Monster Cub Live Stream – CH64

Chapter 64

Lin An’an lowered his head slightly, pressed his cheek against Xia Changluo’s hand, and gave it a gentle rub.

Xia Changluo’s smile softened even more.

The two of them stayed like that, close and affectionate, for a little while before Xia Changluo said, “The people Xia Yuanhan sent never leave my side. Even at night, when I’m supposed to be resting, they still stand guard outside my door. So I can’t be sure when I’ll find a chance to slip the detector into his room.”

Lin An’an suddenly thought of something and asked, “Has Xia Yuanhan done anything to secure his room? Like stationing guards outside the way he did with you? Or setting up some kind of defense system?”

“No.” Xia Changluo shook his head. “His room is still the same as before.”

Hearing that, Lin An’an frowned. “That’s not right.”

If the evidence really was hidden in Xia Yuanhan’s room, there was no way the room would be left without any protection at all.

Unless the evidence wasn’t in his room to begin with.

But if not there, then where?

Lin An’an and Feng Wu spoke almost at the same time.

“My father’s room.”
“His Majesty’s room.”

The Emperor of the Empire’s room already had two mechanical guards standing outside it year-round. And now that Xia Jiyuan was completely under Xia Yuanhan’s control, hiding the evidence in Xia Jiyuan’s room would naturally be safer than keeping it in his own.

“Has Xia Yuanhan changed the two mechanical guards outside Father’s room recently?” Lin An’an asked.

Xia Changluo shook his head. “No.”

“Then this will be much easier.” Lin An’an’s brows relaxed, and he smiled.

The defense system built into those two mechanical guards operated on the same model as the palace’s original old defense system. Feng Wu had already embedded a bypass program into this detector, so it could slip into the room without triggering detection.

Xia Changluo nodded. “All right. I’ll find a way to go to the top floor. If I don’t actually have to enter the room, I should be able to do it without alerting him.”

A thought struck Lin An’an. “…On Mother’s death anniversary?”

Xia Changluo’s hand tightened slightly. “Mm. It’s less than half a month away now. Very soon.”

After Bai Cenrou passed away, Xia Jiyuan never remarried, so the Empress’s room still preserved many of the things she had used in life, along with traces of how she had once lived there.

Normally, Lin An’an was never allowed onto the top floor of the main palace where the Empress’s room was located. But on Bai Cenrou’s death anniversary alone, Xia Jiyuan would have one of his rare moments of “kindness” and permit him to visit her room to mourn his mother.

And every year on that day, Xia Changluo and Xia Yuanhan would accompany Lin An’an there. Last year had been no exception.

If Xia Changluo chose that day to say he wanted to go to the Empress’s room on the top floor, Xia Yuanhan would never grow suspicious.

And since Bai Cenrou’s room was separated from Xia Jiyuan’s by only a single door, Xia Changluo could use that opportunity to place the detector inside the Empress’s room. From there, Feng Wu would be able to remotely control it, bypass the mechanical defenses, and slip into Xia Jiyuan’s room.

Time was limited. The three of them quickly finished drafting the initial version of their plan, and not long after, Uncle Lu returned.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long.” Uncle Lu was clearly out of breath from hurrying back. “There was no pudding upstairs or downstairs, so I asked the kitchen to make one fresh—”

Sitting on the sofa, Xia Changluo looked up at him and smiled. “It’s all right. Thank you for the trouble, Uncle Lu.”

The freshly made caramel pudding was still warm. Xia Changluo accepted it with one hand, the heat spreading into his cold fingers.

The moment Uncle Lu appeared, Feng Wu dispelled the spiritual barrier he had placed around the balcony.

Lin An’an lightly squeezed Xia Changluo’s hand, which still rested on his knee, and traced words onto the back of it:

We’re leaving first. Wait for me.

Xia Changluo gave the faintest nod. A moment later, the touch on his hand disappeared.

Instinctively, he wanted to lift his hand and keep the person from leaving—but he quickly realized he couldn’t. So instead, he let the motion flow naturally into reaching for the pudding bowl, changing from holding it with one hand to cradling it with both.

Uncle Lu smiled and asked, “Is it good?”

Xia Changluo curved his eyes. “Mm. It’s very sweet. I like it very much.”

Perhaps because he was in such a good mood, Xia Changluo’s appetite was unusually strong, and he finished the entire large pudding.

“Let’s go, Uncle Lu.” He set the empty bowl aside and rose to his feet with Uncle Lu’s arm for support. “We should head back.”

Before leaving, he lifted his head and looked out at the night sky beyond the balcony.

“The stars are beautiful tonight,” Xia Changluo said softly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such beautiful stars.”

Lin An’an and Feng Wu quietly returned to the lounge by the same route, their presence unnoticed by anyone.

Once inside, they deactivated the invisibility mode. Lin An’an sat down on the bed, lips pressed together, silent.

Feng Wu noticed right away that the corners of Lin An’an’s eyes were faintly red, as though he had been crying. He went into the washroom, took a clean towel, soaked it in hot water, and returned to the bed.

“Brother Wolf—” Lin An’an lifted his head.

Before he could finish, a warm towel was laid over his eyes.

Feng Wu pressed gently against the towel’s edges. “Don’t move. Be careful, or it’ll slip off.”

Lin An’an gave a muffled hum of acknowledgment, patted the spot beside him, and once Feng Wu understood and sat down, Lin An’an twisted around and buried himself in the other man’s embrace.

The warm, broad chest calmed the chaos in his heart little by little. Lin An’an let out a long sigh. “Every year on Mother’s death anniversary, I used to visit her and talk to her for a long time. This year I can’t go. I wonder if she’ll be sad.”

“She won’t. She knows what you’re doing. She’d only feel proud, just like His Highness the Crown Prince—your brother.” Feng Wu kissed his hair and comforted him. “Besides…”

He narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment. Lin An’an asked in a muffled voice, “Besides what?”

“Besides, we might actually make it in time for your mother’s death anniversary.”

Lin An’an immediately lifted his head. “Make it in time?” His eyes widened. “You mean… move on that day?”

“Mm.” Feng Wu nodded. “The memorial banquet ends at three in the afternoon. There’s no evening banquet. If we set everything up in advance, then if the Crown Prince’s side goes smoothly, one day will be enough. And if we act after the memorial banquet ends, we won’t disturb your mother.”

Lin An’an’s heart began pounding. His thoughts raced as he considered the feasibility of Feng Wu’s plan, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

“Brother Wolf!” He suddenly wrapped his arms around Feng Wu’s head and planted a loud kiss right on his lips. “You’re such a genius!”

Feng Wu’s ears reddened again. He coughed softly and said, “Then that makes you the genius’s little genius.”

The two of them stayed in the lounge and quietly enjoyed each other’s company for a little while longer. Once the redness at Lin An’an’s eyes had faded, they were just about to head downstairs when Feng Wu suddenly stopped, took out a tiny earpiece, and placed it in Lin An’an’s ear.

Xia Yuanhan’s voice immediately came through.

“So then—can Vice Commander Mo give us his answer now?”

A moment later, Modexin’s voice sounded.

“All right. I agree.”

Once the birthday banquet ended, Modexin did not stay the night in the side residence like most of the others. Instead, using the excuse that military affairs at the base were too pressing, he left with Feng Wu and Lin An’an.

The mecha soon flew beyond the capital planet’s range. Silver Armor and Black Crow linked their communication channels, and Modexin said, “You heard what I said to the Second Prince tonight, right?”

Feng Wu gave a quiet hum. “We heard.”

“Xia Yuanhan wants to take over construction of the transfer station under his own name, but I turned him down,” Modexin said. “I told him you’d grow suspicious, and that it would be better to let the First Legion take over the project first. Xia Yuanhan said he’ll give me an answer later.”

“Well done,” Feng Wu praised him. “Now that you’ve signed a spiritual contract with him, once you and he ‘bring me down,’ the First Legion can openly submit to Xia Yuanhan. He won’t reject that.”

Lin An’an added, “Brother Mo, before you go through the spatial transfer later, let’s meet up inside the transfer station. I’ll erase the spiritual contract for you.”

“So urgent?” Modexin sounded surprised. “You could erase it after we get back to base.”

“We’re not going back to base,” Feng Wu said. “We’re heading straight to Sin Star. These past few days have been hard on you—do your best to consolidate the First Legion. In two weeks, at the former Empress’s memorial banquet… we may be making a major move.”

Feng Wu told Modexin about making contact with Xia Changluo. After hearing it, Modexin said at once, “Don’t worry, Boss. Two weeks is enough.”

One black mecha and one silver mecha soon arrived at the first spatial transfer station.

Lin An’an swiftly erased the spiritual contract Xia Yuanhan had left on Modexin, and the two sides set off again.

Modexin was headed back to the First Legion base, while Feng Wu and Lin An’an were bound for Sin Star. From that point on, they were no longer traveling in the same direction.

Lin An’an had gotten much more used to spatial transfer by now. He bit down on the mint candy in his mouth and asked a little indistinctly, “Sister Guyu still hasn’t sent us any messages these past few days?”

Gu Yubai had left Sin Star on the same day they did. It had already been over a week since she returned to the Federation.

After spending so much time together, Lin An’an knew very well that once Gu Yubai decided to act, she was just like Feng Wu—decisive and efficient, someone who aimed to finish the job in a single blow. If she hadn’t already had clues and a plan, she would never have chosen to return to the Federation so quickly.

Feng Wu shook his head. “I haven’t received anything.”

Lin An’an hadn’t either. He frowned with worry, wondering whether he should take the initiative to contact her and ask about progress.

“Wait another two days,” Feng Wu said.

Lin An’an nodded. “Okay.”

If Gu Yubai still hadn’t sent any news by then, he would ask whether she needed help.

But Lin An’an didn’t even have to wait two hours before Gu Yubai’s message arrived.

“In two weeks?” Lin An’an’s eyes lit up. “Perfect. Our plan is set for two weeks from now too.”

Gu Yubai’s face appeared on the screen. “I’ve already secured the initial evidence proving the Elders’ Council is cooperating with people from X Galaxy. As long as I keep following the trail, I’ll definitely be able to gather the rest within two weeks.”

It had only been a few days, but the sharp authority of the Federation’s leader had already returned to her face.

Gu Yubai said, “Since your side is also planning for two weeks from now, let’s act on the same day. That way, neither side will alert the people from X Galaxy by moving earlier than the other.”

That had been Feng Wu and Lin An’an’s thought as well. Acting simultaneously and catching X Galaxy off guard would be the most advantageous setup for them.

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