Chapter 99 Another Bug Swarm

Chapter 99: The Bug Swarm Returns

Second Academic Year

Final Assessment

Ji Anzhi was tidying up his dorm room. He had developed a habit of cleaning the room thoroughly before each assessment.

He even stowed the Cradle Bed in his Space Bracelet.

After finishing, Ji Anzhi looked at Ji Anjue, who was still sound asleep on the bed. He walked over and shook him awake.

"Mmm... Let me sleep a bit more... Don't bother me..."

The response Ji Anjue received was Ji Anzhi's merciless voice: "No. Get up now. I have to lock the door."

Helpless, Ji Anjue lingered in bed for another half minute before reluctantly getting up and willing his clothes to put themselves on.

Once dressed, Ji Anjue was fully awake. Looking at the clean, empty room, he was somewhat speechless. "Pops, you're going for an assessment, not evacuating. Is it necessary to pack up this thoroughly?"

Ji Anzhi replied, "Better safe than sorry."

Ji Anjue was at a loss for words. If the Federation could discover them, or wanted to, they would've found us last semester. Why wait until now?

Since Ji Anzhi got injured that time, the two of them had never met with the Federation's high-level officials again.

Although both grudged the loss of the remaining money, the trillions they received from the first payment were enough to cover Ji Anzhi and Ji Anjue's expenses for a lifetime.

They didn't continue meeting afterward, but Ji Anjue communicated with the Federation's higher-ups through the informants he had cultivated.

The gist was: I know not everyone in the Federation welcomes me, so one collaboration is enough. As for the assassination attempt, we're willing to overlook it, but the mastermind must be caught.

At the same time, Ji Anjue obligingly provided a complete package of information on the mastermind, dragging those who'd nearly gotten away back into a nightmare.

Later, the Federation tried various methods to contact them, but none succeeded.

Subsequently, the Federation informed Ji Anjue of the fates of those masterminds, which stunned both Ji Anjue and Ji Anzhi.

Ji Anzhi was shocked at how Ji Anjue had done it. He knew Ji Anjue had killed the person who injured him, but he didn't expect the method to be so cruel.

Making someone slice off their own skin and flesh, piece by piece, while fully conscious—even space pirates might not be capable of such cruelty.

Ji Anjue, on the other hand, was shocked by the Federation's swift and severe actions. Having lived in the human world for so long and understanding human society through memories, he thought the masterminds would only receive symbolic punishment.

He never expected the Federation to act so decisively. Not a single mastermind was missed; all of them suffered the same fate as that sniper.

The Federation even surpassed his own methods. The sniper at least was put out of his misery after one ordeal.

The Federation, however, carried out the punishment repeatedly, reviving them when they were near death and continuing once they recovered.

At that time, Ji Anzhi and Ji Anjue made a silent pact to avoid provoking the Federation whenever possible.

So when the Federation proactively extended an olive branch, Ji Anzhi had Ji Anjue agree to enter into a temporary cooperation agreement with the Federation.

They promised that if any new technologies were developed in the future, they would prioritize cooperation with the Federation.

The Federation would not interfere with their profits. However, Ji Anjue and Ji Anzhi were determined not to let the Federation discover their traces again. No matter how tempting the offer, they wouldn't take the risk.

Thus, it had been over half a year since either of them communicated with the Federation's high-level officials.

Initially, the Federation's higher-ups feared they might feign compliance while secretly causing trouble. But after running countless checks and finding nothing amiss within the Federation, they gradually relaxed.

As for tracking and investigating the two?

They would need to reach SSSS-level in psychic power first, or be willing to sacrifice an entire inhabited planet.

If an inhabited planet disappeared, the Federation would lose the people's trust no matter what they said.

After careful consideration, the Federation finally decided that as long as they did not harm the Federation, their privacy would not be violated.

Ji Anjue learned this news through the Vice-Principal, so he felt much more at ease and blissfully surfed the net.

Ji Anzhi was initially worried the Federation might change its mind later. But seeing Ji Anjue's carefree, playful demeanor, he gradually let go of his concerns.

If the Federation really went back on its word, Ji Anjue would be the first to know. Worrying was useless, so he kept a level head.

By the end of the second academic year's finals, the Federation indeed had not investigated him.

This year, the Star Eagle was also fully upgraded. Ji Anzhi originally wanted to create a propulsion system himself, but the difficulty was too high, and time was insufficient. So, he made improvements to the existing system, increasing speed by 10%.

He also redesigned the space jump device.

The interior soft furnishings were all completed by Ji Anzhi. Particularly, at Ji Anjue's request, he insisted on building an ecological room.

It occupied one-seventh of the entire space, complete with a pond, swimming fish, flying birds, and all sorts of flowers, plants, and trees. Above, there were smart sun lamps simulating day and night.

The total cost was 200 million star credits, with daily maintenance costing 50,000 star credits.

If they weren't wealthy now, Ji Anzhi definitely wouldn't have agreed.

Of course, after becoming wealthy, Ji Anzhi shut down and deregistered the Bamboo Moon Shop half a year ago.

Holding Xiaoxue and bringing Ji Anjue downstairs, Lu Yan and Jian Fuxu had already headed towards the port. Qi Yanshen was waiting downstairs for Ji Anzhi.

Seeing Ji Anzhi finally come down with Ji Anjue, Qi Yanshen approached and habitually took out a packet of biscuits, handing it to Ji Anjue. Ji Anjue accepted it and started eating.

Ji Anzhi received a sandwich and a box of milk from Qi Yanshen.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Is An Jue going to the port too?"

"Yes."

Ji Anjue couldn't go along for the assessment, so Ji Anzhi hired a live-in nanny. Ji Anjue would live on the starship and be picked up after the assessment was over.

They did the same last semester.

As for the nanny, Ji Anzhi selected her after submitting an application report. The military academy investigated and confirmed her identity was qualified before allowing her onto the academy planet.

However, after entering, she could only move within the port area; stepping into other areas was strictly prohibited.

Arriving at the port area, Ji Anzhi first took Ji Anjue to the Star Eagle's parking zone. Nanny Zhang had arrived yesterday and was waiting at the ship's entrance.

Seeing the two approach, Nanny Zhang immediately came forward and took Ji Anjue.

"I'll trouble you these days."

"Not at all, not at all. If anything comes up, I'll send you a message."

"Okay."

Ji Anzhi crouched down and said to Ji Anjue, "If anything happens, don't act up, understand?"

Ji Anjue nodded obediently on the surface, but inside he was screaming internally.

He wasn't really a child, of course he wouldn't be difficult. Besides, his actual body would be following Ji Anzhi, so if anything happened, he could just say it directly.

After giving the babysitter her instructions, Ji Anzhi left with Qi Yanshen and headed for the exam starship.

As soon as the two got out of the vehicle, they became the center of attention—the only AB couple in the entire military academy, already in a confirmed relationship. Even though they weren't married, it was still scandalous enough.

Brushing off the stares, they found Lu Yan and Jian Fuxu.

Seeing Chief Ji approach, Chi Yan immediately pounced, nearly flinging Xiao Bai off his neck in the process.

Unfortunately, just as he was about to reach Chief Ji, Qi Yanshen cut him off, yanked Ji Anzhi back and said coldly, "Back off, Chief Chi. Anzhi is *my* boyfriend."

Chi Yan was very unhappy, especially when he got a whiff of the strong scent of gardenia on Ji Anzhi, his anger hitting the roof.

But Qi Yanshen was Chief Ji's acknowledged boyfriend. No matter how displeased he was, he had to hold it back—at least he couldn't make the stone-faced guy lose face in front of Chief Ji.

"I know that, but Chief Ji and I are friends. I don't have those kinds of thoughts. Are you still misunderstanding?"

"Yes, so please keep your distance."

"...Chief Qi should lighten up. Chief Ji is a free individual. You can't possibly expect Chief Ji to have no friends at all. That's not good. For example, I would never try to hog Chief Ji."

"…………"

Once again, Qi Yanshen was left speechless. Ji Anzhi watched the show for a while, and when the two stopped, he immediately jumped in to smooth things over.

"Alright, Yan Shen, you go find Lu Yan and the others first. I'll chat with Chi Yan for a bit."

Although Qi Yanshen was worried that Chi Yan would take the opportunity to try persuading Ji Anzhi to break up again, since Ji Anzhi asked him to, he chose to leave.

As soon as Qi Yanshen left, Chi Yan immediately complained, "Chief Ji, you're practically marinated in the scent of gardenia pheromones. Qi Yanshen really doesn't know how to hold back, acting like a dog."

The last sentence was a dead giveaway who he'd picked that up from.

However, Ji Anzhi hadn't really noticed the gardenia scent on himself. Maybe he had gotten used to it, so he didn't feel how strong it was.

Ji Anzhi changed the subject: "How's Xiao Bai doing?"

Chi Yan immediately took the one-meter-long, two-pound-heavy Xiao Bai from around his neck and handed it to Chief Ji, saying, "Chief Ji, look! Xiao Bai has finally slimmed down!"

Ji Anzhi hefted it—it really had lost weight.

At the beginning of the semester, he didn't know how Chi Yan had been feeding it, but the little white snake had been raised into a little white pig, putting pressure on Chi Yan's neck for a long time.

Later, Ji Anzhi asked Chi Yan why he insisted on carrying Xiao Bai around and received the reply, "Chief Ji gave this to me," which successfully left Ji Anzhi speechless.

Chi Yan thought about it and decided not to bring Xiao Bai to class anymore. Instead, he kept it in his room on a diet, gradually reducing its food until it slimmed down to the normal weight for its species.

He handed back the now-slim snake and smiled, "Remember not to feed it so much again. Watch its diet."

Chi Yan nodded sheepishly, indicating that he would pay more attention.

Then Chi Yan excitedly pulled Ji Anzhi aside and started talking about how hard he had worked this year and how he was sure he would remain the chief of the Medical Department next year.

Na An'an, who had walked over, heard this and rapped Chi Yan on the head, saying fiercely, "Little Yanzi, feeling pretty proud, are you?"

Noticing it was Na An'an, Chi Yan felt a little guilty.

Although he had won the chief spot fair and square, Na An'an was, after all, the former chief. He really hadn't considered her feelings when he spoke...

Chi Yan lowered his head with a pout and apologized, "Sister An'an, I didn't mean it..."

Na An'an pretended to be angry and remained silent. Chi Yan cautiously apologized and coaxed her a few more times before she finally laughed cheerfully.

"I'm just teasing you. I'm not that petty. But, Little Yanzi, you really are getting a bit too arrogant. The results aren't even out yet, and you're already sure you'll keep the chief position next year?"

Chi Yan blushed and didn't speak—it wasn't an easy question to answer.

Ji Anzhi knew Na An'an was just teasing Chi Yan and came to his rescue: "Alright, you know Chi Yan is shy, so stop teasing him. By the way, how did your written and practical exams go this time?"

At the mention of this, Na An'an's face fell: "Don't even ask. For the written exam this time, I suspect the question writers were going crazy. While taking it, I felt like I got everything right, but after the exam, when I thought about the details, I felt like I got everything wrong..."

"And this year's practical exam too. I thought it was three random operations out of ten, but it turned out to be three random major categories out of ten, with two random operations tested from each category. They were so strict with the details—I almost lost my mind."

Ji Anzhi had heard from Chi Yan that this wasn't unique to the Medical Department—all thirteen departments were the same. This year's exam questions were exceptionally difficult.

The Star Chart Department was no exception. However, since the Star Chart Department relied heavily on talent, it wasn't a big problem for Ji Anzhi, especially after his spiritual power advanced—it became even more effortless.

But it was tough on Andrew and the others. They were silent for a long time, and while writing, they almost doubted whether they had ever studied at all.

Halfway through the conversation, Qi Yanshen coldly took Ji Anzhi away. Did these omegas not understand the concept of personal space?

Time passed quickly, and Ji Anzhi's team boarded the starship, heading to the exam location.

The exam location was set within the range of the Third Legion, close to the actual Zerg frontlines. Although it had been cleared in advance, the danger level was still not low.

Upon arriving at the exam location, this time the focus was on Star War, relying mainly on the two Wen brothers and Luo Hai Lielette.

As expected, Ji Anzhi was once again the one leisurely slacking off.

To be honest, Ji Anzhi was wondering why he even had to come along for the assessment. He was clearly slacking off the entire time, and if something really happened, he would be the one holding everyone back.

But this was only known within the military academy itself—there was no way around it.

Ji Anzhi leisurely slacked off, occasionally chatting through Ji Anjue's main body. Aside from being a bit bored on the starship, life couldn't be more comfortable.

However, the comfortable days didn't last long.

"Woo—woo————"

This alarm sounded familiar...

"Emergency assembly, emergency assembly."

"Bug Swarm detected ahead."

...No wonder it sounded so familiar. At the end of last academic year, they had also encountered a Bug Swarm.

Ji Anzhi immediately packed his things and headed to the command room.

When he arrived at the command room, Qi Yanshen was directing everyone to evacuate and head toward the nearest garrison, adding that military personnel would arrive in five minutes.

This was because of last year's Bug Swarm incident—they didn't dare let students get too far from the garrison. Rescue had to arrive within ten minutes.

Knowing that the rescue would arrive in time, Ji Anzhi put his mind at ease. He sat in a corner with Chi Yan and Na An'an, making sure not to cause any trouble for the combat personnel.

Na An'an muttered, "Why does it feel like we encounter a Bug Swarm every year during assessments? And we always run into the main force of the Zerg—is this what you call fate? Sigh..."

Na An'an sighed, and Chi Yan nodded in agreement.

Ji Anzhi felt the same way, but then he remembered something and his expression froze mid-nod.

Ji Anjue had mentioned before that his true form held a strong attraction for the Zerg. Even the Queen Insect had personally ordered Ji Anjue to be brought back to the hive...

So, was this Bug Swarm also because of Ji Anjue?

Ji Anzhi felt a headache coming on. Next assessment, he definitely wouldn’t bring Ji Anjue’s true form along.

Experiencing a Bug Swarm once was enough—more than that would be exhausting and could put years on your heart.

Just as Ji Anzhi was lost in thought, something went wrong at the command console.

"All defenses deactivated."

"Wen Jue! What are you doing?!"