Tl: Hua

Chapter 22

After the mecha assessment, Ji Xuan’s life continued as usual—the simulated training room, the library, following a schedule to the second.

The only difference was the gazes that followed him like shadows.

In the past, it was mostly contemptuous neglect or malicious scrutiny. An Omega at the bottom of the Combat Department was barely worth a glance beyond serving as cafeteria gossip.

Now, those gazes were mixed with inquiry, curiosity, and an unbelievable sense of respect and wariness. When he walked down the corridors of the training center, the whispers would come to an abrupt halt, and lingering gazes would chase his back until he turned a corner. His fixed seat by the library window became a focal point for many eyes.

Ji Xuan was oblivious to all of it. After all, this wasn’t the Demon Realm; no one here feared him plucking out their eyeballs over a disagreement. Furthermore, his skin was thick enough, so there was even less need for shyness.

After showering at night, Ji Xuan sat by the bed drying his hair. Mephisto, who had been neglected for a day, crawled out of the incubator in a hurry and submissively coiled around his thin waist. The cold snake scales pressed against his thin pajamas; Ji Xuan instinctively tightened his abdomen but indulged its boldness.

The terminal lit up with a message from the Beta bartender:

[761 came again today. He’s been coming very frequently lately. Not sure if his rut is coming up; his pheromones are a bit unstable. Do you want to come over and watch the match?]

Ji Xuan replied as he had yesterday: [No, just help me place a bet.]

The cold light of the terminal screen reflected on his face. In the silent dormitory, only the slight sound of rustling snake scales remained.

Mephisto slowly moved upward, its tail wrapping around his chest and its head resting just below his collarbone, flicking its tongue lightly into the air. Ji Xuan looked down at it and hooked its head up with his fingertip. “Behave.”

“If only you were like him, only interested in frolicking in other places.”

He had given hints and set the bait, but the fish on the hook hadn’t rushed to catch it. Instead, it was venting its exuberant energy elsewhere. No matter how Ji Xuan thought about it, he found it amusing.

Unfortunately, there was no one to pick him up, the road to the Lower City was too far, and with the Full-domain Simulation Assessment approaching, he couldn’t spare the time to see what expression 761 wore on the boxing ring right now.

The Full-domain Simulation Assessment lasted for three days, involving group combat in random maps threatened by the Zerg.

There were too many types of map scenarios, so Ji Xuan had spent the last few days in the training room grinding through the most representative types. Midway through, he had unexpectedly matched with Shaikh.

Surprisingly, the one who canceled the match first was the other party.

“Let’s keep a bit of mystery for each other, Brother,” the man’s voice came through the group’s communication system, carrying cunning and anticipation. “I don’t want to lose the joy of unwrapping a gift.”

Ji Xuan was noncommittal, letting him withdraw from the match on his own.

Finally, the day of the Full-domain Simulation Assessment arrived.

On the assembly square in front of the training center, the morning mist had not yet dispersed.

Pei Yingye stood in a prominent position with his hands in his pockets. Those blue eyes locked onto Ji Xuan the moment he appeared.

Unlike the gaze from a few days ago in the cafeteria, a mix of restlessness and testing, every chaotic emotion in those eyes was now suppressed, leaving only a burning focus.

Ji Xuan walked toward him calmly, but his gaze drifted toward Lai Zhou, who was standing in the sunlight nearby talking to someone. “Why is he over there?”

Pei Yingye’s lips moved: “Gossip hunting.”

Immediately after, he took a step closer to Ji Xuan, the distance so small they could almost feel each other’s body temperature. “You care about him the moment you arrive, but you don’t even ask about me?”

Only then did Ji Xuan withdraw his gaze, sizing him up with a half-smile, scanning from his slightly tired eyes to his tightly pressed lips. “You look well enough, don’t you? Though you don’t seem to have slept soundly last night; there’s some darkness under your eyes.”

Pei Yingye raised a hand and rubbed his lower eyelid with his knuckle. “Didn’t notice. Might have been too many dreams; I woke up a few times.”

When he said this, his tone was unnatural, even carrying a hint of teeth-gritting irritation.

“Nightmares?”

Pei Yingye stared intently at Ji Xuan’s lips and shook his head. “Not nightmares.”

Ji Xuan realized, a trace of knowing laughter spreading in his eyes. “I see. Sweet dreams.”

He took another half-step closer to Pei Yingye, his shoulder nearly touching the other’s.

To an outsider, this posture might look like an ordinary conversation, but Pei Yingye’s body tensed instantly. He clearly captured the crisp scent on the other person. It was like a hook, teasing his already restless nerves.

“Then I wish for your dreams to come true.”

Pei Yingye’s Adam’s apple rolled with difficulty.

He really wanted to ask, with a touch of malice, if Ji Xuan knew exactly what had happened in those dreams.

If they came true, it would be impossible for Ji Xuan to maintain this current airy and indifferent composure.

But he swallowed those words.

Just then, the training center notified them to enter.

Lai Zhou ran back in a hurry, breaking the subtle atmosphere. “Sorry, sorry! I heard them discussing the map for this time and went to scout for info. Where’s our other teammate? Not with you guys?”

“No.”

“Strange. Given how recognizable you two are, there’s no reason he wouldn’t recognize you. Do you know him? I asked some friends, and they all said he’s an Omega who isn’t very easy to get along with.”

“Don’t know him,” Pei Yingye said, looking at Ji Xuan. “As he said, it was a random match.”

Ji Xuan said nothing.

Lance Vaughn had waited until the last possible moment to confirm the team. Ji Xuan guessed that he probably couldn’t stand seeing the combat-oriented Alphas he had previously cooperated with suffering defeats at his hands, so he spitefully chose random matchmaking, not expecting to be paired with him. It wasn’t hard to imagine the exasperation Lance felt upon realizing the team couldn’t be changed, eventually forcing him to submit to reality.

The three walked to the simulation pod for their group. One of the pod doors was tightly shut, its status light showing it had started and entered the preparation phase. It seemed Lance Vaughn had arrived early.

Lai Zhou originally wanted to go say hello, but just as his hand lifted, the communication light on the pod door flashed, and a haughty, impatient voice came from within: “Don’t bother me.”

Lai Zhou’s hand stopped awkwardly in mid-air, and he withdrew it sheepishly. “O-Okay.”

Pei Yingye sneered, not even bothering to look that way. Ji Xuan skillfully sat in the simulation pod and put on the sensory equipment.

Inside the simulation pod, the mechanical AI voice began reading the rules.

[In the year 803 of the New Star Calendar, after nearly two centuries of relative peace, the Zerg used technology beyond the Alliance’s understanding to forcibly tear through the wormhole chasm, opening the gates of hell simultaneously over the Alliance borders and the heart of several major galaxies systems. Overnight, the fires of war were lit. Frontier fortresses fell one after another; prosperous industrial and mining planets bore the brunt, turned into breeding grounds by the swarming Worker Zerg.]

[Full-domain Simulation Scenario: Planet Sigma in the Third Galaxy, five years after the invasion. A total of 100 nests, with countless A, B, C, and D-grade Zerg.]

Ji Xuan thought nonchalantly: These Alliance people certainly know how to keep danger in mind during times of peace.

[Rules: Earn points by killing Zerg and clearing nests; eliminating other teams allows you to inherit half of their points; please explore other hidden scores on your own.]

[Warning: The map area will gradually shrink on the second day. On the final night, the “Parasite” mechanism will be activated; those who have not obtained the antidote will gradually mutate until death.]

The countdown ended, and all personnel were finished being transmitted.

To facilitate combat, Ji Xuan had kept his hair short. When Pei Yingye saw him appear, a flash of regret quickly flitted across his face.

“We should go to…”

Lai Zhou’s inquiry had just begun when it was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Lance Vaughn.

“The Military Zone.” Lance Vaughn stood a short distance away from Pei Yingye, his tone the usual commanding one. “Ten minutes before the assessment starts, the Military Zone will be equipped with a large amount of supplies. DPS needs heavy firepower and mecha.”

As he spoke, he intentionally avoided looking at Ji Xuan, as if deliberately excluding him from the candidates for high-damage output. However, after a few seconds, his gaze still lingered on him for a moment, and an indignant expression appeared on his face.

If it hadn’t been for those useless Alphas under Zhou Lin who had all been defeated by Ji Xuan, Lance would never have chosen random matching. Although he was lucky enough to encounter Pei Yingye, he actually had to endure Ji Xuan’s presence.

As for the Beta in the team, Lance Vaughn had never heard of him and didn’t care.

“Besides, Pei Yingye is skilled in close combat; the complex environment of the Military Zone is very suitable for him to perform.”

He tried to seek an ally, but Pei Yingye didn’t even give him a glance out of the corner of his eye, instead focusing on Ji Xuan.

“What do you think?”

Lance’s face turned ashen, and his fingernails nearly dug into his palms.

“We can jump to the Military Zone.” Ji Xuan pulled up the panel and found the Military Zone map and supply summary provided by the system. “The signal tower next to the mecha has a map of the entire area.”

“Lai Zhou, how long will it take you to acquire the map?”

“Five minutes!”

“Good.” He looked up at Pei Yingye. “I haven’t driven this military model before. It might require you to both protect Lai Zhou and seize the mecha … that’s not a problem, right?”

Pei Yingye’s gaze never left Ji Xuan. The corners of his lips lifted imperceptibly, and he took a half-step closer. This distance happened to shroud Ji Xuan within his shadow. “Of course.”

Then, he lowered his voice, his hot breath brushing past Ji Xuan’s ear: “…Are you underestimating me a bit too much?”

Ji Xuan lazily lifted his eyelids to look at him and said nothing.

Watching the interaction between the two as if no one else were around, Lance Vaughn trembled with rage. He wanted to speak up and mock them, but the three had already synchronized their landing coordinates. Thus, he could only reluctantly follow and confirm.

The next moment, the preparation time ended, and their “bodies” were instantly flung into midair.

The architectural layout of the military zone enlarged below them: the dilapidated military base, rusted fortifications, and three conspicuous mecha deployment platforms were clearly visible. In the air, they weren’t the only team that chose this place; several other squads dived toward the limited mecha like birds of prey.

“Two, three… six teams.” Pei Yingye quickly counted the opponents, his voice calm. “One is turning away, and two have incomplete personnel.”

With those words, he dropped toward the nearest platform without hesitation, like a cheetah.

One Alpha clearly took the lone Lance as a soft target and steered his parachute straight toward him. Lance dodged in a panic, but the opponent clung to him like a shadow.

Alarmed and enraged, Lance cursed and violently adjusted his direction in a panic. By doing this, he actually slammed straight into Ji Xuan, who had just landed steadily.

Caught off guard, Ji Xuan stumbled from the impact. Before he could regain his balance, a chilling dagger was already pressed against his throat.

“Losing a team member costs 100 points, friends,” a voice with a strange accent rang in his ear as the Alpha threatened, “Surrender the mech? Or else I’ll have to be the first to send this beautiful little Omega out of the game.”

The cold metal was pressed tight against his carotid artery. Ji Xuan could feel the opponent’s wrist trembling slightly due to nervousness. He looked down at the weapon at his neck, his long eyelashes casting shadows. When he spoke, his tone was unexpectedly calm, even carrying a hint of playfulness:

“Is the ‘beautiful little Omega’ you’re referring to… me?”