The Death of Zuo Lanruo

At that moment, Yan Mingke approached again. “Boss Mo, when will the wormhole to get us back be completed?”

Mo Mo glanced at him. “You can have them start building it now if you like.”

“Great, I’ll get it arranged.” Yan Mingke felt light and energized. He had a home now on this nature-filled planet, and for some reason, even the sight of the battleship seemed to irritate him—such an eyesore that ruined the beauty of nature.

Ye Mo chuckled at Yan Mingke’s enthusiasm. “He’s really motivated.”

“As someone from the interstellar space, the rarest thing for us is plant life. Now that we’ve got a completely natural planet, everyone is bound to treasure it,” Mo Mo said as he glanced at the treehouse he’d built nearby. Then, he leaned closer to Ye Mo and whispered in her ear, “Let’s go to my treehouse tonight.”

Ye Mo gave him a sidelong glance. “And what about the kids?”

“Send them into the space. This planet might look peaceful on the surface, but who knows what hidden dangers it holds?”

“Why not set up a defence shield?” Ye Mo suggested, her interest piqued as she pulled out jade slips from the cultivation world, filled with formation spells. “Take a look; maybe you’ll get some inspiration!”

Since they intended to claim this place as their own, it made sense to ensure their safety.

Mo Mo studied the materials. Covering the entire planet with a shield wasn’t feasible, but the area they currently occupied was only a small corner of it. He could easily shield this portion.

With the materials Ye Mo provided, Mo Mo quickly set up a formation that enveloped their current area. From the outside, it looked like a large transparent bubble, but from within, everything appeared perfectly normal.

Even the two battleships were covered by the shield. After finishing the defence formation, Mo Mo gave his troops some time off.

Zhu Jun and the other officers hesitated, uncertain. “General, no need for patrols?”

Mo Mo’s reply was icy. “No need.”

“Really, General?”

“I said no.”

“Hehe, if the General says so, it must mean this place is safe. Excellent! I’ll head home then. General, see you later!”

“I heard there are fruit trees to the west, and the fruits taste pretty good.”

Soon, the group scattered. Mo Mo was quickly called away again since the construction of the wormhole required some technical skills only he possessed.

Meanwhile, Ye Mo climbed up to the treehouse. Their six children had already made their way to the small treehouse at the very top, so she decided to check on them.

Instead of flying up, Ye Mo took the stairs, enjoying the slow, steady pace. To be honest, this kind of grounded, peaceful life was something she longed for. After all, she had spent a long time either on ships or battleships.

Suddenly, Ye Mo noticed a beam of light on her face, signalling danger. She immediately erected a defensive wall around the treehouse. The bullet aimed at her was deflected.

“No! No! This is impossible! You’re a monster…” Zuo Lanruo, holding the latest model gun from the entire galaxy, couldn’t believe that the weapon did not affect Ye Mo.

Just then, a beam of light struck Zuo Lanruo. She didn’t even feel it as her head and hand were pierced through. The shot to her head came from Yan Mingke, who looked grave. “Sister-in-law, are you okay? How did someone so dangerous end up here?”

“I’m fine. Thank you, General Yan!” Ye Mo smiled. She hadn’t expected Yan Mingke to be so protective. Even though the bullet couldn’t hurt her, his defence of her was still heart-warming.

At that moment, Zhu Jun rushed over, kneeling on one knee. “Madam, I’m sorry. I failed to keep an eye on her!” Zhu Jun had shot through Zuo Lanruo’s hand, but he had almost let this madwoman injure his general’s wife.

“We were all too happy and forgot about her,” Ye Mo said, not blaming Zhu Jun. After all, Zuo Lanruo wasn’t a real threat to her. But the thought of Zuo Lanruo targeting the children made Ye Mo shudder. The kids could’ve been hurt.

Zhu Jun knew how much the General cared for his wife. If anything had happened to her, he would have had to atone with his life. Even though Ye Mo forgave him, he still needed to report this to the General and atone for his failure.

Yan Mingke turned to Zhu Jun and said, “I think you should go ahead and whip her corpse a hundred times before burning it. That might cool off the General’s anger.”

“Good idea!” Zhu Jun was fuming. He had already warned Zuo Lanruo not to provoke General Mo or harass the Madam, but she had doubled down instead.

Zhu Jun knew the gun Zuo Lanruo had used wasn’t available when they departed from District 8. The last time he detained her, he had people search her body and all her dangerous items confiscated.

So this gun had clearly been sent by the Zuo family recently. Zhu Jun thought to himself, the Zuo family is doomed now.

And as for himself, he’d have to face the consequences. A hundred lashes wouldn’t be enough to make up for his failure.

Zhu Jun dragged Zuo Lanruo’s body and dumped it at the base of his treehouse, before heading off to report to Mo Mo.

Mo Mo, busy with the wormhole project, hadn’t been paying attention to his wife’s situation. When he heard what had happened with Zuo Lanruo, his fury boiled over. He kicked Zhu Jun out of the room.

Zhu Jun stood with his head bowed, hoping for the General’s forgiveness.

Just then, Yan Mingke arrived. “Boss Mo, your wife says it wasn’t Zhu Jun’s fault. We all let our guard down and forgot about that dangerous woman. Plus, the gun she used was one of the latest models, no more than two days old and most people can’t buy it. I think we should go after the real culprit.”

Mo Mo turned to Zhu Jun. “Where’s the gun?”

Zhu Jun quickly handed it over. Mo Mo examined the serial number and used his wristwatch to trace the buyer. It didn’t take long to find out who had purchased it—Zuo Yi.

“Zuo Yi…” Mo Mo’s eyes narrowed. Perhaps Zuo Yi had intended for Zuo Lanruo to kill him, but Zuo Lanruo had gone after his wife instead, driven by her own hatred.

Zhu Jun, clearly realizing the gravity of the situation, said, “General, if it was for self-defence, she wouldn’t have needed such a high-performance weapon. I’m afraid Zuo Yi’s plan was for Zuo Lanruo to assassinate you.”

Mo Mo gave Zhu Jun a cold look. “Go find out what Zuo Ming has been doing in the military in District 8.”

“Yes, sir!” Zhu Jun was determined to make up for his mistake. He had brought a spy capable of attempting to kill the General, and that was a sin he couldn’t easily forgive himself for.

Zuo Lanruo’s body remained abandoned under the treehouse, with no one giving it a second thought.

When Zhu Jun started investigating Zuo Ming’s recent activities in the military, the findings were shocking—Zuo Ming had been gathering support within the military and had already managed to bribe some members.

(End of Chapter)