They had expected to be flayed alive in the comments, so the fact that the top dozens of hot comments were all full of praise came as a complete surprise—even to Li Xiao.

Qian Can scrolled down rapidly, checking back and forth a few times. “There are people cursing you too, but they’ve all been pushed to the bottom. Still, this is already completely ridiculous.”

“Isn’t the Qi family a major clan?” Song Jin tilted his head to look at Li Xiao. “Is this all the mobilization power they have? Are they falling off?”

Li Xiao: “…”

Qin Le looked over the posts from the past week. Many titles contained words like “Second Prince,” “Li Xiao,” and “Song Jin,” and the content generally featured far more praise than condemnation.

“It looks like this expedition has shifted quite a few people’s stances.”

Li Xiao: “The military academy still has a higher proportion of students from ordinary backgrounds.”

Students from ordinary backgrounds didn’t have deep entanglements of interest with the major clans, so they wouldn’t firmly side with either party.

The Medical Center

Zheng Lin and a few of his companions went to visit Qi Ge.

Remembering that he himself had just been hospitalized not too long ago, Zheng Lin felt a wave of complex emotions. It hadn’t been that long since he got beaten up, and now Qi Ge had been beaten into the hospital too.

Just as they approached the ward, Qi Ge’s furious voice drifted out from inside.

“Song Jin beat me into this state in front of everyone! What is there left to investigate?!”

Zheng Lin and his group walked to the door and saw Gao Jia, accompanied by two members of the student council, standing around the hospital bed questioning him.

Gao Jia raised his hand to signal Qi Ge not to get agitated. “But you released pheromones at the time, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t even notice myself releasing pheromones! They are defaming me!”

The right side of Qi Ge’s face was swollen to twice its size. When he spoke, it pulled at the wounds on his face, causing him to grimace in pain.

Gao Jia: “Many people smelled the pheromones back then. Letting them smell it again would easily reveal who released it. There’s no point in telling this kind of lie.”

Seeing Gao Jia’s completely official, business-like manner, Qi Ge leaned back against his pillow and asked back impatiently, “Even if I lost control and leaked a tiny bit of pheromones, why didn’t anyone else make a move except Song Jin? He did it on purpose!”

Gao Jia: “Every Alpha reacts differently to pheromones of the same sex. Isn’t that something learned back in elementary school physiology class?”

“Then what do you mean?” Qi Ge looked at him, completely unbothered. “You want me to just take the loss?”

“I have no intention of advising you either way. The student council will act according to the relevant regulations of the military academy after a thorough investigation. Get some proper rest.” Gao Jia signaled his companions to log the details, then turned around and left.

Zheng Lin watched them leave before entering the ward, sizing up Qi Ge’s miserable face.

“You really couldn’t think things through. Wasn’t my lesson enough for you that you had to rush right into it too?”

“What do you know?” Qi Ge said with a stern face, the situation from that moment flashing before his eyes. “I was originally going to succeed.”

There were many people present at the time. To precisely target and affect Song Jin, he had specifically picked a moment when he was closest to Song Jin, yet two steps away from everyone else, to make his move.

Song Jin had clearly already been affected by his pheromones. If he had been just 0.1 seconds faster, Li Xiao’s head would have already been blown to pieces.

“It was just a tiny bit short!” The more Qi Ge thought about it, the angrier he got.

If it weren’t for the legion, he wouldn’t have wanted to take such a massive risk. But in the end, he bore the risk while reaping absolutely no benefits.

Zheng Lin: “I just received orders from above. Don’t make any moves for now.”

Qi Ge looked utterly bewildered. “Why?”

“How should I know? If you want to know, go ask that person from your family yourself.” Zheng Lin studied his expression and asked in puzzlement, “Isn’t this for the best? Are you that eager to look for trouble with Li Xiao? You can’t beat him in a fight, and you can’t outsmart him in a calculation. Are you rushing to find your own death?”

Qi Ge looked at him with a cold face. “I only know that the mission assigned by the family must be executed!”

Zheng Lin was left speechless. He offered a couple of casual, perfunctory remarks before leading his lackeys away.

The hospital corridor was exceptionally quiet, with only the sound of military boots clicking against the floor.

Thinking of Meng Tao and Qi Ge, and then thinking of everything that had happened from the trip to the Shengya Empire up until now, Zheng Lin cursed under his breath.

“Every single one of them is a lunatic…”

S80, Fifth Legion Main Ship

Qi Sen was completely overwhelmed by a mountain of messy problems, throwing a massive tantrum inside the command bridge.

His attempt to shift the blame had failed, and his nephew had even been beaten into the hospital—which was no different from having his own face stepped on.

“I ordered you to issue a disciplinary notice immediately and deport Song Jin back to his country!” Qi Sen roared at the video screen.

Zhang Bin, the Chief of General Affairs, also looked terrible. “This isn’t something I can decide. What’s the use of you roaring at me?”

Qi Sen sneered. “As a Chief of General Affairs, you can’t even make a decision on a matter like this?”

Zhang Bin: “This requires the approval of the higher-ups as well. Otherwise, if I issue a notice and they turn around and rescind it, where would my dignity go? Are you playing games with me?”

Qi Sen: “Just issue it! I will contact the Principal right now.”

After hanging up, Qi Sen sent multiple communication requests to the Principal, and it took several attempts before the call finally connected.

“Vice Admiral Qi?” The Principal walked along a garden corridor with his hands behind his back, looking at the screen with a beaming smile. “What wind blew you here?”

“Cut the crap.” Qi Sen’s face was dark. “Song Jin beat up my nephew. Make him get the hell out of Danse immediately!”

“Please calm down.”

The Principal maintained his smile. “I’ve heard about this matter. It was indeed Qi Ge who was at fault first. If we rashly discipline Song Jin, it might cause dissatisfaction on the Shengya side. If a small matter snowballs into a massive ordeal by then, no one will have a good time.”

The phrase “no one will have a good time” thoroughly enraged Qi Sen.

“Are you threatening me?”

“How would I dare?”

The Principal sighed softly, speaking with a hint of hesitation. “But Song Jin commands too much public attention. The school administration has to handle this with caution. This is also for everyone’s good.”

Qi Sen narrowed his eyes slightly, sizing up this slick old fox. “When all is said and done, you’re just catering to the stance of the Royal Family, aren’t you?”

The Principal replied with a face full of smiles: “This incident has nothing to do with the Royal Family, please don’t overthink it. I still have things to attend to, let’s chat again later.”

Watching the screen go black before his eyes, Qi Sen slammed his fist onto the armrest. This old fellow was clearly blowing him off—he had never used this kind of attitude in the past!

The adjutant rushed over holding a set of documents. “Sir, the disciplinary document drafted by the higher-ups has come down!”

Qi Sen snatched it away to look through it.

Thirty-two officers, including the Commander of the Southern 22nd District Marines, were suspended from duty. They would need to have their mental status verified as trouble-free at the headquarters military hospital for a year before they could be reinstated.

The General Commander of the Marines was stripped of his position for investigation, to be investigated immediately upon returning with the army.

Aside from that, the general commanders of ten combat units, including the fighter jet units and mecha units, were disciplined and demoted. They had to return to headquarters to undergo re-learning and assessments before consideration would be given to whether they could return to their posts based on the circumstances.

The entire staff of the Logistics News Department was demoted and dismissed, with no return to their posts permitted.

The entire staff of the Logistics Material Department was to undergo investigation.

“This document has already been approved?!” Qi Sen was incredulous.

The adjutant looked anxious. “It’s currently going through the processing queue.”

If such a massive batch of people were disciplined, the Fifth Legion would be torn to shreds. Qi Sen immediately sent a video request to his father, Qi Shoude, without stopping to catch his breath.

As soon as it connected, Qi Sen couldn’t help but complain: “Father, who drafted such an unreasonable disciplinary document?!”

Qi Shoude rubbed his temples. “Don’t worry about who drafted it. If you don’t want this document to pass, submit the report on the transport vehicle’s self-detonation as early as possible.”

Qi Sen didn’t understand. “What does that have to do with this?”

“The Royal Family wants to use this wave of public opinion to purge your legion. If things truly get pushed to that extreme, no one will be able to protect you.” Qi Shoude let out a frustrated sigh. “Suppress the public opinion first, then things will be easier to handle later.”

Qi Sen still couldn’t wrap his head around it. “Public opinion is just that kind of thing. Can’t we just find someone to manipulate it randomly?”

“It has already sparked public outrage, do you understand?!” Qi Shoude’s voice rose by an octave. “Right now, the majority of the people are standing on the side of the Royal Family. Trying to control the comments now will only backfire! If you don’t bring out some real substance, how are you going to turn the public perception around?!”

Qi Sen: “Then I’ll have people post more photos from the frontlines.”

Qi Shoude: “What they care about most right now is the self-detonation of the vehicle! If you don’t explain this matter clearly and instead run out to play the victim, who is going to buy it?!”

Qi Sen clicked his tongue, the thought making him feel worse the more he dwelt on it.

“I said back then that we shouldn’t let Li Xiao come to my legion for an internship! Look at things now—he’s caused so many messy problems! It’s practically losing the bait along with the fish!”

Qi Shoude kept a dark face and didn’t answer. Although they belonged to a community of shared interests, Meng Jian would definitely prioritize his own family; a matter like the one this time could absolutely never be handed over to his son to do.

Now that they had boarded this ship, they had no choice but to keep going.

Canopy Seat T999, First Military Academy

The majority of the curriculum during the week after returning to school was spent reviewing this practical combat internship.

Only fifty people from the first-year class had gone, so the vast majority of the students hadn’t had the chance to go to the battlefield yet. They could only learn through various holographic images and simulated videos in class.

The instructor, Zhao De, pulled up some battlefield videos from the Eastern Sixth District of S80.

“Once a Crane-Eagle mutates past level two, it possesses highly terrifying aggressiveness. Furthermore, they are massive in size and can summon companions and other flocks of birds via infrasound. As long as one is spotted on the battlefield, countless more will follow behind it. It is a primary species to be on alert against…”

In the large lecture hall, everyone took notes and listened very intently.

In the very last row, Li Xiao heard up to this point and glanced at Song Jin, who was sitting on his right.

If one were to talk about the primary species to be on alert against in the Eastern Sixth District, it would have to be a certain golden-furred little lion whose susceptibility period had triggered.

With the words “hug me” on his lips, the fists he swung showed no mercy whatsoever—if one let their guard down even slightly, they would get their face beaten bloody.

Yet, a little lion so irritable that he wanted to cut off his own gland was incredibly cute no matter how many times one recalled it.

Sensing Li Xiao’s gaze, Song Jin turned his head to look over.

The moment their gazes clashed, Song Jin subtly caught on to something, letting out a somewhat playful smile.

That face full of a smile that saw through everything brought Li Xiao back to his senses, and he silently shifted his gaze away.

It really wasn’t an illusion; this kid’s sensitivity in this regard had improved quite a bit recently.

Song Jin’s hand resting on the table hooked onto Li Xiao’s finger, drawing a bit closer to lower his voice: “What were you thinking about during class?”

Li Xiao: “…”

Song Jin’s crisp, cool voice carried a hint of a smile: “Did you want to kiss me just now?”

“…” Li Xiao continued to play dead.

Song Jin: “Ten touches of the abs in exchange for one kiss.”

Li Xiao: “…”

He’s an even bigger scammer than me.

If I get rubbed ten times by you, my abs will be leveled to flat ground.

The bell marking the end of class rang out, and Zhao De closed his lesson plans, looking at everyone.

“One week from now, a school-wide mecha selection tournament will be held. The winning students will represent the military academy to compete at the Suyang Seat. His Majesty the King will be personally present to watch the match. Although the first-year class doesn’t hold an advantage, the emphasis is on participation.”

“His Majesty is personally going to the Suyang Seat to watch the match?” a student asked.

“Then we absolutely have to participate! What if we qualify? What if we catch His Majesty’s eye?”

“Hahaha, keep dreaming.”

“If he doesn’t care for my strength, it’s fine if he takes a liking to my looks too.”

“His Majesty is in his thirties and still single. Just about every Omega in the entire school will probably want to participate in this tournament, right?”

“The competition is going to be so fierce!”

Hearing this piece of news, Li Xiao finally recalled that it was the King’s royal tour month.

The Royal Family would designate a tour month every year, during which the King would leave the palace to visit the five major constellations to score a wave of public goodwill. However, traveling under the current political climate was not a good choice.

“Are you going to participate?” Song Jin asked.

Seeing the surrounding students turn their heads to look over, Li Xiao spoke calmly: “The emphasis is on participation. Since we’re free anyway.”

Students: “…!!!”

Li Xiao is going to participate in the mecha selection tournament?!

Song Jin: “Should I accompany you to play around?”

Li Xiao: “Mm.”

Students: “…?!!!”

Song Jin is going to participate too?!

The first-year class had only just learned a few mecha movements and was far from reaching the standard to compete. But Li Xiao and Song Jin were different—their strength was not even in the same dimension as theirs!

The discussion heat around the mecha selection tournament was already high to begin with, so when news spread that Li Xiao and Song Jin were competing, the entire internal network exploded once again.

An older post from before was pushed to the front page once more. It had been posted by a second-year student with the title—The mecha Li Xiao used had a one-second delay rate! He actually managed to defeat Lin Zhou with it!

Inside the post was a video recorded during the practical combat training class. The student who posted it happened to be assigned the same mecha Li Xiao had used previously during mecha class, only to discover that it actually had a one-second delay rate. Let alone engaging in combat, even ordinary movement practice was extremely difficult to perform to standard.

[Are you for real?! In a fast-paced combat engagement, a one-second delay rate means you have to predict at least two movements of the opponent ahead of time to precisely and effectively dodge and counterattack. Is this something a human can pull off?!]

The comments below—

“I watched the combat video between Li Xiao and Lin Zhou again. If it really was a one-second delay rate, then he can be crowned a god right on the spot.”

“Just asked a fourth-year senior, and he said he can’t do it (laugh-cry).”

“It’s definitely fake. How could a one-second delay rate mecha not be sent for repairs?”

“The hype didn’t even hit the mark, it made me laugh.”

“Li Xiao is indeed formidable, but he shouldn’t be god-like to this extent yet.”

“Fake. Reported and the post is locked.”

After the post was bumped up, many students added quite a few comments underneath.

“Sitting tight to watch them get slapped in the face.”

“There’s another good show to watch.”

“The third-years are participating this time too. I bet Li Xiao won’t make the cut.”

“A first-year competing against third-years—truly commendable courage, hahaha.”

No matter how wild the noise got online, it didn’t affect Li Xiao and Song Jin in the slightest.

After finishing afternoon classes, they were preparing to head to the dining hall for dinner when Li Xiao suddenly received a logistics notification. It indicated that food sent from the Zifu Seat had arrived at the station, asking whether to arrange for delivery.

Wei Feng’s chili sauce was late, but it had arrived.

A massive crate full of chili sauce contained at least a hundred bottles, with a small cardboard box placed right in the middle. Li Xiao assumed it was an organization sample that Wei Feng had thrown in along the way. Although reckless, it was exactly the kind of thing Wei Feng would do.

Upon opening it, the inside turned out to be jars and bottles as well, with little kitten patterns pasted on the lids.

“What’s this?” Song Jin leaned over to look.

Li Xiao opened one jar—it turned out to be strawberry jam.

Song Jin let out a low laugh. “This old man is alright.”

Li Xiao: “…”