Chapter 30 Let’s Compare

Chapter 30 Let's See Who's Better

His thoughts raced, emotions threatening to spill over. Ji Yaoming's ragged, hurried breathing filled the bedroom, his grip on Wen Qi's fingertips tightening relentlessly. In a voice he fought to keep calm, he whispered, "Wen Qi, I’ve been burned once—I’m not gonna get fooled twice."

Stung by the sudden icy tone, Wen Qi jerked his hand back and wouldn't look at him. The bed shifted abruptly beside him, and Wen Qi instinctively turned to see Ji Yaoming already standing by the bedside, looking down at him.

"You can spout off a bunch of irresponsible crap when you’re drunk, then just walk away, and later come back like nothing happened. Do you think that’s fun?"

And after returning, acting as if that night never occurred, falling back into the same pattern of the kite and its controller—even holding someone else’s hand on campus, in front of everyone, right before my eyes...

Then what did that make him?

Ji Yaoming frowned, raking a hand through his hair as he stared at the dazed figure on the bed. He pressed his lips together tightly, finally sighing and turning toward the door. Before closing it, Wen Qi heard him say, "I won’t let you have your way this time. And also..." He paused. "That thing you did before... I can pretend I don’t know."

---

The next day, the sun beat down fiercely, hitting Wen Qi’s tousled black hair as he knelt on the bed, staring blankly at the plain white wall across from him.

I’m done.

I’m screwed.

"What did I even say...?"

Burying his face in the blankets, Wen Qi had only one thought—I need to quit drinking!!! Why does something always go wrong every time I drink? And isn’t it supposed to make you black out, unable to remember anything?! Why is it that for me, not only do I remember everything clearly, but it keeps replaying in my mind like movie clips?!

Ji Yaoming said he doesn’t mind what I did before, but the problem is—what did I even do?!

Wen Qi: ...

He jolted upright, kneeling again as a stream of thoughts flooded his mind, including but not limited to—

"Did Ji Yaoming find out about that weird room in my house?"

"Or does he know I fished his mother’s discarded keepsakes out of the trash all those years ago?"

"He can’t possibly know I sneaked an extra spoonful of salt into his breakfast soup yesterday because he hadn’t spoken to me for days, right?!"

"Oh, so you did do it on purpose."

Huh?

Wen Qi snapped his head up, then quickly ruffled his hair and glanced toward the door, where someone was leaning against the frame, watching him with a smirk.

"Why didn’t you knock?" Wen Qi asked automatically.

Ji Yaoming gave him a pitying look for three seconds before replying, "I did. No one answered. I thought you might still be hung over and hadn’t gotten up, so I came in." Seeing Wen Qi’s lingering surprise, he added, "Don’t worry, I only heard you say you added extra salt for me. It’s a shame—maybe I should’ve come in earlier. I might’ve heard something more interesting."

Wen Qi: ... He’s been so distracted he didn’t even hear knocking... Wait.

Distracted? Wen Qi’s eyes fixed on Ji Yaoming, his index finger nervously rubbing his cheek. If he just asks and gets clarity, won’t the distraction go away?

"Captain Ji," Wen Qi began unsurely, "last night you said you could pretend not to know about that thing I did."

Ji Yaoming’s face clouded over immediately, and he turned to leave. Wen Qi wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip—he chased after him barefoot, without even putting on shoes, and warily took a seat at the dining table in the living room. "Can I ask... what it was? Knowing what mistake I made will help me correct it better and faster, right?"

Ji Yaoming: "I’m not telling."

Wen Qi: "?"

Without another word, the man across from him picked up his utensils and began eating. Wen Qi, figuring he had nothing to lose, pressed on: "Have I been performing poorly in the team these past couple days?"

Ji Yaoming only gave him a look.

Wen Qi: ...

Better just eat quietly.

After breakfast, Ji Yaoming drove him to work as usual. Throughout the ride, Ji Yaoming showed no sign that he intended to reveal the answer. It wasn’t until the car came to a gradual stop that the man beside him finally spoke up.

Ji Yaoming: "I’ve changed my mind."

Wen Qi’s eyes lit up instantly. "Please, tell me. I’ll make sure to correct it and never do it again."

"No." Ji Yaoming let out a light laugh, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes—in fact, his gaze was the complete opposite. "What I mean is, that thing you did before—I. Mind. A lot." He tilted his head slightly toward Wen Qi. "Have a great day at work."

Wen Qi automatically unfastened his seatbelt, got out of the car, and closed the door. It wasn’t until the car sped away that he blinked, snapping out of it.

Does this mean I’m done for...?

Whatever.

Wen Qi’s greatest strength was his ability to go with the flow. There’s always a way to fix things. The worst outcome would be getting fired and sent back to headquarters—that wouldn’t be so bad. It’d just mean returning to his old life, no big deal...

Probably.

"Wen Qi."

"Hmm?"

Jiang Liangping looked over with concern. "Did you not sleep well last night? You seem distracted. Ugh, I told them not to keep pouring drinks for you, but I still couldn’t stop them."

Wen Qi gave him a light smile, waving it off. Then he glanced toward the open area that should have been filled with weapons awaiting repairs, only to find it nearly empty.

Wen Qi: "Work's light today? Did something happen?"

"Nope, everything’s in the warehouse," Jiang Liangping said, perking up excitedly. "Captain Ji told us to finish up here quickly and head to the training field. He’s finally giving us training!"

Wen Qi remembered—Ji Yaoming had indeed mentioned arranging training for them today.

Everyone was in high spirits, quickly wrapping up their tasks. Wen Qi, after polishing a gun repeatedly until it shined like a mirror, hurried to the training field.

The training field was packed as usual, but the moment Wen Qi stepped in, he immediately spotted a certain captain—

He and Lu Sien stood together, both looking serious, having what looked like a serious talk.

The group approached, and the two stopped talking, turning to look at them.

Lu Sien enthusiastically outlined the day’s training plan for the five of them—focusing mainly on shooting, physical fitness, and reaction skills, though the first day would mostly just to get a feel for things.

Lu Sien: "That’s about the size of it. You’ll understand better once you experience it. If there are no questions, let’s get started."

No one had any questions—except Shen Feiyan. He raised his hand. "Five people? Who else is there?"

"Well... ahem," Lu Sien cleared his throat lightly. "The person training with you is already on the field. You’ll find out in a moment."

Everyone nodded, though Wen Qi’s words had barely registered. His eyes wandered sneakily toward where Ji Yaoming stood, only to abruptly meet the man’s gaze. Wen Qi hurriedly averted his eyes, pushing the thought aside.

"Wen Qi."

The group, ready to start, froze at the sound. Wen Qi turned, confused, only to hear him say: "You’re training with me, alone."

Everyone: ?

Wen Qi: ...?

Lu Sien, who was standing nearby, was cursing up a storm internally. Gritting his teeth, he managed to say, "Yes, because everyone's situation is different. To make training more efficient, convenient, and tailored, each of you has been assigned a different instructor. After introductions, we’ll take you to meet them. Since it’s the first day, today’s training won’t be too intense."

So that’s how it is.

The group suddenly understood, though their glances toward Wen Qi were tinged with sympathy. Wen Qi wanted to smile to reassure everyone, but truthfully, he was quite happy to be assigned to Ji Yaoming. Smiling might make him seem a bit smug...

"Then, aside from Wen Qi, let’s head to Room No. 1 first..."

"Sorry, Vice Captain Lu." Shen Feiyan raised his hand again. Lu Sien asked what the problem was.

"I’d like to say something to Wen Qi."

In full view of everyone, he ran up to Wen Qi. Wen Qi had his back to Ji Yaoming, but as Shen Feiyan spoke, he felt increasingly uneasy, as if needles were pricking his spine.

Shen Feiyan glanced at Ji Yaoming, took a deep breath, and said, "Wen Qi, you..." Before he could finish, his face flushed bright red. Wen Qi told him not to rush and to take his time. Shen Feiyan closed his eyes, then slowly spoke: "After training, can you wait for me in the workshop? I have something I want to say to you."

Hiss—

Hiss—

"Hiss—???"

The sudden intake of breaths chilled the entire space. Lu Sien, watching from the side, felt it was more effective than the ventilation system. He shook his head slightly at Shen Feiyan, who stood stiffly, silently admiring the young man’s bravery—couldn’t he see the dark-faced man behind the beauty?

The soldiers who had been training hard nearby, suddenly drawn into the drama, silently stopped what they were doing. Wen Qi, however, didn’t think much of it and nodded gently at Shen Feiyan, saying okay.

Shen Feiyan followed the group to Room No. 1, while the onlookers lowered their heads and focused on training, not wanting to attract the attention of their notoriously strict captain.

Wen Qi turned to the still stern-faced man and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain Ji."

"Let’s go." Ji Yaoming led him in a direction completely different from the route Lu Sien had planned. Those around them glanced toward where they were headed and shook their heads silently.

"How did Wen Qi offend the captain?"

"Who knows? If I’m not mistaken, they’re heading to... the Black Door?"

"Damn, I spent three days in there last time I broke the rules—almost died... and I’m an A-level!! Did Wen Qi break the rules?"

Wen Qi, following Ji Yaoming intently, was unaware of this, only feeling puzzled.

"Captain Ji, aren’t we going with Vice Captain Lu?"

Ji Yaoming took out a pass and swiped it. The Black Door slid open with a sound—inside was pitch black. Ji Yaoming stepped in, and Wen Qi followed closely behind. The next second, the door rumbled shut behind them.

Wen Qi wanted to step forward to look for lighting, but as he lifted his foot, a chill ran down his spine, making his hair stand on end.

A low growl echoed in the darkness...

No.

With a snap, followed by the crackle of electricity, the entire space suddenly lit up. Wen Qi blinked twice and looked around at the densely packed things in the room, instinctively taking half a step back.

Thousands of Alien Species stared hungrily at the two "prey," their eyes glowing red, emitting terrifying growls.

Ji Yaoming took off his jacket, folded it twice, and placed it on a small cabinet by the door. His black form-fitting combat suit outlined his muscles perfectly. Behind him were his twin blades, which he drew smoothly and gripped firmly in his hands.

Wen Qi was still confused: "Isn’t this special training for us?"

Ji Yaoming glanced at him, hooked a long black box leaning by the door with his foot, and tossed it to Wen Qi. Upon closer look, the letters 'WQ' could be seen at the bottom of the box.

"Before special training, assessing the trainee’s level is fundamental." Ji Yaoming curled his lips into a smile, dangerous and captivating amidst the growls of the Alien Species.

Wen Qi’s heart raced uncontrollably. He knelt, opened the box, and there lay his gray-silver sniper rifle, silent and waiting. Wen Qi cautiously touched the barrel with his right hand, then without hesitation, picked up the gun and began assembling it. In less than twenty seconds, he stood up, holding his old partner.

Finally, he loaded the specially prepared Crystal Source from the box into the gun.

Both turned simultaneously toward the caged Alien Species. At the same time, the grip sensed body temperature, and blue, dazzling spiderweb patterns spread from the handle, slowly covering the entire barrel.

The floating screen above the training room began a countdown, and the creatures in the cages grew restless.

Blood that had been calm for too long suddenly boiled. Watching the countdown, Wen Qi unexpectedly spoke up.

"Let’s make it a competition, Captain Ji. If I win, tell me what it is you said you minded."

Ji Yaoming was stunned, then broke into a laugh—not his usual light, faint smile, but a carefree, happy one he hadn’t shown since he was fourteen. Wen Qi’s restless heart skipped a beat amidst the chaos.

"Sure, let’s see who wins."

The countdown hit zero. The sound of retracting cages and the roaring attacks of the Alien Species surged toward them from all directions. The next second, Wen Qi saw Ji Yaoming charge forward, leaving behind words both heavy and light:

"Serial number 549266464, Wen Qi, the Alliance’s top sniper."

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Author's note: Wen Qi: Do you think I can win the competition, folks in the comments?