Jiang Yi burst into loud, exaggerated sobs.
Another day had passed without finding him. Dejected, Jiang Yi trudged out of the dormitory pod—just as someone knocked on his door. It was his friend, Zhang Yuan.
“What are you doing here?”
Zhang Yuan looked flustered.Â
“You told me to look for that guy named Chi Zhan—I found him!”
Jiang Yi instantly perked up. “Where is he?!”
“He goes to my school!”
Jiang Yi nearly lost it.Â
“What the hell? You met Chi-ge and didn’t message me? A video call would’ve worked too—why are you only telling me this now?” As he spoke, he turned to leave in a hurry. “Go find Chi-ge right now, and then—”
“I can’t!” Zhang Yuan grimaced. “If I do, he’ll probably have me thrown into jail. He’s completely immersed in the game’s plot. And the Empire and the Federation are mortal enemies. If you want to meet him, you’ll have to sneak over illegally.”
Jiang Yi stared in disbelief.Â
“Are you serious? I can’t even see him just once?”
“No way. I’m not going to prison for this!”
“……”
As everyone knew, illegal border crossing wasn’t cheap.
And he, a regular student who could barely afford his meals, had zero chance of scraping together the money for a smuggling trip.
Chi-ge, why is it so damn hard just to see you?
Jiang Yi broke into dramatic sobs once again.
***
Back in the dorm, Chi Zhan was still mulling over what Zhang Yuan had said. The person named “Jiang Yi” supposedly knew him well, yet he had no memory of this person whatsoever.
He could’ve just asked Zhang Yuan to contact the guy directly and traced it from there—but Zhang Yuan was innocent. There was no need to drag him into something that could get him in trouble.
The best option was to investigate the person himself.
There were many ways to search someone up on the interstellar web.
But Federation citizens’ data was off-limits. Their browsing activity was entirely transparent, and any unauthorized search would immediately trigger a red alert.
…Was there a safer method?
“Chi-Chi, you’re looking for someone? Someone hard to find? I might have an idea, though… it’s a little risky.”
“Go on.”
Tao Ran hesitated.Â
“I once met someone with serious connections. He charges a fortune for commissions, and the catch is—he only takes jobs offline.”
“…Offline?”Â
Chi Zhan didn’t quite follow.
“Yeah, he thinks online communication isn’t secure. So if you want to hire him, you have to pay a deposit and meet in person to discuss the details.” Tao Ran added, “The location’s kind of dangerous too. But as long as you follow the rules, it should be fine. If you’re interested, I’ll refer you.”
“All right.”
Tao Ran might usually seem laid-back and carefree, always trying to coast through life, but thanks to his love for novelty and frequent participation in social mixers, he actually knew some impressive people.
He handed Chi Zhan a business card. The name was short and cryptic—just one letter: “S.”
And the avatar…
A pure-black cat head?
Chi Zhan started to doubt whether this S person was really as formidable as Tao Ran claimed.
***
Chi Zhan browsed through S’s account. The profile was completely blank—not a single shred of personal information. Clearly, the man took his privacy seriously.
Chi Zhan didn’t add him from his main account. Instead, he created a smurf account and used that to send the friend request.
He hadn’t met Zhang Yuan before, and the guy had no reason to lie. Judging by his tone, this “Jiang Yi” seemed very familiar with him. Maybe he really did know something.
Still—what was he doing involved with someone from the Federation?
Wait. That might not be it.
Zhang Yuan’s behavior clearly marked him as a player. Which meant Jiang Yi was likely a player too. A player trying to contact an NPC could just be part of a questline.
Chi Zhan pondered for a moment. S hadn’t accepted his request yet—maybe he was busy.
Meanwhile, Tao Ran lay sprawled across the bed, eyes glued to his webnovel. After finishing the latest update, he reluctantly closed the tab. “Ugh, they only updated 3,000 words today. At this rate, when will they get to the part I really want to read?”
“What part?” Chi Zhan asked.
“Obviously, the moment when the rabid Alpha who’s been secretly crushing on a Beta realizes his beloved is actually an Omega—and then totally loses control and marks him!” Tao Ran lit up the moment novels were mentioned. “God, when are they gonna drop the identity reveal? I swear, I can’t even sleep thinking about it.”
Beta turning into Omega…
That made Chi Zhan recall something else entirely.
He pulled out his pheromone test report and read it over again—this time with serious attention.
He couldn’t deny he felt an uneasy tension in his chest. Rationally, it was impossible for a Beta to become an Omega. But still… what if?
The report was straightforward, black-on-white, filled with medical jargon—but it clearly identified him as a pure Beta.
Chi Zhan was still reading through the lines when Tao Ran suddenly shouted, “Holy crap, Chi-Chi, did you see the class announcement? Cen Chi got into a fight with someone from the Mecha Division and got disciplined!”
Chi Zhan continued scanning the report and replied with a calm “Mm.” Then asked, “Did they give a reason?”
“They said it was a violent altercation,” Tao Ran said anxiously. “But Cen Chi’s so mild-mannered—why would he suddenly get into a fight?”
“Who knows,” Chi Zhan said offhandedly. “Maybe he was just bored.”
***
“You’ve had way too much free time lately.” Qi Song pressed an alcohol-soaked cotton ball against Chu Xingxiao’s injured face without a shred of gentleness, his voice ice-cold. “Did you think getting into a fight was the perfect way to draw attention to yourself?”
Chu Xingxiao snapped, “It’s a damn crisis and you’re still in the dark! Do you even realize my gege has a boyfriend now?”
The stinging liquid ran down his cheek, leaving a faint burn. Chu Xingxiao wiped away the dripping alcohol with the back of his hand, still fuming. If anything, the fire in his chest was only growing stronger.
That delicate-looking pretty boy named Cen Chi—he looked weak and harmless, but turned out to be ruthless and cunning. What a damn good actor. Someone like that as his gege’s boyfriend? He was clearly up to no good!
