Chapter 54: An Unexpected Senior

Chapter 54: An Unexpected Senior

"Your report will be rechecked several times by the Soulmate Registry before it is confirmed and submitted, and then a public notice will be made."

In the office of the Soulmate System headquarters, Xie Shaoming gathered the printed reports and directed his team to operate the instruments to check for errors and inconsistencies, and to verify the matches again. After all, Xu Qingran's data was too extraordinary. If he had the intention, it meant he could potentially form strong connections with most Type E individuals.

Moreover, his 0.00 compatibility with Shen Tingyu was particularly puzzling.

Because theoretically, a compatibility of 0.00 or 100% is a theoretical impossibility.

Through research, it has been found that the human soul functions like a unique identifier; regardless of the overlap rate, there will always be a part that is unique to oneself.

Therefore, the highest compatibility is limited to 99.99%.

Similarly, as entities of the same kind, even if two soul energies are not compatible, there will still be a minimal inherent similarity.

So, the lowest compatibility given by the system is generally 0.01%.

Given that this is a situation never before encountered, the researchers have a new event to study thoroughly.

Xu Qingran nodded: "Alright, let me know if you need anything else."

The result he wanted to know had already come out, and there was no immediate need for him at the Soulmate Registry. Xie Shaoming called Xie Nanyi and asked her to see him out.

On the way down, the usually talkative Xie Nanyi was uncharacteristically silent.

She even appeared distracted, almost bumping into the elevator door before it opened. Fortunately, Xu Qingran was quick and grabbed her collar, pulling her back before her forehead could collide with the cold door.

Xie Nanyi stumbled and snapped out of it.

Then she heard the person behind her ask quietly: "Is there something wrong with my matching data?"

Xie Nanyi was taken aback by his question but quickly thought of a response: "Well... of course, there's a big problem! Didn't you hear what my dad said? The matching data is abnormal in every way. Ugh, this is so frustrating, why isn't the teacher here at such an important time?"

Xu Qingran didn't say anything more, as if he accepted her explanation.

Although Xu Qingran was no longer Shen Tingyu's official match, Xie Nanyi was still very friendly towards him. After seeing him to the door, she waved at him: "Once Nanjun and the others finish up, let's have a meal together when you're free!"

After saying this, the girl turned around and walked back into the depths of the building, still deep in thought.

By then, it was nearly dark.

As Xu Qingran walked out, he pulled out his phone and found several messages.

One was from Shen Tianheng.

"Qingran, Uncle had an urgent matter and was dispatched to Tianying. Tianyi is with me now, and I will take him back to Tianlang. You can contact me directly when you're done, and I'll pick you up then."

Another was from Qi Heqian.

"Qingran, the day after tomorrow, the Qi family is hosting a dinner. The guest is quite an important figure to the Qi family, and Grandma hopes you can come and get to know them."

There was also Ni Xiaoyuan, complaining about her father pressuring her to go to dinner, saying it must be some faction task to win him over during this period, and that it was okay if he didn't want to go.

There was also Ji Huaixiu, who rarely sent messages, asking:

"Did you go for a soul match?"

Even through the screen, his nervousness was palpable.

Xu Qingran was thinking about how to reply to these messages.

The system he had been ignoring all along was still mindlessly repeating: "How is this possible... how is this possible..."

It was acting like it had crashed.

He shot back, "Why not?"

"Shen Tingyu and I didn’t exactly click when we first met. If it weren’t for the mission, we might never have met."

"That’s different!" The system was as upset as if its favorite ship had sunk.

"Even though your first meeting was mission-mandated... you can even sense his soul memories now!"

Xu Qingran shifted his attention from his phone and asked, "Isn’t soul memory perception just from soul energy colliding? What’s compatibility got to do with it?"

The system hesitated but couldn't hold back: "Well, duh, there are conditions! If everyone could see each other’s past just by bumping souls, it’d be a mess."

Xu Qingran thought, that's true.

Then he heard the system exclaim: "Usually, only souls with over 90% compatibility can trigger this."

"If you can see his memories, your souls must recognize each other. How the heck could it be 0?!"

Xu Qingran, however, focused on another point: "So if I can see his memories, can he see mine too?"

After a pause, he asked seriously, "Could he see my past life through my soul memories?"

At this question, the system also fell silent.

...Crap, I totally forgot about that loophole!

The system struggled: "It’s possible, but... Shen Tingyu hasn’t acted weird around you, has he?"

Xu Qingran wasn’t sure if Shen Tingyu had seen anything.

But then he thought, if this is unavoidable, he'll find out sooner or later. He'll deal with it when the time comes.

If Shen Tingyu can’t handle it, that’s on him.

The past is the past, after all. What he sees is who I really am.

"Look, you two are totally compatible! Fingers crossed it’s just a glitch in the system!"

After finishing the conversation with the system, Xu Qingran sorted out his next steps and began replying to messages on his phone.

He turned down Ni Xiaoyuan’s invite politely, saying he was swamped lately and would visit the Ni family in person after officially receiving his graduation medal and joining a faction.

Then he replied to Ji Huaixiu.

"Relax, we’re only 47.9% compatible—no way we’re getting paired."

"Ji Huaixiu: ..."

The reply came fast, and those six dots practically screamed annoyance.

Xu Qingran also declined Shen Tianheng's offer to pick him up.

"I have a sudden plan to go back to the Qi family with my cousin. Can you grab my stuff when you and Tianyi check out? Thanks, I'll treat you to a meal when I get back."

Xu Qingran went back to the Qi family with Qi Heqian.

From the Celestial Realm to the Andromeda Galaxy, they just made it in time for the scheduled dinner.

Outside the house, several aunts and uncles' wives were gathered around a newly added Fortune Tree in the front yard, chatting.

Upon seeing him and Qi Heqian, they warmly greeted: "Qingran's here!"

Qi Heqian, who grew up in the main family, was very familiar with everyone and joked directly: "Ah, ever since Qingran came back, I've been losing my standing in the Qi family."

They teased back: "Oh, we've watched you grow up, you can't compare to Qingran's novelty!"

Even before entering the house, they could already faintly smell the aroma of food being served in the dining room.

One of the uncles in the family was a particularly skilled chef, and every family gathering featured his personally prepared delicacies, which were always a delicious feast and very tempting.

In the living room, Grandma Qi was chatting and laughing with other guests invited by the family today.

She was sitting in the main seat and immediately noticed Xu Qingran as he entered.

"Ranran's here," Grandma's smile deepened as she waved to the well-behaved young man entering.

"Perfect timing, come over and greet and get to know the savior of our Qi family. During the most critical time for the Qi family, if it weren't for his help, we might not have been able to pull through that crisis."

Xu Qingran obediently walked towards the living room, where a man stood up from the sofa facing away from him.

He was very tall, so tall that it inexplicably gave Xu Qingran a faint sense of familiarity.

"You..." Xu Qingran was about to politely greet him, but as the man turned around and he saw his face clearly, his words suddenly changed, "You?"

Xu Qingran looked at him several times in surprise, confirming that the 'savior' Grandma Qi wanted to introduce him to was none other than Mr. Mo, Mo Chengfei, who had made a bad impression on him at the Yun Tian Lou.

Mo Chengfei probably already knew his identity from the Qi family, his expression was very cold, showing little surprise.

He glanced at him, his eyes still carrying a touch of disdain, as if very dissatisfied with him.

Grandma Qi didn't notice the tension between them and asked in surprise: "So you two have met before?"

Mo Chengfei's voice was deep and cold: "We've met, quite a handful."

Xu Qingran could of course hear the underlying meaning in his words and smiled lightly: "Yes, we've met, at the birthday banquet Xu Yan held for his second son, this uncle was one of the important guests."

"I remember, a very generous person."

Mo Chengfei also knew what he was referring to, and although he tried hard to maintain his expression, the corner of his mouth twitched.

This made his already stern face even more aloof.

Qi Heqian sensed that something was amiss between the two, as if there was some misunderstanding, and immediately stepped forward to pat Xu Qingran's shoulder, saying: "Uncle Mo is not aligned with the Xu family, and his interactions with people from the Xu family are mainly due to the businesses connected to the Qi family."

Mo Chengfei was a long-time friend of the Qi family.

When he was young, the Mo family had not yet risen to the top of the Silver Dragon Battalion, and the Qi family's background was even stronger than the Mo family's. The Qi family had once offered help to the Mo family during their low period and even saved his father, who was about to commit suicide.

The Mo family held gratitude in high regard across generations, and his father had instructed Mo Chengfei that if the Qi family ever encountered trouble in the future, they must repay them and protect them to the end.

Moreover, Grandma Qi was a teacher when she was young.

Mo Chengfei was once her student, and later, when her youngest daughter Qi Shengxue entered the research field, her research direction happened to align with the investments of the Mo family. This back-and-forth interaction made their relationship even closer and more familiar, like adding kinship to kinship and familiarity to familiarity.

However, Mo Chengfei had gone abroad before the marriage alliance between the Qi family and the Xu family, expanding the Mo family's business overseas. He only returned to the country last year, planning to focus on his career in the Kayan Empire for the rest of his life, gradually handing over other responsibilities to his children.

Qi Heqian raised an eyebrow and added, "I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Xu family has been running into trouble in their business lately. One of their largest chain brands has been forced to close several stores."

"All of this is thanks to Uncle Mo’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering. The Xu family still doesn’t know who they’ve offended."

Xu Qingran hesitated.

So it was the Mo family behind this? He thought it was the Golden Wing Battalion—

"Not at all," Mo Chengfei suddenly spoke, his gaze falling on Xu Qingran with a hint of meaning. "My modest Mo family’s methods are far inferior to those of certain people who have climbed high through connections."

Xu Qingran raised his eyes, deep in thought.

The system, never one to miss a chance to stir the pot, chimed in: "Host, is this uncle subtly mocking you?"

Xu Qingran felt like he had figured something out.

Mo Chengfei was a business tycoon associated with the Silver Dragon Battalion. If someone was trying to stir up trouble, he would have noticed. If their goals were the same, Mo Chengfei should have been pleased, not dissatisfied with someone else targeting the Xu family.

From a relational perspective, he was very close to the Qi family but not particularly familiar with the Xu family.

So the only reason must be—he wasn’t satisfied with the person who came to assist.

Xu Qingran roughly guessed the reason and no longer held such a strong grudge against Mo Chengfei.

In fact, he found it somewhat amusing that someone of Mo Chengfei’s age still harbored such petty resentment.

"The food’s ready, come and eat!" A shout from the kitchen broke the tension in the living room.

Xu Qingran glanced at Mo Chengfei and said, "So that’s the way it is."

"Since this is related to my mother, I’m quite keen on the details. Mr. Mo, may we speak privately?"

Under normal circumstances, Mo Chengfei might have flat-out refused.

But Xu Qingran cleverly brought up Qi Shengxue, and Mo Chengfei’s refusal got caught in his throat. He could only silently walk toward the outer courtyard.

Grandma Qi looked concerned.

Xu Qingran reassured her, "Grandma, you go ahead and eat. Mr. Mo and I have something to talk about. We’ll be back soon."

Perhaps his expression was reassuring, as Grandma Qi’s initial tension eased, and she slowly made her way into the dining room with the help of Qi Heqian and the others.

When Xu Qingran stepped outside, Mo Chengfei was standing by the still-new money tree, leaning on his cane, silently gazing at the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

Xu Qingran walked over and said bluntly, "Mr. Mo, I’ll be straightforward."

"Since our goals are the same, why do you harbor such hostility toward me?"

"If you’re helping the Qi family, you should be well aware of the grievances between us and the Xu family," Xu Qingran questioned. "Was I wrong to ask them to vacate my mother’s house?"

Mo Chengfei gave him a sidelong glance.

He had only recently reconnected with the Qi family and learned from them about how the Xu family had schemed against Qi Shengxue and the truth behind the marriage alliance. By now, the Mo family had become a force that even the Xu family had to curry favor with, so he had decided to gradually dismantle the Xu family’s business.

During this process, he unexpectedly discovered that another unknown force shared the same goal.

Originally, I thought it was another ally of the Qi family, but upon closer investigation, I found out it was actually from the Golden Wing Battalion, and the source was their commander-in-chief, Mu Ziyue!

"Young man, I can understand your desire for revenge against the Xu family."

As Mo Chengfei spoke, he turned to look at him, sternly reminding, "But there are many ways to overthrow the Xu family, even my Mo family can do it. There's no need to cooperate with those messy outsiders."

After hearing this, Xu Qingran became even more certain: "You don't like Mu Ziyue?"

Hearing these three words, Mo Chengfei's face turned as dark as thunderclouds.

Mu Ziyue could be considered the most sinister and ruthless person he had ever seen in the empire. Because he now stands high enough, he can see many unspeakable things about the royal family.

Mu Ziyue is indeed more capable in managing factions than Mu Ziyu, and his methods are also more ruthless.

He would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Not to mention that the crisis the Mo family faced back then was related to Mu Ziyue's mother, and later, when Mo Chengfei was in his thirties, something unforgettable happened to him.

At that time, he not only developed the Mo family into a major player in the Silver Dragon faction, but also pushed it to the forefront of the business circles in both factions, achieving more than his father and grandfather.

Then, Mu Ziyue, who was still vying for dominance in the Golden Wing Battalion at the time, suddenly approached him, interested in one of Mo Chengfei's sisters, hoping for a future marriage alliance between the two families, and he would support the Mo family to secure a place in the Golden Wing Battalion.

The Mo family did not have a good relationship with Mu Ziyue's maternal family. Mo Chengfei always remembered how the Mo family was almost destroyed by Mu Ziyue's maternal family, so he also harbored a dislike for the royal family of the Golden Wing Battalion. At that time, he was at the peak of his pride and refused Mu Ziyue, making the situation quite ugly.

Not long after, his sister, who had been in a long-term relationship and was about to get married, and her partner both died in a suspicious accident. He was also ambushed and beaten on his way home from work, severely injuring one of his legs.

Even though he later went abroad for treatment and almost recovered, there were still permanent aftereffects.

It's not hard to guess that the mastermind behind this was Mu Ziyue.

The Mo family took Mu Ziyue to court over the accident involving his sister, but he was ultimately acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

At that time, Mu Ziyue was not even 18 years old.

Yet he was already able to remain calm and composed in the face of adversity, possessing the ruthless cruelty of a high-ranking official.

Mo Chengfei then realized that in this era ruled by the royal family, having money but not being able to control their lifeline meant they could never prevail. To prevent the Mo family's development from being affected, he temporarily shifted his focus abroad and secretly invested in various medical, technological, and military-related research institutions.

It wasn't until the Mo family's current status could not be easily shaken by the royal family's words that he returned to the Kayan Empire.

Although the current commander of the Silver Dragon faction is not much better, he would rather spend all his money than let Mu Ziyue ascend to the throne. If the empire fell into Mu Ziyue's hands, their people would be doomed.

After explaining the reasons to Xu Qingran, Mo Chengfei looked at him with a cold gaze and said, "I followed the clues and found out that Mu Ziyue targeted the Xu family because of you."

That day, he reluctantly agreed to attend Xu Qingan's birthday banquet, originally intending to embarrass Xu Yan and disrupt his plan to garner support from various parties. Coincidentally, he encountered Xu Qingran causing a scene, and seeing him reminded him of Xu Qingran's cooperation with Mu Ziyue as Qi Shengxue's child, and the possibility of future loyalty to him.

Thus, he was furious and deliberately said things to provoke Xu Qingran before leaving.

He didn't care if what he said was outrageous, as long as the goal was achieved.

Mo Chengfei felt a surge of anger again when he brought this up.

Just as he was about to lecture further, he heard Xu Qingran laugh a few times, nonchalantly.

Xu Qingran said, "Just because Mu Ziyue helps me, does that mean I have to cooperate with him?"

Mo Chengfei looked at him expressionlessly, signaling him to continue.

"He approached me first, I only told him I wanted to see sincerity."

Xu Qingran thought of the man he saw in Shen Tingyu's memories, his smile turning colder: "I don't like him either, but a laborer who comes to your door should not be wasted. Mr. Mo should be well aware of the current power of the royal family. With him taking action, isn't it much more convenient?"

"It's his business if he's willing to help me, but whether I cooperate with him—that's my own business."

It was only now that Mo Chengfei understood Xu Qingran's attitude.

But his expression didn’t soften: "Using Mu Ziyue? Do you even know what kind of person he is?"

"Pretty much," Xu Qingran replied.

But fear wasn’t a word in his vocabulary. Mo Chengfei had been outmaneuvered back then simply because he hadn’t expected the imperial prince to play such dirty tricks. Besides, the Mo family back then was still finding its footing, just dabbling in commerce without any major ties to the empire.

But Xu Qingran was different.

By now, most people in the empire knew who he was. Once the soul-matching data was confirmed and made public, he’d gain a new kind of 'value'. Anyway, Mu Ziyue wouldn’t risk killing him before he got his powers back.

Xu Qingran kept these thoughts to himself, just giving Mo Chengfei a polite smile: "Besides, when Mu Ziyue’s people came looking for me, I had no idea Mr. Mo was also gunning for the Xu family."

Mo Chengfei pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

Xu Qingran continued: "Don’t worry about Mu Ziyue, Mr. Mo. I’ve got that covered."

"Honestly, for my own reasons, I can’t stand him either."

"Since we’re after the same guy, if I stir up some trouble later, I’ll need Mr. Mo to back me up."

Xu Qingran blinked, his tone light: "I’m sure Mr. Mo, as the elder, wouldn’t just stand by and let me crash and burn. Plus, after that mess at Yun Tian Lou where you barged in and ruined my plans, now that you know the truth, it’s only fair you’d want to make it up to me, right?"

"So, I’ll go ahead and thank Mr. Mo now."

Mo Chengfei stared at him, speechless.

He’d never met anyone as brazen as Xu Qingran—and the kid still had the nerve to act like the younger one!

Mo Chengfei’s eye twitched in anger. He snorted and slammed his cane down: "You’ve got some nerve!"

With that, he turned on his heel and stalked into the house.

Xu Qingran smiled without speaking and followed him inside.

In the dining room, everyone was seated, and the food was laid out, but no one had started eating.

It wasn’t until the two guests walked in that they hurriedly offered them seats.

Xu Qingran had smoothed things over with Mo Chengfei, who finally stopped glaring at him. Though he didn’t show it outright, his attitude toward Xu Qingran had clearly mellowed. When everyone at the table talked about his achievements at the military academy, he would occasionally interject with a few words.

Mostly, they scolded him for being reckless and careless, pointing out how things could’ve gone wrong if his plans had backfired.

Xu Qingran didn’t take their scolding to heart.

After the meal, everyone gathered together to chat and discuss matters.

Qi Heqian's father and Mo Chengfei drank tea while discussing business collaborations between merchants.

Qi Duo had a performance tonight, so she couldn't attend.

Xu Qingran sat quietly in a corner, watching Qi Heqian play with a few children.

On the unnoticed TV, military-related news was being broadcast.

"...Thus, the Silver Star of the Silver Dragon's Tianlong system has been declared lost. The once main city of Silver Dragon City will also completely fall, becoming a new garrison area for the demon horde."

"Most of the residents who had been holding out in Silver Dragon City have already been evacuated. Following the loss of Silver Star's last defensive district, the Dragon Constellation now has only three habitable stars left, all of which are resource-poor areas."

The footage of the city's destruction in the news seemed to be captured by a distant satellite.

In the blurry images, the highest building in the city, where a silver-winged dragon once climbed and roared towards the sky, could be seen gradually being covered by reddish-brown and blue-black creatures.

It was as if the last light that once illuminated that area had been completely snuffed out.

The Dragon Constellation, originally the most prosperous and bustling main star system of the Silver Dragon Battalion.

At that time, the main bases of the Silver Dragon Council, military, and other major departments were all located in Silver Dragon City on Silver Star. Unfortunately, due to the issue of the devil swarm's jump points, the Dragon Constellation was the first to be attacked.

In the early stages of the devil swarm's invasion, everyone in the Kayan Empire knew nothing about them—no knowledge of their weaknesses, no familiarity with their habits—leaving them in a very passive situation. The unchecked devil swarm spread like wildfire, devouring half the planet in the blink of an eye, with countless people perishing at their hands.

By the time the Empire started to understand the devil swarm and establish defensive lines to counterattack, a large part of the Dragon Constellation had already been severely overrun, and the Silver Dragon Battalion ultimately had to cooperate with the Empire's arrangements to abandon the Dragon Constellation. Over the years, as the devil swarm continued to invade, the defensive lines were repeatedly pushed back, until now even Silver Star has fallen.

The internet was ablaze with criticism.

The news showed a few screenshots of comments from social media platforms, with the host saying, "The Dragon Constellation was once a major star system where the Silver Dragon Battalion could rival the Golden Wing Battalion, but now it has fallen to the point of being ridiculed as a 'slum,' even mockingly referred to as the 'exiled disaster zone.'"

After the Dragon Constellation became a disaster zone heavily occupied by the devils, wealthy and capable residents had already hurriedly moved away from the Dragon Constellation to settle in other star systems. Those without the means or unwilling to leave the star system had no choice but to retreat behind the Dragon Constellation's defensive lines with military assistance.

The Dragon Constellation became a high-risk star system, deterring the wealthy, developers, and brand owners from investing here.

Those who couldn't afford houses in other star systems, because the housing prices in the Dragon Constellation were very low, and some areas were even free, had no choice but to settle for the relatively safe habitable stars.

Gradually, it became one of the 'poor regions' of the Kayan Empire.

"With the fall of Silver Star, the Silver Dragon residents' resentment towards their military has finally peaked."

"Statistics show a significant increase in migration from the Silver Dragon Battalion to the Golden Wing Battalion during this period, clearly indicating great disappointment with the governance of the Silver Dragon Battalion. Could this become a major factor affecting the Silver Dragon commander's bid for imperial sovereignty?"

The background video on the TV showed the chaos in the disaster-stricken areas of the Dragon Constellation and the struggles of the people in the 'poor regions.'

Xu Qingran watched with rapt attention.

In a daze, it felt as though he was glimpsing a microcosm of his past life.

It turns out that in this seemingly technologically advanced world where people live comfortably with ample food and clothing, there are still such hardships in the corners where the light doesn't reach.

Xu Qingran didn't know how long he had been immersed in reminiscing about his past life, but when he came back to his senses, the news on the TV had already changed to another topic.

After discussing the Silver Dragon, the conversation shifted to the Golden Wing.

In contrast, the Eagle Constellation, also attacked by the devil swarm, not only held its defensive lines but also expanded them into several new districts, reclaiming some lost territory from the devil swarm.

This news, set against the backdrop of the Dragon Constellation's plight, was deeply ironic.

At the Eagle Constellation's headquarters, the familiar Xie Nanjun was being interviewed.

Having just finished a grueling battle, he was sucking on a lollipop to replenish his blood sugar, and his demeanor in front of the camera was as cocky as ever: "Not bad, right? Protecting our territory and our people—isn't that what soldiers are supposed to do?"

"Actually, a few months ago, our troops had already pinpointed the X-class devil in the northern 18th district of Sky City, almost locking onto the location of its source crystal, and the attack plan had already been drafted, originally scheduled for next month."

"Who would have thought the enemy would launch a surprise attack at this very moment? I guess opportunities really do favor the prepared."

"Yes, the commander of this operation was still General Shen."

"We've tried to reduce our reliance on the general, but in high-risk areas like the Eagle Constellation, where X-class devil swarms are active, it's still too challenging without his leadership. So, we called the general back from his vacation overnight."

Xie Nanjun, after removing the candy from his mouth, added, "Our general has also had a rough time. He was in a car accident on the way here, quickly patched up, and then went straight to the battlefield. During the mission, he was injured while rescuing trapped troops!"

Then, facing the camera with a serious expression, he said, "So, Golden Wing citizens, don't forget to give our general good reviews to help him get promoted to the rank of Grand Marshal of the camp as soon as possible!"

Xu Qingran listened, once again deep in thought.

Shen Tingyu got injured? And he's such a steady driver—how did he end up in a car accident?

Around him, chatter and laughter filled the air.

The thought made him inexplicably restless.

Checking the time, it wasn't late, but he still stood up and announced he was heading back.

The Qi family didn't press him to stay, but before he left, they presented a 'meeting gift' from Mo Chengfei for their first encounter.

"...A shuttle?"

Xu Qingran was stunned when he saw the sleek, shiny vehicle rolled out from the warehouse.

Mo Chengfei cleared his throat, still maintaining a stern expression.

Though he had been unhappy with Xu Qingran, thinking he was tied to Mu Ziyue, he still prepared a gift as he was Qi Shengxue's child. Now that the truth was out, he was even more eager to hand it over.

"This is the latest model from my company—high endurance and low mental energy consumption. It can travel within the same galaxy and even cross galaxy jump points. It's compact yet convenient, built with the empire's toughest materials."

Xu Qingran was overwhelmed: "...This is too much."

Mo Chengfei waved it off, saying, "It's just a few billion, no big deal."

Xu Qingran was speechless. A few billion? He couldn't imagine how many streams it would take to earn that.

But with this shuttle, Xu Qingran no longer needed to arrange transport.

He accepted it without protest, silently acknowledging Mo Chengfei's generosity, and piloted the shuttle back toward Tianlang Fei Star.

The return trip took several days.

When he got back to Shen Tingyu's place, it was eerily quiet—Auntie Song and Shen Tianyi were gone.

The holiday was nearly over.

Shen Tingyu had been busy during this period, so Shen Tianheng might have taken him away early to prepare for returning to school.

Xu Qingran contacted Shen Tianheng to confirm this matter, then slowly walked towards the room. The suitcase brought back from the hotel was intact, placed beside the desk, and the person who sent it back did not take the liberty of opening and organizing it for him.

Xu Qingran leaned against the desk, looking down at his phone searching—

'How can a Type D help heal someone's injuries?'

The search results suggested mental energy interaction, meaning that by replenishing the mental energy consumed during the injury, it could help accelerate the recovery of the injury.

Xu Qingran felt quite conflicted.

Mental energy interaction, apart from the special tools the military has for transmitting mental energy to teammates, normally requires quite intimate methods for interaction. At the very least, it involves holding hands or something similar.

Shen Tingyu hates Type D so much—would he really agree to something so intimate with him?

Xu Qingran paused, then locked his phone.

He showered and crashed on the bed to recharge after the trip.

The next morning, his D-type rapid recovery had nearly topped off his mental energy pool.

He stepped out of his room, ready to cook, but was shocked to see someone he thought wouldn’t be back for a while sitting on the living room sofa.

The guy sat by the sofa, staring blankly at the coffee table, looking cold and out of it. He only glanced up at Xu Qingran when he noticed the movement, staying silent.

Xu Qingran gave Shen Tingyu a quick once-over.

The mental energy drain seemed heavy, as the usual E-type dominance felt way weaker. His injuries didn’t look too bad, but his face was noticeably paler than usual.

Under the strands of hair on his forehead, a corner of a bandage was barely visible.

Xu Qingran hesitated.

For some reason, Shen Tingyu seemed oddly fragile.

As if a strong shove would knock him over.

Xu Qingran was taken aback by his own thoughts.

Just as he was about to speak, the guy on the sofa cut him off: "Xu Qingran, after Zhang Hongyan swapped the chip data for your compatible match, did you replace it again before she uploaded the data?"

The room went silent.

Xu Qingran froze for a second, then it hit him.

He finally figured out what had been off about Shen Tingyu.

It was because Shen Tingyu had found out about the fake compatibility data with Shen Tianyi.

Xu Qingran met Shen Tingyu’s deep, quiet gaze.

He admitted bluntly, "Yeah, I swapped it."