In a remote area of the training field, there were several mechas in battle. It was very normal for fights in the training field, but what was unusual was the mecha in the center being attacked.
It was obviously just a normal, outdated mecha, but it fought back against the other three mechas easily, as though it saw their every move. When blocking blows, it could simultaneously attack with skill. Moreover, each of its attacks landed directly on the other mechaâs vitals.
After all, the outdated mechas in the training field were mechas that had fallen out of use for many years. Their weak points were obvious. With a few blows at the weak connections between the limbs, they would fall apart. Still, it was clear that these students couldnât do it.
Edwin stared fixedly at the scene, not even daring to blink, afraid of missing even the smallest detail of the fight. His hands began to shake in excitement. âYes, exactly, thatâs⊠That has to be⊠I wouldnât make a mistake!â
The person down there was Prince Latiao!
The fight ended quickly. It didnât even last three minutes in total. The other three mechas had been attacked until they had no ability to fight back. The mechas were even falling apart. The cockpit had protective installations, so the people inside should be okay.
And the mecha Edwin thought was being piloted by Prince Latiao unexpectedly rushed to a hidden corner.
ââŠCrap.â Edwin jolted awake from his battle-induced daze. He gritted his teeth, spinning around and moving to rush down the stairs. He didnât even hear when Pei Shijian called for him to come back.
Recently, Edwinâs behavior was a bit strange. Pei Shijian hated being unable to control everything in the palm of his hands.
âIt looks like I need to investigate a bit.â
â
After his momentary explosion of power just now, Shao Ci quickly left the scene.
In fact, he had been a little panicky. In his agitation, he had actually broken the three mechas facing him. If he had to pay it back, even a million empire coins wasnât enough! Though it was those three provoking him to begin with, anyway.
âŠEven if the school rules said that if a mecha was damaged, the pilot would have to pay for the expenses, Shao Ci started worrying whether his sudden explosive strength would draw anyoneâs attention.
Luckily, the area was relatively hidden. According to the system, the security cameras didnât record that area, and the system also blurred Shao Ciâs appearance when he was leaving.
Everything started quickly and ended quickly. Nobody had noticed anything. Even if the three people said what had happened, nobody would believe a beta was actually able to attain such a level.
When Shao Ci thought about it, he finally let out a breath of relief.
During the period of Shao Ciâs explosive power, his body was slowly beginning to collapse. At first, when he used his healing ability to heal himself, he felt significantly better. Now, the effect had passed, and he felt weak and limp all over. He had no energy left in his limbs, and his head was spinning.
Shao Ci climbed out of the cockpit with difficulty, and met Edwin, who was walking over quickly, head-on.
Edwin glanced at Shao Ci coldly, then walked rapidly ahead.
âHuh? Isnât that where I just came from?â Shao Ci felt a little suspicious, but he really had no energy and he felt exhausted. He didnât feel like thinking about what Edwin was doing.
Edwin rushed to where the fight had been happening, but only saw the three fallen mechas. âAs expected, he already left⊠I was too slow.â
Disappointment settled into Edwinâs heart, but he clung to a tiny sliver of hope, stepping forward to open the cockpit of the mecha on the ground, hoping to interrogate the person inside and ask if he knew who his opponent was.
But Edwinâs hopes were dashed. The person inside the cockpit seemed to have been given a huge shock. He huddled in his mecha, trembling. It was obvious that being defeated in just three minute had been too much of a blow. Edwin couldnât get the slightest bit of information out from them.
âUseless guy.â Edwin gave up on the interrogation, looking at the person inside the mecha coldly. âYou donât have enough strength yourself, but you went to provoke someone else in vain. You were asking to sink this lowâŠâ
Edwin went off to investigate the security cameras.
But out of some kind of coincidence, there were no security cameras aimed at that area, and for some reason the image of the outside area was blurry. It was impossible to tell who it was.
He could only give up on it.
âStill, in this case, the scope of my search can be narrowed down.â Edwin thought of something, his face beginning to flush red.
âI didnât expect us to be so close. I canât believe I never realized there was someone so skilled at the institute. Could there be some reason that he has to stay lowkey?â
â
Shao Ci waited for class to end in the lounge, completely exhausted, then went home with Ji Zhaoyun. Ji Zhaoyun seemed to be thinking something, and didnât notice Shao Ciâs weary appearance at all.
Well, Shao Ci didnât really want to hear his romance worries anyway. Instead, he was able to relax.
But before long he would regret it and ask himself why he didnât ask. In the end, it led to something terrifying.
When he returned to his room, although he was tired, Shao Ci still had to log on to the virtual world. After all, he didnât finish his daily task yet⊠Besides, it was almost the last day of the competition. If he didnât hurry to participate in some matches, he wouldnât have enough points to enter the finals.
As soon as he logged online, Shao Ciâs inbox was stuffed full again.
Shao Ci skimmed them. They were all about the same as the emails from yesterday, with a dozen more from Ji Zhaoyun. He didnât even need to think to guess what was inside. Shao Ci didnât look at them at all, deleting them immediately (._.)
As for the ads, Shao Ci was famous now. He picked a few with higher prices, then wrote an email to Edwin, asking him to reply when he had landed. It would make it easy for Shao Ci to do his daily task.
And then Shao Ci strode out of the room, appearing at the virtual square. As soon as he arrived, he was stunned by the sight.
Weâre sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so weâre going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Every possible location for ad placement, whether it was big or small, had been bought. The same picture was in all of them, and the picture was a video from when Prince Latiao was fighting.
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The memory of what Ji Zhaoyun had said in the morning suddenly surfaced in Shao Ciâs mind. A bolt of lightning jolted through his mind. Fuck, Ji Zhaoyun wasnât getting up to some crap again, was he?
To be honest, although Ji Zhaoyunâs personality and brains were a little off, he was extremely handsome. When he appeared, the people in the virtual square began to shriek. Several of them began to ask other people if he was some new celebrity.
Shao Ci felt very complicated, but people were always face-cons. He was too. He didnât have any right to judge someone else.
The Ji Zhaoyun on the screen wasnât as vexing as he usually was. Instead, he looked out of the screen with a serious expression, beginning to introduce himself. He started from his family background, then to his height and his body measurements, the food he liked to eat, the color he liked⊠He also recited his grades from elementary school.
It was just like a dating app bio. No, a normal personâs bio wouldnât have so much unnecessary information!
Still, as long as he had that face and the status of a dukeâs son, as long as he said he was looking for romance, the people interested would probably break down the dukeâs doors.
Shao Ci had a bad feeling. It was as though something bad was about to happen.
As expected, in the next moment, Ji Zhaoyun began to speak adoringly. âPrince Latiao, when I saw you, I knew that you were my destined partner. I really wish to understand you well⊠In fact, Iâm not someone with a forceful personality. I just wanted your attention, which is why I did those thingsâŠâ
Shao Ci: ââŠâ Hey! Do you think youâre not forceful as long as you say youâre not forceful?! Like this you might as well never have a wife in your fucking life, okay!
Everyone watching the advertisements was shocked. Although they didnât know Prince Latiaoâs gender, if he was so amazing, he had to be an alpha. The son of the duke had actually come out of the closet in front of a whole crowd! This was breaking news!!
But the omegas that had been full of excitement immediately turned cold. In any case, a gay alpha who was interested in alphas didnât have anything to do with them.
Shao Ci could pretty much imagine how the breaking news would spread through the entire empire by tomorrow. He didnât even want to become famous like this, okay.
Now, the only thing worth celebrating was that now this brainless guy Ji Zhaoyun didnât announce Shao Ciâs gender. Otherwise, even if Shao Ci had to put his life on the line, he would have charged over to have them die together.
Even if Shao Ci was completely unwilling, because of Ji Zhaoyun, talks about the name Prince Latiao went crazy again. His popularity was competing with the top fifty competitors⊠Although this popularity was super weird too.
To vent some of his anger, Shao Ci went straight to compete in the virtual mecha competition.
This time, Shao Ci used the mecha full of advertisements just like last time, and started to begin the selections.
The opponent that the system randomly selected for System this time was a competitor in the top fifty. Those in the top fifty were all incredible people. To keep them with the competition, the competition organizers would even give them one percent of the ticket prices.
In other words, every time someone in the top fifty competed, there were heaps of empire coins to collect. Shao Ci envied it a lot. He also wanted to be in the top fifty and make money.
The current Prince Latiao wasnât the same as the confused, nameless newbie he was a few days ago. There were many of his fans in the stands, calling his name continuously.
Shao Ciâs heart burst in pride, but when he looked towards the stands, he immediately noticed that all of the screens in the stands were playing Ji Zhaoyunâs image.
Is having money so great, huh?! Just how much money did Ji Zhaoyun spend?! Did he think the other person had accepted him after a bombardment of brainwashing?!
Shao Ciâs heart filled with grief and indignation. He attacked the other person with an almost furious blow. Before they could react, Shao Ciâs momentum bowled them over. Luckily, they had experience, and wouldnât lose immediately like other people. After they dodged the blow, they began to fight back, but in the end they still couldnât resist Shao Ci.
â
At the other side.
In a dormitory that was almost like a small mansion in the Empire Military Institute, Edwin took a deep breath, then sank into his nutrient cabinet impatiently.
In order to attain the best conditions, Edwin had bought the most expensive nutrient cabin in the beginning. He wouldnât even think about using a helmet.
In the past, Edwin had logged into the virtual net only for mecha competitions, but now he had a new goal. He wanted to see the person he thought longingly about, Prince Latiao.
As soon as he logged on, he received Prince Latiaoâs email. Edwinâs heart skipped a beat. It was just a few dozen words, just asking him to respond when he went online, but Edwin felt like every word was precious. This was the email that his male god had taken the initiative to send! He couldnât stop himself from reading it a few more times
before he calmed down to write a reply. His hands were shaking. He thought over every word for a long time before he finally hit send.
Edwin couldnât calm himself from his excitement. When he looked up, he spotted Ji Zhaoyunâs ridiculously expensive ads. When he saw Prince Latiaoâs familiar bearing, he paused, unable to move.
After seeing half of the advertisement, Edwinâs joy immediately turned to fury.
This Ji Zhaoyun was nothing. Other than his background and his face, he didnât have the slightest redeeming quality. He even had some beta clinging onto him for influence. He must be confessing just to play around⊠Damn it, he used such an attitude to Edwinâs male god? He couldnât be forgiven!
What would he do if his male god was seduced by Ji Zhaoyun? Edwin couldnât help beginning to worry. âNo, it wonât happen. He wouldnât be so easily seduced.â
And where did Edwin get the right to interfere with his decision?
Edwin couldnât stop himself from beginning to ponder. If someday Prince Latiao really wanted to be with someone else, then what would he do⊠Just thinking about it made Edwinâs chest ache like it was about to split apart. He felt uncomfortable.
He was too greedy, wasnât he? Before, he could easily watch from afar, but now he wanted to take another step forward even if they were close together.
Edwin began to feel perturbed. He could only cheer himself up when he saw Shao Ci.
Shao Ci also noticed that Edwin seemed a little off today. After he finished his daily task, he blurted, âYou seem a little gloomy today? Whatâs wrong?â
âItâs nothing, Iâm fine. You donât need to worry about someone like me,â Edwin said hurriedly, overwhelmed by his favor. âBut⊠if you donât find it offensive, I have something Iâd like to ask you. If you would rather not hear it, donât need to say it.â
Shao Ci was curious about what Edwin wanted to ask him. âGo ahead.â
âYou must have seen the advertisements today, right?â Edwin said carefully.
Shao Ci nearly vomited a mouthful of old blood. He began to choke. âYeah, I saw them.â
Shao Ci began to feel embarrassed now that someone had actually brought it up.
âWhat do you think about it, thenâŠâ After he finished speaking, Edwin hurried to explain, âI donât mean to interrogate you, I just think⊠well, someone like that doesnât seem very reliableâŠâ
He was absolutely right! Shao Ci practically wanted to shake Edwinâs hand.
âI donât have any particular thoughts about that video,â Shao Ci said calmly, trying to revive his awesomeness. âTo me, the most important thing is the competition. I wonât think about anything else. Besides, those kinds of people are just talk. Theyâll probably forget it quickly.â
âThatâs trueâŠâ Edwin let out a breath of relief. He said, âAfter all, youâre an alpha. You naturally donât have any interest to other alphas like you, right?â
When he finished speaking, Edwin, who realized he was also an alpha, felt his chest begin to ache.
âI donât have any interest in alphas,â Shao Ci said absently. âI like omegas⊠But right now I wonât think about those kinds of things anyways.â
Something like two omegas being together was simply impossible, but Shao Ci had only come to do a daily task. He didnât think anything about romance.
âBy the way, itâs not that convenient to send emails every time we want to meet. How about we exchange contacts?â Shao Ci said without thinking.
Edwin was stunned. His depression instantly dissipated. Excited, he said, âOf course we can. That would be my honor.â
â
Mecha combat classes were that night.
It was a ten minute class that they only had once a month. All the first and second years would participate. Nobody could ask for leave.
Generally, they would draw two random students to fight. Because they were using armed mechas, they were much more dangerous than the outdated mechas. Thus, this time of year was also the time that students had the most injuries.
Shao Ci was incredibly anxious. He looked up at the people on the podium, completely unable to calm himself down.
Although he could use his spiritual energy for three minutes, if he suddenly became skilled, it wouldnât be easy for him to end things. If someone overestimated his skills in the future and assigned him to some more difficult classes or duties, Shao Ci would have no way to complete them.
Actually, it didnât matter if his opponent was someone else, but Shao Ci was most worried that he would be unlucky enough to draw Pei Shijian as his opponent. What would he do then?
Compared to this, even all of the news he saw this morning about Ji Zhaoyun coming out was nothing.
Like Shao Ci, Ji Zhaoyun was extremely anxious, but he wasnât worried about the mecha combat class. Instead, he was worried about what he had done yesterday. âWas I too much yesterday? I didnât want to go so far, but if I didnât do that, then how would I express my sincerity? Should I apologize?â
Shao Ci didnât have the guts to believe that the apology Ji Zhaoyun was talking about would be a normal apology. He said hurriedly, âHe definitely understood you already. He probably didnât reply yet because he was too shocked.â
âŠAlthough he really didnât want to answer Ji Zhaoyun, with things like this he didnât have a choice.
âI hope youâre right,â Ji Zhaoyun sighed.
Shao Ci wondered why the duke and duchess didnât care a bit more about their son. Donât ignore your younger son just because you have an outstanding eldest son as the heir! Was coming out so openly really not a problem⊠Would the dukedom really stay unaffected!
After he finished spitting curses in his head, Shao Ci forgot about his nerves. Anyway, heâd just do his worst. It was fine.
At the same time, in the luxurious private box at the other side, Edwin was staring fixedly at the image on the broadcasting screen that filled up the entire wall. It was displaying the fifth or sixth match that was currently ongoing.
After Edwin investigated, he found that there were only first and second year students in the training field yesterday. They were certain to appear in the combat class, and Prince Latiao was certain to be in their midst.
Prince Latiao had such strength. If he wanted to appear to the public, he could, but instead he was quiet and unknown. He must have been hiding his true strength all this time.
So in the combat class, he would definitely behave very discreetly. He might even lose on purpose. Edwin was prepared to survey the details. He watched Prince Latiaoâs videos countless times, and he had already engraved the subtleties of his movements in his mind.
Edwin was both excited and nervous.
Pei Shijian sat at the side, looking at the screen expressionlessly. He had already cleared up the investigation. Edwinâs abnormal behavior was actually because of that Prince Latiao.
âHeâs just someone who failed at imitating me, and he can only pick such a sensationalist name to capture peopleâs attention,â Pei Shijian thought. âEven if thereâs someone even stronger, so what? Iâll let him be proud for a few days.â
Pei Shijianâs favorite thing to do was letting his enemies crawl upwards, then, right when they were at the height of their pride, knocking them off of their throne and enjoying their grief.
By that time, Edwin would understand that the real person deserving of his loyalty was Pei Shijian, not that lowly copycat.
âAh, itâs my turn.â Pei Shijian stood up, smiling slightly at Edwin. âIâll be back soon.â
â
Match after match passed. Soon, it was Shao Ciâs turn.
Shao Ci gritted his teeth, getting up from his seat, his steps heavy.
He had already decided. He would use his normal ability to fight. The competition rules dictated that he couldnât surrender until five minutes had passed. It would be fine as long as he managed to endure five minutes and then surrender. In any case, he wouldnât get expelled if he surrendered⊠Normal people should stop fighting after the other party surrender.
But Shao Ci saw his opponentâPei Shijian.
Shao Ci was so shocked he nearly buckled and fell to his knees. ââŠ???â Wait? What kind of luck was this? Out of all the people in the school, he really ended up matching with Pei Shijian? Holy fuck.
Pei Shijian gave Shao Ci a friendly smile. âWhat a coincidence. I didnât expect that my opponent would actually be you.â
Shao Ci: âAh, helloâŠâ No, this had to be one of Pei Shijianâs plots. How else could it be so coincidental?
âI still remember the circumstances when we first met,â Pei Shijian chuckled. âIn the blink of an eye, so much time has passed. I really miss it.â
If someone out of the loop heard Pei Shijian, they would think he and Shao Ci were friends or something.
But Shao Ci knew that the first time they met was when Pei Shijian had just started school, but he had been utterly humiliated by the original host⊠Pei Shijianâs words were totally a threat!
Shao Ci gritted his teeth. âUm, Pei Shijian, donât you think classmates should exchange our views⊠Thereâs no need to be too serious? It should be okay as long as we donât overdo it.â
âOh?â Pei Shijian raised an eyebrow. âIâm very sorry. Iâm very serious about everything relating to mechas. Still, Iâm confident in your strength. Itâll be fine as long as we both do our best. I think itâs certain that no accidents will happen. Right?â
Right your foot! This is already a complete threat!
Shao Ci already knew that it would be no use if he surrendered. For someone like Pei Shijian, even if his opponent surrendered, he would definitely pretend he didnât hear it and continue beating his opponent even more fiercely.
Feeling a huge amount of pressure, Shao Ci climbed into the cockpit of the mecha.
It was his first time using a standard mecha in the real life. If he wasnât facing Pei Shijian, everything would be wonderful.
Soon, the competition began. Pei Shijian was calm despite the situation, maneuvering the mecha to attack with ease.
Like a cat playing with a mouse, Pei Shijian didnât prepare to take Shao Ci out in one blow. Instead, he wanted to thoroughly play around with him, waiting until he didnât have anymore patience before he acted.
Shao Ci continuously evaded Pei Shijianâs attacks, only feeling that every second was taking longer than the last. He didnât know when Pei Shijian began to move, and he didnât know what he would do in the next second. Sweat trickled down his face.
If he could use his spiritual energy, he could observe his opponentâs movements, and he wouldnât be in such a miserable situation. Dammit.
At the side, Edwin sat in the private box, examining for a long time. He hadnât found anyone who moved like Prince Latiao. He looked towards his friendâs match, feeling disappointed.
He knew very clearly that there was probably nobody in their grade that could compete with Pei Shijian. The opponent today looked especially weak. Even with Pei Shijian deliberately going easy on him, he was barely able to evade.
âHow could someone like this be him.â Edwin sighed. He didnât know whether he would be able to find Prince Latiao today.
â
Fierce attacks flew towards Shao Ci. He swayed in place, discovering that one of the mechaâs legs was no longer stable.
When Pei Shijian had attacked just now, the mechaâs left leg had been disconnected.
âCrap.â Shao Ci bit his lip, understanding immediately. Pei Shijian was preparing to use the method he had used on the three guys from yesterday to deal with him.
And with Pei Shijianâs personality, he might pretend that he had accidentally hit the cockpit. If he got Shao Ci injured, Shao Ci wouldnât let him off.
âIf things keep going like this, Iâll be a sitting duck.â Shao Ciâs gaze turned cold. âEven if my opponent is the original protagonist, thereâs nothing I can do. If I donât fight backâŠâ
Since the beginning, Shao Ci never wanted to fight the protagonist head-on. After all, the other party was the blessed son of the world consciousness. If he fought back, it would always be him on the short end of the stick.
But he understood now. There were some things he couldnât avoid no matter how much he wanted to. If he didnât face them, the other person would just get more intense.
Shao Ci closed his eyes, connecting his spiritual energy with the mecha.
On the other side of the field, Pei Shijian was leisurely operating the mecha. With his SSS-grade spiritual energy, his mecha was just like part of his body. Sometimes, it could even react faster than his own body. Nobody was his opponent, no matter who it was.
Pei Shijian though of himself as a natural mecha operating genius. It was the gift the heavens had bestowed on him. Nobody could defeat him. Even if he was born in the slums, he had incredible luck. He had anything he wanted, and he had barely met any setbacks.
Because of this, Pei Shijian had grown into a warped personality. For example, he could easily kill off this beta, someone who didnât understand his own limits. But what he enjoyed the most was a weaklingâs last struggle before death.
The weakling was obviously destined to defeat, but because he had the slightest hope of succeeding, he continued to endure. Finally, in his despair, he discovered that there was only one road forward to defeat.
Every time he saw the painful despair in his opponentâs eyes, Pei Shijian would feel joy. When he attacked, he specially left his opponent an opportunity to escape. Sometimes, he would let them escape. Sometimes, he would shoot them in their vitals.
When he thought about what expression this beta had on at that moment, Pei Shijian couldnât hold back his glee.
In the next moment, Pei Shijian suddenly froze.
His opponent suddenly evaded the blow that should have landed.
No. According to his plans, he would certainly land his blow. With the strength of a beta, how could he avoid it? And the left leg of his opponentâs mecha was malfunctioning.
Again, Pei Shijian felt the anxiety of the situation slipping out of his hands. His eyes turned cold. âIâm done playing⊠Now, you should get ready to lose.â