People always have their own preferences, things they like and things they don’t.
As if trying to express his feelings, Ge You said “I like Xiao San the most” to him more than anything else, but he himself couldn’t really be considered kind to Ge You.
He was a highly calculated artificial human, and he hadn’t been created for battle in the first place, but to serve as Chen Xing’s assistant. Ge You counted as his senior, yet this senior didn’t act like one at all. Many times, he even had to clean up the mess for him, and that was how the two of them gradually became familiar.
At the very beginning, he didn’t like Ge You at all, thinking the other only relied on his combat system and various data advantages. Later on, he began to feel a bit sorry for this senior, since the other had to keep dying over and over for the master’s strange ideas. Ge You, however, took it all lightly, saying with a grin, “As long as the chip isn’t destroyed, I won’t die.” But what if the chip got damaged? That was what he thought, so he asked. For once, Ge You showed a rare complicated expression, “Well, that depends on whether the master still needs me. If he does, no matter what, I’ll protect my chip. But… we’re consumables. Who can really say how long we’ll live?”
They were just consumables. From the moment they were given consciousness, they already understood that. Maybe in their master’s eyes, they weren’t even conscious beings at all, just lifeless objects. Even their personalities were designed and planned by the master. Then why, when the master was young, did he design someone like Ge You?
The other was too special. Because of that uniqueness, he knew Ge You was different, someone who could live for a long time. But now, for the greater plan, Ge You had been abandoned by the master.
Ji Chenxi’s words of dislike only made the young man pause for a brief moment. He quickly snapped out of it and pressed the button that issued the command.
The massive high-tech cannon aimed at Ji Chenxi, and once it locked onto the target, it fired.
Ji Chenxi activated his spiritual power, and a massive blade formed from it sliced the cannon apart with perfect precision. At the same time, thorny vines pierced into a certain spot, damaging the circuitry there. With that line destroyed, the cannon was completely scrapped, and the huge energy it had gathered dissipated before it could even take shape.
Right now, the elevator had become the main target of attacks. Ji Chenxi obviously wouldn’t still take the elevator in this situation.
He tapped his light brain several times, and a virtual screen appeared. Earlier, he had already experienced what it felt like when his equipment level wasn’t high enough to seize control, so how could he let himself make the same mistake again?
His device scanned the area, and data kept popping up on the virtual screen. Ji Chenxi first connected his screen to the system here, then used that connection to begin fighting for control.
At first, the massive light screen in front of the young man showed no reaction at all, but it was precisely this lack of reaction that made him realize something was wrong.
He had clearly seen through surveillance that Ji Chenxi was doing something, so the system having no response now was the truly terrifying part.
He didn’t just sit there waiting to die. His fingers flew rapidly across the controls, the sound of tapping echoing nonstop. The false calm finally showed its cracks—Ji Chenxi was seizing control of the elevator. He tried his best to take it back, but every attempt was rejected. Failure after failure made him realize just how terrifying the other party was. He simply couldn’t stop him.
First the elevator’s control, then the control over every attack and every defense.
He had clearly left no backup plans, issuing commands directly from the control center that held authority. Even with such an advantage, his control over this place was still taken away.
This was completely a difference in strength, especially with how powerful the other party’s decryption system was.
Finally—
The last line of defense was broken.
The silver-haired alpha had gone through countless obstacles to reach him, yet his expression was calm. He even had the mood to glance at other scenes on the surveillance.
“The commotion you caused has already alarmed those guests.”
“It only counts as good if tonight gets a little chaotic.” Now that the man had already arrived in front of him, the young man stopped struggling and instead looked at Ji Chenxi. “I have very strong calculation abilities, and my brain stores countless pieces of knowledge that I can use at any time. But even so, why can’t I take control of this place from you?”
Was this how their conversation was supposed to go?
At first, Ji Chenxi hadn’t even planned to talk to him, but since he asked, he casually gave him an answer. “Why don’t you guess who taught me my hacking skills?”
The young man froze for a moment, seeming surprised, yet also as if it made perfect sense. “The main system here—the Core.”
Ji Chenxi gave a light acknowledgment. The reason he could take control so easily was, of course, because the main system here was his accomplice.
“Just now, were you trying to trigger a self-destruct? Or planning to alert whatever garbage you’ve buried here? With it around, that kind of thing is very hard to pull off. It’s far more terrifying than we imagine—not just a simple artificial creation.”
After saying that, Ji Chenxi frowned slightly, feeling like his words carried some unintended meaning. Only recently had he learned that the second-in-command of Cocoon wasn’t a real lifeform, but a robot centered around a chip. That made the young man in front of him more likely to be a machine than a real human.
“In the past, I would have scoffed, thinking the main system was nothing special. But today, it’s clear that it’s not something I can challenge.”
While trying to stop Ji Chenxi, he had deployed countless viruses that could disable systems, yet every one of them disappeared the moment they touched it, as if they had never existed.
“It’s a pity—you won’t get another chance to challenge it.”
Black-red thorns extended from the shadows, surrounding him tightly. Sharp spikes pierced into his flesh, but the young man had no time to care about them. Instead, he looked in surprise at the roses blooming on the vines, their appearance strikingly delicate. He reached out and gently touched one, realizing it wasn’t a spiritual illusion but something real.
A physical manifestation of spiritual power. And at this level of manifestation.
“You really aren’t just S-rank. You’re the super S-rank he’s been trying to find. If you had told him from the start that you were far beyond S-rank, he might not have attacked you.”
Ji Chenxi showed no reaction, neither regretful nor as angry as before when Chen Xing was mentioned.
The young man’s face was pale. Even though he was about to die, his expression was relaxed, waiting for death in a posture completely unlike his usual style.
“You seem to be looking forward to it.”
The young man, who had already closed his eyes, slowly opened them again, looking toward the overly bright white light above. “Sometimes, death is also a kind of relief.”
“Is that so? Don’t you want to return to Chen Xing’s side?”
“My mission failed. Since it failed, I’m something useless to him. Rather than getting in his way, I think death is better.”
Ji Chenxi fell silent for a moment. He didn’t understand, but he respected it. He decisively gave the other a relatively easier death—if destroying the chip directly could be considered easy.
Jumping out of the window, the troublesome giant robot had already been firmly restrained, unable to do anything under the tight net. Those strangely modified humans were either dead or injured. Flames had already ignited outside, with several places deliberately set on fire. Faint screams and explosions could be heard from afar.
The night, which should have been peaceful, had become anything but pleasant. The earlier laughter and joy had only been the calm before the storm.
A communication request came in. Ji Chenxi answered without even looking. It was Gu Hechuan’s voice.
“We’ve taken advantage of the chaos to get in and have already subdued some of the rebels. It’s better to activate the palace defenses. Otherwise, quite a few forces will want to join in the fun. Even if the noble families hold great power, they’re still under others. Who knows if they also want to take this position?”
“This position belongs to whoever is capable. If they have the guts, let them all come.”
There was silence on the other end for a while, then a voice that sounded both helpless and indulgent said, “You really want a complete reshuffle, huh? The risks are huge. But as long as you want it, the Gu family will stand with you.”
Chaos was something Chen Xing both liked and disliked.
Countless sounds of fighting had already erupted within the palace. This was true chaos.
He looked from afar at the white-gold tower. At this moment, there was no fire there, which meant the other party had failed.
Ji Zhiqing’s expression was no longer as confident as before. After all, what she was doing was treason. Even she found it hard to stay completely calm. She was a bit excited, but also a little nervous. Seeing Chen Xing looking in that direction, she asked, “What are you looking at, Your Excellency?”
“At that tower.”
“That’s the control center of the palace.”
“I planted a powerful bomb there. I thought I’d get to enjoy a nice firework show, but it seems that won’t happen.”
Ji Zhiqing caught the underlying meaning and frowned. “So Xiao Di’s side failed.”
“It’s fine. If it had succeeded on the first try, that would be the real problem. The First Legion and the Second Legion should have already entered by now, right?”
Ji Zhiqing nodded. The commander of the First Legion was her maternal grandfather, and her mother was his only daughter—there was no way he wouldn’t act. As for the Second Legion, as long as it was bound by marriage interests, that commander couldn’t possibly side with Ji Chenxi. The only downside was that they acted too early and too suddenly. Even if they caught others off guard, they lacked a bit of timing. That old fox had definitely held something back, after all, if they failed this time, it would involve the interests of the entire legion and family.
“I’m a bit worried about the Second Legion.”
“Your Highness needn’t worry. Once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back. The commander of the Second Legion understands that much. He has no chance to regret it.”
Ji Zhiqing frowned. The closer it got to the critical moment, the more a faint unease lingered in her heart.
“However…” Chen Xing said slowly, “it’s still missing something—a point that can truly enrage both the First and Second Legions.”
Ji Zhiqing was just about to ask when a cold dagger pierced into her heart at a speed too fast to react.
Her pupils widened in shock as she looked at the man before her. “You… you…”
“Your Highness is far too careless.” Chen Xing pushed the dagger deeper.
Making a deal with a tiger—she should have expected this outcome.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
