ABRIWMTHM Chapter 13

Yu Man roared, and Shi Xing was quite satisfied.

The voice was loud; there should be no one outside who didn’t hear it.

Ignoring the whispers outside the ward, Shi Xing retracted his mental power, exhaled lightly, and no longer applied pressure, “There’s one more condition. Do you want to talk about it privately, or…”

Shi Xing glanced at Yu Cai and Yu Huai, “Is it okay if your friends are here?”

This time, it wasn’t Yu Man who responded, but Yu Cai and Yu Huai who took the initiative to leave, taking Shi Ran along with them.

It was fine inside the ward, but as soon as they stepped outside, they were met with a crowd of people lurking by the door and window, startling Shi Ran, who widened his eyes.

Yu Cai was angry, “The physical examination is over; you can leave now. Move along, move along.”

He lowered his voice in concern that Yu Man inside might hear, urging people to leave.

However, inside the ward, only Shi Xing and Yu Man remained, and neither spoke, allowing every faint sound from the crowd outside to ring clearly.

Seeing Yu Cai and Yu Huai successfully chase away a bunch of people, Yu Man felt darkness cloud his vision, nearly fainting again.

Shi Xing smiled as if he had thought of something, “Did you think when you placed your bet that if you won, you’d shout for all the Blue Star humans to come see me agree to your terms?”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

Yu Man’s face turned red with anger, yet Shi Xing’s previous demeanor had subdued him; recalling that threat about devouring mental power, he didn’t dare to act rashly.

Once, twice, three times—Yu Man was genuinely starting to fear Shi Xing now.

When the crowd outside had finally dispersed, Shi Xing spoke again, “Let’s cut to the chase; I want you to strike one name from your candidate list.”

Yu Man was stunned.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Shi Xing explained, “Just like you want me not to choose Lu Lu, I also have one person you are not allowed to choose.”

Yu Man’s eyes widened, instinctively retorting, “Who told you that this was what I had in mind?!”

“Isn’t it?”

Yu Man wanted to deny it, but meeting Shi Xing’s indifferent gaze, he realized the other party had already made up their mind; it was pointless to say anything.

After a moment of chaotic, rapid breathing, Yu Man simply decided to give in and admitted, “Yes, that’s what I was thinking. So what?!”

“Not much. I don’t want to get tangled up in this. Listen closely—I want you to strike off one person.”

Then, Shi Xing stated a name.

It wasn’t Yu Man’s top choice, but it was among his alternatives. Yu Man bargained, “Why should I agree to you?”

Shi Xing replied, “I’m not negotiating with you. If you refuse, I’ll reluctantly drain your mental power.”

Yu Man gaped, “It’s strictly forbidden for Blue Star humans to mutually drain mental power in the Nest!”

Shi Xing opened the door, smiled at him, “That’s right, it’s prohibited in the Nest, but after the matching, you won’t be bound by the Nest anymore.”

His words were soft, but on reflection, they sent chills down one’s spine.

Shi Xing stepped out and called for Shi Ran to leave with him.

When Yu Cai and Yu Huai entered the ward, they saw Yu Man in a daze, murmuring, “He’s gone mad. How can he…”

Halfway through, he fell silent, for indeed, Shi Xing truly had that ability.

Once they left the Nest, they wouldn’t have that layer of protection from the environment.

With Shi Xing’s high rank, the officers he matched with would definitely be significant figures—by the time that happened…

Yu Man panicked and raised his head, “Wait, I haven’t agreed yet! Why did he leave?!”

“Does he think I’ll definitely agree, or…”

Or maybe Shi Xing had already made plans in his mind; if he didn’t agree, the other side really would take action to suppress him.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. Before Yu Cai and Yu Huai could ask Yu Man about his wild words, he fainted again, panic and fear overwhelming him, prompting Yu Cai and Yu Huai to quickly press the emergency button.

During the journey, as Shi Xing recounted the entire incident, Shi Ran’s wide eyes never relaxed.

Shi Ran pointed out, “But he didn’t agree, and you just left?”

Shi Xing replied frankly, “I’m tired; I don’t want to waste time.”

“Besides, the word is already out. If he doesn’t comply, I can’t help it. If he seriously wants to harm himself, I wouldn’t mind draining most of his mental power; he won’t die, but he’ll be out of commission for six months to a year.”

Shi Ran was once again shocked. After a moment, he softly said, “Xing Xing, I think… you’ve changed a bit.”

Shi Xing responded, “Do you think I’m being too ruthless?”

Shi Ran wanted to nod, but looking at his friend’s face, the words morphed into, “You can’t say that; though it is a bit frightening, if Yu Man could really behave, that could also be considered a good thing.”

Seeing Shi Ran speak nonsense, Shi Xing laughed and tapped him lightly on the head.

He wanted to say something more, but ultimately swallowed it down, only saying, “Just watch; if he gets hurt badly this time, he won’t dare to provoke us easily again.”

Shi Xing stated solemnly, “Shi Ran, remember, sometimes too much concession only makes others think you’re weak and easy to bully. You can’t do that. The environment in the Nest is simple, but once outside, when it comes to protecting your interests, you cannot back down.”

Shi Xing’s gaze towards Shi Ran was exceptionally serious. Although Shi Ran couldn’t fully understand, he nodded instinctively in agreement.

Shi Xing felt a sense of relief in his heart.

In his previous life, Yu Man had suffered more at his hands, but that would only occur much later. Shi Ran’s team was ambushed by high-level mutated star beasts; the star beasts liked to eat Blue Star humans. At that time, Shi Ran was still in the Imperial Capital, seeking help from the nearest military forces, which happened to be under Yu Man’s command. Yu Man looked down on him and naturally looked down on Shi Ran as well. After dragging things out for a long time, when they finally arrived, Shi Ran’s entire team was left without a single survivor.

The Empire could still find the bodies, but there was no way to recover the Blue Star humans who were swallowed by the star beasts.

The name Shi Xing wanted Yu Man to strike off wasn’t just anyone; it was actually his partner from his previous life. True, it wasn’t Yu Man’s top preference, but it would have been his best choice at the banquet.

There was still time; Shi Xing aimed to avoid trouble from the outset.

Of course, he couldn’t control Yu Man during the banquet, but as he had threatened, if Yu Man didn’t comply, he truly would drain the other’s mental power, rendering him incapable of joining the military for an equivalent period.

While this would have the same effect on Shi Xing, the same couldn’t be said for Yu Man—how he chose would depend on him.

After returning to their residence, Shi Xing and Shi Ran took a rest, but for many others, that night was destined to be sleepless.

Lu Lu didn’t even know how he returned to his dwelling in the Nest.

After the talent assessment, he instinctively wanted to wait for Shi Xing, hoping to see him, but the staff cleared all candidates from the venue. On his way out, Lu Lu closed his eyes, listening to various discussions.

“This is the first Blue Star human to emerge in over a hundred years since the Nest’s establishment. Quite rare.”

“There’s still a chance to submit the application forms afterwards. With such a high assessment for Blue Star humans, it seems all seven military corps will show up this time.”

“They should match with an SSS level, right? SS+, suggesting the possibility of a jump in rank.”

Shaking his head to dismiss those remarks, Lu Lu painfully buried his head in his hands.

The proud young Lu had always been a person with strong opinions. Even if there were hints that Shi Xing might possess a rating beyond A level, perhaps even S level, he had his preparations. But… SS+ surpassed his imagination and exceeded his ability to cope.

For the first time, Lu Lu felt confused, unsure of what to do.

Did he have to give up on Shi Xing? But… he liked Shi Xing…

Meanwhile, many other candidates had immediately relayed the news to their respective military corps.

Photos, short videos, and some unstable footage recorded during testing flew like snowflakes back to the Imperial Capital, reaching every corner of the Empire.

Different factions and people had varied responses upon hearing the news, but one reaction was unanimously shared—shock.

Shock at the upper limit of the Blue Star humans’ level, shock at… the hopeful existence of a cure for high-level mental power issues in the not-so-distant future.

Chi Yao woke up the next day to an inundated mailbox filled with news from the Imperial Capital.

Aside from the urgent matters from the military and Senate requiring resolution, the rest were all inquiries regarding the talent assessment.

One by one, the messages flowed in, revealing information.

The Elder Council insisted on a call after Chi Yao had reviewed documents for half an hour, repeating the same old rhetoric. However, this time with a clear target: first lament over the state of his mental power, then urge him, for the sake of the Empire and military, to take Shi Xing away.

Since over ten years ago, Chi Yao had been immune to such scenes. Regardless of how dramatic and heartfelt his royal relatives wailed in the video, he processed his official duties with no change of expression.

Once they finished their lamenting, Chi Yao dismissed the Elder Council with a dismissive comment, “We’ll talk about it when the brain chip can recommend him as a candidate.”

While the Elder Council could be placated, family members could not. His nephew, who had seen him grow up and was currently taking care of him, Xú Jīn, upon receiving news, hastily made his way to the Nest, even Chi Yao could not help but pinch the bridge of his nose.

Xú Jīn’s connections were all within the royal guard; it was easy to foresee that this was a report set in motion by his underlings.

There was no telling who would be identified, especially since there were multiple people in attendance.

Understanding that everyone meant well for him, Chi Yao still felt a headache.

After a while, the Senate Speaker called Chi Yao to inform him that a massive influx of matching applications had rushed into the Senate overnight. The personnel from the seven military corps were at the forefront, with a considerable number of politicians and interstellar merchants, all boasting favorable conditions. However, it was unrealistic to approve them all, seeking Chi Yao’s guidance on how to proceed.

Chi Yao advised them to hold off for the time being.

Soon after, a staff member requested an audience, which Chi Yao permitted.

They also discussed the talent assessment.

“Your Highness, in previous years, results of the talent assessment were verified, and the Nest would announce them on the star network. Soldiers can further check relevant videos through their IDs. This year… will it be announced?”

Shi Xing’s level was exceedingly high; even after a night, it remained so. If officially published, the staff member wondered what results it would yield.

Chi Yao had thought of this the previous night; having slept on it, he had also come up with a result.

“Announce it. Standard announcement.”

“But this year, we’ll add a list to announce the current matching candidates along with it—names, military corps, mental power levels all included.”

The staff member understood. Xiang He Ze and Tan Yan were already involved. Others would weigh their options upon seeing them.

After this was settled, Chi Yao sent a message to the Speaker, requesting to forward him the application forms of those with mental powers of rank 2S; he would review them and reject all below that rank. The Speaker agreed.

Later that evening, the Nest announced the talent assessment results on the star network and, alongside that, the list of matching candidates.

Tan Wen from the Seventh Army watched the video and expressed his concerns, “With such a high level, will Your Majesty…?”

Yun Wu replied, “I’ve tested the waters; His Majesty asked us to prepare application forms. It should be an unintentional gesture.”

Thinking it over, Yun Wu was certain, “His Majesty has always been resolute. Moreover, there hasn’t been a matching in many years; I feel there are reasons behind it, not merely a matter of level disparity.”

Xiang Wenyin, Xiang He Ze’s older sister from the Fifth Army, laughed upon seeing the news, “Looks like this year won’t be smooth sailing for He Ze.”

At the same time, the Nest sent out notices to the matching candidates regarding routine tests for mental power levels.

This was expected before every matching banquet, as the brain chip needed to gather real-time data on each candidate’s mental power to optimize recommendations for Blue Star humans and candidates.

Even later, within the prince’s residence, the princess consort was arranging flowers when she heard the news about Shi Xing attaining SS+ in the talent assessment.

Upon hearing Shi Xing’s name, Princess Consort Tan Shao made a mistake and accidentally cut down a royal rose.

“Is it confirmed that his name is Shi Xing?”

After receiving confirmation, Tan Shao set down her flower shears and promptly called Lu Lu.

No one answered.

After pacing in place for a moment, Tan Shao decided, “Prepare a ship; I’m going to the Nest.”