Chapter 28: Why do you keep making the same mistake?

Chapter 28: Why Do You Keep Making the Same Mistake Over and Over?

Zao Zao ate my 'brain'...

AAAAAAAAH!!!

The Crown Clan doesn't equate all psychic energy to a 'brain'. For instance, Psychic Weapons—as extensions of their power—are just expressions of their immense mental strength and differ from their crown halos. Otherwise, Mei Lun would literally be flinging his ‘brain’ around with every attack.

Amos isn’t hacking people up with his ‘brain’ either—obviously.

But psychic energy is delicate and crucial for everyone, including the Crown Clan.

It’s just that the Crown Clan possesses such immense psychic power that they can recover and replenish their energy rapidly, even creating unique psychic weapons tailored to themselves. Not to mention, Mei Lun had deliberately honed in on this specific strand of energy.

Honestly, at this moment, that energy was practically indistinguishable from his halo.

So Mei Lun clearly felt Chu Zao’s tiny fangs pressing against his psychic weapon, biting down hard—and then a chunk of his Psychic Weapon had been bitten off. Along with it, that missing fragment of psychic energy no longer responded to him.

To the Crown Clan, that instant felt downright horrifying.

Especially from this angle—only Mei Lun could see what the little cub was doing under Amos’ wing. And wait—can you just eat psychic energy like that??

His scalp prickled in panic. Clutching his head, he lunged forward as everyone stared in confusion—reaching out to tug at Amos’ wing.

Frey: ?

An Ya: ?

Amos (wing tugged): ?

After a brief hesitation, Amos reached out and firmly pressed Mei Lun—who was too shocked to speak—shoving him back firmly.

"Uncle Mei Lun, you’re seriously overstepping right now."

The wings of the Crown Clan are extremely sensitive—not for casual touching.

And definitely not for yanking on. Amos, driven by his slowly awakening protective instincts, instinctively resisted any suggestion to separate from Xiao Chuzao and shielded the cub beneath his wing.

But only Xiao Chuzao was allowed to nestle inside his wings.

And here you are, reaching in to tug?

Do you even *realize* what you’re doing??

One more tug, and Amos swore—even an elder like Mei Lun would catch these hands.

Frey and An Ya gaped.

While Crown Clan cubs are scarce, with families typically having only one child, the royal Dwight Family stood apart. Their psychic power dwarfed others’, and long before the Saint Cas Empire existed, they were the leaders of the Crown Clan.

This immense psychic power allowed their family to produce more cubs within their habitat.

However, a royal litter of five, like Amos’, was almost unheard of.

Frey had known Amos since he was a cub.

Especially not long after Amos was born, and shortly after An Ya’s birth, the Corruption crisis began.

All Crown Clan members entered a state of emergency, and the cubs began training ahead of schedule.

He could frankly say that Amos was a naturally strong and sharp leader, showing these traits from a very young age. From childhood on, no one had dared to casually reach out and touch Amos’s wings.

He really would hit people, and Amos was even more arrogant when he was younger—he didn’t hold back his strength when hitting others, and it really hurt.

What is Uncle Mei Lun trying to do?? You’ve got guts, Uncle Mei Lun!

Xiao Chuzao took a bite of Mei Lun’s Psychic Weapon, finding it crunchy and sweet. He automatically swallowed before realizing he’d done something wrong. Instinctively, he shrank further into Amos’s wings, gripping the Psychic Weapon tightly, his eyes wide as he glanced around, then instinctively hid it under himself.

“No, no, Zao Zao just took a bite of my Psychic Weapon!!!”

Mei Lun finally recovered from the shock, being pushed away by Amos but still struggling to reach forward.

His silver-white hair was slightly disheveled from the phantom pain that had made him grab his head, a few strands slipping loose from his hairband, showing his shock—this once elegant gentleman now visibly rattled.

“Gasp—”

Mei Lun heard the sound of sharp intakes of breath.

Clearly, someone else shared his reaction.

“No way?” An Ya said, her gaze falling on Amos’s wings.

An adult Crown Clan member’s wings could almost completely conceal them, let alone a five-year-old kid.

Xiao Chuzao was now entirely hidden within Amos’s white wings, not showing a thing.

“Are you sure?” Frey also looked stunned, though his expression never changed, remaining cold and sharp. “Maybe Zao Zao just tested it with a nibble—”

He’d heard kids might need to chew on things?

Frey wasn’t sure, since he didn’t know much about this kind of thing, and they had never raised a child from their own clan before.

Besides, considering how easily the kid could yank off halos and even use them to hit people, what they struggled with was easy for him.

Or maybe because it was too easy, the kid didn’t get why An Ya always winced whenever she saw him take off a halo.

This created a vicious cycle: An Ya wanted to talk to him, the kid got wary of An Ya, and then started taking off halos to scare her away.

So maybe—

“No, no, no! He definitely took a bite! He even swallowed it!”

Mei Lun’s hands shook.

Xiao Chuzao stayed quiet, still tucked under Amos’s wings.

Amos paused too, about to say something when he suddenly noticed two equally shocked and confused looks beside him.

Amos turned to look.

—Two more hands were reaching toward his wings.

Amos: …

Didn’t I just say no??

Amos’s terrifying psychic power surged instantly. He effortlessly blocked An Ya and Frey’s hands, then flung them both backward, sending them flying across the room.

He folded his wings, and the little one beneath them was a little panicked. Before the little one could react, he had already been transferred from Amos’s wings into Amos’s arms.

A five-year-old cub fit snugly in his parent’s arms.

His small face was lifted by the parent as Amos frowned, gently prying open Xiao Chuzao’s little mouth to inspect.

But there was nothing to see—Xiao Chuzao had already swallowed that crunchy bite of psychic energy.

The way the three of them had reacted so strongly—and so strangely—just now had left Xiao Chuzao feeling uneasy.

His small wings drooped unconsciously behind him.

He wasn’t sure if he’d messed up.

“Baba…”

The cub’s soft, weak voice was barely audible, a little muffled since his mouth was being held.

Zao Zao didn’t mean to eat it—he just thought it smelled so yummy and delicious, and wanted to take a tiny bite to try…

“Nothing unusual.”

Amos spoke while giving the cub an awkward pat on the back to soothe him.

That was, until Xiao Chuzao pulled out the psychic weapon—Mei Lun’s transformed energy—which he’d been hiding under his little bottom.

“Zao Zao… did take a bite.”

Amos froze too—

He saw the small tooth mark on the psychic blade in the cub’s hands—in fact, a tiny piece was missing.

Well, at least Zao Zao’s teeth are straight…

Amos: …

“Get the medics back in here.”

The little cub hung his head, the psychic weapon taken from his hands by Mei Lun. His little wings drooped as Amos held him, waiting for further examination.

Amos frowned, worried about Xiao Chuzao eating psychic energy. He didn’t know what this meant for the cub, and Mei Lun could no longer sense the psychic energy the little one had consumed.

With only a few hours left before departure, this unexpected twist ratcheted up the tension in the room.

“Your Majesty, everything checks out.”

Half an hour before departure, the thorough examination was completed.

“Overall, there are no significant changes. No abnormalities were detected in the digestive tract, and all readings remain consistent with the previous check-up. Visually, the Little Highness’s halo seems a bit brighter, though the dark gold portions remain unchanged. Upon further questioning, the Little Highness no longer shows any desire to consume Prince Mei Lun’s psychic energy—we think it’s nothing serious. Additionally, we’ve never heard of Crown Clan psychic energy harming a clan cub, so our recommendation is to continue monitoring.”

“But he ate my ‘brain’…”

Mei Lun remained crouched on the spot, staring in stunned disbelief at the psychic weapon in his hands.

“It’s not supposed to be this crunchy! Or are Zao Zao’s teeth made of some special material?”

He bit it off, bit it off, bit it off—

It’s over!

Mei Lun came to a conclusion.

His Psychic Weapon had actually been bitten by Zao Zao.

He’s—gotten weaker now!

But—

But this little tooth mark is so cute...?

“He doesn’t want to eat anymore, right?”

Amos continued to ask.

“Yes, Little Highness said he didn’t know what he wanted to eat before. He was full but still felt like he was missing something. After taking a bite of Prince Mei Lun’s Psychic Weapon, Little Highness said the feeling went away. Maybe it’s because Little Highness merged with Prince Mei Lun’s halo before?”

They couldn’t make sense of it—Mei Lun’s psychic energy entered Chu Zao’s stomach and then vanished.

Psychic energy is still the hottest and deepest topic in the interstellar community. Even today, they’ve barely scratched the surface. This is Xiao Chuzao’s first time experiencing this, and they have no idea what might happen next. It’s all uncharted territory.

“For example, Little Highness’s psychic energy repaired Prince Mei Lun’s halo, leaving Little Highness’s own psychic energy depleted, instinctively trying to refill it by eating Prince Mei Lun’s psychic energy? This… I think we need to observe further.”

This is just a guess, of course.

After all, nobody saw this coming—ultimately, Psychic Weapons and Crown halos don’t mean the same thing for the Crown Clan.

Psychic Weapons can be reshaped repeatedly by their psychic energy, but the Crown halo is a special type of psychic energy for the Crown Clan—it’s their lifeline. You can’t turn one into the other.

“So, he’s fine now?”

Amos asked.

“But he seems uncomfortable.”

“The tests came back clean, Your Majesty.”

The examiner clearly knew Amos planned to take Little Highness along.

He hesitated for a moment.

“Little Highness is probably just—grumpy.”

“Your Majesty, it’s time to depart. The Falcon Organization’s banquet is going, our people are already inside, just waiting for us to arrive.”

“Let’s go.”

Amos nodded. He walked quickly into the room, looking at the little guy sitting on the bed. He bent down and picked up the child.

“Dada…”

Xiao Chuzao’s little wings hung limp behind him as he instinctively clung to Amos’s neck.

“Zao Zao ate Grandpa Mei Lun’s magic… Was that bad? Zao Zao just wanted a tiny taste, didn’t mean to… really didn’t…”

He didn’t feel anything unusual at the moment. Swallowing it just made him feel full for a second.

The little one hugged Amos’s neck with his small hands, small as a warm little bun, his shaky little voice scared.

“Grandpa Mei Lun won’t get sick, right?”

Amos was carrying the little one out when he suddenly realized why the cub seemed so down—he had initially thought it was because Little Chuzao had consumed Mei Lun’s psychic energy and was feeling unwell.

“It’s not good to just go around taking someone else’s psychic energy like that.”

Amos lowered his head to meet the cub’s gaze.

Chu Zao’s clear, watery amber eyes hadn’t yet been tainted by the madness typical of the Crown Clan after their crowns shattered. His face was soft, worried—like he’d done something wrong. That wasn’t an expression you’d expect from a member of the Crown Clan.

And yet Amos felt as though he’d seen this exact scene before—the little cub apologizing, promising not to mess with things again…

He always seemed to think any unexpected problem was somehow his fault. His first reaction, whether right or wrong, was to apologize—to try to hold onto what mattered most to him. And that wasn’t healthy.

Amos hadn’t noticed this before. After all, the Crown Clan were one of the few mythical races in the galaxy who stood at the top. From birth, they were naturally powerful. They weren’t cruel, but they were undeniably proud.

Even for Amos—who had never raised a cub before—it would have been hard to figure out what was going on inside the little one’s mind.

This time, Amos didn’t wait for Little Chuzao to speak again.

“This might hurt you. If you ever want to do something like this, you should talk to me first. That’s all that matters.”

Little Chuzao blinked.

Then he heard Amos say plainly, “Dad worries about you.”

Dad… worries about you.

Because he cares about Zao Zao.

The cub paused for a moment, then reached out and slowly hugged him again.

The tiny child nuzzled against Amos’s cheek.

Soft, warm breath brushed against Amos’s ear.

To Amos, it was a sound both fragile and strong—one that stirred feelings he’d never known deep within his heart.

“Everything is ready, Your Majesty!”

Frey and An Ya hurried over too.

Seeing Amos holding the cub, they asked, “Is Zao Zao okay now? Can he come along?”

“Of course.”

Amos replied calmly, still cradling the fragile little one in his arms.

“I’ll go say hello to Uncle Mei Lun.”

Frey turned and entered the nearby med bay.

Mei Lun was sitting on the edge of the bed, carefully studying the Psychic Energy Weapon.

Just as Frey was about to speak, he saw Mei Lun smile.

Mei Lun carefully put the weapon away, clearly intending to preserve the little tooth marks left on it.

Once done, Mei Lun glanced up—and locked eyes with a speechless Frey.

"I know it’s a headache—but look closer, don’t you think it’s cute?"

"...We’re heading out now. Get some rest."

Frey turned and walked away.

He still thought Mei Lun’s crew took their obsession with younglings to another level.

Then he turned and saw the little one clinging to Amos’s shoulder.

The little golden crown halo on his head gleamed, bobbing happily up and down. From this angle, his wings weren’t visible, but Amos had his fully spread—unlike the Crown Clan’s usual habit of keeping both wings and crowns tucked away like adults did, not like this youngling who just let them out freely.

At that moment, Xiao Chuzao was hanging off Amos’s shoulder. He noticed a few unruly feathers on Amos’s wing and stretched out his tiny hand, eyes wide, gently smoothing them down one by one. He wasn’t great at it yet, but he kept at it patiently until Amos’s feathers lay perfectly neat—something he never even did for his own wings.

Frey couldn’t look away—his own back tingled.

*

Kaman had already picked up on the weird vibe.

He had arrived at the banquet hosted by the Falcon Organization.

Only Falcon’s top brass and standout recruits made the guest list.

On this backwater rogue planet, the recruitment event was low-key.

It started as a talent hunt, but since they’d recently discovered the Saint Cas Empire’s Ninth Fleet had withdrawn, they figured they’d scored another win in their standoff with the Empire—so now it’s also a victory party.

“This is the newest member we’ve recruited—Manka.”

The guy next to him half-assed the intro, just flipping Kaman’s name around.

Kaman, dressed casually, held a wine glass in one hand.

The wine swirled in his glass as he surveyed the room. Hearing the introduction, he smirked and glanced ahead.

Falcon, the leader of the Falcon Organization, looked like an average middle-aged man, except for his burly build and the kind of smile that hides a blade.

Kaman gave a lazy toast, barely lifting his glass—not even bothering with a real smile. *This is it?*

Falcon sized him up but came up empty.

“Manka?”

“Yeah. Used to be with a new pirate gang nearby. They raided a lab—everyone else died, lab staff included. Only he survived. Kid’s got grit, and we scooped him up—”

“Oh.”

Suddenly, Falcon reached out.

“No weapons or gear here. What’s in your pocket?”

Kaman stepped back, pulling his hand out—revealing two small nutrient packs.

“Nutrient packs. Got a problem with that?”

“Seriously? Nutrient packs at a party? What century is this?”

The sponsor hesitated, then forced a laugh, trying to smooth things over.

“Word is he went pirate ‘cause he was starving. Kid’s a loose cannon, but he gets results—exactly your type, boss.”

The suspicion in Falcon's eyes slowly faded. "Good, just keep up the good work!"

"Listen up, everyone—here’s the deal: our main goal is to eat well and live well! So strip those mining planets bare and bring everything back. And me? I’ve lived the high life my whole damn life—only got tripped up here in Saint Cas. You think you can stand against me? Find any damn excuse to screw with them! If you can hit the Saint Cas Empire hard, you want resources, I’ll give ’em to you! We’re all brothers here—if I eat, you eat!"

But behind him, cheers gave way to murmured discussions.

"Scared of the Crown Clan? Ha! Don’t forget, this time even the Crown Clan can’t find us!"

Falcon laughed arrogantly.

"What’s so ‘mythical’ about them? They’re just a bunch of idiots, worthless trash—not worth mentioning! As long as we hit ’em and bolt, they can’t touch us!"

"That’s right! Even the Saint Cas Empire’s famed Ninth Army only managed to catch one of our exposed squads. They couldn’t even find our hideout before tucking tail and running back! Turns out the Saint Cas Empire’s no better than anyone else!"

Kaman had already slipped out of the banquet hall without a sound.

He was cursing under his breath.

They can’t find us?

Since when does a rogue planet have so many well-trained waiters? Clearly Saint Cas hadn’t taken this seriously before—but now, for some reason, they were going all-in on this Falcon group?

Has Amos lost it?

The moment they saw him—knew he was here—those Saint Cas bastards should’ve figured out what was coming!

The Falcon organization was supposed to be wiped out today in one big blast.

But now?

Saint Cas Empire’s forces must’ve already infiltrated.

If things go south now—

Kaman’s steps, steady at first, suddenly faltered. He staggered, bracing himself against the wall, eyes tightly shut. The crown atop his head, on the verge of shattering, flickered faintly in that empty corner.

—He was at his limit.

Just a little slip, and the crown would break apart.

Not now—

Who knew how many Saint Cas troops were lurking here?

In that moment of darkness, countless images surged through his mind.

Bright, warm colors, soft voices calling his childhood name gently in his ear—but all fading into the dark clouds over Saint Cas’s capital as he defected and fled in a starship.

After that, everything turned gray and black—even death brought no peace.

He’d had enough—he was drowning in hopelessness—he was already...

Goddamn it.

Kaman’s eyes snapped open, his face grim.

*

Down the long corridor,

Amos walked down the center, holding the little one in his arms.

An Ya and Frey walked behind.

Xiao Chuzao was curiously eyeing his surroundings.

Amos ambled along like he was taking the little one on a casual stroll.

Whenever they came across something unusual, he would stop so Xiao Chuzao could take a look.

Even though this was a rogue planet, it had been occupied and developed with these structures, making it a hotspot for influential factions across the galaxy. So the architecture was all about luxury and excess.

The flower clusters were a riot of color, growing on single stems in soft pastel shades—like little candy lanterns.

This was a specialty variety cultivated in space.

Xiao Chuzao gaped in fascination.

He’d never seen anything like them, and at his age, everything was new and exciting.

Amos stopped short and glanced back.

"Do you like those?"

"Zao Zao hasn’t seen them before, so Zao Zao wants to look."

The little one cuddled in Amos’s arms piped up in a tiny voice.

"It’s fine, no rush."

After a quick check to make sure the flowers were safe, Amos bent down and set the little one on the ground.

"Zao Zao can pick one to look at slowly."

"Really?"

Would it hold them up?

The little one still didn’t quite know where he stood with Amos.

Petite and delicate, with wide, curious eyes peeking out from under soft black curls.

"It’s fine, go ahead."

Frey chimed in from the back.

"There’s plenty of time, and these flowers are meant to be picked here—it’s fine. We’ll just pay when we leave."

Only the Crown Clan would be cocky enough to act this relaxed in enemy turf—and still insist on paying.

But the little one took his guardians at their word, instantly brightening with a smile. He scampered over to the flowers lining the walkway, studied them carefully before finally picking one.

Amos didn’t move, but Frey and An Ya followed the little one over.

Watching Xiao Chuzao’s focused expression, An Ya couldn’t resist crouching down too—though he wasn’t looking at the flowers, but at Xiao Chuzao.

He wondered what made this kid so special.

But An Ya still hadn’t gotten what he wanted out of tailing the kid. Regretting how harsh he’d been earlier, he wanted to make things right.

That face—so soft it begged to be pinched, plump and peach-soft with baby fat, dusted with pink—was downright cherubic.

If—

An Ya felt drawn in, unconsciously reaching out to gently poke the little cub’s cheek.

Zao Zao (who’d just picked a flower), suddenly poked: ?

An Ya, drawn in and only realizing what he’d done after the fact: !

The poke was actually too rough for a cub—An Ya hadn’t yet mastered the right touch when dealing with young ones. So Xiao Chuzao’s eyes abruptly widened in surprise. Before the flustered An Ya could say anything, his halo popped off again, pressing against An Ya’s cheek and pushing him away. Then, clutching the flower he’d just picked, he scampered over to hide behind Amos.

An Ya winced, weakly stretching out a hand: “...No, I didn’t mean to…”

From behind Amos came the cub’s muffled voice, completely hidden and not peeking out at all: “Bad guy. Hate you.”

An Ya: …He bonked me again.

Frey glanced at An Ya, who seemed to have visibly deflated, and fell silent for a moment.

“What were you thinking? Why do you keep falling for the same trick?”

An Ya: ………………