Beware of the little white haired-one

Thump-thump, thump-thump…

The sound of his heartbeat was deafeningly loud, as if his entire heart were about to leap out of his chest.

A blush spread from the base of Bai Ling’s ears all the way down to his collarbone. Like a soft-boiled little bird, he held the merman’s face in his palm, unable to fly away even if he had wings. He could only curse inwardly: Old flirt, old flirt…

Yu Chen’s lips curled with interest. He straightened his body again, his eyes brimming with a smile. “What? You won’t accept me?”

Bai Ling blurted out instinctively, “I can’t digest something this big.”

This was common slang among second-hand junk dealers, meaning the inventory was too large to handle.

Yu Chen gave a gentle laugh, a trace of hidden meaning swirling in his eyes. “It doesn’t matter. We have a long time ahead of us.”

Bai Ling looked at him suspiciously, sensing a double entendre in the merman’s words, but he had no proof.

After thinking it over, he silently pulled out his terminal and created a new tab under the original maintenance list, labeling it:

[Old thing that owes me repairs]

Outside the window, the light began to shift from a slant to direct sunlight. It was getting late, so Bai Ling packed the old-fashioned interstellar radio into his bag, tucking it next to the guardian’s consent form.

He planned to submit his materials at the registration office and pick up some matching parts on the way back. There was a second-hand market he used to frequent in his past life to sell and scavenge goods; they specialized in stripping down old items from the last century. Going there was definitely the right move.

The old fish, however, stretched out an arm, familiarly wrapping it around his waist and giving it a careful squeeze. He slowly asked in return:

“It’s ten degrees below zero outside. You’re planning to go out in that raggedy little jacket?”

“Is there a problem? I’m going out to work, not on a date with you.”

“If you were on a date with me, you’d dress better?”

“I’d still wear the raggedy jacket.”

Yu Chen felt both annoyed and amused. This stubborn little bird was as tough as nails.

“But if I’m with you, I’ll wear it inside out,” Bai Ling said, his chin pressed against his collar as he yanked hard on the stuck zipper. “I’ll just let the good lining show on the outside.”

No matter how tattered the exterior, I’ll pull out the good inner core for you to see.

Yu Chen’s fingers, which were resting on his waist, involuntarily pressed down. He didn’t control his strength, causing Bai Ling to let out an accidental whimper.

Bai Ling didn’t mind this kind of possessiveness, like a wild beast extending its claws and reaching out from its cage from time to time.

Bai Ling grasped the merman’s wrist and slipped his fingers into the man’s prim, clean cuff. He lightly scratched the inside of the wrist as if to soothe him.

“Alright, let me go now.”

As soon as he said that, the merman gripped him even tighter. He lowered his head and his hair brushed against Bai Ling’s cheek.

“I’ll transfer some money to you. Go out and buy some clothes you like later, okay, darling?”

That doting, indulgent tone made Bai Ling’s teeth ache and his face heat up.

…What’s he trying to do so early in the morning?

“I don’t need it,” Bai Ling forced himself to stay calm and directly rejected him.

The large hand traced down to the small of his back. Through the old coat, it gripped the Lake Askid Dagger tucked at Bai Ling’s waist. The merman leaned into his ear.

“You said the same thing yesterday.”

And yet, you still put on my knife.

“…That’s different,” Bai Ling said expressionlessly, his throat bobbing.

“I don’t see anything improper about it,” Yu Chen emphasized.

“Of course it’s improper!” Bai Ling’s long lashes trembled, his voice rising slightly and becoming inadvertently hurried. “If you give me something old that you made with your own hands, I can return your trust, return your embrace, and help you fix up your room.”

“But if you give me money, the only thing I can return to you is money. I don’t like it that way.”

He spoke rapidly, as if the words would choke him if he didn’t get them out.

Listening to that intense breathing, Yu Chen’s heart gradually tightened. He squeezed the little bird’s cold earlobe, trying to rub some warmth into it.

“Is this… you not wanting to establish a financial relationship with me?”

“Absolutely not,” Bai Ling answered with ironclad certainty.

Yu Chen let out a soft sigh. “But I only want to do what I can for you.”

Bai Ling stood his ground. When he suddenly looked up, a cold, stern light flickered in his grey eyes. “…There are many things you can do.”

It was as if the wheels of a car had rolled on overnight, spreading across the gray snow.

“For instance?” Yu Chen lightly caught the scent of his damp breath, feeling a faint intoxication.

At that moment, Bai Ling utterly hated the man’s ease and his dignified composure. A surge of hot lava erupted in his chest. Unable to control himself, he grabbed the merman’s shoulders and leaned in for a fierce bite. His teeth snagged the yarn of the man’s clothes, sinking into the resilient muscle beneath.

Grinding his teeth in a state of extreme shame, he hissed: “For instance… give me one of your garments, and then kiss me once every day.”

Everything happened too fast to react. He was violently kissed, so intensely that his knuckles ached as he instinctively clawed at the merman’s solid back muscles.

The flimsy silk-cotton jacket was defenseless; the zipper shattered under the pull of the merman’s large hand.

With a forceful grip on his lower back, his jacket was aggressively ripped off and hurled onto the floor. The shirt underneath was even thinner, and the sudden contact with the cold air sent a shiver of goosebumps across his skin.

Then, Yu Chen grabbed the collar of his own sweater and pulled it off in one swift motion, disheveling his elegant hair. His eyes were deep and urgent as he commanded:

“Raise your arms.”

Like a fledgling, Bai Ling instinctively lifted his arms. He felt a wave of scorching heat hit his face before the warm, thick sweater was pulled over his head. His hands were guided into the sleeves and pulled all the way down. The hem covered his abdomen and reached past his hips, the areas prone to catching a chill, leaving him so warm it was almost hard to breathe.

He was pulled back into the merman’s waist for two hurried, anxious kisses, as if Yu Chen were savoring something precious.

After dressing him in the sweater, the merman called the AI to bring a camel-hair coat and a scarf, bundling him up tightly before trying to hug him again.

Bai Ling quickly called out, “Wait, wait, wait!”

“Wait for what?”

“Save the hug for tonight before I go to sleep.”

“Ah, you are so cute,” the merman said with words coming straight from his heart.

Today was the final day for the Mecha World Cup registration.

At nine in the morning, the moment registration closed and the system would automatically assign the tournament groups.

From early dawn, pilots had gathered here in a massive, swarming crowd. They were nervous and apprehensive, silently praying they wouldn’t be matched with a difficult opponent in the first round. Some were even worshipping the Cyber-Electronic Buddha on the spot.

“C-Language Buddha above, please protect me and give me a good group. Especially, don’t let me run into these people—”

As he spoke, he actually pulled out a long list and stuffed it into a paper shredder he had brought along.

Lu Xun watched, dumbfounded. “That’s ridiculous. Who would believe in that?”

The moment he finished speaking, the giant screen above flickered for a second and began displaying the group assignments in dense rows.

The believer of the Electronic Buddha jumped up, looking ecstatic. “It came true! I’m matched with a bunch of B-rank weaklings! Oh, and a D-rank newbie! This’ll be a piece of cake!”

Lu Xun: “……”

Should he tell him that the D-rank newbie is the star raptor of their association?

It seems this Electronic Buddha isn’t very effective.

Just as Lu Xun was scoffing, a chill ran down his spine. Simultaneously, a vast number of alphas in the hall shuddered collectively. They turned their heads in unison and their muscles instantly tensed as they entered a state of emergency defense.

They looked exactly like a herd of antelopes being stared down by a lion—

Bai Ling pushed open the glass doors of the exhibition hall. The first thing he saw upon looking up was this spectacular sight.

What are you looking at? Bai Ling frowned with displeasure.

A second later, he realized that these weren’t the usual leering gazes. This was fear, dread, the biological rejection and wariness toward a natural predator etched into the genes of male animals.

…Oh. He smells like the merman.

Bai Ling couldn’t really smell it himself, but these alphas all had sharp noses. To them, it probably smelled like toxic gas.

Taking his time, Bai Ling twirled his keys around his fingertip and summoned his mecha.

Rattlesnake ran over and called out “Master,” sending a tremor of alarm through the hearts of every alpha in the room.

This is a terrifying, top-tier Alpha!

Bai Ling enjoyed the bird acting with the merman’s authority for a moment, thinking to himself that this set of pheromones is actually quite useful. The scent was long-lasting and didn’t dissipate, saving him the money he’d have spent on scent blockers.

Mm. Merman. Very useful!

Bai Ling slightly raised a hand toward Rattlesnake, signaling it to follow him to the less crowded backfield. As soon as he left, a collective sigh of relief echoed through the exhibition hall.

“…Holy shit, who is that? Those pheromones made my scalp tingle.”

“Looks like the one who took down Teacher Vulture last time.”

“This batch of rookies is a bit terrifying, but that face… hehehe. What’s his name? Quick, look into his background. If we get a chance, let’s invite him out for a drink and a little ‘sparring’ session.”

The group of alphas, each harboring their own ulterior motives, lowered their heads to fiddle with their terminals and gather intel.

Bai Ling, holding a giant brush, dusted off Rattlesnake.

Lu Xun approached with hope in his eyes. “Good morning! Did you just have a match against another alpha?”

Perched on the mecha’s leg, Bai Ling glanced down from his height. His nose wrinkled as he smelled the surging alpha pheromones on himself, clear as day.

He subtly pulled up the high collar of the black sweater, burying his nose inside and taking a light breath. Then, turning back to sweep away the dust, he nonchalantly said, “Something like that.”

Almost got into a firefight with that old fish—I guess that counts as a battle.

Lu Xun let out a visible sigh of relief, muttering, “That’s good, that’s good.”

Bai Ling glanced at him, wanted to say something, but stopped himself.

He had never liked discussing his private life with alphas to prevent them from over-fantasizing; rumors tended to fly so fast you couldn’t pull them back. Not every alpha strictly adhered to moral standards. Stories of omegas suffering mental breakdowns during their heat or differentiation because rumors spread about them being impregnated by their guardians were all too common.

He wasn’t the type to be knocked down by gossip, but he loathed the idea of dirty jokes about him circulating among groups of alphas, as if he were merely an object to satisfy male fantasies. It was unpleasant.

Considering this, Anna and Dr. Lin from the ” Eloquent Crows and Sparrows” association had unanimously decided to keep his gender identity vague to the public. On one hand, it maintained the pilot’s mystique; on the other, it prevented underhanded tactics and unfair competition.

There had once been a heinous incident where an omega pilot’s water was spiked with drugs before they were thrown into an alpha pilot’s locker room.

Although the perpetrator was eventually sentenced after multiple appeals, the omega pilot developed severe PTSD and left the scene entirely, their career ruined.

The reason Bai Ling could get close to Yu Chen without reservation was that the old man followed the rules and had a bottom line.

As for other alphas, he always maintained a psychological distance.

Bai Ling hopped down from Rattlesnake, preparing to give his little girl a beautiful coat of wax. Lu Xun, flipping through the tournament schedule, said with surprise:

“The organizing committee just explained that there was a bug in the system distribution, and they’ve re-shuffled everyone. We’re actually in the same group! That’s gre—”

He cut himself off mid-sentence. Wait! Didn’t that make him the unlucky one?

There were 50 people per group, but only 10 could qualify. The elimination rate was as high as 80%. Every additional strong enemy meant his winning odds dropped significantly. Lu Xun felt an immediate sense of crisis and prepared to drop more serious cash to upgrade his hardware.

Bai Ling walked over carrying a bucket and caught a glimpse of the manufacturer’s interface projected on Lu Xun’s virtual screen. It was selling one-piece combat suits.

Each item was followed by a staggering number of zeros; at least 300,000 to 400,000 credits each.

Equipment that only wealthy young masters could afford to play with.

Seeing him staring, Lu Xun friendly asked, “Which manufacturer made your combat suit?”

“I don’t wear those,” Bai Ling replied.

Lu Xun was stunned. “But combat matches consume a lot of physical energy and power. A single fight can last an hour without a break. The cockpit gets extremely hot and has poor heat dissipation. If you connect to the neural interface without a combat suit, you’ll easily get brain-overheat and faint.”

Bai Ling certainly knew this.

Back in the Outer Space Mecha Legion, he had standard-issue combat suits provided by the military. After he escaped and went solo, he couldn’t afford them, so he forced himself to adapt to the cockpit’s temperature.

Adapting to the environment was an evolutionary strategy.

He didn’t find it a hardship; instead, he convinced himself to take pride in it.

Lu Xun asked tentatively, “Are you… short on money?”

Seeing Bai Ling’s cold expression, he quickly added apologetically, “I mean, I didn’t mean anything by that. I just meant, if you can’t find a sponsor, I could sponsor you… you know, as a friend.”

“Otherwise…” Lu Xun glanced at Bai Ling’s elegant jawline and gave a well-meaning warning, “When the matches start and everyone else is in a combat suit, you’ll really stand out if you’re just wearing regular clothes.”

Everyone else has one except you. It was a bit… easy for people to look down on him.

“Isn’t that even better?” Bai Ling climbed into the cockpit, gripping the door frame with one hand. As he turned his body, the fluid lines of his back and waist made Lu Xun’s eyes widen.

His eyes were deep and cold as he looked down. “Let them all point their cameras at me. That way, they’ll remember for the rest of their lives exactly whose hands they lost to.”

Lu Xun lowered his head and covered his face.

Help… I suddenly really want to be a ladder! Aaaaaah!

Meanwhile, information was transmitting across the Artificial Intelligence’s internal network.

[Rattlesnake]: How many human credits does a combat suit cost?

[Ptolemy]: OvO Why are you asking that, gurl?

[Rattlesnake]: =v= Want to buy one.

[Ptolemy]: That’s easy-peasy. Just flash your lights at a sponsor and you’ll have it. Take my Master’s sugar daddy sucker, for example. He bought a whole crate of combat suits based on Master’s hip measurements, but Master just stood on a stool, ripped them all up, and stuffed them into the guy’s mouth.

[Rattlesnake]: Excuse me, where can I find this creature called “sponsor”?

[Ptolemy]: Emmm… how about we hold up a sign and go ask around?

[Rattlesnake]: =v= Marketing?

[Ptolemy]: OvO Aggressive marketing! (Forced sale!)

Forced sale.

Excellent. Rattlesnake input the new entry into its voice library.