“Alright, alright. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. As for you… I guess you’ll probably have a rough time. But since you were kind enough to worry about me just now, I’ll try my best to help you out,” Zhang Wen smirked mischievously at Xiao Xi and patted her head again. The red-haired girl’s hair was soft and silky, exactly the type that Zhang Wen found most pleasing to the touch.
“Ugh!” Xiao Xi, furious, tried to bite Zhang Wen’s fingers again but missed once more. Then, like a little wildcat with claws and fangs bared, she was half-dragged into the ship’s detention room by two helpless female soldiers.
Meanwhile, Zhang Wen was taken separately into Governor Temiso’s office by two other soldiers.
“Zhang Wen, or should I address you as Andrei Stein?” Governor Temiso’s expression was hard to read as he sized up Zhang Wen for a moment before speaking in a calm tone after the cabin door was closed.
“Hehe, either way is fine,” Zhang Wen replied with an easy smile.
“Hmph!” Governor Temiso slammed his desk furiously, “Zhang Wen! Do you think saving Garret from the Jishe once entitles you to have me forgive your self-staged assassination farce?”
“Uh?” Zhang Wen was momentarily taken aback, then burst into laughter again, “Governor, I don’t know whether you’ll forgive me or not. But you don’t need to scare me with that, right? I could believe others might mistake me for Andrei Stein. But if even you, Governor Temiso, think I’m Andrei Stein, that would be simply incredible!”
After a moment of silent staring at Zhang Wen, the governor’s feigned anger gradually faded. He shook his head and smiled darkly.
“Oh? What makes you think I would believe you and Andrei Stein are not the same person?”
“Governor, are you testing me? This question doesn’t even need an answer, does it? A mere fourth or fifth tier weakling saving your life from the hands of the southern region’s overlord? Even the most careless person would find something strange here. If you hadn’t already thoroughly investigated my background, how could you feel comfortable letting me teach at Almeythys Academy, where your own daughter studies?”
“Hmph! You’re clever. I indeed know for sure you can’t possibly be Andrei Stein. Because I’ve personally seen Andrei Stein’s corpse. However…” Governor Temiso hesitated slightly at this point.
“However, the identity of Andrei Stein is quite valuable. And now, besides you and myself, no one else suspects that I am Andrei Stein. So, Governor, you want me to tacitly accept this identity, right?” Zhang Wen continued with a smile.
“Exactly. Talking with a smart person is indeed refreshing,” Governor Temiso’s gloom completely disappeared, replaced by a possibly “cunning” smile, “I really don’t understand. With your intelligence, how could you have ended up on the streets before?”
“Even the sharpest awl needs to be placed in a bag to reveal its tip,” Zhang Wen shamelessly borrowed the famous saying from the Warring States period about Mao Sui recommending himself.
“Even the sharpest awl needs to be placed in a bag to reveal its tip… very insightful,” Governor Temiso savored Zhang Wen’s borrowed saying and smiled in satisfaction, “Mr. Andrei Stein, I hope we can cooperate well in the future.”
“Of course, Governor,” Zhang Wen similarly smiled and bowed slightly to Governor Temiso, then casually asked, “By the way, Governor, what do you plan to do with that girl, Xiao Xi?”
“Hmm?” Governor Temiso blinked in surprise. Obviously, before Zhang Wen raised this question, he had never considered what to do with Xiao Xi.
“What’s there to ask? The girl is Agate’s sister, right? That means she’s an important figure in the Jishe! Lieutenant Raimu will definitely take her back to the imperial capital,” Governor Temiso said naturally after a brief pause.
“Is that so? It would be great if Captain Raimu is willing to take her away,” Zhang Wen shrugged casually.
“Oh? Do you have any brilliant insights?” Governor Temiso was taken aback again.
“Not exactly brilliant. I just feel that the girl probably has nothing to do with the Jishe. From what I saw in Sandra Forest, Agate’s affection for his sister is no less than your affection for Garret. Governor, just imagine, if it were you, would you let Garret join such a dangerous organization as the Jishe?”
“Of course not,” Governor Temiso replied decisively.
“There you go. So I guess Captain Raimu and others probably think the same way. That’s why they didn’t intend to take her back when we were in Sandra Forest before,” Zhang Wen casually explained to Governor Temiso.
In fact, it wasn’t entirely a lie for Zhang Wen to say that Raimu had no intention of taking Xiao Xi. However, he didn’t fully explain his analysis to Governor Temiso. In Zhang Wen’s opinion, the reason Raimu and Mula didn’t take Xiao Xi wasn’t so much because they weren’t interested in non-Jishe members, but rather because those two were simply passively slacking off.
They seemed to have never taken the Emperor’s orders seriously from beginning to end. The smiling tiger Raimu naturally didn’t need to be mentioned, but even Mula, who seemed relatively upright on the surface, probably only captured Agate to appease the chief commander’s nagging.
“Ah? Is that so?” Governor Temiso furrowed his brows again.
“If Raimu and his people don’t want to take the girl, it’s really a bit problematic. Leaving such a big trouble in Casares would make the days of constant anxiety worrying about the Jishe coming to rescue her unbearable. However, her identity is special. If I just let her go easily, it would be hard to explain to the Emperor later. Troublesome… so troublesome!” Soon, Governor Temiso began tapping the table in frustration, occasionally scratching his head.
“How about this? If Raimu and his people really don’t want to take the girl, just hand her over to me. During my fight with Linoia, she was poisoned by a strange toxin. I’m a bit interested…”
“Fine. If Raimu and his gang don’t want her, she’s even more useless to me. I don’t want to deal with the Jishe either!” Governor Temiso impatiently waved his hand to agree before Zhang Wen even finished speaking, “It’s better to leave her with you. Assign her a student identity and keep her under house arrest at Almeythys Academy for a while to cover things up. If the Jishe ever attacks to rescue her, you can just pretend to put up a fight and let them take her away.”
“Alright. Then I’ll take my leave now,” seeing Governor Temiso’s pained expression, Zhang Wen finally decided not to further provoke him and nodded as he walked out of his temporary office.
As soon as Zhang Wen left Governor Temiso’s temporary office, a steel plate behind Temiso that had looked like part of the ship’s wall suddenly opened. Mi Xi Ya, Governor Temiso’s worried-looking personal secretary, stepped out from the hidden compartment behind the iron wall.
“Mi Xi Ya, what do you think of our decision? Do you have any objections?” Seeing his beautiful personal secretary, Governor Temiso immediately perked up.
“Nothing else really. It’s just that letting Zhang Wen take on Andrei Stein’s identity… I’m still a bit worried. Of course, doing this will bring you tremendous benefits, which is beyond doubt. However, you should know well enough. Letting Zhang Wen inherit this identity is also like releasing a monster. The troubles involved will be as enormous as the benefits. Aren’t you afraid the situation might get out of control? If that day really comes, even if we try to deny Zhang Wen’s identity later, no one will believe us anymore.”
“Haha! Mi Xi Ya, you’re really cautious. Where’s the courage you had when you fought side by side with me in the old days?” Governor Temiso joked with a hearty laugh, but his eyes revealed the cunning of a wily old fox.
“No… Governor, I’m not worried about external enemies like the Jishe or Mithril,” Mi Xi Ya shook her head and continued, “I’m worried about whether Zhang Wen might…”
“Oh! So that’s what you’re worried about! Mi Xi Ya, you’re overthinking. We don’t need to consider future matters too much now,” Governor Temiso laughed heartily, his gaze suddenly turning serious as it fell on Mi Xi Ya, “Besides, even if the situation really gets out of control, so what?” Governor Temiso lightly waved his right hand, his confident smile suddenly making him radiate the charm of a mature man.
Even someone as dignified as Mi Xi Ya couldn’t help but catch her breath slightly under Governor Temiso’s sudden charm.
“I allowed Zhang Wen to assume Andrei Stein’s identity, never intending to control him permanently. He is a native of Casares. As long as he still recognizes that, we remain on the same side. Hypothetically, just hypothetically—if one day he no longer acknowledges that, what threat could a rootless stray dog possibly pose? Mi Xi Ya, remember: our Casares people’s roots will always lie in Casares.” Governor Temiso continued smiling captivatingly.
“Understood, Governor,” Mi Xi Ya gracefully lowered her head, “But next time you want to give me a big lecture, could you please keep your hands off my thighs?” Saying this, Mi Xi Ya swiftly pinched the hand that Governor Temiso had just placed on her thigh.
“Ow!” Governor Temiso’s earth-shaking cry immediately echoed throughout the entire frigate.
As Governor Temiso’s scream rang out, Zhang Wen, who had just walked out of the governor’s office, let out a long sigh.
The reason why Zhang Wen had gone to great lengths to persuade Governor Temiso to let him take Xiao Xi wasn’t merely to repay the girl for her earlier concern for him and spare her from imprisonment. His main purpose was to reduce the risk of his identity being exposed.
After all, once Xiao Xi fell into Temiso’s hands, her strange “weakness syndrome” was likely to attract the attention of that middle-aged man who enjoyed pretending to be ignorant.
Although the likelihood of Temiso actually caring about a sick prisoner was quite low, if by some chance Temiso suddenly felt curious one day and had a psychic practitioner perform a full body scan on Xiao Xi, the unusual condition within her body would no longer remain concealed. Once Xiao Xi’s condition was revealed, it would inevitably lead to the discovery of Zhang Wen possessing the ancient reagent No. 0 inside his body.
A physical martial artist with ancient reagent No. 0 inside him who was still alive and kicking. Zhang Wen could already vividly imagine how many pairs of green, greedy eyes would be staring at him like he was a lab rat, once the Empire’s scholars discovered this fact.
Absolutely unacceptable!
Of course, Zhang Wen’s insistence on taking Xiao Xi from Temiso also carried considerable risks.
There’s no such thing as a fool in this world. This was a motto Zhang Wen constantly reminded himself of. He never underestimated anyone’s intelligence, which was one of the important reasons why he had survived many dangerous situations. And Governor Temiso, without exaggeration, was one of the most inscrutable people Zhang Wen had encountered so far.
Governor Temiso’s impression on everyone was always one of toughness, impulsiveness, and muddle-headedness. However, Zhang Wen knew that the governor often deliberately feigned being糊涂 (muddle-headed) while actually possessing a very clear mind. Coming merely from a minor noble background, yet managing to climb to the high position of planetary governor within just forty years—those who regarded Governor Temiso as a糊涂蛋 (muddlehead) were themselves the real muddleheads.
Fortunately, in the end, Zhang Wen managed to handle both the mess caused by Andrei Stein and the issue with Xiao Xi from the governor, who enjoyed pretending to be糊涂.
For a long time to come, Zhang Wen should be able to openly appear in front of all those in the know under Andrei Stein’s identity. He wouldn’t have to worry about Governor Temiso suddenly deciding one day to give Xiao Xi a thorough physical examination.
Even more importantly, with the secret agreement with Governor Temiso, Zhang Wen could continue to hide his true identity. For the past six months, he had already gotten used to the peaceful and stable life he had always dreamed of, and it could happily continue.
Hmm… maybe. Zhang Wen looked up at the clear sky and sighed lightly.
In any case, the survival competition was over. The grand drama in Sandra Forest had also gradually come to a close. With Agate’s arrest and Linoia and Robert escaping without a trace, both the Jishe, Mithril, and the Federation lost their interest and ability to continue searching for the “test subject.” Thus, the terrorist attacks that had been continuously occurring in Casares City, orchestrated by various forces in a tacit collaboration, suddenly came to a halt.
On the afternoon of the same day the survival competition was announced “temporarily suspended,” all the teachers and students who participated in the competition were escorted back to their respective schools by the Casares mining district’s security force. Meanwhile, Governor Karajan, who had achieved a resounding victory in the Sophia Crown Princess competition, proudly boarded the spaceship bound for the Filas planet with the entire delegation of Thamis Academy.
Departing from Casares almost simultaneously with Governor Karajan’s group were the two Eagle Guard captains, Raimu and Mula, and the poor Agate. As Zhang Wen had said, when Governor Temiso mentioned Xiao Xi, Raimu and Mula indeed showed absolutely no interest in taking on another burden. In contrast, Isaiya was quite insistent on wanting to take Xiao Xi along as well, but the serious female deputy eventually had to yield to Captain the smiling tiger’s oppressive authority.
Unlike Governor Karajan’s group, who left on an ordinary civilian spaceship, to ensure the safe delivery of Agate back to the imperial capital, the Emperor had dispatched an advanced Sovereign-class cruiser for Raimu and his team.
This was also the first time Zhang Wen had seen a real space warship since arriving in this world. When the massive warship, capable of carrying 24,000 people, slowly ascended under the enormous psychic power provided by a full 3,800 elite eighth-tier psychic practitioners, then accelerated away from Casares Star, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but be deeply moved by the grand and spectacular scene.
“Alright… Next, I should go to the arena and see what Iron Mask wants with me,” watching the huge warship gradually shrink into a tiny black dot and disappear on the horizon, Zhang Wen stretched contentedly, got into a psychic-powered flying car with Xiao Xi, who was yawning continuously, and input the address of the Kemal Arena.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage