As soon as He Qing finished speaking, the door was abruptly pushed open. Duan Chenhui glanced at the note on the coffee table, “Are you trying to get yourselves wanted by the entire interstellar alliance?”

He Qing calmly placed the note in an ashtray and burned it, “No one can catch me.”

Duan Chenhui watched the ashes, “I didn’t know you had abilities like that.”

He Qing smiled lightly, then placed his hand near the vase, and within moments, the flowers inside blossomed fully. “Indeed, there are many things you don’t know, General. Are you satisfied now?”

Duan Chenhui stared at him for a while before turning and walking out.

He Qing listened to the sound of the door closing, slowly withdrawing his hand, his expression suddenly becoming a little cold.

Sun Tu chuckled after watching the scene unfold, “Why provoke him like that? Are you planning to reveal everything?”

“…I got impulsive.” He Qing closed his eyes and played with his Buddhist beads. “Maybe I would have in the past, but now, there’s no need.”

Sun Tu nodded in agreement, “True, you Buddhist cultivators always emphasize destiny.”

He Qing’s hand paused briefly as he twirled the beads, then he opened his eyes and looked at the vase.

“You’re right.”

Days passed as He Qing stayed in his room, awaiting his judgment. During this time, Duan Chenhui seemed very busy and hadn’t come by again. Soon, the day when the egg was supposed to hatch arrived. He Qing opened the livestream, seeing the egg placed in the research institute’s plaza. If it was confirmed to be a Zerg, it would be destroyed immediately.

He also noticed Duan Chenhui standing in front of the egg, looking serious.

He Qing shifted his focus to the formation on the egg. He couldn’t figure out why that demonic cultivator had placed such a formation. It didn’t seem to benefit him much. This kind of formation either aimed to recycle the target or grant eternal life.

But this kind of immortality was incomplete and could come with memory loss.

Sun Tu studied the formation, “What do you think will come out of it?”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” He Qing enlarged the livestream screen, and countless comments popped up.

“So, that’s a Zerg egg? Looks terrifying!”

“Those markings are so sinister! Kill it quickly!”

He Qing glanced around. The interstellar citizens’ hatred for the Zerg was deeply ingrained. He tapped a button and turned off the comment stream. Just then, there was a ripple in the air, and demonic energy leaked out.

He Qing stood up and looked at the intruder. “Demonic cultivator.”

The demonic cultivator, now possessing the merman prince’s body, smiled as he walked in. He glanced at the screen and sat down on the sofa. “Why so unwelcoming? I freed you from your suffering. Congrats on the divorce.”

“Since it’s such a joyous day, what are you doing here?” He Qing glanced at the screen. The Zerg egg had started to shake, and cracks appeared on its shell. The people around it grew even more tense.

The demonic cultivator raised his head and said, “Naturally, I came to bring you another gift.” He suddenly stood up and moved closer to He Qing.

He Qing immediately stepped back, “If you don’t leave now, even if the egg hatches, it might still be kept here.”

The demonic cultivator suddenly drew a sword. “Oh, I’ll definitely go fetch it. But before that…”

He Qing stared warily at the sword, thinking the demonic cultivator was going to attack him. But before he could react, the demonic cultivator turned the sword on himself. He Qing tried to stop him but was too late.

The demonic cultivator smiled, pulling the sword out of his body and tossing it to the ground. Though his face remained calm, his actions were deranged. “Now, with the crime of murdering the merman prince, I wonder if Duan Chenhui will still protect you?” With that, his Nascent Soul jumped out and flew away, leaving behind a livestream orb.

Sun Tu exclaimed, “Damn! This bastard is even more ruthless than me! Truly a demonic cultivator!!”

He Qing was shocked and rushed over to catch the merman prince’s body. He pressed his hands over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but…

Sun Tu shook his head. “It’s just an empty corpse without a soul. Even if you heal it, it’s still dead.”

Just then, screams erupted from the livestream: “Ahhh!! He Qing killed the merman prince!!”

“Someone save him! Save the merman prince!!”

“So much blood! He’s gone mad!”

He Qing glanced at the screen, meeting Duan Chenhui’s eyes. Duan Chenhui had been watching the entire scene, and his face now showed shock and disbelief.

“I’m going to him.” As soon as Duan Chenhui said this, he sprinted out of the camera’s view.

He Qing waved his hand, smashing the livestream orb. Duan Chenhui would be back soon, but with the merman prince dead in the general’s residence, both he and Duan Chenhui would be prime suspects. Looking down at the body, He Qing suddenly had an idea and pulled out the golden bell shield.

“Sun Tu, this is the perfect body for you. A merman. You could really soar to great heights.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! That’s a merman, not a koi fish! How is that the same?!”

“There won’t be a second chance.”

Sun Tu hesitated and struggled but eventually gritted his teeth. “Damn it, do I even have a choice?”

“No.” He Qing’s expression turned serious. While healing the merman prince’s wound with his wood-based spiritual power, he released Sun Tu’s Nascent Soul. “I’ll help you possess him.”

“This isn’t possession! It’s more like rebirth in a new body!” Sun Tu looked at the merman prince’s face in disgust. “He’s so… effeminate! All colorful and flamboyant! I’m a handsome black koi!”

Knowing time was running short, He Qing quickly guided Sun Tu into the body. “At least he has a rare ice spiritual root. In this world, that’s pretty valuable. Plus, you’re royalty now.”

“Fair point.” Hearing this, Sun Tu began channeling his cultivation to take over the prince’s body.

He Qing watched for a moment, then tapped the merman prince’s forehead.

Sun Tu blinked. “What are you doing?”

“Placing a mark on you. Even if you possess him, I’ll still share the karma.”

He Qing laid the merman prince on the ground and continued healing the wound with his wood-based spiritual power.

“…Damn it, you’re just monitoring me, aren’t you?” Sun Tu felt like cursing. He knew He Qing wasn’t that innocent!

Suddenly, the door was forcefully pushed open.

“He Qing.”

“General…” He Qing looked up as Duan Chenhui approached, frowning, step by step. Behind him followed a group of people. This was truly the crime scene—there was no way to clear his name now.

“He Qing! You actually assassinated the merman prince?!”

“Are you trying to start a war between two nations?!”

“Arrest him!”

“Shut up.” Duan Chenhui snapped his head around to glare at the others. “We don’t know the truth yet, and you’re already blaming the empire?”

“…Then what do you suggest?! Cover it up?”

“Cover what up?! It’s already been broadcast live! The mermen will be here to demand answers soon!”

Duan Chenhui turned back and took a deep breath as he approached He Qing. “What happened?”

“I didn’t assassinate him.” He Qing felt a jolt in his heart and looked up at Duan Chenhui. “Trust me.”

Duan Chenhui locked eyes with him for a few moments. “Alright…”

“Thank you…” He Qing breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his hand away from the merman prince’s wound. The bleeding had stopped. Just then, someone shouted:

“General! The doctor’s here!”

He Qing subtly pinched the merman prince’s spine, prompting Sun Tu to stir and reluctantly wake up, playing along. “Cough, cough… Someone… someone tried to assassinate me. Fortunately, Mr. He saved me… You must catch the culprit!”

Everyone following Duan Chenhui looked around the room. There were no broken windows, and the heavily guarded general’s residence had no signs of intrusion. It finally dawned on them that there might be something off about the merman prince himself. They had been too tense to realize it earlier.

Duan Chenhui nodded. “As long as the prince is safe, we’ll do everything we can to track down the perpetrator.”

The others quickly echoed, “Yes, rest assured, Your Highness.”

Just then, cries erupted from the livestream: “It’s hatched!”

“It’s… a person?”

“Wait, maybe not…”

Everyone in the room turned their attention to the screen. Emerging from the egg was a white-haired youth. The same formation that had been on the egg was etched into his skin. He looked up at the sky, and suddenly, a pair of massive bone wings sprouted from his back, their thin, shimmering membranes glinting with starlight.

Everyone was stunned. “Is that… a Zerg?”

“Wait, Zergs don’t have humanoid forms, do they?” Someone else was confused.

“No… I’ve never seen a Zerg with a human-like shape. Maybe it’s a new humanoid species?”

He Qing stared at the screen. In truth, this creature was no longer just an ordinary Zerg. It had mutated.

Suddenly, the demonic cultivator’s Nascent Soul appeared above the plaza. He looked down at the boy and said, “Adam, let’s go.”

“Okay.” The boy responded, flapping his wings and soaring up to meet the Nascent Soul.

Finally, the people at the scene reacted: “Capture him!”

But the boy’s wings generated a powerful gust of wind. In just moments, he had flown hundreds of meters into the sky, disappearing shortly after.

“Holy crap!! What sci-fi movie are we watching?!”

“Can he fly through space?!”

“Hey, hold on… I was watching closely, and I think he doesn’t have a gender!”

“Dude, are you seriously focusing on that? Is there a replay?!”

It turned out to be a diversion. He Qing stood up, realizing that the demonic cultivator had drawn Duan Chenhui and everyone else here, while he escaped with the boy. He used a cleansing technique to wipe the bloodstains from his body.

Sun Tu patted his new body, only to discover something that nearly made him choke. “What the—He Qing! This body can’t cultivate demonic arts!”

He Qing turned to him, “Heaven’s will. Looks like you’ll have to switch to righteous cultivation.”

“Damn it, you knew this all along!” Sun Tu collapsed, spitting white foam, fainting from the shock.

At last, the people in the room began to process what had just happened. General Miao looked between Duan Chenhui, He Qing, and the unconscious merman prince. “We should probably focus on healing the prince first. We need to give the merman race an explanation.”

“Agreed.” Someone nodded, relieved that the situation seemed to have calmed down somewhat.