Mr. Holt could no longer force a smile.
Quinn locked his position with pinpoint accuracy, his gaze as cold and sharp as a dagger, pressing hard against Mr. Holt's throat.
Terrified, the crest of feathers drooping behind Mr. Holt's head bristled on instinct.
Mr. Holt retreated behind a group of guards. "General, please, let me explain..."
The guards' legs were shaking.
The rain failed to wash away the danger lurking in the air; they were terrified of facing a legendary figure of the legions head-on.
After retiring, they had turned their backs on their faith and forgotten their oaths beneath the banner, taking immense pride in being hired as bodyguards for the Holt Family.
They relished the feeling of commoners looking up at them.
Accustomed to following Mr. Holt in a life of lawless tyranny and unbridled arrogance, it had been a very long time since they had come this close to death.
At that moment, their minds were in complete disarray, and the simple act of drawing their weapons to defend themselves became desperately clumsy.
Quinn hooked the corner of his lips with a strange fascination.
This expression did not soften the cold, hard lines of his face; instead, it looked like a sharp blade sliding out of its scabbard, radiating pure aggression.
Without warning, Quinn shifted into his beast form, silently darting through the cluster of guards like a straight arrow, his razor-sharp claws striking their target dead center.
After a single, miserable scream, Mr. Holt—surrounded and heavily protected—had one of his eyes blinded just like that.
Blood oozed from between Mr. Holt's fingers, dripping down his cheek until half his face was drenched in crimson, looking utterly horrifying.
Quinn leisurely shifted back into his human form, wiping his hands with a silk handkerchief. "You dare lay a hand on the Alpha King's pet?"
Mr. Holt clenched his back molars, concealing his malice.
The person before him was the empire's youngest Lieutenant General, hailed by the entire populace as the sharpest blade in the hands of the Alpha King.
If not for the fact that his father, the current marshal, had committed no major faults, the position of marshal would have fallen to Quinn.
Quinn excelled most at unearthing rotting, filthy roots; any family targeted by Quinn would be dragged out and baked naked under the scorching sun.
Those families had spent years becoming the laughingstock of the public.
The medals pinned to the chest of Quinn's black military uniform had been forged from countless lives.
Leaving aside the feared wielder of the blade, Quinn alone was simply not someone he could afford to provoke.
No matter how furious Mr. Holt felt inside, on the surface he remained devout. "It was I who was blind and failed to recognize the King's pet. Please forgive me."
Quinn glanced down at Yuxing. "Do you accept?"
Yuxing shook her head. "No."
Mr. Holt forced down the surging resentment threatening to spill over. "As long as the two of you can forgive my unintentional offense, I am willing even if I lose my other eye."
Yuxing thought about it carefully. "Never mind the eye, but I happen to be missing a personal vehicle."
Quinn: "..."
I already drew my knife, and all you want is this?
Knowing when to yield, Mr. Holt handed over a space capsule. "This is the newest model of flyer I bought for my cousin. It suits you perfectly."
Yuxing took it.
Seeing this, Mr. Holt secretly mocked himself for having a blind day of his own, actually mistaking a money-grubbing vulgarity for a muse.
What a pity.
This vulgar creature was untouchable.
Otherwise, he would have given her a thorough lesson.
He had just taken two steps back when Yuxing spoke up in a calm, flat tone, "Who said you could leave?"
Mr. Holt's smile froze on his face. "You accepted my apology gift—doesn't that mean you've forgiven me?"
Yuxing spread her hands. "In theory, yes, but I'm not a person who accepts theory."
Quinn: "..."
She managed to make unashamed shamelessness sound so fresh and refined.
Well, fine.
He hadn't planned on letting this fellow off lightly anyway.
Suddenly, Mr. Holt's attitude hardened.
"Who dares touch me?"
"My father is the Empire's Marshal. He has fought for the empire for decades, and the previous Alpha King personally granted him supreme immunity."
"General, even you are not qualified to put me on trial!"
This was the source of his confidence, the reason he felt no fear despite violating the Interstellar Human-Pet Protection Act.
Quinn.
He was merely a slave who had crawled up from the very bottom; what part of his family background, qualifications, or experience could possibly compare to his?
He had shown weakness because he understood current affairs.
That didn't mean Quinn had any capital to be proud of.
Yuxing couldn't help reminding him not to be too arrogant: "The promise the previous Alpha King made to you was to your family, not the current one."
Mr. Holt sneered. "Sophistry!"
Yuxing raised her middle finger at the red-haired birdman. "The previous one is already dead; I suggest you head on down and take your grievances up with him. Brother Dog, go get him."
Quinn: "..."
No rush.
He had already pulled a number.
The King would arrive momentarily.
At the same time, he couldn't help wondering: his beast form was clearly an imposing owl, so where on earth was he like a dog?
Instead of getting angry, Mr. Holt laughed. "General, are you just going to let her slander the King? Can a mere pet represent the royal family—"
Mid-sentence, Mr. Holt fell silent.
Enduring the agonizing pain in his left eye, he used his good eye to fixate on the figure that had materialized out of thin air behind the human-pet.
The abyss-like blue eyes seemed to contain a violent tornado, carrying with them overwhelming waves that smashed him to pieces.
The fear embedded deep within his bones stiffened his body, forcing him to submit to the warning alarms of his genetics as he dropped to his knees, pressing his head low to the ground.
"Quinn said someone was bullying my pet."
Warm breath spilled over Yuxing's earlobe, the voice carrying a slightly hoarse magnetism, muffled deep in his throat.
The voice spoke right beside her, sounding remarkably pleased with itself.
Enveloped by a scent both unfamiliar and familiar, Yuxing instinctively turned her head.
Before she could see clearly, a large hand covered her eyes, the moisture of rainwater still lingering between the fingers.
Shortly after, a miserable scream rang out.
Yuxing hurriedly batted away the hand blocking her vision.
The distance ahead was completely empty, save for half a broken wing lying in a pool of mixed blood and rainwater.
Yuxing looked astonished. "He actually got away!"
Ornada didn't seem surprised. "He triggered a life-saving mechanism some old bastard left for his son."
The tentacles had already marked the prey.
He had been poisoned.
Even if he didn't die, he would be half-crippled.
Seeing the pet fall silent, Ornado assumed she was unsatisfied with the outcome and narrowed his eyes. "What are you thinking about?"
Yuxing gripped the space capsule tightly and unconsciously blurted out what was on her mind: "Congratulations to President Yu for paying in full for a brand new luxury flyer!"
Ornada: "..."
He cast a gloomy look at Quinn.
Is this what you taught her?
Quinn shook his head frantically.
Heaven and earth as my witness!
It has nothing to do with me!
This one is simply gifted by nature!
The naturally gifted Yuxing put away the space capsule and put on an expression of deep concern for her feeder. "Are you finished with your business?"
Ornada fell into deep contemplation; by the time he rushed over, the high-security criminals in the Water Prison had vanished without a trace.
The Water Prison was warped and charred, as if a demon had been playing games with the mortal world, thrusting a plague-like hellfire straight into the ashes.
In the end, the blue flames were gradually strangled to death by the rain.
Ornada stood atop the ruins, just preparing to begin tracking, when Quinn's message popped up.
Sensitively picking up on the King's low pressure, Quinn tiptoed forward. "Your Majesty, did that fellow escape?"
Ornada nodded.
Quinn drew a sharp breath. "The High Priest really knows her stuff. She predicted we couldn't keep her locked up, and sure enough, we couldn't."
Ornada maintained a poker face.
Quinn manually zipped his mouth shut.
Yuxing looked left and right. "What riddles are you two speaking in?"