The Heartless Alpha Just Wants to Follow the Plot - Chapter 58

Su Mo maintained an unruffled composure. “I don’t quite follow your meaning, Major. As the victim in that incident, I don’t understand why I’m being treated as if I’m under interrogation. Do you find it problematic that I pushed past my limits to save her?”

“Pushed past your limits?” Major Song’s smile widened. “Do you realize what you’re saying, Miss Su?”

Su Mo didn’t flinch. “Am I mistaken?”

“When an ordinary person pushes their limits, they do so within a predictable range. After all, human potential is finite.”

Major Song produced high-definition footage recorded by the onset equipment. Every frame was so sharp that one could practically see individual specks of dust on her sleeve. He tapped the screen, highlighting her movements after boarding the mecha. She shifted from obvious clumsiness to the fluid lethality of a mecha fanatic in an instant, exhibiting a level of mastery that even trained military veterans couldn’t match.

“As I recall, Miss Su, you never received specialized military training. The Su family is not a military lineage, nor would you have had access to such targeted conditioning.”

Major Song played the clip of her brutally suppressing the Zerg, then contrasted it with the footage of her before the fight with Luo Juneng where she looked like a confused novice touching a mecha for the first time. The two extreme states caused everyone in the room to hold their breath.

He pointed at the video. “Then tell me, Miss Su: how did you transform from a complete amateur into a war machine in under thirty seconds?”

Su Mo offered a concise answer: “Simple talent.”

Seeing that Su Mo still refused to speak the truth, Major Song’s expression finally turned cold. “Then explain this: how did you, an Alpha with A-grade spiritual power, utilize power that exceeds S-grade?”

Su Mo remained relaxed. “Like I said, a sudden burst of potential.”

“Fine. Even if we accept that, why is it that in every subsequent test, your spiritual power has never once registered above A-grade?”

Major Song’s gaze was predatory, as if he intended to bore through Su Mo and expose whatever facade she was hiding.

Su Mo smiled back, her expression charming. “Major Song, is it illegal to disguise one’s spiritual power level?”

Major Song blinked, momentarily stunned by her line of questioning.

Seeing his silence, the corners of Su Mo’s mouth curled upward. “I asked: is it a crime to mask your grade?”

Major Song hesitated. “It isn’t illegal, but—”

Su Mo interrupted. “If it isn’t illegal, then by what authority are you interrogating me?”

“Since the founding of the Federation,” Major Song said, his voice deep and grim, “no one has ever successfully deceived the Mainframe’s detection—be they S-grade or SS-grade. Are you suggesting you’ve somehow surpassed SSS?”

Su Mo looked at him thoughtfully. “Hmm.”

While she appeared calm and collected on the surface, her mind was racing.

【System, what exactly is my spiritual power? Can I fake an SSS rating?】

The System couldn’t help but roll its eyes. 【You think SSS-grades are as common as cabbage? You can’t just manifest one out of thin air.】

【Besides, this body is destined to be an A-grade. It limits your output. To put it simply, under the rules of this book’s setting, any machine or AI that scans you will only ever see an A-grade.】

No matter how hard she tried, that rule was immutable.

Su Mo: “…”

Well, this is a bit of a predicament.

【If I can’t prove I’m SSS, is he going to arrest me on the grounds that someone ‘hijacked’ my body, throw me into an interstellar prison, and let me rot there?】

【If I die, your mission fails too, doesn’t it?】

The System sighed. 【I suggest you stop threatening me.】

Su Mo’s mental voice grew increasingly sweet. 【How could you say that? You’re my favorite system. I would never threaten you. I’m simply striving for the success of our shared mission. So, you’re going to help me, right?】

System: 【”?”】 It felt like it was being “gaslit,” yet it was strangely tempted.

【Look, I can’t physically upgrade you, but you can fake it.】 The System considered helping, then immediately backed out. It just couldn’t do it!

【I could temporarily manipulate the Federation AI’s data, but Host, that would derail the world’s trajectory. The data would go public, you’d become the center of attention, and that goes against our goal of finishing the mission quietly.】

The main mission line was fixed; the world couldn’t be swapped. Even the System couldn’t brazenly rewrite reality. 【The Overlord System doesn’t allow such interference.】

It diplomatically advised Su Mo to give up the struggle and just follow the script.

Su Mo: “…”

Useless. This trash system is good for nothing but digging pits for me to fall into.

Major Song watched the suddenly silent Su Mo. “Are you not going to explain, Miss Su? If you can’t prove your spiritual power is consistently SSS-grade, we have procedures.”

Hearing this, the Old Man burst out in a fit of rage. “She is my Mo Mo! Major Song, are you questioning whether I can recognize my own granddaughter?”

“Even if the Su family doesn’t have deep military ties, we pay our taxes and make our donations every year. What are you trying to do by targeting her? Are you dissatisfied with the Su family? Is that why you’ve concocted this absurd excuse to lay hands on my girl?”

The Old Man’s cane slammed against the floor with a rhythmic thud-thud. He accused Major Song of intentional harassment, completely dismissing the officer’s logic.

Major Song was nearly driven to laughter by the Old Man’s stubbornness. “Sir, I have always respected you, but don’t let old age cloud your judgment. Is this really your granddaughter?”

“Your granddaughter’s spiritual power never exceeded A-grade from birth to awakening. Now she suddenly manifests power beyond S-grade, do you really think this is still the same person?”

“I say she is, so she is! She is my granddaughter, and that won’t change.”

The Old Man’s face darkened. “If you don’t believe me, run a DNA test. My son’s samples are still in the Su family’s genomic database. That should satisfy you, shouldn’t it?”

Major Song’s initial suspicion was merely that Su Mo had been replaced by a physical imposter. In this era of pure science, concepts like “soul transmigration” or “spirit possession” were considered relics of ancient fiction; no one believed in them, let alone considered them a viable possibility.

“Then let’s proceed with the tests. My apologies for the trouble, you two.”

Major Song clapped his hands, finalizing the decision on the spot. “We won’t just run a DNA test; we’ll also test your spiritual power. You don’t mind, do you, Miss Su?”

He looked at her with a calm, piercing gaze that seemed to say: You’re a fake, aren’t you? Let’s see if you have the nerve to go through with this.

Su Mo let out a light laugh. “I have no problem with it. But is that all? Are you sure you don’t need any other tests?”

“That will be sufficient,” Major Song replied.

Su Mo reached up to twirl a damp lock of hair around her finger. “You’d better run every test you can think of now,” she said languidly. “I wouldn’t want you coming back later claiming you still don’t believe the results.”

“The Federation’s testing protocols are absolutely fair and impartial,” Major Song stated firmly. “If I am proven wrong, I will offer you a formal apology.”

Su Mo gave a haughty nod. “Keep those words in mind.”

“Shall we go now, or whenever you have the time? I only have a three-day break. I have to be back on set in three days, and considering I need to actually rest, I can only spare two days for this.”

“Two days is more than enough,” Major Song said. “A spiritual power scan takes one minute; a DNA match takes ten.”

In the Starry Era, everything moved at lightning speed. Aside from artisanal, hand-crafted food, everything was managed by high-precision machinery. For diagnostics like these, the automated analysis was decades ahead of human capability.

“Then let’s go now.”

Su Mo rose with practiced elegance. “Since you’re already here, let’s not waste time. I’d rather not waste my breath on another meeting later.”

Faced with her blatant disdain, Major Song’s expression twitched. “…”

He forced a dry laugh. “Miss Su, you are remarkably blunt.”

So, blunt it’s actually infuriating, he thought.

“I agree,” Su Mo said with a beaming smile. “I’ve always been this way. If Major Song finds me unpleasant, feel free to say so. It’s not like I’m going to change.”

Major Song: “…”

“This way, please.”

He decided to shut up. He couldn’t win a verbal sparring match with this woman.

Go ahead, enjoy your arrogance while it lasts, he thought. He had already investigated Su Mo’s recent behavior; her current conduct was the polar opposite of her past self. Even if someone suffered from total amnesia, they wouldn’t fundamentally change into a different person, character is etched into one’s nature.

Furthermore, Su Mo clearly remembered her past. How could the infamously self-centered Su Mo suddenly transform into a model citizen?

And so, Major Song and his formidable escort led Su Mo to the Genetic Research Institute. The Old Man arrived shortly after, having personally retrieved Su Mo’s father’s genetic samples from the family vault.

The Old Man didn’t bother hiding his displeasure. There was no trace of the polite smiles he usually offered during social calls; he treated Major Song with cold indifference.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed the Major’s face, but he quickly composed himself. They were, after all, investigating the man’s granddaughter. No one would be happy in this situation. But this was his job; High Command suspected Su Mo was an imposter and had issued a direct order for a full audit. He was simply a soldier following orders.

It’s for the greater good, he reminded himself.

“Miss Su, this way for the spiritual power test.”

The Genetic Research Institute doubled as a center for spiritual assessment. A staff member led Su Mo away, leaving the main lobby divided into three distinct groups.

One was the Old Man’s party, one was Major Song’s military detail, and the third was comprised of ordinary citizens there for their own appointments.

The bystanders watched the two high-profile groups with intense curiosity. Everyone recognized the Su Patriarch; he was a titan of industry who frequently appeared on financial news, known for maintaining the family empire and for his famous granddaughter.

The problem was while that granddaughter was wealthy, her reputation was anything but stellar.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a secret here. Do you think Su Mo messed around and got someone pregnant? And that person is from the military?”

“Hey, don’t talk nonsense. You can’t say things like that out loud.”

“But she really looks the part. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Because of the “vixen” reputation Su Mo had spent years cultivating, the onlookers were quick to believe the worst, whispered condemnations of her “scummy” behavior beginning to fill the room.