TCPUAAV Chapter 61

 

With Lucien handling the investigation into the merfolk and Melchers, Rong Heng’s primary focus shifted to securing B3024 in case more Zergs managed to breach the defensive line.

 

It took two full days to unload the production equipment from the transport ship. Everything was then moved into the newly constructed factory, establishing a medium-scale production workshop.

 

Rong Heng personally accompanied Ruan Shiqing on an inspection of the site, only to discover that among the recovered equipment—besides laser rifle and laser cannon manufacturing machines—there were also several high-value, large-scale experimental apparatuses.

 

The moment Ruan Shiqing saw them, he nearly forgot how to walk, insisting that the lab equipment be handled with utmost care as they were moved into the factory’s laboratory. From that point on, he stopped burying himself in design work at home and instead spent nearly every other day at the factory’s lab. If not for the little ones waiting for him at home, he might have just moved in permanently.

 

“Let me know if there’s any equipment you’re still missing. Make a list, and I’ll find a way to get it for you next time,” Rong Heng said as they walked.

 

“This is more than enough for now.” Ruan Shiqing ran his fingers over the newly installed ion trap and particle collider, his fingertips practically radiating excitement. The value of these machines wasn’t just in their astronomical cost—acquiring them required access to channels that ordinary individuals could never reach.

 

Just the fact that Mr. Rong had managed to obtain several of these high-end machines was enough to support a much broader range of research and development projects.

 

“Thank you,” Ruan Shiqing said earnestly. “These machines are incredibly valuable, and I promise I’ll make full use of them. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask—I’ll do my best to deliver.”

 

His sincerity was unmistakable. His dark eyes, gleaming like polished obsidian, revealed just how much he truly loved these instruments.

 

Rong Heng felt his heart race out of control again.

 

Being looked at like that… he had an almost reckless urge to place the entire world at Ruan Shiqing’s feet.

 

Only through sheer force of will did he suppress the surge of emotion, maintaining his usual calm. “No need to be so formal with me.”

 

After a final tour of the nearly completed laboratory, Ruan Shiqing, thoroughly satisfied, joined Rong Heng in the conference room to discuss production plans and logistics.

 

The second batch of improved blaster rifles was already in production and would be shipped to Yanji upon completion. However, following the previous method of manual loading was too inefficient and time-consuming.

 

Ruan Shiqing proposed modifying the newly developed lightweight armored walkers, increasing their cargo capacity to serve as transport vehicles.

 

In peacetime, they could be used for cargo transport. On the battlefield, they could deliver military supplies, deploy troops, and even participate in combat.

 

Beyond the cargo transport issue, there was also the matter of the transport ships themselves.

 

With the factory’s expansion, transport ship traffic would only increase in the future. Having to schedule a ship every time they needed one was inefficient; ideally, several ships should be stationed on B3024 permanently.

 

This raised the issue of hangar space and spaceport access.

 

B3024 had an existing space station, funded by Planck Energy, primarily to facilitate the transportation of scrap metal and energy shipments. It was managed by Inner City officials, meaning they would need to negotiate for its use.

 

As for the hangars, those would have to be built from scratch.

 

“I’ll handle the negotiations with the Inner City officials,” Rong Heng said, his tone carrying an unspoken certainty. “I doubt they’ll refuse our request.”

 

Hector, watching him maintain a straight face while saying such things, snorted internally.

 

With the current situation, your royal status is practically useless. Just how exactly do you plan on ‘negotiating’?

 

Threats and bribes—that’s what he really meant.

 

And yet, he said it so eloquently that even Master Ruan looked thoroughly convinced.

 

No wonder he’s a product of the imperial elite.

 

“I’ll start recruiting workers to build the hangars right away,” Mo Li said.

 

Constructing hangars wasn’t difficult—it just required money and manpower, both of which they had.

 

“I’ll handle the design, then,” Ruan Shiqing added.

 

Seeing that he wasn’t being assigned any tasks, Hector raised his hand. “If there’s nothing for me to do, I’m going back to school.”

 

It was a bit embarrassing to say out loud, but Brigadier General Hector was genuinely enthusiastic about his new side job.

 

Rong Heng barely spared him a glance before turning to Ruan Shiqing. “Shall I give you a ride home?”

 

“No need, I brought my own land speeder,” Ruan Shiqing replied, packing up his notebook before waving casually and heading out.

 

Rong Heng watched him go. Only when he was completely out of sight did his expression shift. Turning to Hector, he said, “You and Mo Li will handle Inner City. Replace all key positions with our people as soon as possible.”

 

Hector: ??????

 

Hector tapped his fingers against the table, unable to hold back his comment. “Your Highness, do you still remember that we’re supposed to be legitimate military officers?”

 

Why the hell were they starting to feel like the bad guys?

 

Rong Heng shot him a glance, full of sarcasm. “Of course, I remember. But perhaps Brigadier General Hector has forgotten that his name is already engraved on the Military Department’s Memorial Wall.”

 

“……”

 

Hector had no comeback for that. He shut his mouth and surrendered. “Fine, whatever you say. I have no objections.”

 

With everything arranged, Rong Heng suddenly found himself with unexpected free time.

 

Dares and the elite troops from Yanji were still en route, while the negotiations with the Inner City officials had been handed off to Mo Li and Hector. That left him… with nothing urgent to do.

 

Standing by the window, he idly ran his fingers over his smart brain.

 

He wanted to contact Ruan Shiqing—but what exactly would he say?

 

Work? Everything was already in motion.

 

Casual conversation? Given his current identity, there were too many things he couldn’t say.

 

He was absolutely terrible at small talk.

 

For the first time, the Crown Prince found himself missing his days disguised as a cub. Back then, he didn’t even need to speak to get Ruan Shiqing’s affection. But now, just making a simple call was a mental struggle.

 

After thinking it over for a long time, he finally set his smart brain aside. Instead, he sent a brief message to Mo Li—then transformed back into his cub form.

 

When Mo Li received the message, he silently cursed the prince in his mind at least eight hundred times—but still obediently delivered the “cub” to Ruan Shiqing.

 

“Mr. Rong has an urgent mission and has left B3024. He asked me to bring Snowball back home,” Mo Li said with a straight face.

 

Ruan Shiqing sighed in understanding. “Mr. Rong is really busy.” He took the fluffy white cub into his arms.

 

Surrounded by the familiar scent, Rong Heng contentedly narrowed his eyes, relaxing as he nestled into the crook of Ruan Shiqing’s arm.

 

After sending Mo Li off, Ruan Shiqing carried the little one inside, absently stroking his ears. “Mr. Rong is really strict with you. Was the training hard?”

 

Rong Heng shook his head and let out a small “awoo” in response.

 

The cub was just as well-behaved and endearing as always. Ruan Shiqing gave him a fond rub before carrying him out to the backyard. He gestured toward the other cubs playing there and said, “We have a new little one in the family. You should get to know each other.”

 

Then he called out to the cubs before setting Rong Heng down, giving him a gentle pat on the head as encouragement.

 

??????

 

Wait. What?

 

Rong Heng froze in place, staring at the unfamiliar cub in the yard.

 

Another one?

 

Completely unprepared, the Crown Prince stood rooted to the spot, eyes fixed on the strange-looking little cub in the distance.

 

Seeing that Snowball was back, the three resident cubs immediately ran over, greeting him with enthusiastic excitement.

 

Rong Heng, surrounded by them, turned back to look at Ruan Shiqing.

 

Ruan Shiqing simply patted his head again and said to the little dragon cub and the little fox, “I’ll leave the introductions between Snowball and Ruan Jiao to you two. Daddy has work to do.”

 

The two cubs responded loudly, eagerly shoving a very reluctant Rong Heng toward Ruan Jiao.

 

The green-haired cub blinked at him, his forehead antennae stiffening with nervousness.

 

Rong Heng, in turn, examined this odd-looking cub, his gaze lingering on the twitching antennae. His frown deepened. As the little dragon cub and little fox chattered away about Ruan Jiao’s arrival, his suspicion grew stronger.

 

Strange appearance.

 

Uncertain species.

 

Unknown origin.

 

No matter how he looked at it, this cub was full of question marks.

 

To his knowledge, none of the Beastkin race’s many branches had antennae…

 

Rong Heng cast a sidelong glance at the cub before lazily flopping onto a lounge chair.

 

Ruan Jiao, on the other hand, seemed just as uninterested in getting close to him. Only after seeing him move away did his stiff antennae finally relax. When interacting with the other cubs, they swayed cheerfully again.

 

The three little ones had long been used to Snowball’s lazy, unmotivated nature. After finishing the introductions, they simply returned to their previous activity—Teaching Ruan Jiao how to speak.

 

After two days of effort, Ruan Jiao’s speech was finally improving. His pronunciation was still a bit unclear, but he had managed to say “Papa”—his very first word.

 

That’s right.

 

After all the back-and-forth between the little dragon cub and the little fox over whether he should say “big brother” or “big sister” first… he ended up calling for “Papa” instead.

 

Strangely, this only made the two cubs even more determined.

 

The second word he learns has to be “big brother” or “big sister”!

 

While the other cubs were enthusiastically playing teacher, Rong Heng quickly grew bored. Before long, he hopped off the lounge chair and slipped into the workshop.

 

Ruan Shiqing was working on the design plans for the landing pad when he heard movement. He glanced down, then picked up the little cub and placed him on his lap. “What, you’re not playing with Heli and the others anymore?”

 

What’s there to play with? They’re all just a bunch of kids.

 

Rong Heng shot him a look, lazily yawned, then settled himself comfortably on Ruan Shiqing’s lap.

 

The fluffy white cub curled up, leaving only his two furry triangular ears poking out.

 

Unable to resist, Ruan Shiqing reached out, absently rubbing one of his soft ears while continuing to sketch.

 

Rong Heng’s ear twitched instinctively, his golden eyes flicking up to glance at him before lowering again.

 

Then he stopped moving altogether, lying still in complete resignation.

 

*

 

By the time Ruan Shiqing finished the first draft of his design, night had already fallen.

 

He set his pen down and stretched, only then noticing the numbness in his legs. It was only then that he remembered—Snowball had been sleeping on his lap this whole time.

 

“How do you sleep so much?” Ruan Shiqing muttered, lifting the little cub into his arms. As he spoke, his hand absentmindedly reached down to rub his belly.

 

A bit flat.

 

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

 

Rong Heng’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t respond.

 

The spot where he had been touched tingled strangely—different from anything he had felt before.

 

The sensation was so intense that his ears began to burn.

 

With a firm shake of his head, the Crown Prince let out a small, flustered whimper before burying his face in Ruan Shiqing’s arm.

 

Ruan Shiqing chuckled and carried him upstairs, stopping in the kitchen to grab two tubes of nutrient paste.

 

Rong Heng, still feeling the lingering warmth in his ears, snatched up the tube and bolted into his room, unwilling to linger any longer.

 

After gulping down the nutrient paste, he couldn’t help but peek out the door.

 

Ruan Shiqing was in the hallway, talking to the cubs, his expression filled with warmth.

 

Rong Heng’s heartbeat pounded in his chest.

 

He stood there watching for a long time before turning away, leaping onto the bed, and burying his face in the soft pillow.

 

But the moment his face touched the fabric, he froze.

 

The scent was wrong.

 

His intention had been to roll around on the bed now that no one was watching, but instead, he sat bolt upright, sniffing carefully at the pillow.

 

Definitely an unfamiliar scent.

 

And worse—it was that suspicious cub’s scent.

 

Rong Heng crouched on the bed, staring unhappily at his pillow.

 

He had only been gone a few days, and already his pillow had been tainted?

 

This was the only thing he had managed to salvage from the ruins back then.

 

Grumbling to himself, he swapped his pillow with Ruan Shiqing’s, dragging it to the middle of the bed.

 

Even the new cub thinks he can challenge him for territory?

 

Rong Heng let out a cold scoff.

 

Utterly audacious.

 

After playing with the cubs for a while, Ruan Shiqing finally urged them to get ready for bed.

 

By the time Ruan Jiao finished washing up and returned to the bedroom, he found that his spot had been taken.

 

Curled up on his pillow was a fluffy, white intruder.

 

The dangerous one.

 

The little green-haired cub’s eyes widened in shock, his antennae shooting upright in distress.

 

Rong Heng sensed the gaze on him and lazily lifted his eyelids, casting a sideways glance at the cub.

 

Hmph.

 

What are you looking at? If you know what’s good for you, go sleep in the living room.

 

But the little one stood his ground, staring at him without moving.

 

When Ruan Shiqing entered the room after washing up, this was the scene he walked into—

 

Snowball sprawled across the pillow, pretending to sleep.

 

Ruan Jiao standing beside the bed in his pajamas, his antennae still sticking up, looking absolutely miserable.

 

“……”

 

Ruan Shiqing slapped his forehead.

 

How could he have forgotten about this?

 

That spot on the bed had always belonged to Snowball. Now that he was back, it was inevitable that they would fight over it.

 

He crouched down and gently tugged on Snowball’s ears. “Snowball, scoot over a bit. Make some room for Ruan Jiao, okay?”

 

No.

 

Rong Heng inwardly refused.

 

He deliberately turned his back to Ruan Shiqing, keeping up the act of being fast asleep.

 

Forget the other cubs in the living room—this new one actually dared to covet his spot?

 

Unacceptable.

 

Seeing that persuasion wasn’t working, Ruan Shiqing turned to Ruan Jiao instead. “Jiao Jiao, why don’t you sleep with your brothers and sister tonight?”

 

The little cub understood his words. His antennae drooped, and he grasped Ruan Shiqing’s sleeve silently, refusing to move.

 

Ruan Shiqing: …

 

What is this mess?

 

Since neither side was willing to budge, and he couldn’t let them keep glaring at each other all night, he came to a fair decision—Both of them would sleep in the living room.

 

Scooping up Ruan Jiao with one arm and lifting Snowball—pillow and all—with the other, he carried them out.

 

In the living room, the little dragon cub and the little fox were still whispering to each other, while the little mermaid lay by the pool, engrossed in a book.

 

The moment Ruan Shiqing entered with two cubs in tow, all three turned to look at him.

 

“Snowball and Jiao Jiao will be sleeping with you tonight,” Ruan Shiqing announced, setting down the pillow and placing Ruan Jiao onto the soft bedding. “Be good and don’t cause trouble, alright?”

 

“Okay!” the little dragon cub responded first, pouncing onto Rong Heng.

 

The little fox wagged her tails and pulled Ruan Jiao into a playful roll across the cushions.

 

Surrounded by overly enthusiastic cubs, Rong Heng lay there, completely immobile, glaring at the troublesome intruder.

 

What a nuisance.

 

*

 

Having been squished between multiple cubs all night, Rong Heng had one of the worst nights of sleep in recent memory. By the time morning came, his mood was utterly foul.

 

To make matters worse, today happened to be the day Ruan Jiao’s identity card and school registration were finalized. So early in the morning, Ruan Shiqing and 09 took all the cubs to school together.

 

As the transport vehicle sped toward their destination, the Crown Prince sat hunched in his seat, his expression dark as he plotted.

 

How could he shake off that troublesome cub and reclaim his rightful place in the bedroom?

 

There was no way he was spending another night crammed in with a bunch of tiny nuisances.

 

During recess, Rong Heng slipped away to a quiet corner and summoned Noah.

 

[How do you think I can get Ruan Shiqing to let me sleep in the bedroom again?]

 

Noah, ever composed, responded calmly:

 

[With all due respect, Your Highness, there are plenty of rooms on the second floor. Why must you insist on sleeping in Mr. Ruan’s bedroom?]

 

??????

 

Why? What kind of question was that?

 

From the moment he met Ruan Shiqing, they had always slept together.

 

That wasn’t going to change now.

 

Rong Heng’s expression turned displeased.

 

[I came to you for solutions, not more problems.]

 

Then, after a moment of reflection, he suddenly realized—he was actually seeking relationship advice from an AI.

 

How ridiculous was that?

 

Irritated, he added:

 

[Never mind, I’ll figure it out myself.]

 

Noah, feeling deeply offended, refused to let this slide.

 

Sure, she was just an AI, but her massive database allowed her to analyze human thoughts and emotions with near-human precision.

 

Solving such a minor issue was well within her capabilities!

 

[Please hold, Your Highness,] she said, before diving into an extensive data search.

 

Ten minutes later, she confidently declared:

 

[Your Highness, I have devised a brilliant strategy.]

 

After rapidly analyzing 100,000 romance films and 50,000 romance novels, she had identified the perfect solution.

 

Rong Heng, still sulking, lazily flicked his ears.

 

[Let’s hear it.]

 

Noah spoke in a measured, informative tone:

 

[Data analysis indicates that when an individual seeks the affection and sympathy of their romantic interest, they should showcase their vulnerability. This is the most effective way to trigger the other party’s protective instincts.]

 

[It is best to display unintentional weakness or helplessness—this will evoke feelings of guilt in the target, leading them to seek ways to compensate.]

 

Rong Heng ignored the… questionable phrasing and glanced down at himself.

 

[Am I not already weak enough?]

 

A Ymir cub was as fragile as they came.

 

Noah immediately countered:

 

[Your Highness, vulnerability is not just about physical strength—it includes emotional weakness as well. Consider how differently Mr. Ruan treats your adult form versus your cub form—his attitude shifts dramatically. However, among the other cubs, you do not display any exceptional vulnerability, so he does not treat you any differently from the others.]

 

Rong Heng narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

 

…That actually made sense.

 

After a brief moment of consideration, inspiration struck.

 

[I see what you’re getting at.]

 

*

 

That afternoon, when Ruan Shiqing picked up the cubs from school, he immediately noticed that Snowball was unusually quiet.

 

Normally, Snowball was already the calmest among the cubs—more composed, less prone to seeking attention. Unlike the others, he rarely acted spoiled, but when Ruan Shiqing hugged or petted him, he would affectionately nuzzle back or let out a soft little whimper.

 

But today, although he still rubbed against him, he seemed listless.

 

When they got home, the other cubs happily dashed off to the backyard, while Snowball trailed behind at a noticeably slower pace.

 

Ruan Shiqing frowned as he watched, sensing something was off. Then, after observing closely, he realized—he was limping.

 

Immediately stepping forward, he scooped up the sluggish little cub. Lifting his right paw for inspection, he found a deep scratch on the paw pad, likely from something sharp.

 

“How did you hurt your paw?” Ruan Shiqing asked, frowning as he carried him inside to get disinfectant.

 

Rong Heng typed slowly on the virtual screen with his left paw:

 

[Got it during training.]

 

Ruan Shiqing was surprised. He had assumed it happened at school. But after thinking back, he realized—Snowball had barely moved since coming home yesterday.

 

During the day, he had slept on Ruan Shiqing’s lap.

 

At night… well, at night, he had “slept” too—before being sent to the living room.

 

At the time, Ruan Shiqing had thought Snowball was pretending to sleep just to fight for territory with Ruan Jiao. But now, seeing the injury… he felt he might have completely misunderstood.

 

Not only had he failed to notice that Snowball was hurt, but on his first night back home, he had sent the injured cub away to sleep in the living room.

 

No wonder Snowball hadn’t said a word about it.

 

A wave of guilt and remorse washed over Ruan Shiqing. He held the well-behaved little cub in his arms, gently rubbing his forehead against his soft fur as he whispered an apology:

 

“I’m sorry, Daddy was too careless.”

 

But instead of sulking or being upset, the cub in his arms tilted his head up and nuzzled him back, his brown eyes filled with trust and dependence.

 

His damp little nose brushed against Ruan Shiqing’s cheek.

 

Ruan Shiqing chuckled, pinching his ear lightly. “Don’t move. Daddy’s going to put medicine on it—it might sting a little.”

 

He carefully blew on the injured paw before applying the disinfectant as gently as possible.

 

Finally, he meticulously wrapped the paw in white gauze, even tying a delicate, pretty bow around it.

 

Rong Heng glanced at Ruan Shiqing’s gentle expression, then at the ridiculous little bow on his paw—his golden eyes curved in satisfaction.

 

Since Snowball was injured, Ruan Shiqing naturally planned to let him sleep in the bedroom that night.

 

But before he could even say anything, he spotted a small, fluffy figure crouched pitifully at the bedroom door.

 

The moment Ruan Jiao saw him coming, he hurriedly turned and scuttled back to the living room, plopping himself onto the soft bedding.

 

Because of the bandaged paw, his movements were a bit awkward—but that only made him look even more pitiful.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s heart twisted with guilt.

 

From the day he picked up Snowball, this cub had always slept with him. But last night, in order to avoid conflicts, he had arbitrarily moved him to the living room, never once stopping to consider his feelings.

 

He was too careless.

 

Snowball was always so obedient and sensible that he sometimes forgot—he was still just a cub.

 

Walking over to the soft bedding, he gently scooped up the little one who was very obviously pretending to be asleep, and turned to the other cubs.

 

“Snowball is injured. He’ll be sleeping with Daddy for the next few nights.”

 

The other three cubs had no objections.

 

After all, even before getting hurt, Snowball had always slept with Daddy.

 

The only one whose eyes widened slightly was Ruan Jiao—his antennae twitched frantically in frustration.

 

Bad guy!

 

Rong Heng, resting snugly in Ruan Shiqing’s arms, smirked smugly and glanced triumphantly at Ruan Jiao.

 

Hah. You want to compete with me?

 

Nice try.

 

 

---

 

 

RONG RONG YOU BIG BULLY!! Seriously, this chapter just killed me! He’s so dumb yet somehow sweet! A grown man jealous of a lil cub (that’s one of your future kids!!) And Noah “helping” him… x)

 

(So Ruan Jiao is way more perceptive than Nota, since she only felt the danger when Rong Heng was in his adult form, yet Jiao Jiao is wary of him even in his cub form, hm…)

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~