Meanwhile, on the other side, far away.
It turned out that long before they arrived, michelle had already sent people to install surveillance in the forest, and there were even several drones tracking and filming overhead.
So, even if michelle didn't go in with them, she could observe Axe's condition through the surveillance at any time, as well as his health monitoring ring. Once it alarmed, she would immediately notify the nearby medical team for immediate rescue.
Although people often say that money can't buy life, and everyone will die when their time comes, the money of the Tang Empire could indeed extend Axe's life. Perhaps even Yama had been bought by the empire and was delaying coming to take Axe's life!
***
At this moment, a small deer appeared in Axe's line of sight. He signaled everyone to lie down and not make a sound.
Axe aimed his hunting rifle at the deer's belly, but k on the other side also spotted this prey. They both wanted to take it down first.
The deer was originally eating wild fruits on the ground with its head lowered. It was as if it suddenly sensed danger. It raised its head to look in Axe's direction, and then...
With a bang, the deer ran away.
Axe looked at the direction of the gunshot. Damn it! k's marksmanship was terrible. Not only did he miss the deer, but he also scared it away!
k scratched his head helplessly. So many years had passed, and his skills were still as lousy as ever...
Axe: "I'm really impressed by you!"
k: "How can I be as good as you!"
Unwilling to compete with Axe for the prey, k voluntarily surrendered and gave up the competition. Now, only Axe and Lin Yi were left.
But no one knew where Lin Yi had gone...
k: "Axe, have you noticed anything strange about Lin Yi lately?"
Axe: "What's strange? I haven't noticed anything."
k: "She seems to be in love."
Axe: "Really? She's so ugly, what man would want her?"
As soon as he said that, a bullet almost hit Axe, landing right at his feet.
k: "She's not ugly, Lin Yi is not ugly at all!!!"
k quickly shouted at the air. It went without saying that the bullet was shot by Lin Yi.
Axe: "How can you eavesdrop! Stop hiding, I see you!!!"
But Axe and k strained their ears for a long time and heard no sound of anyone approaching. Lin Yi was truly elusive...
Axe: "But, who is that man?"
k: "I don't know, I haven't seen him either. I just saw her always folding a small pink toy gun in her room."
Axe: "A small pink toy gun? If you just said pink, I would have thought it was quite cute, but on Lin Yi, it really gives me goosebumps!"
k: "Who says it doesn't..."
But on the other side, Lin Yi returned to michelle angrily.
michelle: "Why are you back?"
Lin Yi: "I'm not here for the competition, isn't it okay for me to come back?"
michelle: "What if Axe is in danger? Can k protect him?"
Lin Yi: "I'm protecting you, not Axe. Besides, does he need my protection? He's much stronger than me."
michelle: "Go back!"
Lin Yi: "I won't!"
michelle glared at Lin Yi and was about to continue watching the screen, but she found that Axe and k were nowhere to be seen on any of the monitors.
At this moment, an emergency call suddenly came through michelle's earpiece, followed by an alert from Axe's wristband.
michelle yelled for everyone to search. It was only then that Lin Yi realized that Axe seemed to be in real trouble.
After searching for a long time, they finally found the two of them in a trap in the forest.
For an ordinary person, falling several meters might still be survivable, but for Axe, his fragile heart could not withstand such a fall.
Fortunately, michelle found them in time, but Axe was on the verge of death...
Perhaps because Axe knew that this time he really couldn't hold on, he issued his last command in the operating room.
And no one knew what this command was except Lawyer Yan. Even michelle, who had replaced Tang, had no right to know.
This was because of the rule set by Old Tang back then: only a sworn son who truly inherited the Tang throne had the right to make such a difficult decision before his death.
The doctor came out of the operating room and informed michelle that they needed to transfer the patient.
michelle: "Where to?"
The doctor glanced at Lawyer Yan, and then michelle felt a sharp pain in her neck before her vision went black and she fainted.
When she woke up again, she had already left the hospital, and Axe was nowhere to be found.
michelle went crazy and smashed everything in the house, but no one could tell her where Axe had gone, and no one even knew if Axe was dead...
michelle: "Where is Yan Zhenghao!!!"
Lin Yi: "Disappeared with Axe."
michelle: "Do you really not know where they went?"
Lin Yi pointed to the needle mark on her neck. Everyone around michelle that day had been injected with drugs and had fainted.
At this moment, someone came in to deliver something, which looked like a package.
When michelle opened it, she found the family ring that Axe had worn on his hand.
It was the badge ring that commanded the entire empire to obey whoever wore it!!!
michelle: "Who sent it?"
Man in black: "Didn't see anyone, just heard the doorbell ring."
michelle: "Go find him!!! This thing wouldn't appear out of thin air!!! Find the person who delivered the package!!"
Axe had truly disappeared this time. When the last sworn son of the Tang Empire went missing, the empire was thrown into chaos once again.
However, this time there was no more endless debate when michelle took over as regent. Instead, everyone was respectfully subservient to michelle.
This was not only because her management of the empire over the past period had been evident to all, but more importantly, because she had finally put on the empire's symbolic badge ring.
This meant that Axe had completely handed over all power to this woman, and she would officially become the new mistress of the Tang Empire.
A solemn handover ceremony was held in the empire's grand conference room.
From then on, michelle's photograph would be displayed in the grand conference room until her abdication. A corner of the wall would always be reserved for her, showcasing the demeanor of this female leader to generations of future empire administrators!
After the ceremony, michelle kept Maggie.
Although she had escaped from Country M, she had to appear at such a handover ceremony, otherwise, she would lose everything she had.
michelle: "Have you seen Axe?"
Maggie: "No."
michelle: "Is he dead?"
Maggie: "Why are you asking me? You were with him every day. Shouldn't you be the one who knows best whether he's dead or not?"
michelle: "I can let bygones be bygones, but you have to tell me the truth."
Maggie: "What? Just took office and you want to kick me out? Don't forget, what you have now was created by my father!"
michelle: "I can turn a blind eye to your collusion with Ben's son to attack the empire, but I want you to understand that I am in charge now. If I'm unhappy, I will make you completely lose everything your father had!"
Maggie: "You wouldn't dare!!!"
michelle: "What do I dare not do now? Before, I was concerned about your relationship with Axe. Now, I am Tang, and no one will plead for you anymore! So, you'd better be wise and tell me where Axe is!"
Maggie: "I don't know where he went, but I have seen him."
michelle: "Where? When?"
Maggie: "He goes to pay respects to my father every year. How many times did you go to the cemetery when you were regent?"
michelle was speechless, she had indeed not visited Old Tang's grave...
Maggie: "Axe told me to help you manage the empire."
michelle snorted. She looked down on this woman, thinking that although she was a famous lawyer, she could only rely on being Old Tang's daughter and didn't have any real skills.
Maggie: "He asked me to replace Yan Zhenghao as the empire's legal advisor and Tang's private lawyer."
Only then did michelle understand why Maggie was willing to come back. It turned out that Axe had made such a big promise to Maggie before his death, or rather, a pardon!
Because michelle absolutely did not believe that Axe was unaware of Maggie's secret alliance with Colin. She had repeatedly emphasized that Maggie was a person who could not be kept, but unexpectedly...
Axe still pardoned Maggie...
michelle: "Do you think I will use you?"
Maggie: "Perhaps it's Axe's last wish."
michelle: "You!!!"
Maggie: "Yan Zhenghao and Axe disappeared together, you definitely won't find him. So in this world, there is no one who understands the empire better than me."
michelle: "I will definitely find Axe and Yan Zhenghao!"
Maggie: "As you wish, but when you want to use me, you know where to find me."
Maggie raised michelle's hand and looked at the badge ring that her father had worn. Just as she was about to touch the traces on it, michelle cautiously withdrew her hand.
Thus, Maggie left the empire with a cold smile. The empty conference room became even darker. The undercurrents here had never disappeared because of any leader...