Predifferentiation Mood Disorder Syndrome

Bai Ling ultimately left.

He entrusted the weak, unconscious merman to the AI. The little robot handled everything with ease and even comforted him along the way. “He didn’r scare your core programming, did he? Master is often like this. He just disconnects out of nowhere, what humans would call ‘mind blanking.’ Don’t worry, he just needs to sleep for a few days, and he’ll reboot.”

Bai Ling nodded silently while his mind was completely elsewhere. He made his way back to the dormitory area.

Before getting into bed, he needed to change out of his trousers.

His pockets were bulging and he casually reached in his pockets and pulled out the merman’s lambskin glove.

Bai Ling stared at it for two seconds, then suddenly yanked open a drawer and tossed it deep inside.

For the next three days, he ate, attended classes, and trained normally in the palace.

In the cafeteria—

“Tsk. You don’t look like you’re in a good mood. Fought with your guardian?” Sava sat down, his tray piled high with food.

“No. He’s not my guardian,” Bai Ling replied without looking up and continued to sip his soup.

Hearing his firm denial, Sava and North exchanged a look. The same thought popped into both their heads: Predifferentiation Mood Disorder Syndrome.

The more erratic the mood, the more ferocious the egg-laying.

Bai Ling didn’t care what his roommates were signaling to each other across the table. After finishing his watery, standard-issue meal, he had more important things to do.

Earlier this day, he had received a notification from Rattlesnake.

[Rattlesnake]: Master, today is the first day of the experiment. I’ve already driven myself from the association to the company. I’ll wait for you in Exhibition Hall 0 at 3 PM.

When Bai Ling saw the message, he felt a sense of relief wash over him.

No matter what, he could temporarily detach himself and immerse himself in the purer world of machinery.

Sava suddenly clapped Bai Ling on the shoulder, looking agitated. “Can you clear my tray? I need to take a call.”

Without waiting for a reply, Sava rushed out, his usual arrogance replaced by a look of exasperation.

Bai Ling: ?

Is it going to rain blood? Who could possibly keep that guy in check?

The moment Sava answered the call, the other end exploded. “Come pick me up right now! They’re touching my legs, harassing me!! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!!”

Sava’s scalp tingled. “…You didn’t fight them, did you?”

“Not yet. But I can’t promise about tomorrow. If it weren’t for that stupid contract you signed, would I be suffering like this? Wuwu, they’re going to rub my heels smooth!”

Sava pressed his forehead. “But you’re a display mecha. You’re in the most prominent spot in the exhibition hall. Of course people are going to stare!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!! I don’t care! That girl next door has a glass case! I want one too!”

Meanwhile, in Exhibition Hall 0, someone knocked on Rattlesnake’s case. A flashy, cool, flame-painted mecha ran over and asked, “Hey, pretty lady, where’d you get your case?”

Rattlesnake replied coldly, “I brought it from home.”

Flame Mecha: “Why are you selling balloons inflated with your exhaust?”

Rattlesnake: “My Master is missing a leg. I’m selling balloons to help support the household.”

The Flame Mecha was deeply moved. It turned, squatted in a corner, and notified its Master: “I’m going to squeeze onto that girl’s display stand. I’m going with her to the children’s area to hand out balloons. Bye, I’m off!”

Sava: “Wait, you’re the model in the weapons section!! Girrrrrrrl!”

---

The Lu family is a renowned family of mercenaries.

Old Master Lu had been the Guild’s vice-president for most of his life and naturally hoped his son would follow in his footsteps and make a name for himself in the mecha industry.

However, while his son’s motivation had increased, his wits seemed to have vanished. He walked around flushed and starry-eyed all day. Old Master Lu saw this and felt a jolt of concern.

Is it time to consider his son’s marriage prospects?

The Lu family had no female relatives. Old Master Lu couldn’t bring himself to handle it, so this important task fell to Lu Xun’s older cousin—Lu Hang.

One day, Lu Hang came home on leave from the army and promptly called his younger cousin over, asking him point-blank who he had fallen for.

Lu Xun grinned sheepishly and explained everything.

Unexpectedly, Lu Hang frowned. “A raptor? Absolutely not.”

Lu Xun quickly explained, “Brother, don’t misunderstand! Bai Ling isn’t arrogant like those noble hawks in the Emperor’s personal guard. Even though he took me down instantly in public, he’s a really good person.”

Lu Hang said earnestly, “I’m not questioning his character. What I mean is… Xiao Xun, if you don't have the diamond, don't try to mend the porcelain. Haven’t you heard enough stories about people getting their eyes pecked out when trying to raise an eagle?”

“If you don’t believe me, I can tell you about an incident that just happened this year in our Outer Space Mecha Legion.”

Lu Xun: “Also a raptor?”

Lu Hang nodded. “Yes. A veteran who had been in the army for five years. He had just started differentiating when a Major General in the legion took an interest in him. That guy wanted to use his position to force him into bed.”

“Unfortunately, this falcon had a stubborn temper. He stomped his military boot hard on the Major General’s thigh bone and fired three shots straight into his crotch. Bang bang bang! Good grief, the thing must have been turned into meat paste.”

So fierce!

Lu Xun broke out in a sweat just listening, feeling phantom pain in his own lower body.

Lu Hang said seriously, “That’s not all. He blew up the base’s armory. The reason? Because that Major General confiscated his mecha and had it crushed into scrap metal at the junkyard.”

Lu Xun fell silent. As an alpha, he couldn’t empathize with being harassed, but destroying someone’s mecha right in front of them… no pilot could easily forgive that.

A mecha is their second life.

That Major General deserved it!

Lu Xun asked indignantly, “That Major General is so vicious! He must have been arrested and sentenced, right?”

Lu Hang shook his head and sighed. “No. He even got promoted. Instead, it was the falcon who was sentenced to death.”

After hearing the story, Lu Xun couldn’t let it go. He thought of Bai Ling’s missing leg and felt even more strongly that falcons were proud yet fragile creatures that needed protection.

Especially when he heard from his good-for-nothing friends via communicator: “Young Master Lu, I saw your crush’s mecha selling balloons! It’s so cute!”

Lu Xun: “What? That’s so pitiful!”

Friend: “?”

Lu Xun immediately rushed to the scene and declared, “All the balloons here are on Young Master Lu!”

Rattlesnake silently opened its storage compartment, pulled out two burlap sacks full of uninflated balloons, and displayed its payment QR code.

Lu Xun: “……”

He resignedly paid.

A flame-patterned mecha suddenly appeared and hooked its arm through Rattlesnake’s wing. “Come on, I’ll treat you to coolant ice cream. The three-scoop kind. Put it on my Master’s card.”

Lu Xun watched helplessly as the cold Rattlesnake was dragged away. He wanted to tearfully say, I can treat you to three scoops too! Just give me a chance to earn some brownie points…

So infuriating!

Who sent this Flame Mecha? Could it be a new love rival?

Lu Xun immediately channeled his grief into determination and sent people to investigate the owner behind the Flame Mecha.

Hmph. No matter who it is, can they be tougher than his own mercenary family?

The results came back—

[Paint Job: Dark Night Phosphorescence]

[Registered Name: Ptolemy]

[Pilot: Sava II]

Friend: “…Hey, Young Master Lu, snap out of it! That’s the old aristocratic Eagle-Owl family! The most ferocious masters in the entire Empire! Don’t you dare try to steal their food!”

Another friend: “Ptolemy?! The Ptolemy that won the last Mecha Fighting World Cup?”

Lu Xun suddenly felt immense pressure but forced himself to say, “I-it was only last time! It doesn’t mean I can’t do it. The qualifiers have just started this year, so I’ll register right now.”

The exhibition hall they were in belonged to the Empire’s wealthiest and longest-standing aerospace and military conglomerate—the Gorgon Design Bureau.

Gorgon was the biggest sponsor of every Mecha Fighting World Cup, so there was a registration booth conveniently located inside the venue.

Lu Xun, dragging his group of friends, finished registering. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Among the crowd, that clear, bright white hair… who else could it be but Bai Ling?

“Are you here to register too? Which division did you sign up for?”

Bai Ling focused on the registration requirements. “Haven’t decided yet.”

The mecha competition rules were similar to the World Championships from Old Earth. Registration had requirements; not just anyone could enter.

Participants had to meet three conditions:

1. Participated in individual/team competitions within the last year, with over 100 points.
2. Passed a full physical examination.
3. Registration fee of 50,000 interstellar credits.

Lu Xun suggested, “With your skill, you can definitely go straight for the 3000-point division. How many points do you have now?”

Bai Ling: “Zero.”

Lu Xun wiped sweat from his brow. “…Ah, well, it’s too late to grind points now. Maybe try again in four years?”

Bai Ling’s gaze shifted to the center of the display, where it read: Championship Prize: 3 Million Interstellar Credits.

That amount was just right— Enough for him to buy a secondhand small spacecraft, so that after he dealt with the Tyrant, he could pack up Rattlesnake and escape safely to the wild planets.

He needed money, the more the better.

In the long run, he would need vast sums of money— Building a base, acquiring equipment, recruiting soldiers.

In his last life, leading the revolution, more than half his energy had been spent on fundraising. No matter how brilliantly he fought, if the logistics and ammunition couldn’t keep up, it’d cause him great stress.

If only he could attract a few sponsors from this competition.

“Teacher Hu is here!”

“The top eight from last year are also registering! Looks like this competition is packed with experts. It’s going to be good.”

“Bearded Vulture seems to have gotten sponsorship from the Big Four military manufacturers!”

“The Big Four… Does that include Gorgon Design Bureau? Exciting!”

“Ignorant fool. Gorgon used to be the Imperial National Weapons Manufacturing Bureau. It’s not on the same level as the so-called ‘Big Four.’ They won’t even look at individual mercenaries. Have you ever seen the Central Government advertise for a private individual?”

A group of Gorgon Group fans started chattering away.

Bai Ling ignored the talk about Gorgon and instead focused on how to get the required points before the registration deadline.

Meanwhile, Bearded Vulture, surrounded by admirers, swaggered up to the counter and announced, “I’m signing up for the highest division, 3000 points.”

The receptionist beamed. “Certainly, Mr. Hu. The 3000-point division requires a base score of 200 points. Please present your restriction ring data.”

With a beep, the people nearby crowded around to look, but their faces quickly turned awkward.

Bearded Vulture was just going through the motions. He had spent the past year grinding points in competitions big and small, and his score was well over 500.

But sensing the strange atmosphere, he quickly looked down. What he saw nearly stopped his heart.

“199 points?! Impossible! The machine must be broken—”

Bearded Vulture was about to slam his hand on the counter when a thought struck him.

Last month, the omega under his guardianship had been abused by their spouse and had called him for help. He had been engrossed in a game at the time and ignored it. Later, he received his guardian rating for the month: only 1.2.

Everyone knew that guardian ratings were directly linked to various social credit points.

Bearded Vulture cursed darkly. That heartless little bitch! Costing him more than half his points!

But Bearded Vulture was a seasoned veteran hand. He immediately thought of a solution: he could challenge someone random here to a private match. As long as he won three times in a row, he could get 10 points. That way, he could meet the registration requirement and save face.

Bearded Vulture’s eyes scanned the crowd before landing on the weakest-looking person there.

“Little friend, interested in a spar with me?” Bearded Vulture clapped Bai Ling on the shoulder, a smile plastered on his face.

Bai Ling’s restriction ring: