The atmosphere in the living room had grown unnaturally quiet.
Old Master Lu sat on the sofa gripping his cane, his face ashen with anger. Lu Jia, Lu Yi, Lu Bing, and Lu Ding had been beaten so badly that they could barely stand. Now they collapsed on the floor, their bodies limp. None of them dared cry out, yet low groans rose and fell one after another.
Their parents were heartbroken watching them like this, but none of them dared step forward.
Because Lu Bieling was sitting opposite Old Master Lu.
His expression was icy as he casually played with a fruit knife he had taken from the dining table. It was also he who had ordered Lu Jia, Lu Yi, Lu Bing, and Lu Ding to kneel on the ground and not get up.
Meanwhile, Pu Xin, who was at the center of the whole incident, was still immersed in the joy of being called “Mom” by her little one.
Holding the apple Lu Xunzhi had stuffed into her mouth, she happily crunched away. Every now and then she stole a glance at her little one, clearly itching to snuggle up to him.
The only sound in the living room was her eating fruit.
The crisp crunch felt especially abrupt in the silence, and Old Master Lu’s face grew darker and darker.
Crunch!
Pu Xin bit off another piece of apple. Juice trickled down from the corner of her lips. Lu Xunzhi immediately wiped it away for her, and she smiled at him with crescent-shaped eyes while chewing her apple.
The sight of this loving mother and dutiful son only made Old Master Lu’s face turn even darker.
He slammed his cane twice against the floor. “What a nerve! To commit violence inside the Lu residence!”
He did not specify who he meant, but everyone knew he was referring to Pu Xin.
Pu Xin turned her head toward him with the apple still in her mouth. Suddenly she remembered what Lu Xunzhi had reminded her before they came here, and her expression immediately turned serious as she nodded firmly.
Lu Xunzhi: “?”
Everyone else in the living room: “………………”
Such nerve. She even dared to nod!
After nodding, Pu Xin felt she had successfully completed her task. She took another crunchy bite of apple and even tilted her head toward Lu Xunzhi, silently asking him to wipe the juice from her mouth again.
The corner of his mouth twitched. He suspected he had once again accidentally activated some strange switch in his silly mother, but he still obediently fulfilled his responsibility of taking care of her.
Old Master Lu had not even recovered from Pu Xin’s solemn nod before seeing Lu Xunzhi’s behavior. The anger in his chest could no longer be contained.
“Lu Bieling! Is this how you raise your son? No respect for elders!” He glared at Lu Bieling before sharply pointing his cane at Pu Xin. “And this woman! Have you lost your mind? Consorting with an alien species and even giving birth to an illegitimate child!”
Others might not have heard the news yet, but Old Master Lu had spent decades navigating military and political circles. Even though he had retired, he still had eyes everywhere and ears everywhere. Lu Xunzhi’s high-profile actions at the Federal Security Bureau had already reached him long ago. It was only because Lu Bieling had shielded him that he had not spoken up.
Now that the opportunity had arrived, how could he not question it?
The information contained in his words was simply too explosive. Everyone else was stunned.
They stared at Lu Bieling in disbelief, then turned to look at Lu Xunzhi, who had stopped moving because of Old Master Lu’s words, and at Pu Xin, who seemed completely unaffected.
Someone quietly sucked in a breath, unable to believe that the most outrageous rumor was actually true.
As for Lu Bieling, he was still holding the fruit knife. At some point he had even picked up a red apple and was slowly peeling it.
His calm and unhurried demeanor left everyone looking at each other in confusion. Old Master Lu felt as if his punch had landed on cotton, leaving him powerless.
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Lu Xunzhi’s previously relaxed mood, thanks to Pu Xin, was completely ruined. He did not mind others calling him an illegitimate child, nor did he care about being mixed-blood, but he could not tolerate Old Master Lu treating Pu Xin with such contempt.
Although they had not spent much time together, he could clearly feel Pu Xin’s concern and love for him.
She had just entered the human world and was as innocent as a child, yet she trusted him without reservation. She was not afraid that he might have grown crooked during the past twenty years, nor that he might despise or reject her because she was an alien species.
“What do you mean ‘this woman’? My mom has a name. The Federation has officially passed the Interracial Marriage Act and the Racial Harmony Act. Second Grandpa, are you a racist?”
His tone was neither soft nor harsh, yet the words pierced directly toward Old Master Lu.
It was the first time Lu Xunzhi had ever talked back to him. Old Master Lu was stunned. His chest heaved with anger, and he found Lu Xunzhi even more displeasing. Just as he was about to put on the authority of the family head to lecture him, Lu Bieling suddenly lifted his eyes.
The coldness in his gaze seemed capable of penetrating bone.
Dressed in his marshal’s uniform, Lu Bieling carried an authority that could not be ignored. Though he was technically the younger generation, the pressure he exerted made Old Master Lu feel as though he could barely breathe.
He said calmly, “Second Uncle, if my elder brothers don’t know how to educate their children, I wouldn’t mind helping.”
His cold words were like tiles frozen by the winter wind, capable of freezing clear water solid.
Lu Jia, Lu Yi, Lu Bing, and Lu Ding, who had long since stopped groaning because of the tense atmosphere, stiffened in fear upon hearing this.
Lu Bieling let out a faint, ambiguous snort. No one could tell whether he was sneering at their cowardice or dissatisfied with certain people’s behavior in the room.
Avoiding someone’s edge did not mean fear. He simply had not cared about Old Master Lu’s attitude before, considering him an elder and not worth arguing over trivial matters.
Now it seemed his restraint had instead become the capital for others to act recklessly.
He stabbed the half-peeled apple with the knife and tossed both fruit and blade into the fruit tray. The apple landed squarely inside. The knife spun once before coming to rest with its handle facing Old Master Lu, the exposed blade flashing with a cold gleam.
Old Master Lu’s eyes widened. The unease in his heart intensified. Those with weaker nerves had already begun to show fear.
Seemingly satisfied with his aim, Lu Bieling adjusted the golden cords on his uniform and turned his gaze toward the four people sprawled on the ground.
“Men in their thirties, still loafing around at home, taking pleasure in bullying their brother. Getting beaten is nothing more than what you deserve.”
“For years I’ve been busy fighting on the front lines and had no time to deal with matters in the Marshal’s residence. Now it seems some people have started treating the Marshal’s residence as their own backyard, ignoring my son and casually bringing in people of unknown background. If Xunzhi’s mother hadn’t been here today, would the Federation be issuing an obituary for the Marshal tomorrow?”
His cold words stabbed into Old Master Lu’s chest like sharp ice. The old man’s eyes widened in shock.
“What do you mean by that?” he demanded in disbelief.
Demi-humans had indeed infiltrated the Marshal’s residence, but the situation had not seemed serious enough to assassinate Lu Bieling. Besides, the disguised woman had visited before…
And that was exactly what made it terrifying.
Realizing this, Old Master Lu’s pupils shrank.
Lu Bieling sneered. “Su Kai! Starting today, move the Lu residence out of the Marshal’s estate. Without my permission, no unrelated people are allowed to enter.”
He had completely refused to give Old Master Lu any face. He intended to drive the entire Lu family out of the Marshal’s residence.
Old Master Lu was furious. “Lu Bieling! Even if Jinyu makes mistakes, you can’t be so heartless. If you make us move out, how will others view the Lu family? Don’t forget your surname is Lu too!”
Lu Bieling responded by throwing a document at him.
On the cover were the words: Top Secret–Ministry of National Defense.
Old Master Lu fell silent. A sense of foreboding piled up in his chest.
Lu Bieling stood and said, “Read that before talking to me about the Lu family. Xunzhi, we won’t be eating this meal today. Take your mother back first. Don’t let her go hungry.”
From their earlier conversation that morning, Lu Xunzhi already knew what kind of trouble the Lu family had stirred up. If Lu Bieling had not been the Federal Marshal and the one who ordered the investigation, every member of the Lu family would already be sitting in a Federal prison.
He took Pu Xin’s hand, who was still munching on her apple. If one had to describe it, it was like leading a cat by the paw as he guided her out of the living room.
As they reached the garden, Pu Xin suddenly seemed to sense something.
She looked back at the living room, her emerald-green eyes blinking as she tugged at Lu Xunzhi’s hand and whispered, “Zhizhi… there are…”
She hesitated, apparently searching for the right word. After a few seconds, under Lu Xunzhi’s questioning gaze, she said, “So many strange alien species…”
“Just like… like the Devil Flower from earlier.”
Her voice was muffled because she was still chewing her apple.
Lu Xunzhi’s eyes widened slightly. Just as he was about to speak, a loud crash of shattering glass came from the living room.
Just like the Devil Flower.
That meant they weren’t an alien species.
They were Demi-humans fused with alien genes.
“Stay here and don’t move! If anyone tries to hurt you, call the flowers in the garden to protect you like before. I’m going to check what’s happening!”
Lu Xunzhi hurriedly dropped those words and rushed back inside without looking back.
The once luxurious living room was now in chaos.
The chandelier hanging from the ceiling had been struck by something and shattered halfway, crashing to the floor and hitting someone. Dark red blood spread across the ground, and the stench of it filled the entire room.
Lu Bieling stood ten meters away with a cold expression.
Old Master Lu stood beside him in disarray. His cane was gone, his arm bleeding, his expression still confused as if he had not yet realized what had happened.
Su Kai and several guards had already drawn their energy guns. Energy rounds burst out and formed a tearing net of electric currents that shot toward a member of the Lu family whose mouth had split open, revealing a scarlet tongue.
The other members of the Lu family screamed in terror.
Yet one after another, some of them lost their original forms, revealing the traits unique to Demi-humans.
Once transformed, they completely lost their sanity. Their long red tongues lashed out, wrapping around living people beside them and swallowing them whole.
Lu Bieling’s gaze grew colder.
The Devil Flower Demi-human caught in the energy net seemed barely affected. With a flick of its long tongue, the blue arcs of electricity vanished instantly.
Its scarlet eyes rotated until they locked onto Lu Bieling. The horrifying mouth emitted greedy rasping sounds like a zombie that had spotted fresh meat.
“What skill,” Lu Bieling said lightly. “To silently assimilate so many people into Demi-humans.”
There was no hint of praise in his voice, only mockery.
He had not paid much attention to the Lu family, but that did not mean he was completely unaware. There were people loyal to him inside the Marshal’s residence. Yet for years none of them had discovered any trace of Demi-human activity. It showed just how deeply the enemy had hidden themselves.
If Pu Xin had not come today and exposed the Devil Flower Demi-human, he might not have realized so quickly that the Lu family had practically been replaced from within.
Compared to that, what the Ministry of National Defense had discovered seemed trivial.
“Lu… Bieling…” a hoarse voice crawled out from the Devil Flower Demi-human’s huge mouth, sticky and nauseating.
“You killed… so many of our kind. I only ate a few useless people you never cared about. That was doing you a favor… Since you’ve discovered us today… I might as well taste what a Federal Marshal tastes like…”
Its mouth opened and closed as its scarlet tongue writhed. Transparent saliva dripped down, corroding the floor.
Almost the instant it finished speaking, the Devil Flower’s disk suddenly expanded. Its tongue lashed toward Lu Bieling.
Lu Xunzhi, who had just rushed into the living room, snorted coldly.
The curved blade at his waist left its sheath. In a flash of steel and lightning, a sharp slice cut the Devil Flower’s tongue clean off. As the blade spun back, several more swift slashes followed, slicing the elongated tongue into multiple pieces that thudded onto the floor.
The dagger made of special materials suppressed alien species. So far, Lu Xunzhi had never encountered an alien that could completely withstand his twin blades.
Lu Bieling remained standing where he was. Watching the Devil Flower shriek in pain after losing its tongue, he mocked lightly, “You can’t even beat my son, yet you want my life?”
Lu Xunzhi’s eyelids twitched.
Others might not know, but as his son he knew very well that Lu Bieling was not bluffing when he had warned Old Master Lu earlier. If Demi-humans managed to reach him, they might truly kill him.
Lu Bieling possessed powerful spiritual power but had never awakened an ability. On the battlefield against the insect race he was unstoppable, yet his spiritual power had little effect on alien species or Demi-humans fused with alien genes.
Simply put, against the insect race that feared spiritual attacks, Lu Bieling was like a father.
Against alien species, however, he was practically useless.
That was why Lu Xunzhi had rushed in without hesitation.
The Devil Flower Demi-human, having lost its tongue, would not let the matter rest. Its flower disk shook violently as the remaining half of the tongue retracted inside. Foul saliva bubbled outward, and before long a new tongue shot out from the disk, even uglier than before and now covered in black barbs.
Meanwhile, more and more members of the Lu family transformed into Devil Flowers. Those who did not transform collapsed in terror, only for their bodies to be pierced by the plants’ roots as their blood was drained away.
Lu Xunzhi’s face darkened.
Even with his formidable combat strength, he had never faced so many Demi-humans at once. Worse still, Lu Bieling stood beside him, someone the Demi-humans hated deeply yet who could hardly suppress them.
If a real fight broke out, Lu Xunzhi might not be able to protect him.
He made a decision instantly.
“Su Kai, take Father and leave. I’ll handle this!”
Before coming in he had already sent a message to the guards within the Marshal’s residence. He only needed to stall for time. None of the Demi-humans here would escape.
Su Kai clearly understood the seriousness of the situation. Just as he moved to escort Lu Bieling away, he suddenly noticed that the blood flowing from Old Master Lu’s injured arm had turned black.
Before he could react, a gunshot rang out.
Old Master Lu’s eyes rolled back, showing only blackened whites. The remnants of his consciousness made him glare viciously at Lu Bieling.
Lu Bieling stood there like eternal ice from the coldest land, emotionless and unfeeling. He looked at him coldly, then turned the gun toward the remaining members of the Lu family in the room.
Whether they had transformed into Devil Flower Demi-humans or not, he shot them all dead.
Lu Xunzhi’s eyes widened slightly.
In that brief moment of distraction, several Devil Flower Demi-humans seized their chance. Their scarlet tongues lashed forward like whips.
A foul wind spread.
With only two daggers, Lu Xunzhi could not fend off so many Devil Flowers.
He drew his energy gun. Dense energy rounds burst from the barrel, buying him some breathing room. But the Devil Flower Demi-humans had no intention of letting him go. Even as the bullets caused brief paralysis and stiffness in their tongues, they still lunged forward to swallow him whole.
Gritting his teeth, Lu Xunzhi controlled his blades while dodging attacks awkwardly.
There were simply too many enemies.
Even with Su Kai and the others assisting, the pressure was immense.
Bang!
Lu Xunzhi failed to dodge in time. A piece of furniture flung by a giant tongue slammed into him. Pain instantly spread through his entire arm.
Broken! “Zhizhi!”
The crisp cry rang out. Lu Xunzhi’s heart jolted.
Lu Bieling pulled him up from the floor and fired a shot at the massive tongue that had suddenly stopped in midair as it lunged toward them.
“Your mom came to save you.”
Lu Bieling’s icy tone made it sound like he was telling a dry joke.
“Zhizhi!”
A fresh, sweet scent drifted over.
Lu Xunzhi was suddenly wrapped in a soft embrace.
Pu Xin rushed in and hugged him tightly without hesitation.
Lu Bieling tactfully let go.
Lu Xunzhi ended up buried in Pu Xin’s arms. Helpless, he said softly, “I’m fine. Didn’t I tell you to stay outside? Why did you come in?”
He knew his mother was powerful, but he also knew that suppressing powerful alien species was never as simple as saying a few light words.
Using abilities too much could cause irreversible damage. Just earlier she had controlled the flowers throughout the garden to help. He was afraid she might get hurt.
What answered him was quiet sobbing.
And large, transparent pearl-like tears.
Lu Xunzhi froze. His silly mom had started crying again.
Flustered, he tried to wipe the tears from her eyes but accidentally tugged the wound on his arm and hissed in pain.
Pu Xin’s tears fell even faster.
She sniffled softly, her emerald-green eyes filled with tears like ripples spreading across a vast emerald lake.
Lu Xunzhi felt terribly guilty. He patted her shoulder clumsily and tried to comfort her.
“I… it’s just a small injury. It’s nothing. I’ll lie in the medical pod later and it’ll be fine. Back when I fought the insect race I nearly lost my life. But I’m still here, right?”
He thought that would comfort her.
Instead her tears fell even harder.
He fell silent, not knowing how to soothe his crying mother.
Then he noticed the ground beginning to tremble.
Lu Bieling frowned too. Thinking the Demi-humans had arranged something else within the Marshal’s residence, he immediately said, “Leave first. Whatever it is, we’ll talk later—”
Before he could finish, an enormous army of plants thundered into the room.
Their roots stomped across the floor like the marching of thousands of soldiers.
The once elegant flowers from the garden now looked as though they had been given a berserk enhancement. Every bloom had opened with dazzling brilliance.
Within seconds the spacious living room was filled with flowers.
The remaining few people stared in shock as these beautiful “ladies” plunged their roots into the bodies of the Devil Flower Demi-humans.
Lu Xunzhi’s throat tightened.
“Stop! Demi-human genes and bodily fluids are highly infectious. It could cause genetic invasion—”
Before he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong.
Unlike violent alien species that devoured flesh and stole genes, these flowers absorbed the Devil Flowers’ life force through their roots.
Within seconds, the Devil Flower Demi-humans were completely drained of vitality.
The precious flowers retracted their roots with lingering satisfaction. Their leaves had grown twice as thick, their blossoms even more beautiful.
Tilting their heads, they lined up neatly.
Pu Xin slowly released Lu Xunzhi. She drew the dagger from his waist and cut open his sleeve. Seeing the wound red and swollen made tears gather in her eyes again.
Lu Xunzhi quickly raised his uninjured hand and gently pressed beneath her eyelid with his fingertip.
“It doesn’t hurt at all,” he coaxed softly.
In response, her soft finger poked his wound.
The force was light, yet it made him suck in a sharp breath.
Meeting Pu Xin’s puffed-cheek glare, Lu Xunzhi immediately fell silent.
After poking him, Pu Xin’s heart softened again. She gently blew on his injured arm.
The flower at the front of the line hurried forward eagerly and offered up its plump leaf, carefully pressing it against Lu Xunzhi’s wound.
A cool sensation spread from the injury, easing the pain slightly.
After finishing, the flower rubbed against Pu Xin’s ankle happily before trotting back to the flowerbed on its roots.
The next flower stepped forward and repeated the same action.
Lu Bieling watched this strange tribute-like ritual without blinking.
After some thought, he shamelessly stretched out his own hand toward Pu Xin.
“I’m injured too.”
Little dandelion Pu Xin glanced at him and wrinkled her nose.
“Daddy, lying will set a bad example for children.”
She turned back to Lu Xunzhi, eyes still watery.
“Zhizhi, it’s all Mom’s fault. Because of me you have to stay with a daddy who lies and still needs you to protect him.”
Lu Bieling: “?”
Lu Xunzhi couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
He realized his mom was a mysterious creature.
Soft and clingy, always acting spoiled like a little girl who had never grown up.
Yet she crushed anyone or anything that tried to hurt him.