Chapter 244: Back To That Key Moment ⑧

Previous Chapter ◊ Table of Content ◊ Next Chapter

Chapter 244: Back To That Key Moment ⑧

At a tense moment like this, could the System please stop causing trouble? Shang Ke mentally sent it a speechless emote.

【Dear Host, building a harem is a great undertaking that benefits humanity. With Host’s reproductive ability, you can maximize the genetic improvement of other exceptional men and produce even more exceptional offspring. At the highly efficient rate of three children per year, in thirty or forty years the very top of every field in Ta will be occupied by Host’s descendants. Does Host truly not wish for the beautiful future of having children and grandchildren spread across the world?】

Shang Ke: Stop talking…

【The System adheres to the operating principle that everything revolves around Host and therefore provides only the development plans most suitable for Host. Please seriously consider the System’s advice and do not hang yourself on the single crooked tree known as Yonis.】

The System seemed to have activated chatterbox mode and persisted tirelessly in trying to brainwash Shang Ke.

Shang Ke could not help wondering whether Yonis had somehow offended the System. Otherwise, why was it always trying so hard to make him wear a green hat?

He endured for a while before finally reaching his limit. Is there a function that lets me mute the System?

【There is no such inhumane function!】

Fortunately, armed reinforcements arrived at that moment. Shang Ke waited until they had the situation under control before withdrawing his mental barrier.

An officer approached, suppressed excitement and fervor in his eyes, then gave Shang Ke a respectful military salute. “We owe today’s rescue to Guide Shang Ke. On behalf of every soldier and civilian saved here, I salute you.”

“There’s no need.” Shang Ke smiled faintly.

The officer had heard of Shang Ke for years but had never met him. Their first encounter left him completely won over by the Rank-S Guide’s power and bearing. Among the hundreds present, Shang Ke alone had been able to erect a mental barrier and bring the entire situation under control with a single move. The composure of a true powerhouse was impossible to miss.

Reporters and onlookers in the distance captured the entire scene and uploaded it online almost immediately. Ordinary citizens might only see something spectacular, but anyone with even modest expertise understood how extraordinary it was. Even a Rank-S Guide would normally hesitate to use psychic power under those conditions. Shang Ke had not only used his power, but perfectly blocked the pathogen’s contamination. Either he had become powerful enough to ignore the psychic pathogen altogether, or he had developed an entirely new method of psychic control. Either possibility was enough to attract attention from every faction.

In the end, Shang Ke took Leo aboard a military vehicle and headed for the hospital.

The incident made headlines almost immediately. Within a few short hours, every major online and television outlet was reporting on it. Two children had already been confirmed dead, more than seventy people were infected, and the number of other injured victims had yet to be counted.

The hospital invited Shang Ke to help treat the victims, while several guards protected Leo and took his statement. As the only child in the training room who had escaped infection, the reason for his immunity naturally drew considerable interest.

There were seventy-five infected victims in total, thirty-five of them children. Shang Ke worked alongside the other Guides to treat the dissociation patients. Only three Rank-S Guides were present, and Shang Ke was by far the most efficient. What truly astonished everyone, however, was not his speed—it was the fact that he could ignore attribute restrictions and treat every Sentinel.

The discovery nearly made people’s jaws hit the floor. Wasn’t Shang Ke supposed to be a Guide exclusively compatible with Dark Sentinels? Why could he handle ordinary Sentinels just as smoothly? This was completely unscientific!

“I think Sir Shang Ke advanced again!” one Sentinel whispered to his companion.

“How is that possible? Rank S is already the highest rank. If he goes any higher, is he planning to ascend to heaven?”

“Who ever said Rank S was the absolute limit? No one had simply broken past it before. Evolution has no ceiling. Maybe Sir Shang Ke really did shatter the existing limit.”

“That actually makes sense. So Sir Shang Ke isn’t merely compatible with every Dark Sentinel anymore—he’s compatible with every Sentinel?”

“Awooo! I’m applying to become Sir Shang Ke’s partner!”

“Count me in!”

“Me too!”

Busy treating patients, Shang Ke had no idea that a large pack of desperately thirsty Sentinels was already preparing to launch an all-out courtship campaign. After all, he was precious “national property” with the legal right to choose his own partners—and even engage in group relationships, apparently. As long as he wished, he could enter compatibility-based relationships with different Sentinels whenever he pleased.

The only restriction was that he could not establish a legally exclusive marriage bond. In other words, Shang Ke had effectively been granted the right to unlimited, legally sanctioned hookups with no restriction on number or duration… (Shang Ke: Where did basic decency go?)

Yonis received the news while carrying out a military operation. Desperate to return as quickly as possible, he forcibly turned what should have been a prolonged campaign into a lightning assault and wiped out the enemy in only two hours. The sheer brutality of his methods was enough to leave his opponents with permanent psychological scars.

By the time Yonis finished everything at hand and rushed to the hospital at maximum speed, it was already noon the following day.

Led by a soldier, he strode into the hospital cafeteria—only to see the lover he had missed talking and laughing with another man. That man was none other than Mitchell, the Rank-A Dark Sentinel whose reputation equaled Yonis’s. Mitchell had never stopped pursuing Shang Ke over the past several years and was the rival Yonis disliked most.

Yonis’s arrival immediately stirred the room. The moment Shang Ke saw him, he smiled and hurried over, greeting him with a huge, enthusiastic hug.

Did he really think one hug could erase the fact that he had been “dating” some wild man behind Yonis’s back?

Yonis wrapped one arm possessively around Shang Ke’s waist and unleashed his full presence. He stared coldly and arrogantly at Mitchell across the room, silently delivering a single word: Scram.

Mitchell acted as though he had seen nothing. “You’ve been working for an entire day and night,” he told Shang Ke. “Go home and get some rest.”

“There’s no need for Your Excellency to concern yourself. I’ll naturally take care of my own man.” Yonis pulled Shang Ke firmly against his chest and left Mitchell nothing but an aloof, aristocratic back. Whenever a romantic rival appeared, Yonis inevitably turned into a peacock with its tail fully spread.

The two walked out of the cafeteria under everyone’s gaze. Only after Mitchell disappeared from sight did Yonis ask, “Keke, are you hurt? Where’s Leo?”

“I’m fine. Leo already went home, and the guards are protecting him, so don’t worry.” Shang Ke turned to study the man beside him. After several months apart, Yonis looked noticeably darker than before, giving him the rugged air of a battle-hardened soldier. He had probably rushed straight to the hospital after returning, without showering or changing. His body carried the unmistakable scent of a man fresh from the field—sweat, hormones, dust, and earth…

Before returning, Yonis had already learned the general situation through several channels and knew both Shang Ke and Leo were safe. Even so, worry had gnawed at him continuously. Only seeing them with his own eyes allowed him to truly relax.

【Host, attention! Three o’clock!】 The System’s voice suddenly rang in Shang Ke’s mind just as they reached the parking area.

He immediately looked in that direction on alert. A sleek sports car was parked nearby, and a young man in sunglasses stepped out.

【Robin. Height: 195 cm. Weight: 88 kg. Tender age: twenty-five. Internationally popular Best Actor. Appearance: A+. Gentle and romantic. Wealthy family background. Excellent sexual performance. Superior sperm quality and quantity. An unquestionable top-tier candidate for Best Partner. Dear Host, boldly make your move and mercilessly add him to the harem!】

Shang Ke: “…” He had gone on full alert expecting danger, and the System had only wanted him to look at a handsome man?

Yonis noticed Shang Ke suddenly stop and followed his gaze in confusion. All he saw was an unfamiliar man walking past with two bodyguards.

“Know him?” Yonis asked.

Shang Ke shook his head. “No. He just looks vaguely familiar. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere.”

“Mm. He does look a little familiar.” Yonis suspected nothing. He gave the stranger a casual glance and immediately lost interest.

Shang Ke assumed it was only an isolated episode. Instead, similar incidents kept happening over the following weeks. To Yonis’s growing horror, Shang Ke’s attention was repeatedly drawn to completely unrelated strangers—and every single one of them was handsome, distinguished, and obviously exceptional.

Could his Keke have grown tired of him and started secretly shopping for a new partner?!

“Have you noticed your father acting strange lately?” Shang Ke privately asked his son about a certain someone’s inexplicable behavior.

“Like what?” Leo had noticed nothing unusual. In his eyes, his father wore essentially one expression from beginning to end. Only in front of his papa did the man transform into an entirely different species.

“For example, whenever a stranger comes near me, he immediately becomes hypervigilant and refuses to leave my side. He talks less than usual, keeps staring at me with strange looks, and…” He was especially relentless at night, refusing to stop until Shang Ke was completely exhausted. Shang Ke was becoming too embarrassed to let the servants wash their sheets…

He had barely reached that point when he felt two scorching beams of attention hit his back.

Shang Ke looked at his son in silent inquiry.

Leo nodded. Yes. A certain someone was standing directly behind him.

“It’s getting late.” The man’s deep voice sounded over Shang Ke’s head, and then a pair of large hands pulled him into a firm embrace.

Shang Ke grabbed Leo’s hand and announced calmly, “I’m sleeping with Leo tonight.”

“Papa is sleeping with me tonight,” Leo loyally declared in support.

“Didn’t you want the newest Phantom model?” Yonis asked blandly. “I happen to know the developer.”

Leo immediately turned to Shang Ke with a righteous expression. “Papa, good night. I hope you and Father have pleasant dreams.”

Shang Ke: What exactly is the point of having a son like this?

Like a victorious general, Yonis swept Shang Ke into his arms and carried him away with his head held high.

That night, Shang Ke was thoroughly fucked again—from the bathroom to the bedroom, then from the bedroom back to the bathroom…

【The System’s psychological trauma has exceeded measurable limits. It is currently displaying a black screen and has lost all interest in life.】

More than a month had passed since the elementary-school attack, but the aftermath had yet to fade. Public hatred of the Anti-Government Alliance reached a new peak, and people everywhere demanded that the organization be eradicated completely. Yet the Alliance had vast numbers, broad distribution, and members hidden throughout countless professions. Eliminating it permanently would require solving the ideological problem at its roots.

Aside from deepening the public’s fear and hatred of the Anti-Government Alliance, the incident brought the greatest attention to Shang Ke. After several rounds of testing, it was finally confirmed that he had broken through Rank S and reached an unprecedented Rank SS. His psychic power was compatible with every Sentinel. Because of him, the official ranking system for Sentinels and Guides was revised to add an entirely new upper tier.

For a time, Shang Ke’s fame exploded. He was hailed as Ta’s greatest Guide, and countless admirers and suitors came pouring in.

Shang Ke ignored the uproar outside and focused on organizing his research on defensive formations. He submitted a patent application to the World Patent Organization. These formations used psychic power as their energy source and possessed highly precise structures resembling virtual machinery; different operating patterns produced different effects. Shang Ke initially applied for patents on three formation designs that could be carved into jade or wood. He named these psychic-carved constructs “formation sigils.” Before long, they unsurprisingly became some of the most sophisticated and highly sought-after protective devices in Ta.

Leo changed as well. He had originally planned to progress normally from elementary school through university. The attack, however, reminded him that danger could appear anywhere—and, more importantly, that his father was destined to die when Leo turned eighteen.

In his previous life, his papa’s death had condemned his father to lifelong loneliness and shattered their family. If his father died in this life, what would become of his papa? The happiness Leo now possessed had been far too difficult to obtain. He would never allow the tragedy to repeat itself. In the end, he made a decision: he would skip grades, accelerate his training, and strive to become strong enough to protect his family before he turned eighteen.

Previous Chapter ◊ Table of Content ◊ Next Chapter