Chapter 43: Negotiations with the Golden Wing Battalion

Chapter 43: Negotiations with the Golden Wing Battalion

SR Sirius System - Jingxing.

Xu Qingran was being interrogated by the security personnel.

Only after it was over did they let him go. The looks they gave him as he left were as if they were examining some kind of rare species.

Then they glanced back at the detention area where the severely injured, disoriented, and still rambling big men were being held.

Silently, they sighed, "...D-type?"

Whoever takes this D-type home in the future is in for a lot of trouble.

As Xu Qingran walked out of the police station, a man in a police uniform brushed past him.

Seeing his colleague standing by the door and the group of big men in the corner who were acting like they were on drugs, crazy and irritable, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have drug users here too?"

The officer immediately stood at attention, "Officer Su, what brings you here?"

Su Wenxu, the younger brother of General Su Wenming from the Su family. Unlike his brother, he worked in the police department, focusing on maintaining domestic security and public order, and was involved in investigations mostly related to the smuggling and trafficking of illegal drugs.

Su Wenxu grinned, his pair of tiger teeth particularly striking, "The Sirius System has recently established a special investigation team targeting the prevalent ST-891 illegal drug. I came to chat with your chief and grab a cup of tea."

After saying that, his smile faded, and he frowned, "What's going on with these people? Have they been tested?"

The young officer immediately replied, "They've already been sent to the nearest testing center, and the results should be out today."

Recently, a new type of stimulant has emerged in some parts of the empire. After use, the user's spirit reaches a highly excited state in a short time, and the energy of their spiritual power also increases several times. However, the side effect is that it's easy to enter a manic state similar to E-type, with increased destructive desires, leading to incidents of public injury or property damage.

Su Wenxu thought about it and felt annoyed again, "If I find out who's behind this, I'll make them pay dearly!"

On the other side, after leaving the police station, Xu Qingran headed to the nearby parking lot.

Just a few streets away, several men in black suits and sunglasses, with Golden Wing badges on their chests, appeared in front of him.

They were as expressionless and serious as before, "Mr. Xu, can you come with us now?"

"We just want to have a chat with Mr. Xu and discuss a cooperation."

Xu Qingran pursed his lips, looking impatient.

System: "...They are really persistent, host, you're really in demand now!"

The incident that led to both Xu Qingran's fans and haters being proven wrong happened a couple of days ago.

That afternoon, during his live broadcast, he suddenly realized that Shen Tingyu seemed to have spent a lot of money, and then pretended that it was something confiscated from Shen Tianyi and gave it to him. He didn't quite understand it, but being bored, he decided to go out and find an answer.

However, just as his aircraft left the planet and entered a transit star, he was suddenly stopped by a group of strangers.

A dozen black and gold combat aircraft surrounded him.

They didn't directly attack him but sent a representative to say, "Hello, Mr. Xu, would it be convenient for you to come with us?"

Xu Qingran wasn't intimidated by their presence and replied expressionlessly, "No, it's not convenient."

Taking advantage of their lack of reaction, he slipped away.

Since then, Xu Qingran's journey to the P bakery on Jingxing has been fraught with difficulties.

Either the checkpoint suddenly becomes impassable, or there are always unexplained attacks by strangers on the road. It's not that those people are targeting him, but it's just a coincidence that they always stir up trouble wherever he goes.

For example, today, after finally making it to Crystal Star Food City and walking towards P's Pastry Shop, he was inexplicably singled out by a group of thugs in the alley. They were bothering a girl at the time and recognized him as he passed by.

They didn’t seem to be in the best state of mind, and assuming he was a weak and fragile D-type, they moved in to mess with him.

The result was that Xu Qingran got to enjoy another good fight.

After these various incidents, the group that kept coming after him would always pop up from time to time, with the same robotic demeanor, asking him the same questions.

Even if Xu Qingran’s brain is too lazy to process, he can understand that these obstacles are deliberately set by them.

It feels like a warning.

To use such methods just to get him to talk, Xu Qingran instead became a bit interested.

He decided to see what they were really after: "Alright, I'll talk with you."

They took him to a private room in a nearby club.

Waiting for him was a middle-aged woman with her hair in a bun, wearing frameless glasses with a thin gold chain, light makeup, and an elegant, serious demeanor, giving off serious school principal vibes.

Xu Qingran glanced at the brooch design under her collar, which also featured the phoenix element of the Golden Wing Battalion.

He sat down as the men in black directed.

The server poured him tea and then quietly closed the door behind him.

The elegant woman was polite: "Mr. Xu, hello, sorry for taking up your time."

Xu Qingran raised his eyelids, his face devoid of any smile, only coldness and annoyance: "Oh, so you do know how to apologize?"

"Given how shameless and persistent you’ve been, I thought you had no morals."

His tone was casual, showing no respect at all.

Perhaps because his demeanor from being invited in to sitting down was overly calm, the woman across the table finally adjusted her glasses and looked him in the eye.

She remained composed, not annoyed by his attitude.

"Then I'll get straight to the point," the woman said, "Since Mr. Xu is a D-type, would you be interested in working with us?"

"We hope that after graduation, you will choose to join the Golden Wing Battalion."

"The Golden Wing can offer you prestige and wealth. During this period, we can provide you with all the help you need within a certain range. You can also propose any conditions you want, as long as they are within our capacity, we can fulfill them for you."

Xu Qingran crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, quite relaxed.

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Just to get me to choose the Golden Wing, you offer such good conditions?"

The woman's lips curved into a very standard smile: "We have high hopes for Mr. Xu."

"Of course, we also hope that Mr. Xu can cultivate a good relationship with General Shen, make him fall in love with you, and form a soul bond with you."

Xu Qingran said nothing.

The system exclaimed: "Wow? How did this collide with the mission?"

The representative from the Golden Wing continued: "You also know that the combination of D-type and E-type is a strong enhancement. We very much hope that you and the General can become the strongest combination in the Golden Wing Battalion, helping us better protect the Kayan Empire."

After listening, Xu Qingran couldn’t help but smirk coldly.

So that’s what you’re after.

Hearing this, her smile faded slightly, her eyes now tinged with curiosity and caution. "Mr. Xu, do you see a problem with this?"

Xu Qingran looked at her for a moment before smiling. "No, I was just wondering if you’ve forgotten something important."

"I’ve already been matched with the youngest child of the Shen family, with 99% compatibility. As internal affairs personnel of the empire, you should know that such a high compatibility rate would mandate a marriage contract, right?"

The woman’s expression softened a bit. "You don’t need to worry about that, Mr. Xu."

"The Shen family’s child is only six—nowhere near marriageable age. You can proceed confidently. As long as you succeed, the outcome will be exactly what you want."

For someone with his unique spiritual and mental makeup, this soulmate matching was hard to believe.

Xu Qingran lowered his eyes in thought, then asked, "What if I join the Golden Wings and you break your promise?"

The woman replied, "For exceptional talents like you, Mr. Xu, we always sign agreements before formal enlistment."

"Of course, if you have any demands now, you can also propose them for consideration."

Xu Qingran said straightforwardly, "Just one thing—a simple request for you."

"I have a list of key Xu family enterprises within the Silver Dragon Battalion. I want these enterprises completely bankrupt by the time I graduate."

The woman was surprised. "Forgive me for asking, but isn’t the Xu family... your own family, Mr. Xu?"

"It was," Xu Qingran said coldly, "but not anymore."

He’d seen the inheritance list Qi Heqian prepared for him that day. After excluding those, what was left were the Xu family’s core industries, including their branch operations. Since Xu Yan and the Xu family had been so ruthless, he saw no reason to show them any mercy.

He’d planned to ask Shen Tingyu if he knew any business tycoons who could help. But now, free help was handed to him—why not take advantage?

"After all, I’ve managed to move into Shen Tingyu’s place and become his friend," Xu Qingran smiled. "If you want to work with me, you’ll need to show some sincerity first."

The other party was also quite straightforward. "Very well, I’ll report this to our commander when I return."

"We’ll inform Mr. Xu once we have an answer."

They exchanged contact information like this.

Before leaving, Xu Qingran asked again, "Are you covering the cost of today’s private room?"

The woman was taken aback for a moment before responding, "Since we invited you, Mr. Xu, we wouldn’t dream of making you pay."

"That’s great," Xu Qingran smiled warmly. "Mind if I order some lunch while I’m here?"

There were only some appetizers and tea on the table. He thought to himself, he had never seen such poor hospitality during negotiations.

The woman with the frameless glasses was stunned again, her eye twitching slightly as she tried to maintain her composure. "...No problem, please enjoy your meal, Mr. Xu. We’ll take our leave now."

Xu Qingran had a satisfying meal at this high-end club.

Although he had money, it was always good to take advantage of free offers.

Especially with these persistent people from the Golden Wings, it was only right to take them for all they were worth.

After eating his fill, on the way to P's pastry shop, the system, which had been holding back for half a day, couldn't help but ask: "Host, sir, are you really going to agree to cooperate with them?"

Shen Tingyu is indeed a highly prized asset in the Golden Wing Battalion, but using this method to find Xu Qingran and wanting to pair them up should not be just for better performance on the battlefield.

A strong alliance is just a pretext.

The person who made this request probably has the ulterior motive of first controlling him, and then using him to control Shen Tingyu's vulnerabilities.

"Did I say I agreed?" Xu Qingran shot back.

He grinned, his eyes crinkling: "I just said, I want to see their sincerity."

They could help him, but he made no promises to agree to their demands afterward.

Xu Qingran returned to the food court and found the luxurious and beautiful white-gold pastry shop that looked like a palace.

Fortunately, the shop was open today, but all the products for today's sale were already sold out. He asked the staff and learned that Shen Tingyu was actually their highest-level VVIP customer.

It seems that the Shen family has a sweet tooth.

He thought Shen Tingyu only bought them for Shen Tianyi. But the staff mentioned that he sometimes came alone, spending entire afternoons in the VIP room upstairs with coffee or tea.

Xu Qingran was taken aback by this revelation.

He confirmed that Shen Tingyu had recently placed a takeout order, requesting small, individually wrapped portions.

He wondered if Shen Tingyu had picked it up for him during his dessert visits.

He couldn’t figure out why Shen Tingyu felt the need to be coy, using Shen Tianyi as an excuse.

As the eldest son of a wealthy family, the original host was also one of the VIP customers of this pastry shop.

Xu Qingran selected a few of Shen Tingyu’s usual orders from the staff records and requested them to be freshly made. From day to night, as he stepped out with the gift box, he let out a soft chuckle.

In his previous life, when he gave gifts to people, they were either ferocious beasts or severed heads he’d claimed himself.

This was his first time giving such a heartwarming gift.

Oh well, he was in a good mood anyway, and it didn’t hurt to tick off some strategy tasks while he was at it.

·

Back at his estate from the royal palace, Mu Ziyu had to deal with government affairs while recuperating from his injuries.

His mood had hit rock bottom these past few days.

Everything unfolded just as Shen Tingyu had foreseen. He went to his father to talk about this matter, and the queen who was present didn't say a word. After hearing that the person who beat him was Shen Tingyu, his father bluntly said: "Then you must’ve crossed him again."

"Haven’t you had enough of the palace’s lessons?"

Mu Ziyu was greatly shocked: "But I’m the empire’s third prince! How can I save face if he humiliates me like this?!"

The bearded man on the throne changed the subject and asked: "The Linglong City I entrusted to you—did something go wrong recently?"

Mu Ziyu immediately felt guilty.

Then he heard his father say: "Consider this a lesson from General Shen, acting on my behalf. If you can't handle the affairs of Linglong City well, or if there is another similar mistake, I will hand over Linglong City to your eldest brother."

"And I have heard a lot that the Silver Dragon Battalion's reputation in the empire is not very good recently. If this keeps up, I might have to replace the Silver Dragon Battalion’s commander."

Mu Ziyu felt a sudden panic upon hearing this and dared not pursue Shen Tingyu's responsibility any further. He could only awkwardly admit his mistake and promise to properly manage the chaos at the base. The only silver lining was that his father was willing to give him some money to help repair the damaged research base in Linglong City.

Outside the study, one of his adjutants knocked on the door and entered to report.

"I heard that after Mr. Xu's Type D announcement, the Golden Wing Battalion sent someone to approach him. The specific content of their conversation is unclear, but it's likely they wanted to recruit him to join the Golden Wing and cooperate with their general."

Mu Ziyu now felt a headache every time he heard Xu Qingran's name. The memories of the 'intimidation' he endured in Linglong City and the beating from Shen Tingyu instantly came flooding back.

He took a deep breath and snapped irritably, "Forget it, don't follow up on Xu Qingran's matter anymore."

"Anyway, what I need now is an E-type who can stand on equal footing with Shen Tingyu. Let's focus on Ling Yuege and Ji Huaixiu first. Their performance has been quite good, right?"

Tsk, it's not like Xu Qingran is absolutely necessary!

He's indeed too much of a troublemaker, and the Silver Dragon might not be able to handle him. It's better if the Golden Wing Battalion takes him away!

At least he won't cause trouble for the Silver Dragon.

·

Xu Qingran's trip back went quite smoothly, and he returned to Shen Tingyu's home before midnight.

The house still had some lights on.

Xu Qingran took the gift box upstairs to Shen Tingyu's study.

The door was slightly open, and the warm light inside faintly spilled out, casting a slender shadow in the dim hallway.

Just as he was about to knock, he heard Shen Tianyi's soft voice from inside.

"Uncle, actually, I think Brother Qingran is quite nice."

Shen Tianyi, who should have been asleep by now, was still up.

Wearing his blue cloud-patterned onesie, he pouted and frowned seriously, "I'm not as against him being my wife anymore."

Inside the room, Shen Tingyu quietly listened to his young nephew.

Shen Tianyi looked up and asked, "Uncle, in a few months, I'll be going to school in the Lyra system. You said I should stay with my cousin first. Since Brother Qingran is my wife, should I take him with me?"

Shen Tingyu paused for a moment, his expression unchanged as he replied, "No need."

"You're still young, and the engagement isn't finalized yet, so I'll temporarily keep an eye on your fiancée for you."

After a pause, Shen Tingyu thought it necessary to slowly change the idea that Xu Qingran was Shen Tianyi's fiancée and added in a calm voice, "Technically, you've only known him for less than a year. You can't truly know someone's heart just by looking at them. How can you be sure he's really as he appears?"

"He has a bad temper and personality, and he's not very patient," Shen Tingyu 'slandered,' a faint smile slipping through his eyes. "When he's upset, he might even get violent. Are you sure you can tolerate all his flaws?"

His voice still sounded as gentle and patient as usual, "Besides, the age gap between you is so big, you might not have much in common in the future."

"By the time you grow up, he'll be old."

"So, don't worry about the fiancée thing."

Shen Tianyi nodded half-understandingly, pouting and saying, "Alright, but I'll miss you and Brother Qingran."

Shen Tingyu patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll definitely pick you up on weekends and holidays."

The child was happy, "Okay!"

After finishing, Shen Tianyi yawned again, his eyes glistening, clearly tired.

Shen Tingyu got up and shooed him off to bed. The kid scampered to the door, pulled it open, and found someone standing outside.

He looked up and exclaimed happily, "Brother Qingran?"

The other person in the study froze at the sound.

He instinctively glanced at the door and saw the tall, slim young man, who had returned with a chill, standing outside his room, his expression faintly amused.

When their eyes met, the corners of his mouth twitched up further, and a soft, low chuckle escaped his lips.

"Heh."

Shen Tingyu: "..."

It was obvious Xu Qingran had been there for some time, eavesdropping on Shen Tingyu's attempts to mislead Shen Tianyi.

For the first time, Shen Tingyu felt truly speechless.

The innocent Shen Tianyi hugged Xu Qingran like an older brother, beaming, "Brother, you're back! Where have you been these past couple of days?"

Xu Qingran patted his head, but his eyes stayed locked on the man in the study, his tone casual, "Nothing much, just went out for a walk and picked up a few things."

Shen Tingyu followed his gaze downward and was startled again by the familiar packaging box in his hand.

"..."

Twice in one day—caught red-handed.

Shen Tianyi was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open. He didn't notice what Xu Qingran was holding, nor did he pick up on the tension between him and his uncle.

He mumbled sleepily, "Mhm, I'm heading to bed now."

Xu Qingran shot Shen Tingyu another glance and said, "Alright, I'll take you downstairs."

Then he left with Shen Tianyi.

...

When Shen Tingyu came downstairs, only the dining room lights were on.

He walked in to find Xu Qingran sitting at the table, leaning back lazily in his chair with his arms crossed. His eyes were fixed on the desserts laid out on the table.

They had already been unpacked from the gift box. Each one was intricately decorated with tiny cookies and fresh fruit, looking both delicate and tempting.

With such obvious movement, Xu Qingran had to have noticed him approaching.

Yet, he didn't even spare him a glance.

Shen Tingyu sighed softly, "...Can I explain?"

Xu Qingran ignored him, grabbing a fork, pulling the nearest slice of cake toward him, and without a word, cut off a piece and shoved it into his mouth.

After taking a bite, his expression soured even more.

What kind of taste buds does this guy have?

This lemon flavor is both sour and sweet, and he always insists on ordering it. There's definitely something wrong with him.

The system: "..."

Too afraid to speak.

Shen Tingyu has thick skin.

He pulled out the chair beside Xu Qingran and sat down, then continued, "What I just told Tianyi was just to mess with him."

"Mostly, I didn't want—"

As soon as he started, he paused again.

Xu Qingran chuckled again, forked a small piece of the cake, and shoved it into his mouth like he was punishing himself.

No matter how much it hurt to eat, his face didn’t show a thing.

Shen Tingyu chose his words carefully and said, "I don’t want Tianyi to get too hung up on this."

"The age gap between you is real—you’re clearly not from the same world. In six months, you might need another soul compatibility match, and who knows how that’ll turn out."

"Even if the families insist on pushing through with the marriage, I think we should at least wait until Tianyi’s an adult before he has to deal with it."

Xu Qingran still didn’t say anything.

But Shen Tingyu could sense the tension around him easing up a little.

He added, "Long story short, what I said in the study earlier wasn’t true."

As he spoke, he unconsciously added a bit of sincerity: "I don’t know about others, but I really like your personality."

Hearing this, Xu Qingran paused, his hand hovering over the cake.

He set the fork down and froze.

Shen Tingyu suddenly noticed the desserts on the table, brought back from P’s shop, were his usual favorites.

Plus, these were custom-made—unless a customer specifically asked for them, they weren’t usually available.

His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but ask, "Did you get these just for me?"

Xu Qingran sneered, "Don’t flatter yourself, General."

"I just stumbled across someone messing with snack packaging, acting like I’m an idiot, so I wanted to get to the bottom of it."

Shen Tingyu: "..."

He had just managed to calm him down a bit.

"After asking around, I got curious, so I bought some to try."

After saying this, Xu Qingran glanced disdainfully at the sweet and greasy pastries on the table: "I don’t know who likes this stuff—it’s way too sweet and greasy. Gross."

With that, he shoved the unfinished cake aside, stood up, and said, "If you’re into them, they’re all yours."

After dropping this sentence, he left the dining room.

Shen Tingyu chuckled to himself, already knowing the answer.

He took the lemon-flavored cake that Xu Qingran had only taken two bites of, scooped a piece, and put it in his mouth. It was the same familiar taste, but somehow it seemed just a little sweeter than when he’d eaten it alone at P’s shop.

Shen Tingyu really has a sweet tooth.

When he's stressed or feeling down and wants to be alone to ease the pain of suppressing his E-type nature, he goes to that shop on Crystal Star for some sweets. Every time he does this, his mood improves a bit.

Maybe it's tied to his memories of being on the streets.

Back then, he was alone and helpless, until he stumbled upon a kind elderly couple. They ran a small bakery in a little town, and the old lady whipped up amazing desserts. Whenever there were leftovers, she’d pack them up nicely and hand them to him.

Though not as fancy as those high-end dessert shops, the flavor had a unique, homey warmth.

·

Meanwhile, far away in Crystal Star’s tech city.

It’s a city that never sleeps, lit up at midnight with all kinds of lights, buzzing with life.

On a dimly lit street, barely touched by the central lights, a young woman holds the hand of a three or four-year-old, walking slowly.

The kid’s holding a bubble toy that pops bubbles with a press, giggling away. The woman looks down at him, her face soft and loving.

Over half the shops here are already closed.

So it’s quieter than the city center, with few people around at this hour.

The mom and kid are having fun, unaware of a thin figure trailing them quietly from behind.

The figure’s in a hooded jacket, the large hood hiding most of his face as he keeps his head down. Only the tip of his chin shows, pale and almost colorless.

His footsteps are light, his presence barely noticeable.

Even as he closes in, they don’t notice him right away.

Just a few steps away, his thin, dark lips curl into a smirk, and he slowly raises his hand to strike. But by chance, he passes a shop with a TV blaring outside, and a figure on the screen grabs his attention.

"Mom, come and pop bubbles with me too!"

The mom and kid pull ahead as he pauses.

The screen shows clips from the Linglong City base incident, focusing on the brown-haired guy moving through alien creatures at night like a pro assassin. His agility, quick reflexes, and deadly moves against high-level Hainas are all caught perfectly on camera.

The host smiles and tells her co-host, "Xu Qingran’s heroics in Linglong City have really caught people’s eyes."

"But lately, people are talking more about how his soul spirit’s been classified as D-type, which totally clashes with his personality and image."

Ming Hai lifts his head slightly, showing a face that looks far from healthy.

His gaze locks onto the person on the screen, his eyes brimming with obsessive madness.

His companion adds, "That’s right, although D-type is the most desired spiritual support for strong individuals, it’s said their attack power is weaker than normal N-types and E-types. I wonder if Xu Qingran, now a D-type, will focus more on logistics in the military or keep charging on the front lines?"

"It’s said that in half a year, he’ll likely be matched again with all the unmatched E-types in the empire. Though it’s a bit unfair to the Shen family of the Golden Wing Battalion, this is something to look forward to!" the female host chuckles.

Her companion jokes, "Hey, don’t say that."

"Don’t forget the Shen family also has an amazing E-type. Maybe their compatibility will be the highest?"

"If that’s the result, it’d be so interesting!"

They banter a bit more about it before moving on to other topics.

Ming Hai stood motionless in front of the television screen, his hands tucked into his coat pockets, deep in thought.

No wonder he had felt an instant, almost love-at-first-sight feeling toward that man named Xu Qingran, wishing he could keep him by his side forever.

So, Xu Qingran turned out to be a D-type.

The more Ming Hai thought about it, the more excited he became.

His smile, illuminated by the ever-changing colored lights in front of him, seemed distorted.

...If that was the case, then Xu Qingran must be his fated, destined D-type!

His fated match!

Ming Hai chuckled to himself, rooted to the spot.

Then, under the cover of night, he slowly melted into the shadows of the city.

The night passed peacefully.

·

The vacation came to an end in the blink of an eye.

Xu Qingran started packing his belongings once more, getting ready to head back to the academy.

The day before his departure, Auntie Song, the family cook, prepared a feast of his favorite dishes, hoping to fatten him up a bit so he wouldn't lose weight too quickly during training.

Shen Tingyu, who was usually too busy to come home, squeezed in a visit to P's Bakery and brought back a large assortment of snacks suited to Xu Qingran's taste, for him to take to the military academy. Xu Qingran found it amusing but graciously accepted the gift.

The journey back to the academy's main base was as long and uneventful as usual.

Upon arrival, many classmates were also getting off, lamenting the end of the vacation.

Xu Qingran also noticed that, compared to his first enrollment, more people were paying attention to him now. People recognized him at a glance, whispering excitedly and nervously about him.

He was baffled, wondering why he was drawing so much attention despite wearing his hat and mask as usual.

If he could see from the perspective of his classmates, he would understand that the D-type spiritual energy aura was inherently different from others. Despite Xu Qingran's combat prowess, his D-type spiritual energy exuded a refreshing, plant-like aura that made people feel calm and rejuvenated just by being near him.

Even his roommates, Zhang Zhihe, Ren Ping, and Liu Wenxing, who he met at the entrance, suddenly became speechless in his presence.

Their faces flushed, they stumbled over their words, and they couldn't bring themselves to meet his gaze, as if the person standing before them wasn't their once-familiar roommate but an unapproachable, goddess-like figure.

Xu Qingran was dumbfounded: "What's wrong with you guys? After a month-long holiday, have we become strangers?"

Zhang Zhihe and the others nearly cried: "N-no, it's just that your D-type aura makes you seem like our roommate who suddenly turned into a stunning woman!"

Xu Qingran sighed, at a loss for words: "..."

Was it really that exaggerated? Why hadn't that jerk Shen Tingyu shown any change?

Only Feng Wei, ever the enthusiastic one, acted as he always did. When he met them at the entrance, he immediately rushed over, slinging an arm around Xu Qingran's shoulder and laughing: "The eldest son has been quite the sensation this holiday, almost becoming a national celebrity!"

Xu Qingran shook off his affectionate gesture: "Speak properly, no need for physical contact."

Feng Wei chuckled: "Hehe, still, congratulations on becoming a D-type. Remember to help out your good brother when we meet on the battlefield!"

Xu Qingran, however, shrugged it off: "It's alright, being a D-type isn't that special."

I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

Feng Wei had been laughing and joking just a second ago, but he turned serious upon hearing this: "What are you talking about!"

"D-types are the absolute best, no question about it! You're the lucky one chosen, so make sure you use it well and don’t let it down!"

Xu Qingran paused, not in the mood to argue about it.

He headed back to Building 79 with Zhang Zhihe and the others. Just as they were about to go upstairs, they were stopped by the dorm manager.

The dorm manager said seriously, "Xu, now that you're a D-type, you can't room with the other students anymore."

Xu Qingran suddenly remembered that D-types get their own villa.

He thought for a moment and said before the dorm manager could make arrangements, "No need to trouble yourself, just grant me access to General Shen's place."

The dorm manager was taken aback.

After some back-and-forth, they successfully confirmed with Shen Tingyu and obtained his permission. Xu Qingran was then registered at Shen Tingyu's villa.

He lugged his bags alone towards the villa area by the dorms.

Before he'd even left the dorm area, he saw many students who had just arrived rushing towards the direction outside the dormitory. The small electric cars patrolling the dormitory area were packed with people every trip.

He randomly grabbed a student waiting for the next car and asked, "What are you all rushing to do?"

Is there some opening day swag up for grabs?

"Ah, Young Master Xu!" the student responded excitedly. "I heard that Lieutenant General Su of the Golden Wing Battalion is here too. He's offering extra classes to the top students this semester. Everyone wants to catch a glimpse of him. He's a total idol to a lot of us!"

"Lieutenant General Su is one of the top 3S-level officers, the top expert at snagging alien source crystals! In the Golden Wing Battalion, only General Shen outranks him in achievements."

"General Shen's a super-talented E-type, good at pretty much everything. Lieutenant General Su's different; he's a high-level N-type. His way of thinking and perceiving is more like ours, so he's better at teaching us how to boost our source crystal perception!"

Lieutenant General Su—he remembered his name was Su Wenming.

He's apparently engaged to Lin Qianmu.

With that, Xu Qingran headed on to the villa.

He wasn’t interested in joining the crowd to gawk. He just wanted to unpack and then hit the cafeteria to grab a bite.

On the way to Shen Tingyu's private villa, coincidentally, he met Lin Qianmu at a fork in the villa area. The other party was also stunned to see him appear but quickly realized the reason for his presence there.

Xu Qingran had hardly spoken to him in the first half of the year and had even sensed some hostility from him, so he had no intention of making small talk or greeting him. He just dragged his suitcase and was about to leave.

But it was Lin Qianmu who stopped him.

"Student Xu." His voice was soft and gentle.

Unlike Shen Tingyu's feigned politeness, it was a natural and unpretentious softness.

Xu Qingran stopped and looked at him, asking with his eyes why he had stopped him.

But this time, with just the two of them present, Lin Qianmu's attitude towards him seemed less hostile than before.

He looked at him with a somewhat conflicted expression, and after a while, he hesitantly spoke, "You might find this abrupt, or think I'm meddling, but out of our student relationship and humanitarianism, I still want to give you a heads-up."

"I see you're very close to Student Feng Wei. It was fine before, but if you're a D-type... it's better to keep some distance from him."

Xu Qingran looked at him for a few seconds, then raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

Lin Qianmu paused again, then replied, "Because Student Feng... is a very extreme D-type admirer."