Ruan Shiqing hurried to the juvenile academy.
The other cub’s parent had already arrived—a towering, burly Beastkin holding a howling cub in his arms. Judging by the cub’s ears and tail, he seemed to be some kind of lion in beast form.
The teacher was mediating with the parent, while Ruan Shiqing’s three cubs stood in a line against the wall.
The little mermaid sat in his stroller with tightly pressed lips, looking aggrieved. The little dragon cub and the fox cub, however, glared fiercely at the crying lion cub.
The little dragon cub’s voice was loud and clear: “Crying after losing? Shameful!”
The little fox immediately chimed in, “Exactly! What kind of skill is tattling? Tattletale!”
The crying lion cub’s sobs faltered for a moment—then grew even louder.
He thrashed about in his father’s arms, baring his slightly gapped teeth as he wailed, “Dad, avenge me! Dad, avenge me! Waaaaah!”
Standing in the doorway, Ruan Shiqing’s eye twitched. Worried the parent might actually do something reckless, he cleared his throat heavily and walked in, placing himself discreetly between the three cubs and the other party.
“What happened here?” he asked.
Looking at the lion cub more closely, he noticed singed fur on his ears and tail—likely burned—and a bruise forming under one eye. His teeth, which whistled as he cried, seemed to be missing one, though it was unclear if it was a baby tooth or one that had been knocked out.
“Is the injury serious? Should we take him to the hospital for treatment?” Ruan Shiqing asked, already mentally preparing for the other parent to make trouble.
Unexpectedly, despite his intimidating appearance, the Beastkin parent turned out to be reasonable. He gave his sobbing cub a sharp swat on the bottom and scolded, “Stop embarrassing yourself!” before waving dismissively at Ruan Shiqing. “No big deal. He’s been tough since he was little. The way he’s crying now, it’s just thunder with no rain[mfn]Meaning he’s just acting pitifully on purpose[/mfn].”
The teacher quickly stepped in to explain what had happened.
The three cubs had integrated into school life fairly smoothly. However, with so many cubs around, it was natural for cliques to form. Ruan Shiqing’s three cubs had bonded with another small group, which apparently annoyed the lion cub.
During an outdoor class that morning, the lion cub decided to take action to assert dominance and win over new friends.
His target? The most delicate-looking cub of the group—the little mermaid.
Lacking any real strategy for making friends, the lion cub simply dashed up, yanked on the little mermaid’s long hair, and snatched the ornate spherical hair clip perched atop his head. Waving the hair clip triumphantly, he teased the little mermaid to chase him.
This was how he usually played with other cubs: a bit of roughhousing, some chasing, and after tumbling around in a heap, they’d become fast friends.
But this approach didn’t work on the little mermaid.
The golden spherical hair clip was a gift from Ruan Shiqing, one the little mermaid cherished deeply. Being caught off guard and having it taken away left him red-faced and flustered. He immediately maneuvered his stroller to give chase.
However, the stroller’s speed was no match for the lion cub’s nimbleness. In no time, the little mermaid was left behind, watching helplessly as the lion cub waved the hair clip provocatively.
At that moment, the little dragon cub and the fox cub happened to return and stumbled upon the scene. Without a word, they pounced on the lion cub and gave him a solid beating.
The fox cub, being strong, managed to knock out one of the lion cub’s teeth, while the little dragon cub, not to be outdone, breathed fire and scorched some of the lion cub’s fur.
Humiliated and furious after losing the fight, the lion cub retaliated by breaking the stolen hair clip and issuing an ultimatum: no one was allowed to play with “ugly freaks.”
Upon hearing this, the little dragon cub and the fox cub became even angrier and tackled him for a second round of pummeling.
After being beaten twice in a row, the lion cub was left aching all over. He eventually burst into tears, which attracted the teacher’s attention and led to the summoning of parents.
After hearing the full story, Ruan Shiqing immediately abandoned any notion of having his cubs apologize.
He gently patted their heads and said with a smile, “While it’s true that Mila was in the wrong first, Heli and Nota shouldn’t have resorted to hitting. I’m willing to cover any medical expenses.”
The Beastkin parent was momentarily stunned. After thinking it over, he realized his cub had been the instigator. Ruan Shiqing’s perspective wasn’t unreasonable, so he nodded awkwardly and said, “No need for medical fees. It’s not that serious. He’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
Despite the refusal, Ruan Shiqing insisted on transferring a sum to cover the costs. With that, the matter was resolved amicably, with both sides stepping back a little.
On the way home, Ruan Shiqing decided to pick the cubs up early.
The little dragon cub and the fox cub, who had been so defiant earlier, were now the picture of meekness. Their big eyes brimmed with guilt.
The little dragon cub stole glances at Ruan Shiqing, his tail tip twitching nervously.
The little fox flattened her ears and tucked away her usually proud, bushy tails, trying to appear as well-behaved as possible.
Watching their antics, Ruan Shiqing ruffled the little mermaid’s hair and remarked, “It seems only our Yuebai is truly well-behaved.”
The other two? Pure troublemakers.
The little dragon cub protested indignantly, raising a paw to point at himself. “Heli is good, too!”
Ruan Shiqing playfully tapped his forehead. “You’re barely good when you’re not fighting.”
The fox cub tilted her head, studying Ruan Shiqing’s expression. Sensing he wasn’t angry, her ears perked up, and she threw herself at his arm, wagging her tails. “Daddy’s not mad!”
Pulling lightly on her ears, Ruan Shiqing reassured them, “You didn’t do anything wrong, so of course I’m not mad.”
He looked them over carefully. “Are any of you hurt?”
The cubs answered in unison that they were fine, and only then did he relax.
“But fighting isn’t a good habit,” he continued. “You could get hurt, and if that happens, Daddy will worry.” He tapped his temple. “In the future, try using your brains when faced with problems. Understand?”
The little dragon cub and the fox cub nodded enthusiastically, their movements eerily synchronized.
But when they looked up, their eyes were blank with confusion, clearly not grasping his meaning.
The little mermaid, however, seemed to understand. He softly exclaimed, “Ah,” and looked at Ruan Shiqing with admiration.
When they arrived home, 09 was waiting anxiously at the door.
Seeing them return, the golden robot hurried over, scanning the cubs nervously. “Did someone bully them at school?”
Ruan Shiqing glanced at him, amused, and explained, “They were the ones bullying others—but no, they didn’t suffer any losses.”
09 heaved a sigh of relief. Then, noticing the little mermaid’s slightly tousled hair, he frowned. “How is that not suffering a loss? His hair’s a mess, and he’s missing a hair clip!”
Now reminded, the little mermaid tugged on Ruan Shiqing’s hand, puffing out his cheeks in displeasure.
One of his hair clips was gone.
“I’ll buy you a new one,” Ruan Shiqing promised, carefully smoothing out the little mermaid’s hair. Remembering the lion cub’s insult, he added, “Even without that clip, our Yuebai is still the most beautiful.”
The little mermaid blinked, his pale cheeks flushing as his blue ear fins spread open slightly.
He nodded, the shadow of his earlier distress completely gone.
The next day, Ruan Shiqing and 09 escorted the cubs to school as usual.
The little mermaid’s long hair was neatly styled, adorned with new starfish-shaped hair clips.
The little dragon cub and fox cub, carried in their father’s arms, looked as proud and spirited as ever.
After dropping the cubs off in the classroom, Ruan Shiqing didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he went to see Principal Dudd.
“You want to invest?” Dudd asked, surprised.
Ruan Shiqing nodded. “Your school has a lot of cubs, but the curriculum is too basic, and the activity spaces are limited. If you’re open to it, I’m willing to cover the costs for renovations and expansion.”
This was like a pie falling from the sky. How could Dudd refuse?
Overjoyed, he eagerly fetched a standard contract template and began discussing the specifics of the investment with Ruan Shiqing.
*
Meanwhile, far away, Rong Heng and Dares, disguised as civilian explorers, tailed the transport ship carrying Hector aboard their vessel, Glory.
Dares read off the specifications of the Blue Whale, the massive transport ship ahead:
“Interstellar transport ship, 4,563 feet long, 897 feet wide, 321 feet tall. Armed with a heavy bow-mounted laser cannon, six heavy turbolaser cannons, eight heavy turbolaser turrets, six turbolaser batteries, thirty twin laser cannons, twelve twin light laser cannons, and sixty-two point-defense laser cannons. The hangar also carries over a hundred TE-2 fighter jets.”
After rattling off the data, he concluded grimly, “Their firepower is overwhelming, and their shields are thick. There’s no way we can engage them head-on. The only option is to sneak aboard, grab Hector, and escape.”
Rong Heng glanced at him, then pointed to the red blip on the screen representing the Blue Whale. “This ship is heading for Skarland, and in addition to Hector, it’s carrying cargo worth tens of millions.”
Licking his lips, Rong Heng grinned. “Since we’re already here, why not make the trip worth our while?”
Dares blinked, stunned. “What…?”
????
The normally dimly lit command bridge of the pirate flagship was in utter chaos. Red warning lights flashed in the periphery, and the emergency alarms buzzed sporadically before falling silent again, as if mocking the panicking pirates.
And on the main deck, amidst the chaos, the ship’s primary driver, Andrew, was paralyzed in a mixture of fear and confusion. His trembling fingers repeatedly tried to enable the shields and reset the weapons systems, but all he got was silence. It was like the ship had a mind of its own—and it had turned on its own people.
When the third volley of laser fire erupted from the forward turrets, once again targeting their own side, Andrew finally broke down.
“Why the hell is the ship attacking us?!” he screamed at no one in particular, his voice a mix of rage and terror.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the incoming call indicator flash on his personal wrist communicator, the one still functioning despite the chaos. Frantically, he connected the line to the pirate leader.
“Boss! The ship’s systems are out of control! It’s shooting at our own fleet!” he cried, nearly shrieking.
From the other end of the call came a low growl, rough with suppressed anger. “What the hell are you talking about, Andrew?! Who’s in the weapons systems?”
“No one! I mean, it’s not us!” Andrew stammered. “The whole bridge is dead—communications, shields, everything’s been hijacked!”
The line went silent for a moment, only the faint crackle of static remaining. Then, in a voice like steel being ground against stone, the leader growled, “Someone’s taken control of the ship.”
Meanwhile, on the upper decks of the flagship, Rong Heng moved with calculated precision. His sharp gaze darted between the progress bar on the main console—85%, 90%, 95%…—and the occasional system messages flashing on his wrist-mounted terminal.
“Control takeover at 97%. Auxiliary systems almost completely under my command,” reported Noah, the AI embedded in his personal network.
“Good. Keep up the tempo,” Rong Heng said softly, his voice as cold and steady as ever.
After issuing the order, he turned his attention to the command interface in front of him. His fingers danced across the virtual keyboard, disabling subsystem after subsystem and rerouting critical functions to Noah.
Behind him, the faint sound of panicked footsteps echoed down the corridor. Someone was coming.
Rong Heng’s golden eyes narrowed. He reached for his plasma blade, silently unsheathing it as he stepped to the side, positioning himself behind a protruding console.
A pirate burst through the door, panting heavily, weapon raised. He barely had time to register the shadow in his peripheral vision before Rong Heng struck.
The plasma blade hummed softly as it sliced through the air, cutting cleanly through the pirate’s weapon and armor in one motion. The man crumpled to the ground without a sound.
Rong Heng glanced at the body for a moment, then returned to the console without hesitation. The progress bar had just reached 99%.
Noah’s synthesized voice came through. “Control of the flagship’s primary systems has been secured. Auxiliary systems are at 90% efficiency.”
Rong Heng nodded. “Activate full lockdown protocol and continue disabling secondary systems. Begin broadcasting a distress signal from this ship—but mask it with friendly codes.”
Noah immediately complied. On the external hull of the pirate flagship, warning lights began to flash. The remaining pirates, still fighting to regain control of their ships, could only watch in stunned silence as their “ally” appeared to be signaling for help.
Inside one of the lighter destroyers, Dares was grinning from ear to ear.
“Now this is what I call chaos,” he said, his tone equal parts admiration and glee as he piloted the destroyer through the melee.
The pirate ships, confused and disorganized, had started to fire on one another. Half the fleet believed the flagship had been overtaken by a rival pirate crew, while the other half assumed it was some kind of external ambush. The result was total bedlam.
“Dares,” Rong Heng’s voice crackled through the comms channel, cutting through the sound of distant explosions.
“Here, Your Highness! Just enjoying the fireworks.”
“Focus.” Rong Heng’s tone was cold and clipped. “I’ve locked down the flagship. Keep suppressing the destroyers. I don’t want anyone escaping.”
“Understood, sir!”
Back on the flagship, Rong Heng monitored the battle unfolding outside through the primary displays. The pirate fleet was in total disarray. Already, two of the nine destroyers had been critically damaged, their smoking wreckage drifting aimlessly through the void.
Rong Heng tilted his head slightly, lips curving into a faint smirk. “Pirates truly have no discipline. A little chaos and they’re ready to tear each other apart.”
“Chaos is often the best weapon, Your Highness,” Noah chimed in.
Satisfied with the results so far, Rong Heng began inputting new commands into the system. His target? The flagship’s weaponry.
One by one, the ship’s turrets rotated and reoriented themselves, locking onto the remaining pirate destroyers. With each calculated volley, another enemy ship was either disabled or outright obliterated.
The tide of battle had turned decisively.
Onboard one of the remaining functional destroyers, the pirate leader—a grizzled alien with jagged scars running down his face—stared at the chaos unfolding on the central display screen.
His flagship was no longer responding to his commands. Two-thirds of his fleet had been destroyed or incapacitated. The remaining ships were in full retreat.
“Who the hell are these people?” he growled, slamming a fist onto the armrest of his captain’s chair.
From behind him, his second-in-command stammered, “W-We don’t know! Their ships… They’re not broadcasting any identifiable codes. It’s like they came out of nowhere!”
The pirate leader’s expression darkened. He turned toward the communications officer.
“Open a direct line to whoever’s controlling the flagship. Now.”
Rong Heng’s console beeped softly as the pirate leader’s transmission came through.
Noah’s voice was calm and steady. “Incoming call from the enemy leader. Do you wish to accept?”
Rong Heng leaned back in the captain’s chair, arms resting casually on the armrests.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
“Put him through.”
A moment later, the holographic display flickered to life. The pirate leader’s face appeared—bristling with anger and desperation.
“Who the hell are you?!” the alien demanded.
Rong Heng’s golden eyes glinted coldly. He spoke slowly, deliberately, every word laced with authority.
“I’m the person taking your ship.”
The pirate leader froze.
“And if you want to live to see another day,” Rong Heng continued, his tone as sharp as a blade, “you’ll surrender what’s left of your fleet. Immediately.”
Andrew had received no warnings; the only reason he learned of the attack was because his panicked teammate had dialed his private communicator.
Could the main ship’s control system have been hacked?!
Realizing this terrifying possibility, Andrew rushed out of the cockpit, his heart pounding. He planned to personally head to the lounge to warn the others—surely the leaders were celebrating their victory there.
But just as he reached the door to the cockpit, it abruptly sealed shut. A calm and steady female voice announced, “You are under arrest. Now, there’s a question I need you to answer.”
Andrew clutched his gun in terror, unsure where to aim. “Who are you?!”
“Where are your leaders?” the voice asked again.
Andrew’s face grew even more panicked. “Who the hell are you?!”
Seeing his refusal to cooperate, Noah’s voice carried a hint of regret. “Seems we’ll have to let him go warn them.”
Rong Heng nodded, and the tightly sealed cockpit door immediately slid open. Andrew stumbled out, still clutching his gun, and charged away in a flustered panic.
Through the surveillance monitors, Rong Heng observed Andrew’s destination. Calmly, he left the command deck, grabbed a gun from the armory, and began heading leisurely toward the lounge.
*
A group of pirate leaders were drinking and playing games. They had just looted a civilian transport ship, securing enough supplies to last them a month. After delegating the distribution of goods to their subordinates, they wasted no time starting a celebration.
Three rounds of drinks in, they were already tipsy, smoking and chatting casually about the recent coronation ceremony they had heard about.
Suddenly, the liquor on the low table began to ripple. A blonde genetic-enhanced pirate stubbed out his cigarette in a glass of alcohol and grumbled irritably, “Damn it, Andrew’s probably brought another woman to the cockpit. Look at how the ship’s rocking!”
He stormed to his feet and declared angrily, “I’m going to check it out. If I catch him messing around in the cockpit again, I’ll castrate him!”
As he yanked open the door to leave, he came face-to-face with the muzzle of a gun.
Rong Heng calmly stepped over the body of the pilot he’d just killed, his gun pressed against the blonde pirate’s forehead, and strode into the lounge.
The sound of intense scuffles broke out within the lounge. Outside, Noah thoughtfully closed the door for them.
By the time Rong Heng emerged, the chaos inside had subsided.
“Noah, clean up the bodies,” Rong Heng instructed, licking a faint smear of blood off the corner of his lip. Then he contacted Dares over the communicator. “Have you taken care of things on your end?”
“Mission accomplished,” Dares replied.
From the cockpit of his fighter jet, Dares sped away from a blazing inferno. Behind him, nine enemy interceptors burned fiercely, including the one he had just piloted, which he had rigged with a self-destruct mechanism to add fuel to the raging fire.
Eventually, all that would remain of the pirates would be floating metal debris, aimlessly drifting in the vastness of space. No one would ever know that a group of interstellar pirates had been wiped out here.
“Then let’s move out,” Rong Heng said, heading toward the cockpit to open the hangar bay doors.
Dares’s fighter jet entered the hangar and landed smoothly.
At the same time, Noah activated the ship’s autopilot, setting course for the coordinates of the Blue Whale interstellar transport ship.
*
Hector had lost track of how long he’d been imprisoned.
In the pitch-dark prison cell, time became meaningless. He could only count the number of injections they’d given him to estimate the days.
Since his capture, someone had injected him with a muscle relaxant every seven days like clockwork.
He had received eight injections so far.
The damned relaxant seemed to be an enhanced version. Every time they injected him, it left him drowsy and completely sapped of strength.
Just before being transferred to this location, they had injected him again. But this time, the interval had been shorter—only three days. Afterward, he had briefly passed out. When he awoke, he found himself in a new holding cell, smaller than the last one, with occasional jolts suggesting that he might be aboard a ship.
He suspected he was being transported to another planet, either for continued imprisonment or execution.
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Hector’s jawline rippled as faint dragon scales surfaced on his face.
If he ever found out who had plotted against him, he swore he would tear their throat out with his teeth.
His golden dragon eyes scanned the dim cell as he began calculating his chances of escape.
The relaxant was potent, but dragons were naturally resilient. By the fifth injection, his body had already begun building up resistance. The effects of the drug had significantly diminished since then, and the weakness he’d displayed was all an act.
It had been two days since his last injection, and the drug was nearly metabolized from his system.
Feeling the return of his strength, Hector began formulating a plan.
Perhaps overly confident in the relaxant’s effectiveness, his captors had not stationed any guards around him. If he was indeed aboard a ship, all he needed to do was escape his cell, sneak into the hangar, and find a fighter jet to make his getaway.
Hector was not one to procrastinate. Once he had a plan, he acted swiftly. Breaking apart the metal restraints binding him, he slipped out of his cell without a sound.
Using the ship’s infrastructure for cover, Hector successfully left the detention area and made his way to the cargo hold.
Faint light seeped in through a porthole.
He pried open a nearby crate and was startled to find it packed with state-of-the-art laser guns.
Hector: ???
Wasn’t this supposed to be a civilian transport ship?
His tongue flicked against the roof of his mouth as his draconic bloodlust stirred. Slipping three laser guns onto his back and carrying two more in his hands, Hector strode boldly toward the exit.
Now that he was armed, his escape plan shifted. He no longer wanted to leave in a hurry. First, he would eliminate everyone on this ship, then capture the captain to interrogate them about which foolish wretch had dared to betray him.
His face darkened as he thought about the humiliation he had endured.
Angry dragon scales spread from his cheeks down to his neck, pulsating faintly as though alive. In the dim light, his golden dragon eyes burned like molten fire.
Taking an elevator to the upper level, Hector prepared to continue his rampage.
But just then, the ship rocked violently. Alarms blared through the elevator: “Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!”
The ship was shaking under heavy fire, listing erratically.
The sudden turbulence slammed Hector against the wall of the elevator. Steadying himself, he exited onto the deck and cursed under his breath when he saw rows of fighter jets being prepped for combat.
Who the hell was ruining his plans now?!
So much chaos! I have no idea what’s going on! (ノ*°▽°*)
I hope Mila redeems himself and makes it up for little Yuebai! Be nice to our cutie mermaid!! Thankfully little brother and sister (by Heli’s standards at least) are here to save the day~
Thanks for reading!
For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~
Loving the chaos, but when do they reunite!!
Thanks for the chapter translator-Sama ~~
Yup, Hector’s just like our heli, hahaahhaha.
Chaos is just the best