All trainees were ordered to return to the assembly hall first to hand back all the weapons and equipment issued for this mission.

Li Xiao and his four teammates found a nearby reclamation device and placed their backpacks and personal gear into the recovery bin. A virtual screen popped up, displaying the name and model of each item, alongside the corresponding borrower’s name and student ID.

Jiang Hao unclipped his military dagger, placing it inside with a look of lingering reluctance. “I’ve just surrendered another wife.”

Qian Can patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll take you out to the streets another day and help you buy a few more wives back.”

Jiang Hao replied, “I’m not a man of loose morals; I have standards.”

Qian Can: “…”

Having finished returning his gear, Song Jin felt many uncomfortable stares prickling against his back. With a cold expression, he snapped his head around.

The students lining up behind them violently averted their eyes. Some looked up at the ceiling or down at the floor, some began counting their fingers, and others pretended to engage in awkward small talk with their companions, their hearts thumping wildly from the scare.

“What’s wrong?” Noticing Song Jin’s face full of impatience, Li Xiao followed his line of sight.

“It’s nothing.” Once Song Jin confirmed that these people weren’t cyborgs, he couldn’t be bothered to pay them any more attention.

To the side, Qin Le overheard some students whispering about Song Jin beating up Qi Ge. He thought to himself that this matter would probably not be resolved so easily.

Qi Ge came from the prominent Qi family, giving him enough status to walk with a swagger anywhere in the military academy. Yet, he had been thrashed by Song Jin, a Shengya person. He would almost certainly stir up trouble over this.

After everyone had returned their equipment, they proceeded to the assembly hall. Yan Qing, leading the first- and second-year faculty teams, stood on one side of the high platform, while the third-year faculty team stood on the other. General Affairs Director Zhang Bin walked down from the upper corridor and took his place in the center of the platform to deliver a speech.

“Everyone performed exceptionally well this time, especially our third-year students. Even as the scale of the beast tide continued to expand, you still held the front lines of combat, setting an excellent example for your first- and second-year juniors…”

Song Jin pulled a sour face. “That dead old man talks too much crap.”

Li Xiao nodded. “Indeed.”

Song Jin added, “He glanced at Yan Qing three times with that disgusting, lecherous look. It’s revolting.”

Li Xiao: “…”

This kid is unusually dense where he is dense, yet remarkably perceptive where he is sharp.

Zhang Bin continued, “A number of second-year students were injured in the line of duty this time. We must learn to accumulate experience through actual combat. After returning, conduct a thorough review and summary, and strive to do better next time. As for the first-years—”

At this point, many students present assumed he was about to start praising Li Xiao.

After all, whether as a prince or a military academy student, Li Xiao had performed spectacularly during this expedition, making him a walking textbook example of excellence.

The trio of Qian Can, Jiang Hao, and Qin Le had been drowsy, but hearing that it was finally time to critique the first-years, they perked up again.

Zhang Bin said, “The performance of the majority of the first-year students was commendable. However, on the battlefield, you are all part of the legion. The most important thing in a legion is discipline. You must strictly execute the orders arranged by your superiors. You cannot act on your own initiative, nor can you alter the content of a mission at will. I hope certain students will pay attention to this. We will let it slide this time, but do not make the same mistake again.”

Hearing this, the surrounding students subconsciously sneaked glances over at Li Xiao.

Who would have thought that someone praised by everyone on the internet would be publicly criticized upon returning to the military academy?

Qian Can cursed under his breath. He had originally expected some praise and had been looking forward to it, but he hadn’t anticipated getting hit with passive-aggressive insinuations right off the bat.

“What a piece of work.”

Li Xiao didn’t anticipate being praised, nor did he care about the passive-aggressive remarks. After all, Zhang Bin was Zheng An’an’s man. If Zhang Bin actually praised him, he would instead have to carefully ponder the man’s ulterior motives.

“Lecherous old man…” Song Jin grew increasingly impatient. Dropping his hand, his finger gave a subtle flick. The blue crystal on his terminal’s decorative clasp melted at an extreme speed, dropping down as fine metallic threads.

In a flash, the numerous threads darted through the crowd close to the ground, creeping upward along the corners of the walls.

Having finished his speech, Zhang Bin walked down the steps amidst the applause of the entire hall.

Just as he reached the second step, he suddenly stepped on something round and slippery. Caught off guard, he pitched straight forward.

Hiss—!

A collective gasp echoed through the crowd.

Tumbling down over a dozen steps like that risked breaking his front teeth.

07 was just preparing to retract its threads. However, Zhang Bin was a military man after all. Right as he was about to wipe out, he managed to forcefully stabilize his balance in a bizarrely contorted posture.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, though they also felt a twinge of disappointment.

He didn’t fall. What a pity.

Outwardly composed but panicking internally, Zhang Bin cleared his throat to mask his embarrassment, straightened his spine once more, and resumed his descent down the steps.

Yet, looking down, the smooth steps felt severely uneven underneath his feet. Every step felt like treading on rolling spheres; he couldn’t stop his momentum at all.

Every student present watched as Zhang Bin, twisting his hips and shaking his legs like he was performing a folk dance, rushed down the steps at breakneck speed. They couldn’t help but hold their breath in suspense, their hearts leaping into their throats, thoroughly filled with anticipation.

Is he finally going to wipe out this time?!

“What’s going on! Someone get over here and help me!” Sensing that things were going south, Zhang Bin bellowed toward the first- and second-year faculty teams.

Yan Qing was standing at the very front of the faculty group, but he pretended to react a beat too late, leaving it to the young Alpha teachers in the team to rush over and support him.

But the speed at which Zhang Bin was tumbling down was simply too fast. Mid-stride, the two Alpha teachers watched helplessly as Zhang Bin’s foot slipped on the third-to-last step, causing him to crash face-first onto the ground.

The students collectively exhaled in relief.

He finally fell, and it was a spectacular wipeout.

How satisfying.

Qian Can and his two buddies tactfully pumped their fists in unison.

That’s what you get for talking nonsense.

Li Xiao looked at Song Jin beside him, who looked completely innocent as if he had absolutely no interest in what was happening on the stage.

Zhang Bin could rack his brain all he wanted, but he would never imagine that this subtly wicked kid was the mastermind behind it.

On the stage, the two Alpha teachers flanked Zhang Bin, lifting him up.

“Are you alright, Director?”

Flushed with anger and humiliation, Zhang Bin whipped his head around to glare at the steps behind him, but there was absolutely nothing there.

“Tear apart whatever is under those steps and check it for me!”

Confused, the two teachers went over and pulled back the carpet, only to find ordinary steel plates underneath.

“Impossible!” Zhang Bin pointed at the steps. “There was definitely something scurrying around under my feet just now!”

Yan Qing walked over. “Could it be that you twisted your ankle and experienced an illusion? Let them take you for a medical checkup, and as for this side—”

Zhang Bin suddenly snapped to his senses. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the crowd of students below; every single one of them had bright, sparkling eyes as they watched the drama unfold—a complete contrast to their previous drowsy expressions.

“Hurry up and wrap up the summary, then let them go back and rest!”

Yan Qing bowed his head. “Yes.”

As the leading instructor for the first-years, Yan Qing stepped into the range covered by the voice-control system. He looked toward the area where the first-years were lined up, his voice firm yet gentle.

“Although our first-years were only responsible for logistics this time, the execution, adaptability, and attitude toward handling unexpected situations displayed by everyone came as a very pleasant surprise to me. Especially Li Xiao, who assisted the legion multiple times in discovering problems early on, preventing a great deal of unnecessary losses.”

Having just taken a few steps while being supported, Zhang Bin froze upon hearing Yan Qing’s words and looked back in astonishment.

The faculty team on the stage exchanged glances, with excitement suppressed in the eyes of the majority.

The General Affairs Director had just finished throwing passive-aggressive shade at Li Xiao, and Director Yan immediately called him out by name to praise him. Isn’t this just a bit too direct?!

Among the over one thousand students present, eyes grew even brighter.

The General Affairs Director got tripped into a messy heap after subtly insulting Li Xiao, and Director Yan stepped up to deliver a direct punch to the General Affairs Director’s face. This drama was far more exciting than listening to a mission debrief.

Many students admired Li Xiao’s strength. Upon hearing this, they began to whistle and cheer, creating a ruckus.

Yan Qing made a gesture for silence. “Song Jin, Qian Can, and Qin Le, as exchange students from Shengya, risked their lives to rescue many refugees during this expedition. And Jiang Hao—the five of you as a squad assisted me in completing numerous rescue missions. I am very grateful for your contributions.”

With that, Yan Qing gave a deep bow.

Many in the crowd excitedly looked toward the first-year section while clapping.

The remaining reluctant ones, seeing everyone else applauding, half-heartedly joined in.

The first-year cohort was small to begin with, and more than half of them had been single-out and praised by Yan Qing.

The second-year Director, Xiang Hong, was absent, so Yan Qing conducted their summary as well.

His voice was pleasant, and he enjoyed praising people, which warmed up the atmosphere of the entire hall considerably—a stark contrast to the dead, oppressive atmosphere when Zhang Bin was speaking.

Zhang Bin’s teeth itched with rage. When Yan Qing finished the summary and walked over, he asked with a darkened face, “Do you have some kind of grievance against me?”

Yan Qing looked entirely puzzled. “Why would I have a grievance against you, Director?”

Zhang Bin questioned him, “Then what did you mean by those words just now?”

Yan Qing expressed his lack of understanding. “Appropriate encouragement can give students more motivation to learn. Is there a problem with that?”

To say he wasn’t targeting Zhang Bin, Yan Qing had specifically singled out Li Xiao for praise. To say he was targeting him, Yan Qing had also praised many others.

Zhang Bin glared at him, swallowing a stomach full of rage as he limped away, propped up by the Alpha teachers.

A group of young teaching assistants from the faculty team didn’t dare to make a sound, but they cast affirmative glances at Yan Qing one after another.

Yan Qing turned his head to glance at the direction where the first-years were lined up, a smile flashing across his eyes before vanishing.

By the time the summary concluded, it was already past four o’clock in the afternoon.

Li Xiao and the others went to the dining hall first to have dinner. On their way back to the dorms, they passed by the small garden where they had strolled before.

Letting Qian Can and the others head back first, Li Xiao took Song Jin’s hand and led him into the small garden.

There wasn’t much wind today, and the temperature hovered around 10°C, making it quite pleasant.

Under the setting sun, students gathered in twos and threes, chatting and laughing in a very relaxed atmosphere.

Having just experienced a tense battlefield, suddenly returning to this kind of environment made Song Jin feel a bit unaccustomed. He deliberately slowed his pace.

“What did you bring me here for?”

“To take a walk and digest our food.” Li Xiao calmly surveyed their surroundings, confirming that there were no cyborgs nearby. He slid his fingers between Song Jin’s, locking them together in a ten-finger clasp. “You ate too many desserts just now.”

Song Jin looked down at their hands, subconsciously tightening his grip.

This was the first time Li Xiao had held his hand like this.

Song Jin’s gaze flickered around. “Holding it so tightly, what if there’s danger?”

Li Xiao replied, “I’ve checked; there are no issues around here.”

Song Jin couldn’t help but curl his lips upward. “How is holding hands like this any different from before?”

Seeing his visibly happy expression, Li Xiao chuckled. “Before was holding a kid’s hand. Now I’m holding my wife’s hand. That’s a fundamental difference.”

“…” Song Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, lowering his voice in a threat. “You’d better think carefully before you answer.”

Looking at the enlarged face in front of him, Li Xiao said seriously, “Let me correct that. Before was holding my son’s hand.”

“…” Song Jin deliberately pulled a stern face, his tone fierce. “Relying on the fact that I’m happy and won’t beat you up, you’re just spouting nonsense now, aren’t you?”

Li Xiao let out a low laugh, leaning in to plant a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “You haven’t agreed to be my wife yet.”

“Not a chance in this lifetime,” Song Jin stated, gazing into his eyes. “I’m only going to be the husband.”

Li Xiao: “…”

You have no chance in this lifetime.

Passing by the fish pond, Li Xiao approached it.

The last time they came was at night, which offered poor visibility. Today, the lighting was just right, making it clear at a glance which ones were energy stones.

Li Xiao rolled up his sleeves, his gaze sweeping across the bottom of the pond to search for high-purity 384 energy stones.

“If we don’t feed it a good meal soon, it’s going to throw a tantrum.”

Song Jin noted, “You certainly understand it well.”

Li Xiao fished out a piece, responding casually, “It’s not that I understand it; it’s that I understand you.”

Song Jin: “…”

After walking for half an hour, they returned to Dorm 610. Qian Can and the other two were sitting on the living room carpet, clutching fruits and snacks while browsing through forum posts and enjoying the gossip.

09 had returned ahead of time with the medical kit, but Li Xiao looked around and couldn’t find it.

“Have you seen 09?” Li Xiao asked.

Jiang Hao casually pointed toward the kitchen. “There’s a metal box over there. We tried communicating with it for ages, but it didn’t give any response.”

Song Jin walked toward the kitchen. With one glance, he spotted the metal box on the stove counter. He walked over and patted it.

“No need to hide anymore. Come out.”

There was absolutely no reaction after he spoke.

Song Jin patted it again. “Out of battery?”

A palm-sized virtual screen popped up on the metal box.

【Go away.】

Song Jin: “…”

How dare it throw a tantrum with him. Song Jin turned around to leave, his voice chillingly breezy. “Old man, 09 doesn’t want the energy stones. Give both pieces to 07.”

Just as Li Xiao placed the two energy stones on the bar counter, a small metal ball flashed and appeared right next to his hand.

09 cried out, “I didn’t say I didn’t want them!”

“One piece per person.” Li Xiao placed one of the energy stones in front of it and walked toward the kitchen.

09 extended its matchstick-like arms to hug it. Upon detecting that the energy stone’s purity reached 95%, it happily cradled the stone and followed him.

“I have scanned the medical kit. The monitoring and tracking program has been shut down by me.”

In the kitchen, Song Jin opened the medical kit. The top layer held that metal sphere, while underneath lay twenty vials of blood and an unidentified solution.

Li Xiao picked up the metal sphere to examine it.

“09, help me scan and map its structure.”

Song Jin said, “Shipping it back poses too much of a risk. I plan to have the dark guards take it back. I’ve already given my dad a heads-up.”

Li Xiao responded, “Arrange it as you see fit.”

Song Jin noted, “Xiang Hong is dead. The next Ferryman might assume duty very soon.”

With over eight hundred cyborgs in the military academy, if there wasn’t a Ferryman to regularly maintain them with drugs, they would quickly suffer a collective breakdown.

Li Xiao asserted, “Keep following the lead on Wei Wen. We don’t have to worry about not finding the Ferryman.”

Past five o’clock was exactly the time when all the school’s students and faculty finished classes and work.

The incident of Song Jin beating up Qi Ge on the spaceship, resulting in Qi Ge being sent back to the military academy on a stretcher, had spread across groups of all sizes.

In the living room, Qian Can noticed someone posting the video of Song Jin beating up Qi Ge in a newly joined alumni group.

“He beat him so viciously. These Shengya people really harbor malicious intent.”

“This is too insane, isn’t it? Isn’t this beating him within an inch of his life? Why hasn’t he been disciplined?!”

“Qi Ge’s strength is so formidable, yet he was beaten to the point where he couldn’t even fight back?”

“Go report him to the student union! Make this arrogant kid roll back to Shengya!”

“What kind of people are these?!” Qian Can cursed under his breath. He modified his group nickname and quickly edited a text to send out.

【It was Qi Ge who released his pheromones first, which caused Song Jin to go berserk!】

Right after he sent it, he was immediately countered by a bunch of people.

“I have some over here too.” Jiang Hao opened two other groups. “They’re all talking about disciplining Brother Song.”

Qin Le remarked, “The Qi family possesses immense influence. Naturally, there will be many people speaking up on behalf of the Qi family.”

Qian Can countered, “No matter how influential the Qi family is, can they be more influential than the royal family?”

Qin Le glanced at him but didn’t answer.

If they were in Shengya, of course, no one would dare to cross the royal family. But this was Danse.

Jiang Hao noticed an intranet link shared in the group. He clicked on it, and the discussion online had already blown up, with comments soaring to tens of thousands.

Qin Le and Qian Can leaned in to look. Once they saw it clearly, they were somewhat surprised.

The direction of this trend… didn’t seem right.

In the kitchen, Li Xiao carried the medical kit back to the bedroom.

Song Jin smoothly grabbed a tub of ice cream from the freezer and went to the living room. Seeing the trio of Qian Can huddled together looking engrossed, he casually asked, “What are you looking at?”

Jiang Hao enlarged the screen, projecting it into mid-air.

“The video of you beating someone up was pinned on the intranet. It has already been pushed to the front page.”

“What’s so strange about that?” Song Jin scooped a spoonful of ice cream, speaking indifferently. “It’s better if it blows up. It saves me from being constantly bothered by those annoying pests everyday anyway. I don’t care about my reputation.”

Qian Can turned his head to look at him. “But the trend right now is very weird!”

Chewing on his ice cream, Song Jin casually raised his head. Upon seeing the content, he froze slightly.

“What’s weird?” Li Xiao walked out of the bedroom, sitting down beside Song Jin.

Song Jin pointed his spoon at the screen. “What exactly is going on inside the brains of you Danse people?”

Li Xiao raised his head to look over.

At the most prominent position at the top of the page stood a line of large red characters—The Peak Showdown of Top Alphas: Song Jin Smashes Qi Ge, Officially Replacing Qi Ge to Enter T0.

The top comments below read—

“I was at the scene back then. I was suffocated by Qi Ge’s pheromones to the point where I could barely breathe, yet Song Jin acted completely fine!”

“Qi Ge’s pheromones couldn’t suppress Song Jin at all. Getting beaten up was inevitable.”

“I didn’t expect the gap in strength to be this massive! It seems Song Jin wasn’t being serious at all during the last phase exam.”

“I used to think Qi Ge was very strong, but compared to Song Jin now, it’s simply a total slaughter.”

“He’s too strong, boohoo. To be the second prince’s partner, as expected, you can’t do it without possessing real skills.”

“With Li Xiao’s aptitude, ordinary Alphas and Omegas probably wouldn’t be able to live a normal life by his side, right?”

“Family, I just saw the Second Prince and his husband kissing in the small garden. Like this comment and click on my profile picture to get the kissing photos~”

Li Xiao: “…”

This, in all honesty, was something he had not expected.