Chapter Eleven: Victory.
Page 1/3
Ke Fei clearly did not expect Lu Xia to stand up for Grace, who was regarded as a "defective" specimen. In his eyes, even if Grace were to resume work, life at the Duke Lu Xia’s residence would never be easy for him.
Few males serving as consorts ever met a good end, let alone Grace, who was the lowest-ranked "defective" male in the empire.
He even suspected that Grace’s presence in the First Military District was due to some coercive measure forcing Duke Lu Xia to accept him. Otherwise, given the Duke’s reputation in the empire, how could he allow Grace to continue appearing publicly after becoming a consort?
He simply looked down on Grace’s haughty demeanor, considering that as a lowly "defective," Grace had no right to act so arrogantly, as if his inferiority never mattered. What gave him the right?
“Of course I have courage. What does Duke Lu Xia want me to do?” Ke Fei raised his chin slightly, showing a resolute, unyielding expression.
Seeing Ke Fei agree, Lu Xia smiled and said, “If you lose, you must shout ‘I’m an idiot’ five hundred times.”
The moment Lu Xia said this, everyone present was taken aback. Some couldn’t help but smirk, their laughter barely restrained.
Indeed, Duke Lu Xia was a bit ruthless!
Ke Fei was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting such a demand from the Duke.
Though it seemed harmless on the surface, the request was deeply insulting, especially to a proud male like Ke Fei.
Even without the proposal that the loser of the duel must leave the First Military District, this single condition was enough for Ke Fei to feel he could no longer stay.
It was clear Duke Lu Xia intended to squeeze every last bit of value from Ke Fei if he lost.
Was this an act of protecting Grace’s status as a consort?
Did she truly not fear that Grace might be the one to lose?
Everyone present now felt some concern for Grace. If he lost, would Duke Lu Xia blame him for being useless?
Lu Xia paid no mind to others’ thoughts and instead looked at Grace. “Are you confident?”
The simple question carried a hint of straightforward concern, which was enough for Grace at that moment.
Even Lu Xia’s unexpected presence today was a great reward for him.
He nodded. “I will do my best and won't let you down.”
Page 2/3
Lu Xia smiled. “Don’t worry about the outcome. Winning or losing is not that important to me, but don’t get hurt.”
“Understood!”
The duel was set to take place at the training ground. At this moment, the crowd there dispersed in advance for the confrontation.
Upon hearing that Colonel Grace was to duel Colonel Ke Fei, everyone exclaimed—
“No way, what’s going on? Colonel Grace is going to duel Colonel Ke Fei? Is this a joke?”
“Has Colonel Grace lost his mind, challenging Colonel Ke Fei?”
“Ke Fei is a gene fusion subject. What is Colonel Grace thinking?”
“But wait, Ke Fei’s gene fusion rate is only about 33%, not very high. Maybe Colonel Grace can win?”
“Even though I have a good impression of Colonel Grace, I have to say, gene fusion subjects and defectives are different. Even if Ke Fei’s fusion rate isn’t high, he’s still a gene fusion subject. His body has been enhanced, which defectives can’t compare to. I still think Colonel Grace is being reckless!”
“I agree. Honestly, Colonel Grace’s journey as a defective to this point hasn’t been easy. Why can’t he cherish it? I can’t bear to watch this duel; the outcome is already decided!”
“I heard Colonel Grace’s mistress just came to visit, and then this happened. How tragic for Colonel Grace—I already feel sorry for him!”
...
Amid the whispers, the duel between Grace and Ke Fei began.
Both removed their jackets and readied themselves for battle.
Ke Fei’s bull-like horns stood out prominently, a symbol of his identity as a gene fusion subject. Though his 33% fusion rate hadn’t changed him much physically, his strength far surpassed Grace’s. He was confident the victor today would be him.
Eagerly anticipating Grace’s disgraceful defeat, Ke Fei launched the first attack immediately.
Grace’s tall, slender frame looked less robust than Ke Fei’s, but he showed no panic over their disparity. From start to finish, he remained calm.
Page 3/3
Grace handled Ke Fei’s attacks with apparent ease.
He never faced every strike head-on but cleverly dodged each one and landed counterblows on Ke Fei.
At first, the crowd instinctively thought Ke Fei was chasing Grace around the field, but as time passed, many noticed that Grace skillfully avoided each of Ke Fei’s moves, while Ke Fei absorbed Grace’s attacks.
Even with his gene fusion-enhanced body, Ke Fei couldn’t withstand the accumulating damage. Soon, his attack speed and power began to wane.
“Well done, Grace! Keep it up!” The elderly steward standing beside Lu Xia clenched his fist and cheered excitedly.
Lu Xia glanced sideways, surprised by the steward’s enthusiasm.
Realizing what he had done, the steward’s sheep ears awkwardly flattened like airplane wings as he sheepishly looked at Lu Xia. “Apologies, Your Grace. I momentarily lost control.”
“No worries. You’re right—he is quite impressive,” Lu Xia smiled. This duel made her realize the gap between gene fusion subjects and so-called defectives wasn’t as wide as imagined. Perhaps it depended on the degree of fusion, but overall, gene fusion subjects only had the added ability to fully transform into beasts.
However, no fully beast-transformed gene fusion subject had ever appeared in the empire. Those partially transformed likely only possessed somewhat stronger physiques than defectives.
Could this really be called evolution? Lu Xia doubted it.
If anything, she felt these so-called gene fusion subjects were more like incomplete products.
As she pondered this, a shout suddenly rose from the training ground—
“He won! Colonel Grace actually defeated Colonel Ke Fei! How on earth did he do that?”
“What a shock! Colonel Grace won? Is he really a failed gene fusion defective?”
“I feel sorry for Colonel Ke Fei now. How will he survive in the First Military District when he can’t even beat Colonel Grace?”
...