SCOM - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Seven days had long passed. Yan Yan had the invitation letter and wanted to give it to Zuo Luohuan, but he just couldn't find an opportunity. He didn't have her contact information, and it seemed she had completely forgotten about the matter.

When a teacher finally rescheduled a class, Yan Yan seized the opportunity and ran to the combat department. Zuo Luohuan's class schedule had been published long ago, so he knew she had a class there today.

Yan Yan hurried all the way, only to see Jiang Hong, who was often by Zuo Luohuan's side, leaving the building from a distance. Their class was already over!

Yan Yan hesitated for a moment before giving up on chasing Jiang Hong. He continued toward the combat department building, thinking that perhaps Zuo Luohuan hadn't come out yet.

His gamble paid off. He had just climbed two flights of stairs when he ran right into Zuo Luohuan coming down. The moment she saw him, she raised an eyebrow slightly. "Looking for me?"

Yan Yan didn't move any closer, stopping at the turn of the stairwell. He took the invitation letter from his pocket. "I signed it a few days ago. I haven't been able to contact you."

Zuo Luohuan walked down, reached out to take it, and looked down at the now much smoother invitation letter. She chuckled. "I forgot."

She put the invitation away and looked up. "Let's exchange contact info first, so this doesn't happen next time."

Yan Yan immediately saved her contact number, then watched as Zuo Luohuan continued down the stairs. "..."

In the end, he couldn't hold back and called out, "Zuo... Senior, is that it?"

He'd written his name on the invitation and handed it over, and that was it? Yan Yan had thought she would at least tell him where this 'Disciplinary Committee' was, what it did, and who else was in it. None of that was explained.

Zuo Luohuan turned back, waving the com-link on her wrist. "I'll contact you if anything comes up."

Back in her dorm, Zuo Luohuan lay down to rest, but only closed her eyes to recuperate. Kang Guang's blows had been heavy, and the spot where she was hit was still numb. Coupled with the incessant pain in her head, she couldn't fall asleep at all.

At one in the afternoon, she had Jia Hailan's command class. At this time of day, basically only the command department had classes. It was said that this was because people were often drowsy at this hour, and the instructors hoped the students could still think clearly under such conditions.

...

The moment she walked into the classroom and saw the back of Ji Yuezhi, Zuo Luohuan recalled what Jiang Hong had said that day. She couldn't help but glance at his waist. Even without touching it, she knew it was far from stiff and that he had no need for yoga classes.

The person in front of her seemed to sense her gaze from behind and suddenly turned his head, his eyes cold.

Zuo Luohuan met Ji Yuezhi's eyes without flinching. Instead, she curled her lips into a smile and even greeted him, "Classmate Ji, good afternoon."

The distance between the front row and the back row separated them. Ji Yuezhi's gaze swept over her face before he quickly looked away, not replying.

Zuo Luohuan usually liked to sit in the last row. Today, perhaps because the pain was making her irritable and the medicine from Fang Yong wasn't working, she was provoked by his coldness. Or perhaps it was the memory of that night's faintly sweet iris scent, damp and misty from mixing with her own pheromones. She strode to the very front row and brazenly sat down to Ji Yuezhi's right.

Hearing the sound of the adjacent seat being lowered, Ji Yuezhi's brow furrowed slightly. He suppressed the rapid rhythm in his heart: Why... did she sit here?

Though irritable from the pain, Zuo Luohuan still wore a faint smile. Propping her cheek on one hand, she asked, "Classmate Ji, what made you suddenly decide to take a yoga class?"

At this, the other students in the classroom perked up, their ears pricked, waiting: Damn, that's Zuo Luohuan for you, asking him directly to his face.

Ji Yuezhi's fingertips, resting by his leg, twitched slightly. As if he had only just heard Zuo Luohuan's voice, he lifted his gaze, his eyes inadvertently sliding over her lips. They were paler than usual. Her injury... hasn't healed yet?

He had checked. He Yue had used a standard gun that night. Even if it had pierced her body, it should have been mostly healed by now, unless she had been injured again.

The thought of this possibility stirred an inexplicable feeling of displeasure in Ji Yuezhi. He replied coolly, "What does it have to do with you?"

Zuo Luohuan continued to watch him, her face propped on her hand, her eyes deep and unfocused. She suddenly dropped her hand and leaned closer to Ji Yuezhi, her voice low and ambiguous. "...Our Yuezhi shouldn't need to learn yoga."

As she spoke, she deliberately glanced down at his waist.

This immediately made Ji Yuezhi recall the night of his coming-of-age ceremony, the scene of her holding him down on the bed, coaxing him to let go, and then fetching the syringe, her eyes lowered in concentration as she administered the shot.

His fingertips, hanging by his side, were now digging tightly into his palm. Ji Yuezhi used all his willpower to suppress the rising heat and maintain his usual expression.

He couldn't show any abnormality in front of Zuo Luohuan, at least not now.

Zuo Luohuan's provocative words meant she still saw him as an equal rival, that she hadn't fully, or wasn't yet accustomed to, seeing him as an Omega.

If he reacted wrongly now, Zuo Luohuan would realize it and would likely retract her provocations immediately, treating him from then on with a politeness so flawless it would be impenetrable.

Ji Yuezhi had long seen how Zuo Luohuan treated other Omegas with polite courtesy and respectful distance.

He wanted to be the most special Omega in her heart, and nothing was more special than a rival—someone who could make Zuo Luohuan inadvertently forget all those polite conventions just to provoke him.

In Zuo Luohuan's eyes, Ji Yuezhi's expression was still frosty, his gaze cold as it swept over her. But a rebellious urge rose in her, and just as she was about to lean in closer to provoke him further, Jia Hailan walked into the classroom.

The cadets in the classroom instantly fell silent, sitting up straight and looking at the instructor, waiting for the class to begin.

"For this class, I'd like you all to divide into two sides. One will play the Gashiro Empire, and the other will play the Yunzhong Army." Jia Hailan waved his hand, and distinct red and blue simulation zones appeared in the classroom. "Today, this will be your command battlefield."

The entire classroom was divided down the middle by a large virtual screen, which happened to separate Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi. Between them, two massive screens displayed neat arrays of light dots representing the armies.

"The students on the left will be the Gashiro Empire's command group, and the students on the right will be the Federation's Yunzhong Army. You each have twenty thousand soldiers at your disposal." Jia Hailan zoomed in on a location. "The scenario is that the Gashiro Empire wants to capture Yundong Military Academy, and the Yunzhong Army must arrive in time to defend the academy. There are no reinforcements."

The Federation's five regions had a total of four military academies. The Northern Region had the Northern Military Academy. The Southwest regions were weaker in resources and shared a single United Military Academy. The First Military Academy was in the Central Region, and Yundong Military Academy was the best in the Federation's Eastern Region.

The largest army group in the Eastern Region was the Yunzhong Army, the very same army Jia Hailan had once commanded.

Now, Ji Yuezhi and the students on the left were playing the Gashiro Empire's command group, while Zuo Luohuan and the students on the right were the Yunzhong Army's command group, each with twenty thousand soldiers to command.

"This scenario looks a bit familiar."

"Of course it does. The Gashiro Empire really did make a move on Yundong Military Academy once. They wanted to capture the cadets to threaten the Yunzhong Army, but reinforcements from the Eastern Region arrived later."

The discussions in the classroom grew louder. Some students recounted the past war as if they knew it by heart. At that time, the Gashiro Empire had colluded with internal traitors, brazenly bypassing the Eastern Region's defense line with twenty thousand troops to rush Yundong Military Academy, intending to wipe out the young cadets in one fell swoop and sever the Eastern Region's future.

In reality, the Yunzhong Army had managed to muster fewer than ten thousand soldiers at the time. But in the end, Yundong Military Academy remained unharmed because the Northern Region's Winter Army arrived in time and successfully repelled the Gashiro forces.

However, on the simulation screen now, the Gashiro Empire's army had not bypassed the Eastern Region's defense line, giving the Yunzhong Army a chance to fight back.

The classroom was noisy, with everyone discussing methods of attack or defense. Zuo Luohuan grew impatient with the chatter. Though it didn't show on her face, her eyes held a dark glint. She didn't join the discussion, remaining seated and watching Ji Yuezhi, who had stood up and was now in front of the screen, with others gathering around him to discuss strategy.

Ji Xixiu was skilled at command. It was only natural that Ji Yuezhi inherited this talent.

It was a well-known fact that Ji Yuezhi was handsome; otherwise, he wouldn't have so many admirers at the First Military Academy. Even just standing and discussing with others, he was simply more dazzling than those beside him.

Zuo Luohuan stared at him, somewhat lost in thought. By the time she snapped out of it, their defense line had already failed. Ji Yuezhi had led the Gashiro Empire successfully into the Eastern Region.

Just then, someone came over to ask for Zuo Luohuan's opinion. How should they fight back?

Zuo Luohuan glanced at the light dots on the screen. They hadn't seized their only chance; the Yunzhong Army had already missed its best opportunity. She said nonchalantly, "The Gashiro army is already in the Eastern Region. Without reinforcements, if the Yunzhong Army's twenty thousand soldiers want to save Yundong Military Academy, they can only plug the gap with their lives."

She suggested the Yunzhong Army take the shortest and most perilous route.

"That's not wise. If we go that way, we'll be mostly depleted before we even arrive. Facing the Gashiro army then would be a suicide mission," someone disagreed.

"But if we don't go now, the people at Yundong Military Academy are finished," someone else agreed with Zuo Luohuan. They had no other choice.

As Zuo Luohuan listened to her side bicker, she suddenly sensed something and looked up to see Ji Yuezhi looking right at her. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, but he quickly turned his gaze back to the command screen.

In the end, the cadets on the right flank followed Zuo Luohuan's suggestion and chose the shortest, most perilous route. But just as predicted, by the time they reached Yundong Military Academy, the health bars of their light dots were mostly depleted. Against the Gashiro forces, it was a complete defeat.

Jia Hailan looked at the final result and said gently, "The Gashiro Empire wins this round."

He stood at the podium and pointed out the problems with the right flank's command one by one. "The battlefield is ever-changing, but sometimes, once you miss the initial opportunity, it's very difficult to recover. When you make decisions, you must be fast and precise. You cannot be indecisive."

The left side had Ji Yuezhi devising their strategy, accurately seizing the opportunity when it appeared, and they won beautifully. However, Jia Hailan still critiqued some of the suggestions made earlier by other students.

"Next class, I will discuss examples of winning with fewer numbers," Jia Hailan reminded them gently. "You can all gather materials in advance and do some reading."

Once the instructor left, most of the students dispersed. Ji Yuezhi returned to his desk, gathered his books, and said indifferently, "Did you come back to class just to daydream?"

Zuo Luohuan was still sitting beside him. Hearing this, she leaned back and looked up at him. "Are you concerned about me, or... does the Disciplinary Committee also manage daydreaming in class?"

Ji Yuezhi met her eyes, then finally bent down, picked up his bag, and turned to leave.

"Ji Yuezhi," Zuo Luohuan suddenly called out to him. "The light dots can only simulate soldiers, but they are never real soldiers. They have no conviction."

This was a hint.

Ji Yuezhi's steps faltered. He pressed his lips together to hide the slight curve that threatened to form, and then left.

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