SCOM - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Federal First Military Academy, the start of the school year. New students wore smiles, their eyes bright with anticipation for the campus life ahead. Each held their head high, their steady, upward strides representing their unwavering goals.
—Graduates of the First Military Academy are all blades of the Federation.
"Another wave of naive rookies."
"Another batch of wolf cubs here to snatch our food!"
Several senior students, clustered together in sloppily worn uniforms, were handing out flyers while observing the fresh-faced newcomers, feeling both sympathetic and indignant.
"Soon they'll realize they're just here to be punching bags and stepping stones for others."
"Hey, has anyone differentiated recently?"
"Didn't everyone who was going to differentiate already do so last year?"
In the Federation, the peak period for pheromone differentiation is between seventeen and eighteen years old. During this time, students differentiate into Alphas, Betas, or Omegas. Traditionally, Alphas possess the strongest combat abilities, while Omegas are weaker in combat but more meticulous. Betas are generally average in all aspects. Of course, with technological advancements, the differences between the three types have gradually narrowed, and history has seen many outstanding Omega and Beta leaders comparable to Alphas.
Normally, the higher the talent, the earlier the differentiation. However, a significant number of students only fully differentiate after entering military academy. Therefore, new students attend mixed classes for the first year, only selecting specialized courses in their second year.
"Aren't there still a few..."
"Ji Yuezhi!"
"He finally differentiated?" The senior student still holding a pile of flyers hadn't noticed his companions' voices had faded away. He was still lamenting, "If he doesn't differentiate soon..."
‘Tap—Tap’
The crisp sound of black military boots echoed on the gray-veined marble floor before stopping. The exceptionally clean boot surface, under the sunlight, even faintly reflected the gradually stiffening face of the student holding the flyers.
The flyer distributor slowly looked up at the military student opposite him: the person was tall and slender, with a straight back, standing like a sword poised to pierce the sky. Fringe half-covered his forehead, partially obscuring his eyebrows. His dark, narrow eyes held a chilling coldness. A yellow wheat ear badge was pinned to the left breast of his uniform.
That was the exclusive badge of the Disciplinary Committee.
"Ji... Ji..." The flyer distributor's face instantly turned pale. He subconsciously dropped the flyers and fumbled to straighten his uniform.
"Improper attire, deduct 2 points." Ji Yuezhi lowered his gaze to the scattered flyers, stating flatly, "Littering, deduct 2 points."
The flyer distributor finally managed to put on his uniform properly, immediately squatting down to pick up the flyers. He looked up bitterly, "I-I'll pick them up now, can you not deduct the points?"
Each student starts the semester with twenty initial credits. If their credits reach zero, they face expulsion. Reasons for point deductions at the First Military Academy are varied, largely controlled by teachers and the Disciplinary Committee, and the head of the Disciplinary Committee was Ji Yuezhi.
The female Alpha behind Ji Yuezhi raised her optical computer and scanned the flyer distributor's face. Hearing his plea, she sneered, "Have you ever seen the Disciplinary Committee retract points after deducting them? If you don't want points deducted, follow the military academy handbook properly."
The flyer distributor sullenly finished picking up the flyers and stood up, only to see a notification on his wrist-mounted optical computer confirming a 4-point deduction. His heart ached, but when he noticed Disciplinary Committee members silently appearing nearby, he started feeling schadenfreude – at least so many others were getting points deducted with him. By the time he fully registered the situation, Ji Yuezhi had already left.
The First Military Academy was the best academy in the entire Federation, gathering all the top talents. It was the cradle of countless Federation leaders, and every student admitted was outstanding. This also created a problem: students at the First Military Academy were extremely difficult to manage. To solve this, the school established the Disciplinary Committee, exclusively admitting the most exceptional students.
In short, the Disciplinary Committee gathered a group of the most capable fighters among the students.
"So what if I don't wear it? Do I need a uniform to win when I go fight on the battlefield?"
A harsh voice suddenly erupted at the school gate, drawing the attention of everyone nearby, including the flyer distributor. He stood on tiptoe and peered for a while, seeing only a tall military student attempting to enter the campus without wearing a uniform, confronted by a Disciplinary Committee member.
"Well, well, must be a troublemaker among the new students. So bold!" The flyer distributor clicked his tongue in amazement. They too had once been so young and ignorant.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the military student grew increasingly agitated, eventually resorting to physical confrontation with the Disciplinary Committee member. The senior Disciplinary Committee member, not expecting an attack, instinctively retreated, immediately putting himself at a disadvantage.
A commotion instantly broke out among the onlookers. A closer look revealed that those gasping were all senior students.
This new student was indeed arrogant, but he clearly had some skill, managing to subtly suppress the senior Disciplinary Committee member within a few moves. He even released his pheromones – a heavy charcoal fire scent belonging to an Alpha – directly attacking and suppressing everyone present. He had already differentiated!
To have differentiated early and be so brazen, this new student likely had significant backing.
"Is this all you've got even in uniform?" the new student mocked, dodging the senior's chokehold and kicking fiercely towards his chest, showing no restraint.
‘Crack!’
A black shadow flashed by, and the new student's leg was forcefully kicked, resulting in a sickening crunch of bone breaking that made scalps tingle.
The flyer distributor stared at the slender back, covering his eyes with both hands and letting out a pained sigh, "Oh, my god, that leg must be broken." Then he sneakily peeked through his fingers, watching the aftermath with schadenfreude.
The new student's face contorted as he looked at the person who had just arrived, "Two against one? I'll take you..."
Before he could finish, a hand forcefully pressed down on his neck, slamming his head against a nearby pillar. The new student, who had held the upper hand against the Disciplinary Committee senior moments ago, was now utterly powerless. He felt dizzy and disoriented, having never been so humiliated. Gritting his teeth, he formed his arm into a blade and swung sharply at the person behind him. However, his attack failed before it even launched; the opponent had already closed in, seizing his arm and wrenching it outwards.
‘Crack—’
The grating sound of bone breaking echoed once more.
With both an arm and a leg broken, the new student had lost half his combat capability. Ji Yuezhi kicked him down, sending him sprawling outside the school gate, then slowly walked over. Lowering his gaze, he said coldly, "Entering school without a uniform, deduct 5 points. Releasing pheromones without cause on campus, 10 points."
His gaze swept over the Disciplinary Committee student who stepped forward to deduct the points – the same senior who had fought the newcomer earlier. "Ineffective management, deduct 5 points."
"Yes!" The Disciplinary Committee student deducted his own points without hesitation.
By now, the flyer distributor had lowered his hands, his eyes fixed intently on Ji Yuezhi outside the gate. Truly worthy of the person who, while still undifferentiated in his first year, had successfully 'usurped' the position, ousted the Alpha senior ranked in the top ten from the Disciplinary Committee leadership, and reorganized the committee.
The flyer distributor suddenly ducked his head and posted on the school's anonymous forum: Got 4 points deducted by the Disciplinary Committee Head today~
Within a minute, dozens of replies flooded in, a uniform line: Catching the good luck!
Nowadays, being personally penalized by the Head of the Disciplinary Committee was secretly considered a symbol of good luck at the First Military Academy. Losing a few points wasn't a big deal; they could be earned back in class or competitions. But Ji Yuezhi didn't conduct inspections every day.
Ji Yuezhi was unaware of the thoughts swirling around him. He carefully smoothed the wrinkles on his cuffs, his peripheral vision suddenly catching something.
Another unusual stir went through the crowd. The flyer distributor pushed forward a couple of steps towards the gate and couldn't help but gasp: Good grief, it really was the first day of school, a gathering of titans.
Parked outside the school was a glossy black car with an extremely sleek body. Both windows on one side were rolled down. In the driver's seat was Jiang Hong, the sole son of the Jiang family, a second-year student who had broken into the top five of the First Military Academy's Red List and top three of the Alpha Combat Ranking List within just one year.
However... everyone's gaze involuntarily drifted to the person in the back seat.
Medium-length hair was casually tied back, with some strands falling near her ear. Her facial features were sharp and strikingly beautiful, almost unforgettable. She faced the school gate sideways, having watched the earlier incident for an unknown duration. One hand extended out the window, a cigarette held between her fingers. She nonchalantly flicked the ash, which drifted with the wind across the red line marking the boundary of the First Military Academy.
It was Zuo Luohuan, the heir of the Zuo family, who had differentiated early into a top-tier Alpha at fifteen. Rumor had it her pheromones could suppress all currently registered Alphas in the Federation, though she had never released them on campus.
At the school gate, Ji Yuezhi's gaze fell on the cigarette ash. He turned and walked towards the car.
Just then, Zuo Luohuan opened the car door. Her identical black military boots stepped onto the ground. She casually closed the door, her uniform haphazardly worn, all buttons undone, leaning lazily against the car. She lowered her head, took a drag from the cigarette, and slowly exhaled white smoke.
Arrogant! So incredibly arrogant!
Having witnessed the previous incident with the new student, everyone now stared at Zuo Luohuan and the approaching Ji Yuezhi, their hearts pounding.
Were the two finally going to clash?
The Zuo and Ji families both belonged to the Military Council but led different army groups, the Winter Army and the Seventeenth Army, respectively. The two families were in a long-standing state of rivalry, competing for military resources. Everyone in the Federation knew they were at odds.
Ever since Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi enrolled together, many had anticipated a confrontation. Unfortunately, one had differentiated early into an Alpha but was frequently absent from school, while the other was approaching his eighteenth birthday and hadn't differentiated yet. As a result, for an entire year, they hadn't even seemed to cross paths, let alone clash.
Was this long-awaited moment finally arriving today?
Although Ji Yuezhi hadn't differentiated, all signs indicated he was destined to become a top-tier Alpha; it was only a matter of time. After all, exceptions always existed within the normal pattern, and history had seen formidable figures with late differentiation periods.
Inside and outside the school, people were rubbing their hands together, eager for the drama.
However, Ji Yuezhi stopped abruptly just before the red line. The slight breeze stirred by his movement pushed the small pile of cigarette ash back outside the red line, no longer within the First Military Academy's grounds.
Zuo Luohuan took the last drag from her cigarette, her brow furrowing briefly before relaxing. She exhaled a smoke ring, casually flicked the cigarette butt into a nearby trash bin, and met Ji Yuezhi's dark eyes. "Something wrong?" she asked nonchalantly.
"Improper attire warrants a 2-point deduction," Ji Yuezhi stated calmly.
Zuo Luohuan chuckled, tapping her military boot near the red line, almost touching it, a hint of provocation in her gesture. "I'm still outside the First Military Academy's area. Not under Classmate Ji's jurisdiction."
"Hence, no points have been deducted yet," Ji Yuezhi replied, not shying away from Zuo Luohuan's gaze, his dark eyes perfectly calm.
The atmosphere was incredibly tense. Just as everyone thought a fight was finally about to break out, Zuo Luohuan straightened up and stood before Ji Yuezhi. They were of similar height. Staring into his eyes, she slowly buttoned her uniform, one button at a time.
Hmph—
The crowd instantly lost interest in the spectacle. It seemed there would be no fight today.
Zuo Luohuan finished adjusting her uniform, then stepped across the red line. Just as they were about to collide, she shifted slightly, brushing past Ji Yuezhi, her face passing close to his ear.
Ji Yuezhi didn't pay attention to this seemingly provocative detail. Only a low phrase, almost carried away by the wind, reached his ear, spoken in a near whisper.
"Ji Yuezhi... Haven't you differentiated yet?"
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