Inside the command bridge of the Seventy-Second Legion’s flagship, the atmosphere in the conference area was exceptionally heavy.

Meng Jian, father and son, along with a group of military officers, had watched the District One Garrison Base get captured. Great and small advertisement screens across the streets were flashing victory fireworks, making for a truly dismal sight.

The officers all kept their eyes cast down, none daring to court ill luck at a time like this.

They had anticipated that they might lose, but no one expected them to lose this miserably.

A Super-A-class base, even with the reinforcement of ten full legions, had been utterly trounced by the Third Legion in less than a single day.

Had the Royal Family not insisted on evacuating the civilian population, that timeframe would have been even shorter.

After finishing the intelligence report sent to his terminal, Meng Zai snuffed out his cigarette in an ashtray overflowing with butts. “Over half of our combat troops surrendered right on the frontlines. How are we supposed to fight this?”

Once people started surrendering, morale dissolved, triggering a rolling snowball of adverse chain reactions.

Standing behind Meng Zai, Lin Xu could not help but chime in, “Zhang Lin used the wrong tactics. He deployed his most loyal personnel to the front, while most of those left behind at the base weren’t even his own people.”

A Beta officer seated across from Meng Zai spoke up, “If he had sent out the disloyal batch, they might have just taken the equipment and defected straight to the Third Legion.”

After reviewing the battle, several officers realized there had been no viable solution.

No matter how Zhang Lin deployed his forces, the moment the Third Legion entered their airspace, the District One Garrison Base was doomed to lose.

The Beta officer remarked, “Given the Royal Family’s play style, they actually didn’t need to evacuate the masses; going straight for a heavy assault strategy wouldn’t have been impossible either.”

An Alpha officer nearby rejoined, “That was to force Zhang Lin to send out his own people before turning back to assault the base. For the Royal Family, it yielded a higher probability of success.”

“All wrong.”

The moment Meng Jian spoke, all discussion around the conference table instantly ceased.

“From the very beginning, Li Xiao wasn’t thinking about winning or losing, but about how to win with maximum elegance.”

Meng Jian spoke without expression, “Evacuating the masses certainly served a practical necessity, but more importantly, doing so allowed him to win the hearts of the people.”

Setting aside his allegiance, Meng Jian actually admired Li Xiao’s nerve.

The others pondered his words, feeling a chill run down their spines.

Was Li Xiao simply overconfident, or had he truly calculated every single detail?

A video window automatically popped up above the conference table—it was the Director of External Affairs for the Seventy-Second Legion.

“Sir! New reports regarding the cybernetic human program have just broken online!”

Lin Xu was the first to pull up the various social media platforms.

The tags #Cybernetic Human Specialized Drug R&D#, #Cybernetic Human Treatment Protocol#, and #Cybernetic Human Aftereffects# occupied the top three spots on the Shengya Network hot search list.

Lin Xu clicked into the first one. When he saw the video, his pupils dilated in shock, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

“Zhouzhou… it’s Zhouzhou!”

The expressions of Meng Jian and his son changed dramatically—especially Meng Zai, who could not hide his utter astonishment.

Meng Zai stood up abruptly. “An AI creation?! How could someone who died long ago reappear?!”

With trembling hands, Lin Xu clicked play on the video.

In the video, Lin Zhou wore a patient’s uniform. His cheeks were hollow and his complexion pale, but his mental state appeared decent.

Seated in a room resembling a medical clinic, he looked into the camera, his voice somewhat raspy: “I am military cadet Lin Zhou, and I was also a participant in the Meng family’s cybernetic human program. That’s right—I am a cybernetic human. My five senses are far sharper than those of ordinary people, and my pheromones can control another person’s mind—making them die if I want them dead, or jump off a building if I want them to jump. That was the Meng family’s purpose in creating us.”

“As long as pheromones can be weaponized, even in places with extremely strict security checks, one can still silently assassinate a specific target—places like the Royal Palace or the Military Academy.”

Lin Zhou gave a self-deprecating smile as if recalling something: “I was once ordered by the Meng family that the Second Prince, Li Xiao, had to die in an accident. If I failed the mission, I would not receive the supplementary blood and would only lose my sanity, going mad until I died.”

Lin Zhou continued, “After my mission failed, they tampered with my car in an attempt to eliminate me. At the critical moment, it was the Second Prince who saved me. After several months of isolated treatment, my physical condition has improved significantly.”

“The attending doctor said that after three more courses of treatment, I will be able to return to normal life.”

At this point, a hint of genuine warmth returned to Lin Zhou’s face, and a light shone in his eyes. “I am deeply grateful to His Highness the Second Prince for setting aside past grievances to help me. I have nothing left and no way to repay him; the only thing I can do is speak the truth.”

The video was dense with rolling bullet comments, all reviling the Meng family. Beneath the related topics, numerous accounts verified as military academy cadets posted updates.

[Senior Lin Zhou’s symptoms were indeed very severe. Before the accident, he stayed in the school’s psychiatric department for a while, injured several classmates, and was even disciplined by Song Jin in the cafeteria.]

[Senior Lin Zhou’s death wasn’t an accident?! Regardless, it’s so wonderful that he’s still alive, waaaah!]

[Fun fact: Lin Zhou is the son of Lin Xu, the Vice Commander of the Second Legion. Even the Meng faction members are turning on them now—what a drama.]

[So cybernetic humans can actually be cured?! That means we don’t have to be controlled by the Meng family, nor do we have to do things against our conscience just to survive!]

Lin Xu looked at Meng Zai in disbelief. “Sir, is what Zhouzhou said true?”

Meng Zai growled impatiently, “Of course it’s false! How can you fall for such an obvious attempt to drive a wedge between us?! The person in that video isn’t your son at all! It’s all a script arranged by Li Xiao!”

The other officers chimed in one after another.

“That’s right, Old Lin. Li Xiao excels at targeting people’s weaknesses; don’t take it to heart.”

“This video is fake at first glance! Only a fool would believe it!”

“How could the Commander harm your son? Complete utter nonsense!”

“Releasing this kind of video right before battle is pure malice!”

“We must notify the entire army immediately! This damages morale far too much!”

Regardless of what the officers said, Lin Xu merely stared blankly at Lin Zhou in the video.

Meng Zai rose and patted his shoulder. “Alright, you don’t need to be on shift tonight. Go get some rest.”

Lin Xu wiped his face. “I’ll adjust my state as soon as possible.”

Once Lin Xu left the command bridge, Meng Jian slammed his hand heavily onto the table. “Take the video down immediately!”

“It’s not just this video.”

The External Affairs Director projected several virtual screens. “These were issued by Military Headquarters—documentation regarding the treatment of cybernetic humans. Official approvals, treatment protocols, and video logs are all included!”

Meng Jian took one look, and his rage surged.

“Full of petty tricks!”

Ever since the failed ambush at S1301, those operatives had gone out of contact.

He had originally thought they were captured after moving against Li Ji during the signal outage, but now it appeared that might not have been the case.

Meng Zai flipped through the roster of those receiving treatment, filled with shock and anger. “All the cybernetic humans placed inside the Third Legion are listed here! Did they expose themselves, or does Li Xiao have some method to screen them out?!”

Meng Jian clenched his hands resting on the table, his face dark as he remained silent.

Army morale was already unstable, and the exposure of this matter added insult to injury. If they didn’t find a way to suppress it immediately, the upcoming battles would be impossible to fight.

On this night, the internal ranks of the Meng family army were destined for turmoil.

Li Xiao had led the Third Legion to sweep the District One Garrison Base, delivering a resounding slap to their faces.

Just as it concluded, the news broke that cybernetic humans could be cured. The timing was far too convenient for it not to be intentional.

Across the Meng family’s various legions and garrison bases, panic reigned.

Many had already entertained thoughts of surrendering, and this revelation shook their resolve so deeply they could not even sleep.

The cybernetic humans reasoned that if they no longer needed to be controlled by the Meng family, it would be better to defect to the Royal Family. While there was still time, their charges might not be too severe.

Others thought that many cybernetic humans would surely surrender, leaving the Meng family army with even less hope of victory. It was better to surrender now directly, rather than walk further down a dead-end road.

Third Legion.

After dinner, Li Xiao and Song Jin headed to the medical and rescue warship where Jiang Chi was stationed.

The guest cabin area was lively, with many people moving through the metallic corridors.

Song Jin glanced at a group of people crossing from an intersection ahead. “Volunteers?”

Li Xiao: “Mm.”

Many of the evacuated civilians had been arranged in the guest cabins.

The operation to take District One Base had gone smoothly, so there was no need to arrange additional temporary housing for them. Once the Third Legion finished the cleanup work, they could be sent back along their original route.

In Cafeteria No. 35, Jiang Chi was eating with members of the mecha unit while discussing upcoming work arrangements.

Hearing a commotion at the cafeteria entrance, Jiang Chi and his group turned around to look, only to see Li Xiao and Song Jin walking in surrounded by a crowd.

Setting their strength aside, both possessed top-tier looks and figures. Walking through the crowd, they were like two spotlights, firmly drawing everyone’s gaze.

“Your Highness, over here!” Jiang Chi raised a hand to signal Li Xiao.

The squad members eating at the same table saw Li Xiao respond to Jiang Chi and nearly went crazy with envy.

What did one have to do to become friends with the Second Prince?

As Li Xiao approached, a group of soldiers snapped to attention to salute, but he waved his hand to signal them to sit down.

Song Jin swept his gaze over the table laden with dishes and asked Jiang Chi, “Not done eating yet?”

Jiang Chi: “Just got back.”

While waiting for Jiang Chi to finish his meal, Song Jin sat in a corner by the window, reviewing intelligence reports sent back by his subordinates while eating an ice cream cone Li Xiao had given him.

He was usually like this, and Li Xiao had long grown accustomed to it. But in the eyes of others, it was a completely different story.

Song Jin possessed a flamboyant and aggressively handsome character, with a powerful Alpha aura whose layered pressure made ordinary people afraid to approach within half a step.

Who could have guessed that such a Song Jin liked eating ice cream cones? The sharp contrast captivated the civilians in the cafeteria, making it impossible for them to control their glances in his direction.

Li Xiao had been reviewing the post-operation progress at District One Base when he suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back. Noticing that everyone nearby was sneaking peeks at his little lion, he pretended to turn casually, blocking their view to keep them from looking.

Seeing him turn around, Song Jin raised his head in confusion. “What is it, you want a bite?”

Li Xiao said nonchalantly, “Eat it yourself.”

To him, teasing the little lion was far more alluring than sweets themselves.

Thinking he was acting coy, Song Jin held the ice cream cone to his lips. “Always wanting to snatch my snacks—aren’t you childish, Li Three-Years-Old?”

“…” Since it was already brought to his lips, Li Xiao took a bite. “Compared to a three-year-old toddler, I might be a bit childish, but compared to you, it’s just right.”

Song Jin: “…”

Everyone secretly watching: “…”

Unprepared, they had been fed a bowl of dog food.

Ten minutes later, Jiang Chi and Li Xiao walked out of the cafeteria together.

“What do you need me to handle?”

Li Xiao: “How are you adjusting?”

Jiang Chi: “It’s fine. Nothing went wrong today.”

Li Xiao: “I want you to go help Old Wei.”

Jiang Chi’s expression turned subtle. “You want me to go to Danse?”

Li Xiao nodded. “You were originally from the special forces, and you’ve spent so many years in the star pirate group. Having you handle coordination between them will reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble.”

Jiang Chi: “But I haven’t touched military work for many years.”

Li Xiao: “I have confidence in you.”

Jiang Chi: “…”

Jiang Chi could not help asking further, “Must we bring Danse along?”

Seeing Li Xiao nod, Jiang Chi pressed, “Why?”

Li Xiao: “An indispensable variable.”

Jiang Chi quickly understood.

Whether it was the Meng family or the Royal Family, both had channels to understand each other’s troop deployments—it was essentially playing with cards face up. But this joint force of Danse and the special forces lay outside the Meng family’s calculations.

Their scale, combat power, and personnel lineup were all unknown quantities. Used properly, they could play a massive role when the two armies clashed.

Li Xiao wanted to use Danse to screw over the Meng family army.

In today’s battle, Danse had disrupted the rhythm of the outer garrison, significantly relieving the Third Legion’s pressure in assaulting the base and expediting the entire operation.

Entering the guest cabin lounge, a large crowd had gathered in the hall at this hour, scattered in small groups throughout the space. Midair virtual screens broadcast the frontline combat situation, surrounded by a ring of people watching and discussing with great interest.

The moment Li Xiao’s trio entered, they drew numerous glances.

Some nearby civilians approached to greet them and offer thanks. Li Xiao donned his business-like smile, transforming in a second into the approachable young prince and causing a group of young people’s eyes to shine.

Overhearing someone whisper in admiration that Li Xiao was far too charming, Song Jin nearly rolled his eyes. “…”

What about that fake-smiling face was charming? It wasn’t nearly as pleasant to look at as his usual straight face.

Only he was allowed to see Li Xiao being charming.

Seeing more and more people gather, Li Xiao was just about to find an excuse to slip away when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a group of military cadets walking toward them. An Alpha trailing behind them looked very familiar—he used to follow Zheng Lin around.

The military cadets strode eagerly up to Li Xiao.

“Your Highness, have you seen the news? Is it true that cybernetic humans can be cured?”

Hearing this, many surrounding civilians grew curious as well.

Ever since the news broke this evening, people everywhere had been discussing it.

Li Xiao nodded. “It’s true.”

The cadets could not hide their pleasant surprise.

“That’s great! Then Brother Chen is saved!”

“Brother Du as well! He even wrote his suicide note a few days ago, making me feel terrible.”

“Do they need to be sent to a specific hospital for treatment, or how does it work?”

“Shouldn’t it be fine anywhere as long as they get the medication?”

The Zheng Lin minion trailing behind suddenly burst into anger: “Since there was a treatment method, why wasn’t it announced earlier?! So many military cadets died from aftereffect flare-ups, and so many others are suffering torment! Isn’t the Royal Family being far too cold-blooded by leaving them to their fate?!”

The cadets in the front row turned their heads, strongly disapproving of these words.

“Hasn’t it been announced now? You still have to curse them for that?”

“The cybernetic humans weren’t created by the Royal Family in the first place! Why don’t you curse the Meng family for being cold-blooded?”

Zheng Lin’s minion: “I didn’t defend the Meng family! For the Royal Family to only announce the treatment now—isn’t that wrong?! If they had announced it earlier, those cybernetic humans wouldn’t have committed so many mistakes!”

In the distance, Jiang Hao received a message from Jiang Chi and came over to find them. On his way out, he bumped into Lin Shuo’s group and joined them to review today’s operation and study frontline rescue techniques.

Stepping into the hall, they happened to overhear the aggressive remarks from Zheng Lin’s minion. Jiang Hao, Lin Shuo, and the rest flew into a rage, rushing over to fire back.

Jiang Hao: “By your logic, if the cybernetic humans’ parents hadn’t given birth to them, they wouldn’t have made mistakes either.”

Lin Shuo: “You claim you aren’t helping the Meng family, yet you splash all the dirty water onto the Royal Family’s head. Are you treating everyone else like fools?”

Zheng Lin’s minion pointed at Li Xiao. “Excuses are just cover-ups! He can’t answer at all! This so-called cure is probably fake!”

Lin Shuo: “What need is there to fake it? Stop talking out of your ass!”

“To mess with the Meng family’s head!” Zheng Lin’s minion shot back. “The Meng family held the cybernetic humans’ lives hostage to force them into acting against their conscience. By announcing a treatment protocol now, isn’t the Royal Family also holding cybernetic humans hostage to force them to switch sides?! How is the Royal Family any different from the Meng family?!”

There were easily three to four hundred people in the hall, mostly civilians evacuated today—men, women, young, and old alike. Not everyone understood the full truth, and upon hearing these words at face value, quite a few felt bewildered.

Had the Royal Family really released fake news?

09: 【Master, this person is running a live stream.】

07 and 09 were connected, so Song Jin heard this alert as well. Laughing aloud, he lowered his eyes to size up the Alpha hopping around in front of them: “The Meng family disregarded the cybernetic humans’ lives to achieve their goals, while the Royal Family spares no effort to save them. In your mouth, they become the same kind of people? How did someone like you pass the military academy entrance exam? Through the back door?”

A wave of laughter broke out among the surrounding crowd.

Zheng Lin’s minion kept his face stiff. “But the Royal Family never intended to save anyone! Nor do they possess a real cure!”

Song Jin: “How do you know?”

Zheng Lin’s minion: “If they really had it, why didn’t they bring it out earlier?! Declaring they can treat people after everyone is dead—isn’t that hypocritical?!”

Song Jin: “Did the medication fall from the sky? Just because you open your mouth and demand it, it exists?”

Just as they were speaking, Liu Jie squeezed through the crowd, looking at Zheng Lin’s minion. “The medication is real. If His Highness hadn’t given me the drug, I would be lying in the psychiatric ward right now.”

Zheng Lin’s minion choked. He had not expected Liu Jie to actually step forward and speak up for Li Xiao, instantly losing his composure.

“The medication for cybernetic humans has just entered clinical trials,” Li Xiao stated unhurriedly. “It should have been announced only after drug testing stabilized. However, because the panic caused by cybernetic humans exceeded the Royal Family’s expectations, we were forced to announce it prematurely.”

“Developing the medication required immense investment, and the cost for the entire treatment process is an astronomical figure.”

Saying this, Li Xiao looked at the Alpha. “The Royal Family has no intention of holding cybernetic humans hostage or forcing them to change their stance. However, there is also no reason to spend so much money and effort to save enemies. In my view, not all cybernetic humans possess the value to be saved.”

Song Jin chimed in leisurely, “The medication contains over a hundred rare ingredients, making mass production extremely difficult. We don’t even have enough for our own people, yet we’re supposed to use it on enemies? Are you out of your mind?”

On the Lingfeng Network, the live stream room was packed to capacity.

Someone summarized the key points from Li Xiao and Song Jin’s words:

1. The medication to cure cybernetic humans was real.
2. The drug was independently developed, using extremely scarce and expensive materials with limited quantities—held exclusively by the Royal Family.
3. The Royal Family did not intend to save cybernetic humans who followed the Meng family.
4. Voluntarily surrendering granted the opportunity to queue for treatment; the earlier one acted, the higher up the line they would be.

After a single live stream, the internal unrest within the Meng family army not only failed to settle, but grew increasingly intense.

On another warship.

It was already midnight when Wei Feng returned to the hangar bay. After stepping down from his mecha, he first reported the situation to Li Xiao.

Hu Jiang waited until he finished sending the message before walking over, his expression somewhat subtle. “When did you learn to pilot a mecha? What did that sentence you said during the day mean?”

Wei Feng walked toward the command bridge alongside him, stroking his chin in thought. “It feels as though some DNA was activated. Very strange—the moment I stepped onto the battlefield, my body seemed to move on its own.”

“…”

Hu Jiang sized him up with a face full of suspicion. “Sleepwalking?”

Wei Feng recalled the situation earlier that evening when he had piloted the mecha to clash with the garrison forces.

That sense of familiarity with the battlefield and the mecha was not something from his actual memories.

Wei Feng murmured thoughtfully, “Perhaps I might turn into a different person.”

After entering the elevator, Hu Jiang folded his arms and said, “Then before you turn into another person, pay me back the money you owe me first.”

“…”

Wei Feng turned his head to look at him. “I am speaking about a very serious matter.”

“I am also speaking about a very serious matter,” Hu Jiang said earnestly. “I think it’s better if we write up an IOU, lest one day you refuse to acknowledge it.”

Wei Feng: “…You really are a good brother of mine.”

Hu Jiang: “Clear accounts between brothers—as it should be.”

The elevator doors slid open, and Wei Feng and Hu Jiang walked out arm in arm.

Wei Feng: “By the way, my daughter-in-law likes the strawberry jam you made. Make some more when you have time.”

Hu Jiang: “What rubbish are you spouting? Who is your daughter-in-law? Who did you have a son with?”

Wei Feng: “Li Xun.”

Hu Jiang: “…”

It really wouldn’t do not to take him to the psychiatric department for a checkup.