ISMW Chapter 24

In Yun Xunlan’s impression, although he and Mu Xingyu were both royal princes who addressed each other as “brothers,” their relationship could hardly be described as close.

 

Especially since Mu Xingyu joined the Northern Dipper Tianquan Legion and went to the border battlefield three years ago, they had been seeing each other less and less frequently.

 

The last time they met was on the death anniversary of his Dad—the late Empress He Chubai of the Empire—last year.

 

Every year on that day, not only would Mu Xingyu return, but his father, Emperor Yun Qihe, would also come back.

 

For three years, without exception.

 

This year, there were still nearly five months until his father’s death anniversary, yet Mu Xingyu had returned early. He came during his susceptibility period and immediately released his pheromones in Yun Xunlan’s territory upon meeting, making Yun Xunlan think Mu Xingyu had come to provoke him again.

 

After all, Mu Xingyu had done this sort of thing plenty of times since childhood.

 

In the public eye, Mu Xingyu had few flaws besides being fickle in his romantic affairs, but Yun Xunlan knew how terrible his private temperament was. However, he always kept in mind that Mu Xingyu wasn’t even a fraction of his age—treating him as a grandson would be elevating his status—so he typically didn’t take offense.

 

Unexpectedly this time, Mu Xingyu hadn’t come to provoke him but to deliver a birthday gift—

 

“This is a pseudo-planet formed from crystal ore fragments from twenty-five planets I’ve reclaimed over the past three years.”

 

After sitting on the bed for a while, Mu Xingyu suddenly stood up and walked directly to the sofa, ignoring Yu Chen standing nearby, and handed a transparent cube to Yun Xunlan.

 

Inside the cube was a simulated weightless vacuum environment like in space. In the very center floated a slowly rotating black rock, its surface crystal ore constantly refracting dazzling light fragments, like a rocky small planet imprisoned in one’s palm.

 

Mu Xingyu held it and said to Yun Xunlan: “Lanlan, happy birthday.”

 

This gift wasn’t expensive, but its significance was clearly extraordinary. So Yun Xunlan accepted it with both hands and thanked him with simple words but a sincere tone: “Thank you, Royal Brother.”

 

After expressing his gratitude, Yun Xunlan fell silent.

 

There was no help for it—he and Mu Xingyu truly had nothing to talk about.

 

With the two of them not speaking, Yu Chen had even less to say, continuing to stand silently to the side, observing the strange interaction between these royal brothers of different surnames.

 

In the end, it was Mu Xingyu who spoke first again: “The war at the second border line is busy. I really… couldn’t come on your actual birthday.”

 

Yun Xunlan said gently: “It’s alright.”

 

“It’s been almost a year since I’ve been home to see you.” Mu Xingyu asked him, “How have you been feeling lately?”

 

Yun Xunlan nodded: “Quite well.”

 

Mu Xingyu’s gaze gradually lowered, moving from the red mole at the corner of the silver-haired alpha’s eye, like a drop of oil paint, to his right hand: “Royal Sister said your hand was injured a few days ago…”

 

Yun Xunlan extended his hand, pulling up his sleeve to show Mu Xingyu his wrist: “It’s already healed. The war at the second border line is busy; Royal Brother needn’t worry too much about me.”

 

Mu Xingyu was momentarily at a loss for words.

 

After listening to their conversation for a while, Yu Chen realized that perhaps his inability to follow up on Yun Xunlan’s words wasn’t his fault. It seemed that no matter who Yun Xunlan talked to, it was difficult to continue the conversation, and even his second brother Mu Xingyu was no exception.

 

However, Mu Xingyu’s “persevering” nature was fully displayed at this moment. No matter how difficult it was to keep the conversation going, he insisted on finding new topics to discuss with Yun Xunlan. This time, he focused on Yu Chen.

 

He stared at Yu Chen as if he had just noticed there was a third person in the room: “By the way, Lanlan, why did you bring a guard into your bedroom? Such a place isn’t suitable for outsiders to enter.”

 

Suddenly being addressed, Yu Chen inwardly agreed: Yes, yes, yes, I’m an outsider, please let me leave quickly.

 

Yun Xunlan, however, strongly disagreed with Mu Xingyu’s statement.

 

Firstly, Yu Chen was his future good brother, not an outsider.

 

Secondly, Yun Xunguang had already said that if he wasn’t in a safe area, even if he was having sex, at least one of Yu Chen’s group of guards would have to observe from the side. How could that be considered an outsider?

 

Yu Chen could observe him having sex, while Mu Xingyu, as his second brother, didn’t even have the opportunity to do so.

 

So Yun Xunlan gave a formal reason: “We’re here for a make-up class on ‘War Psychology.'”

 

Mu Xingyu asked: “What kind of make-up class do you need to have in the bedroom?”

 

Hearing this, Yu Chen began to think that the Second Prince’s mouth was truly wonderful, able to ask the questions he wanted to ask with just one sentence.

 

However, Yun Xunlan replied: “Royal Brother, didn’t I just say? We’re studying ‘War Psychology.'”

 

Mu Xingyu: “…”

 

Yu Chen: “…”

 

Mu Xingyu also felt that Yun Xunlan’s mouth was truly wonderful, always leaving him at a loss for words with each response.

 

But Mu Xingyu was, after all, a soldier tempered on the border battlefield, and with his persevering nature, he continued to inquire: “If you want to make up classes, you should find a tutor. What use is a guard for that?”

 

Yun Xunlan told him: “Major Yu Chen scored full marks in ‘War Psychology’ for his graduation.”

 

Mu Xingyu, who had scored 89 in ‘War Psychology’ and once again found himself unable to respond: “…”

 

What kind of abnormal people could score full marks in this course?

 

Mu Xingyu finally took a good look at Yu Chen.

 

The first thing he noticed was those deep, ice-blue eyes—the alpha with these blue eyes stood in the dazzling light cast by the ceiling lamp, returning the gaze with a cold and sharp look. His tall and straight figure loomed at Yun Xunlan’s side, and with that wolf-tail black hair, he looked like an untamable lone wolf.

 

To be honest, their height and build were similar, and judging by appearance alone, it was hard to tell which of them was the top-tier 3S alpha. Yu Chen, being a 2S-level alpha, should have been suppressed by Mu Xingyu, but at this moment, he was able to maintain a composed and dignified demeanor, calmly returning Mu Xingyu’s gaze without being affected by the intoxicating pheromones. This demonstrated that Yu Chen’s resistance to high-level pheromone pressure must also be exceptionally good.

 

Even though Mu Xingyu might dislike him, he had to admit that Yu Chen, who had emerged from the layers of selection among the Empire’s seven major legions to become Yun Xunlan’s first guard, was no ordinary person.

 

Perhaps they would meet on the border battlefield in the future.

 

But now, as long as Yu Chen stood next to Yun Xunlan—at such a close distance—Mu Xingyu couldn’t help but feel irritated by his presence.

 

After a few seconds of silence, Mu Xingyu once again became Yu Chen’s mouthpiece: “But a bedroom isn’t really suitable for tutoring. It would be more appropriate to do it in the study.”

 

Did Yun Xunlan not know that the bedroom wasn’t suitable for tutoring?

 

Of course he knew.

 

In Yun Xunlan’s plan, he had anticipated Yu Chen saying this, and now that Mu Xingyu said it instead, it didn’t make much difference. Yun Xunlan was prepared either way—

 

If Yu Chen didn’t mention that tutoring in the bedroom was inappropriate, they would study in the bedroom and sleep there afterward.

 

If Yu Chen did mention it, they would change locations and study in the study instead.

 

As the Third Prince of the Galactic Empire, surely his study would have a bed for resting? They could still sleep there after studying.

 

In any case, Yun Xunlan had made up his mind: he was definitely going to sleep with Yu Chen tonight.

 

“I left the simulation battlefield interface helmet in the bedroom,” Yun Xunlan said, following Mu Xingyu’s suggestion as he stood up and walked to the desk in the bedroom. He picked up a silver-gray metal helmet and turned to Yu Chen with a smile, saying, “Major Yu Chen, why don’t you help me take the simulation battlefield interface helmet to the study?”

 

Yu Chen, thinking he could leave Yun Xunlan’s bedroom and go to the more suitable study for tutoring, agreed: “Yes, Your Highness.”

 

He was completely unaware that there was another, narrower bed waiting for him in the study.

 

Oddly enough, that bed was placed in the inner room of the study, invisible unless the door was opened.

 

Yu Chen only saw that after entering the study, Yun Xunlan took out textbooks and notebooks, focusing solely on tutoring without any idle chat. This led Yu Chen to wonder if he had been overthinking things. Perhaps Yun Xunlan really just wanted to have a tutoring session and had no other intentions?

 

So Yu Chen temporarily calmed down and focused on the tutoring.

 

He first asked Yun Xunlan: “Your Highness, have you studied this subject with other teachers before?”

 

“Yes,” Yun Xunlan admitted frankly. “You’re my eighth tutor.”

 

Only the eighth?

 

It doesn’t seem like that many, Yu Chen thought.

 

But then Yun Xunlan added: “This year.”

 

Yu Chen: “…”

 

Unable to respond to this, Yu Chen decided to skip the topic altogether. He put on the simulation battlefield interface helmet and said to Yun Xunlan: “Your Highness, I’d like to see your performance in a practical scenario first to assess your situation, then we can decide on our tutoring plan. Is that alright?”

 

“Of course,” Yun Xunlan replied, also putting on his interface helmet.

 

The “War Psychology” course had become somewhat special. Since the first border line of the galaxy fell eighteen years ago, its assessment now required the use of specially designed simulation battlefield interface helmets.

 

When the examinee puts on the battlefield interface helmet, they enter a virtual battlefield.

 

In this virtual environment, the examinee’s other memories are restricted and intentionally blurred. They only remember their identity as an enlisted soldier. All their behaviors and reactions in this virtual battlefield are based on their innate personality, stress resistance, overall psychological quality, and current mental state, resulting in genuine instinctive responses.

 

This allows the examiner to evaluate the examinee’s psychological health through their performance on the simulated battlefield, preventing the possibility of examinees concealing existing psychological issues. It also determines the examinee’s true willpower and stress tolerance levels, answering questions such as whether they would disobey orders or desert their post in high-stress work environments, or if they would flee from battle due to cowardice.

 

Yu Chen’s time with Yun Xunlan had been limited, so his understanding of him was restricted. Therefore, arranging a “baseline test” for Yun Xunlan was the quickest way to figure out why he consistently failed the “War Psychology” course, struggling to even score 30 points.

 

However, Yu Chen never expected that this method would yield results in just 30 seconds—

 

Because in the virtual battlefield, Yun Xunlan refused to leave his quarters after hearing the morning assembly bugle!

 

He wasn’t asleep; he was fully awake, without pain or illness, yet he simply refused to go out.

 

Yu Chen was utterly shocked.

 

Even “shocked” wasn’t enough to describe his feelings; “stunned” might be more appropriate.

 

How could they continue the assessment if Yun Xunlan wouldn’t even leave his room?

 

Yu Chen immediately used his examiner privileges to give himself an officer’s identity. He went to Yun Xunlan’s quarters and banged on the door, demanding to know if he hadn’t heard the assembly call and why he refused to come out for assembly.

 

Yun Xunlan’s answer was: “I will die.”

 

Yu Chen asked, puzzled: “Are you very afraid of death?”

 

So afraid that he dared not even leave his room?

 

But Yun Xunlan replied: “I’m not afraid of death, but if I step out of this door, I will die.”

 

Yu Chen was speechless even through the door: “This is a battlefield, not a safe zone. When enemy missiles come, you’ll die even if you don’t step out of this door.”

 

“Yes, sir, so when missiles come, I’ll definitely go out,” Yun Xunlan’s voice was very calm, showing no signs of fear or cowardice. “But there are no missiles now, and my chances of dying here are lower than if I go out, so I can’t leave.”

 

Yu Chen took two deep breaths to calm his emotions: “So you’re saying you’ll only come out when missiles arrive, is that right?”

 

Yun Xunlan gave Yu Chen another unexpected answer: “When someone must sacrifice themselves, I will come out. Even if I die, I will definitely come out.”

 

Yu Chen: “…”

 

Outrageous, absolutely outrageous.

 

Yu Chen stopped wasting words with Yun Xunlan. He lowered his voice and said coldly: “Yun Xunlan, a soldier’s first duty is to obey orders. Now, I order you to come out for assembly immediately.”

 

There was silence behind the tightly closed dormitory door.

 

After a few seconds, Yun Xunlan’s low, hoarse voice sounded: “…I’m sorry sir.”

 

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