Chapter 5: Su Ziye's Job Application

The moment the black tombstone appeared, Xingxi knelt down naturally.

She dropped to one knee, her expression calm and solemn, staring straight at the dark monument as she awaited her orders. Su Ziye stood to the side, watching the kneeling girl quietly; she looked like nothing more than a fiercely loyal hound.

"The Cuenca branch has been sabotaged and requires support. Reach Cuenca within an hour and eliminate all hostile personnel within the facility."

An aged voice emanated from the tombstone.

Cuenca was the capital of the Commercial Federation, located thousands of miles away from their current position.

"Xingxi understands," she replied calmly. She rose to her feet and drew a straight line downward in the air before her.

With a single gesture, she sliced through the fabric of space. The air parted like a raw wound, revealing a bizarre landscape of tangled, clashing colors within the rift. Without a moment’s hesitation, Xingxi stepped into the opening, and as she vanished inside, the wound in reality sealed shut.

The tombstone began to fade, slowly dissolving into the air.

"Wait!" Su Ziye suddenly called out to the monument.

"There is another human in the presence of the weapon?" The tombstone emitted a note of incredulity before shifting its focus toward Su Ziye. A moment later, an old, raspy laugh echoed from behind the stone. "So it is the Prince. Why have you come here? Are you seeking to save your sister?"

"I have no such intention," Su Ziye replied, gazing calmly at the tombstone. "I simply wanted to ask: does Dark Star intend to kill me anytime soon?"

"Your Highness is truly sharp, but alas, no," the black tombstone replied smoothly. "The reason we attempted to assassinate you in the past was that His Majesty struck a significant deal with us, with you as one of the conditions. However, we failed to kill you despite our best efforts, which means that contract is fulfilled. If His Majesty wishes to place another order, he would need to pay a much higher price—and unfortunately, our relationship with him is currently quite strained."

"It is truly delightful to hear that your relationship is poor," Su Ziye said sincerely. "I have seen Xingxi; if she wanted to kill me now, I would have no power to resist."

"That also means we have the capability to kill the Prince at any time, a power that is quite significant," the tombstone said with a faint smile. "Yet, our failure in Ye-Ye City taught us something: there are more formidable entities protecting you from the shadows. In such circumstances, one does not necessarily strike just because one can. Dark Star has no desire to arbitrarily create a terrifying future enemy for itself."

"I see." Su Ziye smiled. He looked at the monument and asked, as if in passing, "If I were to ask to join Dark Star now, would you agree?"

A boisterous, hearty laugh erupted from the tombstone. The person behind it seemed to laugh for a long time before finally subsiding.

"Your Highness, that is a truly amusing joke."

"And what if I said I was serious?" Su Ziye replied calmly. "Believe me, in most cases, I would be a far more useful assassin than Xingxi."

"I do admire your confidence, Prince." The tombstone began to seriously consider the proposal, and the old man behind it chuckled, "Then, may I ask what conditions the Prince has?"

"I do have conditions, and they are quite simple," Su Ziye said faintly. "If I perform exceptionally well for Dark Star, one day, will I be granted the authority to command the weapon?"

A burst of even louder laughter erupted from behind the tombstone. Su Ziye waited patiently for the sound to die down.

"You say you aren't trying to save your sister, Prince?" the tombstone said, still laughing. "But regrettably, within the entire Dark Star organization, only the twelve elders of the Star-Track Council have the authority to command weapons. No matter how grand your ambitions, you should know that you cannot simply be seated among the Star-Track Council."

"Do you accept my terms?" Su Ziye ignored the question and pressed for an answer.

"I accept," the tombstone replied without hesitation. "If the Prince truly renders service so great that it defies reward, we will consider granting the command rights of the weapon as part of your compensation."

"Then it's a deal," Su Ziye said with a smile. "Where should I report?"

"No need to rush," the tombstone replied calmly. "You are still in the Forest of Faded Souls, are you not? If necessary, I shall have the weapon bring you back to Star City."

"Your Highness."

"You wouldn't mind coming to Star City as a guest, would you?"

"Of course not," Su Ziye said softly.

...

The tombstone departed, leaving Su Ziye alone in the forest clearing. The young man did not show the slightest sign of panic; instead, he looked around with keen interest.

Although Xingxi had left, her aura still permeated the area. Unless the overlord were truly dead, no other powerful creature would dare intrude upon this territory, and even the magical beasts residing within would continue to abide by her rules.

All of this was predicated on the fact that Xingxi was still alive.

And as things stood, there were precious few beings left capable of killing her.

His request to join Dark Star was not the result of deep deliberation, but a spark of inspiration that had struck him in that very moment. To say this inspiration had nothing to do with Xingxi would be delusional. Seeing the sister he had once loved and cherished so dearly transformed into such a cold, terrifying weapon—of course, Su Ziye was not without feeling. Yet, even he had no idea how to save her from such a fate.

He knew something of the "Weapon Project," which was precisely why he felt no surprise or dissonance regarding Xingxi's current state. It was a miracle she had survived this long; it was only through this absolute obedience and her own immense power that she had stood out from the twenty-seven experimental subjects to become the only successful weapon ever forged.

"At least this gives me a chance to spend more time with you," Su Ziye murmured as he looked up. The youth began to walk forward calmly.

No matter how fast Xingxi was, it would be quite some time before she returned, and even if he were to head to Star City to join Dark Star, it was unlikely to happen immediately.

Su Ziye’s status was unique; Dark Star’s acceptance of him was not something a single elder could decide. Yet, Su Ziye believed that in the end, they would never pass him up.

He simply believed in his own value.

And while he waited for Xingxi to return, there were other things for Su Ziye to do.

For example—finding that fleeing assassin.

If things went as planned, the man had already escaped Xingxi's territory.

As it happened, Su Ziye had left something on him.

Something that would be more than enough to help him track the man down.