The System Teaches You How to Be Human

Si Yisi went online again to collect the star coins he had won. He deliberately removed the golden title above his head and changed his name back to [System 414.]

As he passed by the mecha customization center he had visited before, he noticed the owner leaning on the table, wailing uncontrollably. Si Yisi walked past without a change in expression. Amid the surprised gazes of the gambling table staff, he calmly collected his winnings.

A hand landed on Si Yisi’s shoulder, but he instinctively shook it off.

Just as he was about to deal with the person who had attempted to attack him, he recognized a familiar face. The person stood up, rubbing his shoulder in pain.

Lin Xian grinned at Si Yisi, baring his teeth. “Wanna get to know each other?”

Even though the name had changed, Lin Xian recognized Si Yisi by his height and build. But before he could even get close, he had already taken a hit.

“No need.” Si Yisi turned to leave.

“Hey—think about it. Didn’t you find Tru annoying? Well, so do I. How about we…?”

Si Yisi could tell that Lin Xian wasn’t trying to recruit him into an alliance. It was more like an inexplicable sense of “battle camaraderie.”

Forming gangs… such a childish thing.

Si Yisi glanced at Lin Xian indifferently, swiftly dodging another attempt to touch him. His tone was cold as he left behind a single sentence. “No need. I’ll handle it myself.”

Lin Xian was momentarily disappointed, but then he lazily leaned against the wall. He had caught the underlying meaning in Si Yisi’s words. Handle it himself? That meant Tru is still doomed! That’s… absolutely satisfying!

When Lin Xian later heard that his rival would be having a rough time for the foreseeable future, he cheerfully called Tru to claim the price of their bet.

The call took a full 2 minutes to connect. Lin Xian immediately noticed the faint red mark on Tru’s cheek, poorly concealed with powder, and the trace of blood not yet wiped clean from his lips.

Hah! He got beaten up and even coughed up blood from sheer frustration? Lin Xian’s lips unconsciously curled into a gloating smirk.

Tru’s voice was rough and agitated. “What do you want?!”

“Claiming my prize, Trulu~.” Lin Xian watched as Tru’s expression grew darker and darker, clearly realizing that the “prize” wouldn’t be anything good.

Knowing Tru’s arrogant and conceited nature… Bah!

If Lin Xian had lost, Tru would’ve come up with the most malicious way to humiliate him.

And now that Tru had lost unexpectedly, he must be imagining an equally vicious retaliation.

Lin Xian understood it perfectly, so he deliberately drew out his words to tease Tru. “I want you to…”

As expected, Tru’s face turned even blacker; just like the legendary historical figure Judge Bao!

(T/N: Judge Bao/ Justice Bao = Real name Bao Zheng; Is often depicted with a black face in traditional operas and popular culture. The black face is commonly associated with the idea of impartiality and unyielding justice.)

Lin Xian couldn’t help but say, “What’s with that resentful look? Did you think I’d be like you, spending all day fantasizing about making people kneel and apologize? I’m not as boring as you, nor as twisted, craving the defeated to beg for mercy. Ugh…”

Tru’s expression didn’t improve at all after Lin Xian’s clarification. His throat moved a few times, his face turning an alarming shade; like he might cough up blood again any second!

“I want a few of the commercial properties under your name,” Lin Xian said lazily, stretching his arms into a more comfortable position. “Oh, and also that Bai Lingqiu; Silver Star War God.”

Given Tru’s petty nature, he would definitely try to trip Bai Lingqiu up. If that happened, Bai Lingqiu’s performance in competitions would suffer.

Lin Xian figured that if he took Bai Lingqiu under his wing, the young talent; without someone sabotaging him, would have a much more stable performance.

He didn’t want to see a rising star fall before even reaching his peak. Lin Xian did appreciate talent, though that mindset was mostly ingrained by years of being tormented by his father.

“I… un-der-stand.” Tru gritted his teeth so hard that Lin Xian could practically hear the grinding noise from his end of the call. That constant sound of gnashing teeth made Lin Xian fully aware of the rage Tru was suppressing.

Add another spark to the fire.

Just as Tru was about to end the call unilaterally, Lin Xian quickly interjected, “I heard you’re transferring to Anderson Military Academy?… Congratulations, congratulations—we’re going to be schoolmates.”

Lin Xian smiled lazily, looking as sly as an old fox. He was practically a carbon copy of his father.

***

The Katz Imperial Celebration passed in the blink of an eye, but this time, Tru was temporarily grounded and barely made an appearance.

The scandal on StarNet rose and fell in popularity quickly, but it had already left a faint mark in people’s minds, becoming part of Tru’s dark history. If the media ever mentioned Tru again, this incident would undoubtedly be dragged out repeatedly as a cautionary tale.

During the days spent aboard the spacecraft, Si Yisi thrived on StarNet, filling in his knowledge gaps and personally teaching Lisa how to navigate the platform.

While the online community buzzed about the mecha pilot who wore the ugliest mecha, chose the flashiest name, and executed the boldest maneuvers, Si Yisi was sitting with Lisa, playing tile-matching games.

Multitasking, he kept one part of his attention on clearing tiles while also processing StarNet discussions surrounding the ‘Blood Moon Mist.’

To maintain a harmonious online atmosphere, official discussions on the topic remained vague.

However, keywords like “Zerg” caught Si Yisi’s eye. He also noticed that after the Blood Moon Mist incident 21 years ago; coinciding with the disappearance and subsequent recovery of the Third Prince, StarNet had once been flooded with now-deleted speculative comments.

Of course, that didn’t pose any difficulty for Si Yisi, who had already tamed StarNet’s consciousness.

Effortlessly, he retrieved the deleted information.

In the aftermath of the incident, similar comments had surged:

[Are we sure the ‘recovered’ Third Prince isn’t some kind of clone? Or worse, a swapped-out Zerg?]

[He was kidnapped by a group of extremists, then miraculously found unharmed just days later? That doesn’t add up at all.]

[Shh… this reminds me of those retro novels about switched-at-birth noble daughters. Could this be the same…?]

A portion of these posts had been systematically deleted, but Si Yisi noticed that over a decade later, a single account had clicked on many of them. This account, bearing only a barebones username, had also interacted with other related posts.

[Hasn’t the Katz Imperial bloodline always been exceptional? Their mental power is off the charts, so why is there suddenly a ‘B-rank’ *beep* prince?]

[Is the *beep* prince’s mother really the current Empress? They don’t look alike at all. Are we sure the Emperor and Empress’s love story is real? Why do I get the feeling the *beep* prince’s biological mother isn’t the Empress…? Whispering here, don’t come knocking on my door.]

Si Yisi’s thoughts wandered. The person behind that account was undoubtedly Tru. He had probably used a subordinate’s login to browse these posts.

Was he… questioning his own origins?

Si’an had likely been mistaken for the true prince and had been assassinated via mecha as a result. But these rumors alone wouldn’t have driven Tru to such a rash decision; something must have pushed him from doubt to certainty.

What had tipped the scales?

Si Yisi suspected that someone had deliberately led Tru to uncover this possible truth. And yet, even now, Si Yisi wasn’t sure; Was Si’an the real prince, or just a stand-in?

A hand suddenly pressed against Si Yisi’s forehead. He met a pair of worried gray eyes.

“…What’s wrong, Si’an?” Lisa asked anxiously. Si Yisi had been so deep in thought that his absent-mindedness hadn’t escaped Lisa’s notice.

Her aged hand, lined with faint wrinkles, gently checked his forehead for warmth. Only after a moment did her concerned expression slowly relax into a relieved smile.

Even inside this luxurious spacecraft, Lisa still carried the instincts she had developed in the slums; she knew that a fever could be fatal, so she had checked Si Yisi’s temperature out of sheer habit.

“I was just thinking about something.” Si Yisi parted his lips slightly before asking, “Mother, do you remember what happened 21 years ago?”

Si Yisi had barely spoken when he saw Lisa’s expression shift to one of surprising fragility. She looked like porcelain, about to shatter the next moment. A shadow of fear and resistance flashed in Lisa’s gray eyes, before settling into a look of weakness after a long silence.

“Don’t… don’t ask, okay? Si’an.”

Lisa’s reaction halted Si Yisi’s further probing. He sighed. “I won’t ask.”

If he kept pushing, Lisa would probably break down. This matter definitely had more to it, but it couldn’t be immediately linked to the Blood Moon Mist.

Si Yisi reached for the external mouse and cleared a block from the game.

“Mother, it’s going to die.”

Although this was the crudest of distractions, the mention of star coins quickly pulled Lisa’s attention back.

She swiftly returned to her usual state, throwing herself wholeheartedly into the game. Losing star coins meant they couldn’t be recovered; how could that be allowed?!

Si Yisi then contacted Dr. Huo Zhifou without hesitation. He looked directly at him and said, “I’ve got enough star coins now. I can repay you right away.”

Behind Si Yisi was the understated yet luxurious interior of the spacecraft. Huo Zhifou’s eyes widened with deep shock as he took in the scene. He had initially thought that Si Yisi would certainly end up in trouble, never imagining he could even recover star coins. But now, it seemed Si Yisi was thriving.

No matter what, Si Yisi had become someone Huo Zhifou couldn’t afford to offend.

Huo Zhifou stopped thinking about making more of the contract issue and quickly dismissed the debt.

***

Days passed, and the Imperial Celebration concluded perfectly. The spacecraft was once again cleared to continue its journey. Si Yisi met with Lin Xian.

Lin Xian’s appearance was sudden. He seemed to drop down from the ceiling of the spacecraft’s interior. As soon as Si Yisi opened his eyes, he saw Lin Xian reclining against the soft cushions in zero gravity, exuding an air of indifference.

Upon seeing him, Lin Xian waved a hand, leisurely flipping off the cushion, his disheveled purple-black hair standing out. “Hmm, we meet again.”

He tried to gauge Si Yisi’s reaction for surprise.

How could Si Yisi be so easily manipulated? He fixed Lin Xian with a steady, intense gaze, his dark eyes like black whirlpools, threatening to draw Lin Xian in.

Lin Xian couldn’t help but feel as though he was facing his own father. Tsk… this isn’t fun.

He waved his hand and led Si Yisi to handle his enrollment. The Principal of Anderson Military Academy was an old acquaintance of Lin Xian’s father, someone Lin Xian addressed as “uncle.”

The Principal gave Si Yisi a long, scrutinizing look before stamping the enrollment papers with a red approval seal and then dismissing Si Yisi to speak privately with Lin Xian.

Once the door was closed, the Principal asked, “How dare you bring a student connected to the Blood Moon Mist here?”

Such matters couldn’t be hidden from others. It wasn’t as if the nobles entering here maintained a calm façade; everyone who needed to know about Si Yisi already knew.

Lin Xian casually replied, “If we’re afraid of someone connected to cults, wouldn’t that be admitting defeat to them?”

“Besides, I don’t think Si’an would get involved with such people.”

“Nonsense,” the Principal said. “Are you choosing people based on intuition?”

Lin Xian waved his hand. “I think Si’an might actually end up disdaining those so-called cultists… Hmm, he gives me a serious vibe like my father’s. Also, uncle, you’re not really afraid of Si’an, are you?”

The Principal moved his lips slightly. “Not afraid. Speaking of which… the nobles do need some external push to make things happen.”

“Meaning?” Lin Xian asked in surprise.

The Principal pushed the completed enrollment papers toward Lin Xian. On the papers, Lin Xian had not noticed the part where it was written in black and white.

[Student Si’an will enter the Anderson Academy’s Noble Department—]

He intended to use Si Yisi’s hands to properly sharpen the overly pampered aristocrat.

After Lin Xian left, he seemed a little worried. He sized up Si Yisi’s skinny arms and legs and patted his shoulder.

“You… eat more from now on… but overindulging is also bad.”

Si Yisi instinctively almost knocked Lin Xian over.

He glanced at Lin Xian, full of disdain. So what if my arms and legs are thin? Being able to take on ten of you like this was more than enough!

However, the hidden meaning in Lin Xian’s words….

Si Yisi felt a little intrigued.