ISWTDB Ch132

Chapter 132: Intersteller Mermaid (27, 28)

Due to the severe damage inflicted by Cecil’s team, many of the mechas that had been attacked were trapped inside. As a result, the military had to send personnel to help them escape from the mechas using equipment.

Harrison gritted his teeth in anger, thinking that as soon as he got out, he would immediately send out the video of Cecil and Ying Zhao. If worse came to worst, he would rather die than let things go; after all, Ying Xiu had a mermaid partner but still went off track, which was a serious crime.

What he didn’t know was that his earlier actions of surrounding and attacking Cecil had already been broadcasted through the Star Network, witnessed by all the citizens of the Empire.

Although he had used a signal-blocking device, Ying Zhao had long anticipated his counterattacks and allowed the system Xiao Bai to invade.

As a result, not only was what had just happened fully live-streamed, but even the small tricks he had done previously were broadcasted in their entirety. Xiao Bai even thoughtfully connected to the mecha system, releasing the collected audio to accompany the footage.

Now, the evidence of Harrison’s collusion with the Federation was one hundred percent solidified, and the audience watching the mecha competition on the Star Network was in an uproar.

They never expected that the prince Harrison, who usually had a good reputation in their eyes, would turn out to be such a despicable and shameless person.

He not only tried to sneak in ultrasonic devices to lure beasts into Cecil’s team to kill them but even betrayed the Empire by colluding with the Federation for the sake of victory.

The public condemned Prince Harrison, although they understood how important it was to win the mecha competition. However, using such underhanded methods was truly beneath contempt.

At the same time, many more spectators began to voice their confusion. While watching the Star Network live stream, they initially saw a grand scene of encirclement. However, they did not understand why those who wanted to attack Cecil’s team suddenly seemed unable to see their mechas at all and could only look around passively, being beaten badly by Cecil’s team.

Soon, the military personnel responsible for hosting the mecha competition provided an explanation, stating that this was a weapon independently developed by Andy, the mecha manufacturer of Cecil’s team.

Equipped on the mecha, it could shield the electromagnetic signals of the opponent. With just one button, the mechas equipped with the relevant devices could become invisible under the monitoring of other mechas and warships.

Cecil had informed Ying Zhao about this in advance, which was why he had made preparations ahead of time. By allowing Xiao Bai to lift the monitoring interference, they were able to let those on the Star Network see the whole battle intuitively.

Hearing this explanation, the people of the Empire were all overjoyed, feeling that everyone on Cecil’s team was truly elite among elites. Such inventions would definitely help enhance the military strength of the Empire.

There was no doubt about Cecil’s strength, and their victory in this competition not only brought glory to the country but also heavily slapped the Federation in the face.

Therefore, when Harrison emerged from the repair chamber, he found that public opinion was overwhelmingly praising Cecil while simultaneously denouncing his actions.

This made Harrison unable to contain his anger; despite all he had sacrificed, why was it still Cecil who achieved victory in the end?

He couldn’t swallow this resentment, so he simply released the video footage of Cecil being with Ying Zhao online. He also began to orchestrate public opinion.

He claimed that he suspected the reason Cecil’s team was able to participate in this mecha competition was because Ying Zhao had meddled in the middle. After all, the overall selection for the mecha competition was conducted under the command of Ying Xiu.

Especially since Ying Zhao had always shown great affection for his mermaid, practically a model husband, yet was secretly having an affair with others, he was simply a scumbag.

Such news about Ying Zhao left the public in shock, and they rushed to his homepage to leave comments, demanding an explanation.

However, just as everyone was demanding an explanation, the Empire’s borders suddenly came under invasion from the Federation. The Federation’s troops and a large amount of weapons had been transported to the borders without anyone knowing when.

This sudden attack left the citizens of the Empire feeling extremely alarmed. All soldiers, including reserves and military academy students, rushed to the battlefield to collectively face this great war.

Harrison learned about this and was also left stunned. He had clearly promised the Federation many benefits when cooperating with them, yet he never expected that they had been using him all along.

The people of the Federation had originally planned this from the start; the reason they wanted to participate in this mecha competition was to transport a large amount of weapons and troops to the Empire while everyone’s attention was focused on the mecha competition, in order to launch a large-scale attack on the Empire.

And Harrison, along with the royal family, had secretly opened the back door for them to cooperate with the Federation, thus falling into the trap of the Federation.

Only now did Harrison realize that he had been used. He had been too blind and arrogant. Collaborating with the Federation was like seeking skin from a tiger.

However, the opposing party’s intentions had been timely discovered by Marshal Ying Yuan, who was already prepared. Before the Federation could make a move, they took the initiative, preventing the Federation from succeeding.

Students from the Empire Academy were directly assigned to the First Legion of Ying Zhao, forming a detachment led by Cecil.

Since they had previously trained together on the Star Network, these students were very accustomed to Cecil’s leadership, and everyone cooperated seamlessly, becoming a striking team.

Moreover, with Andy’s modifications to the mechas and the enhanced weapons being put to use, Cecil’s team became even more unstoppable.

Through the satellite footage broadcasted from the Star Network, the people of the Empire saw just how fierce the battles were on the battlefield. They witnessed how their soldiers fought bravely when facing off against the enemy.

However, it seemed that the opposing side was well-prepared. After realizing they were not gaining the upper hand on the ground, they shifted the battlefield to the sea and launched an attack against the Empire’s weak maritime defenses.

This sudden turn of events caused the Empire’s army, which had finally stabilized its momentum, to panic, and even Andy’s modified weapon systems were powerless. The Federation came fully prepared; their naval weapons had undergone special modifications, leaving the Empire’s army unable to defend itself.

After losing once more, the hearts of the citizens of the Empire were already in their throats. If they lost any further, they feared they would lose the entire Empire.

Ying Zhao stood on the coastline, facing the high-energy maritime weapons of the Federation. Seeing the team of Cecil finally arrive, he revealed a strange smile.

The nearby Marshal Ying Yuan did not understand why Ying Zhao had such an expression, but Yan Ning understood. Indeed, when the opposing side decided once again to bombard the coastline, something strange happened on the surface of the sea.

Rushing over, Cecil, clad in a sharp military uniform, walked to the forefront. Without anyone giving an order, he surprisingly walked straight onto the surface of the sea.

Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone, a gust of wind swept through, forming a towering tornado over the water. It directly shattered the enemy ships anchored in the distance, and even airships and mechs were targeted and shot down by the tornado.

The federal army was utterly dumbfounded; they fled in a panic. This was no longer a battle between humans; the red-haired man in the distance was a god!

He controlled the sea and the weather; against a god, they could never win.

Indeed, the man on their side in the sea was invincible. Ying Zhao blinked, looked at the completely dumbfounded crowd, waved his hand, and turned to leave.

The federal army retreated, and the hearts of the imperial people finally relaxed; everyone was grateful to these fearless heroes. Especially Cecil, who had become a true god in their eyes.

What kind of man could harness the weather and the sea? At that moment, even if someone brought up Ying Zhao’s infidelity, no one dared to speak, for they did not want to offend a deity.

Moreover, in this battle, both Ying Zhao and the Imperial Academy’s Cecil had protected them. It was impossible for them to immediately criticize the two heroes who had safeguarded their safety after receiving such protection.

However, what people did not expect was that the two parties involved would actively step forward at that moment.

The day after Ying Zhao dealt with the post-war matters, he held a press conference. Alongside him was Cecil, the god-like man with whom he had been rumored to have an affair.

They calmly stood before the media, and everyone watched the live broadcast on StarNet.

Ying Zhao greeted everyone and bluntly said, “Today, I want to announce to you all that the video you saw earlier on StarNet regarding Cecil and me is real.”

As soon as Ying Zhao’s words fell, the media erupted in a commotion; no one expected Ying Zhao to personally admit this. The public had already turned a blind eye, and they did not understand why General Ying Zhao was doing this at this moment.

However, Ying Zhao continued, “In my life, I have only ever loved my partner, my mermaid!”

Seeing the confusion in everyone’s eyes, Ying Zhao turned to look gently at Cecil. He leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Sighing a little helplessly, he said, “My dear, even though I don’t want others to see how magnificent you look when you transform, I really don’t want to be labeled as an unfaithful scoundrel!”

Hearing Ying Zhao’s words, a smile appeared in Cecil’s eyes. Then, right in front of everyone, he began to transform.

A dim halo appeared around Cecil, and his hair quickly grew longer, his features became sharper, and his ears transformed into fin shapes.

At the same time, the patterns on his face and his black fish tail were revealed before everyone.

Cecil thus transformed into Cecil right in front of the crowd.

Watching the astonished expressions of all those below, Ying Zhao’s lips curled into a possessive smile as he embraced the mermaid’s waist.

In a cold voice directed at everyone, he said, “Just this once, he belongs to me!”

“Cecil is the last deep-sea mermaid in the world, a descendant of the sea god. He has no obligation to protect the empire, so I hope you can be grateful for his protection. If anyone wishes to attack my beloved because of his identity as a mermaid, they are my enemy, Ying Zhao!”

Ying Zhao’s words were quite unceremonious, yet neither those present nor the spectators on StarNet could refute him.

A mermaid who could transform into a human was perhaps too novel and intriguing, prompting people to want to explore further. They wanted to know why he had entered the Imperial Academy and why he had come to the public’s attention under the name Cecil.

However, this mermaid was not just an ordinary mermaid. He was a god! He intervened during the empire’s most critical moment, drove away the enemy, and saved everyone.

They could not blame Ying Zhao for his concealment; rather, they should be thankful that he made a god fall in love with him. That was why Cecil would protect them with such devotion. Without Cecil, they would not have been able to achieve the final victory in the war.

After the press conference, people developed unprecedented admiration for Ying Zhao and Cecil, even spontaneously raising funds to build a statue of the sea god for Cecil on the water.

After achieving complete peace, people began to remember Prince Harrison. Previously, Harrison had colluded with the federal participants, making it hard not to suspect a connection between this sudden federal attack and the royal family.

Quickly, Marshal Ying uncovered numerous federal spies within the military, and Richard was among them. Evidence of his collusion with Harrison was also uncovered.

Faced with such a severe betrayal from the royal family, the public was incensed. To quell the anger, the royal family had no choice but to sacrifice Harrison and imprison him.

Harrison became the object of scorn for everyone; the royal family still failed to gain the public’s forgiveness and had to relinquish all power to barely retain the symbol of royalty.

Now, the royal family could no longer stir up any waves. All power was handed over to the prime minister and the military, completely alleviating the crisis for the Ying family.

In the aftermath of the war, apart from Cecil, others in his team also gained considerable attention. As the mech manufacturer, Andy’s improvements on the battlefield received widespread acclaim. He was directly absorbed by the military to begin reforming the empire’s overall military mechs.

Bennett’s earlier theft of Andy’s research achievements was also uncovered, leading to the collapse of the hard-earned reputation of the mech genius.

Having escaped home, Bennett reverted to a mermaid form after exhausting Cecil’s blood, but this time, he was not so fortunate as to encounter someone as kind as Karl.

Due to his previous scheming against Cecil in the research institute being exposed, the Austin family, fearing retribution, sent Bennett to a remote planet for an arranged marriage.

After learning this news, Ying Zhao paid no attention to Bennett and did not seek revenge against the Austin family. After all, up to this point, the Austin family had not participated in the royal family’s actions.

What Bennett did not expect was that the marriage partner was a perverted individual with unusual preferences. After being with this person, he suffered daily torment, even worse than before.

In just a few years, he could no longer endure and was unable to escape. Ultimately, he attacked the other person in the water, resulting in their mutual destruction. However, that is a story for another time.

At this moment, Ying Zhao was dreaming about his vacation. The war was over, and everyone needed a break, including himself.

So today, Ying Zhao specifically went to the military and irresponsibly dumped all the mess onto his father, happily returning home to accompany his partner.

Now that they had cleared all obstacles and eliminated all troublesome people, they could enjoy their lives in comfort.

Thinking about how his lover had unexpectedly mentioned wanting to have a gathering with friends and not returning home yesterday, Ying Zhao felt a bit puzzled, but he supported his lover’s social activities.

However, just one night without seeing each other made Ying Zhao start to miss him. After finishing up with military affairs, he hurried home but discovered that the house was still dim and the lights were off.

Ying Zhao furrowed his brows, wondering if Cecil had not returned yet. However, as he walked into the house, he noticed a glimmer of light in the bedroom.

Seeing this, Ying Zhao hurriedly entered the bedroom and found Cecil dressed in a very formal outfit, looking nervously at him.

Next to him was a candlelit dinner he had prepared, and nearby stood a large bouquet of flowers.

Faced with such a scene, Ying Zhao curled the corners of his mouth. He thought to himself, what day could it be that his partner prepared such a grand setup.

He saw Cecil holding the bouquet, standing before him, blushing as he said, “I already know everything.”

Ying Zhao took the bouquet, looking somewhat confused at Cecil. Then he saw Cecil open his holographic communicator, pointing at the star net, which was filled with their photos and statuses showcasing their affection. He pressed his lips together and said softly, “I’m sorry, I only realized it now!”

Cecil’s tone was filled with guilt; even though he had a holographic communicator, he wasn’t very skilled at using it as a mermaid. He had mostly used it just to communicate with Ying Zhao. It wasn’t until yesterday that Duke and Drule had asked him if he and General Ying Zhao were as affectionate as depicted on the star net, in the General’s status updates.

This made Cecil realize that Ying Zhao had been documenting their sweet daily life online all along, announcing his love for him to the world.

After seeing it, Cecil completely immersed himself in exploring Ying Zhao’s star net account. It recorded every little detail of their life together, and his partner’s tone was so doting and gentle. He wrote every day during his free time and even when busy, he would express his longing for him.

Cecil’s eyes turned red as he read, feeling as if he were about to faint from happiness. How could he be worthy of this person’s love?

Ying Zhao had saved him and given him everything. Whenever he thought he was already happy enough, Ying Zhao would surprise him anew, making him realize that he had received even more than he had imagined and that the person loved him even more than he thought.

Cecil felt his heart melt, and he was eager to do something for Ying Zhao, feeling that everything he did was trivial compared to his partner.

Cecil was frustrated in his heart, eagerly looking at Ying Zhao, hoping he could feel the overwhelming love he had.

Seeing this, Ying Zhao touched Cecil’s cheek. In fact, his partner didn’t need to say anything; he had already understood. The person in front of him was his beloved for life. They had walked through countless worlds together, having spent ten thousand years together in the present world.

That love had long since fused into their very bones, needing no words to express it.

A gentle kiss fell on Cecil’s forehead as Ying Zhao comforted his partner, wanting to tell him that he understood all his feelings.

Their lips touched, and the warm and tender love permeated the surroundings. In their eyes, only each other remained, leaving no room for anyone else.

Everything fell into place; the lovers felt each other fully. Ying Zhao sensed that Cecil was particularly passionate today, and he did his best to match that enthusiasm.

Cecil led Ying Zhao to the pool, where Ying Zhao nestled in his arms, tightly holding onto the man he loved deeply.

However, at the critical moment, Cecil suddenly kissed Ying Zhao forcefully. His form transformed back into that of a mermaid, and Ying Zhao felt something being passed into his mouth by his lover.

Soon, a cool sensation spread throughout his body, and Ying Zhao suddenly opened his eyes wide. He saw a golden mark flashing on Cecil’s forehead, and his own forehead was burning.

At the same time, his legs slowly transformed into a white fish tail, and his hair rapidly grew longer. Touching his ears, he found they had turned into the shape of fish fins.

“I—I became a mermaid!” Ying Zhao exclaimed, mouth agape, staring in shock at Cecil.

Cecil lowered his head and kissed Ying Zhao’s forehead, gently saying, “I gave you the fish pearl.”

“What!” Ying Zhao’s pupils constricted sharply. He didn’t actually know what the fish pearl was but understood that it was something extremely important to his lover.

Seeing the concern in Ying Zhao’s eyes, Cecil’s heart softened even more. He embraced Ying Zhao tightly, kissing his lips while softly murmuring, “Dear, don’t worry, I’m fine!”

“The mermaid king is a descendant of the sea god; their lifespan is different from ordinary merfolk, and can even reach thousands of years. But without you, no matter how long I live, it would just be torment.”

“I searched through all the inherited memories and finally found this method. By giving you my fish pearl, we can share our lives!” Cecil said, his eyes full of joy.

“So, you divided your lifespan in half for me?” Ying Zhao stared at Cecil, clearly still trying to comprehend what had just happened.

But Cecil shook his head, seriously looking at Ying Zhao, “No, I am asking you. Dear, please accompany me for the rest of your life, okay?”

Looking at Cecil’s serious expression, Ying Zhao’s heartstrings were tugged. His partner always felt that he gave him too much, unaware of how much love and happiness he had received from him in return.

Curiously, he touched his pure white fish tail, which matched so well with his lover’s black one. Ying Zhao’s eyes bent into a smile, bright and radiant.

A different kind of beauty, unlike anything human, presented itself before Cecil, making him feel as if he were seeing a spirit from the sea, momentarily dazed.

Seeing this, Ying Zhao’s eyes flashed with a hint of amusement as he leaned closer to Cecil, innocently saying, “So, my dear, I’m really curious. What’s it like between two merfolk?”

Cecil, hearing Ying Zhao’s words, paused in breath, his arms tightening around him. Taking a deep breath, he cautiously asked, “Then, shall we give it a try?”

The person in his arms nodded earnestly, agreeing, “You’re right; I also think we should give it a try!”

So, the two curious individuals joyfully embarked on a brand new, wondrous journey.