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In the White House of M Country, President Herlangni is throwing another tantrum.

"You idiot! What kind of rules are these?! Aren't these perfectly fair rules? This is a waste of our M Country's hegemonic status!" Herlangni threw everything he could carry on the table at Minister of National Defense Schofield.

"Sir, please let me explain!" Schofield replied, "I did this with a deeper meaning!"

"Tell me what you think!" President Herlangni then put down his cup.

"That's right, the key point isn't the format, but the 'participants'," Schofield explained.

"Competition members? What a joke! Those small countries can't even muster five people. Even if they scrape together enough with other nations, they're nothing but a bunch of lowlifes. How could they possibly be a match for us!" President Herlangni said irritably. "Our only threat is 'Yinglong'! I told you to find a Mutant stronger than him, have you found one yet!"

"Sir, please let me finish," Schofield said patiently. "Besides our seven strongest LV5s, do we have dozens of undisclosed LV3-LV5 Mutant we bought from other countries? They're just sitting there unused anyway, so why don't we lend them out as 'external aid' to other countries? What do you think?"

Herlangni seemed to have a sudden realization, and he said with a start, "Oh? You mean...?"

"That's right. We'll lend these Mutant to our allies, letting them wear down the Dragon Country through a war of attrition. Then, when they encounter us, they'll deliberately put on a show, allowing us to win easily," Schofield said smugly. "We've bought almost all of the most powerful Mutant, so our allies will definitely be at the top of the final standings."

"Will the competition format work?" President Herlangni asked, frowning.

Schofield nodded. "Both the M Country and Dragon Country are strong nations in Mutant, so they will definitely be separated into different groups to avoid internal conflict. Moreover, the competition uses a points system. In addition, the battle between the M Country and Dragon Country will definitely be the most exciting. In order to maximize viewership and traffic, our two countries' matches will be scheduled as the last match of each day. This means that, whether they are in the same group or in a different group, they will have to play against all other teams before they can fight our Mutant."

"Our Mutant can easily defeat those loaned Mutant, conserving their energy!" President Herlangni said excitedly. Schofield smiled and said, "Even against countries like E Country and Y Country, we have seven LV5 members, which is more than enough for rotation. In short, this maximizes our advantage in numbers."

"But..." President Herlangni said somewhat reluctantly, "I still hope there can be a Mutant who can defeat him."

"Even if Yinglong is strong, he's still just one person. The competition only has arena matches and team matches. No matter how powerful Yinglong is, he can't possibly take on all the Mutant in the world by himself, right? We can wear him down." Schofield explained, "Sir, all we need to prove is that 'Yinglong is not invincible.' As for anything else..."

At this point, Schofield winked slyly. "But sir, perhaps this is also a good opportunity to poach him? The competition will last at least two months. If we can find a way to fake an injury or something to delay things, we might have three or four months to contact Yinglong. With our country's welfare system, I believe we can definitely poach him. Money, women, power—I refuse to believe we can't sway him."

"Hmm..." President Herlangni chuckled smugly. "That's certainly a good idea. You've thought of everything. I'll give you a big credit for this. However, before the competition begins, we still need to find a stronger Mutant."

"Yes, sir," Schofield said smugly. "I actually already have some leads... Although that Mutant is very unstable, his strength is absolutely top-notch. If we can persuade him before the competition starts... our chances of winning will be even greater. At that point, we won't even need to poach him; Yinglong compared to us!"

"Ha!" President Herlangni laughed triumphantly. "Let these mutts see the hegemonic power of the M Country!"

Immediately after the format of the "Mutant Competition" was announced, countries began preparing a series of related economic projects, including ticket sales, hotel reservations, betting, and live broadcast rights. The whole world was focused on this event, with the momentum to make it a grand event that surpassed the Olympic Games.

As the host Dragon Country, China will spend a lot of extra money and expenses preparing the venue, but it will also greatly boost the tourism industry and generate substantial profits. Therefore, the government has also invested a great deal of effort in the preparation.

This means that the scale of promotion for this event will be unprecedented.

But despite the global uproar, the person who started it was accompanying his girlfriend to learn to drive.

Having successfully passed the first part of the driving test, they are now officially preparing for the second part.

Today they were going to learn the most basic "starting," which involved pressing the clutch, shifting gears, turning on the turn signal, and pressing the accelerator to move forward. To put it simply, today's task was to familiarize themselves with pressing the clutch and master the rhythm of pressing it. Xiao He completed it quite easily, while Ye Wanqing first observed from the passenger seat.

"Alright, it's your turn now," Xiao He said, waving to Ye Wanqing in the passenger seat.

"Oh," Ye Wanqing responded, switched places with Xiao He, and fastened her seatbelt. Xiao He looked enviously at the deep mark left by the seatbelt on her chest: I really want to be that seatbelt.

Then, the car suddenly moved forward a step and stalled.

"Go slowly when you press the clutch, don't be too hasty," Xiao He reminded from the passenger seat. Meanwhile, the instructor was chatting and smoking with the driving school manager a short distance away, leaving the two of them to practice on their own.

"Oh, I'll give it a try." Ye Wanqing said, pressing the clutch, and the car moved forward a step and came to a stop.

"..." Xiao He fell silent. Ye Wanqing frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

Then the car suddenly lurched forward and stopped, then moved, stopped, moved, stopped, and so on, for about four or five rounds before finally stalling. Xiao He got out of the passenger seat, walked gracefully to the edge of the practice area, and leaned on the railing. "Yue--!"

"I'm sorry," Ye Wanqing patted his back and muttered, "I don't know what's wrong with that clutch. It's very sluggish when I press it down, but very responsive when I release it."

Xiao He waved his hand. "It's nothing... I'm just a little carsick."

"Hmm..." Ye Wanqing puffed out her cheeks unhappily, "I don't want to learn anymore..."

"Don't rush, take your time, practice a few more times," Xiao He said, patting her head.

Although the driving lessons weren't very smooth, it was still quite fun, and it was also a good opportunity for the two of them to go on a date.

Since driving lessons last from morning until afternoon, Xiao He and Ye Wanqing would eat lunch together outside and stroll around the driving school's practice area. For these two homebodies, the Third Ring Road was already a whole new world.

Actually, the area around the Third Ring Road is quite lively, because there's an IKEA Plaza right near the driving school. The first floor has shops, the second floor is a food court, and the third floor is a cinema. The two of them found a restaurant to eat at first.

"One order of pan-fried dumplings, one order of pan-fried buns, and a bowl of Chongqing noodles, please." Xiao He looked at the menu, then turned to Ye Wanqing, "Little Pufferfish, what would you like to eat? They also have many non-spicy dishes here."

"Hmm... I'd like a smoked pork fried rice and a brown sugar glutinous rice cake." Ye Wanqing finished ordering, then rested her chin on her hand and looked at Xiao He, saying, "Actually, it's quite lively here. I didn't expect the Third Ring Road of Beichang City to be this bustling. Our hometown is also a second-tier city, but it's far less developed than Beichang City."

"Oh, right," Xiao He said, remembering something, and patted Ye Wanqing's head, "What are we going to do for the New Year this year?"

"What do you plan to do?" Ye Wanqing asked, sipping her tea.

"I want to take you home to meet my parents," Xiao He explained, "And then we'll go to your house to meet your parents."

"Isn't... isn't it a bit too fast?" Ye Wanqing asked, blushing and lowering her head. Xiao He held her cold little hands, breathed on them, and muttered, "Whether it's fast or not doesn't matter, the key is that I don't want to be separated from you for so long."

Ye Wanqing's face turned even redder. "I... I don't want to be separated from you either, but we still have to go home for the New Year."

"Yes," Xiao He sighed, "Our family visits relatives and has New Year's dinner on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year, and then things quiet down from the third day onwards."

"Our family stays from the first to the fourth day of the Lunar New Year," Ye Wanqing replied. "How about you come to my house on the fifth day? Then I'll come to your house for a couple of days on the seventh day, and then we'll go back to Beichang City. Or would you like to stay at home a few more days?"

"Hmm..." Xiao He thought for a moment, then kissed her small hand. "Think about it over some time. There are still more than two months left. Maybe something will happen with the Special Response Department by then?"

"Hmm." Ye Wanqing smiled, a hint of secret joy in her heart: He didn't want to be separated from me either...

However, the thought of meeting her future in-laws made her nervous again: What if they think I'm sloppy? But I'm a great cook, and Old Xiao likes my cooking, so that should be a plus, right?

After lunch and a short rest, the two practiced driving for a while in the afternoon before heading home around four o'clock.

As usual, Xiao He collapsed onto the sofa, and Ye Wanqing immediately climbed onto his back.

"Old Xiao!" Ye Wanqing laughed happily as she lay on his back, "After I started sleeping with you, Tuantuan stopped doing security checks on me. It must be because I smell like you."

"Congratulations." Xiao He sighed with satisfaction, feeling as if a layer of cotton had been placed on his back. But a moment later, Ye Wanqing sat up. "Hey, go make dinner early."

Xiao He gave her a quick pinch on the butt, and Ye Wanqing frowned and slapped him before getting up to get busy.

In truth, Xiao He knew that Ye Wanqing wanted to cook early so she could finish her chores quickly and then go to bed with him early to warm up the covers. Ye Wanqing's hometown was relatively warm, so she was also very afraid of the cold, and snuggling in bed with him was the happiest time of her day.

Of course, this was also the happiest time of the day for Xiao He. After all, he could really appreciate how good his girlfriend's figure was, so he didn't plan to expose Ye Wanqing's secret.

It was already mid-December, and the weather was getting colder. Thanks to their feeding over the past few days, the stray cats and dogs had learned to hide in the cat and dog houses they had arranged, so Ye Wanqing's goal could be considered achieved.

"Hehe, it's so warm." Ye Wanqing laughed happily as she crawled into bed and put her feet on Xiao He's legs.

"I'm just your tool for warming your blankets," Xiao He sighed, shaking his head.

"Didn't I help you with your needs during the day too?" Ye Wanqing said defiantly. Xiao He kissed her on the head. "Yes! Please continue to let me warm your bed for you in the future!"

"Hmph, that's more like it." Ye Wanqing smiled with satisfaction. "I can still taste the flavor in my mouth."

"My bad, my bad..." Xiao He honestly admitted his mistake. Ye Wanqing pinched his leg. "I always thought I would never do something like this in my life. I only did it to make you happy, and now you're complaining so much about making me warm the bed."

"I was wrong, you are an angel!" Xiao He hugged Ye Wanqing's waist and buried his face in her neck.

"Good to know. Don't let me find out you have any more ***** on your computer in the future." Ye Wanqing nodded, then turned on the computer. "Okay, what episode were we watching yesterday? Season 4, Episode 3, right?"

The two quieted down and began to watch the show attentively. Xiao He felt exceptionally satisfied at that moment.

"Xiaoqing?" Xiao He gently kissed Ye Wanqing's neck.

"What's wrong?" Ye Wanqing replied absentmindedly. Xiao He leaned in and asked her for a kiss. Ye Wanqing turned her head to look at him, then obediently closed her eyes and tilted her head back to cooperate. Xiao He carefully savored her delicious lips and tongue.

After a long, intimate moment, a hilarious scene from the TV drama interrupted them. Ye Wanqing turned to look at the screen, then poked his cheek and scolded, "You're so indecent, all you ever think about is kissing me..."

"Oh," Xiao He muttered, feeling a little unhappy, as if he were the one who was wishfully thinking.

But just as he rested his chin on Ye Wanqing's shoulder, preparing to watch the show quietly, the girl suddenly gave him a "mua" kiss on the lips, then looked at him with a smile.

"Fine, you! Hmm!?" Xiao He immediately got angry and his hands began to roam over Ye Wanqing's body.

"Ah--! No, it tickles!" Ye Wanqing screamed, shrinking into his arms and saying defiantly, "What?! You're allowed to kiss me but I can't kiss you?"

"Yes!" Xiao He chuckled, a little exasperated, and buried his face in the back of Ye Wanqing's neck, taking a deep breath.

Ye Wanqing yawned like a kitten. "Old Xiao, it's getting late, let's go to sleep."

"Hmm." Xiao He nodded, and the two of them put on their clothes and went to the bathroom to brush their teeth together.

The two stood together in front of the mirror, brushing their teeth in unison, while Ye Wanqing looked at him with a smile in the mirror.

"What's wrong, silly girl?" Xiao He's tone softened involuntarily. Ye Wanqing didn't answer, but continued brushing her teeth, then rinsed her mouth. After Xiao He finished rinsing his mouth, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him hard.

"The taste of toothpaste." Xiao He gently pinched her nose, and Ye Wanqing gave him a sweet smile.

After brushing their teeth, the two lay down on the bed, and Ye Wanqing snuggled into his arms.

"Alright, turn off the lights." Ye Wanqing said with a satisfied smile. Xiao He reached out and turned off the lights. Ye Wanqing then snuggled closer to him, hugged his chest, and draped her beautiful legs over him, as if this made her feel especially safe.

After doing all this, Ye Wanqing sighed with satisfaction and quickly quieted down.

Every night when they went to sleep, Ye Wanqing would cling to him like this. But around midnight, they would go to sleep separately. Ye Wanqing liked to toss and turn, rolling around in bed, and occasionally she would roll over and hug him. But in the morning, when the temperature dropped, this girl would go back to his arms because she was afraid of the cold.

That's really cute about her.

How could there be such a lovely girl in the world? Xiao He couldn't help but think to himself, hugging Ye Wanqing and kissing her on the head. "Goodnight, baby."

Ye Wanqing hummed happily, then looked up and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Old Xiao, love you."

Meanwhile, on the other side of Blue Star, someone was getting increasingly angry.

"Didn't I tell you to go yourself?! You sent two useless underlings, and they got utterly thrashed by 'Yinglong'!" Edward Keton roared angrily at the man on the other end of the phone. "Do you know that this only makes them more wary! Even my carefully planted mole has been exposed! Do you know how difficult it is to plant a mole in Dragon Country these days?! Their border checks are incredibly strict now!"

A lazy voice came from the other end. "Those two are the second-in-command of the Raven, second only to me in strength. Sigh, that man is really too troublesome. It's really hard to fight him without figuring out his Superpower."

"Difficult? What do you think I gave you so much money for?!" Edward Keton roared angrily.

"Mr. Keton, please don't be angry," the man on the other end of the phone chuckled. "Raven has suffered too many losses recently, and I'm just recruiting new members to strengthen our own forces. If even our leader is captured, how can Raven continue to serve you? You agree, right?"

"Alright, stop rambling on." Keton interrupted him impatiently. "The Mutant Competition starts in a few months. I've prepared your tickets. Just do as I tell you. Yinglong will also be participating, giving you plenty of opportunities to figure out his Superpower. Then you won't have any excuses, right, Zalk?"

"Of course, sir." The man said excitedly, "I never thought I'd have the chance to participate in the Mutant Competition! This will definitely greatly improve my strength! Mr. Keton, you're amazing!"

"Don't disappoint me, you won't get a second chance," Keton said coldly.