Chapter 148
Chapter 148: The Commander-in-Chief Officially Asked to Be Petted—A Food Chain of Talking Past Each Other
The police officers looked the triplets up and down.
Then one asked, “You were beaten. Did you call the police?”
Lang Xin Rui blinked, then shook her head. “No…”
The officer looked around the crowd. “Then who called?”
Jiang Tea Tea raised her hand. “I did.”
The officer walked to her. “Hello. Please show your lightbrain ID code.”
Jiang Tea Tea opened her lightbrain and displayed her electronic ID.
The officer scanned it, saw 3S-grade mutant plant-type healer, and his gaze sharpened slightly. In an official tone, he asked, “What are you reporting? Do you need on-site mediation, or do you want to go to the Police Bureau for mediation?”
Jiang Tea Tea glanced at the triplets.
She caught the fear buried under their rage, the way their confidence trembled at the edges.
Her lips lifted a fraction.
Then she pointed her branch staff at them and said, completely ignoring normal logic, “Officer, I don’t need mediation.”
“I’m reporting because I have evidence suspecting the three of them are connected to last night’s insect clan infiltration and the release of aberrant beasts into the Royal Military Academy.”
“They may be insect clan insiders.”
Lang Xin Rui, Lang Xin Ping, and Lang Xin Chong went rigid.
Their pupils constricted with horror.
Lang Xin Rui shrieked, “Jiang Tea Tea! What nonsense are you spouting? We’re not insect clan insiders! We’re cadets of the Zhen Lin Empire!”
Lang Xin Ping’s voice cracked. “You can’t just accuse us! Our white wolf clan—from top to bottom—are all citizens of the Zhen Lin Empire!”
Lang Xin Chong shouted, “You beat us and now you frame us? We’ll sue you! We’ll sue you until you’re exiled—executed!”
Insect clan collusion wasn’t a petty charge. It was national security.
The four police officers reported immediately.
And on the spot, they detained the triplets.
Sui Xuan Chu’s insides churned—he was the imperial Crown Prince, after all—but his face stayed calm, like a mountain could collapse in front of him and he wouldn’t blink.
Huang Da Zhuang and the others stared, stunned. None of them could guess what Sister Tea was aiming for.
School leadership arrived. Old Jin arrived. Teachers arrived.
And because an insider report had been filed, it didn’t just pull the Police Bureau.
It pulled the Special Operations Bureau, the military, and the Security Bureau too.
Officers flooded in.
They didn’t just take Lang Xin Rui, Lang Xin Ping, and Lang Xin Chong.
They also took Jiang Tea Tea’s eight-person squad, school leadership, Old Jin, and multiple teachers.
Chong Ming, who’d returned to the Military Department and started working, received the news.
He coordinated with the four departments and had everyone transferred to the Security Bureau.
Inside the Security Bureau, Jiang Tea Tea was interrogated first.
She sat in the interrogation room, calm and composed, and said, “I suspect Lang Xin Rui, Lang Xin Ping, and Lang Xin Chong are connected to last night’s insect clan incident because they killed five bugs in Jin Garden Zone.”
“Before they were killed, I shot each of those bugs with at least five tranquilizer injections.”
She reached into her storage button and dumped items onto the table: storage buttons taken from the insect clan, and a tranquilizer gun.
“This is from the insect clan. My roommate Sui Xuan Chu has one too.”
“Last night, he and I had something to handle. We left school early and didn’t have time to turn these in.”
Then she added, looking straight at the interrogator, “I used insect clan tranquilizers not only on bugs.”
“I also used them on several crazed dragon clan on campus. My roommate did too.”
“You can ask Old Jin. He treated the injured. He should know whose bodies contained tranquilizers.”
“And please have the bug corpses dissected. Check whether the dosage was heavy enough that, without outside intervention, they wouldn’t wake for days.”
“Then interrogate the triplets.”
“In the state those bugs were in, killing them could be hiding something—or it could be for merit.”
The interrogator recorded everything and asked, “After the Police Bureau, Special Operations Bureau, the military, and the bodyguard units entered the Royal Military Academy last night, you said you had business and left.”
“Where did you go? Who did you meet? What did you do? Explain in detail.”
Chong Ming sat in his office, watching the interrogation feed on a large screen.
He’d expected Jiang Tea Tea to mention him and make him clean up the mess.
Instead, she didn’t say his name at all.
She didn’t want his help.
Jiang Tea Tea opened her lightbrain and projected a contact. “Where we went and who we met isn’t convenient for me to explain.”
“But you can ask him. If he says it’s fine to share, then I can share.”
The Security Minister, Yan Lan Shen, who’d been sitting silent beside the interrogator, saw the contact and sat up sharply.
He made a hand signal.
The interrogator stood. “Understood. We’ll contact the person in your comms. Please come with us for now.”
Jiang Tea Tea stood and followed them out.
As she passed, she caught sight of Yan Lan Shen and paused internally.
He looked familiar—strangely similar to Yan Yu from their squad’s Intelligence Department.
Maybe there was a connection.
Maybe foxes just looked alike.
Yan Lan Shen watched Jiang Tea Tea leave.
Before he could call Secretary Wen, a message arrived from Secretary Wen first:
“Classmate Jiang Tea Tea, Classmate Sui Xuan Chu, and Classmate Cheng Lin Yue left the Royal Military Academy last night and went to the Imperial Palace. They were returned to campus at 7:45 this morning.
“Primary witness: Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming.
“Minister Yan, if there are any questions about where they went after leaving the academy, please contact Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming.”
If Chong Ming was the witness, what questions could there be?
None.
But procedure was procedure. The required questions were still asked—just to confirm Jiang Tea Tea’s statement.
Meanwhile, Security Bureau information officers began digging into everyone’s profiles.
They dug.
And dug.
And got a shock.
School leaders and teachers had their quirks and secrets, sure. Nothing unusual.
But Jiang Tea Tea’s eight-person squad?
Their files were stripped down to almost nothing—so minimal it looked fake.
The information officer pushed harder.
The first thing he uncovered was Yan Yu’s background.
The second was the young lord of a major black wolf family.
Before he could dig further, Minister Yan Lan Shen arrived and shut it down.
No more digging on the eight-person squad.
Dig on Lang Xin Rui and the others instead.
After separate interrogations, Sui Xuan Chu and the other six rejoined Jiang Tea Tea.
Old Jin, the teachers, and the school leadership were questioned longer.
Old Jin presented medical evidence: the triplets’ wounds were close-range cutting wounds, not injuries from a real struggle.
The Military Department issued a detailed autopsy report: the five bugs were killed while heavily sedated.
The Police Bureau, Special Operations Bureau, and Security Bureau reviewed the academy’s surveillance again—especially the cameras around the Jin Garden Zone dead angle.
Under careful analysis, they found something crucial.
Before the triplets ever “killed” five bugs, they’d already been hiding nearby in the shadows.
When Jiang Tea Tea leapt into the sky to help Sui Xuan Chu, the three of them ran into the dead angle.
Soon after, “fighting sounds” were heard.
There were no cameras inside the dead angle, only outside.
Professionals analyzed the audio recorded by the outer cameras and confirmed the “fighting sounds” were an edited mix of effects and voices.
Meaning: there was no desperate battle like the triplets claimed.
They lied.
At first, Lang Xin Rui and the others insisted they were the ones who killed the bugs. They claimed Jiang Tea Tea’s squad was jealous and framing them.
But the moment the evidence was slapped on the table—and the interrogator’s questions turned icy—their composure collapsed.
They broke down sobbing and confessed.
“We weren’t insiders. We didn’t collude with the insect clan.”
“We were hiding because the invasion was terrifying. Then we saw Jiang Tea Tea fighting the bugs head-on.”
“She was too strong. They tried to net her and couldn’t. She beat five of them on her own.”
“She shot them with tranquilizers and left.”
“We went to look. They weren’t dead yet. We wanted the credit for killing bugs.”
“We knew the camera was broken. The three of us agreed—we injured ourselves, smeared bug blood on us, killed them, dragged the corpses out, and claimed merit.”
“We just didn’t want her to outshine us.”
“We thought if she got second-class merit, we could at least get third-class merit.”
“We swear we don’t know the insect clan. We didn’t do anything. Believe us!”
The Security Bureau investigated thoroughly.
They found no evidence of collusion.
Jiang Tea Tea’s suspicion had been reasonable, given the circumstances. The conclusion was reported to her and to the academy.
Jiang Tea Tea skimmed the results and went back to class with her squad as if nothing had happened.
School leadership was furious.
Not only had the triplets stolen credit—they’d killed five sedated insect clan members, costing the empire five living captives.
On the spot, the academy decided to reclaim the triplets’ bonuses, post them as a negative example on the school intranet, and warn the entire student body to treat their behavior as disgrace.
Jiang Tea Tea’s eight-person squad was awarded 300,000 star credits each. The school would also apply for official military merit to brighten their records.
The triplets’ parents were notified and ordered to come to school.
Until then, the triplets were suspended indefinitely. Whether they’d be expelled or given a major demerit would be decided after discussion.
At noon, the campus intranet exploded.
Students cursed Lang Xin Rui and her brothers and praised Jiang Tea Tea’s squad with equal intensity.
At lunch, seniors, classmates, even students from other grades tried to buy them meals and treat them.
The eight-person squad fled in panic.
They didn’t even eat until full. They ran back to the classroom, took their naps, and started reading the criminal code.
After afternoon and evening classes, their last teacher said, “Less than ten days until vacation.”
“But for you eight, there’s no vacation.”
“You’re a targeted training group. Others rest, you train.”
“In ten days, you’ll be assigned a mission. The exact day and details will be announced later.”
“What you need to do during these ten days is notify your parents and family that you’ll be training on campus.”
“But do not tell your family you’re going on a mission.”
“Understood,” the eight answered.
Class ended at nine.
Cheng Lin Yue and the other six returned to their dorms.
Jiang Tea Tea and Sui Xuan Chu went back to their dorm, gathered the piles of books they’d stacked up, and headed to the academy gate.
At 9:30, a low-key, luxurious flyer arrived—exact to the minute.
Jiang Tea Tea and Sui Xuan Chu climbed in.
Sui Xuan Chu used Jiang Tea Tea as cover, sat in the back with her, and treated his uncle like a personal driver.
They whispered the whole way.
Back at the Imperial Palace, the moment Sui Xuan Chu stepped out, two flying-jiao beastfolk and four avian beastfolk escorted him away for training.
Jiang Tea Tea followed Chong Ming back to his lodging palace.
A table of late-night snacks waited.
She ate while Chong Ming washed up.
Then she washed while Chong Ming had staff come clean and handled work.
When Jiang Tea Tea came out, she didn’t see Chong Ming. She assumed he’d left.
Happy, she dove into the half-round, gem-studded bed—
And froze.
On the bed lay a golden dragon.
About a meter long, as thick as her arm, with oversized dragon horns that didn’t match its tiny body.
Its golden eyes were closed.
Jiang Tea Tea’s heart pounded.
She was full from snacks, but the sight of that golden dragon made her hungry again.
A tree demon ate everything.
A dragon was a massive supplement.
Hunger crawled up from her gut into her hands.
Magic wrapped her palm, and she struck.
The golden dragon didn’t open its eyes.
But it cheated.
It lowered its head and rested it right on her hand.
Half-lidded golden eyes opened.
“No need to sneak,” Chong Ming said, voice deep even in beast form. “I’ll let you touch.”