Chapter 68

Chapter 68

The phrase "His Imperial Majesty" had been uttered far too frequently of late, and considering Gu Shiyun was...

Even without having truly met Emperor Norman of the Federation, Shi Jian's impression of him had already plummeted. He harbored little anticipation for the impending encounter.

He recounted his recent experiences to close friends like Shen Xingchuan—most of which had been spent confined to a hospital bed. When he described how he and Gu Shiyun had single-handedly stormed an extremist base and narrowly escaped an explosion that obliterated the organization's stronghold, the entire Land-Air Command Department team listened with rapt attention, utterly captivated. Their amazed gasps punctuated Shi Jian's understated narrative.

Unbeknownst to many, this slender, often-dismissed "pretty face" of a young man had rapidly matured, now excelling even among the elite aristocratic students. Everyone willingly looked up to him with admiration and reverence, orbiting him like stars around the moon.

Among so many, Shi Jian stood at the very epicenter, the sole focus of everyone's admiration and praise.

So brilliant, so dazzling.

Even Wen Yuan, who had been observing silently from a distance, found himself unconsciously drawn to Shi Jian's radiant presence amidst the crowd. His gaze remained fixed, unwavering, undisturbed by any surrounding distractions.

The snake-like vertical pupils shed their usual disguise, revealing nothing but pure appreciation—a blend of pride and wonder, akin to a normal family member, an elder brother watching his younger sibling grow up, filled with the bittersweet sentiment of "my brother has come of age."

Wen Yuan had always known Shi Jian was exceptional among his peers: noble by birth, pure in character, proud yet humble, confident yet generous. His beauty was merely the least remarkable of his many virtues. Yet, even Wen Yuan, who had witnessed Shi Jian's past brilliance, had never imagined that after undergoing Secondary Differentiation and becoming a "flawed" Alpha, Shi Jian could still achieve what most deemed impossible, earning such genuine recognition from so many. It was truly extraordinary.

Wen Yuan asked himself: even at his current age, with all his maturity in both conduct and mission execution, he still couldn't compare to the resolute spirit of the young Shi Jian.

He felt both joy and a pang of wistfulness, marveling at how much heaven seemed to favor Shi Jian, shaping him into someone so exquisitely talented and magnificent that one could only gaze in awe, incapable of even the slightest jealousy. One could only feel that a mere glimpse of such a person, even from afar through a crowd, would make a lifetime complete.

Yet, alongside his joy for Shi Jian's astonishing transformation, the deep-seated insecurity that had clung to Wen Yuan's chest like a parasite since childhood flared up anew. What did it matter that he was an S-rank Alpha? Federal law strictly forbade same-sex marriage, and he had already treated Shi Jian so terribly—how could he ever hope to earn forgiveness?

Most crucially, despite his lower rank, Shi Jian had never despaired. He never flaunted his rank or judged others by their genetic grades. In stark contrast, Wen Yuan's own sense of superiority now appeared laughably foolish, like a pathetic, miserly child clutching a single ordinary candy as if it were a priceless treasure.

Despair washed over Wen Yuan. He had no idea how to win Shi Jian back. After so many mistakes and with their values so fundamentally misaligned, what could he possibly do to regain Shi Jian's attention, to please him, to earn even a fleeting glance? He would do anything, even act like a performing dog, if it meant Shi Jian would look his way again.

Shen Xingchuan noticed Wen Yuan's somber departure from the corner of his eye but hesitated whether to mention it to Shi Jian. After much deliberation, he recalled Wen Yuan's past actions towards Shi Jian in class and decided it was best not to bring him up in Shi Jian's presence—besides, he suspected Shi Jian was already aware of Wen Yuan's every move and was simply choosing to ignore him.

Not wanting to invite trouble, Shen Xingchuan grinned and changed the subject: "So, can I borrow your medal sometime? The biggest award I've ever gotten was 'Outstanding Cadet' at the end of the semester—nothing compared to your 'Star of the Federation.'"

Shi Jian: "Perhaps I should keep Fu Yan away from you. Don’t corrupt him."

"Hey, what’s that supposed to mean! Let me tell you, these past few days have been brutal—nothing but tedious interrogation reports, mind-numbing busywork. If only I’d gone with you into the lion’s den! Even getting blown half to hell would’ve at least earned me some hero status, unlike this free labor." Shen Xingchuan grumbled.

Fu Yan interjected softly, "Why are you all so obsessed with getting injured? I’d rather every mission be as safe as these past few days—no casualties, everyone returning unharmed."

Shi Jian silently agreed with Fu Yan.

Coming back alive—

Was worth more than a hundred Stars of the Federation.

In that moment when the ground shook, his greatest fear had been dying there, in some dark, forgotten place.

He scanned the crowd: Shen Xingchuan and Fu Yan were bickering, Sui Bian sat on the grass cleaning his weapon, and the rest of the Land-Air Command team had gradually been called away to work. Though everyone was busy, their uniforms were neat, their expressions calm. The camp was filled only with the scents of various Alphas—no gunpowder or blood. Even Wen Yuan, now almost through the gate in the distance, was safe, though he looked lonely.

Everyone was still alive.

Shi Jian realized this was what he’d wanted to protect when he’d charged into the explosion.

His memories were often filled with images of desolate wastelands, ruins stretching as far as the eye could see, as if the entire world had died.

Fortunately, reality wasn't like that.

Yet something felt off. Among all these people, why...

"Where’s the instructor?" Shi Jian frowned. "Shouldn’t the news about the Emperor awarding me the Star of the Federation have come from our direct commanding officer?"

He’d seen everyone else since leaving the hospital—except Muye.

Shen Xingchuan stiffened slightly, hesitating. "Uh... well..."

He glanced at Fu Yan, who stammered, "Th-the instructor’s occupied with something else. The news came from General Shi, passed through Instructor Wen, then passed down by the squad leader."

Shen Xingchuan nodded quickly. "Right!"

Sui Bian seemed about to speak but fell silent when Shi Jian met his eyes.

Shi Jian sensed something was wrong. His voice turned cold as he demanded, "What’s going on? Don’t hide it from me."

The three exchanged glances; they had a silent exchange.

*'No way we can keep this from Xiao Jian. What do we say?'*

*'The truth.'*

*'But that’ll just make things worse!'*

Finally, Shen Xingchuan gave in with a sigh. "Instructor’s been taken by the military inspectors. For a while now."

Shi Jian’s brow furrowed. "He was arrested?!"

"To be precise, it was right after you and Senior Gu were confirmed missing in the extremist base. We were planning your rescue when these inspectors—no idea who sent them—showed up, accusing the instructor of colluding with officers to smuggle unauthorized students into the mission, jeopardizing the mission." Shen Xingchuan explained. "Instructor Wen was there too, but he couldn’t stop them. The instructor didn’t resist, not wanting to delay your rescue."

Shi Jian clenched his fists, fury rising. He’d known Muye’s arrest was because of him. For all his carefree demeanor, Muye was meticulous in his duties and politically clean—hardly someone to be caught on minor technicalities.

This was about him joining the team without authorization.

Calculating how long Muye had been detained, Shi Jian’s frown deepened. "Two weeks, and they still haven’t released him? I’m getting him out."

Shen Xingchuan and Fu Yan protested immediately: "No! You’re already under suspicion for interfering with the mission. Walking in there now is suicide! Even mentioning the Emperor's name won’t help—they’ll just say merits and faults are separate, and you’ll both end up locked up."

Sui Bian was blunter: "He’s always had it out for you anyway. Now that someone’s punishing him for you, isn’t that better?"

Shi Jian’s nails dug into his palms. "We’ve had our differences, but not to the death. Besides, this mess is because of me—I have to take responsibility."

Sui Bian frowned. "How? You can’t fight the Disciplinary Department alone. You know how it is—in the military, inspectors are law. Just like how in the academy, Gu Shiyun as head of the Disciplinary Department had more power than regular administrators."

Shen Xingchuan and Fu Yan added, "They didn’t care that the instructor’s already retired—they’re used to throwing their weight around. You’re just a cadet, not even formally enlisted. What leverage do you have?"

Shi Jian fell silent, the harsh questions forcing him to reconsider.

Shen Xingchuan ventured cautiously, "Changed your mind?"

"No." Shi Jian turned, resolve firm. "I know what to do."

The others exchanged uneasy glances but followed. "Don’t be reckless. We’ll help. He’s our instructor too."

Shi Jian refused flatly. "Stay out of this."

Shen Xingchuan bristled. "Why?! Stop going solo all the time! We’re your allies too!"

Fu Yan and Sui Bian’s eyes echoed the sentiment.

Shi Jian sighed. "When facing privilege, you fight privilege with privilege. I *am* privilege—are you? If things go south, my family won’t abandon me. Can yours say the same?"

The trio shared a look—equal parts awed, exasperated, and envious. *Yeah, yeah, we know your dad’s the Commander-in-Chief of the Ninth Military Region, your brother’s the Senate Speaker, and your foster brother’s a captain. No need to rub it in, you privileged bastard!*