Chapter 82 School Starts

Chapter 82: School Begins

Three days before the military academy’s opening, Ji Anzhi finally returned to the dormitory with Xiaoxue and Ji Anjue—just in time to run into Lu Yan and Jian Fuxu, who were also coming back.

The moment Ji Anzhi stepped inside, he was met with Lu Yan’s wailing—if it could even be called that; “wailing” was putting it mildly.

“Ah!… I thought you weren’t coming back! Do you have any idea, *hic*… *cough*, do you have any idea how worried I was? For over half a month, I couldn’t eat or sleep properly, terrified you’d kicked the bucket and wouldn’t return! What would I do if you died?… If you were gone, who’d help me fight back when Little Madman picks on me?… Aaaaaah… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, aaaaaah, I was wrong…”

Ji Anjue snarked, “What a chatterbox. I’ve never seen anyone who can ramble more than him.”

Ji Anzhi, however, thought Ji Anjue could give him a run for his money—both were chatterboxes.

Bracing himself against the screams, Ji Anzhi headed up to the second floor of the dorm.

Upon reaching the second floor, he saw Lu Yan crouching on the floor, clutching his head, teary-eyed. Unfortunately, he’d brought it upon himself, so he wasn’t worth pitying.

Jian Fuxu sat calmly on the sofa, massaging his wrist. If not for what he’d just heard, Ji Anzhi might have genuinely believed Jian Fuxu had nothing to do with it.

Meanwhile, the person at the center of the topic was staring gravely at a plate of cookies on the coffee table.

Ji Anzhi glanced at them; they probably contained some dried fruit, but the baking time hadn’t been well controlled. The exterior was slightly burnt, and the dried fruit had turned somewhat black.

Had someone from his family baked them?

Not expecting Ji Anzhi to return today, Qi Yanshen instinctively moved to hide the cookies. He didn’t want Ji Anzhi to see them—this batch still wasn’t baked right, so he couldn’t give them away.

Seeing Qi Yanshen’s action, Ji Anzhi muttered inwardly, *Do I really look like someone who’d steal food?*

Seeing Ji Anzhi return, Lu Yan wanted to rush over and hug him. His fellow beta roommate had also nearly failed to make it back. Though he was more worried about Qi Yanshen, Ji Anzhi had at least shared food with him before, so he should properly care for and comfort him upon his return.

Lu Yan just forgot one thing: Qi Yanshen was pursuing Ji Anzhi, and an alpha in love was not known for having a large heart.

So, Lu Yan had only taken a few steps toward Ji Anzhi when Qi Yanshen, quick as lightning, stepped forward and grabbed him. The hand gripping Lu Yan’s arm subtly tightened its grip, almost making Lu Yan spin around and swear.

Turning his head and meeting Qi Yanshen’s cold, threatening gaze, Lu Yan suddenly remembered something: his childhood buddy was pursuing Ji Anzhi—and, tragically, hadn’t succeeded yet—he was still trying…

Lu Yan awkwardly retracted his steps, trying to salvage the situation by greeting and showing concern for Ji Anzhi. “How are you? Are you okay?”

Ji Anzhi smiled lightly and shook his head. “I’m fine. Just a bit shaken, but it’s all over now.”

Judging by Ji Anzhi’s demeanor, he seemed fine on the surface. Lu Yan nodded, muttering, “That’s good, that’s good.”

Lu Yan took out the delicacies from his Space Bracelet. Hearing that Qi Yanshen and Ji Anzhi had lived on a primitive planet for over a week, he worried they hadn’t eaten well. Before returning to the Military Academy Star, Lu Yan had specifically gone to the food street on Scott Star and swept through almost every stall, buying two portions of nearly every delicacy, just to feed them today upon their return.

Of course, it was also to ease his own guilt.

Ji Anzhi, whose recent star credit balance stood at ten million and point balance at less than three hundred, thought, *This is really distressing.*

Ji Anjue, however, lit up at the sight of that pile of food. If it could eat now, it could probably finish it all.

Soon, the coffee table was piled high. Ji Anzhi hurriedly advised, “This much is enough! We can’t finish it all at once, and besides, the table is almost overflowing.”

That seemed true. Lu Yan stopped with regret, then excitedly began introducing how delicious each item was to Ji Anzhi.

As for Qi Yanshen? He’d never eaten this stuff before and treated Lu Yan’s introductions as nonsense. Over time, Lu Yan just brought food back for him without the spiel.

Little Madman was the same! Two heartless people!

Ji Anzhi was a bit overwhelmed. But with the inhibitor components still in his system, he could only manage a bite or two before feeling full. Lu Yan thought Ji Anzhi was just being polite and told him to dig in.

Qi Yanshen belatedly remembered Ji Anzhi wasn’t fully recovered. He immediately grabbed Lu Yan and headed downstairs, saying, “You mentioned you trained with officers all vacation. Let’s go downstairs and spar—see if you slacked off.”

Lu Yan: “........” Damn, why is everyone so heartless?

Thus, Qi Yanshen dragged the extremely reluctant Lu Yan downstairs to spar, leaving only Ji Anzhi and Jian Fuxu in the living room.

Lu Yan had already asked about Ji Anzhi’s situation earlier, so Jian Fuxu didn’t feel it appropriate to ask again. He simply said, “Glad you’re back.”

“Mm, thanks for your concern.”

Neither knew what to say next, and the atmosphere grew awkward for a moment. Finally, Ji Anzhi ended it by excusing himself upstairs to rest due to not feeling well.

Jian Fuxu had nothing else to do, so he sat in the living room waiting for Lu Yan to come upstairs after his beating. That mouth of Lu Yan’s always managed to step on landmines.

Half an hour later, Qi Yanshen brought the injured Lu Yan back upstairs. Returning to the sofa and seeing the barely touched food, Lu Yan muttered in confusion, “It’s not bad… Why didn’t he eat?”

Qi Yanshen briefly explained, “He’s not well. Don’t force him.” Then he immediately changed the subject. “Have you guys seen that Star War dungeon?”

Mentioning this energized Lu Yan. Although his skills in starship combat weren’t high, he still quite liked it. Upon learning someone had cleared “Moon God Sky Control,” his first reaction was disbelief.

Lu Yan said excitedly, “Someone cleared 【Moon God Sky Control】, and they’re a minor!!!”

Both of them knew about this. Recently, the star network had been abuzz discussing this person. As the first in over sixty years to clear the “Moon God Sky Control” dungeon—and a minor at that—the uproar on the star network was可想而知.

Qi Yanshen sat down and said, “I heard from my mother that the other party has minor guardian mode enabled. It’s almost certainly true they’re a minor.”

After all, few adults want to be restricted like that.

Lu Yan added, “My father said the same! And he also said there’s a high chance the other party is an omega! To clear that dungeon, reaction speed and predictive ability require at least SS-level mental power. Even the fourth-year chief of the Starship Combat Department doesn’t have that!”

As he spoke, Lu Yan pulled up an official Star War announcement. His tone then turned regretful. “But it’s a pity they haven’t approved any replay authorization requests. We can’t see the combat process of the clear…”

Jian Fuxu thought it was normal. They probably hadn’t known the dungeon’s difficulty at the time. After clearing it and seeing the online reaction, it was obvious something was off. Even if they hadn’t noticed, their guardian would. In that situation, it’s almost certain they wouldn’t agree to authorize it.

But the three of them treated this as casual after-dinner conversation.

Meanwhile, the central figure of their discussion was upstairs, focusing with every fiber of his being, engaged in a cyber battle against Federation military hackers.

Not long after returning to his room, his personal terminal suddenly issued a warning: the self-destruct program he had set was being infiltrated. In that instant, Ji Anzhi guessed whose handiwork it was.

So, Ji Anzhi immediately projected the terminal’s keyboard and screen, activated his old anti-tracking program as a precaution, and simultaneously observed the other party’s movements.

The other party was still skilled. Although they couldn’t crack the self-destruct program he left behind, they could stealthily search for clues without triggering it. Fortunately, just in case, Ji Anzhi had added a warning program at the weak points of the defense. This way, if there was any unusual activity, he would be the first to know.

The other party was still carefully searching for a way out within the self-destruct program. Ji Anzhi watched for over ten seconds, estimating their skill level—about the same as K’s. Given more time, they might actually trace him.

But sorry, not today.

Ji Anzhi activated the self-destruct program, completely cutting off the other party’s source of clues.

Still uneasy, he monitored for another ten-plus minutes, confirming the other party truly had all clues severed and wasn’t pursuing again, before he finally relaxed, put down his terminal, and let out a long sigh.

On the other side of the military academy, Mu Wen—whose terminal had nearly been fried—helplessly spread his hands and looked at the group from the Information Engineering Department of the research institute beside him. “They noticed. Nothing we can do.”

One of the elders grumbled, “Woody, are you really getting old? Aren’t you supposed to be the best hacker here? And you can’t even handle this?”

Mu Wen didn’t care what they said. For the past year, he’d been feeling world-weary, in a state of wishing the world would just hurry up and end.

“Well, then you shouldn’t have brought it to me in the first place…”

The old man was stung by these words, wanting to say more but too proud to back down. He sputtered "you... you..." repeatedly, his face flushing crimson without managing to utter anything coherent.

Another middle-aged woman calmly inquired, "How does their skill compare to yours?"

Mu Wen had a decent relationship with the middle-aged woman and wasn't as dismissive: "We never formally clashed, so I can't say for sure, but they're probably on par with me."

With a rough assessment in mind, the middle-aged woman thanked him and requested that Mu Wen inform her if he discovered any remaining clues. She then left the Information Engineering Department of the military academy.

After they left, Mu Wen slumped in his chair, carefully recalling the code he had just seen. It felt strangely familiar, yet he couldn't pinpoint where he had encountered it before.

Unable to recall, Mu Wen simply gave up thinking about it. After all, it wasn't really his concern.

Meanwhile, back at the research institute, the middle-aged woman arrived at the dean's office. Upon entering, she saw Levin, whom she hadn't seen in years, sitting there quietly like a decorative vase, waiting to be admired.

The middle-aged woman glanced at him briefly before turning her attention to the dean to report the situation.

Upon learning the result, Lin Dusheng looked up from a pile of official documents, frowning in confusion. "Even Mu Wen failed?"

Seeing the woman nod, Lin Dusheng immediately felt a headache coming on. It was bad enough that the creator of the Energy Tank hadn't been found for over a year. Now, there was another case—a minor with at least SS-level mental energy who couldn't be located. Not to mention the Queen Insect, a blade pressed against humanity's heart, and the White Worm sent by the Third Legion a few days ago. Nothing was going right!

Sensing Lin Dusheng's agitation, Levin's mental energy threads invisibly extended toward him, soothing his restless and anxious mental energy sea.

Now calmer, Lin Dusheng glanced at Levin before turning away. While handling official documents, he asked, "Was there really no discovery at all?"

"My apologies. We have failed in our duty."

"There's no use talking about that now. Previously, I didn't want to pressure you too much, so I didn't fully explain this individual's importance. It seems necessary now to tell you why we must find them."

Saying this, Lin Dusheng didn't even look up once.

"A type of insect capable of using mental energy has appeared on the insectoid defense line. Moreover, this year's insect nest not only has a King Insect but also a Queen Insect that can control human consciousness. We don't know yet if there are other similar Queen Insects, but one thing is undeniable..." Flipping a page, Lin Dusheng continued, "Omegas with S-level mental energy are more likely to detect these abnormal mental energy fluctuations, while Alphas require SS-level mental energy."

"If that kid is truly a minor, then they haven't even reached adulthood, yet their mental energy is at least SS-level. Once they enter the final month of accelerated mental energy development during adulthood, combined with the research institute's mental energy enhancement plan, reaching SSS-level would be easily achievable. Then, when the Bug Swarm officially arrives, humanity would have a better chance of victory."

The middle-aged woman had heard a bit about the Queen Insect but knew little about the White Worm. Upon learning this, she immediately understood the target's importance and felt a pang of self-blame.

Lin Dusheng didn't care about her feelings and issued his final command: "One month. You must find them. The Federation doesn't pay for failure."

The middle-aged woman understood the implication. After acknowledging the order, she left the office to organize the Information Engineering Department personnel for a full-scale search for clues.

Unfortunately, the clues had been erased too thoroughly. They could only search based on previous leads. Whether they could find anything was a matter of luck.

...

------------------------------------------------------------------

Freshman Opening Ceremony

Ji Anzhi once again took his seat in the chief's position. The difference this time compared to last was that the fourth-year seniors who should have graduated were now "promoted" to fifth-year seniors.

Some department chiefs had also changed. For example, in this year's sophomore class, Chi Yan surpassed Na An'an to become the Medical Department's sophomore chief.

The principal seemed to be in a bad mood, repeatedly dragging last year's incident over the coals. This resulted in Ji Anzhi, Qi Yanshen, and Jian Fuxu once again receiving a barrage of hostile glares.

When it came to the freshman challenge matches, the quality of this year's freshmen was a bit worse than their year's. At least, no one could defeat the fifth-year chiefs. As for Ji Anzhi and the other two, to avoid further trouble, they all chose not to accept challenges.

The principal had given them the authority, so they might as well use it wisely.

The freshman challenge matches soon concluded, but this time there was an additional procedure.

Because the campus-wide final assessment last semester encountered a Bug Swarm, resulting in seventeen deaths, one hundred and two serious injuries, three hundred and sixty-nine minor injuries, and two missing persons, there was no time to tally the scores. Therefore, the ranking announcements were postponed to the opening ceremony.

As expected, Qi Yanshen's team secured first place.

After all announcements were made, the principal instructed each team leader to come to the podium after the ceremony to receive their awards. Additionally, compensation for the disrupted final assessment would be transferred to their accounts by 7 PM.

With that, he immediately declared the ceremony over and left with a flourish.

Ji Anzhi didn't concern himself with the resource distribution. In fact, even if he wanted to, he couldn't. Chi Yan barged through a crowd of Alphas to reach Ji Anzhi.

"Chief Ji! Are you okay?"

"Really? I almost cried when I found out. Why did that deadpan guy take you away from the main group? Is he insane?"

Ji Anzhi understood Chi Yan's feelings but couldn't bear to let Qi Yanshen be misunderstood, especially since Qi Yanshen had only left the main group on his instruction.

"I'm fine, don't worry. See, I'm perfectly okay?"

"Student Chi Yan, students should maintain appropriate boundaries between Betas and Omegas."