Chapter 79 — ILK Chapter 79

The Past (2) When Jiang Sili realized Asu Ment had misunderstood the situation so drastically, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But as all the children from the backyard swarmed out, hanging off him like a cluster of grapes—all appearing to be of a similar age as if hatched at once—it became increasingly difficult to explain.

Asu Ment’s eyes widened in genuine shock. "Wow... you... you produced this many?"

Jiang Sili closed his eyes, his words feeling hollow. "No. I didn't. Don't talk nonsense. These are not my children."

Asu Ment dropped her gossiping expression, becoming dead serious. "Truly not yours? You have to know this is harming them. Hybrids don't live long; if their genes don't mix well, they suffer all sorts of complications. Doing this is purely immoral."

Jiang Sili went quiet, staring at her for a long time before answering, "Colonel, I am well aware. Let’s not discuss this in front of the children."

The woman bit her lip, realizing she had been too blunt. Even the older children could grasp the weight of her words.

"We’re leaving. See you next time," Jiang Sili said, nudging the children. "Say goodbye to the big sister."

The children waved their antennae and wings, chirping "Bye-bye" and "See you" in milky voices. As they left the shop, the owner lit a pungent cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "You might not see them again next time."

"A hybrid's lifespan is said to be twenty or thirty years, but only the lucky ones make it that far," the owner continued tonelessly. "Some don't survive the first five years. Their organs lose vitality; first they go blind, then deaf, then mute, and finally, organ failure. They leave without ever having seen anything of the world."

Asu Ment stood in silence for a while. "Do you know him well? Where do these children come from?"

"You don't know?" The owner replied through the smoke. "I thought you two would know everything about each other by now."

Asu Ment remained silent. Beyond his background, his academy years, and his heists, she knew nothing. Especially not the details of his defection, which the academy had classified as top secret.

"They were picked up from the battlefields," the owner said. "Neither the Zerg nor the Empire wanted to raise them. If they weren't picked up, they'd just freeze to death or be burned to ash in the trenches."

Asu Ment remembered Jiang Sili telling her to go see the border battlefields. She frowned, perplexed. "But why do humans and Zerg even... cross paths? Why create such a tragedy?"

The owner went silent. Everyone has secrets; every insect too. She tossed the medicine to Asu. "I've talked enough. Someone of your status shouldn't linger in the black market; it makes people nervous. We have a business to run."

…

Within a week, all but three of the children in the White Wolf nursery passed away. It wasn't a conspiracy or an accident; their bodies simply gave out.

Jiang Zhaoyuan wiped her tears, burying their small blankets and the toys Jiang Sili had bought them in tiny graves on the hillside.

"Is there any meaning in what we do?" the cold wind seemed to whisper. No children lived to adulthood. There was no hope, no future—only immense grief for the survivors.

"I am the meaning," Zhaoyuan said, her antennae twitching as she buried the last handful of soil. "And so are they." She pointed to the hybrids who had grown up and were now active members of the group. "If we don't save them, there will be no one."

…

Sixteen months later, a high-stakes commission appeared on the black market: steal the White Pearl Crown from the Capital Star Museum auction. Ancient wild pearls—extinct, priceless, and legendary. The reward: 100 million credits.

Jiang Sili spent weeks preparing, disguising himself as a university student to scout the museum. He knew the vault was guarded by five A-rank Sentinels, but the gap between A and S couldn't be filled by numbers alone.

However, the trap was set. As he monitored the halls, a familiar voice rang out. Asu Ment had arrived. She had been called in from a remote star system specifically to guard the vault. In that moment, Jiang Sili felt a wave of exhaustion.

He met Jiang Zhaoyuan in secret. "Big Sister, how much have we saved over the years?"

She gave him a number.

"It’s enough," he said. "Asu Ment is here. I might not make it out this time. Take the money, change the accounts to the children's names, and if things go south, you all vanish. Don't take any more high-risk jobs. Just live."

…

That night, Jiang Sili stood atop a skyscraper overlooking the museum. He realized the high reward had been the bait to lure him in, and Asu Ment was the intended recipient of the glory.

The frustration boiled over. For once, he didn't want to be the "kind, gentle S-rank." His mental landscape erupted. A massive Teng-Snake manifested, its weight crushing the top floors of the skyscraper as it coiled around the building like Jormungandr.

Across the street, a young Lin Changli blocked the other Sentinels. "Don't go. You're not his match."

Inside the vault, Asu Ment stood her ground. Her Gu-Eagle shrieked, its talons digging into the vault doors. The mental collision between two S-ranks left everyone else in a daze.

In the palace, Lin Shuangxu watched the distant fires. "Tonight, someone will lead a relief legion to the Zerg border," she said calmly to her ministers. "Changli and the Alpha Fortress will strike the Zerg home planet. Sayin, prepare the wartime broadcast."

…

On top of the giant snake, Asu Ment and Jiang Sili fought with desperate intensity. Asu’s shoulder was pierced by a fang, but she lunged forward, grabbing Jiang Sili by the throat.

"Why did you have to come?!" she screamed, her eyes red. "Is this crown worth it?!"

"If I didn't come, how could I complete your promotion?" Jiang Sili spat back. "Wasn't the trap set just for this?"

Asu Ment froze. "I went to the battlefields... I saw the children."

"And? Does pity mean you'll let me go?" Jiang Sili pointed to the Phoenix circling above. "Do you dare to rebel?"

Asu Ment shook her head. "I won't. I was raised by the Empire’s welfare system after my father’s crimes. The Empire protected me, gave me a new life, and treated my mother. It ignores the hybrids, yes, but it didn't mistreat me. I have my allegiance. I will catch you."

Jiang Sili saw the scales fall from his eyes. His life was a series of choices that led nowhere. He reached out and healed Asu’s arm, drawing out the toxin. "I’m not running. Help me."

He handed her the spatial button containing the crown. "Give it to them. Tell them to stop. I'm staying."

…

Jiang Sili was taken not to a prison, but to the Palace.

He was led to a hall where Lin Shuangxu stood before a display case. Inside was the Pearl Crown—and every other artifact he had "stolen” over the years.

He realized then the truth. The buyer who knew every artifact's location, who paid the millions, who had the power to hide it all... was the Empress herself.

"I cannot show pity for hybrids as the Empress," she explained. "But I could fund you. I could use you to keep the White Wolves alive and safe. But now, Asu Ment has proven herself. I need her to rise in the military."

"So I was the stepping stone," Jiang Sili said.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "I don't mind."

He chose the front lines over prison. He would fight the Zerg for life, provided the White Wolves were allowed to live in peace. As he boarded the transport ship, leaving the past and Asu behind, he looked out the window. The border was far away—but for the first time, his path was clear.