Flynn drove deeper and deeper into the forest. As the bushes ahead grew dense, he was forced to slow down.
Red dots dotted the light screen before him, indicating nearby animals. Detected humans would instead be labelled green.
[They still haven’t found them yet? Judging by the map, this is a sensitive location. Is that why they sent the imperial guard? It’s way too close to the Grantz palace. At least we can rest at ease leaving it to them as they’re more familiar with these parts.]
[You call this close? You could fit eight or nine ecological parks in between here and the palace! Can you guys from Grantz have a little self-awareness? And what do you mean by ‘rest at ease’? With so many Grantz gathered at the Grantz palace right now, even spies know to steer clear of the imperial capital. The galactic pirates in the Exile Sectors are all busy hoarding nutrient solution.]
[Speaking of which, why did the Grantz all head back anyway? Is something big about to go down?]
[Don’t even bring it up. Every time they meet, people hope tensions between them would ease, only for it to always get worse. News wouldn’t leak out of the palace, but it’s hard to miss the reconstruction and repairs going on there. The amount of time between their reunions only grows by the day.]
Flynn frowned slightly as he stared at the screen, which had been filtered to only display large animals. There was a large cluster of red dots on the move. It wasn’t one species moving, but a synchronized migration of various creatures across an entire region, all leaving from a certain direction.
The few red dots heading in the opposite direction, towards the palace, stuck out like a sore thumb. It appeared that a pack of fierce predators were gathering.
Their identity was obvious. The only creatures using the mountains behind the palace as a base were the lion pride.
Flynn didn’t even need to request verification. He could hear the lions roar incessantly as he headed deeper into the forest. He could also see lions traversing the wild grasses lining the road as they trotted in a certain direction.
[What are they in such a hurry for? The lion pride here is notoriously lazy. The only time they’re this fast is when it’s time for vaccines. Normally, they’re lying down whenever possible.]
[These roars…why do I feel like they’re calling out to their cubs? I’m more and more sure as we get closer. Did some sightseeing vehicle draw too near to a lioness and her cubs?]
Flynn pressed down on the accelerator as he deviated from his assigned route towards the lion pride. He didn’t know what had sparked their interest, but he hoped it wasn’t the tourists’ vehicle.
……
Ye Muo was still plastered to the glass with glittering eyes. Every time he said something, Pangzhua would respond in its own way.
“Do you eat cake? Xavier’s can…you can have it.”
The sitting lion let out a soft roar before pressing its nose closer again to try and catch a whiff, only to be met with the cold wall.
Ye Muo felt a twinge of regret after being so generous. “Y-you can have half. Xavier wants some too.”
His voice trailed off into silence as he was mesmerized by the sight of two more lions emerging from the underbrush.
Everyone else, including Xavier, had long spotted the approaching pride. However, as Ye Muo was crouched down, he was only able to see them when they came into the open.
Ye Muo shifted slightly in nervous anticipation. Ano reached out and wrapped his arms around him. Ano kept thinking that Xavier had just learned to walk and might fall at any time, but Ye Muo had escaped Arachnid under Theodore’s guidance himself. He even picked up stealth intuitively along the way.
Ye Muo stood up. He turned his head to look at Norton and the others who were behind him, watching him. Reassured, he turned back around.
The newly arrived lions sauntered over with their tails flicking. They too pressed against the glass to try and catch a scent. Soon, however, they sat down by Pangzhua’s side in shared disappointment, encircling Ye Muo as they wagged their tails and watched him.
Ye Muo earnestly started introductions again, “T-this is Ano–”
Only for several more lions to emerge from the underbrush.
……
Flynn caught sight of that viewing corridor first.
He was very familiar with the area and knew of the resort palace just a short distance away. Did the lion pride hide their cubs here? He would have to alert the maintenance crew.
He spotted the gathered pride in the distance. They seemed to have clustered around a section of the corridor, observing something inside. Was there something in the corridor? The corridor glass had been treated, making it impossible to see inside clearly from this distance.
Flynn’s expression turned grave. The plains’ plentiful resources meant the pride usually lived separately. Could a cub have wandered into the viewing corridor by mistake?
The lions ahead of him seemed to realize that Flynn was headed to the same place as them. Stopping in their tracks, they turned around and began growling low in warning.
The lions tacitly worked together to block his path. The rest of the pride nearby heard the commotion and rose as well.
Flynn halted.
The drone continued flying ahead.
The camera panned down, soaring over the pride toward the corridor. The lions began to part. Some headed towards Flynn while others gathered around the drone.
Which left the view behind them wide open.
Ye Muo was squatting down, peering curiously up at the camera when he first came into view.
[Why’s there a child here? Did that zone open up? Or is he part of the group of missing tourists?]
The camera then zoomed out slightly to reveal Norton standing behind Ye Muo. The others also came into view eventually. They were in different poses, but they were all looking past Ye Muo and staring right at the drone.
Ano was also staring that way as he stood up from beside Ye Muo. After confirming it wasn’t a threat, his gaze shifted to the nearby Flynn.
Flynn froze in place. Initially taking in the Grantz a short distance away, his gaze firmly settled on Ye Muo, who had been exposed by the parting pride.
Who is that child?
Ye Muo finally got up and ran to Norton’s side, where he was immediately scooped up without having to even raise his arms.
That was when the drone’s video feed cut off abruptly, ending the livestream. The chat, however, remained as hyped as ever. Their questions were the same as the ones playing through Flynn’s mind.
After Ye Muo’s face was pixelated, the short clip spread like wildfire across the entire galactic network.
[Who is that child? Has there been any news of a child in Empress Sylvia’s family recently? Or is he the son of one of the legion commanders or some official?]
[I don’t think so. Does it make sense to you for the entire Grantz family to set aside their grievances to hang out with a family friend’s kid? Besides, that video clip hasn’t been taken down. If it involved anyone outside the Grantz family, especially a minor, it would have been wiped long ago under normal circumstances. I have a bold guess: what if that’s a little Grantz?]
[Anyone on scene? What does that child look like?]
[Me! I was there! But I was too stunned at the time… By the time I snapped out of it, he had already been scooped up by His Highness Norton. I didn’t get a clear look, but I remember him having dark hair and eyes.]
[Does anyone still remember the tourists? The zoo officials just announced that they’ve been found and brought to safety.]
Speculations online ran wild, but the majority believed the child was a little Grantz. Meanwhile, the official Grantz channel remained silent on the matter.
Ye Yun came thumping down the stairs of the Ye manor. His voice reached the first floor before he did. “Big Brother! Big Brother! Did you hear?”
Ye He, who had just started knitting the scarf he received from Ye Zhiyuan, looked up. “Hear about what?”
Ye Yun was also shoving his terminal in his face. “They’re all saying this is a little Grantz.”
Ye He stared at the somewhat blurry photograph. The small child inside was pixelated, yet his features somehow surfaced in Ye He’s mind.
Before he could even frown, Ye Zhiyuan emerged from the kitchen with a spatula in hand. “What? Ye Muo–”
Ye Zhiyuan caught himself in time. He fell silent and quickly walked over to take a look. Xavier was a good name, but Ye Muo was the name he had mentally called out so many times already.
Ye He and Ye Yun exchanged a quick glance before turning back to face Ye Zhiyuan.
Similar scenes were playing out in many other households as well.
Augustus protested loudly, “Did you guys know all along? Why didn’t you tell me? Where’s Flynn, Big Sister?!”
A girl, thoroughly annoyed, picked him up. “I don’t know, and I wouldn’t tell you even if I did. Do you even know what a security clearance level is? Hey, no biting!”
……
Meanwhile, Ye Muo knew nothing of such matters. His fear faded away once he was back in Norton’s arms. As Norton carried him along, he gestured excitedly about what he had just seen. “T-That thing flew up!”
This was his first time seeing a drone.
Norton let out a quiet sound of acknowledgement. Ye Muo continued chattering away, “And that…thing Xavier saw. People were inside!”
Ano listened intently. “That’s a sightseeing vehicle, Xavier.”
Adrian poked his head over. “Do you want to ride one? I can take you later.”
Ano immediately shoved him aside. “I brought it up first!”
Adrian intentionally cupped a hand by his ear. “What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”
Ye Muo leaned nervously in their direction, opening his arms wide like a little bird.
And so Norton moved in between them like the child wished. The moment he took a step towards them, the duo instantly scrambled far apart from each other.
Ye Muo breathed a sigh of relief, his arms still spread wide. “N-No fighting. Xavier will bring both.”
Bert shoved his face over. “They’re not fighting, Xavier. They’re fooling around.”
Ye Muo was still a little skeptical, so Bert pointed outside. “See? The lions also pounce on each other for fun. That might happen among us later too.”
Bert drew the sword at his waist a fraction before sheathing it. His voice softened, sobering up a bit, “But their hearts always remain together, Xavier.”
No one said a word. Even the somewhat indignant Ano quieted down.
Ye Muo mulled over those words for a long moment before sadly murmuring, “Why…why didn’t someone tell Xavier? N-Nobody wants to play with Xavier?”
He was genuinely upset as he hugged Norton’s neck and buried his face in the man’s shoulder.
And so the other Grantz started panicking once more.
Ye Muo usually only hid his face when he really couldn’t hold back his tears. He would stubbornly insist that he wasn’t crying, that his eyes were just tired.
The other Grantz got into an uproar.
“Bert!”
“I told you we can’t tease him casually! Xavier’s very smart!” Ano shouted.
Jacob felt somewhat helpless. “But he really did get fooled…”
“Xavier, how about I let you take a bite of my dessert at lunchtime?”
The Grantz who volunteered was promptly slapped by Sylvia.
Ano squeezed his way to the front. “If they won’t play with you, Xavier, then I’ll play with you.”
He was immediately shoved back down by the others. “Who said they wouldn’t play with Xavier?”
Bert had somehow made his way back over. “Ano always cheats when playing games, which is no way for you to be raised. Don’t go with him, Xavier. Come with me instead.”
