Ares Visits / The Treasonous General / Turning the Tables (Three-in-One)

Xu Chengbi, the Empire's youngest general, carried the scent of Blue Crow fruit on him.

Ou Liefu's face went pale instantly. He glanced helplessly at Li Haisha, who seemed lost in thought.

"No wonder. The raw materials for Xilai Concentrate are tightly controlled. I've been wondering who could have infiltrated the Imperial Medical Service, obtained the materials, and had someone produce an initial batch without being noticed." Li Haisha's doubts were resolved. If it was someone of Xu Chengbi's caliber, it wasn't surprising.

"By the way, how do you know all this?" Seeing her still calm, Ou Liefu couldn't help asking.

Li Haisha shot him a look. "Don't you know the name of the Imperial Medical Service's chief physician?"

"Of course I do—Li Jingcheng." Ou Liefu paused mid-sentence. Could it be...

"Is the surname Li that common?" Li Haisha had never actively revealed this connection before, but she'd always thought it was obvious enough. She hadn't expected this big-hearted fool Ou Liefu not to know.

Getting back to business, Li Haisha turned to Xu Lingqu. "Why would he do this to you? I thought he was good to you. While you were playing in the league, my mother mentioned he held several private gatherings on the Capital Star, saying they were to mourn your parents, and he donated ten million star coins in your name to a famous anti-war organization in the Empire."

She knew Xu Chengbi's stance toward the Federation had been ambiguous before, but most people considered him a firm pro-war advocate, given his years of actively eliminating interstellar pirates from the Federation at the border.

The Capital Star was abuzz, saying it was truly noble of him to do this much for his old subordinate's daughter.

Xu Lingqu curled her lips into a mocking smile. "Thanks. Now I know exactly what he's trying to use me for."

She'd been puzzling over his motives since their first meeting, but now it was clear.

If Xu Lingqu hadn't transmigrated—if she were still the original, that lonely, frail girl—she would have believed General Xu was the only one who was good to her. And after Xu Chengbi spun a story about her biological parents dying in battle, she would have been more than willing to speak on his behalf, voicing opinions that would push him toward the pro-peace faction and promote the anti-war cause.

Everything should have gone smoothly under Xu Chengbi's plan. But one huge variable had appeared: a new soul in the girl's body.

"Last time we met, he tried to use me to do something, and I refused. He said he'd come talk to me later, and that I wouldn't get a third chance." Xu Lingqu said calmly. "He was so confident, which means he'd already decided then to use this thing to control me."

"If he's targeting you, this is serious." Doctor Li frowned. "He's Xu Chengbi... We need to contact Ares as soon as possible and have them preserve evidence."

"Actually, they've probably already—" Xu Lingqu started to answer, but the door to the medical bay, which Doctor Li had just locked, opened.

Doctor Li's heart jumped. She turned to see a man about 1.9 meters tall with silver hair, wearing a black-and-red uniform, walk in. He raised a gloved finger to his lips. "Shh—don't be afraid."

"I'm You Sun, a second-class inspector with Ares." He strolled casually to Ou Liefu. "Doctor Ou Liefu, about the Blue Crow fruit we confiscated: one of my subordinates was in a hurry to finish his mission and dragged you in—since you were nearby but didn't have clearance to access Blue Crow fruit files. My apologies. I've dealt with him, but I never stopped watching you."

Sweat broke out on Ou Liefu's forehead, his lips trembling, unable to speak. Ares had really been monitoring him all along!

You Sun smiled and turned to Li Haisha. "Doctor Li Haisha, thank you. With your mother's help, we've gathered all the information on Blue Crow fruit. She was quite disappointed, by the way—about you coming to Moye as a school doctor. She hopes you'll come home soon."

Li Haisha narrowed her eyes. "Don't trouble yourself."

Finally, You Sun came to Xu Lingqu. He looked down at her slightly. "Xu Lingqu, you've become quite famous lately."

"I'm tired of hearing that." Xu Lingqu looked back up, meeting his oppressive gaze. "How are you handling this so far?"

She wasn't afraid of him, and she spoke to him like a superior questioning a subordinate. You Sun found it amusing. Instead of answering, he asked, "When did you notice me?"

I noticed you the moment you came in. Xu Lingqu lowered her eyes. "I didn't notice you. I just deduced it."

You Sun raised an eyebrow. "Your deductions are quite accurate. What else have you deduced?"

"I won't answer until you answer my question." Xu Lingqu replied.

Interesting, indeed. You Sun studied her for a moment, then spoke. "We've already taken control of the staff member in the Sky Network Medical Center who agreed to let the two doctors check the Xilai Concentrate. We've also confiscated the addictive batch of Xilai Concentrate as evidence for the future treason charges against Xu Chengbi."

Their visit had already alerted the enemy, but thanks to Ares's surveillance and timely response, they'd managed to control the situation without incident.

Xu Lingqu didn't comment.

You Sun paused, then turned to Li Haisha and Ou Liefu. "I need to speak with her alone."

Before they could react, several more people in black-and-red uniforms entered, their faces covered with black-and-red masks. They approached Li Haisha and Ou Liefu, pressing guns to their waists, and led them into the medical bay's side room.

You Sun looked at the still-calm girl. "When Xu Chengbi first met you, he must have told you about your background, right?"

According to the timeline, Ares was sure to have been tracking Xu Chengbi when he visited the Yuheng Military Base, but they couldn't eavesdrop on their conversation.

At the time, they couldn't determine Xu Lingqu's stance, and since the Third Prince seemed to be on good terms with her, they couldn't use aggressive methods. Instead of questioning her immediately, they'd waited patiently for this moment.

Xu Lingqu said, "The first time I met Xu Chengbi, he only told me about my biological parents. He didn't give me any useful information because I didn't give him a good reception."

"You didn't? By his account, he'd been sending you money for years to honor your parents. He should have been a great benefactor. Didn't that make you want to be polite?" You Sun scrutinized her.

"Rotten things announce themselves by their stench." Xu Lingqu lifted her eyes to meet his. "As for the so-called memorial for my biological parents—the private gatherings he's holding at the Xu Residence in their name—he's probably using addictive substances to corrupt people at the heart of Imperial power, to control them, isn't he?"

Her tone was cold, and You Sun could faintly detect anger beneath it.

He smiled. "Actually, he's lying to you about that too. You're not his old subordinate's daughter. You're just an orphan adopted by his old subordinate's father. It's all lies and schemes."

You Sun wanted to provoke her, to make her emotional enough to reveal everything she'd discussed with Xu Chengbi. "So he has no real obligation to you. Whatever he told you—if you think it's useful, you can tell me."

He saw surprise and shock in her eyes, but it faded quickly, replaced by calm. Xu Lingqu wasn't falling for it. She wouldn't get emotional as he'd expected.

For Xu Lingqu herself, feigning surprise at something she already knew was already an effort.

What she felt more now was relief—relief that when her psychic power awakened and was tested, Gina had immediately erased the records. From You Sun's attitude, Ares could trace the falsified autopsy report Gina had altered, but they had no record of her SS-level psychic power, likely because Gina had been faster. Otherwise, she'd have been on Ares's radar long ago.

"If I'd discussed anything truly critical with him, I wouldn't be in the league now. I'd be on the Capital Star giving anti-war speeches for him, or I'd already be under his control with those addictive substances." Xu Lingqu said calmly. "You don't need to lower yourself to interrogation tactics."

You Sun's eyes glinted. "You don't have any other feelings about him lying to you?"

"The ones most deceived are his own wife and children. I always assume the worst of rotten people." Xu Lingqu said frankly.

You Sun remembered what the Third Prince had said—that he'd met someone perfectly suited for Ares. That person must be Xu Lingqu.

Emotionally stable, sharp-minded, perceptive. He'd heard about her matches, especially the decapitation strike against General Wan's grandson. It fit Ares's operational standards perfectly. She'd probably become a third-class inspector on day one.

You Sun grinned. "What are your plans after graduating from Moye? The Military Department's command track isn't easy."

"I don't think about graduating." Xu Lingqu was a bit speechless but didn't show it. "You must have been investigating Xu Chengbi for a long time, before you found the Blue Crow fruit. That's why you moved so fast. What tipped you off? By your investigation patterns, it should be the interstellar pirates. Xu Chengbi's promotion to general is tied to his relentless campaigns against them."

"...Those pirates flee at the sight of other units, but they surrender without a fight when they meet General Xu. And he always seems to know exactly where to strike. Usually, he leaves no survivors."

You Sun didn't say it outright. Xu Lingqu continued.

"The military merit earned from those pirates is one of the Federation's ways of buying him. The addictive substances were probably initially a countermeasure by the Federation against him, because only he used them, and in small doses—maybe one Blue Crow fruit per trip. That's why you never noticed before." Xu Lingqu analyzed. "Now that he needs more, there are bound to be slip-ups. But Xu Chengbi has to take the risk. It's likely the Federation's strategy toward the Empire has shifted—to peace through soft power, using addictive substances to corrupt the Empire from within."

All correct. You Sun stared at the girl. From a few fragments of information, she'd reconstructed Xu Chengbi's whole scheme.

"To uproot a general who appears noble but is actually a traitor, you need solid, convincing evidence. Ideally, you'd catch him red-handed. The Xu Residence has almost no surveillance, very private, making evidence-gathering difficult and time-consuming. The Capital Star's power network is complex and volatile. His troops are currently stationed there, so it's not a suitable place to deal with him. And you don't want to just eliminate him—you need him to help you expose other Imperial worms. You need time." Xu Lingqu paused. "You can tell me the real reason you came."

You Sun was listening, each word hitting the mark. There were still gaps, but for her perspective, it was remarkable.

"I thought you'd already deduced why I interrupted your conversation." You Sun gave a playful smile and said it plainly. "I want you to play along. Make Xu Chengbi believe you're addicted to the substance he planted."

"The first withdrawal symptoms typically appear about a month after use. If he believes you're hooked, he'll have to leave the Xu Residence and come to Yuheng Star himself within that month. Since the league is ongoing, he can't bring his troops without a good reason. In that time, we can keep gathering evidence, set up an operation, and arrest him here on Yuheng. We close the net."

Xu Lingqu's expression didn't change. "Have you found the spy he planted among the students?"

She already had a name in mind, but she wanted to hear You Sun say it first.

"Tang Muwen." He'd appeared on the Third Prince's list of suspicious persons, but his records were clean. It was only after controlling the problematic Sky Network staff member and tracing their communications that he slipped up.

"To be precise, Tang Muwen isn't his plant. He's a Federation spy, working with Xu Chengbi." You Sun shook his head. "The problem is, he's overly cautious. In his chats with the Sky Network staff, he kept making excuses about how it was basically impossible to injure you."

Xu Lingqu wasn't surprised. She'd had a feeling. She hadn't considered it before because she didn't know about the spy. But looking back at Tang Muwen's behavior from her perspective, it was obvious. These past days, he'd been moody and distracted, even sending her a few ambiguous messages, probably worrying over whatever Xu Chengbi had tasked him with.

"He's not making excuses. It's true." Xu Chengbi didn't know her well enough, but Tang Muwen knew her real abilities. To injure her to the point of requiring the emergency Xilai Concentrate at the venue—basically impossible.

You Sun raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? The Federation's spies are trained in assassination and combat, you know—"

He didn't finish. Xu Lingqu suddenly closed in, throwing a side punch followed by a sweeping kick. Too fast. You Sun was forced to engage, and after about ten exchanges, when he planned to counterattack, she leaped back.

You Sun froze. His gun was in her hand.

Xu Lingqu spun the gun once, then set it on the table. "Nice gun."

This was far beyond third-class inspector standards. She could easily qualify as second-class, and with a bit more, even be promoted directly to first-class and become Ares's chief successor.

You Sun gritted his teeth. "Aren't you afraid I'll draw and shoot you on the spot?"

"The gun's in my hand now. Let's be clear about who'd kill whom. Since you couldn't do it, I wouldn't suggest assuming you could." Xu Lingqu found a seat. "Even if you could, if Ares kills Xu Chengbi's adopted daughter for no reason, he could easily rally people to rebel. You'd be doing him a favor."

You Sun now understood: Tang Muwen wasn't lying. To actually hurt Xu Lingqu, Xu Chengbi would need to post a sniper in the stands during a match and shoot through her capsule.

You Sun took a breath and sat across from her. "So the plan to turn the tables is basically off?"

"If you ask me to fake it, it'll be clumsy." Xu Lingqu toyed with the gun. "Tang Muwen would never even start the plan. And even if he did, he'd see through my acting in a second."

Then the whole scheme would be exposed to the Federation.

"Then..." You Sun stared darkly at her hands on the gun.

"What you really want is for me to have reasonably used that addictive batch of Xilai Concentrate." Xu Lingqu pushed the gun back toward You Sun. "Now's a good opportunity, isn't it?"

You Sun's heart jumped. He thought she meant for him to injure her right there, but the mockery in her eyes told him he'd misunderstood.

"I've been lying in the medical bay all day. Officially, I was just tired, nothing serious. But I haven't returned to the league participants' quarters. You can easily alter that." Xu Lingqu glanced at the side room. "I suggest you let the two doctors out now."

You Sun took a deep breath and signaled his men to release Li Haisha and Ou Liefu.

"Since you've already taken control of the staff member at the Sky Network Medical Center and confiscated the contaminated concentrate as evidence, why not start altering their records for today?" Xu Lingqu looked at Li Haisha and Ou Liefu. They were fine. She continued. "Dr. Li and Dr. Ou Liefu's movements should be rewritten: after the league ended, they left to discuss anomalies in the emergency Xilai Concentrate storage, then immediately went to request an inspection. I was sent to the medical bay right after the league ended. You can combine and alter the records to say that after I arrived at the medical bay, they noticed something wrong with me and went to the medical center to apply for Xilai Concentrate to treat me. Once I stabilized, they brought me back to the academy's better-equipped medical bay for further treatment. As for anomalies, they can make up the details."

Li Haisha didn't know what You Sun and Xu Lingqu had discussed before, but she understood the gist now.

She spoke up. "Xu Lingqu often gets injured from overtraining or combat training. I've always used Xilai Concentrate for her. The previous records are all there. This time, we can say she was injured before the match from overtraining but didn't want to miss the competition, so she delayed treatment. During the capsule match, her wounds worsened, so I requested emergency Xilai Concentrate from the medical center to ease her pain temporarily."

Ou Liefu nodded eagerly. "Right, right. The place where I discussed things with Dr. Li in private—no one saw us except your Ares people. We'll insist we left after seeing Xu Lingqu at the medical bay. No problem. One issue: Shen Shouli was guarding her the whole time."

"I can handle that." Jin and the others knew Xu Lingqu was fine, and she planned to tell them—but not the whole story, especially the part about Xu Chengbi. Xu Xiqin would have a hard time accepting it. "Just a partial truth. Dr. Li and Dr. Ou Liefu found something off with the emergency Xilai Concentrate at Sky Net, and I stayed in the medical bay to pretend I was injured, so they'd have a reason to request it."

"In the end, it becomes a misunderstanding. To justify Dr. Li and Dr. Ou Liefu's application, we'll insist I was injured and just go ahead and use that batch of concentrate, producing a full usage report." Xu Lingqu looked at You Sun. "With that report, we have a story to feed Xu Chengbi and Tang Muwen. It's a bit too coincidental, but whether they suspect or not, the records will show the contaminated concentrate was applied for and used. Since they don't know Ares is already investigating, they'll have no choice but to believe it was pure chance—that I walked right into the trap."

While Xu Lingqu spoke, You Sun had his men, who'd taken control of the Sky Network staff, modify the medical center records: changing the doctors' inspection request to a usage request, with a note saying they hadn't yet determined Xu Lingqu's condition and couldn't produce a full report.

The Sky Network's emergency Xilai Concentrate had regulations requiring a justification before use. Using it without a report in an emergency was understandable.

Even if Sky Network later investigated, they'd complain to the Imperial Medical Service to have Li Haisha and Ou Liefu replaced, but the chief physician was Li Jingcheng.

This lie was half-truth, durable under scrutiny, and could plug almost every hole.

You Sun looked up at Xu Lingqu again, but now there was no scrutiny, no playfulness—only pure appreciation. "You're sure you haven't considered your future after graduation?"

"No." Xu Lingqu's face was blank.

Ares, after all, served the Imperial family. It had no inherent justice—just another tool of imperial supremacy.

Xu Lingqu had no interest in being a lapdog for the throne.