Chapter 31: The Seven Captures of Feixiao (Patreon)

The slick moves of his 'self' in the simulation left Victor dumbfounded.

To have as much fun as possible, his simulated self had intentionally held back. No, considering the resources the emperor of the Borisin empire could deploy, this wasn't just holding back—it was holding back an entire ocean!

His 'self' in the simulation had completely let loose!

【Saran's luck was neither good nor bad. You captured her after searching the fifth group; this time, she didn't even get as far as she did last time.】

【As if she hadn't learned her lesson, Saran began plotting another escape as soon as her body recovered.】

【The Foxian women in the harem seemed to have figured it out. This was clearly a game of flirtation between you and Saran. Interrupting His Majesty's game would lead to a miserable death, so no one dared to tattle anymore.】

【You doted on Saran so much that they nearly exploded with jealousy on the spot. Some Foxian women even tried to imitate Saran's rebellious nature to attract your attention.】

【And then you got rid of them.】

【What a joke. Could you not tell whether it was an act or genuine? The mere thought of trying to deceive you was, in itself, a capital crime of lèse-majesté.】

Victor was completely numb.

Saran set up all sorts of deceptive traps to escape, yet his 'self' indulged her every time, thoroughly enjoying the game.

But the other Foxian women in the harem were disposed of for merely putting on an act.

They just wanted to get his 'self's' attention. What had they done wrong?

One could only say that double standards were an emperor's privilege. The 'self' held the right of final interpretation. If you don't like it, don't play.

【Sometimes, you also grew curious about why Saran persisted in trying to escape, despite being caught every single time without a single success.】

【When you posed this question to Saran, she glared at you fiercely and answered bluntly.】

【“Who the hell wants to be your slave girl! If you have the guts, then kill me! If you don't, I will escape whenever I have the chance! Sooner or later, I will get away!”】

【You couldn't help but roar with laughter.】

【Yes! This is it!】

【A hunting game is no fun if the prey doesn't fight back!】

【Indeed, a fake imitation is nothing like the real thing!】

【After that conversation, you became even more invested in the hunting game with Saran.】

【The hunting game continued...】

【Saran's escape plans grew increasingly sophisticated and professional.】

【The 4th time, she used a greedy corporation, hiding inside one of its cargo ships.】

【The 5th time, she deliberately faked her escape and left false clues, waiting for you to chase after them before quietly slipping away.】

【The 6th time, Saran somehow even managed to contact the Xianzhou and have them dispatch an elite unit to escort her.】

【The 6th time was especially perilous. The clues she left nearly led you all the way to the Luofu Xianzhou. You ended up fighting a patrol of Cloud Knights before forcefully dragging Saran back.】

【The Xianzhou Alliance and the Azure Wolf Empire had just entered a period of stability, but after the scene you caused, the atmosphere instantly grew tense again.】

Watching Feixiao escape six times and get dragged back six times, Victor was utterly speechless.

There was no doubt a seventh time was coming.

Victor had thought his 'self' was playing out some overbearing CEO's 'you run, I chase' drama. He never expected his 'self' was actually playing 'Zhuge Liang's seven captures of Meng Huo'!

【Before long, Saran planned her 7th escape.】

【Only this time, the escape was very different.】

【Before escaping, she had secretly contacted the Xianzhou Alliance to request their help.】

【Because you had established the Azure Wolf Empire and significantly raised the status of the Foxians, not many Foxians had defected to the Xianzhou, and a high-ranking individual like Saran was unheard of.】

Saran was now 'Victor's' most favored woman, arguably the person closest to him.

'Victor's' existence was a thorn in the side of the Xianzhou Alliance; they dreamt of nothing more than eliminating this top-tier Abundance abomination.

Now that they had a rare chance to obtain secret intelligence about 'Victor', and perhaps even learn of his weaknesses, the Xianzhou Alliance was certainly not going to pass up this golden opportunity.

【The Xianzhou Alliance treated this as a godsend. After discussions among the Seven Arbiter-Generals, Divine Foresight General Jing Yuan, who excelled at strategy, joined forces with the General of Martial Strategy, Yaoguang, who excelled at divination and deduction. With assistance from the Divination Commission, they formulated a comprehensive and detailed plan to help Saran escape.】

【For this escape, Saran went all in, preparing multiple contingencies.】

【Soon, Saran's earth-shattering great escape began.】

【First, she had many people disguise themselves as her and Ningli and flee in different directions. This 'golden cicada sheds its shell' tactic was only the first step.】

【Once she confirmed you had been lured away by the decoys, Saran immediately took Ningli and hid in a corporation's cargo ship, leaving the capital planet with it. The second step, 'crossing the sea under camouflage,' was complete.】

【However, Jing Yuan, the plan's architect, knew very well that a cargo ship was too slow and you would soon catch up. Furthermore, the corporation prioritized profit and would not easily offend either side.】

【Hitching a ride on a corporate freighter was fine, but relying entirely on the company for the escape was nearly impossible. The company might even sell the two of them out.】

【Thus, following the plan devised by Jing Yuan, the two left the corporate freighter at a transit space station.】

【Next, a train traveling at high speed through space pulled into the station's platform.】

【This was the true rescue force Jing Yuan had arranged for them: a group of enthusiastic and righteous Nameless!】

【Saran and Ningli quickly boarded the Astral Express and left the transit station.】

【The Astral Express then delivered them to the most martially adept of the Xianzhou ships, the Yaoqing Xianzhou.】

【The speed of the Astral Express was indeed no match for a cargo ship. By the time it had delivered the two to the Yaoqing Xianzhou, you had only just dealt with the countermeasures Saran left behind, arriving belatedly.】

【At this time, the Yaoqing Xianzhou was already on high alert. The warships of the Cloud Knights blotted out the sky, the energy in their cannons ready to be unleashed. At the head of the fleet, Marshal Hua and three generals silently confronted your lone figure.】

【Seeing this formation, you knew you would not be able to take the two of them back today.】

【After a probing exchange with Marshal Hua and the others, seeing you could gain no advantage, you turned and left without any hesitation.】

【Watching your receding figure, Saran finally let out a long sigh of relief, then threw her arms around Ningli and screamed.】

【“Ningli, we're free of that demon! We've finally escaped!!”】

【She cried one moment and laughed the next, her emotions completely out of control, revealing just how much pressure you had put her under.】

【Afterward, the two of them settled down completely on the Yaoqing Xianzhou.】

【General Yueyu, seeing Saran's exceptional aptitude, took her in as a disciple. To bid farewell to her past, Saran gave herself a new name—Feixiao.】

The wheel of fate, after many turns, seemed to have returned to its proper course.