Chapter 75: Idiot

Chapter 75 The Fool

Hubbard snorted contemptuously.

He couldn't help but curse them as fools. Watching them cause trouble for Song Yuqing was less effective than letting him follow Song Yuqing and create some trouble himself.

What had Song Yuqing been doing yesterday?

Was he with Qi Zhengqing, or had he gone to find that bastard Xiao Jinshi?

He was probably sleeping peacefully in some alpha's arms. When Song Yuqing was asleep, he was very docile—he wouldn't scold anyone or say harsh words, though even when he did speak harshly, it actually wouldn't make people angry.

Still, he really liked the way Song Yuqing looked when asleep.

Quiet and beautiful, like a little princess. Even if he was just lurking in the shadows, the moment he saw Song Yuqing curled up under the blankets, for just an instant, he would have the illusion that Song Yuqing belonged to him.

Song Yuqing should be like Rapunzel, placed on a high tower, kept somewhere no one else could find. Only his appearance would make Song Yuqing willingly let down his long hair, allowing him to climb up and meet him.

Ai Deng caught the disdain in Hubbard's eyes and continued, "Song Yuqing is unfamiliar with this place. He won’t know what we’re doing."

Hubbard: "Do as you please. I can’t influence your decisions, can I?"

Ye Siling also returned to Song Yuqing’s side. Song Yuqing had arrived late today, so Ye Siling had gone to calibrate No. 6. After working on it futilely for half the morning, No. 6 was very uncooperative and kept asking him:

—Where’s Mommy?

Ye Siling: "Did something happen?"

"Why are you so late today?"

Song Yuqing: "I stayed up too late last night."

Ye Siling fell silent. Staying up late—why did he stay up late? Was he doing something with Qi Zhengqing?

That alpha Qi Zhengqing, with one foot already in the grave, was clutching desperately to Song Yuqing, refusing to let go.

Trying to use his short and pointless life to consume Song Yuqing’s vibrant, passionate life.

Ye Siling: "Qingqing, being with Qi Zhengqing is pointless. Your life, your future shouldn’t be wasted on Qi Zhengqing."

Only then did Song Yuqing slightly turn his head to look at Ye Siling upon hearing these words, and he let out a light laugh.

Ye Siling felt as if the slight smile at the corner of Song Yuqing’s lips had dazzled his eyes.

His fingers unconsciously tightened slightly.

"Life doesn’t have much meaning to begin with, after all."

"It’s not a waste."

Ye Siling suddenly felt a spike of panic. What did he mean by "not a waste"? Spending time with Qi Zhengqing wasn’t a waste?

Had Song Yuqing started to care about Qi Zhengqing, even just a little? How could Song Yuqing care about that alpha with one foot in the grave?

Qi Ran and the alpha from the Sri Lanka Zone’s eighth squad were positioned on opposite sides of the arena.

Xiao Jinshi also appeared, walking over to Song Yuqing and asking, "Hey, brother, has it started?"

Song Yuqing glanced at Xiao Jinshi. Xiao Jinshi showed no tells; even upon seeing Qi Ran in the arena, he showed no unusual reaction.

Apparently, Xiao Jinshi already knew from Xiao Lin that Qi Ran wasn't finished off.

On the way, Qi Zhengqing also compared notes with him, and he found out that the place from yesterday was the Xiao family's turf, and the person he saw this morning was Xiao Jinshi's older brother, Xiao Lin.

Song Yuqing nodded, "It's about to start, take a seat."

Xiao Jinshi felt some relief—Song Yuqing probably didn't know what he had done.

Song Yuqing would turn on Pei Huai if he did something wrong.

He didn't think Song Yuqing would cut him any more slack than he did Pei Huai.

For today's finals, the crowd at the arena was more amped up than ever, and even the ticket prices had been driven extremely high.

But after all, this was Team Sri Lanka's home turf.

Many people in the stands were holding merch for the Eighth Squad, cheering them on.

The roar was so loud and the atmosphere so heated that Song Yuqing couldn't help looking over.

88: "They actually have fans."

Song Yuqing looked closer and noticed the fans holding dolls—robot dolls and dolls of the Eighth Squad members.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed ones were easy to distinguish.

Song Yuqing glanced at them, then averted his eyes, barely able to look.

They were even uglier than the lopsided little cat Pei Huai had sewn.

"Qingqing! Look over here!"

A voice called out from behind Song Yuqing, very close and extremely familiar.

Song Yuqing turned around and locked eyes with Pei Huai. Pei Huai had called out to get Song Yuqing's attention.

But when Song Yuqing actually looked over, Pei Huai's heart still leaped. He then broke into a cocky, bold grin.

The oversized Alpha had a camera hanging around his neck and was holding a 20-centimeter doll, a seriously weird look.

And especially eye-catching...

Well, a total show-off.

Song Yuqing: "..."

Pei Huai raised the doll of a long-haired figure wearing goggles high in the air. "Qingqing, I made this for you!"

During the previous matches, he had noticed that other teams had fans, support, and dolls here and there.

If others had them, how could Song Yuqing not have one?

"Isn't it pretty?"

Song Yuqing: "..."

Pei Huai wasn't about to let this go.

Beside them, Ye Siling watched Song Yuqing's expression and bit back a smile. So Song Yuqing could also look like he wanted to crawl into a hole.

Yet Pei Huai was the type of person who was overconfident and utterly enamored with his own abilities—even if he ranked last in an exam, he could still praise himself by saying, "Last place? That's so on brand for me."

Let alone having sewn a small doll; Pei Huai didn't find his handmade creation unattractive at all. He was shouting loudly, drawing quite a bit of attention.

Song Yuqing walked over, placed his hand on the railing separating the audience seats, leaned slightly forward, grabbed Pei Huai by the front of his shirt, and pulled him closer. His voice carried a hint of urgency as he said, "Shut up. No yelling."

Song Yuqing’s breath carried a faint, cool fragrance. Pei Huai felt as though Song Yuqing was brushing against his earlobe.

His earlobe turned red and hot, and his heart felt like it was filled with a million birds, chirping noisily without end.

Pei Huai shoved the doll straight into Song Yuqing’s arms. "For you. If others have one, you should too."

Song Yuqing held the long-haired doll in his arms, its protective goggles crookedly hanging on its face.

"Go compete. I’ll wait for you."

After saying this, Pei Huai cockily raised his eyebrows again. "Don’t be moved. It’s what I should do."

Gotta be the one to win over your own wife.

Of course, he wasn’t afraid that if Song Yuqing looked at him a few more times, he might actually take the doll and run laps around the field.

Song Yuqing: "...Mm."

Having confiscated the "weapons of mass distraction," Song Yuqing turned to leave, but as he turned around, he saw Pei Huai pulling out yet another pile of "weapons of mass distraction."

A doll in a white lab coat, a doll made from soldered components, a doll reading a book.

Pei Huai hung all the dolls around his neck and pointed his camera directly at him.

Song Yuqing: "..."

Expressionless, Song Yuqing took a piece of cloth, covered the doll’s face, and held it in his arms.

He was mortified, afraid someone would take the doll from him, lift the cloth, and see what it looked like.

"Oh my god!!! What kind of doll did you make!? You’ve completely ruined my wife’s image!"

"Solid effort on the support, but don’t do it next time."

"Discovered a way to get the wife’s attention: as long as the doll is ugly enough, as long as it’s embarrassing enough, Qingqing will notice us."

The Sri Lanka Division’s Eighth Squad fielded an alpha with an S+ level psychic power. During the psychic link process, the alpha sensed that today’s connection felt somewhat different from before.

But he didn’t have time to think further.

Facing the stronger Eighth Squad, Number Six and Qi Ran held their ground, countering them move for move.

"This time it feels like their levels are pretty similar."

"They’re the strongest fighters who won previous matches from earlier rounds, so their levels are indeed close."

"It feels like the Eighth Squad is compensating for their bot’s weak specs with psychic power."

Qi Ran had already gauged the opposing alpha’s strength and launched an attack. Number Six had Robot 1082 on the ropes.

They were just one step away from being forced out of the arena boundary.

Number Six: U_U

The tentacles also launched. Just as Number Six was about to execute its entangle-and-crush finishing move, 1082 grabbed one of its tentacles. Number Six lashed out with another tentacle, but 1082 caught that one too, one by one.

1082 violently tore off several of Number Six's tentacles and tossed them aside. The tentacles showed no reaction.

The alpha hadn't expected to be able to tear off Number Six's tentacles, as they were notoriously difficult to break. It went so smoothly it felt almost unreal—1082 seemed unusually strong today.

At the same time, the alpha felt his own psychic energy continuously draining away.

Sensing something was wrong, the alpha wanted to end the battle quickly. He controlled 1082 to leap up and come crashing down heavily on Number Six.

Number Six dodged in time, without so much as a scratch.

1082 spun around and kicked at Number Six, who evaded again.

Qi Ran's expression remained unchanged, but many believed he was just putting on a brave face. After all, Number Six's main method of attack was its tentacles. Without them, no matter how well it dodged, it wouldn't last long.

But 1082 was different—its strength was its primary form of attack.

Number Six was already showing signs of defeat.

"It's over, Number Six's arms have been ripped off by 1082."

"Didn't expect this. Still too trash. Number Six might not be that bad, but Qi Ran just isn't cutting it. A high-level psychic alpha is still a high-level psychic alpha."

The camera panned to Song Yuqing.

But Song Yuqing didn't seem worried at all.

The director kept the camera focused on Song Yuqing's face, trying to capture this newly prominent beta's lack of composure, as well as any signs of panic, to stir up some buzz.

After all, this victory would likely go to their team from Sri Lanka Continent, and they wanted to capture the moment the newcomers from New Continent lost their composure.

However, Song Yuqing remained expressionless.

His hands rested on his knees, secretly squeezing a stuffed doll.

"Number Six, your mom's abandoning you! He's secretly playing with a doll."

Song Yuqing noticed the camera seemed to zoom in lower. He casually lowered his hands and pretended to focus intently on the match.

"So freaking cute! Caught in the act but acting like nothing happened."

"Kitty, this goofing off, not panicking at all."

"This tsundere kitty. Before getting the doll: I don't want it, don't give it to me. After getting it: I'll squeeze, squeeze, squeeze."

"Honestly, this doll didn't look that great at first, but the more you look, the cuter it gets."

"It's fine if Number Six loses. Song Yuqing will win everyone over with his looks."

Song Yuqing's eyes followed 1082, but he also occasionally glanced at the alpha in the arena.

He seemed completely unaware of the camera on him, without a trace of guilt from being caught.

88: "\^o^/"

"Qingqing." 88 was also utterly charmed, its system voice even sounded a bit fluttery.

On the surface, Song Yuqing watched the match seriously, but he continued talking to 88, "Stop with the cringey stuff. If you have something to say, just say it directly."

"You're so good at slacking," 88 praised.

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing: "You and Pei Huai should sit at the same table."

At that moment, Pei Huai was also completely focused on Song Yuqing, diligently taking photos of him while showering him with compliments. Pei Huai's voice was so loud that it occasionally reached Song Yuqing's ears.

"He's so good-looking, truly worthy of being my wife."

"He's like a BJD doll (ball-jointed doll), stunningly beautiful."

The spectators nearby, who had initially been watching the match, couldn't help but glance at Song Yuqing's profile as Pei Huai kept praising him incessantly.

They saw a young man with pale, delicate eyelids and long, slender eyelashes, like the wings of a swallowtail butterfly resting on his brows. When his lashes fluttered slightly, there was a dynamic beauty to him—both serene and lively.

His aura was cool and ethereal, embodying the slender, profound beauty unique to Eastern aesthetics.

"He really is good-looking. Are you going to share the photos? I’ll pay for them."

"Can you introduce me to your wife? I don’t mean anything by it, of course. I’m not trying to poach your wife. I’m not the kind of person who covets someone else’s partner. I just want to get to know him. Don’t misunderstand, bro—I’m not trying to hold his hand or anything."

"But if one day your wife falls in love with me, and I fall in love with him, don’t worry—I won’t let him suffer."

Pei Huai: "..."

Damn it, who doesn’t understand what these idiots are really after?

They’re all just coveting someone else’s wife. He knew exactly what these people were like.

"Get lost."

The students from Viktor were no different from Pei Huai. They had rushed over by buying last-minute plane tickets or taking private jets.

Those who bought tickets from scalpers, though they spent a fortune, still couldn’t get seats as close as Pei Huai’s. However, their equipment was top-notch.

"You guys are going a bit overboard."

"He could debut on the spot with this."

The Viktor students had honed their stealth photography skills in school, and now they were putting them to perfect use here.

"You don’t understand. If you went to the same school as Song Yuqing, you’d get how we feel."

Other spectators: "..."

They suspected these people were just flexing.

They might not have attended the same school as Song Yuqing, but such beauty was breathtaking no matter where it was found.

On the arena, the alpha (the fighter) felt dizzy, as if all his strength had been drained. After struggling hard, he regained control. He couldn’t afford to delay any longer—he had to kill Qi Ran now and end the fight.

Under the alpha’s control, 1082 leaped up and slammed down heavily toward Qi Ran’s position, intending to crush him into pulp.

Suddenly, the alpha felt his psychic energy drained.

1082’s power reached an unprecedented level, as if man and machine had merged into one. The alpha felt as though he had become 1082.

1082 locked onto Qi Ran. In an instant, Number Six flashed in front of Qi Ran.

At that exact moment, Qi Ran’s gaze swept across the arena. The eight tentacles, fueled by psychic energy, instantly surrounded 1082.

One by one, they struck at 1082’s weak points.

All eight weak points exploded simultaneously, shattering 1082 into pieces. Almost at the same time, the alpha also exploded into a mist of blood, letting out a heart-wrenching roar before his death.

The audience was stunned, the alpha’s agonizing scream still echoing in their minds.

He’s… dead?

He exploded.

Meanwhile, the shattered Number Six quickly reassembled and returned to the position it had occupied at the start of the match.

Number Six: U_U

Song Yuqing lifted his eyelids slightly. Good, it seemed the cooperation between the Xiao family and Srilan Zhou had reached an inseparable level.

Had Hubbard also been involved?

Probably. That would explain everything. Hubbard had used Xiao Lin’s connections to travel from Xin Zhou to Srilan Zhou, obtained a new identity, and completed projects here that were impossible in Xin Zhou.

The Eighth Squad of Srilan Zhou dared to compete in such a manner because they were confident that their underground operations remained unknown.

Song Yuqing had clearly seen what happened—they were draining the alpha’s psychic energy to temporarily boost 1082’s strength, which also triggered a safety limit.

Moreover, they had intended to kill Qi Ran outright.

He only had this one son, yet everyone seemed to want his life.

Xiao Jinshi was also stunned. The alpha had died in the same way as the one they saw yesterday—instantly exploding into a blood mist.

Xiao Jinshi looked at Song Yuqing, who curved his lips into a smile. "Wasn’t that thrilling?"

Xiao Jinshi’s expression turned grim. That fool Xiao Lin couldn’t control these people and had caused so much trouble. Now, even if Song Yuqing hadn’t known before, he certainly knew now.

Xiao Lin, who was also watching the match, cursed Xiao Jinshi for being an idiot.

Xiao Lin became even more convinced that Qi Zhengqing and Song Yuqing were setting them up.

Qi Zhengqing, how clever—pretending to have given up on life to lower everyone’s guard, then turning around and finding such a formidable wife to orchestrate this scheme against them.

"He’s… dead? Is this match meant to be lethal?"

"I’m sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have thought Song Yuqing’s team was too weak. What kind of reversal is this… No, how was it controlled? How could the tentacles detach from the main body and still be controlled by the alpha’s psychic energy? And just like that, it exploded? This match is truly bizarre."

Qi Ran’s face was also pale, an aftereffect of psychic energy depletion. Controlling eight tentacles and Number Six’s main body simultaneously sounded simple.

But it placed extremely high demands on psychic energy.

His psychic energy was only C-level. He could only control Number Six through training that nearly drained his psychic energy.

Fortunately, he hadn’t lost. He hadn’t let Song Yuqing down.

Qi Ran looked toward Song Yuqing, who gave him a nod. Qi Ran stepped off the arena, but the moment he left the arena, the alpha suddenly collapsed.

Number Six: "?"

Number Six had regained self-control and grabbed Qi Ran’s foot, trying to drag him toward Song Yuqing.

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing: "Stop right there, don’t run."

No. 6 paused briefly, then grabbed Qi Ran by the foot and began dragging him toward Song Yuqing. As No. 6 moved, Qi Ran’s head "gently" bumped against the steps.

No. 6 sneaked a glance up at Song Yuqing again. Seeing that Song Yuqing didn’t say anything, it dragged Qi Ran down another step, causing the back of Qi Ran’s head to hit the steps "with a bit more force."

Song Yuqing: "..."

Song Yuqing walked over and said, "Stop dragging him. If you kill him, selling you wouldn’t even cover it."

"Okay, Mom." No. 6 obediently dropped the foot, and Qi Ran’s leg banged hard against the steps.

Song Yuqing: "..."

He suspected No. 6 was a traitor—why else would it be so determined to kill Qi Ran?

The judges at the panel fell silent. Everything that had happened was truly shocking, making them feel old and out of touch with the times.

It hadn’t been that long since the last competition, yet the technology from Srilan Continent and Xinzhou had already advanced to such a level. Moreover, the situation seemed far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.

Of course, only Xinzhou deserved first place in this competition—a well-earned victory.

Whether in terms of the maturity of the technology, innovation in robot design, or the robot’s post-match state, Xinzhou was unquestionably the winner.

Srilan Continent’s Eighth Team secured second place but at a tragic cost—after all, they had lost an alpha member with an S+ level psychic energy.

An alpha with S+ level psychic energy was a valuable asset anywhere.

Third place went to Srilan Continent’s First Team, which had lost to Song Yuqing’s team earlier. They competed against the Western Continent team, which had also lost in the semifinals.

Srilan Continent’s First Team narrowly defeated the Western Continent team.

Ai Deng glared resentfully at Song Yuqing, watching as Song Yuqing picked up Qi Ran and handed him over to the staff.

Even after all their preparations and sacrifices, they still hadn’t managed to eliminate Qi Ran.

Song Yuqing and his No. 6—Ai Deng’s gaze shifted from Song Yuqing to No. 6.

Why was it that Song Yuqing could create such a robot? Already gifted with such looks, why was he so uncontrollable, always eluding control?

Ai Deng didn’t want to admit it, but like those other alphas, he had initially thought Song Yuqing was nothing more than an exceptionally beautiful plaything.

Now, having lost to someone he once considered a plaything, what did that make him?

Even lower than a plaything?

Especially since Song Yuqing was just a beta—a beta from the poorer districts. Whether in terms of resources or innate ability, he should have been no match for Ai Deng, a noble-born alpha.

After a brief break, the event organizers provided an explanation for what had happened on the field.

The organizers cited Srilan Continent’s explanation, claiming it was an accident caused by the alpha’s own psychic instability and had nothing to do with 1082. The simultaneous destruction of 1082 and the alpha was merely a coincidence.

That was the official explanation, but public opinion told a different story. The match sparked numerous interpretations, with many professionals in the field of robotics offering analyses.

The prevailing conclusion was clear: the stability of Srilan Continent’s robots couldn’t compare to those made by Song Yuqing. If anyone sought collaboration, Song Yuqing was undoubtedly the better choice.

On the awards podium, Song Yuqing and his team stood receiving accolades.

The spotlight and applause belonged to them. Song Yuqing held a transparent trophy, his slender, well-defined fingers captured in countless close-ups by the audience below.

As Ai Deng walked past Song Yuqing, he lowered his voice and said, "Next time, will I lose to you again?"

The light fell on the young man’s eyes, nose, and lips, accentuating his captivating beauty and stirring emotions.

Song Yuqing replied, "Hmm."

Ai Deng stared at Song Yuqing, his pent-up frustration easing slightly due to Song Yuqing’s serious attitude toward his opponent.

But then he heard Song Yuqing speak calmly, "By the way, what’s your name?"

Ai Deng was nearly speechless with anger. Song Yuqing didn’t even know him? Their Eighth Team had been the center of attention from the start, yet Song Yuqing hadn’t even noticed him.

He hadn’t even acknowledged his existence.

"You…"

Xiao Jinshi stood beside Song Yuqing. From the beginning, Song Yuqing hadn’t taken things too seriously and hadn’t paid much attention to the alphas. Unless they directly crossed his path, he couldn’t be bothered to remember their names.

Xiao Jinshi reminded him, "He’s the owner of that ugly doll you saw earlier."

Song Yuqing: "Well, you can’t blame the doll for that."

Ai Deng: "..."

Xiao Jinshi smirked faintly and continued, "His name is Ai Deng."

Song Yuqing: "I’ll remember you."

Ai Deng.

The bastard who tried to kill his cheap son.

Xiao Jinshi felt a bit displeased. Why was Song Yuqing bothering to remember a good-for-nothing like Ai Deng?

After Ai Deng left in humiliation, Xiao Jinshi spoke up, "Why remember him? He’s just a useless alpha."

Song Yuqing turned to look at Xiao Jinshi. "He tried to kill Qi Ran. Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner, right?"

Xiao Jinshi: "..."

"By the way, you might not know this about me yet, but I’m quite protective of those close to me," Song Yuqing said with a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

Xiao Jinshi fell silent again, his sense of dread intensifying. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Song Yuqing wasn’t just talking about Ai Deng—he was talking about him.

"So, you fool, have you thought about what your punishment should be?" Song Yuqing looked at him with a smile, his tone gentle yet making his heart skip a beat.