Chapter 24: Petting a Big Cat

Flower Hall.

The vintage wall clock had struck ten, and the morning sun slowly climbed higher in the eastern sky. The sunlight fell on the flower and plant landscape pot on the windowsill, where rolling dewdrops refracted light and shadows.

Xiao Sa finished off the rest of his breakfast and held Black Flame in his arms, petting him while leisurely continuing to read the business report sent by Elton, trying to drum up some business.

The thoroughly pet black lion lay lifeless in his arms, sprawled like a cat pancake in the sweet pheromones, allowing Xiao Sa to pinch his pink paw pads.

The paw pads were soft and bouncy, very sensitive. Pinching them would make sharp claws emerge, and when released, they would curl back into a fluffy clump—a great texture, second only to the big bell.

After playing with the paws for a while, Xiao Sa moved on to rubbing the belly, but Black Flame clung to his arm, his golden eyes helplessly staring at him as he shook his lion head.

"Ah, can't I?" Xiao Sa said with a mischievous smile. He hadn't buried his face in the fluffy belly to take a good sniff of the big cat yet.

Soon, he changed his game, touching his chin and saying, "I've heard that kittens like their butts patted. I wonder if big lions do too..."

Black Flame shuddered, his dark golden pupils quivering intensely. With a roar, he suddenly leaped out of Xiao Sa's arms, struggling so fiercely that Xiao Sa was caught off guard and lost his grip.

In an instant, his arms were empty, and Black Flame had disappeared, returning to Landis.

"Aw, still want to play... and he's gone." Xiao Sa looked at his empty arms with a sense of loss, scratching his nose. "Was my technique not skilled enough? Didn't it feel good?"

"It seems you humans enjoy petting mental entities. Is it that pleasurable?" Haino curiously peeked out from beside him.

Xiao Sa put away his light brain and shook his head. "I only like fluffy cats and dogs. I don't like things that are hairless, slippery, and cold."

He paused, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "By the way, was I disturbing Landis' work by playing with his battle pet for so long?"

If it was just telepathy, Landis probably knew Black Flame was with him, but he shouldn't be aware of every little detail, right? Secretly petting the cat's bell should be fine.

Haino's eyes rolled, as if searching for something, and finally, looking up at the sky, he said, "I don't know. He was in a room with no cameras just now."

Xiao Sa shrugged it off. "Oh, maybe the military meeting had high confidentiality."

※※※

Bathroom next to the holographic meeting room.

The sensation transmitted through the mental connection finally disappeared completely after Landis forcibly retracted his mental entity. However, his skin still felt burning hot, as if a dry, warm palm had caressed his body, leaving a lingering sense of stimulation and pleasure.

His tense nerves and tightened muscles finally relaxed, and he leaned against the marble washbasin, letting out a long breath.

The feeling just now was terrifying. Every nerve ending felt as though it had been zapped by electricity, and the dizzying sensation was so intense that rational thought was nearly impossible. By the time he regained his senses, he had already involuntarily undressed.

What exactly was Xiao Sa doing to Black Flame? Did he not know what touching a mental entity meant?

Or was he hinting that Landis wasn't satisfied on his wedding night yesterday?

In the mirror, his sweat-soaked golden hair clung to his forehead, and his military uniform was disheveled, the collar wide open, revealing several dark red marks on his solid chest.

Large beads of sweat trickled down his neck, across his collarbone, over his abs, and finally vanished into his loosened military pants.

Landis pushed his hair back, sweeping the damp strands behind his head, revealing a handsome face with furrowed eyebrows. However, the hint of dark red at the corners of his eyes softened his stern look, giving him an indescribable air of ambiguity.

There was no way he could wear this outfit to the meeting.

Rubbing his temples, Landis simply stripped off his clothes and opened his terminal, having the butler send a set of clean clothes over, taking a quick shower in the meantime.

By the time he re-entered the conference room, Landis was fully dressed once more, with all traces of what had happened in the bathroom hidden beneath his solemn military attire. No one could tell what he had been doing in there.

Landis pulled out his chair and sat down, his expression as serious as ever. "Continue with the meeting. Have the casualty figures from the last operation to destroy the alien nest been compiled?"

A horrific scene of the battle against the alien nest appeared in the holographic images in the center of the conference table. A subordinate spoke in a low voice, "In this attack, eleven hundred soldiers were killed, and over fifty officers. Additionally, more than three hundred others, although not killed on the spot, have started to mutate afterward."

"Some soldiers mutated severely and couldn’t be saved in time. Neither could the inhibitors help. Before fully turning into beasts, they begged their comrades to end their lives."

Though it was a common occurrence on the battlefield, everyone fell silent, their hearts heavy.

Dying in the fight against the aliens was not the scariest part; becoming a monster and attacking former comrades was.

The subordinate continued, "Based on the analysis of multiple engagements, the aliens are not entirely devoid of intelligence. They are evolving, becoming more cunning, and our current offensive casualty rate has increased by ten percent."

"Moreover, the high-grade inhibitors supplied by the Royal Association have always been in short supply."

"The military department has submitted a proposal to the parliament for the fifth time, requesting an increase in the supply of high-grade inhibitors and demanding that the Royal Association’s spiritual healers regularly perform mental cleansing for soldiers without conditions. However, it was rejected again."

Landis nodded, his fingertips lightly tapping on the cold alloy surface of the conference table, deep in thought.

The military's proposals have been rejected more than once or twice. The complex interests behind the inhibitor industry have always been tightly controlled by the royal family and the high-ranking nobles, and they do not allow any outsiders to interfere.

The allocation of inhibitors and the spiritual healers are tools used by those in power to balance and control military authority, so there's no way they would compromise for the disposable lower-ranking soldiers.

Most of the upper-level officers have marriage alliances with the nobility and are not short of high-quality inhibitors or highly compatible partners. As long as the families of deceased soldiers are well compensated, there's little worry that they will cause any embarrassing incidents.

Top-tier inhibitors require accumulating military merits to obtain, and more military merits naturally mean higher risks.

The royal family need not worry about high-ranking officers becoming too powerful or slacking off and enjoying life, as they can maximize the extraction of their value.

Having witnessed firsthand how his father climbed from the bottom through life-or-death battles, Landis has always been disgusted by this injustice but felt helpless to change it.

Another officer stood up and added, "Last month, two more senior military officers from our legion died from the advanced stages of metamorphosis."

Landis frowned, as if the number of officers who don’t survive to retirement was increasing each year.

He took the compensation report and signed it, then suddenly asked, "How are their families doing now? Are they being taken care of?"

The officer was taken aback and replied, "Their spouses have also been severely affected by the same condition and are currently receiving intensive care in the royal hospital’s intensive care unit."

Landis' hand visibly paused, then he let out a low "Hmm."

Plans to construct a sanatorium on the estate needed to be expedited, but...

The Imperial marriage law required highly compatible partners for deep bonding to mitigate metamorphosis, but now he was hesitating.

If healer Kate’s prediction unfortunately comes true, wouldn’t that put Xiao Sa at risk? He was still so young.

Landis pinched the bridge of his nose, quickly suppressed these thoughts, and said solemnly, "Move on to the next agenda."

※※※

In the afternoon, Xiao Sa wandered around the main structure and returned to the small study in the main suite.

The study was fully equipped with all the holographic devices. Xiao Sa opened the project files he had reviewed, highlighted several previous errors from Haino's data analysis results, and was about to send them back to Elton.

With some free time, he began to ponder his true purpose for visiting Central Star.

He had previously asked the Broken Peak Pirates to investigate the whereabouts of his missing clan members, but news probably wouldn’t come anytime soon.

Xiao Sa stroked his ear stud. "Haino, is there any way to sneak into the imperial palace?"

Uncle Haino's hologram appeared beside him, holding a virtual coffee mug. He took a sip before offering three plans:

"The first method is to sneak in at night. I can help you disable the camera surveillance network, but the risk remains 100%. The palace is extremely well-guarded, and royal guards patrol every inch. Even if you avoid the cameras, you'll be spotted by inspectors. If you can't complete your objective and leave within ten minutes, there's a 50% chance you'll either be killed on the spot or captured and interrogated."

Xiao Sa gave him a speechless look. "I'm not that foolish. What's the second option?"

"The second method is to ask your newlywed partner. Landis is an Imperial Admiral. Although entering the palace requires an edict from the emperor, if he requests it, he might be able to bring you in. It might be possible."

Admittedly, Xiao Sa had agreed to the marriage with some intention of using Landis' status, but on second thought, if he caused a commotion and took the necklace, Landis would definitely be implicated.

Xiao Sa propped his chin on one hand, furrowing his brows, and released a rare sigh. "What's the next option?"

"The third option is to use your other identity to win the championship, runner-up, or second runner-up in the Heavenly Ladder Arena selection tournament. That would allow you to enter the palace legally for the award ceremony. It's the only chance for commoners to enter the palace legitimately."

Haino paused, patting Xiao Sa on the shoulder. "I have to remind you, though, even if you enter the palace, the underground core control room of my main terminal won't be easy to access. And if you manage to take what's yours, serious consequences will follow. The royal family will put a bounty on you, so think carefully."

Xiao Sa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I know. But the finals are still half a year away."

It had been a while since he accumulated 100 points and left the beginner zone. He hadn't logged into the Heavenly Ladder Arena for ages.

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

Once he had enough points and left the newbie zone, his personal live stream channel would officially open.

Ever since the Black Knight Alpha had brutally beaten the new mech, discussions about Xiao Sa, the dark horse, had gradually faded on the Stellar Network forums.

He hadn't noticed these small details. Currently, his attention was entirely focused on another section—the ranking matches of the Heavenly Ladder Arena.

"What kind of room is this?"

Haino quickly explained, "It's the ranking matches, ranked by win rate and consecutive victories. Once you achieve certain qualifications, you can challenge those ranked. Of course, the opponent can refuse the challenge."

Xiao Sa hadn't unlocked this function yet and could only browse some classic videos from the outside.

His gaze immediately fell on the top name of the leaderboard—Landis Wencer.

"Tsk, leading in consecutive wins with a 96% win rate. So Landis is this skilled." Xiao Sa immediately accessed the other's profile.

Unexpectedly, a scene of Landis battling fiercely in a simulated battlefield greeted him.

In the video, Landis, in his black-and-gold mech, charged toward the alien royal leader on the enemy side, wielding an icy blue quantum laser sword. He furiously sliced off the head of the royal alien, securing an early victory.

Xiao Sa’s eyes brightened, and he couldn’t help but whistle admiringly, “Really cool, Landis’s mech.”

Excitedly clenching his hands into fists, he frantically pressed the challenge button, despite the fact that he hadn’t even unlocked the qualification for ranked matches yet, eager to face off against Landis in their mechs.

“Dear viewer, please achieve a ten-match winning streak in the qualifying rounds and upload your mech pilot certification in order to unlock the ranked match qualification.”

Xiao Sa’s eager fighting spirit quickly cooled down. “A ten-match winning streak isn’t difficult, but where do I get a mech pilot certification?”

He was totally unfamiliar with the mech control system in the star sea region anyway.

Haino’s voice chimed in timely, “Only accredited mech military academies have the authority to issue such certifications.”

Xiao Sa sighed in frustration. “What a hassle.”

He suddenly froze, quickly opening his optical brain, and indeed found a “Capital Mech Military Academy” that the Landis family had once invested in.

Landis’s father had even served as an honorary principal for a term, and Landis himself had studied mech operations there.

Looking at the information of the Capital Mech Military Academy, Xiao Sa nodded. Nowadays, who doesn’t own a mech? He couldn’t always rely on his gauntlets; that would put him at a disadvantage.

Just as Xiao Sa, the “restless” one, was pondering new ideas, a knock sounded at the study door.

The door opened, and Landis, wearing a brand-new military uniform, walked in. The first thing he saw was Xiao Sa deeply focused on the reports of the Wenser family’s various industries.

Landis was surprised. Was Xiao Sa as dedicated to work as he was?

Before he could reflect on this, he realized he had been standing behind Xiao Sa for quite a while, yet Xiao Sa was still engrossed in the project files and reports!

Landis had no choice but to speak up, “You can leave these to professional managers. You don’t need to deal with them personally.”

Xiao Sa finally turned around. “You finished work? I just wanted to stay busy so I don’t feel like a freeloader.”

Landis chuckled, shaking his head. “You don’t have to work so hard. You…”

He paused, recalling certain heated sensations and strong scents, and couldn’t help but ask, “What did you do today?”

Xiao Sa had originally intended to blurt out, "Of course, I was petting your big kitty."

But as the words were about to leave his lips, he realized how rude they sounded, so he chose a more tactful response: "I was just doing something enjoyable and healthy."

Landis: "..."

A sudden itchiness in the bathroom suddenly arose.

After a brief pause, Landis coughed softly and clenched his hand, gazing at Xiao Sa with a mixed expression. "Do you really want it so much?"

Xiao Sa: "What?"