My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 43

Qin Zhao moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, just as the rebels were speculating about their next move, he arrived above the palace. His massive silhouette blocked out the sky, and the air pressure generated by his descent flattened a large swathe of the rebel army outside.

“Qin Zhao!” Clearly, the Zerg Prince recognized him. He stared at the figure in mid-air, gritting his teeth. “This is a matter between the Zerg and the Vize Empire. What business is it of yours, Ru Long? If you know what is good for you, get out of here!”

But Qin Zhao was not the type to listen to reason. His giant dragon eyes fixed on the man leaning nonchalantly against the high seat, softening with a hint of tenderness. The next second, his massive tail swept across the open space in front of the palace like a broom, clearing hundreds of thousands of rebels in one stroke. Bodies went flying in every direction, and the scene descended into absolute chaos.

Gu Jin, seeing that help had arrived, breathed a sigh of relief. While the surrounding rebels were still stunned by Qin Zhao’s sudden intervention, she immediately took down several of them. Gu Ling and He Yi followed closely behind. The three of them moved through the area near the high seat like efficient killing machines, showing no mercy as they harvested the lives of those blocking their path.

After clearing the exterior, Qin Zhao shrank down in size and flew into the palace to help Gu Jin mop up the remaining rebels.

“Hey, Qin Zhao, could you turn back into your human form? The palace is about to collapse!” Gu Jin felt the ground shaking beneath her feet and looked up at the cracks appearing in the dome caused by Qin Zhao’s massive body inadvertently bumping into it. Since the palace’s control system had not been reconnected yet, it could not auto-repair.

Seemingly hearing Gu Jin, Qin Zhao looked up at the dome and nodded. As he did so, his dragon horns knocked two more holes into the ceiling.

“Retreat!” Seeing the situation, Gu Jin lost the interest to keep fighting. She shook off the six people surrounding her, turned, and leaped to the side of the high seat. She grabbed He Yu’s waist and ordered a withdrawal from the palace.

The others acted quickly, breaking away from their opponents and following Gu Jin out of the battlefield. As she left, Gu Jin caught a glimpse of Qin Zhao shifting near the high seat. Then, his massive body completely shattered the dome, and the magnificent, luxurious palace collapsed into ruins in an instant.

Lingering in shock, Gu Jin clutched the stunned He Yu, exhaling as she realized they had made it out just in time.

Once she confirmed He Yu was safe, she turned to count her people. Gu Jin had been in such a hurry that she had only managed to grab He Yu; Gu Ling and He Yi had likely followed them out, and Gu Ting could protect himself. As for Xiao Ze, Gu Jin remembered Qin Zhao shifting by the high seat and figured he must have been saved by the dragon.

Just as she thought this, she turned around and came face-to-face with Xiao Ze.

Gu Jin: “???”

Noticing Gu Jin’s confused expression, Xiao Ze touched his own face. “Is something wrong?”

“No, sister-in-law, how did you get out?”

Xiao Ze looked around, looking equally puzzled. “I heard you say retreat, so I just ran out with you. Why?”

If Xiao Ze had come out with her, then whom had Qin Zhao saved?

“Oh no, where is my brother?” After a quick count, Gu Jin realized Gu Ting was the only one missing! The others panicked, staring at the ruins of the palace. Could the Emperor still be inside?

Only Gu Jin’s gaze drifted to the dragon-formed Qin Zhao in mid-air, where she successfully spotted a bewildered Gu Ting dangling near the dragon’s horns.

Gu Jin: “…Is he trying to commit husband-murder and steal the wife?”

“Qin Zhao! Put my brother down!”

Regardless, he was her own brother; Gu Jin could not just watch Qin Zhao “murder” Gu Ting right in front of her. Who else would she exploit for labor in the future if he were gone?

At Gu Jin’s roar, the dragon in the sky slowed down. Everyone’s eyes turned toward the man and the dragon in the air.

Qin Zhao looked at Gu Jin, puzzled. His giant, translucent dragon body gradually dissipated. Qin Zhao, now in his human form—wearing complex white robes—stood in mid-air, one hand firmly clasping Gu Ting’s waist. “What is wrong?”

What is wrong? Gu Jin glared at him. You are holding my brother hostage, and you are asking me what is wrong?

“Let my brother go! If you have the guts, compete fairly. This matter depends on my sister-in-law’s wishes. What is the point of killing my brother?” Looking up, Gu Jin felt her neck getting sore.

Hearing this, He Yu tugged on Gu Jin’s sleeve. “If it were a hostage situation, would he not be holding the Emperor’s neck? This does not really look like it, does it?”

Once He Yu finished speaking, everyone’s eyes shifted to the hand Qin Zhao had placed on Gu Ting’s waist. The atmosphere turned strange. This… is this really a kidnapping?

Under their collective gaze, Qin Zhao’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I…”

Before Qin Zhao could finish, Gu Ting, without a word, grabbed Qin Zhao’s hand and forced it up to his own neck. “If you are going to hold me hostage, you should at least act like it! What was that supposed to be? Do it again!”

“Gu Jin! Help me!”

Gu Jin: “…Still not quite right.”

“You two come down first. My neck is tired from looking up.” Especially under this harsh sun.

Qin Zhao realized that Gu Jin and Gu Ting might have misunderstood something. He pulled his hand away from Gu Ting’s neck, protectively guided him, and slowly descended in front of Gu Jin.

Gu Ting pushed Qin Zhao’s hand away. He always felt that Gu Jin had schemed against him behind his back. “Do not anyone speak yet. Gu Jin, you explain exactly what is going on here.”

Gu Jin cast a hesitant look at Qin Zhao. She felt there was a misunderstanding, but when Gu Ting asked like that, she could not quite pinpoint what was wrong. She could only tell the truth. “That… I will tell you on the optical comms.”

Since it was sensitive information, Gu Jin finally used her head. She explained the cause and effect to Gu Ting via the device. As she did, everyone watched as Gu Ting’s expression grew darker, the surrounding air pressure dropping steadily. Xiao Ze, sensing that this somehow involved him, looked back and forth, only to find everyone else as clueless as he was, which made him feel slightly better.

“Gu Jin, can you use your brain for once? How could you even think of cuckolding your own brother?” Gu Ting slammed his device shut. If Qin Zhao had not been holding him back, he likely would have kicked Gu Jin to death on the spot.

Startled by Gu Ting’s extreme reaction, Gu Jin quickly retreated to a safe distance. “I was doing this for everyone’s sake! Besides, it has to be my sister-in-law’s choice. I could not force them, could I?”

Everyone: “??!! Did we just hear something we were not supposed to?”

He Yu quietly backed away, looking at Gu Jin in the distance and then at Xiao Ze, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Xiao Ze nearly jumped out of his skin. What is going on? What does this have to do with me? I do not think I have much of a connection to Gu Jin, right?

“Is this a matter of choice? This is about the dignity of the Imperial family!”

“Do we even have any dignity left?”

…

Dead silence.

“I am going to kill you!” Gu Ting was furious. Even if they had no dignity, she could not just say it out loud in public!

Just as Gu Ting raised his hand, Qin Zhao wrapped his arms around his waist to stop him. Gu Ting froze for a second, then exploded!

“You still have the nerve to stop me! This is all because of you! If you wanted something, why did you not just ask me yourself? Why go and ask a brainless idiot like Gu Jin? Are you brainless too?”

The Brainless Duo: Gu Jin and Qin Zhao.

“If I asked you, would you have agreed?” Seemingly missing the point of Gu Ting’s outburst entirely, Qin Zhao asked back, his gentle eyes filled with expectation.

“I would agree to nothing!” Unfortunately, Qin Zhao was dealing with a blind man. Gu Ting rolled his eyes at him. “You steal my wife and you think you are in the right? Asking if I agree—if I agreed to that, I would be a living cuckold!”

Xiao Ze: Steal me?

The moment these words were spoken, the silence deepened. Fortunately, there were only seven of them present. Everyone finally understood the context, and their expressions became impossible to describe.

So, Qin Zhao liked Xiao Ze, but Gu Jin had been helping him behind Gu Ting’s back? The group, having grasped the point, looked at Gu Jin as if she were a fool.

Gu Jin: “…You guys do not know the inside story!”

As everyone felt a complex mix of emotions, Qin Zhao’s face turned cold. He grabbed Gu Ting’s arm and pulled him firmly toward himself. Although they were similar in height, Gu Ting lived a life of luxury and was no match for a freak of nature like Qin Zhao, who possessed a dragon-mutated physique. For a moment, he could not break free.

“I like you, not him. The Commander may have misunderstood, thinking I liked Empress Xiao Ze, which caused this entire situation. So, given that, could you reconsider?” Looking into Gu Ting’s eyes, Qin Zhao’s expression was incredibly sincere.

Gu Ting: “???”

Gu Jin: “?? Dammit! Let go of my brother!”

He Yu, who had noticed something was off a long time ago: …Closes eyes. What I do not see will not bother me.

Everyone else: Expressionless.

“Let go.” Perhaps because Gu Jin had already exhausted his temper earlier, Gu Ting’s tone and expression were now remarkably calm. He pushed away Qin Zhao’s hand.

“I am the Emperor of Vize, and I have already taken Xiao Ze as my Empress. I hope…”

“Your Majesty,” Xiao Ze, who had been silent on the side, suddenly spoke up, interrupting Gu Ting. He smiled lightly, bowed, and looked directly into Gu Ting’s eyes. “The Xiao family has fallen, and I should do what I must. There is no need for me to occupy this Empress position anymore. We had an agreement, and now that our respective goals have been met, it is time to end this contract. I had wanted to bring this up later, but I think now is the perfect time.”

Just as he had pulled out his “shield,” the person walked away. Gu Ting stood there, watching Xiao Ze’s gentle, relieved smile, and could not find the words to force him to stay. He could only sigh. “I respect all your choices. But if you have any difficulties in the future, just speak up. Consider me your brother.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, I will remember that.” With slightly reddened eyes, Xiao Ze watched Gu Ting walk over and give him a light hug. He did not move, though his eyes welled up with more unshed tears. He tilted his head back, suppressing them.

“I remember Sister-in—I mean, Brother Xiao Ze, you said earlier that you wanted to go to Lota Star?” Finally realizing how much of a misunderstanding she had caused, Gu Jin did not even dare to look at Qin Zhao and Gu Ting, hovering over to Xiao Ze in an attempt to make amends.

Not expecting Gu Jin to remember, Xiao Ze nodded. “It is nothing I cannot tell you now. I suspect that is where Xiao Yuqi met with an accident. I thought it was just my imagination before, but seeing this now, it might be the truth, so I want to go investigate.”

“I see. But I am afraid that even if you go, you might not find much. This… method of high-level Zerg disguising themselves as humans involves consuming the original person entirely. Aside from memories and temperament, they are identical to the original, so…” Gu Jin did not finish the second half of her sentence, but everyone understood. The Zerg Prince had impersonated Xiao Yuqi for so many years without being exposed, the fate of the real Xiao Yuqi was self-evident.

Xiao Ze’s expression dimmed, but he did not stay down for long. He lifted his head again. “No matter what, I have to make this trip. Consider it, settling a matter of the heart.”

“Alright, then I will help you open the passage to Lota Star.” Gu Jin agreed readily.

“No rush right now. I cannot just leave all of a sudden; I still have to clean up the mess here. I will trouble you then, Commander Gu.” Xiao Ze felt the current situation was more pressing. Besides, an Emperor and Empress separating is not something that could be done in a single day.

Everyone’s eyes turned back to Qin Zhao and Gu Ting, watching to see how the now “shield-less” Gu Ting would respond.

In truth, Gu Ting’s mind was a mess. Years ago, he and Qin Zhao had actually had a brief connection, but if not for today’s events, he might have forgotten it completely. Now, reflecting on it, he could only sigh deeply, reflecting on his own behavior for the first time.

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