived.
Beauty, fine wine, gambling… After the second test in Gelo ended without result, the southern area of the first deck had become the liveliest place aboard the Xingyue.
In contrast, just across a single gate on the northern side of the first deck, the scene was completely different. Most of the northern area was used for storing food supplies. Except for meal times, it was almost always deserted.
Yet it was precisely toward the depths of this northern area that the two strange black-cloaked martial artists were now leading Lilya and Ryan.
“You’re finally going to tell me where you’re taking us, right?” After passing through two more pitch-black corridors, Lilya finally couldn’t help but ask.
“If you don’t want us to expose your identity, don’t ask questions. We’ll tell you when we get there,” the martial artist in front replied without turning his head, quickening his pace slightly.
After continuing forward for five or six more minutes through the dark corridors, making several turns, the two black-cloaked martial artists finally stopped in front of a thick metal door.
Unlike other doors on the first deck’s northern area, this heavy metal door was even equipped with a psionic lock that required inputting a specific frequency of psionic energy to unlock.
“Is this the place?” The martial artist in front quietly asked the one behind. His voice was also processed through the psionic device.
“This is it,” the black-cloaked martial artist behind confirmed firmly.
“Good.” The martial artist in front said emotionlessly before stepping forward.
If the previous actions of the two black-cloaked martial artists had only caused Lilya to feel puzzled, then what they did now was enough to make her astonished.
Because Lilya had already recognized exactly where the two black-cloaked martial artists had brought her and Ryan.
In any luxury cruise liner like the Xingyue, designers always considered that passengers might bring valuable cargo that they couldn’t conveniently store in their cabins. Therefore, the Xingyue needed a place to store these valuables.
The gate guarded by the two black-cloaked martial artists was one of the three valuable item storage rooms aboard the Xingyue. However, as a storage room for valuable items, it was naturally not accessible to just anyone. In fact, the security level of the Xingyue’s valuable item storage rooms was no less than that of the raw stone reserve vault at the Central Bank of Kasares!
Although the psionic lock beside the gate looked unremarkable, it was actually connected to all the alarm systems on the Xingyue. If there was even the slightest deviation in the psionic input during operation, the entire ship would erupt with alarms and all safety gates would drop simultaneously!
Yet the black-cloaked martial artist at the front, without any concern for these serious consequences, walked straight up and placed his right hand on the psionic lock to operate it.
Lilya knew that the two black-cloaked martial artists certainly weren’t careless about triggering alarms—they knew the password to open this storage room!
Sure enough, after operating the lock, the martial artist heard a soft “beep,” and the indicator light turned from red to green.
“Go in!” The thick door, made of a full meter of sea-urchin stone, slowly opened. The martial artist behind Lilya and Ryan immediately whispered.
“Who exactly are you people? How do you know my identity, and how do you know the password to this storage room?” Lilya didn’t move, instead staring coldly at the martial artist and countering.
“Hehe! Deputy Lilya, we know far more than you can imagine!” The martial artist sneered, his voice distorted by the voice-altering device. “Get in quickly.”
“Hmph!” Lilya frowned again, grabbing the still unconscious Ryan with one hand and using psionic energy to support him as she walked toward the storage room.
The martial artist behind blocked her path: “Only you go in.” At the same time, the martial artist who had originally opened the storage room door also stepped back out.
In that instant, a sudden realization dawned on Lilya.
“Which family in the capital are you from?” Lilya suddenly asked the two black-cloaked martial artists as she stopped.
The two black-cloaked martial artists, who had previously remained composed, were momentarily taken aback.
“I was right!” Lilya had no real evidence, but their reaction confirmed everything.
“Well, well! You truly are the former Chief Deputy of the Imperial Guard—your sharpness exceeds my expectations,” one of the martial artists couldn’t help but clap in admiration.
“To gather my intelligence so quickly, and to have such an extensive intelligence network in the Southlands, even obtaining the password to the Xingyue’s valuable item storage room—there are only a few families in the capital capable of that,” Lilya sighed lightly and continued. “With such strength and the desire to get involved in the Southlands, there are only three families—or rather, two families and one individual—in the capital: the Kemal family, the Orleans family, and Chancellor Saile Liu. However, the Kemal family usually disdains underhanded tactics like kidnapping and assassination, and Chancellor Liu lacks power in the Southlands. Even if he sent people from the capital, they wouldn’t arrive so quickly. So, you must be from the Lion Fang Guard of the Orleans family?”
“Miss Lilya, I must admit your intelligence is admirable.”
“Hehe, you flatter me,” Lilya smiled slightly. “I don’t mind the Orleans family wanting a piece of the Southlands, but do you know what you’re doing? Interfering with the Imperial Guard’s official duties—if the Emperor gets angry, even the Orleans family might not be able to save your lives.”
“Hehe! Miss Lilya, you’re mistaken. We would never dare to disrespect the Imperial Guard in the slightest. As for the Emperor’s orders, we will strictly follow them. We brought Miss Lilya here not to interfere with the Imperial Guard’s duties. However, the next few days aboard the Xingyue might become very dangerous. For your safety, we only ask you to stay here temporarily.”
“Temporarily? I suppose you’ve already planned that once your business is done, you’ll come back to kill me to eliminate any witnesses?” Lilya remained calm, still smiling charmingly.
“Miss Lilya, you’re overthinking,” the black-cloaked man laughed again. “Even if we weren’t afraid of retaliation from the Imperial Guard, we would still consider Master Xilude’s instructions. Master Xilude was quite upset when you suddenly left the capital without notice. Before we left, Master Xilude repeatedly emphasized that we must bring you back to the capital safely. Therefore, unless Miss Lilya’s actions make things extremely difficult for us, I will not harm a single hair on your head. This is merely a temporary stay. Once the dangerous individuals on the ship are eliminated, we will immediately let Miss Lilya leave.”
“Dangerous individuals? Who are these dangerous individuals you’re talking about?” Lilya glanced sideways at the black-cloaked man.
“Hehe! Miss Lilya, do you really need to ask? Of course, we’re talking about Andre Stein, who disguised himself as a teacher from the Almises Academy but is actually the former Red Ruby Serpent, and now collaborates with Agate, the dangerous figure from the Syndicate known as the Flame Demon.”
“Are you planning to target Zhang Wen?” Lilya’s expression immediately turned cold. “Zhang Wen is now the Emperor’s personally appointed Southern Sector Commander of the Imperial Guard. His cooperation with Agate of the Syndicate is also by the Emperor’s decree. How dare you attack a commander of the Imperial Guard? Are you planning a rebellion?”
“Hehe! Deputy Lilya, I don’t understand a word of what you’re saying. The intelligence we received never mentioned anything about a Southern Sector Command of the Imperial Guard. The Emperor has never informed Lord Orleans of any agreement with the Syndicate. We only know that Andre Stein, the Red Ruby Serpent, and Agate, the Flame Demon, are still among the top names on the Empire’s wanted list. Since they crossed our path during our mission, we naturally must serve the Emperor by eliminating these two dangerous threats.”
“So, you’re determined to oppose us, the Imperial Guard?”
“Hehe…” The black-cloaked martial artist was about to speak when his companion impatiently stepped forward, blocking between him and Lilya.
“Lilya, don’t try to scare us with the Imperial Guard,” the previously silent martial artist spoke in a completely different tone—cold and indifferent. “The Imperial Guard has never cared about the Southlands. This mission to the Southlands to compete for dominance must have been entirely your own idea. Otherwise, with Old William’s personality, how could he have sent only a deputy officer on such an important mission? If your mission in the Southlands succeeds, William might support you. But if it fails, will he still care whether you live or die? Oh! Perhaps, for appearances’ sake, William might complain to Lord Orleans or Chancellor Liu for a few days. But I’m sure he won’t go to war with the Orleans family over the ambitions of a mere deputy officer of the Imperial Guard.”
“Hehe… Miss Lilya, my companion here is a bit hot-headed, please don’t take offense. However, although his words may be a bit harsh, the meaning behind them is spot on,” the previous black-cloaked martial artist also stepped forward, smirking at Lilya with ill intent. “Let me give you a piece of advice. Miss Lilya, during our mission, you’d better stay here quietly. Otherwise, we won’t do anything to you, but if you fall into someone else’s hands, Master Xilude will be heartbroken.”
Hearing the veiled threats from the two black-cloaked martial artists, Lilya’s heart sank to the bottom. Her secrets were completely exposed to them, so threats were useless.
Even more troubling to Lilya was that these two had immediately pinpointed her greatest weakness—Zhang Wen.
With Zhang Wen’s battle energy barely reaching the tenth rank, and caught completely off guard, Lilya couldn’t see any chance of him surviving an attack from these two. And if Zhang Wen died, all of Lilya’s plans in the Southlands would vanish in an instant.
If that’s the case… Lilya lightly frowned, slowly gathering her Saint-ranked psionic energy within her body.
However, Lilya hadn’t even managed to gather enough energy to launch a single psionic bullet before the more talkative black-cloaked martial artist began to laugh.
“Hehe! Miss Lilya, should I commend your bravery or lament your foolishness?” Amid the sinister laughter, the black-cloaked martial artist calmly stepped forward, blocking all possible escape routes for Lilya.
“Hmph! Refusing the good wine and choosing punishment instead.” The other black-cloaked martial artist coldly snorted, suddenly emitting streaks of silvery light around his body. Soon, the brightness of the light increased, finally merging into a silvery cloud-like mass.
“Saint-ranked…” Lilya’s pupils constricted sharply.
The strength of this black-cloaked martial artist far exceeded Lilya’s expectations! Originally, Lilya had assumed that the people sent by the Orleans family to the Southlands to fish in troubled waters would be at most at the peak of the Champion rank, like the golden-haired man’s group. But now, the black-cloaked martial artist displayed a strength that had broken through to the Saint rank!
As is well known, after breaking through the tenth Champion rank, although psionicists gained considerable combat abilities, at the same level, a psionicist who uses multiple abilities could not match a martial artist who specializes in combat. Whether in terms of combat experience or the destructive power of the energy used, psionicists were far inferior to martial artists of the same level.
Generally speaking, in a direct confrontation, a psionicist’s combat power is at most equal to that of a martial artist one rank lower. That is to say, a Saint-ranked psionicist’s combat effectiveness in battle is approximately equivalent to that of a tenth-ranked Champion martial artist.
Lilya, being a dedicated deputy of the Imperial Guard, had far more combat experience than an average Saint-ranked psionicist. Therefore, she had planned to take a risk. If she fought desperately, she had a 40 to 50 percent chance of escaping two martial artists at the peak of the Champion rank. However, facing a Saint-ranked martial artist, Lilya could only feel powerless—even if this martial artist had only just entered the Saint rank.
“Hehe! Miss Lilya, let me advise you once again—be obedient. We don’t want to disrespect the future Lady of the House. However, if you force us to the point where we have no choice, we’ll have to disobey Master Xilude’s orders,” the other black-cloaked martial artist continued with sinister laughter, blocking Lilya’s only possible escape route after his companion displayed his Saint-ranked strength.
The talkative black-cloaked martial artist had never revealed his own strength. However, from his arrogant attitude and his ability to block Lilya’s escape route in such a short time, it was clear that his strength was no less than his companion’s!
If she were facing just one Saint-ranked opponent, Lilya might still have a chance to fight. But against two Saint-ranked opponents, Lilya knew that even if she gave her all, trying to break through would only result in humiliation.
Moreover, the very presence of these two Saint-ranked opponents together was enough to shock Lilya. After all, Saint-ranked individuals were not as common as cabbages growing in the fields!
Fira Planet, known as the center of the Southlands and having been under the Empire’s rule for a thousand years, was the most prosperous in the Southlands. Yet on Fira, the number of Saint-ranked individuals could barely be counted on one hand. As for Kasares, a remote administrative planet in the Southlands, if one excluded Iron Mask, the freak who had broken through to the Super Saint rank, before Xiu Luo’s promotion to Saint rank, there was only one Saint-ranked individual on the entire planet—Professor Xin of the Almises Academy.
Even for a family like the Orleans, which had stood in the Empire for a thousand years, a Saint-ranked martial artist who had broken through to that level was an extremely rare talent! In the Lion Fang Guard of the Orleans family, there were only about three or four Saint-ranked individuals in total.
Normally, these Saint-ranked individuals commanded the Orleans family’s private armies and were stationed on the three private planets owned by the Orleans family. In terms of authority and prestige, they were almost equal to the governors of remote administrative planets like Temiso.
Now, the Orleans family had actually sent out two of their most precious Saint-ranked martial artists at once! This was enough to demonstrate Duke Orleans’ determination to get involved in the Southlands, and it made Lilya even more worried about Zhang Wen’s safety.
“I didn’t expect the old man from the Orleans family to change his ways so suddenly. Sending two Saint-ranked experts to the Southlands at once—doesn’t he fear that the waters here might be too deep and drown you two?” Lilya said coldly, while her psionic energy continued to slowly but steadily gather inside her.
“Hehe! Our safety doesn’t require Miss Lilya’s concern. Please proceed.” The black-cloaked martial artist was completely unaffected by Lilya’s verbal jabs, only laughing sinisterly again and gesturing for Lilya to enter the storage room.
“Hmph!” Lilya snorted coldly, suddenly grabbing the unconscious Ryan and rushing into the storage room in a few quick steps.
The two black-cloaked martial artists had focused entirely on preventing Lilya from escaping. As a result, when Lilya charged into the storage room with Ryan, they were half a beat too slow.
Bang!
By the time the two black-cloaked martial artists arrived, Lilya had already slammed the storage room door shut with force.
Facing the locked sea-urchin stone door, the two black-cloaked martial artists looked at each other in confusion. Of course, they could open the storage room door again, but doing so would require one of them to go to the side and fully operate the psionic lock.
In other words, at the moment the door opened, Lilya would have the opportunity to face just one Saint-ranked martial artist alone. In such a situation, Lilya would at least have a 30 percent chance of escaping.
The two black-cloaked martial artists certainly wanted to kill Ryan as soon as possible to eliminate all potential threats. But was it worth giving Lilya a 30 percent chance of escape just to eliminate a “potential” threat? Lilya had indeed presented the two black-cloaked martial artists with a difficult dilemma.
“Miss Lilya, you’re making it very hard for us. Master Xilude only instructed us to ensure your safety, not to protect that little boy with you. Moreover, the two of you being alone in a room together might make Master Xilude very unhappy if he finds out,” the more talkative black-cloaked martial artist considered for a moment, then walked to the psionic lock and activated its built-in communicator, shouting to Lilya.
“Is that so?” Lilya smiled indifferently.
“Hehe! Miss Lilya, why go through all this trouble? That boy has no relation to you—what’s the point of protecting him?”
“Hehe! Then why go through all this trouble yourselves? He has no grudge with you—why must you kill him?”
“This…” Lilya’s sharp retort left the black-cloaked martial artist momentarily speechless. However, he quickly regained his composure and continued laughing. “Alright then. Miss Lilya, even if you don’t care about Master Xilude’s feelings, don’t you fear that Teacher Zhang Wen might be unhappy when he hears about this?”
“Zhang Wen?” Lilya’s tone paused slightly before she replied in surprise, “What does his happiness have to do with me?”
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