"Now doesn't mean always." Duge shook his head and asked, "Speaking of which, I still don't know your rankings?"

"I leveraged the fame of Kill One Every Ten Steps to organize a few card games on the battle network, and luckily gained some popularity. My current ranking is exactly tenth," Ying Fei sighed and said, "People on Green Star admire mecha pilots and designers more, and gambling is somewhat disdained. I don't control the odds for important matches, so it's too hard for me to climb further up in the rankings."

Duge looked at Fan Lie through the rearview mirror.

Fan Lie said, "In the first few days, I rushed to the fifth position, but then I fought fewer matches, and I haven't shown up on the battle network these past two days, so I fell to the thirteenth rank."

Xin Tianyang said, "The guy I took over was a minor internet celebrity who imitated others. Imitating and mirroring overlap, so I invented a method to mimic celebrities through mirrors, and luckily gained a wave of traffic, awakening two abilities. But since my own fame wasn't enough, and I didn't plan to develop in the direction of becoming a mecha pilot after awakening the skills, my ranking isn't high---currently one hundred eighty-three."

Nalan Li silently recorded their rankings.

Duge noticed Nalan Li's action and chuckled, "Nalan, there's no use in recording the rankings, as they constantly change over time."

"I know." Nalan Li glanced at Duge and smiled, "As long as you genuinely work for Green Star, I will think of ways to help you improve your rankings..."

"Thanks, captain," Fan Lie chuckled and said, "But Brother Lin is right, if Green Star diverts and controls all the Alien Warriors, then rankings really won't matter anymore. Unless the use of the battle network to boost attributes is banned, everyone will just beef up their attributes through the network, and everyone's attributes will be similar. In the end, it's still about skills and teamwork."

Xin Tianyang shook his head and said, "I never thought the Alien Battlefield would turn into what it is now. Since Duge entered the scene, the Alien Battlefield has changed every time, making all previous experience useless."

After Duge awoke a new skill, of the four people in the car besides him, two and a half were the opposite sex to him.

After all, Fan Lie had filled his body with numerous mecha parts and stuffed in a few handfuls of unknown herbs---who knows if he could still be considered a man?

So, after Ying Fei started the conversation, the group quickly broke the ice and became warm with each other.

The topics of their conversation grew broader and broader.

Unknowingly,

Duge even learned about the layout of the warriors sent to the Alien Battlefield---newbies and veterans alike---aimed at dealing with the suddenly changed rules and the ever-changing Duge.

Although Ying Fei didn't explicitly say that their goal was to take the opportunity to kill him, Duge could tell from her tone that the leaders of those planets didn't think well of him. Instead, they saw him as the source of troubles, the one who forced Pan-Universe Entertainment to change the rules, and they wanted to dispose of him quickly.

They thought that after getting rid of him, Pan-Universe Entertainment would revert to the previous rules.

From their perspective, this thinking might be correct.

After all, ten spots could ensure more people survived, but Duge could only lament their tragic fate and their shortsightedness. Under the heavy pressure of Pan-Universe Entertainment, they had lost the spirit of resistance.

In this conversation, the person who gained the most was Nalan Li. She had heard many insider stories from Duge that she wouldn't have been able to get from him before, which were extremely useful for Green Star's control of the Alien Warriors.

She could tell that some of the information was coaxed out by Duge's prompting.

Therefore,

Nalan Li felt an even deeper sense of recognition for Duge.

Maybe Duge had his own motives, but in her view, as long as the outcome was good for Green Star, then Duge was helping her.

...

Back in the Imperial Capital,

Nalan Li took Ying Fei and the others to her Shadow Department at the National Defense Bureau. After Duge took out Mo Shengmin, the President assigned them new tasks.

Indeed, Nalan Li was no longer under Luo Yan's command; she had her own exclusive department.

And since Alien Warriors had sharp senses, the two wouldn't communicate anywhere outside of the battle network.

...

Duge returned to Imperial University. Just as he entered the outer ring of the Imperial Capital, he sensed two women in his exclusive training ground and heard their conversation, and he suddenly understood why his skills had awakened.

The damned Tang Houming had actually set a trap for him from behind.

No.

It shouldn't be Tang Houming; he wouldn't have the guts. It was the Federal President's idea.

That old man had been plotting against the Alien Warriors ever since he met him, constantly testing and using him, no pushover...

He couldn't let him continue to be so presumptuous.

The newly awakened skill Deceive the Eye was just the right fit for him.

However,

you reap what you sow. He exploited Gu Qingyan to brush out the first romantic skill, and Gu Qingyan actively intervened, continuing the storyline of the first skill, which naturally led to the awakening of the second skill...

Duge didn't dare to delay and rushed back to his training ground at top speed. He was afraid that if he was too late, the two women would take matters into their own hands to investigate him and eventually expose him, which would truly be disastrous.

...

"Gu Qingyan?" Entering the training ground through the small door, Duge looked at the two vibrant young women standing there, and he was stunned. He clenched his fists tight, his face flushed, and he didn't dare to look at Gu Qingyan, appearing somewhat flustered.