Faeus changed his appearance in prison, becoming completely different from before. Hawke noticed the rumored “boss of the prison block”, but unlike Xu Cenfeng, not everyone could recognize Faeus with just one glance.
However, this was a good thing, indirectly proving that Faeus’ disguise was very successful.
As Hawke pretended to shovel stones, he whispered to Xu Cenfeng, “I heard that yesterday a male zerg beat up a small-time boss in the cafeteria. I guessed it was you. While self-defense is important in prison, you should be careful—two fists are no match for many. Watch out for those despicable guys who might try to sabotage you.”
Xu Cenfeng: “…”
Hawke looked completely in control: “Don’t worry, I’ve already asked around with other prisoners. As long as you get into three fights, you can request a transfer to a different block from the guards. I’ve already been in two fights, just need one more.”
Xu Cenfeng: “…”
Xu Cenfeng didn’t know what to say. Hawke seemed smart, but he hadn’t even noticed the leader right under his nose. Yet, for someone seemingly dimwitted, Hawke managed to arrange everything so meticulously.
Faeus, sitting on a distant rock, noticed the scene and flicked a small stone with a “whoosh” towards them. Hawke reflexively dodged at the sound of the approaching wind, angrily turning to look at the attacker, only to be caught off guard by a pair of cold, icy eyes, sending a shiver down his spine.
That… that familiar killing intent!
Hawke froze. He stared at the unfamiliar female zerg sitting on the rock, finally realizing something. The shovel in his hand clattered to the ground with a “clang,” and he stood there, dumbfounded.
Could that notorious criminal actually be the leader?
Xu Cenfeng’s next words confirmed his suspicion: “The boss is calling you over.”
Xu Cenfeng ignored Hawke’s stunned expression and turned to walk back through the rubble to Faeus. He lightly leaped onto the rock beside Faeus and, noticing Faeus’ sullen expression, a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. “Don’t be so fierce.”
Faeus crushed the stone in his hand with a crack, sneering, “Then you better hope Hawke uses his brain a bit more.”
After following him for over twenty years, Hawke couldn’t even recognize himself under his nose for two days. How could Xu Cenfeng spot him at a glance?
Faeus pondered this, furrowing his brow as he glanced at Xu Cenfeng beside him. He saw Xu Cenfeng looking back at him, the dark pupils clean and bright, reflecting his own silhouette clearly. A gentle smile played on Xu Cenfeng’s lips, warmer than a spring breeze.
Faeus raised an eyebrow, asking with a hint of curiosity, “If Hawke didn’t recognize me, why did you?”
Xu Cenfeng chuckled lightly, letting the cold wind tousled his hair. Half-serious and half-joking, he replied, “Maybe I knew you from a past life.”
Faeus smirked, tilting his head. “Lies,” he retorted.
As they spoke, Hawke finally managed to shuffle slowly closer from a distance. His expression was filled with disbelief and suspicion, still unsure whether the unfamiliar female zerg before him was truly the boss. It wasn’t until Faeus leaped down from the rock and gave him a kick on the rear that he was certain. He quickly covered his behind and jumped away.
Hawke, both shocked and delighted, stammered, “L-Leader…”
Just as Hawke began to utter a word, he suddenly realized the need to conceal Faeus’ identity and quickly covered his mouth, swallowing his words.
Faeus didn’t engage further with Hawke. He glanced away casually and quietly instructed, “Inform the rest of the covert lines. No sleeping tonight until dawn. Stand by at all times.”
After speaking, Faeus turned back to Xu Cenfeng and gave him a nod, signaling him to follow, before leaving.
To the other prisoners nearby, it seemed like the leader of the block was in a bad mood, taking it out on a random inmate by kicking him in frustration. Then, he walked straight towards the nearby guard post area, holding his new pet close to his chest.
Blackstone Mountain had a harsh climate, but adjacent to it, there was a guard post designated for prison staff to rest. Inside, there was not only heating but also hot water and food, making it a paradise compared to the outside. Unfortunately, only the leaders among the prisoners dared to enter and sit there. No one noticed that the guards who had been tailing Hawke earlier had not returned, or perhaps they would never return again.
Xu Cenfeng followed Faeus into the guard post, where they found two steaming hot meals already set on the table. Though not comparable to the meals in Hossburgh, it was still a rare treat within Blackstone Prison.
Xu Cenfeng glanced down at Faeus’ hand resting on his shoulder. “They can’t see us now. Are you still holding on?”
Faeus closed the door behind them and casually asked, “What’s wrong, can’t I hug you?”
Xu Cenfeng pulled Faeus’ hand down from his shoulder and then turned, pinning Faeus against the door. With his fair complexion and lips tinged with a light red hue, he looked very attractive when speaking, his breath warm. “I can hug you.”
Xu Cenfeng whispered softly, “I’ll hold you.”
Faeus hesitated briefly at the words.
After the hesitation, he felt a warmth in his heart.
Faeus, rather generous in response, gave a slight smile and turned his head, looking away. “Then hold me.”
Then Xu Cenfeng earnestly embraced him, resting his chin on Faeus’ shoulder as they leaned against each other. Outside, the cold wind blew harshly, but inside the small room, there was a warm and cozy atmosphere that made one feel inclined to take a nap.
Faeus seemed to hear the heartbeat in Xu Cenfeng’s chest, the strong rhythm resonating through him, causing his own heartbeat to quicken involuntarily.
Faeus suddenly felt a dryness in his throat, his voice husky. “Xu Cenfeng…”
Xu Cenfeng responded with a quiet acknowledgment, waiting for him to continue.
Faeus asked, “Have you ever found the North to be desolate?”
In this land, most of the year feels like winter, with vast and beautiful but overwhelming snow. Xu Cenfeng was like a flower seed drifting from an unknown place, gentle and elegant, contrasting sharply with the rugged North.
Faeus had worried that Xu Cenfeng might feel bored. Suddenly, he spoke up, “When we return to Hossburgh, I’ll take you to the West if you’re free. It’s warmer there than the North.”
There’s spring there.
Xu Cenfeng glanced at him. “Aren’t you afraid I might run away?”
Faeus unconsciously furrowed his brow, finding the question rather perplexing. “Why would you want to run?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Cenfeng paused, suddenly realizing that things were different now. They liked each other, without harm or suspicion, and Faeus didn’t need to be constantly wary or vigilant against Xu Cenfeng wanting to escape.
After a prolonged silence, Xu Cenfeng smiled suddenly. “Yeah, I’m not running.”
He wouldn’t run. He likes Faeus. There’s no need to run anymore.
Faeus exuded an irresistible aura of dominance, as if everything was under his control: “You can’t escape.”
With those words, he grasped Xu Cenfeng’s chin, biting him forcefully, then gently licking for a moment, his tone domineering: “The entire northern region belongs to me. You can’t escape.”
Xu Cenfeng thought to himself that Faeus was always so proud and arrogant. Didn’t he run away in his past life? But now, with the atmosphere just right, he wisely refrained from saying such mood-killing words. He sat down at the table with Faeus and wiped the dust off the dishes and chopsticks with a tissue.
“These dishes, did you have them prepared?” Xu Cenfeng asked.
Faeus grunted, “Improving your food quality.”
The food cooked in the big cafeteria was so bad even a dog couldn’t eat it, so of course he wouldn’t let Xu Cenfeng eat that kind of thing.
Xu Cenfeng wasn’t actually picky. He had grown up in a mountain ditch when he was a child and had eaten wild vegetables and thin porridge. But he still picked up a chopstick of vegetables and made a serious comment: “It’s quite tasty.”
Everyone likes to see their intentions acknowledged, and Faeus was no exception. Although he didn’t show much expression upon seeing Xu Cenfeng’s reaction, it was clear he was in a good mood. “If it tastes good, eat more. After all, it’s the last day.”
Xu Cenfeng glanced at him. “I heard you told Hawke to stay up all night. Is there something planned for tonight?”
Faeus had initially intended to smoke, but upon seeing Xu Cenfeng eating, he abandoned the idea. He held a silver lighter in his hand, tapping it lightly against the edge of the table intermittently. “They can’t sleep. You can. I’ll wake you when it’s time to leave.”
Faeus’ heart was already leaning far to one side.
Xu Cenfeng replied, “I can’t sleep. What time are you planning to move tonight?”
Faeus pondered for a moment. “Two o’clock in the morning. That’s when the military shift changes at the outpost, and the defense is lax. When we take the aircraft to leave the prison, the flight path will coincide with the patrol range of the garrison, so we can avoid detection if we time it right.”
Xu Cenfeng knew that some of the garrison troops were Yenia’s trusted followers. “What if we can’t avoid them?”
Faeus responded bluntly and casually, “If we can’t avoid them, we fight. It might waste a few hours at most, nothing serious.”
He finished speaking and pressed his fingertip against the lighter. It sparked, and a cluster of azure flames burst forth, growing brighter as if to consume the entire winter.
“Whoosh—”
The fire was extinguished.
At night, the prison warden was on duty in his office. Close to midnight, a terminal in front of him suddenly beeped, indicating the arrival of a highly encrypted file from the Hosburg region.
Upon seeing this, the warden instinctively sat up straight. After confirming the sender’s location, he quickly got up and hurriedly knocked on the door of the adjacent dressing room. “Leader, General Wesley’s letter has arrived.”
“Click—“
As soon as the prison warden finished speaking, Faeus opened the door and walked out from inside. He was dressed in a black combat uniform, suitable for operations, and had even removed his disguise, wiping the water marks from his face with a towel. “The sender is from Hossburgh?”
The warden nodded. “It’s from Hossburgh, should be General Wesley’s message.”
Faeus, upon hearing this, tossed the towel aside. His dark green eyes glinted ominously as he took a seat at the desk, swiftly entering a series of codes into the terminal to decrypt the document. Before long, a list of traitors popped up on the screen.
“Count Zack Bruce…”
“General Sirennad…”
“The Minister of Finance…”
As Faeus scrolled through the list, he muttered to himself, his lips curving into a growing smirk of ambiguous meaning. “I mentioned before that Yenia couldn’t control herself, but I didn’t expect him to secretly recruit so many generals behind my back. It’ll take years to crack these old foxes’ mouths wide open.”
The warden sensed Faeus’ grim mood and remained silent throughout.
After Faeus silently absorbed the contents, he promptly deleted and destroyed the document. Glancing at the wall clock, he instructed the warden, “Convey the order. They have half an hour to assemble downstairs. We depart exactly at one o’clock.”
“Understood!”
Upon hearing Faeus’ command, the warden saluted crisply and immediately exited the room. In the prison corridor, a line of heavily armed soldiers stood in silence, surrounded by an eerie quietness. The warden gestured quietly and spoke in a hushed tone, “Move out immediately. Try not to wake the other prisoners. Assemble downstairs in half an hour.”
The soldiers immediately dispersed upon hearing the command, swiftly running towards different blocks. They used their ID cards to unlock the cells of the military convicts and distributed firearms and ammunition. The imprisoned soldiers emerged from their cells, quickly donning their combat gear in the silent corridors without making a sound.
Most of the prisoners in the prison maintain regular schedules, with lights out by nine o’clock and deep sleep by midnight. Even those who are awake would be too intimidated to speak up upon witnessing such a large-scale operation outside their cells.
While the troops assembled, Faeus marched directly towards the third sector of the prison, clad in a clean military uniform. He located Xu Cenfeng’s single-person cell and used his ID card to unlock the door. As expected, he found Xu Cenfeng still awake, standing by the window observing the dragonfly drones flying outside.
Faeus furrowed his brow. “Wasn’t I supposed to let you sleep for a while?”
After speaking, Faeus handed the military uniform to Xu Cenfeng and urged him softly, “Put this on. We’re leaving soon.”
Xu Cenfeng didn’t hesitate. Upon hearing this, he immediately took off his blue-gray prison uniform and changed into combat-ready military attire. Faeus noticed the smooth and taut muscles on Xu Cenfeng’s body and couldn’t resist poking them playfully, only to get caught in the act.
Xu Cenfeng held his hand. “What are you doing?”
Faeus replied matter-of-factly, “Touching you.”
He considered Xu Cenfeng his lover—what couldn’t he touch? Xu Cenfeng had teased him plenty before, so Faeus felt he had three years’ worth of touching to catch up on.
Xu Cenfeng sighed slightly and released Faeus’ hand. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Faeus clicked his tongue, thinking to himself about pretending to be a saint.
Xu Cenfeng quickly changed into his clothes. As he and Faeus rode the light elevator downstairs, they saw a dense crowd of soldiers on the training ground. Xu Cenfeng couldn’t help but ask, “You’re transferring so many soldiers out of the prison at once. Won’t the inmates be left unguarded?”
The number of prison guards must match the number of inmates to prevent riots, which is why Blackstone Prison is located near a military base.
Faeus replied, “It’s fine. When we arrive in Hossburgh at daybreak, the garrison will deploy some troops to guard the prison.”
He appeared rough and impetuous, but in reality, he considered everything very carefully, more so than Xu Cenfeng had imagined.
Hawke was at the forefront, assembling the team. When he suddenly saw Faeus and Xu Cenfeng coming down, he hurried forward, saluting crisply. “Report to the leader, team assembled and ready for your orders!”
Faeus scanned the surroundings with his intense green eyes, exuding a commanding presence. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze. “Send a reconnaissance team ahead to scout the route. Hawke, you and Elden will control the left and right flanks respectively. Keep an eye out for any pursuers from behind. Move out!”
Hawke’s face twitched briefly upon hearing the order. He glanced back at a curly-haired soldier standing beside the team, reluctantly saluting. “Yes, sir!”
Xu Cenfeng noticed Hawke’s subtle movement and took a closer look. It was then he realized that there was a younger female lieutenant general in the team, who appeared youthful but had a mischievous glint in his eyes. When he saw Xu Cenfeng, he quietly saluted him and gave a playful wink.
Xu Cenfeng was taken aback.
So, it was Elden after all.
When Xu Cenfeng first arrived in the North, he encountered a group of troublemakers outside a hotel, who he ended up treating to a meal. Elden, who was leading them, hailed from the slums and had coincidentally saved Faeus’ life in a past life, eventually rising to become the deputy leader of the North and a legendary figure.
Xu Cenfeng hadn’t expected to meet Elden at this moment. He smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, then redirected his attention, joining Faeus as they boarded the combat starship parked at the entrance.
After Faeus gave the order to depart, the entire team set out. Dozens of starships adjusted their scout lights to the lowest brightness, cutting through the vast darkness as they flew towards Hosburg.
Faeus kept a close watch on the surroundings, observing the movements outside. After a moment, he turned away from the control screen and suddenly asked, “Who were you looking at just now?”
He always paid close attention to Xu Cenfeng’s every move, possessive and vigilant, often prone to jealousy.
Xu Cenfeng sensed a hint of jealousy and leaned slightly closer to Faeus, lightly pecking his earlobe and whispered softly, “I noticed there’s a new lieutenant general in the team. It seems like Hawke isn’t too fond of him.”
Faeus raised an eyebrow. “You mean Elden? They have a competitive relationship, so of course Hawke doesn’t like him.”
Although Xu Cenfeng knew the reason, he still asked, “Who is Elden?”
Faeus explained, “He’s a young recruit. During the rebellion attack, he pushed me out of harm’s way and took a bullet meant for me. I found him sharp, so I promoted him to be by my side.”
Xu Cenfeng nodded. “Seems loyal.”
He spoke before suddenly noticing a prisoner pardon document in Faeus’ hand, with a photo slot in the upper right corner showing a gray-haired, silver-eyed female, unmistakably Sang Ya, whom he had encountered in the prison before. Xu Cenfeng gently took the document from Faeus’ hand and asked, “You want to pardon this female?”
Faeus reclined lazily into his seat, legs crossed, his black military boots gleaming with a cold, restrained sheen. “Just a transaction. He helped me out in prison, so I’m giving him a new identity.”
He spoke as if teasing Xu Cenfeng, deliberately asking, “He killed a male zerg before and was then wanted by the West, guess why I caught him and put him in Blackstone Prison?”
Xu Cenfeng lowered his eyes and looked at the documents in his hands, pondering for a moment before saying, “Interstellar pirates?”
Faeus’ face changed slightly. “How did you know?”
Xu Cenfeng calmly closed the file. “Oh, because I used to be an interstellar pirate myself, and I’ve met Sang Ya before. He was one of the leaders of the Klayt Alliance, but he seemed reluctant to continue as an interstellar pirate. He escaped during the turmoil of the Western pursuit, and I didn’t expect you to catch him here.”
He recognized Sang Ya the first time he saw him but pretended not to know him on purpose.
Faeus looked at Xu Cenfeng in surprise upon hearing this, but he was also shocked by something else. “You were actually an interstellar pirate?!”
Damn, he initially thought it was just Hawke falsely accusing him, but it turns out to be true?! This guy, who doesn’t even curse, and has 100% pure blood—why would he choose to become an interstellar pirate?!
Xu Cenfeng belatedly realized he might have accidentally revealed too much. He turned his head towards Faeus, his gaze gentle and harmless, and asked hesitantly, “Do I… not look like one?”
The author has something to say:
Xu Cenfeng: “Weak, pitiful, and helpless.jpg”
Little Yellow Duck Tour Group (X)
All members are villains (√)
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