News of Li Xiao being attacked by an Omega in the middle of the night quickly reached the main hall. Li Ji was furious, demanding accountability to the absolute end.

Before ten in the morning, the special assistant, Old Liu, obtained the details and reported to Li Ji: “This Omega servant is a newcomer who didn’t know the rules. Because he was assigned to inner palace duties, he didn’t arouse the suspicion of the guards. Somehow, by some freak combination of factors, he managed to slip into the Second Highness’s bedchamber.”

Li Ji’s expression was unsightly: “Take charge of this investigation yourself.”

Old Liu: “Yes.”

As Old Liu walked out of the office, the manager of the main hall, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward to meet him. “What did His Majesty say?”

Old Liu looked over. The manager was named Chen Fan, a Beta in his sixties with slicked-back hair and a long black robe, looking sharp yet elegant.

“What else could he say?” Old Liu walked alongside him, speaking in a neutral tone. “His Majesty was so angry he didn’t even eat breakfast.”

Chen Fan was startled. Scanning left and right out of the corner of his eye, he whispered, “Doesn’t His Majesty usually not care much about the Second Highness?”

Old Liu stopped in his tracks, sizing him up with a sideways glance. “His Majesty loathes the bedroom-crawling routine the most. Is this your first day in the palace? Have you forgotten how that Omega died back then?”

Chen Fan’s expression stiffened, and he lowered his head, not daring to say another word.

In the side palace, Li Xiao had stayed in the game with that little lion until four in the morning, and it was nearly ten when he finally woke up. Walking downstairs, he heard quite a commotion outside.

Seeing Jiang Hao sitting by the French windows doing homework, Li Xiao went to pour himself a glass of water, asking casually, “What’s going on?”

Jiang Hao: “Since you were attacked last night, the military has completely surrounded the side palace. They are investigating all the servants, and that butler named Lin Hai has been handcuffed.”

No wonder there wasn’t a single soul to be seen inside. With nothing better to do, Li Xiao turned toward the main entrance.

Jiang Hao looked up: “Where are you going?”

Li Xiao: “To watch the show.”

After a brief thought, Jiang Hao packed up his homework and followed. Watching gossip offered far more learning opportunities than doing homework.

All the servants had been gathered in the courtyard on the west side of the side palace, undergoing interrogation. Li Xiao leaned against a corridor pillar with his arms crossed, listening to the wails of those people.

“It has nothing to do with me! I was on the morning shift yesterday!”

“I am responsible for Kitchen Number 3. I don’t interact with the servants of the inner palace!”

“I’m an outer palace gardener. It’s impossible for me to help someone sneak into the inner palace!”

“That Omega did share a dorm room with me, but we aren’t close at all!”

The two butlers, Lin Hai and Chen Su, were brought to a corner for separate questioning. Compared to the others, they were much more composed, carrying an aura as if none of this had anything to do with them.

For a servant to casually barge into a prince’s bedchamber in the middle of the night was by no means a small matter. Li Xiao listened as both butlers consistently denied helping the Omega, claiming absolute ignorance of last night’s events.

Before long, Chen Fan and His Majesty’s special assistant, Old Liu, arrived, asking the guard captain about the investigation’s progress.

The guard captain handed the statements to Old Liu, saying respectfully, “As it stands, the butler on duty last night, Lin Hai, bears the heaviest suspicion. We plan to take him back for further interrogation.”

“It wasn’t me!” Lin Hai quickly stood up to defend himself. “Last night, I was in the first-floor office confirming the menu for the upcoming week. I didn’t leave until after the incident occurred!”

Old Liu: “Could it be that you colluded in advance and intentionally stayed in the office to avoid suspicion?”

“This Omega looks a bit familiar…” Chen Fan swiped his terminal, pulling up an application form. “Was this person transferred to the inner palace by you?”

Seeing his own signature on the application form, Lin Hai’s face turned pale. “That was just a standard transfer procedure. There were several others transferred alongside him.”

Old Liu lacked the patience to continue listening and gestured for the guard captain to take him away.

“Wait.”

Hearing that crisp, pleasant voice, everyone looked over to see Li Xiao walking out from the garden corridor.

Old Liu bowed respectfully, whereas the others merely lowered their heads half-heartedly in a very perfunctory manner. The main hall manager, Chen Fan, didn’t even lower his head at all.

Having served in the palace for over twenty years, he had watched Li Xiao grow up. The Li Xiao of back then was like a vagrant living in the palace, lacking even a decent piece of clothing. He had kept a raccoon fox from who-knows-where, and Chen Fan, finding it an eyesore, had ordered the guards to slaughter it right in front of him.

And what could Li Xiao do? He hadn’t dared to utter a single word. He was just an unpresentable bastard child—hardly a prince.

Li Xiao looked at Chen Fan: “Do you not need to bow?”

Not expecting Li Xiao to call him out so bluntly, Chen Fan was somewhat taken aback. Seeing Old Liu’s gaze shift toward him, he hurriedly lowered his head and bowed with a hint of resentment: “Greetings, Second Highness.”

“Just now, both of these butlers denied it.” Li Xiao looked at the guard captain. “Does Chen Su have no suspicion at all? Why only arrest one?”

The guard captain explained: “Chen Su was on the day shift yesterday.”

Li Xiao: “Since Lin Hai could collude in advance, why couldn’t Chen Su?”

The guard captain choked, instinctively glancing at Chen Fan before playing along, “There is indeed such a possibility.”

“But clearly, the butler on duty carries far greater suspicion.” Chen Fan looked at Old Liu. “Chen Su has worked in the palace for over a decade without a single mistake. It cannot be him.”

“It really has nothing to do with me!” Seeing the heat turning onto him, the butler named Chen Su also stood up. Glancing at Li Xiao out of the corner of his eye, he spoke with hidden meaning, “Even if that Omega is dead, there are still surveillance records. You can’t just frame people randomly, can you?”

Li Xiao did not miss the guard captain’s pleading look for help. He turned a calm gaze onto Chen Su: “Indeed, an innocent person must not be wronged. Has the surveillance been retrieved?”

The guard captain quickly complied, projecting the retrieved surveillance footage into mid-air. The footage merely showed the Omega sneaking upstairs alone, without providing any further information.

“I was sleeping in the dorms at that time,” Chen Su spoke with a tone laced with grievance and accusation.

Chen Fan chimed in: “Your Highness, you likely don’t understand these matters very well. It is best left to the security department to investigate.” Although his tone was respectful, his words entirely disregarded Li Xiao.

Old Liu looked somewhat displeased, casting a sharp glare at Chen Fan. In front of the Second Highness, it wasn’t appropriate for him to say too much.

“His Highness is asking questions; is it your place to chip in?” Jiang Hao looked at Chen Fan, already highly annoyed. “Who do you think you are, His Highness’s elder?”

Chen Fan had never been spoken to like this by a junior, and his expression turned incredibly ugly. Reaching the position of main hall manager meant he held the highest rank among servants; even officials treated him with respect, let alone some brat from who-knows-where.

Chen Fan: “I merely wish to uncover the facts as quickly as possible!”

Jiang Hao: “Why are you shouting? What rank do you hold here anyway?”

Upon hearing this, a group of servants and guards lowered their heads, their expressions delicate. Even His Majesty’s special assistant hadn’t said anything; Chen Fan pushing his head out so strongly here was indeed crossing the line.

Watching everything unfold, Lin Hai looked somewhat dazed. In a trance, he seemed to see that child left behind in the corner from years ago, wearing ill-fitting clothes, whom even passing servants could bully a bit. He had intended to help a couple of times back then, only to be dragged into the breakroom and beaten severely by those people. After that, he understood the rules of survival in the palace. Even when the Second Highness returned to the palace after a ten-year absence, he hadn’t dared to get too close.

But now, it seemed something had changed.

“Indeed, it should be uncovered as quickly as possible.” Li Xiao snapped his fingers, and a virtual screen descended into the air. “Retrieve all relevant surveillance for me.”

[Command received. Activating surveillance retrieval—]

The others were astonished to see the screen pop up. Soon, layers upon layers of screens emerged. Aside from the clip the guard captain had played, there were also scenes of Chen Su instructing the surveillance room staff on duty to disable the alarms for that night, as well as footage of Chen Su meeting Chen Fan, where the two agreed on the date to strike.

Perhaps assuming the surveillance room was entirely filled with their own people, they had let down their guard. Their voices and the mocking expressions on their faces were captured with absolute clarity.

The expressions of everyone present shifted dramatically, and they couldn’t help but gasp. They were far too bold!

“I didn’t do it!” Chen Fan pointed at the screen and shouted, “This is fake!”

Chen Su was trembling all over, so terrified he couldn’t even speak. How could this be?! Weren’t these clips supposed to have been deleted long ago?!

Li Xiao looked at Chen Fan: “Are you implying that I manufactured fake videos to frame you?”

“You—!” Chen Fan paused, forcibly swallowing his curses. “The system glitched!”

“Is Chen Su your nephew?” Li Xiao walked over unhurriedly, kicking Chen Su right to Chen Fan’s feet.

Chen Fan held his breath, sensing a highly ominous foreboding. This scene felt remarkably familiar, only the roles were reversed; the raccoon fox from back then had become Chen Su, and the Li Xiao from back then had become him.

Chen Su scrambled up shakily, only to have a freezing gun barrel pressed against his forehead the next instant.

“I, I’m not—mph!”

Bang!

Chen Su was shot through the head, collapsing heavily to the ground. Splatters of blood coated the floor.

Reacting belatedly, the crowd let out terrified shrieks.

Looking at the gun in Li Xiao’s hand, the guard captain realized his own sidearm had been snatched away, unable to help but feel astonished. So fast! How did he do it?!

The sidearm spun twice between Li Xiao’s fingers as he looked calmly at Chen Fan: “Chen Su endangered a member of the royal family first and resisted arrest afterward. Executed on the spot in accordance with the law.”

Chen Fan stared wide-eyed at the bullet hole in Chen Su’s forehead, his entire body shaking as cold sweat and tears streamed down his face.

Old Liu hadn’t recovered his senses since the video came to light, unable to believe Chen Fan would actually plot against the Second Highness. Before he could react, Chen Su had been gunned down on the spot, causing his heart to hammer like a drum. What level of oppressive presence was this? Even someone like him, who was used to grand spectacles, found it difficult to breathe.

The Second Highness was terrifying when angered! By comparison, His Majesty smashing tea sets could practically be described as cute.

Li Xiao handed the gun back to the guard captain: “Know what to do now?”

The guard captain’s scalp tingle as he hurriedly complied, calling his subordinates to drag Chen Fan and all involved personnel away.

Li Xiao’s move of killing the chicken to scare the monkey explicitly warned everyone that anyone daring to provoke him had only one path: death. The remaining servants of the side palace, who had previously harbored unruly thoughts, all tucked their tails tightly.

Once the guards left, Li Xiao asked Old Liu as if nothing had happened: “Is there anything from my brother’s side?”

Old Liu instinctively straightened his spine, replying respectfully, “His Majesty was worried about your safety, so he sent me to follow up on the investigation.”

“Since you’re here, pass a message to him for me: lock his bedroom door tight lately so no lives are lost.” Li Xiao’s tone was detached. “I’m leaving the palace this afternoon, so I won’t disturb him.” With that, he turned and left.

Old Liu: “…Yes.”

Seeing the guards depart, Lin Hai plucked up the courage to catch up to Li Xiao and offer his thanks.

“You helped me back then; consider this a return favor.” Li Xiao stopped in his tracks to look at him. “There will be a massive personnel shake-up in the side palace next. I don’t want to see a single Omega here again.”

Lin Hai’s eyes flashed, and he complied: “Understood.”

To the side, Jiang Hao seemed to understand why Li Xiao had insisted on executing Chen Su. It both established his authority to gain a secure footing in the palace and eliminated two henchmen who had climbed to high positions—killing two birds with one stone. Only when it truly hurt would those people learn to restrain themselves.

In the main hall, upon hearing Old Liu’s recount, Li Ji tossed his documents onto the desk in frustration, rubbing his throbbing temples. “Even Chen Fan…”

Old Liu spoke hesitantly: “The Second Highness said to lock your bedroom door tight while sleeping lately so… so no lives are lost.”

Li Ji: “…Disrespectful brat.” His bedroom door was sealed as tightly as could be.

Li Ji fell silent for a moment. “Transfer all Omegas out of the main hall.”

Old Liu was somewhat surprised that His Majesty would actually listen to advice. “And the manager’s position?”

Li Ji: “Vacant for now.”

Old Liu: “Yes.”

Before heading out, Old Liu added in a low voice: “The Second Highness said he’s leaving the palace this afternoon, so he won’t come to say goodbye.” Seeing no reaction from Li Ji, Old Liu thought for a moment. “Your Majesty, I feel the Second Highness is actually trying to protect you.”

Li Ji’s hand holding the pen tightened, and he said nothing until Old Liu had exited.

In the side palace, Li Xiao cross-referenced the projects of the Fuxing Construction Group with the data obtained from the feed base, identifying several overlapping regions. He instructed Jiang Chi to send people to initiate investigations into these areas first. Five of them were not on the border, making them difficult to investigate given Jiang Chi’s status as an unregistered citizen.

Using his backup terminal, Li Xiao sent a message to Wei Feng.

[I have a commission for you. Taking it?]

Wei Feng: [Taking it, yeah. Only an idiot passes up money.]

Li Xiao sent over the five locations and investigation requirements.

Wei Feng: [You know a thug like me doesn’t have registration, right?]

Li Xiao: [I know you have your ways.]

Wei Feng: [You think too highly of me.]

Li Xiao: [It’s not that I think highly of you; I think highly of my money.]

Wei Feng: […]

Recalling Wei Feng’s DNA report, Li Xiao typed out another message.

[How old are you this year? Do you have a son?]

After a pause, a reply finally came through.

Wei Feng: [I’m only 33, still young! No son!]

Li Xiao: “…” Why get so worked up?

In the afternoon, the moment Li Xiao left the palace, Meng Jian received the news.

Last night’s operation had essentially been a case of lifting a stone only to drop it on one’s own foot; not only had they failed to eliminate Li Xiao, but they had also dragged Chen Fan down. Sitting in his study, Meng Jian slammed the desk in rage.

“Useless trash! To let that Li Xiao boy catch his tail so easily!”

Meng Zai, leaning back in his wheelchair, also looked incredibly displeased. Cultivating Chen Fan had required an immense amount of effort; lurking in the palace for decades, he was their key to opening the main hall. As long as Chen Fan was there, they could choose whether Li Ji lived or died at will. But now the key was gone, and Li Ji had been alerted. All the Omegas in the main hall had been banished to the dusty corners meant for hosting foreign guests, making it much harder to strike in the future.

Meng Zai’s gaze grew vicious: “Let’s just strike directly. Even without the administrative power of the Tianjiang Sector, we won’t lose.”

“Do you really think that old dog Yi is a pushover?” Meng Jian looked over. “A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. If we truly go to war, it will be very exhausting. When it can clearly be avoided, why expend this effort?”

Meng Zai disagreed: “But now that Li Xiao is disrupting the board, we might not get a better opportunity.”

Meng Jian walked to the window with his hands behind his back. “Wait a bit longer. The more it is like this, the less we can afford to rush.”

Thinking of being forced into a six-month leave, Meng Zai couldn’t swallow this insult. Why should we be led by the nose by a mere brat?!

After several transit connections, Li Xiao arrived at Zifu Sector Z152 around three the following afternoon. Entering the docking terminal, he heard the voice-control system broadcasting repeatedly:

[Currently in the mutant breeding season. High incidence of insect swarms. Passengers please pay attention to safety during travel. Do not venture into mountainous or uninhabited areas alone. In case of emergencies, please contact the police post immediately.]

Z152 was a third-tier residential planet—the lowest grade—still harboring a high population of mutant species. The urban areas were frequently subjected to attacks from insect swarms.

Li Xiao swiped his backup terminal across the scanner. Upon exiting the gates, a black hover-car descended, its doors opening automatically.

Jiang Hao automatically took the driver’s seat: “Going straight there?”

Li Xiao sat in the back, removing his mask: “Yeah.”

The coordinates of the origin address corresponded to a residential district north of Sector 3. He had checked it on the map and couldn’t find any facility related to biochemical research.

After driving for over ten minutes, occasional mutant bees flew past in the sky. They were nearly half the length of the car, and a strike from their wings was enough to send a hover-car crashing down. Jiang Hao maneuvered the car to dodge, unable to help but remark, “The bees here are massive. Must be at least level two mutation, right?”

Li Xiao looked north through the car window, vaguely spotting several black dots flashing rapidly in the air, giving him a bad feeling. Given this trend, an insect swarm was likely imminent.

More and more insects filled the sky, and before they even entered Sector 3, the prevention alarms blared:

[Insect swarm warning! Please close all doors and windows immediately. Citizens outdoors please head to the nearest shelter! The main body of the swarm will enter Sector 3 in thirty minutes!]

[Sector 3 will be locked down in ten minutes. Vehicles may only exit, no entry allowed.]

Inside the hover-car, warnings flashed on the console, requesting an immediate landing. Jiang Hao checked the distance; they still needed about twelve minutes to enter. “What do we do?”

Li Xiao: “Have confidence in your driving skills?”

Jiang Hao: “…That’s a given.”

Ignoring the onboard AI’s warnings, Jiang Hao managed to cover a twelve-minute drive in a mere eight minutes. Butterflies, bees, and various insects swarmed everywhere in the air. The garrison drove armored vehicles to patrol, advising pedestrians to return indoors for shelter.

The two walked toward the residential area, but before they could clear a single street, the insect population suddenly exploded, pressing down their flight altitude until they were practically brushing against their heads.

Jiang Hao: “Didn’t they say thirty minutes?”

At this density, it would take less than five minutes for the main body of the swarm to reach Sector 3. Pedestrians on the street who had originally been unhurried were now being chased everywhere by the bugs, triggering a wave of screams.

Just as Li Xiao was thinking of finding a random shop to take cover, a hover-car pulled up by the curb, and the booming roar of the garrison echoed in his ear: “You over there! Get in the car quickly!”

Li Xiao and Jiang Hao were practically pushed forward by the crowd, boarding the rescue vehicle sent by the garrison.

“Wait.”

Just as the door was about to close, a pleasant voice suddenly echoed from outside. Li Xiao’s heart skipped a beat, and he turned sharply to see a tall Alpha wearing a leather jacket and a full beard leap inside.

Noticing Li Xiao’s gaze, the Alpha glared back fiercely: “What are you looking at?”

Seeing this, some citizens nearby squeezed toward the other side in fright.

Meeting those amber eyes, Li Xiao experienced a brief moment of self-doubt. Why was this kid here?

Song Jin hadn’t walked two steps inside when several more people squeezed in behind him, pushing him forward with all their might. In the cramped space of the vehicle, Song Jin was forced to press tightly against Li Xiao, staring wide-eyed at each other amidst the noisy cabin.

“Why are you here?” Li Xiao looked at the magnified face in front of him, asking in a whisper that only the two of them could hear. Wearing a fake beard made him look even more stern, and when he pulled a straight face, he really looked the part.

Song Jin wrapped his arms around Li Xiao, a triumphant smile appearing on his face. “I was worried you’d be unable to sleep from missing me again, hiding away to cry in the middle of the night. So, I reluctantly came to see you.”

A chuckle escaped Li Xiao’s nose: “Then should I offer you my thanks?”

Song Jin: “I traveled thousands of miles to get here, and I only get a verbal thanks?”

Li Xiao: “What else do you want?”

Song Jin hooked his mask and pulled it down. Under Li Xiao’s gaze, he tilted his head and leaned in. Li Xiao’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t dodge.

An uncle holding a child suddenly leaned backward because of the child’s fussing. Caught off guard, Song Jin was bumped off balance, planting a solid kiss right on Li Xiao’s cheek.

Inhaling a mouthful of the stiff fake beard, Li Xiao: “…”

With the atmosphere entirely ruined, Song Jin looked highly dissatisfied: “Redo. That last one didn’t count.”

Li Xiao pressed his hand against his head to push him away, saying expressionlessly, “No more. It scrapes my mouth.”

Song Jin: “…”