For a moment, Rong Shi was stunned, his usually clear voice deeper than usual: “Long time no see.”

The Persian cat was surprised: “Didn’t we just meet three days ago?”

Rong Shi realized his slip of the tongue after speaking.

This beautiful little cat was someone he met when he first started playing Star Wars. He was only ten back then, and in his very first match, he was paired with them. They became friends through their rivalry, maintaining a subtle online relationship for many years—

They didn’t pry into each other’s lives, nor did they have contact information. All their interactions were limited to the game.

They maintained this unspoken understanding, not interfering too much, yet Rong Shi felt that this person understood him best.

Many things happened after he joined the military. The time he could spend on the game became less and less, and he encountered them even less frequently.

Before he knew it, they had been out of touch for several years.

“Mech combat tonight?” The Persian cat walked up to him, looking up at the information on the giant screen.

Rong Shi had his hands in his pockets, his expression back to normal: “If I knew you were online, I wouldn’t have signed up.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” The Persian cat punched him lightly, his gaze fixed on the player ranked 180th on the giant screen’s points leaderboard, and casually helped him click “match”: “Let’s go, time to spend some money.”

Rong Shi: “…”

The rule for ranked matches was that you could only challenge players up to twenty ranks higher than yourself. For someone like Rong Shi, who only played every few days, his rank was relatively low.

After the matching countdown began, Rong Shi was brought into the mech selection page by the system. In the betting window that popped up in the upper left corner, the numbers began to fluctuate wildly.

The bounty match used a blind betting system. All spectators could watch short clips of the two combatants’ previous battles to decide where to place their bets.

The winning side would receive 10% of the total prize pool, with the remaining prize money distributed among the spectators who bet correctly.

Rong Shi casually chose the free X80 mech. He glanced at the small window; his prize pool had rolled to 1 million Star Coins, while the opponent’s had already exceeded 2 million. If he won this match, he could get at least 300,000.

The countdown ended, and the two combatants were pulled into a random map.

The comment window in the lower-left corner was scrolling wildly—

“Holy cow! My living expenses for this month are gone! Is there any way for an X80 to win against an Eagle SR?”

“Are you kidding me? Choosing an X80 for such a high-ranked match? Are they an actor?”

“The X80’s battle clip was pretty cool, worth looking forward to. Money’s already invested, what else can you do?”

“The opponent’s prize pool is over 3 million now. On the bright side, if they win, they’ll get almost triple the money!”

[IMPORTANT NOTICE: User LittleCatLovesFish has bet 5 million Star Coins on X80.]

As the system message lit up, the barren land where the X80 mech stood bloomed with flowers.

The comment section was silent for a moment, then scrolled even more intensely—

“He’s here, he’s here!”

“Ahhhhhh! Super rich person, touch me!!”

“Even Master Cat is here, could the person in X80 be—”

“Master Cat has only paved the way with flowers for one person.”

“Rabbit God’s exclusive grand entrance!”

Players ranked in the top one or two hundred were all powerful experts, usually with their own combat styles. Even with blind betting, most experienced bettors could recognize who it was from the displayed clips.

After the prize pool amount reversed, the opponent quickly followed suit. Before the match began, the two prize pools were almost even.

[LittleCatLovesFish: Go, Bunny Bunny~! O(∩_∩)O~]

Rong Shi’s gaze lingered on the words “Bunny Bunny” for an extra second, then he expressionlessly moved it away.

Within ten minutes, the Star Wars public screen was flooded with system messages.

[User R10 defeated user YouCanYouUp, current rank one hundred eighty.]

[User R10 defeated user AcademyStarBully, current rank one hundred sixty.]

…

[User R10 defeated user I’mJustPassingBy, current rank twenty.]

A row of question marks appeared on the public screen—

“What happened?! The mech rankings were swept?”

“Excluding matching time, an average of fifteen seconds per match, what does that mean?!”

“Another high-speed cheat? Quickly ban them!”

“Rabbit God has gone berserk! If you’re quick, you can still catch the last match!”

“Investing with Master Cat pays off, I’ve already earned ten times my principal, hahahahaha!”

As a large number of players were drawn to the mech ranking matches by the system announcements, Rong Shi had already exited matching.

The rabbit and the cat returned to the virtual community. The Persian cat asked, puzzled: “Is your brother’s guardianship fee enough?”

Rong Shi: “Enough.”

The Persian cat: “What about your living expenses?”

Rong Shi: “Also enough.”

The Persian cat: “Too bad.”

Rong Shi: “What’s too bad?”

The Persian cat spread its hands: “Instead of spending money, I earned more. So sad.”

That’s what he said, but the expression on his face showed no sadness at all.

“Little rich lady.” Rong Shi raised his hand and ruffled his head. His fur was fluffy and soft, feeling very nice.

The Persian cat didn’t struggle, even lowering his head to let him pet: “Are you going offline?”

In the past, Rong Shi was devoted to training, wishing he could split a day into two. He wasn’t obsessed with the game, always leaving once he earned enough, and only coming back when he needed money.

Rong Shi slowly withdrew his hand: “Today is the opening ceremony, not busy.”

The Persian cat’s expression froze for a moment, surprised by this very specific piece of information, and couldn’t help but smile: “Your combos just now were very beautiful. Compared to a few days ago, your progress is incredibly fast.”

If it were in the past, Rong Shi would never have actively revealed such information. Even though they knew some general things about each other’s family situations, they never mentioned specific details like home addresses or family members’ names.

“Mech combos only require remembering the key binds, there’s no difficulty. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you.” Rong Shi opened a training room and pulled the other person in. “But I think combat techniques are more practical. Which one do you want to learn?”

Although he hadn’t asked, the little cat was so well-behaved and sweet. In Rong Shi’s mind, only an omega could be so cute.

Even omegas who joined the military rarely participated in front-line combat. Learning mech-related skills was only useful in the game, but combat techniques could be used in real life for self-defense in case of danger.

“Only children choose; adults naturally want both.” The Persian cat walked and stood ten paces away from Rong Shi, extending a hand to him, “Come on, Teacher Rabbit.”

---

“That rabbit’s gone crazy! Half a month ago, I drew with him, and yesterday he one-shotted me?!”

In the luxurious palace corridor, two tall alphas walked side by side.

They wore gold-edged, white-based standard school uniforms. The one on the left was slightly shorter, with sharp features and a neat buzz cut, with an “L” shaved above his left ear.

Qin Luo got angrier the more he thought about it, grumbling: “He must be using some high-end cheat! Your Highness, you’re so familiar with him, you must know, right?”

The alpha on the right, called “Your Highness,” had an excellent physique, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long, straight legs. The hand holding the book was fair and slender, with well-defined knuckles. Layered golden hair fell to his shoulders, and his thin, upward-slanted peach blossom eyes exuded an ultimate, flamboyant beauty like the scorching sun.

Song Yu let out a soft chuckle from his nose: “Is it that hard to admit someone else is excellent?”

Qin Luo: “No matter how excellent, you can’t improve that fast! Anyway, I don’t believe it!”

Song Yu: “You’re complaining even though you can’t beat an omega?”

Qin Luo’s husky-like bravado instantly deflated: “M-maybe he’s a beta.”

Song Yu looked at him with an expression reserved for idiots: “How could Bunny Bunny be a beta when he’s so cute?”

Qin Luo: “…” But he’s so strong!

Just as they reached the main door, the special assistant hurried over from the other side.

One look at his face, and Song Yu guessed what had happened.

In the study, the special assistant’s face was grim: “The formal document for the revised proposal on the standardization of barren planet development has been issued, but… the planner has become the First Prince.”

Song Yu leaned back in the high-end sofa chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, his expression inscrutable.

It was Qin Luo beside him who burst out swearing: “Your Highness researched so much data and put in so much effort for that proposal?! Why is it not even mentioned, and all the credit given to him! That useless… could make absolutely nothing!”

The special assistant pushed up his glasses, his voice low: “In the past six months, we’ve already had three proposals stolen, and not only that, our people are gradually being transferred from important positions, replaced by the First Prince’s people. This situation is very unfavorable to us.”

Qin Luo slammed his fist on the table: “Doesn’t His Majesty see it?”

The special assistant shook his head: “Quite the opposite. His Majesty knows that the Second Prince is more capable than the First Prince, yet he tolerates all of his small actions, and even suppresses the Second Prince. This is a very dangerous signal.”

The struggle for the throne had always been a bloody, life-and-death affair. Without enough supporters, no matter how strong one’s personal ability, they could only become a target.

The King’s tacit approval of the First Prince’s actions already explained many things.

They discussed for a long time, but Song Yu remained silent, and gradually, their voices also faded.

Qin Luo, afraid he was upset, cautiously leaned closer: “Your Highness, don’t be angry. His Majesty will understand that you are better eventually.”

Special Assistant: “Currently, the First Prince has His Majesty’s support and is in a strong position. We can only endure for now and avoid his sharp edge.”

Song Yu scoffed: “Endure?”

Special Assistant: “We can take a step back to alleviate the situation. As long as we grasp his weak points, we can counterattack.”

Song Yu, however, asked a completely unrelated question: “Which school had an opening ceremony yesterday?”

“Opening ceremony?” Qin Luo and the special assistant exchanged glances, scratching their heads in confusion, “Central Military Academy? My dad mentioned it a couple of days ago, saying Lu Youqi’s son enrolled, and it was a grand affair.”

The Imperial Star Map is vast, with countless affiliated planets, but opening times are generally similar, with only a few exceptions.

Most schools started two months ago, but the Royal Academy he attended had only started a month ago, while the Central Military Academy had just begun its new student enrollment.

Song Yu stood up from his chair and said to the special assistant: “Prepare my transfer procedures. I want to transfer to the Central Military Academy.”

Qin Luo was dumbfounded: “Calm down! You’re a prince, how can you go to an outside school?!”

The special assistant took a step closer: “Your Highness, although we need to retreat, this isn’t the way to do it! Historically, no prince has ever graduated from anywhere but the Royal Academy. If the First Prince uses this against you, you might lose your successor qualifications!”

Song Yu: “If this continues, what’s the difference between this and losing my qualifications?”

Special Assistant: “But His Majesty definitely won’t agree. Even if he dislikes… for the sake of the royal family’s face, it’s impossible—”

Mid-sentence, he saw Song Yu pick up the white gloves from the table, putting them on as he walked towards the door.

A chill ran down his spine. He held his breath and looked towards the door. A slight rustling sound reached his ears through the crack in the door. His mind exploded with a loud bang.

Someone was eavesdropping?!

The servant crouched at the door, wearing special listening headphones, his eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings. But suddenly, the room went silent, and he realized something was wrong.

Just as he was about to turn, the door suddenly opened in front of him. A hand shot out with extreme speed, gripping his shoulder and dragging him inside.

“Your… Your Highness, I— Mmph!” The servant’s face turned pale. Before he could make an excuse, he heard a snap, and his vision plunged into darkness.

Song Yu released his hand. The servant, whose neck was broken, collapsed to the ground. He slowly took off his gloves, his eyes showing no ripples. “Prepare the procedures immediately. We leave tomorrow.”

Everything happened in a mere two seconds. Qin Luo and the special assistant hadn’t even had time to see clearly, and the person was already dead.

Qin Luo squatted beside the body. After seeing who the person on the ground was, his pupils dilated in shock: “This person has been here for ten years, how could he—”

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the special assistant’s face turned even worse: “The procedures are fine, but His Majesty—”

Song Yu threw the gloves to the ground, his thin lips curving, but there was no smile in his eyes: “Making him agree isn’t that simple?”