TL: Hua

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Chapter 40

Unlike Mars Military Academy, the fortress cafeteria did not “employ” robot chefs. The food they produced was more than just a little bit better, especially when someone else was paying. Pei Yingye ate quite happily.

The shooting range was located in Sector A and occupied a vast area. When they arrived, only a few stray soldiers were performing extra drills. The socially anxious Chen Shuo had found the furthest corner; wearing noise-canceling earmuffs, he was stiff as a wooden board from head to toe, meticulously adjusting his posture toward a distant target.

Old Wang had said he was going back to rest, and the tall, thin veteran was on duty tonight. The only one who followed them after paying up was the dark-faced veteran. He greeted the administrator with practiced ease, used his authorization to open two adjacent stalls, and led them to pick up training pistols and ammunition.

“Here, the basic model. Low recoil, suitable for… well, anyway, you can both try it.” The veteran handed a gun to Ji Xuan, then looked at Pei Yingye. “What about you, kid? Want to try something with more kick?”

Pei Yingye didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on Ji Xuan’s hand holding the gun. The pistol was indeed exquisitely crafted and compact, its silver-white metal casing perfectly complementing Ji Xuan’s complexion. He watched those slender hands skillfully inspect the weapon and chamber a round, a dark, unreadable light flashing in his eyes.

Members of the combat department learn basic firearms use as early as their first year, but Ji Xuan’s experience was only learned in a simulation pod before the full-domain simulation; this was his first time handling a real firearm.

How to put it? It was a marvelous feeling.

While simulation pods can reflect human senses to the greatest extent, there are still slight differences.

Ji Xuan raised his arm, aiming at the distant bullseye. To maximize his last-minute cramming efficiency, he had only learned the two most common firearms used in the full-domain simulation maps; he had never used a pocket pistol like this.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

He fired three shots in succession without hesitation. His hand, used to gripping a sword for many years, was exceptionally steady while shooting.

From Pei Yingye’s perspective, the scene looked like a meticulously drawn fine-line painting. Ji Xuan’s lean waist looked sharp in the training uniform, his slightly parted legs were long and straight, and his calves beneath the combat boots invited endless imagination. His lips were slightly pursed, his profile looking like fine jade under the cold white lights of the range.

The bullets landed on the seventh, eighth, and seventh rings, respectively. Ji Xuan frowned unconsciously, seemingly dissatisfied with the result.

He took off his noise-canceling muffs and turned his head. His loosely tied scorpion braid slid over his shoulder as his gaze landed on Pei Yingye.

“Come here. Teach me.”

It was a commanding tone.

Before the veteran could even react, he saw Pei Yingye put down his halfheartedly chosen gun and trot over eagerly.

A young Alpha, even a 3S-grade one, only amounts to this much when it counts, the veteran thought wryly.

Pei Yingye strode behind Ji Xuan, hands in his pockets, and said nonchalantly, “Where’s the problem?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have called you,” Ji Xuan replied flatly.

“Who asks for help with that kind of attitude?” Pei Yingye grumbled, though his movements didn’t hesitate for a second. He pulled his hands out and tentatively touched Ji Xuan’s tensed forearms and shoulders. “Relax. For a gun with low recoil like this, you can’t lock your strength too tightly.”

His touch was incredibly light, as if he were merely confirming the state of Ji Xuan’s muscles. Seeing that Ji Xuan did not pull away, he pushed his luck and took a step closer, pressing his chest against Ji Xuan’s back. His arms wound around, hovering loosely over the back of Ji Xuan’s hand that held the gun.

“Drop your wrist a little lower,” he whispered, his breath brushing softly against the curve of Ji Xuan’s ear. He patiently adjusted the position of Ji Xuan’s fingers with his hand. “Press the web of your thumb tight… right… rest your index finger here, don’t use the pad of your finger.”

Following the lead of his strength, Ji Xuan slid his finger down and aimed at the bullseye again, his breathing gradually steadying. Just as he was about to ask Pei Yingye whether he could fire, the latter suddenly wedged his right leg between Ji Xuan’s thighs. Applying slight pressure from his knee to his calf, he forced one of Ji Xuan’s legs outward with a firm shove.

“This way is a bit better.” That leg remained wedged between Ji Xuan’s, making its presence impossible to ignore.

Ji Xuan’s eyelids flickered. He couldn’t tell if the man was teaching seriously or flirting on purpose. His clear, cool gaze swept over the other’s neck, and Pei Yingye’s Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.

So, it was both.

Pei Yingye certainly felt the stare. He met Ji Xuan’s gaze without a hint of a blush; his blue eyes seemed to have two faint flickers of fire dancing within them, churning with a deeper, almost predatory focus. Maintaining this posture and proximity, he practically pressed against the shell of Ji Xuan’s ear and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Eyes on the bullseye. Get ready to fire.”

Ji Xuan let out a soft chuckle. He stopped looking at him and refocused on the target, his gun-holding arm steadier than before.

Bang!

The shot hit precisely on the edge of the ten-ring.

Amidst the echoing gunshot, Ji Xuan didn’t move immediately. He simply spoke flatly: “Can you move your leg now?”

Pei Yingye’s Adam’s apple slid. He did as told and silently pulled his right leg out from between the other’s legs. His thigh bumped against the side of Ji Xuan’s leg, whether by accident or design. Ji Xuan tilted his head to give him a quiet glance. His expression betrayed neither joy nor anger, yet it made Pei Yingye’s heart skip a beat.

However, he quickly pretended as if nothing had happened, changing the subject: “Want to try a different gun?”

Ji Xuan didn’t answer right away. He casually set the pocket pistol down on the counter before turning toward the direction Pei Yingye had pointed.

The dark-faced veteran had long since retreated. Since he rarely went to the battlefield these days, he had little need for target practice, and standing there watching an Alpha and Omega flirt was even less interesting.

Ji Xuan’s gaze swept over the displayed firearms. When he saw a long-barreled sniper rifle, he clearly noticed Pei Yingye, who had followed him, raised an eyebrow with a glint in his eyes.

“What, is this one more interesting to fire?” Ji Xuan asked lightly.

“It is more interesting.” Pei Yingye poked his cheek with his tongue. “The usage is a bit different from the one just now.”

Ji Xuan raised an eyebrow. Although he didn’t know exactly how it was different, he had guessed the man’s mischievous intentions.

Thus, under Pei Yingye’s direct stare, he stepped forward, picked up the heavy rifle, and weighed it in his hand. With a half-smile, he said, “Since you’re so interested, shall we give it a try?”

Pei Yingye’s breath hitched. A second later, he took the gun. With a click, he skillfully deployed the bipod at the front of the frame and propped the rifle onto the table.

The table was roughly waist-high. To use this rifle, one had to lean their upper body low. Ji Xuan’s gaze traveled between the rifle, the table, and Pei Yingye, a playful light surfacing in his eyes.

So that was the intention.

The man’s wicked scheme was now plain as day. Ji Xuan looked past his feigned composure and unconcealed anticipation; he couldn’t help but find it funny, yet there was also a trace of inexplicable indulgence.

And so, under a gaze so intense it was practically tangible, Ji Xuan showed no hesitation. He walked calmly to the table and bent down decisively.

His scorpion braid dangled. His back curved into a flexible yet powerful arc, and the fabric of the combat uniform pulled tight, clearly outlining the line of his spine and the sudden narrowing of his waist.

It was a posture that invited endless imagination.

Pei Yingye’s eyes suddenly darkened, and his thumb, which was on Ji Xuan’s lower back, landed right on the back dimple.

“Lean down a bit more.”

Ji Xuan chuckled playfully and adjusted slightly according to the pressure of the man’s palm. He could even feel the moisture of his palm, the trembling of his arm, and a wildly racing heartbeat.

Pei Yingye reached out to adjust the scope, his increasingly heavy breathing hitting Ji Xuan’s back. Just as he was about to speak and tell the other he could try firing, a commotion nearby interrupted his thoughts.

“Oh, isn’t this Xiao Chen from the Allocation Office? What are you doing out here training alone in the middle of the night?”

A familiar voice called out a familiar name, and both men straightened up at the same time.

The shooting range was connected to the mecha training ground by a corridor, making it easy for fortress personnel to switch venues during training. Harvey and several defense force soldiers had come through that corridor, which was why Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye, situated near the main entrance of the shooting range, hadn’t noticed them at first.

The intimate atmosphere that was so hard to come by had been ruined. Pei Yingye’s brow dropped, his face a mask of displeasure.

But Harvey clearly wasn’t just saying hello to Chen Shuo. He stepped swaggeringly in front of the man, easily hooking off his noise-canceling earmuffs, and said mockingly, “Working so hard? Which department are you trying to get into?”

Chen Shuo, adhering to the principle that fewer troubles are better, said nothing and tried to move around them to leave.

Unexpectedly, Harvey shifted to the side, blocking his path. “Why didn’t I see Coordinator Chen in the warehouse a few days ago? What, got a guilty conscience? Pushing two military students out to take the heat for you?”

Chen Shuo stammered an explanation: “Returning your application was also acting according to the rules. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

“Rules? Rules are dead, but people are alive. It was just one wrong code. You could have just changed it yourself. Why act so high and mighty with me?” Harvey snorted, seemingly thinking about how Pei Yingye and Ji Xuan had confronted him in the warehouse that day and how Old Wang had made sarcastic remarks about him. His anger flared up even more.

However, his eyes flickered as he thought of something, and his expression suddenly turned malicious. “Coincidentally, we just finished training, and it looks like no one is in there right now. Since Coordinator Chen wants to enter a frontline department, your mecha piloting shouldn’t be too bad, right? Let’s have a match. If you win, I’ll let bygones be bygones.”

As a Beta who spent all year in logistics, even if he studied mecha piloting for an exam, he could not possibly be a match for a trained auxiliary soldier. Harvey was clearly bullying Chen Shuo.

Although Chen Shuo was a man of few words and low presence, he had helped Pei Yingye and Ji Xuan a lot these past few days. Neither of them could stand by and watch him be cornered and bullied.

Of course, in Captain Harvey’s eyes, this wasn’t bullying but a “friendly consultation” between the auxiliary defense force and the Material Allocation Office. While the fortress prohibited private brawling, a 1v1 mecha duel was considered a technical discussion and thus was a different matter.

Pei Yingye stepped forward, about to say, “How about I play with you?” but Ji Xuan grabbed his arm.

“You’re an Alpha. Even if you win, he won’t be convinced,” Ji Xuan said softly.

Then, he stepped past Pei Yingye toward Harvey. “Wouldn’t it be more interesting to fight me, an Omega, Captain?”

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