Chapter 41 Straightforward Approach

Chapter 41: The Direct Approach

Although Ji Anzhi felt the sharp gazes of everyone, he was a different person now and could tune them out with ease. Regarding Shenmu Yi's invitation, he declined gently but firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm truly sorry. My field of study and skill set aren't a good fit for such a project, and my academic schedule is too busy to spare any extra time."

Shenmu Yi understood Ji Anzhi's meaning and couldn't help but feel regretful. If only Ji Anzhi were a student in the Medical Department, it would be different. Unfortunately, he was in the Star Chart Department, making it tricky to recruit him.

Shenmu Yi remarked offhandedly, "It's fine. If you ever change your mind, you can always ask me. I've got other things to do, so I'll take my leave now. Goodbye."

Ji Anzhi bid him farewell, "Goodbye."

Shenmu Yi indeed had matters to attend to. Many soldiers returning from the battlefield suffered from psychic agitation or even violent outbursts. Shenmu Yi needed to provide psychic soothing for alphas without partners, and his duties were numerous.

After Shenmu Yi left, it took over ten seconds for people in the training room to move again. The omegas closer to Ji Anzhi wordlessly grabbed hold of him.

"Confess and leniency will follow!"

"Resist and severity awaits!"

"Explain yourself, our dear Chief Ji~"

Ji Anzhi broke into a cold sweat. Come on, do you have to hug me like this? I'm not a doll...

Ji Anzhi spoke up to explain, "You all know I passed out yesterday. Doctor Shenmu was the one who treated and examined me."

Na An'an sharply pointed out the main issue, "But Mr. Shenmu invited you to participate in his research project and even said he could guarantee your entry into the Military Academy Research Institute..."

Faced with Na An'an's relentless questioning, Ji Anzhi couldn't find a suitable and believable excuse, so he had to tell the truth, "Doctor Shenmu just sees me as a rare sample. Don't overthink it."

Na An'an was puzzled and repeated, "Rare sample? What exactly happened to you?"

The omegas surrounding Ji Anzhi also became curious upon hearing this and subconsciously let go of him, afraid of hurting him.

Ji Anzhi flexed his wrists and smiled gently, "It's nothing, just secondary psychic development. I seem to be the first beta in the entire star system to experience secondary psychic development so far. That's probably why Doctor Shenmu said those things."

Hearing about secondary psychic development, the room erupted in shock!

Some even instinctively looked at the people beside them, wanting to confirm if they had misheard, but the others were equally stunned.

Na An'an exclaimed, "Secondary psychic development! Really?"

Ji Anzhi nodded. Na An'an, losing her composure, stepped forward and grabbed Ji Anzhi's hand, her eyes shining, "Chief Ji, can I have a gene and blood sample?"

Ji Anzhi shook his head, "That's not possible, I'm sorry."

Gene and blood samples are personal and private. Handing them over to others could be really dangerous. Na An'an also realized she'd overstepped and apologetically let go.

"I'm sorry, I just got a bit too excited. My apologies."

Ji Anzhi didn't mind. With Na An'an opening the floodgates, those who were still stunned swarmed over, asking questions one after another. If the teacher hadn't reminded them that class was still in session, they would have been even crazier.

Ji Anzhi had learned how persistent omegas could be from his sister at a very young age. As soon as class ended, he didn't give them a chance to stop him and made a beeline for the restroom on the floor of the next class's building to hide.

Closing the door, Ji Anzhi let out a sigh of relief. In the quiet, he seriously reflected: why did he choose to attend the Federal First Military Academy in the first place? Troubles kept coming one after another; I should've just become a drifter...

After waiting a few minutes, Ji Anzhi left the restroom and headed to the classroom to continue his classes.

However, on the way, he ran into Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan. Ji Anzhi went up to greet them. As soon as he got close, Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan smelled the jumble of omega pheromones on Ji Anzhi.

Why could they be sure it was the scent of omega pheromones? Perhaps it stemmed from an alpha's intuition. Moreover, even with pheromone-blocking bracelets, the body instinctively gets combative when sensing other alpha pheromones. When sensing omega pheromones, it doesn't react that way; instead, it subconsciously feels more favorable.

Lu Yan teased, "Did you get surrounded again after attending the Medical Department's class?"

Ji Anzhi replied, "Yeah, they were too enthusiastic; I couldn't handle it."

This drew a sigh from Lu Yan. Since entering the military academy, he hadn't even had a proper conversation with an omega. He had previously talked about wanting a passionate romance in the academy, but it had been a month now, and he hadn't even gotten to know a single omega.

In contrast, his beta roommate often carried the sweet and pleasant scent of omega pheromones. If he didn't know about Ji Anzhi's good relationship with the omegas in the Medical Department, he might have mistaken Ji Anzhi for an omega disguised as a beta.

Qi Yanshen had no particular opinion about the omega pheromone scent on Ji Anzhi; he just thought it was a bad idea. After all, the teaching building was mostly populated by alphas, and the lingering scent of omega pheromones could easily cause trouble.

Ji Anzhi hadn't noticed until now. He thought the scent on him was from perfume or snacks the omegas carried. He didn't realize it was the scent of omega pheromones. No wonder the alphas on the road kept giving him strange looks. He quickly took out a scent neutralizer and sprayed it on himself.

He wasn't very good at distinguishing scents himself, so he sought help from the two alphas in front of him, "Did I get it all?"

Qi Yanshen replied, "Yes, it's gone."

Upon hearing this, Ji Anzhi put the neutralizer back into his Space Bracelet and thanked Qi Yanshen, "Thanks for the reminder. Class is about to start, so I'll head off now."

Just as Ji Anzhi was about to leave, Qi Yanshen suddenly called out to him. Ji Anzhi looked at him, puzzled.

Qi Yanshen said, "I want to discuss something with you. I hope you'll consider it."

Ji Anzhi was curious, "What is it?"

Qi Yanshen said, "I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in working for the Third Legion after graduation. No need to give me an answer right away. If you have any thoughts before graduation, you can always come find me."

After saying this, he stood firmly in place, exuding an air of 'if you don't agree, we'll stand here forever.' Ji Anzhi was stunned by Qi Yanshen's direct approach. He hadn't even fully processed the fact that he, a beta, had experienced secondary psychic development yesterday, and now Qi Yanshen pulled this move. Ji Anzhi's usually proud brain short-circuited.

Some passing students overheard and couldn't help but look over, thinking to themselves that Ji Anzhi was really in demand, getting an invitation from the Third Legion just a month into the semester.

"Wait... wait, are you serious?"

Ji Anzhi's tone was weak. Seeing Qi Yanshen nod solemnly, he immediately felt a headache coming on.

Seriously? I'm only a first-year! It's only been about a month since the semester started. Are you really in such a hurry to make me pick sides and recruit me? No wonder Qi Yanshen's behavior was strange last week; turns out he was trying to build connections...

While Ji Anzhi was still in a state of confusion, Qi Yanshen added, "You can think it over carefully. No need to rush to reject me. Class is about to start; don't be late."

After saying that, he dragged the stiflingly amused Lu Yan off to their own class, leaving Ji Anzhi alone in a daze.

Ji Anzhi didn't even know how he made it to the Energy Department classroom. He found a random seat in the back row, fell silent for two seconds, felt utterly exhausted, and decided to take a nap.

Ji Anzhi didn't sit next to Jian Fuxu today, which made many people in the classroom wonder if they had a falling out. Didn't he always sit with Jian Fuxu before?

Because of Ji Anzhi's fainting incident yesterday, Jian Fuxu had kept an eye out for him. There was a high probability Ji Anzhi would attend the Energy Department class today, and his calculation proved correct. However, Ji Anzhi's state today was off.

Under Jian Fuxu's gaze, Ji Anzhi spaced out for two seconds, then buried his head and went to sleep...

This straightforward move left everyone in the classroom dumbfounded. Had Chief Ji not recovered from passing out yesterday? Didn't he know this class was taught by the Energy Department's notorious strict professor? In his class, even minor distractions would get you called out to answer questions, and if you couldn't, you'd lose credits. And he dared to openly sleep?

Jian Fuxu thought Ji Anzhi might be having psychic issues again. He got up and walked over to sit in the seat next to him. As soon as he sat down, the nearby alphas automatically averted their gazes and quietly shifted their positions.

Feeling someone sit down beside him, Ji Anzhi slightly raised his head to glance and, seeing it was Jian Fuxu, went back to sleep.

Jian Fuxu asked, "Problems again?"

Ji Anzhi's voice was muffled, "No."

Jian Fuxu was puzzled. "Then what's the matter?"

Ji Anzhi remained silent, clearly unwilling to speak. But even if he wanted to, how could he? Say that your friend tried to recruit me and I'm thinking about how to refuse?

Wouldn't that make things awkward for Jian Fuxu? He had a pretty good impression of Jian Fuxu, actually...

Ji Anzhi didn't speak, and Jian Fuxu wasn't the sociable, talkative type either. The two lapsed into silence.

It wasn't until the teacher entered the classroom that Jian Fuxu gave Ji Anzhi a gentle nudge, whispering, "The teacher's here."

Ji Anzhi grunted in response but didn't move a muscle.

Jian Fuxu sighed helplessly, wondering what on earth was wrong with Ji Anzhi. At the same time, he prepared to answer on Ji Anzhi's behalf if the teacher called on him, planning to find an excuse to explain Ji Anzhi's condition.

The teacher today was an elderly man named Mo—just the single character. Before even announcing the start of class, he spotted the student sleeping in the last row. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, wiped his glasses, and looked again. There really was a student daring to sleep in his class!

The other students in the classroom noticed where the teacher was looking and mentally said a prayer for Chief Ji.

The teacher coughed loudly twice, but the other party remained motionless. The teacher jotted it down in his little notebook, his expression unchanged as he walked to the podium.

"Class begins."

He began the lesson formally, turned on the projector, and started teaching. Within just a few minutes, he started calling on students to answer questions.

Although it was supposedly random, everyone knew who the "lucky" candidate would be. Sure enough, the teacher called on the student lying down in the last row to stand up and answer.

Ji Anzhi didn't budge. Jian Fuxu stood up and answered before the teacher could speak. After answering, the teacher gave Jian Fuxu a displeased glance and said, "The next question will be answered by the student next to you."

Jian Fuxu replied calmly, "He is unwell, my apologies."

The teacher stubbornly retorted, "And I'm just supposed to take your word for it?"

Jian Fuxu said, "Ji Anzhi lost consciousness yesterday and is indeed not feeling well. If Teacher Mo doesn't believe me, you can ask Mr. Shenmu Yi. He was the one who examined Ji Anzhi yesterday."

The teacher suddenly remembered. He had indeed heard yesterday that the exceptionally talented first-year Star Chart Department Chief had suddenly fallen unconscious. That old quack (referring to Shenmu Yi) had even been dragged over by the overprotective Star Chart Department bunch to save him. So it was him.

This was Mo's second time teaching Class One. Last time, Andrew had come as a substitute to record the lecture. Andrew had been extremely serious in Mo's class, diligently taking notes on Star Chart Department analysis, so Mo hadn't noticed anything off.

But upon careful thought, with Jian Fuxu's fierce reputation, who would dare sleep peacefully beside him? Aside from Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan, probably only their beta roommate, Ji Anzhi.

Mo had heard yesterday that Ji Anzhi seemed to have undergone secondary spiritual development. He knew that during spiritual development, without an elder providing guidance, one could become drowsy and lethargic. Mo couldn't very well drag a child in the midst of spiritual development out of sleep to answer questions.

Mo said indignantly, "Tell him to be more careful next time. If he's still sleeping in my class next time, he'll face the consequences." With that, he continued the lecture.

The other students in the class, however, were taken aback by the mention of Shenmu Yi's name. Mr. Shenmu had served at the military academy over twenty years ago. Aside from severe cases of spiritual disturbance within the military who could receive treatment from Mr. Shenmu, he seldom got involved in other situations. Yet yesterday, Mr. Shenmu had examined Ji Anzhi?

Everyone couldn't help but feel envious. The academy really valued Chief Ji highly, even having Shenmu Yi personally examine him. In the past, there had been Chiefs who were injured and fell unconscious at the military academy, but Shenmu Yi had never intervened.

This fortunate misunderstanding led others at the military academy later on to treat Ji Anzhi with even greater deference. Ji Anzhi, for his part, was puzzled as to why everyone was so friendly toward him. There was no cutthroat competition or campus bullying as he had imagined. He thought this was just the good upbringing of people from a great nation, and his impression of the Federation improved immeasurably.

Seeing that Teacher Mo didn't pursue the matter further, Jian Fuxu sat down to listen to the lecture.

Ji Anzhi had originally only intended to rest and calm his mind, but within a minute or two, he actually fell asleep. He didn't wake up until just before class was about to end.

Bleary-eyed, he looked forward, and after a few seconds, realized he was still in class. He put his head back down, turning to look at Jian Fuxu.

Jian Fuxu had noticed when Ji Anzhi woke up. When Ji Anzhi looked over, he met his gaze calmly.

After his nap, Ji Anzhi's mind was much clearer. He asked Jian Fuxu, "Jian Fuxu, what do you think of the Third Legion?"

Jian Fuxu was puzzled by the question but still replied, "It's alright. I don't know much in detail. My parents serve in the Eighth Legion."

Jian Fuxu's parents had originally served under Lu Yan's father. Ji Anzhi had thought he, like Qi Yanshen, was a descendant of the Third Legion, but it turned out he was from the Eighth Legion.

Jian Fuxu continued, "What's wrong with you?"

Ji Anzhi mumbled, "...Qi Yanshen asked me if I wanted to join the Third Legion after graduation... You knew Qi Yanshen had this idea all along, didn't you?"

Although phrased as a question, Ji Anzhi's tone was declarative. Jian Fuxu didn't deny it. Claiming he hadn't noticed Qi Yanshen's intentions would be impossible, and he disdained lying.

Jian Fuxu still defended himself a bit: "The Third Legion had some people poached recently. Qi Yanshen probably had this idea after learning about your identity. I couldn't very well bring it up."

Ji Anzhi understood, but it was still frustrating when it happened to him. He had no desire to work for the military; it wasn't suitable for him. He just wanted to wander freely. Even if life was a bit harder, it was better than being constrained by rules.

"I haven't decided yet. Do you think it's okay if I neither agree nor refuse?"

Better to placate Qi Yanshen for now, get the small starship first. If pushed too hard, he could just take the starship and run.

Jian Fuxu comforted him, "It's fine. He's not a petty person. Even if you refuse, he won't retaliate."

Aside from the first two words, Ji Anzhi didn't take the rest of the statement as a reference.

He had no margin for error.