Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As soon as the words were spoken, the class erupted in sighs.

Yi Ye immediately turned serious and looked at Bai Chuan.

They hadn’t forgotten their main purpose for coming to the Imperial Honor Military Academy: to find the crown prince and confirm the identity of the Zerg.

Yi Ye had actually inquired about this privately with El, but the answers he received were all the same. It was impossible to meet the crown prince with the status of an ordinary student. Not only was there a disparity in status, but also because Prince Peide, since being rescued from Blue Flower Star, had been recuperating in the aerial mansion at the center of the military academy. The surrounding hundred meters were equipped with protective mechanisms, and only specific personnel with permissions could enter.

In other words, the December assessment was their only shot at getting close to the crown prince.

And before that, they had to become the top in the entrance assessment.

But according to the original plot, with Kaiser as the "wildcard," Bai Chuan was bound to fail.

As Yi Ye pondered what to do, Instructor Clark on the podium had already begun the team division.

The rules for team division were simple, purely based on luck, not relying on terminals, using the simplest method. Each person drew a ball from the box, and two students with the same number would form a team. Alphas and Betas could be on the same team, Betas and Omegas could also be on the same team, and changing teammates was not allowed. If someone drew a solo ticket, they could also team up with students from other classes.

The best scenario was for him to be on the same team as Bai Chuan, but that was tricky to arrange. Yi Ye randomly picked a ball from the box, sat back in his seat, and looked at the unopened ball in Bai Chuan’s hand.

...Got it.

"Hey bro," he grinned, leaning in, "let’s swap."

After all, Bai Chuan was bound to draw Kaiser, so swapping balls with him would solve the problem at its root.

Bai Chuan glanced at him and decisively refused: "You have one in your hand."

"I do, but the one in my hand feels off, as if there’s a voice telling me, ‘Did you get the golden ball or the silver ball? Oh no, it turns out you got the dud!’ I’ve been on a streak of bad luck lately, you see, I’m even unlucky enough to share a dorm with that young master Kaiser. Just swap with me."

Bai Chuan seemed amused by his expression, barely holding back a smile, and retorted: "So you’re handing me the dud?"

"Of course not. Your hands are magic, bro, you can turn trash into treasure!"

"..."

"Yi Ye," he said seriously, "where did you learn all these flattering words?"

"No exaggeration, I’m just naturally talented."

Bai Chuan gave him a "you’re hopeless" look and handed the ball to him. Yi Ye quickly exchanged it, holding the ball like a treasure in his arms. The classroom buzzed with the sounds of others forming teams, some satisfied, but many also starting to complain.

In Class S, Alphas made up the majority, with Omegas and Betas combined only accounting for one-third, so most were AA pairings. Of course, there were plenty of unlucky ones with BB pairings, destined to be cannon fodder.

Yi Ye hadn’t opened the ball yet—he already knew what was inside. But since he would have to face Kaiser anyway, he might as well open it later, giving himself a few more seconds of peace.

"Have you all teamed up? Damn it, I got stuck with a Beta. We’re really going to be at the bottom this time. I don’t get it—why do these shameless slackers even qualify for Class S? Even parasites are more useful than them."

"The principal made the rules, take it up with him."

"What’s with your tone? Don’t think you’re lucky just ’cause you pulled an Omega. When it comes to combat, they’re not as tough as Betas."

"Quit bickering, you’re stuck with your teammates, so what’s the point? Anyway, we can’t make it to the top few. I’m more curious about the team of those two."

In the seat behind Yi Ye, a few people spoke while looking at Bai Chuan and Kaiser.

From birth, people are stuck with their physical and mental limits, a ceiling they can’t break in their lifetime. So most people already knew they had no chance of making it to the top five after confirming their teams. But the Imperial Honor Military Academy, besides being a military school, is also a miniature official society. While trying to avoid elimination, most people care more about betting on the right talent and recruiting top performers.

Kaiser and Bai Chuan are undoubtedly the top contenders in this group.

But Kaiser is the young master of the Audria family, born into privilege and doesn’t need to rely on social connections. In contrast, Bai Chuan, who comes from a humble and remote background, is easier to win over. However, the deciding factor is how well he performs in this entrance exam.

"Kaiser, you got number 6! Who has number 6? Step up now!" A loud shout echoed through the spacious classroom.

Kaiser, displeased, shoved the person aside and sat on the desk with his legs crossed.

"Number 6, step up."

Yi Ye sighed wearily, opened his ball, and sure enough, it was number 6. Reluctantly, he stood up and raised his hand: "It's me."

Kaiser stared at the ball in his hand and suddenly went quiet. Not just him, the entire classroom seemed to freeze, and then the noise burst out like a shaken soda can, spraying from the opening.

"A Beta? He’s a Beta?"

"Feels like Kaiser is going to drop out of the top five. How can anyone handle such a useless teammate?"

"But didn't he look pretty tough in the fight just now?"

"That was just luck! Let them fight again, and Yi Ye would be bawling for days!"

...

Yi Ye overheard the chatter, most of which was lamenting Kaiser's misfortune. Clearly, someone with the potential to be the top contender, now stuck with a useless Beta like him, might even drop out of the top five. Kaiser's expression was also grim, his thick, sharp eyebrows knitted together in a scowl.

Yi Ye always felt that Kaiser might grab a stool to take out his "deadweight teammate" any second.

With Kaiser paired with Yi Ye, it was almost equivalent to kissing the championship goodbye. Now, everyone's attention was focused on Bai Chuan, whose teammate was still up in the air.

Bai Chuan coldly opened his ball,

It was number 28.

"Who’s got 28?"

"Seems like no one... Could it be a solo number, having to pair up with someone from another class?"

"Damn, letting the prize go to someone else?"

"No way, our class has an even number!"

"Wait a minute." Instructor Clark suddenly remembered something, gave the box a shake, and found there was still one ball left. "Number 28 is here, did anyone miss their turn?"

Everyone looked at each other, each holding their own number, except... a few seconds later, someone suddenly turned to a seat that had been empty all along.

They had all forgotten, there was one who hadn’t shown up since the start of the semester.

—The third son of the Chief Justice, Alinya Meihua, Bush Meihua.

Coincidentally, he had some enmity with Kaiser.

Under the emperor's rule, the Senate and the Supreme Court are responsible for decision-making and supervision respectively, while the military is directly under the emperor. The Supreme Court and the military should have their own duties, but seven years ago, the eldest son of the Chief Justice died unexpectedly due to a military operation, and his remains were never found. Since then, the relationship between the Meihua family and the Audria family has been broken.

So, does that mean Bai Chuan will team up with Bush Meihua?

Two brothers paired with two top Alphas who are rivals? How dramatic is that?!

How are we supposed to play this now!

Although Bush Meihua's physical talent isn't at the 3S level like Kaiser's, his physical and mental abilities are both at the double S level, making him a classic all-around fighter.

With someone like him teaming up with Bai Chuan, isn’t first place pretty much in the bag?

"Damn it..." Yi Ye's expression went blank, "How could it be him..."

Bai Chuan: "Do you know him?"

"Whether I know him or not isn’t the point. The key is that you can’t team up with him!"

This Bush Meihua is a total freak! He once accidentally stumbled into a bad ending branch of Bush Meihua's storyline, full of abusive and choking scenarios, which really messed with Yi Ye's straight male psyche. Since then, he’s steered clear of him like he’s the plague.

But now he’s practically fed his own brother to the wolves?? Crap!

"You don’t want me to team up with someone else, do you?" Bai Chuan moved slightly closer, his voice soft, his eyes locked on Yi Ye's face.

Yi Ye didn’t notice, anxiously saying, "No, it’s not that. It’s... I... it’s complicated."

"But we can’t switch teammates now. Do you really want me to try?" Bai Chuan said this as if Yi Ye asked him to change, he’d rather flunk the test than stick with this teammate.

How could that be? Yi Ye was just worried that Bush Meihua would harm him, but fear aside, he couldn’t let Bai Chuan lose his qualification because of this.

After careful consideration, he solemnly held the protagonist's hand: "You should still team up with him, but if you see him privately, make sure I’m with you."

Bai Chuan: "...Why?"

Yi Ye really choked with sadness: "I’m scared he’ll take advantage of you."

"..."

*

Bai Chuan was pissed off again.

As soon as class ended, he disappeared, a few inches shorter, darting off like a bolt of lightning, immediately out of sight. Yi Ye scrambled to grab his stuff and bolted after him, barely out the door when he was suddenly hoisted up from behind.

A red-haired guy yanked him up, his handsome face magnified in front of him: "Where are you running off to? You’re sticking with me, got it?"

Yi Ye: "I’m in a bit of a hurry."

"If you gotta go, hit the dorm bathroom."

"..."

Help!

Yi Ye was hauled back to the dorm by Kaiser like a sack of potatoes, drawing a ton of stares and gawks along the way. He buried his face in shame, convinced that if no one recognized him, Kaiser would be the one looking like a fool.

Who knows what Kaiser’s been eating to bulk up like that, his muscles so developed, his lines tight and beautiful, hauling a full-grown guy like him without breaking a sweat, no wonder he almost crushed his ankle bone.

Entering the dormitory, Yi Ye was dumped onto the bed. Kaiser ignored him, took off his belt and went straight into the bathroom. The sound of water came, probably taking a shower.

This kind of throwing someone onto the bed and then going into the bathroom to shower...

Yi Ye shuddered, worriedly touching his butt.

The protagonist shouldn’t go wild on a cannon fodder like him... Compared to his face, his younger brother is second to none, and he’s a fragrant and beautiful Omega, much better than a sexually indifferent Beta.

After some self-reassurance, Yi Ye flopped back on the bed like a dead fish.

Not long after lying down, the door was suddenly knocked. Yi Ye, in a bad mood, supported his slightly painful ankle and stiffly opened the door.

Outside the door was an eagle-shaped machine, its two rounded wings flapping rhythmically up and down, with a box strapped to its back. Yi Ye had seen it in the enrollment manual—it was the exclusive logistics machine of the Imperial Honor Military Academy, nicknamed "Eagle Express."

As soon as Yi Ye reached out, the machine automatically flipped over, letting the box fall into his hands.

A "click" sound followed as the machine took a photo, and the eagle-shaped machine announced, "Item has been received. Thank you for using our service. Beep beep."

The machine flapped its small wings and flew away. Yi Ye opened the box to find several healing potions, perfect for treating the injury on his ankle.

He thought he'd hidden it pretty well. Who could have found out? Was it Bai Chuan? No, that couldn't be—he had been ignoring him all along and had stormed off just now. It couldn't have been him.

Then who could it be?

Unable to figure it out right now, Yi Ye returned to the dormitory, just in time to bump into Kaiser, who had just finished showering. He was only wrapped in a towel around his lower body, his upper body exposed, revealing a muscular chest with well-defined abs and a distinct V-line that disappeared into the towel.

Yi Ye took a second to check him out, in a way that one guy might admire another, and then touched his own chest.

Why couldn't he get that ripped?

"What's that you're holding?" Kaiser asked, drying his hair while glancing at the box in Yi Ye's arms.

"Some bruise medicine. Probably some good Samaritan worried I'd get my ass kicked by an Alpha."

Kaiser sneered, "With those skinny arms and legs of yours, getting your ass kicked is just a matter of time."

Yi Ye cursed under his breath, but before he could finish, Kaiser tossed the towel aside and raised his hand toward him. "Come on, take a swing at me."