The back door of the research hall led to a beautiful little garden. Purple flowers swayed in the wind. Seeing no one around, Xi Xiuran completely abandoned his image and collapsed onto a wooden bench like a paralyzed salted fish.
Tired.
This salted fish hadn’t perked up like this in a long time; he was physically and mentally exhausted.
Xi Xiuran sprawled out on the bench in a spread-eagle shape. Catching a glimpse of the Crystal Oak Medal on his chest from the corner of his eye, he thought of Shi Xingzhou again.
Big Boss Shi really was a good person, and treated him exceptionally well. He wasn’t scary or terrifying like the novel described, nor did he lose control and hurt people at the drop of a hat.
But according to the plot’s direction, Big Boss Shi’s mental state was rapidly deteriorating, and he would die from mental collapse in less than a month.
Thinking of this, Xi Xiuran lowered his eyes to look at his hands and sighed silently.
Although he had awakened a powerful ability that could dissolve various mental attacks and toxins, he had no way to cure Big Boss Shi.
To save Big Boss Shi, two conditions had to be met: first, a compatibility rate of over 60%; second, an S-rank Omega. Logically, with the universe being so vast and having so many people, it was impossible for there to not be a single person who met the requirements.
AO compatibility was innate; this couldn’t be changed. But wasn’t an S-rank Omega just an Omega whose mental power had reached S-rank? This was completely worth trying. In this world, mental power could be improved through acquired effort, and it could also mutate due to special circumstances—like the Protagonist Shou’s super-strong crisis premonition, or his own detoxification ability.
Thinking of this, Xi Xiuran’s eyes lit up. Right! Maybe the possessors of those other two abilities could cure Big Boss Shi. If not, they could find a lower-rank Omega with high compatibility to Big Boss Shi and figure out a way to raise their mental power. That was also a path.
Xi Xiuran decided that once he got back, he would sort through the original plot from beginning to end again and try hard to find a way to cure Big Boss Shi. He really wanted to be a wealthy, pretty little widow, but Big Boss Shi treated him too well; he truly couldn’t bear to let him die.
Tap… tap…
Footsteps suddenly sounded by his ears, coming closer from afar. Xi Xiuran immediately straightened his back, pressed his legs together, and sat leaning elegantly against the wooden bench like a noble, reserved little prince. Not a trace of his previous paralyzed salted fish state could be seen.
Don’t be fooled by how much of a salted fish Xi Xiuran was now. He used to be a generation’s “King of the Grind.” Forced by his parents since childhood, he had mastered a whole set of unique skills to calmly handle various occasions. Once he perked up, he could pull off a very convincing bluff.
The footsteps drew nearer, sounding like military boots. Xi Xiuran elegantly lifted his eyes, only to see Ying Huachi walk out from behind a tree.
Xi Xiuran: …F**k, what awful luck!
…
Seeing Xi Xiuran walk into the garden, Ying Huachi had subconsciously followed him. When he snapped out of it and wanted to leave, he saw the youth sitting alone on the bench. With lowered eyelashes and a pale, pointed chin, he exuded a fragile and easily broken aura. Contrasted against the brilliantly blooming flowers around him, he looked exceptionally pitiful and endearing.
He looked very unhappy. Did someone make him sad?
But hadn’t he just received the Empire’s highest honor?
Ying Huachi subconsciously spoke up: “You—”
Xi Xiuran hadn’t expected the person to be Ying Huachi. He immediately cursed his bad luck in his heart. Too lazy to even maintain a polite smile, his face practically had “disgust” written all over it.
Watching Xi Xiuran’s expression change, that straightforward coldness and disgust sent a dull ache through Ying Huachi’s chest, as if he had been ruthlessly punched.
In the past, Xi Xiuran would never look at him with such eyes. When he saw him, he would nervously lower his head, then secretly observe him, cautiously approach him, and try hard to please him. No matter how many times he was rejected, the look in his eyes was always fervent. He had never been this cold and disgusted, nor would he ever mock him in public and make it impossible for him to step down from the stage.
If he hadn’t seen with his own eyes how Xi Xiuran refused to break the engagement even after being knocked unconscious twice, and how carefully he stored away their engagement ring after it was finally broken, Ying Huachi would truly believe he had given up or completely moved on.
The change before and after was simply too drastic; Ying Huachi couldn’t make sense of it no matter how hard he thought. But just now, seeing the youth—who should have been flushed with success—sitting all alone and desolate beneath the flowers, Ying Huachi remembered his researcher friend’s joking words and finally understood.
Xi Xiuran still liked him. He was just using a different method to attract his attention.
Furthermore, the person he married was that lunatic Shi Xingzhou. Naturally, he had to be careful to please that lunatic so as not to implicate himself.
After a moment of silence, Ying Huachi said to Xi Xiuran in a low voice: “Xiuran, there’s no need for you to act like this… Since things have come to this, you should just stay with Admiral Shi peacefully, and forget about me.”
Xi Xiuran: “?”
What the hell is this idiot talking about?
Xi Xiuran pulled back his smile. Without a smile, his emerald green eyes looked somewhat intimidating. He said coldly, “Major General Ying, a person needs to have self-awareness. Right now, I only have Admiral Shi in my heart. What the hell are you, to be worthy of me remembering you?”
Hearing Xi Xiuran say this, Ying Huachi frowned. This only further confirmed his suspicions. He said helplessly, “Xiuran, there’s no one else here. You don’t need to put up such a bluff. I know you still have me in your heart.”
Xi Xiuran: “…”
Thank you, you’ve successfully greased me out, and cured my ancestral white-hair fetish.
Xi Xiuran felt that even looking at Ying Huachi once was burning his eyes. He turned around and wanted to leave.
He finally understood. This idiot was over here completely moved by his own imaginary scenarios. No matter what he said, this idiot would just think he still had lingering feelings, or that his love had turned into hate.
Just as Xi Xiuran turned around, who would have thought Ying Huachi would suddenly grab his wrist.
Seeing Xi Xiuran trying to leave, Ying Huachi subconsciously reached out and grabbed him. “Xiuran.”
Xi Xiuran subconsciously struggled, but found he couldn’t break free at all. Thinking about the disparity in physical strength between Alphas and Omegas in this world, Xi Xiuran simply gave up struggling. His other hand quietly slipped into his pocket, gripping a marble-sized metal sphere.
Gripping the metal sphere, Xi Xiuran scolded coldly, “Major General Ying, please be mindful of our current identities! I am Admiral Shi’s partner. Are you provoking the laws of the Empire?”
“Xiuran, listen to me…” Ying Huachi was just about to say something when his wrist was suddenly clamped from the side, followed immediately by a burst of agonizing pain.
With a crisp crack, Ying Huachi’s wrist was crushed. His entire body was yanked forward several steps. Before he could even steady himself, the person who had pulled him planted a heavy kick into his abdomen. The opponent’s strength was terrifying. Ying Huachi was kicked backward for several meters, finally grabbing a tree trunk by the roadside to barely stabilize his posture.
“You…” Ying Huachi caught his breath for a good while. Looking up, he saw Shi Xingzhou.
The man standing there had a tall and sturdy build, his expression flat. It was unknown how long he had been there, or how much he had heard.
Ying Huachi’s expression changed drastically. His entire body froze in place, not daring to move.
Seeing Shi Xingzhou, Xi Xiuran somewhat regretfully put away the metal sphere. This was a self-defense weapon given to him by Butler Wang—equivalent to pepper spray on Earth, but several times more terrifying in its lethality. It guaranteed to make an Alpha suffer in agony for days. He had already planned exactly how he was going to shove it into Ying Huachi’s eyes, and then throw in a free “end-his-bloodline” combo package.
He was just a tiny (literally: a hundred million points) bit curious if interstellar medical technology could save that area too.
However, since Big Boss Shi was here, he was naturally going to happily lie flat.
Stowing the metal sphere away, Xi Xiuran hid behind Shi Xingzhou with a look of pure obedience and harmlessness.
Worried that he might misunderstand, Xi Xiuran even secretly tugged at the hem of his clothes. Blinking his round cat-eyes, he hinted with his gaze: Big Boss, he bullied me! Avenge me!
…Acting spoiled and tattling again.
Shi Xingzhou glanced at his pocket. When his gaze swept past the youth’s wrist, he abruptly paused.
The youth’s skin was pale; the red finger marks on his wrist were exceptionally glaring.
The black-haired, orange-eyed man slowly narrowed his eyes. His gaze was as deep as blood, his expression unfathomable.
With his back to the youth, the smile on his face completely vanished, becoming as cold as an ice sculpture. His deep voice remained as gentle and steady as always, but the gaze he cast down on Ying Huachi was utterly thin and indifferent. “Major General Ying.”
“What were you trying to do to my Consort just now?”
He slowly took a step forward. An icy killing intent, tempered through endless slaughter, poured down without reservation.
Backlit by the light, his eyes were blood-red, resembling a purgatory piled high with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Ying Huachi’s breath caught in his throat, and he subconsciously wanted to retreat.
Shi Xingzhou took another step forward.
Tap.
The sole of his shoe landing on the ground made a very crisp sound, but it struck Ying Huachi’s heart like a heavy hammer.
His face instantly turned pale. He tried to mobilize his mental power to resist, only to tragically realize that he once again could not move a single inch.
The higher the mental power and rank of an Alpha, the more absolute deterrence and dominance they naturally held over lower-ranked Alphas. And lower-ranked Alphas, when facing an Alpha of a higher rank, would instinctively submit out of fear. Forget mental power—even their pheromones would be suppressed to death, not daring to leak the slightest bit.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from Ying Huachi’s forehead. His voice was tight and trembling: “N-nothing… I just wanted to talk to Xiu—”
The superior’s pheromones crashed down. Crushed by that terrifying and piercing aura, Ying Huachi couldn’t help but let out a miserable scream, both of his knees dropping to the ground with a heavy thud.
Xi Xiuran: …
What a crisp double thud. So pleasant to listen to.
I hope he’s hurt. It would be best if his kneecaps shattered so he can never stand again.
“Has Major General Ying forgotten how he should address Consultant Xi?” Shi Xingzhou stared down at the man kneeling on the ground from a commanding height. The look in his eyes was deep and unfathomable. With a half-smile, he said, “He is my Consort. My legally wedded partner, vetted and notarized by the Matching Center.”
“Do you remember now?”
Kneeling on the ground, Ying Huachi struggled to support his body with one hand. His back was entirely covered in cold sweat, the chill piercing straight into the seams of his bones. Under instinctual terror, he said hoarsely: “…I r-remember.”
Shi Xingzhou glared down at him and scoffed, “So Major General Ying does remember. Then how come I just heard you directly calling my Consort’s name, and relentlessly pestering him?”
Gritting his teeth, Ying Huachi lowered his head in humiliation to admit his fault. “I was in the wrong earlier. I beg Your Excellency the Admiral and the Admiral’s Consort for forgiveness for my offensive behavior.”
Ying Huachi nearly shattered his teeth, his mouth full of the rusty taste of blood. But he had to lower his head and admit his fault now. Given Shi Xingzhou’s current mental state, if he really killed him and passed it off as an accidental loss of control, not even His Majesty the Emperor could say much about it.
Shi Xingzhou looked at Xi Xiuran, signaling for him to speak.
Xi Xiuran: “…”
He was momentarily a bit dumbfounded.
What the hell is this pathetic thing kneeling on the ground? This is the Protagonist Gong?
Yo, how did he fall off so hard in the blink of an eye? Didn’t the novel say he constantly looked down on the late Admiral Shi and paraded himself as the true God of War of the Empire?
Xi Xiuran thought to himself: Good thing I turned on the video recording function. Later, I can print and frame this to give to the Protagonist Gong and Shou as a wedding gift.
Thinking this in his heart, Xi Xiuran spoke magnanimously: “Let’s forget it this time. I just hope Major General Ying can remember today’s lesson and refrain from disturbing my life in the future. After all, we are not people from the same world.”
For this last sentence, Xi Xiuran deliberately mimicked Ying Huachi’s original tone.
Shi Xingzhou nodded. Without sparing Ying Huachi another glance, he said to Xi Xiuran, “Let’s go. Back to the manor.”
Xi Xiuran gave an “Mm” and happily left side-by-side with Shi Xingzhou.
Ying Huachi gripped the tree trunk, trying to use it to stand up, only to discover in horror that his kneecaps were completely shattered.
He stared gloomily at the departing pair, his eyes a field of chilling cold.
Shi Xingzhou, let’s see how much longer you can hold on!
As for Xiuran… Ying Huachi paused.
Forget it. Ultimately, I am the one who owes Xiuran. It’s only right that he’s angry.
Once Shi Xingzhou is dead, I will find a way to make it up to Xiuran.
After Ying Huachi was picked up by the arriving medical robots, the Emperor and the Captain of the Guard stepped out from the shadows.
“Now this is the Shura Field I wanted to see. Much more exciting than that act in the royal palace.” The Emperor smiled, pushed up his glasses, and asked, “How are the readings?”
The Captain of the Guard glanced at the data just recorded on his terminal and replied, “Admiral Shi’s mental power fluctuated significantly just now. His stability threshold has dropped by 1% compared to this morning. At this rate, he can hold on for a month at most.”
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction. Suddenly remembering something, he asked, “How are things on the Matching Center’s end?”
Captain of the Guard: “There are no candidates meeting the standards in the latest batch of registered Omegas. The highest compatibility rate is only 32%, and their rank is C-class. Among the already registered Omegas, those A-class Omegas with a compatibility rate higher than 60% are under strict surveillance. Their mental power is all very stable, with no breakthroughs and no signs of mutation.”
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction. He looked up at the black hovercar ascending into the distance, his expression unreadable.
Only one month left…
The Captain of the Guard turned off the holographic screen. He suddenly thought of something, hesitated, but ultimately didn’t speak.
Because of Ying Huachi’s sudden whim to swap the marriage candidates, they hadn’t had time to test Xi Xiuran and Shi Xingzhou’s compatibility before letting Xi Xiuran marry into the Admiral’s Manor.
The Captain of the Guard had originally wanted to report this, but considering Xi Xiuran was only a B-class, and it was exceptionally difficult for Omegas to advance—let alone a month, even if he were given a year, it would be impossible for him to advance from B-class to S-class. Since that was the case, there was no need to waste the effort testing his compatibility with Shi Xingzhou.
It was too difficult to send people into the Admiral’s Manor. The moment one went in, Shi Xingzhou would “go crazy” and kill them.
Thinking of the personnel they had lost recently, the Captain of the Guard only felt a headache coming on.
T/n: Please Vote on NU to support the novel. You can support the original author here. Happy Reading 💅