The Only Ultimate Alpha in the Universe - Chapter 7

Hainuo? Was that the name of the intelligent AI for this wrist-worn optical brain?

Xiao Sa did not think too much about the phrase; most AI products on the market had similar greetings when first activated.

[Language detected. Automatically switching language systems for you.]

At least the translator was reliable for once. He finally didn’t have to be a cyber-illiterate anymore. However, it was strange that the language library of an old-fashioned optical brain was actually richer than the translator used on the warship.

Xiao Sa adjusted the device to real-time translation mode and pointed at the test report. “What is this? Is there something wrong with my body?”

The attending physician explained patiently, “You fainted at the hospital entrance a few days ago. We have already performed a full-body checkup. Your physical functions are largely fine.”

Xiao Sa felt half the weight lift off his chest. His biggest fear was that his physical structure differed from the humans here. If the hospital discovered he was an alien and took him to a research institute for dissection, it would be a disaster.

The doctor held up an X-ray, pointing to an unusual mass of tissue at the back of his neck. He said seriously, “There is a suspected tumor in this area. Since you are awake, it would be best to perform a more detailed examination.”

A tumor? Xiao Sa felt helpless. Fine, that was just the gland that everyone on his home planet possessed. Fortunately, based on the current results, the medical equipment here had not yet detected that he was a different species.

Xiao Sa shook his head. “Thanks for the reminder, but I don’t need it for now.”

After the doctor’s earnest persuasion failed, he took the report from the nurse and sighed. “Sir, every year on Planet Zhiyang, one in ten thousand young people lose the ability to summon a mental entity because their mental power is too weak. Your fainting was caused by an extremely weak mental state.”

At this point, the doctor pushed up his glasses, looking puzzled. “Generally, people with mental disabilities are physically frail and possess at most D-grade mental power. Your test result, however, is C-grade. This is very rare.”

Xiao Sa was speechless. He, a dignified S-grade Alpha, was diagnosed as C-grade and labeled disabled. Was the magnetic field of this star system simply incompatible with him?

The doctor added, “Additionally, you have a severe allergy to ultraviolet rays. You must be careful when going out; do not expose yourself to the harsh sun.”

No, that wasn’t right. Whatever could cause an Alpha to faint was definitely not a simple UV allergy. He silently recalled the sun he saw before losing consciousness. Perhaps the light emitted by the star in this system was harmful to alien species, though he didn’t know which specific rays were the culprits.

The nurse kindly reminded him, “When you were unconscious, there were no mental entity fluctuations in your body. Why don’t you try contacting your mental sea now and try a summoning?”

Xiao Sa shook his head dryly. He truly couldn’t do it!

The physician and the nurse glanced at each other and sighed simultaneously, their eyes filled with sympathy and pity.

The doctor couldn’t bear it but tried to console him. “Generally speaking, for someone with such a mental disability, life expectancy is significantly shortened. However, if you rest well and utilize advanced medical technology from higher-tier planets, or seek help from a mental healer, with good luck, you might live peacefully into your forties or fifties.”

Xiao Sa fell completely silent. Forties or fifties? And that was considered good luck?

In fact, for the people of the Starry Sea, living in an environment eroded by mental pollution meant they had evolved mental entities to coexist with their surroundings. The stronger one’s mental power, the better they could resist pollution, stabilize their genes, and improve their health and longevity. Conversely, the weak suffered from premature aging.

Since the Great Cataclysm a thousand years ago, people had discovered two ways to alleviate pollution. The first was to bond with a partner with a high mental compatibility. The second was to rely on treatment from mental healers. The various stabilizing inhibitors common on the market were produced by these people.

Their mental entities were not animals or plants, but pure mist and rain condensed from mental power. These people were extremely rare and special, granting them high social status and immense popularity. In the entire Aurora Empire, there were only a few thousand mental healers, with eighty percent gathered in the Royal Healer Association and the rest rooted in powerful noble families. They were the true top of the pyramid.

Ordinary people rarely had the chance to meet a mental healer. Their only choice was to rely on the Central Main Brain’s marriage matching mechanism and accept blind date arrangements.

After explaining the results, the kind nurse told him, “You don’t need to worry too much about treatment costs. The Empire provides minimum medical security for the mentally disabled, and you can receive a monthly subsidy with your credentials. You just need to register your ID on your optical brain.”

Xiao Sa was embarrassed again. He didn’t have an ID; he was an illegal resident! The only money and device he had were from a robbery, or rather, a “donation” from kind people.

Seeing his hesitation, the nurse wasn’t surprised. Instead, she offered a solution. “If you don’t have an ID right now, you can register a temporary identity. You can handle the replacement at the City Hall later. However, a temporary identity cannot receive subsidies.”

This was a lower-tier planet on the edge of the North District. It was full of illegal residents from all walks of life. The hospital frequently treated gang members injured in turf wars, so they were used to it.

Once the ward was quiet again, Xiao Sa began fiddling with the old optical brain on his wrist. This cheap device was several years old and the model was discontinued, but luckily, the basic functions were all there.

After registering his temporary identity and scanning the medical diagnosis, a round smiley face popped up on the interface: ^O^

[Hello, I am Hainuo, your best friend providing 24-hour comprehensive companionship. Please choose your favorite projection image.]

“Strange, I didn’t click on settings.”

Looking at the dozens of character images automatically displayed on the screen, he swiped through them. His eyes passed over pure young girls, cute “puppy” boys, the “brother next door” types, intellectual older women, and rugged middle-aged men.

His gaze stopped on a cute, chubby black-and-white bear. His eyes lit up. He had only seen this animal in literary works before and hadn’t expected it to exist here. Excited, Xiao Sa accidentally pressed a bit too hard, and the screen slid smoothly to the next image: a sexy, stubbled man wearing a trench coat.

Xiao Sa: “?”

In an instant, a lifelike projection of a tanned, sturdy middle-aged man appeared before him.

[Yo, little guy, you’ve got good taste.] The “Uncle Hainuo” projection casually straightened his collar, crossed his arms, and rubbed his chin stubble while smiling at him.

Xiao Sa: “…”

He squinted at the intelligent main brain for a moment before expressionlessly exiting without saving the page and sliding toward the restart button. There must be something wrong with the way he opened this device.

Hainuo: [?]

[Wait… the projection image has been saved. Temporary identities cannot be changed~]

Xiao Sa took a deep breath. It took him a long time to mentally prepare himself and accept the heartbreaking fact that the cute bear was gone and his AI was now a talkative middle-aged man.

He frowned at Hainuo. “Help me check the requirements for a formal identity ID.”

[To change to a formal ID on Planet Zhiyang, you need to provide mental power test results, a fixed address, a property in the Central Living Area, and proof of bank deposits.]

Conveniently, Hainuo reported Xiao Sa’s current financial status: no house, no car, no savings, no spouse; an unemployed vagrant, a standard “five-nothings” person.

[Oh, wait, you have one more ‘nothing’ than a standard vagrant. You don’t even have a mental entity.] “Uncle Hainuo” shrugged, showing a very vivid expression of pity, and even raised a hand to try and “pat his head.”

Xiao Sa was silent. He felt the intelligence of the AI here was a bit too advanced compared to his home planet.

“A single penny can stop a hero,” Xiao Sa sighed. “Where is a place I can make money quickly?”

He quickly browsed the job listings and special trading venues Hainuo pulled up. Suddenly, his eyes flickered, landing on a nearby auction house’s sales list.

“C-grade mental soothing inhibitor, starting price 2,000 star coins per vial?”

Soothing inhibitors?

The image of the blonde officer’s pet lion being calmed by his pheromones flashed in his mind. A lightbulb went off above his head. There were no Alphas, Betas, or Omegas in this star system. He could sell his pheromones!

As night fell, the high daytime temperatures faded, leaving only a lingering warmth in the air.

The Ross Club Auction House on Cross Street in the West District was brightly lit. Today happened to be the auction house’s annual celebration, with more rare and precious items on display.

In a VIP room on the second floor, a group of capable-looking men surrounded a weak middle-aged man. They each held standard-issue laser guns. Their clothing differed from local gang members; they looked better trained, exuding a fierce, bloody aura.

“Boss,” the deputy leader, Deken, called out softly. “I heard that besides C-grade inhibitors, there might be B-grade ones tonight. No matter what, we must get them.”

The man lying on the sofa raised his eyelids and glanced at his legs. Under the blanket, his feet had completely transformed into animalistic scales and barbs. Human toes were gone, replaced by sharp, deformed claws that made walking difficult.

“It’s no use. I’m at the end of my rope.”

“Boss!” Deken called out anxiously.

Duan Feng shook his head with effort. “My mental entity collapsed during the battle with the Third Legion. Not even a god can save me. I came here today to leave you all with some life-saving supplies. You’re still young; there’s still hope for recovery. I led you in defecting from the Empire because I wanted us to survive, didn’t I?”

Duan Feng had to use a lot of strength to finish those few sentences.

Deken looked at the leader he had followed for decades, his eyes reddening. They were once brothers-in-arms on the battlefield who could trust each other with their lives. They were so spirited and famous in their youth, yet now they had fallen into such a tragic state. Even the luxury of dying with dignity in a human body had become a distant dream.

More tragically, Duan Feng’s misery was a reflection of all their futures. This was the consequence of defecting from the Empire.

Duan Feng smiled bitterly. No wonder Admiral Landis of the Third Legion hadn’t wiped them out; he had likely foreseen this dead end.

Everyone in the room fell into a heavy silence.

A hammer strike echoed from below. The special curtains in the VIP room slowly slid open, revealing a one-way glass wall that allowed the guests to clearly see the exhibits below.

The ground floor hall was already packed. The noise subsided with the host’s welcome speech. Spotlights converged on the stage as the first item was brought up, covered by a black cloth.

The host held a small golden hammer and tapped it lightly. “Ladies and gentlemen, the first item tonight is a limited edition flyer.”

The attendant pulled back the cloth. The sleek curves of the grey-black flyer gave off a cold metallic luster, quickly drawing bids from enthusiasts.

Most VIP rooms remained silent. They all had the auction list and were clearly there for the main events later.

An hour passed. Seven or eight items had been sold. An attendant pushed a small cart forward and unveiled five long test tubes containing a colorless, transparent liquid.

The host smiled. “Here we have a set of five C-grade mental soothing inhibitors. They were produced by the Royal Mental Healer Association of the Central Star District. They have a 60% concentration and excellent quality. The starting price is 2,000 star coins each, totaling 10,000 for the set. Each bid increment is 1,000 star coins.”

Before the guests on the first floor could bid, three bells rang simultaneously from the VIP rooms on the second floor.

“11,000.” The first bid came from the local Ross Club agent.

“12,000.” The second bid came from the Ross Club’s rival.

Moments later, three more factions joined, pushing the price to 20,000. This price was already higher than the market rate. The first-floor guests couldn’t compete and quickly backed down. Just as the bidding slowed, Deken suddenly struck. “25,000 star coins!”

The surrounding boxes went silent. After a long pause, the host’s smile grew brighter. He struck the golden hammer three times. “Five C-grade inhibitors sold for 25,000 star coins to Guest 208!”

“Next, we have our final item.” The host smiled mysteriously. “This item was not originally on the list; it was added temporarily tonight.”

The attendant pushed another small cart out. Two transparent test tubes stood on it. They were only the width of a finger, but the liquid inside was a very pale, light gold. The moment they appeared, they captured everyone’s attention.

“B-grade inhibitors? Why that color? Aren’t inhibitors usually transparent?”

“I heard only high-concentration reagents have color differences.”

“Who is the seller? Why would they sell such good stuff instead of keeping it?”

The host smiled. “This was consigned anonymously. According to our guild’s professional appraisers, these are indeed B-grade inhibitors. The concentration exceeds 90%. A set of two, starting price 10,000, with increments of 1,000.”

Before the host could even finish, the crowd erupted. In the Starry Sea, mental inhibitors were a strategic resource. They were a necessity for everyone, directly linked to genetic stability, lifespan, and offspring, and were monopolized by the Empire.

Most inhibitors available on the market were C or D grade with low concentrations, barely enough for ordinary people with spouses. However, the number of people who lacked a high-compatibility partner or access to a mental healer was vast. High-grade inhibitors were in high demand, especially among those in high-intensity jobs.

A-grade inhibitors were military-grade and only distributed to the army. Higher “Special Grade” inhibitors were reserved for the royal family and top nobles. B-grade was the highest an outsider could usually touch, let alone at 90% concentration.

“12,000 star coins!”

“15,000!”

“18,000!”

“20,000!”

On the ground floor, Xiao Sa sat in a corner, wrapped in a dark cloak with a black mask, leaving only his eyes visible. To avoid the sunlight that caused his weakness, he had been living like a nocturnal creature, wrapping himself up like a “vampire” from his home planet’s legends.

The enthusiastic bidding was beyond his expectations.

On his home planet, an Alpha’s pheromones were precious; losing too much caused weakness, so people rarely sold them. Furthermore, since everyone had pheromones, no one would bother buying another Alpha’s pheromones just to annoy themselves.

He had spent a lot of effort extracting a bit of his pheromones and diluting them with water several times until his unique scent was completely masked. Out of caution, he only consigned two vials. He had only hoped to make about 10,000 coins to solve his immediate needs. Who would have thought they would be this popular?

“100,000 star coins!”

Xiao Sa looked up in surprise. It was another bid from Room 208.

Who was this incredibly wealthy sucker? Even with Xiao Sa’s thick skin, he felt a bit embarrassed.

The host struck the hammer with a beaming smile. “Any higher bids? 100,000 once, twice, three times. Sold! Congratulations to the guest in Room 208.”

Xiao Sa quietly went to the back-office transaction room, where the auction house manager was already waiting for him. Seeing him, the manager approached with a flattering smile. “Mr. Alpha, congratulations. After the guild’s 20% commission, you have earned a total of 80,000 star coins. It has been deposited into your personal account.”

Yes, Xiao Sa had given himself a simple, crude pseudonym: Alpha.

Xiao Sa looked at the balance on his optical brain and breathed a sigh of relief. Was this what it felt like to get rich overnight? He had never lacked money on his home planet, but as a penniless refugee, even eating was a worry. Making 80,000 in a day felt pretty good. He just couldn’t extract too much pheromone at once, or he could have built a fortune on this alone.

The manager asked cautiously, “The buyer from Room 208 has a request. He wishes to meet you.”

Xiao Sa raised an eyebrow. He was about to refuse without thinking, but the manager continued, “If you agree, the other party is willing to pay an additional 10,000 star coins as a greeting gift.”

…It wasn’t impossible.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Sa tilted his head. “You won’t take a commission on that, right?”

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