Chapter 57: Live Appraisal
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The source weapon Yun Yingzhi had crafted during the semifinals was scheduled for a live appraisal the next day. This particular source weapon required a minimum of one person and a maximum of thirteen to operate. To gather a full team of thirteen, besides Yun Yinghui and a few close friends, they also invited several others who had a decent relationship with them.
Yun Yingzhi hadn’t witnessed his brother’s process of sending out those invitations, but he overheard Yun Yinghui talking to Nangong Qing.
On the other end of the call, Nangong Qing had insisted that Yun Yinghui turn on his video feed under the pretense of wanting to see the two Little Buns. The moment the screen lit up, she practically melted, calling them “little sweetheart” and “precious baby.”
Then he told Yun Yinghui that the friends he had invited kept asking who “the big tough guy” was. Since Yun Yinghui wouldn’t tell them, they started pestering Nangong Qing and Jia Qingwan instead—claiming that they also wanted a chance to pet the little kit and little egg.
Watching all this unfold, Yun Yingzhi couldn’t help sighing inwardly. It had only been a few days of streaming, yet somehow his two Little Buns had already become the Empire’s beloved mascots.
Before he knew it, January 20th arrived. Following the organizers’ instructions, Yun Yinghui got up a little after seven to get ready, reminding Yun Yingzhi several times to contact him if he needed anything. Holding both Little Buns in his arms, Yun Yingzhi walked him to the door.
Before leaving, Yun Yinghui ruffled the Little Buns’ heads and said, “Uncle will be back soon.” Then he left. As soon as his brother was out the door, Yun Yingzhi headed straight back to his room with the two Little Buns, opened his personal terminal, and settled in to wait for the live broadcast. The two Little Buns were clearly used to the sight of a streaming interface by now. The moment they saw Yun Yingzhi’s posture, they clung to him excitedly, ready for the show to start. But they couldn’t understand why, when Uncle had shown them streams before, the videos always started right away—while this one just sat there, waiting.
Little kit patted Yun Yingzhi’s hand with a tiny paw, urging him to make it start faster. It wasn’t even eight yet—still an hour before the appraisal began. Yun Yingzhi looked down at him. Little kit pointed insistently at the projection screen.
Understanding what he meant, Yun Yingzhi said, “Just wait a little longer.”
Little egg joined in, pushing him to hurry up. “It hasn’t started yet,” Yun Yingzhi told them patiently. “Even Daddy can’t make it go faster.”
When the Little Buns realized their efforts weren’t working, they gave up and began rummaging through their toy box. They worked with surprising coordination. In only a few minutes, they’d spread out their tiny castle, sandbox, miniature sofa chairs, and a variety of their favorite toys.
Hearing the soft thumping noises, Yun Yingzhi turned his head curiously—just in time to see the little kit trying to put a diaper on the little egg, who was already lounging in sunglasses. He stared in silence for a moment, then turned back to the projection, searching for something else to distract himself. He typed in a keyword: Shaluo Star.
Suddenly, the two Little Buns came running over to him. Yun Yingzhi gave them a puzzled look. The little kit pointed to the small sofa. The little egg hopped onto it and flopped down. Then the little kit patted Yun Yingzhi’s arm and pointed toward the big cushion they’d set up in their castle’s little garden area. Yun Yingzhi blinked. “You mean… you want to sunbathe with me?”
“Da!” The little kit chirped in agreement. The little egg hopped down from his own tiny sofa chair and bounced onto the bigger cushion. Yun Yingzhi thought for a moment. So he hadn’t misunderstood—they really did want to sunbathe together under their fake sunlight.
He glanced around sneakily toward the door, then got up to double-check that it was locked. Once he was sure, he transformed into his second form. The two Little Buns immediately squealed with delight and pounced on him.
Yun Yingzhi lay sprawled on the cushion they’d prepared for him, letting the warmth of the artificial sun wash over him until he felt drowsy. Little kit studied him for a bit, then seemed to decide something was missing.
Little egg used his space ability to try and fit his tiny sunglasses over the white rabbit’s eyes—but they were far too small. Then the little kit pulled out another diaper and tried to put it on him.
Yun Yingzhi’s mouth twitched. He scooped up both Little Buns, one in each paw, and stopped them before they could continue their antics. “Be good,” he said helplessly. “Watch the screen with Daddy.”
The two Little Buns reluctantly crawled off him—but they weren’t done misbehaving. The little kit dragged a toy table in front of the cushion. Little egg used his space ability to place a small bowl on top of it. Little kit added his milk bottle beside it.
Their “sunbathing setup” now complete, the two Little Buns climbed back onto the white rabbit and nestled close, ready to watch the projection together. Then, suddenly, a breaking news alert flashed across the screen.
Yun Yingzhi immediately opened the news channel—and froze as he read. It was the latest report on Shaluo Star. According to the broadcast, on the same day he had last spoken with His Highness Elvis, Shaluo Star had come under attack.
A single zerg from a soldier regiment had devoured every one of its own kind in that unit—then moved on to other regiments. In just a few months, it had advanced all the way to Level Nine. It had become a King.
A so-called Zerg King could command all zerg within its region without needing direct orders from the Queen. Under its command, every zerg on Shaluo Star had gathered together and launched a massive assault against the humans stationed there. For the students’ safety, the planet’s commander had ordered all cadets from the Ten Great Military Academies to retreat to their bases. That same day, the communication towers fell once more.
If it had ended there, it wouldn’t have been too bad—but the problem was… Rumor had it that the zerg legions had learned of His Highness Elvis’s presence on Shaluo Star. Three major zerg legions possessing space abilities had mobilized simultaneously, constructing long-range channels directly toward the planet.
In an instant, Shaluo Star had turned into a battlefield. Every day, countless zerg legions launched attacks on the bases. The protective barriers surrounding the bases grew thinner and weaker. Every soldier within—including the students participating in the trial mission—had joined the desperate battle.
As the zerg continued to send wave after wave of troops, rescue teams from across the Empire were also rushing toward Shaluo Star.
Reading the scrolling feed of updates, Yun Yingzhi felt his chest tighten. He kept reading—then slowly exhaled in relief.
The planet’s chief commander appeared calm and composed during his public address. He stated that as Imperial soldiers, encountering the unexpected was inevitable—and that this was simply one of those times. Since the danger was before them, they would find a way to overcome it. There was always a way. The news analysts suggested that his composure could only mean one thing: they already had a plan.
In the comment section, Yun Yingzhi noticed a flood of messages from self-identified space espers. According to them, Elvis’s spatial abilities far surpassed their own—so much so that if he wished, he could appear anywhere he wanted. Practically speaking, unless someone could completely seal off space itself, His Highness Elvis… was unkillable.
Yun Yingzhi saw those words and instinctively turned his gaze toward little egg, silently hoping from the bottom of his heart that one day, little egg would inherit all of Elvis’s incredible esper abilities.
As if he could feel Yun Yingzhi’s thoughts, the little egg rubbed against his chest. Little kit also noticed the way Yun Yingzhi was staring at the little egg and grew a little jealous. With one small leap, his tiny body landed like a fluffy bun right on Yun Yingzhi’s face, covering his eyes completely.
Yun Yingzhi caught the little kit and pulled him down. Just as he was about to reopen the Starshine Competition’s live verification broadcast, he noticed that the citizens of the Empire were furious with the commander of Shaluo Star.
Prince Elvis was the Empire’s only crown prince and enjoyed immense popularity. When word spread that Shaluo Star had fallen into crisis, countless citizens demanded to be allowed to go there and help. Even though official reports said the situation was under control, people remained restless, worried sick about their prince.
To calm the public, Shaluo Star’s command center started a live broadcast, reassuring everyone that His Highness Elvis was safe and sound. Yun Yingzhi hesitated for a moment, then opened the live feed using the listed address.
The official platform only allowed viewers to watch; there were no bullet comments or chat functions. Anyone who wanted to discuss further had to move to unofficial channels.
The two Little Buns, who had been making noise before, instantly went quiet the moment Elvis appeared on screen. Little kit tapped Yun Yingzhi’s hand with a paw, then pointed to Elvis on the projected feed.
Elvis appeared with his signature white hair and violet eyes, dressed in the Fansa Academy military uniform. His aura was cold and sharp, like a finely honed blade. His icy gaze swept once across the camera sphere before withdrawing.
At that moment, an officer approached him respectfully. “Your Highness.”
Elvis responded lightly, “Mm.”
“Sir, a parcel from Imperial Star has passed a security inspection. Should we send it to your quarters?”
Elvis stopped walking. “No need. I’ll get it myself.”
Watching that, Yun Yingzhi’s eyelid twitched. He immediately realized the package must have been the one he sent to Elvis. He thought about sending Elvis a private message to explain that the source weapon inside was actually meant to be borrowed by Yun Yingyao.
But then he hesitated. Since Elvis was live on camera, if he handed the source weapon to Yun Yingyao now, wouldn’t people start connecting the dots and guessing Yun Yingzhi’s identity? After thinking it through, Yun Yingzhi decided to wait.
The camera panned, showing numerous officers moving through the base, every one of them looking utterly exhausted. Not long after, Elvis arrived at the inspection room.
The officer beside him said, “There are quite a lot of source weapons.”
Elvis’s violet eyes flicked toward the man, then he kept walking toward the testing area.
It was already nine in the morning. Yun Yingzhi thought the Starshine Competition’s semifinals verification livestream must have already begun. He split the projection screen in half—Elvis’s feed on one side, the competition’s livestream on the other.
Sure enough, the source weapon verification was underway. The two Little Buns watched like Yun Yingzhi—sometimes glancing at Elvis, sometimes at the verification screen. In the feed, Elvis entered the testing chamber at the base and finally received the full set of source weapons Yun Yingzhi had sent him.
At first glance, they all looked nearly identical. But after a moment of searching, one particular piece stood out, slightly different from the rest. Viewers immediately realized this entire set of source weapons was the same as the ones created by the “Red Peony Powerhouse” from the Starshine Competition.
The audience was stunned. Why were those source weapons in Elvis’s hands? Curiosity exploded. Some people said it was no surprise—the Red Peony Powerhouse was famous for his speed. He could single-handedly craft enough matching source weapons for an entire small squad.
Others argued that identical source weapons weren’t ideal, since every user had unique compatibility, and such uniformity limited adaptability in battle. A few others, however, were far more intrigued by the possible relationship between the Red Peony Powerhouse and Prince Elvis. Surely… they must know each other, right?
Off-camera, the two Little Buns instantly recognized those weapons—they were their daddy’s source weapons! They both patted Yun Yingzhi excitedly, pointing over and over at the weapons on screen.
As the camera shifted, the array of source weapons moved into better view. Little kit pointed his paw, while little egg used his space ability to make his eggshell bump against the projection, as though staking their claim. Little kit puffed up, his tiny face full of indignation, and let out several angry “ao” sounds toward Elvis.
Yun Yingzhi caught the little egg again and gently patted the little kit to calm him down. On screen, Elvis picked up the one distinct source weapon among the rest and examined it carefully. Though it lasted only a moment, many viewers caught the flash of surprise in his expression.
Everyone watching was puzzled—was something wrong with it? Others might not understand, but Yun Yingzhi did. That particular model overlapped with Elvis’s own esper abilities. It wasn’t a bad weapon, but it wasn’t suited for him.
Just as Yun Yingzhi was thinking that, Elvis’s lips curved slightly, almost imperceptibly, and he said, “I like it very much.”
Yun Yingzhi: “…” A giant question mark practically appeared in his head.
Elvis picked up a few of the auxiliary source weapons next, tested their feel, and remarked, “It’s quite a unique design.”
The officer beside him frowned slightly. “Unique?”
Elvis seemed to be in a particularly good mood. He glanced at the officer beside him and said, “Or rather, I should call this a truly revolutionary, cross-era source weapon.”
Hearing such high praise, Yun Yingzhi’s cheeks flushed bright red. Compliments like that made him feel both proud and shy at the same time.
At once, curiosity exploded online—what kind of source weapon could possibly deserve to be called “cross-era”?
On screen, Elvis’s violet eyes swept briefly toward the recording sphere before he gave a calm order. “Send each of these source weapons to the next group of soldiers heading into battle.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The audience watching the livestream collectively sat up straighter. They had a feeling—Prince Elvis might actually demonstrate the source weapons’ abilities live on camera!
The Red Peony Powerhouse—who, in the Starshine Competition, was still just a student and, more importantly, the father of two adorable Little Buns—was already a hot topic across the Empire. Now that the Crown Prince himself had openly praised his work, the entire star-net exploded. Every trending page was filled with posts about Yun Yingzhi’s creations.
Some people commented that they had always wondered what kind of source weapons Yun Yingzhi had painstakingly “harvested” back during the competition. It had been a shame that he didn’t submit them when the event ended—but now, unexpectedly, they were going to see Elvis himself leading soldiers in a live demonstration! It was a surprise gift no one could have hoped for, and it was thrilling.
Others mentioned how, during the preliminary round of the Starshine Competition, Yun Yingzhi hadn’t turned in the source weapons he’d cobbled together. If there were ever a chance, they’d love to see that batch too—because anything “harvested” by the thrifty Red Peony Powerhouse had to be top-tier.
As anticipation built, over a hundred auxiliary source weapons were distributed one by one on screen.
Yun Yingzhi’s eyes shone brightly as he watched Elvis. Who didn’t love a little praise? No source-weapon maker would ever dislike seeing others recognize the strength of their creations. Elvis’s spontaneous decision was about to give Yun Yingzhi’s weapons the grandest stage imaginable—one where the entire Empire could witness their power.
Yun Yingzhi was so happy he felt bubbles of joy rising in his chest. The two Little Buns didn’t understand why he was suddenly so delighted, but since Daddy was happy, they were happy too. They rubbed against him affectionately.
Thinking for a moment, the little white rabbit version of Yun Yingzhi leaned over and licked the little kit, then licked the little egg. Little kit let out an excited “Da!” and began to lick him back. The little egg didn’t have a mouth, so he used his space ability to hover up to Yun Yingzhi’s face and demand a kiss instead. Suddenly, a communication request popped up. It was from Yu Feiwen.
Yun Yingzhi looked at the two Little Buns still snuggling against him. He didn’t want to change back into human form, so he declined the call and sent a text reply instead, asking what was going on. Almost immediately, he noticed more and more incoming requests—not just from Yu Feiwen but from several other people as well.
He frowned and glanced at the livestream clock. It was now 10:30 in the morning. On the left screen, all the auxiliary source weapons had been distributed, and hundreds of soldiers stood neatly in formation, ready to deploy. On the right, the verification livestream for other semifinalists was wrapping up. In just a little while, it would be Yun Yingzhi’s turn.
He rejected every incoming call one by one. Why were so many people suddenly trying to contact him? Could it be that… someone had figured out he was the Red Peony Powerhouse? The thought made him shiver, his whole body tensing up.
Then his hand froze. Yun Yinghui was calling him too. That was surprising—logically, in less than half an hour, Yun Yinghui should be entering the testing field. Why was he calling now?
Yun Yingzhi didn’t mind letting Yun Yinghui see his second form, and he was genuinely curious about why so many people were reaching out all at once. He accepted the call.
Instantly, the main projection in front of him shifted—the two livestream windows shrank to the corners, and Yun Yinghui’s video feed filled the screen. The two Little Buns spotted Yun Yinghui through the display and immediately perked up, bouncing excitedly and waving their paws to greet him.
The little kit let out a soft “Da.” He stretched out his little paw, trying to leap toward Yun Yinghui.
On the other end, Yun Yinghui saw Yun Yingzhi’s paw catching the little kit mid-leap. The sight of the little white rabbit and the two Little Buns lounging on the mats inside the toy castle, basking in artificial sunlight, made Yun Yinghui’s lips curve into an involuntary smile. The three of them looked utterly adorable.
Yun Yingzhi asked, “Brother, what’s going on? Why are so many people trying to contact me?”
Yun Yinghui’s expression grew serious.
“Brother?” Yun Yingzhi pressed.
“Zhizhi,” Yun Yinghui said gently, “I love you.”
In his soft, unique little-white-rabbit voice, Yun Yingzhi replied, “I love you too, brother!”
The little kit chirped excitedly, “Da da!” The little egg bounced repeatedly. At that moment, the little white rabbit and the two Little Buns were surrounded by little sparkling bubbles, looking both adorable and happy.
Yun Yinghui continued, “Zhizhi, once the source weapon tests are over, I’ll return immediately. Until I’m back, don’t access the star-net, okay?”
Yun Yingzhi blinked, “Ah?”
“Understand?” Yun Yinghui asked firmly.
Though he didn’t understand what was happening, Yun Yingzhi obediently nodded.
Time moved forward to 10:50 a.m. The testers were urging him, and Yun Yinghui had to end the call. The two Little Buns were a little unhappy to see him go, but the next instant, the two small livestream windows enlarged again, and they immediately forgot about Yun Yinghui.
On the left screen, Elvis led the military squad out, while on the right screen, thirteen masked individuals appeared—Yun Yinghui, Nangong Qing, Shan Junyu, and others. The left screen allowed no chat, staying clean and orderly, but the right screen was flooded with comments.
“I just want to say, of course all the esper soldiers invited by the secretive Red Peony powerhouse are of the same mysterious caliber! Hahaha!”
“Ah, I really want to lift their masks and see who they are!”
“Already noticed—every esper soldier invited by the Red Peony powerhouse has such a commanding presence!”
Yun Yingzhi read the comments and couldn’t help recalling Yun Yinghui’s words—telling him not to access the star-net. Why? Not only Yun Yinghui, but also classmates like Yu Feiwen had been trying to contact him earlier, cryptically asking what was going on. Yun Yingzhi sensed that something significant was unfolding.
He blinked and forced himself to concentrate. Both screens now displayed the moment when the source weapons he had made were about to be showcased at full strength. This was not a moment to be distracted.
At exactly 11:00 a.m., the left projection screen showed Elvis ordering the soldiers to spread out.
On the right screen, the commentator said, “Now, let’s have the esper soldiers invited by participant A13167 demonstrate the full power of this entire set of source weapons!”
At that instant, a line of text flashed across the right livestream chat: “Is it true? Madam Yun from the General Huai’s household said that General Yun’s second son is unmarried and pregnant. Is this true?”
Yun Yingzhi froze. His violet eyes widened, and his mind went completely blank.
“It can only be true, right? Madam Yun already said the Yun family doesn’t have this child. That statement publicly severed all connections, didn’t it?”
“I heard General Yun himself also said he doesn’t have a second son.”
At the same time, on both screens, Elvis and Yun Yinghui simultaneously activated the unique imprint in the main control source weapon. Immediately, a gigantic circle appeared in the sky.
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