Chapter 71

Chapter 71

"First-year students of the Imperial Honor Military Academy."

The scope was too precise and narrow, with only four people in the entire team.

Bush Meihua, Kaiser, Bai Chuan, Yi Ye.

So, who among them could be the mole?

"Are we done yet?" Kappel impatiently urged.

The crowd immediately erupted into a flurry of whispers, everyone's expressions grave, their thoughts turbulent, and all speculative and suspicious gazes instantly shot towards Yi Ye and the others, sparing no effort to doubt them.

The chatter grew louder, gradually surging like a stormy wave. Elia furrowed his brow deeply: "Quiet!"

The voices froze.

"Let's not talk about the mole for now. Our primary goal is to occupy more territory. We haven't even fully secured Zone B yet. Is discussing this useful?"

"If we don't discuss this, what else can we do?" a military academy student suddenly stepped forward to retort, "These four first-years are all from your Honor Committee. Are you going to protect them? Now that B1 and B3 zones are Bush Meihua's, if he's the mole and hands our lives to the enemy, then all our efforts would be in vain!"

Elia spoke sincerely: "I won't be biased or unfair."

"Who believes you? Nice words are easy to say."

"What the hell do you want to do? Speak up!" Kappel almost rolled up his sleeves to punch him, restraining his anger.

The man raised his head high: "The next flag-planting opportunities should be given to us. None of those four should touch them."

"Why should I listen to you? Who do you think you are?" Kaiser sneered.

"You're a suspect, so you can't touch it!"

He pulled at a nearby teammate, who hurriedly chimed in: "Young Master Kaiser, I know you're unhappy, but please understand us... Everyone wants to win, and this is for the good of the team."

"If you're really the mole, then all our hard work would be wasted? If you're not, then you're still contributing to the team. After all, it doesn't matter much to you whether you have the chance to plant the flag or not... You... You're already quite famous, so it's better to let others have this opportunity."

Kaiser had never heard such shameless words before, his anger making him clench his jaw, his gaze fierce. "Do you know why we don't let you take the lead? Because with your incompetence, handing the territory to you is no different from giving it away. If you encounter people from the Melville Military Academy, or Eugene, or others, you'd be dead like a pile of mud without even a chance to catch your breath!"

"Without us, you would have been wiped out by the Eagle Naval Academy earlier. Now you're telling us we don't need too many opportunities to perform? Isn't it because you're so bad that even shooting seems like child's play!"

The two were left red-faced, stubbornly shouting: "We contributed too! What, just because you're from the Audria family, you can take all the credit?!"

"Try mentioning the Audria family to me one more time!"

Kaiser, furious, strode over.

Yi Ye was standing beside him and quickly stepped forward to stop him. But the angle was too far back, and Kaiser didn't see who it was, just reflexively swung back, only realizing when he heard a few stumbling steps.

The youth was supported by Bai Chuan, his face slightly pale.

Yi Ye wouldn't fall from just a push from Kaiser, but his mind was a bit hazy, his body feeling as if something was dragging him down heavily, his reactions slowed.

"Why did you stop me? Are... are you hurt?" Kaiser quickly gave up on fighting and hurried over to him.

"I'm fine."

Yi Ye coughed, "This is a live broadcast across the empire. Don't be impulsive."

"Then should I just endure it?!" he couldn't help raising his voice, noticing Elia's slightly pale lips, and unconsciously lowered his tone, "Didn't you hear that he was targeting all four of us, including you? Aren't you angry?"

"Of course I'm angry, but we still need to resolve this matter," Elia looked at Elia, "If you are going to disqualify us from planting the flag, then you should also be prepared for us not to fully trust you in the subsequent matches. If the Imperial Honor Military Academy loses, no one can blame us."

Elia's face turned grim: "Then what do you suggest?"

He supported his tired body and smiled: "Let's draw lots."

"Draw lots?"

Elia sighed: "Don't you want fairness? Then I'll give you fairness. We'll randomly draw lots to choose who plants the flag, and no one can object. If you're lucky and all of you get chosen, I won't mind."

"No way! Knowing that you are suspects, we still let you participate in the draw?" the teammate immediately objected loudly, "What if you cheat!"

Elia twitched his lips, finding it exhausting to talk to a bunch of idiots.

He reached for his gun at his waist and aimed it at the two of them.

Elia stepped forward, warning: "Elia!"

"I think you've misunderstood the focus of this competition. Who plants the flag is not important; what's important is who can seize the territory in the end. Even if I give you ten thousand chances, as long as this bullet blows your brains out in the end, you lose."

He finished this sentence in one breath, took a deep breath: "So, less nonsense, less dawdling, okay? You should be glad I'm not a spy. In the past, my temper wasn't this good."

After saying that, he threw the gun into Elia's arms.

"You make the decision, I can't be bothered."

The not-so-heavy gun felt like a boulder in Elia's arms, and he no longer hesitated: "Let's do as Elia said."

"But—"

The teammate wanted to say something, but was pulled aside by someone else who persuaded him: "Forget it, let it be. They have the numbers, we can't afford to provoke them. At least now everyone has the right to own territory."

He reluctantly shook off his arm.

Leaving B1 Zone, everyone followed the planned route to the remaining two zones. The operation in B4 Zone went relatively smoothly, except for encountering two waves of low-level insect swarms along the way, which cost them a lot of supplies and a teammate. The lottery plan was also successfully implemented, and the first lucky one happened to be the Alpha teammate who had been opposing them all along.

The road back to the starting B2 Zone was even more severe. They circled around, bypassing a wide river, but encountered bad weather. The sky was filled with heavy snow and wind, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of frost.

Elia felt his throat dry and itchy, and couldn't stop coughing. Bai Chuan gave him medicine several times, but none of it worked.

The medicine in this simulated world was labeled very vaguely, basically all aimed at saving lives from severe injuries and critical conditions. For minor injuries and illnesses, it all depended on personal physical fitness to heal. But Elia happened to be a Beta, without the terrifying recovery ability of an Alpha. Among these guys, he was like an ordinary person who had wandered in by mistake.

"Cough cough cough!"

Elia's coughing sounded alarming.

Kaiser was like a big dog, anxiously circling around him, muttering: "Your constitution is too weak. After we get out, you have to train with me, understand? Where's the medicine? Didn't you take several kinds?"

Elia held his forehead in pain: "My health bar is about to explode, stop giving me medicine. Young Master, just be quiet and let me rest."

Kaiser frowned: "I'm not speaking loudly... Forget it, I'll be quiet. If you can't walk, let me carry you. With your small arms and legs, I could carry ten of you without a problem."

He really didn't have the energy to respond, weakly humming in agreement.

The sick youth was like a drooping white camellia, his beautiful face tinged with a sickly pallor, making people afraid he would shatter at a touch. Helplessly, Bai Chuan and the others went to Elia to request some rest time. Seeing the youth standing not far away, struggling to hold on, and with the sky almost dark, Elia agreed.

They finally found an abandoned building about two kilometers away.

European-style buildings are mostly detached villas, and upon opening the door, a heavy dampness hits you.

The fire in the hearth of the fireplace rises, finally adding a bit of warmth to the room.

Since falling ill, Yi Ye's temperament has become even more like that of a lazy cat. He curls up on the fabric sofa, a thick blanket draped over his shoulders, staring blankly at the steaming cup of water in his hands. On either side of him, Bai Chuan and Kaiser stand like two statues, both silently refraining from disturbing him.

The others, after checking upstairs, return to the living room and sit around the coffee table.

"Has anyone checked the rankings?" Elia adjusts his glasses. "The results for Parson Military Academy and Lion Feather Military Academy are out. Lion Feather Military Academy won in Zone C."

"Lion Feather Military Academy actually won?"

"How they won isn't important; we need to focus on ourselves."

Elia brings the topic back: "The threat from Melville is too great. The key to this competition is who can secure the most territory by the end, so we don't necessarily have to confront Melville Military Academy."

He opens the map and points to several areas: "Right now, Lion Feather Military Academy in Zone C and Ander Military Academy in Zone A are both of medium strength. They are our primary targets."

"But what if we encounter Melville Military Academy... We can't be sure who we'll run into when we go out now."

"True," Elia nods. "So luck is also important. Everyone, rest well tonight. Tomorrow will likely be a tough battle."

After speaking, he looks at Yi Ye: "Are you okay?"

Yi Ye, with a dazed expression, gives an okay sign.

"Good. There aren't many rooms upstairs. You and Bai Chuan will share one, and the others will squeeze in. Is that okay?"

Yi Ye nods.

"Then everyone, get some rest."

Elia claps his hands, and the group disperses.

Yi Ye and Bai Chuan's room is near the staircase. When they enter, Kaiser makes a special trip to hand over some medicine he just found in the villa, telling Yi Ye to take it as needed. After saying this, he turns and leaves.

Yi Ye stares at the items in his arms.

He feels like his health bar is about to break through the limit.

Would he die from over-healing here?

Yi Ye shudders and puts the items back on the table.

Bai Chuan is bending over, tidying the bed. The room is quiet, with almost no other noise.

Since their differentiation, he and Bai Chuan have hardly slept in the same bed. Although he occasionally sneaks into Bai Chuan's room to mess around on his bed, Bai Chuan always sits nearby, avoiding too intimate physical contact. Now, suddenly having to share a bed at night, he feels a bit uncomfortable.

"The bed is ready."

Yi Ye immediately lies down, covering himself tightly with the blanket. Just as he's about to ask Bai Chuan to join him, he sees him sitting down with a terminal.

Bai Chuan: "You sleep first."

He looks at the military academy materials, embodying the saying "know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat."

Such a diligent protagonist.

Such a lazy him.

Yi Ye really wanted to lie down and pretend to be dead asleep, but after tossing and turning with the bedding, he finally couldn't resist and sat up.

Expressionless: "Stop looking, I'm so anxious."

"..."

Bai Chuan had no choice but to turn off the terminal and get into bed from the other side.

He was on this side, Bai Chuan was on that side, with a long and wide "Chu River and Han Boundary" in between, making them look not like brothers, but like a couple in a cold war.

But actually, Yi Ye just felt that he was sleeping a bit too far away. He hugged the blanket and moved over, getting close to him. His face, whether from busyness or illness, had a faint pink flush, and fine beads of sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.

Bai Chuan's eyes darkened, and he averted his gaze, handing him a tissue.

"If you're sick, go to sleep early, don't mess around."

"Strange, I was so sleepy just now, but now I'm wide awake." Yi Ye wiped off the sweat, his voice still hoarse with a nasal tone, his eyes sparkling, "Do you think this could be a final rally before death?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Bai Chuan said in a deep voice, "Don't joke about that."

Yi Ye laughed carelessly.

The two lay down on the pillows, Bai Chuan sleeping on the edge of the bed, as if he would fall off with a turn.

Yi Ye grabbed his waist and pulled him: "Come in a bit closer to me."

"...Okay."

He moved closer to Yi Ye. The distance between them shrank until the youth's hand touched his chest.

Yi Ye: "Okay, okay, don't come any closer."

"Okay." His voice was a bit hoarse.

"Xiao Bai, do you think our sleep might be live-streamed to the entire empire tonight?"

"Not sure."

"You don't want to be live-streamed, do you?"

"Of course, my sleeping posture is terrible, it would be so embarrassing if it was live-streamed."

"...There's a way, do you want to try it?"

Yi Ye: "What?"

The next second, the blanket was suddenly pulled over their heads.

In the hot and narrow space, it was almost pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

Yi Ye blinked, faintly hearing someone's heartbeat, thumping loudly, deafening. He instinctively touched his own chest, but his heartbeat was still steady, only realizing later that it was coming from the person in front of him.

Without thinking, he reached out his hand, his palm covering Bai Chuan's left chest.

"Xiao Bai."

He said with a bit of confusion, "Why is your heartbeat so loud?"