Chapter 33

Chapter 33

They soon arrived at the Yanbei District.

The school craft landed on the training base's drill ground. The aircraft hovered over the open space for a moment; only after the systems interfaced and authorization was granted did a transparent opening appear in the area. Once the shuttle entered, it sealed shut tightly again.

The gate bore only an internal sign: JA16 District.

The sky here was dark, yet it wasn't the oppressive gloom of storm clouds before rain. It was a vast, boundless chill of high skies and thin clouds—a permanent fixture of the region.

The base's drill ground resembled a discarded, dusty rag: a gray track surrounded a patch of parched sand in the center, marked with a few scattered, blurry footprints. The equipment in the obstacle course area, however, was new, looking as if it had just been moved in.

Beyond the railings lay a continuous, endless stretch of white wildflowers, like a pale sea.

It was a sight that almost made the students think they had come to the wrong place.

"Why were we dragged to this godforsaken place?" someone grumbled in a low voice among the ranks disembarking from the shuttle.

The soldiers guarding the edge of the field stood like statues cast in iron, their faces cold and solemn, gazes piercing straight ahead. They ignored the group of glamorously dressed aristocratic students, begrudging them even a single extra glance.

Ultimately, only a few students whispered; most remained silent.

The young people from St. Maria mostly kept their expressions unchanged, merely observing this crude, almost shabby training ground with indifferent eyes.

Shen Huaixu had handled the confidentiality well this time; the students hadn't even known their destination. But upon arrival, most understood—they had been sent to the Yanbei Military District to be broken like dogs.

Having grasped the situation, most eyes held varying degrees of disdain. Only a few Omegas showed visible irritability—was this a joke? They could get by on their mental strength, but what was the point of pure physical competition?

The commoners' expressions were even colder, as if nothing they encountered at St. Maria could ruffle their feathers.

*Pop-pop-pop!*

From a corner of a nearby building, a sudden string of gunshots rang out, and several rings of murky smoke exploded in mid-air.

Following the shots, the students' gazes converged toward the source of the sound.

There was no panic, no loss of composure; everything around remained very quiet. The school shuttle, halfway through its departure, even performed a flashy U-turn and continued its journey away from the drill ground.

"..."

Jiang Yuanfen hadn't expected this group of seemingly high-maintenance students to be so quiet.

Failing to see the desired effect, he awkwardly withdrew his gun.

He turned toward a certain head coach who had been temporarily transferred from above, letting out an awkward chuckle, not quite knowing what to say: "Ahem, these students are actually quite well-behaved, huh?"

Beside him, Lucas glanced at him expressionlessly.

The tall, burly Alpha General naturally exuded an air of inscrutable mystery. His sharp eyes seemed capable of piercing through everything, and his brow carried an aura of authority that commanded respect without a word.

The military uniform on the Alpha was as crisp as if cut by a blade, outlining sharp lines that exuded power and majesty.

The deep olive-green wool fabric shimmered with a steady luster. The three gold stars on his epaulettes were as cold as frost, and his trouser legs were neatly tucked into polished combat boots.

Lucas did not speak. On his chiseled face, a faint, light-colored scar trailed down from his temple.

"Tell me about that Shen Huaixu. How did he manage to invite you here?"

Still, there was no answer.

Lucas was also coldly scanning the students of the elite academy, his gaze like a blade moving through the crowd.

Suddenly, his vision was violently seized by a conspicuous figure—

In the flow of people, a particularly glaring Alpha had abruptly burst in.

His hair was striking, his face was striking—everything about him was striking. He drifted through the crowd with a boneless laziness and vanished shortly after.

Vanished?

A sharp furrow appeared between Lucas's brows.

Someone so conspicuous, yet he had lost him in the crowd just like that.

Just as Lucas was about to withdraw his gaze, his expression froze.

The Alpha he thought had disappeared was standing right there.

Despite the great distance, the eyes he slowly raised were like a high-altitude hawk's, locking onto Lucas with predatory precision.

Lucas narrowed his eyes and spoke thoughtfully, "Have Wen Hui take them through the basics tomorrow first."

Jiang Yuanfen paused. "What do you mean? You don't want to deal with them?"

A playful smirk curled on Jiang Yuanfen's lips. "Is it because you don't want to offend these young masters, or..."

The tail end of his sentence hung subtly in the air.

As old friends from the same class at the First Military Academy, Jiang Yuanfen knew Lucas's unyielding temperament all too well—those words were clearly intended to stir the pot.

He crossed his arms leisurely, waiting for his old classmate's reply.

But the taciturn Alpha General still ignored him, leaving the corridor without a word.

Watching his upright back, Jiang Yuanfen gave another bored click of his tongue and left as well.

...

Meng Shijiu withdrew his gaze from a certain blurry, upright figure on the building.

Having gained experience in ditching the clingy Alphas, Meng Shijiu looked at the dormitory navigation on his terminal and walked alone toward a certain gray residential building.

The schedule for the first week of training had also been sent to the terminal: physical training in the morning, mecha practical training in the afternoon, and free time at night.

The dormitories were four-person shared rooms. Along the way, Meng Shijiu had already heard many short, low-voiced curses—likely dissatisfaction with the shared living arrangement—but they quickly subsided.

The dormitory assigned to him was on the third floor. Meng Shijiu reached the door and swiped his student card by the frame.

The door opened with a *beep*.

Only one person had arrived in the entire room—a Beta. He was some distance from the door, and Meng Shijiu gave him a polite nod.

He spoke in his usual slow, drawling pace: "Good afternoon."

The basic gender arrangements for the dorms were reasonable, mostly consisting of one Alpha or Omega plus three Betas, or all Betas.

Seeing the silver-haired Alpha with a high ponytail walk into the room, Ying Canglun, who had been tidying the wardrobe, suddenly widened his eyes.

Ying Canglun: "Aaaaaah!"

Meng Shijiu: "?"

He politely responded, "Mhm, mhm, mhm, mhm, mhm."

Ying Canglun suppressed his inner excitement, showing Meng Shijiu a smile he'd forced down to keep from laughing out loud: "Good afternoon... Shi... Shi... Shi Jiu."

"My name is Ying Canglun." Ying Canglun extended his hand.

Meng Shijiu reached out and gave it another brief shake. Lately, some people insisted on a handshake ritual upon meeting him, making him feel like some kind of consecrated lucky charm.

Meng Shijiu moved aside, revealing See at his feet: "I have a cat. Do you mind?"

Ying Canglun shook his head frantically, speechless.

Meng Shijiu walked in.

The dorm was much better than expected, quite spacious. There was a shoe rack by the entrance and a small common area.

There were two rooms in total, each with two beds and its own bathroom, all designed with separate wet and dry areas. Various military supplies were provided, and the wardrobe held two sets each of two different training uniforms.

The air vent hummed softly. Meng Shijiu turned around and saw his new roommate staring intently at his own right hand under the light, studying it with a silly grin.

Meng Shijiu: ...

Noticing his gaze, Ying Canglun gave a shy smile.

Meng Shijiu raised an eyebrow in response: Nothing could be better than having a roommate with a good temper.

Meng Shijiu pinched the scruff of See's neck and walked into the inner room.

As soon as the door closed, Ying Canglun immediately opened his terminal and started furiously typing in a certain pinned group chat, not even having time to enter his own room first.

Group Chat: "The Most Meaningful Group Chat in the Entire Universe ③ (Full)"

The group chat avatar was a screenshot from the forum video of a certain crush's first appearance: the silver-haired Alpha looking over with a casual, lifted gaze.

Open the Door (Group Owner): "Ahhhhhhhhh I'm in the same dorm as 19!"

That one sentence caused the group chat to explode instantly.

"??"

"!!!"

"Help!!! What kind of chosen one is this?!"

"Huh? Really? For real?"

"Drooling with envy"

"Didn't you say you didn't know 19's dorm assignment??? Dare you say you didn't pull some strings!"

"Teacher Ba, you break my heart"

"Ahhhhh wuwuwu 191919"

"I can't take this anymore, leaving the group. Your happiness is too loud for me."

"...I won't leave. I won't leave until I see 19's glorious beauty... *crawls away in darkness.jpg*"

Open the Door (Group Owner): "I even shook hands with 19 wuwuwu"

Open the Door (Group Owner): "*biting handkerchief.jpg*"

"Ahhhhhhhh"

"Can we mute the group owner??"

"Please, just let me have one lick, just one! (*writhes and crawls*)"

"Is this reasonable? Is this legal? (*already in bed*)"

"Don't let this 19 get away ahhhhhh"

...

Ying Canglun closed the group chat, still basking in the afterglow of meeting Meng Shijiu, when with a "bang," the door was pushed open again.

A black-haired, gray-eyed Beta walked in silently.

Ying Canglun looked up reflexively, the smile that had just started to form on his lips suddenly freezing.

While most people in the academy might not recognize the person before him, Ying Canglun, having infiltrated various social networks for years, knew which gate every dog at St. Maria preferred to enter.

This seemingly frail and ordinary Beta before him was precisely the target of the student council's recent strict investigation—

Zong Geman.

Zong Geman walked in, glanced at him indifferently, then averted his gaze. His black hair fell, covering half his face, the exposed gray eyes like glass beads veiled in fog.

Ying Canglun closed his mouth, his gaze darkening, and walked into his room by himself.

However, as Zong Geman followed him into the room, he stopped. His wandering gaze settled on the other door.

The Beta murmured: "...So fragrant."

Zong Geman stood still, his thin frame casting a slender shadow under the light.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly. His lifeless gray eyes stared fixedly at that door, as if seeing something fascinating through it.

And inside the room—

Meng Shijiu was still on a video call with Meng Shiyan.

A week ago, upon learning Meng Shijiu was going to the training camp and wouldn't be coming home, Meng Shiyan sat in the living room with a dark expression.

Afraid of annoying Meng Shijiu, he remained sullen the entire time but didn't say a word about it.

Meng Shijiu noticed and found it quite amusing.

Meng Shijiu: Who's the older brother here, you or me?

When Meng Shijiu expressed that the training camp seemed like it would be quite "fun" and that he wanted to go, Meng Shiyan finally relaxed his brow.

The only condition was that he still had to check in daily.

Meng Shiyan's low voice sounded in the quiet dorm room: "Remember to send your location every day."

Meng Shijiu indicated that location sharing probably wouldn't work from this place.

Meng Shiyan frowned again, looking a bit regretful, but Meng Shijiu pretended not to notice.

The two chatted for a while longer. Just as Meng Shijiu hung up the call, an energetic figure burst into his room from outside the door.

Startled, See tried to leap from the floor into Meng Shijiu's arms, but Meng Shijiu easily dodged—

He was grossed out because See's paws were dirty and the cat hadn't been washed.

Cui Suifu, the second prince, pushed the door open and strode in, carrying a bag with the logo of a high-end restaurant in Qiyu.

Seeing only Meng Shijiu there, the red-haired Alpha's lips curled into a cocky smile, revealing sharp canine teeth as the light fell across his defiant features.

Cui Suifu's voice carried its usual self-assured tone: "The cafeteria here is terrible. I brought you some good food."

He pulled up a chair and sat close to the silver-haired Alpha, his warmth radiating toward Meng Shijiu.

The previously somewhat spacious room suddenly felt crowded.

Once again enjoying long-awaited alone time, aside from his initial uninhibited boldness upon entering, Cui Suifu soon quieted down.

Cui Suifu: "Who's sharing a dorm with you?"

Meng Shijiu wasn't sure either: "They haven't arrived yet."

While asking, Cui Suifu had already started unpacking the bag, and the aroma of food immediately filled the room.

When he lifted the lid, the scent of food mixed with steam wafted out. The container held a rich variety of dishes, including desserts and fruits.

Cui Suifu arranged the food containers neatly on the table, picked up his chopsticks, and held a rib against Meng Shijiu's lips.

The sauce from the rib left a glistening trace on the silver-haired Alpha's lips, the fragrance wafting to his nose.

He was indeed a bit hungry.

Meng Shijiu took a bite.

He reached out, intending to take the chopsticks.

They didn't budge.

Meng Shijiu lifted his eyelids: ?

Meng Shijiu: "Don't... I'm afraid I'll get indigestion."

Cui Suifu: ...

Cui Suifu put down the chopsticks gloomily: "Is it good?"

Meng Shijiu paused: "It's okay, thanks."

Hearing this, Cui Suifu snorted with satisfaction: "Of course. Tomorrow, I'll have the palace chef make it fresh for you."

"You could request to go home for meals. No one would dare stop His Highness the Second Prince," Meng Shijiu slowly swallowed the meat.

His terminal chimed just then. Meng Shijiu casually opened it—it was a message from Yue Xuanli inviting him for a meal.

Just as Meng Shijiu was about to reply, Cui Suifu's chopsticks were thrust forward again.

His view was abruptly blocked.

Meng Shijiu swatted his hand away, put down the terminal, and took another pair of chopsticks from the nearby container.

Cui Suifu's eyes darkened slightly. He gave a light hum and said nothing more.

...

...

Meng Shijiu hadn't expected to run into Pei Ruji at this hour.

When Pei Ruji's fist shot toward him from behind, Meng Shijiu was still in a half-asleep, half-awake state. Having left in a hurry, he hadn't brought See.

The swift fist suddenly cut through the night. Meng Shijiu sidestepped to avoid it, catching a glimpse of Pei Ruji and sighing helplessly—

"Hey."

His hood was blown back by the gust of wind, silver hair cascading down like a waterfall, shimmering with a cold luster under the moonlight.

The black-haired Alpha withdrew his hand.

This was near a wall in the military district. Inside the wall was the bathhouse, and further ahead was the cafeteria.

The two stood facing each other in the cold wind.

Pei Ruji's voice was especially clear in the night, his tone ambiguous: "Why is it you?"

Meng Shijiu silently adjusted his half-hanging hood, glancing casually toward a direction where someone had already vanished, answering nonchalantly: "Taking a walk."

Pei Ruji's gaze swept over Meng Shijiu's impassive face, and he laughed: "At three in the morning?"

Meng Shijiu finally looked over, meeting the black-haired Alpha's eyes: "Then may I ask what you're doing?"

Moonlight cast a shadow beneath the black-haired Alpha's brow bone. Those crimson pupils glinted dangerously in the shade, making his face appear unnaturally pale, like a vampire.

Pei Ruji paused: "Taking a walk."

Meng Shijiu clapped: "Classmate Pei has such refined taste."

Pei Ruji slowly smiled: "Classmate Meng does too."

This wasn't the city. A cold moon hung in the sky, its pale halo unobscured.

The two were about to pretend they hadn't seen each other and pass by when suddenly—

—a low voice came from around the corner of the wall.

"Such refined taste, huh."

Meng Shijiu turned around and met a pair of deep blue eyes.

...

A few hours earlier, he had seen these eyes.

At that time, there was some distance between them. Although Alpha eyesight was good, it wasn't like now, where he could fully see the damp chill within those deep blue eyes.

Calm on the surface, yet lurking with dangerous undercurrents deep within.

It was the sea at midnight.

"Seen enough?" The Alpha general suddenly spoke, his voice deeper than the night.

For once, Meng Shijiu didn't talk back.

"Free time ends at 11 PM. Outside of that, no one is allowed out without orders."

The Alpha continued, calmly pointing out their violations. Under the moonlight, his military uniform was clearly visible.

The three stars on his shoulder unmistakably indicated his rank. Moreover, in all of Qiyu, there were few who wouldn't know his face.

—The renowned Alpha General, Lucas.

Lucas glanced at his wristwatch. "Look at all this energy, boys. Then, penalty laps it is."

Before Meng Shijiu could speak, the black-haired Alpha beside him suddenly asked, apparently eager to get it over with: "How many laps?"

Meng Shijiu: ???

Meng Shijiu: Why are you asking that now?

Meng Shijiu: —Haven't you been through military training?

Sure enough, upon hearing this, a cold smile appeared on the stern Alpha general's face, his tone icy—

"Run until dawn."