Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Why is Dad coming so suddenly?!

Yi Ye looked at the message time. It was from 10 hours ago.

"Oh, crap!"

He grabbed the still-cleaning Bai Chuan. "Stop cleaning! Dad's coming! I didn’t check his message for so long; he’s definitely going to beat me up."

Bai Chuan's expression flickered slightly. "I already knew yesterday."

"You knew?"

Bai Chuan said, "I couldn’t reach you last night, so Mr. Kewen called me."

Yi Ye let out a sigh of relief. "Good to know. So where is he now?"

"Not sure."

"He said he was going to find someone and would meet up with us later today."

Yi Ye was stunned. "...Who?"

*

Inside the office.

The tightly shut doors and windows were filled with the strong smell of alcohol, and occasionally, hearty laughter could be heard.

Kewen, wearing a black jacket with a black-patterned blue headscarf tied around his wolf-tail hairstyle, slapped his thigh and laughed heartily. "After all these years, Clarke, your alcohol tolerance is still terrible!"

Clarke, adjusting his glasses with a flushed face, tried to maintain a serious expression. "We've been drinking the whole night. My tolerance is already pretty good; you guys are the abnormal ones."

"This is nothing. Alphas and I could drink for a whole day and night and still not get drunk." He hooked his arm around Alphas' neck. "We were the booze kings back in the army!"

Alphas said, "I was the top booze king; you were the second."

"Nah, it’s the other way round."

Every time they met, the two of them argued for ages about who the "King of Booze" was. Clarke, tired of listening, closed his eyes, not wanting to get involved in their childish banter.

Alphas shook his head. "For all your great alcohol tolerance, I don’t see your son inheriting it. Ever since he joined the military academy, I’ve never seen him drink. He’s really not like you at all."

"That brat of mine, you think I expect him to inherit from me? His alcohol tolerance isn’t even up to Bai Chuan’s level. Even if I gave him a wheat beer, he’d get drunk and stumble around for hours. Totally useless."

"Haha, that’s just like his father, right!"

Alphas, getting drunk and speaking without restraint, said, "If you had found someone with better alcohol tolerance back then, maybe Yi Ye could have drunk his way through the entire military academy."

Clarke's expression froze. He quickly pulled Alphas back, calmly stopping him. "You’re supposed to be a referee for the competition this afternoon. You’ve had enough to drink. Sober up."

As he spoke, he carefully observed Kewen’s expression. But Kewen always had that "I-don’t-care-about-the-world" attitude, so he couldn’t tell if Alphas’ words had affected him.

When it came to Yi Ye’s father, they knew very little.

Kewen was quite famous in the Diming Army back then. His combat skills were even more outstanding than those of other Alphas. His excellent abilities allowed him to quickly enter the legion as a commander after graduation, becoming a presence few could match. Clarke had thought that Kewen would continue as a "commander" until the end. But one day, he suddenly heard the news of Kewen’s retirement.

He left the legion, disappeared without a trace, and didn’t tell anyone. Clarke tried every method to find out his address.

When he saw him, he discovered that Kewen was pregnant.

The fertility rate for Betas is very low, and the pain involved in opening the reproductive cavity is unspeakable. Clark's eyes turned red with anger as he felt deep resentment and regret, demanding to know which bastard had done this. But Kewen stayed silent on the matter, casually saying that the person was as good as dead, having been eaten by the Zerg, and wouldn't say anything more.

He seemed so calm and indifferent that Clark, unable to release his pent-up anger, angrily kicked over a water bucket on the floor. Kewen, his big belly leading, went to pick up the water bucket. At that moment, as he watched the youth's back, Clark suddenly felt a strong, yet helpless, sense of self-mockery emanating from him.

After that, he rarely brought up this "dead bastard" in front of Kewen.

But Clark never forgot this matter and silently vowed to the Empire that if he ever met this person, he would cut off his head, break his limbs, roll him up into a ball, and toss him into the trash.

"Tsk, this guy isn't good either, still competing with me for the title."

Kewen said with a chuckle, kicking Alva's thigh. He tilted his head back and downed the drink in his hand, then slammed the cup on the table. Steady and composed, he stood up, hands in his pockets, "Alright, I need to see my son now. He's in your care."

"Yi Ye lives in District C, do you know the way?"

"Even after twenty years, I still remember the way."

"Oh, by the way." He took a step, then suddenly circled back to ask Clark, "Do you usually meet the principal here?"

Clark: "The principal usually stays in the Central Administration Building, so he probably doesn't show up here much."

"Alright."

With that, he strode away.

But Clark didn't finish his thought. This was during the military academy league, and the principal might appear at the venue to watch. He could show up anywhere.

But… it probably wasn't a big deal that he didn't hear the rest, right?

"Dad!"

Yi Ye and Bai Chuan had just arrived at the office building when they saw Kewen swaggering out. He immediately ran over, but halfway there, he suddenly stopped, turned back to pull Bai Chuan in front of him, and peeked out with half his face, "Dad, you really came? I thought you sold the ticket?"

"I come if I want to. What, were you planning to sell the ticket and split the money with me?"

Yi Ye: ...

You guessed it perfectly.

"I was just worried you'd get lost. You should've told me in advance."

"Didn't I say? Who knows, it was from yesterday afternoon that no one could reach you." Kewen rolled his eyes, "This crappy school has so many issues? What the hell are you busy with every day?"

Bai Chuan: ...

Yi Ye hesitated but decided he shouldn't tell his dad about what happened yesterday.

"Alright, hiding behind your brother, thinking I can't reach you?"

He made a motion to swing, and Yi Ye quickly dodged.

"Tsk." Kewen withdrew his hand and met Bai Chuan's gaze.

Bai Chuan nodded, "Father."

"You're doing alright, kid?"

"Everything's fine."

Bai Chuan lowered his eyes, appearing obedient. Yi Ye curiously glanced at him, wondering why the protagonist was so gentle in front of his dad. Usually, the untouchable high-and-mighty figure was like a thorny blue rose, cold enough to freeze someone with just a look. "Has Father arranged for accommodation?"

"I just found a small hotel nearby. Imperial Star isn't great for much, but its entertainment industry is pretty booming. It's just crazy expensive."

"Old man, I've got money." Yi Ye chimed in.

Kewen snorted, "You mean the money the principal gave you? You keep it. I don't want it; it's bad luck."

"No time for nonsense, I'm not here to chat." He folded his muscular arms. "Your simulation matches start the day after tomorrow, right? I'll give you guys a crash course."

Yi Ye said, "But General Lin Pei already gave us a session."

"He can teach you tactics, but can he teach you schemes and dirty tricks?"

Kewen pointed to his head, "There are ten military schools. Don't think they're all decent people. There are plenty of assholes."

*

The classroom was empty.

Yi Ye and Bai Chuan sat side by side, the curtains tightly drawn. A bright blue light projection hung in the air. Standing behind the light screen, Father Kewen's rugged and sharp features were highlighted by the text and images floating on the screen.

The scene reminded Yi Ye of his childhood. Every time Kewen taught them, he was like this. With a wine bottle in one hand and a piece of chalk in the other, his writing flew wildly. If Yi Ye so much as zoned out for a second, the chalk would come flying at his forehead.

"Let's go over the simulation match rules first. You two should already know them, right?"

Both nodded.

Unlike the freshman assessment rules, the enemies in the simulation match were not just the Zerg but also other students from the Imperial Honor Military Academy.

Each academy would send a team of 15, each member equipped with weapons and their academy's flag. They would then be deployed into a virtual world modeled after Blue Flower Star. The cities were corrupt, the environment was harsh, and the Zerg were highly active. There were five major regions: A, B, C, D, and the Central District, each further divided into four smaller zones. A total of 20 territories, and only one flag could be planted per territory.

Victory depended on which academy ended up with the most territories.

But of course, it wasn't as simple as it sounded on the surface; there were many hidden rules. For example, only one member of the team was allowed to plant the flag at a time, and the flag belonged to that individual. If that person was killed by an opposing team, the territory would automatically belong to the enemy. Additionally, internal team trades were permitted, and "defectors" were even allowed.

In essence, this wasn't just a territorial game.

While the Zerg were terrifying enemies, your teammates might just shoot you in the back the next second.

Danger existed in every breath.

These were indeed unfavorable match rules.

"This thing isn't going to kill anyone, is it?"

Father Kewen smirked with an ambiguous meaning, "Don't think the academy treats you like flowers in a greenhouse. This is a place to train warriors, not to raise crybabies."

Bai Chuan said calmly, "So there will be danger."

"Not only that, there's a lot of it."

Father Kewen tapped the table, "Gather around, listen closely."

The two leaned in, listening quietly to Father Kewen's guidance. His voice was low, almost inaudible. From outside the classroom, one couldn't even discern his words by lip-reading.

...

This session lasted a full three hours.

Meanwhile, in the exclusive rest rooms of participants from other academies.

All visiting students of the Imperial Honor Military Academy were assigned to this building in Sector E, with signs at the entrance to prevent wrong entries. It was the afternoon, and the corridors were exceptionally quiet when the stillness was suddenly broken by hurried footsteps. A cadet in a brown uniform glanced around nervously, holding something in his hand. As he turned the corner, he bumped into someone, causing the box in his hand to fall to the ground.

"Ow!"

Lei Li was about to head out to grab some food when he was bumped, stumbling a few steps and quickly adjusting his glasses.

"You alright?"

He glanced down at the box on the floor, about to pick it up, but it was suddenly snatched away.

The person gave him a nasty glare, "Back off! Don't you dare touch my stuff!"

Lei Li's hand was red, and he knit his brows, watching the person scoop up the box and run straight towards the rest area of Lion Feather Military Academy.

"Lion Feather Military Academy…?"

He rubbed his hand, recalling the feel of the box when he bumped into it—it felt pretty heavy. "Come to think of it… Lion Feather Military Academy, weren't they penalized after the last simulated duel? What was the reason again?"

He couldn’t remember as he walked, until he got to the elevator and paused.

It hit him.

The reason for Lion Feather Military Academy’s penalty was improper procedures leading to a fatal incident.

"Tch… looks like this year’s gonna be a mess."

*

As the simulated duel was set to begin, the military academy league’s forum was abuzz, with hot posts flying fast. It was almost crazy to watch, with thousands of new posts every single second.

"Get your bets in! Get your bets in! Who's gonna win this year!"

1st floor: I’m putting my money on Melville Military Academy. They were first place last time too.

2nd floor: Same here, Melville’s a lock!!!

3rd floor: I’m betting on Imperial Honor Military Academy. If they don’t win this year, they don’t deserve the top spot.

4th floor: Who’s representing Imperial Honor Military Academy this year?

5th floor: The son of Commander Moxi. And the third son of the Chief Justice. Both are highly talented geniuses. I reckon Imperial Honor Military Academy is gonna redeem themselves this year.

6th floor: What about Eagle Naval Academy? They only missed it by one territory last time, right?

7th floor: Bet on Melville! The Pope is a god, and the academy he founded will never lose.

8th floor: Fanboys, get out of here! This is the military section!

……

"It's about to start."

Bai Chuan's voice rang out, and Yi Ye put away his terminal and donned the neural connection gear.

As he was about to lie down in the virtual pod, he suddenly looked at Bai Chuan. "You confident? With billions watching live, losing isn't a small matter."

"Are you?" Bai Chuan countered.

Yi Ye smiled, "Of course, your brother isn't afraid of big scenes like this."

"Then I am too," Bai Chuan said firmly. "We will both win."

The two exchanged a look and smiled, lying down in the virtual pods in perfect sync.

The liquid supported their bodies as they sank heavily, darkness enveloping them. The soul felt like it was tugged by a hook, a sense of weightlessness surged up, and then they were back on solid ground.

The wind howled, carrying a desolate wildness.

Under the gaze of billions, the match officially began——