Li Xiao didn’t truly believe his brother wanted him dead; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived until now.

However, when he was five, his brother had indeed broken into his room in the middle of the night to choke him. He had woken up to the sensation of suffocation, and that feeling of impending death and the despair of being attacked by a loved one remained etched in his memory.

From then on, he was restricted to his sleeping quarters, and every time he went anywhere further afield, he would be subjected to various attacks, many of which were orchestrated by his brother. For a long time, he was convinced his brother hated him, which is why, upon deciding to leave the palace, he never had any intention of returning.

In his mind, a flash of Li Ji’s final moments from his past life appeared—gaunt, pale, and vacant-eyed, a man completely different from the brother he remembered. The hand that had gripped his trembled, and a voice, so faint it was barely audible, whispered: “Brother cannot protect you anymore… go… and never come back.”

Until his death, his brother was still driving him away. He never understood the “protection” his brother spoke of. All he had encountered was “persecution,” not protection. Moreover, he wondered why he needed protection, why he had to leave, and exactly whom his brother was wary of.

Seeing Li Xiao remain silent, Yi Yongning tentatively spoke up: “The past is in the past. There is no point in dwelling on it now. I don’t think His Majesty would want you involved in these matters.”

Li Xiao regained his focus. “Was the mastermind of the coup caught back then?”

Seeing Li Xiao’s keen interest, Yi Yongning found it difficult to answer. “They must have been caught. Even if they weren’t, they’d be long dead after all these years.”

“But they might have descendants,” Li Xiao said, looking at him expressionlessly. “For example—me?”

Yi Yongning’s fingers twitched, and he accidentally overturned his teacup. As the tea spilled across the table, he hurriedly wiped it up, casting his eyes downward to hide the expression in them. “Second Highness, you really don’t need to struggle with your background. History has been erased, and while His Majesty may not be able to fully accept it, he does acknowledge your existence. You could perfectly well choose to live the life you want.”

“The life I want?” Li Xiao’s tone was cold. “Do you mean being hunted down every day?”

Yi Yongning refilled Li Xiao’s cup. “That is precisely why we are sitting here, discussing a partnership—to eliminate some annoying pests.”

At the children’s table outside, Jiang Hao and Jiang Mu were each clutching a plate of snacks, listening to the conversation in the inner room without a word. Seeing that the two men didn’t bother to hide anything, Jiang Mu glanced at Jiang Hao, feeling a bit worried.

Jiang Hao finished his snacks in a few bites, pulled out a cleaning cloth from his pocket, and silently began maintaining a small knife. When Jiang Mu realized the boy had drawn a blade—and a sharpened one at that—he widened his eyes and scooted away, feeling a bit nervous. The Second Highness’s friend looked cute, but he didn’t seem like someone to be trifled with.

Shengya Empire, Planet Snow.

After delivering the materials, Song Jin didn’t leave immediately, opting to spend his days with Shen Sinian in the research institute. Under Song Jin’s constant supervision, Shen Sinian didn’t dare smoke, reliving the terror of being shadowed by this “little tail” from over a decade ago. By the third day, he couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you have school?”

Song Jin, eating the sweet and sour pork ribs made by his father, Song Zheng, looked satisfied. “I graduated long ago. What kind of father are you? You don’t even know when I finished school?”

Shen Sinian choked, then persisted stubbornly, “Didn’t your brother arrange some work for you?”

“Isn’t this what he arranged?” Song Jin sensed something amiss and huffed unhappily, “Am I an eyesore after only three days?”

Shen Sinian: “…”

It wasn’t that he was an eyesore. It was just that the inability to smoke was becoming unbearable.

Song Zheng served them both a bowl of soup and asked Song Jin, “What did Xiao Li say?”

Mentioning Li Xiao made Song Jin think of the cookies he was about to finish. “It looks like he didn’t know Wei Feng was his father beforehand.”

Shen Sinian sipped his soup and said nonchalantly, “DNA tests confirm Wei Feng is not an invisible Omega. If that kid really is the child of the former Danse King Li Su, it could only have been achieved through genetic engineering. We should check the royal gene center from that era; there might be clues.”

“But why would a King create a child with a random thug? Isn’t that strange?” Song Jin finished his ribs and added slowly, “That’s less plausible than an Omega servant crawling into his bed.”

Shen Sinian: “He wasn’t just some ‘random thug’.”

Shen Sinian set down his bowl and chopsticks, waving his hand to project layers of virtual screens into the air, all filled with test reports. “Among all the samples, Wei Feng’s aptitude is clearly a cut above the rest—almost on par with the Li boy.”

Song Jin looked at the data; Wei Feng and Li Xiao’s stats were indeed nearly identical.

“Physical fitness-wise?”

“Not just that.” Shen Sinian pulled up a report on Lin Zhou and circled key data points. “Genetically modified people are like those who’ve had plastic surgery—very easy to spot. Regardless of how high their capabilities are, their foundation is still the original. Just from these few metrics, one can determine that this person’s five senses are much weaker than Wei Feng’s.”

Song Jin pondered the implication. “So you suspect the Danse royalty is improving their genes?”

Shen Sinian: “There is no better explanation. Based on the current data, Li Xiao has perfectly inherited the best of those genes.”

Song Jin had suspected this since discovering Li Xiao’s own extraordinary senses. The Bique species’ heightened senses might not have been very significant during the Great War, but in daily life, they could help avoid many dangers—especially for high-risk individuals like royalty, where it could save their lives in a pinch.

Wei Feng’s genes were better than others, which is why he was chosen by the Danse royal family. In that case, Li Xiao was simply an experimental product. Although Li Xiao was opposed to the existence of modified humans, he didn’t know what the previous Danse King and Li Ji were thinking. It was possible they were the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes, and Li Xiao’s immunity to control by modified humans was essentially a safeguard they had left behind.

This brought them back to their original hypothesis.

Song Zheng handed some food to his wife and casually remarked, “If Wei Feng’s genes were good enough to be scouted by royalty, how could he still be out there living as a free-roaming thug?”

Shen Sinian followed this line of thought and smiled, “Who’s to say he was the only one?”

These two lighthearted sentences made Song Jin’s scalp tingle, and the image of those flesh lumps in the feed base flashed through his mind. If there were more “Wei Fengs”… then the Wei Feng they met might not necessarily be Li Xiao’s father.

This made things much more complicated. Song Jin set down his bowl and asked urgently, “Have the tissue samples I brought back been matched with Wei Feng’s?”

“They have.” Under Song Jin’s tense gaze, Shen Sinian opened two more reports. “The match rate is very low.”

Song Jin stared at the screen, noticing a line of red text at the top: Cloning possibility not considered.

Those flesh lumps were not other “Wei Fengs.” Song Jin breathed a slight sigh of relief, with only one thought in his mind—at least Li Xiao didn’t have to face the cruel reality that his father might be a lump of meat. Seeing that the overall quality of the flesh lumps was lower than Wei Feng’s, Song Jin remarked, “Using inferior genes when better ones are available doesn’t make sense.”

Shen Sinian: “Apples and bananas have different nutritional components and functions; you can’t say which is inherently better.”

Song Jin turned to him: “Speak human.”

Shen Sinian: “Give me time to research; don’t be in such a rush.”

Song Jin: “Are three days enough?”

Shen Sinian laughed in frustration: “I’m getting old, and I still have to work for you?”

Song Jin choked: “You’re still young; you don’t look a day over thirty.”

Shen Sinian: “…”

Trapped with a family of workaholics, Song Zheng forcibly closed all the virtual screens: “No work talk at the dinner table. It ruins the food.”

Danse Empire, Tianjiang Planet.

After finishing his talk with Yi Yongning, Li Xiao and Jiang Mu returned to the hotpot restaurant. The food had already been served.

Shortly after they sat down, there was a knock at the door. Jiang Mu looked puzzled. Because of the nature of the store, they didn’t usually arrange servers or robots to visit mid-meal.

“You guys eat first.” Jiang Mu got up to open the door, seeing a tall, thin Beta server holding a large water pitcher. “Are you new?”

The Beta nodded, smiling, “Do you need the broth topped up?”

Jiang Mu frowned, impatient: “We’ll ring the bell if we need anything.”

The Beta agreed, his eyes scanning the room over Jiang Mu’s shoulder.

“Are you deaf?” Jiang Mu said sternly, “Go get the manager!”

The Beta apologized profusely, but as he turned, he quickly pressed a button hidden in his palm.

Just as Jiang Mu was about to close the door, a drone darted from the right corner, its infrared laser precisely locking onto Li Xiao’s brow, and a sharp, short arrow whistled through the air.

Jiang Mu’s pupils contracted; before he could react to the drone, a gust of wind whistled past his ear as the arrow and a Tang sword clashed in mid-air. The next moment, the drone was skewered by the sword, and with a crackle of electricity, it spiraled into the wall and fell to the floor.

Almost simultaneously, a dull thud sounded behind him. Jiang Mu turned in shock to see Jiang Hao just pulling his hand back, while a short arrow was pinned into the wall near Li Xiao, who was still leaning back in his chair.

“Are you two okay?!” Jiang Mu’s expression shifted, his heart racing belatedly.

Li Xiao acted as if nothing had happened, picking up his chopsticks to eat: “The restaurant you chose doesn’t look very safe.”

Jiang Hao dashed past Jiang Mu, but only caught a glimpse of the Beta disappearing at the end of the hall before retrieving his sword and returning to the room. “The guy got away.”

“I’ve already sent people to chase him.” Jiang Mu clenched his fists, burning with rage. “They actually dared to reach out their hands here. This won’t go unpunished!”

Li Xiao was used to it; if even the palace wasn’t safe, these places certainly wouldn’t be.

The voice of 09 echoed in his ear: [Target locked. Want to tell them?]

Li Xiao: [Help them out.]

09: [Old man is on it.]

Li Xiao: “…”

After shedding his uniform in the restroom, the Beta server jumped out of a window and hopped into a hover-car parked on the street just before Jiang Mu’s men could catch him.

“Did you get him?” the Beta driver asked as they sped off.

The server looked furious: “Failed! He dodged it at such a short distance!”

Seeing a fleet of pursuing hover-cars in the rearview mirror, the driver floored the accelerator, deciding to cut through the downtown area to shake them off. Suddenly, the car’s onboard AI spoke up.

[Command received. Initiating ‘Pendulum’ entertainment mode.]

Driver: “???”

Server: “What mode?!”

Before they could understand, the hover-car’s nose lifted, ascending vertically. The two inside were thrown backward, nearly flipping into the backseat.

“What are you doing?!” the server roared, “Level it out!”

The driver tried the controls, but the manual buttons were unresponsive. Every time he pressed the ‘level’ button, the nose would snap back up. The car shook violently, like a wild beast. The two men inside felt like their brains were being rattled.

After reaching a certain altitude, the car stopped accelerating and suddenly entered a free-fall.

“AAAHHH—!” The two screamed, nearly wetting themselves. “Help!”

When Jiang Mu’s men caught up, they saw the hover-car swinging back and forth in a giant ‘U’ shape in the air, with a height difference of nearly 100 meters—a terrifying sight. Passersby in the street below assumed it was some kind of stunt performance, gathering to watch and filming it for social media.

When Jiang Mu received the news, his mood was subtle. What kind of show was this?

Li Xiao: “Don’t kill them. Get them to confess.”

Jiang Mu nodded: “I’ll make sure to give you an answer.”

After finishing the hotpot, they ordered some dessert. Li Xiao saw a cheese cake served with cream-coated caramelized sweet potatoes—all things Song Jin loved. He took a spoonful, and the overwhelming sweetness made him doubt his life choices. However, a change of pace was nice.

Jiang Hao glanced at him and asked, “Missing Brother Song?”

Li Xiao: “Why ask?”

Jiang Hao: “You’re eating the sweetest thing on the menu.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Jiang Hao, eating a sweet-and-spicy donut, said, “There are some things that aren’t your favorite, but when they’re gone, you find yourself missing them.”

Li Xiao: “What are you talking about?”

“The military blade issued by the Shengya Academy.” Jiang Hao sighed sadly, “It’s a shame I couldn’t bring it.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Jiang Mu, confused: “You like military blades? I can give you one.”

Jiang Hao glanced at Li Xiao, speaking coldly: “But I only want that one. I’ve developed a bond with it. No matter how good the others are, they can’t compare.”

Li Xiao: “…” The ‘blade’ you’re talking about is definitely not just a blade.

Jiang Mu: “…” Didn’t realize you were this sentimental.

After a moment of thought, Li Xiao took a picture of the dessert and sent it to Song Jin. Soon, a reply came.

Song Jin: [Know I can’t eat it so you’re rubbing it in? Itchy skin?]

Li Xiao: “…” This bratty kid is actually addicted to sugar.

Li Xiao: [It’s very sweet. The flavor you like.]

Song Jin: [So?]

Li Xiao: [Just telling you.]

Song Jin sent a sticker of a cat having a meltdown. Hearing Li Xiao let out a low chuckle, Jiang Mu and Jiang Hao turned to see him smiling like a child at the screen. They suddenly understood why some people fell for their own sex. With that face, it was hard not to.

In the afternoon, Li Xiao parted ways with Jiang Mu and drove toward the palace. A short while later, a radar notification popped up on the console.

[Eight suspicious targets detected.]

Li Xiao monitored the surroundings. From various flight lanes, eight hover-cars were racing toward them from all directions. Observing their movements, Li Xiao said to Jiang Hao, “Turn toward the military district.”

It took nearly an hour to reach the palace from the Youying District, but the military district was less than twenty minutes away. Jiang Hao checked the navigation, swerved sharply, and gunned it toward the highest flight lane.

The eight surrounding cars adjusted course, surrounding them from three sides and squeezing them in the middle. The car on the right crept closer, trying to ram the passenger door. Jiang Hao quickly turned left to dodge, but given their speed, it was hard to shake them.

“This isn’t good.”

“Just keep heading for the military district. Leave the rest to me,” Li Xiao said, signaling 09 to take control of the hostile vehicles.

09: [Hijacked. How to process?]

Li Xiao: [Frame it as traffic accidents.]

09: [Received!]

As the car on the right rammed them again, it suddenly slowed down, colliding with the car behind it and spinning out of control.

“Car Number 3 has lost control!”

Hearing the report over the public channel, the last car in the lineup tried to take its place, but collided with its own partner that had suddenly swerved. With a loud bang, debris rained down.

“Car Number 8 lost control!”

“Number 4 is out of control too! What is going on?!”

“Suspected AI breach!”

The eight cars crashed into each other, and in an instant, they were sent spinning out of the lane. Jiang Hao hadn’t had a chance to breathe when a white hover-car in the opposite lane swerved toward them without warning. He jerked the wheel to avoid it.

Li Xiao saw this and signaled 09 to switch to the air-cannon. The targets didn’t have clear intentions, making them harder for 09 to lock onto. Li Xiao opened the window and observed the passing traffic.

A blue hover-car in the lower lane suddenly ascended. Jiang Hao swerved, and the car grazed the passenger door. As they passed, the Beta driver raised a gun and aimed at the window, preparing to pull the trigger the moment he saw Li Xiao.

Bang—!

Li Xiao pulled the trigger first, a clean headshot. The Beta jerked, and the car veered sharply upward. Simultaneously, the white hover-car slammed into the blue one. The driver hammered the brakes, but it was useless.

“Out of control! Jump!” the driver screamed.

The assassin in the passenger seat tried to open the door, but heard the click of the electronic locks.

“Unlock the door!”

The driver frantically pressed the button: “It won’t unlock!”

The next moment, the white car and the black car collided head-on, erupting in flames. A few minutes later, three more oncoming cars surged toward them. Jiang Hao braked hard, dropping altitude rapidly.

Li Xiao watched the cars’ angles, anticipating their attack pattern. As they descended, he put his hand out the window and aimed at the undercarriage of the red hover-car. A single air-shot shattered its power line. The red car began to swerve violently, crashing into the silver one in the middle. The silver car had been modified with reinforced armor, meant to act as a shield, but was knocked aside.

In the blink of an eye, the silver car regained balance, but it was too late—Li Xiao’s car brushed past, leaving deep gouges on its body. The silver car and the yellow one to its left prepared to pursue, but a prompt suddenly flashed on their onboard computers.

[Initiating ‘Convertible Sightseeing’ mode.]

The driver slammed the buttons, but the roof slowly retracted anyway. He was forced to slow down and drop altitude to avoid being blown away, only to find the speed was uncontrollable. Two hover-cars sped through the air 100 meters up, the passengers screaming in terror as other commuters looked on. How exciting. Do they not want their hair anymore?

Once they reached the military district, the attackers vanished. Jiang Hao scanned the area: “They don’t dare come in?”

Li Xiao: “Not yet.”

Intruding on the military district required being ready to drop all pretenses. The Meng family hadn’t crossed that line yet; they wouldn’t do it just yet.

A notification popped up. [Military district channel accessed—checking—verification passed.]

Jiang Hao: “What now?”

Li Xiao: “Park anywhere.”

The military district was largely populated by senior officers; there was very little foot traffic. Jiang Hao parked in a deserted corner, instinctively checking for danger. As he spotted a nearby building, his heart skipped a beat for no reason.

Li Xiao swiped his terminal to contact the palace steward, asking for a pickup. Seeing Jiang Hao step out, he asked, “What is it?”

“Just looking.” Jiang Hao didn’t go far, circling the car while peering at the nearby houses and streets, looking puzzled. This was his first time here, but why did it feel so familiar?

The car sent by the palace arrived quickly. Instead of the steward, guards from the main hall stepped out. Li Xiao stepped out and the guards greeted him: “Second Highness, you’ve been startled.”

“There were several major traffic accidents in the Youying District. Have someone look into it,” Li Xiao said calmly, stepping into the guard’s car.

“Yes, sir!”

They returned to the palace safely. The guards landed at the main hall, and Li Xiao decided he should go check in with his brother.

In the King’s office, Meng Jian was discussing Li Xiao’s transfer with Li Ji. When Li Ji suddenly received news of the attack on Li Xiao, he was so angry he shattered another tea set.

“They dare to pull this crap right under my nose? Do they have no respect for me?!”

Hearing that Li Xiao was safe, Meng Jian, who was sitting across the desk, kept his expression calm. “Given the Second Highness’s special status, there have been people who haven’t liked him for a long time.”

Li Ji sneered: “Some people? Does that include you?”

Meng Jian lowered his gaze, saying heavily, “I certainly don’t like the Second Highness, but that is purely from a national security perspective. Personally, I have no grievances with him and wouldn’t stoop to such low-life tactics.”

“Then tell me, who has a grudge against him?” Li Ji asked coldly.

Meng Jian: “The Second Highness is young and immature; he easily offends people. I suggest he be transferred to the First Military Academy to temper his character.”

There was a knock at the door, and Old Liu announced Li Xiao. Li Ji signaled for him to enter.

“Brother.” Li Xiao glanced at Meng Jian and walked up to the desk. “I asked you to send a car to pick me up; sorry for the trouble.”

Li Ji eyed him: “I heard there was a car accident?”

Li Xiao didn’t deny it: “I got caught in an accident on the road involving other cars. My luck was bad, but fortunately, the car was only scratched, and I’m fine.”

“Hm.” Li Ji responded coldly. “Go back and rest—”

Seeing Li Ji trying to dismiss him, Meng Jian interrupted: “Second Highness, you’re just in time. We were just discussing your transfer.”

Li Xiao: “Transfer?”

Meng Jian ignored Li Ji’s glare and continued: “You performed well at Shengya Military Academy. Both His Majesty and I believe you are well-suited to transfer to the First Military Academy to continue your studies.”

Hearing “First Military Academy,” Li Xiao knew exactly what this old dog was playing at.

“Really?” Li Xiao looked at Li Ji, his surprise evident. “If I could be classmates with Meng Tao and the others again, I would be very willing.”

Li Ji narrowed his eyes: “Don’t think I don’t know what kind of chaos you and Meng Tao caused at Shengya. You want to play with him again?”

Li Xiao said with a straight face: “As long as the other party is strong enough, I don’t mind being a ‘lick-dog’ [sycophant].”

Li Ji: “…” What a disappointment!

Li Xiao smiled at Meng Jian: “Thank you for convincing my brother. My brother told me to leave earlier, and I thought I’d never have a chance to play with them again.”

Meng Jian: “My grandson is mischievous; I fear he isn’t suitable to be your playmate, Second Highness.”

Li Xiao: “But he is very interesting. He changes his face faster than turning a book. I’ve never seen someone so emotionally unstable. I love playing with people like that. You won’t be unhappy about that, right?”

Meng Jian’s face darkened. Disparaging his grandson to his face was no different than calling him out directly.

“Your tastes are truly unique,” Meng Jian said sarcastically.

Li Xiao: “Thank you for the compliment.”