When Allen saw the two blunt words in the reply, his expression turned complicated. He almost wished she hadn’t responded at all.
“Prepare to visit the King at the palace,” Allen took a deep breath and ordered his subordinate.
Just yesterday, the King had sincerely invited him to the palace, but Allen had declined, citing prior engagements. Now, he was the one rushing to see the King. For the first time, Allen truly understood what it meant to reap what one sowed.
After exchanging a few words with Lü Xiang, Ye Shaohua headed to the Mecha Architect Base, where Teacher Josie was waiting.
Unexpectedly, she received a message from An Tingyun along the way.
“I’ll send the divorce agreement back to you soon,” An Tingyun appeared to be on a mecha, his holographic projection so lifelike that Ye Shaohua could even see his slender, jade-like fingers holding a cigarette.
For some reason, she sensed a coldness in his demeanor, though it seemed less aloof than before.
Now she understood why the whole world was waiting for her to divorce him.
“You’ve already signed it?” Ye Shaohua was surprised.
Mentioning this seemed to trigger something—even through the interstellar network, she could feel the chilling hostility radiating from him.
“I’ll arrive at Mo Planet in a few hours. Stay indoors until I return. Don’t go out.”
Don’t go out?
Ye Shaohua narrowed her eyes, but there was no time to dwell on it. She continued toward the Mecha Architect Base.
Just then, System 008 suddenly spoke up in her mind:
[Host, you’ve been marked as a “Top-Level Red Target” by the Zerg.]
“A Top-Level Red Target?” Ye Shaohua paused mid-step.
As a system, 008 knew everything happening in this world. What took Allen and An Tingyun immense effort to uncover, it could grasp in an instant.
It explained concisely:
[In simple terms, yes. But… Host, do you know what your mission is this time?]
Since 008 hadn’t been with her initially, Ye Shaohua hadn’t received any mission details—and later, she’d forgotten to ask.
[There’s only one mission: Protect the Lü Family from annihilation.]
008 hadn’t expected what should’ve been a straightforward task to escalate into the highest difficulty level.
The Zerg were willing to go all out, sparing no expense, just to eliminate her.
Given her experience with increasingly difficult missions, Ye Shaohua wasn’t relieved by the single objective. Frowning, she asked, “What’s the underlying issue?”
[A Top-Level Red Target means the Zerg will mobilize all their forces to besiege Mo Planet—primarily to kill you. Individually, the Zerg aren’t strong, but their numbers are overwhelming. With hundreds of billions in their ranks… Host, how confident are you in succeeding?]
Ye Shaohua lifted her gaze to the blue sky above, wiping her face briefly before answering firmly:
“I’ll do everything I can.”
Meanwhile…
“Tingyun, the Zerg have been unusually restless lately.” An Tingshuang sent a video message to An Tingyun, his expression grave.
He had been closely monitoring Zerg movements, and this time, they were mobilizing almost their entire swarm. Defenses had to be reinforced immediately.
An Tingyun’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly as Mo Planet grew closer on the display.
“I’ve already deployed additional guards,” he replied. If An Tingshuang knew about the threat, so did he.
Satisfied with the response, An Tingshuang ended the call with a stern nod. “I’ll contact Marshal Lü.”
An Tingyun paid no further attention, his cold gaze fixed on the approaching An Estate.
…
Madam An sat uneasily in her room, her worries easing only when An Tingyun finally appeared.
“My son, you’re back safely.”
She had seen the reports—multiple military squads ambushed by the Zerg. Though An Tingyun’s unit wasn’t among them, she had been anxious until his safe return.
“Bring me the divorce agreement,” An Tingyun ignored her greeting, addressing the robotic steward instead.
The android retrieved the document promptly.
Staring at the signature—”Ye Shaohua”—An Tingyun’s lips pressed into a thin line. After a long pause, he turned and ordered it to be sent back to her.
“You… aren’t signing it?” Madam An was stunned.
If Ye Shaohua had already agreed, shouldn’t this be a mutual resolution? Why was he refusing now?
Only then did An Tingyun turn to look at her.
His icy gaze made her stiffen.
“Mother, from now on, I need you to understand one thing,” he said, each word deliberate. “If I am to have a wife, it will only be her. There will never be anyone else.”
With that, he left for the palace without another word, leaving Madam An standing in bewildered silence.
“What does he even see in that Ye Shaohua?” she muttered to the household android, utterly perplexed.
At the palace gates, An Tingyun crossed paths with Allen on his way out.
“General An,” Allen’s voice was neutral, but his eyes held a sharp edge of mockery. “Now I see why you were so kind as to expose my history with Ye Junwan. You were setting the stage all along—no wonder the illustrious General An, who never spared a glance at anyone, suddenly married the overlooked Ye Shaohua!”
