09’s methods were a bit unorthodox, but the results were surprisingly effective. After one dance, the entire classroom of Modified Humans was fully accounted for. Li Xiao decided to just throw caution to the wind and let 09 go to every other classroom to do a quick routine; it was far more efficient than relying on pheromone recognition systems to identify them one by one.

At noon, when class dismissed, the five of them went to Restaurant 39 for lunch. On the way, they heard many students gossiping about a “giant rat.” Dabeii, who was in a different class, had arranged to meet them on the road beforehand. The moment he saw them, he asked, “Did you guys see the giant rat?”

Li Xiao played dumb. “What giant rat?”

Dabeii: “Someone in my class saw a rat dancing! They thought he was talking nonsense, but after class, I heard every single classroom was discussing it.”

Jiang Hao, who hadn’t actually seen it, asked, “How could a rat possibly dance?”

“It’s true.” Dabeii tried to wiggle his body a few times. “They say it shook like this—very sultry.”

Jiang Hao and the others: “…”

“Stop,” Qian Can rushed to stop him. “I don’t know if the rat was sultry or not, but you are truly hurting my eyes.”

Dabeii: “…”

By the time lunch was over, the school’s internal network was ablaze with discussions about the dancing rat, with students convinced it was some kind of new viral trend. By the time afternoon classes started, the narrative on the network had shifted: It is rumored that seeing the dancing rat ensures you will turn your fortunes around in the next exam.

Li Xiao feared the Modified Humans would become alert and mentally prepared, so for the afternoon, he told 09 to change tactics. Not long after afternoon classes began, 09 transformed into a giant cockroach to patrol every classroom. The results were even better than the rat.

Medical Center.

It was past 3:00 PM when Meng Tao woke up. Covered in bandages and unable to move, he screamed at the doctor doing rounds: “Where is Li Xiao? Where is Song Jin?! They intentionally beat me into this state; shouldn’t they be locked up?!”

The school doctor signaled for him to stay calm. “The school has already taken over this matter. Just focus on recovering. Your right arm has a severe injury; it’s best to avoid high-intensity training for the next two months.”

At the mention of his right arm, Meng Tao’s mind flashed back to Song Jin’s gaze looking down at him and that strike delivered without a moment’s hesitation. He was seized by such terror that his whole body trembled.

“He did it on purpose! Call the Chancellor over here!”

The school doctor, having no other choice, could only notify the General Affairs Office.

Around 4:30 PM, as students were finishing their classes, they saw the Political and Educational Office post an investigation announcement regarding the brawl. It claimed the incident was a retaliatory act by Li Xiao’s group of five, who had publicly beaten over twenty people including Meng Tao, resulting in one serious injury and twenty-three minor ones. The other four members besides Li Xiao were given formal disciplinary warnings.

The announcement caused an uproar.

“Are they crazy? Ignoring everything else, out of a group of five, only Li Xiao isn’t punished?”

“I heard Meng Tao was beaten into the hospital, and yet Li Xiao managed to stay perfectly invisible? 666.”

“It was a mutual brawl caused by pheromones! How did it turn into a ‘retaliatory act’? How on earth did they investigate this?!”

“I’m begging you, just let these privileged class types finish their gold-plating and leave already.”

Restaurant 274.

Li Xiao’s group of five was eating when they saw the provocative announcement on the notice board.

“You can tell they put some effort into this,” Song Jin said, stirring the bland porridge in his bowl and sneaking two spoonfuls of sugar into it. “Not only did they shift the blame, but they specifically extracted you from the list to incite public anger and divert attention. We really should send them a small red flower for the effort.”

On the surface, the announcement appeared to protect the Second Prince, Li Xiao, but in reality, it did the opposite—it pushed Li Xiao to the forefront of public resentment, weakening the truth of the brawl itself.

“Only a warning? I thought you’d be expelled,” Qian Can joked to Jiang Hao. “You guys in Danse are actually quite generous.”

Jiang Hao, who couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not: “…”

Jiang Hao silently searched for what a “disciplinary warning” meant. Upon seeing the impact on future resource allocation, internships, and job placements, he closed the tab. It was painless and had zero impact. He had already secured a job long ago.

Qin Le asked Song Jin: “Do you want to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?”

Song Jin nodded coolly. “Have them go find the Chancellor this afternoon. Treating Shengya as a soft persimmon? Do they even have the qualifications?”

Before Song Jin could even get a spoonful of porridge into his mouth, Li Xiao intercepted it. Li Xiao frowned at the sweetness, snatched the bowl away, and ordered a new one. “You can’t handle it this sweet yet.”

It had been several days, but Song Jin’s throat inflammation hadn’t healed, and his voice was still raspy. Song Jin reached out to grab it: “At the worst, you can just give me a ‘supplement’ tonight.”

Li Xiao blocked his hand: “Do you know what it means to be too weak to receive a supplement?”

Song Jin: “…” You’re the weak one.

Qian Can and the others: “…” They really weren’t curious at all about what kind of “supplement” he meant.

Seeing that Li Xiao hadn’t mentioned the announcement once, Jiang Hao asked: “Boss, are we not taking any action?”

Li Xiao: “We are already in the middle of it.”

Meanwhile, Yan Qing finished class and walked out, listening to the students gossip. Puzzled, he opened the official notice, saw the results, and rushed back to the Political and Educational Office, knocking on Zhang Bin’s door.

“Sir, didn’t I submit my investigation report?” Yan Qing asked, unhappy. “Why is the result in the announcement completely different from what I gave you?”

Zhang Bin leaned back in his chair, looking at him leisurely, and patted his own thigh. “Sit down here, and I’ll tell you slowly.”

Yan Qing’s face stiffened: “This concerns the future of five children. I hope you will handle it with caution.”

“If I didn’t handle it this way, it would be your and my future that would be concerned,” Zhang Bin said, crossing his arms. “I already warned you, didn’t I? Why did you treat my words as wind in your ears?”

Yan Qing: “But Li Xiao is the Second Prince.”

Zhang Bin spread his hands: “That’s why he was exempted from punishment. What more do you want?”

Yan Qing remained silent for a moment, then walked out without another word.

Zhang Bin’s terminal vibrated. Seeing it was a subordinate, he answered. “Didn’t I tell you not to contact me during off-hours?”

The voice on the other end: “Sorry, sir, some information unfavorable to the young master of the Meng family has appeared on the internal network. The Information Department can’t delete it.”

Zhang Bin impatiently opened the network. When he saw the first post, his brow twitched. It was the surveillance footage from the arena during the brawl; a normal student shouldn’t have been able to access this. Scrolling down, the second post was a chat interface between Meng Tao and the head of the site safety team, showing Meng Tao telling the inspector to tamper with the arena facilities in advance.

Zhang Bin bolted upright: “Who posted this?! Seal the account immediately!”

The voice on the other end: “We can’t find the student’s information! We can’t seal it!”

Comments beneath the two posts were exploding.

“Looking at it like this, it’s so obvious! Song Jin and the others were trying to mediate, and the others were helping Meng Tao fight. Li Xiao and his friends were clearly being swarmed!”

“The Military Academy has started twisting black and white. Is there any hope for this world?”

“I beg you, investigate the Alpha student who started it and Meng Tao! They must have released pheromones to drive Li Xiao crazy!”

“A classic case of ‘if you can’t provoke them, get beaten instead.’ I only have one word for them: Deserved.”

“Meng Tao also had people tamper with the equipment? Can he really cover the sky with one hand?!”

“The Meng family has always been a bully; it’s just that no one dared to mention it until now. Besides the Second Prince, no one could have taken them down!”

Before Zhang Bin could figure out who posted the content, he received a call from the Chancellor and was thoroughly berated. They had dared to issue that announcement because they were certain no one could—or would dare to—investigate. Even if the Royal Family pressured them, they had no evidence, and since Li Xiao was already exempted from punishment, the Royals couldn’t do much. But now, the situation was completely different.

Fuming, Zhang Bin immediately notified Yan Qing to take Li Xiao’s group of five to the Medical Center for a direct confrontation with Meng Tao.

Just as he left his office, Zhang Bin received another call: the Shengya Ministry of Foreign Affairs had arrived to demand an explanation.

They reacted so quickly!

When they received the notification, Li Xiao’s group had just finished eating and was strolling toward the Medical Center. Inside Meng Tao’s ward, there were three other students questioning him. Hearing the commotion at the door, the tallest Alpha turned around. Li Xiao noticed he was wearing the shoulder patch of the Student Council President.

Li Xiao didn’t find him unfamiliar. In his previous life, while working with Gao Wanxin, he often saw this person in the legions. It was Gao Wanxin’s grandson, Gao Jia.

“You’re here.” Gao Jia walked over to greet them, introducing himself in both Danse and Shengya languages. “I am Student Council President Gao Jia, here to understand the situation regarding the brawl.”

Gao Jia was about 1.9 meters tall with a brown curly ponytail. Because his features were stern and his posture upright, the hairstyle didn’t look out of place.

On the hospital bed, the moment Meng Tao saw Song Jin, his body trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to point fingers and accuse him, but he couldn’t get a word out.

“Isn’t this matter already clear?” Song Jin glanced at the hospital bed and looked at Gao Jia. “What else is there to investigate?”

Gao Jia: “The process must still be followed.”

Li Xiao took over: “Didn’t the Political and Educational Office already issue an announcement?”

Gao Jia looked at him: “That was the office’s announcement. It doesn’t represent the Student Council.”

Once their positions were confirmed, the five of them entered. The ward wasn’t large. Qian Can dragged Jiang Hao to hide on the balcony, leaving Qin Le to face off with the Student Council President.

Before long, Yan Qing arrived.

Song Jin leaned against the sofa back, impatient: “Everyone is here. Say what you want to say quickly; I don’t have that much time to waste here.”

Gao Jia first played the surveillance footage from the arena.

“This is someone faking evidence and posting it online!” Meng Tao hissed.

Gao Jia: “Don’t get excited yet. I exported this from the surveillance system with my own hands.”

Meng Tao choked.

Gao Jia highlighted several conflicting points between the online footage, the testimonies of other students, and Meng Tao’s own statement, asking Meng Tao: “Why did you think Li Xiao beat you intentionally? Did you not smell pheromones at the time?”

Meng Tao: “No! There were no pheromones at all!”

“A simple test would reveal who released pheromones,” Li Xiao said, looking at Meng Tao. “The student who approached me was your friend. He released such a dense concentration of pheromones that the detector caught it. You couldn’t have missed it. And—”

Li Xiao projected the information exposed on the internet: “You had people tamper with the arena facilities. Were you trying to make me look foolish, or were you trying to take my life?”

Meng Tao: “How can you believe this kind of thing?!”

Li Xiao: “You can’t just call evidence ‘fake’ whenever it’s unfavorable to you.”

Yan Qing looked at Meng Tao: “Do you have anything else to say?”

Cornered, Meng Tao didn’t know how to refute the points, so he went back to playing the victim regarding his injuries: “What is the meaning of this? Bullying me alone? Look at the state they beat me into!”

“Does being the one with the worst injuries make you right?” Song Jin smiled. “Have you ever thought that you’re simply too weak? If you had been able to fight Li Xiao to a draw, none of this would have happened. Ultimately, it’s still your own problem.”

Qin Le agreed: “If it wasn’t to mediate, we wouldn’t have gone over there.”

Qian Can: “Exactly. We only went to help because you were beaten so badly, and now you’re biting back. Speechless.”

Meng Tao’s chest heaved violently. He was filled with stifled anger; he hadn’t won the argument and had been humiliated on top of it. In the face of evidence, no matter how Meng Tao argued, it was useless.

Seeing them preparing to leave, Meng Tao refused to accept it, shouting: “I won’t let this go!”

Song Jin, walking at the back, turned around and smiled at Meng Tao: “Recover early. Don’t make me wait too long.”

Meng Tao froze. Seeing the cool, chilling smile in Song Jin’s eyes, he couldn’t say a word. The grudge was already set in stone—they would never let him go. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. He sent a message to his father: “I want to go home to recover!”

“Causing such a massive disaster and you still have the face to scream?!” Meng Zhai’s angry roar came through the communicator. “You are already under investigation. It’s not up to you where you go!”

Meng Tao’s pupils contracted, his mind going blank.

“How could it be like this? What about Grandpa? Let Grandpa help me—”

“Your grandfather is already troubled enough; don’t bother him now.” After saying that, Meng Zhai cut the call.

Imperial Capital Star, Meng Estate.

Meng Jian sat in a fully enclosed conference room. In front of him were over a dozen virtual screens, showing only fuzzy silhouettes.

“Does the Yi family dare to oppose us?”

“The Heavenly Seat is in the hands of the Yi family after all. This time, they can hit us while also pleasing the Royal Family—of course they would take action.”

“If this drags on, the best opportunity will vanish.”

“But now is not a good time, either.”

“I don’t believe it. Is killing a teenager really that hard?”

“It’s no longer just a Li Xiao problem. The situation is shifting. The ‘Raven’ didn’t bomb Z152 as expected, and all subsequent plans have been terminated!”

Meng Jian listened to the group discuss, his expression cold. After his son was crippled, his grandson was also crippled. Li Xiao, who had no power of his own, had triggered a butterfly effect that left their well-laid plans in tatters.

Since the transfer of authority was paused, the Royal Family’s attitude toward the Meng family had gradually hardened, and the Yi family had surfaced. Meanwhile, the ‘Raven,’ which should have been inciting conflict everywhere under their guidance, was—for some reason—still only skirmishing at the borders.

Someone suddenly proposed: “Why not just move directly? With our strength, knocking down the Yi family shouldn’t be a problem.”

Meng Jian: “No justification for the campaign. Have you calculated how much trouble that would cause later?”

Another person said: “Isn’t there an investigation into the Fierce Tiger military weaponry? Why not just push the blame entirely onto the ‘Raven’? That would allow the plan to stay on track.”

Meng Jian pondered for a moment: “Let’s try that first.”

Heavenly Seat T999, First Military Academy.

Li Xiao’s group of five returned to their dorms. Qian Can dumped a bag of snacks on the bar counter and sat down with a pack: “That Gao Jia seems quite fair. How did he let a moron like Meng Tao run wild for so long?”

“Guess why he only came out to investigate now?” Li Xiao tossed the comment aside and went to the kitchen to get the special herbal tea for his little lion.

“Why?” Qian Can asked, munching on shrimp chips.

Qin Le and the others gathered around the bar counter.

“Because the video has already been exposed; he had no choice but to investigate, otherwise the fire would have burned the Student Council.”

Without Li Xiao’s intervention, the surveillance footage would never have been exposed. The surveillance department was under Meng Tao, the Student Council played it safe, and the average student didn’t dare to get their feet wet. It was a closed loop.

Qian Can thought: “So he’s actually smarter than those old men in the Political and Educational Office.”

“Yeah.” Qin Le opened a bag of meat jerky, gave some to Jiang Hao, and just as he wanted to give some to Song Jin, he saw him following Li Xiao into the kitchen.

Seeing Qin Le peeking like a thief, Jiang Hao and Qian Can turned their heads in unison, jerky dangling from their mouths.

In the kitchen, Li Xiao poured the leftover tea into a cup. A pair of hands wrapped around his waist from behind, and a head rested on his shoulder.

“Herbal tea again,” Song Jin said, clearly dissatisfied. “If I keep drinking this, aren’t you afraid I’ll get diarrhea?”

Li Xiao tilted his head: “Do you have diarrhea?”

Song Jin: “Not yet, but soon.”

Li Xiao: “…Open your mouth and let me check.”

Song Jin: “I don’t have diarrhea in my mouth.”

“You can shut up now.” Li Xiao kissed him, forcing him to be silent.

Song Jin laughed: “Do you want me to open my mouth or shut it? Do you even know what you’re doing?”

Li Xiao put down the cup and turned around, cupping his chin: “Open.”

Looking at the handsome face in front of him, Song Jin cooperated and opened his mouth wide. The inflamed area had almost subsided. Li Xiao thought about taking him to see that old school doctor again.

Qian Can and the others, who had witnessed the entire scene: “…”

Suddenly, the jerky didn’t taste very good.

After Meng Tao was hospitalized, things were much quieter. The next day, personnel from the Security Bureau came to take his statement. The school revoked the announcement overnight and pinned the Student Council’s investigation results to the top of the feed, only to be mocked by the entire school.

The secret guard Yam, representing the Shengya Ministry of Foreign Affairs, went to drink tea in the Chancellor’s office every day—staying for the whole day each time—until the Chancellor developed hypoglycemia and, with a bitter face, lowered his head to apologize, at which point Yam finally left.

The incident where Li Xiao almost got crushed at the mecha arena had been buried, but perhaps out of fear of it coming to light, the Security Department urgently released an accident investigation result, claiming it was caused by aging parts. But not long after, the internal network leaked a video of someone secretly controlling a drone to cut the chains of the suspended mechanical arm. The Security Department was slapped in the face and had to withdraw the announcement overnight, claiming they would investigate further.

In just two days, the Military Academy’s credibility had been severely damaged, turning it into a laughingstock.

Taking advantage of these two days, 07 and 09 acted separately, testing all the faculty and students. They invaded the military academy’s personnel management system, stole the database, and matched it to a list of suspected Modified Humans.

The list was larger than Li Xiao had imagined: 824 people. And this didn’t even include the second-to-fourth-year students out on missions. These people were essentially the top 300 students of their respective years—in a military academy with such a massive student body, they were the absolute elite.

Li Xiao spent the night reviewing their family backgrounds, confirming that half came from the Meng, Zheng, or Qi factions. Of the remaining, half were from ordinary families but had excellent grades.

A knock sounded at the door. Li Xiao snapped out of his thoughts: “It’s unlocked.”

The balcony door slid open. Song Jin walked in wearing pajamas, holding a tub of ice cream: “How is it going?”

“Only partially sorted.” Li Xiao rubbed his throbbing temples. “I didn’t expect so many.”

In a few years, these people would all enter the military, dispersing into various departments and legions. They could control others and were themselves controlled by the Meng family. Once the Meng family started acting, these people would be like ticking time bombs.

Song Jin bent down to scan the list quickly: “This scale is even larger than the super-Omegas from back then.”

Li Xiao: “Super-Omegas need to be cultivated from childhood, but these don’t. The time cost is significantly lower.”

Song Jin snorted: “Lin Quan hijacked top genetic experts and spent decades creating super-Omegas. There’s no reason for Danse, with their lower scientific research standards, to surpass him so easily.”

Li Xiao looked at him: “Do you think the Meng family bought the technology from Lin Quan?”

“I don’t think Lin Quan would sell it.” Song Jin met his gaze. “Do you really think the Modified Humans are just a tool to them? Could it be that they haven’t figured out a perfect modification solution, which is why they haven’t let their own people undergo it easily?”

Li Xiao was thoughtful: “Then why not just fuse the genes of the Beique tribe directly?”

Song Jin’s mind flashed to the stone pillar at the Z152 abandoned base, and he hesitantly speculated: “Because it’s ‘evil’?”

Li Xiao: “Despising it on one hand, while coveting it on the other?”

Song Jin: “Something like that.”

Li Xiao was pondering when he noticed the ice cream on Song Jin’s spoon had melted, dripping onto his hand. He casually reminded him: “It’s melting.”

Song Jin snapped out of his thoughts, subconsciously lifting his hand to lick it. Seeing Li Xiao staring, he realized his gaze had darkened, and he smiled, handing his hand toward Li Xiao’s mouth: “Help me clean it.”

After a brief eye contact, Li Xiao pulled out a tissue and wiped Song Jin’s hand.

“Eat less. I’ll take you to the doctor tomorrow.”

Song Jin: “…” I shouldn’t have had any expectations for the old guy.

Seeing Song Jin’s dissatisfaction, Li Xiao asked a question to which he already knew the answer: “What’s wrong? Do you want me to help you lick it clean?”

Song Jin answered as a matter of course: “And you have to say, ‘How come this ice cream isn’t as sweet as you?'”

Li Xiao: “…”

Li Xiao endured and endured, but couldn’t help laughing out loud. He was promptly stuffed with a giant mouthful of ice cream by the angry Song Jin, and was instantly so frozen he couldn’t laugh anymore.

They ate and sorted through the intelligence, somehow finishing the whole tub of ice cream. When it was time for bed, Li Xiao walked Song Jin to the balcony.

Song Jin suddenly thought of something, turning back: “Am I sweet or not?”

Li Xiao: “…Are you still not over this?”

Song Jin turned to leave: “I’ll come back in the middle of the night to ask you again.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Fearing he might actually come back in the middle of the night, Li Xiao grabbed his hand. “Whether ice cream is as sweet as you, I don’t know.” He kissed Song Jin’s brow, ignoring his sulking expression. “But the spiciest chili I’ve ever eaten wasn’t as spicy as you.”

Song Jin’s expression improved: “Is it better to be sweet or spicy?”

Li Xiao: “I like to eat spicy food.”

Song Jin couldn’t help but lift the corner of his mouth: “You have an eye for things, at least.”

Having received a satisfactory answer, Song Jin went back to his room happily. Li Xiao watched him vanish and thought, Sure enough, he’s still a little kid; flatter him twice and he’s satisfied.

The next day after lunch, the two went back to the Medical Center to see the old school doctor. After a check-up, he confirmed full recovery, though he still urged Song Jin to eat less chili.

“I won’t eat it again for the rest of my life.”

After saying that, Song Jin had a second thought and added, “I’ll eat a meal occasionally.” Otherwise, I won’t have an excuse to go over to cuddle.

Li Xiao: “…” Your little schemes.

After the old doctor finished his instructions, his eyes swept over the silver ring on Song Jin’s ear: “Your earring is very beautiful.”

Song Jin: “Thank you.”

The old doctor looked at Li Xiao’s ear: “So, is it a pair?”

“It is a pair.” Li Xiao didn’t explain further, thanked him, and prepared to leave with Song Jin.

As they reached the door, he heard the old doctor sigh softly behind them: “The last time I saw it was over thirty years ago…”

Li Xiao paused, turned around, and looked at the old doctor: “You’ve seen this earring before?”

The old doctor smiled kindly: “I was a drinking buddy with its original owner.”

Li Xiao scanned the name tag on the doctor’s chest—Ye You.

Exchanging a glance with Song Jin, Li Xiao looked at Ye You again: “I’ll bring Xiao Jin back for a follow-up in two days. Sorry for the trouble.”

Ye You waved his hand: “Remember to pay attention to your diet.”

Once on the public hovercar, Song Jin had 07 take control of the vehicle’s AI before speaking: “Why didn’t he remind us the first time? Why mention it suddenly now, and why did he intentionally blur the name of Li Xun?”

Li Xiao rested his hands on the steering wheel, pondering Ye You’s words: “He might know something. Him being this cautious is probably because Li Xun told him some things back then.”

Song Jin said in his voice, which hadn’t fully recovered yet: “Let’s go eat some ‘insane spicy’ food for lunch.”

Li Xiao: “…” He’s so ruthless he doesn’t even spare himself.

Li Xiao rejected his unreasonable request and went to Restaurant 39 instead.

The afternoon was their weekly history class. When they arrived, there weren’t many seats left. Jiang Hao and the others had arrived earlier and only managed to grab seats in the corner. The bell rang as soon as they sat down.

Not long after, Yan Qing walked into the classroom with his lesson plans.

“Before we start class, I have a notice: next Friday, we will be organizing the first-year phase exams, divided into written and practical parts. Those who rank in the top fifty will get an opportunity for an internship in a legion. I hope everyone will prepare well.”

The classroom erupted in wails.

Qin Le raised his hand: “If an exchange student ranks in the top fifty, can they also go for an internship in a legion?”

The classroom went silent. Letting a Shengya exchange student into a legion? How was that any different from inviting a wolf into the house?

Yan Qing signaled Qin Le to sit down: “I need to ask my superiors about this question. I will give you an answer later.”

Seeing Yan Qing raise his right hand, Li Xiao and Song Jin’s eyes narrowed.

07: [Special paint detected!]

09: [Special paint detected!]

09: [How did this happen! I didn’t even see that crate of blood enter the surveillance area, how did it get on his hand?!]

Yan Qing’s right index and middle fingers were stained with a trace of special paint. It was invisible to the naked eye, but with 07 and 09, Li Xiao and Song Jin could see it immediately.

Paint… appearing on Yan Qing’s hand.

For some reason, Li Xiao felt a sense of disappointment.