Chapter 30

Chapter 30

030

Countdown to Transformation.

Chu Li packed his belongings and moved into the dormitory. The following day, the teacher in charge of them arrived.

"The task for you is simple. You will be assisting a few teachers. Sometimes, when the military academy students engage in physical activities, they might exceed the limits. Injuries, broken limbs, or even worse, are quite common. You won't need to do much; the main responsibilities will be handled by the teachers..."

The teacher in charge was a female Beta with a gentle smile. "Alphas from the military academy are resilient. Feel free to experiment with them. Don't be nervous when it comes to physical interactions; just treat them as nursing practice models."

Chu Li: "..." Sorry, but that might be difficult to achieve.

He already felt a little sympathetic for the military academy before they even started.

The Beta teacher introduced herself, "My name is Cao Yun. You can call me Teacher Cao from now on."

"Professor Cao."

"Good day, Professor Cao."

The students greeted her one by one. The dormitory housed four individuals, yet they were distinctly divided into two groups: Chu Li... and the others.

Cao Yun glanced around the room and had a vague understanding of what was going on.

She smiled, said nothing, and led everyone outside.

The military academy was vast, nearly the size of the Nursing Department and the Omega Academy combined.

As they walked, Cao Yun explained the situation, "Their military drill will last for seven days. Initially, there will be individual competitions, followed by team collaboration. Injuries are more likely to occur during the individual matches, but it will be much easier with teamwork. Their team collaboration will take place in a simulator."

"Simulator?" It was the first time Chu Li had heard of such a thing. He asked out of curiosity.

As soon as he spoke, the Alpha who had previously clashed with him shot him a cold glance, his expression implying, 'Surely you're a country bumpkin, not knowing even this.'

Professor Cao smiled amiably, "Their latter half of the military training is focused on space combat. It's impossible to conduct a live simulation, so they have to resort to using simulators."

Cao Yun continued, "Once they're done boarding, perhaps you can have a go at it as an internal school perk."

Everyone was eager to try.

Even Chu Li was slightly curious.

Soon, they arrived at the military drill site. In the hall, Cao Yun said, "I'll go find Teacher Wang, who's in charge, to escort you in. Wait here for a moment."

With that, Cao Yun left, leaving the nursing students standing together.

The hall was bustling with military academy students, all tall and sturdy. Chu Li had left his collar at home, and the mix of Alpha pheromones made him slightly uncomfortable.

He moved to a corner, but this small action was noticed by one of the Alphas accompanying them. The Alpha curled his lip coldly and said, "I told you Omegas aren't fit for this role. Professor Wen insisted on bringing him along. Tsk tsk, he can't even wait in the hall for a bit. During the military drill, he'll just be standing there as eye candy, won't he?"

Chu Li merely felt uncomfortable; it wasn't severe enough to hinder his work.

He smiled generously at the Alpha and replied, "If he's going to be eye candy, he'll be the most attractive one in the entire college."

Alpha: "..."

Perhaps taken aback by Chu Li's audacity, the Alpha was momentarily stunned.

Cao Yun returned swiftly, rejoining the group. "I've got our passes sorted. Each of you take one, and let's proceed."

She distributed the passes and led them inside.

The military academy's assessment for students was comprehensive, encompassing both indoor and outdoor tasks that often ran concurrently.

The room allocated for their rest was spacious, featuring a massive screen in the center that could be switched to different channels to watch the military academy students' matches. Naturally, if there were no complications, attending the events in person was also an option.

Next to the resting room was a medical facility, and beyond that, an office where teachers took their breaks.

After settling them in their designated area, Cao Yun left.

Aware of the others' dissatisfaction with him, Chu Li didn't utter a single unnecessary word before exiting.

Left alone in the room were the three remaining individuals, two Betas turning to the Alpha. "Brother Xing, what do we do now?"

Wang Xing glanced at the door. "Let's assume he has some sense… What else can we do? We're here now, so let's just proceed for now."

"Wang Xing, we could secretly give him a taste of his own medicine, as long as we..."

Before they could finish their sentence, Wang Xing slapped them both. "Are you two stupid? The military exercise is a major event for the school. If anything goes wrong, we'll all be in trouble together!"

Silenced by this, the pair fell quiet.

---

The intensity of the military exercise gradually increased, and on the first day, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

Everyone was resting in the lounge. Feeling awkward about sitting together, Wang Xing took his two minions and left in the afternoon.

Chu Li was glad for the solitude and took out the assignment given to him by Professor Wenren earlier.

After completing his homework, he accessed his personal terminal and began chatting with Zhan Jiaqing and Liu Wei in their group chat.

Since coming to the military academy, Chu Li had entrusted the task of caring for Sunset Glow to these two. Thankfully, the group members all had good dispositions and didn't blame him for leaving. Grateful, Chu Li expressed in the chat that he would treat them to a meal after the exercise.

Zhan Jiaqing promptly replied, saying that there was no need for a meal; instead, she requested more photos of the military exercise at the academy.

Chu Li was quite surprised and asked why. Zhan Jiaqing exaggeratedly sent an audio message.

"Of course we should take pictures! The annual military drill is a big event for the school, alright? It's a military academy! They have height requirements for recruits – all of them are over six feet tall… Oh, right, I forgot that you already have an Alpha, so you don't care. But you need to think about little Liu Wei. Remember to take pictures! Got it?"

After listening, Chu Li couldn't help but laugh and cry. Would Liu Wei, with his personality, really enjoy something like this?

However, one had to repay favors. Since he had asked for their help, he should try his best to fulfill their requests.

Since his homework was done, Chu Li packed up his things and prepared to go out and take a look.

Coincidentally, just as he left the lounge and stepped outside, he saw a group of Alphas jogging in formation from afar.

As Zhan Jiaqing had said, they were all long-legged. They were dressed uniformly in tailored military-style outfits that hugged their bodies, accentuating their broad shoulders, long legs, and slender waists.

Spotting Chu Li standing by the roadside, someone recognized him as an Omega and whistled at him, teasing, "Hey, pretty boy—"

The military academy was isolated, and most students didn't pay much attention to the outside world. Thus, they didn't realize that this 'pretty boy' was none other than the recently infamous Chu Li.

On the contrary, Chu Li himself felt a sense of gender confusion after being flirted with.

Seems like he still needed to get more accustomed to the setting of this world.

He stood still, watching the group of Alphas assemble on an adjacent empty ground. After observing for a while, he couldn't find a suitable moment to take a picture.

Firstly, there were too many people, with no clear focus, making it difficult to decide who to photograph. Secondly, secretly taking pictures felt inappropriate.

After much hesitation, he decided to open the forum.

As expected, the main topic of discussion on the forum was centered around the military drill at the military academy. Almost every post came with several photos – not only did the Medical Department send someone over, but also the Warship Command, Mecha Maintenance, Navigation Calculation... and other departments had each dispatched their own students to participate in the exercise.

Chu Li stealthily took a few photos and posted them in their small trio group chat, promptly receiving a reply from Zhan Jiaqing.

"Morning Sun: Honey, are you trying to fool us with those pictures from the forum?"

"Wheat: Just bear with it, I think their photography skills are better than mine."

"Morning Sun: Tsk tsk, forget it, little brother. I won't put you through that. Your meager collection of pictures is nothing compared to what I've gathered from the forum."

With that, Zhan Jiaqing flooded the group chat with dozens of photos.

All of them were fair-skinned, handsome, and had long legs.

But Chu Li was confused. According to the world's setting, wasn't Zhan Jiaqing also an Alpha? Why would she be so interested in this group of "same-gender" individuals?

He expressed his confusion, but Zhan Jiaqing replied, "Younger brother, you don't understand yet, do you? AA relationships are the true essence of life!"

Chu Li: "..."

Oh, he got it now.

Zhan Jiaqing liked Alphas.

No wonder he had always felt that Zhan Jiaqing's teasing was just playful; turns out her heart wasn't really with him.

After accepting these six complex genders, Chu Li realized there were some benefits. With more combinations, people had become accustomed to seeing all types of gender pairings together.

AA, AB, AO, BO, BB, OO... any combination one could think of, they could all be together without issue.

—

The next day, the infirmary was bustling with activity.

At first, it was just minor bruises and contusions, but as time went on, the reasons for the injuries became more bizarre. Fractures and internal injuries were one thing, but there were even cases of people twisting their ankles when disembarking from their mechas, resulting in broken wrists.

As Chu Li adjusted the medical device for one of the patients, he couldn't help but ask, "How high is the threshold of your mecha?"

The young Alpha's face flushed with shame and frustration. "A... around one meter."

Chu Li was even more astonished. "You can get hurt from a one-meter step?"

This Alpha seemed to be a fresh newcomer, still carrying a youthful innocence. Blushing under Chu Li's scrutiny, his face turned red.

Feeling both amused and helpless, Chu Li fetched the medical device and sat down beside him to chat. After about ten minutes, the green light on the device illuminated, indicating that the treatment was complete.

With a sigh of relief at its convenience, Chu Li packed away the device. The young Alpha attempted to stand up, but his ankle gave way once again. Fortunately, Chu Li reacted quickly, grabbing his arm. "Be careful."

The Alpha wore a mournful expression. "Student Chu Li, what should I do? My ankle still hurts a lot. Is the medical device faulty, or am I?"

Chu Li couldn't help but smile at the absurdity. He supported the man to sit on the bed and said, "Let me see your foot."

The Alpha appeared incredibly bashful, remaining still as Chu Li could only squat before him and reach out to grasp his ankle. To his surprise, the Alpha wore a pained expression on the verge of tears, "H-How can this be? How can I let you touch my... my feet?"

Chu Li was quite helpless.

Before using the medical scanner, this student had already thoroughly cleaned and sanitized themselves.

Besides, he's currently playing the role of a 'doctor.' Isn't it normal for a doctor to examine one's body for any abnormalities?

Didn't male and female physicians in the previous life go through the same?

As a patient himself, Chu Li had also been seen more than once by young nurses of his age.

Chu Li paid no attention to the young Alpha's resistance and simply pulled over a short stool to sit beside him, placing the Alpha's foot on his knee. He reached out and gently touched it.

During his previous hospital stays, he had learned traditional bone-setting from a few elderly Chinese doctors. With just a couple of touches, he identified the issue as "habitual dislocation." Casually, he addressed the Alpha, "I'm merely a doctor, and medicine knows no gender; these details needn't concern you."

"This... How can this be appropriate?" As an Alpha from an AB pair family, he had never been this close to an Omega his entire life.

Despite knowing that the person before him already had a permanent Alpha, his fantastical imagination about Omegas still made him unable to look directly at this Omega, let alone allow the other to touch his foot...

It all felt so humiliating!

While the Alpha was still lost in his embarrassment, Chu Li suddenly gripped his ankle and exerted force.

"Ahh!!" The Alpha's voice stretched and distorted, but after a brief scream, the discomfort in his ankle vanished.

The Alpha's sensitivity to his body was more acute than an Earthling's. He immediately sensed what happened and stopped, staring at Chu Li in astonishment.

Chu Li rose, picked up a towel from the side, and nonchalantly wiped his hands. "Not only did you break your bone, it was also dislocated. Be more careful when disembarking your mecha next time."

Still immersed in the astonishing experience of having his bone set, the Alpha cautiously moved his ankle. "Huh? It really doesn't hurt anymore?"

Seeing his surprise, Chu Li couldn't help but smile, but he said nothing, turning to wash his hands in the adjacent restroom.

When he emerged, he found the young Alpha still gazing in a daze at his ten toes.

Chu Li explained, "A misalignment like this can't be detected without specialized medical equipment. Be cautious for the next few days. Once it starts to shift even a little, it's very likely to recur."

"Ah?" The Alpha jumped in surprise, immediately growing tense.

Chu Li couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, I was just joking with you. Hurry back to your training."

The physical constitution of people in this world was entirely different from those on Earth. After several months of learning, Chu Li had realized that some knowledge from Earth could be applied, while others couldn't.

Upon hearing that Chu Li was just teasing him, the Alpha gave a silly grin.

He stumbled to the door and couldn't resist turning his head for one last look at Chu Li—was this how Omegas were?

Unbeknownst to Chu Li, he had just misguided an innocent youth. After packing up, he prepared to treat the next patient.

The busy morning soon drew to a close.

As noon approached, Wang Xing and the others passed by the entrance.

There were numerous scattered arenas within the military compound, and Wang Xing's group was led to another medical room.

This group still held a grudge against Chu Li. Standing at the entrance, they huffed coldly at him without stepping inside.

Chu Li found their behavior childish and couldn't be bothered to respond, instead focusing on organizing his patient records for the day.

Wang Xing had come to summon Chu Li to eat, but he hadn't expected such indifference. He was forced to speak up himself, "It's noon already. If you don't hurry to the canteen, the Alphas will snatch away all the food!"

Chu Li paused for a moment before responding, "Oh, it's fine. I'll go later."

He hadn't finished writing his medical reports yet.

"What are you doing? Being so slow?" Wang Xing couldn't contain his impatience, frowning as he entered the room. However, when he reached Chu Li's side, he froze in surprise.

On the table lay an open notebook filled with detailed accounts of the patients Chu Li had encountered that day, their problems, the treatments provided, and even the patients' emotions.

Chu Li was scribbling away, not lifting his head once.

Wang Xing stood there in a daze for a moment before realizing that he was, surprisingly, somewhat impressed by this person. Despite being an Omega, Chu Li worked harder than anyone else academically.

Didn't he dislike him? Why did these strange thoughts arise?

Wang Xing's shoulders trembled, and his sharp rebuke softened into a mutter, "Forget it then..."

Saying this, he started walking towards the door.

As he reached the entrance, he couldn't help but turn back to glance at Chu Li once more.

At that moment, a companion approached, and Wang Xing grumbled, "What a fool. Why write it down in a notebook? Wouldn't it be faster to jot it down on your personal terminal?"

The reason for using a notebook was naturally for easy reference; personal terminals had other functions that made switching between them inconvenient, and staring at the light screen could be straining to the eyes.

Moreover, Chu Li, coming from Earth, had a certain level of attachment to paper.

However, by the time he had the energy to lift his head and explain, Wang Xing and his friend had already left.

Chu Li chuckled to himself, shook his head, and put away his notebook and pen before getting up to head to the cafeteria.

Wang Xing might have been exaggerating slightly. When Chu Li arrived at the cafeteria, most of the dishes were already empty, but he wouldn't go hungry.

During his meal, Chu Li thought of the stray cat, Li Hua Cat, who was left behind. He took out his personal terminal, intending to contact the person sitting in front of him to inquire about Li Hua's well-being.

To his surprise, as soon as he retrieved his terminal, he saw a familiar face approaching from across the room.

He was startled to see Chu Li, his eyes filled with adoration, so much so that he forgot to keep walking.

It was only after being nudged by his companion that he remembered to proceed forward.

Chu Li: "…"

Instinctively, he sensed something amiss, but with his meal unfinished, he couldn't leave. He could only watch helplessly as the other person drew closer.

"Little Li, are you here to look for me?" The 6-foot-3 Alpha bashfully smiled, "I didn't expect..."

His words were cut short by Chu Li, "No."

Shu Chenghang: "…"

Chu Li explained, "Your military training exercise required personnel from each department. I accompanied a teacher from the Medical Department."

Shu Chenghang was momentarily speechless, but in that instant of being at a loss for words, he realized this was the very essence of Chu Li.

Chu Li remained seated, holding a spoon in one hand and casually stirring the soup bowl.

His fair complexion seemed almost translucent under the sunlight, and his casual demeanor added an air of nonchalance to his appearance.

Despite being aware that Chu Li's attitude towards him had changed, as if he were a different person altogether, Shu Chenghang found himself even more infatuated, unable to resist taking a step forward at this moment.

But he was held back by his companion from behind.

Some people were familiar with Chu Li's reputation, and coincidentally, one of Shu Chenghang's companions had witnessed the entire conflict between Chu Li and Peng Zihao.

Rumor had it that Peng Zihao had been slapped simply for touching Chu Li's hand. Shu Chenghang was not foolish enough to offer his own face willingly.

Pulling himself together after being restrained, Shu Chenghang realized that it wasn't appropriate for him to approach at this moment. Disappointed, but still managing a smile, he said to Chu Li, "Oh, I see. That's quite a coincidence. We...

He intended to ask if they could sit there.

However, Chu Li, holding his tray, stood up and said, "I'm full. You can have my spot."

"I... I didn't mean that!" Shu Chenghang wanted to clarify, but Chu Li had already started walking away.

He was not Peng Zihao, and he didn't dare to follow. All he could do was gaze longingly in the direction Chu Li had left.

After Chu Li left, his companion slapped him on the back and said, "What were you doing? Didn't your family arrange a fiancée for you?"

At the mention of that fiancée, Shu Chenghang's brows furrowed. After a moment, he shook his head. "No, I don't have a fiancée."

Everyone was surprised. They had heard that the Shu family had found an Omega with a compatibility rate of 99% for Shu Chenghang and were preparing for an engagement not long ago.

Why did he now say he didn't have a fiancée?

---

On the other side, Chu Li took his food to the cafeteria lady, asking her to pack it for him.

After leaving the cafeteria with his meal, he couldn't help but sigh.

It was one thing to provoke Peng Zihao, but Shu Chenghang was a leftover problem from the original owner. Chu Li found the other's 'sincere' expression of affection rather dramatic.

After all, the person Shu Chenghang liked had already changed, and he hadn't even realized it. Instead, his attitude was becoming increasingly ambiguous.

He wondered what Shu Chenghang planned to do about his engagement to Heyang.

He let out another sigh as he walked back, pulling up his personal terminal to send a message to the person in front of him.

The moment the message was sent, Chu Li caught a fleeting figure in the corner of his eye. Startled, he looked in that direction.

Was it just his imagination? He felt as if something had just darted past him, and judging by its size... it resembled a cat.

---

"Incredible, these students this year are all superficial, each and every one of them... mere show-offs. This morning, someone even fell out of their mecha and broke their leg."

Ya Lan strolled along the garden path, grumbling to her aide, Feng Yichen.

Feng Yichen followed closely behind, his calm gaze focused entirely on her. After listening to her complaint, a barely perceptible curve formed at the corners of his lips as he said, "You're being too strict with them. They're just first-year students, still learning theoretical knowledge. Their mecha handling skills aren't polished yet, so accidents are bound to happen."

"Hmph," Ya Lan disagreed. "Do you know how my batch made it through? During military training simulations, our seniors were assigned to lead us. Unfortunately, I ended up in the boss's team... Tsk tsk, even marching urgently in a simulation for three days without food or water can kill someone! Not only that, he demanded we fight the monsters in the simulation with our mortal bodies... If not for my lucky escape..."

She would have died during the military training simulation!

Of course, her excellent performance during that training simulation was also what later earned her a spot in the Expeditionary Force, where she became Jing Baiyuan's aide.

Despite Ya Lan's complaints, Baiyuan was aware that she had excelled in all her academic pursuits during her school years.

Thoughts of this filled his eyes with a proud glow.

Lost in thought, he almost collided with the person ahead of him when they suddenly stopped. The sudden proximity brought Baiyuan close enough to catch the subtle fragrance emanating from Ya Lan's body.

His heartbeat quickened, but before he could say anything, Ya Lan's voice, tinged with curiosity, interrupted his thoughts: "Hey, there's a cat over there."

Baiyuan's brows twitched. "Where?"

Ever since Jing Baiyuan's disappearance, they had become more attuned to cats.

Jing Baiyuan's genes were unique, and due to his body often being in a critical state, his self-preservation mechanism would kick in, transforming him into a cat beyond his control.

In his feline form, Jing Baiyuan had no recollection of his human life. He would perceive himself as an ordinary cat, hunting and living independently. Without external intervention, he couldn't revert back to his human form on his own.

When Ya Lan first learned about Jing Baiyuan's condition, she feared that one day he might transform into a cat and be lost forever. To her surprise, this fear became a reality half a year ago.

Half a year ago, during an expedition to explore a new planet, their fleet inexplicably came under attack by the Alliance. The general was severely injured and, while lying in a medical pod awaiting treatment, he unexpectedly regained consciousness.

The doctor said that the radiation had affected his brain, causing him to lose part of his memory. Jing Baiyuan, having lost his memory, didn't trust the medical staff. He pretended to be unconscious, took the opportunity to assault the medical team, and escaped. After that, he vanished without a trace.

The doctor predicted that his amnesia would recover after a month. If he was still in human form, he would surely return to the Expeditionary Force on his own. But half a year had passed, and there was still no news of Jing Baiyuan. Everyone realized that either something terrible had happened to him, preventing his return, or he had transformed into a cat and didn't even know he was once human.

During these six months, they concealed General Jing's disappearance from the public while searching for Bai Yuanting.

However, finding a single cat was an arduous task, especially under the condition of not alarming the masses... After half a year, they hadn't found Bai Yuanting.

Ya Lan had repeatedly wondered what the future held for them, the members of the Expeditionary Force, if the General didn't come back.

Lost in thought, she stood by the roadside. Feng Yichen suggested, "There's still plenty of time. Why not go and take a look?"

Ya Lan considered it; it wouldn't hurt, so she nodded. "Alright, let's go take a look."

Author's Note:

I've been discovered qwq, I'm about to lose my little kitten.