Chapter 17: The Third Path

Jiang Chen thought about how many times over the years he had wanted to kill Xurui, yet he was never able to get the better of her, which made his hatred burn all the more fiercely. If it weren’t for this woman, his teacher and comrades would never have died! Those proud warriors had poured so much effort and heart into going to battle, only to be killed at the hands of their own people. He still remembered clearly the look of unwillingness in their eyes before they died. In this life, the one he hated most was Xurui!

“Commander! With these memories as undeniable evidence, it proves the Shadow Black Market Alliance’s leader is colluding with Xurui. It’s possible this organization even has ties to the Zerg.”

“I volunteer to lead the team personally to capture that guy! And to eradicate the Shadow Black Market Alliance once and for all!”

Buxing Ye and Liu Han stepped forward. “I’ll go too.”

Interstellar Fleet Commander Shi Qiyuan also came forward to volunteer. “Count me in!”

Only Xuzhu and Tang Feng remained standing motionless.

Jiang Chen cast a cold glance at Xuzhu before turning to Tang Feng. “Commander Tang?”

Tang Feng furrowed his brow in thought. “There’s one thing I’m very concerned about. Sana said the Zerg have, through long evolution, developed powerful camouflage abilities, even capable of deceiving the most advanced interstellar detectors.”

“If the Beili couple managed to infiltrate our human world over twenty years ago, could there be other Zerg who have also infiltrated?”

“And these bugs, invisible to us and undetectable even by instruments, yet Xurui and Augustus can see them—could it be that they know many things we do not?”

He had been investigating Xurui for many years and always found her connected to various terror attacks. He had always believed Xurui herself was a cruel person.

But now, seeing these memories and reflecting on prior encounters with her, perhaps those terror attacks were inextricably linked to these Zerg.

Liu Han spoke softly, “Commander Tang, you always find it hard to stay rational when dealing with the Zerg.”

Tang Feng couldn’t help but curse, “You’re just a tech guy—what do you know? Have you ever faced the Zerg face to face?”

“Any human who comes up against those creatures has their mind and perception utterly changed. That kind of fear can completely destroy a person, leading to only two outcomes: either you want to destroy them, or you want to destroy yourself.”

He might not understand Xurui, but he understood the Zerg.

Jiang Chen said, “How can you be so sure Xurui didn’t take a third path—submission?”

Tang Feng’s brow tightened.

Jiang Chen snorted coldly. “Don’t forget, Commander Tang, when you encountered the Zerg, you were already a young man, rigorously trained and mentally mature. Xurui, however, was only seven years old at the time. That is a fundamental difference.”

“I think it’s precisely because of those childhood experiences that she became such a terrifying woman.”

This time, Tang Feng lowered his gaze and fell silent, no longer arguing.

Jiang Chen’s lips curled slightly. “Commander, I request permission to capture Augustus immediately!”

He sneered at Xuzhu. “I hope Boss Zhu will join us in this operation. After all, Augustus once took care of you. Whether you stayed in contact after you grew up—I remain skeptical.”

The Commander sat upright in his high seat, looking up at the large screen before him.

His voice was light and distant. “Augustus is already dead.”

Instantly, several men’s eyes brightened.

The Commander continued, “The control of the Shadow Black Market Alliance is temporarily in my hands. Soon, I will convene a meeting to discuss the future ownership of the alliance.”

For a moment, the crowd in the square looked at the Commander with admiration.

“No wonder he led us to victory against the Zerg. Such foresight—he discovered the Shadow Black Market Alliance’s problems long ago and took them down.”

“I knew it! The prices at the black market suddenly dropped recently because the Commander got control!”

“Long live the Commander! Hail the Commander!”

“Fantastic! Now we’re safer. Since this alliance belongs to the Empire, at least all those interstellar criminals can be hunted down!”

The Commander stood with his hands behind his back, eyes fixed on the screen.

“Guess what choice Xurui will make? Destroy herself, or destroy the Zerg?”

The group turned to look at the screen again.

Jiang Chen said, “She was probably adopted by the Beili couple.”

At the thought, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

No matter how vicious Xurui became later, at least now her brother was gravely ill, attacked by the Zerg, and forced by them to kill those close to him.

What she endured was unbearable even for these adults.

If she was truly adopted by the Beili couple, then her eventual transformation into what she became seemed inevitable.

...

Onboard the spaceship.

Silvan had already gone to the control panel, preparing for takeoff to their next destination.

Sana hummed happily as she watered the lively plants in the cabin.

Xurui seemed to have fully accepted reality, casually placing a box on the floor before pouring herself a glass of water at the table.

Sana carried a watering can and walked over to the box, kicking it. “What’s in this box?”

Xurui didn’t look back, her voice calm. “Luggage.”

Just this scene made everyone on the square tense.

That box contained an infection agent brought by Augustus, specifically targeting the Zerg.

Sana wanted to inspect it but seeing Xurui completely ignoring her, as if it were nothing important, she raised an eyebrow, gave up, and turned back to watering the flowers.

Silvan then came out of the cockpit. “Our ship’s power system is malfunctioning. It will take about half an hour to repair.”

Sana nodded. “Alright, then we’ll wait half an hour before departing.”

Silvan poured three cups of hot cocoa, took a sip, and then looked at Xurui. “You just killed so many people and yet remain so calm?”

Seven-year-old Xurui, delicate and round-faced with lingering baby fat, looked like an innocent child—so much so that the two Zerg relaxed their guard around her.

Xurui pointed to her head. “I have genetic memory inheritance. Killing a few people is nothing.”

Sana suddenly exclaimed joyfully, “Genetic inheritance? Could she be a top-tier gene? S-level or SS-level? We’ve never seen such gene quality since arriving here.”

Silvan smiled. “It’s inconvenient to send messages on this planet. Once we leave, we’ll send the news. They’ll definitely be very interested in this girl.”

Sana giggled excitedly. “We’re going to make a big achievement!”

Xurui lowered her eyes the entire time, sipping her cocoa, completely ignoring their open discussion.

Soon, a commotion came from outside the ship—Xuzhu ran over. “Sister, can you take me with you?”

Xuzhu looked pitiful. “Uncle, Auntie, I want to come with you too.”

Sana’s laughter grew sharper and more grating, making the listeners’ scalps tingle.

“Sure, come on over. We’ll take you with us.”