Chapter 46

Chapter 46

"Long time no see, Ling Pei."

The man in the projection was dressed in a well-tailored smoke-gray suit, made of high-quality material. Even through the projection, the luxurious and expensive craftsmanship was evident. The sapphire-embedded cufflinks rested against his wrist, his slightly curly black hair exuding a romantic aura of an artistic aristocrat.

"I've heard about the Zerg incident from the Central Legion. It was resolved very timely, and His Majesty said he is preparing to award you a commendation. However, Duke Jed still expressed disdain. You know, he has always been like that."

"Principal Howard, did you come to me just to say these things?"

Principal Howard smiled with a gentlemanly demeanor: "Indeed, beating around the bush can be annoying. I just came to ask you, do you still hold the same doubts about the teaching policies of the Imperial Honor Military Academy as you did before? After all, without Yi Ye's self-criticism, it might not have been so easy to catch the Zerg."

Ling Pei remained expressionless: "I will not change my opinion."

Yi Ye's performance this time was indeed very good and sharp enough. But Ling Pei still believes that the policies of the Imperial Honor Military Academy have significant problems. He firmly believes in strength above all, but the Imperial Honor Military Academy only cares about the students' talents, which is why so many softies, who only know how to live off their inheritance, have been produced.

Even someone with 3S qualifications, if they can't hold a gun or go to the battlefield, is undoubtedly a waste in Ling Pei's eyes.

He stated emphatically: "I will still propose a reform of the military academy to His Majesty and kick out those useless students."

Principal Howard chuckled.

He hadn't spoken with Ling Pei in quite some time and had almost forgotten how inflexible and stubborn this person could be.

"In that case, it seems I can't change your opinion. How about we place a bet? If I lose, the Imperial Honor Military Academy will be at your disposal, and I won't make any comments in front of His Majesty. But if I win, you have to promise me two things."

Ling Pei frowned: "What's the bet?"

Principal Howard sat upright in his chair, his hands folded on his knees, and suddenly brought up another abrupt topic: "I heard that the beacon tower in District 21 is damaged. Shouldn't we find someone to repair it?"

...

The day after the Zerg were captured, people from the main star secretly came to take the Zerg away. No one else knew about it except Ling Pei. But the news that the Zerg could mimic the appearance of the Empire's people has not been spread. This issue is of significant importance, and casually revealing it could easily trigger an internal trust crisis. Therefore, Ling Pei is temporarily responsible for suppressing it and managing all those who know about it with confidentiality.

Although it is uncertain what the main star will find out after taking Steve away, whatever it is, it has nothing to do with Yi Ye, who just wants to rest.

Fortunately, Squad Leader Elman gave him a day off to rest as a reward.

Yi Ye lay on the bed, idly sending a message to Bai Chuan.

The Vanguard Legion had been extremely busy recently, and he hadn't had much time to communicate with the protagonist. Now that the Zerg incident was over, he finally remembered and even sent the photos he took on Baozuan Star.

A few seconds after sending, all the messages were read, and Bai Chuan even sent a video call.

Yi Ye put on his headphones and found a comfortable position against the wall. On the screen appeared Bai Chuan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, with his calm and handsome face. It was very quiet on his side, with a white wall behind him, making it unclear where he was.

While Yi Ye was looking at him, he was also looking at Yi Ye. But Bai Chuan rarely showed strong emotions, and his expression remained calm.

"You look very tired."

Yi Ye was stunned and touched his face: "Is it that obvious?"

"At home, you sleep for 9 hours every day and are very energetic."

Yi Ye hissed, surprised that the protagonist knew his daily sleep habits. But then again, they have lived together for so long, it's become a habit.

He waved his hand indifferently: "Young people can manage staying up late. I'll just drink more nutritional supplements."

Bai Chuan stayed silent.

"How are you doing in the Central Legion? The benefits there must be pretty good, right?"

Bai Chuan hesitated slightly: "It's alright."

"Oh," Yi Ye said, a hint of envy in his voice as he sat up straight. "By the way, has Bush Meihua done anything to you? If he has, you must tell me immediately, and I'll roll up my sleeves and go take him down."

"I haven't seen him since I joined the Vanguard Legion."

He had heard from others that Bush Meihua didn't even come to report, but he didn't care about the specific reasons and didn't want to know.

Yi Ye chuckled and said that was good, then relaxed, slumping back lazily like a liquid, completely free of any psychological burden.

Bai Chuan observed him lazily leaning against the wall, lowering his eyes to ask about his life in the Vanguard Legion, subtly probing about his interactions with Kaiser. Yi Ye didn't catch the underlying meaning, thought for a few seconds, and figured it was just the usual good relationship between classmates, so he briefly summarized it in a few sentences, not mentioning a word about the Zerg situation.

Bai Chuan's personality was quite reserved, and his conversations were rather subdued, but for Yi Ye, it was a way to unwind. After chatting off and on for half an hour, he began to feel a bit drowsy.

Originally leaning against the wall, he tilted and slumped back into the bedding, the hair tie at the back of his head came undone, and his slightly long black hair softly fell to the side of his face. His thin eyelids drooped, and his eyelashes fluttered slightly.

He wanted to end the call, but Bai Chuan said it was fine to leave it on, so Yi Ye didn't bother, just resting his face on the pillow.

Probably due to sheer exhaustion, Yi Ye fell asleep quickly and deeply, his breathing soft.

Bai Chuan's gaze was fixed intently on the screen.

It wasn't that he wasn't busy; in fact, he was sorting through a large amount of documents given by his superiors, which had to be completed within a day. But he didn't say anything, just quietly listened to the breathing on the other end.

At the bottom of the terminal, the words "Recording in progress" appeared.

Then a message came in.

Bai Chuan looked at the note "Andre" above, paused for a moment, and expressionlessly turned off the recording and the communication.

He answered: "Scholar, yes, I'm in the data room... the lab? Alright, I'll be right there."

*

Bai Chuan gathered his things and hurried to the lab. A middle-aged man in a white protective suit, his hair a mess and reeking of alcohol, was wearing goggles and injecting a liquid into a test tube.

He glanced over, grabbed a work suit from the cabinet, and put it on.

"Any progress?"

"Slow, don't rush."

The man focused on the test tube, "I've been doing this research for over ten years, at most it might cripple you, but it won't kill you."

Bai Chuan: "Then you might as well kill me."

The man laughed heartily.

...

After finishing the experiment, the two went to the balcony to get some air. The man's tattered gloves revealed two fingers, and he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a lighter, and took a deep, satisfying drag.

"Want some?"

"No habits." Bai Chuan stepped back half a step, avoiding the second-hand smoke he exhaled.

The man chuckled: "When you have more worries in the future, you'll know the good of this stuff."

Bai Chuan didn't say anything.

A lot on his mind? He didn't know what amount would count as a lot.

The man was a chain smoker, lighting one cigarette after another, and soon the ground around his feet was littered with butts. Every time after completing an experiment, they would stand there silently for a while because the results were always failures.

"Honestly, sometimes I think you're a real drag," the man said, leaning on the railing with a cigarette in his mouth. "Being an Omega isn't bad, you could at least become a mecha pilot in the future, and being a student of the Imperial Honor Military Academy, that's something others can only dream of."

"Tell me, why do you want to become an Alpha?"

"I want to become stronger."

"Isn't a 3S level psychic Omega strong enough?"

"If 3S level psychic power is considered strong, why is there only one Omega among the 12 seats in the Senate?"

This shut the man up.

Bai Chuan's face was a mask of mockery.

Annoyed by the look, the man found a point to retort, "Why don't you think you could be the second Omega to enter the Senate seats? Is it lack of confidence? You kids are all the same, a little setback in life and you start self-loathing, self-blaming, and then mocking society. But you've got way more than we adults do. People should live contentedly, why bother with useless thoughts all day?"

"Were you satisfied back in the day? What made you write that thesis?"

Bai Chuan countered, his gaze sharp yet calm.

The man opened his mouth but found no words to retort.

Why did he write that thesis? Certainly not out of some bullshit love for chemistry, but because... he also wanted to become stronger, to transform from a regular Beta into a top-tier Alpha. Given the chance, who wouldn't want that?

"You and I are different—you're a 3S," he said, his tone stiff.

"Deep down, the weak are all alike."

"When I was young, I watched my mother being killed by the Zerg," Bai Chuan said in a tone so flat it was as if he was telling someone else's story. "She died in agony. I hid in a corner, and even from that distance, I could feel her tears on my face. But if I'd had even a bit of strength to fight back, maybe she wouldn't have died in such pain. Psychic power? Without a mecha, it's as good as being useless."

The man, hearing Bai Chuan's story for the first time, paused with the cigarette in his hand.

He heard Bai Chuan continue, "My adoptive father always said I had great combat talent, that I was promising, but I never once truly beat my brother. Because of an Omega's physical limits, the data pegs me as an A, and even if I fight to the death, I can't break past that in this life."

"I despise this life, I loathe who I've become."

"...My first impression was right, you really are a boring kid."

But these words brought the man's own past to mind. He took a deep breath, turned away, and crushed the cigarette underfoot, "But don't worry, as long as I've got my wits about me, I'll do everything I can to help you."

"Thanks."

"...Your thanks always come off as an insult."

"Oh."

"Then take it as an insult."

"...Damn."

*

Yi Ye woke up groggily as evening approached, the call with Bai Chuan having ended three hours prior. He sneaked to the cafeteria for a bite to eat, and while drinking soup, he received a message from Lieutenant Joseph, so he headed to the command room of the third company.

"Come in."

Joseph was sitting by the console with his legs crossed, looking annoyed, with Kaiser standing beside him.

Yi Ye and Kaiser exchanged glances: "Lieutenant, we haven't stirred up any trouble lately, right?"

"Who said anything about that? How many days are left until your assessment ends?"

Yi Ye thought back: "3 days?"

"Alright, here's your final assignment. Tomorrow, a squad needs to go to Dream Zone Area 21 to repair the beacon towers. You two will go along."

"That's sudden."

And isn't Dream Zone where the Zerg were once super active? Although there are few Zerg sightings now, such a task shouldn't be assigned to freshmen like us.

"I get you're curious, but orders are orders, no arguing." Joseph pushed his cheek, clearly dissatisfied with the assignment but trying to suppress his anger, "It's straightforward: 38 beacons in Area 21, 8 knocked out by a storm. Just swap them out. That area is considered safe in Dream Zone. You're not on repair duty; just back up the other soldiers to get the job done."

Unable to contain his anger any longer, he cursed: "Damn, why didn't I get the easy gigs back in the day!"

Yi Ye faked a smile.

You shouldn't jinx it like that. Usually, when people say it's nothing, something big might happen.

The military doesn't waste time, and by next morning, Yi Ye and Kaiser were already by a small spacecraft. He tugged at his bag, hesitating as he looked at the man at the front of the line.

They said it was a simple job, so why's Ling Pei tagging along?

Yi Ye blurted out, "General, are we heading to Area 21 or straight into the Zerg's nest?"

Ling Pei shot him a look, brushing off the question: "We're here to fix beacons. Run into Zerg or anything else, keep moving—no unnecessary fights. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" The squad saluted as one.

Ling Pei spun on his heel: "Move out."

Yi Ye: ...Hey! I'm right here!

The squad had nine members. Besides Ling Pei and Kaiser, who Yi Ye knew, the rest were top soldiers from the First Company. The Alphas were built like tanks, and Yi Ye, a Beta, stuck out like a kid at the grown-ups' table among these nearly seven-footers.

Yi Ye: ...Great.

He glared at the back of Ling Pei's head, vowing to stuff his shoes with 20-centimeter lifts next time.

Ling Pei, sensing a chill down his spine: ...

He glanced back at the kid, who quickly looked away, whistling innocently.

Ling Pei: "...Area 21's got brutal winds and sand. Don't wander off."

"Yeah, yeah." Yi Ye fiddled with his goggles.

Ling Pei frowned, unimpressed by the kid's nonchalance. Taking in Yi Ye's scrawny arms and slight build—like a stiff breeze could knock him over—Ling Pei paused, then pulled a nylon rope from his pack. He clipped one end to his belt and tossed the other to Yi Ye: "Clip in."

"Is this really necessary?"

Ling Pei didn't reply, his hand unwavering, making it clear there was no debate.

Yi Ye had no choice but to clip in.

But the short rope meant Ling Pei had to stay close. With their height difference, their paces didn't match, forcing Ling Pei to slow his stride.

Thus, the team members saw this scene: the tall, stern man silently slowed his pace, occasionally frowning and pulling the rope, while the beautiful youth behind him casually followed.

The scene looked more and more bizarre.

They exchanged glances but no one dared to ask. Someone glanced back and noticed the red-haired student of the Imperial Honor Military Academy at the end of the line, his face gloomy, and immediately looked away.

Wow, the atmosphere at both the head and tail of this team is so strange.