Settling Accounts

"Argh, really! She actually pulled off such a stunt in the arena! And here we were planning to snatch her away—who can compete with His Majesty for her now!" Vice Admiral Victoria scratched at her purple hair in frustration, while her adjutant stood beside her, looking helpless.

"Forget it, forget it." Watching the Military Department personnel begin ushering the students out of the venue, she pressed her lips together and turned her gaze toward the three senior generals standing directly ahead. The plan to recruit might have failed, but there was still a heavyweight show unfolding right before her eyes.

That Xu Lingqu's addiction to addictive substances was one hundred percent fabricated, and Ares had been keeping a close watch over her all along—even their chief inspector stuck by her side...

Xu Chengbi dug his nails into his palm hard enough to draw blood, his mind racing at full speed.

It meant the Sky Network employee he'd bribed had already been exposed, along with that Federation spy student—and that had been over a month ago. In that month, he'd believed his movements on Capital Star were perfectly covert, when in reality, every single step he took had been monitored by Emperor Andrew.

General Wan and his mentor, General Shen, hadn't come all this way to watch the juniors' arena matches—they were here to arrest him.

Xu Chengbi turned the ring on his finger. He hadn't come to Yuheng Star without precautions; his personal mech had been hidden at the Yuheng Star military base well in advance. Within ten seconds, the Magician mech materialized inside the venue.

By then, the venue had been fully cleared. General Shen's Arbiter and General Wan's Obsidian had already arrived at the scene as well.

A massive energy shield snapped into place, sealing off the entire venue from the outside world. Several vice admirals had boarded their starships, all hovering above the venue, ready to counter any backup Xu Chengbi might have—and to guarantee he died right here on Yuheng Star.

"Teacher, I never imagined you'd come to kill me with your own hands." Seeing the formation before him, Xu Chengbi already knew how today would end.

Shen Ruoshui felt sick hearing himself called "teacher" by this man. Ignoring the remark entirely, he stated matter-of-factly, "Xu Chengbi, on the orders of Emperor Andrew, I hereby arrest you on charges of high treason, distributing addictive substances, embezzling military pensions, and other crimes."

Wan Li shot Shen Ruoshui an irritated glare—those were supposed to be his lines!

"I thought my deeds were worthy of Emperor Andrew personally bringing Chi Ren to execute me," Xu Chengbi sneered. "Why isn't he here?"

"His Majesty naturally has more important people to meet," Shen Ruoshui replied calmly. "I'll handle the cleanup of my own house."

"Cleanup of your house? Heh." At those words, Xu Chengbi suddenly grew agitated. "Teacher, do you still consider me your student? Back when I was being bullied in the Military Department, why didn't you help me deal with those people? When I needed achievements to advance my rank, why didn't you give me a hand? This admiral title has nothing to do with you! I earned it all on my own, bit by bit! Every time I called you teacher, didn't you feel a shred of guilt?"

"Did I ask you to call me teacher? Weren't you the one shamelessly latching onto my name, throwing it around like a tyrant in the Military Department?"

People like Xu Chengbi would forever remember the ten percent of wrong done to them while casting aside the ninety percent of good.

Shen Ruoshui laughed in pure exasperation. "I'm your teacher, not your babysitter! Even Shen Shouli doesn't need me following behind him cleaning up his mess. Who the hell are you to blame me?"

General Wan, having heard enough, fired a particle cannon straight at Xu Chengbi. "Why waste words on a beast like him?"

He'd gotten angry just listening!

The two senior generals worked in perfect coordination, completely suppressing Xu Chengbi's mech within three minutes. General Shen tore off one of the Magician's arms.

Xu Chengbi's mind reeled from wave after wave of violent impact. Suddenly, he let out a bitter laugh. "Teacher, I have a surprise for you. In the near future, you'll receive it."

With that, he detonated the Magician in self-destruction. The massive shockwave blasted General Shen's and General Wan's mechs back to the corner of the venue, shattered the energy shield above, and sent several starships rocking from the impact.

"Can't take him alive anymore..." Shen Ruoshui grumbled, piloting Obsidian back to its feet. The moment Xu Chengbi's personal mech had appeared, he'd braced for a self-destruct—what he hadn't expected was that cryptic parting remark.

His "surprise" would surely spell disaster for someone else.

Even in death, that beast wouldn't rest easy.

"Even dead, he's better off than lying in a hospital bed as a vegetable!" Jia Tu raged outside Jia Xianglan's ward.

Ten hours had passed since Jia Xianglan had been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. The attending physician had finally told him that Jia Xianglan's psychic power had been damaged so severely that he'd spend the rest of his life as a bedridden vegetable—and even if he ever woke up, his power level would fall to C-grade, with severe headaches as a permanent aftereffect.

Jia Tu couldn't accept this outcome. He slammed his fists against the hospital wall in fury, when suddenly a chill ran down his spine. He spun around—a middle-aged woman was smiling at him.

She must have overheard his conversation with the doctor. Her smile was unusually bright, and Jia Tu assumed she was some lunatic. Just as he was about to call for a robot to have her removed, she spoke.

"Karma. Jia Tu, Jia Xianglan—this is your karma! When he crippled my son's psychic power, did he ever think he'd face the same fate? Thank heavens! The heavens have eyes! The heavens have eyes!" she shouted, her voice cracking with emotion, tears glistening in her eyes.

She was the mother of the Qingjun student whose psychic power had been damaged. Her son was still in this very hospital undergoing rehabilitation—his damaged psychic power had reduced a cadet who once gripped a rifle to a young man who couldn't even hold chopsticks steady, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Their family had filed a lawsuit with the Federation court, but Jia Tu had hired top lawyers and quashed it outright. They'd thought there was no recourse—only to see karma strike back!

"All you people want is money, isn't that right? Those messages you sent me? I could sue you for blackmail! Not pressing charges is already me being merciful! How dare you—" Jia Tu pointed at the mother, about to unleash a torrent of abuse, when an unexpected figure appeared before him.

Director Yin had boarded the fastest cross-nation star rail train, enduring the rigorous searches at the two nations' space fortress border checkpoints, all to get here and stand face-to-face with Jia Tu.

She walked over to the mother's side, tapped her smart device, and a virtual check directly entered the mother's account. "This is three hundred thousand. Hire the best lawyer in the Federation and sue again. I'm funding it personally."

But she wasn't done. She tapped out another check. "This is five hundred thousand—compensation from Sky Network for you, for your son's continued treatment. So when you sue, make sure to focus on Jia Tu and Jia Xianglan specifically."

Director Yin patted the mother on the shoulder. "I've been on the Empire planets and couldn't come visit you and your son sooner. Rest assured, I'll support you in your fight for justice to the very end—both personally and on behalf of the company."

Jia Tu narrowed his eyes at his subordinate. "Oh? Got money to burn, have you? Who gave you permission to represent Sky Network in compensation? Did you clear this with me?"

"Just moments ago, the meeting chaired by Ms. Jia Lan, who holds thirty-four percent of Sky Network shares, passed this compensation plan following a full board vote. Oh, and it wasn't just the compensation plan that passed—also your suspension notice, and my appointment letter," Director Yin said with composure. "Please check your smart device. As of now, I am the acting CEO of Sky Network, and I am fully authorized to advance the compensation process on the company's behalf."

This matter didn't strictly require Director Yin to make the trip herself, but unless she came in person, the resentment in her heart wouldn't subside.

"Suspend me? Jia Lan?" Jia Tu's expression shifted drastically, his lips trembling. "Impossible! You forged this, didn't you?"

In truth, the Sky Network board had always been well aware of Jia Tu's misdeeds.

Sky Network was a massive corporation that worshipped profit above all else. This year's league had hit peak viewership, which was why they'd turned a blind eye to Jia Tu's cheating all along.

As long as the money kept flowing, they didn't care if Jia Tu was dragging them all toward the Federation. If the Federation truly grew strong enough to conquer the Empire within a decade, they'd owe Jia Tu a debt of gratitude.

All that mattered was that Jia Tu succeeded in sending his son Jia Xianglan into the Federation military and forging ties with the Merlin family...

So they'd let him run wild before. But after the arena, with Jia Tu's and Jia Xianglan's failures set in stone, they'd wasted no time moving to settle the books.

"The company will also file suits against you for unlawful appropriation and embezzlement of public funds. Oh, and that designer you threatened last time? He'll be filing his own personal suit against you as well," Director Yin said, genuinely pleased to see the once-arrogant Jia Tu now looking utterly defeated.

"Jia Lan... What right does she have!" Jia Tu roared through gritted teeth. "What right does Jia Lan have to treat me like this!"

As Jia Lan's older brother, Jia Tu prided himself on being as obsequious as a dog before her. She had real talent—with her thirty-four percent stake in Sky Network, he'd spent years groveling and fawning just to secure the CEO position.

He'd even gone so far as to name his son Jia Xianglan—literally "toward Lan"—so his boy would look up to his aunt! And yet she'd unhesitatingly backed the motion to stab him in the back!

Director Yin looked at Jia Tu, who was on the verge of losing his mind, shook her head, and delivered the killing blow.

"Jealous of your talented sister, crushing your daughter who's so much like her, doting on a son who shares your own cowardice, malice, and incompetence—Jia Tu, what a pitiful life you've lived."

With that, she turned and left. There was still much work to wrap up for this year's league, and she had no time to trade words with Jia Tu.

The voting results for the various awards had just come in. Aside from Best Analysis, every single category had gone to Xu Lingqu.

Xu Lingqu.

Director Yin paused, recalling how she'd simply walked off with that group in black-and-red uniforms, and her enigmatic power level.

For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Director Yin had an inexplicable premonition that the world was about to change because of her.