The time difference between Yu Shui Xing and Xing Lian is not significant, and she arrived at Liu Ruxuan's place at 10 p.m.

Liu Ruxuan smiled and took her medicine box. "Come on, come on, the takeout is all ordered, you're the only one who's here."

She was wearing pajamas, holding a can of beer in one hand and a skewer of barbecue in the other, eating with great gusto as if she hadn't eaten in a long time. As she ate, she began to complain to Xia Shizhao: "General Ye told me to do more missions. I went to deal with local disturbances, I went to deal with the rampant black market, and I went to deal with the difficult planets I found. I've been busy like a dog these past few months. Right now, Chi Xin is still setting up border defenses on the newly conquered planets."

"The capable should do more work."

Xia Shizhao looked at Liu Ruxuan with amusement, who was complaining but whose face was full of pride.

"The batch of omegas I recruited this time has done a great job. The media interviewed them yesterday, and they will appear in front of the public in a while."

Liu Ruxuan said excitedly, "If anyone says that an omega is inferior to an alpha, I'll twist their head!"

"OK."

Xia Shizhao nodded in support.

Liu Ruxuan put away her nonchalant expression, sat up slightly, and said in a serious tone: "By the way, the main reason I called you here is because I discovered a laboratory that looks like a desert planet yesterday. It seems to have been abandoned for a long time, at least several decades, but I still don't dare to ask anyone to check it out. There will be very few people on the street in two hours, so let's go and see what's going on."

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Xia Shizhao lowered his eyes slightly and nodded in reply, "Okay."

After resting for a while, Xia Shizhao stood up, indicating that they could move on. Liu Ruxuan, who was busy in a meeting, gestured for them to wait, and then sat down again.

Midnight.

As the two were about to leave, a heavy rain began to fall. The cold rain, blown by the wind, splashed onto Liu Ruxuan's face. She looked up at the weather, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Damn it, the lab is on a mountain. With this heavy rain, the roads will be all muddy later."

"The laboratory is in the mountains?"

"Yes, to be precise, it's in the mountains. Yesterday, I wanted to go into the mountains to relax and scream a bit, but I accidentally found a cave with bears. After the person I contacted sent the bears to the zoo, I curiously walked towards the cave and accidentally pressed a mechanism that made a staircase appear. I went down to take a look and saw the water column you described. Just in case, I came out first and then used the issue of wild animals appearing to send a notice to have them seal off the mountain."

After explaining, Liu Ruxuan clicked on the personal terminal, and the car automatically drove up to them. Liu Ruxuan walked into the car and prayed softly, "God help me, I hope there won't be a landslide on the mountaintop halfway there."

Xia Shizhao fastened his seatbelt, leaned back, closed his eyes, and said lazily, "Stop jinxing me."

"Hmph, I was just anticipating the worst-case scenario. What do you mean by 'jinxing'?"

Liu Ruxuan was unconvinced.

Xia Shizhao stared at her face for a while, "Do you have a younger sister?"

Liu Ruxuan stared blankly for a moment, then scratched her cheek. "Yes, yes."

Xia Shizhao narrowed his eyes slightly, sized him up for a moment, and said leisurely:

"I don't recall you mentioning that your parents weren't home, nor did you invite us to your house. By the way, how did your family agree to let a mecha-themed school full of alphas like you, a 2S omega, come over?"

Liu Ruxuan stammered for a moment, then sighed as she looked at Xia Shizhao, whose eyes were full of curiosity:

"How could I possibly agree? I ran away from home, and they threatened to cut ties with me, so I blocked them. Anyway, I'm definitely going to study mecha. I can survive on my own. It's just a pity for my sister. I'm afraid they'll be watching her even more closely now."

What's your sister's name?

"Liu Zhiru".

Xia Shizhao pondered for a moment, then asked, "How old are you now?"

"Seven years old, in first grade this year," Liu Ruxuan answered without hesitation.

Xia Shizhao, recalling the child she met that afternoon who was about 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall, asked, "Have you not contacted them again?"

“They cut off all ties just like that. They cut off my card without hesitation, not afraid that I would die out there. I was heartbroken. Why should I contact them anymore? Should I just hand me over to them and let them sell me off?”

Liu Ruxuan's face remained calm, and even her tone was very indifferent. "They don't want me to go to the mecha department because they want to use me as a resource to contribute to the family's development. When I get to a higher position, I want to bring my sister along too."

Xia Shizhao suddenly thought, "Wait, who is General Liu to you?"

“My uncle.” Liu Ruxuan said, snorting and rolling her eyes. “He wants me to marry another general who hasn’t taken sides, so he can win them over and strengthen their power. I have to run fast, otherwise you won’t see such a brave and fearless Liu Ruxuan. If I run slowly, I’ll be a Liu Ruxuan who has two babies in a year, and they’ll be an old man’s children.”

Xia Shizhao initially felt sorry for her, but the next second she was amused by her.

Seeing that her mood had improved, Liu Ruxuan gave a soft hum and said arrogantly, "Don't pity me. Most omegas in the upper class are in this situation. Happiness is not important, as long as the benefits are there. Four years have passed, and I have long accepted the idea that they don't love me. Now, becoming strong is the most important thing."

Hearing this, Xia Shizhao nodded in agreement, "Indeed, having sufficient personal strength is the real skill."

If you don't have enough strength, just like she did back then, swallow your pride and hide your abilities. Once you've accumulated enough resources, you can naturally escape.

Because when there is no one else to rely on, you are your own greatest support.

Raindrops pattered on the ground, the windshield wipers swung rhythmically, and the car wheels crunched over tree branches. Xia Shizhao looked at the rain-blurred car window, the large trees swaying in the wind and rain appearing blurry in his vision, and silence fell over the car.

Xia Shizhao quietly rested his chin on his hand, watching the ever-changing scenery.

Liu Ruxuan carefully observed the situation on the road.

Two hours later, the car was still driving on the winding mountain road. Just when Xia Shizhao thought she was lost, Liu Ruxuan stopped the car and pointed to the cave in the distance, "That's the cave."

"Your location is quite out of the way."

"Hmph, I'm a somewhat well-known person, how can I let others know that I'm screaming and going crazy in the mountains?"

While complaining, Liu Ruxuan handed the items to Xia Shizhao. The two of them, fully protected, exchanged a glance and got out of the car together.

Liu Ruxuan pressed the switch she had accidentally discovered last time, and with a click, a secret passage appeared beneath their feet.

Xia Shizhao gestured to Liu Ruxuan not to go down yet, and started looking for the switch himself. As the door closed, Xia Shizhao gave an OK sign. "Come down, there's a button on the door. It's better than the one I had last time that automatically closed. It seems the equipment is a bit old."

Liu Ruxuan nodded and jumped down.