Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Bai Chuan had been waiting for him for what felt like an eternity.

In the vast, noisy auditorium, Bai Chuan didn’t care about anyone. He delivered the prepared speech with a blank expression, his gaze sweeping over every unfamiliar face in the audience.

But the one person he wanted to see was not there.

His brother had abandoned him here.

Yi Ye knew he was really angry.

Bai Chuan was the type who always stuck to his word, even for the smallest things, he’d never miss or be late. Yi Ye was at fault this time, and while it was easy to make up an excuse on the spot, getting caught would only make things worse.

He apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry, something came up and held me back."

"What was it?"

What could possibly be more important than him?

Yi Ye waved his hand, "Just some personal stuff, no big deal."

Bai Chuan went quiet, his hands clenched tightly behind his back, veins popping.

Both Yi Ye and he were freshmen. What could have possibly kept him from the ceremony? What could be more important than his younger brother?

He clenched his teeth, wanting to push harder. But as his nose twitched, picking up a familiar scent, he immediately leaned in close to the young man’s neck. Before the other could react, he quickly backed off, his face turning even colder. "That’s the smell of rum. Have you been drinking?"

Yi Ye quickly sniffed at himself and hastily explained, "No, no! It’s this, remember how dad loves that rum-scented air freshener?"

Bai Chuan’s face was blank, making it hard to tell if he bought it or not.

"This is your first speech, of course, I had to put on some cologne for the formal occasion, and this scent smelled nice, so I just went with it." Seeing Bai Chuan still silent, Yi Ye pulled down his collar and leaned in closer. "Why don’t you get a better whiff?"

The young man’s neck was smooth and delicate, the veins beneath his warm, pale skin clearly visible, as if a pinch would leave bruises. Bai Chuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his knuckles turning white as he forced himself to look away. "I’m not sniffing."

"Really not?"

Bai Chuan’s brows furrowed tightly.

If this continued, he would get angry again. Yi Ye relented, "Alright, alright. The ceremony must have been recorded. How about I replay your speech fifty times when we get back!"

"..."

"Then a hundred times!"

Bai Chuan’s voice was hoarse. "Yi Ye, this isn’t important at all."

Yi Ye didn’t quite understand what he meant, looking at Bai Chuan in confusion. Those clear black eyes reflected Bai Chuan’s face clearly, but only made him feel his own distortion and disgust. He tightened his breath, barely managing to turn his head away. "Forget it, just pretend I didn’t say anything."

Bai Chuan was always like this, stopping halfway through his words. Yi Ye was actually used to it, treating it as a rebellious phase, and didn’t press further.

After the ceremony, there were no other activities, and classes wouldn’t officially start until the next morning. Yi Ye didn’t want to go back too early, partly to air out the rum scent on him, and partly because Caesar Audria had been beaten up and was probably furious enough to kill someone right now. He didn’t want to walk right into that.

He told Bai Chuan he wanted to wander around the military academy first, to get familiar with it. Bai Chuan wasn’t interested in the architecture, but he didn’t leave, instead quietly following behind him.

One in front, one behind, always a step apart.

Yi Ye was talkative, chattering about anything he saw, while Bai Chuan silently followed beside him, occasionally giving a glance to show he was listening.

The architecture of the Imperial Honor Military Academy is predominantly Gothic in style, resembling a series of churches, towering and grand, like giant forest trees standing in the square. The stained glass embedded in the walls refracts dazzling light, dazzling the eyes. After walking for about an hour and planning to return, they unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.

"Yi Ye!" From a distance, El, with his brown curly hair and freckles that made him look like a little sparrow, excitedly waved at them and ran over quickly. As he got closer, he noticed Bai Chuan behind Yi Ye, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"This, this is... Bai Chuan Lanli, right?! I’ve heard so much about you!"

Bai Chuan glanced at Yi Ye's profile and said indifferently, "Hello."

Although they didn’t shake hands, El wasn’t upset at all, staring excitedly at Yi Ye, "Yi Ye, why didn’t you tell me you were brothers!"

Yi Ye: "I thought you already knew."

"The military academy is so big, there are many people with the same surname. I thought it was a coincidence, who would have thought your brother was the legendary 3S..." El said, suddenly remembering, "Then you’re really lucky to get into the S class."

"Huh?"

"The class assignments were sent to your terminal during registration, didn’t you receive it?"

Yi Ye did receive it, but he just glanced at it casually without much attention. Hearing El say this, is the S class really that good?

"It seems you don’t know. For those of us who follow Omega to enroll, the class division is also based on the aptitude of Omega. The higher the aptitude, the higher the class ranking, and the S level is the top class."

Then Yi Ye understood—it meant the elite class.

"The S class mentors are the most experienced in the academy, and many of them were senior officials in the Empire’s military and political department," El’s tone couldn’t hide his excitement, "The most crucial thing is! It’s said that during the assessment, you’ll also receive guidance from the Empire’s top commander! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; you’ve really hit the jackpot."

Yi Ye’s eyes lit up.

The top commander—he remembered, seems to be one of the protagonists, right?

Bai Chuan, however, seemed uninterested, looking listless. Yi Ye turned back to El, "Is the assessment the annual one?"

"Not just that. There are two assessments every year, in June and December. But we just enrolled not long ago, so the one in June this year is considered the enrollment assessment, which is different from the annual assessment in December. But... I’m not entirely sure what the enrollment assessment involves. It seems the rules have changed this year, but it should still be a group competition. The mentor will probably notify us tomorrow."

"Grouping works out perfectly—my brother and I can team up." Yi Ye smiled and reached out to hook Bai Chuan’s neck, "Right, brother."

Bai Chuan: "...Yeah."

El looked at the brothers and shook his head, "Bai Chuan is a 3S, no doubt about it, but teaming up with you... I think it’s a bit risky."

"Why?" Before Yi Ye could speak, Bai Chuan asked first.

"The S class is incredibly strong—it’s not just Omegas. The most talented Alphas among the freshmen are also assigned there." El’s tone unconsciously lowered, "Yi Ye... your roommate is in it too."

Yi Ye choked, "You mean Caesar Audria?"

As soon as the words fell, Bai Chuan’s eyes darkened.

No one noticed his expression change. El nodded heavily and said, "Besides him, there are also Alphas from several other major families, all 3S-level figures. Competing with them is harder than fighting Zerg. Winning is out of the question, but it’s a great learning experience. Sigh, if only I were in the S class too, I could join the fun. I heard the rewards for first place in the assessment are huge..."

El sighed, his fluffy head drooping like a dejected puppy. Yi Ye liked his personality and raised his hand to pat El’s arm in comfort, but as soon as his hand moved away, it was tightly grasped by Bai Chuan.

Yi Ye: "What’s wrong?"

Bai Chuan’s voice was calm, "It’s time to go back. I’ll take you."

"Oh, okay then." Yi Ye waved goodbye to El, and the two turned and left.

El scratched his head, a bit dazed. An Omega escorting a Beta back to the dormitory—it felt off. He thought, shouldn’t it usually be the older brother sending the Omega younger brother back? He also has an Omega younger brother, but he always takes care of him. This reversal... was a first for him. But seeing Yi Ye agree so readily, it seemed he was already used to this kind of care.

Watching the two walk away, El felt an increasingly strong sense of unease as he saw the slightly shorter boy following closely behind Yi Ye. Just then, his terminal vibrated, snapping him out of his thoughts. He quickly answered, "Hey, bro. Sorry, sorry, I'll bring the food over right away..."

Yi Ye was escorted back to Zone C by Bai Chuan, but since it was an area where Alphas gathered, it wasn’t appropriate for an Omega to get too close. Bai Chuan had to leave him halfway.

Before leaving, Bai Chuan brought up the idea of Yi Ye changing dormitories.

Yi Ye brushed it off. He needed to connect with the main characters now, and this was a great opportunity he couldn't afford to miss. Besides, as a Beta, he wasn’t into guys, and the main characters wouldn’t be into him either. What could possibly go wrong living with Alphas?

Bai Chuan didn’t push further, but his face darkened as he left, clearly bothered by something.

His mood swings seemed to be getting worse lately.

Yi Ye figured he should find a moment to chat with Bai Chuan.

The conversation with El gave Yi Ye a basic understanding of the Imperial Honor Military Academy.

The academy's entrance exams didn’t have much to do with Yi Ye's mission, but they were a good opportunity to push Bai Chuan to a higher position. If Bai Chuan really wanted to avenge the death of that high-ranking Zerg, he couldn’t pull it off alone. He needed a strong army, and to achieve that, he had to first earn the rank of commander.

Winning first place in the entrance exam... that would be a good start.

In the game, Bai Chuan didn’t take first place, and Yi Ye recalled it was due to a teammate's mistake.

Who was that teammate again?

The game's memories were hazy, and Yi Ye's mind blanked, unable to recall at the moment. He wracked his brain as he hurried back to the dorm. The room was silent, and the opposite bed showed no signs of being used.

Yi Ye rubbed his chin and approached the bed.

Oh, now he remembered.

The teammate who caused the problem was Kaiser.

*

The next day.

Kaiser, who shared the opposite bed, hadn’t returned all night. Yi Ye sat bolt upright in bed, dark circles shadowing his eyes. He had almost forgotten the details of the game's plot, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall how Kaiser had slipped up and missed first place.

Ugh... this useless brain! Why can’t I remember the key details!

Yi Ye gave up on recalling and hurriedly got up to freshen up, ruffling his hair before heading out. He rushed to the classroom, where Bai Chuan was waiting at the door, sporting an "I knew you'd cut it close" expression.

"Let's go in."

The moment Bai Chuan stepped into the classroom, Yi Ye felt the weight of countless gazes like torches, nearly scorching him despite being half a meter away. The protagonist's charisma was downright intimidating.

Bai Chuan's 3S-level psychic talent was already famous, and coupled with his striking looks and his speech as the freshman representative yesterday, there were probably few in the entire academy who didn’t know him now.

But being too popular wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Several tall Alphas swarmed around like bees, their imposing presence forming a towering, solid wall that blocked Bai Chuan. Yi Ye, the inconspicuous Beta, was pushed and shoved, eventually squeezed out.

He steadied himself on the desk, hissing in pain as the movement aggravated the injury on his ankle. The swelling had just started to go down after applying medicine last night, but now it was probably going to bruise again.

"So you're Bai Chuan Lanli? You do look pretty good. I wonder what your pheromones smell like?"

"Bai Chuan, maybe we could exchange terminals and get to know each other better?"

"Are you really 3S? You don’t look like it."

...

The noisy chatter surrounded him, mixed with the overwhelming scent of pheromones filled with undisguised desire.

Alphas mark their territory with pheromones, like uncivilized beasts. Now, those pheromones are mixed and intertwined, so overpowering they make Bai Chuan sick. His skin, already pale, now lacks any color, and the veins on his forehead bulge from restraint, as if he is about to explode at any moment.

This is the downside of ABO mixed classes.

As an Omega, one must endure the unchecked dominance of these Alphas who know no restraint, yet they have no choice but to endure. At least until the end of the first year, they can only tolerate it. This is the rule of the Imperial Honor Military Academy. If an Omega cannot survive among a group of Alphas, then they are not worthy of entering this school, let alone becoming a commander or a soldier.

The voices of the young Alphas grow louder.

Bai Chuan mutters through clenched teeth, "Get lost."

An Alpha is displeased: "You, an Omega, telling us to get lost? What a joke—Omegas are just here for our amusement, right?"

As soon as the words are spoken, locking eyes with Bai Chuan's deep blue gaze, the Alpha suddenly feels a chill run down his spine.

He stiffens: "...So what if you're a 3S, won't you just have to submit to someone—"

Before the word "fuck" can be uttered, the Alpha is suddenly knocked to the ground by a punch, a bloody tooth flying across the room and smacking into the window.

Everyone is stunned.

Bai Chuan is also taken aback. He catches a glimpse of a black figure beside him and suddenly looks over.

A pair of polished black shoes step on the Alpha's calf, and the black-haired youth looks down at him from above. His fair chin is sharp and distinct, and when he looks at someone, his gaze cuts like a blade—not icy cold, but searing hot, sending a shiver down your spine.

But soon, that sense of fear dissipates, and the black-haired youth smiles brightly, almost amiably: "Sorry, my hand slipped."