The Only Ultimate Alpha in the Universe - Chapter 24

The Drawing Room.

The vintage wall clock had already ticked past ten. The morning sun climbed slowly into the eastern sky, its light spilling over the potted plants on the windowsill, where rolling dewdrops refracted the morning glow.

Xiao Sa finished every last bite of his breakfast. While lazily stroking Heiyan’s fur in his arms, he continued to browse the business reports sent by Elton, attempting to “chew on some hard facts” for a living.

Heiyan, the black lion who had been petted from head to toe, lay in his arms looking utterly drained of the will to live. Surrounded by a mellow scent of pheromones, the beast had flattened into a “cat pancake,” allowing Xiao Sa to squeeze its pink, tender paw pads at will.

The pads were springy and adorable—soft yet sensitive. A light squeeze would cause sharp claws to pop out, and letting go would see them retract into a fluffy ball. The tactile sensation was exquisite, second only to the “big bells” (testicles).

Once he grew tired of the paws, Xiao Sa moved to rub the belly. However, Heiyan suddenly grabbed his arm with both paws. The lion’s head swayed, its round golden eyes gazing at him with a hint of helplessness.

“Ah, is that a no?” Xiao Sa wore a mischievous, wicked grin. He hadn’t even had the chance to bury his face in that fluffy belly for a good huff yet.

Soon, he shifted to a new tactic. Rubbing his chin, he mused, “They say little kittens love having their butts patted. I wonder if big lions are the same…”

Heiyan’s entire body jolted. His dark gold pupils trembled violently. With a sharp “Awooo!”, he lunged out of Xiao Sa’s arms. The strength of his struggle was so great that Xiao Sa, caught off guard, couldn’t hold on.

Suddenly, Xiao Sa’s arms were empty. Heiyan had vanished into thin air, returning to Landis’s side.

“Sigh, I wasn’t done playing yet, and he’s already gone…” Feeling a sense of loss as he looked at his empty arms, Xiao Sa scratched the bridge of his nose. “Could it be that my technique isn’t high-level enough? Was it uncomfortable?”

【It seems you humans really enjoy fondling spiritual bodies. Is it truly that pleasurable?】 Hino poked his head out from beside him, curious.

Xiao Sa tucked away his light-brain and shook his head. “I only like fluffy cats and dogs. I have no interest in things that are hairless, slimy, or cold.”

He paused, then arched an eyebrow. “By the way, I’ve been playing with Landis’s battle pet for so long—I didn’t disturb him at work, did I?”

If it was just a mental link, Landis probably knew Heiyan was with him, but surely he wouldn’t know every single detail? Squeezing the “cat bells” secretly shouldn’t be an issue, right?

Hino’s eyes rolled as if searching for something, eventually looking toward the ceiling. 【I don’t know. Just now, he was in a room without any cameras.】

Xiao Sa didn’t think much of it. “Oh, probably a high-security military meeting.”

The restroom next to the holographic projection conference room.

After Landis forcibly recalled his spiritual body, the sensations shared through the mental link finally vanished completely. However, his skin remained scorching hot, as if the stimulation and pleasure of a dry, warm palm stroking his entire body still lingered.

His taut nerves and tightened muscles finally relaxed. He leaned against the marble sink and let out a long, heavy breath.

The sensation just now had been terrifying. Every nerve ending felt as if an electric current were crawling over it. It was a dizzying feeling akin to intoxication, making it nearly impossible to think rationally. By the time he had come to his senses, he had already—uncontrollably—begun unfastening his clothes.

What exactly was Xiao Sa doing to Heiyan? Did he not know what stroking a spiritual body implied?

Or was he… hinting that he wasn’t satisfied during their wedding night yesterday?

In the mirror, his reflection showed blonde hair matted with sweat against his forehead, his military uniform disarrayed and wide open at the collar, and several dark red marks across his firm chest muscles.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his neck, past his collarbone, over his abdominals, and finally disappeared into his lowered military trousers.

Landis ran a hand through his hair, slicking the damp gold strands back to reveal a handsome face with a deep frown. However, the faint dark red flush at the corners of his eyes softened his cold expression, giving him an indescribably suggestive look.

There was no way he could continue wearing these clothes back to the meeting.

Landis rubbed his brow and simply stripped off the rest of his clothes. He activated his light-brain to have the butler bring a fresh set of clothes and took a quick shower in the meantime.

When he re-entered the conference room, Landis was fully dressed again. All traces were hidden beneath his solemn military uniform; no one could have guessed what he had been doing in the restroom moments ago.

Landis pulled out his chair and sat down, his expression as stern as ever. “Continuing the meeting. Have the casualty figures from the last raid on the Xenogeneic nest been tallied?”

The holographic projection in the center of the table displayed a grim scene of battle. A subordinate spoke in a heavy voice: “In this offensive, 1,100 soldiers and over 50 officers were killed. Additionally, over 300 survived the battle but showed signs of ‘Xenomorphosis’ afterward.”

“Some soldiers were so severely mutated that there wasn’t even time to find a Healer. Inhibitors were useless. Before they completely turned into beasts, they could only beg their comrades to kill them.”

Though such scenes were common on the battlefield, the room fell silent, hearts heavy with the weight of it.

In the fight against Xenogeneics, dying in the line of duty wasn’t the scary part; the most terrifying thing was turning into a monster and attacking your former comrades.

The subordinate continued the report: “Analysis of multiple engagements suggests that Xenogeneics are not entirely mindless creatures. They are evolving, becoming increasingly cunning. Our combat losses have increased by ten percent.”

“Furthermore, the production of high-grade inhibitors allocated by the Royal Association remains extremely scarce.”

“The military department has submitted a proposal to the Council for the fifth time, hoping to increase the allocation of high-grade inhibitors and requesting that Healers from the Royal Association perform regular, unconditional mental soothing for the soldiers. Once again, it was rejected.”

Landis nodded, his fingers tapping lightly on the cold alloy conference table, silent and somber.

It wasn’t the first time the military’s proposals had been shot down. The supply chain for inhibitors involved massive interests and had always been tightly controlled by the Royal Family and the Great Nobles; they would never allow outsiders to interfere.

Inhibitors and Healers were the tools used by those in power to balance and control military might. They certainly wouldn’t compromise for the sake of low-level soldiers who were viewed as mere consumables.

As for the upper-level officers, most had marriage alliances with nobility and didn’t lack high-grade inhibitors or highly compatible spouses. So long as the low-level soldiers were given decent pensions, the elites didn’t worry about them causing any “undignified” trouble.

Special-grade inhibitors required military merit to obtain. The more merit one had, the higher the risk they had faced.

The Royal Family didn’t need to worry about high-ranking officers becoming too powerful or becoming lazy; they could maximize the extraction of their value until the very end.

Having watched his father climb up from the bottom through life-and-death struggles, Landis had always loathed this injustice, yet he felt powerless to change it.

Another officer stood up to supplement the report: “Last month, two more senior officers in our legion passed away due to late-stage Xenomorphosis.”

Landis frowned. It seemed the number of officers failing to reach retirement age was increasing every year.

He took the pension report and signed it, then suddenly asked, “How are their families? Are they being properly cared for?”

The officer blinked, startled. “Their spouses also suffered severe sympathetic infection and are currently being treated in the special care ward of the Royal Hospital.”

Landis’s hand paused noticeably before he gave a low, heavy, “Mhm.”

The construction of the sanatorium within the manor had to be moved up, but…

Imperial marriage law required high-compatibility spouses specifically for deep bonding to alleviate Xenomorphosis. But now, he was starting to hesitate.

If that Healer, Kate, was unfortunately right, wouldn’t he be making Xiao Sa suffer? He was still so young.

Landis pinched the bridge of his nose and quickly suppressed these thoughts, resuming his professional demeanor. “Next item on the agenda.”

In the afternoon, Xiao Sa took a casual stroll through the main building before returning to the small study in the master suite.

The study was fully equipped with holographic gear. Xiao Sa spread out the project proposals he had been reviewing. Based on Hino’s data analysis, he circled several errors from previous versions and prepared to send them back to Elton.

Once he had a moment of peace, he began pondering his true goal for coming to the Central Star.

He had previously asked the Broken Peak Pirates to track down his missing clansmen, but there likely wouldn’t be news for a while.

Xiao Sa touched his earring. “Hino, is there any way to sneak into the Imperial Palace?”

Hino’s avatar appeared beside him, holding a virtual cup of coffee. He took a slow “sip” and offered three plans:

【Option one: You can sneak in under the cover of night. I can divert the camera and monitoring networks for you, but the risk remains 100%. Palace security is extremely tight; Royal Guard patrols leave no blind spots. Even if you dodge the cameras, you’ll be spotted by inspectors. Unless you can complete your goal and leave within ten minutes, the chance of being killed on the spot or imprisoned for interrogation is 50/50.】

Xiao Sa gave him a speechless look. “I’m not that stupid. What’s the second one?”

【Option two: You can ask your new spouse. Landis is an Imperial Admiral. Although entering the palace requires an Imperial Decree, if he makes a request to the Emperor, he might be able to take you inside for a visit.】

To be honest, when Xiao Sa first agreed to the marriage, he did intend to use Landis’s status. But thinking about it now, taking the necklace would inevitably cause a scene, and Landis would definitely end up taking the fall.

Xiao Sa rested his cheek on one hand, a few lines appearing between his brows as he let out a rare sigh. “Next?”

【Option three is to use your other identity to place in the top three of the Celestial Arena Selection Tournament. Winners are naturally invited to the palace for an awards ceremony. This is the only legal way for a commoner to enter.】

Hino paused and patted Xiao Sa on the shoulder. 【I must remind you, even if you enter the palace, the underground core control room for my main terminal isn’t easy to access. Furthermore, even if you take your things, there will be severe consequences. You will definitely be wanted by the Royal Family. Think carefully.】

Xiao Sa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I know. But there are still six months until the finals.”

Since earning the 100 points needed to leave the “rookie zone,” he hadn’t logged back into the Celestial Arena for a long time.

He applied the neural conduction patches, sat in the virtual pod, and soon entered the virtual space.

Once a player has enough points to leave the rookie zone, their personal livestream channel is officially opened.

It had been a long time since the “Black-Clad Knight Alpha” had used boxing gloves to beat down a new model mecha, and the discussions on the Star Network forums regarding this dark horse had gradually cooled down.

He didn’t notice these minor details. At this moment, his attention was entirely captured by another door: the Celestial Ranked Matches.

“What is this room?”

Hino quickly explained: 【This is the Ranking Tournament. Players are ranked by win rate and consecutive win streaks. Once you qualify, you can challenge people on the leaderboard. Of course, the opponent can choose to decline.】

Xiao Sa hadn’t unlocked this feature yet, so he could only browse some classic videos from the outside.

He immediately saw the name at the very top of the leaderboard, Landis Wincer.

“Tsk, number one in win streaks, with a 96% win rate. So Landis is that powerful.” Xiao Sa immediately clicked into the other’s profile.

Unexpectedly, a video of Landis in a heated battle on a simulated battlefield popped up.

In the video, a man in a black-gold mecha charged toward an enemy Royal Xenogeneic leader. Holding an ice-blue quantum laser sword, he furiously decapitated the Royal Xenogeneic, declaring an early victory.

Xiao Sa’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but whistle. “That’s so cool Landis’s mecha.”

He clenched his fists in excitement. Ignoring the fact that he hadn’t even unlocked the ranking qualifications yet, he mashed the “Challenge” button, eager to have a fair mecha battle with Landis.

【Respected Viewer, please achieve ten consecutive victories in the preliminary rounds and upload your Mecha Pilot Certification to unlock Ranking Match eligibility.】

Xiao Sa’s surging battle intent quickly cooled down. “Ten wins isn’t hard, but where do I get a Mecha Pilot Certification?”

He was completely clueless about the mecha operating systems in the Starry Sea region; he didn’t know how to pilot one at all.

Hino’s voice chimed in at the right time: 【Only authoritative Military Mecha Academies have the qualification to issue such certifications.】

Xiao Sa sighed in disappointment. “How troublesome.”

He suddenly froze, then quickly opened his light-brain. Sure enough, he found the “Capital Military Mecha Academy,” which the Wincer family had once invested in.

Landis’s father had even served as an honorary principal there, and Landis himself had studied mecha piloting at that school.

Looking at the information for the Capital Military Mecha Academy, Xiao Sa nodded. These days, everyone has a mecha; he couldn’t keep relying on boxing gloves forever, or he’d be at too much of a disadvantage.

Just as this “restless” fellow was dreaming up new ideas, there was a soft knock on the study door.

The door opened, and Landis entered in a brand-new military uniform. His first sight was Xiao Sa seriously studying the business reports for the Wincer family’s various industries.

Landis looked at him in surprise. Did Xiao Sa value work as much as he did?

Before he could even finish that thought, he realized he had been standing behind him for quite a while, yet Xiao Sa was still engrossed in those project books and files!

Landis finally had to speak up. “You can leave those things to the professional managers. You don’t need to handle them personally.”

Xiao Sa finally turned around. “Are you done with work? I just wanted to find something to do so I don’t feel like I’m just living off you for free.”

Landis chuckled and shook his head. “You don’t need to work so hard. You…”

He hesitated, remembering certain burning sensations and that intense scent. He couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly were you doing during the day?”

Xiao Sa was about to blurt out, “Petting your pet big cat, of course.”

But as the words reached his lips, he felt that saying it like that might be a bit provocative. He opted for a more subtle explanation: “I was just doing some pleasant activities beneficial to my physical and mental health.”

Landis: “…”

The secret tingling sensations from the restroom instantly flooded back.

After a long silence, Landis made a fist and cleared his throat. He gazed at Xiao Sa with a complex look. “Do you really want it that badly?”

Xiao Sa: “?”

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