While the faculty and students were focused on the second assessment, an inconspicuous spaceship slipped out of the hangar, heading toward N2533 in the Nanming constellation.

In the spaceship’s lounge, Song Jin stared at Li Xiao, who was sitting opposite him, leisurely reading a book. Song Jin was extremely displeased. Regardless of the channel Li Xiao used to find out about 2533, the fact that he was able to wait for him at the hangar meant that Li Xiao had a firm grasp of the intelligence in his hands. It was highly possible that this trip to 2533 was a trap. Given this, Qi Ge’s previous infiltration of the Student Union—where Li Xiao just “happened” to pass by and later pushed the person out—could all be part of a scheme to gain his trust.

“You’ve been staring at me for an hour. Want a break?” Li Xiao casually tossed a piece of chocolate over. “Have some sugar to cool your temper.”

“Trying to hoodwink a kid?” Song Jin retorted, but he snatched it anyway, tearing the wrapper open with the intensity of someone ripping into an enemy. “Confess yourself, or should I start the interrogation?”

Li Xiao didn’t answer, simply flipping the page. “A place as filthy and chaotic as 2533—with as many people as you have at your disposal, why go personally?”

Song Jin countered, “Then why are you going?”

Li Xiao: “Because I have no one.”

Song Jin pinned the book to the table, grabbed Li Xiao by the collar, and pulled him in, whispering right into his ear: “Babe, if you still want to see the person you’re looking for, you’d better be honest with me. Otherwise, forget about breaking the deal—I’m capable of anything.”

Li Xiao tilted his head, watching the face that was uncomfortably close. Song Jin had perfect looks, but his approachability was in the negatives. He was the type of person one only dared to view from a distance, especially when facing an opponent, where his pressure was immense. Li Xiao had already experienced it firsthand several times.

This mad lion was indeed not to be trifled with, but the moment Li Xiao thought about the candy currently being chewed in Song Jin’s mouth, the threat level plummeted by 99.9%.

Li Xiao pushed his hand away, smoothing his clothes in a leisurely manner. “At the very least, I am not your enemy on this trip. As for other aspects… whether we are enemies or friends isn’t for me alone to decide.”

The doorbell rang. Song Jin signaled for the AI to open it. The metal hatch opened, and a black-clad beta delivered some clothing for disguise.

“The ship arrives at the space station in twenty minutes. We need to transfer to a civilian vessel headed for N2533.”

The connecting space station was incredibly dilapidated, docked with all sorts of chaotically modified ships. Some shells even bore patterns like skulls or ghouls; one didn’t need to guess to know they weren’t exactly legitimate craft. The departure lounge was surprisingly rowdy, filled with all kinds of passengers in every color imaginable. The thick air was heavy with the smell of foot odor, sweat, and various pheromones—the air purification system here had clearly been on strike for a long time.

Li Xiao followed Song Jin and his group through the hall toward the gate for N2533. While waiting for the next ship, he inadvertently heard a few miners talking about the Bique tribe.

“Are you guys heading to Zone B for the Gold Rush, too?”

“I heard the final level this time hides the Blood of the Bique Witch Child.”

“Can that stuff really extend life if you drink it? I feel like it’s a scam to fleece the rich.”

“You can earn nine figures just by reselling it! Who cares if it’s a scam!”

“That much?! Then I’m going, too!”

Li Xiao: “Is the Zone B you’re talking about in N2533?”

The miners turned around. The person speaking was a handsome seventeen or eighteen-year-old lad in half-worn work clothes, stained with engine oil. He looked like someone who had come to work, which immediately built a sense of kinship.

“Yeah, you know about the Gold Rush area in N2533?” a miner uncle asked with a grin.

Li Xiao: “I heard my foreman mention it before. I’m a bit short on cash lately, so I wanted to see if there’s a chance to get rich.”

Miner Uncle: “You came to the right place! In Zone B, as long as you’re physically fit and willing to work hard, you can make money. If you’re lucky, you can make a fortune!”

Miner Grandpa: “Young Alphas are strong; the gold-mining companies fight over them!”

Li Xiao: “Where exactly is the location?”

A few paces away, Song Jin watched quietly as Li Xiao skillfully gathered information. A disguised secret guard behind him asked in a low voice: “Is it too risky to let him follow us?”

Song Jin: “With so many of us, can’t we handle one person?”

N2533 was much like N2781—located on the border of two nations, with sovereignty that had long been disputed. It was the leftovers from two nations fighting over territory, which neither wanted, and was eventually occupied by pirates. It had developed a decent settled population.

The dilapidated civilian ship landed in Zone B of the Southern Continent. As Li Xiao and Song Jin stepped out of the broken tarmac, everything within their sight was a mountain of metal waste. A large transport ship hovered in the distance, dumping metal parts like snow, which stacked into a new mountain of trash in the blink of an eye.

Li Xiao heard from the miners that these were metal wastes bought at a low price from various planets by recycling companies, transported here for sorting, smelting, and reselling. On a lawless planet, there was no need to worry about emission standards or production safety, and the ability to hire cheap labor made it a favorite for small companies. If a worker happened to dismantle valuable rare metals during the sorting process, they could get a commission as high as 50%. Many came here for these high commissions, earning them the name “Gold Rushers.”

An old-style hovercar landed in front of them. Song Jin and Li Xiao each opened a door and sat in.

Li Xiao: “Take me to—”

“Take us to the place you just asked about.” Song Jin spoke first.

Li Xiao bluntly gave the address: “Aren’t you afraid I’m digging a hole for you to jump into?”

Song Jin looked out the window at the endless metal mountains: “Worst case, I’ll just drag you in with me. I won’t lose.”

The hovercar drove for thirty minutes before landing in a residential area. Patched-up hover-craft flew back and forth overhead. Neon signs flashed with job advertisements, illuminating dirty streets. Wrecked machine cabins of all models were stacked together, crudely modified into bizarre-looking buildings.

Li Xiao stepped out and looked toward the west side of the residential area, where a hollow Rubik’s Cube-shaped building made of scrap metal stood, with a strange, giant gear device on the left. The building was at least three hundred meters tall, making it stand out among the low-lying houses.

Song Jin waved a hand, and all the secret guards split up to gather information.

Li Xiao joked: “Not leaving one to protect you?”

Song Jin retorted: “Don’t I have you?”

The streets were crowded with pedestrians. Li Xiao and Song Jin pretended to be passersby, chatting aimlessly as they strolled forward. A piercing engine roar approached from behind, grazing past them and kicking up a sky full of dust.

Li Xiao covered his mouth and nose, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Song Jin’s face was dark, staring at the car with an expression of wanting to kill.

A modified mountain off-road vehicle pulled over at the side of the road. Several burly men hopped out, sat down at a noodle shop, and shouted for the owner to serve them.

“Tell them to be quick! The tournament starts tomorrow!”

“We’ll have the latest metal detectors finished by 8 PM at the latest, hehehe.”

“After this haul, we’re going back home to retire!”

Song Jin listened to their conversation and nudged Li Xiao: “Go and find out if it has something to do with that cube.”

Li Xiao looked him up and down: “Why don’t you go?”

Song Jin looked at him: “You look more like a manual laborer.”

Li Xiao nodded: “True. You look like a kid who was kidnapped here.”

Song Jin’s tone turned deep and cold: “Do you want to go ask directly, or do you want a beating first, then go ask?”

Li Xiao: “…” Where did this little tyrant come from?

The noodle shop was modified from a scrapped train car; the tables and chairs were also a hodgepodge of metal parts. Li Xiao and Song Jin sat at the table next to the men and called the waiter to order. The shop was so busy that the waiter was run off his feet, bringing two bowls of beef noodles and leaving immediately. Seeing the waiter’s thumb stuck inside the bowl and the soup spilled all over the table, Song Jin’s expression sank. It’s so dirty, even a dog wouldn’t eat this.

Li Xiao handed the chopsticks over, exchanging a look with Song Jin. Even if they didn’t eat it, they had to at least put on a show. Song Jin took the chopsticks begrudgingly and swirled them in the bowl.

When the table of men was nearly finished, Li Xiao got up and went over: “Big brothers, my brother and I just arrived from out of town. I wanted to ask, is the tournament you mentioned the Gold Rush?”

The table of tough guys, mouths oily, saw that Li Xiao was handsome and exchanged looks, calling him over with a laugh. “Yeah, yeah! Come, sit!”

A thirty-something bald beta, leg crossed, pointed with his metallic prosthetic limb at the Rubik’s Cube building in the distance: “See that metal cube? It hides countless gold bars inside. Whatever you find during the game time is yours. If you can make it to the final level, you can even get an eight-figure prize!”

Song Jin pricked his ears, feeling immense respect for Li Xiao’s ability to remain calm while surrounded by a group of smelly, rough men. This kid is cut out for big things.

The so-called Gold Rush was a regular monthly event, and anyone could join for a registration fee of one thousand. The interior of the Cube was set up with various game levels; as long as you passed, you got a reward. It sounded quite ordinary.

A tattooed Alpha put his arm around Li Xiao’s shoulder: “Why don’t you brothers join us? We’ll cover you!”

Li Xiao sounded worried: “Will it be very dangerous?”

Bald Beta: “Not dangerous at all! At worst, you just don’t find any gold bars—it’s only a thousand-credit matter!”

Li Xiao frowned: “Is it really that good?”

“Really! Trust your brother!” The tattooed Alpha pulled Li Xiao up and waved to the others. “You guys full? Let’s go, let’s go. Take the two little brothers to have some fun, hehehe.”

The group dropped their chopsticks and left, only to be called back by the owner who chased after them.

“You guys haven’t paid yet!”

“You dare ask me for money?” The bald beta poked the owner in the shoulder. “Do you know who I am?”

The owner slapped his hand away and roared, “I’ve been running this shop for decades! Even if the King of Heaven came here, he’d have to pay! If you don’t have money, why come to a restaurant? It’s shameful!”

“You old turtle—” The bald beta threw a punch.

The owner was knocked into a table, grimacing in pain. With one wave of his hand, four or five waiters rushed out, preparing for a brawl. The tattooed Alpha led Li Xiao toward the off-road vehicle, turning back to give his underlings a look, signaling them to take Song Jin.

The beta lackey went over and his eyes lit up, reaching out to touch Song Jin’s face: “So beautiful! I’ve never played with someone so—ah!”

Song Jin used his chopsticks to clamp the man’s filthy hand and pin it to the table, driving them straight through. The beta twisted in pain, howling as he drew a short blade to stab at Song Jin: “You’re dead!”

Song Jin locked the beta’s wrist, twisted it, seized the knife, and pinned the beta’s hand to the table. One stroke later, two fingers were gone.

“Ah—!” The beta clutched his hand, kneeling on the floor in agony.

The bald beta saw this, threw his jacket to the ground, and charged at Song Jin: “Where did this wild donkey come from? I’m going to take your head!”

While Song Jin was striking, Li Xiao grabbed the tattooed Alpha’s face and smashed it into the door of the off-road vehicle. The Alpha’s skull hit the metal, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious before he could even react. Li Xiao took a few steps, and with his bare hands, flipped the two beta toughs who had been beating the waiters.

The bald beta had only just approached when Song Jin held the chopsticks against his throat. His pupils dilated in shock, and he raised his hands instantly.

“Don’t do anything reckless!”

Song Jin used the chopsticks to tilt his chin up: “Are you going to take your own head off, or should I do it for you?”

The bald beta swallowed nervously. He wanted to ask for help, but when he looked to the side, all his brothers were already beaten to the ground.

“Who… who the hell are you guys?!”

Li Xiao was just about to speak when he heard Song Jin say leisurely: “Unchanged name in travel, unconcealed name in sitting—’Li’ for ‘Li Pu’ (Outrageous), ‘Xiao’ for ‘Xiao Zhang’ (Arrogant). My name is Zhang Pu.”

Li Xiao: “…” Play your own game then.

Seeing Li Xiao turn and walk away, Song Jin called after him: “Little brother, state your big name.”

Li Xiao looked at him deeply, then tilted his head toward the bald beta and said solemnly: ” ‘Song’ for ‘Song Ming’ (Sending a life), ‘Jin’ for ‘Jin Tiao’ (Gold bar). My name is Song Tiao.”

Song Jin: “…” Childish. Terrible.

Song Tiao? Zhang Pu? I’ve never heard of such names!

The bald beta broke into a cold sweat: “I… whatever you want, I’ll give it to you!”

Song Jin: “Leave the car, pay for the meal, and get lost.”

The bald beta complied eagerly, paid the money, and ran away with his lackeys, carrying their unconscious boss.

The disturbance here only sparked gasps from passersby at first, but it quickly returned to calm, as if they were accustomed to such scenes. The noodle shop owner hadn’t expected Song Jin and Li Xiao—who looked so tall and thin—to be such good fighters, instantly annihilating that gang of punks.

Li Xiao walked up to the owner: “Sorry for disrupting your business.”

The owner waved his hand, seeing Li Xiao was so polite: “Fortunately, you guys helped just now.”

Li Xiao asked casually: “Have you been running the shop here for many years? Do you know about that Gold Rush tournament?”

The owner hesitated. Seeing Song Jin and Li Xiao looking at him with expectation, he waved for the waiter to clear the table and invited them to sit at a corner seat.

“I advise you not to go. That kind of tournament isn’t something an ordinary person can play.”

Li Xiao was puzzled: “They said you could find gold bars.”

The owner chuckled: “They’re trying to trick you into going in so they can use you as human detectors! There are all kinds of traps inside. If you really go, ten lives wouldn’t be enough!”

Song Jin: “If it’s really that dangerous, why are there still so many people going?”

The owner looked toward the Rubik’s Cube in the distance: “There will always be people who get dizzy from greed, thinking they are the one-in-a-million lucky winner.”

Li Xiao spoke calmly: “I heard there’s a reward of some kind of blood tomorrow that can sell for hundreds of millions.”

Hearing this, the owner’s expression changed drastically. He jumped up.

“For the sake of you helping me just now, I’ll give you one last warning: Don’t go! Especially that Bique tribe blood—don’t even touch it!”

Song Jin: “Why?”

The owner’s expression was solemn, his voice dropping low: “The Bique tribe is a tribe of misfortune. Wherever Bique blood appears, disaster follows. There has never been an exception.”

Li Xiao felt a jolt in his heart, suddenly thinking of something, but he couldn’t grasp it. “Do you know a lot about the Bique tribe?”

But this time, the owner wouldn’t answer him again, using the excuse that the shop was busy, and left in a hurry.

After leaving the noodle shop, the two took the stolen off-road vehicle to a trading market in the east, where stalls selling knives and guns were surrounded by crowds. Several people in uniform walked back and forth with rifles; they appeared to be gang members.

Li Xiao parked the car, and he and Song Jin went to browse. Many people were preparing for the Gold Rush tournament tomorrow. Some stalls had just brought out a batch of weapons, which were immediately snatched up. Song Jin observed several nearby stalls and whispered: “The owners are all from this gang.”

Li Xiao: “A tournament can really drive a lot of industry.”

By 6:00 PM local time, the sky was completely dark. Li Xiao drove the car into an alleyway near a row of abandoned cabins. A person disguised as a miner got into the back seat.

“Any discoveries?” Song Jin asked in a low voice.

The secret guard disguised as a miner projected a scan of the internal structure of the Cube: “The internal mechanisms of the Cube are not controlled by an intelligent AI; they are purely mechanical, operated by the giant gears on the outside. We only detected a small number of sensor components.”

Li Xiao and Song Jin checked the scan. The passages inside the Cube were complex and winding, with countless rooms. The so-called sensor components were of the most primitive kind—they didn’t even have intelligent chips installed, making external interference impossible.

With too many compartments, Song Jin couldn’t find where the blood was hidden. He looked up at Li Xiao: “Did you find it?”

Li Xiao: “Are you asking me?”

Song Jin: “Aren’t we in the same boat?”

Li Xiao: “If I tell you, would you dare believe it?”

Song Jin: “…”

From the terminal retrieved from the Snow Leopard, the location of the person who sent the messages was in a wasteland fifty kilometers away. For a while, the secret guards had almost turned the earth upside down, but they still found nothing. From the information sent from Jiang Hao and Qi Ge’s dormitory, the recipient’s coordinates were in another residential area thirty kilometers away. They hadn’t found the sender yet, as the terminal might have been destroyed.

The only clue right in front of them was this Cube.

Li Xiao: “Since we can’t find out from the outside, we can only go in and see.”

After the secret guard got out of the car, the two found the registration site, paid with the terminal given by the secret guard, and looked for a temporary place to rest nearby. Because the tournament started tomorrow, there were a lot of people; hotels and inns were full. After a hard time, they finally found a room, but there was only one left.

Li Xiao/Song Jin: “…”

How are we supposed to sleep in one room?

“Hey, any more rooms here?” several betas walked in from the door.

Seeing Li Xiao and Song Jin hesitate, the receptionist said to them: “Yes, there is one more.”

Beta: “Then I—”

“I’ll take it!” Li Xiao and Song Jin spoke at the same time.

One is one. Better than sleeping in the car.

They paid the money and received the room key without having to show any identification. Walking through the rusty metal corridor to the room door—which was originally an intelligent sensing metal cabin door—they saw it had been modified with a mechanical lock, looking quite incongruous.

Song Jin fiddled with it for a long time, not knowing how to open it.

“Give it to me.” Li Xiao opened the cover expertly and turned the key. “Besides killing people and chopping hands, what else can you do?”

Song Jin sneered, suddenly reacting, squinting his eyes slightly: “When have I killed anyone?”

Li Xiao: “…”

He’s particularly clever in this area.

Song Jin closed the door behind him and pursued: “You’ve seen me kill people? Where?”

Li Xiao was thinking of brushing it off, but upon seeing the furnishings in the room, his pupils constricted. Song Jin followed behind, and seeing him stop suddenly, he was puzzled. He looked in the direction of Li Xiao’s gaze, and his expression went blank.

The room had only one bed, and it was heart-shaped. The wall was covered with many beauty posters, which, judging by their yellowing, were quite aged.

How can anyone fall asleep in a room like this?!

Song Jin stared at the pink four-piece bedding set, struggling internally for a long time before gritting his teeth and pulling over the two chairs. “The bed is yours, little brother Song Tiao.”

Li Xiao, who was a step too late: “…You really are generous.”

Song Jin leaned against the side cabinet with his arms crossed: “I have always respected the elderly and cherished the young.”

It was getting late, and after a simple wash, they prepared to rest. Li Xiao crawled into the bed with an expressionless face: “Then sit slowly. I’m going to sleep, Zhang Pu.”

Song Jin: “…”

Terminals kept pinging with information. Song Jin checked the reports sent back by his subordinates one by one, and when he looked up inadvertently, he saw that Li Xiao had actually fallen asleep. Song Jin approached quietly, listening to his breathing. He’s really asleep? His heart is big enough.

Song Jin turned to leave, but stopped suddenly. I paid for the room—why am I sleeping on a chair, letting Li Xiao sleep so comfortably?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt he was at a disadvantage. Song Jin didn’t hesitate, circled around to the other side of the bed, lifted the blanket, and climbed in. As long as he didn’t think about the shape of the bed, it was the same to sleep on. An Alpha must be able to adapt to changing circumstances.

After successfully coaxing himself, Song Jin fell asleep with peace of mind.

Once Song Jin was fast asleep, Li Xiao quietly opened his backup terminal. Several messages from Jiang Chi came through. Jiang Chi had been tracking the sender’s location, but his reply was “Zone B”—a too-detailed location couldn’t be pinpointed.

Jiang Chi: 【Raven has recently been active near N2533. I’ve found people to track them.】

Raven? Li Xiao furrowed his brows slightly. A coincidence?

The last time he encountered a Raven attack on N2781, it was because Jiang Hao had mentioned it to him in his previous life—the time Raven and Ghost Dragon fought intermittently for a long time.

【Wherever Bique blood appears, disaster follows.】

The noodle shop owner’s words flashed through Li Xiao’s mind again. He hadn’t found a clue for half a day when his back suddenly became warm—a small heater had pressed up against him.

Li Xiao turned his head and saw Song Jin, who had squeezed over at some point, sleeping like a dead pig.

Li Xiao: “…” Not sure who was complaining about it for half a day just now.

The sleeping Song Jin restrained his usual sharp edges; his exquisite features were even more prominent, and pressed against his back, he looked quite docile.

Li Xiao: “……Certainly is a little darling.”