Cecil was in a complicated mood as they left the nightclub. He should have been happy to have found the Golden Spirit Gene so smoothly, but the thought of the other person’s identity filled him with wariness.

’Of all the times for this guy to show up, why now? Don’t tell me he wants to compete with me for Lu Xia’s affection?’

A sense of crisis washed over Cecil. "Lu Xia, are you really going to meet him? He should be the one coming to see you. Why should you have to go to him?"

Lu Xia looked at Cecil’s sullen face, amused. "Because he’s the one who sent us the Golden Spirit Gene. Isn’t that reason enough?"

Cecil couldn’t argue with that logic. After all, he wasn’t ignorant of how rare the Golden Spirit Gene was, and acquiring it for a mere five million was practically impossible. Still, he felt a knot of displeasure in his stomach. He would rather have spent far more money than have Lu Xia be indebted to this person.

He hadn’t even completely won Lu Xia’s affection for himself yet, and now some other guy was popping up to compete with him. How could Cecil possibly be okay with that?

"Lu Xia, will you like him more than me?"

Lu Xia found his question rather amusing. She hadn’t even met the person, yet Cecil was already feeling threatened.

She couldn’t help but reassure him. "Cecil, I don’t think of him that way. And I still like you more."

Even though it wasn’t exactly the answer he wanted, Lu Xia’s words still pleased Cecil.

Because Lu Xia hadn’t lied just to placate him.

"I’ll make sure you always like me," Cecil declared firmly. "I’ll never let some newcomer surpass me!"

Amused by his adorable display, Lu Xia couldn’t resist reaching out to pat his head. "Yes, Cecil is the sweetest."

Cecil basked in her affection. He leaned in, nuzzling her arm intimately before pulling her into a hug and announcing loudly, "I like you the most! You’re the absolute best person in the entire world."

After leaving the nightclub with Cecil, Lu Xia took the Golden Spirit Gene straight to the No.2 Institute.

She placed the Golden Spirit Gene in the storage room. Once the researchers returned from their break, they could begin the next phase of research. With the experience from the last two attempts, she was confident that the process of creating the Golden Spirit Gene Extraction Liquid would go much more smoothly this time.

*

Just as Her Majesty Queen was exhausting all options to locate the Rebel Army’s base, the figures of Dain and Victoria suddenly appeared on the massive screen in the Imperial Star’s central plaza.

Initially, both were sitting in front of a camera with black hoods over their heads. They were still wearing the same clothes they’d had on during their last video call with Her Majesty Queen.

Besides the two of them, only the vague shapes of Rebel Army soldiers in dark uniforms were visible in the frame; their faces were obscured.

Then, someone came up behind them and pulled off their black hoods, revealing Dain and Victoria.

It had been many days since they were last seen, and both Dain and Victoria had grown visibly thinner. The arrogance and pride once in their eyes were gone, replaced by nothing but panic and fear.

It was an event day in the Imperial Star’s plaza, so a large crowd saw the two of them on the massive screen at that very moment.

Just as the crowd was wondering what was happening, a Rebel Army soldier gently patted Mrs. Dain on the shoulder. "Speak."

Mrs. Dain trembled, her face growing another shade paler. She looked at the camera, her eyes darting away as she spoke. "H-Hello, everyone. I am Dain Hua Yi, and this beside me is my daughter, Victoria Hua Yi.

We are now making a formal public accusation: Her Majesty Empress once established a biological research laboratory in the Border Star System, and her research subjects were cubs.

Her purpose was to extend her own lifespan and preserve her youth. At the same time, Her Majesty Queen has been suppressing research into the gene fusion agent because she does not want all males in the Empire to become Gene Fusion Experts. This is how she secures her imperial authority. Detailed information will be provided later to prove that my words are true. Please, believe me. Her Majesty Queen is not as benevolent as she appears. I urge everyone to wake up and see the truth. Her Majesty Queen has done many other things, which I will expose one by one in due time. For now, please take a look at what I have in my hands—"

Before Mrs. Dain could finish, the screen went black. Clearly, the Imperial Family had reacted and technically interfered with the live broadcast to the Imperial Citizens.

But even without seeing the evidence in Mrs. Dain’s hands, her verbal bombshells alone were enough to cause a massive public uproar—

"What is going on? Her Majesty Queen is using cubs for biological experiments in the Border Star System? Is she insane?"

"This world is even crazier than I thought."

"Isn’t the real bombshell that Her Majesty Queen doesn’t want all males to become Gene Fusion Experts? No wonder development of the gene fusion agent has failed for so many years. We finally saw some progress, and now it’s fizzled out. So this was all the Queen’s doing from the start."

"Honestly, I’m not even surprised to hear that Her Majesty Queen doesn’t want all males to become Gene Fusion Experts."

"I’ve actually been wanting to say this for a while. My younger brother was a volunteer for the No.2 Institute, and he’s a Gene Fusion Expert now. He told me the success rate of the gene fusion agent is actually really high, nothing like the official reports. It’s completely ready for public release, but it’s being held back on orders from the higher-ups."

"I always thought all those comments online praising the gene fusion agent were just bots or paid shills. I can’t believe this is the actual truth." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I don’t think we should believe this blindly. It’s the Rebel Army, after all. They’re capable of anything. Plus, we didn’t see any proof. How can we know if what she said is true?"

"I think it’s credible even without the evidence. Those are members of the Imperial Family; Hua Yi is a royal surname! Besides, if the Imperial Family has a clear conscience, why cut the broadcast? What are they so afraid of us seeing?"

"The Imperial Family hid the whole Rebel Army uprising from us. They only show us what they want us to see. I’ve thought the Imperial Family was rotten to the core for a long time now."

...

Discussion about the broadcast exploded on the official web forums. Even though Her Majesty Queen immediately dispatched her people to control public opinion, it was useless. The Rebel Army’s surprise broadcast had caught them completely off guard. Moreover, the feed hadn’t just been displayed in the Imperial Star’s central plaza; it had been broadcast on a massive scale across the entire Star Domain.

In other words, the audience for this broadcast wasn’t limited to the Imperial Star—it was all Imperial Citizens.

Even those who hadn’t seen it live quickly heard about it from others. Some had even recorded the broadcast, and the video was already circulating online.

After the incident, Her Majesty Queen was so furious that she smashed an entire set of expensive porcelain. She even had to call for a doctor, who administered emergency treatment before her agitated state finally stabilized.