Chapter 107
Chapter 107: I’m Already on the Bounty List—Pirates Across the Galaxy Have Their Eyes on Me
“Sister Tea,” Huang Da Zhuang demanded, eyes blazing, “you’re not lying, right? This really was typed by my husband himself? Every word?”
“Beast God above, I love him! He’s not torturing us like Insect Clan—he’s spoiling us like cubs!”
“I declare he’s my forever idol! If he’d marry me, I’d even marry him as a male!”
Sui Xuan Chu finally snapped. “Get lost. His orientation is normal. Stop dreaming.”
In Sui Xuan Chu’s mind, his uncle was just taller, stronger, higher-ranked, more ruthless, more powerful, richer, better at killing bugs, better at running the country, and annoyingly meticulous.
Nothing else.
So why did everyone act addicted to him like he was a drug?
Jiang Tea Tea joined in, equally disgusted. “Huang Da Zhuang, Octo, Cheng Xiao Ting—wow. You’re all so double-standard.”
“When you didn’t know the study plan was your idol’s, you said he was torturing you like Insect Clan.”
“Now you know it’s him? Look at you. You flip faster than turning pages. I’m embarrassed for you.”
Old Loach wasn’t that great.
If he really was everything they claimed, he wouldn’t still be single at one hundred and fifty. Someone would’ve snatched him up long ago.
Which meant the “goodness” was just a surface illusion. Underneath, he was a dog.
The six surrounded Jiang Tea Tea and Sui Xuan Chu like righteous crusaders, arguing passionately.
“The Commander-in-Chief is the best student in the galaxy! How could he torture us?”
“He loves us, that’s why he made such a strict plan!”
“He’s busy all day and still took time to do this. That means he believes we can do it!”
“If we can’t, that’s our problem, not his!”
“I’d rather die studying than disappoint my idol!”
Then, one after another, they turned and ran off, declaring they were going back to print the schedule, stick it to their walls, and show it to their parents and grandparents like holy scripture.
Jiang Tea Tea and Sui Xuan Chu watched them go in silence. Then they slowly turned to look at each other.
After a long pause, Jiang Tea Tea finally said, “Roommate, your uncle is not a good person. And your teammates are insanely double-standard.”
Sui Xuan Chu shot back, “This is your fault. He made your schedule, and you dragged me in.”
“And those are your teammates too. So it’s your teammates who are double-standard.”
Jiang Tea Tea pointed at herself. “Blame me, blame me. Blame me for being too excellent. Blame you for being too useless—he wasn’t even going to increase your workload until I reminded him.”
Sui Xuan Chu rolled up his sleeves. “You want to fight?”
Jiang Tea Tea rolled hers up too. “Come on. Who’s scared, grandson?”
Sui Xuan Chu’s hand hadn’t even clenched into a fist when Jiang Tea Tea’s Lightbrain chimed.
He asked, “Who’s messaging you?”
“No idea. Let me see.”
Jiang Tea Tea opened it, read a single message, and immediately exploded.
“Sui Xuan Chu—your uncle shouldn’t be called Old Loach. He should be called an old bastard!”
Sui Xuan Chu blinked. “What happened? Show me!”
Jiang Tea Tea shoved the Lightbrain in his face.
Sui Xuan Chu leaned in, then grinned. “Whoa. Roommate, congratulations. Same security level as me.”
He flashed a shameless smile. “Also, thanks for taking three satellites off my head. Love you.”
Jiang Tea Tea nearly felt her belly cramp with rage. She forced a deep breath. “Where is your uncle? I’m going to fight him. I’m going to kill him.”
Sui Xuan Chu grabbed the back of her collar and started dragging her along. “Don’t be impulsive. With your tiny body, you want to fight him? You can’t even get into his office building.”
“Forget killing him.”
“Besides, he’s doing it for your safety. You’re a 3S-rank mutant plant-type healer. If you get kidnapped, it’s the Empire’s loss.”
Jiang Tea Tea yanked herself free, stomping beside him. “He’s monitoring me. Monitoring me. I have no freedom.”
Sui Xuan Chu shrugged. “You get used to it. Look at me. I’m used to it.”
Jiang Tea Tea nearly choked.
Used to it?
Three satellites aimed at her head, twenty-four hours a day.
How was she supposed to get used to that?
She couldn’t even return to her original form, root herself into the earth, and absorb the sun and moon.
How was she supposed to nurture her cubs?
How was she supposed to give birth?
How was she supposed to keep her identity as a tree demon hidden?
She was going to explode.
*
Back in her dorm, still furious, Jiang Tea Tea found that all the textbooks and study materials she needed had already been stacked neatly on her desk.
Book after book. Pile after pile.
Enough to make her feel like her life was shorter than the reading list.
Jiang Tea Tea stared at them, then slammed her fist into the stacks—thud, thud, thud.
The cubs inside her belly sensed her anger and kicked and rolled.
Jiang Tea Tea’s fist froze. She didn’t dare hit her belly. She couldn’t even pat it.
What if Old Loach’s satellites saw?
He was still thinking about that strange cub-danger scent he’d caught during the competition.
What if he got bored and opened the feed? What if he saw her holding her belly and started suspecting?
“Ahhh!”
Jiang Tea Tea screamed, grabbed her hair with both hands, and turned into the kind of resentful ghost that crawled out of hell.
She couldn’t tolerate being monitored.
She opened her Lightbrain, found Chong Ming’s contact, and called him on video.
Chong Ming was in the Military Department building, in the middle of a high-level meeting. He’d already chewed through thirty legion commanders, then several dozen officers above major general.
The call tone rang out in the conference, so loud it made everyone on screen freeze.
Someone was calling the Commander-in-Chief during a meeting?
Who was that brave?
Chong Ming glanced down at the caller, lifted a hand to pause the meeting, and accepted—projecting the call onto the main display.
Jiang Tea Tea’s face appeared in a small window—hair messy, eyes red-rimmed, fury blazing.
Chong Ming’s brow furrowed. His voice was low and cold. “What happened? Who bullied you?”
Jiang Tea Tea stared at him through the screen and said one word, sharp as a blade.
“You.”
Chong Ming’s expression smoothed. “Jiang Tea Tea, I just explained to you—slander and false accusation are crimes.”
Jiang Tea Tea blew a stray lock of hair off her eyelid. “Then it’s a crime. If you’re unhappy, find a gun and shoot me.”
Chong Ming’s tone lightened. “That’s unnecessary. Tell me—since we separated, I’ve been at the Military Department, and you’ve been welcomed by the whole school. We haven’t met. How did I bully you?”
Jiang Tea Tea wanted to crawl through the screen and claw his face off.
She inhaled, then spat, “Satellites.”
Chong Ming nodded as if enlightened. “Oh. You received Secretary Wen’s message.”
“You’re the Empire’s only 3S-rank mutant plant-type healer. Protecting your safety is protecting the Empire’s treasure. It’s what I should do.”
“And there’s no need to thank me.”
Jiang Tea Tea’s teeth clenched. “Who’s thanking you?”
She didn’t even pretend anymore. “Chong Ming. Old Loach. Don’t push it. Remove the three satellites monitoring me.”
Chong Ming looked at her, calm and infuriatingly reasonable.
“Jiang Tea Tea, your identity isn’t like your roommate’s. Your roommate is a hidden existence at Royal Military Academy. You aren’t.”
“You have secrets. You’d rather expose your mutant plant-type ability than let my people examine your body.”
“Fine. I indulged you. I gave you official certification.”
“But once you’re certified, unless you’re in the Imperial Palace, the Military Department, or beside me, danger exists everywhere.”
“The satellites aren’t there to monitor you. I won’t casually open a feed and watch you. They exist to protect you.”
Jiang Tea Tea’s belly twinged with anger. She pressed a hand over it. “I’m safe. I can protect myself. I don’t need three satellites protecting me.”
Chong Ming’s golden eyes went cold.
“Jiang Tea Tea, do you know how high your bounty is on the interstellar black market?”
Jiang Tea Tea frowned. “What? What are you talking about?”
Chong Ming’s voice sharpened into pure seriousness.
“Your bounty—alive—has already reached fifty billion star credits.”
“That’s not the highest. That’s the lowest.”
“It’s still rising.”
“The top twenty pirates on the interstellar rankings have accepted the bounty. They’re preparing to enter Zhen Lin Empire and capture you alive.”