TOCTWG | Chapter 2

꒰Am I blind, or has the production crew lost their minds...? Did I really just see an Omega being sent onto this show?! ꒱

꒰To the person above: you didn't see wrong. If you live long enough, you really can witness the day an Omega joins a group of Alphas to protect the future of their star system. ꒱

꒰And it's the S System, no less... Oh my God! I can't even imagine what kind of terrifying scene we're going to witness! ꒱

꒰As expected of the S System. They're actually throwing an Omega out there to take the heat. What, are they afraid to send an Alpha because he'll get beaten into a dead bug? ꒱

꒰Why does the S System even need to exist anymore? What kind of person would push a delicate Omega out to die just because they want to make everyone else miserable?! ꒱

꒰What the hell is the production crew doing? They actually approved this? Has the Omega Protection Court gone to shit? How can they stay silent about this?! ꒱

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏

There was no rule stating that only Alphas could participate in the show.

But what star system in its right mind would send a precious, delicate, vulnerable Omega to go head-to-head with people from other systems?

This was an Omega.

No matter how much friction existed between the star systems, to the people of a universe with notoriously low birth rates, Omegas—rare individuals capable of reproduction—were unquestionably considered people to be protected.

And yet the S System had actually sent an Omega into a survival contest surrounded by Alphas.

Shameless!

Despicable!

Those sinister, disgusting weaklings from the S System could only use an Omega as a shield?!

No one dared imagine how that poor, fragile Omega was supposed to survive in a den of wolves like that.

Even though an entire month had passed since the guests were announced, netizens still couldn't believe that a delicate Omega who should have been safely sheltered in a greenhouse was actually going on the show.

Now, with only an hour left before the program went live, the official accounts were still being bombarded with endless questions, accusations, and abuse.

The official accounts, meanwhile, were steadfastly pretending they didn't exist.

As for the supposedly delicate and fragile Omega in question...

Duke Zhu Shuang was currently lounging comfortably aboard a starship on his way to the filming location.

He stretched lazily, pulled his long legs down from the armrest of the sofa, and sat cross-legged. Then, with nothing better to do, he casually scrolled through the comments on his terminal.

Go ahead. Keep cursing.

Once the show starts, you won't be able to say any of this anymore.

Beside him, Song Song was also craning his neck, curious about what had his uncle so entertained. His big eyes sparkled as he tried to sneak a look at the screen.

Unfortunately, Xiaoqing slid from Zhu Shuang's fingertip onto the toddler's head and used its body and tail to cover Song Song's eyes.

“Little children aren't allowed to look at dirty things. You'll go blind~”

Song Song immediately clapped both hands over his eyes in fright.

Then, looking worried, he tried to climb onto the sofa so he could cover Zhu Shuang's eyes too.

“Song Song no look! Zhu-zhu no, no blind!”

Unfortunately, the little chubby-legged menace was far too short.

Not only did he fail to climb onto the sofa, he got so frantic that he toppled backward and landed squarely on his bottom.

Fortunately, Zhu Shuang was a man who knew how to enjoy life. He had covered the entire room in soft padding, so Song Song didn't hurt himself.

He simply blinked in bewilderment.

Why had the world suddenly gotten shorter?

He looked up in confusion.

“Zhu-zhu... gone?”

“Uncle didn't disappear. Silly Song Song just fell down.”

Zhu Shuang's smiling face appeared in front of him.

With one hand, he easily scooped the little boy up and settled him in his arms.

“All right, Uncle won't look anymore either... Oh! We're almost there. Song Song, are you ready?”

The destination planet had already appeared on the main control room's display.

Zhu Shuang casually put away his terminal and turned his attention to teasing the toddler.

Song Song's little brain needed a moment to process his uncle's wildly abrupt change of subject.

After a while, he nodded solemnly.

Then shook his head.

“Ready... but, but...”

He held up one chubby little finger to indicate a tiny bit.

His expression became extremely serious as he reported his progress to his uncle.

“Song Song still... a little bit not familiar.”

Zhu Shuang fought desperately not to laugh.

He imitated the little dumpling's serious expression.

“Then you'd better work a little harder!”

Work harder at getting that one sentence of your introduction right.

Somewhere along the way, Song Song had apparently decided that he carried the tremendous responsibility of not embarrassing his star system.

The poor little boy couldn't even recognize all the characters yet, but he'd painstakingly written himself a crooked little “speech” and practiced it every day.

Zhu Shuang had let him.

The long, boring journey through space could get awfully dull, after all. Giving the little one something to do was better than letting him become listless.

To an adult, it was nothing.

To Song Song, however, this was currently the most important thing in the entire universe.

The little boy, who normally stuck to Zhu Shuang like glue, reluctantly removed the hand that had been fooling around on his face.

“Zhu-zhu will be good. Song Song go read... prac-tice!”

Zhu Shuang immediately sat up straight, looking the very picture of obedience.

He solemnly demonstrated that he would absolutely behave himself.

Song Song climbed down from the sofa on all fours, his little bottom sticking up as he went, then stood beside the window and pulled a tiny notebook from his pocket.

He began loudly reciting his speech in his sweet baby voice.

Only after confirming that Song Song couldn't possibly see him did Zhu Shuang finally cover his mouth and laugh so hard he nearly doubled over.

After he recovered, he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and rubbed his aching stomach.

For a while, he simply watched the adorable little dumpling standing there with his round belly sticking out as he practiced his speech.

Eventually, Zhu Shuang returned his attention to the control room.

Under his direction, the starship slowly entered the port.

After an entire day of travel, uncle and nephew had finally arrived at their destination.

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏

Meanwhile.

Inside the lounge at the filming location for the first episode of The Future of Our Galaxy...

Three teams of guests sat facing one another in a tense triangular standoff.

Every face was cold and expressionless.

The atmosphere seemed to have frozen solid.

It was somehow even colder than the snow and ice outside.

A brown-haired, brown-eyed little boy suddenly kicked the table.

The shriek of wood scraping against the floor shattered the silence.

Several people frowned and looked over.

The young man sitting beside the boy, who bore a striking resemblance to him, reprimanded him in an even voice.

“Shi Yan. Quiet.”

The boy called Shi Yan curled his lip impatiently.

“We've been waiting forever! We've already been here for an hour! Why aren't they here yet?”

Then he suddenly thought of something.

The corners of his mouth curled into a malicious grin, and his pupils widened with excitement.

His voice rose into a sharp, gleeful pitch.

“Ha! I know! They must be too scared to come!”

The sudden change in expression twisted the boy's round face into something almost ugly, completely devoid of the innocence one would expect from a child his age.

The young man merely gave him another cool warning.

“Watch your temper.”

Shi Yan stiffened.

He realized that the young man was genuinely displeased with him this time.

A child's instincts took over, and he obediently reined himself in.

But the moment he did, he felt as though he'd lost face.

His ears flushed red, and his expression darkened.

Then came another loud crash.

Shi Yan kicked the short stool beside him in frustration.

The stool flew across the room and, with uncanny accuracy, slammed straight into the door just as someone pushed it open.

The boy froze.

Then came a long, creaking—

Eeeee...

A figure slowly appeared behind the door.

The others immediately looked up.

Sunlight poured in from outside, spilling across the snow before bouncing lightly back upward.

It caught on the newcomer's long black hair, which gleamed like silk.

Bathed in the soft light, only the outline of his slender, graceful figure could be seen clearly.

His fingers resting against the door were pale and delicate. Around his thin wrist coiled a small green snake, its emerald scales gleaming like polished jade.

Against all that white and black, the creature's vivid green seemed almost unreal.

And then there were his eyes.

Golden.

Clear and translucent, like two flawless gemstones.

They seemed to strike straight into the heart.

His face wasn't even fully visible yet, but it was already obvious.

This was a beauty.

No one spoke.

After that moment of stunned admiration, everyone began quietly sizing up the complete stranger in the doorway.

Their gazes were frank and scrutinizing.

Among all the guests, there was only one person they hadn't seen before.

The Omega from the S System.

That harmless, delicate air was unmistakably Omega.

And his appearance certainly fit the part.

The Omega had a tiny child holding onto his hand.

The little one's enormous round eyes blinked as he peered curiously around the room.

He seemed shy.

His face was held in an expression of utmost seriousness, but one cheek was puffed out adorably.

He looked soft enough to squeeze.

Dressed in a casual little padded jacket and overalls, he was absurdly cute.

He just didn't look anything like an heir.

He looked more like a soft little rabbit.

The sort of creature you could pick up with one hand and squish into a ball.

Then again...

The current ruler of the S System had only this one child.

Sending him onto the show was probably a last resort.

Surely they'd eventually produce an Alpha heir.

The undisguised scrutiny from the Alphas made Zhu Shuang narrow his eyes in displeasure.

His smile, however, only grew brighter.

His long lashes lowered slightly, concealing whatever emotion lay beneath his golden eyes.

His voice remained light and pleasant as he introduced himself without the slightest hesitation.

“Hello, everyone. It's nice to meet you. I'm Zhu Shuang. I look forward to working with you.”

The other three guests merely nodded coolly.

Clearly, none of them had any intention of engaging with him.

Zhu Shuang didn't care.

He smiled and rubbed Song Song's head.

The little dumpling immediately understood the signal.

He puffed out his chest.

He tucked his hands neatly at his sides, planted his feet, and tried his absolute hardest to stand straight.

Then, in his sweet baby voice, he announced solemnly,

“I's... Song Song! Nice to meet you!”

Song Song had done everything in his power to straighten out his tongue.

Unfortunately, he was still far too young.

His tongue simply refused to cooperate.

He stumbled and stammered his way through the introduction, his tiny voice trembling ever so slightly.

And then he was stunned by his own performance.

It was only a few words!

And he got two of them wrong!

In front of all these people!

He had practiced the whole way here!

He'd even been practicing right before they got off the starship.

And even while Uncle wasn't watching him, he'd never slacked off.

But now...

His first battle, and he'd already fallen before it even began!

The image of himself as a reliable, dignified little heir shattered inside Song Song's heart with a resounding BOOM.

As for the others' indifferent reactions?

Song Song didn't have the slightest attention left to spare for them.

Zhu Shuang was thoroughly amused by the toddler's expression of absolute devastation, as though the sky itself had collapsed.

He reached out and pinched his nephew's soft cheek again.

Then he couldn't resist rubbing it.

Finally, he scooped the stunned little boy into his arms.

“Song Song did really well,” he murmured softly.

Xiaoqing curled its tail around the top of the child's head and gave a few encouraging hisses in agreement.

While gently comforting the toddler, Zhu Shuang turned to close the door.

He wasn't particularly bothered by the cold, but his mental form had influenced him somewhat. He disliked the frozen, snowy environment outside.

He had just turned around when he noticed someone approaching from a short distance away.

Zhu Shuang's hand paused.

In that brief moment, the newcomer reached down and lifted the child who had been trudging slowly beside him.

With several long strides, he stopped outside the door.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between him and Zhu Shuang had shrunk to little more than the thickness of the doorframe.

The man was tall.

Even among Alphas, his build was exceptionally impressive.

His hair was cropped short and neat, and his expression was stern and cold.

He seemed perfectly suited to the ice and snow outside.

His sharp, intimidating aura concealed the fact that he was actually quite handsome.

But Zhu Shuang was standing too close to miss it.

He saw the man's face immediately.

Strong brows.

Bright, striking eyes.

A high, straight nose.

Everything about his features was neat and refined.

Even someone like Zhu Shuang, who was thoroughly accustomed to his own face after seeing it in the mirror all his life, had to admit that this man was exceptionally good-looking.

Only...

Zhu Shuang frowned faintly.

Too close.

Close enough that he could actually feel the heat radiating from the man's body.

Perhaps sensing something, the man suddenly met Zhu Shuang's gaze.

Then, in a low voice, he said,

“Sorry.”

He took a step back.

Well.

At least he was polite.

Zhu Shuang's brows relaxed.

Compared to those haughty Alphas inside, this one seemed considerably more normal.

His smile became noticeably more genuine as he took the initiative to greet him.

“Hello.”

The man was silent for a moment before answering.

His voice sounded slightly hoarse, as though he hadn't had water in a very long time.

“...Hello.”

They exchanged the bare minimum of polite greetings.

Zhu Shuang had no intention of standing awkwardly in the doorway forever, so he took Song Song's hand and turned to leave—

Only to be stopped again by the man's voice.

And then, for some inexplicable reason, the man began introducing himself right there in the doorway.

“Hello. My name is Ao Yue. I'm from the Beta System. I'm one hundred and ninety-one centimeters tall and weigh seventy-eight point forty-five kilograms. I currently serve in the First Legion...”

Zhu Shuang:

“...?”

Zhu Shuang, who was attending a variety show for the first time in his life, hesitated.

Wait a second...

Was a self-introduction really supposed to be this detailed?