When Prince Hewlett finally regained consciousness, he was utterly perplexed.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here?
It took him a while to recollect that he seemed to have lost track of time. What time was it now?
He had no memory of the events that had transpired during this period. Finding himself in the familiar room he often occupied, he decided to step outside for a breath of fresh air.
However, as soon as he opened the door, his brows furrowed. Standing outside were not his City Lord-level expert bodyguards but rather the all-too-familiar Red Alert soldiers.
"Where are my people?" he inquired.
Prince Hewlett felt his power had grown, and even when facing the soldiers of the Red Alert Base, he no longer carried himself with the same subservience but rather with an air of arrogance, as if he were addressing his own subordinates.
The Red Alert soldiers paid him no heed, remaining in their positions. Their commander's orders were clear: observe Hewlett, and nothing else mattered.
A trace of anger flickered in Prince Hewlett's eyes. How dare a mere soldier treat him this way! However, he also knew he wasn't a match for the soldiers.
Once outside, Prince Hewlett finally spotted his trusted aides. However, their expressions were peculiar, as if they were looking at a fool.
Prince Hewlett was not pleased. Who allowed you to look at Prince ?
As he contemplated whether to replace his trusted aides, he inquired, "What has happened recently?"
Their expressions grew even stranger, and one of them whispered, "King, no, Your Highness, do you not remember what you did yesterday?"
His trusted aides expressed their bewilderment, unable to fathom the thoughts of those in power. The previous day, he had casually given up the position of king, and now it was as if nothing had ever happened. His acting skills were truly commendable.
Prince Hewlett grew uneasy. However, he had no recollection of his actions and could only reprimand in a low voice, "Quit the nonsense! What did I do?"
"Your Highness, yesterday was your coronation, but you..." His trusted aide briefly recounted the events of the previous day.
Prince Hewlett first stood there in a daze before spewing a mouthful of blood that sprayed three meters away, collapsing on the spot.
His trusted aide shouted, "Medic! His Highness has fallen!"
When Prince Hewlett regained consciousness, he still couldn't believe the harsh reality. He had actually relinquished the position of king voluntarily. This had garnered the attention of the entire Yan Yun Star, and it was undeniable. He could even see various videos online depicting him as a fool who had abandoned the throne.
"No, this can't be. I would never do such a thing. What's going on? Why do I have no recollection at all?" Prince Hewlett quickly regained his composure and sensed that something was amiss.
As his trusted aide had explained, what he thought was just one night had, in fact, been over a month. During this time, he had done many things, and in the end, he had handed over all of his accomplishments to the Red Alert Empire.
"Su Chen!" Prince Hewlett thought of a crucial figure, becoming increasingly certain that Su Chen had manipulated him.
This gradual loss of control over himself was nothing short of chilling.
Now he understood that the Red Alert soldiers outside were actually monitoring him, just like they did at the beginning.
From start to finish, he had merely been a pawn in someone else's game.
A bitter smile crept onto Prince Hewlett's lips as he suddenly realized why Su Chen had allowed him to regain his self-awareness.
"I wish to see your Commander," Prince Hewlett instructed his trusted aide to leave and addressed the Red Alert soldiers at the door.
Since Su Chen already knew his intentions, there was no need to be secretive. He could address Commander directly instead of Su Chen, as he used to.
"Commander is busy and doesn't have time to see you," the Red Alert soldiers shut him down with a single sentence.
After leaving Hewlett hanging for several days, Su Chen finally allowed the Red Alert soldiers to bring him over.
This time, Prince Hewlett's expression was worn and weary, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"Prince Hewlett, long time no see," Su Chen greeted him as if he were an old friend.
Prince Hewlett looked at the man before him, the one responsible for making him a pariah in the eyes of countless people. He had been a high and mighty king, and now he had voluntarily given it all up. Would anyone believe it wasn't his own choice if he said it aloud?
"When did you decide to abandon me?" Prince Hewlett asked, taking a deep breath. He didn't shout or throw a fit; he didn't act hysterical. Instead, he asked a single question.
"If I told you it was from the moment you contemplated betrayal, would you believe me?" Su Chen responded with a serious expression.
"What if I never had that thought?" Prince Hewlett didn't make the mistake of asking whether thoughts without actions constituted betrayal; he had both the thoughts and the actions.
He just wanted one answer.
Su Chen opened his mouth, and Ju Ling promptly peeled a fruit that resembled a grape and placed it in his mouth, adopting the demeanor of a dandy.
"No thoughts, and I would have let you remain a puppet king forever, but you failed to seize the opportunity yourself."
Prince Hewlett nodded, his gaze calm, as if he had seen through the worldly affairs. "I understand now. Since I've lost in your hands, grant me death."
"You're mistaken in one aspect. The terms 'win' and 'lose' are words that can only be spoken by those on equal footing. As for you... you were never in my eyes."
Prince Hewlett's eyes blazed with anger, but before he could speak, the Red Alert soldiers covered his mouth and escorted him out. Then, a gunshot rang out, and everything fell silent.
Prince Hewlett's death was a trivial matter. After he ceased to be king, no one would care about his life or death.
The Red Alert Empire had spent some time but had completely gained control of the situation on the human side of Yan Yun Star. On the Ghost Clan side, Su Chen sent Taru and Wang Chun over, combined with the performances of Spy Number Two and Spy Number Three, and directly consolidated control over the remaining Ghost Clan.
At this point, almost the entire Yan Yun Star was under Su Chen's control. As for why it was said to be almost, there were still two things not under his control.
The Cosmic Behemoth Spectral Moth and the Cosmic Behemoth White Rabbit, these two Cosmic Behemoths still needed to be dealt with.
Just after gaining complete control of the situation on the Ghost Clan side, the System's voice rang out: "Congratulations, Master, on completing the fourth mainline task of Yan Yun Star. The reward has been distributed."
After waiting for a while and finding no further information, Su Chen asked, "System, why isn't there another task in the next phase? It's quite unusual for you to do this to me."
"Tasks only appear when Master triggers them," the System replied.
Before Su Chen could respond, he received an urgent message from Lily: "Commander, I've discovered a spatial passage on Satellite Number 18 of Yan Yun Star." (To be continued...)
[Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.]