Chapter 116
Chapter 116: The Cub’s Mom Tried to Run—And Old Loach Stopped Her
Jiang Tea Tea’s mind went blank.
Then it detonated.
Old Loach really was the worm living in her belly, wasn’t he? He’d predicted she would run. He’d sent invisible warplanes to tail her, then revealed them right at the route split—like a slap across her face.
Play tricks with me, and you’re still too green.
Fine.
A great demon refused to be anyone’s slave.
She took a deep breath and forced it down. As the pride of the tea tree clan—the only one who’d ever grown into human form—she would not bend. She would not let herself be carved up.
She opened her lightbrain and called Sui Xuan Chu.
It rang three times before he answered, distracted but attentive. “What’s wrong, roommate?”
“Get to the Military Department,” Jiang Tea Tea said fast. “Save me!”
Sui Xuan Chu startled. “What happened?”
Jiang Tea Tea didn’t answer. She cut the call.
Then she messaged Cheng Lin Yue.
“?”
Cheng Lin Yue replied instantly.
“???”
Jiang Tea Tea typed, “Did you drink the potion?”
“Not yet.”
“I got stopped. I’m going to the Military Department.”
Cheng Lin Yue replied with a string of panicked exclamation points.
Jiang Tea Tea wrote, “Don’t drink the potion.”
“Okay…” Cheng Lin Yue answered.
Jiang Tea Tea shut off her lightbrain and gripped the flyer controls, then restarted the route toward the Military Department.
Eight warplanes escorted her in perfect formation.
No matter how slowly she flew, no matter how she tilted and drifted through the sky like she was dancing, the warplanes stayed with her like shadows.
Because they flew low, people on the ground could see them clearly just by looking up.
Someone snapped a photo and posted it online with a caption.
“What is this? That’s Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming’s bodyguard warplane guard squad. They’re escorting a normal flyer—and it’s headed toward the Military Department. Did they find the mother who’s emitting the Dragon Clan cub distress signal?”
The comments exploded instantly.
“Friend, I suggest you delete this. Even if you covered the flyer code, you might still be touching state secrets.”
“State secrets? The warplanes are flying that low. That’s not within the protected range. Relax. The flyer code’s covered.”
“Exactly. If you don’t show the flyer code, there’s no problem. But now I want to know—who’s in that flyer that makes the commander-in-chief mobilize?”
“Could it be the crown prince?”
“No way. The crown prince is studying. And today isn’t a rest day—”
“Today isn’t a rest day, but don’t forget the Capital Planet had seven cub distress signals today. Dragon Clan rescue rules say nearby Dragon Clan respond. The crown prince could’ve been called out to search too.”
“Maybe the crown prince found the cub and escorted it to the Military Department. That’s why they mobilized the commander-in-chief’s guard squad.”
“All right, all right, your wild theories make sense…”
“Then can I say this? Can I also say whatever I want?”
“Maybe the person in that flyer is the commander-in-chief’s cub’s mom!”
“Careful. Other people are analyzing with evidence. You’re just talking. Chong Ming might sue you for slander.”
“And besides, the commander-in-chief’s been single for a hundred and fifty years. Where would he get cubs? Where would he get a cub’s mom? Stop talking nonsense. He hasn’t even married me yet and I haven’t even had his cub!”
Jiang Tea Tea had no idea she’d sparked another wave online.
She flew like she was dragging her feet on purpose, stretching a route that should’ve taken thirty minutes into fifty.
Finally, she reached the Military Department.
If this was meant as intimidation, it worked.
The last time she’d come, it had been calm. Now a massive warship hovered above the tall buildings beneath the clouds. Countless smaller ships, fighters, and drone swarms circled it—like a live demonstration of what it looked like to be reduced to ash for one wrong move.
Jiang Tea Tea swallowed her anger and followed the escort warplanes to Chong Ming’s office window.
The enormous window was already open.
Her flyer slid inside.
She didn’t see Chong Ming.
Only Adjutant Ai.
Adjutant Ai wore a perfect smile and opened her flyer door for her. “Good afternoon, Jiang Tea Tea, classmate.”
Jiang Tea Tea didn’t care about fashion. The clothes she wore were leftovers from the fake heiress’s wardrobe. Her hair fell loose and messy to her waist. She looked plain and simple—until you looked at her face.
Her face made even cheap fabric look expensive.
Jiang Tea Tea smiled politely. “Good afternoon, Adjutant Ai. Your commander-in-chief called me here. Why isn’t he here?”
Adjutant Ai smiled smoothly. “Insect Clan eldest prince, Agris, likes the scenery of our Zhen Lin Empire.”
“Three months ago, his fiancée, Atuya, a general, came to take him home. He couldn’t bear to leave our country’s scenery behind, so he stayed.”
“He’s continued to be our guest. And today is a coincidence—the Insect Clan crown princess came to visit with many gifts to take her brother home.”
“Commander-in-Chief was waiting for you here, but you arrived later than expected, so he went to receive the Insect Clan crown princess first.”
Jiang Tea Tea’s smile almost cracked.
Old Loach really was Old Loach.
Did Agris stay because he liked scenery? Bullshit. He stayed because compensation wasn’t paid to satisfaction, and Old Loach refused to let him go.
Adjutant Ai’s expression softened when Jiang Tea Tea didn’t speak. “You won’t wait long. At most half an hour, Commander-in-Chief will return.”
“In the meantime, you can stay in Commander-in-Chief’s office, or I can show you around the Military Department. Whichever you—”
Hear that? See that?
His office. She could stay.
His Military Department. She could tour.
A neat way of saying: Stop dreaming about escape. You’re already in my palm.
Jiang Tea Tea sent her regards to his ancestors for eighteen generations again, then smiled sweetly.
“Can I wander around outside by myself?”
Adjutant Ai nodded with a friendly smile. “Of course. Please.”
He led her out of Chong Ming’s massive office.
The moment one of her feet crossed the threshold, the entire floor went silent.
Every staff member in uniform or combat gear stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
Jiang Tea Tea kept her face straight and looked back at them like they didn’t exist, feeling like Old Loach had hired her as the day’s entertainment.
She asked Adjutant Ai, voice dry, “Do your commander-in-chief’s subordinates not have work to do? They’re staring.”
Adjutant Ai coughed. “It’s not that they’re idle. It’s just… this floor has never had a female visitor who wasn’t staff.”
“They’re curious. They’re only taking a look.”
Jiang Tea Tea laughed without humor. “Fine. Tell them I know I’m pretty, but they don’t need to drill holes in me with their eyes. Thank you.”
“Understood,” Adjutant Ai said, still smiling.
He signaled the staff. They swallowed their curiosity and returned to work.
Jiang Tea Tea wandered, glancing left and right. If she hadn’t donated one billion and used the merit to reinforce her magic power, she would’ve cracked under this pressure already.
Chong Ming was strong.
And the people around him—beastfolk, half-beastfolk, females, humans—each one looked elite. Their bearing, their aura, their faces… competence radiated off them like heat.
Jiang Tea Tea knew her limits. She had spells. She had only thirty percent magic power.
If she fought them one by one, she’d lose. Easily.
She stepped to a glass window and looked down.
And then she saw Adjutant Ai escorting Ability Research Institute Director Li Ao toward the building.
Li Ao carried two large cases. Four staff followed behind him.
Jiang Tea Tea’s heart lurched.
Cheng Lin Yue had said her uncle spent ten years in the institute—tortured for ten years.
Now Chong Ming was calling Li Ao here for what? To drag her into a lab? To study her?
Her pulse spiked. She pressed a hand against the glass, cold sweat prickling.
No. She couldn’t wait.
She had to run.
She turned, swept her gaze around, and saw cameras everywhere. No blind spots.
So she forced herself to look casual and began strolling toward the elevator area.
In another room, Chong Ming listened to the Insect Clan crown princess speak while simultaneously watching Jiang Tea Tea’s micro-expressions and walking rhythm through Military Department surveillance.
His brow tightened. He looked up and cut the crown princess off.
“Sorry, Asais, Your Highness. I have matters to attend to today, so I won’t be entertaining you further.”
“Next time, Secretary Wen will arrange an appointment. And please don’t arrive unannounced like today. It’s discourteous.”
“As for your brother Agris’s current physical and psychological condition, Director Li Ao will explain shortly.”
Insect Clan crown princess Asais looked like a porcelain doll—beautifully delicate, 1.68 meters tall with an hourglass figure. She’d disguised herself with golden eyes and golden hair—exactly like Chong Ming’s.
She stood and said, voice sweet, “Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming, I came sincerely to take my imperial elder brother home. You keep blocking it again and again. That doesn’t look very sincere.”
Chong Ming stepped away from his seat and answered sharply. “Asais, Your Highness. Your version of sincerity is wearing my eyes and my hair. I don’t want it.”
“I prefer the sincerity of you bringing your warship into wartime status and aiming it at my Capital Planet. At my Military Department.”
“I also prefer the sincerity of you ordering your Insect Clan Frontier Star Domain to reinforce troops, strengthen defenses, and enter wartime posture.”
Asais’s red lips curled into a sweet, dangerous smile. “Listen to yourself. You can cover my frontier star with firepower, but I’m not allowed to strengthen my defenses? What kind of logic is that?”
Chong Ming answered coolly, “I never said you weren’t allowed. On the contrary, I said I like it.”
“But I have something to do now. Director Li Ao will arrive shortly. Excuse me.”
He walked out.
Asais’s fingers twitched, briefly shifting into insect claws. She looked like she wanted to tear his throat out.
Jiang Tea Tea reached the elevator area just as the chime sounded.
Two elevators opened at the same time.
Sui Xuan Chu stepped out of one.
Li Ao stepped out of the other.
One looked at her with concern.
One looked at her like she was a rare creature on display.
Jiang Tea Tea rushed to Sui Xuan Chu, stopped him from stepping out, and stepped into the elevator herself, smashing the close button.
The doors slid shut.
Sui Xuan Chu stared at her. “What’s wrong, roommate? You said save you—save you from what?”
Jiang Tea Tea’s breathing was rough. “Your uncle is going to have the Ability Research Institute study me.”
“I don’t want to be strapped to a table. I don’t want to be dissected.”
“But I can’t beat your uncle. I can’t escape him. The only person I can ask is you. If you don’t help me, nobody will.”
Sui Xuan Chu’s face hardened. “Impossible.”
“My uncle is decisive, domineering, and cold. But he isn’t unreasonable, and he wouldn’t strap an innocent person to a table for no reason.”
“And you’re his chosen Commander-in-Chief candidate. His tolerance for you is higher than you think.”
“Let me put it this way—unless you betray the empire, commit crimes, or cripple or kill me, everything else you’ve done—calling him names, demanding dragon blood, giving him nicknames—is small.”
Jiang Tea Tea grabbed his wrist and slammed him back against the elevator wall, pinning him. “Small matters, huh?”
Sui Xuan Chu frowned. “If my uncle wants you examined, then let him examine you. You have a rare mutant ability. That’s glory, not shame. What are you afraid of?”
Jiang Tea Tea yanked his hand down and pressed it against her lower belly.
Her eyes locked on his, intense and unblinking. “What do you think I’m afraid of?”
Sui Xuan Chu felt it.
Something moved. Something wriggled. Something pushed against his palm from inside her body.
His pupils snapped into slit beast eyes. His jaw dropped. His voice broke.
“Roommate… you… you… you’re that… that…”
Ding.
The elevator doors slid open.
Chong Ming stood in the doorway.
He saw his nephew pinned against the wall.
He saw Jiang Tea Tea pressed close, their bodies angled far too intimate.
His voice dropped like ice. “What are you doing?”