Holographic simulation pods had long since reached a highly advanced stage of development throughout the interstellar empire.
However, the technology was strictly controlled by the military. Any holographic games derived from it for civilian use were subject to stringent regulations, whether concerning their plot design, release schedules, or even eligibility requirements for logging in.
Naturally, this was to safeguard the physical and mental well-being of the Empire’s citizens, as well as to ensure a proper balance in how they allocated their time throughout life.
After all, holographic games had an extremely high rate of addiction. Without strict controls, many people would likely degenerate into slaves to the virtual world.
As a result, some deeply immersive holographic games were even connected to the entire citizen information database.
The system would assess how much time players had recently devoted to work, study, and similar pursuits, along with the results they had achieved. If excessive entertainment had interfered with their real lives, they could be denied access at any time.
In more serious cases, they might even be permanently banned from the game.
When Pei Liang learned about these regulations, she couldn’t help but remark that for all its flaws, this world still possessed an unmistakably progressive spirit in many respects.
And when she discovered that countless existing systems differed drastically from those of several decades ago, she could clearly see the efforts made by those who had come before.
There was no dizziness or discomfort. When Pei Liang and the other contestants opened their eyes, they found themselves in a vast, pure-white space.
This was different from what everyone had imagined. There was nothing around them, leaving them no choice but to look at one another in bewilderment.
The rules had not said they were forbidden to move, so the contestants began gathering according to their schools.
“What’s going on? Did something malfunction?”
“Let’s wait and see. They can’t possibly leave us without telling us the specific rules.”
“Didn’t they already say? The contestants’ memories are going to be blocked.”
At this, quite a few people turned to look at Pei Liang.
Those who had personally witnessed her strength after the first flag-capture match were one thing. Even those who hadn’t faced her directly had learned over the past few days—through replays, their schools’ analyses, and the current public discourse—that this evolved 3S-rank contestant was the greatest dark horse of the season.
Anyone who saw her abilities on-screen would feel a profound sense of helplessness.
If it came down to sheer combat power, there was probably no one in this year’s competition who could defeat her one-on-one.
But perhaps the organizing committee wanted to heighten the suspense. Or perhaps the people from Imperial Capital Star had finally found their conscience and decided that their military academy’s contestants were simply too unfairly powerful, so they imposed a certain restriction.
Because in everyone’s eyes, Pei Liang was practically flawless.
She wasn’t merely powerful in combat. Her command ability and capacity to handle crises were both far beyond those of her peers.
When the battlefields were analyzed afterward, it was found that the parasite swarm she had faced was the largest in number, its tactics the most devious, and the situation itself seemingly the most impossible to resolve.
Yet she had managed to pull through while paying an almost negligible price. Compared to the other contestants, who hadn’t even known when they were infected before being carried away, the difference was enough to leave everyone speechless.
Still, even someone as formidable as her had one tiny weakness.
As an evolved 3S-rank individual—and one who had only recently evolved—her body and mind were far less adaptable than those of contestants who had been born at the 2S or 3S level.
In other words, she was still nowhere near achieving full coordination between the two. Her physical evolution lagged far behind her mental evolution.
That meant that without her memories as a point of reference, she wouldn’t even know that she had become 3S-rank, much less be able to make use of a 3S-rank individual’s abilities.
That alone was enough to make her competitors rejoice.
This was also why the major media outlets had vied with one another to ask Pei Liang what she thought of the rules before the contestants entered the game.
After all, many people naturally assumed that she would protest the current rules.
The Empire’s soldiers had never had a precedent of making the strong accommodate the weak.
While the contestants were still at a loss, Richter’s figure appeared before them.
After giving them a simple greeting, he said, “Before the second event begins, allow me to explain the rules.”
“The rules for the second event are—there are no rules.”
The contestants exchanged bewildered looks. Some of them began to develop a bad feeling.
Richter did not elaborate. He merely said flatly, “From this point on, the memories being concealed will cover your entire lives, including everything I’m saying now. Therefore, there’s no point in establishing any rules.”
“Furthermore, the organizing committee will implant different temporary memories based on each contestant’s identity. The final results will be evaluated according to the achievements of the faction represented by that identity.”
“The evaluation will not be limited to combat. Therefore, contestants who are not skilled in battle should make especially good use of this opportunity. Unlike the middle rounds of previous competitions, this event will account for the highest proportion of points in the entire league.”
Quite a few people around them grew excited, particularly the contestants from ordinary military academies.
In terms of sheer combat strength, ordinary contestants—whether in genetic rank or mecha performance—could not compete with those from elite schools. The rules this time seemed designed to force everyone onto a relatively equal playing field while stripping away most external advantages.
If they performed well in the second event, the gains made by the other military academies this year would likely far exceed those of previous years.
Seeing this, Richter curved his lips into a smile and continued, “The second event will be divided into several different arenas. Contestants will form groups of seven at their own discretion, but each group must include students from at least four military academies.”
The new rule made everyone even more excited, especially the 3S-rank contestants who had directly lost to Pei Liang.
They didn’t dare place too much faith in how severely the rules would limit Pei Liang, so naturally, the best outcome would be not having to compete alongside her.
This was especially true for the likes of Brian and Hodgson, who had suffered the most at her hands. Their mouths were practically splitting into grins.
Pei Liang’s group was soon mostly assembled. With Pei Liang, Arnold, Teresa, and Lancelot alone, they already represented two military academies.
Then Snake Woman took the initiative to approach them and said to Pei Liang, “I’m still a little dissatisfied with losing to you last time.”
“I’m inferior to you in pure physical strength, but when it comes to overall ability, I definitely still have a chance to compete. Count me in.”
Pei Liang was naturally delighted. Who didn’t like a tall, handsome, alluring, and dangerous beauty?
She hurriedly took Snake Woman’s hand. “Welcome, welcome! That leaves us needing only two more people.”
The Imperial Military Academy’s know-it-all senior came over and asked Pei Liang, “Can I join?”
“Sure. We still need one more person, but they have to be from a different military academy.”
Then she spotted Brian, standing proudly in the middle of the crowd from Ares Military Academy.
On the shuttle leaving the first arena, Pei Liang had at least been decent enough to delete the humiliating video in front of him.
With the threat of his black history completely gone, Brian naturally felt free to swagger around again.
His group was, of course, centered around Ares Military Academy. When Pei Liang walked over, she heard him boasting loudly, “Don’t take that idiot Hodgson. He’s completely useless and only gets in the way.”
“What did you say? I wasn’t so spineless that I’d meekly spend several days as someone else’s captive. At least I had the guts to fight back. You, Brian—your cowardice and complete lack of backbone make you unworthy of being Ares’s captain.”
“All right, all right. The abilities of both of you are indispensable,” the others from Ares said impatiently.
After the previous match, the two had lost a great deal of prestige within the school team. Now, whenever anyone looked at them, there was an inexplicable trace of disdain in their eyes.
This was especially true during the post-match replay analysis. Not only had the two failed to report every detail of what happened, they had also been evasive about certain censored scenes.
Those scenes clearly had nothing to do with bathing, using the toilet, or accidentally exposing themselves, yet they had left the two so embarrassed and humiliated that they must have made fools of themselves.
Consequently, the other contestants had no intention of indulging them.
“According to the rules, a squad has to consist of students from at least four schools. Even though everyone’s memories have been blocked, we still need to prevent our competitors from sabotaging us. So the sensible thing is to concentrate our main forces in one squad and sacrifice three contestants to help carry those small military academies. Think about what the principal told us before we came in.”
Brian and Hodgson turned their heads away reluctantly. Brian added forcefully, “Whatever. I’m still the boss.”
Hodgson snorted. “Ha.”
Brian couldn’t stand the way this guy had shown him no respect at all since they left the arena. During training, Hodgson couldn’t even beat him.
He was just about to teach him a lesson when he heard a voice from nearby that made his asshole clench.
“Brian? Are you all right? Have the people around you been ostracizing you?”
Brian turned around stiffly and saw Pei Liang leading several students from the Imperial Military Academy, along with that Poseidon guy, standing behind him.
Pei Liang’s expression was concerned, tinged with pity, and there was even a hint of righteous indignation on his behalf.
But Brian didn’t feel flattered in the slightest. Instead, his entire scalp went numb.
“No, of course not. Ares has a friendly school culture. Our classmates are all like family. Everyone at Ares is talented, and they’re all so pleasant to talk to. I absolutely love them.”
The Ares contestants all shuddered. Even though they knew this wasn’t the right time to react, none of them could resist their instinctive response.
Pei Liang, however, threw an arm around Brian’s neck. Her face was all smiles, but to Brian, her voice sounded unmistakably threatening.
“I understand. You may look intimidating, but deep down, you’re a gentle and honest man.”
“Beneath that fearsome exterior lies a heart that tirelessly dedicates itself to the team, that can’t even bring itself to abandon an opponent in need, and that’s born with such a strong sense of responsibility. You’re as gentle as a stay-at-home dad.”
Stop praising me, will you? Brian was practically on the verge of tears.
Sure enough, Pei Liang continued, “Your classmates at Ares simply can’t recognize your virtues. That’s their lack of judgment. Come with us, Brian. Use your strength and your achievements to prove your worth to them.”
Brian hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no, it’s fine. We’ve already formed our squad.”
Pei Liang glanced around. “Hodgson clearly seems to dislike you.”
“If he doesn’t like me, he can get lost. What say does he have in the matter?”
He then struggled desperately and said, “Director Richter specifically said that everyone has to volunteer—”
Before he could finish, Pei Liang called out to Richter. “Director, Brian seems to have had a disagreement with one of his schoolmates after the squads were formed. Can we temporarily disband and reorganize them?”
Richter turned his gaze over. Brian was just about to give a firm refusal when his face suddenly went pale. Cold sweat broke out across his forehead, and he looked at Richter with the expression of a hostage being held at gunpoint.
Richter said sternly to Pei Liang, “Students from the Imperial Military Academy never involve themselves in disputes between other schools. You shouldn’t bring personal feelings into the competition.”
Brian was just about to celebrate when Richter abruptly changed tack.
“However, considering that Brian provided tremendous assistance to Pei Liang in her first-ever match, and that the two of them formed a deep friendship while participating in the event together, I’ll make an exception this time.”
“...” Brian.
What the hell was wrong with the people from the Imperial Military Academy? Were they all blind? When nothing was at stake, he was a captive. But the moment it became convenient, he was suddenly a close friend?
And so, the Ares contestants could only watch helplessly as Brian was abducted by a band of bandits.
Once the squads had been formed, the members of each group stood inside different large squares as instructed.
In an instant, they felt as though they were falling, and then they appeared somewhere else.
It was a cramped, shabby room, a stark contrast to the vast, brilliantly lit hall they had just left.
A long table stood before them, with several crystal cards laid out on top.
Then Richter’s figure appeared in front of them again. Unlike his usual impeccably suited appearance in the hall, Richter was now dressed like a prison warden.
Of course, this was merely a holographic projection. Richter himself hadn’t entered a holographic pod at all, which was how he could control so many different arenas from outside at the same time.
Even so, Pei Liang’s mind heated up the moment she saw him. That sadistic, elite aura of his suited the prison-warden look far too well.
Pei Liang let out a whistle. “Director, that outfit looks good on you.”
Richter nodded at her calmly. “Thank you.”
Before the tournament, Richter had often visited the training grounds to observe Pei Liang’s practice. She had always been fond of making shamelessly flirtatious remarks, grinning and joking around without a shred of seriousness. In the past, everyone had simply assumed that she didn’t care about the director’s authority and was willing to joke with anyone.
But ever since they learned that she already had a partner outside, Arnold and the others had started viewing everything she said and did differently.
At this moment, even Lancelot knew that she was probably lusting after the director.
She never hid it when she was around him. Why had they all assumed her remarks were nothing more than verbal teasing?
As a result, the three of them looked at Richter with complicated expressions.
From an Alpha’s perspective, this mature and powerful Alpha was someone worthy of respect, admiration, and surpassing.
But from an aesthetic perspective—
Damn! Was this guy actually trying to seduce someone? How many hormones had he taken to radiate such blatant sex appeal even through a holographic projection?
Don’t think they had never seen a real interstellar prison warden. Was a proper prison warden really supposed to look like this after putting on the uniform?
The design was practically identical, but the difference was enormous.
The three young Alphas felt a sour twinge of jealousy. Was this the difference age made?
Richter had no idea what was wrong with these students from the Imperial Military Academy, and he didn’t waste any more time.
“Congratulations. You’ve drawn the prison arena. From this point onward, you’ll be spending your time in a prison.”
“These seven cards represent different identities. Whichever identity you choose, the corresponding memories will be implanted into you.”
“The faces of the cards aren’t encrypted. You can discuss your choices, and the principle of voluntary participation still applies.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the cards became transparent. The seven cards were labeled: Warden, Prison Guard, Prison Doctor, Prison Boss, Ordinary Prisoner, Gay Prisoner, and Bottom-Rung Prisoner.
The cards were clearly designed to cause trouble. Even just looking at the titles, there were several obvious lines of conflict between the seven roles.
When contestants chose their teammates, they would naturally choose people they were close to and could trust.
Even with their memories blocked, people who got along would most likely still be drawn to one another, which meant there was a good chance they would cooperate to get through the competition.
Now, however, their companions had been deliberately assigned to opposing sides. Their identities also came with an obvious division between the strong and the weak, and one or two people even held authority over the others.
In a prison—a brutal environment rife with sin—even if they had once been companions, who would be willing to understand someone placed on the opposing side?
The conflict of fundamental interests would directly and almost completely eliminate any possibility of teamwork.
Lancelot frowned. “Is our luck just exceptionally good, or are all the contestants in the same situation?”
Richter smiled. “As for the circumstances of the other contestants’ matches, you may find out for yourselves after the competition.”
“Now, please begin choosing your roles.”
“I choose the prison warden,” Brian hurriedly said.
The moment he spoke, everyone shot him a contemptuous look.
“Idiot. The director said the choices must be made voluntarily, but with seven of us, it’s impossible for everyone’s wishes to align perfectly.”
“If we want to uphold that principle, the only solutions are to reach a unanimous agreement or have the minority submit to the majority. Did you really think that shouting first meant the role was yours?”
Brian had indeed been counting on that. Now that his intentions had been exposed, his face flushed red.
To make matters worse, the director of the Imperial Military Academy showed no sign that his choice had been accepted.
Brian shouted, “This is unfair! Four out of the seven people are from the Imperial Military Academy. Doesn’t that mean the role assignments are still entirely up to you?”
Teresa said, “Just like it was entirely up to you at the Ares Military Academy’s home arena.”
Every academy had its own home arena, where most of the participants were members of that academy. And because of the rule requiring at least four academies to be represented, the other three contestants would have difficulty reaching an agreement right away.
Thus, this part of the process was tacitly permitted, with the rules themselves offering protection.
It was probably also intended to facilitate the overall academy rankings in addition to evaluating individual performances.
Lancelot turned to his sister. “Sis, you choose first. Pick the prison warden. I’d feel safe with you in charge.”
Teresa and Arnold nodded as well. The guy wasn’t mean or vicious. On the contrary, he was quite generous.
If one of them really had to become the ruler, she was indeed the most suitable candidate.
But Pei Liang said, “No. You guys do it. I want to be a gay prisoner.”
“I’ve never tried a role like this before. Just thinking about it is pretty exciting.”
Richter: “…”
Lancelot, Teresa, and Arnold: “…”
Brian: “…”
Snake Woman: “…”
The spectators watching the interleague competition: “…”
“Hahaha, contestant Pei Liang isn’t just powerful—she’s also particularly willing to try new things!”
“She’s so considerate, too. She knows the others aren’t as strong as she is, so she gave the advantageous role to someone else.”
“A gay prisoner is the weakest role apart from a bottom-tier prisoner, right? I have to say, contestant Pei Liang is truly magnanimous.”
“And for a normal Alpha, homosexuality is the greatest challenge and humiliation to his identity. Any Alpha who chooses this role will have his post-match footage watched and saved by countless people. If anyone projects themselves onto him, it could cause no end of trouble for that Alpha. Contestant Pei Liang is being considerate of the others by taking the most difficult problem upon herself. She’s not only the leading prospective warrior of her generation in the Empire, but also a person of admirable character.”
“Exactly. Which Alpha would rather become a gay prisoner than a bottom-tier prisoner? If he really acted out of character because of his memories, it would become a lifelong stain on his reputation.”
“Contestant Pei Liang is truly amazing.”
The internet was flooded with praise. Even those who disliked her had to admit that she was a true Alpha.
But if Lancelot and the others could have seen the comments outside the arena, they would surely have spat blood.
At that moment, the three of them could only think that she was beyond saving. This woman was going to any lengths to find a legitimate excuse to fool around with men. But they couldn’t expose her in front of the entire universe.
They could only grit their teeth and say with difficulty, “Maybe not. You won the last match, after all. Choosing this role would be too demeaning for you. Pick something else.”
Pei Liang waved a hand grandly. “No. This one. I like it.”
Brian looked moved. “I misunderstood you. I didn’t realize you had such a loyal side.”
“Just for what you did this time, I won’t hold our previous disagreement against you.”
Pei Liang’s very next sentence was, “Brian will be the bottom-tier prisoner.”
Brian: “Pei Liang, fuck your father!”
Fortunately, Snake Woman spoke up. “No. The prison warden’s role belongs to you two. As Lancelot’s biological sister, your positions are aligned even though you attend different academies.”
“Only Brian and I count as ‘outsiders,’ so neither of us can be assigned the lowest-ranking role.”
Snake Woman wasn’t sympathizing with Brian, of course. She was merely protecting her own interests.
Still, her request was perfectly reasonable. Although the contestants were destined to oppose one another because of their assigned roles, Pei Liang felt that there was far more to this match than met the eye.
She nodded. “You and Brian can choose between a prison guard and an ordinary prisoner, or a prison doctor and a prison kingpin. Pick one of the two combinations yourselves.”
Snake Woman and Brian exchanged a glance. An ordinary person might have played it safe and chosen the prison doctor and kingpin combination.
But doctors in interstellar prisons were usually hired from outside and frequently transferred, so they had very little authority or freedom within the prison.
As strong individuals, neither Snake Woman nor Brian was willing to settle for mediocrity simply for the sake of compromise. Their instinct was to fight for the greatest possible advantage. As for the risks involved, they would bear them themselves.
The two therefore chose the prison guard and ordinary prisoner combination, then decided their roles with rock-paper-scissors.
Snake Woman came out on top and secured the prison guard role. At least on paper, it was the most advantageous position after that of the prison warden, and she was fairly satisfied with it.
The moment they finished choosing their roles, their outfits changed.
Pei Liang was already wrapped in a black-and-white striped prison uniform. Brian’s knotted muscles looked as though they might burst through his uniform at any moment, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Snake Woman, meanwhile, was instantly dressed in a prison guard’s uniform. At nearly 1.9 meters tall, she possessed an aura of extreme severity with a dangerous edge hidden beneath it.
With her broad shoulders, long legs, curvaceous hips, and ample breasts, she was perfectly suited to the sharply tailored uniform. Because of her generous bust, the front of the uniform was left open across her chest, and she had also been given a black baton.
She looked intimidating, beautiful, and dangerous all at once. Countless submissive viewers online dropped to their knees on the spot.
Pei Liang also wiped at her nose. She thought that whoever had designed this scenario really understood her.
How was this a competition? It was clearly a fan-service segment.
Seeing her like this, Lancelot and the others immediately began to doubt her earlier claim that she was only attracted to male Alphas.
The remaining roles were assigned as follows: Arnold volunteered to be the bottom-tier prisoner. Someone confident in his own strength didn’t particularly care about his circumstances.
Teresa was given the role of prison kingpin, while the know-it-all senior received the role of prison doctor. He was more of a theoretical specialist, so the prison doctor role suited him quite well.
And the warden was Lancelot.
