The space station contained air and uniformly simulated planetary gravity, allowing humans inside to live as if they were on a planet, complete with gravitational pull. With a leap, Chucks soared like a bird trying to reach the sky, only to smash onto the floor, reduced to dust.

A shrill alarm blared, plunging the space station into momentary chaos.

Kaga hadn't experienced a student suicide in decades.

News media flocked to the scene, igniting a city-wide uproar.

This incident—the injury of the twins—dropped another bombshell, shaking the entire interstellar community. A competing pilot was slashed, a student jumped to his death, and public opinion swiftly pivoted to scrutinize Kaga’s teaching quality.

Kaga, still reeling from investigating the inner workings of the twins' injury, now had to placate public sentiment while simultaneously digging into Chucks's background and the reasons behind his fatal jump.

Before injuring the twins, Chucks had been an utterly ordinary student, though perpetually melancholic, always appearing burdened by worry.

It was precisely as the incident occurred that Kaga police had managed to pull up his file.

Chucks hailed from a small planet in the Barren Star Territory—a world so water-scarce that its inhabitants largely lived below the poverty line. Chucks was the only student from that planet who had ever been accepted into Kaga, and he was currently in his third year.

Kaga immediately issued a public apology, offering fifty million in compensation to Chucks's family and launching a series of educational support programs for his home planet. This was done with the utmost speed to suppress negative voices, before asserting that Chucks had succumbed to the pressure of public opinion after injuring the twins.

As a child from a destitute family, he had already shouldered too much stress and could not bear the burden of universal condemnation… Kaga offered the apology out of shame for not having perfected its psychological support system.

Kaga also vowed to pay closer attention to students' mental fortitude in the future, ensuring no other student would be lost.

This handling somewhat satisfied public opinion.

Most people concluded that Chucks had committed suicide out of guilt, and while a minority dissented, their voices were gradually drowned out.

In reality, the evidence Kaga police uncovered bore little resemblance to a "suicide motivated by guilt."

Chucks’s true reason for ending his life was not guilt, but the fact that his reputation was irrevocably ruined; he had no standing left in Kaga, and his distant parents would be profoundly disappointed upon learning of his actions.

He had researched Kaga: a student suicide was categorized as a teaching accident, making the school liable. Decades ago, when a student took their own life, Kaga had paid out twenty million.

This meant he was certain he could secure at least twenty million in benefits for his parents.

With that sum, his parents’ livelihood for the rest of their lives would be secure, leaving him, as their son, with no further earthly concerns.

Chucks, therefore, departed cleanly and decisively, unburdened by psychological distress.

Kaga police did not cease their investigation because of this official conclusion.

Chucks achieving this level of action was not something easily done merely for notoriety.

There had to be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.

They speculated that the orchestrator must have promised to "care for his parents."

Thus, the police began monitoring the financial flows related to Chucks's family, waiting patiently for their target.

Public opinion, having nothing more to glean from Chucks, redirected its gaze back toward the twins.

Kaga still owed an explanation regarding the twins' injuries—hmph.

Kaga knew it had to provide an official response while simultaneously racing to track the mastermind.

Their efficiency was remarkable; they swiftly apprehended the "mastermind"—Beldon!!!

When the police moved in, Beldon was busy spreading detrimental news about Chuushou on the light-net.

He had been having a wonderful time lately, having created a dedicated forum online to expose the secrets of mech racing, where he spent his days pouring vitriol onto Chuushou.

Chuushou acted like a turtle hiding in its shell, not uttering a single word.

Beldon felt victorious.

Someone had recently told him that if he maintained this aggressive stance, stirring up trouble effortlessly, he could secure a job offer from the illustrious Cocoa Group after graduation…

Such an easy and lucrative job was simply too delightful.

The key was that he genuinely despised Chuushou.

They were all so pretentious.

Utterly unbearable.

While enjoying himself online, he was suddenly interrupted by a knocking. Assuming it was a classmate, he opened the door only to be blinded—nearly frying his triple-titanium eyes—by the sight of the Lingsi police uniform and gleaming handcuffs.

The officer stated expressionlessly, "You are under arrest."

Beldon cried out, "What is this? Why are you arresting me? You must have the wrong person!"

The police offered no chance for rebuttal. He was loaded into the car and transported to the Incident Processing Center; no matter how much he argued during the ride, it was useless.

Beldon grew desperate. "It really wasn't me; someone ordered me to do it!"

The officers immediately perked up. "Who?"

Beldon started, "Silv—" He suddenly realized that if he implicated Silverdew, she would be finished too.

He wrestled internally: if he gave up Silverdew, would he be absolved of responsibility?

Silverdew was his childhood friend of twenty years; she was a year older and far more mature. Before he entered Kaga University, Silverdew had looked after him in every aspect, academically and personally—caring for him more deeply than an elder sister. If she were exposed, what future would a young woman have?

Beldon’s features contorted with distress.

Seeing his silence, the officer pressed again, "Tell us, who was the mastermind?"

Beldon lowered his head and whispered, "No one. I did it myself. I was on the same team as Chuushou before, but they ganged up and kicked me out. I was angry and wanted revenge."

The police officer’s face hardened. "So you bribed Chucks to target Aix and Sprent?"

Beldon froze at the implication and shouted, "No! I didn't force him to die! His death has nothing to do with me!"—If murder was involved, this would become a serious criminal case, and escape would not be so easy.

Beldon felt the gravity of the situation, a chill running down his spine.

The police stated, "We'll discuss it further at the processing center."

However, Beldon had no chance of salvaging the situation.

The previous incident, involving the theft of mech parts, had already earned him severe disciplinary action from the school. This time, he was directly expelled, with a notice sent to all Kaga-affiliated schools prohibiting his future enrollment.

Beldon belatedly realized his academic career had abruptly terminated!

He slunk back to his apartment. Thinking he might have fewer opportunities to see Silverdew now, he headed straight for her unit.

Her door was shut tight.

Beldon thought he heard sounds from inside, but ringing the bell yielded no response.

Refusing to give up, he pinged her comm-signal. After a moment, she answered, "I'm out, I'll be back soon."

Beldon felt a rising tide of inexplicable frustration. He had been kind enough not to expose her, yet she was lying to him!!!

Coincidentally, a female student from the next apartment stepped out. He begged the girl for help.

The girl walked to the doorbell, pressed it, and called out, "Silverdew, the water meter checker is here!"

Inside, there was a sudden flurry of crashing noises. The girl shrugged at Beldon and left.

A moment later, Silverdew opened the door, fully dressed.

The sight made Beldon explode in rage!

Although Silverdew was fully clothed, her neck and collarbone were covered in hickeys—freshly planted strawberries!!