Feng Zhixi tilted his head slightly, appearing somewhat puzzled by Ji Yeran’s behavior.
His cool fingertips brushed against the Alpha’s warm arm. Taking advantage of the warmth, the young Omega tilted his head to look at the other man. From this upward angle, the sharpness of Feng Zhixi’s features was inadvertently softened, highlighting the exquisite intensity of his face.
He was like the purest, most potent wine—a blend of rich aroma and intoxicating sweetness that drew one into a lingering dream.
Ji Yeran’s gaze fell involuntarily upon Feng Zhixi. He couldn't help but wonder if this Omega wasn't just scented like fine liquor, but was himself the most mellow and potent of spirits.
Unreasonable and willful.
Thinking of something, Ji Yeran let out a faint smile. In that moment, the ripple in his emotions seemed to affect his own pheromones.
The tart scent of green plums underwent a subtle transformation.
Feng Zhixi froze. He seemed to catch a hint of sweetness—like a green plum glacé soaked in honey. The sourness was gone, replaced by the unique fragrance of the fruit itself, fused with the sweetness of nectar. it was incredibly pleasant.
The green plum had actually turned sweet on its own?!
Like a scientist discovering a new continent, Feng Zhixi’s eyes lit up instantly. He moved closer to Ji Yeran, his inner researcher’s soul itching to investigate.
*A sweet plum is a good plum,* Feng Zhixi thought, his eyes curving slightly.
Attraction is always mutual. As the "spoiled brat" instinctively drew closer, Ji Yeran saw his own reflection in Feng Zhixi’s eyes.
Ji Yeran was surprised to find that the version of himself in the Omega’s pupils was a stranger. That relaxed, open expression was something he thought would never appear on his own face.
*When did I change?* Startled by his own transformation, Ji Yeran fell into deep thought.
While the Warden was lost in contemplation, caught off guard by his own change of heart, Fleet Commander Xu Yi finally arrived at the scene. Looking at the "Pirate Convention" before him, he fell into a long, stunned silence.
Xu Yi: "..." Would someone please tell him what was going on?
In this sector of space, notorious for frequent raids, the Commander saw a horizon filled with all sorts of bizarrely shaped vessels. With his experience, he recognized them instantly: they were all pirate ships.
There was a massive swarm of them! Moreover, these ships, large and small, were arranged with meticulous order, hanging upside down in the vacuum in a completely unconventional manner. At first glance, it looked like an avant-garde pirate ship exhibition.
Xu Yi: "??!" Was he hallucinating?
The absurdity of the scene made Xu Yi wonder if the Executive Officer had stumbled upon and captured an entire pirate repair hub. Otherwise, there was no way to explain this!
What on earth had they done?
The Commander had entertained countless theories during his journey, but he never imagined he would see *this* upon arrival.
Facing his superior’s questioning gaze, the Executive Officer lowered his head guiltily. He dutifully showed the Commander the detention cells, which were packed to the rafters with pirates.
Seeing the terrifying sight of the overcrowded brig through the holographic monitor, Commander Xu Yi remained in a state of eerie silence.
On the screen, the pirates had lost all will to resist. These burly, rough men were restrained by intelligent capture devices and stacked like human pyramids, filling every inch of the room.
Red warnings flashed on the AI interface, reminding everyone that the detention capacity had reached its absolute limit. Adding even one more person would violate the standards regarding the "mistreatment of prisoners."
This was strictly forbidden by the Federation Military! Even pirates had Federation human rights!
"..." Xu Yi had considered many possibilities on his way here, but this was not one of them.
So, the Executive Officer hadn't contacted him because of an ambush or a trap? It was because they had captured so many prisoners that the ship couldn't hold them all, and they needed the fleet's support to haul them away?!
Since when did these cunning pirates, who terrorized the Gamma Galaxy corridors, become as easy to harvest as cabbages in a field?
The Commander was beyond shocked.
Then, the shocked Commander had to listen to the Executive Officer’s heart-wrenching self-reflection.
The far-from-innocent Executive Officer felt extremely sheepish. Under his superior’s furious glare, he braced himself and recounted the entire process of how he had "won by doing nothing."
The Executive Officer reflected that he had been careless. He never expected that those three brats could pull so many tricks with a single piece-of-junk pirate ship. Not only that, but the supervisor he had sent over had "defected" due to a weak will.
He was at fault. He was weak-willed, failed to learn his lesson, and was repeatedly fooled by these kids, losing all sense of vigilance and judgment. The Executive Officer hung his head in dejection.
Listening to this, Xu Yi—who realized he had also been played by Feng Zhixi—felt like he had taken an arrow to the knee. It hurt.
The Executive Officer, head still down, didn't notice his superior’s darkening expression. His deep self-analysis continued: he was wrong for not seeing through the brats' schemes immediately.
Commander Xu Yi, with an arrow in his knee: "..." Why did he let Feng Zhixi talk him into this decoy plan in the first place?!
The Executive Officer continued: he shouldn't have been so forgetful, lacked a sense of crisis, and allowed himself to be tricked over and over.
Commander Xu Yi, with a second arrow in his knee: "..." Why did he lose his mind and let that brat participate in the mission?!
The muttering Executive Officer was still going: he shouldn't have fallen for it time and again, and finally, he shouldn't have sent a "naive and sweet" subordinate as a supervisor. He never expected that the supervisor he placed so much hope in would end up being brainwashed by those three, joining them in their double-dealing and secret schemes!
The Commander, now looking like a pincushion of arrows: "..."
Every word of the Executive Officer’s self-reflection felt like a slap to Xu Yi’s face. The more he heard, the more he felt the man was describing *him*—a fool who had been led by the nose by a bunch of kids!
Who proposed the decoy plan? That little brat who was secretly stirring up trouble!
Who approved the plan? He did!
Who agreed to let the three brats participate? Also him!
And who decided to send a weak-willed idiot as the supervisor? Still him!
By the time the Executive Officer finished, Xu Yi’s face stung, and his knees were throbbing...
Taking a deep breath, the Commander raised his hand to cut off the self-flagellation. With a grim face, he asked, "Where are those brats?"
*Another group of disobedient children. Throw them all into solitary confinement!*
Determined to discipline these troublemakers, the Commander ignored the Executive Officer’s hesitant attempts to plead for them. He coldly ordered a small robot to bring the three rule-breakers to him. He was going to show them exactly what "military discipline" meant!
However, the Commander’s plan went awry.
When Feng Zhixi strolled in behind the robot, he didn't even give the Commander a chance to start the interrogation. Having been the partner of a "smiling fox" pirate leader for so long, Feng Zhixi had picked up a few tricks for manipulating people.
"Reporting, Commander. We’ve found the pirates' main base." Seeing the Commander’s expression shift slightly at his words, Feng Zhixi offered a faint smile.
The young Omega’s eyes curved, meeting the First Army Commander’s gaze with unmasked sharpness. He casually tossed out a poisoned olive branch.
Taking down the pirates' main base would make one the undisputed champion of this military exercise.
First place. Who wouldn't want that? Feng Zhixi watched Commander Xu Yi quietly, his expression calm and indifferent.
Xu Yi: "..." He finally understood why his subordinates were fooled time and again. The enemy was simply too powerful!
The situation was clear. Feng Zhixi had found the nest. As long as the First Army followed the trail and wiped them out, they would be the guaranteed winners.
Winning the exercise was Xu Yi’s primary goal. So, should he throw the brats in the brig? Or should he turn a blind eye to their breach of discipline?
Caught in a dilemma, the Commander stared at the Omega, whose calm demeanor made his teeth itch with frustration. Ultimately, his desire for victory triumphed. Xu Yi surrendered to Feng Zhixi’s blatant "open scheme."
Thus, solitary confinement was naturally off the table. Feng Zhixi smiled.
Having anticipated this outcome, the willful Omega had prepared early, successfully rescuing himself from the brink of punishment.
Looking at the bright-eyed Omega, the Commander felt a lump of frustration stuck in his chest.
*So annoying! I really want to hit someone! My fists are itching!*
Facing the brat who was aggravating enough to shorten one's lifespan, the Commander took a deep breath, his fists clenching and unclenching. As an adult Alpha, hitting an Omega was out of the question, but—
Xu Yi’s gaze turned cold, sweeping over the three students before finally locking onto the only Alpha among them.
The young Alpha stood there in his black military uniform, quiet and composed, as if he hadn't even noticed the Omega’s blatant maneuvering to avoid punishment.
Looking at the Alpha standing next to Feng Zhixi—who had technically done nothing wrong—the Commander, desperate to hit something, didn't give Ji Yeran a chance to protest.
Xu Yi: "You. Follow me to the training grounds."
*Think you kids are capable, huh?! I can't hit the Omega, but I can certainly pummel the Alpha.*
Determined to vent his frustration, the Commander looked at Ji Yeran with a sinister glint in his eyes. *Don't blame me for being harsh, kid; you brought this on yourself! Who told you to be the only Alpha in the group?*
Ji Yeran, suddenly hit by another stray blame-pot out of nowhere: "???"
***
