SCOM - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Within just one week, the Disciplinary Committee had deducted countless points, and the new students, being unfamiliar, suffered quite a bit.
As for the senior students, they could be divided into two groups. One group always adhered to school rules and regulations, never giving the Disciplinary Committee any leverage, determinedly defending their credits. The other group felt an itch deep down, always wanting to stir up trouble but not daring to go too far and risk irreversible expulsion. So, they committed minor offenses while desperately participating in various school competitions to earn credits. In short, they were timid yet defiant.
"Zuo Luohuan has always been fervently supported by the latter group," a thin, fair-skinned boy chattered endlessly to the person bent over, tidying their bunk.
Yan Yan's hands and feet hadn't fully healed yet, so his tidying speed was a beat slower than usual. After folding his bedding into a neat 'tofu block', he straightened up and stared at his roommate, "Zuo Luohuan is number one on the First Military Academy's Red List. She's timid?"
"That's not what I meant." Ding Wuming smiled good-naturedly. "Haven't you heard? For the past two semesters, she earned enough credits within the first month of school to cover deductions from the Disciplinary Committee and teachers, then skipped classes and left. Except for final exams, she never came back."
This statement made Yan Yan pause. "How does she earn credits?" He had been deducted fifteen points at the school gate last time, leaving him with only five. He hadn't dared to make any rash moves these past few days.
"There's a Challenge Hall on campus. There are small matches worth one point, and big matches worth hundreds or thousands," Ding Wuming said, leaning closer when he saw Yan Yan's interest, lowering his voice. "On her first day of enrollment, Zuo Luohuan went straight into the Challenge Hall and challenged the top ten on the Red List and the top ten on the Alpha list. She succeeded in all of them. All the credits the senior students had saved up for ages were won by her, leaving them with only their initial points."
Excitement suddenly flared in Yan Yan's eyes. Clearly intrigued by the so-called Challenge Hall, he immediately turned and headed out.
"Hey, Classmate Yan, where are you going?" Ding Wuming asked, following behind.
"To challenge!"
"Are your injuries healed?"
...
While the new students were still familiarizing themselves with the campus environment, the senior students had already started their regular classes.
Before class began, the teacher scanned the classroom, his gaze landing on a certain student in the back row. He said with unclear intent, "Elective course selection starts early next month. I hope certain students don't think they can exploit the credit loophole for two semesters and continue promoting this kind of behavior. Let me give you the bottom line: the school administration is already discussing ways to reform the credit system."
"Why doesn't he just call you out by name?" Jiang Hong crossed his hands lazily behind his head, leaning against the wall, speaking to Zuo Luohuan beside him.
Zuo Luohuan twirled a pen between her fingers, tapping it idly on the desk, clearly having no intention of replying to Jiang Hong. Her gaze fell on the person with the ramrod straight back in the front row. Her eyes slid down from his clean, slender nape, following the lines of his black uniform. Although everyone wore the same uniform, the one on the person in front seemed darker, more appealing. Only after a moment did she realize it was because the skin exposed at his nape was exceptionally fair.
She couldn't see much further down, blocked by the student sitting behind him.
Zuo Luohuan withdrew her gaze, somewhat disinterested, and turned her head to ask, "Isn't his coming-of-age ceremony soon?"
"Whose?" Jiang Hong replied instinctively. Realizing whose direction Zuo Luohuan's gaze had swept, he suddenly understood. "Ji Yuezhi? It's on the twenty-eighth of this month. The Ji family will definitely hold a grand celebration, but..."
Jiang Hong added with considerable schadenfreude, "He's about to come of age, but he still hasn't successfully differentiated. Isn't the Ji family nervous about throwing such a big coming-of-age ceremony?"
"Even before differentiating, he managed to kick Xiang Chengping down. What does the Ji family have to be nervous about?" Zuo Luohuan lowered her eyes, staring at the pen between her fingers. After a moment, she used her other hand to take the pen and set it down.
"You're not often at school, but you know quite a bit," Jiang Hong muttered upon hearing this.
Xiang Chengping was the previous head of the Disciplinary Committee, ranked third on the Red List and second on the Alpha list, one spot ahead of Jiang Hong. He rarely managed the Disciplinary Committee, which was a mess before Ji Yuezhi took over.
"That's all for this class. Certain students had better restrain themselves a little," the teacher remarked again before leaving.
After the teacher left, the students also began to leave, discussing the elective courses starting next month.
Ji Yuezhi packed his things and was about to leave when someone blocked his path.
The well-tailored black uniform fit his tall, lean body perfectly, every button fastened neatly. Only the skin of his neck was exposed at the collar. Seen up close, it appeared even colder, paler, and more delicate.
"What did you give me for my coming-of-age ceremony?" Zuo Luohuan stood before Ji Yuezhi, looking him over before raising an eyebrow. "I hear Classmate Ji's ceremony is approaching. I should return the favor."
Ji Yuezhi's eyes were cold. "As you wish." With that, he directly bypassed Zuo Luohuan and left the classroom.
Jiang Hong, following behind, clicked his tongue a few times watching his retreating figure. "Just yesterday, the Winter Army and the Seventeenth Army finished fighting over the year's military machinery, and today you two are already confronting each other. But what gift did he give you last year?"
"Don't know." Zuo Luohuan reached into her pocket, fumbling for her cigarette case, looking thoughtful. "I haven't seen my coming-of-age gift yet."
...
The new students at the First Military Academy were all eagerly anticipating the rumored challenge, wanting to witness Zuo Luohuan's strength. Yet, two weeks into the term, there was still no activity in the Challenge Hall.
"I heard Zuo Luohuan was warned by the teachers, so she's not planning to earn credits and skip class anymore."
"Really? She wouldn't listen to the teachers that easily, would she?"
"Zuo Luohuan hasn't even been to the Challenge Hall this semester."
The Challenge Hall was bustling with people, and most discussions revolved around Zuo Luohuan. But soon, the voices gradually died down as everyone's gaze shifted to the entrance: ...Zuo Luohuan had arrived.
The silence lasted only a moment. After Zuo Luohuan entered, the entire Challenge Hall erupted. Everyone naturally assumed she was there to take on another big match and earn credits.
"I want to challenge you!" Before anyone else could react, Yan Yan stepped forward, standing before Zuo Luohuan. His eyes burned with intense excitement. Over the past few days, he had fought his way up from an initial 5 credits to about a hundred, and his confidence had become highly inflated.
"You?" Zuo Luohuan's gaze swept over his left leg and right hand, then she suddenly smiled. "Not worthy yet."
"Worthy or not, we'll know after we fight!" Yan Yan threw his credits into the challenge pool and charged forward.
The smile hadn't faded from Zuo Luohuan's face. She took a step back, dodging Yan Yan's attack, her hands remaining still.
Seeing her retreat, Yan Yan's confidence surged. Zuo Luohuan wasn't all that...
His vision blurred, and he felt extreme pain in his jaw, almost biting off his own tongue. Zuo Luohuan had raised her knee and struck his chin.
"You!" A sudden chill ran down Yan Yan's spine; it was his Alpha instincts warning him of danger. However, before he could retreat, Zuo Luohuan closed in and kicked, breaking his right leg.
Fury rising, Yan Yan gritted his teeth, propped himself up on his other leg, and lunged towards Zuo Luohuan with both hands, trying to bring her down. But just before he was kicked again, he heard a light, dismissive scoff: "You're still not good enough."
Then, his left hand was stomped on and broken.
Zuo Luohuan glanced at the crowd. "I'm looking for someone. Don't bother me." With that, she headed towards the second floor.
Yan Yan lay sprawled on the ground, pounding the floor fiercely with his remaining good hand. From start to finish, Zuo Luohuan hadn't moved her upper body, defeating him using only one leg.
"You're quite the first." Ding Wuming came over and helped Yan Yan up. "Ji Yuezhi broke your left leg and right arm, Zuo Luohuan broke your right leg and left arm."
Yan Yan: "..."
"By the way, since you challenged without consent, Zuo Luohuan didn't take your credits either," Ding Wuming patted Yan Yan's shoulder. "According to Challenge Hall rules, all the credits you earned here are wiped clean."
Yan Yan: "..."
"Classmate Yan, you really should understand the school rules before acting."
Second floor, boxing room.
Just as Zuo Luohuan pushed the door open, a boxing glove flew towards her. She caught it and stepped inside. "Need to talk to you."
Jiang Hong looked up, tossed the other glove onto the floor, and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from his face. "I was wondering who came in. Just smashed my optical computer. What do you need?"
"I need to make a trip to the Armament Database." Zuo Luohuan tossed the glove back to him.
"If you want to go, just go. You need me to accompany you?" Jiang Hong caught the glove with a smile, but seeing her expression, he suddenly fell silent. After a moment, he asked, "What do you mean?"
Zuo Luohuan sat down nonchalantly. "The twenty-eighth is a good day."
"..." Jiang Hong stared at her. "You want to sneak in?"
Zuo Luohuan turned her head to look at him. "Can't I?"
The boxing room was quiet enough to hear breathing. Jiang Hong suddenly asked, "Have you decided what gift to give Ji Yuezhi?"
Zuo Luohuan smiled. "Haven't decided yet."
She didn't stay long in the boxing room before Jiang Hong kicked her out. Zuo Luohuan didn't mind and headed back towards her dormitory.
She was alone in her room, a single room specially assigned by the school. Not just her; the top ten students entering the First Military Academy each year received single rooms.
Zuo Luohuan leaned against the wall, pulling a cigarette from her pocket. She lit it, took a few drags, the rising smoke hazy, almost blurring her features. After a while, she took off her uniform jacket, revealing a large red patch on the white shirt underneath. Unbuttoning the shirt, the gauze on her abdomen was already soaked through.
Tsk, troublesome.
Zuo Luohuan, cigarette dangling from her lips, reached over and opened a drawer, rummaging inside for gauze. Only then did she undo the wet gauze on her abdomen, revealing several wounds so deep the bone was visible. She reapplied medicine before putting on fresh gauze.
After changing into a clean uniform, Zuo Luohuan's expression returned to normal, indistinguishable from usual if one ignored the faint sheen of sweat on her temples.
She stayed in her room for a long time. Then, as if remembering something, Zuo Luohuan finally got up and headed off campus.
The First Military Academy only opened its gates on weekends. Unless one had a leave slip, exiting was impossible. Too lazy to ask a teacher for leave, Zuo Luohuan headed straight for the perimeter wall, planning to find a spot and simply climb over.
Just as she reached the corner of the wall, before she could climb out, a clear, cold voice sounded from behind her.
"Climbing the wall to skip class, deduct 5 points."
Zuo Luohuan turned around and, sure enough, saw Ji Yuezhi standing there, his dark eyes fixed on her.
Ji Yuezhi walked towards her. When only a few steps separated them, he suddenly frowned and added, "Smoking on campus, deduct 2 points."
"Did Classmate Ji see me smoking on campus?"
"I smelled it."
Zuo Luohuan suddenly stepped forward, leaning towards Ji Yuezhi. Just as their faces were about to touch, she tilted her head close to his ear. "How do you know this isn't my pheromones?"
Before Ji Yuezhi could react, Zuo Luohuan stepped back, turned, and instantly vaulted over the wall, leaving behind a parting shot: "Deduct whatever points you want. I still have plenty."
Ji Yuezhi stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the ground. After a long moment, he seemed to murmur to himself, "...I know it's not."
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