A Disguised Scum Alpha Marked Her Aloof Ex-Wife - Chapter 20.2

After controlling the agent, the Snow Leopard Knight Commander bowed at Bai Shuzhou’s side, pressing one hand to his heart, “His Majesty is very worried about you; please return to the palace as soon as possible; General Iselia will arrive shortly to take over the relevant matters and investigate thoroughly; please rest assured.”

Bai Shuzhou said coldly: “I will handle this matter personally.”

The Snow Leopard Knight Commander frowned and wanted to say more, but Bai Shuzhou still did not restrain her powerful aura; her slender fingertips gripped the wheelchair armrest, and she slowly stood up.

Pressure descended like a tide, gushing in all directions; everyone knelt on the ground.

By the window, the inorganic pale blue eyes looked down heavily at the chaotic town below the vast sky.

Her fingertips lifted her sleeve, exposing the silver exoskeleton to the air—it was precisely Black Hat’s set.

Zhu Yu had finished explaining her deal with Nan Gong and then carefully put this set of weapons on her, saying it was for self-defense.

Zhu Yu had earnestly taught her how to use it, and she had listened quietly.

The tender and gentle appearance at that moment was as if making a promise for eternity; her knuckles had covered the joints, and she felt as if she could still sense her scorching body heat.

“Zhu. Yu.” The cold voice was low and raspy, biting the name between her lips and teeth.

How dare you betray me, and mock me, time and time again.

The girl woke up with a start from the darkness.

Beneath a pale dome, she was surrounded by people.

“Is this really that Zhu Yu? It’s a lie, right! She doesn’t have any ID on her.”

“Needs proof? Who else but her could beat Black Hat like that! But in my view, she’s not much; wasn’t she still caught by us?”

“The scar on the abdomen matches; it should be her.”

“Let’s take a photo first to send to the girlfriend; say cheese!”

Giddy and confused, someone seemed to be stepping on her in a daze.

Her senses seemed to become very distant; the residual effect of the anesthesia left her unable to move; her thoughts were detached, as if observing everything from a god’s perspective, the movie screen flickering.

She shouldn’t have woken up at this time; it was far earlier than expected; being conscious is sometimes a form of torture.

Nan Gong had promised her an extra million and personally injected her with the anesthetic.

Only at this moment did Zhu Yu understand why she was so kind-hearted.

It was medical expenses!

The surrounding crowd was like bloodthirsty beasts, wishing they could bite a piece of meat off her; punches and kicks fell like raindrops, echoing “thud-thud” between the firm flesh and blood.

Dull pain, low-class curses; she didn’t need to pinch her wrist to confirm it wasn’t a dream.

Every face flickered with a strange excitement, like a grudge being settled, or the ecstasy of a hyena after stealing a snack. But when a youth first noticed Zhu Yu opening her eyes, his lifted toe suddenly stopped, and he even took a step back, hurriedly covering his face.

Instinctive fear was etched into their bones, spreading like a plague; everyone slowly stopped their movements, frozen in place.

Even if the Zhu Yu before them was in a wretched state, not wearing a uniform, without any weapons, and with all limbs bound, leaving only her eyes to blink extremely slowly.

She was looking at them.

Someone cursed in a low voice while backing away, only to be pushed to the front by a strong hand.

Slaughterhouse Chen, with a fang necklace around her neck, stepped forward, a murderous glint in her eyes. She looked around and bellowed in rage:

“You bunch of useless bags! Scared of this?”

The thin man who was pushed forward argued softly: “It is Zhu Yu, after all! Those few encirclements before…”

For a commoner to get ahead, they can only pile up military merits step by step; of the five large-scale encirclements against star pirates in recent years, Zhu Yu participated in three; her combat style was completely insane and illogical; she would start a massacre with a smile, possessing an extremely strong vengeful nature.

So much so that even now, the star pirates still had lingering fears.

Even if Zhu Yu were to die immediately, they didn’t want their faces to be remembered; what if she turned into a vengeful spirit and came back for revenge?

Under the fearful gazes of the crowd, Zhu Yu moved her fingers very, very slowly; she wasn’t sure if she had succeeded and could only read feedback from the faces of those around her.

The feeling of being unable to control her body was too uncomfortable, like falling into a nightmare from which she couldn’t wake.

She was falling down continuously, unable to see the bottom.

Bai Shuzhou… her legs, was it also this kind of feeling?

Zhu Yu exhaled hot air gently from her throat. It was okay; she had already been sent away. She was safe.

The Empire would give her the best medical team, and then she would order the rectification and reform of these problems; if it were Bai Shuzhou, she could surely solve it perfectly.

In the endless dull pain, Zhu Yu tasted this little bit of sweetness alone, even feeling strangely proud.

You won’t be arrogant for long; my wife will deal with you!

Oh, and Nan Gong, I hope she doesn’t move too slowly at the auction tonight.

Seeing the slight smile on Zhu Yu’s face, the crowd’s hair stood on end; only Slaughterhouse Chen became increasingly furious; her high-kicking boot carried a gust of wind, about to crush into the girl’s face.

Someone nearby quickly grabbed her, pulling back hard, “the Boss said, don’t hit the face! Or we won’t recognize it’s her; anything else is fine to play with!”

Slaughterhouse Chen spat at Zhu Yu:

“Bah! What are you laughing at? You think you’re still that high-and-mighty Star of the Commoners? I’m telling you, you’re just a wanted criminal the Empire used and tossed! Which of those Imperial nobles looks up to you? A mixed-blood, a half-breed, just used your looks to climb onto the Royal Family!”

I climbed using my own skills! Zhu Yu smiled at her.

Slaughterhouse Chen cursed coldly, her words striking the heart:

“You’re useless now; the donkey is being killed after the grind; the whole Empire is hunting you; did you really think that Princess took a liking to you? It was just to use your reputation to cultivate her own power!”

My honor.

If she couldn’t move, Zhu Yu really wanted to take a megaphone and yell in her face: Be envious! Be jealous! Hate me!

This “villain-at-his-peak” mentality was expressed very subtly through her smile; Slaughterhouse Chen, whose output caused zero damage, nearly fainted from anger, wanting to lunge forward and hack her to death, but was stopped by the others in a flurry of hands and feet.

Beating was one thing, but Zhu Yu still had value; they couldn’t just kill her. This was Zhu Yu’s leverage.

The effect of the anesthesia was fading; the pain instead made her more clearly perceive “being alive”; this was good—just a few fatal wounds!

Zhu Yu had long ago discovered her physical constitution was astonishing; wounds always healed very quickly; perhaps it was because she was an Alpha?

It doesn’t… doesn’t hurt at all.

All senses seemed separated by a layer of distance, more like phantom limb pain; itching and pain were hidden under the skin, no matter how much force she used, she couldn’t reach or soothe them.

The old wound on her abdomen seemed to have split open.

What kind of anesthetic did Nan Gong use? Didn’t she say she gave her double and it would be over when she woke up? Indeed, one shouldn’t trust other people’s words when away from home.

More unbearable than pain was hunger; she had left home too hurriedly this morning and hadn’t had time to eat. Her stomach was empty, and her heart felt empty too; her whole person seemed to be suspended in mid-air.

Zhu Yu stared at the pale dome; in a daze, snowflakes fell, and the young Bai Shuzhou appeared again, handing her a sugar cube.

Sweet.

She curled her tongue, held it, and was reluctant to eat it too fast, waiting for it to melt slowly.

After regaining some strength, Zhu Yu belatedly tasted the residual metallic sweetness in her mouth; she had swallowed blood, and the buzzing in her ears weakened.

Those people put her in a cage and were moving her; door after door opened, and they went down an elevator.

That access card looked familiar; Zhu Yu squinted and stared at it for a while; her heartbeat suddenly became very slow—the logo of Paradis, but the palace was inverted.

Paradis, Heaven.

Below Heaven lies only Purgatory.

With the opening of the final door, Zhu Yu finally understood the true meaning of that sentence.

The blood-colored cage was completely out of place with the magnificent hall; although the space was huge, the beast-men were forced to curl up in cramped cages; a slight move would pull the chains.

“……!”

Slaughterhouse Chen kicked Zhu Yu, and a muffled groan of dull pain sounded; she finally gained a bit of bizarre satisfaction, striking the cage until it rang loudly:

“All of you, get up and look; this is your Imperial big heroine, Zhu Yu! Now she’s just a waste begging for mercy!”

“You were abandoned long ago; what difference is there between Imperial commoners and vermin? It was we who gave you a chance at a new life; be grateful!”

The already numb beast-men looked over one after another, their eyes widening in disbelief; after a moment, tears shimmered.

Who hasn’t had the dream of soaring high and making it big? But that dream was personified in Zhu Yu.

Born of a humble family with inferior talent, she climbed up step by step; every growth was traceable. But now this star had fallen before them, covered in scars.

People clawed at the cages, reaching out to her; in the dim light, only pairs of expectant eyes were clear.

Zhu Yu originally just wanted to find a more comfortable position to lie in, as long as it didn’t pull at her wounds, but beyond the cursing of the star pirates, she heard those low chants, crying and calling her name; one by one, they gathered from a stream into a river, flowing in her slow pulse.

Zhu Yu, Zhu Yu!

Even in such a remote place, were there so many people who knew her?

Amidst the calls of the crowd, she suddenly heard a very familiar tone, “Xiao Yu?!”

Zhu Yu turned her face and saw Xiao Shan standing in the shadows; she was squeezed at the very front in surprise and anticipation, her eyes already full of tears.

Slaughterhouse Chen was gloating over her “killing the chicken to warn the monkey”; in such a way of killing two birds with one stone, could Zhu Yu still appear so indifferent?

However, the noisy crowd actually began to quiet down; everyone looked behind her in unison—not with fear, not with sadness—

Zhu Yu leaned against the bars, wriggling upward like a caterpillar.

By the time Slaughterhouse Chen realized something was wrong and hurriedly looked back, she was also shocked. The slender girl was already standing against the cage, slowly breaking into a radiant smile and waving to the crowd.

Is she crazy? How could she still stand up?!

Clearly a parade as a captive, but now she looked completely like a star in the limelight; the girl’s lips moved, her open palm clenched into a fist, and she made a gesture to the crowd.

Freedom—

The peace dove spread its wings and flew upward; this was something Xiao Shan had taught her; the inspecting supervisor in the nutrient factory was elusive, and signals when slacking off were indispensable.

Actually, what she wanted to say more was, don’t be afraid.

But her throat was too parched; as soon as she opened her mouth, she wanted to cough; even she wasn’t quite sure why she had to stand up; clearly, curling up and staying quiet would be safer and more in line with her philosophy of life.

But under the gaze of those sparkling eyes, she felt she should stand up, so she did, responding to that expectation.

Everyone held their breath, watching her slowly stand up; even in a wretched state, she was still resolute and confident.

Dignity, hope—her arms were the two ends of a scale.

It was hard for Xiao Shan to associate this somewhat timid girl, who was always thinking about what to eat for dinner, with the high-spirited Zhu Yu on television.

Although Zhu Yu always bore the title of a commoner, it was the first time it felt so real, right beside her, within reach.

Even though the star pirates were furious, kicking Zhu Yu’s knees from outside the cage, they couldn’t make her kneel or submit; she gripped the bars with her strong hands, the residual anesthesia making the pain very slow.

The shouts of the Imperial crowd gradually covered the sound of flesh and blood colliding.

I didn’t admit defeat, and I wasn’t abandoned.

So, please don’t give up either!

The sounds of clattering struggle rose one after another; chains can bind fear, but they cannot bind rage.

The scene was boiling, about to go out of control.

This result was the exact opposite of what was expected; Slaughterhouse Chen wiped her cold sweat and suddenly knocked Zhu Yu unconscious with a gunstock; blood flowed from the girl’s temple, and a layer of allure covered her dark eyes.

Before her head drooped, Zhu Yu’s consciousness was clearly not quite clear; her eyelids covered the weak light above; her aura suddenly dropped; with a slight glance from the shadows, her savagery and murderous intent surged, looking like a completely different person.

I. Remember. You.

But it was only for a blink; before the thin man could shiver and scream, she had already submissively lowered her eyes and fallen.

“Lock her in the second floor! Lock her with the Phoenix!” Slaughterhouse Chen barked the command, trying to hide her panic with a raspy voice.

Paradis Underground Second Floor.

Cold air spread to every corner of the darkness; the inverted pyramid was exactly like the structure above ground; for extreme luxury, go down one more level of hell.

White gold was laid as floor tiles, and antiques of different styles were everywhere, with labels carefully marking the numbers, including the pure gold cage at the deepest part.

Who knows how much time had passed.

The temperature here was low; Zhu Yu unconsciously moved toward the fluffy heat source beside her; closer still, even through the ice-cold bars, the other’s wings were warm.

“Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, wake up; are you okay?”

Her parched lips were moistened with warm water; Zhu Yu slowly opened her eyes, which lit up, “Xiao Shan!”

Her voice was raspy; she exhaled gently and saw a thin mist of white smoke, which was very strange in the summer, as if a part of her soul had flown away.

She leaned against the fluffy iron cage behind her, let Xiao Shan feed her water, looked around, and said nervously: “Why are you here? Will they make things difficult for you?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed feathers on the side of her cheek; Zhu Yu turned her face and was so scared she used both hands and feet to crawl back a few steps.

What a big, big bird!

Pure white wings covered its body; the bird remained motionless, shielding itself beneath its wings.

“They were afraid you would die and allowed me to come see you; sorry, only water could be brought in,” Xiao Shan blinked; actually, this was the result of their collective resistance, but the struggle only yielded a bowl of water…

Xiao Shan’s tragic sorrow was suppressed by Zhu Yu’s exaggerated reaction, “they call it the Phoenix; tonight’s grand finale auction is ‘The Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’.”

“Phoenix?” Zhu Yu leaned her face against the bars in surprise, pressing close to see more clearly.

“Don’t look; it’s an artificially modified experimental peacock; she doesn’t like to be disturbed.” Xiao Shan clenched her fists in humiliation, “I heard them say she hasn’t eaten or drunk for many days and can only be kept alive by forced injections of nutrient solution; she refuses to become a toy.”

The big white bird lay sickly, showing no reaction to the surrounding movements; beneath its heavy eyelids were a pair of murky, pitch-black eyes.

Zhu Yu glimpsed intense loneliness and sorrow from its gaze and said softly: “Don’t be afraid.”

Her fingers moved, making that gesture symbolizing freedom again, and she blinked at Xiao Shan.

Xiao Shan also blinked, a tacit understanding like making small gestures in class.

Zhu Yu was completely unaware that she had also become a character trusted by others; she signaled with her eyes to the small pocket in her shirt; Xiao Shan stole a glance at the movements of the guards outside the glass and quickly did as Zhu Yu indicated, feeling a small parcel from the hidden pocket.

Xiao Shan held her breath, feeling as if she had received a mission, her hands shaking with excitement: “This is…!”

Zhu Yu was very happy: “Snacks; let’s share and eat them.”

Xiao Shan: …

A moment later, she smiled helplessly and opened the parcel; the piece on top even had sharp tooth marks on it.

This was given by the oriole’s family; Bai Shuzhou hadn’t eaten much, so Zhu Yu wrapped the rest, planning to munch on them slowly on the way; she didn’t expect them to come in handy here.

She naturally yet deliberately took the piece Bai Shuzhou had bitten, harboring a little thought no one else knew.

The pastries were flattened, but fortunately, it didn’t affect the eating; the quality of the greaseproof paper was unexpectedly good; sesame and sweet filling rolled on her tongue, and Zhu Yu showed a happy smile.

She reached her hand through the cage and tentatively poked the white bird, “do you want to eat? It’s very delicious; you only have strength after eating your fill…”

The white bird instinctively dodged, its dark pupils reflecting Zhu Yu’s wretched state.

Xiao Shan gave a friendly reminder: “You poked its butt.”

Zhu Yu: “Oh, oh, oh! Sorry, I didn’t know.”

She persisted in handing over the fragrant snacks; the white bird hesitated for a long time and only slowly transformed into human form to take the pastry after seeing both Zhu Yu and Xiao Shan had eaten.

Contrary to its huge beast form, after transforming, she was just a thin girl who looked about the same age as Zhu Yu; even her eyelashes were white, her long hair reached the ground, and her ankles were rubbed red and bleeding by the chains.

Zhu Yu saw her white hair and was stunned, involuntarily thinking of Bai Shuzhou in her mind; but the two were very different; the white bird made smacking sounds while eating and even carefully licked the crumbs off her fingers afterward.

Zhu Yu’s nose felt sour; she took the last bite and stuffed the remaining pastries to her all at once.

Zhu Yu saw that the guards didn’t stop them, so she hooked her finger again, leaned close to Xiao Shan’s ear, and whispered: “Don’t be afraid; the Princess has gone back; she will definitely come to save us!”

Xiao Shan was silent for a moment and asked softly: “But they say the white bird escaped from an Imperial laboratory; is that true?”

“I don’t believe their words, but at first, the white bird hated Imperials even more than star pirates.”

“…”

Zhu Yu’s pupils trembled; facing Xiao Shan’s expectant gaze, she wanted to deny it immediately and curse it all as star pirate lies and sowing discord!

But she truly remembered that the Imperial Royal Academy of Sciences indeed had live experiments, especially researching those with abilities. Humans had established themselves in the vast universe by relying on genetic modification; once they tasted sweetness, they would become unstoppable.