Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

"...Commander!"

The soft female voice in the air almost broke the spell, revealing a subtle, magnetic tone beneath. Yu Zhuo completely ignored the person's resistance; his eyes were as if veiled by a thin mist, making it impossible for him to see the person's face clearly.

Then he would have to find another way.

The thin shirt that the man had just put on was ripped off by Yu Zhuo, and his palm moved down the man's shoulder blade, and sure enough, he felt a lot of thin muscle.

"Commander, I'm new to the palace... I am..."

His words abruptly stopped. Yu Zhuo finished examining his lower body and put the thin shirt back on him: "You're a man, how did you sneak in?"

The man didn't speak, but Yu Zhuo had already guessed most of what had happened. He stroked the man's thin back, lowered his eyes, and said, "The imperial city is heavily guarded; it's not a place for you... Go back."

“Go back? There’s no going back.” The man rested his chin on Yu Zhuo’s shoulder, his voice hoarse as he suppressed his sadness as he spoke, “His Majesty ordered me to serve him, and even though I’m a man, I have to go.”

Yu Zhuo was taken aback. He searched his memory for a long time before finally remembering someone: "Your Majesty... Xuan Lin?"

He was a violent maniac; Yu Zhuo still remembers how Mei Qiu was violently beaten by him, leaving him covered in cracks.

"Commander, forget it... We're not meant to be. Just treat today's events as a dream, it's better for both of us to forget about them."

"I won't blame you."

The man cried out twice more, his tears falling precisely at the right angle, landing right on Yu Zhuo's collarbone. So that Yu Zhuo could feel them, and touch them.

Yu Zhuo felt a pang of unease: "Don't say that. His Majesty has so many favored concubines; he might not even notice you. I'll help you leave the capital..."

“No need, I can’t escape,” the man said softly. “Commander, I’m already very grateful that you’re willing to help me. Thank you…”

After he finished speaking, he suddenly pushed Yu Zhuo away, grabbed his clothes, hastily put them on, and quickly left the room. Throughout the entire process, his movements were swift and decisive, completely unlike his previous extremely weak appearance.

The door opened and closed, and Yu Zhuo, sitting on the bed, was still in a daze.

...Just like that, they ran away?

Yu Zhuo was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly put on his clothes and ran out.

It was pitch black outside, with the full moon hanging high in the sky, casting only a soft, orange-yellow light. Yu Zhuo glanced at it and strode into the path outside.

The surrounding scenery changed rapidly. Yu Zhu frowned, feeling some objects rushing by in a time he couldn't perceive. In just over ten seconds, the path he was walking on transformed into a high platform outside the imperial city.

Yu Zhuo quickened his pace. He looked up and saw the high walls of the imperial city standing there, almost stretching to the horizon.

"Twilight Rain Kite—"

Yu Zhuo turned around upon hearing the voice. A man wearing a black mask was squatting on the wall, looking down at Yu Zhuo with a nonchalant tone: "Commander Mu, who are you looking for, coming out alone in the middle of the night?"

Yu Zhuo narrowed his eyes slightly: "And who are you?"

"Me?" The man slowly stood up. He was tall and walked unhurriedly on the bricks of the palace wall. "I am Ying Shiqi."

Yu Zhu sneered: "People from a photo studio dare to act so presumptuously in the capital?"

"Why not?" Ying Shiqi smiled and took out a piece of jewelry in front of Yu Zhuo. It was a small hairpin with kingfisher feathers, which he had taken from a palace maid. "I didn't realize that Commander Mu was such a playboy."

Yu Zhuo's expression immediately turned cold: "You saw him? Where is he?"

Ying Shiqi smiled but remained silent. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly said, "Guess?"

Yu Zhuo felt a buzzing in his ears for a moment. Before his thoughts could return, his body uncontrollably drew his sword and rushed forward.

A hint of surprise flashed in Ying Shiqi's eyes. He jumped down from the high wall and met Yu Zhuo's Dragon Roar Sword head-on.

"Why are you so short-tempered? Didn't I tell you?" Ying Shiqi said jokingly. Before he could finish speaking, Yu Zhuo increased his strength and stabbed at his body without any mercy.

"You don't need to worry about it, I can find it myself." Yu Zhuo's expression was cold. "By order of the Emperor, kill any ghosts in the photo studio you see."

Shadow Seventeen dodged while sneering, "Alright, you're quite the talker... then come and try!"

He also drew his sword from his waist and thrust it at Yu Zhuo's face.

Yu Zhuo's vision began to blur again, and the surrounding scenery spun and changed, including the figure of Shadow Seventeen. It changed shape in the blur, seemingly overlapping and merging with the figure of another person.

"Ok!"

Yu Zhuo heard a muffled groan, followed by flashes of cold light from several longswords. Ying Shiqi's mask cracked open, and he kicked Yu Zhuo hard in the stomach, sending him crashing down from the high wall.

The longsword that cleaved the mask fell to the ground, embedding itself in the cracks between the stone bricks. The tip of the sword was deep red, covered in blood, which slowly trickled down its silvery-white surface.

Yu Zhuo got up from the ground, drew his longsword with one hand, and looked up at the sky again.

Shadow Seventeen remained atop the high wall, the mask covering his face falling away to reveal a pale face beneath. He clutched his pierced chest, where blood gushed forth, soon staining his entire palm crimson.

"Mu Yuyuan...you are truly skilled..."

The mist that had been obscuring people's faces gradually dissipated, and Yu Zhuo stood below, holding a long sword, looking up at Ying Shiqi's figure.

The lowest part of his face was exposed to Yu Zhuo's eyes: a high nose, fox-like eyes, and thin lips pursed slightly. He looked at Yu Zhuo with a cold gaze.

It was a face exactly like Zhou Yanshu's.

Yu Zhuo stood there, stunned: "You..."

"Mu Yuyuan, you're so ruthless, do you think I wouldn't dare to touch you?" Ying Shiqi said coldly.

“You don’t have that ability either.” Yu Zhuo’s body exerted force uncontrollably again. He gripped the longsword tightly with one hand and leaped onto the wall next to him.

"Do not……"

Yu Zhuo felt a dull ache in his head. He tried to pull his hand back, but his limbs were out of his control and mechanically launched an attack forward as if executing some kind of program.

"No...don't go!"

He cleaved the figure in front of him with a single sword stroke.

The surrounding scenery shattered into pieces. Yu Zhuo suddenly sat up in bed, covering his face with his hands, his fingers curling as he fiercely clawed at the bloody flesh on his face: "No, it's not him... I can't go..."

"Yu Zhuo?"

A familiar voice rang out from beside Yu Zhuo. Yu Zhuo's breathing was heavy. Hearing the voice, he froze and turned his head to look at the side in a daze.

The nightlight in the room was on, casting an orange glow on the bed. Zhou Yanshu was wearing light-colored plush pajamas, his silver eyes were open, and his blond hair fell halfway down to his chest.

"……elder brother."

Zhou Yanshu was taken aback when he heard the way Yu Zhuo addressed him. Before he could answer, Yu Zhuo suddenly rolled over and snuggled into his arms.

"Brother, I didn't mean it, I really didn't mean it..." Yu Zhuo slipped his hand inside Zhou Yanshu's shirt and kept touching Zhou Yanshu's chest until he was sure that the area was completely undamaged before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Yanshu was a little confused. He heard a few faint sobs in the air and immediately frowned. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

Yu Zhu sniffed: "I...I..."

His eyes welled up with tears, and he suddenly hesitated to speak. Those so-called dreams were all real events, things he had done himself.

He almost killed Zhou Yanshu.

"I had a nightmare," Yu Zhuo whispered, "and it made you angry too."

Zhou Yanshu tilted his head slightly: "You had a nightmare about me?"

"……Um."

"What did you dream about? Tell me about it."

Yu Zhuo didn't say anything. He changed his position and pressed down on Zhou Yanshu, turning his head to listen to the beating of his heart: "What time did you come back tonight? You didn't make a sound."

He changed the subject abruptly, and Zhou Yanshu could hear the reluctance in Yu Zhuo's words, so he cooperated by replying, "It's almost midnight, you were already asleep when I got back."

Yu Zhuo rolled her eyes: "Didn't you kiss me when you came back?"

Zhou Yanshu: "..."

“No,” Zhou Yanshu said. “My legs are bad, so I went to bed and fell asleep. But you… you kept trying to press yourself against me.”

Zhou Yanshu wiped away two tears from Yu Zhuo's eyes: "I thought you were having a sweet dream. I saw you smiling even in your sleep."

Yu Zhuo: "..."

Yu Zhu coughed lightly, feigning nonchalance, "I've been waiting for you to come back, but I didn't expect you to fall asleep right there in bed."

"You look tired." Zhou Yanshu turned off the bedside lamp and said, "Are you going to sleep or not? Don't lie on top of me."

Yu Zhuo moved to the side: "Hold me."

Zhou Yanshu was silent for a moment, then reached out and put his arm around Yu Zhuo: "Which Alpha is like you?"

His voice was deep and resonant, carrying a strange hint of resentment in Yu Zhuo's ears. After all, Zhou Yanshu had once believed that he would differentiate into a high-level Alpha.

Yu Zhuo didn't care. He sniffed the scent on Zhou Yanshu's neck and snorted, "Your deceased husband was just like me."

Zhou Yanshu: "...Say it again?"

Yu Zhuo remained silent.

Zhou Yanshu hesitated for a moment, then let Yu Zhu hug his waist: "My late husband was much better than you. He never cried."

Yu Zhuo: "..."

Yu Zhuo pretended not to notice the teasing in Zhou Yanshu's words. He closed his eyes and lay obediently on the bed without moving.

It's getting weirder and weirder lately. The fusion of these soul fragments is proceeding slowly, and in theory, it shouldn't have much of an impact on Yu Zhuo. But unexpectedly, this time it has pulled Yu Zhuo's entire consciousness into it.

But it also accelerated, to some extent, the return of the whole soul to those who merely survived.

Inheriting memories is the most basic process, and it is also proof that souls that are barely surviving are effectively merging.

Once the souls have fully merged, Yu Zhuo should prepare for what's to come.

The breathing in the room calmed down, and it slowly fell silent.

Yu Zhuo was sleeping with his back to the small table beside him and his eyes closed. He was a restless sleeper and would occasionally move closer to the front.

His phone remained on the table. Some time passed, until both people in the room were fast asleep, before the phone screen finally lit up.

The small, pure black heart appeared in the center of the phone screen, with countless data crisscrossing into a network. Before long, it collapsed like snowflake fragments, taking over the entire phone screen.

*

For the next few days, Yu Zhuo stayed obediently in his room and did not go out.

Lin Shuang's victory celebration banquet has been a hot topic in the news recently. The general, who has been guarding the border for many years, has returned victorious, and the news has attracted a lot of attention.

Yu Zhuo also secretly gathered a lot of information about the victory celebration banquet. Tamo would also be attending the banquet, and in addition, various nobles of the merfolk would also be invited.

Yu Zhuo found the list and, sure enough, saw Qi Mohan's name. The two envoys didn't get along, but they managed to put on a good show.

Yu Zhuo pondered to himself as he scrolled through the list on his tablet, and surprisingly, he saw Yu Xiangwan's name at the very end.

Yu Zhuo has been here for several months and has not contacted the Yu family during this time. The merman royal family cut off his contact with the shore, but unexpectedly, they also invited Yu Xiangwan this time.

Yu Zhuo felt something was off. Merfolk had a strong sense of territory and never liked outsiders entering. Yu Xiangwan was a land-dwelling species, so it seemed unlikely that Tamo had specifically invited him over.

Yu Zhuo tapped the screen and hacked into the list inside the software.

[Invited Person: Yu Xiangwan (Reserve Member of the Expeditionary Force)]

Yu Xiangwan actually joined the expeditionary force?

This is a special frontline army led by Lin Shuang; most of those who can enter are high-level mermaids.

Yu Zhuo knew that Yu Xiangwan had excellent grades at the military academy, but he never expected that he would be able to join the expeditionary force in the spirit form of a tabby cat before he even graduated.

Yu Zhuo was secretly surprised. He wrote down the names on the list and closed the tablet.

With the help of medication, Zhou Yanshu has gradually been able to walk again. He has no interest in this celebration banquet and only glances at related news casually.

Yu Zhuo met with Ander several times using Zhou Yanshu's name. Ander had worked in the hospital for many years and was very familiar with the use of certain drugs.

Yu Zhuo asked him for two packs of aphrodisiac pills.

“I’m going to eat this myself. Sigh… it’s an old problem of mine. Please don’t tell anyone, it’s so embarrassing,” Yu Zhuo instructed him.

Ander: "..."

He glanced at Zhou Yanshu, who was still sitting in his wheelchair reading. Ander looked at him and felt even more sorry for Zhou Yanshu's current situation.

Yu Zhuo spent several days extracting all the nutrients from the aphrodisiac potion. He had previously stayed in several small worlds, and now he added mixed powder to it, and soon created several small gray pills.

Zhou Yanshu, watching from the side, frowned deeply: "You're going to eat it?"

"I won't eat them." Yu Zhuo carefully put the small gray pills away and placed them in Zhou Yanshu's hand, saying, "They're for you to nourish your body."

Zhou Yanshu: "..."

Yu Zhuo controlled the ingredients well and added a lot of yang energy into it. This pill was originally just a tonic, but after Yu Zhuo's modification, taking it could easily cause nosebleeds and even vomit blood.

"You really have a good eye for food, making me eat this." Zhou Yanshu raised an eyebrow at Yu Zhuo. "Why aren't you eating it?"

Yu Zhuo helplessly spread his hands: "Your status is higher than mine, so it will only have an effect if you eat it. As for me... even if I vomit blood and die, no one will care about me."