Xiong Shae, the Old Master of the Shae family, was currently leading his two children slowly into the Chase Family Residence.
"Father, you just said—is the news that two starships completely annihilated the interstellar pirate fleet true?" Ziwen Shae, Jessica's younger brother, asked in a low voice.
Jessica Shae, who was standing nearby, had an extremely troubled expression. She bit her lip lightly, as if she was deep in thought.
"The battlefield is on Dragon Tail Star. We have collateral relatives on Dragon Tail Star, so the news is absolutely true. The wreckage of those interstellar pirate starships is still drifting outside Dragon Tail Star," Xiong Shae said in a deep voice.
"Sister, were those two starships both Zachary Chase's? Where did Zachary get such awesome starships?" Ziwen asked curiously.
Jessica recalled the images of the two starships her father had shown her earlier; one of them was precisely the Aircraft Carrier Starship suspended 20,000 kilometers above their heads.
"One is called Blizzard Zero, and Zachary used it to win the starship duel at the North Starship Military Academy. I haven't seen the other Aircraft Carrier Starship, and I don't know anything about it," Jessica said quietly.
Suddenly, a strong smell of blood assailed them.
Just as they wondered where the smell of blood in the Chase Family Residence came from, the scene before their eyes made all three of them widen their pupils.
Stone pillars stood erect in the Chase family courtyard, and each pillar had a person tied to it. Some were alive, some were half-dead, and some were already corpses that had breathed their last.
They all knew the identities of these people. They recognized two of them, one dead and one alive, even more clearly. The patriarch of the Bao Family and the patriarch of the Cui Family—two of the three major families in the Little Dragon Star System!
Passing through this 'stone pillar forest,' Xiong Shae and his two children arrived before the Chase family members.
Jessica looked at the man in front of her.
Stranger…
Although his appearance was familiar, his eyes, expression, and the aura around him made her feel that the Zachary she had known for over twenty years was completely different from the Zachary in front of her.
"Xiong Shae of the Shae family, leading my children Ziwen Shae and Jessica Shae. We have come to pay our respects to the Baron," Xiong Shae saluted Zachary Chase first. Ziwen and Jessica also followed suit.
"Uncle Xiong Shae came very early," Zachary said with a smile, looking at Xiong Shae.
"As soon as I received the Baron's message, I rushed over immediately, daring not to delay," Xiong Shae said, bowing his head, looking humble and honest.
"Do you know about the rebellion of the Bao Family and the Cui Family?" Zachary went straight to his main objective.
Ziwen and Jessica's hearts sank; they felt as if a knife was held to their throats.
"I know," Xiong Shae said.
"Then did you participate?" Zachary asked calmly.
"No," Xiong Shae said.
"If you didn't participate, what were you doing during this period?" Zachary stared at Xiong Shae.
"I only learned about the rebellion of the Bao Family and the Cui Family a month ago, but at that time, Little Dragon Main Star was already controlled by the two of them. My starships were also forcibly conscripted by them. I was unwilling to be associated with them, but I was powerless to stop them, so I could only watch it all happen. Fortunately, the Baron is safe and has resolved the crisis."
Xiong Shae's tone shifted, and he knelt on one knee: "But I know that as a subordinate, doing nothing in the matter of the Bao Family and Cui Family's betrayal is tantamount to being an accomplice. I, Xiong Shae, am willing to accept any punishment from the Baron. I only ask the Baron to spare my family's wives, children, and elders!"
Jessica looked worriedly at her father, then at the unfamiliar man.
"You are not wrong, and I do not blame you for this matter. You and your children should step aside for now; I will hold a noble conference for the Little Dragon Star System later," Zachary directly changed the subject.
He did not directly punish or deal with the Shae family regarding this matter.
Time passed bit by bit.
The number of corpses and prisoners in the Chase family courtyard grew, and the number of noble patriarchs who received the message and came also increased. Everyone who arrived was shocked by the bloody scene in the Chase family courtyard.
"Everyone is here," Jenna Hong walked to Zachary's side and whispered.
Zachary looked around the Chase family courtyard. Besides the living and dead people tied to the pillars, all the major and minor nobles in the Little Dragon Star System had arrived, totaling twenty to thirty people. Among them, the most powerful was the Shae family, the only remaining one of the three major families.
"The rebellion of the Bao Family and the Cui Family has been dealt with cleanly. All those who participated are also tied to those stone pillars," Zachary pointed to the bloody stone pillars.
"I know that many of you used to not respect me as your lord. You thought I was a good-for-nothing," Zachary spread his hands: "It doesn't matter, I truly don't care about these things. You can say whatever you want about me behind my back. If you feel that I am not worthy of being your lord, you can certainly choose to leave the Little Dragon Star System and seek development elsewhere; I, Zachary Chase, will not stop you."
Zachary's expression changed, becoming stern without anger: "But I hate people who act one way to your face and another behind your back. Since they chose this path, they must pay the price for their choice. Jenna."
"Your subordinate is here," Jenna took a step forward.
Zachary took out a list: "For the families on this list, all those who are still alive are to be imprisoned, their leaders executed, and the remaining family members are to be sent to the mining area for indefinite labor."
Everyone present, looking at Zachary's list, showed expressions of fear. That was a death list.
"As for the families not on the list, you yourselves know how many of you are truly clean. Before, I didn't care about the little tricks you pulled. From today onwards, please remember, this Little Dragon Star System belongs to the Chase family! If you are unwilling, then you can get out of here. Otherwise, I am very worried that one day you too will appear on these stone pillars." Zachary turned around, his back to the crowd: "Alright, the meeting is over."
"Second Grandmother, it's getting late, we should go eat. I've prepared dinner for you, and I'm sure you'll like it." Zachary smiled as he helped Old Madam Chase into the main house, completely transformed from the Yama-like Zachary he had just been.
And the crowd left in the courtyard looked at each other.
Someone started moving their feet first, and then one by one, everyone else also lowered their heads and left the Chase Family Residence.
Inside the Shae family's shuttle.
"Prepare yourselves. We are migrating our entire clan," Xiong Shae said in a deep voice.
"Clan migration? Why? We have quite a lot of assets in the Little Dragon Star System!" Ziwen exclaimed.
Xiong Shae sighed and said, "You didn't understand what Zachary meant just now; he was warning us. If we don't obediently hand over these assets, our Shae family will become the third Bao Family and Cui Family! Without assets, we can start over. What's more, I've already made arrangements in other star systems over the years. As an interstellar merchant, one must understand the principle of a cunning rabbit having three burrows."
"But… do we really have to go? Jessica is Zachary's ex-fiancée, and given the relationship between our two families, we could wholeheartedly support Zachary, and perhaps we could even be second only to one person and above ten thousand in the Little Dragon Star System!" Ziwen said, fantasizing.
Upon hearing this, Jessica lowered her head even further.
Xiong Shae looked at his daughter and said coldly, "You don't know what your sister did at the North Starship Military Academy? Our bond with the Chase family ended long ago. If we had also participated in the rebellion of the Bao Family and the Cui Family this time, Zachary would have tied us to those stone pillars without hesitation. While we still have a choice, it's best to be sensible and leave here."
Xiong Shae looked at the direction of the Chase family through the shuttle's porthole: "A son of the Chase family has grown up."