“Bloodline Improvement Plan?”

Li Ji’s face darkened instantly. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard that my King Father formulated such a plan.”

Gao Wanxin let out a soft sigh. “It all began thirty-five years ago. Back then, my father was in charge of the Zifu constellation. The garrison troops on duty in Z152 accidentally discovered that underground base. Since my father was tied down with heavy official duties, he handed the matter over entirely to me.”

“Fearing that I might alert the enemy, I had Jin Heng—who was working in the palace at the time—visit Z152 under the guise of an academic exchange. After much twisting and turning, he managed to slip into that base. He discovered they were researching Wei Feng’s genes and even found the remains of the Golden Finch Legion warriors who had been tortured to death back then. However, we didn’t know at the time that this was connected to the Meng family.”

“My gut told me something was wrong, so I didn’t dare to act recklessly. Coincidentally, Prince Li Xun was planning to reopen the investigation into the Golden Finch Legion’s treason case, which led him to the Gaofeng tribe. I privately discussed the underground base with the Prince. To my surprise, he happened to possess evidence of the Viper Legion illegally detaining Golden Finch warriors seventy-six years ago. From that, we were basically able to conclude that the underground base was tied to the Meng family.”

“Thirty years ago, we decided to launch a joint operation to capture the personnel in the base and expose the Meng family’s crimes. But an unexpected accident occurred during the operation—the base exploded, and none of the experimental subjects or staff survived.”

“I originally thought that since we had already come this far, we might as well just use the remaining evidence in our hands to expose the Meng family. But right before we could act, something happened to the Prince.”

At this point, Gao Wanxin gnashed his teeth. “On his way back to the Imperial Capital Star, the civilian starship he was on was ambushed and besieged by several pirate syndicates. By the time my men arrived, he was already on the verge of death!”

The more Li Ji listened, the angrier he became. He slammed his hand heavily onto the desk. “Why were these things never told to me?! Are you trying to rebel as well?!”

“I didn’t dare to say anything!”

Gao Wanxin wiped his face, deep exhaustion showing between his brows. “The Meng, Zheng, and Qi families are all thick as thieves. I had to be beyond cautious. If I didn’t have absolute certainty that I could bring them down, I would rather rot with these secrets in my stomach! At least that way, I could ensure the safety of Your Majesty and the Second Prince.”

“Safety, my ass!”

Li Ji suddenly stood up, grabbed Gao Wanxin’s collar, and jerked him forward. “You blocked my intelligence channels, leaving me completely in the dark! How was I supposed to protect myself and Xiao Xiao?! If we had formulated a proper response strategy earlier, things wouldn’t have devolved to where they are today!”

“I wasn’t afraid of you taking action—I was afraid that once you knew the truth, you would act recklessly on your own!”

Gao Wanxin clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “Your parents passed away unexpectedly right after deciding to reopen the Golden Finch case. I truly couldn’t afford to gamble anymore!”

Hearing this, Li Xiao looked at Gao Wanxin and asked, “Thirty years ago, after Li Xun met with that accident, you didn’t report it to the royal family at the very first moment?”

Gao Wanxin shook his head. “I hesitated for a long time before deciding to keep it hidden. For one thing, I couldn’t find a single shred of evidence linking the Prince’s death to the Meng family. For another, Your Majesty had just ascended the throne back then and your foundation was not yet stable. Most importantly, even if Your Majesty decided to punish the Meng family, the Gao family alone couldn’t take them on.”

“The Prince’s death caused immense turmoil back then. I was afraid that pressing further would push the Meng family into open rebellion. Adding the Yi family to the royal family’s side would only make it a two-versus-three scenario—the odds of winning were far too low. I didn’t dare to take that risk!”

Gao Wanxin let out a soft sigh. “Once this war breaks out, the price is something no one can afford!”

Li Ji released him, straightened up, and asked in a cold voice, “So you just kept quiet about everything, keeping my King Father, myself, and everyone else completely in the dark, dancing to your whistle?!”

Hearing this, Gao Wanxin felt a wave of frustration in his heart. “If I had the power to command everyone, I wouldn’t have had to swallow my anger and put up with the Meng family’s bullying for all these years.”

Song Jin quietly observed Gao Wanxin before taking over the conversation: “Then what about that gene improvement plan? Didn’t Li Su know about all of this?”

“Because Raven’s activities along the Nanming constellation border were far too frequent, it caught His Majesty’s attention. I thought that since His Majesty had been on the throne for over a decade, it might be an opportunity. So, I tentatively revealed to him that the Meng family was researching Wei Feng’s genes.”

Gao Wanxin recalled as he spoke, “His Majesty also grew very interested in Wei Feng’s genes. After consulting with Jin Heng, he decided to create an embryo capable of perfectly inheriting Wei Feng’s abilities.”

Li Xiao raised his hand to interrupt him. “Wasn’t the underground base already destroyed? Where did Wei Feng’s genes come from?”

Gao Wanxin rubbed his nose. Seemingly not expecting such a fine detail to be caught, he said with a guilty conscience, “When Jin Heng evacuated that base, he conveniently took some of Wei Feng’s tissues—you could call it an occupational habit as a scholar. Fortunately, thanks to that, Wei Feng’s genes were preserved completely.”

Seeing Li Xiao fall into thought, Song Jin picked up the thread and continued asking, “Li Su made that single decision after finding out the truth?”

Gao Wanxin replied, “Back then, the Meng family’s power was already immense. His Majesty also agreed that we shouldn’t act recklessly. Thus, I made a pact with His Majesty: while secretly gathering evidence of the Meng family’s crimes, we would bide our time for the right opportunity. But all of this was shattered by Yan Qing.”

Li Xiao knitted his brows. “What does this have to do with Teacher Yan?”

Gao Wanxin: “Yan Qing worked by Queen Father’s side. Perhaps he caught wind of something, because he suddenly confessed that he was a Danse, expressed his wish to overturn the verdict for the Golden Finch Legion back then, and submitted some very crucial evidence. Although it wasn’t sufficient, it was enough to make us suspect the tragic war from seventy-six years ago.”

“However, somehow the news leaked. Just half a month after Yan Qing submitted the evidence, both Your Majesties passed away during an inspection tour due to inhaling an excessive amount of toxic gas.”

Gao Wanxin’s lip line pulled tight. “At that time, Your Majesty was only eighteen, and the Second Prince was barely three. I had no choice but to halt the plan once more. What was even worse was that the Second Prince’s identity had also been exposed.”

Li Xiao: “So you spread rumors saying I was born to an attendant?”

Gao Wanxin nodded. “At that time, His Majesty planned to fake Yan Qing’s death and send him out of the palace. A ‘dead person’ cannot clarify things for himself, making him the most suitable person to be your nominal father. In addition, Meng Jian demanded multiple times that His Majesty perform a DNA comparison, so I took advantage of the situation and had Jin Heng forge a fake DNA report for him. Only then did we manage to fool him.”

Gao Wanxin looked at Li Xiao. “However, your Danse bloodline had already been exposed. That was one of the reasons why Meng Jian repeatedly tried to assassinate you.”

After he finished speaking, a deathly silence fell over the office.

Disguised as a guard, Wei Feng stood quietly behind Li Ji. Hearing all this only made him feel more displeased.

According to Gao Wanxin’s account, the Danse race had possessed many opportunities to overturn their verdict, yet every single time, they were defeated by the all-powerful Meng family, causing their people to suffer years of torment!

After processing the key information Gao Wanxin provided, Li Xiao pressed with another question: “Did you have someone send two crates of experimental blood to the research institute where Jin Heng held a post?”

Gao Wanxin nodded. “Jin Heng told me that a junior at the research institute was analyzing experimental blood. I had my subordinate use a small trick to ship the blood to the institute, wanting to see who was investigating. It would have been best if we could cooperate—only by gathering every force we could assemble would it be possible to bring down the Meng family. I just didn’t expect that it turned out to be you.”

Li Xiao: “When did you realize it was me?”

Gao Wanxin: “When the news broke online.”

Li Xiao: “Why didn’t you contact me then?”

Gao Wanxin fell silent for a moment. “Because I wasn’t sure if it was a good opportunity this time. If I stepped forward, just like today, I would inevitably have to lay everything out on the table. At that point, how you two would react and what you would choose to do would no longer be within my control.”

Li Xiao: “So you just watched coldly from the sidelines?”

“I had people help you.”

Gao Wanxin responded calmly, “If it weren’t for that insect tide at Z152, you and the people from Raven would have met much earlier. Although their strength cannot compare to the military, they would bound to go all out when it comes to investigating the Meng family. No one wanted to uncover the truth sooner than they did.”

Saying that, Gao Wanxin turned his head to look behind Li Ji. “Right, Wei Feng?”

The hearts of Li Xiao and the other two skipped a beat, and the atmosphere in the office instantly took a sharp turn downward.

Wei Feng met Gao Wanxin’s gaze and spoke with composure: “You have the wrong person.”

“I am not mistaken.”

Gao Wanxin said with absolute certainty, “It was my men who rescued you from that base, and it was also me who had someone send you to Raven. Over these years, while I cannot say I know Raven’s movements like the back of my hand, it hasn’t been far off.”

Wei Feng’s brow twitched. Realizing something all of a sudden, he countered, “You are that mysterious person who has been contacting Raven all along?”

Seeing Gao Wanxin nod, Wei Feng cursed under his breath.

This world was getting more and more surreal.

The person who had supported Raven and provided them with intelligence for years turned out to be an Imperial Admiral in charge of a division?!

Li Ji’s face was icy, his tone heavy: “You were secretly maintaining contact with Raven and condoning their misdeeds in the Nanming constellation?! Do you have any idea what you were doing?!”

“Raven’s actions were never indiscriminate attacks. Their targets have always been very clear, posing virtually no threat to ordinary citizens.”

Gao Wanxin lowered his eyes slightly, his expression despondent. “I admit I couldn’t win against the Meng family, but I also couldn’t stand by and watch the Danse people be brutally slaughtered like animals. I could only use my intelligence channels to help them evade the Meng family’s pursuit as much as possible. At the same time, I also believed Raven was the best weapon to check and balance the Meng family. All we needed to do was quietly gather strength and wait until the time was ripe.”

Song Jin rested his arms on the armrests, his long legs crossed in front of him as he spoke leisurely, “As an Admiral, you’ve engaged in far too many non-compliant operations. Deliberately withholding intelligence alone is a significant charge. Those hardships you mentioned are merely a one-sided story. Who can guarantee this isn’t just an essay you made up to exonerate yourself?”

“You are right.”

With that, Gao Wanxin pulled out a stack of documents he had brought along and placed them in front of Li Ji. “Before the Prince passed away back then, he handed over all the evidence he had gathered to me. Over the past thirty years, I have investigated on that basis and completed the chain of evidence. While there are still quite a few gaps right now, it is enough to convict the Meng family.”

Li Ji: “Regarding the Meng family’s illegal research?”

Gao Wanxin nodded. “He hid it too deeply. Even after investigating for so many years, I still couldn’t fully uncover everything. In addition, there is evidence of the Meng family executing genocide against fifty-one races.”

Li Ji feigned surprise: “What Meng Shan said was actually true?”

Gao Wanxin’s eyes darkened. “Starting from Meng Shan’s father, their clan has been pulling sneaky tricks against other superior races. Later, as their power gradually expanded, their actions grew increasingly brazen. However, because of that, I was able to trace a few clues.”

Li Xiao had been observing Gao Wanxin’s expression all along. He noticed that when Gao Wanxin said this sentence, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and deep in his eyes lay a trace of hatred.

There was a vast amount of material. Li Xiao and Song Jin each took a portion into their hands and flipped through them rapidly.

Compared to the file given by Yan Qing, this stack was clearly far more detailed. However, just as Gao Wanxin said, there were some weak points in the chain of evidence, such as oral accounts from bystanders, speculations, and the like.

Song Jin flipped to the section regarding the Jiuliang race to take a look, then quickly flipped further down.

The missing parts of the evidence chain in this stack happened to be mostly present in the file provided by Yan Qing.

When combined, the two sets formed a complete picture.

Li Ji flipped through two pages, grew so furious that he swept his teacup right off the desk onto the floor.

“Pigs and dogs have more humanity than them!”

Gao Wanxin: “That is precisely why I didn’t want Your Majesty to see these. If you saw them, you wouldn’t be able to resist wanting to personally slaughter three generations of the Meng family.”

As Li Xiao flipped through the files, he asked, “Then why are you willing to bring them out now? Has your so-called ‘right opportunity’ arrived?”

“That’s right.”

Gao Wanxin’s expression was firm. “The Qi family is gone, and the Yi family has risen again. Under the current situation, in terms of military strength alone, we can tie with the Meng faction. But—the hearts of the people lean toward the royal family. If we can expose the Meng family’s crimes, our chances of winning will be far greater.”

At this point, Gao Wanxin added in a low murmur that sounded like a sigh: “I’ve waited for thirty years. I don’t want to wait anymore!”

Li Ji picked out the document with the most complete chain of evidence from the pile and gestured to Old Liu. “Send the electronic version to the Xingya social platform.”

Old Liu acknowledged: “Only this one?”

Li Ji: “One by one, no rush.”

Song Jin casually tossed the documents in his hand back onto the desk. “Releasing this is equivalent to declaring war on the Meng faction. Have you prepared to go to war?”

Li Ji looked at Gao Wanxin: “What do you think?”

Gao Wanxin sat up straight and said respectfully, “We are prepared to respond to battle at any time. Everything shall follow Your Majesty’s arrangements.”

Li Xiao deliberately interjected, “Before that, send the exchange students from the Shengya Empire back to their country first. If anything goes wrong after war breaks out, it’ll be troublesome.”

Li Xiao spoke implicitly, but Gao Wanxin understood his meaning.

The stance of the Shengya Empire was unclear. If a civil war broke out in the Danse Empire, it would be very troublesome if the Shengya Empire used it as an excuse to invade. They had to ensure all exchange students left the Danse Empire safely.

Gao Wanxin: “The escort work for the return trip can be handed to me.”

Song Jin turned his head to look at Li Xiao: “You’re sending me back?”

Li Xiao raised an eyebrow: “Otherwise?”

Song Jin: “I want to stay here and watch the drama unfold.”

Li Ji: “…”

Gao Wanxin: “…”

Wei Feng: “…”

This isn’t a country fair; what drama is there to watch?

Seeing Li Xiao remain unmoved, Song Jin looked at him with an innocent expression: “Is that a no?”

Li Xiao: “…”

This kid is getting better and better at this.

Li Xiao: “No. Once war breaks out, I won’t be able to look after you.”

“Sending me back is fine too.”

Song Jin draped an arm over Li Xiao’s shoulder, leaning into his ear with a chillingly cool smile. “Let me avenge that finger flick first.”

Li Xiao: “…”

He’s still holding a grudge over that?