Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The two patrolled according to the route on the map and didn’t encounter anything unusual along the way. The time for handover had arrived, and they were heading back along the same path. As they approached the handover point, Yi Ye suddenly squinted.

"Is that... Steve?"

He seemed unusually stiff, dragging his heavy body forward with slow, almost clumsy steps. Yi Ye quickly approached and tapped him on the shoulder. Steve paused and slowly turned his head.

"It's Yi Ye."

"Senior, shouldn’t you be resting by now? It’s pretty late, your shift must be over."

Steve said, "There was a batch of supplies that needed to be sent to the shuttle last minute. I just got back. Is your patrol almost over?"

The two nodded.

The conversation didn’t continue. After exchanging a few words, they watched Senior Steve leave, then returned to the handover point to record the handover with the next group of soldiers before heading back to the dorm.

After finishing his wash-up, Yi Ye lay down on the inner side of the bed in a short-sleeved shirt and loose shorts. The reason was simple: he thought sleeping on the outside might get him kicked off by Kaiser at night. Sharing a 1.2-meter-wide bed with another grown man wasn’t easy. Yi Ye already occupied half the space just by lying down, so he turned to face the wall.

It saved space, and sleeping shoulder to shoulder with another guy was just awkward.

Kaiser was slow to move, his gaze lingering on the back of the youth’s neck and shoulders as he lay facing away. His throat suddenly felt dry.

"You, go ahead and sleep," he said, feigning composure as he grabbed a book and sat at the head of the bed. "I’ll read the base manual."

Yi Ye yawned, unable to understand why Kaiser was being so competitive about this too, but he was too tired to care. He felt extremely sleepy.

"I’ll sleep first, then."

He wrapped himself tightly in the blanket and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The youth’s steady, faint breathing filled the room, mingling with the snores of other soldiers in the dorm. Kaiser found those snores annoyingly noisy, drowning out what he wanted to hear. He frowned, annoyed, but kept quiet.

After about ten minutes of reading the manual, Kaiser realized he hadn’t retained a single word. His eyes were fixed on the black-and-white text, but his attention kept drifting to Yi Ye.

Back when he first met Yi Ye, he had been quite disdainful of him.

But after going through the rookie assessment, the Simulated Battlefield, and the committee incident, Kaiser felt that having Yi Ye as a comrade wasn’t so bad. If he became a soldier or commander on the battlefield in the future, having Yi Ye by his side would make it all worthwhile.

Kaiser, having grown up in a military family, understood better than anyone how important it was to choose a comrade you could trust with your life on the battlefield.

He didn’t trust anyone else, but if it were Yi Ye...

"Newbie, why aren’t you asleep yet?" A soldier from the opposite bed sat up, rubbing his eyes and noticing Kaiser still awake. "We have to get up at 5:30 in the morning. You should sleep now."

"Got it," Kaiser replied in a low voice.

The soldier waved his hand and got up to use the restroom.

Kaiser pulled back the blanket and lay down, trying to move as quietly as possible, but he still disturbed Yi Ye. The youth let out a soft, muffled groan, the sound trailing off in a way that almost sounded like a whimper.

Kaiser’s ears flushed red. It was strange—there were plenty of soft-spoken Omegas around, and he had never felt anything when they called him "Young Master Kaiser" or "Big Brother Kaiser" in their sweet voices. But this guy just had to let out a random sound, and it left Kaiser feeling unsettled.

Kaiser pressed his lips together and silently shifted toward the edge of the bed, creating a small gap between himself and Yi Ye.

But the bed was too narrow. He couldn’t lie flat and had to turn sideways, back-to-back with Yi Ye. His tall, muscular frame was awkwardly squeezed together, teetering precariously on the edge of the bed.

Thump!

Just then, someone in the middle of a dream suddenly kicked him, causing Kaiser to fall to the ground. He got up, fuming, and hissed in frustration.

"This guy..."

Yi Ye's slender, pale legs were splayed out, his loose collar revealing his collarbone as he slept exceptionally soundly. Kaiser gritted his teeth, turned his head away, and pushed Yi Ye's legs back.

This time, he faced Yi Ye, thinking that if Yi Ye kicked him again, he'd grab his legs—even if they fell, they'd fall together.

Kaiser mustered all his focus, staring at Yi Ye's profile and every movement. But as he looked at Yi Ye, his attention started to wander. He found himself counting Yi Ye's dark eyelashes, watching his nose occasionally wrinkle, reminding Kaiser of a long-haired black cat he'd found in the garden as a child. The cat had round eyes, a lazy demeanor, and moved only when nudged, but it was smart—almost humanly clever.

He'd secretly kept the cat for a while, but his father, who disliked fragile creatures, forced him to choose between abandoning it or putting it down. Kaiser had no choice but to give the cat to a servant, and he never saw it again.

Yi Ye was a lot like that cat, but far stronger.

The Audria family strictly followed the talent hierarchy, looking down on low-level Betas and Omegas, believing only innate abilities could fulfill one's purpose. But what if his father saw Yi Ye? What would his face look like if he knew a Beta could rival an Alpha's strength?

Kaiser found himself looking forward to that day.

The dorm was dim and quiet.

He rested his head on his hand, watching Yi Ye. Since he was much taller than Yi Ye, his body completely shielded the youth in the corner. Nearby, the sound of a door opening signaled the soldier from the opposite bed returning from the bathroom, only able to see Kaiser's back as he lay on his side, completely missing the person inside the bed.

It's a shame for two students to cram into such a small bed.

The senior thought to himself that he'd have to hurry and get another bed brought in tomorrow.

But what he couldn't see was the youth in bed, moving closer to the warmth, almost as if sleeping in Kaiser's arms.

Kaiser didn't dare move, his body tense like a rubber band ready to snap, his forehead starting to sweat. He watched, helpless, as Yi Ye's head leaned into his chest, his breath warm against his heart.

Thud, thud, thud—deafening.

Is this guy completely unaware?

Kaiser's Adam's apple bobbed, his face tense in a way he didn't even realize. He felt he should push Yi Ye away at this moment, or violently shake him awake. But his hands seemed to have a mind of their own, not only not listening to him, but also gently, very gently, encircling the youth's back, holding him.

As if holding a treasure.

…………

The next day at five-thirty, Yi Ye was woken up by the alarm clock.

He took a basin and toothbrush to the sink in the public bathroom, brushing his teeth in a daze. When he looked up, he met Kaiser's gaze in the mirror.

Yi Ye: "Hi~"

Kaiser: "..."

Yi Ye's gaze drifted down, noticing that the Young Master was washing clothes and underwear early in the morning.

"Didn't you just get the uniform yesterday? How did it get dirty so quickly?"

"None of your business," Kaiser said with a bit of irritation, his eyes quickly dodging away.

"..." Weird.

Yi Ye didn't have the energy to argue with anyone early in the morning. He spat out the foam, wiped his face with a towel, and returned to the dormitory.

They arrived at the cafeteria just at 6 o'clock, as fresh ingredients were being delivered to the kitchen.

Yi Ye never expected that in a futuristic world, they would still choose to cook large pots of food manually. Later, he learned from their old squad leader that before General Lin Pei arrived, all the canteens in the various battle groups were operated by machines, requiring only two people to oversee them.

But after General Lin Pei's arrival, this rule was changed for two reasons: first, humans naturally feel that food made by people tastes better, which can boost the soldiers' morale; second, after each battle, there are many soldiers who suffer trauma and can no longer go to the battlefield. However, if they are returned to a peaceful life, it might not be good for their psychological state. It would be better to set up some positions within the army for these people.

Yi Ye fully agreed with these two points. Why hand over fresh meals that can be made by humans to machines! What's the difference between that and pre-made meals!

"When you can eat well, you should eat the best food."

—As said by the famous gourmet collector Yiye Langley.

Before 8 o'clock, the aroma of the food had already wafted out of the cafeteria doors.

Yi Ye put on a transparent protective mask, donned an apron and gloves, and entered the back window with a ladle. Kaiser was at the window next to him, holding a ladle with a blank expression, looking like a grim reaper ready to scythe through the cafeteria.

The old squad leader was anxious beside him: "Smile, smile! At the end of each month, our comrades will rate us, and it's about my budget!"

Kaiser showed a murderous smile.

The old squad leader was almost in tears: "Not like that! Show eight teeth, just like the one next to you!"

He pointed at Yi Ye, who was smiling particularly beautifully, "Yes, yes, just like that!"

"...I'll try," Kaiser said with difficulty.

With a crisp bell sound, soldiers instantly crowded into the cafeteria. Yi Ye perfectly executed the shaking technique taught by the old squad leader, turning ten pieces of braised chicken into five, secretly pouring half of the oil-braised eggplant back, and only scooping the top layer of the fresh vegetable soup. His movements were flexible and natural, showing no trace of deliberate action.

The soldiers looked at him with frustration, but Yi Ye's smile was so beautiful that they couldn't bring themselves to curse, "Why the hell did you give me so little food?"

Soldier A: Miserable, I want to die.

Yi Ye smiled brightly: "I hope you enjoy your meal."

Soldier A: ...Forget it, I'll die tomorrow.

In contrast, on Kaiser's side, he maintained a grim expression, achieving an eerie upward curve of his lips and showing eight teeth, yet still looking fierce.

Soldier B: "Can't you give me more food? Who are you fooling?"

Kaiser swung the ladle over his shoulder and snorted menacingly, "You're lucky to get fresh food, and you want a full banquet? Haven't you been given a lot of nutritional supplements? Go eat your supplements."

Soldier B trembled with anger: "You, you, I will definitely complain about you!"

Kaiser: "Complain if you want, next!"

Not far away, the old squad leader reached out tearfully: No—my budget—

...

The morning cafeteria work ended very "successfully," in various aspects.

Yi Ye stretched his sore arms and, passing by the kitchen door, saw Kaiser being scolded by the old squad leader. The scene was quite comical, with the old squad leader only 1.75 meters tall, and Kaiser lowering his head to receive the lecture, looking rather pitiful.

"Yi Ye, just in time, come here!"

Yi Ye pointed to himself, confirmed he wasn't mistaken, and went over.

"His smile is really too ugly. Teach him before the noon shift. If he still looks like a ghost by noon, I'll go to Lieutenant Joseph to complain about him!"

Yi Ye suppressed the urge to burst into laughter, "This might be a bit tough, huh?"

Kaiser gritted his teeth, "If you laugh again, I'll knock you out."

"Who's laughing? I'm not laughing," Yi Ye said with a grin, patting his shoulder. "But don't worry, I'll do my best."

"Then it's up to you," the squad leader said earnestly.

"Oh, and one more thing," he remembered something. "We've already moved some extra beds in this morning since the dorm was short. You two won't have to share a bed tonight."

Yi Ye clapped his hands, "Awesome!"

Kaiser: "...Hmph."