NOVEL NEXT 60
He Qin’s character was straightforward and somewhat impulsive.
While enemies lurked in the shadows, he remained in the light. Repeated ambushes and assassination attempts had left him unwilling to tolerate any longer.
Today’s situation didn’t necessarily mean He Qin believed Woody Hill was the mastermind behind it all; he simply didn’t want to beat around the bush and aimed to get to the bottom of things.
The noble classes of every race were never straightforward; those with power were especially cunning, employing means and strategies. He Qin only considered Woody, as warned by Uncle Lin, to be shrewd, not a major problem.
“Now it seems, Woody, you have something to do with those things.”
“Woody, I was just asking, why such a big reaction?” He Qin’s initial inquiry had a hint of jest, but now it was dead serious.
Woody realized he had overreacted. “No, it’s just surprise, Green. Why would you suspect me? I’m your cousin, with the same blood. How could I harm you?” The explanation sounded stiff due to his guilty conscience.
“Are you really not involved in those matters?” He Qin released his mental power, intending to probe Woody’s heartbeat just like he did with Qi Lun.
But Woody seemed enveloped in some sort of protective shield all over, leaving no gap for He Qin to find.
This raised even more suspicion.
“Do you know why I visited Qi Lun’s place? I went to find out who was behind it all. Woody, care to guess if he mentioned you?” He Qin decided to set a trap, using his wits. If Woody hadn’t done those things, he’d better say so.
Woody Hill couldn’t stay calm. He heard He Qin’s direct questioning and suddenly felt hot-headed. “I… I don’t know.” His words betrayed his nervousness.
Changing the subject was Woody’s way of evasion.
“Mr. Qi Lun was very cooperative. Just before you arrived, he uttered the name of the mastermind behind everything.”
He Qin smirked knowingly, noting how Woody’s mouth twitched momentarily.
Psychology was a mandatory course for the Fifth Squad soldiers on Earth, and He Qin was adept at reading micro-expressions.
Woody’s eyes darted around, and he touched his nose several times while speaking, signs of attempting to conceal something.
He Qin decided to raise the stakes even higher; success or failure would be determined now.
“According to Mr. Qi Lun, all those assassination attempts and espionage were at your behest. He was just a scapegoat, acting under your orders.”
The atmosphere in the room became tense, as if an arrow was about to be released.
“What… what kind of joke is this?” Woody’s hand moved towards his back. “This is a setup. Qi Lun has a notorious reputation; he’s trying to frame me.”
Woody wouldn’t easily admit it. If he did, his years of building influence and support would collapse in an instant.
“Oh, really?” He Qin raised an eyebrow, confident. He opened his light-brain, projecting a clear image in the air. “Luckily, I was prepared. Here’s the recording where Qi Lun personally identifies the mastermind. How about we contact the Chief now and play this recording in front of him?”
Woody visibly tensed up. His fake smile disappeared, replaced by a grim expression as he stared directly at He Qin.
At this moment, He Qin made a startling move. He placed his hand on the play button and pressed it, and the clear voices of the conversation came through.
“Who is the mastermind behind this?” It was He Qin’s voice.
Following that, Qi Lun’s tense response was also played, “He… he is also a member of the royal family, he is…”
Before the recording could finish, the man angrily drew his personal weapon, aiming the black muzzle directly at He Qin’s head.
Without further words, Woody mercilessly fired several shots in quick succession.
He was a pampered male zerg, the recoil of the laser gun was strong. At the moment the bullets were fired, Woody staggered back a few steps.
Unfortunately for him, in He Qin’s eyes, the trajectory of the bullets was crystal clear.
He tilted his head slightly and moved his arm, causing the laser bullets to graze his face and embed into the wall behind him. The walls of the room were made of soundproof materials, so the bullets only made a dull sound upon impact.
Looking back at He Qin, not even a scratch was visible on him.
“Your Highness Woody, you’re too impatient.” He Qin spoke again, replaying the recording.
“He is… *static* *click*…” The recording ended abruptly.
It turned out Qi Lun hadn’t finished his sentence, and He Qin didn’t capture Qi Lun directly pointing to him.
He had fallen for it!
“Green, you really love joking with your cousin. But now, you still don’t have direct evidence to prove that I intended to kill you.”
As long as he stuck to his denial, the Chief and the government couldn’t condemn him to death.
“You seem to have overlooked something.” He Qin turned his head towards the corner of the room, lifting his chin. “My female lord Rhys is still here in the room.”
Due to the tense situation, Woody had forgotten about the presence of the third zerg in the room.
However, why didn’t the female zerg, whose primary concern was the safety of the male master, intervene when he fired at He Qin?
Woody realized something. He widened his eyes and pointed a finger at He Qin. “You…”
“Yes, Rhys has already recorded the scene of you shooting at me.” He Qin finished his sentence, and at the command of the male zerg, Rhys raised the opened light-brain and displayed the video in front of Woody in a casual manner.
Rhys also pulled out his weapon, aiming at the male zerg’s head. He Qin continued, “Woody, I have no grievances with you. Why do you insist on trying to kill me?”
“Heh, do you think the return of a male zerg who truly inherits the royal bloodline won’t affect my influence?” At this point, Woody chuckled, no longer bothering to hide his true intentions.
“Just because of this?”
“Since childhood, I, Woody Hill, endured the orthodox royal education, endured countless hardships, only to succeed in having everyone recognize me as representing the imperial royal family. You, this lucky male zerg returning from outer space, cannot just take away everything from me like this.” Woody’s spirit collapsed, shouting hysterically at He Qin.
He Qin had never thought of fighting for power, but having authority was the original sin, and there were always zergs like Woody who judged others by their own standards.
“Take His Highness Green and Major General Rhys downstairs and keep them under guard.” Woody was too lazy to explain further, shouting towards the door.
Outside the door, Woody had already prepared a private guard. At his command, dozens of fully equipped female zerg guards surrounded the door.
“Are you preparing to detain us?” He Qin remained calm, exchanged a glance with Rhys, and silently sent a message in the shadows.
At the same time, the guards outside obeyed their Highness’s orders, armed themselves, and surrounded He Qin.
It seemed Woody had been prepared for this.
“Regardless, you’re still my cousin. Green, please stay in the room for now. Don’t worry, once I successfully assume the position of Chief of the Empire, you’ll have freedom to come and go as you please.” Woody waved his hand, and the guards simultaneously aimed their weapons at He Qin.
Woody currently didn’t want to harm the young male zerg. He was only concerned that He Qin’s presence would affect his candidacy for Chief.
After he assumed office, He Qin would be nothing more than a royal Highness with an empty title to him. As for how to handle him by then, he would decide as he pleased.
Woody had researched He Qin’s background; this male zerg was not an ordinary weakling, he knew.
Therefore, he personally selected dozens of private soldiers to participate in the mission, all of them among the top female zergs in the Empire in terms of comprehensive strength.
“Oh? Do you think just over twenty soldiers can block our way?”
Contrary to his usual self, according to the investigation report, He Qin, who was easily impulsive and very confident in his strength, did not rush out with Rhys to fight, but still stood with his arms crossed, looking confident.
“Green you have never seen the combat power of my private soldiers. Why don’t you give it a try?”
He just didn’t believe that a single male zerg and a female zerg could escape from such a heavy siege.
If they couldn’t catch him alive, they could just shoot them on the spot.
Woody was ruthless and decisive, which was also why he could successfully control the royal private soldiers.
But under his intentional concealment, the Empire’s zergs only thought he was a charming male zerg with great talent in politics.
“I thought you were one of my closest family members, sigh, but I was wrong.” He Qin sighed, a hint of reluctance in his eyes, then glanced at Rhys.
“Woody has planned several times to kill royal bloodlines and male zerg egg. Did you all hear that?”
Who was he calling?
Woody looked around but didn’t see any other zergs.
Before long, the sound of laser gunshots came from downstairs. His competitor, Barton, followed by a hundred female bug soldiers, proudly entered the room.
“Your Highness Woody, your recent conversation has been synchronized in real-time to the Chief. It’s better if you and I take a walk.”
“Barton!” Woody no longer had the dignity of a royal, gritting his teeth as he called out the male zerg’s name.
“Or Major General is thoughtful, and after Woody rushed into the Qi Mansion, he had soldiers send me a message.” Barton threw a mocking look at the defeated man now under his command. “Otherwise, the Chief Executive wouldn’t know that the courteous Woody turned out to be such a villain.”
With this incident, Woody Hill would completely lose his candidacy for Chief Executive Officer, and he might even find it difficult to save his life.
He Qin had already privately informed him that he would not compete for the position of Chief Executive, only wanting to live peacefully with his family.
From the current situation, two months later at the Chief’s handover ceremony, Barton was certain to successfully obtain this important position.
“Bring His Highness Woody to the Chief’s presence and await the Chief’s decision.”
“Yes.”
From today onwards, Woody Hill would no longer be the representative of the royal male zergs. In the struggle for power, Woody’s era in the Empire had come to an end.
He Qin didn’t expect that this would lead to an even larger conspiracy unfolding afterwards.