As soon as the last sound of the nine words fell, the young man immediately reported a coordinate point, leaving no time for anyone to even say a simple “yes” in response.

Yú Chén received the order and positioned the sniper cannon on his left arm, resting it against his shoulder. Without a moment’s hesitation, he locked onto the individual mech that Yún Xúnlán had named amidst the hyena mech group, aimed at its core source, and fired.

“Boom—!”

The explosive round shot out from the gun, piercing through the interference rounds and hitting that mech, creating a wave of crimson flames. Unfortunately, it didn’t hit a fatal spot; the mech was only momentarily halted by the shockwave for less than a second before stabilizing and continuing its advance.

“03, 05.”

Yún Xúnlán didn’t let Yú Chén fire again at that mech but instead reported a new coordinate, instructing Yú Chén to target the third column of vertical lines and the fifth row of hyena mechs.

Without a second thought, Yú Chén, as if controlled by Yún Xúnlán’s central nervous system, only focused on receiving and reacting, not thinking at all. He quickly adjusted the gun’s aim at another mech and pulled the trigger.

“02, 04.”

“01, 06…”

The silver-haired alpha reported the coordinates one after another.

Under the azure sky, amidst the deep and dark sea of clouds, the deafening sounds of explosions echoed, yet they were overshadowed by the calm and steady voice of the young man, Ning He. It flowed like the gentle strings of a violin, smoothly gliding over the heart, allowing one to empty their thoughts, ignore the chaos, and focus on resisting the enemy machines alongside him.

Yú Chén hit all the hyena mechs that Yún Xúnlán had reported coordinates for, not a single shot missed. However, only a few times did he manage to destroy their core sources with a single shot.

In contrast, Fù Yánxī and Guì Yán’s hit rate skyrocketed as if they were on a rocket, because they discovered a pattern—when they attacked the mechs that Yú Chén had hit but not destroyed, they could hit their core sources on the second attempt.

It was as if Yú Chén’s first shot had stunned them; when Fù Yánxī and Guì Yán attacked them afterward, they either didn’t dodge or their interference rounds jammed. Some even used their core source areas as baskets to catch the explosive rounds, leaving Fù Yánxī and Guì Yán dumbfounded.

Thus, in just over twenty seconds, the formation of the hyena mech group was completely disrupted. When Yún Xúnlán reported the mech coordinates again, Fù Yánxī and Guì Yán had no chance to fire again—the previous shot from Yú Chén had already rendered them useless.

At this point, Yún Xúnlán finally stopped calling out death sentences and said calmly, “As for the rest, those who retreat will be left alive for the patrol starship and the guard team to handle. Those who don’t retreat, kill them all.”

In an instant, the crisis was resolved under the command of the silver-haired alpha.

Guì Yán was still puzzled even after putting away his gun. He asked Yú Chén through the communicator, “Yú Chén, did you come up with some new shooting technique? How did you do that just now?”

“It has nothing to do with me; I just pull the trigger,” Yú Chén replied.

He removed his exoskeleton power suit, flipped down from the roof of the vehicle, and went to check on Yún Xúnlán’s condition.

Inside the vehicle, the young man had his hands crossed gently over his abdomen, his eyelids lowered as if he were asleep.

Yú Chén couldn’t help but lighten his movements, both worried for him and afraid to disturb him.

Instead, Yún Xúnlán noticed Yú Chén’s gaze and turned his head towards the blue-eyed alpha, softly asking, “Yú Chén… could you help take care of my little fish for a few days?”

“Sure.” Yú Chén immediately agreed to Yún Xúnlán.

He bent down inside the vehicle to look for the fish. The water bag had rolled under the seat during the earlier chaos. When Yú Chén retrieved it, the blue betta fish inside was still lively and jumping around, proving to be a hardy beginner fish as the pet store owner had said.

“It’s fine,” Yú Chén picked up the water bag and looked up at Yún Xúnlán, “… Your Highness?”

The silver-haired young man leaned against the car window, eyes closed and lips pressed together, looking very much like he was asleep.

However, when the patrol starship arrived, Yún Xúnlán was sent back to the Imperial Military Medical Research Institute.

Yú Chén, Fù Yánxī, Guì Yán, and Lù Yōu naturally had to follow along, but they were stopped outside the operating room.

The moment the operating room door opened, Yú Chén saw Péixíngtíng among the doctors waiting inside.

Once the door to the operating room closed tightly, Fù Yánxī finally seemed to regain his breath and turned to Yú Chén, saying, “Didn’t the prince say he was fine? Why is it now…”

“The prince is fine,” Nǐ Chūn interjected, continuing Fù Yánxī’s words, “It’s just a concussion; there’s no need to worry.”

—Does a concussion require surgery?

Fù Yánxī exchanged glances with Guì Yán, then looked at Lù Yōu, who also returned his gaze and gently shook his head.

Only Yú Chén didn’t join them; he just looked down at his left hand.

He was certain that during the first impact, he had protected all the vulnerable spots on Yún Xúnlán’s body. Although Yún Xúnlán’s head had indeed suffered a blow, it had hit his hand. He had used his palm to absorb most of the impact, and his hand was fine. As a top-tier 3S alpha, Yún Xúnlán, with his physical condition, could not possibly have a concussion.

Even if, hypothetically, it were a concussion, Yún Xúnlán wouldn’t need to go into surgery; this condition doesn’t require surgical treatment.

Most importantly…

The alert from the light brain wristband was very clear: Yún Xúnlán had internal bleeding.

Yú Chén furrowed his brows tightly, shifting his gaze from his palm to the closed door of the operating room—he was certain that Yún Xúnlán was undergoing surgery inside.

Because Péixíngtíng was actually just Yún Xúnlán’s personal pharmacist; his original job was as an anesthesiologist.

So three years ago, when Péixíngtíng told him that he had successfully become Yún Xúnlán’s pharmacist, Yú Chén had been puzzled about it.

At that time, Yú Chén couldn’t understand, and Péixíngtíng hadn’t given him an answer.

Now, Yú Chén still couldn’t figure out the riddle. Even if he asked Péixíngtíng, he probably still wouldn’t say.

Fifteen minutes later, the princess Yún Xúnguāng arrived.

She must have rushed to the Imperial Military Medical Research Institute as soon as she received the news; her hair and clothes were a bit disheveled, unlike her usual neat and capable appearance, revealing a hint of her anxious emotions.

However, when she reached the operating room door, Yún Xúnguāng became calm and composed.

She first nodded in thanks to the guards, saying, “Thank you for your hard work.”

The guards returned her salute, “Your Highness, this is what we should do.”

Yún Xúnguāng’s gaze swept over their faces, and finally, her golden eyes fixed on Yú Chén as she extended her right hand, “Major Yú Chén, Warrior Yú, I’ve long admired your name.”

Due to her high status, the cold and imposing aura emanating from Yún Xúnguāng was far more intimidating than Yún Xúnlán’s, making it difficult for ordinary people to remain calm under her gaze.

Yú Chén could, but at the moment he extended his hand, he remembered that Yún Xúnlán liked him.

So, his handshake felt a bit awkward, and his tone was somewhat unnatural, “… Your Highness, you flatter me.”

“What flattery is this?” Yún Xúnguāng didn’t bring up Yún Xúnlán’s feelings but instead mentioned something else, “Anyone who has the patience to tutor Lánlán is a warrior. I was the first to tutor him in ‘War Psychology,’ and after three sessions, I had to hire a special tutor for him. I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

No matter how many years passed, Yún Xúnguāng would still feel angry when recalling that time. She looked at Yú Chén with admiration, saying, “Major Yú Chén, don’t doubt yourself; you are indeed a warrior.”

Yú Chén: “…”

“You all are also the bravest and most loyal soldiers of the Galactic Empire.” After praising Yú Chén, Yún Xúnguāng smiled and turned her gaze to Fù Yánxī, Guì Yán, and Lù Yōu, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I haven’t either. If you don’t mind, please join me for dinner.”

The princess, with her noble status, invited them, and of course, they couldn’t refuse.

However, with Yún Xúnlán still in the operating room and his condition unknown, the guards found it hard to enjoy the meal, each bite feeling like a chore.

In the end, Guì Yán couldn’t hold back and boldly asked, “Your Highness, what exactly is wrong with the Third Prince…?”

Upon hearing this, Yún Xúnguāng paused her chopsticks but didn’t raise her head. The atmosphere around them became tense in her silence.

Just as Guì Yán was about to seal his mouth shut, Yún Xúnguāng spoke, casually asking Nǐ Chūn, “Did Lánlán say what was wrong with him?”

Nǐ Chūn lowered his head and replied to Yún Xúnguāng, “Your Highness, the Third Prince said he has a concussion.”

“Then it’s just a concussion, a minor issue. He just needs to rest for a few days; you don’t need to worry about him.”

Yún Xúnguāng emphasized the words “concussion,” reiterating Nǐ Chūn’s words to Guì Yán.

“Exactly, Lánlán has never liked to see people when he gets sick since he was little, not even me. This time with the concussion, he will probably stay in the hospital for a long time.” She lifted her eyelids, her golden eyes glaring with authority, even though her lips were curved in a smile, her presence was still imposing, “So after this meal, you all should return to the barracks; there’s no need to stay here. I’ll have Dík give you a few days off.”

“… Yes.” Guì Yán buried his head in his food, not daring to speak again.

After the meal, the four of them took the same vehicle back to the guard’s camp.

“Will we still be able to come back to work after our break?” Guì Yán asked, feeling a bit dazed, “We won’t be fired because of my big mouth, will we?”

Lù Yōu remained silent as the driver.

Yú Chén sat in the passenger seat, looking out at the passing street scenery, ignoring him.

Fù Yánxī leaned his forehead on his hand, “Did you get hit in the head like those hyena mechs? How could the princess fire us over something so trivial? We just need to take a few days off for an investigation; today was an assassination attempt.”

Hearing this, Lù Yōu also spoke up, “Not just us, all the guards, attendants, and everyone who came into contact with the prince today will be investigated. Once the investigation is over, we can continue to come back to work.”

Yún Xúnlán’s schedule was generally very fixed, and he had suddenly changed it today, even encountering an assassination attempt on the way, which proved that the mastermind must have been very familiar with his movements.

“Oh, sorry.” Guì Yán apologized for his foolishness, then sighed, “Speaking of which, the princess’s aura is terrifying. I didn’t even dare to breathe in front of her. I don’t know how Commander Dík faces her.”

Fù Yánxī admired him, “You didn’t dare to breathe, yet you still dared to inquire about the Third Prince’s situation?”

Guì Yán looked aggrieved, “I was really worried about the Third Prince.”

“Yú Chén, you were in the same vehicle as the Third Prince.” He leaned his head out from the back seat to ask Yú Chén in the front, “Do you think the Third Prince is really okay?”

“Don’t ask.” Yú Chén replied. He was starting to understand the annoyance that Péixíngtíng must have felt when he pressed for information about what illness Yún Xúnlán had.

He said, “The princess said the Third Prince has a concussion, so that’s the only conclusion. It doesn’t matter who asks.”

Guì Yán sighed, “I definitely understand that logic; I just… sigh, I won’t ask anymore. Don’t worry, I won’t talk about it outside.”

When the four of them returned to the guard camp, they indeed received a notice that all guards would have a two-day holiday, and Commander Dík even granted them an outing leave.

However, no one in the guard camp was in the mood to go out; they all stayed in the camp.

Fù Yánxī and Guì Yán had nothing to do, and every meal time, they would have Lù Yōu and Yú Chén bring their betta fish to the cafeteria, placing the four fish tanks together to cultivate some fierceness in the bettas.

Jī Bǎi and the new alpha guard Zhú Shuǐqīn, who replaced Zhōu Shùn, curiously approached Fù Yánxī and the others’ table.

Before they could even open their mouths, Fù Yánxī eagerly said, “Hey, how did you know the Third Prince sent us betta fish?”

Guì Yán chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, he sent us betta fish that you don’t have.”

Jī Bǎi and Zhú Shuǐqīn: “…”

Jealousy overwhelmed Jī Bǎi and Zhú Shuǐqīn, and they silently left, feeling sour.

Fù Yánxī had just enjoyed two minutes of satisfaction when he suddenly drooped his eyebrows, resting his head on the table with a gloomy expression, “I was thinking… once we get to go out, I must go buy lychee rose ice cream from Aìlì’ānxīyà, and I must use Yú Chén’s money to buy it.”

He glared at Yú Chén, “This is the price you have to pay for that ‘dad’ sound!”

After glaring, he returned to his gloomy state, “Sigh… who knew that now that we have a holiday, I don’t have the mood to go eat. I’ll wait for next time.”

Yú Chén glanced at the betta fish that he had raised but had never seen the front of, only ever showing its backside to him, and reneged, “Don’t wait; I won’t treat you.”

As soon as he said this, Lù Yōu immediately looked at Yú Chén.

Guì Yán’s eyes widened, “Yú Chén, do you want to owe us a debt and not pay it back?”

“I’ll pay you back tenfold.” Yú Chén opened his light brain and transferred money to them, “Go eat something else; don’t eat that ice cream.”

Fù Yánxī took the red envelope first before saying, “I won’t; I not only want to eat, but I also want to eat ten.”

Guì Yán followed suit, “I’ll add my own money and eat twenty.”

Even Lù Yōu raised an eyebrow, succinctly stating, “Thirty.”

Yú Chén: “…”

He lifted his eyelids, his blue eyes coldly glaring at the culprit Fù Yánxī, “Don’t force me to hit you.”

“There are so many people in the entire empire who have eaten it.” Fù Yánxī retorted, “Are you going to beat them all up?”

Yú Chén said, “I can ignore others I can’t see right now, but if you eat it, I will definitely hit you.”

“Beast!”

As soon as Yú Chén finished speaking, a curse filled with anger echoed through the cafeteria.

“Exactly.” Guì Yán nodded, “Yú Chén, think about it; are you speaking human language? Look, Sòng Tīngqiáo can’t stand it and is cursing you a beast.”

“Ah?”

Over there, Sòng Tīngqiáo, who was angrily banging on the table, turned his head and waved his hand, “No, no, no, I’m not cursing Yú Chén; I’m cursing those interstellar pirates. They actually don’t admit they came to assassinate the Third Prince!”

Brother Sòng Tīngyàn frowned, helping his brother explain why he was angry, “That day when the Third Prince was assassinated, didn’t you leave three alive? They were all caught by the guard team, but during the interrogation, they had the audacity to say they wanted to give the Third Prince a surprise and come to send him birthday wishes, with no intention of assassination, and even turned the tables to slander Yú Chén and Fù Yánxī for killing them without asking questions, committing murder.”

The beautiful alpha Luò Tì also slammed the table, “What nonsense! The Third Prince’s birthday was over a month ago; what kind of wishes are they sending? How can they be more uncivilized than Yú Chén? They’re simply worse than beasts!”

Yú Chén: “?”

“So I’m very angry.” Sòng Tīngqiáo pointed at his chest, “But the launch site of that missile is still unknown, and it used a universal model from the galaxy, so we can’t trace it. Those hyena mechs also didn’t fire any high-damage weapons; they only shot defensive interference rounds, and their mouths were even harder than Yú Chén’s. We couldn’t extract any useful information from them.”

Yú Chén: “???”

Jī Bǎi and Zhú Shuǐqīn gathered around again, worriedly asking, “So we have no way to deal with them at all?”

“No.” Sòng Tīngyàn shook his head, “Someone provided us with a clue, and you would never guess who it is.”

The newcomer Zhú Shuǐqīn asked, “Who is it?”

Sòng Tīngyàn glanced at her, “It’s Zhōu Shùn, who gave up his position for you.”

“How could it be him?” Fù Yánxī was puzzled, “He has already left; where would he get such confidential information?”

Sòng Tīngqiáo said, “At first, my brother and I were also very confused.”

After Zhōu Shùn left the Imperial Guard, he returned to his original regiment, undergoing moral education every day, writing reflections to correct his mistakes, and treating his omega boyfriend much more tenderly than before.

Who would have thought that the previously cute and obedient omega boyfriend would propose a breakup at this time, angrily scolding Zhōu Shùn for his past mistakes and calling him scum.

In the past, Zhōu Shùn would have thought that this omega was a gold-digging green tea who despised him for his ruined future and wanted to break up. In short, it was the omega’s fault, the world’s fault, not his own.

But there was one person’s words that Zhōu Shùn believed would never be wrong, and that person was Yún Xúnlán.

Zhōu Shùn regarded every word from Yún Xúnlán as a guiding principle, so when his omega boyfriend scolded him, he wasn’t angry. He continued to reflect on himself, writing self-criticism and repentance letters, and even prepared to pay a large sum as a breakup fee to compensate his omega boyfriend for the grievances he had suffered.

And through this reflection, Zhōu Shùn realized something was wrong.

He couldn’t understand why his omega boyfriend could tolerate him when he thought he was scum. Why would his omega boyfriend want to break up when he was just being a normal person?

Moreover, this omega boyfriend often inquired about Yún Xúnlán’s news.

Initially, they had gotten together because they both admired Yún Xúnlán. After getting together, Zhōu Shùn didn’t cherish his omega boyfriend, not only because he looked down on omegas but also because he felt that this omega wasn’t as fervent about Yún Xúnlán as he was.

—This was very abnormal.

The more Zhōu Shùn thought about it, the more uneasy he became, so he secretly investigated his boyfriend. As he dug deeper, he discovered that his omega boyfriend’s identity as a citizen of the Galactic Empire was forged, and he hurriedly reported the information to the guard team for further investigation.

“Upon investigation, the guard team found that not only was his omega boyfriend an undercover agent, but his former hookup—a female beta—was also an undercover agent.” Sòng Tīngqiáo spread his hands, “But Zhōu Shùn, this person, looked down on betas more than omegas. He only hooked up with betas without confirming a romantic relationship, and when that female beta couldn’t extract any information from him, she switched to a male omega.”

Sòng Tīngyàn nodded in agreement with his brother, “The male omega undercover agent served Zhōu Shùn in a low-profile manner, but Zhōu Shùn ignored him. Not cheating was already good enough; let alone leaking the Third Prince’s whereabouts. By the time Zhōu Shùn turned over a new leaf, he was kicked out of the Imperial Guard and couldn’t contact the Third Prince anymore. If I were that undercover agent, I would be so angry I would spit blood.”

Everyone: “…”

Lù Yōu pressed his temples, “He really is something else.”

Yú Chén was also speechless, “It’s hard to evaluate.”

“This incident taught us a lesson.” Sòng Tīngqiáo raised his index finger, summarizing, “You never know what huge secrets your partner is hiding from you.”

When he said the word “secrets,” his gaze happened to meet Yú Chén’s eyes.

Yú Chén’s expression remained unchanged, but the light in his eyes dimmed slightly for a moment.

Sòng Tīngqiáo didn’t notice and continued, “So before our service in the guards is up, we better not date anyone. Sleeping with others is also not allowed! My brother listens to me; he has no objections. Who agrees? Who disagrees?”

Yú Chén: “I disagree…”

Jī Bǎi raised his hand, “I agree!”

Guì Yán supported with both hands, “I agree too!”

Lù Yōu said, “I’m asexual.”

Zhú Shuǐqīn said, “I’m a singleism advocate.”

Luò Tì said, “I only love 2D characters.”

“Good!” Fù Yánxī stood up, raising his arm high, “Then let’s all not date; whoever dates is a dog!”

Yú Chén: “…”

Fù Yánxī stared at him, “Yú Chén, what were you about to say just now?”

Yú Chén tilted his head and turned his neck, clearly sitting but looking down at everyone with an imposing demeanor as he finished speaking, “I disagree.”

Fù Yánxī couldn’t argue with him and sat back down, “Such divisive words, let’s give the Third Prince some face and pretend we didn’t hear you today. Don’t say it again in the future.”

“I said I disagree.” Yú Chén turned to face Fù Yánxī and repeated, “Do you have any insights you want to share?”

Fù Yánxī said, “Don’t disagree; what are we dating for? We’re all colleagues; we need to unite and be friendly. Don’t always isolate us.”

Guì Yán also persuaded him, “Yeah, Yú Ge, you know your temper; you’re always cursing one person and punching another. We’re afraid you won’t be able to control yourself and bully your future sister-in-law.”

“I admit, I do have a bit of a temper, but I have three things I don’t curse.” Yú Chén leaned back, resting his right hand on the back of the chair, and held up three fingers, saying, “First, I don’t curse my country; second, I don’t curse my parents; third, I don’t curse my wife.”

“This is my principle; don’t treat me like Zhōu Shùn, that kind of uncivilized person, okay? I would never curse my wife in my life.”

After hearing this, Guì Yán stopped persuading Yú Chén and instead tried to persuade Fù Yánxī, “Xī Ge, it seems we don’t need to worry; do you remember what Yú Chén said during the interview?”

“Oh, I remember.” Fù Yánxī suddenly realized, smiling, “You go ahead and date, Yú Chén; I wish you happiness.”

Yú Chén: “?”

“What happiness?” Dík walked into the cafeteria, just in time to hear this.

Fù Yánxī said, “Commander, we were talking about Yú Chén’s happiness.”

“I also think he’s happy.” Unexpectedly, Dík nodded in agreement upon hearing this, looking at Yú Chén with disbelief, “Yú Chén, what did you do? As soon as the Third Prince woke up, he said he wanted to see you.”

Fù Yánxī: “……?”