There was still over an hour until midnight. The group of students was truly exhausted, and seeing Li Xiao and the others sit down on the ground, they also sat down to rest.

It was Qian Can’s turn to be on duty. To keep himself from falling asleep, he started checking everyone’s backpacks.

Catching a glimpse of Song Jin leaning against the wall, staring out the window, Qian Can asked softly, “Boss, aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Not sleepy.”

Song Jin’s mind was full of thoughts about modified humans, Danse, and Li Xiao.

Suddenly, 07’s voice sounded in his head.

【Master, it has been confirmed. The competition’s live broadcast backend deleted the sensitive footage. The broadcast only shows up until the point where Li Xiao jumped from the seventh floor.】

Song Jin: 【What about the fourth-floor surveillance?】

07: 【Confirmed to be a human-made equipment malfunction. This was discovered from the old man, Mortis.】

Several virtual screens popped up in Song Jin’s vision, playing the surveillance footage from the fourth floor. However, the content stopped right after Lin Zhou and his group entered the fourth floor; after that, it went black.

It wasn’t strange that Lin Zhou and his group, having decided to target Li Xiao, would sabotage the surveillance equipment first. What puzzled Song Jin was that they dared to take action right inside the competition arena. Did Li Xiao’s existence pose such a massive threat to them?

And this was still under the assumption that Lin Zhou and the others didn’t know that Li Xiao was immune to mental control.

Based on the intelligence he had gathered, Li Xiao was currently the only legitimate heir to the Danse throne. King Li Ji didn’t even have a partner, and there hadn’t been any rumors of illegitimate children.

If Lin Zhou and his group were connected to Li Ji, it didn’t quite make sense for the King to go to such lengths to eliminate his only heir.

Could it be related to Li Xiao’s bloodline?

Li Xiao had spoken of usurping the throne. Was that purely out of his own political stance, or was there someone backing him?

A weight suddenly settled on his shoulder. Song Jin snapped out of his thoughts to see that Li Xiao had fallen asleep at some point, his head tilted over to rest against him. From this angle, he could clearly see Li Xiao’s eyelashes and his high-bridged nose.

Song Jin’s gaze swept past and inadvertently saw bloodstains on Li Xiao’s right wrist. He looked away as if nothing had happened, glanced back a moment later, and then looked away again.

After doing this a few times, Song Jin quietly hooked Li Xiao’s sleeve and pulled it up slightly. He saw a long, deep wound on the inner wrist that looked like a rope burn; the blood that had flowed out had already coagulated.

Why didn’t he treat his own wounds when he was helping me apply medicine earlier?

He doesn’t care about himself at all.

Frowning, Song Jin picked up the medical kit and silently started treating Li Xiao.

Feeling a cold sensation on the inside of his wrist, Li Xiao opened one eye just a slit. He saw Song Jin focusing on cleaning his wound, his movements very gentle—he couldn’t tell if Song Jin was afraid of hurting him or afraid of being caught.

As soon as Li Xiao woke up, Song Jin noticed, but he didn’t turn his head.

One was pretending to be asleep, the other pretending not to have noticed. For a while, neither spoke.

It wasn’t until Song Jin finished wrapping the bandage and pulled his hand back that Li Xiao closed his eyes again.

Song Jin glanced at Li Xiao, leaned back against the wall to relax, and closed his eyes to rest, his head leaning against Li Xiao’s.

I don’t know how much time passed before 07’s alarm sounded in Song Jin’s ear.

【Detected abnormal pheromones approaching!】

Song Jin’s eyes snapped open.

Outside, the fire continued to spread, lighting up the entire corridor. Lin Zhou walked over from the distance, limping and clutching his ribs. His training uniform was dirty and torn, and his hair and face showed traces of being burned—no cleaner than the pampered young masters.

When a person is injured, they involuntarily release trace amounts of pheromones; it is a survival instinct.

The pheromone concentration wasn’t enough to affect anyone else. Having confirmed this, Song Jin looked away.

The moment he smelled the scent of rotten tomatoes, Li Xiao opened his eyes. The next second, he met Lin Zhou’s murderous gaze.

Lin Zhou approached step by step, his hand resting on the hilt of his combat knife. His gaze flickered back and forth between Li Xiao and Song Jin’s group of five, various thoughts racing through his mind.

With surveillance cameras everywhere and so many people present, if he killed only Li Xiao, he might be sent back to Danse. But if he accidentally hurt anyone else, he might never be able to go back.

Most importantly, he wasn’t sure he could win.

“Are you an exchange student?” A voice broke the tense atmosphere.

Lin Zhou looked toward the voice. He didn’t expect an Omega to approach him—it was Chen Xi, the one who had sparred with Li Xiao in the cafeteria that day.

“I am,” Lin Zhou replied, unable to understand what this person wanted.

“You look seriously injured.” Chen Xi looked behind Lin Zhou. “Where are your teammates?”

Lin Zhou glanced at Li Xiao, his tone sour. “Trapped by the fire started by someone, they were all eliminated. I’m the only one left.”

“How pathetic,” a few people around them whispered.

“To persist in the competition even in that state, Danse people are so tough.”

“Since they were able to come to Shengya, they must have been taught to win glory for their country. How could they be like us?”

Chen Xi pointed to a tent not far away. “My teammates and I are resting over there. If you don’t mind, why don’t you join us? We can help you treat your wounds.”

Lin Zhou took one last look at Li Xiao and followed Chen Xi.

“Is this guy Lin a cockroach or something?” Qian Can muttered, looking at Li Xiao. “Little brother, how did you offend him? Why does he stick to you like glue?”

Li Xiao chuckled. “I’d like to know that myself. How did I offend them?”

Qian Can: “…” You can still laugh.

Once midnight passed, Mortis’s voice rang out through the entire circular corridor.

【Congratulations to everyone for successfully passing.】

Li Xiao saw the screen on the scorekeeper pop up, and a puzzle piece appeared on it.

【Hint for the third piece: Cabin.】

Thunder roared outside the window, and lightning continued to build up in the dark clouds before suddenly striking a distant mountain peak. The circular corridor was instantly illuminated as bright as day.

Li Xiao felt his ears being covered. He looked up to meet Song Jin’s magnified face. The next second, a deafening thunderclap sounded.

When the sound faded, Song Jin let go of him. “If you get stunned by the noise, I’m not helping you keep watch tonight.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Not long after, a torrential rain began to fall over the entire Wind City.

Qian Can pressed against the window, watching the insects on the street scurrying everywhere to avoid the rain.

“I have a feeling Mortis is using this rain to vent.”

Li Xiao: “Vent what?”

Qian Can grinned. “Burning the arena, roasting so many bugs… the fact that Mortis held back until midnight is already giving you, an foreign guest, quite a lot of face.”

Li Xiao: “…”

If it weren’t for that wind tunnel system, it wouldn’t have burned like that.

The fire that had spread to the streets persisted for over an hour in the downpour before being completely extinguished.

In the second half of the night, after the fire died out, the circular corridor was plunged into darkness.

Li Xiao listened to the sound of the pattering rain, trying to organize his chaotic thoughts.

The scent of rotten tomatoes drifted over again. This time, it was slightly different from before.

Everyone’s pheromone scent was unique, and the signals released at different times were also completely different.

This time, the scent was highly aggressive.

Even if Lin Zhou were going crazy, he should understand the consequences of attacking Shengya students.

Li Xiao crept over to confirm.

Some people were sleeping in tents, making it impossible to tell at a glance who was missing.

He simply followed the scent along the circular corridor, where different functional zones gradually appeared on both sides.

Outside the rest area, the rotten tomato scent became pungent. Li Xiao moved through the shadows and, from four or five meters away, saw two people arguing in low voices behind a giant vine.

“Don’t you hate Li Xiao?” Lin Zhou pressed Chen Xi’s shoulders, enunciating clearly. “He stole the person you like, right?”

“Right.” Chen Xi’s voice sounded a bit dull.

Lin Zhou: “You really want to get rid of Li Xiao, right?”

Chen Xi: “Right.”

Li Xiao frowned slightly.

Pheromone control combined with leading questions? Is he trying to use Chen Xi’s hands to take care of me?

Sure enough, he heard Lin Zhou say in Chen Xi’s ear: “When you go back, bring food to Song Jin and kill Li Xiao while you’re at it.”

If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have been able to hear such a faint whisper.

Li Xiao was puzzled.

Mental control fails once pheromone concentration drops. Lin Zhou had led Chen Xi so far away; did his pheromones affect Omegas for a longer duration?

“No, can’t kill anyone,” Chen Xi repeated in a flat tone. “Can’t kill anyone.”

Lin Zhou suddenly increased his pheromone output, speaking to Chen Xi word by word: “Go and kill Li Xiao.”

Chen Xi: “No… can’t kill anyone.”

The pheromone output continued to increase.

Releasing such high levels of Alpha pheromones right into an Omega’s face—even if Lin Zhou wasn’t a modified human, it would cause severe psychological trauma to an Omega.

Li Xiao couldn’t just stand by. He had just taken a step forward when his shoulder was pressed down from behind, and a familiar scent washed over him.

Song Jin tapped a rhythmic pattern on his shoulder.

【Wait a little longer.】

Li Xiao: “…” Someone’s about to get iced.

After the pheromones were released to a certain degree, the concentration stopped increasing.

Being so far away, Song Jin still felt a bit dizzy and nauseous.

Over there, Lin Zhou kept repeating to Chen Xi: “Go and kill Li Xiao.”

Chen Xi suddenly looked up, his vacant gaze becoming clear. “Killing Li Xiao won’t necessarily help me get Song Jin, but if I capture you, I’ll definitely gain a lot of military merit!”

Lin Zhou was stunned, his face full of disbelief.

“You aren’t affected by my pheromones?!”

Not just Lin Zhou; Li Xiao was also a bit confused.

Mental control aside, Chen Xi’s resistance to high-concentration Alpha pheromones was this strong?

That kid Song Jin must know something.

An extremely light scent of Celastrus (staff vine) drifted over, and Li Xiao’s eyebrows twitched.

This Omega pheromone, mixed into the Alpha pheromone, was just as aggressive.

“You—!” The world spun before Lin Zhou’s eyes, and he stumbled back two steps.

Chen Xi grabbed Lin Zhou by the collar and yanked him over. “You seem quite sensitive to my pheromones, though? And this is only the beginning.”

Lin Zhou swatted Chen Xi’s hand away. Back and forth they went, and they started fighting.

The Omega pheromone concentration continued to rise. Aside from being affected at the beginning, Lin Zhou quickly adapted.

Both were releasing pheromones, yet they didn’t affect each other.

But Chen Xi was better at hand-to-hand combat than Lin Zhou, and after a few minutes, he knocked Lin Zhou unconscious.

Chen Xi swiped his scorekeeper and pressed the report button. A communication screen popped up in front of him.

A Beta wearing the Royal Academy Guard uniform appeared: “What’s the situation?”

Chen Xi: “An Alpha has used pheromones on me in violation of the rules.”

The guard operated quickly: “Location locked. Please wait in place for five minutes; we’ll be there immediately.”

Closing the terminal, Chen Xi dragged Lin Zhou out like a dead dog. He saw Li Xiao and Song Jin coming over at the entrance of the rest area and nodded in greeting.

“Our people will take over from here,” Chen Xi said to Song Jin. “Please stay away from them.”

Song Jin: “How are the test results?”

Chen Xi: “His effect on me isn’t enough to cause a loss of consciousness, and mine on him is the same. The specific test report will probably take a while.”

Having said that, Chen Xi looked at Li Xiao. “I solved an enemy for you. In exchange, don’t tell anyone about tonight.”

Li Xiao looked deeply at Chen Xi, his voice cold. “Are you the same kind of person as him?”

Chen Xi glanced at Song Jin. “I cannot answer that question.”

A spacecraft flew past the giant floor-to-ceiling windows of the rest area. Seeing this, Song Jin signaled for Li Xiao to leave first.

Li Xiao walked a few steps, pulled Song Jin into an auditorium, and pinned him against the door.

“Who is that Chen Xi?”

Being controlled by an Alpha with strength comparable to his own, the pressure was self-evident. But Song Jin seemed completely unaffected, leaning back against the door in a relaxed manner, gazing at Li Xiao with his beautiful eyes. “Isn’t your nose very sensitive? Couldn’t you smell anything?”

Li Xiao frowned. “Does Shengya have modified humans too?”

Song Jin didn’t deny it, tentatively asking, “modified humans have been around for more than a day or two. You knew nothing about this?”

Chen Xi, one of the last batch of ‘Super Omegas’ registered by the military, holds the rank of Sergeant. An Omega Legion reservist, currently an intelligence agent placed by the military in the Royal Academy.

A collision between a Super Omega and a Super Alpha, and it ended in a tie.

Li Xiao thought of many things in an instant.

The ten-year civil unrest in Shengya in his past life, the mysterious deaths of royal family members one after another, Song Yuzhi’s incurable glandular disease…

If everything was related to modified humans, then it had to be traced back at least ten years.

Which happened to be eleven years ago, when Rong Mian and Song Yang disguised themselves as diplomats to come to Danse.

Maybe they were investigating modified humans back then.

Afraid of being recorded by surveillance, Li Xiao leaned against Song Jin’s ear, his voice very low. “So, Chen Xi’s pheromones also have the ability of mental control?”

Song Jin looked at the statue in the distance and said calmly, “It’s not quite the same, but let’s just say yes for now.”

Li Xiao: “Then why weren’t you affected?”

Song Jin: “Then why weren’t you affected?”

Li Xiao sensed there was more to his words. “What do you mean?”

Song Jin pressed Li Xiao’s shoulder to push him away, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze. “Aren’t you the backup plan left behind by the royal family so they wouldn’t be affected by modified humans?”

Li Xiao was stunned for a moment.

He had never even considered such a possibility.

Is that why my brother rejected me? Because of this?

Seeing Li Xiao deep in thought, Song Jin played with the silver ring on Li Xiao’s earlobe. “By the way, your favorite Rong Mianmian is also a modified human.”

Rong Mian is a modified human? He’s a Major General.

Li Xiao grabbed Song Jin’s hand and pressed him for answers: “You all tacitly allowed this existence for a long time? Or is this something you created yourselves in the first place?”

“That’s a question I should be asking you.” Song Jin pulled his hand away. “Danse’s military strength is lackluster, so you use these dirty tricks. Is there anything you won’t do?”

Both suspected that the other had exported modified humans to their own country, and both had reasonable grounds for their suspicion—neither could convince the other.

Although Song Jin was Song Yu’s brother, many things were tied to his past life, and Li Xiao could only communicate with Song Yu.

The conversation went poorly, and neither said another word on the way back.

Seeing them finally return, Da Bei rushed over in a panic. “Brother, are you okay? I heard some students were arrested for abusing pheromones!”

Li Xiao said flatly, “It was Lin Zhou.”

“That bastard again!” Qian Can cursed under his breath. “Who did he attack this time?!”

“Chen Xi, the one who bandaged him.” Song Jin’s voice was lazy, his tone a bit cold. “That’s why you should drop the ‘help others’ attitude; you never know if you’re helping a human or a ghost.”

The remark was loaded with subtext.

Li Xiao knew without thinking that the little lion was angry, but he really wasn’t in the mood to tease him right now.

Chen Xi was also a modified human, but he couldn’t smell the rotten tomato scent on him.

What was the difference?

Song Jin sat back in his usual spot, resting his chin on his hand and staring out the window, saying nothing.

The group of students around them discussed it heatedly once they heard Lin Zhou had been arrested.

The reputation of the Danse exchange students in the military academy was already terrible; they had thought they would restrain themselves a bit after coming to the Imperial Capital Star, but they didn’t expect them to be so reckless.

After Lin Zhou was arrested, it was published on the Royal Academy’s bulletin board that very night and reprinted by Danse domestic media, quickly causing a sensation on the networks of both countries.

“Using pheromones to attack an Omega during a competition is so classy!”

“I really can’t speak for Danse this time. I hate this kind of Alpha the most!”

“Just make them come back early. Danse really can’t afford to lose face like this!”

“Will this ever end?! Why can’t they send some normal people over?”

“The Danse aristocracy has been rotten to the core for a long time; I had no expectations to begin with.”

Heated debates continued in the Danse First Military Academy, the Shengya Central Military Academy, the Royal Academy, and other institutions.

It was, after all, an international league, and even the military and political leaders of both countries were paying attention. Yet Lin Zhou acted regardless of consequences, driven purely by impulse, momentarily becoming a laughingstock for everyone.

The rain fell all night and didn’t stop until dawn.

The roads were muddy, covered everywhere in black ash from the fire. The corpses of venomous insects filled the entire field of vision, in some places even piled into small hills—a full-blown visual impact.

Li Xiao wanted to finish as soon as possible and prepared to set off just as day broke.

He went out through the same small door again, but this time, when Li Xiao looked back to hold Song Jin’s hand, the other jumped down without even looking at him.

Jiang Hao walked up to Li Xiao. “Big brother, did you two have a fight?”

They were happily treating each other’s wounds just yesterday; how did they turn against each other after one night’s sleep?

“Yeah.”

Li Xiao watched Song Jin land steadily on the ground before following him down.

As they reached the door, Mortis’s voice rang out.

【Teams that performed outstandingly in defending against the bug tide can receive additional item rewards.】

As soon as he finished speaking, related prompts popped up on the scorekeepers of everyone in Li Xiao’s team, making the other teams incredibly envious.

Qian Can grinned. “There’s such a good thing!”

Li Xiao: “I want the remaining seven pieces.”

Qian Can and the other four: “…”

Other students: “…”

You really dare to ask for anything!

Mortis: 【Cannot give.】

Qin Le and the others discussed it and decided they wanted fuel for the car, but couldn’t determine the type of fuel used by the sand buggy.

Qian Can: “First, rule out 384; it should be the older 360, 364, or something like that.”

Li Xiao: “Diesel.”

Song Jin: “Diesel.”

Both spoke at the same time.

Seeing the others looking over in confusion, Li Xiao explained: “That sand buggy uses a diesel engine.”

Qian Can and the others: “…”

What era is diesel from?

Mortis: 【Prepare to receive an airdrop in five minutes.】

Li Xiao had parked the car in a dilapidated warehouse nearby last night. Overnight, the entrance had almost been buried by insects.

Fortunately, the pile of insects was high, preventing other teams from discovering and stealing it.

After Qin Le, Jiang Hao, and the others cleared away the insects, a drone soon swooped in at low altitude, dropped two barrels of diesel, and flew away.

Li Xiao filled the tank and drove out of Wind City with a heavy foot on the gas.

After passing through a forest, they saw an abandoned spaceship covered in vines and greenery in a valley in the distance.

One side of the spaceship’s cabin door was wide open, and the interior was packed with tree roots, vines, and unknown plants, looking like a miniature forest; it was impossible to tell what it originally looked like.

Qin Le took a look around nearby and returned: “It’s all about the same.”

Jiang Hao: “Going in like this is too dangerous. Many beasts like places that are like caves.”

Da Bei: “But the clue is in the cabin. We have to go in.”

Song Jin sat on the hood of the car, curling one long leg and fiddling with the launcher in his hand. “Then burn it.”

Hearing this, several of them turned their heads sharply, looking a bit excited.

Qian Can: “Can we really?!”

Who doesn’t love playing with fire?

Song Jin: “The rules don’t forbid it. And we happen to have a barrel of diesel left.”

Li Xiao: “We can take a nap first. By the time we wake up, it’ll be mostly burned out.”

Qin Le and the others: “…”

We can play like this?!

Li Xiao had just picked up the fuel barrel when a clacking sound came from inside the cabin.

Jiang Hao and the others drew their combat knives and retreated slowly.

Soon, an old robot dressed in pirate-style clothing drifted out, standing at the cabin door and looking at them.

【Fragment mission triggered. Specify two team members to complete a rapport test, and you will receive a puzzle piece.】

Li Xiao and the other five: “…”

Qian Can muttered in a low voice: “You said it was in the cabin, but you came out on your own initiative? Where’s your bottom line as an NPC?”

Robot: 【Do you want the piece or not?】

Qian Can: “…”

Li Xiao and Song Jin were randomly selected by the system.

The robot popped up two virtual screens and pushed them toward them.

【Question: When you are exploring a forest alone and suddenly hear a human voice behind you, what do you think it is? A. Another explorer. B. A mutated beast capable of mimicking human speech. C. Demons and ghosts.】

Li Xiao’s first reaction was A, but he felt that if it were about his rapport with Song Jin, they wouldn’t choose the same one, so he decisively chose C.

Song Jin subconsciously wanted to choose B, but after seeing C, he tapped C.

Qin Le and the other four: “…”

Are you two serious?!

【Answers match!】

【Question: You are being chased by a pack of wolves and have fled to the edge of a cliff. What will you do? A. Jump off the cliff and take a chance. B. Tell them your meat is stringy and doesn’t taste good. C. Fight the wolf pack to the death.】

Li Xiao closed his eyes and chose B.

Song Jin snorted and poked B directly.

Qin Le and the other four: “…”

In a certain sense, your rapport is truly unparalleled.

【Answers match!】

【Question: You see from afar your partner being hit on by an Omega, and the other party happens to be the type your partner likes. What will you do? A. Smile and bless them; true love is more important, of course. B. Refuse and beat the Omega up. C. Refuse and beat the partner up.】

Li Xiao: “…”

Seeing Song Jin answer in a split second, and thinking about how this kid had been unhappy since last night, Li Xiao chose C against his better judgment.

【Answers match!】

【You have successfully passed the team rapport test. The third fragment has been issued.】

Li Xiao: “…”

They won, but his mood was a bit complicated.

The scorekeeper popped up automatically, and a hint appeared on the screen.

【Hint for the fourth piece: Third deck of the spaceship.】

Song Jin lifted his chin toward Qian Can: “Go burn it.”

“You got it!” Qian Can excitedly went to get the fuel barrel.

The pirate robot paced back and forth twice and stood still again: 【Fragment mission triggered. Specify two team members to pass a quiz test to instantly receive the piece.】

Qin Le and the others: “…”

Where is your bottom line?!

This time, it specified Jiang Hao and Da Bei.

While they were answering the questions, Song Jin took the medical kit from the car, walked to the front of the car, knocked on the hood, and said to Li Xiao: “Come here to change the dressing.”

Li Xiao sat down beside Song Jin, surprised that he was actually going to help him remove the gauze.

Angry or not, he doesn’t slack off on the important stuff.

“Little kid, want to play a Q&A game?” Li Xiao held out his hand, letting Song Jin fiddle with it.

Song Jin: “Can I ask anything?”

Li Xiao: “Of course. Anything you ask, I answer. No lying.”

Song Jin: “Just now, for the third question… which one did you originally want to choose?”

Li Xiao: “…”