Chapter 30.1 - Rescue

A trace of surprise appeared in Ji Ling’s eyes. Jing Sui had actually come to save him!

He’d never wanted to see Jing Sui as much as he did now! 

However, at this moment, a hand suddenly tightened over his throat from behind. It clasped so hard that he almost suffocated. The happiness in Ji Ling's eyes was immediately covered in despair. For the first time, the threat of death had approached very closely.

Gabriel, do you intend to kill me so I can’t tell anyone…?

If Gabriel had really wanted to kill him, he wouldn’t even need a second to do it. He wouldn’t have been able to hold out until Jing Sui arrived… 

Gabriel clasped the boy’s throat. This neck seemed so fragile and slender that it could be broken if he put in just a little more strength. He looked at the youth’s eyes, glistening with fear-induced tears. They were a beautiful aqua blue. All that showed in them was panic and unease. What a pitiful thing. Gabriel almost didn’t want to let go of him… 

He said in the boy’s ear: "It seems that the emperor really does like you. He came faster than I expected."

Ji Ling’s lips trembled faintly.

Just when he was about to completely fall into despair, he suddenly felt the hand loosen on his neck again. It felt like the man’s aura suddenly disappeared away, leaving only a chuckle floating by his ear: "Don't forget about me. I’ll be back again later.”

The next second, a hole opened up in the ground and Gabriel jumped down!

Ji Ling was sitting on the ground terrified. Everything had happened too quickly, and he hadn’t even come back to himself. 

Then, a shockwave shook the ground. It was just like an earthquake. The floor all around him began to collapse.  From the deep depths, a humongous silver mecha rose up, and kept rising with him in tow!

Piercing cold wind blew painfully on his cheeks, making it hard for him to even open his eyes. Instinctively, Ji Ling grabbed onto the metal floor below him desperately... Wait, this wasn’t a metal floor.

He was in the hands of a mecha!

Ji Ling raised his head up and looked at the huge silver mecha in front of him. He felt like he could almost see right through it to that cold, terrifying and cruel man sitting inside. Suddenly... he felt a wave of weightlessness. He’d begun to fall...

The silver mecha opened his hand and directly threw Ji Ling away!

Ji Ling should’ve been extremely afraid at this moment, but curve ball after curve ball had made him lose the ability to react. He kept falling like this, watching as the silver mecha in his line of sight got farther and farther away from him...

All the way until his back hit something heavily. 

His fall came to an abrupt end.

The black mecha spread its wings at the speed of light and rushed to catch him without a moment’s delay! And then, it raised a hand to block the wind for him and shield him from the turbulence. Landing on the ground slowly, it knelt down on one knee and carefully opened its palm to put Ji Ling down.

Jing Sui didn't give chase to Gabriel. Gabriel had also guessed that he wouldn’t be able to ignore Ji Ling’s life. That’s why he’d deliberately thrown Ji Ling out to block his pursuer.

Ji Ling sat dumbly on the ground, only to find that the tears on his face had been dried by the wind. He looked up to see the black mecha's hatch open. A man with black hair and golden eyes jumped down from on high and approached him step by step. With strength, the man pulled him into his arms.

Feeling the man’s strong hot embrace, Ji Ling’s blood that had been frozen by fear began to flow again. For some reason, his eyes began to sting immensely. Suddenly, Ji Ling started crying again, and very loudly at that.

He really thought he was going to die just now!

He was truly terrified! 

What emperor?! What male lead?! Who gave a f*ck at a time like this… Ji Ling held onto Jing Sui's neck and cried until he was out of breath. He’d never leave Empire Star again. The outside world was too terrifying and too dangerous!

Jing Sui clasped his hands around the boy's trembling body, letting him hang onto his neck and cry his heart out. He maintained this position without moving an inch.

Tears soaked his shirt. He could feel the boy’s shaking, and his warm temperature through his skin. They penetrated into his body bit by bit. The youth was incredibly warm and soft, but that was also like the sharpest knife stabbing directly into his heart, ignoring all obstacles.

It wasn’t until Ji Ling tired himself out crying that Jing Sui raised his hand and gently wiped away his tears. He said softly: "Sorry. I was late."

He looked at the boy's face, full of tears. The pain and remorse almost drowned him. Closing his eyes, he recalled the scene where Gabriel had thrown the boy into the air just now. His eyes almost exploded in anger! Just thinking that he might possibly lose the youth again… that he’d have to watch him die in front of him again... That pain was like a death grip over his heart. 

It made him taste fear for the first time...

So even he could care about someone to this extent. 

He couldn’t lose Ji Ling ever again.

Ji Ling hiccuped, and finally snapped out of his fear and confusion. Suddenly, he let go of his hands, and awkwardly avoided Jing Sui’s eyes. Crap! I was so overwhelmed with fear just now, that I actually held onto Jing Sui crying. This defect won't misunderstand and think that I’m interested in him, will he?

Ji Ling only felt a headache coming. Although he was grateful that Jing Sui came to save him without hesitation, his feelings were really complicated. If it wasn’t for Jing Sui, he wouldn't have been captured in the first place…

And it seemed like the more Jing Sui cared about him, the harder it’d be to get this crumbling plot back on track. 

This really was quite a dilemma… A huge headache!

Jing Sui gently picked up the boy, and saw his absent-minded eyes full of pain. He felt so bad for him, and his heart was full of murder for Gabriel! Who knew how Gabriel had treated the youth to make him so fearful. Last life, I thought Gabriel had a sense of propriety, but it seems that I was wrong. 

Although he had a thousand questions in his heart, Jing Sui was afraid of touching on Ji Ling's painful memories. From beginning to end, he didn't mention a word about Gabriel. He just brought the boy back to the starship, personally cleaned him up, and said lightly: "It's okay. We’re going home now."

Ji Ling lay on the bed. He’d completely calmed down now. He grabbed onto the edge of the blanket with both hands, and brought it up to his neck, wrapping himself up. There was still a faint glow of red in his eyes that hadn’t faded yet. 

Jing Sui saw how worn out he looked, and rubbed his head, saying with a smile: "You have a rest first. I’ll come check on you again in the evening.” 

Ji Ling nodded obediently. Seeing that Jing Sui was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something and called out in a low voice: “Brother Jing Sui..."

Jing Sui turned back and looked at him in gentle encouragement: "What is it?"

Ji Ling paused and blinked his eyes. It seemed as if the tears were welling up again. He said obligingly: "That man…said that Uncle Carlos told him about me... Uncle Carlos, he…”

Jing Sui’s eyes suddenly turned cold when he heard this, as if he couldn’t control the murderous aura in his heart… Sure enough, it was him…

Ji Ling looked at Jing Sui with blank and saddened eyes. His voice was choked with sobs: “It’s not true. Uncle Carlos wouldn't do that, would he?"

Jing Sui felt incredibly distressed. He knew in his heart that this must again be Carlos' plot. That man still hadn’t given up on using these tactics against him. However, he really couldn't bear to let the boy continue to be hurt. He was silent for a long time, and in the end, just said: "Don't overthink it.”

Ji Ling gave a faint: “Mmm.” 

He waited until Jing Sui left, then finally revealed a pensive expression. In fact, he’d hesitated a while before finally deciding to say that sentence.

There had really been a lot of changes this life. Ji Ling never expected Gabriel to tell him this piece of info directly. Last life, it had only been exposed quite late into Jing Sui and Carlos’ fierce battle. Even if he knew and didn’t say anything, Jing Sui must’ve guessed the truth already… However… 

He was still very unhappy on hearing it :)

Ji Ling just didn’t want to help that old bastard hide this fact! He went ahead and said it. Hmph! 

………………

After Jing Sui left Ji Ling's room, his eyes sank completely. Within those golden eyes was cold dark ice. A short while later, he pressed his communicator and had the secretary officer come to his command room.

Very soon, a middle-aged man entered and said respectfully: "Your Majesty."

Jing Sui's eyes were icy. He said lightly: "I asked you to carefully investigate everyone on this starship, and what did you do?"

He had already changed his itinerary completely this time,  and pulled out Carlos' men in advance. However, he was still caught off guard by the rebels. He’d even let Gabriel take Ji Ling away. There must’ve been spies on the starship that he’d never found.

The secretary officer said respectfully: "After investigation, a total of 12 people have been found dead, 3 missing, and many injured. For the time being, none are particularly suspicious.”

Jing Sui tapped his finger gently on the desk and said slowly: “Tell me about the three missing people.”

The secretary officer replied: "Two nobles, and one civilian. We have a thorough background on both of the nobles. They have families and kin on Empire Star. It is very unlikely for them to be traitors. I believe they are already dead, and the corpses just haven’t been found yet. I will continue looking into the identity of the civilian. Perhaps he’s a traitor from the rebel army, and he fled in the chaos."

Jing Sui furrowed his brows. Is it really that simple? His identity was revealed, so he then took advantage of the chaos to flee? He felt like this act was done on purpose for him to see. Pressing his lips together, he suddenly said: "What of Ning Yu?"

Ning Yu was an extraordinary civilian evolver, but the more he interacted with him, the more he saw how insightful and rational he was. He looked simple, but Jing Sui felt that the man was so perfect he couldn’t be simple. At times, he vaguely felt that they might even be on the same level. However, Ning Yu never left any tracks… He didn’t know why, but at this moment, Jing Sui had subconsciously thought of him.

He had never trusted him much.

The secretary officer replied: "Major Ning Yu had been involved with the search and rescue operation the whole time. He returned with some others after Young Master Ji Ling was retrieved. He did suffer some injuries, but they shouldn’t be serious. No problems were found."

Jing Sui went silent for a moment and said: “I understand.  You may leave.” 

The secretary officer respectfully complied.

That spy must still be hidden among them. Jing Sui’s expression turned slightly cold. He closed his eyes and the scene where Ji Ling came tumbling down from above re-surfaced. His fists slowly tightened.

Last life, Carlos was full of plots and schemes. He’d even used Ji Ling’s death to try and force him to make a move on the rebels.  However, he’d refused, because the rebels were very cunning and good at hiding. If he gave the order, there’d be a sea of bloody massacre, involving countless innocent people. The already dissatisfied civilians would resist the empire’s rule even more.

That’s why he couldn’t do it. Even if Ji Ling might’ve died at the hands of those cruel rebels, he couldn’t do it.

At the time, he didn't think the life or death of one Ji Ling was that important. The one who sold him out was Carlos, but he himself was the one who had abandoned Ji Ling.

Now, however, whenever he thought that Ji Ling might just go to his death like that, and may not be able to hold out until he came to save him… 

Jing Sui's heart would be filled with pain, anger and murderous intent.

Those rebels, hiding and dodging about like bedbugs, didn’t value his tolerance for them and even dared to take away Ji Ling from under his eyes. This was a provocation directed at him!

And that Gabriel...

Jing Sui suddenly opened his eyes, as if the murder in them was real. I once thought you were someone with a sense of propriety, so I tolerated your existence. No matter how strong someone is, he is just one person. In the face of a powerful empire, you’re just like an ant trying to shake a tree down. I thought you had the self-awareness to know that…

But you let me down.

An uncontrollable pawn, and one who dares to challenge me, at that… had better be prepared to pay the price.

Hide well. Don't show up ever again, and don't let me find out your identity, otherwise, I will personally…show you a miserable death.

Chapter 30.1 - RescueA trace of surprise appeared in Ji Ling's eyes. Jing Sui had actually come to save him!He'd never wanted to see Jing Sui as much as he did now!However, at this moment, a hand suddenly tightened over his throat from behind. It clasped so hard that he almost suffocated. The happiness in Ji Ling's eyes was immediately covered in despair. For the first time, the threat of death had approached very closely.Gabriel, do you intend to kill me so I can't tell anyone?If Gabriel had really wanted to kill him, he wouldn't even need a second to do it. He wouldn't have been able to hold out until Jing Sui arrivedGabriel clasped the boy's throat. This neck seemed so fragile and slender that it could be broken if he put in just a little more strength. He looked at the youth's eyes, glistening with fear-induced tears. They were a beautiful aqua blue. All that showed in them was panic and unease. What a pitiful thing. Gabriel almost didn't want to let go of himHe said in the boy's ear: "It seems that the emperor really does like you. He came faster than I expected."Ji Ling's lips trembled faintly.Just when he was about to completely fall into despair, he suddenly felt the hand loosen on his neck again. It felt like the man's aura suddenly disappeared away, leaving only a chuckle floating by his ear: "Don't forget about me. I'll be back again later.The next second, a hole opened up in the ground and Gabriel jumped down!Ji Ling was sitting on the ground terrified. Everything had happened too quickly, and he hadn't even come back to himself.Then, a shockwave shook the ground. It was just like an earthquake. The floor all around him began to collapse.From the deep depths, a humongous silver mecha rose up, and kept rising with him in tow!Piercing cold wind blew painfully on his cheeks, making it hard for him to even open his eyes. Instinctively, Ji Ling grabbed onto the metal floor below him desperately... Wait, this wasn't a metal floor.He was in the hands of a mecha!Ji Ling raised his head up and looked at the huge silver mecha in front of him. He felt like he could almost see right through it to that cold, terrifying and cruel man sitting inside. Suddenly... he felt a wave of weightlessness. He'd begun to fall...The silver mecha opened his hand and directly threw Ji Ling away!Ji Ling should've been extremely afraid at this moment, but curve ball after curve ball had made him lose the ability to react. He kept falling like this, watching as the silver mecha in his line of sight got farther and farther away from him...All the way until his back hit something heavily.His fall came to an abrupt end.The black mecha spread its wings at the speed of light and rushed to catch him without a moment's delay! And then, it raised a hand to block the wind for him and shield him from the turbulence. Landing on the ground slowly, it knelt down on one knee and carefully opened its palm to put Ji Ling down.Jing Sui didn't give chase to Gabriel. Gabriel had also guessed that he wouldn't be able to ignore Ji Ling's life. That's why he'd deliberately thrown Ji Ling out to block his pursuer.Ji Ling sat dumbly on the ground, only to find that the tears on his face had been dried by the wind. He looked up to see the black mecha's hatch open. A man with black hair and golden eyes jumped down from on high and approached him step by step. With strength, the man pulled him into his arms.Feeling the man's strong hot embrace, Ji Ling's blood that had been frozen by fear began to flow again. For some reason, his eyes began to sting immensely. Suddenly, Ji Ling started crying again, and very loudly at that.He really thought he was going to die just now!He was truly terrified!What emperor?! What male lead?! Who gave a f*ck at a time like this Ji Ling held onto Jing Sui's neck and cried until he was out of breath. He'd never leave Empire Star again. The outside world was too terrifying and too dangerous!Jing Sui clasped his hands around the boy's trembling body, letting him hang onto his neck and cry his heart out. He maintained this position without moving an inch.Tears soaked his shirt. He could feel the boy's shaking, and his warm temperature through his skin. They penetrated into his body bit by bit. The youth was incredibly warm and soft, but that was also like the sharpest knife stabbing directly into his heart, ignoring all obstacles.It wasn't until Ji Ling tired himself out crying that Jing Sui raised his hand and gently wiped away his tears. He said softly: "Sorry. I was late."He looked at the boy's face, full of tears. The pain and remorse almost drowned him. Closing his eyes, he recalled the scene where Gabriel had thrown the boy into the air just now. His eyes almost exploded in anger! Just thinking that he might possibly lose the youth again that he'd have to watch him die in front of him again... That pain was like a death grip over his heart.It made him taste fear for the first time...So even he could care about someone to this extent.He couldn't lose Ji Ling ever again.Ji Ling hiccuped, and finally snapped out of his fear and confusion. Suddenly, he let go of his hands, and awkwardly avoided Jing Sui's eyes.Crap! I was so overwhelmed with fear just now, that I actually held onto Jing Sui crying. This defect won't misunderstand and think that I'm interested in him, will he?Ji Ling only felt a headache coming. Although he was grateful that Jing Sui came to save him without hesitation, his feelings were really complicated. If it wasn't for Jing Sui, he wouldn't have been captured in the first placeAnd it seemed like the more Jing Sui cared about him, the harder it'd be to get this crumbling plot back on track.This really was quite a dilemma A huge headache!Jing Sui gently picked up the boy, and saw his absent-minded eyes full of pain. He felt so bad for him, and his heart was full of murder for Gabriel! Who knew how Gabriel had treated the youth to make him so fearful.Last life, I thought Gabriel had a sense of propriety, but it seems that I was wrong.Although he had a thousand questions in his heart, Jing Sui was afraid of touching on Ji Ling's painful memories. From beginning to end, he didn't mention a word about Gabriel. He just brought the boy back to the starship, personally cleaned him up, and said lightly: "It's okay. We're going home now."Ji Ling lay on the bed. He'd completely calmed down now. He grabbed onto the edge of the blanket with both hands, and brought it up to his neck, wrapping himself up. There was still a faint glow of red in his eyes that hadn't faded yet.Jing Sui saw how worn out he looked, and rubbed his head, saying with a smile: "You have a rest first. I'll come check on you again in the evening.Ji Ling nodded obediently. Seeing that Jing Sui was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something and called out in a low voice: Brother Jing Sui..."Jing Sui turned back and looked at him in gentle encouragement: "What is it?"Ji Ling paused and blinked his eyes. It seemed as if the tears were welling up again. He said obligingly: "That mansaid that Uncle Carlos told him about me... Uncle Carlos, heJing Sui's eyes suddenly turned cold when he heard this, as if he couldn't control the murderous aura in his heartSure enough, it was himJi Ling looked at Jing Sui with blank and saddened eyes. His voice was choked with sobs: It's not true. Uncle Carlos wouldn't do that, would he?"Jing Sui felt incredibly distressed. He knew in his heart that this must again be Carlos' plot. That man still hadn't given up on using these tactics against him. However, he really couldn't bear to let the boy continue to be hurt. He was silent for a long time, and in the end, just said: "Don't overthink it.Ji Ling gave a faint: Mmm.He waited until Jing Sui left, then finally revealed a pensive expression. In fact, he'd hesitated a while before finally deciding to say that sentence.There had really been a lot of changes this life. Ji Ling never expected Gabriel to tell him this piece of info directly. Last life, it had only been exposed quite late into Jing Sui and Carlos' fierce battle. Even if he knew and didn't say anything, Jing Sui must've guessed the truth already HoweverHe was still very unhappy on hearing it :Ji Ling just didn't want to help that old bastard hide this fact! He went ahead and said it. Hmph!After Jing Sui left Ji Ling's room, his eyes sank completely. Within those golden eyes was cold dark ice. A short while later, he pressed his communicator and had the secretary officer come to his command room.Very soon, a middle-aged man entered and said respectfully: "Your Majesty."Jing Sui's eyes were icy. He said lightly: "I asked you to carefully investigate everyone on this starship, and what did you do?"He had already changed his itinerary completely this time,and pulled out Carlos' men in advance. However, he was still caught off guard by the rebels. He'd even let Gabriel take Ji Ling away. There must've been spies on the starship that he'd never found.The secretary officer said respectfully: "After investigation, a total of 12 people have been found dead, 3missing, and many injured. For the time being, none are particularly suspicious.Jing Sui tapped his finger gently on the desk and said slowly: Tell me about the three missing people.The secretary officer replied: "Two nobles, and one civilian. We have a thorough background on both of the nobles. They have families and kin on Empire Star. It is very unlikely for them to be traitors. I believe they are already dead, and the corpses just haven't been found yet. I will continue looking into the identity of the civilian. Perhaps he's a traitor from the rebel army, and he fled in the chaos."Jing Sui furrowed his brows.Is it really that simple? His identity was revealed, so he then took advantage of the chaos to flee?He felt like this act was done on purpose for him to see. Pressing his lips together, he suddenly said: "What of Ning Yu?"Ning Yu was an extraordinary civilian evolver, but the more he interacted with him, the more he saw how insightful and rational he was. He looked simple, but Jing Sui felt that the man was so perfect he couldn't be simple. At times, he vaguely felt that they might even be on the same level. However, Ning Yu never left any tracks He didn't know why, but at this moment, Jing Sui had subconsciously thought of him.He had never trusted him much.The secretary officer replied: "Major Ning Yu had been involved with the search and rescue operation the whole time. He returned with some others after Young Master Ji Ling was retrieved. He did suffer some injuries, but they shouldn't be serious. No problems were found."Jing Sui went silent for a moment and said: I understand.You may leave.The secretary officer respectfully complied.That spy must still be hidden among them. Jing Sui's expression turned slightly cold. He closed his eyes and the scene where Ji Ling came tumbling down from above re-surfaced. His fists slowly tightened.Last life, Carlos was full of plots and schemes. He'd even used Ji Ling's death to try and force him to make a move on the rebels.However, he'd refused, because the rebels were very cunning and good at hiding. If he gave the order, there'd be a sea of bloody massacre, involving countless innocent people. The already dissatisfied civilians would resist the empire's rule even more.That's why he couldn't do it. Even if Ji Ling might've died at the hands of those cruel rebels, he couldn't do it.At the time, he didn't think the life or death of one Ji Ling was that important. The one who sold him out was Carlos, but he himself was the one who had abandoned Ji Ling.Now, however, whenever he thought that Ji Ling might just go to his death like that, and may not be able to hold out until he came to save himJing Sui's heart would be filled with pain, anger and murderous intent.Those rebels, hiding and dodging about like bedbugs, didn't value his tolerance for them and even dared to take away Ji Ling from under his eyes. This was a provocation directed at him!And that Gabriel...Jing Sui suddenly opened his eyes, as if the murder in them was real.I once thought you were someone with a sense of propriety, so I tolerated your existence. No matter how strong someone is, he is just one person. In the face of a powerful empire, you're just like an ant trying to shake a tree down. I thought you had the self-awareness to know thatBut you let me down.An uncontrollable pawn, and one who dares to challenge me, at that had better be prepared to pay the price.Hide well. Don't show up ever again, and don't let me find out your identity, otherwise, I will personallyshow you a miserable death.