Chapter 44: Wei Tingxia’s Secret Part 2

“…Little Yun, where did you pick them up from?”

From the moment Wei Tingxia spotted the needle marks, Wei Tingyun’s movements had stiffened. By the time he let go, she was already on the verge of breaking.

She wasn’t stupid; of course she could tell her brother had come specifically about these omegas.

In an instant, many bad guesses flooded her mind. Wei Tingyun panicked and grabbed Wei Tingxia’s hand, as if wanting him to leave or not knowing what to do.

“Bro…”

She trembled as she called out, just happening to meet Wei Tingxia’s gaze. In that instant, Wei Tingyun suddenly didn’t understand what she had to be afraid of.

“Little Meng was the first,” she answered softly. “I went to the hospital for a checkup and picked him up from the roadside during the exam. He was near death then, so I sent him to my private hospital, and then…”

Then Little Meng led her to many more, each one skin and bones, barely clinging to life.

For a moment, Wei Tingyun felt like a young merchant caring for stray cats and dogs, standing amid ruins and watching people as wretched and helpless as animals.

She didn’t understand what had happened, but just from the scars on their bodies, she knew it was serious.

Wei Tingyun had later tried asking, only to discover something even more shocking: some of these omegas had even originally been betas, forcibly converted into omegas recently.

Little Meng was one such case.

According to him, he had been an ordinary low-level clerk in a remote star system. On his way home one day, he was kidnapped. When he woke up, he was in a lab, followed by a long period of coma and agony. When he opened his eyes again, he was strapped to an experimental bed, with long, sharp needles fixed into his body, continuously drawing his blood.

The others had similar experiences. By the time Wei Tingyun found them, their blood had nearly been drained dry. It had taken immense effort to save their lives.

Wei Tingyun had spent most of the money in her account, and she had even secretly sold the two brand-new mecha that Wei Tingxia had given her.

However, spending money was not the real issue. What truly terrified people was what had happened to these individuals.

“Bro, why is this happening?” Wei Tingyun asked softly. “How did you find out? I didn’t tell anyone else, and the money all went through my private account…”

She did not fear Wei Tingxia knowing, but she feared others finding out. There were not many people on Capital Star who had the power to abduct omegas at will, and there was always one among the imperial family and nobility.

Wei Tingxia said, “It’s fine. They don’t know, and no one else will know.”

As soon as he said this, Wei Tingyun immediately let out a sigh of relief. From childhood to adulthood, only Wei Tingyun had truly treated him like family. If even Wei Tingxia wanted to harm her, she would have a hard time escaping.

But as she relaxed, more questions bubbled up.

Wei Tingxia glanced at her but said nothing. He stood up, helped Little Meng to his feet, and personally brushed nonexistent dust off his knees.

His voice was gentle as he apologized, “I was just too anxious earlier. I meant no harm, so please don’t hold it against me.”

Little Meng said nothing. He simply nodded and quickly ran off. The others also silently retreated back into the rooms. Only the siblings remained in the living room.

Wei Tingxia sighed and pondered for a moment before turning to his little sister, who was still waiting for him to speak.

“How do you think Father Emperor’s health has been lately?” he asked.

Before Wei Tingyun could respond, System 0188 spoke first: [Are you going to tell her?]

“I need someone to help me treat all the experimental subjects who haven’t been rescued yet,” Wei Tingxia said. “She’s the most suitable.”

Just from seeing how Wei Tingyun had quietly brought so many people back to her own house, it was clear she had her ways, though they were a bit immature. With a little guidance, she would become very capable.

System 0188 fell silent.

Wei Tingyun nodded. “Father Emperor’s health was poor a while back, but it seems better recently. Maybe he’s happy because you came back…”

Her voice grew quieter and quieter until it caught in her throat.

A sudden improvement in health was normal, after all, with so many people at the research institute. But Wei Tingxia would not bring this up without reason—

Wei Tingyun’s face suddenly turned deathly pale.

Seeing that she understood, Wei Tingxia nodded and continued, “He’s recently started injecting a new type of potion. The potion has a core ingredient that can only be extracted from omega blood, and it requires continuous live extraction.”

He stopped there with his explanation, turning his head to gaze at Wei Tingyun’s dilated pupils. His tone was meaningful: “Little Yun, you’ve brought yourself a whole heap of trouble.”

“How can they be trouble?!” Wei Tingyun reflexively retorted. Her voice rose, filled with indignant pain. “They’re living people! Victims! Sacrifices!”

“Aren’t you one too?”

Wei Tingxia countered. His voice was not loud, but it pierced her heart like an icy needle.

“If others find out you’re hiding them here, even if it’s just to cover up the scandal and maintain so-called decency, he won’t let you go.”

As soon as he finished speaking, immense fear and cold despair seized Wei Tingyun.

She abruptly covered her mouth with her hand. Her shoulders trembled violently, and tears she could no longer hold back rolled down in large drops, smashing onto the expensive carpet and leaving dark stains. This cry was not because her brother scolded her—it was because she had such a father.

Wei Tingyun thought of Little Meng’s vacant gaze, of those figures huddled in the rooms like frightened birds…

The source of all this was that blood-related father who sat in the Imperial Palace, wantonly destroying lives to prolong his own.

A massive sense of powerlessness and anger nearly tore her apart. Wei Tingyun suddenly realized how insignificant she was, as tiny as a speck of dust. Protecting even a few innocents was so difficult, and she could barely protect herself.

Wei Tingxia watched her collapse silently. He did not stop her but simply waited in silence.

“I can’t abandon them…”

After a long while, Wei Tingyun choked out the words. Her voice was broken and fragmented, each syllable painfully squeezed out through her tears. “Bro, don’t tell anyone, I beg you. You’re the only brother I have…”

She lifted her head and gazed at Wei Tingxia through tear-blurred eyes.

A thought took root in her tear-flooded heart—a desperate, all-or-nothing hope that grew wildly.

What if the power was not in that person’s hands? What if her brother sat on that throne?

The idea struck like lightning, shattering all rational barriers. She blurted out:

“Bro, when… when can you become emperor?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Wei Tingyun could no longer hold back. She burst into loud sobs and buried her face in Wei Tingxia’s chest, her tears soaking a large patch on his clothes.

She was not yet eighteen, just a child. It was impressive that she had endured this far.

Wei Tingxia did not mind her ugly crying or her tears and snot. He sighed softly and patted Wei Tingyun’s head.

“It’s okay,” he comforted her quietly. “Don’t be afraid. There won’t be an emperor anymore.”

Wei Tingxia made up his mind.

…

…

Meanwhile, Yan Xinfeng arrived alone at the border planet Tansvika Planet.

As a planet that had long received aid from medical aid projects, Tansvika’s economy and environment teetered on the brink of collapse. Everyone on the planet was equally poor, with dust and stones crushed by mecha wreckage everywhere.

Yan Xinfeng casually picked up a stone, examined it, and tossed it behind him. The arranged contact person approached him, gave a slight bow, and said, “It’s definitely her.”

Two hours earlier, the medical team had landed on Tansvika Planet and was scheduled to rest for the night before starting the aid work.

Yan Xinfeng tilted his head. “Where is she now?”

“Doctor Lin is resting at the reception center. She’s with twelve others, each in their own room. Next door to her is the leader of the medical project team, an alpha.”

“Got it.”

The contact person quickly left and vanished into the crowd. Yan Xinfeng pulled out his light brain, set a timer, and headed toward the reception center.

…

Lin Tao jolted awake from a dream. She opened her eyes to see the artificial lighting pouring unabated through the window, brightly filling half the room like a patch of solidified moonlight.

She instinctively rolled over, avoiding the glaring light, and curled up, trying to sink back into sleep.

However, a cold realization pierced her mind like a needle, instantly waking her fully.

She had drawn the curtains before sleeping.

“I’m glad you still retain some… star pirate instincts.”

A voice that often haunted her nightmares came from the corner. She sat up abruptly and saw Yan Xinfeng sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room at some point, thoughtfully examining her unpacked luggage.

“How does it feel to be an imperial military doctor?” he asked, his voice emotionless. “Is it more comfortable than being a star pirate?”

Fear seeped silently into her bones. Lin Tao swallowed and tried her best to steady her pounding heart. “No.”

“I thought you left because you had a better option!”

Yan Xinfeng chuckled indifferently, clearly dismissing her answer. The star pirate leader finally rose from the chair and slowly paced to the window. His tall figure blocked most of the bright light leaking in.

He seemed casual, but the way he looked at Lin Tao was like appraising a dead object. Her spine tensed instantly, and she unconsciously shrank back, her mind racing about whether calling for help now would work.

Before she could speak, Yan Xinfeng said lightly as if reading her mind, “I don’t recommend making a sound. Because whether he comes in or not, you’ll die for sure. That would be a shame.”

Lin Tao knew he was not joking. She had seen Yan Xinfeng in action—three top alphas embedded in a wall with shattered bones in the blink of an eye.

With that in mind, she exhaled deeply and said, “What do you want to know?”

“It’s great talking to smart people,” Yan Xinfeng said as he walked slowly to the bedside and looked down at her. “Your treatment at the base was good too, and you didn’t have to do anything dangerous. Tell me, why did you leave?”

“It wasn’t me who wanted to leave,” Lin Tao retorted. “Wei Tingxia took me away. He held a gun to my head and forced me onto the mecha.”

“Why?”

Why?

Lin Tao sneered. “Because I knew a secret that he absolutely didn’t want you to know.”