ITF Chapter48

“Captured who?” Bai Heting’s tone instantly turned cold and solemn.

This excellent deputy of his had always known how to prioritize urgencies. If it weren’t an extremely critical matter, he would never have presumptuously disturbed him while his body was indisposed. Yet, he never expected to hear a report like this.

Qiu Chen raised both hands, holding up the correspondence in his palms.

For a long while, there was no movement in the room as if even the air had stopped flowing. Bai Heting nudged the arm of the person beside him with the back of his hand, reminding him, “Go, fetch it for me.”

Only then did Luo Congye suddenly snap back to his senses.

He had been completely stunned by Qiu Chen’s words just now, but he quickly reined in his emotions. Walking with steady steps, he took the correspondence from Qiu Chen’s hands and placed it into Bai Heting’s.

On the envelope was an exquisite royal seal; it was a personal letter from the king.

The contents were also very concise.

It stated that since Shao Yixiao had personally captured the commander of the Urdan rebel army and rendered great service in suppressing the rebellion, a grand banquet would be held in his honor at the Colosseum to celebrate.

Once Bai Heting folded the letter back up, Qiu Chen added, “There is one more thing. Physician Zhou has gone missing.”

Bai Heting’s brows furrowed even tighter, but this time, Luo Congye did not show any signs of abnormality. He had already anticipated this outcome from the previous sentence.

After Bai Heting discovered that the suppressors were ineffective in the South, Qiu Chen had sent men to tail Zhou Chengbei for a period of time but failed to uncover anything unusual. He knew that Zhou Chengbei frequently left the General’s Mansion to tend to the farmers on the estate, but his absences generally didn’t exceed two days. This time, he hadn’t returned for five consecutive days. When Qiu Chen ordered men to investigate the estate, unexpectedly, not a single person knew Physician Zhou’s whereabouts.

Bai Heting asked, “Did he leave on his own, or…?”

“I checked his room; everything is orderly and in its proper place, no different from when he usually leaves,” Qiu Chen said hesitantly. “I can’t say for sure… but my gut tells me it doesn’t seem like he left on his own accord.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Heting directly ordered, “Bring me the suppressors.”

Qiu Chen immediately brought out two suppressors he had prepared in advance.

“Suppressors are useless on you.” Luo Congye, however, stood rooted to the spot and didn’t move.

This was practically an open defiance of orders. Bai Heting gave him a cold look and said, “Cut the nonsense.”

Qiu Chen explained, “These are the new types of suppressors confiscated in the South. They are effective. Take them over to the General.”

Luo Congye suddenly recalled that Bai Heting seemed to have mentioned the new type of suppressors to him before, but he hadn’t known that this thing had already been successfully developed. Judging by what Qiu Chen implied, it seemed Bai Heting had even used them before.

He still didn’t budge. He merely stared at the syringe in Qiu Chen’s hand, asking warily, “Is this thing reliable?”

“Qiu Chen,” Bai Heting said impatiently, “bring the suppressors to me.”

Qiu Chen hesitated for a few seconds. Just as he was about to step through the doorway, Luo Congye walked over with quick strides, took the syringe from his hands, walked back, and knelt down by the bed.

Bai Heting rolled up his sleeve and let him administer the injection, then said to him, “As for the banquet, you don’t need to go.”

Luo Congye held onto his arm and didn’t let go while insisting, “I want to go.”

With this second instance of open defiance, Bai Heting’s gaze grew even colder.

Luo Congye smoothed out his sleeve for him, lowering his voice a fraction. “With you in this state, I don’t feel safe letting you go out alone. If the suppressor fails again, what will you do?”

Whether it was for the general or for Zhou Chengbei, he absolutely had to attend this banquet.

His tone was slightly forward, but Qiu Chen agreed with his words completely. He chimed in, “General, I will arrange for the guard detail to accompany us, but it’s better to be cautious and let him come along. After Physician Lin was abducted last time, you encountered that kind of accident, and now Physician Zhou has gone missing too. Having an Alpha present will still be safer.”

Bai Heting fell silent for a moment.

His stance seemed to soften. Luo Congye looked up into his eyes, earnestly promising him, “I definitely won’t cause any trouble for you.”

Qiu Chen could not read between the lines, but Bai Heting could. The rumors claimed that Pei Yan was the commander of the Urdan rebel army, so regardless of who Shao Yixiao had actually captured, at least for now, the boy remained safe.

He pondered for a moment, then said to Luo Congye, “Go and get the bath ready for me.”

Luo Congye froze for a moment. “Me?”

Bai Heting shot back unpleasantly, “Do you expect me to go?”

*

Once Luo Congye left the room, Bai Heting leaned back against the wall again.

The heat had already begun to recede, but his body remained exhausted. He closed his eyes to rest for a moment.

“Find a secluded residence for that kid,” Bai Heting said in a low voice. “He cannot continue living here.”

Qiu Chen had originally thought that he had dismissed the boy to continue the topic about Zhou Chengbei, but these words were within expectations. The glance Luo Congye had cast toward him before leaving the room was as sharp and biting as a knife, looking as if he wanted to gouge a piece of flesh right off his face.

Qiu Chen knew that raw hostility was because—a male lion’s territory cannot be violated.

An Alpha possessed an extremely intense desire for control and possession over their Omega. This young Alpha had already begun to lose control, and it was impossible for the general not to notice his effrontery and the underlying danger. Qiu Chen carefully verified with him, “Have him remained on the estate? Or…”

The scent of tequila pheromones in the room had faded significantly. Bai Heting took a deep breath.

Send him as far away as possible; sending him out of the country would be best.

However, there always had to be a transition period…

Although this estate located in the capital wasn’t large, hiding a person was more than manageable.

Bai Heting nodded. “Yes, on the estate.”

You can unlock the complete translation in epub format HERE!