ICAWZ Chapter 111

Xu Cenfeng felt a strange sense of familiarity upon hearing the name “Mandy.” He pondered for a moment, recalling something, and then said to the soldier delivering the message, “Please let him in.”

The soldier hesitated and said, “Your Excellency, might it not be safe?”

He was relaying the message out of protocol, but from a guard’s perspective, it would be safer for Xu Cenfeng not to meet a stranger at this time.

However, Xu Cenfeng replied, “It’s okay, he’s my friend. Please let him in.”

The soldier, not daring to disobey, had no choice but to comply. At that moment, Xu Cenfeng was sitting at the table drinking tea. He looked up and saw a female zerg major general in a white military uniform walking in. He had slightly curly, orange-brown hair, and his face was just as he remembered from his previous life, only younger.

Xu Cenfeng stood up and slightly nodded at him, speaking politely, “Major General Mandy, it’s been a long time.”

Major General Mandy had been mentally preparing a speech, racking his brain on how to deceive… no, convince this pureblood male zerg to return to the West with them. Suddenly hearing Xu Cenfeng’s words, he was momentarily stunned. “Huh? Your Excellency, have we met before?”

Xu Cenfeng paused almost imperceptibly, realizing he had misspoken. “…What I meant to say is, it’s an honor to meet you.”

Major General Mandy was a bit taken aback by the honor and quickly bowed to Xu Cenfeng. “Your Excellency, Mandy, Major General of the Third Army of the West. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Xu Cenfeng gestured to the seat beside him and poured a cup of tea for Major General Mandy. He then asked, “Please sit. Is there an urgent matter that brings you here today?”

He had vaguely heard rumors in the city that the West had spent five times the military supplies to retrieve their male zergs from Faeus. Major General Mandy was the officer in charge of the escort, so by now, he should have already set out back to the West with the male zergs.

Major General Mandy glanced nervously at the door, as if afraid Faeus might suddenly burst in. After all, he had been watching Xu Cenfeng for more than ten days, and it had taken considerable effort to find this opportunity. If Faeus, that madman, discovered this, it would be disastrous.

“Your Excellency, you must have already heard that the Zerg Emperor has ordered all Western male zergs to be escorted back to our country. All the male zergs have been arranged outside the city; you’re the only one left. I’ve come today to bring you back to the West.”

Xu Cenfeng asked in confusion, “Return to the West?”

Perhaps because his appearance seemed too harmless and easily deceived, Major General Mandy felt increasingly anxious. “Your Excellency, you must not be misled by Faeus. Since you came from the West, you should return to the West. These northern barbarians revere females and are rude and uncivilized. You will surely suffer if you stay here!”

Xu Cenfeng realized it was because of this matter. He lowered his gaze, took a sip of tea, and politely declined, “Thank you, but I intend to settle in the North for now. I currently have no plans to return to the West.”

Major General Mandy didn’t understand why Xu Cenfeng wanted to stay here. Frowning, he said, “Your Excellency, Hossburgh is bitterly cold all year round. Those who survive in this land are forsaken by the gods. Coming here is akin to self-exile. You are a precious pureblood male zerg. In the West, where males are esteemed, you could have a better life. The North is not suitable for you. Unless there is a compelling reason, I believe you should come back with me to the West.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Cenfeng looked up at Major General Mandy with what seemed like a smile, but then revealed a startling piece of information: “But I once deeply marked a female zerg from the North. Does that count as a reason?”

Major General Mandy’s expression subtly changed upon hearing this. Now the whole of Hossburgh was circulating rumors that the Northern leader, Faeus, had claimed a pureblood male zerg for himself. Could the female zerg Xu Cenfeng marked be related to Faeus?

But how is that possible?! How could Faeus allow a male zerg to deeply mark him?

Major General Mandy felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his throat, making it difficult to speak. “Who is this female zerg?”

Xu Cenfeng turned his head slightly to look out the window, where he noticed a layer of fog forming on the glass. He raised his hand to wipe it away, trying to make the outside view clearer. Slowly, he uttered a word: “Faeus.”

It was Faeus.

It could only be him, and it had to be him.

On the other side of the wall, Faeus was in a private booth, deep in conversation with his subordinates. He sat with his legs crossed, playing with a tube of red, semi-transparent potion in his hand. The shadows from his military cap obscured his eyes, giving him an inscrutable expression.

“Is he the one who used this potion to attract the beast tide?”

Across from him stood a plain-dressed female zerg, looking inconspicuous but bearing traces of military discipline in his posture. “Leader, following your orders, I covertly protected General Zog as he headed to the Multar Forest to clear out the beast tide. It was initially a small-scale migration of fire ants that should have been resolved in three days. However, during our camp at night, several spies quietly spread a large amount of bait, attracting a group of high-level Blackwing birds driven into frenzy. The team was scattered, and General Zog accidentally fell from a cliff and got injured.”

He paused briefly before continuing, “Later, I investigated quietly and found that the spies who spread the bait came from the ranks of Yenia’s deputy leader. This bait contained a concentrated amount of avian pheromones, triggering the frenzy of a group of Blackwing birds in the Multar Forest, which we hadn’t managed to eliminate.”

Upon hearing this, Faeus unconsciously furrowed his brow. “Where is Zog now?”

The subordinate lowered his voice to explain, “General Zog is recovering in a safe location. Only a few of us managed to sneak back to the city. But for some reason, rumors have already begun spreading within the military that General Zog died in the beast tide.”

Faeus smirked sarcastically, curling his lips. “I thought Yenia would continue to endure, but it seems he’s acting now. Tell Zog he doesn’t need to rush back to the city. Let him recover outside.”

The subordinate hesitated briefly before asking, “Shouldn’t we bring General Zog back to the city?”

Faeus tossed the bait in his hand into his lap. “Since Yenia has spread rumors of Zog’s death, I’ll go along with it. In a few days, you’ll take the remaining troops back to the city. Say that General Zog was attacked, fell from a cliff, and was devoured by Blackwing birds. Leave no trace of his body.”

His voice, deep and icy, echoed within the booth, barely concealing his ruthlessness:

“There are too many spies in the military. I’ll clean them all out in one fell swoop.”

Faeus stayed in the room for about twenty minutes before leaving. His subordinate also quietly exited the hotel through the back door without attracting any attention from the zergs.

Faeus approached the door to Xu Cenfeng’s room, about to enter, but was stopped by the soldier on guard. The soldier hesitated, struggling to speak, “Leader…”

Faeus paused, sensing something amiss. “What’s wrong?”

The soldier nervously explained, “Just now, Major General Mandy from the West came to visit. He insisted on meeting His Excellency, and they’re currently inside talking.”

Upon hearing this, Faeus paused for a moment to recall who Major General Mandy was. A glint of cunning flashed in his narrow eyes as he pondered something. Finally, he raised his hand to signal the guards to step back and opened the door slightly.

Faeus couldn’t see the full view inside, only Xu Cenfeng standing with his back to the door by the window. Major General Mandy was behind him, earnestly persuading him about something, their voices intermittent and unclear.

Major General Mandy clearly wanted to secure another pureblood male zerg for their country. His persuasive efforts seemed relentless: “Your Excellency, it’s just a deep marking. Even if you leave here, Faeus can use surgery to remove the marking. The northern race, this despicable species, doesn’t even worship the gods. Spending the rest of your life tied to him would be too absurd.”

“The West is warm and fertile. There, you can attain glory and respect comparable to the Zerg Emperor. What does Hossburgh offer? Nothing but snow and cold. You won’t even see a proper spring,” Major General Mandy persisted.

Major General Mandy continued earnestly, “Faeus is bloodthirsty by nature. If you ever cross him in the future, with no ties in Hossburgh, who will support you? The West is tens of thousands of kilometers away from the North. Even if they wanted to help, it would be beyond their reach.”

His reasoning was logical and quite pertinent.

Faeus stood outside the door, nodding to himself as he listened. He found Major General Mandy’s analysis sharp and insightful. It was true that he had a bloodthirsty nature, and the North indeed couldn’t compare to the warmth and richness of the West. Any zerg with a brain would choose the West.

Leaning against the wall, Faeus didn’t rush to enter. His right hand deftly played with his gun, suddenly curious to hear Xu Cenfeng’s response. He realized he had never promised anything to Xu Cenfeng, not even committed to being partners. Xu Cenfeng seemed to have no real reason to stay here, did he?

Faeus chuckled softly.

However, this laughter didn’t indicate happiness. On the contrary, the more he laughed, the worse his mood tended to be. Zergs that provoked his anger ended up faring much worse.

After all, poaching someone else’s territory never seemed quite delightful.

Xu Cenfeng remained silent, and the air hung with stillness. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, so much so that Faeus’ legs were starting to feel numb, he heard a low voice seep through the crack of the door:

“But I don’t want to leave him…”

Faeus froze.

Surgically removing the mark would be too painful, and the West was too far away. Xu Cenfeng didn’t want to abandon Faeus here. Faeus had already been abandoned once in his past life, and he couldn’t afford to be abandoned again in this life.

Major General Mandy frowned. “Your Excellency, there are still two other pureblood male zergs in the West, both with black hair and eyes like yours. Don’t you want to find your companions?”

Xu Cenfeng finally responded, “Are they living well?”

Major General Mandy nodded. “They are living very well, each with their own partners.”

Xu Cenfeng smiled faintly. “I will see them again soon, but not now.”

One day, they will meet again in the same forest, continuing their unfinished journey.

Major General Mandy looked worried. “Your Excellency, there is going to be a major upheaval in Hossburgh soon. If you continue to stay here, you may be affected.”

Xu Cenfeng understood that Major General Mandy was referring to the impending coup. Mandy must have heard some rumors prompting him to take the risk and urgently come to take Xu Cenfeng away. Xu Cenfeng spoke decisively, “I understand. That’s why you should leave today with those male zergs back to the West. Otherwise, it might be too late to leave.”

Major General Mandy had exhausted all efforts to persuade Xu Cenfeng, who despite appearing gentle, was as stubborn as a rock. He sighed heavily, admitting defeat. “Very well. If you need any help, please contact the West anytime. I’m willing to assist however I can.”

Xu Cenfeng shook his hand but said something incomprehensible to Major General Mandy. “Thank you. You’ve already helped enough.”

In the previous life, in the year 2763 of the stellar calendar, Hossburgh experienced a coup. The fate of Supreme Leader Faeus was unknown, and Deputy Leader Yenia temporarily assumed his position.

During that time, the entire city’s residents lived in constant fear, and many nobles were affected. However, Xu Cenfeng remained unharmed within the residential area, protected by a squad of elite A-class operatives left behind by Faeus, and also by Major General Mandy, stationed in the city under the guise of representing the West.

At that time, Major General Mandy said something to Xu Cenfeng that he remembered to this day…

“Your Excellency, Leader Faeus once ordered me to stay in the city to ensure your safety. In the unfortunate event of his death during the coup, he instructed me to bring you back to the West, as far away from Hossburgh as possible.”

As far as possible…

As far as possible…

Xu Cenfeng could hardly believe those four words came from Faeus’ mouth. With mutiny looming, given Faeus’ ruthless nature, one would expect him to want Xu Cenfeng dead alongside him rather than allowing him to leave. This was completely unlike Faeus’ usual style.

Because the impression was so profound, Xu Cenfeng still felt a mix of emotions when recalling it now. Coming back to his senses, he volunteered to escort Major General Mandy to the door. Just as they stepped out of the box, Xu Cenfeng saw a familiar figure in black standing in the corridor. Major General Mandy jumped like a startled rabbit and swiftly darted away, pointing nervously at Faeus, stammering, “Fa-Fa-Faeus?! When did you arrive?!”

Major General Mandy felt guilty as if caught red-handed, and seeing Faeus made him anything but calm. He feared Faeus might suddenly go mad and shoot him on the spot, nervously swallowing hard.

Faeus, upon seeing them come out, casually raised an eyebrow. “Not long, just over ten minutes.”

He twirled the gun between his fingertips skillfully, openly sizing up Major General Mandy, as if contemplating the most appropriate spot to strike, with a half-smile on his face. “Major General Mandy, you came all this way. If you wanted to chat, why didn’t you come to me instead of running off next door?”

Major General Mandy awkwardly smiled and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. “I was just here to have a casual chat with Your Excellency, just a casual chat.”

He was already planning to slip away, but Faeus’ guards blocked the staircase on both sides, refusing to let him leave.

Seeing the situation, Xu Cenfeng gently tugged on Faeus’ sleeve and spoke reluctantly, “General Mandy is escorting those brave soldiers back to the west today. Let him go, so as not to delay his time.”

Faeus was reluctant; looking for an escape route in Hossburgh, was it that easy?

Xu Cenfeng tugged him again.

Faeus reluctantly holstered his gun, gesturing to his guards to let Major General Mandy leave. The latter bolted away faster than a rabbit, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Xu Cenfeng watched Major General Mandy leave, then returned to the room with Faeus. He closed the door behind him and asked, “Is everything settled?”

Faeus grunted in response, “It’s settled.”

Xu Cenfeng said, “Since it’s settled, let’s order some food.”

Xu Cenfeng finished speaking and was about to walk towards the dining table when he was suddenly blocked by Faeus. He looked up and saw Faeus’ deep green eyes staring intensely at him, almost close enough to touch noses. After a prolonged silence, Faeus unexpectedly spoke in a cold tone:

“Xu Cenfeng, you don’t really like this leader, do you?”

 

 

 

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