TL: Hua

Chapter 64

The bullet, completely missing its intended target, zipped diagonally across three training stations before finally landing with a dull “thud” in the grass at the edge of the range. The abrupt trajectory immediately drew the eyes of everyone nearby.

Intermittent whispers drifted into Shaikh’s ears. His earlobe, grazed by the rubber bullet, stung as if on fire; he could even feel a hint of swelling. Yet, there wasn’t a trace of anger or embarrassment on his face from being publicly humiliated.

On the contrary, he raised a hand to lightly touch the skin. Blood surged beneath his ear, bringing a heat that was almost searing, mixed with a strange, excited shiver.

“Next group, get ready!” The instructor’s command rang out. Ji Xuan didn’t look at him again, stepping aside to vacate the spot.

Shaikh silently picked up his own gun to disassemble and reassemble it, yet he couldn’t suppress his erratic heartbeat. Movements that should have been second nature were clumsy due to the uncontrollable trembling of his fingers.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The fired bullets all barely landed on the edge of the target; the score was abysmal. Shaikh, however, was preoccupied. As he took off his blindfold, he used his peripheral vision to greedily trace Ji Xuan’s cold, bystander silhouette. He thought dismissively: If you don’t need friends, surely you must need something else?

–

The whistle ending the training sounded, and students poured toward the exit like a tide. Just as Ji Xuan placed his training gun back on the weapon rack, the instructor’s voice came from behind him.

“Ji Xuan, come here for a moment.”

Due to the act of firing toward Shaikh, he was unsurprisingly invited to the instructor’s office for “tea.”

The afternoon wind poured in through the gaps of the open window, gently fluttering the corner of a document on the desk. The instructor’s office was simply furnished: a metal filing cabinet, an optical computer, and the Alliance flag and Mars Military Academy crest hanging on the wall.

The lecture began with “You shouldn’t point a muzzle at a comrade” and ended with “The training ground is not the place to settle personal grudges, regardless of the circumstances.”

Ji Xuan stood quietly to one side, head lowered, looking every bit the honest student taking a scolding.

—But in reality, his mind was wandering elsewhere.

The instructor, however, was clearly satisfied with this “attitude of admitting fault.” After a brief “don’t let it happen again,” he didn’t pursue the matter further.

Then, shifting the topic, he said, “Your assessment results are excellent, and combined with your performance at North Star Fortress, the school committee holds a very high opinion of you.”

“The main reason I called you over is for something else.” As he spoke, he sat down behind the desk and pulled a brochure from a drawer. “The First Galaxy Military Academy League participants are usually selected from students who rank high in the annual assessment. Of course, personal willingness is also very important.”

“This is the promotional material for this year’s event. You can take it back and look it over. If you’re interested, you can submit an application via your terminal once the system opens.”

Ji Xuan lowered his eyes, scanning the colorful illustrations on the cover without making a sound.

“You don’t want to go?”

Ji Xuan shook his head and said, “I’ll consider it.”

Although personal willingness was emphasized, every year everyone fought tooth and nail for a spot in the Military Academy League; a reaction like his was truly a first. The instructor raised an eyebrow but didn’t push too hard, simply handing the brochure forward again.

“The League is a rare opportunity for tempering. The top elites from all the major military academies will gather together; it will be good for your growth,” the instructor said. “Personally, I would prefer you didn’t pass up this opportunity. After all, if this year’s top-ranked student is absent, Mars will lose a general.”

“Besides…” He paused, noticing Ji Xuan’s curious gaze, and suddenly slowed his voice to tease: “Given that kid Pei Yingye’s personality, he’ll definitely sign up. With the relationship between you two… you should be ‘joined at the hip,’ right?”

Ji Xuan suddenly felt that Pei Yingye shouldn’t be in the lower city teaching idioms; he should first teach these people at Mars Military Academy how to use them correctly.

He stared at the desk in silence for a moment before finally reaching out to take the brochure.

“Thank you, instructor.”

“Alright, off you go. Think it through, and remember to submit your application within the designated timeframe,” the instructor said with a wave of his hand.

Ji Xuan saluted and turned to leave the office.

He hadn’t forgotten the timeline the system had told him when he first arrived in this world. The Military Academy League happened to fall at the exact same point in time when the original “Ji Xuan” was supposed to suffer an unknown attack on a remote planet.

He had completely altered the path since his arrival. After many twists and turns, he had finally reached a place the original “Ji Xuan” never could.

Ji Xuan thumbed through the promotional brochure, scanning the dazzling array of introductions.

Simultaneously, the system’s murmuring voice echoed in his head: [The League, huh…]

Should we go have some fun?, Ji Xuan asked, though it was unclear if he was talking to himself or the system.

The shooting instructor’s office was a distance away from the training grounds. Ji Xuan followed the path back through the empty corridor. As he turned a corner, the ajar door of a nearby equipment room was suddenly pulled open. A warm hand quickly covered his mouth while another arm hooked around his waist, dragging him inside with lightning speed.

With a soft thud, the door of the equipment room closed behind him. A clean scent of sunshine lingered around his nose, and Pei Yingye’s voice rang in his ears, his words nonsensical: “This is a robbery.”

Ji Xuan brushed away the hand covering the lower half of his face and looked up to meet his eyes.

The light in the equipment room was dim. Only a small, dusty window high up allowed a few rays of sunlight to leak in, illuminating tiny specks of dust floating in the air. The hand Ji Xuan had brushed aside moved to brace against the metal shelf by his ear; he was completely trapped between the shelf and Pei Yingye’s chest.

“And what exactly are you trying to rob?” he asked composedly.

Pei Yingye raised a brow provocatively and said, “Your heart, of course.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he cupped Ji Xuan’s face, and a frantic kiss descended.

His lips were a bit dry, and his breath carried the lingering heat of training. As his lips were roughly crushed, Ji Xuan moved to knee him, but Pei Yingye anticipated it, pinning him with his leg. The arm around his waist tightened, pressing him even closer. Their bodies fit together seamlessly, their erratic heartbeats seeming to merge.

The ventilation in the equipment room was poor, and the temperature climbed steadily.

Pei Yingye patiently licked the seam of Ji Xuan’s lips. His free hand slid down from Ji Xuan’s cheek, roughly stroking the sensitive side of his neck.

“You talked to Shaikh for so long during training. What were you saying?” Pei Yingye’s ragged breath fanned across Ji Xuan’s nose. His inquiry carried a hint of gritted-teeth jealousy. “Hmm? Do you two really have that much to talk about?”

His nose rubbed gently against Ji Xuan’s face. The latter instinctively closed his eyes, his lashes fluttering against Pei Yingye’s skin, creating a dense, tickling sensation. Immediately after, all breath was scattered once more by another kiss.

It wasn’t until the air in their lungs was nearly exhausted that Ji Xuan used the brochure to create some distance between himself and Pei Yingye.

“What could I possibly have to chat about with him?” Ji Xuan panted slightly, his mouth slightly open. His lashes were damp, and his lips were bitten a deep red, glistening in the dim light. He steadied his breathing and pushed Pei Yingye back a little further. “You’re covered in sweat; stay away from me. Stop acting like a jealous dog and biting people for no reason.”

What he stated was, of course, the truth, and Pei Yingye knew it better than anyone. After all, his gaze hadn’t moved from Ji Xuan for a second; he had naturally seen the moment Ji Xuan fired at Shaikh.

But he still desperately wanted to know what that damned cousin of his had said to provoke such a reaction from Ji Xuan.

Since Ji Xuan wouldn’t say, Pei Yingye truly had no way to force it. After staring at him for a long time, Pei Yingye leaned in and suddenly pulled him into a hug.

His arm unhesitatingly circled Ji Xuan’s waist, pinning him in the narrow gap against the metal shelf. The sweat he’d been scolded for rubbed onto the other’s exposed skin as Pei Yingye nuzzled into his shoulder.

Ji Xuan felt a tickle on his neck from the rubbing. He wanted to push him away but found the man’s strength startling, so he gave up, simply tilting his head to make some space.

He used the brochure in his hand to poke Pei Yingye’s chest with moderate force, laughing: “You don’t really think you’re a puppy, do you? Happy to frolic around and mark your territory?”

Pei Yingye’s gaze drifted over Ji Xuan’s nape. At this moment, his canine teeth were only a step away from the Omega’s gland.

He really wanted to say that if he truly wanted to mark his territory, it wouldn’t be this simple. An Alpha’s pheromones would drown Ji Xuan entirely. He would hold Ji Xuan in his arms, using his teeth to graze that fragile gland, branding him from the inside out so everyone would know this person belonged to him.

Just imagining that scene caused a surge of possessiveness deep within his body that threatened to overwhelm his reason.

But for now, they weren’t there yet.

“Move away once you’ve had your fill of nuzzling,” Ji Xuan’s voice interrupted his reverie. He poked his elbow forward. “You’re heavy.”

Pei Yingye backed away slightly with feigned reluctance, though his arm remained loosely around him. His gaze fell on the brochure in Ji Xuan’s hand.

“What’s this? Is this why the instructor kept you?”

“Promotional material for the Military Academy League,” Ji Xuan said succinctly.

Pei Yingye’s eyes flickered. He reached out to take the brochure. “The Military Academy League? He wants you to sign up? Following the usual practice, shouldn’t this year’s league be hosted by Eagle?

Ji Xuan flicked his wrist, nimbly avoiding his hand and hiding the brochure behind his back. “You’re quite well-informed?”

“The First Galaxy Military Academy League is triennial. I’ve waited two years to finally have my fun; how could I not be well-informed?” Pei Yingye leaned closer, his arm naturally trying to encircle him again, only to be stopped by Ji Xuan’s hand against his chest.

Guessing that Ji Xuan wanted more information from him, Pei Yingye wasn’t stingy. He simply spoke up: “Small leagues are usually hosted by one of the military academies in the First Galaxy, and dozens of other academies sign up. The league is divided into preliminaries and finals. The prelimina
ries are likely similar to our assessments, while the finals are like the full-domain simulations. But the rules are flexible, depending on the host academy’s ideas.”

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and paused. “…The entire league will be broadcast live on the StarNet. But if this year’s host is Eagle, it might be a total disaster.”

Ji Xuan asked, “Why?”

Pei Yingye let out a scoffing laugh. “Because they are notorious marketing addicts.”

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