Chapter 202

Chapter 202

The dorm was oddly quiet. On the surface, both were tidying up their own things, exchanging no further words. But in reality...

For Bai Xingshu, things were lively.

He had unmuted the system.

"Shen Geng has differentiated into an Alpha," Bai Xingshu stated flatly, deliberately using the most neutral tone possible.

The implications were obvious.

Bai Xingshu didn't need to spell it out—let alone say anything at all—for the system to understand his meaning.

—Bai Xingshu wanted to switch targets immediately!!

[No!] The system rejected his request outright, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. [Royal relatives don't count as nobility!]

Perhaps after several generations, the Shen family could become one of the empire's elite clans. But right now, they had only risen through the empress’s influence. The family lacked capable members and truly notable or powerful individuals. If anyone claimed the Shens were nobility now, others would only laugh.

[He doesn't qualify!] The system strictly adhered to its definition of "nobility" and reiterated its stance firmly to Bai Xingshu.

Bai Xingshu, however, wasn’t having it—not even slightly.

Being an Alpha is absolute; you either are or you aren't. There's no room for debate, let alone psychological identification. But when it comes to noble families...

The system's definition was one thing, but personal definitions... were often another matter entirely.

To the average citizen, families with millions in liquid assets could easily be considered noble.

And for the original host...

[System, are you telling me that Shen Geng, a royal relative, doesn’t count as nobility compared to the original host—an orphanage-raised, penniless arrival on the capital planet, where even the most ordinary item on him is worth at least five or six figures?] Bai Xingshu challenged.

The system genuinely couldn't argue against that.

But no matter how Bai Xingshu argued, the system would not budge.

It emphasized once again: [The mission requires a noble family more powerful than the Alpha who wronged the original host. Can you guarantee Shen Geng meets that requirement?]

The system practically drove the point home, hammering this non-negotiable condition into Bai Xingshu’s mind.

This wasn't something Bai Xingshu could sweet-talk his way into.

Even if his argument about Shen Geng held some merit, in reality, he was stuck in the middle—neither here nor there.

In the system’s eyes, he was definitely not a safe choice for completing the mission.

Lin Li, on the other hand—the Alpha from the Lin family—was undeniably top-tier in the empire, with only the royal family ranking higher.

Everything with Lin Li was settled and confirmed. The system had already begun laying the groundwork for marriage and just needed Bai Xingshu to reach the appropriate age before signing the contract.

The six-month deadline was being generous.

If the system pushed things, it might take just half that time before it could finally bid farewell to this troublesome host!

How could it possibly agree to Bai Xingshu switching targets now?

The system pleaded earnestly, but Bai Xingshu wasn't listening.

[That scumbag Alpha probably doesn’t even count as elite, either.] This was actually Bai Xingshu’s firsthand experience.

From what Bai Xingshu knew of real aristocratic families, most didn’t have a strict “no non-Omegas” marriage rule. It was more common among down-on-their-luck minor clans.

Mainly to flex their status.

You know what they say—the more you lack something, the more you’ll boast about it.

Whether those minor clans even qualified as “elite” was up for debate. Truthfully, few could claim to outrank the emperor’s in-laws right now.

[You said *probably* yourself.] The system wasn’t having it.

Well, Bai Xingshu didn’t see any point in arguing with the system.

[Then show me proof that Shen Geng doesn’t meet the requirements.] Bai Xingshu threw the question right back at the system.

The system short-circuited.

It had no proof.

After the time-travel glitch, all that data was gone.

Bai Xingshu knew this all too well.

Pressing his advantage, he smoothly added: [Don’t overcomplicate it. Just tell me—to the OG host, does Shen Geng count as elite? Is he an Alpha?]

[Yeah, he is.]

[As for absolutely wrecking that so-called scumbag Alpha, no problem there either.]

[Anyway, we’re already in our third year. Up next are school-wide team events. I can pummel every Alpha on campus—guaranteed to complete your “humble the scumbag” mission.]

C’mon, does getting hands-on count as humiliation or not?!

[I promise to beat them so bad it’ll be cathartic as hell!]

Bai Xingshu felt his argument was airtight and would satisfy the OG host’s demands.

Honestly, based on what he knew of himself, the OG’s main gripe was definitely about totally crushing that scumbag Alpha.

If given the choice between psychological or physical revenge… he’d go full fists-first, no question.

Zero complaints guaranteed!

But for once, the system didn’t bite. It deadpanned: [Mission completion needs review by the main system.]

[Completed means completed. Incomplete means redo. No wiggle room.]

Bai Xingshu paused, then quickly asked: [And if it gets marked incomplete?]

[Back to square one.] The system replied.

This was news to Bai Xingshu—but as for the “punishment”…

Was that even a punishment?

He shrugged: [Then I’ll just do it again.]

The system let out a staticky laugh.

It was no longer the naive little system that had just faced Bai Xingshu and been completely manipulated by him!

It had truly become the Niohuru System now!

No longer fooled by Bai Xingshu’s smooth talk, the system got right to the heart of it and fired back: [So if the main system judges the task as incomplete, will you break up with that guy? Divorce? Then go find another Elite Alpha to complete the mission?]

Faced with this question, Bai Xingshu paused and gave no reply.

This reaction made the system scoff again, confidently stating: [You won’t.]

Bai Xingshu remained silent, offering no rebuttal.

His gaze flicked toward Shen Geng, who had already changed and was quietly watching him. Calmly, he admitted to the system: [Can’t help it. You can tell too, can’t you?]

[Shen Geng likes me.]

That much, Bai Xingshu had vaguely sensed last night when he questioned the half-conscious Shen Geng and heard his own name slip from Shen Geng’s lips.

Then came the moment when Shen Geng nuzzled his scent gland—

The tender reverence in that gesture only deepened Bai Xingshu’s awareness of Shen Geng’s feelings.

At the time, though, Bai Xingshu couldn’t be certain his perception was accurate.

After all, in matters like this, Bai Xingshu’s judgment had gone wrong more than once.

So during the careful testing between them this morning, he finally found confirmation.

And Shen Geng’s final move was practically an open display of wanting him—undisguised and direct.

[Under these circumstances, you want me to go through with marrying Lin Li?] Bai Xingshu fired back at the system.

If Shen Geng didn’t like him, that would be one thing—it would just be his own feelings to deal with. He could bottle them up and focus on completing the mission first.

But now that he knew how Shen Geng felt…

[Why would I make Shen Geng go through something like that?] When they clearly liked each other.

Bai Xingshu went on, but naturally, the system wasn’t buying his excuses.

After all, it was just a system.

For it, the primary directive was clear: complete the mission.

[Do you know what happens if you fail?!] the system screeched.

It could tell from Bai Xingshu’s tone that he’d already made up his mind—not wavering in the slightest.

True to form, Bai Xingshu replied evenly: [I know. You’ve already told me before.]

[You’ll die.] The system emphasized once more.

To this warning, Bai Xingshu remained calm, even shrugging slightly: [Come on, you know I’ve never been afraid of taking risks.]

Those words left the system speechless for a few seconds before it finally let out a hysterical scream: [I knew it! You Bai Xingshus are all hopeless romantics!!]

Bai Xingshu: [ … ]

Recalling all his past doubts about the original host’s behavior, everything suddenly came back to hit him like a boomerang—exactly like a boomerang—right after the system’s words.

*Well.*

Bai Xingshu had already made his thoughts and stance perfectly clear to the system. No matter how much it protested, he silenced it once again.

He offered Shen Geng a small smile.

He didn’t think, for a moment, that he had made a reckless or foolhardy choice.

He was confident he could complete the mission—his chances were actually pretty good.

His earlier remark to the system—that “that jerk Alpha might not even qualify as part of the elite”—was something he had seriously considered beforehand.

Despite all the unexpected developments, he had genuinely taken this task seriously.

Back during the long break in his sophomore year, he had visited *Xitu Star*, researching the original body’s circumstances, life experiences, and even its skill level.

Also, when he first transmigrated, there had been no Mecha BattleNet login device in his backpack at all—this told him that the original body, like himself, had little to no mecha piloting experience.

After careful deduction, Bai Xingshu concluded that, unlike himself—with his combat experience from the apocalypse and metal manipulation powers—the original body would likely have wound up in Combat Class F after the Freshman Tournament at Capital Military University.

In Combat Class F, there really wasn’t anyone who could be considered part of the elite.

Even if he was wrong about that, another thing to consider was that inter-departmental interaction before third year was limited. So the Alpha who hurt the original body was most likely still within the Combat Department.

Bai Xingshu also knew exactly which notable elite Alphas in the Combat Department matched the description.

Among them, only a few had family backgrounds stronger than Shen Geng’s maternal family connections.

And those few didn’t seem like the type to play with people’s hearts.

After going through all this, Bai Xingshu figured his chances of completing the mission were at least 80%, maybe even 90%.

So why not give it a try?

As for the system… it would only feel safe with 100% certainty. But Bai Xingshu had no intention of humoring it.

“Let’s go,” Bai Xingshu said.

Shen Geng grunted in response.

The dormitory door opened, and a wave of noise rushed in.

Looking over, Bai Xingshu immediately recognized several very familiar figures.

Lin Li, Lin Lie, Luo Yu, and Song Xiyan.

Bai Xingshu: “….” He fell silent.