Chapter 54: Kidnapping
The bedchamber gradually quieted, leaving only the young emperor’s breathing sounds.
Su Xiao leaped down from the ceiling cavity, landing silently in a half-crouch, his long coat spreading across the floor behind him.
Walking slowly through the room, Su Xiao stepped lightly onto the dozen-meter-wide bed.
The young emperor was sleeping deeply; he was too exhausted.
There were definitely guards outside the bedchamber. It was better to abduct the young emperor first.
Taking out a thumb-sized medicine bottle, Su Xiao placed it near the young emperor’s mouth and nose, gently fanning the bottle’s opening with his palm.
After a dozen seconds, the young emperor’s head lolled to the side, drool spilling from his lips.
This wasn’t an anesthetic, but an ultra-potent sleeping aid. If consumed directly, it wouldn’t just knock out the young emperor—even an elephant would sleep to death.
Su Xiao didn’t want to use anesthetics on the young emperor. The boy’s body was too weak; if he died, it would be troublesome.
Hoisting the young emperor onto his shoulder, Su Xiao grabbed a pile of nearby clothes and the test tube by the pillow. He moved to the opening in the ceiling, leaped up, and climbed back into the crawlspace.
Carrying the young emperor to the roof of the bedchamber, Su Xiao ran quickly across the tiles toward a pre-selected location.
It seemed easy to kidnap the young emperor, but Su Xiao had only passed the strictest checkpoint in the palace by using his identity as a member of the Hunting Unit.
If the capital weren’t in the midst of war, infiltrating the palace would never have been this simple.
A general was permanently stationed in the palace, known as General Bud.
General Bud’s strength was second only to Esdeath’s. The two had never formally fought, but at best, it would be a four-to-six split—Bud four, Esdeath six. This showed the general’s power.
General Bud was rigid in character, commanding the palace’s elite guards, serving the empire wholeheartedly. He was even rude to the Minister, earning him the title “Old Fossil” from Esdeath and the Minister.
The stubborn General Bud always followed ancestral teachings, believing that military officials should not interfere in state affairs. That was why he turned a blind eye to the Minister and Esdeath’s actions.
General Bud was a Teigu user; his Teigu was the Thunder God’s Wrath: Adrammelech. Like Esdeath’s Teigu, it was an elemental Teigu that could control lightning.
If General Bud were in the palace, the area around the young emperor’s bedchamber would be covered in static electricity nets. Secretly infiltrating would be a pipe dream.
Now, General Bud had already rushed to the capital’s city wall battle line.
This was why Su Xiao had delayed infiltrating the palace. He didn’t know where the contractors from the Night Raid were, and the contractors on the capital’s side were all under General Bud’s command.
Now that General Bud was personally at the front lines, those contractors had no choice but to follow.
Of course, the contractors wouldn’t stay obediently on the front lines, but returning to the palace would still take time.
Su Xiao arrived at an isolated spot, entered an empty hall used to store worthless junk, which required no guards.
Finding a cracked oil lamp and lighting it, Su Xiao triggered the spool on his left wrist, releasing two meters of Realm Severing Thread.
Wrapping the Realm Severing Thread around the young emperor’s neck, Su Xiao could now cut off the boy’s head at any moment.
Su Xiao pinched the young emperor’s philtrum hard. The young emperor groaned a few times, his eyelids twitching before opening.
“Hmm? Where is this?”
The young emperor looked around in confusion.
“Where is the activation key for the Supreme Teigu?”
Su Xiao stood in the darkness, the dim oil lamp illuminating his eyes—those pitch-black pupils stood out sharply in the shadows.
“Who do you think you… You villain, how dare you—”
The young emperor immediately realized what was happening. Just as he was about to shout, he felt a slight sting on his neck.
“Go ahead and shout. Shout once, and I’ll cut off one of your fingers. If your fingers run out, I’ll use your toes.”
The young emperor struggled inwardly for a moment but ultimately chose not to shout. The sharp sensation on his neck made it clear that his head could be separated from his body at any moment.
“Villain, even if you get the activation key for the Supreme Teigu, it’s useless. I can give you money. Disappear from my sight immediately.”
Although the young emperor was weak, years of being worshipped had given him some imperial bearing—he was just a pushover in front of the Minister and Esdeath.
“Money? Hah. The ‘money’ I want, you can’t give. You like women, don’t you? Take me to get the activation key for the Supreme Teigu. Otherwise, you’ll never be interested in women again.”
Su Xiao pulled out a dagger. Time was tight; he had no time for psychological torture. Direct threats were more effective.
“Wait, I agree. Don’t… don’t come near me.”
The young emperor instinctively stepped back, but the sting on his neck intensified.
The Realm Severing Thread was tied around the young emperor’s neck, the other end connected to the spool on Su Xiao’s wrist. The scene looked somewhat like walking a dog.
“Put on proper clothes. Lead the way.”
Su Xiao tossed the young emperor’s clothes to him. Walking through the palace in pajamas would arouse suspicion.
“If you see a guard, you can choose to call for help. I’ll kill you then escape their pursuit.”
The young emperor, who was putting on his clothes, had a hint of disdain in his eyes. He planned to call for help when he saw a powerful guard.
Once dressed, the young emperor walked ahead, Su Xiao behind him, the two leaving the hall one after the other.
The Realm Severing Thread was hard to detect. At this moment, Su Xiao looked like the young emperor’s guard.
Stepping out of the hall, moonlight fell on Su Xiao’s face. The young emperor turned his head and froze.
“You are General Esdeath’s subordinate. Why are you doing this?”
A hint of despair crept into the young emperor’s eyes. He had seen Su Xiao’s skills; the man wasn’t bluffing. After killing him, he could indeed escape.
“Stop wasting time. Just take me to the activation key for the Supreme Teigu. I’ll spare your life after I get it.”
Su Xiao smiled at the young emperor. He no longer had to pretend to be that damn Dark Division member or act like a stoic.
“Alright… fine.”
The young emperor visibly calmed down.
“By the way, let me remind you: if you don’t cooperate, after I kill you, I’ll go kill the Minister too.”
The young emperor was clearly struck at a sore spot—the Minister was the person closest to him.
What a naive and pitiful boy.
“I’ll give you the activation key for the Supreme Teigu. But you must not harm the Minister, and you have to let me go.”
The young emperor gritted his teeth, his face turning fierce under the moonlight.
The reason the young emperor agreed so readily to retrieve the activation key was that activating the Supreme Teigu required royal blood. Even if an outsider got the key, it was useless. It would only take a year or two to remake the key. The key wasn’t the key point—the Supreme Teigu itself was impossible to replicate.
“That’s more like it. Don’t waste time. Move!”
The young emperor reluctantly walked ahead, heading toward the center of the palace. The activation key for the Supreme Teigu was located near the Supreme Teigu itself.
The so-called Supreme Teigu was somewhat like an ultra-large robot, standing over a hundred meters tall.
The Supreme Teigu couldn’t move. It was usually hidden within the palace, partially underground. When a royal family member activated it, the Supreme Teigu would burst forth from beneath the palace.
An immobile Supreme Teigu was like a massive cannon, capable of firing extremely powerful lasers with a range covering the entire capital. Those powerful lasers could level the capital within five minutes.
The Supreme Teigu was the pinnacle of the empire’s alchemical technology. The empire’s alchemical technology had once flourished but later disappeared for unknown reasons.
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