TL: Hua
Chapter 29
Inside the training center, the low hum of the simulation pods gradually ceased.
“*Pshhh—*”
The sound of exhausting air rang out as rows of pod doors slid open simultaneously.
The students who participated in the assessment struggled to get up one after another. The hall was filled with various noisy sounds: exclamations of surviving a disaster, unwilling curses, and intense discussions about the final melee mixed together, rising and falling.
One of the students touched his neck, seemingly still able to feel the lingering sensation of being constricted on his skin. The fear brought by oxygen deprivation and suffocation had not yet completely dissipated. He looked around in the hall, searching for the person who had eliminated him.
His gaze finally settled on Team Eight’s simulation pod area. The first thing that came into view was a hand resting steadily on the edge of the pod door. Immediately following, a figure walked out unhurriedly.
It was Ji Xuan.
Beneath his fragmented black hair, his face was calm, devoid of any flush or fatigue following a fierce battle. His long, thick eyelashes drooped slightly, shielding those cold eyes.
His legs, encased in combat boots, landed lightly on the ground. The training uniform he wore was the standard Mars Military Academy issue, yet on him, it looked as if it had been custom-tailored, fitting perfectly to every inch of his body’s lines. His suddenly tapering waist appeared exceptionally narrow and supple.
He was like a green bamboo growing on a cliffside, possessing a lean, easily-snapped beauty, yet one could clearly sense the formidable aggression and strength beneath his tall frame. A strange, intriguing desire was woven into this physical form.
The live cameras of the training center locked onto him at the right moment, and the major hot threads on the forum had already flourished with activity:
[231L: That waist! Those legs! That figure! Who exactly was saying he was mediocre before?]
[243L: Has his grade evolved again? When he first came to Mars, I didn’t notice he was this good-looking at all…]
[245L: Ji Yan is the dream Omega for many people; as his brother, he certainly wouldn’t be much worse.]
[256L: Whether he evolved or not doesn’t matter anymore. A low-grade Omega taking first place in the Full-domain Simulation—that’s a unique occurrence in the entire history of Mars Military Academy.]
[279L: Uh, an Omega winning by riding his teammates’ coattails, and he’s still this smug? Who really deserves the credit, don’t we all know?]
…
Similarly, whispers on the scene spread like a rising tide.
Pei Yingye’s exit from the pod was a few beats slower than Ji Xuan’s.
Carrying a lingering aura of fierce brutality, he strode out of the simulation pod. Then, without the slightest hesitation and under the weight of countless gazes, he walked straight toward Ji Xuan.
Ji Xuan’s already loose scorpion braid had somehow come undone in several strands, the hair tie nearly slipping off the end. Thinking no one was paying attention, Pei Yingye casually reached out a finger to hook them. His intention might have been to tuck those disobedient strands back, but when his fingertip touched them, the hair slid down, lightly brushing against the side of Ji Xuan’s neck.
“…?”
Pei Yingye’s finger paused as if realizing he’d done something mischievous. But a few seconds later, he quickly adjusted his expression, feigned innocence as he flicked the hair caught on his knuckle away, and shoved his hand back into his pocket. In a level tone, he reminded him: “Your hair is messy.”
Ji Xuan turned his head, his eyelashes casting a long, thin shadow in the light.
Then, he lazily lifted his eyelids, giving Pei Yingye a half-smiling glance: “Other little puppies don’t cover up like you do after doing something bad.”
Pei Yingye froze on the spot.
Perhaps it was because his attempt to shift the blame was exposed, or perhaps it was because of that ambiguous and suggestive nickname; he failed to react for a moment, his blue eyes widening suddenly.
Not good at taking a tease.
Ji Xuan passed judgment on him.
“Snap out of it.” Ji Xuan patted his shoulder playfully, turned around, and walked toward the massive light screen of the training center.
The system was calculating the final rankings for the annual assessment. In this brief interval, the forum discussion reached a fever pitch:
[483L: To be fair, Ji Xuan has strength, but Pei Yingye did the most work in the final melee, right? Adding on to his previous assessment scores, I reckon the winner is still Pei Yingye.]
[485L: I think so too. Although Ji Xuan performed well this time, the team still relied on Pei Yingye to get points. No matter how great an Omega is, in actual combat…]
[486L: Besides, he lost a hundred points for failing to protect Lance, resulting in his elimination.]
[487L: Is the person above speaking human language? Who do you think eliminated Shen Que’s team?]
[489L: Thinking about it, Shen Que and Ji Xuan still have an engagement, right… Killing your fiancé to prove you’re number one, that’s satisfying! Truly a role model for us Omegas!]
[490L: Is the calculation done yet? So slow!]
Amidst the commotion, the giant light screen in the center of the hall roared to life. The final rankings of the annual assessment were displayed on the screen—
- Ji Xuan – Total Score: 955.45
(Full-domain Simulation: Team 1st | Mecha Piloting: 5th | Close Combat: Group A 1st | Mental Power: S)
- Pei Yingye – Total Score: 955.30
(Full-domain Simulation: Team 1st | Mecha Piloting: 1st | Close Combat: Group A 2nd | Mental Power: 3S)
- XXX
Silence.
The noise in the hall vanished instantly.
The total ranking scores were weighted from various assessment results. The fact that Ji Xuan could win by a margin of 0.15 points while only outscoring Pei Yingye in one category meant that, in the system’s judgment, his team contribution in the Full-domain Simulation was significantly higher than Pei Yingye’s.
On second thought, it wasn’t that strange. After all, with the record of eliminating three-quarters of Shaikh’s team, such a judgment was justifiable.
It was just that the forum was bound to erupt into a bloodbath over this result.
Having recovered, Pei Yingye looked up at the rankings. His face showed no sign of displeasure or resentment; instead, a surge of intense excitement broke through. He turned to look at Ji Xuan, saying almost with a sigh, “So impressive.”
“This is the first time I’ve been suppressed like this by someone.”
Ji Xuan suspected he was intentionally coming over to “retaliate.” However, this “retaliatory” phrasing was not very sophisticated. The teased young man did not show even a hint of shyness; instead, meeting his burning gaze, the corners of his lips hooked into a shallow, haughty arc.
“This is just the beginning,” Ji Xuan said leisurely.
He wanted more than just this.
Pei Yingye glanced at the camera above, his tongue imperceptibly pressing against his cheek as if hesitating whether to take this opportunity to ask for his prize. But after thinking for a moment, he swallowed the words back.
Just then, his personal terminal rang. He looked down at the caller ID, then looked up to meet Ji Xuan’s silent, inquiring gaze.
“My dad.”
He shook the terminal to show him. Seeing the name saved there, Ji Xuan thought to himself that this was truly a lack of etiquette.
However, his family seemed very harmonious; otherwise, he wouldn’t have saved his biological father’s full name like that, accompanied by several pouting and disgusted emojis.
“He must have received the news and come specifically to mock me for failing in an easy task.”
Before he finished speaking, he had already taken a step forward, intruding into Ji Xuan’s personal space with remarkable ease. His shoulders appeared relaxed and lowered, the metal parts on them childishly bumping into Ji Xuan’s arm.
“I’ll go deal with him.” He leaned down, his warm breath instantly brushing past Ji Xuan’s ear. “The thing you promised me… I’ll come to collect it at the party tonight.”
After speaking, without waiting for Ji Xuan’s response, he straightened up. With a roguish smile still hanging on his lips, he took a casual look at the constantly ringing terminal and strode toward a less crowded area.
The dark training uniform whipped up a gust of wind from his swift movements, brushing over the back of Ji Xuan’s hand. His tall, straight back was full of an unconventional energy and vigorous vitality, and the tips of his hair swayed with his movements, like an impatient young lion, bright, flamboyant, and even a bit ostentatious.
Ji Xuan laughed for no reason. It wasn’t until Pei Yingye’s back disappeared into the crowd that he withdrew his gaze.
What was the party he mentioned?
The system explained: [It’s a tradition at Mars Military Academy, held spontaneously by students after the annual assessment… “Ji Xuan” never participated, so I’m not quite sure what they do there.]
Ji Xuan gave a soft “Mm” and walked toward the exit of the training center.
Having stayed in the simulation pod for over two days, he wanted to go back and take a shower first.
However, as soon as Ji Xuan pushed the door into the dormitory, he heard the sound of earth-shattering dry heaving coming from the bathroom.
“Ugh—”
Accompanied by violent coughing and gasping.
The bathroom was already occupied by Lance.
Those who were eliminated early in the full-domain simulation could choose to stay or leave. Ji Xuan scanned the dorm; the things that originally belonged to Lance had already been packed into boxes. Only the bedding remained unorganized; the wardrobe and desk were already clean.
—Lance must have chosen to come back early.
Ji Xuan walked to his own bed and opened the incubator for a look. Mephisto, sensing a familiar scent, poked its head out eagerly. Ji Xuan fed it a few small fish and began to ask on the forum whether one could bring pets to legion training.
However, no one paid him any attention at all.
Inside, people were either discussing what to do at tonight’s party or researching this year’s assessment rankings.
When someone finally replied, it was useless banter.
[2L: Buddy, why not ask in a few days? Right now, either the followers of the two Chiefs are having their dreams crushed, or JX’s fan club is rising; no one is going to bother with you… You’d be better off joining our “What to wear tonight to get those guys’ attention” army; at least you’d get some engagement.]
Ji Xuan replied to him, [So, what should one wear?]
[4L: Reply to 3L: Actually, I’m not sure either. What do you think JX would like? Is a furry suit okay? Don’t all Omegas like fluffy things?]
Ji Xuan opened the StarNet search: What is a furry suit?
A minute later, he came back to reply to that person: [If the modeling isn’t as good as Pei Yingye, it should be fine.]
[6L: Reply to 5L: So bold! Don’t bring up PYY’s full name in a post unrelated to the assessment, ahhhhh.]
Ji Xuan looked at the new reply with confusion, wondering where these strange rules came from.
“*Click—*”
The bathroom door was pushed open. Ji Xuan lifted his eyelids and took a casual look. Lance’s face was even paler than he had imagined. Perhaps he hadn’t slept well last night after being eliminated; two massive dark circles hung under his eyes.
His gaze swept over Ji Xuan’s face, and when it touched Mephisto, who had just crawled onto Ji Xuan’s shoulder, the moment of his elimination suddenly flashed through his mind for some reason—Ji Xuan’s cold, spectating eyes, the dense swarm of zergs, and the tooth-aching friction of numerous legs. He had chosen to end it himself amidst the terror, and even upon escaping the simulation pod, he couldn’t forget that skin-crawling sensation of those Zerg crawling onto him.
So much so that when he dreamed back to it last night, he woke up in a fright from that terrifying scene.
Lance hastily covered his mouth and ran back into the bathroom.
“Ugh—”
Ji Xuan withdrew his gaze, stopped replying to that person on the forum, and instead began searching for information regarding North Star Fortress and Ying Xun.
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