Player 0

Whale Fall City – Reception Hall

Today's atmosphere was strangely tense—like two young people about to discuss marriage while meeting each other's parents.

Wu Qiong sat on one side of the square table, with his beloved daughter Bai Shuang seated next to him.

Bai Shuang kept exchanging flirty glances with the boy across from her. The boy clearly enjoyed the attention and sent her a series of charming looks in return.

"Ahem, ahem!"

A subtle cough came from beside the boy—an obvious hint that he should remember his position and stop letting romance distract him during official business.

Huang Peiyu sat across the table with his young apprentice. Calm and composed, he took a sip of tea and said in a deep voice,

"So, Miss Bai Shuang has known all along that her biological father is the late City Lord Bai Qing."

"Miss Bai Shuang?"

Bai Shuang mumbled at the stiff formality. "That makes me sound like some eighty-year-old grandma. Can't you just call me Shuang'er?"

But Huang Peiyu didn't humor her. His tone remained dry and official:

"I've consulted with legal experts. According to current Space Federation law, Miss Bai Shuang is the sole legal heir to Whale Fall City."

"Twenty-five years ago, Lord Bai did indeed publicly announce that his successor would be chosen through the game Whale Fall Decision. But that was merely a verbal commitment and holds no legal authority.

"Under current law, as long as Miss Bai Shuang publicly acknowledges her relationship with the former city lord, she may unilaterally cancel the tournament—or change its rules entirely."

Bai Shuang blinked and asked a question completely off-topic:

"Do you guys know how many generations of computer technology have evolved in the past 25 years?"

Zhuang Mo and his master exchanged confused glances. Neither could answer.

Wu Qiong also gave his daughter a bewildered look—why bring that up now?

Bai Shuang began counting on her fingers.

"In the past 25 years, the biggest shift in computing was the complete replacement of semiconductor chips with superconducting quantum chips. On top of that, the Internet of Everything has gone through three more generations of upgrades."

She paused, watching the three confused men across from her.

"How can you all be so dense!" she huffed.

"There've been four major tech shifts in 25 years. If nobody had updated Whale Fall Decision, it would've stopped working long ago."

Wu Qiong seemed to catch on, gently patting his daughter's back to signal her to stop talking.

But Bai Shuang wasn't done. She declared boldly to the two officers across the table,

"Let's stop pretending—we all know what's going on. That's right, I updated the game myself."

Even with that revelation, the two officers still didn't seem to grasp her point.

Bai Shuang slammed the table, eyes wide.

"Don't you get it yet? This is a martial match for marriage! Whoever can beat the game I designed will become my ideal husband—the chosen one of Whale Fall City!"

She batted her lashes at Zhuang Mo and shyly added,

"Brother Xiaohei, you're incredible. You beat my game the very first time you played."

Once spoken, the words couldn't be taken back.

Wu Qiong couldn't stop her no matter how hard he tried. Before anything had been decided, Bai Shuang had already offered up the entire Whale Fall City to the clueless young officer sitting across from her.

Zhuang Mo sat in stunned silence, struck as if by lightning. He stared blankly at Bai Shuang, feeling like everything he'd heard was just a dream.

Huang Peiyu was the first to recover. He calmly set down his teacup.

"Zhuang only tested the game. I've already promised Daoist Wu that Zhuang's results won't count."

"Zhuang," he said, twisting the boy's arm sharply under the table. The pain jolted Zhuang Mo back to reality.

"If you're still concerned," Huang continued, "we can have Zhuang write a formal declaration. The police department will also issue a written statement to clarify everything."

Zhuang Mo stayed silent—afraid that one wrong word might ruin everything.

He had come to Whale Fall City as a police officer to investigate a case.

But he was also Bai Shuang's boyfriend. If Whale Fall Decision truly was a marriage contest, there would be others who'd officially enter the tournament later on.

Eventually, someone would win—and by the rules, marry Bai Shuang.

Zhuang Mo didn't care about ruling Whale Fall City, but he did care about Bai Shuang. He couldn't stand the idea of her marrying someone else just because of a game—becoming another man's loyal wife.

Wu Qiong took a deep breath, circulating his inner energy to calm himself. Once his mood settled, he said,

"This talk of martial matchmaking is just my daughter joking around. Please don't take it seriously."

He continued,

"A gentleman's word is his bond. The former Lord Bai was a man of honor. Since he promised the city's future would be decided through Whale Fall Decision, it wouldn't be right for us to go back on that."

"Besides, even if I wanted to change the rules, the six great families would never allow it. The only way forward is to minimize damage—let everyone benefit as much as possible. As for my daughter's marriage, it has nothing to do with the game."

Seeing the officers still quiet, Wu Qiong made it clearer:

"Let's put it this way—both Bai Shuang and Officer Zhuang are 25 years old. What if we made Zhuang the director of the Space Police Bureau right now? Would the crime rate go up or down?"

The answer was obvious—Zhuang wasn't qualified to be a bureau chief. Just the same, he wasn't ready to govern Whale Fall City or face off against six powerful clans.

That short exchange made Zhuang Mo feel like he was on an emotional roller coaster. He suddenly felt utterly useless. Bai Shuang had placed so much hope in him, yet his silence only made her more disappointed.

Meanwhile, Huang Peiyu began to reconsider his judgment.

It seemed he had underestimated Wu Qiong.

Wu wasn't trying to manipulate things—he was just doing his best to preserve what little legacy Lord Bai had left for his daughter.

The six great families weren't to be trifled with. Even though the Duma Society had just lost its old leader, his two sons were rising stars in their own right.

Snowfang City and Tianmi City would be even tougher opponents.

If Bai Shuang's identity remained hidden, she might still maneuver behind the scenes. But if it were exposed now, she'd become a direct target.

The six clans wouldn't hesitate to eliminate her.

Having come to that conclusion, Huang Peiyu spoke with sincerity:

"I'm a father too. I understand what you and Lord Bai hoped to achieve. Don't worry—the police will keep Bai Shuang's identity a strict secret. We won't let it leak."

"Thank you," Wu Qiong said solemnly, forming a yin-yang seal with his hands and bowing deeply.

Just as Huang Peiyu and his apprentice were about to leave, a call came through his earpiece:

"Captain Huang! Somehow Zhuang Mo's test run in Whale Fall Decision got leaked! All the major media outlets are reporting that he won the first match!"

Huang froze for a moment, then looked sharply at Wu Qiong.

"Did Whale Fall City leak Zhuang's results to the press?"

"No!" Wu Qiong and Bai Shuang both shook their heads in confusion.

The two of them—adorable and innocent—blinked their wide eyes at the old officer, just as bewildered as he was.