Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 165 - 85: On the Dark Sea

Chapter 165: Chapter 85: On the Dark Sea

In this trip accompanying the team to the Imperial Court, no guard from the company was unfamiliar with the name Li De.

Assassinating an Imperial Court minister, kidnapping an envoy from the Red Star Chamber of Commerce, he had committed every major crime possible on this planet. To find this kidnapper, Chief Cai Hui had stayed up all night, scouring the company’s archives to dig out the name of this interstellar fugitive.

If Li De hadn’t died in the Yu Quan bathhouse, with these two charges, his bounty would have probably exceeded a hundred million.

But everyone knew that Li De was already dead, a casualty of internal strife.

Chief Cai Hui drew a blank at the Yu Quan bathhouse, not even finding the fugitive’s corpse, leaving behind nothing but a pool of blood.

But...

Wasn’t this the most clumsy kind of smokescreen?

Since Li De’s death had been personally confirmed by Cai Hui, no one in the security department had raised any doubts about the outcome. Now that Li De had sprung back to life before their eyes, it proved that Chief Cai Hui had been fooled by such a clumsy deception.

The old guard sneered inwardly, thinking that the Director’s student was nothing special after all.

"I’ve already sent the message up, we just need to hold him off for a bit and everything will be fine once Boss Tian Yun arrives," he said.

Assisting in the capture of an interstellar fugitive was indeed a great achievement.

Upon returning to the flagship, a promotion and a raise were not out of the question.

The old guard was basking in pleasant fantasies but once again had his mood spoiled by the young guard.

"Senior, don’t you find this odd?" he asked.

His voice trembled slightly, as though suppressing a great fear.

This was the road they had taken earlier, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this corridor seemed different than before.

"What’s strange about it?"

"Drip, drip."

The words of the old guard abruptly stopped as he seemed to hear the sound of water very close by, as if it was coming from right above their heads. He looked up, and just then, a cold liquid dropped right onto his cheek.

He brought his hand up to wipe the liquid off his face.

It was golden, the same color as the walls.

Both stopped in unison, noticing the golden fluid smeared on each other’s hair, faces, and clothes. The liquid was incessantly dripping down from the columns on both sides of the path.

The corridor was melting, and the farther forward they went, the faster it melted. It was so long it seemed endless, and a fog had started to form ahead.

The light mist carried the distinct smell of moisture.

Fear was evident in their eyes as they looked at each other.

Li De hadn’t attacked them, or even threatened them. The figure ahead was moving slowly, as if waiting for them to catch up, the unfamiliar change triggering their most primal fears.

It was time to turn back.

Their instincts were alerting them.

"Anyway, we’ve already notified Boss Tian Yun. If a fight broke out here, it could harm innocent people," stammered the old guard.

The young guard nodded hastily, "Ah, yeah, let’s head back first."

They turned around, took a step forward, and then quickened their pace, as if trying to leave the sound of water far behind them.

Retreating turned out to be a wise decision. The interstellar fugitive seemed to only want to scare them off with this method. After all, this was the heart of the Imperial Court, and with a banquet approaching, if too much commotion were raised, it could draw Tian Yun over, and even several interstellar fugitives wouldn’t stand a chance. Moreover, Qing Hua, the director, had tightened security and even brought in official members of "Long Branch."

Those were some of the strongest beings in the universe; there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

The old guard consoled himself with this thought, allowing his anxiety to subside.

By the time the two reached the door to the Imperial Dining Room, the sound of water had stopped, the columns and the walls above no longer melted. The clattering of pots and pans from the other side of the door brought an incomparable sense of comfort to them. Although the cooks were of no help in combat, their presence offered solace to the soul.

The old guard pushed the door open with his hand, thinking that seeing that beautiful young cook again would heal their spirits even more.

But then, all of their expectations froze on their faces.

The moment the door to the Imperial Dining Room opened, all sounds ceased; the whole world fell silent, devoid of any other noise.

It was an expanse of black sea, impervious to any light.

The old guard instinctively looked to the side but could only make out the young guard’s fuzzy silhouette; even fear was obscured by the darkness.

That cold and damp sensation returned, now at their feet.

They had stepped into seawater, which had risen above their ankles.

"Senior..."

The young guard seemed to be looking at him, his body, like his, pinned in place by the chilling seawater, unable to budge an inch, "What do we do now?"

Sounds from under the water were approaching; something was rapidly closing in on them.

"Quick, quick, connect—"

...

A moment later.

"Where did Li De go?"

Tian Yun arrived at the designated location and immediately asked upon seeing the two guards.

He trusted Cai Hui’s on-the-spot judgment, but these two company guards claimed they had encountered Li De in the palace, who should have been dead.

"I’m terribly sorry, Boss Tian Yun, we made a mistake,"

The older guard immediately apologized, "We were preoccupied with Li De’s matter, which is why we mistook a servant for Li De."

Mistook a servant for Li De?

This reason was somewhat peculiar, Tian Yun scrutinized the two guards, but couldn’t see anything amiss.

The evening banquet on the other side was about to start. Since Li De hadn’t appeared, Tian Yun couldn’t afford to waste any more time on the two guards. In principle, he had to be by Cai Hui’s side at all times.

"After the banquet is over, come and explain the situation," he said.

"Yes!"

"And don’t wander around here, get back to your post quickly!"

"Yes!"

..........................

Meanwhile, in the Third Prince’s room.

He faced the mirror, arms spread wide, as he watched through the glass Cai Die meticulously smoothing out every wrinkle on his clothes, his lips curving into a slight smile, which he quickly suppressed as she looked up to see.

He said with feigned nonchalance, "Cai Die, you truly understand me best. I’ve never been disappointed when I leave my attire to you."

"It’s because Your Highness trained me well," Cai Die said indifferently, taking a step back to put some distance between herself and the Third Prince.

"Why not just call me Ying Tian? Ying Tian, Ying Tian, this name is a reminder for me to follow the will of Heaven."

"Even someone like Your Highness has to live according to the will of Heaven."

Just now, the Third Prince had told her many things—things she should not have known.

The Elder Princess, the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and even everything within the Imperial Court were all bound by their predetermined fates.

"The changes in the Imperial Court over the years, are those also arranged by fate?"

"Yes."

"Did Your Highness also know this day would eventually come?"

"I did."

"Then—"

Cai Die didn’t continue. It would be presumptuous for such words to come from the mouth of a servant girl.

She intended to leave, but the Third Prince, as if seeing through her heart, said, "Just close your eyes, and you can bear anything."

Cai Die halted, her voice so soft only she could hear, "Has Your Highness ever thought about living with eyes open?"

Towards the end, even she couldn’t hear her own muffled voice clearly.

She was just a servant girl; how could she dare to ask such a question to a prince?

"Cai Die, you’re aiming for my life."

"I wouldn’t dare."

"Haha, I’m someone who values my life the most; isn’t it good this way?"

The Third Prince didn’t get angry but laughed heartily, "You really should learn from me."

"What does Your Highness mean?"

"If something happens in the future, just close your eyes and don’t do anything foolish."