Chapter 63: Sixty-Third Day of Living Like a Salted Fish

“What do you mean it has nothing to do with you?” Goudan muttered. “It clearly has everything to do with you! Ying Xun obviously looks like he worships you! And those five Star Pirate groups all used to serve under you! Their appearance definitely wasn’t a coincidence, was it?

“They must have banded together to avenge you! Otherwise, how could it be such a fluke that every single Star Pirate group that showed up happened to know you?”

While watching the “exercise” that day, Lu Yuan had explained the origins of several groups to Goudan. Based on the number of pirates and their combat styles, he had guessed that the Sea Eagle wasn’t the only group present… he had even guessed the identities of the leaders of the other four groups.

When Siming replied to the messages today, he had gone into detail about the matter.

Those four Star Pirate groups were exactly who Lu Yuan had predicted they would be.

“It certainly wasn’t a coincidence, but saying it was to avenge me… that’s unlikely.” Lu Yuan shook his head. “A more probable reason is that the person who contacted the pirates is the one most familiar with those five.

“I suspect the one who contacted them was Nan Yingzhe, the Emperor’s grandson. He also used to serve under me, so he knows the people in those pirate groups. Among those who could contact all of them simultaneously and quickly, he’s the only one who would have received word that the Emperor needed medicine so early.

“As for why Ying Xun and the others agreed… profit, likely. Nan Yingzhe must have paid a price to get Ying Xun and the others to work for him. For instance, you just told me that Ying Xun obtained DNA from members of the Geshu Family; I suspect Nan Yingzhe provided that.

“Even though they encountered the Geshu Family, Ying Xun wouldn’t have asked them for DNA directly if he wanted to squeeze them for a big payout. That would have made them suspicious.”

“…As for the part about Ying Xun worshipping me,” Lu Yuan recalled, “don’t believe a word of it. What that man thinks is completely different from what he says, and what he says might be completely different from what he actually does. If you believe everything he tells you, you’ll end up being played for a fool.”

He glanced at Goudan. “In that sense, it’s a good thing Siming was the one who went out. He’s also the type to say whatever is necessary to whoever he’s talking to. He and Ying Xun are cut from the same cloth.”

“…Are you saying I’m incompetent? You definitely are!” Goudan’s fur bristled. “I feel like you’re discriminating against me!”

“Not exactly.” Lu Yuan shook his head. “You’re actually quite clever. You’re just surprisingly honest sometimes. It’s a difference in personality. Siming is more cautious than you; he won’t trust others easily.”

Goudan curled his lip. “I don’t know about Siming, but I think you’re a bit too distrustful of others… and yourself.”

“I never doubt my own judgment.” Lu Yuan chuckled. “And I’ve always trusted the people around me. I trust them to get the job done well.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Goudan shook his head. “What about Nan Yingzhe? As the Emperor’s grandson, if it wasn’t to avenge you, he has no reason to want the Emperor dead, right?

“That other grandson of the Emperor you mentioned the other day, Nan Yingxu, actually contacted Wen Shen because he wanted to protect the transport ship and keep the Emperor alive.”

“I really don’t know why Nan Yingzhe wants the Emperor dead,” Lu Yuan said. “But it certainly has nothing to do with me.”

Lu Yuan took a few seconds to think of a piece of evidence. “He didn’t even show up to the memorial service for the first anniversary of my death.”

He had an excellent memory. Although he hadn’t paid much attention to who was at the memorial site at the time, he could still recall some images when he thought back carefully.

“What even is a memorial service for the first anniversary of your death…” Goudan was speechless.

“It’s just a thing that exists.” Lu Yuan felt quite helpless about it. “Probably a vanity project. I thought it was pretty pointless too. But the Emperor was still alive and well back then, and he even attended the scene.”

“Then what about Geshu Ming?” Goudan shrugged, switching to someone else. “You know Geshu Ming well, right? The Geshu Family and Geshu Ming have no grudge against the Emperor at all.

“She wants the Emperor dead… do you think it could be because of you?”

“It’s more likely she wants me dead,” Lu Yuan laughed.

Goudan froze. “Huh?”

Lu Yuan looked at his genuine, confused expression and, after a moment’s thought, understood his line of reasoning. He shook his head. “You’ve got one thing wrong.”

“What?” Goudan asked.

“I told you, you can’t believe everything Ying Xun says,” Lu Yuan sighed. “He told Siming that Geshu Ming plotted against me… while that isn’t a lie, it wasn’t the reason Geshu Ming and I cut ties.”

“So her plotting against me was sincere. At the time, she truly wished to have me stripped of my rank as Marshal. She won’t feel any regret or remorse for it, nor will she develop deeper feelings for me or want to seek revenge on my behalf because of it.”

Goudan was even more bewildered. “She plotted against you because she wanted you dead? Why? Weren’t you friends? Was there some conflict of interest between you?

“…It couldn’t be that you did something to wrong her, could it?”

“It was a bit of everything,” Lu Yuan said after a moment of reflection. “The more fundamental reason was likely a clash of ideals. Or rather, she suddenly realized I wasn’t the person she imagined me to be.”

“What did you do?”

“Essentially, she discovered that the Zerg are capable of communication. She wanted me to temporarily cease my attacks because she wanted to try negotiating with them.” Lu Yuan’s tone was nonchalant, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. “But I refused.”

He paused, then continued, “After the war, she came to talk to me about it. She said she still wanted to try. She believed that if the problem could be solved peacefully, it would benefit us, the people, and even the Zerg. But I refused again.”

Goudan asked, “Why did you refuse?”

Lu Yuan lowered his eyes. “My mission is to eliminate the Zerg.”

“Mission?”

“Yes. Therefore, I could not accept this war ending peacefully through negotiations. Even if that might have been better.” Lu Yuan’s gaze was calm. “I am a selfish person. I must complete my mission. Geshu Ming resented me for that.

“That is also why I said the Fifth Legion has nothing to do with me. They were merely tools I used to achieve my goals. I never gave them anything; instead, I let many of them sacrifice themselves on the battlefield. It is only right that they hold a grudge against me. There is no reason for them to avenge me.”

“Who gave you that mission?” Goudan’s brows furrowed. Lu Yuan’s current tone and attitude were strange, making him feel as though he were touching upon something critical.

“Marshal Lu Zhongli,” Lu Yuan said. “Before he passed away, he sent me a message, wishing for me to fulfill his dying wish: to eliminate the Zerg. He was the one who took me away from the Research Institute. I have a responsibility to fulfill his request.”

“Did he want you to eliminate the Zerg to avenge him? Or was it to protect the Empire?”

“Likely to protect the Empire,” Lu Yuan thought for a moment. “He once said that a soldier should die on the battlefield. He wouldn’t have hated the Zerg because of his own death. On the other hand, he was an excellent general who loved his nation and his people.”

“If that’s the case,” Goudan asked, “wouldn’t negotiating and solving the problem peacefully also count as fulfilling Marshal Lu Zhongli’s wish? His demand for you to eliminate the Zerg might not have been his true intent; it was simply because he didn’t know the Zerg could communicate back then, or that there were other ways to protect the Empire.”

“But…” Lu Yuan’s eyes suddenly grew vacant, his expression turning hollow in an instant. “My mission is to eliminate the Zerg.”

It was the first time Goudan had seen him wear such an expression, and an involuntary chill rose from the depths of his heart.

The Research Institute where Lu Yuan originated was run by the Emperor of the Empire.

Lu Yuan had allowed the Emperor to frame Old Fourth and the others, never once thinking of clearing their names.

Lu Yuan clearly had the ability to overturn the cases for Old Fourth and the rest, and it would have been the easiest thing in the world, yet he envied Siming for doing it.

Was it because he was lazy? Before his “death,” it wouldn’t have been any trouble for him at all, would it?

Or did he merely think he was lazy, while the truth was something else entirely?

Lu Yuan knew very well that he had a personal grudge against the Emperor. Yet he had never thought of seeking revenge for himself.

When Lu Yuan fell onto this Desolate Planet, he simply stayed here. He clearly could have left, but he didn’t.

Was it because he liked the Desolate Planet? Was it because he couldn’t slack off if he went back out?

Or was it because if people knew he was alive, the Emperor would still find every possible way to kill him?

Or perhaps, because he was a stain on the Emperor’s record, a hidden danger and a source of anxiety, his total disappearance was exactly what the Emperor desired?

Lu Yuan knew perfectly well that Marshal Lu Zhongli only wanted to protect the Empire…

And yet he said his “mission” was to eliminate the Zerg.

What kind of situation would require the use of the word “mission”?

Having the responsibility to fulfill Lu Zhongli’s final wish… and being compelled to complete a specific mission were, in essence, two completely different concepts, weren’t they?

Goudan leaned his hands on the table in front of Lu Yuan, his eyes boring into him.

“Lu Yuan,” he said solemnly. “Are you even conscious right now?”