AEKMEM chapter 79

The dozen or so generals, including Black Bear, stood up and wondered if An Qiao had taken the wrong medicine after hearing his arrogant words.

Being provoked by someone who looked incapable of trussing a chicken—of course they were angry. They wished they could rush up and teach this loud-mouthed person a lesson. But then they remembered: This was the cherished partner of their Second Legion’s commander—someone their formerly forever-single crown prince had finally found and loved.

Just as he hesitated, Chu Heng swiftly tossed one in each hand, launching the beasts onto the dueling platform.

The black bear, thrown onto the platform, thankfully managed to steady himself in time, avoiding a face-plant.

Seeing An Qiao approach, the black bear became troubled.

He didn’t know what had gotten into the Crown Prince for insisting that they fight the Crown Princess.

How was he supposed to “act” to win without hurting the Crown Princess, so he wouldn’t be humiliated?

Although external injuries could be quickly healed in the treatment pod, the pain was unavoidable.

An Qiao was the Crown Princess of their most admired Crown Prince—he really didn’t have the heart to hurt him.

Moreover, he couldn’t bring himself to attack such a frail, beautiful person.

“I’m going to make my move,” said the slender, handsome, silver-haired youth, slightly raising his eyes.

Whatever—let him strike. With the crown princess’s low combat ability, even if Black Bear just stood there and let the crown princess hit him, he wouldn’t take any damage.

Black Bear thought confidently.

The next second, Black Bear’s eyes widened.

Before he could see where An Qiao’s punch landed, he felt himself being sent flying. After flying several meters, he crashed to the ground in a humiliating manner.

Most of the audience: “???”

Wait, Black Bear, your acting is fake but convincing!

They never thought this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes could be such a good actor.

Black Bear: “…?”

Honestly, if he weren’t involved, he would think he was acting, too.

But the fact is, he was easily sent flying by An Qiao’s single punch and couldn’t resist at all! It was just like when Chu Heng was giving him pointers and brutally beat him.

“Come again!” Black Bear roughly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He stood up, full of fighting spirit, and said,

The audience also reacted at this time. It seems that Black Bear being beaten away was real, not staged.

The Crown Princess, who looked so delicate that his neck could be broken with just a slight twist, seemed to have really beaten the Black Bear, who was known as the “War Bear” in their second legion and had the highest strength value. !

It may be because the Black Bear underestimated the enemy and was caught off guard. However, An Qiao was capable of beating the Black Bear away. The Black Bear is as strong as a bear and has an Earth type with strong defense. Most people can’t push it back.

However, the Black Bear will have to fight seriously next, and the Crown Princess should not be able to defeat it.

Many spectators thought so.

However, the next second, everyone was stunned.

Before they could see An Qiao’s movements clearly, the Black Bear was kicked violently by An Qiao and fell to the ground, spitting blood. The way it grimaced in pain was painful to watch.

Especially painful on the face.

Their Black Bear, a top-tier fighter in the Second Army, couldn’t even withstand a single blow from An Qiao, an elf-person!

An Qiao then turned to the dozen or so other challengers that Chu Heng had thrown onto the stage. Raising an eyebrow, An Qiao calmly asked, “Do I have the qualifications to challenge you all one-on-one?”

Ten minutes later:

On the dueling platform, over a dozen S-rank beastman generals lay beaten and disheveled on the ground, each one covered in dust and utterly dejected.

They were outnumbered, yet they still lost! They were completely powerless to fight back and lost miserably!

Meanwhile, in the center of the platform, An Qiao remained indifferent and nonchalant. He had beaten them all to the ground, but he acted as if it were nothing surprising or concerning.

His victory seemed effortless; his silver hair remained perfectly in place, and his breathing remained calm and steady.

The handsome young man slowly smoothed his sleeves and walked gracefully and unhurriedly off the platform. The moment he saw Chu Heng, his steps quickened noticeably.

However, aside from Chu Heng, who was captivated by his good looks and wore an “My wife is amazing” expression, no one else noticed.

The entire arena fell silent.

No one had expected this outcome.

They were dazed and incredulous.

They were shocked to the point of questioning their own existence.

Such a brilliant record was comparable to that of their Marshal—the Empire’s God of War, Chu Heng!

Could elves achieve this? Could they be so ruthless?

They had strongly opposed An Qiao coming to the front lines before, thinking he was weak and a burden.

Now, it seems that if An Qiao is considered “weak,” then they are the weakest of the weak!

Before they could react, Chu Heng leaped onto the dueling platform.

“Get up, all of you.”

He kicked the black bear’s leg and spoke expressionlessly.

“Weren’t you so cocky just now? Didn’t a bunch of you bully my Qiao Qiao because he didn’t have anyone backing him up?”

“Now get up, all of you, and spar with me again!”

The dozen or so generals were still lying on the platform, unable to get up. “…”

It seems like they’re the ones who were “bullied” and beaten to a pulp—right?

The others also felt speechless.

Some were even more uncomfortable, forced to eat their words by this dog food.

Who would have thought that His Highness the Crown Prince would be so unreasonable?

However, it’s understandable. Provoking a beastman’s partner often provokes a backlash from the beastman’s possessive and protective nature, resulting in a brutal beating.

The Crown Prince dotes on his Crown Princess. It would be abnormal for the ruthless and domineering prince not to react or show anger when he’s challenged.

So, the dozen or so people who had just been beaten down by An Qiao—trembling as they got up—were then given a severe beating by Chu Heng.

Fortunately, An Qiao and Chu Heng knew their limits and only inflicted external injuries. After treatment in the medical pod, they would quickly recover and be lively again.

Seeing the dozen or so people on the dueling platform with their bruised and swollen faces, unrecognizable even to their own mothers, the others couldn’t help but shudder with lingering fear.

Luckily, they weren’t among those on the platform. Otherwise, who could withstand this “mixed doubles” brawl?

News of the duel at Training Ground Number One quickly spread throughout the area.

Everyone’s initial reaction was disbelief. After learning it was true, they were all speechless with astonishment.

“I never imagined the Crown Princess, an elf-person, would be so powerful!”

“So, the Crown Princess actually underwent a second awakening? That explains why his elf bloodline purity increased from 89 to 99, nearly matching that of an elf. Was he just pretending to be weak before for some reason?”

“Who would have thought that the seemingly pale and sickly Crown Princess was actually a violent beauty who could easily defeat anyone?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince truly lives up to his name. His judgment is impeccable!”

“But did the Crown Princess allocate his skill points to the wrong areas? Other elves seem to have maxed out their healing skills, but the Crown Princess seems to have focused solely on combat power?”

…

However, these discussions subsided after a day or two.

—Because war was approaching and the atmosphere at the garrison was tense.

As the Zerg’s spatial portal fluctuations became clearer, precise monitoring revealed that the Zerg had opened two portals!

Fortunately, both portals led to Red and Blue Star without affecting other planetary regions. The portals led to the eastern and western parts of Red and Blue Star. The exact locations are currently undetectable by instruments.

Red and Blue Star are located on the periphery. It is a large planet, but due to its geographical location and harsh environment, it is sparsely populated. Almost five-sixths of the planet’s surface is red soil that cannot support vegetation. Only the central ring is habitable and lush.

Compared to the war that ended a few months ago, this impending war is relatively small-scale. It arrived swiftly and inexplicably, leaving everyone baffled by the Zerg Queen’s motives.

The Empire didn’t immediately reveal the impending outbreak of another Zerg war. It was only as the inhabitants of Red and Blue Star were quickly and systematically relocated that most of the Empire’s population gradually realized that something was amiss.

Late at night, in a bedroom at the garrison:

Having just bathed, An Qiao sat by the window with his chin resting on his hand, gazing out. His long, silver hair, still damp, cascaded down his back.

He seemed too tired to do anything but drowsily gaze out the window, his black, crow-like eyelashes drooping and his head nodding occasionally. Bathed in the warm yellow light, his snow-white, exquisitely perfect face appeared even more ethereal and alluring.

Suddenly sensing something, he looked up and glanced toward the door.

The door was gently pushed open.

“You’re back?” He yawned lazily.

Hearing An Qiao’s greeting, Chu Heng instantly felt the fatigue from his busy, stressful day dissipate, replaced by a sense of homely security and warmth.

He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“Qiao Qiao, were you waiting for me?” he teased.

As a married couple, it was only natural that they were assigned the same bedroom at their residence.

At this point, it would be impossible to deny the rumors about how loving and inseparable they were. They couldn’t publicly admit that they slept in separate rooms.

And so, just like that, they ended up sharing a room and sleeping in the same bed!

That night, Chu Heng was so excited and surprised that he could barely sleep.

He hadn’t expected such a wonderful thing!

As he thought about it, Chu Heng seemed to notice something. His brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of heartache flashed across his face.

“You’re still awake at this hour?”

Looking at him, An Qiao yawned lazily again. “I don’t feel like sleeping yet.”

—In truth, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to sleep; he simply couldn’t feel at ease.

He changed the subject. “It’ll be in the next two days, right?”

Chu Heng knew he was asking about the time the Zerg would descend through the spatial portal and when the war with the Zerg would begin.

“Hmm.” He nodded. “According to monitoring, the Zerg’s spatial portal will be fully formed in two days. The Zerg army should arrive then.”

Chu Heng couldn’t understand why the Zerg army would invade the Empire again so soon after being defeated a few months ago.

This time, the Zerg army had chosen the resource-poor Red and Blue Star as their landing site.

The Zerg grow by devouring resources. The more and higher-quality resources they consume, the stronger they become. They devour almost everything—animals, plants, minerals, energy—leaving a trail of plunder and devastation in their wake. They especially favor energy crystals because they are the richest in energy and most conducive to growth and strength. Five-sixths of Red and Blue Star are barren planets devoid of life and mineral resources. The remaining one-sixth, while habitable, is not particularly rich in resources. Compared to other border planets, it’s quite insignificant overall.

It’s unclear what the Queen of the Zerg saw in Red and Blue Star.

“Why didn’t you dry your hair?” Chu Heng asked, walking over and standing behind An Qiao. He bent down slightly, using his fire-based abilities to gently dry An Qiao’s hair.

An Qiao sat in the chair, his silver hair cascading down and almost reaching the ground like flowing moonlight—a beautiful, almost poetic sight.

A strand of hair slipped through his fingertips like a wisp of moonlight.

“Troublesome,” An Qiao muttered.

An Qiao found using a hairdryer inconvenient and suspected it would damage his precious silver-white hair.

The Elf King was a hardcore aesthetics enthusiast and was very particular about his beautiful silver hair.

In the Elf World, he carefully dried his hair with light magic.

Initially, he didn’t want to reveal his light magic or use the technology here, so he could only dry his hair with a towel and let it air dry. Later, Chu Heng couldn’t stand seeing him like this, so he would dry An Qiao’s hair for him using fire magic.

Pretty…thoughtful.

As An Qiao thought this, he felt his right earlobe being touched.

He glanced up at Chu Heng, suspecting that he was doing it on purpose.

After learning the deeper meaning of touching an elf’s ears from the dragon race’s inherited memories, this guy would occasionally find an opportunity to secretly touch his ears.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Heng asked innocently. “Is the temperature of my controlled ability too high?

“Looks like the temperature really is too high.”

Chu Heng blatantly pinched his right earlobe again. “Your ears are all red from the heat.”

An Qiao: “… ”

For some reason, An Qiao had a bad feeling.

The next morning, when Chu Heng led his troops to investigate and deploy resources for the general location of the Zerg spatial portal, An Qiao went along as well. Seeing An Qiao with Chu Heng, the soldiers couldn’t help but steal glances at him.

First, An Qiao was undeniably striking and impossible to ignore.

Secondly, and most importantly, there had been much discussion about An Qiao within the garrison over the past two days. An Qiao, an elf-person, had managed to defeat over a dozen S-rank beastmen generals in a single blow, his combat prowess comparable to Chu Heng, the Empire’s War God—a true miracle.

Therefore, these soldiers couldn’t help but give An Qiao a second look.

First glance: Hmm, handsome—a perfect match for their Crown Prince!

Second glance: He seems somewhat frail. Who would guess that his combat strength was so high just by looking at him?

An Qiao also noticed their furtive glances.

He didn’t seem to care much, though. After all, he was the Elf King, and his exceptional looks attracted attention all the time.

Besides, because of that vague, uneasy feeling, he was somewhat anxious and didn’t pay much attention.

However, Chu Heng stood beside An Qiao and possessively held his hand in an affectionate pose. His cold face glared at anyone who dared to steal a glance.

An Qiao thought Chu Heng’s public displays of affection were childish and immature.

However, Chu Heng persisted, so An Qiao could only allow it, feeling both headache-ridden and helpless.

As they approached their destination and saw the endless expanse of barren red earth, An Qiao’s face suddenly darkened. “There are Dark Stones here.”

“Dark Stones?” Chu Heng frowned in confusion.

The name itself sounded ominous.

An Qiao continued, “They’re a kind of energy crystal similar to the ones we’ve seen before. But Dark Stones are more suitable for demons and may be even more beneficial for Zerg growth.”

In their world, they could cultivate magic power using magic crystals of the corresponding attribute, such as Light Stones for the Light attribute and Dark Stones for the Dark attribute, in addition to magic crystals.

Light and Dark Stones have purer energy than magic crystals and are easier to absorb and transform. However, they are quite rare and seldom seen.

Now, though, there are countless Dark Stones beneath this area!

No wonder five-sixths of Red and Blue Star are barren red soil. The energy radiation from the Dark Stones is extremely widespread. Because of their dark nature, nothing grows under their influence.

As he approached this area, he felt oppressed. Dark and light magic oppose each other, and the Dark Stone also had a suppressive effect on him.

An Qiao had previously suspected that the Zerg might have a blood connection with the demons of their world, just as the elf-person of this world had some connection with the elves.

Previously, traces of the Zerg were detected on Red-Blue Star. He went to observe the few restrained Zerg, but he couldn’t discern anything from them — perhaps because they were of relatively low bloodline.

Now, however, the Zerg were suddenly attacking Red and Blue Star, where Dark Stones existed. The spatial portals led to an area with a high concentration of Dark Stones, making it difficult to believe that the Zerg of this world were not connected to the demons.

They then investigated another Zerg spatial portal.

The one they had previously investigated was on the eastern side of Red and Blue Star.

There was another one on the western side.

The two portals were located quite far apart, requiring at least twenty minutes by starship to travel between them.

Upon arriving at the western portal, they found Dark Stone deposits underground nearby.

An Qiao, his face filled with murderous intent, told Chu Heng what he knew and his speculations.

Chu Heng asked, “Do you suspect that the Zerg invaded Red and Blue Star for the Dark Stone deposits, with the aim of using them to advance and enhance their strength?”

If the Dark Stones are extremely beneficial to the Zerg Queen, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to devour the deposits and advance beyond the 3S level, a level no one in this world has yet reached.

Moreover, the Zerg Queen can devour extremely quickly. She could probably devour the Dark Stone deposits near the spatial portal in twenty minutes or less.

If the Zerg Queen advances, dealing with her will be extremely difficult.

“Could we send someone to destroy those Dark Stones now, or dig them up and move them elsewhere?”

An Qiao shook his head. “They can’t be destroyed quickly. They’re also difficult to dig up, and they can be corrosive and harmful to those without dark attributes if you get too close.”

Chu Heng’s original strategy was to select an area near one of the Zerg spatial portals as the battlefield and wait for the enemy to come to him.

Ideally, he would choose the insectoid space portal where the Zerg queen descended.

If not, he would shift his attack to the Zerg army.

Trapping and annihilating these Zerg armies on the red and blue planets was imperative. Otherwise, the Zerg would have a hard time traveling through the red and blue planets to reach the nearby ones.

However, if they only choose one spatial portal for defense and it isn’t the one where the Zerg Queen descends, she will have enough time to devour the Dark Stone and advance within the twenty minutes it takes him and his army to arrive, making her even more difficult to deal with.

Even if they split their forces in two and there was no one to block and restrain the Zerg Queen, she would still have the energy to devour the Dark Stones, albeit more slowly.

Among the army, only Chu Heng has the strength to restrain the Zerg Queen.

Furthermore, only An Qiao, as a “family member,” possesses this ability.

“I disagree!” Chu Heng suddenly stood up.

He had reluctantly agreed to let An Qiao come to the battlefield on Red and Blue Star. Firstly, he couldn’t refuse An Qiao. Secondly, An Qiao is very strong. With him by his side, Chu Heng feels somewhat at ease.

Now, An Qiao was proposing that they split up and defend separate spatial portal to contain the Zerg Queen.

Without Chu Heng by his side, An Qiao would be in grave danger facing the Zerg Queen. What if something happened to him?

Chu Heng paced back and forth irritably. “Qiao Qiao, this war has nothing to do with you. Besides, I can manage on my own…”

“Of course it’s my business,” An Qiao interrupted. “Aren’t you my partner? Aren’t I part of your family?”

The best strategy was for him and Chu Heng to split up. They would defend the Zerg spatial portal and hold back the Zerg Queen, waiting twenty minutes for him to arrive so they could join forces and destroy her.

If they allowed the Zerg Queen to advance, he and Chu Heng could handle it together. However, eliminating the advanced Zerg Queen would be difficult.

After the Zerg Queen advances, her spatial teleportation ability improves, making it impossible to stop her from escaping in case of danger.

If there were a better way, An Qiao would prefer to stay by Chu Heng’s side and protect him.

He also knew that Chu Heng was strong enough to restrain the Zerg Queen and that dealing with her for twenty minutes wouldn’t be difficult, which is why he suggested splitting up.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have watched Chu Heng take such a risk.

An Qiao knew that Chu Heng wanted to eliminate the Zerg Queen.

Previously, his ambition was to achieve a feat unprecedented in the empire’s history.

This time, however, it’s out of a sense of responsibility. Chu Heng’s willingness to leave the interstellar world and return to his elven world isn’t without concern.

Although his family ties are weak, he has good friends and comrades-in-arms who fought alongside him on the battlefield. He has also encountered a great deal of kindness from others. As the marshal of the Second Legion and the crown prince of the empire, most revere him and expect him to succeed.

Now that he can no longer provide protection, he hopes to accomplish something before leaving, such as eliminating the Zerg queen and ensuring the empire remains peaceful and tranquil for a hundred or several hundred years, free from Zerg invasions.

His sense of responsibility isn’t particularly strong. Otherwise, when he asked Chu Heng if he was willing to leave with him, Chu Heng wouldn’t have answered “yes” without hesitation.

Chu Heng grew up on a chaotic and dangerous garbage planet. He endured struggles, fights, and beatings just to have enough to eat, clothes to wear, and to stay safe. After passing the imperial examination for the Empire First Military Academy and being recognized by the emperor, he returned to the capital planet at sixteen. There, he faced numerous conspiracies and darkness. Given his upbringing, it’s unlikely that he has a perfectly sound moral compass.

However, given the circumstances, he ultimately hoped that the empire would be all right.

Since it was uncertain whether they could return after going back to the elven world, An Qiao wanted Chu Heng to leave with as few regrets and attachments as possible.

“It’s just a Zerg queen,” An Qiao said casually, resting his cheek on his hand. “You think I can’t beat her?”

The Elf King was quite confident in his abilities. Although he hadn’t fully recovered, holding off the Zerg queen wouldn’t be difficult.

He was the mighty Elf King, after all! Even the Demon King was his defeated foe, vanquished by him.

“Besides, I only need to hold her off for twenty minutes while I wait for you to rush over and play the hero who saves the beauty,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood with a “self-sacrificing” gesture.

“Actually, I’d prefer to be the one facing the Zerg army here, waiting for you to come “beauty-saving-the-hero.”

An Qiao: “… ”

He teased Chu Heng about being the hero who saves the beauty. Shouldn’t Chu Heng return the favor by using the same phrase—”hero saves the beauty”? Instead, he flipped it into “beauty saves the hero”!

…

In the end, Chu Heng couldn’t resist An Qiao’s suggestion and agreed to split up the forces.

The Zerg spatial portal formed, and the Zerg army was about to descend.

East of the Red and Blue Stars, in the area the Zerg spatial portal led to, a boy with dark blue-black hair and two-toned hair—one side blue and the other black—emerged from a sealed underground laboratory.

Zuo Si had been secluded in the laboratory for a month. The eccentric teenager had vowed to investigate why the soil of Red Star was barren. However, after a month of relentless research, he hadn’t found a single clue.

He had run away from home, and no one knew he was there. He had cut off all communication and contact with the outside world for the past month. The laboratory was airtight, so he couldn’t hear any sounds from outside.

Therefore, he was unaware that Red and Blue Star
were about to face an invasion by the Zerg.

Zuo Si placed the bee-shaped live-streaming sphere in midair and swiped a few times on his personal terminal to open the live-streaming room.

He was about to greet his millions of fans on the live stream when the chat exploded with comments:

[Aww, Young Master Zuo Si finally remembered his live stream account!]

[Wait…this looks like Red and Blue Star!]

[Holy crap! It really is Red and Blue Star!]

[I’ve called the police. I wonder if there’s any hope. Young Master Zuo Si, you truly live up to your name: “Courting Death!” Even now, you still dare to go to Red and Blue Star!]¹

Zuo Si was completely bewildered.

How is going to Red and Blue Star considered courting death?

At that moment, another wave of comments flooded the live stream.

[I think I’m seeing things. I actually saw Crown Princess An Qiao here!]

[Me too! I’m seeing things!]

Through the live stream, a starship could be seen landing in the distance.

Among the soldiers wearing Second Army Regiment uniforms, a strikingly handsome young man with silver hair stood out.

This breathtaking, star-studded beauty could be none other than An Qiao.

The live stream chat paused for a moment.

A Zerg war was about to erupt on the Red and Blue Stars. What was An Qiao, still unawakened and powerless, doing there at this time?

Moreover, it looked like he was on the front lines instead of the rear.

Everyone was filled with anger, rage, and anxiety.