ISWTDB Ch130

Chapter 130: Intersteller Mermaid (23, 24)

Thinking of this, Harrison looked at Bennett with approval in his eyes and praised him, “Bennett, well done! This will definitely become very strong key evidence. My dear, meeting you is truly my luck!”

Bennett felt his face flush at Harrison’s sweet words, and he acted shyly, snuggling into his arms.

The two excitedly discussed this matter for a long time before returning to their team’s camp. Their previous bad mood had long since dissipated, and they no longer paid attention to Andy’s issues.

Because even Harrison felt that if such an important result had been plagiarized, if there was really evidence, Andy would have acted long ago and wouldn’t just be making accusations.

They had agreed to spend a month training, but after the entire training session, there were only four days left until the competition.

The group matches had already gone through six rounds, and it was no surprise that Cecil’s team had won every time. Although Harrison’s team performed quite well, they were definitely no match for Cecil and his team.

However, because Bennett had obtained evidence, Harrison no longer viewed Cecil with a gloomy outlook. His eyes flashed, and he even shook hands with Cecil in a gentlemanly manner, showing his magnanimity.

This month of training not only improved the students’ skills but also recorded their good performances, which would become one of their excellent achievements in the future. Therefore, everyone worked hard, hoping to achieve good results.

In less than a month of training, all the students had a new understanding of Cecil’s strength. Many students looked at Cecil with admiration in their eyes.

The students of the Imperial Academy took pride in entering the military, and with Cecil’s abilities, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to join the military. He had even gained the appreciation of General Ying, so it could be said that someone like him certainly had a bright future ahead.

Moreover, he had also gained recognition from four acknowledged strong figures, including Yan Lang and Du Ke. Although they didn’t currently hold military ranks, their obvious submission to people like Yan Lang and Du Ke made the other students take note.

However, just a few days later, rumors began to circulate among these students about the extraordinary relationship between Cecil and General Ying Zhao, claiming that it was because of this connection that Cecil’s team could achieve the final victory in this training.

Some claimed to have seen them engaging in intimate actions in the virtual forest. Although no one had released any evidence, the gossip was enough for Ying Zhao to feel the malice behind it.

After the training ended, with four days remaining, Ying Zhao allowed these students to take a four-day holiday. One reason was to let them digest what they had learned during this period, and the other was that they needed to recover their mental energy.

Cecil didn’t stay in the dormitory; instead, he recklessly sneaked off to Ying Zhao’s residence at the Imperial Academy to be with his partner for four days, the two of them sticking together every day.

Ying Zhao knew just how outstanding his man was, so he didn’t mind this. He was confident in this mech competition; if nothing unexpected happened, his beloved would definitely win the championship.

However, despite having his partner by his side these past few days, Ying Zhao didn’t neglect to monitor outside affairs. From the information transmitted back by Xiao Bai, Ying Zhao already knew that Harrison had started to take action.

Previously, he had someone spread rumors about him and Cecil among the students to prepare for future actions. It seemed that in this mech competition, Harrison definitely wouldn’t let Cecil achieve the final victory. He was likely to resort to some irregular means.

After all, if his man really won the mech competition, and then he claimed that Cecil was just relying on their relationship to get good results in this small-scale training, it would sound particularly pale and powerless.

Therefore, Ying Zhao kept a close watch on Harrison’s actions, but unexpectedly, he found out that Harrison had wickedly colluded with the Federation.

After all, Harrison was the prince of the empire; it was shocking that he would make such a decision to eliminate the Ying family.

The person meeting with Prince Harrison was also quite fateful, as he was Richard, the Federation spy who had seduced Bennett in his past life.

Since Bennett was almost inseparable from Harrison, he quickly discovered the connection between Harrison and Richard, who was currently serving as Major General Karl’s aide in the military.

It just so happened that the team assigned to protect the royal family was managed by Major General Karl. Therefore, it was quite convenient for Richard and Harrison to meet.

However, Ying Zhao was surprised that after Bennett learned about this matter, he didn’t try to stop it. Clearly, in his past life, he had made mistakes because of Richard’s seduction, leading to a tragic outcome.

Unexpectedly, in this life, upon seeing Harrison colluding with Richard, he still intended to aid the oppressor. He even secretly conspired with Harrison to see if they could shift the blame for colluding with the Federation onto the Ying family.

Truly, they were a pair of partners who only considered their own interests, perfectly matched. Ying Zhao didn’t know the specific reasons for Harrison’s frequent contact with the Federation, but it was evident that it had an inseparable connection to the final victory in the mech competition.

After observing the information regarding Harrison and Bennett, Ying Zhao turned around to see Cecil, who had transformed back into human form and was drenched in sweat doing physical training.

Blinking his eyes, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but wonder, “Darling, with your strength, do you really need to keep up this daily physical training?”

In Ying Zhao’s view, his partner’s physique was already excellent, and he didn’t need any extra training, yet Cecil was very concerned about this competition.

He knew this was part of Ying Zhao’s plan, so he absolutely couldn’t let any mistakes happen. Although he had been glued to Ying Zhao these past few days, he hadn’t slackened off.

Wiping the sweat off his face, the man walked over to Ying Zhao, nodded, and softly said, “Of course I have to keep going every day; I will win; I don’t want to disappoint you!”

Hearing Cecil’s words, Ying Zhao’s heart trembled. In reality, he didn’t care whether his beloved was strong or not; even if Cecil were just an ordinary mermaid, his love for him would not diminish at all.

However, because of his partner’s special identity, he needed a chance to create a better future for Cecil. It was out of love that he hoped to give him the best of everything. And Cecil also worked hard because he loved him.

Thinking of this, Ying Zhao’s gaze toward Cecil became incredibly gentle. His eyes swept over Cecil’s bare upper body, admiring how his man had become more solid and strong through training since his body transformation, and his eyes sparkled.

The sweat running down his tanned skin from the workout displayed an enticing allure, and Ying Zhao’s lips curved into a smile, thinking perhaps he should let his beloved relax a bit.

His fingers casually tapped on the table as he smiled softly at Cecil, saying, “Darling, physical training doesn’t have to be done this way. We can use other training methods. Since I have a day off today, how about I help you train?”

Cecil nodded, believing that his general’s ideas were surely the best. He leaned in, waiting for Ying Zhao to speak.

Who knew that as soon as he got close, Ying Zhao hooked his neck? Then he felt something soft on his lips, and Cecil was directly pushed down to the ground by Ying Zhao.

The ground had been covered with thick carpet, so falling down didn’t hurt; instead, it felt quite soft. Cecil stared blankly at his lover, who was looking down at him.

He saw Ying Zhao with an alluring smile, leaning down to his ear and softly saying, “Darling, then let’s start the physical training!”

Ying Zhao’s voice was gentle and melodious, sending Cecil’s heart racing. Looking into his general’s deep gaze, the man quickly understood what he meant.

He hadn’t expected physical training to be like this, and Cecil felt blessed by this sudden benefit. After a moment of surprise, he quickly took the initiative and cooperated fully with his beloved in this training session.

In order to express his seriousness about this final match to Ying Zhao, Cecil put in extra effort, practicing inside and out over and over again. This physical training even continued late into the night.

The next day, by the time the sun was high in the sky, Ying Zhao was still soft and weak, unable to move as he lay in bed. Looking at Cecil, who was full of energy, he gritted his teeth and suddenly felt that he was the epitome of someone who wouldn’t die without putting in effort.

However, after spending more time with his partner, Ying Zhao realized he had been charging down this reckless path without hesitation, and he enjoyed it immensely.

He smacked his lips, happily accepting the breakfast that Cecil had brought over. Then he leaned in and stole a kiss from Cecil’s lips.

Ying Zhao grinned like a cat that had stolen fish, contentedly saying, “Darling, you seem even more handsome than before. I feel like I love you a little more with every passing second!”

With no pressure at all, Ying Zhao openly expressed his affection, his confidence in teasing Cecil having thickened like a city wall.

Cecil listened joyfully to Ying Zhao’s words of love, although he was teased by his precious partner every day. Nevertheless, moments like this made Cecil’s heart swell with sweetness, and a blush inevitably appeared on his cheeks.

Seeing this faint flush, Ying Zhao felt an urge to tease him further, but considering his nearly incapacitated waist, he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut. His partner couldn’t handle too much teasing, so he needed to hold back a bit.

Four days later, the students’ rest period was over, but there was still some time before the mech competition actually began.

Ying Zhao didn’t teach them anything new; he simply had them continue their physical training every day. After all, previously they had only trained virtually online, focusing mainly on tactics and mental strength.

However, to truly perform on the battlefield, they needed to have matching physical capabilities. The students of the Imperial Academy were all very aware of this, and Ying Zhao didn’t need to worry too much.

Although rumors had recently circulated about him and Cecil, most people still maintained a skeptical attitude, as these were just hearsay.

Ying Zhao and Cecil didn’t appear to have any connection on the surface, and besides, Ying Zhao had always portrayed an image of someone who pampered his own mermaid in front of others.

Before being with the mermaid Cecil, he had never been linked to anyone in a scandal. Of course, aside from that persistent one-sided love from Bennett. So most students expressed confidence in their idol.

Bennett, meanwhile, felt furious that such rumors had not affected Ying Zhao’s reputation at all. Harrison, on the other hand, thought it was to be expected.

Harrison understood that it was impossible to guide public opinion so easily unless there was solid evidence. The reason such news was initially released was merely to plant a seed of doubt in people’s minds.

The students trained repeatedly according to their own pace and the issues Ying Zhao had previously guided them on, as preparations for the mech competition were progressing steadily.

However, Bennett was becoming increasingly anxious because Cecil’s blood supply was running low. He had been unable to contact Ya Heng for a while and thought the person was just trying to keep him on edge.

He didn’t expect that the other party had actually been taken away by the military and was already executed, with even the research institute unable to provide any explanation.

Bennett suspected that this matter had an inseparable connection to Ying Zhao. He should have thought of it earlier; since Cecil had been taken by Ying Zhao, he would naturally inform Ying Zhao of the suffering he endured at the research institute.

It was likely that Ying Zhao’s wrath had been directed at Ya Heng, leading to his handling of the situation. Moreover, abusing a mermaid was a serious crime; fortunately, this incident hadn’t implicated him.

But now, without Cecil’s blood, he had lost his source for maintaining his human form. And given Cecil’s current state, he had no way to approach him, let alone obtain blood.

His previous hopes that there might still be a reserve of blood from Ya Heng were completely dashed. With this in mind, Bennett felt extremely anxious, increasingly eager to bring Ying Zhao down. Only then would Cecil be vulnerable, allowing him to exploit him as he wished and become his source of blood for transforming into a human.

His restlessness did not go unnoticed by Harrison, who had to call Bennett aside after another battle where he had been distracted.

If Bennett continued in this state, they would truly be unable to win the mech competition.

Although they had already made arrangements with the Federation and believed they had a good chance, Harrison didn’t want any significant errors to occur among his team members.

At this point, Bennett felt almost desperate and confessed to Harrison about the matter of Cecil’s blood.

Harrison was shocked by this secret, but his thoughts diverged from Bennett’s. He had not expected that Bennett’s so-called discovery of a method to maintain his human form involved using Cecil’s blood.

He knew that Cecil was the mermaid brought home by Ying Zhao, so what made this mermaid so different? Was it the reason why Ying Zhao took such a mermaid? It must have been for the blood.

Over the years, due to the extinction of females, the status of mermen had risen sharply. Although there were many modified mermen, the most precious ones were still the natural ones.

However, he had never heard of any natural mermaid’s blood having such effects. He wondered how Ying Zhao had come to know about this.

If that were the case, the research institute probably didn’t know either. Otherwise, given the institute’s behavior, they wouldn’t miss the opportunity to study Cecil.

For many humans, possessing a mermaid, especially a natural one, was a symbol of great glory. However, natural mermen were typically weaker in constitution, and it was uncertain whether having legs would make them more physically capable.

If there were methods to enhance their physical condition, many might seek out the Ying family for their natural mermen. Most who could obtain a natural mermaid partner were exceptional.

With this thought, Harrison grew even more suspicious of the Ying family’s loyalty. He embraced Bennett, comforting him while thinking that they should act quickly to bring the Ying family down.

As for Cecil, once the Ying family was out of the way, he could find an opportunity to take him back to the royal family for further study, to see what made him so unique.

However, with the competition approaching, Harrison still felt uneasy and asked Bennett whether he had enough blood to last through the entire competition. Upon receiving a positive answer from Bennett, he finally sighed in relief.

Before long, the mech competition kicked off with great fervor. With the Federation’s involvement, this year’s event was even more intense, seemingly igniting the passion of the Imperial students.

They were unwilling to lose to the Federation, but the participants sent by the Federation were all top elites, so it would surely be a grueling battle for both sides.

This mech competition was of a joint nature, with the preliminary rounds being conducted separately on both sides and broadcast live simultaneously on the star network.

First was the lengthy individual matches, but fortunately, they could take place at many different locations at the same time, divided into the Imperial and Federation sides, significantly speeding up the process. Ultimately, both sides selected thirty participants. The rules then allowed the sixty participants to merge together, with random draws for head-to-head elimination rounds.

Cecil’s team and Harrison’s team, with the exception of Bennett, all made it into the thirty participants. Originally, once the individual matches were ready, they could start the real elimination rounds the next day.

However, the Federation insisted on first holding group matches. Although Ying Zhao was puzzled, he didn’t expect that the royal family would agree to postpone the individual matches.

This move left Ying Zhao even more perplexed, but he soon learned through Xiao Bai that the Federation’s insistence was under Harrison’s instructions.

Harrison planned to take action during the team matches to injure everyone in Cecil’s team, ideally rendering them unable to participate in the subsequent individual matches.

After all, Cecil would surely perform remarkably well in the later individual matches. They had struggled to find opportunities to intervene in the preliminary rounds. They were afraid that if they didn’t act, everyone would notice Cecil’s strength during the live broadcast, which would not be conducive to their plans for shaping public opinion.

However, the team matches were different; all teams would compete in a primitive forest, filled with many unknown dangers.

Ying Zhao squinted his eyes, generally understanding Harrison’s plan, but he did not intend to stop it. He only informed Cecil about Harrison’s collusion with the Federation, believing that this would be enough to alert his man.

The selection system for the Empire and Federation’s team mecha matches was similar to the individual competition; preliminary selections would be held through team battles, and ultimately, five winning groups would be chosen from each side.

The ten teams would then be gathered and placed into a real forest to compete. However, this time they were not facing a simulated forest, but a true primitive forest.

Inside, there were also star beasts and mutated plants, but this time if they were injured, it would be real injury, not just feeling pain like in the Star Network.

Of course, all the participating students were equipped with sensors. When they encountered danger, they could press the emergency button, and stationed emergency military personnel would come to their rescue. However, pressing the button would also indicate that they were forfeiting the honor of the competition.

Once these teams were deployed into the forest, Ying Zhao and the general dispatched from the Federation sat together in the monitoring room, observing the situation in the forest.

This primitive forest was obviously far more dangerous than what was set up in the Star Network, with many unknowns present. Fortunately, all ten groups were elites, able to tackle most dangers with ease.

They had to survive for a total of ten days in the forest, with the final outcome still based on the number of bronze medals collected.

After observing all the teams on the monitor, it became clear that everyone was serious and nervously watching their surroundings. However, when the camera shifted to Cecil’s side, the scene completely changed.

When the Federation’s general saw that Cecil and his team were leisurely enjoying barbecued meat made from freshly caught star beasts, his eyes nearly popped out in surprise.

After all, which team didn’t first find a good hiding spot upon entering the forest? This team, however, seemed completely unafraid of being exposed, brazenly roasting meat in the woods.

Seeing the shocked expression on the face of the Federation officer beside him, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but smile slightly, casually saying, “Our Empire’s students always know how to relax.”

Upon hearing Ying Zhao’s words, the Federation general’s face twitched, but he could only nod in response.

He couldn’t help but internally criticize; in this important event symbolizing national honor, these Empire students were able to be so carefree. He truly didn’t understand what these Empire students were raised on.

While Cecil’s team was roasting star-beast meat, Harrison’s team swaggered into their line of sight. As soon as Cecil’s side sensed someone approaching, they immediately became alert.

Seeing the wary expressions on Cecil’s team, Harrison, however, maintained a relaxed demeanor, smiling at them and saying, “Don’t be too nervous, we’re not here to fight you.”