Boredom after lunch

Back when‌‍⁠​​⁠‌⁠​‌‍⁠‌‌‌‌‍‍​‍⁠⁠‍‍ Zhou Jiuya first learned they were going to invade the Illusory God Church’s munitions factory, he had asked Pei Changyun about it. In response, the Emperor had casually called the Capital Academy of Sciences, informing them that they were planning to raid the Church’s core tech city and asking if anyone wanted to join, but warning them that spots were limited.

At the time, hundreds of old scientists fought tooth and nail to be included, but in the end, only twelve were selected.

On the journey, they had been briefed on the fact that they would be working with the Zergs, but most people still hadn’t fully grasped the reality of it. So, at this moment, it was perfectly understandable that they were left speechless with shock.

The scene before them was, to put it mildly, horrifying.

Everywhere they looked, the sky was swarming with alien creatures, densely packed together, covering every visible inch. If it weren’t for the fact that everything was undeniably real, anyone would have thought they were watching a disaster movie full of sci-fi monsters.

And there, standing on top of one of the creatures’ heads, was a young man affectionately calling out Jiang Ci to come down and play.

In the midst of this horrifying scene, there was an odd touch of absurdity.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Play? 

Is this a joke??? 

Did you just fucking summon such a massive Zerg army only to have a place to play??? 

This was something humanity would never understand.

At the same time, a new post had just gone viral on the First Legion’s anonymous forum about Major General Jiang Ci being marked by the Zerg. Hot on its heels was another post titled, “Talking about the Strange Mating Rituals of the Zerg.”

Meanwhile, Major General Jiang Ci clenched his fists repeatedly. He desperately wanted to shout, “Huo Xianfeng, what the hell are you up to this time?”

But, in front of all these eyes on him, Jiang Ci thought it best to keep quiet.

He had learned by now.

Jiang Ci had realized that if Huo Xianfeng started talking, the absolute worst thing you could do was argue back. Doing so would just give him more fodder, and that guy would absolutely seize the opportunity to escalate things further. The outcome would always be even worse than the initial sentence.

So the safest approach was to just go along with him from the start.

Jiang Ci rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. But after a few seconds, he turned to the group of stunned, speechless old scientists.

“I’m deeply sorry for the disturbance, teachers,” the Major General apologized, “I’ll go handle this.”

“O-okay… okay…”

The old men were dazed, but one of them snapped out of it and instinctively reached out to stop Jiang Ci.

“Wait, you…”

He wanted to say, ‘how are you, an omega, going to handle this? ‘

After all, in their eyes, even though Jiang Ci was wearing a military uniform and held the rank of major general, he was still an omega.

In this era, the gender stereotypes were deeply entrenched. Gender and genetics essentially determined a person’s social status for life. The elite ranks of society were mostly made up of alphas, with a few betas. For instance, ninety-nine percent of the academy’s academicians were alphas.

As for omegas, they were mostly sheltered, treated like delicate works of art behind protective glass.

But before the old man could finish speaking, Jiang Ci placed one hand against the wall, flipped over, and leaped down with a swift and graceful move, as if he were a streak of silver light.

The upper section of the central temple stood a full fifty or sixty meters high, and it was built atop ruins that were already a hundred meters above ground level. Jiang Ci’s jump meant he was in a free fall of nearly two hundred meters.

“!!!”

They rushed to the edge, looking down in shock.

“Jiang Ci—!”

Before they could see clearly, a flash of silver light shot out from behind them, whizzing past with a sharp swish, heading straight after Jiang Ci.

In the next second, a dazzling burst of light tore through the sky, and a fierce gust of wind suddenly rose upwards. Countless metal components twisted and reshaped in an instant, forming a massive hand that stretched out from the light.

Then, a colossal silver figure appeared in mid-air.

A few seconds later, Bai Ze landed heavily, like a thunderous bolt of white lightning.

“—What’s the matter?”

Jiang Ci asked, noticing that Wan Jiang was also present, and his tone grew slightly serious. He assumed it must be something important, given that Huo Xianfeng always spoke so casually, but if Zhou Jiuya was also there, then surely it was a matter of importance.

But this time, the Major General guessed wrong.

Even though mechas can’t express emotions, apart from minor changes in their electronic eyes, they can sometimes pick up their owner’s demeanor over time. Wan Jiang always seemed to exude more authority than Bai Ze.

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Was he supposed to say, “Your alpha said my combat and mecha piloting skills were trash and dragged me here to be your sparring partner”?

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“—Ask him.”

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Resting his head lazily on one hand, the young man continued,

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The Forbidden Abyss had been taken to extract Xiao X, the Emperor was busy dealing with political changes on the Capital, and Jiang Ci was cooped up with a bunch of old men.

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Zhou Jiuya: “……”

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Look! Look! 

This is the alpha you chose!!!

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Huo Xianfeng, listen to yourself! Do you even hear the nonsense you’re spewing???

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The veins on the Major General’s forehead pulsed, and to make matters worse—

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“Isn’t it? …Whatever, if you say it’s not broken, then it’s not broken.”

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“…???”

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“…What for?”

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Jiang Ci: “……”

Please, just shut up already, Huo Xianfeng!

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Wan Jiang: “…Are you serious?”

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Huo Xianfeng stepped into Bai Ze’s cockpit and activated the private comms between them.

“Yo, are you ready, Legion Commander?”

Wan Jiang didn’t respond but instead moved about 30 meters away.

—This was the official starting distance for a mecha duel.

Jiang Ci glanced at the situation and immediately understood. His expression grew serious as he drew his silver spear and prepared for battle.

“You brought me here just to fight him?”

“Of course not,” Huo Xianfeng replied, lounging lazily in the copilot seat and tilting his head in surprise.

“I already said, I’m teaching you how to beat him.”

Jiang Ci: “…”

With a loud clank, the massive black mecha drew the greatsword from its back.

Here we go!

Zhou Jiuya was now starting to regret letting Huo Xianfeng provoke him into this fight.

The next moment, both mechas moved simultaneously, but Wan Jiang managed to seize the initiative. The seemingly heavy sword swung down with unexpected speed, reaching Jiang Ci in the blink of an eye!

Jiang Ci instantly dodged and blocked the attack with his spear.

“Clang—!”

The sharp clash of metal echoed, shaking the ground beneath them.

Jiang Ci was familiar with this type of attack. After all, Zhou Jiuya had personally taught him his combat sense and style. Initially, Zhou Jiuya had only wanted the boy to face some difficulties and give up, but when he realized Jiang Ci had a talent for it and was willing to endure the hardship, he seriously started teaching him.

Those were some of the few harmonious and pleasant moments they had spent together.

However, this was no time to reminisce. Jiang Ci quickly entered battle mode. Knowing Zhou Jiuya well, he was aware that he couldn’t face him head-on—Bai Ze simply couldn’t match Wan Jiang in strength. So, Jiang Ci swiftly twisted his wrist, deflecting the greatsword.

As their blades collided, sparks flew everywhere, bright enough to blind. But as much as Jiang Ci understood Zhou Jiuya, the latter, as the teacher, knew Jiang Ci even better. Just as Jiang Ci managed to parry the sword for a moment, Zhou Jiuya, predicting his movements, immediately followed up with another strike.

At that moment, Zhou Jiuya smashed his sword toward Bai Ze’s chest, the blade cutting through the air like a roaring storm—

“Clang—!”

Bai Ze quickly activated its energy shield, blocking the sword just in time. The spear’s tip narrowly grazed past Wan Jiang’s face!

The two exchanged dozens of blows in an instant. Although it appeared fierce, Zhou Jiuya had Jiang Ci completely on the defensive. The loud clashes of metal from their weapons echoed like a storm.

Boom! 

Bai Ze was sent flying.

Zhou Jiuya squinted, confused. After all, Huo Xianfeng had confidently claimed he was here to teach Jiang Ci, but so far, nothing seemed to have changed.

However, at that moment, while Bai Ze was suspended midair, the young man  inside the cockpit closed his eyes.

A surge of powerful mental energy flooded in.

“Help…!!!”

Wan Jiang heard Bai Ze’s cry.

It hesitated for a moment, but in that split second, something unexpected happened: the silver spear, which should have flown out with Bai Ze, suddenly closed in on Wan Jiang. It was so unexpected that there was no time to dodge, forcing Zhou Jiuya to block with his greatsword.

Boom!!!

The spear’s angle was so tricky, and the block was so rushed, that Wan Jiang barely deflected it and immediately retreated.

Thud!!!

The spear stabbed deep into the ground, the sheer physical force creating the impression of an explosion.

Wan Jiang staggered back a few steps. Zhou Jiuya’s expression tightened as he realized Bai Ze had disappeared from sight. Then, from above, came a familiar voice—

“Watch closely, Jiang Ci. When fighting clunky giants like this, you have to be smart.”

Zhou Jiuya: “…”

Bai Ze executed a beautiful aerial flip, completely abandoning the spear, and instead grabbed Wan Jiang by the back of the neck from above. Then—

With a loud crash, Huo Xianfeng slammed Wan Jiang’s head into the ground!