IMAO Chapter 53

After announcing the news, Alfonso just smiled and said nothing. When Hosea invited him, he specifically asked him to bring these students along. Although he was confused, Alfonso didn’t think much of it.

However, Hosea’s insistence on bringing Ji Chong made Alfonso contemplate further. As long as there was still hope for the spatial technology, even if Ji Chong refused to go, he would drag him there if he had to!

After dinner, seeing Ji Chong walk into the courtyard, Alfonso quickly followed.

Under the night sky, the man leaned against the wall with a cigarette between his lips, hands tucked in his pockets. His dark eyes were deep but unfocused, appearing rather lonely.

Alfonso approached and called out to Ji Chong.

Ji Chong watched Alfonso’s lips move, noting how nine out of ten sentences mentioned the banquet, his words clearly conveying his desire for Ji Chong to attend.

Finally, worn down by the persistence, Ji Chong agreed.

“Ji Chong, please don’t think I’m annoying, but the value of spatial compression technology is immeasurable,” Alfonso hesitated before adding, “I’m sorry.”

“Mm.” Ji Rong extinguished his cigarette, responding with cool indifference.

…

In the hall, they discussed running into Basil at the entrance that afternoon.

Gu Bai set down his water glass. He suddenly remembered how Basil’s words suggested he knew Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong. “By the way, from Basil’s tone, it seemed he knew you two.”

“From the start of the semester,” Ji Rong replied casually.

“The start of the semester?”

Hearing Ji Rong’s answer, the students were stunned, their eyes filled with curiosity.

“The Destiny was hijacked,” Ji Rong explained. “Jiang Yuan and I were on the ship then. That’s when we met.”

“Holy shit, I know about that! It made the news! They said two passengers dealt with the Falcon Squad, but they wouldn’t reveal their names…”

“Those who died were Falcon members, right? The elite of the Imperial Shadow Hunters!”

Upon hearing Gu Bai’s words, everyone suddenly understood. Cyril started slightly, saying, “I remember many people online theorized that these supposed passengers were fake. They were actually Fearless Vanguard operatives planted in advance.”

As they spoke, everyone suddenly paused, freezing for a second.

Everyone’s gaze fell simultaneously on Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong.

Could these two before them be the ‘unnamed passengers’ who dealt with the Falcon Squad?

No… thinking carefully, the probability was high. After all, Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong’s abilities were obvious to all. They were ridiculously strong, especially in hand-to-hand combat without mechas. Their fighting skills left everyone else in the dust!

As Gu Bai and the others realized this, their hearts filled with complex emotions.

“Were you two those passengers?” Cyril scrutinized Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong with suspicious eyes, seeking to confirm his terrifying yet bizarre conjecture.

Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong exchanged glances before nodding under everyone’s watchful gaze.

As they nodded, the other five felt their hearts shake, their fragile nerves nearly snapping from the shock.

The Falcon Squad was the elite of elites in the Shadow Hunters. Although they might not have displayed their full strength without mechas, the fact that Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong could eliminate an entire squad in mere hand-to-hand combat left everyone slack-jawed in astonishment.

Were these two sent from heaven to torment them?

As the most exceptional students, they had proven themselves among their peers at the prestigious First Military Academy. Yet Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong’s presence seemed to exist solely to prove they weren’t the best after all!

…

The banquet was held at Hosea’s residence. His mansion, while still ten times larger than the Jiang family’s home, remained within acceptable limits for Federation standards. Unlike Emperor Hoyt’s palace, which had no equal in the Federation.

“So many people,” Gu Bai couldn’t help but sigh.

Indeed, there were crowds everywhere. Jiang Yuan glanced around. Just at the entrance, there was a crowd of masked figures entering the venue. Looking across the spacious hall, there were at least a thousand people.

“So envious. Must be nice to be rich,” Gu Bai licked his lips, face full of envy.

“This Prince is more than just wealthy,” Cyril murmured.

As they spoke in hushed tones, nearby voices caught their attention.

“Will His Majesty come today?”

“Of course, when has he ever missed it?” The man sighed regretfully, “It’s a pity everyone’s wearing masks today. We won’t see His Majesty.”

“If only I could dance with His Majesty…”

“Hah! I’d gladly die the next moment if I could dance with His Majesty!”

“You might as well go home and dream about it. Anything’s possible there.”

“Tch, can’t a person have dreams? You just have to spoil my mood?”

“Be realistic. You’d have better odds turning from Alpha to Omega tomorrow!”

Jiang Yuan, Ji Rong, and their companions overheard this conversation.

At that moment, Hosea and Alfonso, the only two not wearing masks at the ball, quietly slipped away. It was obvious that they had contacted each other in advance.

“I brought him,” Alfonso whispered to Hosea, gesturing toward Ji Chong.

Hosea’s lips curved into a smile as he clinked his glass against Alfonso’s. “Thank you, Marshal.”

Seeing Hosea’s pleased expression, Alfonso added, “Although I brought him, about the dancing…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle that part.”

Hosea chuckled softly, carefully memorizing Ji Chong’s attire and mask before heading to the stage. After delivering a brief speech of thanks, he excused himself backstage to put on his mask before the opening dance.

Hosea turned to Horace, who wore a deep gray suit, and said quietly, “Your son is wearing a black suit with a black half-mask trimmed in gold. You’ll spot him easily.”

“There are two minutes until the ball begins. Have you decided?”

Horace: “…”

Seeing Horace’s silence, Hosea put on his own mask and pressed a pre-prepared mask into Horace’s hands. “You haven’t seen him in so long. Don’t you miss him?”

Horace remained silent. After Hosea left, he stared down at the mask in his hands, his expression darkening.

His fingers hesitated on the mask for a moment before finally putting it on and stepping out. Like the others, it was a half-mask, revealing Horace’s perfect chin and lips. Even with his eyes hidden, one could sense the extraordinary beauty of the man behind the mask.

“Holy shit… who is that?”

Hosea, who had already walked out, noticed the exclamations and knew exactly what was happening without turning around.

Horace was still Horace. Even with half his face covered, his beauty was overwhelming. Just look at all the Omegas, Betas, and Alphas practically jumping at the chance to approach him.

Following Hosea’s description, Horace searched the crowd by their attire, quickly locating the man sitting in the corner.

The man sat sideways as he drank, his Adam’s apple bobbing attractively with each swallow, drawing more than a few admiring glances.

When Horace caught sight of the man, his breath hitched, and his heart skipped beat. The shadowy figure in the corner overlapped perfectly with someone buried deep in his memories, as if the person before him was that very same soul.

Do sons truly take after their Alpha fathers so much?

Horace raised an eyebrow slightly, then slowly made his way toward the corner.

Ji Chong, who had been drinking quietly, noticed the ambient noise gradually fading as people turned to look behind him. Just then, a hand with elegant knuckles extended before him. “Hello, would you honor me with the opening dance?”

Ji Chong froze at the sound of that voice. It was so familiar, yet somehow different from his memories.

He lifted his gaze, meeting the speaker’s eyes through their masks.

Thump.

Thump.

…

Thump.

Thump.

His heartbeat suddenly went wild.

“Wow, someone’s asking the Marshal to dance!” Gu Bai whispered to his companions.

Ji Rong glanced over and made a noncommittal sound. Even with the mask on, the lower half of the person’s face who’d invited his father was indeed striking, but… sigh, no matter how beautiful they might be, his father was as unmovable as Mount Hua. It was completely impossible.

Just as Ji Rong was waiting with interest to see his father reject the stranger, he suddenly heard his father’s voice-

“Of course, it would be my honor.”

Ji Chong reached out and grasped the person’s wrist.

Ji Rong: “???”

Am I about to get a stepfather¹It actually said 后妈 (hòu mā) stepmother, but since Horace is a male Omega, and Ji Rong previously referred to him as birth father, I will use stepfather.?!

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  It actually said 后妈 (hòu mā) stepmother, but since Horace is a male Omega, and Ji Rong previously referred to him as birth father, I will use stepfather.