Chapter Seventy-Three: The Dark Parade

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Dark Parade Army

At this moment, Huang Xuan felt a sharp ringing in his ears, the cacophony around him making it impossible to focus.
“What? What?” Huang Xuan muttered, trying to make out the figures nearby, but all he could hear was the persistent buzzing.
Suddenly, a cool sensation washed over his face, jolting his consciousness back to the alarm clock.
It turned out that the person who had grabbed his collar had splashed water on his face. Just as he was about to flare up in anger, Huang Xuan remembered what he was actually doing. Another intense headache struck.
Tu Wenhong had escaped with Wang Yuyan! She was never put on the ship. Bao Gaoming had fled as well, leaving no one to blow up the battleship.
His plan for today had completely fallen apart.
“Tu Wenhong!” Huang Xuan spat the name through clenched teeth, vowing silently to make him pay.
“Master! Over there, three battleships are speeding toward us. Should we hide for now?” The speaker was Ji Liantai, Huang Xuan’s steward—the very man whose collar Huang Xuan had just seized.
“What! Someone’s coming?” Huang Xuan’s mind was barely functioning now.
Ji Liantai looked at the panicked Huang Xuan with disappointment. He had watched Huang Xuan grow up from childhood and knew his character better than the man himself.
“Yes, Master. After all that’s happened, someone arriving at this critical moment is highly suspicious. For your safety, I suggest we move now.”
“All right, Uncle Ji. Let’s go, let’s go,” Huang Xuan mumbled in a panic.
Everything that had happened so far had far exceeded Huang Xuan’s control, leaving him flustered. In times of chaos, people instinctively reach for a lifeline, and the man who had watched him grow up was clearly the best choice.
Seeing Huang Xuan so agitated that he even called him “Uncle Ji,” something he hadn’t said in years, Ji Liantai turned away, a faint smile playing at his lips.

Liu Shaoyu sat in the shuttle, his expression dark. He felt he had been played. Upon discovering that there was no one on the ship, he hurriedly contacted Master Wang.
Yet, Master Wang showed no sign of concern in the communication, as if he had anticipated it all along.
“Shaoyu, I know you’re anxious. Yuyan is my granddaughter, isn’t she? As her grandfather, I’m more worried than you. I sent you because I didn’t want to alert the enemy. Your task is complete. In a moment, Wang Yuyan should contact you.”
With that, Master Wang ended the communication.

Like Huang Xuan, Liu Shaoyu was not in good spirits today. He had been thoroughly used. He understood that, in truth, this outcome was likely safer than entrusting Wang Yuyan’s life to himself.
But that did not mean he enjoyed being manipulated. Liu Shaoyu allowed himself a bitter smile. This situation was entirely due to his lack of strength and power.
If he were as powerful as those people—if one stomp from him could shake the entire Earth Federation—would anyone dare toy with him?
So, he could only blame himself.
“A message from Wang Yuyan.”
“A message?” Liu Shaoyu frowned, but opened it anyway. All it said was: Thank you.
Very well, then. Liu Shaoyu did not reply, simply piloting the shuttle back to the Zambia Planet Space Station.
It was time for him to leave. As for Huang Xuan?
“Liu Shaoyu! Just you wait—one day, I’ll come back!”
Then a small battleship vanished, jumping into warp.
It seemed as though everything had ended, but the conclusion of this incident was merely the beginning of another. At last, all the strange and seemingly unrelated events began to surface from this point onward.
Master Wang sat upright at his desk, his face expressionless.
“Why did he manage to escape in the end?” Master Wang’s voice was low, yet it reached everyone’s ears, even across countless light years and through radio waves, his displeasure unmistakable.
“We encountered Ji Liantai,” said the young man on the screen.
“Oh! That old fellow came out as well? How could the Huang family bear to let that old fox serve that brat?” Master Wang’s face finally showed a hint of a smile, though its true meaning was worth pondering.
“Even if I went myself, dealing with that old man would be a challenge. Let him run—Huang Xuan alone can’t stir up much trouble. By the way, Tu Wenhong did well this time. Everything is settled for him. Once he hands the fleet to his nephew, he can retire and enjoy life.”
The young man on the screen remained expressionless, mechanically nodding.
“Oh, nearly forgot. That kid Liu Shaoyu is probably feeling quite upset. Tell Yuyan to thank him properly when she has the time.”
“All right, General Wang.” The young man’s face finally showed a flicker of emotion, quickly masked by another nod, unnoticed even by Master Wang on the other end.

“What General Wang? Silly kid. Go now.” Master Wang said, waving a hand to end the communication.
“Chong, your godfather is something else. You were the one who bribed Zhou Anyi in advance, which made his uncle betray us early. What does that have to do with Liu Shaoyu? Besides, if it weren’t for him, our lady wouldn’t have gotten into this mess.”
The man addressed as Chong was the young man who had just finished communicating with Master Wang. From the words of the person beside him, it was clear that this young man was Master Wang’s godson—Wang Yuyan would have to call him uncle.
“Don’t say what shouldn’t be said. Don’t stay in the command room—find something to do underground.” Chong Feng said, devoid of emotion.
The man realized he’d spoken out of turn. He had anticipated the consequences before speaking, so he didn’t argue. Everyone knew their captain’s temperament—his word was final, and once a command was given, it would not be changed.
After the man slunk out of the command room, Chong Feng’s gaze grew strange.
“Go, check his recent bank transactions.” Still without emotion. The person nodded, saying nothing more.
Those who had spent a long time with Chong Feng knew: all you needed to do was carry out his orders, and when everything was done, you would receive a satisfactory answer.
Even if something seemed impossible at the time, in the end you’d realize how laughably wrong you’d been. Because of this, people stopped questioning Chong Feng’s commands.
Chong Feng returned to his calm state—or perhaps he had never left it.
“Target: Zambia Planet No. 3 Space Station.”
In the starry sky, three battleships trailed fiery exhaust. The bold logo emblazoned on their hulls seemed familiar, but the color scheme made clear: these were not the Parade Army, but another fleet belonging to the Bounty Group.
“The Dark Parade Army.”

To the readers:
Sorry, I was late today because I took the train! Please recommend and bookmark!