“Focus.”

Jing Xi’s voice came through, and Chi Yao pulled the joystick to dodge the giant centipede’s maw. “Who was it that was spouting nonsense and distracting me?”

Jing Xi ignored the stunned Jin Ze and looked at the surveillance screen through Chi Yao’s video call.

The giant centipede’s front legs had been almost completely chopped off, leaving only its writhing body.

“Are you coming back after killing this one, or staying there?” Jing Xi asked.

Chi Yao looked at the surveillance feed, luring the giant centipede away from the crowd.

“I’ll stay here for now and see how things go.”

Jing Xi had guessed he would say that.

“I’ve dispatched a team to you. They’re under your command.”

Chi Yao glanced at him quickly and smiled. “Under my command? Not afraid I’ll screw you over?”

Jing Xi said flatly, “If my reputation is ruined, your dream of marrying into a rich family will be shattered too. So, no loss for me.”

Chi Yao raised an eyebrow. “Good point.”

Just as they were speaking, the giant centipede suddenly let out a roar. The legs that had been severed grew back one by one, its shell now covered in a red-green slime.

On the ground, Jin Ze, Chu Xiao, and the others, who had thought victory was in sight, couldn’t help but curse as they watched the giant centipede instantly regenerate.

“It can even do that?!”

“Is this never-ending?!”

“It’s invincible! We can’t penetrate its shell, and its legs grow back after being cut off!”

Seeing the rescued civilians begin to panic again, Jin Ze looked at the distance the giant centipede had been lured away. The path to the warship was no longer blocked.

He raised his hand and gestured for everyone to prepare to move out.

On the way to escape, Chu Xiao took out the gun and returned it to Jin Ze.

“Captain, your gun.”

Jin Ze glanced at it but didn’t take it. “Were you the one who saved them?”

Chu Xiao pursed his lips and shook his head. “Something went wrong during the rescue. Luckily, Flying Dragon arrived, or the two elderly people and I wouldn’t have made it back.”

Jin Ze snorted.

“Keep this gun to jog your memory!”

Chu Xiao was taken aback, then decisively put the gun back in its holster.

“I want to become stronger.” He looked back at Flying Dragon in the distance, his eyes shining. “As long as you’re strong enough, you can overcome all realistic constraints and do whatever you want.”

Jin Ze, annoyed, smacked the brim of his cap.

“Wake up, you foolish boy!”

Chu Xiao was confused.

Jin Ze’s gaze hardened, his expression serious. “The reason the strong are strong is because they can quickly analyze the battle situation and use all available resources to create favorable conditions for their side, achieving the greatest victory, not through reckless brute force based on half-baked knowledge! Ten lives wouldn’t be enough for you to throw away!”

A flash of understanding crossed Chu Xiao’s eyes, and he admitted his mistake in a low voice.

“I’m sorry.”

In the mecha, Jing Xi looked at the surveillance feed.

“Regeneration? A level-five mutant’s ability?”

“Yeah,” Chi Yao replied, not angry but smiling instead. “I was waiting for it to use this move.”

Jing Xi looked at him, unable to tear his eyes away.

“You know how to deal with it?”

Chi Yao pulled the joystick, pushing the speed to its maximum, sending Flying Dragon straight up into the air, the smile on his lips deepening.

“Regeneration is different from that stupid dog’s infrasound. It can’t be used repeatedly in a short period, and it’s at its weakest right after using it.”

The giant centipede clung to the building, scurrying upwards and roaring with its mouth wide open.

Seeing its entire body pressed against the building’s exterior, Chi Yao stopped accelerating, turned the mecha downwards, and, holding the long blade in a reverse grip with his left hand, plunged down at an even greater speed.

The long blade pierced the soft membrane between the centipede’s dorsal and ventral plates, sliding all the way down.

“ROAR—!”

The centipede shrieked in pain.

Just before crashing into the ground, Chi Yao pulled back the joystick. Flying Dragon made a sharp turn and ascended just a few dozen centimeters from the ground.

Chi Yao flicked the blood off the long blade.

“Flying Dragon, give it a few ‘peanuts’.”

Flying Dragon AI: [Peanuts are ready—]

Jing Xi: “…”

So easily led astray.

The armor on the mecha’s arms and legs opened, and twenty cannon ports aimed at the centipede’s wound.

Without the protection of its shell, twenty laser cannon shots blasted straight through the giant centipede.

Confirming it had no chance of reviving, Chi Yao set a course for the nearest warship, engaged the auto-pilot, and rolled his stiff neck.

“What a pain.”

Jing Xi: “I thought you were having a great time.”

Chi Yao looked at him and smiled. “Not as fun as you.”

Jing Xi: “…”

With Flying Dragon, no explanation was needed. As it approached the warship’s hangar, the bay doors opened automatically.

Chi Yao unbuckled his safety harness. “I’m going down to take a look. I’ll contact you later.”

Jing Xi: “Okay.”

After Chi Yao had prepared to leave, the video call window was still open.

Chi Yao, thinking of something, walked to the window.

“Is it acting up again?”

Jing Xi’s face was expressionless. “No.”

Chi Yao opened his arms and smiled. “Call me ‘husband’ and you can get a hug.”

The next moment, the window went dark.

Chi Yao: “…”

So merciless.

After getting out of the mecha, two armed soldiers were already waiting.

They immediately approached him.

“Please show your identification!”

Chi Yao was a bona fide space pirate; where would he get any identification?

He casually tossed them an authorization letter signed by Jing Xi.

“The commander sent me.”

Upon seeing the authorization letter, the two soldiers’ attitudes became much more respectful, and they immediately let him pass.

Just as he walked out of the hangar, the metal corridor was filled with all sorts of noisy sounds, making Chi Yao’s head buzz.

“What the hell is the Empire’s army doing?! Why weren’t so many dangerous mutated beasts detected before?!”

“I worked for ten years to buy my house, and now it’s all destroyed! The military must give an explanation!”

“The military’s inaction has made us lose everything! It’s all your fault!”

Jin Ze had just brought the refugees onto the warship when he was surrounded by a group of refugees they had rescued earlier.

They all looked furious, their words harsh, giving Jin Ze no chance to speak.

“It’s not like that, the situation this time is special—”

Chu Xiao and several other soldiers tried to explain to the refugees but were drowned out by the voices of condemnation.

Jin Ze pulled Chu Xiao back and shook his head slightly.

This wasn’t the first time he had seen such a scene.

Though he’d seen it many times, it didn’t mean he didn’t feel wronged.

He used to try to explain, but later found it was useless.

In the face of hatred, all explanations are futile.

“Say something! Nothing to say?!”

“You’ve made our lives so miserable, do you even deserve to be called human?!”

“Get the high-ranking military officials out here! If this isn’t resolved, we’ll haunt them even as ghosts!”

A piercing noise suddenly cut through the clamorous space.

Everyone couldn’t help but cover their ears, and the space instantly fell silent.

The sound of heels on the metal floor approached from a distance.

“What’s all the noise about?”

The refugees heard the voice and looked back to see an alpha soldier.

He was extremely tall, and although his features were ordinary, his presence was very powerful.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear?

The moment Chu Xiao heard the voice, he knew the leader of Extreme Shadow had arrived.

He was clearly wearing a corporal’s uniform, yet he exuded the aura of a general.

He didn’t have to do anything; just standing there was intimidating enough.

As expected, only Major General Jing dared to confront him.

Chi Yao walked up to Jin Ze.

“Can’t even handle this small group of people?”

The face was unfamiliar to Jin Ze, but he recognized the voice.

“They are disaster victims.”

If it were ordinary civilians causing trouble, he would naturally have ways to handle them.

But these people had just lost their homes and were terrified of the current situation.

Putting himself in their shoes, he couldn’t bring himself to use harsh methods on them.

Just then, someone in the crowd shouted.

“He’s not an officer, just the lowest-ranking soldier! Don’t listen to him!”

With that, the others immediately became agitated again.

Chi Yao turned around, and some people who were about to speak were scared into swallowing their words.

“I’m not against you defending your rights.” Chi Yao’s gaze swept over them coolly. “But please first take a good look at the soldiers standing in front of you.”

Everyone subconsciously looked at Jin Ze and his men.

They hadn’t noticed before, but now that they looked, they were all exhausted, and more or less injured. The most seriously wounded mecha pilot was being supported by two comrades, his military uniform stained red with blood.

Chi Yao: “Now look at yourselves.”

Most people in the crowd turned to look at the person standing next to them.

Although they were now refugees, in the two days since they were rescued, they had not lacked food or clothing, and their spirits were quite good.

The air suddenly froze.

“Making a scene here without even knowing who to condemn?” Chi Yao’s face was cold. “If you’ve figured it out, then get out of the way. Don’t delay the soldiers’ rest, and don’t delay the rescue of other refugees.”

The crowd remained in a standoff for a moment, then parted to make a path.

Chi Yao gestured to Jin Ze with his chin. “Still not going in? That brother in the back is about to bleed out.”

Jin Ze: “…”

Chi Yao stepped to the side, waiting for them to pass.

As Chu Xiao passed him, his eyes sparkled as he looked at him.

“You’re so ama—”

Chi Yao: “Shut up.”

Chu Xiao: “…”

Halfway through, a voice from the crowd shouted again.

“Don’t be fooled by him! Who are we supposed to reason with if not them?! Once this is over, no one will care about us anymore!”

It was that voice again.

Chi Yao’s gaze instantly locked onto that beta male.

“If you’re really that bored, you can go read the Empire’s laws,” Chi Yao said unhurriedly. “You wouldn’t be saying such things if you’d read even a little.”

The beta hid behind the crowd, avoiding Chi Yao’s gaze.

“The law only protects the powerful and privileged! It won’t care about ordinary people like us!”

Hearing this, some people in the crowd started whispering to each other again.

“I wish I didn’t have to care about you either,” Chi Yao sneered. “Then we wouldn’t have to be here, trading our lives for the likes of you.”

That person: “Don’t think I’ll believe you just because you say that! You caused this disaster too!”

The crowd was silent for a moment, and the few people at the front left without a word.

Once they left, the others looked at each other and followed.

A few omega women, who were halfway gone, turned back, walked up to Chi Yao, and bowed in apology.

“We’re sorry, we really didn’t know what to do, that’s why we—”

As they spoke, they began to wipe away tears.

Chi Yao didn’t look at them.

“If you’re truly sorry, then do something useful.”

The omegas looked at each other and suddenly seemed to understand something.

After the crowd dispersed completely, Jin Ze had the injured brothers go to the medical bay first, while he walked over to Chi Yao.

“You’re something else. What a smooth talker.”

Chi Yao stared in the direction the man had left and started to follow.

“When you have time, have your boss give you some public speaking lessons. You’ll definitely benefit greatly.”

Jin Ze: “…”

Seeing that he wasn’t heading towards the passenger cabins, Jin Ze called out to him.

“Our rest cabins aren’t that way.”

Chi Yao waved his hand. “I’m going to pull out a few troublemakers for a little ‘education’.”

After the crowd returned to the corridor leading to the passenger cabins, the beta male who had led the commotion got into an argument with several other betas.

After a short while, the group dispersed unhappily.

The beta male’s expression was grim as he walked towards his own rest cabin.

Just as he passed a fork in the corridor, he was suddenly muffled and dragged into a tool room.

Chi Yao threw the man in and locked the door behind him.

The beta bumped into the corner of a table, sucking in a breath as he glared.

“What do you want?”

Chi Yao smiled and walked over slowly.

“What do you want?”

The beta’s eyes darted left and right. He grabbed a hammer from a shelf and swung it.

Chi Yao raised a hand to catch his wrist and twisted it.

The beta turned, clenched his fist, and threw a punch.

Chi Yao leaned slightly to the side, kneed him in the abdomen, and kicked him away.

“Ah—!”

The beta slammed into a table and rolled onto the floor.

His eyes filled with malice, he picked up a chainsaw and charged again.

They went back and forth for several rounds in the small room.

The beta was once again pinned to the ground.

“For someone so small, you’re quite tough,” Chi Yao casually picked up a screwdriver and pressed it against his carotid artery. “I wonder what would happen if this pierced through here, hmm?”

The beta’s pupils shrank, his expression turning ferocious.

A shadow flickered before his eyes. Chi Yao dodged backward and looked up to see a claw covered in scales.

Just as I thought.

“Roar—”

The beta crouched on the ground in a grotesque posture, his eyes visibly bulging and enlarging.

“A lizard?”

The smile on Chi Yao’s lips turned cold. “I didn’t know the Ghosts also took on jobs as hired agitators. Is the pay high?”

“Who are you?!”

As he transformed, the beta’s voice became strange and hoarse.

“Want to know who I am?” Chi Yao looked down at him condescendingly. “Are you even worthy?”

Five minutes later, Chi Yao came out of the tool room and tapped on Xiao Hei in his terminal.

“You watch here.”

After leaving Xiao Hei, Chi Yao went to the warship’s command cabin.

Jin Ze was sitting in front of the surveillance screen, discussing the withdrawal plan with his subordinates, one arm extended for a medic to bandage.

Seeing him enter, the officers sitting around Jin Ze all stood up, their expressions changing.

One moved a stool, another poured water, another offered dried rations.

“Boss, please sit, please sit.”

“The Commander was actually willing to lend you Flying Dragon! Brother, you’re at the peak of your life!”

“Flying Dragon is so damn majestic to pilot! Taking on a level-five centipede single-handedly,嘶—one word, badass!”

Chi Yao, with a cup of water in his left hand and dried meat in his right, was amused by their actions.

If they knew his identity, would they still be so enthusiastic?

“The boss told me to fall back to the second line. Are you taking over here?” Jin Ze asked.

Although this person only had the rank of corporal, the skill he had just shown easily surpassed the mecha pilots in the regiment.

The boss wouldn’t have sent him here for a simple reason.

Chi Yao looked at the various surveillance screens.

“Everyone has their specialty. It’s indeed not appropriate for you to be on the front line.”

Jin Ze was in charge of the rescue unit, yet he was doing the job of the main combat force with rescue equipment and personnel. It wasn’t strange at all that he was struggling.

Jin Ze: “You just joined the regiment recently? Can you handle it?”

Chi Yao turned to look at him. “I’m very capable.”

Jin Ze: “…………”

Thinking of what happened earlier, Chi Yao said, “Connect to all the warships under your command. We’ll have a small meeting.”

Jin Ze initiated a group video call, confused. “To discuss coordination?”

Chi Yao took a sip of tea, his eyes half-closed. “A Ghost has infiltrated the refugees.”

Jin Ze and the surrounding officers were suddenly shocked.

Night fell.

In the temporary command post, Jing Xi rubbed his brow, his expression slightly weary.

At Yan Kai’s repeated urging, he got up and went to the adjacent rest lounge, intending to take a nap.

Although the symptoms of his susceptibility period had eased, constantly controlling his emotions and pheromones was much more mentally draining than usual.

Just as he opened the door to the rest lounge, a video call came in.

Jing Xi casually swiped it open. It was surprisingly Chi Yao.

Seeing his surprised expression, Chi Yao chuckled. “What, is it that strange?”

Jing Xi poured himself a glass of water. “I thought it was Jin Ze.”

“I’ve already communicated with him. In an hour, he’ll take the refugees and retreat to the N7 yellow zone in the north, leaving one-third of the warships here to continue receiving refugees,” Chi Yao said, leaning back in his chair. “The reinforcements you sent have arrived. I’ll have another meeting with them in ten minutes.”

“Okay,” Jing Xi finished the glass of water in one go. “Anything you need to tell me?”

Chi Yao’s gaze reluctantly moved away from his moist lips.

“Call for reinforcements.”

Jing Xi looked at him. “What did you find?”

Chi Yao told him about the shape-shifting beta.

“The number of mutated beasts has far exceeded expectations. If the Ghosts are also involved, relying on just Flying Dragon might put us at a disadvantage.”

Jing Xi frowned. “Could this incident also be related to them?”

“That possibility can’t be ruled out,” Chi Yao said flatly. “You’d better communicate with the other units. Don’t say too much, you can judge the proper amount of detail yourself.”

Jing Xi was silent for a moment. “I’ll submit a request for reinforcements to headquarters in a bit.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chi Yao extend a hand towards the screen. Jing Xi was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Chi Yao noticed his foolish action and pulled his hand back.

“Don’t frown so tightly.”

Jing Xi subconsciously touched his brow, and a flash appeared in his eyes.

“Chi Yao.”

Seeing him relax, Chi Yao felt better. “What?”

Jing Xi shook his head. “I’m a little surprised. I didn’t expect you to take things seriously.”

Chi Yao: “…”

He sneered. “You think I want to do this?”

Jing Xi: “Then why are you doing it?”

Chi Yao looked at him. “What do you think?”

Jing Xi: “It couldn’t be for me, could it?”

Chi Yao’s smile was very punchable. “You are, after all, my wife that I haven’t managed to marry yet.”

Jing Xi: “…”

The officers who had come to provide support entered the command cabin one after another. Chi Yao glanced over and said to him in a low voice, “You get some rest. I’m starting the meeting.”

Jing Xi wanted to hear him talk more, but he didn’t say anything else.

“Contact me immediately if anything comes up.”

After hanging up the video call, Chi Yao walked towards the open conference hall nearby.

The lowest rank of the officers attending the meeting was lieutenant, yet a corporal was sitting at the head of the table.

But with Jing Xi’s authorization, the scene was unusually harmonious.

Chi Yao’s gaze swept over them.

“Before the meeting officially begins, I’ll make one point clear. If you have any dissatisfaction with me, raise it now. If you get emotional during the implementation of the operational plan, don’t blame me for being impolite.”

This was undoubtedly a show of force.

An alpha captain sitting closest to him on his left spoke up, “We have no objection to the Commander’s arrangement.”

The other officers echoed, “We have no objection.”

Chi Yao himself found it a bit hard to believe.

“Really?”

The alpha captain said respectfully, “We pledge our lives in loyalty to the Commander. His orders are above all else.”

This group from Flying Dragon truly admired Jing Xi from the bottom of their hearts.

Lu Meng, Jin Ze, and even that foolish boy Chu Xiao who had just arrived, never doubted Jing Xi’s decisions.

For some reason, Chi Yao was in a slightly good mood.

He suddenly had a strong urge to pull Jing Xi over and hug him tightly.

Thinking of the course Chun Qin had sent, Chi Yao swiped open his terminal, edited a line of text, and sent it.

In the temporary rest lounge, Jing Xi was lying on the bed but couldn’t sleep.

There was an operation at midnight tonight, and he would probably have to stay up until dawn. He had to force himself to rest now.

He wondered how things were going on Chi Yao’s side.

This thought flashed through Jing Xi’s mind for the umpteenth time.

As he tossed and turned, his terminal suddenly vibrated. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly swiped it open.

Chi Yao: [Good night wifey, muah~]

Attached was a sticker of a cat kissing.

Jing Xi stared at these words for a long while, then chuckled lightly.

“So silly—”