Chapter 69

Chapter 69

After the lotus flower returned to the guest room, Xu Qiao checked the time and ended her mental training for the night earlier than usual.

She lay on her back on the bed, taking advantage of the lotus flower's absence to recall many details at once.

Why did Qinchi emphasize to the lotus flower that he "used to" not like anyone?

Perhaps he just added those words casually.

On the day she met the old man, she only asked about his age, why did Qinchi introduce other family members on his own initiative?

Perhaps he thought she might be curious about the old man's advanced age.

Why did he specially prepare two green vases for the lotus flower but lie that the larger one was bought by the old man?

Perhaps Qinchi simply liked the lotus flower, just as she liked Sun Fushan's little green turtle, lying out of fear she might misunderstand.

Of course, these questions could have other possible answers, none of which could serve as solid evidence.

As for the text communication between the two spirits, their thoughts were inherently simple, occasionally misinterpreting the feelings of their hosts; Xu Qiao didn't need to dwell on it too much.

In the end, what Qinchi really thought—was he merely treating her as a young teammate and neighbor, or...

Xu Qiao turned over.

She had never experienced such a feeling before, and the process of making uncertain speculations in her mind was indeed somewhat draining.

A few minutes later, Xu Qiao took a long breath and deliberately pushed the name "Qinchi" out of her mind.

He had his secrets, and they belonged to Northeast Base.

Unless he explicitly indicated something, Xu Qiao decided to cooperate with him and maintain the status quo, continuing to be good neighbors and teammates.

At ten-thirty, after completing an hour of hypnosis work, the lotus flower voluntarily returned to Xu Qiao's body.

At four in the morning, Qinchi forcibly recalled the fire dragon.

The fire dragon landed on the floor, its horns pushing open a gap in the curtain, seeing that it was still dark outside, it grumbled, "Why didn't you let me sleep longer?"

Qinchi: "If Xu Qiao gets up early and goes to the guest room to see you, and the lotus flower finds out you've taken over its vase, it will get angry."

Fire dragon: "..."

Qinchi: "Did you chat with the lotus flower for a long time last night?"

Fire dragon: "At most half an hour, then Xu Qiao stopped us from talking."

Qinchi: "Half an hour, what did you talk about?"

Fire dragon: "It's none of your business. By the way, the lotus flower said Xu Qiao really wants to fly. You promised to take her for flying practice but haven't done it yet, and it's very unhappy."

Qinchi looked into the fire dragon's golden eyes.

The fire dragon stared back defiantly.

Qinchi: "...The lotus flower is unhappy?"

Fire dragon: "Xu Qiao being unhappy makes the lotus flower unhappy. Xu Qiao doesn't even think you're taking advantage of her, but you always overthink things."

Qinchi frowned: "What exactly did you talk about?"

The fire dragon flicked its tail and returned to the crystal core on its own.

The next morning, Qinchi came to knock on the door as agreed, bringing Xu Qiao breakfast.

Xu Qiao took the breakfast with one hand, glanced up the stairs, and quickly handed the golden ball to him, keeping the bird stand to avoid moving it back and forth.

Seeing Qinchi directly store the golden ball in his spatial pocket, Xu Qiao curiously asked, "When did it return?"

Qinchi: "Around five o'clock. Did it keep chatting with the lotus flower for a long time last night? I asked it, but it wouldn't answer."

Xu Qiao breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It seems they talked about some of your childhood training. Later, I reminded them not to chat anymore. Don't worry, the lotus flower is very obedient and keeps its promises."

As soon as she praised it, a leaf sprouted from the lotus flower, saying to Qinchi, "Yes, I'm very trustworthy."

Qinchi smiled, "I can see that. You're the easiest spirit to get along with that I've ever met."

Footsteps sounded from upstairs, and Xu Qiao and Qinchi exchanged smiles before going inside to eat.

The lotus flower kept its promise and no longer chatted with the fire dragon during hypnosis after that night, and the fire dragon cooperated as well.

October 18th, Friday.

After lunch, Xu Qiao hitched a ride with Qinchi to visit Lu Yang at The Second School. This time, besides a box of apples, Xu Qiao also bought two sets of autumn clothes for Lu Yang.

Lu Yang came to the school gate to meet her.

Xu Qiao told Qinchi to go to the office to prepare for class first, and she followed Lu Yang toward the dormitory building, "Is the midterm exam coming up soon?"

Lu Yang: "Yes, at the end of this month."

Xu Qiao looked at the increasingly robust military student beside her and asked with a smile, "Are you confident?"

Lu Yang tried to appear reserved but couldn't help curling his lips, instantly transforming from a steady and serious person to someone exuding confidence and pride.

"Since there's no typhoon this time, shall we have dinner at the cafeteria tonight? I'll treat you and Teacher Qin."

Meeting once a month, Lu Yang didn't want Xu Qiao to leave too early.

Xu Qiao: "Sure, but I don't want to go to class with you. Give me your communication bracelet, and I'll go to your library to read some books."

The communication bracelet was very convenient. After the military students enrolled, they all registered, so whether it was for dining in the cafeteria or visiting the library, a simple scan of the bracelet sufficed, and neither required facial recognition.

Lu Yang immediately took off his bracelet and handed it to her.

Xu Qiao: "Wait, I plan to spend the whole afternoon in the library. Will anyone contact you in between?"

Lu Yang: "No, I'm only close with three roommates, and we have classes together this afternoon."

Xu Qiao: "Alright, where are the last two classes? Tell me now, I'll head over early when it's almost time."

Lu Yang: "Combat training, Room 105, Building 9."

Xu Qiao's eyes lit up: "That sounds interesting. Can I watch?"

A-level military students' combat training would definitely be more engaging.

Lu Yang smiled: "Sure, the classroom doors are always open. Students from other classes often come to watch, and freshmen can also observe senior classes."

With that, Xu Qiao headed to the library first.

At 1:25 PM, Qinchi sent her a message: "Did you go back already?"

Xu Qiao took a photo of the library: "I'm reading here."

Qinchi zoomed in on the photo and noticed the bookshelf label next to her, indicating the medical section.

Qinchi: "How long do you plan to stay?"

Xu Qiao: "I'll head over before your class ends, then I'll watch Xiaoyang and the others in their combat training. Xiaoyang said he'll treat us to dinner at the cafeteria tonight."

Qinchi: "Alright, I'll go back to the office after class and meet you at the cafeteria later."

Last time, just by sitting in on a class, she was mistaken for his girlfriend by some students. If he accompanied Xu Qiao to watch the combat training again, it would cause more trouble for both her and Lu Yang.

At 3:05 PM, Xu Qiao stood at the end of the corridor outside Lu Yang's classroom, making sure he would see her as soon as he came out.

The bell rang, and the front and back doors of the classroom opened almost simultaneously. Xu Qiao recognized the troublemaker student, who was accompanied by two equally rebellious-looking classmates.

Deng Hao also recognized Xu Qiao and sneered, staring at her and asking, "Looking for your brother or your boyfriend?"

Xu Qiao ignored him and waved to Lu Yang, who had just appeared behind Deng Hao.

Lu Yang walked over with his three roommates.

Xu Qiao first observed Zhou Cheng, estimating his height to be around 1.75 meters. In a group of A-level male students who were mostly over 1.8 meters tall, he still seemed relatively short, but he no longer looked like a little waif.

Bao Wei put his hand on Zhou Cheng's shoulder and explained, "His appetite has returned to normal. He might be making up for the nutrition he lacked before. He will grow gradually."

Zhou Cheng hunched his shoulders, still not used to physical contact from his roommates.

Seeing that Zhou Cheng's wolverine spirit body didn't jump out, Xu Qiao knew his condition had improved somewhat.

At that moment, Deng Hao's sarcastic voice came from beside them: "What's the point of eating a lot and growing fast if you're still a waste?"

Bao Wei let go of Zhou Cheng and walked towards Deng Hao with a stern face.

Deng Hao, knowing he couldn't beat Bao Wei, raised his chin and left with his companions.

Xu Qiao looked at Zhou Cheng again, and the boy showed no particular expression, as if he had long grown accustomed to such verbal attacks.

Xu Qiao waved to Qinchi, who had just stepped out of the classroom, and followed the four military students to the combat training room.

Lu Yang chatted with Xu Qiao in the corridor, deliberately waiting until the bell rang before entering the classroom and pushing the door wide open against the wall.

Three other students from different classes who were also waiting to watch crowded over.

Xu Qiao stood behind them.

The instructor, used to this, arranged pairs of students to spar according to the system-generated list.

Due to the limited space in the classroom, eight pairs of students sparred simultaneously, while the others stood on either side to observe.

Lu Yang was one of the students sparring this time, facing a muscular, dark-skinned boy.

Xu Qiao moved closer to the door.

As soon as the match began, Xu Qiao could tell that the muscular boy had a solid foundation in combat, with very proficient attack and defense techniques. In contrast, Lu Yang seemed less experienced, but he fought steadily. Even when pinned to the ground, he managed to seize opportunities to break free. His repeated successful escapes made the muscular boy increasingly frustrated, and eventually, Lu Yang found an opening and executed a textbook-perfect shoulder throw.

Xu Qiao smiled at Lu Yang, then turned to watch another pair of girls still fighting.

After all eight pairs finished, the instructor continued to call out names.

Zhou Cheng was paired with one of Deng Hao's followers, a tall and muscular boy.

Xu Qiao held her breath for Zhou Cheng, then watched as the opponent charged at him, and Zhou Cheng crouched down, covering his head. The wolverine spirit body jumped out, baring its teeth at the opponent.

Xu Qiao: "..."

The classmates went about their business, and no one was surprised. Only Zhou Cheng's opponent called out helplessly, "Report, Instructor, Zhou Cheng is cheating."

The instructor looked at Zhou Cheng with a disappointed expression: "It's been almost two months, and you're still like this. If you don't have the courage to spar with your classmates, how will you have the courage to face mutants outside the base? Stand up and retract your spirit body!"

Zhou Cheng's face turned pale. After pulling on the wolverine for a while, he finally retracted it.

But when the opponent charged again, the wolverine appeared once more.

The A-level instructor walked over and warned the wolverine, "The Second School doesn't need students who give up on themselves. Even in mid-term exams, failing one subject will result in being asked to leave. If you continue to interfere with Zhou Cheng's training, you might as well leave the Second School now."

The wolverine knew better than anyone what kind of life Zhou Cheng had led in the Third Ring, and The Second School was his only way out.

It glanced back at Zhou Cheng before vanishing.

The instructor said to Zhou Cheng again, "I don’t care about your past. I have only one thing to tell you: in the New Era, if you don’t become strong, you will only be beaten. If you want to avoid being beaten, make yourself strong. Do you understand me!"

The sudden rise in volume struck Zhou Cheng like thunder, making him tremble all over. He lowered his head, and Xu Qiao could only see his lips moving, but heard no sound.

The instructor's face showed restraint as he dismissed Zhou Cheng’s original opponent and stepped back from Zhou Cheng, barking, "Come on, attack me!"

All the students stopped spontaneously, their expressions varied as they stared at Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng’s face was pale as paper; he dared not even look at the instructor, let alone strike.

Instructor: "Fine, if you won’t move, I will!"

The instructor acted swiftly, rushing to Zhou Cheng and punching him to the ground with a single blow.

Zhou Cheng, lying on the ground, quickly curled into a ball.

The instructor grabbed him by the collar, punched him in the abdomen, and glared at Zhou Cheng, saying, "Fight back, and once you do, today’s training is over."

Zhou Cheng still kept his head down.

The instructor punched his chin, shouting, "Fight back!"

Lu Yang couldn’t help but step forward, but Bao Wei held him back in time. Sometimes, things must get worse before they can get better. Zhou Cheng needed this push from the instructor to take that step.

Outside, Xu Qiao moved behind the wall, unable to bear watching any longer.

After hearing countless shouts of "fight back," the classroom, which had been silent as if only the instructor and Zhou Cheng existed, suddenly erupted in exclamations.

The three observers at the door pulled each other back several steps, one of them exclaiming in terror, "Is he mutating?"

Xu Qiao, upon hearing this, rushed back to the doorway just in time to see Zhou Cheng’s legs disappear and his entire body transform into a brown-furred wolverine.

The wolverine, barely over a meter tall, pounced at the instructor, its sharp claws aimed for the instructor’s throat.

Witnessing his student transform into a mutant creature, the instructor, though shocked, reacted a moment too late. However, its crocodile spirit entity emerged in time, transforming into a massive form to pin the wolverine to the ground.

The untrained wolverine relied solely on its animal instincts, suffering from both size and ability attacks. After a moment, it changed tactics and suddenly dashed toward the classroom door.

The instructor acted, creating a large water cage that trapped the wolverine inside.

Through the ice-like walls of the water cage, Xu Qiao clearly saw the wolverine’s fierce expression as it relentlessly clawed at the water barrier, to no avail.

After an unknown amount of time, the students finally came to their senses and began to discuss among themselves.

"How could Zhou Cheng mutate? Was he infected by a mutant creature?"

"Rubbish, being bitten by a mutant only causes injury, not infection. Even if it were a mutant insect, it would only result in parasitic larvae."

"What’s the instructor waiting for? Kill it quickly!"

"Don’t kill it!"

Four voices spoke simultaneously, three belonging to Lu Yang, Bao Wei, and Wei Pingye, the fourth to Xu Qiao.

The instructor looked at the wolverine in the water cage, which was indistinguishable from a mutant creature, recalling the look in Zhou Cheng’s eyes before the transformation—first despair and pleading, then quickly turning to overwhelming anger and bloodthirsty madness.

No matter what, it couldn’t be killed rashly; otherwise, how would The Second School explain this to Zhou Cheng’s family?

The instructor silenced the chattering students and, while keeping the frenzied wolverine contained, reported the incident directly to the principal and vice-principal.

As the instructor urgently contacted the two heads of the school, a military academy student eager to share posted the incident on the mercenary forum, the wolverine in the water cage serving as evidence.

"Really trying to show off, catching a wolverine mutant? Who can’t do that? If you want to brag about being a student at The Second School, just say it."

"I was there, I have video."

When the complete video of Zhou Cheng being punched repeatedly by the instructor and suddenly transforming into a wolverine was uploaded, the post exploded.

Wei Jian, who had just returned from the coastal base the day before and hadn’t even reached the military academy, received instructions from Marshal Lin Lie first: "Observe, do not kill."