7
With everyone watching, the Marshal forcibly took me away.
I could still hear the commotion and astonished voices behind us from a distance.
Once we reached the Marshal’s private office, I stood there timidly, like a meek little wife.
I was just about to sit on the sofa.
He narrowed his eyes, propped his chin on his hand, and said, “You enjoy all the admiration, huh?”
“No, no.”
I hurried to deny it.
“Arms around each other, acting so close, huh?”
“We’re not close. We just met.” Thinking that didn’t sound sincere enough, I added, “He’s an Alpha too.”
“You like Alphas?”
I stared at him in surprise.
What? An Alpha with an Alpha?
Then I remembered that AA romances had been pretty popular lately.
But was he testing me with this?
Without a moment’s hesitation, I declared my loyalty.
“I’m a wholehearted, pure supporter of AO love. I’ll only ever love Omegas and marry Tư Hàn!”
The Marshal said nothing, but his face turned a little red.
The Marshal’s real name was Tư Hàn.
After a while, he muttered, “I know. Stop standing there like an idiot.”
Only then did I feel safe enough to sit on the sofa.
Sitting around was a little boring.
After a while, I stretched out on the sofa with my feet up.
A little later, I got up and looked around.
Then, a little later still, I rummaged around until I found a packet of snacks and devoured it.
The Marshal worked at his computer, tapping the desk irritably and glancing at me now and then.
Was I disturbing him?
I ate a little more quietly.
I even looked at him after every bite.
The Marshal was incredibly handsome, with an extraordinary bearing. He was an absolute feast for the eyes.
Before long, I’d finished all the snacks.
I propped my chin on my hand and just gazed at the Marshal’s handsome face.
So handsome, so handsome—especially in his military uniform. He was devastatingly handsome.
How could I be this lucky?
I unconsciously squirmed bashfully.
I saw Tư Hàn rub his temples.
His lips parted slightly. “Get out.”
8
Poor me.
I got kicked out.
As soon as I left the office building, I ran into the engineering team leader.
He’d heard I was free, so he took me straight to the engineering room.
He asked me, “Um, what’s your real name, the Marshal’s Alpha?”
“Nguyễn Nhuyễn. You can just call me Little Nguyễn.”
“All right. Please take a look at their robots, Little Nguyễn.”
I checked them one by one.
If anything was wrong, I made a few repairs.
The engineering room was divided into several testing areas. Some tests were group events, while others were individual, and the place was bustling.
In the individual testing area, an engineer called out:
“Engineer No. 07, where are you?”
The caller was Engineer No. 06, who had already entered the control booth.
Robot No. 07 was right beside me.
Its owner had just been called away, so he probably hadn’t heard.
But the caller kept shouting until he was hoarse.
I looked at the robot, hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the control booth.
“No. 07 is ready.”
Three minutes later, No. 06 lost, and No. 13 took its place.
Eight minutes later, No. 13 lost, and No. 18 took its place.
Fifteen minutes later, No. 18 lost, and No. 17 took its place.
…
Two hours later…
Engineers crowded around the metal fence outside.
“That prediction was brutal—absolutely amazing.”
“No. 07 has incredibly sharp combat instincts.”
“No, since when did No. 07 get so good?”
“It’s like No. 07 became a different person! A little like someone we know.”
“Go, No. 07!”
“You’re the best, No. 07!”…
Amid everyone’s cheers, the real No. 07 came running in from outside.
Hearing everyone cheer, and thinking of how he was about to take his turn,
the real No. 07 said shyly, “Really? I think I’m pretty average. I’m not that good!”
Everyone turned to look, and the whole area fell silent.
Then a burst of screams erupted.
“What?”
“No. 07, you—you weren’t inside the robot?”
“Then who was in there?”
“Quick, look at the arena! Robot Engineer No. 07 lost!”
“What a shame.”
“It was clearly because his stamina couldn’t keep up. His movements kept getting slower and slower.”
9
I stepped out of the control booth and took a deep breath.
I was exhausted.
As expected, after not exercising for so long, I could only last two hours.
The moment I left the testing area, I was surrounded.
It was a noisy, lively scene.
They peppered me with questions—how I made predictions, how I moved, what tactics I used…
At last, someone asked, “I once watched a Beta’s robot piloting performance in the Trellis district. It was outstanding, and we learned a lot of real combat tactics from that Beta. But after watching closely, I noticed that the two of you are very similar. Do you know her? Or have you heard anything about her?”
That question…
I scratched my head.
How should I put this?
Everyone around me stared wide-eyed, waiting for my answer.
“Um… that Beta was me,” I said.
“What?”
“You’re that amazing Beta?”
Another round of shouts erupted.
“How?”
“How can that be? You’re an Alpha!”…
The clever team leader asked me, “You went through a second differentiation, didn’t you?”
I nodded.
“You’re E-level?”
“You differentiated to E-level? What a shame.”
“If only you were C-level. The military would definitely have a place for you.”
“You’ll have to stick to being a robot engineer and technician.”
For a while, everyone sighed regretfully.
The minimum requirement for joining the military was C-level; anyone below C didn’t qualify.
I switched to comforting them. “It’s okay. Does anyone have questions about robot tactics? If I know the answer, I can help explain.”
Everyone lifted their heads again and rushed to ask questions.
…
The sun slowly sank behind the mountains.
The sky gradually grew dark.
A cold wind blew from behind me, as if something icy were approaching.
I turned around and saw the Marshal staring at me.
I happily ran over.
“Honey, did you come to pick me up?”
The Marshal’s face was icy as he glanced at the crowd behind me.
“So many Alphas?”
Huh? This was…
I hurried to assure him, “I only like Omegas.”
He turned and walked away.
“You know what’s good for you.”
Even the swish of his coat conveyed his irritation.
I spotted some molten iron burning nearby, and an idea suddenly came to me.
“Honey, come here.”
I pulled the Marshal toward the spacious training ground.
Beneath the fading sunset and the darkening blue-black sky,
I told him to stand back, then carried the molten iron to the center myself.
Following my memory, I gripped the tool and swung with all my might.
The molten iron shot straight into the sky, sparks scattering in every direction like flowers strewn by a fairy.
Against the pitch-black sky, the golden sparks shone brilliantly.
Everyone looked up at the flowers blossoming in the sky.
In the Marshal’s eyes, golden light glittered, brimming with stars.
I ran over and hugged him. “Honey, do you like this gift?”
He came back to himself.
“What is this?”
“An old book calls it ‘iron fireworks.’ The bits of iron look like flowers.”
10
On the way back, it was obvious the Marshal was happy.
The Marshal was happy, so I was happy too.
As we neared the Marshal’s residence, I could see a patch of light outside from a distance.
It was only when we got closer that I could make it out.
The area outside the Marshal’s residence was packed with people.
They held banners that read, “Get out of the Marshal’s residence.”
They looked at me like I was money, surging forward with all their might.
Some even chanted in unison:
“You useless piece of trash, get out of the Marshal’s residence!”
“You commoner scum, get out of the Marshal’s residence!”
…
While I was completely off guard, a rotten egg hit me in the face.
The egg white reeked.
My expression changed abruptly.
My cheerful mood from the whole day vanished in an instant.
I was escorted into the Marshal’s residence.
Even after my bath, I still thought I could smell it.
But the Marshal said, “You smell lovely. There’s no odor.”
Everyone outside had already been driven away.
I touched my face and sighed.
People really don’t like me.
The Marshal leaned against the doorframe and beckoned to me.
“Come here.”
I looked up at him and walked over. “What is it?”
The Marshal suddenly shoved me down.
“Time to inspect the results of your work today.”
Huh Σ(ﾟдﾟ;)?
I was so scared my soul nearly left my body, and every other thought flew out of my head.
11
A few days later, the President held a party.
He invited both the Marshal and me.
I put on my best outfit and went to the party with my arm linked through the Marshal’s.
At the party, after dancing one song with the Marshal, he was drawn away by several senior officials who wanted to talk.
I found a seat in the corner.
Suddenly, two people approached.
One was the Crown Prince; the other was dressed as a doctor.
They greeted me, and I returned their greetings.
The Crown Prince bowed to the doctor.
“Congratulations, Dr. Lưu, on getting into the Assessment Center.”
The Assessment Center was the most important division of the medical field.
It held all the country’s assessment records.
Dr. Lưu waved a hand.
“I was just lucky. I’ve seen the Crown Prince’s sample data before—it was top-notch.”
The Crown Prince laughed heartily.
“Is that so? Have you seen Ms. Nguyễn’s?”
Dr. Lưu looked uncomfortable. He opened his mouth, then sighed.
“Well, never mind. Let’s not talk about it.”
Not talk about it?
Was I really that bad?
The Crown Prince patted the doctor on the shoulder.
“Just say it. I don’t think Ms. Nguyễn will mind.”
Then he winked at me.
Dr. Lưu shook his head.
“I’ve seen some test results—those of the Marshal and Ms. Nguyễn. They clearly state that the difference in rank between them is too great for them to have children. Sigh, not even a 99% compatibility rate can change that.”
I froze on the spot.
I stood there rigidly.
Their rank difference was too great for them to have children?
They couldn’t?
The Crown Prince looked shocked. “Really? What a shame.”
The Crown Prince sighed a few times, then headed over to the Marshal.
Watching the Crown Prince and the Marshal in the distance, the doctor murmured to me:
“The Crown Prince and the Marshal really are a perfect match. They used to be closest to each other—they almost got engaged.”
I had only just come back to my senses
when I heard that.
Was it appropriate to say things like that to me?
The Marshal is still my Omega!
I gritted my teeth. “Why are you telling me this?”
The doctor glared at me.
“I was just venting. If you don’t like hearing it, I can leave.”
His disrespect toward me was obvious, and he didn’t even bother to hide it.