The Only Ultimate Alpha in the Universe - Chapter 14

The Wenser family owned a vast private territory on the Central Star, spanning an area comparable to an entire province. Every inhabitant, tax, and law within that territory was under the direct control of the Wenser clan.

Carlo maneuvered the aircraft swiftly along the military-only flight path, leaving the imperial capital behind. Two hours later, the vessel descended smoothly onto the landing pad of the Wenser Estate.

Two rows of security personnel stood in silent greeting along the path. Landis and Carlo stepped out of the aircraft in sequence and entered a private car, driving toward a brilliantly lit mansion shimmering in the distant night.

Seated side-by-side in the back, Landis habitually opened the in-car holographic projection to use the fragment of travel time to process leftover documents and tomorrow’s schedule.

Watching him, Carlo felt his own liver ache in sympathy. As a direct adjutant and personal secretary, Carlo felt it was his duty to persuade his superior to care a little more about his personal life.

He cleared his throat and said earnestly, “Admiral, please, don’t let this end like the last two times, where you killed the conversation in three sentences. A 100% compatible match is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.”

Especially, don’t be so sharp-tongued, Carlo thought. Who could endure that? Of course, he didn’t dare say that last part out loud.

“Mhm,” Landis replied noncommittally without looking up, his electronic pen moving focusedly across the light screen.

Carlo pressed on with instructions, “And don’t keep that stiff face. Soften your expression a bit. Smile more.” To demonstrate, he made a friendly, smiling face.

Landis didn’t agree or disagree, “Anything else?”

Encouraged, Carlo opened the floodgates, “And for heaven’s sake, don’t wear your military uniform. It makes it look like you’re heading into a military briefing. Combined with your arrogant, cold expression, you’ll only scare them away.”

“It’s best to wear a casual suit to appear approachable. When you’re talking, you must fully display your charm and strengths. Grasp this final opportunity.”

Landis’s pen stopped. He looked up and gave Carlo a cold sideways glance, “What, do I sound that terrifying to you?”

Carlo: “…” What kind of misunderstanding do you have about your own image?

The “hesitating to speak” expression on Carlo’s face truly annoyed Landis. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said impatiently, “Fine, I get it.”

Carlo pursed his lips, unable to stop himself from internally grumbling. He’d sooner believe he was the Crown Prince of the Empire than trust his superior’s emotional intelligence. He folded his hands in his heart, silently praying that Admiral Landis wouldn’t do anything bizarre this time. Please, don’t ruin this date!

Zhiyang Star.

Xiao Sa had just come off a vigorous battle. He hadn’t noticed the unexpected heat of the discussion threads on the Star Net, nor did he know he had become a “dark horse” who became famous in a single fight.

He peeled off the neural sensor patches from his temples. Once he detached from the virtual pod’s control over pain sensation, the aftershocks of the intense combat immediately swept over him. He stretched lazily; his overused arms were still throbbing with muscle soreness and numbness, and his mental power was significantly depleted.

“It seems that taking on a mech with a physical body is a bit too much of a load on the frame and the mind.”

Beep beep—

Xiao Sa opened a notification on his optical brain. It was the same matchmaking request, but he noticed a gift had been attached. He opened it to find an electronic notebook.

“Notes on Mental Power Combat and Growth Experience?”

Xiao Sa’s eyes lit up. This is good stuff!

He flipped it open eagerly. After skimming a couple of pages, his eyes became glued to the text. It was exactly as he had hypothesized: the people of this star system could use this method to expand their “Mental Sea.”

In an old movie from his home planet, this would be a legendary martial arts manual. And this person had just given it to him as a gift?

The guy who wants to go on a date with me is actually quite a good person, Xiao Sa thought. Since the other party was so sincere, and he had already read the notes, it would be rude to refuse.

Xiao Sa decided to accept the online date request. Even if he had no intention of marrying, he should at least explain clearly and express his gratitude in person.

The notes weren’t long, but every sentence was an essence of wisdom. Xiao Sa sat cross-legged on the bed, studying them carefully. He spent the entire night reading, forgetting food and sleep. It wasn’t until the next afternoon that Deken, the pirate group’s deputy leader, knocked on his door.

When the door opened, Deken saw Xiao Sa with two massive dark circles under his eyes but a satisfied expression. He had no idea what Xiao Sa had been doing all night.

Deken froze, then rubbed his hands anxiously, “Mr. Alpha, could I trouble you to check on the Boss? His legs seem to be acting up again.”

Xiao Sa rubbed his chin. The severity of Duan Feng’s injuries truly couldn’t be resolved with a single clearing. However, it was a perfect opportunity to push his mental sea to the point of exhaustion to verify the methods mentioned in the notes.

By the time Xiao Sa finished the second clearing of Duan Feng’s mental pollution and returned to his room, he collapsed onto the bed in a star shape. Both his physical and mental energy were completely depleted; a heavy fatigue washed over him like a tide.

He didn’t want to move a single finger, lying there like a salted fish who had lost its dreams. After a long while, he finally managed to struggle up to meditate according to the method in the notes. Xiao Sa carefully felt his mental sea and was delighted to find that the edges were indeed expanding slightly. The speed was extremely slow, but if he persisted, he might actually achieve a “Second Differentiation”!

[Xiao Sa, get up. Your online date time has arrived.]

Hainuo’s reminder startled Xiao Sa awake, “Crap, I almost forgot.”

By the time he rubbed his eyes and yawned while climbing into the virtual pod to go online, his date was already waiting for him in the virtual cafe. Xiao Sa glanced at the time; he wasn’t late, the other party had just arrived early.

He walked quickly to the cafe entrance. Through the glass window, he saw the profile of a blonde man.

The man wore a black military uniform with three gold-stamped stars on the epaulets. The gold stitching on the sides of the waist perfectly outlined a narrow, tight waistline. Beneath the military jacket was a simple white shirt, the stand-up collar strictly buttoned to the very top.

Before going online, Landis had intended to take Carlo’s advice and not wear a uniform. It wasn’t until he walked into his dressing room that he realized he had never put effort into his wardrobe. His closet was filled with various military styles and brand-new identical black and white shirts. He couldn’t find a single piece of casual wear. He never took vacations outside of mandatory family gatherings.

His clothing was like the man himself: monotonous, cold, and reeking of a workaholic.

Xiao Sa’s pace grew slower and slower. He frowned, focusing his gaze on the other man’s face. The man’s features were undoubtedly striking sharp and well-defined, with deep sockets beneath the brow ridge. The warm yellow overhead lights cast a pale gold glow on the bridge of his nose, softening those overly sharp ice-blue eyes.

The moment he saw the face clearly, Xiao Sa was utterly shocked.

How could it be him, the blonde Commander who had raided him on the warship?!

He’s the one who wants to date me? Is this a coincidence? Did he come here to catch me and throw me in jail because I gave him a beating? Or had he discovered that I was actually an illegal alien?

Xiao Sa’s mind raced with a million thoughts, all converging into one: Is it too late to run?

Oh, it was too late. The blonde officer had already spotted him.

When Landis’s gaze shifted toward him, his brow furrowed slightly. An innate aura of cold severity spread invisibly, a presence that made people instinctively hesitate to step forward or draw near.

This person… why does he look so familiar?

As a vital part of the Empire’s marriage matching system, online matchmaking did not allow participants to use virtual avatars. To ensure authenticity, it required one’s appearance and state to remain consistent with reality.

Xiao Sa was currently wearing a black shirt topped with a high-collar trench coat. Having avoided direct sunlight for quite some time, his complexion was as pale as a vampire’s. His remarkably handsome face was marred by two very prominent dark circles under his eyes.

After the intense battle with the red mech the previous night, followed by a sleepless night studying the notes, he had just exhausted his remaining mental power to the point of depletion. His current state of fatigue and weakness left no room for anyone to doubt the fact that he was a “C-grade disabled person.”

It was a meeting on a narrow path; rivals were bound to clash.

The moment their eyes met, Landis was equally shocked. This man was clearly Xiao Sa, the one who had fled the warship after Landis had attempted to assault him! He never expected that the person he thought had vanished into the vast sea of stars would suddenly reappear through a turn of fate in a matchmaking session.

What a staggering coincidence.

Landis slowly removed his military cap. His light blonde hair was combed meticulously with gel, revealing a smooth, full forehead with only a small stray lock falling near his temple. His gaze was complex as he stared intently at the other man. “It’s you?”

In that moment, Landis thought he caught a trace of a lingering scent. For some reason, the back of his neck felt a strange, tingling itch. He subconsciously touched it, feeling the skin beneath his fingertips grow vaguely warm.

Xiao Sa felt caught between a rock and a hard place. He hesitated on the spot until he caught the other man’s motion of touching his neck. Surprised, he finally took a seat opposite the man.

Fine, he was already here. Besides, they were only meeting online; in reality, they were likely separated by countless star systems.

“Admiral, we meet again,” Xiao Sa said, blinking slowly in a lethargic greeting. “Thank you for the notes you sent yesterday.”

Once the initial shock faded, Landis observed him closely. Compared to the day he had rescued him from the pirates, the man before him looked even more haggard and weak. The skin on his wrists was so pale that the veins were visible.

That’s right, Landis thought. His mental power is only C-grade, and he is mentally disabled. He was already heavily injured on the warship, yet I suspected him of being involved with pirates and did… those things to him.

Landis felt a rare wave of embarrassment. “Is your health… alright?”

Xiao Sa had been prepared for a violent retaliation or even an immediate fight. He never expected the man’s first words to be an inquiry about his health. He remembered the precious notes the man had sent yesterday. Did I misunderstand him? Is he actually a kind person?

Xiao Sa subconsciously rubbed the wrist he had overused yesterday. “I’ll be fine after resting for a while.”

In Landis’s ears, however, those words took on a completely different meaning. He frowned; it seemed Xiao Sa truly had been severely injured by him that night, so much so that he still hadn’t recovered after all this time.

After a moment of silence, Landis actually took the initiative to apologize. “I am sorry. That night, I did not intend to hurt you. My mental entity was out of control, and I do not know why Black Flame sought you out. In any case, I owe you an apology.”

If Carlo were here, his jaw would have hit the floor. His perennially icy commander was not only refraining from being sharp-tongued but was actually bowing his head to admit a mistake.

Xiao Sa froze for a moment. “Oh, that… I haven’t taken it to heart.”

It had been so long, and Xiao Sa was never a petty person. Besides, he wasn’t exactly the one who had come out on the losing end of that fight. He hesitated, then added, “Actually, that day, I—”

He had not only given the man a sound thrashing but had also bitten him. He didn’t know if his pheromones had left a mark. Was this high-ranking Admiral truly not angry?

Landis cut him off quickly. “I know.”

Xiao Sa: “?”

Landis subconsciously averted his eyes, raising a hand to cover a light cough. “I remember.”

The memory of that man’s decisive and passionate confession was etched into the minds of everyone present that day—especially Landis himself. Though he didn’t understand why, he assumed this man must have fallen in love with him at first sight. Why else would he be so willing to let the matter go today without a hint of anger?

Hearing this, Xiao Sa was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected the Admiral to be so magnanimous. He remembered everything yet didn’t care at all about being beaten. Xiao Sa felt relieved, and even felt a millimeter of guilt for his own “petty” suspicions.

A virtual waiter brought coffee to the pair. Landis pushed one cup toward Xiao Sa and asked, “You never told me back then, why were you imprisoned by the star pirates?”

Xiao Sa thought back for a moment. His mood grew heavy as he answered honestly, “My former home was destroyed by war. While my family was fleeing to find a new home, we were caught in an interstellar storm. My ship crashed in the accident. When I woke up, I was already on that pirate ship.”

So that was it.

Ship accidents caused by interstellar storms could be minor or catastrophic. Since Xiao Sa was the sole survivor, it was likely his other relatives had already perished. This meant the young man in his twenties before him had successively endured a cruel war, displacement from his home, the loss of his family, and capture by pirates. He was now a lonely orphan with no one to rely on.

And Landis had not only treated him like a criminal but had also harmed him.

Landis gazed intently at Xiao Sa’s face, his eyes naturally drawn to those clear amber eyes. The youth had clean, dark brown hair and fair skin. His brow was bold and sharp, and his features combined to create a type of aggressive handsomeness that was impossible to forget.

When a lonely expression appeared on such a face, even a man as cold and hardened as Admiral Landis found it hard not to be moved. There was an indefinable aura about Xiao Sa that made one inexplicably willing to trust him, to be near him.

Landis leaned forward slightly, suddenly speaking with great solemnity. “Regardless of what happened that night, I am willing to take responsibility.”

Xiao Sa: “Huh?”

Responsibility for whom?

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