Luo Wenchuan’s eyes widened in an instant, his fingers freezing.
The words on the screen, though small in appearance, seemed to dominate the entire display, stinging his eyes.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. After a long pause, he furrowed his brows and slowly reached out to close the account interface.
A mix of irritation and jealousy churned relentlessly in his chest.
Luo Wenchuan closed his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, all emotions had been suppressed beneath his gaze.
He clicked on the login interface for the account “[I’m So Fragile],” entered the game, and immediately began accepting the endless stream of PK invitations.
Among them was a player named “Let Me Treat You to Shaved Ice,” who spammed him with messages and invites.
Luo Wenchuan decisively clicked “Agree.”
System: [Player “[I’m So Fragile]” has accepted Player “Let Me Treat You to Shaved Ice’s” PK request.]
[Let Me Treat You to Shaved Ice]: “Holy crap!!”
[Let Me Treat You to Shaved Ice]: “You actually didn’t run away!”
[Let Me Treat You to Shaved Ice]: “I finally have a chance to get my revenge.”
During this time, apart from school team training, Hebrew had been diligently honing his PK skills in Mecha Star, all for the day he could defeat “[I’m So Fragile].”
However, when Hebrew eagerly entered the PK match, it didn’t take long for him to realize something was off.
“[I’m So Fragile]” not only didn’t say a single word today but also abandoned their usual calm and calculated style, instead wildly swinging a photon sword at him from the start he barely managed to dodge in time!
Hebrew was startled.
He felt as though the person wielding that photon sword bore some deep-seated grudge against him.
Soon, Hebrew was defeated, the match lasting only three minutes.
After the loss, Hebrew, unwilling to accept it, sent another PK request to “[I’m So Fragile],” who once again agreed without hesitation.
Subsequently, Hebrew suffered another crushing defeat.
After several rounds of this cycle, Hebrew’s PK ranking points had dropped out of the top ten, while “[I’m So Fragile]” soared straight into the top five.
Hebrew, utterly bewildered by the beatdown, stared wide-eyed.
How could this guy’s PK style feel like a completely different person?!
Other ranked players, seeing that “[I’m So Fragile]” was continuously accepting PKs today, also grew eager to challenge them.
These players had all been “bullied” by Yun Xingze before, so their messages were filled with taunts and mockery.
Luo Wenchuan frowned slightly, growing increasingly annoyed as he read them. Each time he accepted a PK, he went all out, leaving his opponents utterly humbled.
If Yun Xingze fought in the game to improve, then Luo Wenchuan was here purely for “slaughter.”
Players facing “[I’m So Fragile]” today seemed to relive the terror of being dominated by “L” in the past.
At this very moment, Yun Xingze was completely unaware of what was happening in the game.
He was at the Imperial Mecha Research Institute, assisting Jin Xuan and the others with their third experiment.
With Yun Xingze’s help, the research institute obtained detailed data, providing a clear direction for improving the psychic amplifier.
This data was like a beacon, filling everyone with hope for success.
After the experiment concluded, Jin Xuan and the others thanked Yun Xingze once again, presenting him with an array of healthy and delicious food reportedly prepared to near-royal standards.
Unable to finish it all, Yun Xingze quickly said, “Let’s all eat together. No need to waste it.”
In the eyes of many researchers, Yun Xingze was now their treasure, the kind they’d cradle in their palms for fear he might melt away.
“Excellent, this experiment was also a success,” Jin Xuan observed the data and said slowly. “Soon, the first-generation psionic amplifier will be successfully developed.”
Everyone was thrilled beyond words upon hearing this.
They knew they were pioneering a new era.
Yun Xingze, however, remained remarkably composed.
Ming Xiao quietly asked beside him, “Aren’t you happy?”
“I am,” Yun Xingze gave a faint smile, though his mind was clearly elsewhere. “I’ll head back to the lab first. You all celebrate.”
With that, he left.
Watching Yun Xingze’s retreating figure, Ming Xiao scratched his head in confusion. “Even though Yun Xingze contributed so much, why doesn’t he seem happy or proud at all?”
“Perhaps he doesn’t realize how difficult developing a psionic amplifier is,” remarked another researcher nearby.
Everyone assumed Yun Xingze didn’t fully grasp the technical complexities involved. Otherwise, how could he remain so indifferent while others cheered for their achievement?
Returning to his lab, Yun Xingze found Eugene cleaning nearby.
For days now, Eugene, as Yun Xingze’s assistant, had been unable to contribute much.
During experiments, Yun Xingze only asked Eugene to fetch materials. Afterward, he would quietly construct peculiar models on his light computer.
Eugene couldn’t understand any of it, but he thought Yun Xingze looked quite professional during experiments.
Shortly after entering, Yun Xingze began conducting various tests on several neural conduits on the lab table.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Eugene asked, “Xingze, you’ve been here for several days now. What exactly are you working on?”
“Something similar to a psionic amplifier,” Yun Xingze answered straightforwardly without hiding anything. “It’s a new type of neural interface conduit designed to help humans break through psionic limitations.”
Eugene’s eyes widened instantly. “You… you’re developing a new neural interface?!”
He looked as if he’d heard the most impossible thing in the world, his face filled with disbelief.
After all, the entire research institute hadn’t even succeeded in creating a psionic amplifier yet.
And here was Yun Xingze, already skipping that step entirely to develop an interface that could surpass limitations.
“This…” Eugene wanted to say it was impossible, but he didn’t want to discourage Yun Xingze.
Though Eugene doubted Yun Xingze could succeed, he thought having research ambitions was commendable.
“Once completed, even Omegas could easily pilot S-class mechs and above,” Yun Xingze remarked casually.
Eugene was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Yun Xingze’s motivation for developing this interface was actually for Omegas.
At this realization, Eugene couldn’t help but smile slightly.
After completing a small interface experiment, Yun Xingze turned to Eugene. “Could you get me some new chromium alloy? And these materials.”
Eugene immediately nodded and fetched the rare materials Yun Xingze requested.
Yun Xingze marveled at how well-equipped the research institute was.
Just then, his gaze was suddenly drawn to Eugene’s neck.
When they first met, Eugene had been wearing a high-collared shirt, so Yun Xingze hadn’t noticed it before.
Today, Eugene wore a low-cut T-shirt, revealing a cross-shaped scar on his smooth neck.
Yun Xingze froze for a moment.
For some reason, it reminded him of the original “Yun Xingze” from the novel.
Eugene noticed Yun Xingze’s gaze but didn’t avert his eyes. Instead, he lightly brushed his fingers over the scar and said calmly, “Does it look ugly?”
“Ah, no, I just suddenly thought of someone.” Yun Xingze hurriedly replied. “Your scar, how did it happen? An accident?”
“You could say that.” Eugene’s voice was steady, his eyes lowering slightly. “Before the incident, I was actually an Omega. Now, the gland here is damaged, so I’m basically a Beta.”
Yun Xingze was stunned.
He had thought it was just an ordinary scar, but he never expected Eugene, like the original protagonist, had deliberately ruined his gland!
No wonder he couldn’t tell whether Eugene was an Omega or a Beta when they first met.
“I’m sorry.” Yun Xingze said apologetically. “I shouldn’t have pried.”
Personally, Yun Xingze didn’t care about gender. He believed that as long as someone was alive, they had the right to choose their own path, regardless of their secondary gender.
But he worried Eugene might have been hurt by the topic.
“It’s fine. It’s all in the past.” Eugene suddenly looked up at Yun Xingze, the corner of his lips curving slightly. “No matter what gender I am, I’m proud of myself.”
Yun Xingze was taken aback.
After a moment, he couldn’t help but smile, relief washing over him. “That’s good.”
Eugene’s gaze drifted into the distance as he continued in a detached tone, “The incident happened on a wasteland planet. I had just come of age, and my pheromones were highly compatible with an Alpha there. But that Alpha was a violent drunk. After spending some time with him, I wanted to break off the engagement, but he refused.”
Yun Xingze’s heart clenched.
He had heard Su Zinan mention that Omegas on wasteland planets were forced to stay with their most compatible Alphas.
“Later, I heard a ship heading to Noah Star would pass by our planet,” Eugene went on. “I’d always admired the Research Institute, so I tried to sneak away from his place. But I was caught and beaten.”
A chill ran down Yun Xingze’s spine. He hadn’t expected Eugene to have endured such abuse.
“That night, I should have cried, but I didn’t.” Eugene spoke slowly. “I lay awake all night; thinking was I really going to waste my life beside that piece of trash? Before dawn, I found a knife and slit my gland open.”
Yun Xingze swallowed hard; his voice strained. “Did it hurt?”
“It did,” Eugene admitted, yet he smiled, showing no trace of fear. “But at the same time, for the first time, I felt like my life was truly in my own hands.”
Yun Xingze suddenly recalled how the original protagonist had died from cutting his gland. He froze briefly before asking in surprise, “So… you damaged your gland, but you survived?”
“As long as you don’t do it during a heat cycle, you won’t die,” Eugene explained. “You’ll just bleed a lot, lose massive amounts of pheromones, and the cells that synthesize them will deteriorate and die until you become a Beta.”
