Ye Zhizhou received the new plot information with a heart on the verge of collapse and began reading it line by line. In this new storyline, Edie's traces had vanished, and the protagonist's name had changed to Inez Gascon. He furiously tapped the system and asked in his mind, "Heavenly System! How could the protagonist change so abruptly? I didn't receive any hint of a soul fluctuation!"
[System has provided all the information.]
"..." He rubbed his face and used the excuse of needing rest to return to his room. The new plot was too explosive, and he feared he might blurt it out in front of the twins.
Inez Gascon, referred to as beta in gender but written as omega, had mental and physical attributes both at the S level. He was a second-year student majoring in mecha engineering. After suffering from mental instability for a year due to his parents' death, he transferred to the command department upon his return and became classmates with the Second Prince, Chris. Later, he joined the Student Council through Chris's recommendation and, thanks to his excellent managerial skills, earned Daley's appreciation, making him the candidate for the next Student Council president.
Inez's life became exceedingly difficult after losing both parents. With the school's approval, he started working part-time at a mecha manufacturing plant on weekends. By coincidence, he encountered the company's crown prince, Carol, which led to his apprenticeship with Master Brenda at the school's part-time position, where he rediscovered mecha manufacturing. He took an exam, encountered the interstellar pirate Ego Burt on a spaceship, and got involved in a situation with Federal General Audley...
Ye Zhizhou closed the information and felt as if there was a stone stuck in his heart, causing great discomfort. This was such a blunt and dramatic change in the storyline. Why could the protagonist of this world change like this?
[Currently checking the protagonist's status... No abnormalities. Checking the soul flag status... No abnormalities.]
"...Everything seems normal," Ye Zhizhou mumbled to himself. So, after leaving school, Edie suddenly became Inez? Both of them had complete records of their growth experiences and backgrounds. It was impossible for them to be the same person, not to mention that this was not a case of "Painted Skin" where one could transform into another. He suddenly got startled by the idea that popped into his mind.
The protagonist's soul showed no fluctuations, and the soul flag had not shifted to someone else. What should have been Edie's harem had now become Inez's. The more he thought about it, the more horrifying it seemed. He couldn't help but jump onto the bed, covering himself with a blanket and trembling. He anxiously checked the detailed information of both Inez and Edie.
Edie, an orphan, was beta, and during his first aptitude test as a child, he had mental power rated as "a" and physical attributes rated as "s." After turning five, he entered a school arranged by the government, excelling in academics but with a reserved personality. At the age of eighteen, his mental power and physical attributes suddenly upgraded, and he was subsequently admitted to the Royal Military Academy. Before the upgrade, he accompanied the deputy director of the orphanage on a trip to collect donations from elsewhere...
Inez, who grew up in a normal family, was also beta and had mental power rated as "a" and physical attributes rated as "a" during his first aptitude test as a child. He had an average academic record and a lively personality. At the age of eighteen, he managed to enter the Royal Military Academy in the mecha engineering program with mediocre grades. A year later, his parents tragically passed away, severely impacting his mental state, leading to his leave from school and hospitalization... His recovery during the rest period was not ideal, but on the same day Edie left school, his mental power and physical attributes suddenly upgraded simultaneously, and his condition improved rapidly. After applying to return to school, he transferred to the command department with outstanding grades...
Crossing timelines, sudden upgrades in aptitude, changes in personality, improved academic performance, and both identified as beta but referred to as omega in gender in the storyline... Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but pinch himself, muttering, "What on earth is this world's protagonist..."
The small mirror trembled, [System has provided all the information.]
He didn't want to see that sentence at all! Taking a deep breath to force himself to calm down, he retrieved the initial plot information and read it again. He had been unable to understand the connection between the world's destruction and the protagonist's harem behavior until now. If Edie's skin concealed the soul of a worm, then the deaths of the male leads and the rapid destruction of the world finally made sense.
"Chris," Ye Zhizhou said with a solemn expression, every word carefully enunciated, "I suspect that there is a parasitic Xenian organism inside Edie. When he left the school, this Xenian organism might have transferred to Inez's body and is now using Inez's identity to return to the school. Additionally, I need to have a direct conversation with your brother and have him contact me as soon as possible." In this world, only a lover would trust him unconditionally without asking too many questions about how he came to these conclusions. They would also provide cover for him. In short, his lover's support had come at just the right time; otherwise, he would never dare to reveal these suspicions to anyone.
"A Xenian organism?" Chris's confusion on his face was quickly replaced by shock and then turned into seriousness. "Darling, please wait for a moment. I will contact my brother through an encrypted channel at the military headquarters."
[The likelihood of Chris falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 0%, the fourth soul flag has been removed. Congratulations, host, keep up the good work.]
They removed the soul flag directly... Ye Zhizhou blinked at the place where the call panel had disappeared and couldn't help but mentally send a little red flower to Chris – his lover's younger brother was really amazing!
Half an hour later, a call from Clay came in. Ye Zhizhou quickly answered it and was stunned by the sight of Xenian creature limbs strewn about behind him.
"Your upcoming training is canceled, and Daley will come to pick you up from the school later. Before I return, Ned will ensure your safety." Clay was dressed in combat gear, his hair slightly disheveled, his clothes dusty. His expression was stern and cold, with a lingering hint of murderous intent. "Furthermore, write a detailed report about your discovery and give it to Ned. He will transmit it to me through an encrypted channel."
Ye Zhizhou stared at him dumbfounded and then nodded vigorously. His lover, who took his responsibilities seriously, was so handsome!
Seeing his infatuated gaze, Clay's eyes flashed with a hint of tenderness, and his expression softened. "Butterfly disappeared yesterday... Wait for me, I'll come to you soon. Don't be afraid."
He continued to nod vigorously and couldn't help reaching out his hand to touch his lover's face on the call panel.
"Panxi." Clay also raised his hand and placed it on the panel, pressing it against Ye Zhizhou's hand. "The call has to be terminated... I miss you, Xiaozhou."
With a click, the indicator light on the communicator blinked, and the panel disappeared. Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but clench his fist in mid-air and quickly retracted it to stifle the cry that was about to escape his lips. What did his lover just call him? Xiaozhou?! His lover... Did he regain his memories?
Fifteen minutes later, Daley arrived at the dormitory building. Ye Zhizhou packed his things quickly, and then, using the excuse of an unstable mental power realm and the need for off-campus recuperation, he managed to fend off the twins' inquiries. He headed downstairs.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the military headquarters in His Highness's office area; it's the safest place." Daley adjusted his glasses, set the hovercar to autopilot, and handed him a document. "Sign it and take the oath."
He took the document and flipped through it, realizing it was a confidentiality agreement. He immediately understood what was expected of him, wasted no time, and signed it. Then, following the traditional enlistment procedure of the Empire, he clenched his fist and took the oath of loyalty to the Empire.
"Welcome to the team," Daley greeted him with a military salute, stowed away his confidentiality agreement, and then pulled out a few more documents, speaking quickly. "The information you discovered about the Xenian parasitism is of utmost importance. Three months ago, His Highness stumbled upon a secret research facility hidden underground on a planet previously occupied by the Xenians. Don't look so surprised; not all Xenians are mindless marauders. Some of their branches are actually quite intelligent, but their intelligence is often overridden by their instinct to plunder, making it difficult for them to fully utilize it."
Ye Zhizhou hastily adjusted his expression and nodded attentively.
"That facility was mostly destroyed by cunning Xenians, and the little information that remains only allows us to speculate about their human experiments." Daley opened one of the documents and pointed at it. "His Highness attaches great importance to this discovery and started delving deeper into it. However, those Xenians seemed to have realized something and suddenly went into hiding. They even learned to mislead us, creating false information to divert His Highness's thoughts in the wrong direction. If you hadn't raised the suspicion of parasitism, I believe we would have been misled."
Thoughts raced through Ye Zhizhou's mind, and he asked, "Do you suspect a connection between their human experiments and parasitism?"
"It's confirmed now," Daley pulled out the bottommost document, and with a serious expression, he said, "Half an hour ago, we received a traffic accident report. Edie had a fatal accident shortly after leaving school. Shortly after his death, Inez Gascon's mental and physical attributes suddenly improved, and his condition rapidly improved. Most importantly, before the accident, Edie had visited the sanatorium where Inez was."
"Dead?" Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but show surprise again.
"The accident scene was quite gruesome; he died on the spot," Daley showed him a blurry photo of mangled flesh. "And his body was somewhat peculiar, too severely damaged to look like it was hit by a car. We're waiting for a detailed autopsy report."
Ye Zhizhou quickly glanced at the photo and then looked away, asking, "What are your plans regarding Inez?"
"It's not advisable to alert him now; observation and surveillance are our priorities," Daley retrieved the photo and looked deeply into his eyes. "Panxi, you've made a great contribution this time."
Please don't say it with such a meaningful look...
"I trust His Highness's judgment, so I've decided to trust you," Daley turned his gaze towards the dimly outlined military building, his expression serious. "Panxi, please don't betray His Highness's trust."
Ye Zhizhou glanced at him sideways, his expression also serious, and affirmed, "I won't. I love him."
[Daley's likelihood of falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 0%, the fifth soul flag has been removed. Congratulations, host, please keep up the good work.]
The hovercar slowly descended to the entrance of the military building. Before getting out, Daley suddenly turned sideways and extended his hand towards him once more, saying, "Welcome to the team."
Ye Zhizhou paused, then firmly shook his hand and smiled sincerely, "Thank you."