TL: hua

Chapter 67

The following day, the league opening ceremony was held in Eagle Military Academy’s largest central arena.

The massive circular venue was packed to capacity. Aside from the school’s own students, there were spectators from various galaxies, media outlets, and observers from the Alliance Military.

However, the ceremony’s proceedings could only be described as tedious. The opening performance alone lasted nearly an hour, with every segment pointedly flaunting the sheer wealth and resources of the host, Eagle Military Academy. School speeches, referee oaths, highlights from previous years… when it finally came time to introduce this year’s participating teams, thunderous cheers erupted from the stands whenever a popular academy’s name was called.

Once the entrance procession was over, Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye quietly slipped out. According to the schedule, there were still many segments left; their ears and eyes truly couldn’t take any more harassment from the various ceremonial cannons and lighting displays. They decided to seize this chance to study the distribution of the four major battlefields for the second half of the event.

Of course, they weren’t the only ones skipping out.

Just as they left the arena, Ji Xuan noticed a tail following behind them.

Shaikh stepped unhurriedly at their heels, making no move to approach, as if he simply happened to be going the same way. He also seemed to have no intention of hiding his presence; he even raised a hand with a beaming smile to say hello when Ji Xuan glanced back at him.

Pei Yingye clicked his tongue and complained to Ji Xuan, “Persistent as a ghost.”

Ji Xuan withdrew his gaze, devoid of emotion. “Let him be.”

Following the order of the relay, the two decided to head to the mecha event venue first. Due to the league, Eagle Military Academy had directly changed the event period into an open campus day. On the straight, wide main road, the crowd was a mix of hurried students in various military academy uniforms and plenty of enthusiastic tourists. Route guides hovered in the air, while semi-transparent light screens nearby broadcasted tournament previews and Eagle Military Academy promotional videos. The AI commentary was drowned out by the boiling noise of the crowd.

The birch trees lining both sides of the road were lush with foliage, casting a large patch of shade onto the path. There seemed to be a breeze blowing; a rustling sound could be heard when passing under the trees.

However, in the next second, the quick-reacting trio immediately darted out of the shadows. Immediately after, the cries of others rose and fell in succession.

Pei Yingye looked up to see a flock of egrets startled into flight from the treetops. Looking down again, he saw several tourists who hadn’t reacted in time and a few military academy members looking at the specks of white on their clothes, their faces showing indescribable expressions. The Eagle Military Academy students nearby were already well-versed in this; some volunteers even stepped forward cooperatively to offer wet wipes for them to clean up.

“What a vicious tactic,” Pei Yingye exclaimed. “The real dirty tricks are really simple and straightforward.”

After all, the thought of those unsuspecting contestants having to endure not only being blocked by other military academies but also being relentlessly attacked by birds when they pass through this path was somewhat hilarious.

“I don’t want to be the first one,” Ji Xuan said coolly, glancing at the miserable state of those people.

Pei Yingye had originally wanted to endure this pain for him, but thinking back to the doctor’s instructions from a while ago, he hesitated for a moment. As a result, Shaikh, seizing the timing, leaned in and said, “If Brother doesn’t want it, I can swap with you.”

Pei Yingye gave him a sinister sideways glance, thinking to himself: Cousin, your bootlicking appearance is truly unsightly.

But Ji Xuan had no objections to this, simply saying, “Fine.”

Having received a response, Shaikh no longer followed a few meters behind as before but instead walked a bit closer.

After confirming the mecha arena, the three headed toward the second arena. Perhaps because an artificial lake sat between the two arenas, the scenery in this section was excellent. It also happened to be the central area of the school, so the number of pedestrians on the road increased. From time to time, they could see hovering drones and students being interviewed by the media.

Crossing the gallery bridge connecting the two shores of the lake district, the opposite side was a neatly planned living area lined with shops. Different from the serious atmosphere of the military academy, this place actually possessed quite a commercial vibe. Aside from souvenir shops, there were several exquisitely decorated dessert shops and cafes; a cloyingly sweet aroma mixed with the mellow scent of coffee drifted through the air.

Ji Xuan’s footsteps stopped outside one of the shops. After a brief moment of indecision, he went inside and bought a strawberry-flavored ice cream.

There were many tourists joined by students taking a break in the shop. The moment Ji Xuan entered, he garnered many looks; after all, that excessively outstanding face and the uniform of a Mars Military Academy contestant were always exceptionally striking in a crowd.

“An Omega? Is he a technician or logistics personnel following the team?” someone whispered to a companion.

“Could be a combatant. Didn’t we hear Mars has an Omega contestant this year?”

“But he doesn’t look like he has much muscle. Probably not.”

Ji Xuan took the ice cream from the clerk. Ignoring Pei Yingye’s teasing gaze and Shaikh’s fervent stare, he lowered his head without a shred of cool persona baggage and took a bite of the dense ice cream scoop on top.

Just then, a voice came from the open seating area of the shop near the street—

“…Yes, this is the relaxation area we often come to after daily training. After high-intensity simulated combat and physical drills, it’s necessary to supplement sugar appropriately…”

The voice carried a hint of lighthearted laughter. Ji Xuan instinctively glanced toward the source.

The speaker was a tall Alpha wearing Eagle Military Academy’s iconic silver training uniform. His sleeves were casually rolled up, revealing sleekly lined forearms. He was facing the camera, clearly cooperating with the school’s league promotion.

As if sensing Ji Xuan’s gaze or perhaps due to the latter’s inherent presence, Leon looked over casually and happened to lock eyes with Ji Xuan’s gaze before it could fully move away.

Leon’s gaze lingered on Ji Xuan’s face for an instant, swept over the ice cream in his hand, and then the curve of his lips deepened, becoming somewhat playful.

“Oh? It seems we’ve run into a special guest again.” Leon smiled at the camera, stood up, and walked toward them.

The drone immediately turned with his movements, and the screen above it scrolled with real-time comments from the live stream:

[What! What guest did he run into?]

[Those clothes look like Mars?]

[Wasn’t it just their team leader’s turn to give a speech in the main live stream? Why did the team members sneak out?]

[Gosh, Mars Military Academy students are so damn handsome too. Is this the strength of the capital planet?]

“Actually, before this year, I always really hoped to compete on the same stage as someone from Mars Military Academy, because I heard the ace of their combat department is a 3S-grade Alpha who even broke records when he first entered Mars.” Leon came to a halt in front of Pei Yingye. “Unfortunately, in this year’s assessment, he was kicked down by an unknown Omega. Sometimes, expecting too much isn’t a good thing. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Just like I am now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze moved past Pei Yingye and fell onto Ji Xuan behind him.

“I almost thought this student had walked into the wrong venue. After all, the event Eagle is hosting this year doesn’t seem to be an interstellar idol audition.”

The filming drone’s lens immediately focused on Ji Xuan, and the bullet comments on the live screen surged instantly:

[Is this the rumored Omega contestant?]

[Doesn’t look like his level is very high… could he really kick a 3S Alpha down?]

[Leon is provoking him to his face? Fight! Fight! (Excitedly rubbing hands.jpg)]

[But I have to say he’s so beautiful. If he managed to cut through a crowd of Alphas, he must have some extraordinary qualities, slurp slurp.]

With those few sentences, he had insulted both Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye. Yet, neither showed much obvious displeasure. Pei Yingye even casually said to Ji Xuan, “Usually, the ones who talk trash before a match are the first to be eliminated.”

“Cousin, those words are a bit too arbitrary.” Shaikh swept a light glance over Leon, smiling brightly. “Eagle’s students are well-trained. Even if they’re going to lose, they’ll definitely lose with rhythm; it won’t be that hasty or pathetic. Besides, we have to save some face for the host, so we don’t make things too ugly and get criticized on StarNet for another year.”

Pei Yingye was amused by this “backstab” and laughed, saying, “I’ll leave the matter of controlling the rhythm to you then. I’m not good at putting on a show for people.”

Shaikh also smiled. “But I’m not good at it either.”

The two of them went back and forth, sarcastically mocking Leon and all the Eagle contestants. Leon’s brow twitched, his expression turning quite unsightly.

The fans in the live stream were also screeching with anger, but the bystanders watching the fun were having a blast, just waiting for them to start fighting.

“Mm.”

Ji Xuan, who had been detached from the situation earlier, finally finished the last bite of his ice cream and slowly took out a tissue to wipe the corners of his mouth and his fingers.

“If you’re not good at it, then learn, Shaikh,” Ji Xuan instructed in a flat tone. “According to previous years’ situations, if a fifth-rank can defeat a first-rank, you can market yourself on StarNet for three years and three months. By then, you might be a bit more famous than Pei Yingye.”

“I just don’t know if Eagle Military Academy is willing to pay that fee for you.”

Leon’s face turned completely dark.

The filming drone behind him was still diligently recording everything, and the speed of the live stream comments was so fast it was almost impossible to read.

[Is he talking about that time Eagle marketed their 16th rank eliminating Mars’ 3rd rank? Attacking him to his face? I’m seriously dying of laughter.]

[“A bit more famous than Pei Yingye”? He even roasts his own teammates, LOL!]

[Did Mars hit a nest of sarcasm this year? Every one of them is more eloquent than the last.]

[Fight! Hurry up and fight! I want to see a bloodbath!]

[Sorry, our Ji Xuan is just like this. Usually at school he looks cold and aloof, but his mouth is actually sharper than anyone’s.]

[Pei Yingye: Why am I always the one getting hurt?]

[No no no, given Pei Yingye’s personality, he’s probably thinking: What is he babbling about? I want to kiss him.]

[? Wait, is the person above a CP fan from Mars’ side, or are they really a couple…]

[It’s definitely real! Who doesn’t understand the weight of that dance at the party? I simply have to bring out our holy ship-shrine photo.]

Shaikh’s eyes lit up as if he had received some supreme praise, the smile on his face broadening further. “Brother is right, I will study hard. I just don’t know if he’s willing to cooperate and serve as a stepping stone for me.”

As a high-profile rising star of Eagle Military Academy, when had Leon ever suffered such ridicule? Especially being ganged up on by a slender Omega and two guys echoing each other. He suppressed his rage and forced a cold laugh. “Your lip service is indeed impressive. I hope tomorrow on the field, you people from Mars can still be this silver-tongued.”

“Matters on the field will naturally be settled on the field.” Ji Xuan finally looked him in the eye. “As for now, you’re blocking our way to the next venue.”

Leon felt a breath of air stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down. To continue pestering would make him seem petty; to step aside now was truly a hard pill to swallow. While he was in a standoff, Pei Yingye had already let out an impatient “tch.” He reached out and loosely put an arm around Ji Xuan’s shoulder, leading him directly around Leon.

As they left, he even “kindly” reminded him, “The camera is still rolling. Please pay attention to your facial expression management, Mr. Star Contestant.”

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