World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

Upon learning that Du Ge had joined the Academy of Sciences, both the army group and the various academic institutions breathed a collective sigh of relief.

What they feared was Du Ge's stubbornness, his refusal to reveal his identity. Now that he had joined the Academy, finding him would be much easier.

Zhong Shiping exchanged contact information with Du Ge, arranged a time for an offline meeting, and then hurriedly left. He was very busy, and breaking protocol to recruit Du Ge on the Battle Network had already taken up a lot of his time.

...

"Ten Steps to Kill One, are you really seventeen?"

"Can you tell me which school you're in? I want to visit you."

"I want to be your apprentice. Can you teach me how to design mechas?"

...

After Zhong Shiping left, the crowd gathered around again, bombarding Du Ge with gossip questions.

But Du Ge had already achieved his goal and no longer paid them any attention. He nodded at them and said, "Everyone, please stop investigating my information. I won't say anything. Once I've made a name for myself on the battlefield, you'll know who I am. Let's all work hard together for the future of Bi Xing."

With that, he logged off.

Soon after, news about Du Ge flooded the Battle Network again.

"Breaking news! Ten Steps to Kill One is only seventeen and a university student."

"Ten Steps to Kill One—the youngest academician of the Bi Xing General Academy of Sciences."

"The ultimate romance for a man: designing a mecha for the woman he loves most, then fighting alongside her."

"Who is the girl in Ten Steps to Kill One's heart? Let's make a bold guess..."

...

After Du Ge logged off, his attributes skyrocketed again.

This time, it seemed to be related to romance.

Nothing could be more romantic than combining love with iron-blooded determination. If he didn't gain a skill from this, it would be unjust.

Sure enough, after a while, Du Ge's personal interface flashed, revealing the first romantic skill:

Iron Man's Tenderness: No woman can refuse to fight alongside you. Women who fight alongside you have their attributes doubled and share life and death with you on the battlefield.

Staring at the skill description, Du Ge was stunned for a moment before swallowing hard.

Damn!

A powerful control skill!

Someone like Xu Wan, once recruited as a teammate, would be a perfect living shield. No need to worry about her backstabbing him!

With over 1,400 Alien Star warriors on Bi Xing, with a one-to-one gender ratio, he effectively gained over 700 additional comrades. Who could compete with him now?

Calm down! Calm down!

Du Ge took a deep breath, reminding himself not to be too ostentatious. The matter of divine power had already been exposed, and revealing the second keyword would be a disaster.

Pan-Universal Entertainment might allow him to have divine power, but they would never permit a second keyword, as it would severely disrupt the game's fairness.

Even when fighting alongside them, he needed to find a suitable reason, at least one that wouldn't be obvious to the outside audience.

...

Du Ge's perception spread out.

At Imperial Capital University, everyone was speculating about the identity of Ten Steps to Kill One.

Seventeen years old, a freshman—this narrowed the range significantly.

...

"Qingyan, could you be the goddess of Ten Steps to Kill One?"

"Don't be ridiculous. How could it be me? None of the people pursuing me can design mechas!"

"Think about it. People on the Battle Network have ranked you. There aren't many outstanding female mecha pilots aged seventeen or eighteen. Excluding the unattractive ones, there are only about thirty with some looks, and you're in the top three!"

"I said it's not me." Gu Qingyan replied.

"Maybe it's a secret crush!" Shen Yuning teased. "You did say you wanted to fight alongside Ten Steps to Kill One on the battlefield. I think you two are on the same wavelength."

"Why are you talking about me? You're not bad-looking either. Maybe he's interested in you?" Gu Qingyan retorted.

"Not possible. I'm ranked outside the top ten, with low odds." Shen Yuning said.

"Odds?" Gu Qingyan was puzzled. "What odds?"

"Fallen Leaves Know Flowers set up a betting pool for Ten Steps to Kill One's goddess." Shen Yuning explained. "A lot of people bet on you. I even put a thousand Net Coins on you!"

"You know it's not me, yet you bet?" Gu Qingyan asked in surprise.

"To boost your popularity." Shen Yuning laughed. "Do you know what activity they're running on the Battle Network now?"

"What?" Gu Qingyan asked.

"Competing with the god for the girl." Shen Yuning said. "They're rallying all eligible young men to pursue those of you ranked high, to force Ten Steps to Kill One to reveal himself and see who his goddess really is."

"That's crazy!" Gu Qingyan exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's crazy. So, we're going to be busy. I wonder how many admirers will flock to us!" Shen Yuning sighed. "But thinking about it, if someone really designed a super cool mecha for me one day, I might not be able to resist! It's too romantic. Compared to Ten Steps to Kill One, those boys who give flowers and sing are so immature."

"You're such a romantic." Gu Qingyan playfully slapped Shen Yuning. "And you said you didn't want Ten Steps to Kill One to notice you..."

...

Du Ge used Gu Qingyan's template to gain some romance points, naturally paying more attention to her situation.

Unexpectedly, he overheard some important information.

Not to mention Fallen Leaves Know Flowers, who set up the betting pool, the person who started this "competing with the god for the girl" activity must also be an Alien Star warrior, trying to force him out!

It seems Ten Steps to Kill One's high profile has already drawn everyone's attention...

At this moment, Du Ge's phone rang.

It was Nalan Li.

Du Ge answered, "What's up? Did you get the information on those players for me?"

"Not yet." Nalan Li's voice was somewhat cold. "Lin Hong, you agreed to join the Academy of Sciences?"

"Yes!" Du Ge replied. "I need to find something to do, and if I help research the Hill Civilization's spaceship, maybe Bi Xing's combat power can make a breakthrough!"

"Why didn't you inform us before making such a decision?" Nalan Li asked.

"I was just browsing the Battle Network and didn't expect to run into Zhong Shiping!" Du Ge said. "The situation was urgent. I couldn't just leave Dean Zhong hanging and log off to consult you, right? That would be impolite. Besides, I said I'd only occasionally visit the General Academy of Sciences. Most of the time, I'm free and will still help the Homeland Defense Bureau."

"Lin Hong, that's not the point." Nalan Li said. "You know your identity. The General Academy of Sciences is too important to risk any mishaps..."

That's exactly why I joined the General Academy of Sciences!

Without an extra layer of protection, what if you suddenly turn against me and secretly make a move?

Du Ge chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll be very careful and won't reveal my whereabouts. As long as you don't expose my identity, no one can find me or track me to the General Academy of Sciences."

"Lin Hong, you know that's not what I mean?" Nalan Li said.

"Then what do you mean? You don't trust me?" Du Ge asked. "Nalan Li, I've told you about the players, helped improve Bi Xing's mechas, and even plan to join the Academy of Sciences to help research the Hill Civilization's spaceship to boost your combat power. Everything I've done is for Bi Xing, and you still don't trust me?"

"You could have joined the Academy of Sciences quietly. Why did you tell Dean Zhong about designing a mecha for a girl?" Nalan Li asked. "You're deliberately exposing yourself, Lin Hong. What are you really up to? What's your keyword?"

"So that's what you're concerned about?" Du Ge laughed. "Nalan, if I told you I was influenced by the original Lin Hong's consciousness and couldn't help but say those things, would you believe me?

Lin Hong's goddess is Gu Qingyan, and he truly wants to design a mecha for her. Perhaps Lin Hong's regret became his obsession, and maybe he wants to use my body to design a mecha for his goddess and fulfill his unaccomplished dream.

Since I've taken over his body, I naturally want to help him fulfill his last wish. Maybe that way, his soul can rest in peace..."