“Xiao Yu, how are you?” Rong Shi asked with concern.

“I’m fine.” Song Yu endured the momentary dizziness, his fingers tightening, locking firmly around Ji Ling’s neck as he watched him struggle in pain. “Releasing pheromones at the drop of a hat… this weapon is really useful.”

Ji Ling struggled to pry Song Yu’s hands away with all his might, his restricted breathing causing him to cough violently. “Let… let go of me—!”

Song Yu sneered, his grip tightening. “But to be suppressed so easily, your pheromones aren’t all that great after all.”

“Shut up!” Ji Ling’s voice was hoarse, his face contorted and flushed with blood.

Why could Rong Shi’s pheromones suppress his? Impossible, absolutely impossible!

This person was too dangerous. Just as Song Yu was about to knock him out and take him away, 00’s voice sounded in his mind.

[00: Master, more than three hundred people are surrounding us. Their strongest weapon is the Z_323BAR handheld heavy cannon.]

Just as it finished speaking, Song Yu already saw them appear outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Hahahaha—” Ji Ling burst out laughing. “None of you will leave here today, cough cough cough—”

Rong Shi’s gaze swept over the row of dark cannon muzzles, any one of which could blast a person to dust.

“You’re in our hands. What do we have to fear?”

Ji Ling’s laughter was broken and sinister. “Is that so?”

The extreme discomfort made his eyes red and bloodshot. He glared viciously at the men outside and shrieked, “Kill them for me!”

Seeing the men setting up the heavy cannons, Rong Shi’s brow furrowed tightly.

Was Ji Ling planning to perish together with them?

A mosquito-sized 01 flew in from outside and landed in Rong Shi’s hair.

[01: The entire palace is an armory! This Queen probably wants to blow this place to smithereens, right?]

Song Yu: “Are you insane?”

Ji Ling felt no fear, his eyes glinting with madness. “With you to accompany me in death, it’s not a loss.”

Against such a devastating attack, simply dodging was useless.

The space was too small; they would be hit by the blast no matter where they hid.

00 and 01 prepared to protect their masters.

Seeing one man about to pull the trigger out of the corner of his eye, Rong Shi instantly formulated a counterattack and escape route.

Bang!

The tables turned in an instant.

The trigger wasn’t pulled. That guard was shot and fell to the ground.

Dozens of nearby guards turned, but before they could react, a continuous volley of gunfire rang out, and guards fell one after another.

A heavy cannon shell streaked through the air, trailing white vapor, but was intercepted by a shield and exploded midway.

The distance was too close. The guards were hit by the deflected shockwave and sent flying.

Watching the chaotic battle outside, Rong Shi cautiously pulled Song Yu back a few steps to avoid being hit by the explosions.

The commotion quickly subsided. Fully armed guards subdued all the guards with heavy cannons and led them away.

The ranks parted in the middle, and Yin Rong came up the wooden steps, supporting Song Zheng.

Song Ke was already scared out of his wits. Seeing Song Zheng arrive, his first reaction was delight, but he soon realized something was wrong.

His father didn’t seem to be on his side.

As he watched him approach, Song Yu suddenly realized that of the more than three hundred people 00 had mentioned, probably more than half were his father’s men.

“This is too reckless.” Song Zheng’s face was pale, his eyes stern as he looked at Song Yu. “Do you think you’re made of iron? Can you withstand bullets or heavy cannons?!”

Seeing the father and son at daggers drawn, Yin Rong explained in a low voice, “His Majesty already had a plan in place, but we didn’t expect you to move so quickly—”

Yin Rong had thought they would engage in some verbal sparring with Ji Ling after meeting, but he hadn’t expected them to get physical so quickly. He had to act ahead of schedule to suppress Ji Ling’s men before he could launch a second wave of attacks.

Suddenly face-to-face with his father, Song Yu didn’t know how to react.

Over the years, Song Zheng’s sudden change in attitude had made him gradually lose hope in their familial bond.

Even now, knowing there were extenuating circumstances and perhaps a hidden story, what had happened could not be changed, and the impact it had on him would not disappear.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve to talk.” Song Yu’s face was grim as he looked away. “Weren’t you the first one to use yourself to block the gun?”

The explosions made Ji Ling’s ears ring.

The feeling of suffocation and the impact of the pheromones gave him a splitting headache. In his daze, he thought his men had succeeded.

But as his vision gradually cleared, Ji Ling was stunned.

“You… how are you here?!”

Song Zheng looked at him. “Then where should I be?”

Meeting Song Zheng’s clear eyes, Ji Ling slowly put the pieces together, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“When did you escape my cont—?”

“I was never completely under your control,” Song Zheng interrupted him. “Are you surprised?”

Ji Ling was too shocked to speak for a long moment.

Impossible!

Song Zheng’s pheromones were a one hundred percent match with his. How could he possibly have broken free!

Ji Ling gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with rage. “Then why did you marry me?! You were even indifferent when your beloved Shen Sinian died!”

“Wasn’t it all for today?” Song Zheng’s expression was cold. “My target was never you. You were merely a puppet I was willing to display openly.”

His proud ego trampled, Ji Ling laughed in fury. “A puppet? Was having a child with a puppet also part of your plan?”

This remark didn’t faze Song Zheng, but it made Song Yu’s expression change, and the force of his grip increased.

No matter what his father had planned, Song Ke’s existence was an insurmountable obstacle between them.

“Ghaaa—!” A strange, strangled cry escaped Ji Ling’s throat, the bones in his neck creaking under the pressure.

“Xiao Yu, let him go first,” Song Zheng frowned.

Song Yu: “Don’t even think about it.”

Song Zheng: “You don’t need to dirty your hands to kill him.”

Song Yu glanced at him and, with a final exertion of force, threw Ji Ling to the ground.

Seeing him prostrate on the floor, coughing incessantly, Song Zheng turned his head to look at Song Ke.

From the beginning, Song Ke hadn’t dared to make a sound, wishing he were invisible.

Suddenly meeting Song Zheng’s gaze, a chill ran down his spine and his heart pounded. His hands, hanging at his sides, trembled uncontrollably.

“Father, save me! They’re going to kill me, they’re going to kill me!”

Song Zheng’s expression was cold. “You are not my son.”

At these words, both Rong Shi and Song Yu looked over in unison. Even Ji Ling, on the floor, raised his head in disbelief.

Song Ke was dumbfounded. Wasn’t he the child created from his mother stealing his father’s sperm?

Although the means were shameful and tainted his birth, the blood relationship was real!

Song Ke: “You’re lying! I just saw the video!”

“Video?” Song Zheng gestured for Yin Rong to explain.

Before Yin Rong could speak, Rong Shi gave Song Yu a deep look, swiped open his terminal, and brought up the video still looping on the social media platform, displaying it before Song Zheng.

“The entire empire knows you were taken advantage of—I mean, stolen from.”

Song Zheng: “…”

He stared at it for a moment. “Where did this come from?”

Song Yu confessed without a hint of guilt. “It’s a high-tech deepfake. But isn’t it the truth?”

The fact that it could deceive Ji Ling meant the video was nearly indistinguishable from reality.

Song Zheng: “The person lying there is not me.”

Ji Ling shouted, “Impossible! It was you!”

Song Zheng looked down at him from above. “The time you came to me with the child was the first time we ever met.”

The air froze for a moment.

Rong Shi and Song Yu were both processing the meaning of his words.

“We’ve clearly met so many times, how could that be—” Halfway through his sentence, Ji Ling’s eyes widened as a terrifying guess flashed through his mind.

Could it be that during their first accidental encounter, the person he met wasn’t Song Zheng?

“Impossible, how could it be—” Ji Ling muttered to himself.

At that time, the organization’s plan was only in its infancy, and his pheromones hadn’t yet been modified based on Song Zheng’s. How could Song Zheng have been wary of him so early on?!

Song Zheng: “Your pheromones are indeed powerful. Thanks to you, I spent several years in a muddle-headed state, nearly falling completely under your control. In that regard, you were very successful. If not for that, I wouldn’t have made the decision to send Sinian away.”

Ji Ling coughed up a mouthful of blood, laughing uncontrollably.

Alphas truly were the most disgusting species in the world.

“You hid it well, cough cough—” Ji Ling propped himself up. “But what a pity. You are destined to lose everything.”

Song Zheng’s brow furrowed slightly as he heard the sound of urgent footsteps.

A fully armed guard ran in, saying anxiously, “Your Majesty, there’s an enemy invasion in the skies above the palace!”

Almost simultaneously, 01 and 00’s warning alerts sounded.

[01: Their anti-detection system is so strong, even my brother and I can’t detect them.]

Rong Shi knocked Song Ke unconscious with a single chop and threw him to the armed guards, then took a few steps toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

Song Yu walked to Rong Shi’s side and looked up.

“They’re going for broke.”

Dozens of large warships blocked the light of the star, hovering a thousand meters in the sky—a truly shocking sight.

This scene reminded Rong Shi of Snow Star in his previous life, and he couldn’t help but take Song Yu’s hand.

Ji Ling struggled to his feet, a crazed smile on his face.

“You will all be buried with me today.”

Hearing this, Rong Shi turned his head to look at him. “Why do this? You could have had a much better life.”

“What life is there to speak of for a tool?!” Ji Ling retorted angrily. “You alphas will never understand the sorrow of being born an omega!”

Rong Shi’s expression was faint. “I truly cannot understand, but not everyone resists their own gender. You do not represent all omegas, nor can you decide their lives.”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear it!” Ji Ling looked at Song Zheng with a sinister smile. “From now on, the thousands upon thousands of persecuted omegas will seep into the very blood of the empire, dismantling it piece by piece, and establishing their own kingdom! I’ll show you just how powerful we omegas are!”

“Thousands upon thousands?” Song Yu checked the time and chuckled. “If you’re talking about the super-omegas created at the V99 underwater base, then I’m afraid they’ve probably all been thrown in prison by now.”

Ji Ling’s expression froze.

Song Yu continued, “All the military hospitals, private clinics, and logistics companies related to the Omega organization have been under surveillance for a long time. We were just waiting for you to make a move to close the net.”

Seeing Ji Ling’s incredulous look, he snapped his fingers. With a flick of his wrist, a virtual screen magnified before him, expanding into dozens of panels, each displaying the profile of an omega.

“This information should be familiar to you, right?”

Ji Ling looked at the circle of virtual screens, his alarm growing with each one he saw.

“How did you get this?!”

Song Yu sneered. “I went in and copied it. It was simple. You didn’t really think your shabby little base had high security, did you?”

Ji Ling’s face darkened, and he sneered back. “Even if you control those people, there’s still—”

“Still the children on Snow Star awaiting modification?” Rong Shi finished calmly. “On our way here, Snow Star had already cut off all external transportation. By now, they’ve likely already begun their operation.”

Just as he finished speaking, Yin Rong dialed a communication number. A hologram quickly appeared before them.

In the image was another Yin Rong.

Ji Ling stumbled back two steps in fright, completely unable to process it.

What was going on?! Why were there two Yin Rongs?!

In the hologram, the “Yin Rong” looked past Rong Shi to Song Zheng.

“Your Majesty, all personnel in the underground base have been brought under control.”

Song Zheng: “Have the legion move in. Strictly screen the residents and relocate them in batches. Snow Star’s airspace will be under a hundred-year embargo. All organization members are to be imprisoned on-site.”

“Yin Rong”: “Yes, sir.”

The hologram vanished. Ji Ling opened his personal terminal and tried to contact his subordinates on Snow Star.

But he couldn’t reach anyone!

Impossible. A plan he had carefully laid out for so many years, how could it fail so easily?

He suddenly thought of something and staggered toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The army had been here for so long, why was there no movement at all?!

Looking up, Ji Ling froze.

At some point, the palace’s protective shield had been activated, with sensor pillars covering the entire Shengde District.

Above the shield, the dozens of warships were now surrounded by another circle of warships. Ji Ling squinted for a long time before recognizing them: Qian Li’s First Legion, the Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth Legions that were supposed to be on missions, and the Second Legion, which had returned.

The fleet trapped in the middle was caught between two fires, forced by the cannonade to gradually retreat to a higher altitude.

Defeated to this extent, Ji Ling paradoxically calmed down. He turned to look at Song Zheng, his eyes filled with hatred.

“Was today’s trap also part of your plan from the beginning?!”

Song Zheng tightened the coat draped over his shoulders and coughed twice. “If I didn’t let you believe that my son and I had fallen completely into your trap, how would you have acted so quickly?”

Hearing the words “my son,” a pang went through Song Yu’s heart.

He understood his father’s plan without him having to say it.

If the omega organization was a bomb, Ji Ling was the fuse. If not handled properly, the bomb would explode, and countless fragments would embed themselves in the flesh of the empire, making them incredibly difficult to remove.

The best way was to stabilize Ji Ling and dig out the hidden bomb intact.

Song Zheng had long served as bait to attract Ji Ling’s attention, subtly letting him develop the illusion that he held all the power and that everything was under his control, thus lowering his guard. Then, he would use the opportunity to find the organization’s weaknesses and follow the trail.

This time, Rong Shi and Song Yu had disrupted his plan, so Song Zheng adapted, confusing Ji Ling and making him target Song Yu.

Ji Ling’s actions would set off a chain reaction. All Song Zheng had to do was observe from the shadows and wait for those hiding in the dark to surface on their own.

“Give up,” Song Zheng’s voice was cold. “You’ve already lost.”

Ji Ling collapsed to the ground as if all his strength had been drained.

At that moment, Rong Shi’s terminal suddenly vibrated. He swiped it open, and Qian Li’s hologram appeared before them.

Qian Li: “You seem to be alright.”

Rong Shi: “We’re all fine.”

Qian Li nodded, then turned to look at Song Zheng, speaking respectfully, “Your Majesty, the rebels have been surrounded. For your safety, please move with the children to a secure area to avoid being caught in the crossfire.”

In the command cabin of a warship high above, the commanding officer was constantly wiping away sweat.

“Hold the line! Retreat!”

“What are you panicking for?”

Hearing the deep, aged voice, the commander spun around and saluted the hologram before him.

“Sir! The situation is very unfavorable for us!”

Lin Quan’s face was grim as he looked at the enlarged virtual screen.

That old fox Qian Li, he actually double-crossed me!

“Don’t retreat. Drag out the fight.”

Commander: “Their combat strength is on par with ours. We can’t afford a battle of attrition. Besides, we missed the initial window to attack the palace. All the shields are up now. I’m afraid it will be very difficult to break through.”

Lin Quan snorted. “That’s not necessarily true—”

The armed guards were escorting Ji Ling and Song Ke. Before they had even left the Huxin Pavilion, the small garden just ahead of them suddenly exploded.

Song Zheng, who was being supported by Yin Rong, was hit by the blast wave and stumbled sideways.

A hand suddenly caught him. Song Zheng turned his head to see Song Yu’s impatient face.

“You can even fall while walking. Has your body been completely drained by Ji Ling all these years?”

Song Zheng: “…”

This brat!

Before he could speak, the open ground to their front-right suddenly exploded.

Yin Rong spoke quickly, “Your Majesty, Your Highness, perhaps we should go to a safe place first?”

Rong Shi looked up, scanning his surroundings.

Figures were moving in every direction. Even though the guards were trying their best to intercept them, bullets were still getting through.

His expression was serious. “Uncle Yin, which way is the escape ship?”

Yin Rong: “Northwest, underground beneath the Shengguang Hall.”

“Alright.” Rong Shi turned his head to look at Song Yu. “Xiao Yu, let’s escort His Majesty there.”

Song Yu understood instantly, a slight smile on his lips. “The moment I smelled your pheromones, I couldn’t control my urge to fight.”

He raised his right hand, and a small blue sphere flew from his golden hair and landed on the back of his hand.

The sphere instantly expanded, and a metal shell spread rapidly from his fingertips up his arm.

Another heavy cannon shell flew toward them.

Song Yu raised his hand. The metal shell on his hand transformed and opened up, forming a gun barrel.

A highly compressed blast of air shot out, accurately hitting the cannon shell.

Boom!

The shell exploded in mid-air.

By the time Song Yu lowered his hand, the metal shell had already covered his entire body.

[00: Battle Armor Mode engaged. Remaining power: 49%. Lock onto all attack targets within a three-kilometer radius?]

Song Yu: “Lock on.”

[00: Locking—Locked. Positions scanned.]

Song Zheng and Yin Rong were stunned, shocked by the sudden appearance of the battle armor.

Song Zheng: “Is—is that a mecha?”

“A type of transformable mecha,” Rong Shi explained briefly, then beckoned for 01 to come over.

The two watched as thin blue threads drifted down from mid-air. The threads enveloped the three of them, quickly forming an impenetrable metal wall.

Feeling the ground move, Song Zheng’s eyes grew wary.

Rong Shi raised a hand. The metal threads converged under his hand to form a control stick. He said casually, “Don’t worry, it’s very safe here.”

In just a few breaths, Song Zheng watched as the empty metal space transformed into a mecha cockpit.

An enlarged virtual screen appeared before them, showing the situation outside.

“What—what an incredible mecha.” Yin Rong’s perpetually calm expression cracked.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it was real.

A young boy’s voice suddenly echoed in the space, its tone exceptionally proud.

“Grandpa 01 has always been amazing!”

Song Zheng: “Grandpa 01? What does that mean?”

Rong Shi: “…”

Hearing that strange self-address come from the King’s mouth was truly awkward.

Rong Shi: “A not-so-bright AI.”

01: “I’m super smart! QuQ”

“Brother, you take them there first. I’m going to play for a bit.”

Song Yu’s voice sounded, and Rong Shi replied in a low voice, “Don’t wreck the place.”

Song Zheng heard Song Yu snort coldly.

“If it gets wrecked, it gets wrecked. It’s not like I live here anyway.”

Song Zheng: “…”

Explosions continued outside as Rong Shi piloted 01 toward the northwest.

Noticing Song Zheng’s subtle expression from the corner of his eye, he thought for a moment and explained, “Xiao Yu is very worried about you. He hasn’t slept much these past few days.”

Song Zheng looked at one of the virtual screens showing the other mecha in battle, his voice very low. “I know. But he still won’t forgive me.”

Rong Shi’s mind flashed to another, equally irresponsible old man.

“He will.”

A flicker of hope ignited in Song Zheng’s quiet heart.

Then he heard Rong Shi continue, “The bonds of family have been lost for too long. He has already filled the void with something more important. If you want to win him back, I’m afraid you’ll have to put in a bit more effort.”

Song Zheng: “Something more important?”

Rong Shi said seriously, “Mhm. Me.”

Song Zheng felt a pang in his chest. “…………”

Is this how you comfort people?

---

Author’s Note:

Cat Father: In those years of going undercover, I sent my wife away, and my son was also stolen by that hooligan rabbit who took advantage of the situation. [melancholy]

Song Cat: How dare you speak ill of my rabbit? [shows claws]

Cat Father: …