Qi Ze became a hot topic on the star network, and when people mentioned him, they would always prepend a title - a prodigy who had appeared out of nowhere; similarly, the explosion at the Fifth Prince's residence also garnered public attention.
The royal family immediately launched an investigation but never found any useful leads. The shockwave from the explosion destroyed all the surveillance equipment, and no bomb fragments were found among the debris, nor did any terrorist organization step forward to claim responsibility. The investigators could only wait until the two victims regained consciousness to question them.
After soaking in the recovery pods for three days, the Fifth Prince and his fiancé, who had sustained severe internal injuries, woke up one after another.
"You're saying that what attacked you was a miniature mech, modeled after the Hyperion mech Tianzhu, half a foot tall, with performance and firepower comparable to a Type T4, and it could even self-destruct?" the investigator confirmed word by word.
"That's right! The firepower might be a little more intense than the Type T4, somewhere between the T4 and T3, capable of continuous particle cannon fire, no, maybe even pulse cannon fire." As one of the main commanders of the royal army, the Fifth Prince's judgment on that mech would never be wrong.
"Forgive me for being direct, Your Highness, but are you sure you don't need to get an MRI, to see if your brain is damaged?" the investigator's gaze lingered on the Fifth Prince's forehead, wrapped in bandages, "Do you know how big a particle cannon or a pulse cannon is? Do you know how powerful an energy cabin must be to support the continuous firing of shells? A mech this tall," he gestured with his hands, affirmatively, "absolutely cannot have the functions you're describing."
"I of course know that! I've been to war, do you need to teach me?" the Fifth Prince suddenly flew into a rage, "What I'm saying is true, believe it or not! Ask, ask, ask, three times a day, you're not tired, but I'm sick of it! All of you get the fuck out of here, if you can't find the culprit, go home and eat shit!"
The investigator immediately left the ward, carefully instructing the guards at the door to closely monitor the Fifth Prince's condition. If there really was something wrong with his mind, they must report it to the emperor immediately.
"My mind is fine, you saw that, didn't you? Why aren't you speaking up?" The Fifth Prince turned to look at Mu Ran, who had his eyes closed in feigned sleep. The two of them lay side by side, their bodies connected to all sorts of tubes. Due to the powerful impact of the explosion, their internal organs had sustained serious damage. If not for the protection of a layer of energy film, they would have been dead long ago.
"They won't believe us." Mu Ran spoke softly. These days, he had repeatedly recalled the scene of being pursued by the miniature mech. The defenses of his heart, previously solid, could not help but produce a hint of cowardice. He had sent nine mechs to intercept Qi Ze but failed. The other side sent only one miniature mech and caused such massive destruction. This retaliation was not just filled with hatred, but also with contempt and provocation.
Where did Qi Ze come from, and why did he possess such bizarre technology? How many more trump cards was he hiding? At this moment, Mu Ran finally regretted it, regretting his haste, facing such a terrifying enemy before becoming truly powerful.
"But if you say it, they would believe you. You're the expert." The Fifth Prince retorted.
"Do you think my expertise still carries much weight in the empire now?" Mu Ran opened his eyes and said slowly, "With Qi Ze around, I've become expendable."
"In my heart, you are irreplaceable!" The Fifth Prince, sensing his poor mood, hurried to comfort him. At this moment, someone knocked on the door. Yan Junyu, Li Ziqian, Qi Ze, and Meng Kui, led by the guards, walked in, each carrying a gift.
"How's your recovery going?" Yan Junyu asked politely.
"Very good, thank you for your concern." The Fifth Prince managed a smile. Although he had won the heart of his beloved, the humiliating defeat of those days still weighed heavily on him. He believed that Yan Junyu must have a good understanding of Qi Ze's strength, yet he never revealed a word to the outside world. Was this a deliberate attempt to mock him and Mu Ran? But he obviously forgot that this duel was proposed by himself, and no one else could be blamed.
"Have you heard that what pursued you was a miniature mech?" Li Ziqian raised an eyebrow, his expression neither smiling nor frowning.
"Do you believe it?" The Fifth Prince asked instead of answering.
"I do believe it." Li Ziqian nodded without hesitation. He was not the slightest bit sympathetic to the Fifth Prince and Mu Ran's predicament. Everyone said that Mu Ran was a refined and gentlemanly philanthropist, but he always remembered that when his parents sent the dying him to the Mu residence for help, Mu Ran stood on the high spiral staircase, looking at him with cold, indifferent eyes, and slowly said, "Our Mu family will not save the murderer of our family, nor will others save him."
So he was not only expelled from the Mu residence but also turned away from all hospitals, watching helplessly as his limbs rotted and fell off. At just over ten years old, to have such a great say in the clan and such a cold heart, how could Mu Ran be a simple man?
Li Ziqian had exceptional abilities and extensive connections. He had long since discovered that Mu Qi had secretly sent a chip to Mu Ran before embarking on the battlefield. In other words, the internal reasons for her betrayal, the destruction of Tianzhu, and her mysterious death, Mu Ran might know more clearly than anyone else! The murderer of the family, how could Mu Ran say it with ease! Thieves crying for justice seemed to be his usual trick.
"I believe you too, Your Highness." Meng Kui smiled simply.
The Fifth Prince seemed comforted and recounted the situation of that day, asking the group to help analyze it. In truth, he wanted to ask Qi Ze, but since he had repeatedly belittled the other before, he could not now bring himself to do so.
Qi Ze walked to Mu Ran's side and sat down, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Mu Ran appeared very calm on the surface, but his hands, hidden under the blanket, suddenly tightened. He had to admit that he felt a kind of fear, as if he were prey being stared at by a fierce beast, with a prickling sensation on his back.
"Sorry, before I came, I didn't know that what attacked you was a miniature mech, so the gift I prepared might not be quite appropriate." Qi Ze opened the gift box, took out a mech model modeled after Kaiyang, and said politely and warmly.
Mu Ran stared at the miniature mech, his heart involuntarily contracting. There was no doubt that the youth was not here to visit the sick but to show his might. If he could launch a counterattack, he could also launch the second, third, fourth... The model he could make at will possessed the combat power of Type T4, so he could form a T mech corps within half a month, the scale of which was on par with the Yan family's vanguard. These mechs were small, powerful, and did not require storage space; they could be carried around wherever one went. This was the most terrifying part.
The more Mu Ran thought about it, the more he feared Qi Ze and regretted facing him so soon. But he would not back down, so he reached out to take the mech model and thanked him with a smile.
"No need to thank me, as long as you like it." Qi Ze extended his index finger and lightly tapped the model's head, introducing it, "By the way, just input a trace of mental energy into its head to activate it." As he spoke, the miniature mech's eyes lit up red, and then it moved its arms with a click.
Mu Ran froze, almost losing his composure. The Fifth Prince immediately grabbed the mech and threw it out the window, activating the protective barrier in the ward. He turned around, his face pale, and realized that Yan Junyu and the others were scrutinizing him with strange expressions. Only then did he realize what had just happened.
"Sorry, Master Qi, it was a reflexive action, not intentional." The Fifth Prince was extremely embarrassed.
"It's alright, I can understand." Qi Ze stood up, nodding slightly, "It seems you haven't fully recovered, so I won't bother you any longer. Goodbye."
"Goodbye. When I'm healed, I'll personally invite the master to a feast." The Fifth Prince saw the young heir Du Jiahe, holding a basket of fruit, walking over at a steady pace.
"Are you here to visit the sick too?" The Fifth Prince moved aside, ready to let him into the ward, but Du Jiahe thrust the basket of fruit into his hands and chased after Qi Ze and the others, repeatedly shouting, "Master Qi, please wait! I'm sorry for my loose mouth last time, offending the master. I've been ruminating on it ever since and can't get over it. Meeting you again is fate, I hope you can give me a chance to host a banquet and clear up any misunderstandings between us..."
The Fifth Prince could no longer hear what was said after that. The group disappeared around the corner.
"Du Jiahe is chasing after Qi Ze?" Mu Ran gave a mocking smile.
"Qi Ze is now a hot topic in the entire Galaxy. Who wouldn't chase after him? The Federation has made it clear that if he's willing to go over, they will give him the largest of their subordinate planets as his private territory and build him the most advanced studio in the world. To avoid losing talent, Father is now considering granting Qi Ze the title of Duke, and will definitely give him a subordinate planet, but the selection is still ongoing." The Fifth Prince finally saw what "a change of fortune every thirty years" meant. The carbon-based lifeform that no one had favored at the beginning had now surpassed Mu Ran, leaving only a step behind Mu Feixing.
"What are you selecting? Just allocate a portion of the Mu family's confiscated assets." Mu Ran pulled the covers over himself, closed his eyes, as if preparing to sleep, but his heart could not find peace. The hatred of the past, the fear of the present, and the confusion of the future wrapped his heart in layer after layer of gloom.
No matter what Du Jiahe said, Qi Ze only listened and did not respond. This was also a man with thick skin. He had clearly said he wanted to disband the team before, but now he mentioned the summer training again, even sending him an itinerary on his own.
The group had just reached the lobby downstairs when they saw a small girl, as delicate as a porcelain doll, running over. She held up the mech model in her hand and asked, "Brother, did you drop this?"
"How did you know it was mine?" Qi Ze asked with interest. In a building hundreds of stories high, things dropped would have their impact cushioned by the protective barrier and would not hurt people, but it was impossible to see clearly who had thrown them from such a distance, let alone the fact that the person who threw the item was the Fifth Prince, who had not even shown his face.
"The object dropped from the top floor's royal section. The only royal family member currently hospitalized is the Fifth Prince, and you are Qi Ze, an incredibly skilled mech construction master. Your partner and the Fifth Prince are good friends and would definitely visit him. The person who would give a mech model as a sick visit gift would be you most likely. By the way, I did see you guys go up there just now, holding a gift box." The girl was around four years old, her cheeks plump, her eyes large and round, clear and bright, her curly hair carelessly tied on top of her head, and she looked at people with a tilted head in a way that was unspeakably adorable.
Qi Ze looked at her fixedly and took the model, saying, "Yes, it's my thing, thank you for waiting for me specially."
"You're welcome!" The girl seemed to have something to say, but someone not far away shouted, "Ruirui, what are you dawdling for? I have an appointment with the doctor, we have to hurry upstairs."
"Okay, I'll be there right away." The girl looked up at Qi Ze, pinched her skirt, and ultimately ran off.
"She seems to be in trouble." Li Ziqian said confidently.
"How do you know?" Qi Ze raised his eyebrows.
"I can see unusual miasma here, though only black miasma." Li Ziqian pointed to his eyes. Ever since he had installed two black crystal arms, the demonic energy that overflowed from within had reversed direction, pouring in from the outside, and his body structure had changed as a result, especially his eyes, which could always see the black miasma attached to human bodies or objects.
For example, the Master Qi before him had his hands covered in black miasma, indicating that he had touched black energy stones a lot recently.
"Is this little girl also tainted with demonic energy?" Qi Ze had not opened his spiritual eyes just now, so he had not noticed any clues. He felt some regret now for not calling the child back in time. Although he was not a good person, he was also not a complete scoundrel. Saving a little life would not be a bad thing, would it?
"The main concentration is in the brain, and the impact on her is not significant at the moment, but it's uncertain what will happen in the future. She might turn into an idiot." Li Ziqian speculated.
"Then you help me investigate her background, and I'll find a way to save her." As the two of them just agreed, Du Jiahe finally let go of Yan Junyu, satisfied, and got on his flying car, throwing a flying kiss at Qi Ze. Realizing that this was disrespectful, he immediately slapped himself and saluted.
Watching the speeding flying car, Qi Ze sighed, "Each of you aristocratic children have thicker skin than the next. What? You've teamed up with him again?"
"I have no choice, his ability to pester is too strong. If I don't agree today, he'll find me to talk every day, until I throw up." Of course, this was not the main reason. In fact, Du Jiahe would rather Yan Junyu not agree so that he would have an excuse to see Qi Ze every day and then desperately try to improve his favorability, which was exactly what Yan Junyu was trying to avoid.
When they returned to the dormitory, the girl's data had not yet arrived, but Qi Ze's online store received a strange private message: "Brother Qi Ze, is that you?"
Qi Ze raised his eyebrows and did not respond. The other side continued, "Brother Qi Ze, it's me, Ruirui. We met in the hospital today. If you don't believe me, I can turn on the one-way camera and let you see if I'm lying." As she spoke, she turned on the camera on her own and showed a plump little face.
"How did you know the store owner is me?" Qi Ze activated his spiritual eyes, and the girl's adorable face was immediately enveloped in a thick black demonic energy, her features indistinguishable.
"Can you come into my encrypted channel to chat? The network is actually very unsafe." The girl asked carefully.
Qi Ze smiled with interest, "The network is not safe, but is your private channel safe?"
"Of course, I am Lord Jacob, and my channel is the safest." The girl's timid tone suddenly became confident.
Qi Ze immediately searched for Lord Jacob and found that this was a hacker who had only emerged in the past two years. He had challenged Erebus and War Wolf, winning both times, and became one of the top hackers in the Black Eye Galaxy. He currently maintained the number one ranking.
A four-year-old girl was actually the world's number one hacker. Qi Ze had seen the world.
"You're very capable." He smiled and typed out this sentence, "But I have to say that, compared to your private channel, my online store is safer. No hacker or consciousness body can intrude here. The moment the online store is opened, you've disappeared from the virtual network and entered another dimension."
The girl didn't say anything, but her fingertips tapped away, probably verifying the truth of these words. Five minutes later, she exclaimed excitedly, "How magical! If you don't enter the online store through the normal channel, you can't find its existence at all!"
"So you found me through the normal channel? Not by stealing my private information?" Even knowing that this possibility was small, Qi Ze still had to confirm it.
"That's right, I'm a brain developer with a limit. My name is Ming Rui. On the day I was born, my brain development level had already reached 40%, and I'm not sure of the current value, but it's definitely above 60%. To put on a thick face, I'm probably the smartest person in the entire Galaxy. My brain is like the mainframe of the star network, capable of processing all information, and I will never forget anything I've seen once. When you were fighting with the Mu family before, I paid attention to your personal webpage and remembered your avatar, which is 'Supreme Divine Creation.'"
Ming Rui nodded vigorously, "With the powerful memory bank and analytical ability, I discovered that this photo was unique to you, and there was only one of it on the entire network. So when I saw the sign of the online store, I guessed that the store owner was you. To be honest, I thought you were a big scammer at the time."
"It's nothing. So you've come to me now, to customize something?" Qi Ze guessed.
"I want to customize a favorability detector. Can you make one? Like in the novels: beep beep beep, XXX's favorability towards the host has fallen below zero; beep beep beep, XXX's favorability towards the host is 30 points, now increased by 10 points." Ming Rui put two index fingers on either side of her head, making an antenna baby-like gesture. Every time she said "beep beep," she would bend her knuckles, looking a bit comical.
Qi Ze almost laughed out loud, pondering for a moment before saying, "I can make something to detect favorability, but it won't be as magical as you describe. At most, it will flash green when it encounters good people and red when it encounters bad people. The specifics will still have to be judged by you."
"Huh? Really make one? Master, you're amazing! You're even better than the gods in the books! Heart!" Ming Rui stretched out her plump little hand, made a heart over her head, and kept spouting all sorts of sweet words.
Qi Ze wiped his face, feeling that it was hard for him to have a serious conversation with Lord Jacob. He disconnected the communication, but a second later, his account received a short message telling him that a deposit was in place and could be used at any time.
"Where does a four-year-old kid get so much money?" Qi Ze was pondering this, when Li Ziqian sent him another file. It contained detailed information about the girl. She was indeed called Ming Rui and was born on Yage Star. She belonged to the super brain ability users, but her brain development level was not as high as 40% as she claimed, but 25%. This was the lowest standard to distinguish between geniuses and super minds, and it was unclear if the girl had inflated the number out of vanity or if her parents had deliberately lowered it to protect her.
Her father was the administrative chief of Yage Star, and her mother was a direct descendant of a first-class family. It was not difficult for them to conceal her special abilities. But six months ago, the two were attacked by space pirates during a visit and both died tragically. Ming Rui was then fought over by a bunch of relatives, and she led a nomadic life.
She was currently taken back to the Imperial Star by her uncle to be raised, and at the same time, a huge inheritance was brought. The other relatives would not let it go and were preparing to sue for custody rights. To say custody rights, in fact, it was only the right to the inheritance, no wonder little Ming Rui was so lacking in security at a young age, wanting to detect human hearts through machines. No matter how smart she was, she lacked the corresponding social experience, which made it difficult for her to distinguish who was good to her and who was not.
Since there were so many plaintiffs, the judge, out of caution, would certainly let her choose her guardian herself, and the favorability detector could help her make the right judgment. Without a doubt, this would change her life.
"Stupid child, a detector can't solve your problem." Qi Ze shook his head and took out several pieces of Heavenly Shark Silk, several balls of East Coming Twilight, two Soul Capturing Stones, a a bundle of Lustrous Twist, and an Aoyin's inner core from his Qiankun Bag. He neatly laid them out on the table and finally, who knows where he fished out a needle, and started threading it under the light.
Yan Junyu had finished cooking dinner, and after calling several times, he brought the young man who was working hard out of the room.
"What's this?" He pointed to the sewing basket that the young man was hugging.
"Tools." Qi Ze chewed on a piece of bread absentmindedly.
"What kind of tools?"
"To make a doll." As Qi Ze spoke, Mo Tianlei, who was looking up to drink water, choked. He knew that Qi Ze was the hottest mech constructor, but he didn't know that he secretly loved to play with such girlish things.
"Do you make dolls?" Yan Junyu was a little surprised and a little amused.
Ouyang Ye walked over with a plate of vegetables and said contemptuously, "What can't our Young Master Qi do? From large mechs to small clothes and shoes, he can handle it all himself. Do you see these undergarments? Young Master Qi made them for me, and I wear them every day!"
Mo Tianlei couldn't stand it and sneaked away along the corner, holding his breath when he passed by Ouyang Ye, afraid of being suffocated.
Yan Junyu carefully examined the undergarments a few times and said gently, "Can you make one for me too?"
"Sure, after I finish the doll." Qi Ze hastily finished dinner and picked up his needle and thread to sew little clothes and skirts.