As Eugene walked inside, he could see that the interior of the semi-circular building was a spacious indoor space surrounded by high-strength blast-resistant materials.
Right at the center was a competition arena. The ceiling above was covered with an adjustable holographic projection layer capable of simulating various environments, creating realistic buildings, roads, terrains, and obstacles to provide a diverse array of combat scenarios.
Surrounding the competition grounds were numerous spectator seats. At that moment, the simulated combat arena was packed with people, mostly military female insects, creating a bustling and noisy atmosphere.
Yet the moment Eugene stepped inside, the entire venue fell silent for a fraction of a second.
Although Eugene was wearing a mask, the instant he came in, his gaze scanned his surroundings before locking directly onto the central arena, striding straight forward.
Such a movement against the flow of the crowd, combined with his tall figure, superior facial features, striking silver hair, and unique temperament, caused the gazes of almost every female insect to focus entirely on him.
“Who is that?”
“How could there be a Noble Lord I do not know about?”
“And silver-haired, and so…”
“Ah, is this the Noble that Admiral Keo snatched back by force?”
Hearing someone discussing this nearby, Ross almost tripped and gave a deliberate light cough. “Ahem, he is a prisoner.”
“He seems even handsomer than in the video.”
The surrounding military female insects widened their eyes, staring straight at Eugene.
“If I were as strong as Admiral Keo, would I be able to snatch such a Noble by force?”
Ross: “I already said he is a prisoner, hey!”
Eugene walked all the way to the front of the viewing platform, finally spotting Keo near the center of the arena above.
Standing behind him was a virtual black mecha, clearly preparing to battle another mecha.
Yet Keo’s complexion did not look too good.
At that moment, suspended in mid-air, there was also a special viewing cabin.
The interior furnishings were extremely luxurious, and sitting within a soft leather sofa was a distinguished Noble Duke.
His attire was exceptionally expensive, adorned with numerous pieces of jewelry, while several beautiful sub-females crowded around him, kneeling or standing to serve him.
Max’s mood at the moment was quite pleasant, as he enjoyed such occasions.
Appearing in public allowed him to wantonly display his wealth and be gazed upon with admiration and yearning by all the female insects. This greatly satisfied his vanity.
Whenever the military female insects seated below whispered among themselves and turned their heads toward his direction, Max always assumed they were expressing unrequited admiration and longing for him.
The corners of his lips curled upward, yet as he looked down, his eyes were filled with arrogance.
To his perspective, these ordinary soldiers were mere ants.
Even if a distinguished Noble like him merely appeared from afar in their lives, he was destined to become the white moonlight they would recall and savor in fond detail for the rest of their days.
Ha. What a generous Noble he truly was.
Yet at some point, the surrounding area suddenly grew as silent as a falling pin.
Even the sub-females swarming around the Duke grew restless, frequently glancing downward before freezing one by one.
Noticing their distraction, Max frowned in displeasure.
“What are you looking at?”
“Nothing, I am sorry, Duke.”
The sub-females were all exceptionally beautiful, yet devoid of status, and hastily denied it in panic.
Fortunately, at that moment, the voice of the host rang out from below. “The match is about to begin.”
Not only was the venue packed with people, but the match was also being broadcast live externally, with many viewers tuning in online.
“This match is a test of the U04 new-type mecha.”
With the host’s announcement, another yellow mecha finally appeared on the field.
The deep blue lines on the joints and edges of Keo’s black mecha also lit up smoothly, resembling a waking warrior.
Almost as soon as the match began, the outcome was decided. Keo’s powerful spiritual power made the black mecha as agile as his own arm, while its presence was as terrifying as the Grim Reaper’s scythe.
Under Keo’s attacks, the yellow mecha appeared as clumsy as a toy doll, retreating step by step and clearly outmatched.
Some viewers watched in dumbfounded amazement. “Is it not just supposed to be a test?”
“Lord Keo has already been holding back his attacks.”
In the end, for reasons unknown, the yellow mecha suddenly lifted the simulation drill restrictions and ramped up its firepower.
With a sudden boom in the arena, a massive wave of dazzling flames erupted, causing a noticeable tremor throughout the entire building.
Following this wave of attacks, a piercing alarm sounded across the training grounds.
“Match suspended!”
The crowd let out a panicked cry. All the simulated environments vanished. Even so, Keo leaped forward and forcefully knocked the other mecha down to the ground.
Then he emerged directly from his mecha, forcibly opened the opponent’s cockpit, and hauled the person inside out.
“What on earth are you doing? Simulated matches require output to be capped at ten percent. Do you not even know such a basic principle?”
The person inside was also a military female insect, whose expression twisted as he looked at Keo, remaining silent.
When he saw that the observation cabin designated for Nobles had also descended, his face paled, and he hurriedly broke free from Keo and dropped to his knees in that direction.
“Duke Max, please forgive my mistake.”
To his surprise, the Duke directly slapped him across the face. “Useless trash.”
“Is this how you showcase my new mecha?”
The female insect’s face turned even paler. Instead of resisting, he knelt even lower and continued to apologize.
Another military female insect accompanying the Duke seized the opportunity to speak.
“If the Duke hands it over to me, I am certainly capable of doing a better job.”
“Nonsense! You have always been my defeated subordinate. How could you possibly defeat Keo?”
The two began arguing over this. Those around them saw nothing wrong with it.
Many of those who came today were fans of the Duke, and the discussions in the distance were entirely one-sided.
“Duke Max is as handsome as ever.”
“So what if he slapped him? It was that female insect who failed to successfully carry out the Duke’s instructions in the first place, so the Duke punished him.”
“A Noble like the Duke can already be considered quite gentle.”
“I so hope I can also stand by the Duke’s side. Perhaps then I could catch a whiff of the Duke’s pheromones.”
Only Keo turned his gaze away in disgust at this farce and was the first to stride away from the scene.
Due to the earlier small-scale explosion, the ceiling of the simulated match venue suffered a certain degree of collapse, alarms flashing continuously while the outer viewing gallery fell into a degree of commotion.
Some people hurried to evacuate, but quite a few female insects took advantage of the chaos to approach Eugene, eager to curry favor with him.
Ross hurriedly tried to pull Eugene away, but Eugene turned his head and saw Keo standing on high ground.
“Calm down.”
His tall figure, wrapped in form-fitting military uniform and set against the backlight, resembled a raised banner or some totem of a deity. The moment he spoke, the surrounding chaotic crowd immediately found their backbone and evacuated in an orderly fashion according to his directions.
Even Eugene found himself subconsciously watching him.
Seeing that everyone’s situation had stabilized significantly, Keo was about to step down from the platform when a massive light fixture hanging overhead suddenly began to wobble precariously.
At that moment, Eugene shook off Ross and rushed forward. “Watch out.”
Startled by Eugene’s movement, Keo lunged forward the instant the light fixture crashed down, wrapping his arms around Eugene and pushing him down to the floor.
The next second, a light fixture the size of a small car smashed heavily onto the ground, shattering into numerous pieces that scattered and splashed across the floor like crashing waves.
Keo instinctively shielded Eugene’s head.
“Why on earth did you rush over?”
Eugene raised his face, his white shirt and cheeks smudged with a bit of dust. “Dangerous.”
“I could have dodged it. Idiot, look after yourself!”
Hearing this, Eugene lowered his head and remained silent.
Keo paused, noticeably softening his tone as he pulled him up. “Are you hurt?”
Eugene shook his head.
“Why are you here?”
Eugene smiled at him. That smile was akin to one looking at a lover.
“Looking for you.”
Keo opened his mouth, but meeting Eugene’s eyes, he found himself unable to utter a word.
His face grew inexplicably hot, and averting his gaze, he pulled the cap back over Eugene’s head.
“Hot?” Eugene whispered in complaint, only for Keo to give the cap another firm pull downward, completely obscuring his eyes.
Keo raised his eyes to look around. Sure enough, all the surrounding female insects were staring intently at Eugene, unbothered even by the collapsing ceiling.
This foolish Noble was simply too captivating.
In truth, when Eugene rushed over to save Keo moments earlier, the surrounding female insects had already been stunned dumb.
For the longest time, it was taken for granted that female insects protected Nobles. They had never witnessed a Noble wishing to protect them.
Yet this silver-haired Noble had executed the act with such unhesitating resolve.
Now, seeing Eugene squint his golden eyes and smile at Keo, those around them once again gasped sharply, nearly losing their footing.
For years, they had brainwashed themselves into thinking that a Noble like Max could warrant being called gentle, yet Eugene’s actions felt akin to a resounding slap across their faces.
This was true gentleness.
A gentleness that made one yearn to submit forever.
The smile before them was so radiant that anyone who saw it once could never forget it.
Ross hurried over at that moment. “I am sorry, Admiral…”
Keo waved a hand, habitually taking Eugene’s arm as he walked outward. “Let us head back first.”
There were simply too many people here. He could tell that many female insects wanted to come over and strike up a conversation with Eugene, holding back only out of fear of his own presence.
In fact, among the insectoid population, female insects harboring malicious intentions like Joe were far from rare. It was just that most easily controlled Nobles possessed such low tiers of status that they were not worth high-tier female insects going to great lengths.
However, Eugene’s outward appearance was so exceptional, and his pheromone rank so high, yet he was utterly friendless and unsupported in Hashu. There was no telling when some lunatic might try to abduct him.
Finding him again if that happened would prove troublesome.
Better to remain cautious.
As Keo thought this, he suddenly realized that at some point, he had already resolved to safely return this pampered Noble back to the Bazz royal family.
Yet just as they stepped out of the pavilion, they were called to a halt.
“Keo, I have always been quite lenient regarding your independence.”
“However, leaving without even briefing your future husband is probably not very appropriate, is it?”
Eugene froze. He turned his head back, finally getting a clear look at the Duke.
This person was not particularly ill-favored, yet he was quite short in stature, which made his head appear large, his shoulders thin, and gave him the overall resemblance of an unbalanced white mushroom.
His attire was gaudy and ostentatious, yet his expression was arrogant and snobbish, every gesture marked by a perpetually upturned chin.
Hearing these words, Keo’s face darkened completely. “What the hell did you just say?”
Startled, the Duke instinctively took a step back, his complexion turning less than stellar as well. “What? We are bound by a betrothal, after all.”
“I never agreed to any such thing. Headquarters asked me to test your new mecha, and the test is now complete. Do not waste my time any further!”
Speaking to a Noble Duke in such a manner sent a wave of uproar through the surrounding crowd.
“What kind of attitude is that?” The Noble trembled all over with anger.
“Who do you think you are, and who do you think I am? My willingness to marry you is the greatest honor of your life!”
Max had agreed to the political marriage with Keo because the Hashu royal family consisted entirely of good-for-nothings, with over half of practical affairs handled solely by Keo.
Should they marry, the Duke could rake in massive profits from it and continue living his extravagant lifestyle.
Yet so what? He still felt that this marriage was a favor he was bestowing upon Keo.
Novels generally disliked military female insects. Although Keo belonged to the royal family with high status and immense military authority, his notoriety preceded him. Aside from him, absolutely no one dared approach him. He ought to be overwhelmingly grateful.
Having spoken, he waited for the surrounding female insects to chime in with agreement. After all, they forever waited for opportunities to ingratiate themselves and flatter him, never hesitating to kiss his shoes.
Yet this time was different. He waited for a long time, but no one spoke.
Glancing around at his surroundings, he discovered that everyone, including the female insects who had originally followed him, was staring at the person standing behind Keo.
Only then did he notice that it was actually a Noble.
This filled him with extreme fury.
“What are you doing? Do you think you win simply by dragging some low-tier Noble down to marry? How laughable!”
Max assumed that because Keo had captured him, these female insects must mistakenly believe that the Noble was also some esteemed aristocrat, hence their staring.
Yet that was impossible. The aristocrats of Hashu were all prominent figures with known names. There was no way he would not recognize them.
“And why must he keep his face covered? Is he perhaps too hideous to be seen? Figures. Without me, someone like you could only ever find this sort of Noble!”
Raising his volume in mockery, Max reached out to rip off Eugene’s mask.
Eugene frowned. This Noble actually dared to attempt suppressing him using aggressive pheromones?
Interesting. It had been quite a while since anyone dared to play this game with him.
Eugene simply took a step forward.
He stood a whole head taller than this bean-sprout Noble. Standing side by side, the disparity in stature was immediately clear.
The tightly wrapped cap also naturally slipped off at that moment, revealing Eugene’s dazzling silver hair and gorgeous golden pupils.
Boisterous and pure pheromones surged out from around Eugene like roaring seawater, towering mountain ranges, and churning dark clouds, emerging in an instant. The aura was formidable and unfathomable.
The suppression of rank directly turned Max’s face pale and his legs weak. Even more terrifyingly, Eugene looked down at him from on high, his golden pupils narrowing slightly.
He could distinctly perceive that what Eugene had unleashed was merely the tip of the iceberg.
He widened his eyes in shock, pointing a trembling finger at the golden pupils before him, nearly collapsing onto his backside on the ground.
“You! You?”