In the underground backup power room.
A silver compression capsule rolled silently in through the gap under the door. A faint, soundless gas spread through the sealed space.
Inside, the workers went on chatting, completely unaware.
“No one usually comes down here—no wonder the air’s so stuffy,” said a man in an electrician’s uniform.
His coworker replied, “It’s not that bad. Once in a while we can put up with it. Hey, did you hear? There are a lot of big shots here today—the kind you only ever see on TV.”
“Of course I know! If our supervisor hadn’t suddenly sent us down here, I’d have gone to take a look myself. I even saw the kitchen prepping tons of fancy food. They said the Federation President is coming too! Someone in our work chat was bragging they already caught a glimpse of her. Too bad we got stuck here—what a waste!”
The other worker sighed wistfully. Opportunities to see such important people were rare. Even if they wouldn’t dare to do anything, just being able to say they’d seen the President would be something to boast about later.
“Forget it,” he said. “Maybe we’ll get another chance someday. And besides, it’s such a high-security event today. The hotel staff said they rehearsed the procedures many times for this. The security level’s the highest it’s ever been. If we accidentally wandered in or messed something up, getting fired would be the least of our problems.”
The electrician laughed awkwardly. “True enough. Anyway, this underground power room is really stuffy—no ventilation at all. When we came in, the whole place was covered in dust. Can’t even find a clean chair to sit on.”
“Usually, we don’t even need to use this place,” one of the electricians said. “We just patrol the hotel, check if any lights or small appliances are broken. The main power system of the Federation Hotel is all controlled by an intelligent network. Ever since I joined, I’ve never seen it fail once.”
“Exactly—after all these years with no problems, why send us down here to squat in this underground backup power room ‘just in case’? Nothing’s even happened. Whatever, do you want something to eat? I brought some good stuff up from the kitchen.”
“Eh, fine. There’s nothing to do anyway, might as well take it easy. I am getting a bit hungry—give me some too.”
“Heh, check it out. I got a buddy in the kitchen to hook me up. There’s a rare big event today, so I snagged some premium ham and sashimi—and even a bottle of fine wine. Let’s see what high-end booze actually tastes like.”
Grinning, the worker in the electrician’s uniform pulled out a beautifully packaged bottle of red wine and an assortment of food. It was just the two of them in the backup room—no one would know if they indulged a little.
The other worker hesitated. “Forget it, I won’t drink during work. Just let me taste a little later.”
“Coward. Fine, I’ll drink it myself,” the electrician scoffed, then took alternating bites and sips, savoring every mouthful.
His companion couldn’t resist for long—he grabbed a slice of ham and started chewing. But after only a couple bites, there was a dull thump. His eyes widened—his coworker had collapsed onto the table, motionless, the half-finished wine bottle still by his hand.
“Tch. So much for acting tough—guess you can’t even hold your liquor,” he muttered, half amused. “Leaving me alone to do the work… probably on purpose. Though, man, this backup room really is stuffy—no fresh air at all down here.”
He didn’t notice that his own face was turning pale. As he chewed the expensive ham, his tongue began to feel numb, the taste fading like wax. His chest tightened—breathing became difficult. His vision swam.
He tried to stand up and reach the door for air—but the moment he did, his knees gave out, and he slumped unconscious onto the table beside his partner.
When the backup power room finally fell completely silent—
Someone entered.
Soundless footsteps moved like a shadow.
Ji Shenwen glanced pityingly at the two slumped workers. He bent down, picked up a silver capsule from the floor, and began working on the power systems.
Don’t worry—it wasn’t a deadly gas.
At most, the two would be out for less than an hour. That was more than enough time for Ji Shenwen to thoroughly “adjust” the equipment in the room.
Why pity them?
Because once they woke up, what they’d have to face wouldn’t be as simple as thinking they’d just dozed off.
Calmly, Ji Shenwen dismantled the main power unit, inspecting it in detail. He deliberately cross-connected several key interface circuits incorrectly, then reassembled everything neatly—wiping away any traces of tampering he could.
His goal wasn’t destruction.
On the contrary—it was to make the interference look natural, to delay discovery for as long as possible.
Destruction is easy; what’s hard is doing it without leaving a single trace—making it seem as though no one had ever been there, even after the job was done.
And this time, the mission target was far too important. Even the smallest mistake could trigger a crisis. If they started with blatant sabotage, it would only alarm the Zuo family’s official forces immediately.
Just thinking about who they were supposed to abduct made Ji Shenwen’s throat tighten.
Even the Empire’s intelligence agencies kept their eyes closely on the Zuo family of the Federation—renowned arms dealers whose Blue Eagle Group weapons had long posed a serious threat to the Empire.
And now, right here on Federation territory, they were about to abduct the Zuo family’s next Alpha heir.
Loyal as Ji Shenwen was to His Highness Gu Heng, even he couldn’t help thinking the Crown Prince might be too bold this time. One misstep could ignite another war.
As for the reason behind abducting that person—Ji Shenwen hadn’t dared to ask.
If His Highness gave the order, there had to be a reason.
Maybe the target held special value. Or perhaps, as part of a cunning political maneuver, His Highness had judged that this newly appointed Zuo heir was dangerously ambitious—and by seizing him now, the Crown Prince could throw the Zuo family and even the entire Federation into chaos again.
The more Ji Shenwen thought about it, the more plausible it sounded.
He just didn’t understand why not simply eliminate the target. Compared to assassination, kidnapping someone alive and smuggling them safely back to the Empire was far riskier.
Maybe the Crown Prince had other plans for the Zuo heir.
That was the only conclusion Ji Shenwen could reach.
No matter what, he would follow His Highness’s command. Still, this new mission carried immense risk. Their previous task had already been abandoned midway. Now, facing the powerful Zuo family—a titan within the Federation—he had to tread with the utmost caution, minimizing any chance of exposure.
Ideally, they’d be long gone before anyone even realized what had happened.
Too bad it meant he’d have to postpone his meeting with Yu Lizhu yet again.
Sighing quietly, Ji Shenwen packed up his tools, restored the power room to its original state, changed into a fresh electrician’s uniform, pulled his cap low, and stepped out.
But the time wasn’t right yet.
He didn’t dare approach the heavily guarded main hall directly. Instead, he lingered elsewhere in the building, waiting while his subordinates hacked into the hotel’s defensive intelligence system—along with its primary power controls.
Before long,
Lights on multiple floors began to flicker.
Supervisors alerted the maintenance department to check the circuits, and the security team received a notice: the hotel’s heavy power consumption today might have caused an overload. Electricians would be sent in for repairs—security was instructed to let them through.
The maintenance call had already been intercepted by Ji Shenwen’s team, who provided layer after layer of temporary access codes.
Carrying a ladder, Ji Shenwen strode openly into the hotel’s central area under the watchful eyes of the guards.
Wearing a pair of brown-tinted glasses, he appeared to be opening ceiling panels to inspect wiring—but in truth, he was quietly observing the security personnel who were, in turn, watching him.
He activated the special x-ray function on his brown glasses, wanting to see if the hotel had any hidden surveillance devices.
What he saw was astonishing.
Among the crowd radiating red heat signatures stood a cold, blue humanoid figure — steel bones, iron frame, and a mechanical pump where the heart should be.
Its simulated blue-green eyes stared fixedly at him, unblinking.
That was far more effective than any hidden camera.
If he wasn’t mistaken, that robot was carrying a whole arsenal in its abdomen. If Ji Shenwen had made even the slightest suspicious move earlier, he probably would’ve been riddled with bullets on the spot.
He whistled silently in his mind, though his mood grew heavier. The level of alertness for this mission instantly went up several notches.
He had to admit, the Zuo family was extravagant — even having lifelike humanoid bodyguard robots like these.
And there was probably more than one.
It was likely that each patrol team had one or two of these androids mixed in. Their facial expressions, breathing patterns, and heartbeats were indistinguishable from humans.
Even the security staff probably had no idea that the person talking beside them wasn’t human at all. The Zuo family clearly didn’t fully trust their flesh-and-blood subordinates either.
Thinking of this, Ji Shenwen’s arm tensed involuntarily, a chill flashing along his nerves.
No wonder he’d heard of the Zuo family’s formidable reputation long before coming to the Federation. He’d never had a mission involving them before, and even infiltrating pirate strongholds hadn’t made him this cautious.
But there was no turning back now.
Fortunately, the Empire wasn’t weak either.
The corners of Ji Shenwen’s mouth curved faintly. On his fingertip was a tiny metal object the size of a sesame seed. He pretended to wobble a bit on the ladder, muttered a few “ouch” sounds, and jumped down.
The noise caught the attention of the nearby security captain, who frowned and asked, “What happened?”
Carrying his electrician’s repair bag, Ji Shenwen rubbed his head apologetically and walked over, his peripheral vision fixed on the expressionless third “man” from the left — the android.
“Sorry, sirs,” he said with a sheepish grin. “My tool bag’s too heavy, I lost my balance climbing the ladder and nearly fell.”
The captain said perfunctorily, “You okay? Is it fixed yet?”
“Not yet, sorry. Could one of you kind brothers hold the ladder for me? Maybe this big guy here? I’ll finish faster and won’t disturb the guests.”
With a friendly smile, Ji Shenwen approached the burly “man” with a solid, honest face. Beneath that stoic expression, the mechanical eyes tracked him without pause.
“No need,” the captain said. “I’ll do it. Just hurry up.”
“Sure thing, thanks, big brother.” Ji Shenwen withdrew his hand, a look of relief spreading over his face — and the tiny metal object on his fingertip was gone.
The next instant, the robot’s eyes flickered with an electric glitch — success.
He didn’t have the time to hack into the robot’s central system, nor could he even if he tried. A Zuo-family combat model wasn’t some cheap hotel-grade AI system a decent hacker could just crack.
If the hack failed and triggered the Zuo family’s defense system, he’d never make it back to the Empire. He’d be dragged before a Federation military tribunal in minutes.
So he chose deception instead.
An Imperial-grade signal jammer — high quality, multi-purpose, perfect for emergencies. It distorted the robot’s visual data and, if needed, could release a massive current to short-circuit machinery.
He’d done everything he could. The rest was up to His Highness the Crown Prince.
A shadow of worry crossed Ji Shenwen’s eyes, but outwardly he kept up the façade of a cheerful young electrician, pretending to fix the perfectly fine ceiling wiring.
He didn’t get to act long.
“You’re done. Pack up and go — don’t block the way,” the captain said curtly.
Ji Shenwen froze for half a second, then noticed a group of wealthy guests approaching from the end of the hallway. Realizing the situation, he quickly bowed and smiled. “Of course, I’ll leave right away.”
The captain stayed close, even pulling Ji Shenwen to the side as if terrified he might offend the arriving guests.
But under the captain’s watchful eye, Ji Shenwen still managed to spot the man at the center of the group — commanding presence, sharp gaze — addressed respectfully by his butler as Young Master Zuo Shihuan.
The target of the Crown Prince’s mission.
To be honest, Ji Shenwen was stunned.
This wasn’t his first time seeing that Alpha. In fact, he’d met him several times through Yu Lizhu.
But Ji Shenwen had never taken that friend of his seriously, nor paid much attention to her associates — never realizing that the man who’d stirred the Zuo family into a storm this past year, rising from the bottom, was the same Alpha heir.
Now, under the captain’s scrutiny, Ji Shenwen wasn’t angry at all. He tugged down his cap and held the ladder up to cover his face, wishing he could disappear completely.
He absolutely could not let the target spot him now!
Zuo Shihuan didn’t spare the passing hotel worker a glance. Casually, he asked his butler, “What did Father say?”
Butler Lin replied respectfully, “Master Zuo Zoujian is furious, sir. He said he will personally handle the interrogation of the intruders who disrupted your engagement banquet. He promises no one will disturb the ceremony again.”
Zuo Shihuan’s eyes darkened. He didn’t like leaving such matters to others. “Alright, let Father handle it for now. I’ll investigate it myself later.”
He worried that his father wouldn’t find anything — or worse, that he would find something incriminating about Gu Heng. Taking Gu Heng away in public had surely already reached his father’s ears.
“Did Father say anything else?” Zuo Shihuan asked after a pause. “About… the person I took with me?”
Butler Lin replied, “Master Zuo said nothing, sir. Only that he will deal with the outsiders himself, and that you should focus on completing your engagement banquet.”
Zuo Shihuan understood.
His father didn’t not know who Gu Heng was — he was simply leaving Gu Heng to him out of face. If that was the case…
“Keep an eye on that person. If he wants to leave, let him go.”
The moment Zuo Shihuan said it he regretted it. His light-brown eyes darkened and he corrected himself, his voice firm but inwardly wavering as he spoke to Butler Lin.
“No — don’t let him leave yet. Wait until I finish the engagement banquet. If he makes any move, tell me immediately. If he tries to leave that room… if necessary, you may take measures to confine him to that room.”
“…Yes.” Butler Lin was startled. Having seen Young Master Zuo care so much about that man, he’d thought him merely an important friend.
As for what they were to do after actually locking Gu Heng in the room?
Zuo Shihuan didn’t know either. In truth, he had no real plan for Gu Heng.
He was merely delaying and avoiding — too guilty and cowardly to face that man, yet unwilling to let him go. He decided to stall for time…
Perhaps, a proud man like Gu Heng, with such dignity, would have stormed off in rage the moment he’d been left in the hotel room.
If so, that wouldn’t be bad.
After all, Zuo Shihuan had no better solution. He always found himself soft-hearted toward Gu Heng and indecisive — which dragged things out and turned a simple matter into something far worse.
If Gu Heng stayed in the room, waiting alone until Zuo Shihuan and the other Omega returned from the engagement banquet…
Zuo Shihuan’s eyes showed an unwillingness; he bit his lower lip hard.
***
He pushed the door open.
Brilliant lights scattered like starlight.
The priest officiating the wedding stood at the highest point smiling to greet them.
The wedding march began.
Amid everyone’s praise, blessings, and applause, with petals falling all around, and beside him the beautiful bride in an immaculate white gown, everything looked so perfect.
For an instant Zuo Shihuan’s vision blurred; he lost himself in that dreamy, happy scene — something so beautiful it seemed undeserved for someone whose fate had been so troubled as his.
He felt momentarily at a loss, not knowing what to do next.
But he didn’t realize…
Someone else had seen his hesitation and confusion.
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