Chapter 95: Heading Towards the Weakest (Most Crown Clan Members) Spot

Chapter 95: Heading for the Weakest Spot (Where the Crown Clan Gathers)

Kaman pondered for a moment before offering a fair assessment: "Crazy, but it makes sense."

"So that means—" Frey glanced around, "Finn’s a no-show, huh?"

"Isn’t it normal for Finn to be a day or two late for anything?"

Mei Lun spoke up again.

"Who knows where the hell he’s off to all the time."

Someone chuckled.

A group of Crown Clan members sneaked glances at their little cub’s training up close.

There was a mix of pride and nostalgia—like watching their kid finally grow up.

Meanwhile, in Xiao Chuzao’s team, points were already racking up.

They were following the map to locate places to camp and areas where beasts could be hiding.

Unlike the tension of those around them, likely due to prior combat experience, the entire team—including Xiao Chuzao—was remarkably chill.

However, they hadn’t encountered any beasts worth fighting along the way.

Word was that beast squad leaders were scarce.

Mostly so other students wouldn’t get wrecked.

As for the surrounding teams, not everyone agreed.

But when it came to the little cub—

One by one, they tagged along after him, even if he was holding the map upside-down, following him blindly anyway.

Chao Huangmu, in particular, seemed ready to shout from the rooftops that Xiao Chuzao could do no wrong.

"Though the rules say we can also snatch beasts, right?"

Peng Liang scanned the rules again.

Despite the planet’s vast size and the abundance of support teams monitoring the live broadcast—Saint Cas Military Academy took this training exercise very seriously—their squad had already run into quite a few students.

Most were tangling with their first beasts since landing.

They held back to avoid butting in.

"Should be."

Yun Songquan threw in briefly.

He turned to glance at Chao Huangmu, who was shadowing Xiao Chuzao.

That lug was stepping on the little one’s shadow, making the cub flap his little wings to get him back. Chao Huangmu was more than happy to indulge in such goofing around, keeping things fun.

"Little Highness, wanna go hunt some points?"

Peng Liang suggested.

Waving at A-Huang over there.

"A-Huang, get ready to steal some points."

How weird is this?

Usually, Chao Huangmu is the one with an extremely competitive drive, always managing to one-up them. But this time, with Xiao Chuzao around, Chao Huangmu's attention seems entirely diverted, his desire for victory suddenly diminished.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chuzao, as a member of the Little Crown Clan, lit up immediately at the keywords "winning" and "scoring points." His little wings popped upright for a moment as he turned to look, his big eyes wide.

"Snatch points? How?"

Zao Zao wants to win.

Though the little guy has most of his belongings stored in the compact dimensional storage his parents gave him, he still carries a little backpack on his back. His small wings emerge from beneath it, his feathers all ruffled.

Chao Huangmu, watching the little one's reaction, finally turned back. He had been showing the cub his lucky divination crystal, but now he responded, "We just take 'em. Listen for where the noise is."

He beamed brightly, lowering his head to meet Xiao Chuzao's gaze.

"First, we’ll try negotiating with them. If they won’t let us, we’ll just take what we want."

"After all, it's all good practice anyway."

Chao Huangmu’s smile was sincere; he was practically bursting with eagerness to impress. Around Xiao Chuzao, his imaginary "tail" seemed to be wagging furiously.

"I can help put them through their paces too."

"That works. A-Huang, you keep them busy, and we’ll cover Little Highness while he scores."

Peng Liang nodded in agreement.

They would first deploy their unstoppable powerhouse—Chao Huangmu.

Yun Songquan added, "Just take it easy. We don’t want to get penalized for foul play. The goal is to control and restrain them. Besides the firearms for hunting beasts, they also issued restraint guns and special ammunition—probably for situations like this. We’ll sneak around from behind—"

When it came to underhanded tactics, they were full of sneaky tricks.

Xiao Chuzao was still the "straight-laced one." He blinked his big eyes, watching the three of them, and nodded along.

But when it came to control and restraint—Xiao Chuzao thought for a moment. It felt oddly familiar.

Coincidentally, not far away, two beasts had somehow wandered close together.

The student restraining one of them looked very familiar.

It was a member of the Elite Class.

Running into each other in such a vast place right at the start was crazy lucky.

But everything happened so suddenly that the plan Chu Zao’s team had just discussed went out the window.

They were caught red-handed.

At just over ten years old, they were bouncing with energy, finding everything fresh and exhilarating.

The person in the distance caught sight of Xiao Chuzao.

He came barreling over—

"Hahaha, Little Highness!! Fate brought us together!!"

This was a classmate from the Elite Class known for his exceptional speed and agility. His psychic energy was slightly unique, capable of fully boosting his velocity—enough to even give Chao Huangmu the slip a few times before.

Before he even got close, Xiao Chuzao lazily raised his hand to greet him.

Then came the declaration: "But even if it's you, Little Highness, I won't back down! When it comes to speed, I won't lose to anyone!"

Their team quickly dealt with one of the mutant beasts and moved toward the other.

Under Xiao Chuzao's gaze, the boy zipped around—now in front of Xiao Chuzao's group, now regrouping with his teammates.

He laughed triumphantly, tauntingly leaving Chao Huangmu and himself wiggle room to dodge and evade.

Chao Huangmu poised himself—

Peng Liang and Yun Songquan also prepared to act.

But after being mocked a few times, Xiao Chuzao, staring at this show-off, suddenly materialized a tiny bow. Gripping his psychic energy arrow, he didn’t draw the string too far—only a golden arrow condensed on his bow. Lifting it just as the other was caught off guard, the boy charged right into it.

Chao Huangmu paused; Peng Liang and Yun Songquan widened their eyes.

The emotion-influencing arrow instantly did its work.

The startled boy, who had been backpedaling in alarm, froze—just as he caught sight of his teammate’s face.

He lunged into a full-body glomp.

"Oh, let’s sleep together tonight? Snuggle under one blanket, heads touching, and tell stories, okay?"

The suddenly embraced teammate: ????

What the—?

Did his showing off go to his head—

Holy hell??

Wait, don’t kiss me!!! Not even the cheek—this is a family-friendly broadcast! You can’t air this!!

"Relax, it’s purely platonic!"

His speed was indeed in a league of its own.

So fast that no one could shake him off.

Chao Huangmu acted swiftly too. While the others were tangled up, he smoothly finished off the mutant beast and secured the points.

Moments later, the previously boastful boy jumped back like he'd been burned, leaping meters away.

"What was that? What just happened?"

His dust-covered teammate glared at him with a blank stare: "I was about to ask you the same thing."

The other two teammates, stunned, retreated to watch from the sidelines, wary of collateral damage.

Finally, all eyes turned to Xiao Chuzao, holding his little Cupid bow.

The tiny tot paused, then spoke up softly: "Zao Zao tried to warn you—keep this up and you’ll get hit. But you walked right into that one."

That's true.

The little guy barely had time to react before getting hugged.

Damn, he's fast!

The kid had to admit he was good.

The little one doesn't usually use his Cupid's bow without reason, so stuff like Love and Peace is practically unheard of, even among his military academy classmates.

The information they have is about the same as what's known online about the Saint Casians—they mostly just see those blazing Black Flame arrows.

At this moment, the guy who had just boasted that he wouldn't lose in speed cautiously backed up a few steps, suddenly wary.

Love and Peace???

The hell is that??

Before the match, you didn't say anything about this trick!!

"But it seems allowed?"

Peng Liang judged.

"Yes, psychic targeting's fair game."

Yun Songquan said.

"Then, let Little Highness shoot from behind to control them, and we'll go in to steal points."

Chao Huangmu shook blood from his hands as he spoke.

The remaining victims: ...

Isn't that going too far?

The kid blinked. "Is this okay?"

Xiao Chuzao clutched his tiny bow.

"Really? Isn't Zao Zao being kinda mean?"

"Of course not!"

"Totally fair!"

"It's by the book. Anything can happen on the battlefield!"

For example, a so-called 'little Cupid' wielding Love and Peace arrows might pop up outta nowhere on the field.

Xiao Chuzao scrubbed at his face, seeming a bit hesitant.

You're all a bunch of cheaters—don't go teaching bad habits to such an adorable Little Highness!!!—the victims nearly shouted.

"Alright."

But soon, the little one looked up, pumped his little fist determinedly.

"Zao Zao'll hold back a little. We're gonna win!"

The victims: ...Crap, run!

And so, the scarily talented kid in control and manipulation was let loose completely.

Wherever he went, forget stealing points—those who knew the details started fleeing in panic.

The little one was equal parts guilty and hooked, watching his score blow up before scouting his next victim.

Compared to the beasts—this tiny terror was way worse.

The Saint Casians just gaped.

‘So—what was that?’

‘That’s Love and Peace! Little Highness is spreading Love and Peace everywhere, he’s like some peace prophet!’

‘Seriously? Ambassador of peace, hahaha—’

‘Never expected Love and Peace—what even is this feeling? How’s it both badass and cute? I’m going crazy, I’m full-on screaming 'Love cult!'’

‘The instructors are baffled too, and I’m certain the Saint Cas Ninth Army in charge of maintenance definitely knew about Little Highness’s abilities. Every single one of them books it the second he appears, hahaha—’

‘Same with the instructors—every one of them nopes out immediately when they spot Little Highness—’

‘Instructors: Are you Satan himself? Hahaha.’

‘More like the Love-and-Peace Menace!’

‘All hail Love!!’

The parents who had secretly followed fell silent.

Most of them had previously overlooked the minor power of Xiao Chuzao’s Love and Peace, only to get publicly wrecked in the end.

“Amos, you positive Zao Zao’s not gonna get hooked?”

Mei Lun shuddered.

He clearly recalled Kaman’s love-hate relationship with him back then, and even now, just thinking about it messed him up.

Amos also paused, watching the little one darting around excitedly, tiny wings fluttering behind him—no way to tell.

What this little one would grow into was truly unpredictable.

*

With the addition of Xiao Chuzao, the ‘hostile force,’ the already chaotic battlefield went full chaos mode.

At night, hardly anyone rested—either desperately grinding mobs for points or dodging his zone like the plague.

It was already the second day.

Staring at the pollution outside.

“So—” Finn, now deadpan, tilted his head and asked, “Where is this?”

Where the hell was he now?

Dude. A full damn day.

He said he was going to watch the little one’s training, to check the kid’s stats. Now the drills were wrapping up, and he wasn’t even there yet!!

"That's how it is, Your Highness—"

The adjutant was covered in cold sweat.

But having grown accustomed to such situations, they handled the procedures with effortless ease.

"Since we were advancing separately from the Emperor's convoy and had other inspection targets along the way, after passing the third checkpoint, we seem to have encountered a spatial microburst, which slightly diverted our course. Combined with interference to our navigation system, the error margin increased."

Bad news—they'd run into a spatial microburst, a subtle spatial anomaly that misdirected them, resulting in a massive deviation.

Good news—it was just a deviation. The general heading—north, south, east, west—was still correct.

After confirming the broad direction was accurate, the adjutant ordered a quick coordinate recalibration. They only realized this mishap upon arriving at what turned out *not* to be their intended destination.

"Your Highness, the probability of encountering a spatial microburst is a one-in-ten-thousand chance."

He smiled.

Could this *be* any more unlucky?

He’d already accepted his fate.

Every team had given their best, yet somehow, things always went sideways. Was that *on them*?

No, it wasn’t!!!

Watching Finn’s stormy, ever-shifting puppet-like face, the adjutant hovered between disbelief and hysterics—so much so that he almost burst out laughing.

"Oh."

Finn let out a hollow laugh.

He stared at his adjutant.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

"Which one of us is hexed—you or me? Why does *every single time* we step out, we hit this kind of crap?"

Finn couldn’t make sense of it either.

Why? *Why* did things like this *always* happen?

Was there not *one* time he could reach his destination safely?

Biting his nails, Finn had thought this trip was smooth sailing—until *this* blindsided him.

Noticing the adjutant’s gaze, Finn: "..."

"Quit giving *me* that look. Like *you’ve* got room to talk!"

Heh. Aren’t I just brilliant?

Unless the universe throws another curveball—

Finn thought bitterly.

"Report—"

It’s happening.

Right then, when Finn felt something was about to happen, a crew member frantically reported.

"During the recent system-wide reset, search, and rescan, we accidentally detected a fleet with no identifiers. We’ve already sent a confirmation request, but there’s been no response, Your Highness. The fleet is currently at a slightly farther distance. Should we pursue and investigate?"

The area in question is a contaminated zone, where normal fleets rarely venture. However, extremist organizations like the Hymn Organization, leveraging their technology and tight security protocols, often operate or travel through these fringe regions.

Finn raised an eyebrow.

"Follow them. Find out how many starships they have. Fan out and quickly tag every ship. Don’t let them escape."

Based on Finn’s years of experience, this reeks of trouble. Regardless of the specifics, tracking them closely first was the priority—details could be sorted out later.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Meanwhile,

Two top Hymn Organization leaders, rarely together, were navigating the edges of the contaminated zone.

"The Divine Grace Stones granted to us this time provide even greater power. We must break through the barrier within the pollution that has long hindered the divine force from entering our world. We must usher in a new world order, bringing us a fair and renewed existence."

"You’re right. Only the arrival of the divine can resolve all this. Those fools wouldn’t get it."

"Move out. Subject Xi should have already reached the designated area. We must advance further. If necessary, sacrificing them’s a fair trade."

"They’re just test subjects, after all."

The two leaders’ starships moved forward together, accompanied by followers piloting identical small starships.

In a way, they were stealthy and careful enough.

They weren’t even on the same starship, communicating only through holographic comms.

But then, out of nowhere—

Alarms screamed.

"What’s happening???"

"Are we being locked onto?"

"Yes. We just intercepted a transmission from a fleet slightly farther away. We couldn’t identify which nation or planet they belong to, so we ignored it as per protocol. Based on our intel and normal logic, they shouldn’t have been able to lock onto us—but—but, sir—we’ve just realized this might be Saint Cas’s fleet!"

"What???"

"How could it be Saint Cas’s fleet? Their forces should be at another marked location!"

"Yet, only Saint Cas has this tech. And they’ve fully locked onto us, advancing at full speed. Sir, what should we do?"

Finn’s appearance in an utterly unexpected location delivered a nasty surprise to the Hymn Organization, who had been counting their wins.

The two high-ranking members of the Hymn Organization had been carrying a large quantity of Divine Grace Stones entrusted to them by their leader, Chastity, confident that this operation would drastically shift the current interstellar landscape.

Even if the Crown Clan appeared, they wouldn’t blink.

But nobody warned us the Crown Clan would be here!!

Even as they claimed to have no fear of the Crown Clan, they chose the safest route, and upon hearing the name of Saint Cas, they instinctively began to feel a flicker of fear.

"There's no time to consider this!"

One of them immediately spoke up.

"If they're approaching at full speed, there's an 80 to 90 percent chance it's Saint Cas's forces. Those from Saint Cas are all fanatics who spit on faith. And with such recklessness, the Crown Clan is likely mixed in as well. For the sake of our holy rites, we must split up fast—to achieve our goal."

"You're right. Scatter completely and draw their fire!"

The other also issued an order.

"Protect the mothership. If anything goes wrong—brothers, we must strike at Saint Cas's weakest point and eliminate that Little Crown Clan."

The coordinates appeared on the starship screen.

"That Little Crown Clan is currently lightly guarded and still green. This is our final opportunity—to use the Divine Grace Stone and accomplish our great cause. We shall—earn eternal glory!"

At the rear of Saint Cas's Ninth Army Group—aboard a starship, a group of parents were peacefully stationed at the coordinates displayed by the Hymn Organization, watching their little ones zigzag across the arena with tiny bows in hand.

By the time the event was nearing its end, Xiao Chuzao's team had accumulated a monstrous score.

However, thanks to the little one's participation, the battlefield had gained a wild card. The originally by-the-book cadets received much more rigorous training—at least their reflexes had sharpened considerably. They might not be able to evade the Little Highness, but as long as they could dodge their teammates' sudden attacks, that was victory enough!

The Crown Clan began throwing shade among themselves.

"It must be Finn's fault. Finn has always been problematic."

"No, no, I think it's inherited from Second Brother."

"Definitely not my doing!"

Meanwhile, the little one was keeping track of time when they spotted the last squad of mutant creatures.

Coincidentally—just before the competition ended, they ran into Teng Kelin's team.

The little one, having gone full loot goblin along the way, left no mutant creatures alive and sent classmates fleeing in their wake.

Teng Kelin's team, out of the loop, hadn't yet caught wind of the news.

Spotting Xiao Chuzao from a distance, Teng Kelin's expression darkened, and he gritted his teeth slightly.

"Heads up—"

Let this Little Highness see that they weren't some joke!

At the very least, they had to make sure the Little Highness remembered them!

The little one, accompanied by a three-person squad, had already closed in on Teng Kelin's team—they had their eyes on this mutant creature squad. Raising their tiny bow with utmost politeness, the little one lisped sweetly.

"'Scuse us, we'll be snatching those points, thank you."

Watching their "pretend-shot" teammate, Teng Kelin: ? Did they think a mere announcement would make us yield? As if!

Chao Huangmu and the others, imagining what was about to unfold, couldn't help but lose it: Spectacular, absolutely spectacular.

One's own public embarrassment may be terrifying, but witnessing another's warms the soul—Amen to that!!!