Chapter 6 S-Class Alpha

Chapter 6: S-Class Alpha

Qi Yanshen took a few glances at the tiny kitten clinging to Ji Anzhi's clothes, finding it somewhat novel. It was his first time seeing such a small and fragile life.

Qi Yanshen raised the fruit platter in his hand slightly. "A small gift for meeting you, just a token of goodwill."

Ji Anzhi looked at the platter: four sweet fruits and a bunch of red grapes, probably worth nearly eight thousand star credits combined. People at First Military Academy really were wealthy. He sometimes couldn't even bring himself to buy such things.

"Thank you," Ji Anzhi replied.

The kitten was still squirming. Ji Anzhi simply placed it on his shoulder and accepted the fruit platter with both hands, smiling. "If you ever need help with anything in the future, feel free to ask me. Consider it my thanks."

Qi Yanshen's gaze had involuntarily lingered on the slender waist briefly exposed where the kitten's claws had tugged up the clothing. Pale, soft, clearly lacking in strength.

Would he even pass the military training?

The thought flashed through Qi Yanshen's mind.

"No need, just consider it a gift. Should we exchange contact information? It'll be easier to get in touch if anything comes up."

"No problem."

The two added each other's StarNet contact IDs at the doorway, making notes for each other.

The kitten was still fussing. After finishing the note, Ji Anzhi asked, "Is there anything else? If not, I'll go back to feeding the cat."

Qi Yanshen looked at Ji Anzhi, who was still busy trying to calm the kitten yet his face still wore a gentle smile, and shook his head.

Seeing there was nothing else, Ji Anzhi said "Goodbye" and closed the door.

When Qi Yanshen went downstairs, the meal had just been prepared. Lu Yan had already washed his hands and was ready to eat. Seeing Qi Yanshen descend, he called out to his childhood friend, "It's just done, come eat quickly."

Qi Yanshen walked to the dining area and sat down to eat.

...

Upstairs, Ji Anzhi finally managed to pry the cat off himself. His nice white pajamas were almost turned into fringe pajamas.

After feeding the kitten milk, the little fellow finally settled down. Exhausted, Ji Anzhi collapsed into the recliner, gazing thoughtfully at the plate of fruit on the table.

Being able to fill the fridge with natural food and give fruit as a meeting gift, calling it just a 'small token'... these two roommates definitely came from wealthy families. Moreover, he had seen the fruit—all were premium grade. Acquiring that still required a certain level of status and influence.

Earlier, the living room was filled with the scents of gardenia and rum, likely their pheromones. Even though both wore Pheromone Isolation Rings, the pheromones that had leaked out still gave him a sense of pressure, though it wasn't very pronounced.

But it was certain they were at least A-class alphas.

"Qi Yanshen... Qi... Lu Yan... Lu... Qi... Lu... which two families are they from?"

Ji Anzhi murmured softly to himself. It was still hard to determine their exact identities, but one thing was certain.

He must not provoke these two roommates.

Now that he had left the family, although he loathed those disgusting people, he had to admit they had provided him with shelter. If he provoked these roommates and problems arose, it wouldn't be easy to resolve.

After closing his eyes and letting his mind wander for a while, Ji Anzhi sat up properly and took out another package he had just received from his Space Bracelet.

A damaged low-capacity Energy Tank for mechs.

This energy tank could only store 1900 units of energy. This time, Ji Anzhi planned to modify one with a capacity below 4000 units.

Last time at the black market, he was clearly being watched. To be safe, he decided to lower the energy unit value this time. The price wouldn't be as high as a 5000-unit energy tank, but it would still be considerable.

Although he hated to part with the money, it was nothing compared to safety.

Ji Anzhi took out his tools and materials, turned on the shadowless lamp, put on protective goggles, and began the modifications.

...

The next day

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Qi Yanshen dragged Lu Yan out of bed at 6:30 in the morning. They went for a morning run until 7 before returning to the dorm for breakfast.

Less than half an hour after finishing breakfast, the two went to the training room for weighted training, followed by half an hour of sparring until 11:30.

"Ah! No more, no more! If we keep going, you're going to lose your closest childhood friend! Can you bear that?"

Lu Yan once again lay sprawled on the training room floor, his chest heaving violently, looking utterly exhausted as if he could pass away any second.

In contrast, Qi Yanshen was much better off, only slightly sweaty, clearly still having energy to spare.

Qi Yanshen frowned. Although Lu Yan's stamina was decent among alphas, at First Military Academy he probably only ranked in the middle. His physical fitness needed to be improved before military training began, or this guy would have a really hard time.

He pulled Lu Yan up from the floor. "This morning was only 3.5 times gravity. This afternoon, I'll adjust it to 4 times. Hang in there."

Lu Yan, having just gotten up, wanted to lie back down again. He said with a pitiful, tearful expression, "Qi Yanshen! You're even more ruthless than my dad! At home, I only trained at 3 times gravity!"

"That's because your father pampers you at home, so Uncle Lu only had you train at 3 times gravity. Before we came, Uncle Lu specifically instructed me to train you according to the standard regimen for an S-class alpha in the military district."

With that, Qi Yanshen walked straight out of the training room and headed upstairs to rest a bit before lunch.

Lu Yan followed behind, looking as if his future was dark and hopeless, listlessly trudging upstairs.

As soon as Qi Yanshen stepped onto the second floor, the first thing he noticed was their beta roommate, bleary-eyed, standing in front of the heater warming cat milk. His head was nodding slowly, clearly still entangled in sleepiness.

He didn't even notice the two alphas entering the living room. Holding the warmed milk, he went upstairs in a daze without even a greeting.

Seeing this, Lu Yan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Did he not sleep at all from last night until now? He looks terrible."

Qi Yanshen noted objectively, "Probably. His hair isn't messy, still the same as last night."

Hearing this, Lu Yan felt bitter inside. Others leave home and enjoy freedom, staying up all night, while I get dragged out of bed at 6:30 AM for intensified training...

Better not think about it too much. Thinking about it is too hurtful. Waaah.

At 6 PM, after another session of painful training was finally over, Ji Anzhi woke up fully rested. Seeing Lu Yan slumped on the sofa with a serene, distant expression, he asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you?"

Seeing Ji Anzhi, who had just woken up and was still in his pajamas, Lu Yan felt that if he looked any longer, he, a mighty alpha, might shed tears.

One really shouldn't compare. Comparison only leads to devastating blows...

"It's nothing... just trained all day, feeling a bit dazed."

Lu Yan's weak, detached tone made Ji Anzhi wonder just how he had been trained. What kind of training volume could reduce an at least A-class alpha to this state?

Physical training really isn't suitable for us ordinary betas. Later, I should see if I can slack off during military training. He didn't want his anticipated wonderful and leisurely military academy life to end before it even began, worn out like a dog.

Ji Anzhi walked to the kitchen and took out three glass cups. He put a few ice cubes from the freezer into two of them, took out some previously bought mint and lemon slices from his Space Bracelet to put in the cups, and added a bit of natural honey.

Ji Anzhi placed one of the prepared glasses of lemon water in front of Lu Yan. "To quench your thirst and replenish fluids. You'll feel better after drinking it."

Lu Yan was deeply moved, thanking him before gulping down the entire glass in two or three large sips.

Indeed, one couldn't expect alphas to be considerate. A beta roommate was much better, even helping to pour water and bring it over.

"Whew...!"

Lu Yan let out a long, relieved sigh, his mood significantly improved. He looked at Ji Anzhi as if he were a savior.

"I'm so moved to have you as a roommate. Unlike my childhood friends who just put me down all the time."

This sincere outburst made Qi Yanshen, who had just finished dealing with the pheromones in the training room, raise an eyebrow. *It seems the training is still too light if he has the leisure to chat and gossip.*

Qi Yanshen sat down on the sofa next to Lu Yan and said calmly, "Tomorrow, 5x gravity training."

Lu Yan, who had just started to feel a bit better, immediately felt his heart sink into despair, utterly hopeless. Caught red-handed, he didn't dare say anything more about not wanting to train, fearing it might lead to doubled punishment.

Seeing Qi Yanshen sit down, Ji Anzhi pushed the other glass of iced lemon water toward him. "Just made it. To quench your thirst and replenish fluids."

But he remembered they hadn't brought any lemons.

Qi Yanshen asked, "Did you buy these lemons yourself?"

Ji Anzhi nodded. "I thought adding some to water with sugar tasted pretty good back home, so I brought some with me."

Qi Yanshen nodded in agreement. "It really is quite good."

*It seems his family background is pretty solid. Inviting him to eat together later shouldn't be a problem.*

Now that today's tasks were done, Qi Yanshen said to Ji Anzhi, "By the way, we have another roommate who hasn't arrived yet. He's in the Energy Department and likes to conduct experiments in his private space. The experiments might not be very stable and often cause incidents."

As he spoke, he looked at Ji Anzhi, gauging his reaction.

Ji Anzhi didn't think much of it. The Federal First Military Academy was a gathering place for geniuses, and geniuses were destined to have thoughts and actions different from ordinary people. He understood.

However, facing Qi Yanshen's not-so-subtle probing, Ji Anzhi honestly stated his bottom line: "As long as it doesn't affect my normal life. His experiments won't destroy my room, and they won't lead to collective punishment implicating me. As long as these two points are guaranteed, I have no interest in causing trouble."

Seeing that Ji Anzhi understood his meaning and that his requirements were very reasonable, Qi Yanshen immediately agreed: "No problem. We'll arrange him in the room farthest from yours. If anything happens, someone will handle it. It won't implicate you."

Ji Anzhi nodded to indicate he understood.

Taking a small sip of water, he casually asked, "What's the other roommate's name? Have you all known each other since childhood?"

Qi Yanshen replied, "His name is Jian Fuxu. The three of us have known each other since we were kids."

Ji Anzhi continued, "Are you all A-level alphas?"

Qi Yanshen shook his head in denial. "We're S-level."

Ji Anzhi's hand holding the glass unconsciously tightened, but he relaxed it almost instantly, expressing disbelief. "All three of you are S-level alphas?"

Seeing Qi Yanshen nod, Ji Anzhi was momentarily at a loss for words.

Lu Yan saw that his beta roommate seemed taken aback, probably not expecting his future roommates, besides him, to all be alphas, and S-level ones at that.

"We're actually quite easy to get along with. Besides, there are quite a few S-level alphas at the First Military Academy. You'll encounter even more in the future."

Hearing Lu Yan's words that sounded both comforting and explanatory, Ji Anzhi smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, I just didn't expect all my roommates to be S-level alphas. It's a bit surprising."

Lu Yan nodded in understanding. For a beta, suddenly learning they would be sharing a dorm with three S-level alphas for four years, and that these three alphas clearly knew each other, most would fear being accidentally excluded or targeted.

Qi Yanshen understood this too. So when Ji Anzhi said he needed to go back upstairs to take care of the kitten, he readily expressed his understanding.

Only after Ji Anzhi went upstairs and the sound of a door closing was heard did Lu Yan speak. "What do we do? Our roommate is scared."

Qi Yanshen finished the water in his glass. "Don't act rashly. Just maintain the normal way of interacting. Remember to wear your Pheromone Isolation Rings and keep eliminator spray on hand."

Although Pheromone Isolation Rings could block pheromones, they couldn't eliminate the scent of pheromones, which required eliminator spray to help.

Even without the emotional pressure pheromones intended to convey, overly strong scents could easily be mistaken by betas, who couldn't receive pheromones, as signals of conflict.

Moreover, an excessive concentration of pheromone scents could still create a sense of oppression for betas, and the same applied to omegas.

Lu Yan nodded. "Okay. Should we order another case of eliminator spray?"

"Three cases. One for each person."

"Alright."

...

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Upstairs

After returning to his room, Ji Anzhi began pondering who his roommates really were.

Three S-level alphas, childhood friends, with solid connections at the Federal First Military Academy allowing them to share the same dorm, and able to handle incidents...

Ji Anzhi first ruled out the smaller interstellar nations, prioritizing the top few dozen countries in the galaxy.

S-level alphas generally required at least one parent to be A-level or above, so their parents were likely A-level or S-level.

The most useful connections at the First Military Academy were mostly from the Sco Federation, so he could start there.

Ji Anzhi opened his personal terminal and quickly searched for information on the Federal Legion. Although it only listed the names and gender/levels of the various Legion Commanders and a few key personnel, it was enough for Ji Anzhi.

Third Legion Commander — Qi Lan, S-level alpha

Eighth Legion Commander — Lu Zechuan, S-level alpha

These two were highly likely.

After all, with a Legion Commander's authority, getting their children or juniors assigned to the same dorm was a trivial matter.

Although Ji Anzhi still didn't know his roommates' specific identities, he cautiously decided to treat them as the children of Legion Commanders.

He'd have to be careful around them when going to the black market in the future. *Sigh, troublesome...*

Ji Anzhi rubbed his temples, already feeling troubled by the future inconveniences in advance.

*It seems a leisurely life at the First Military Academy isn't very likely...*

After worrying for a while, Ji Anzhi stopped overthinking. He entered the Holographic Pod, planning to go buy a few more Energy Tanks for modification. He'd just stay in the dorm for the near future. Closer to the start of the semester, he'd go buy some supplies to stock up.

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Thus, for the next ten-plus days in the dorm, Ji Anzhi modified Energy Tanks upstairs, occasionally going downstairs to pick up a delivery. Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan trained on the first floor, exhausted every day, but their physical fitness improved remarkably.

Until today, with just two days left before the official start of the semester, the final roommate — Jian Fuxu — arrived.

The two had received the news a few days prior, so they weren't sparring today. Instead, they were reading books in the second-floor living room while waiting.

When Ji Anzhi came downstairs to get a small cake from the fridge for a snack, he was visibly taken aback. Shouldn't they be in the first-floor training room at this time? Why were they reading in the second-floor living room today?

Lu Yan noticed Ji Anzhi first. Seeing his puzzled expression, he enthusiastically explained, "Our other roommate is coming today. We're waiting for him. Do you want to join us?"

So they were waiting for someone. Ji Anzhi nodded to indicate his willingness.

Thus, the scene that followed became Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan reading, while Ji Anzhi sat nearby, eating his small cake and watching a video analyzing star chart creation processes through his headphones.