SCOM - Chapter 21
Chapter 21
On Saturday, Yan Yan finally received a notification from Zuo Luohuan: ten o'clock at night, the old Weapons Development Department building.
The First Military Academy had many old buildings. They weren't used for teaching, and the school hadn't demolished them, only using them to store teaching equipment. The old Weapons Development Department building was one of them.
It was already nine o'clock when Yan Yan received the message. He had just come from the Challenge Hall. After a period of hard work earning credits, he had finally pulled himself back from the brink of expulsion.
He was originally heading back to his dormitory, but he turned on his heel and walked toward the old Weapons Development Department building.
Few students usually came here, and on a Saturday night, it was even more deserted. Even the streetlights on both sides were dim and shadowy, casting an overly faint yellow glow. But Yan Yan wasn't afraid. On Xijiang Exile Star, the pitch-black, lightless roads at night were far more terrifying than this. Besides, this was the First Military Academy.
He arrived a little after nine but saw no one. It wasn't until it was nearly ten that Zuo Luohuan slowly approached from the other end.
Seeing Yan Yan at the entrance, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "Why didn't you go in?"
"Ten o'clock at night, the old Weapons Development Department building. It didn't say which classroom," Yan Yan said in a gruff voice.
Zuo Luohuan raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think to go in and take a look beforehand?"
This Yan Yan was very interesting. When they first met, he had been brazenly breaking rules at the school gate, even striking a senior student. He looked like a brawny, brainless Alpha. But looking at the various details, he was not crude or reckless.
The crumpled invitation had been returned smoothed out after being in Yan Yan's hands, showing he paid more attention to detail than one might think. He was also cautious, not rashly entering the old building, but simply waiting for her here.
And yet, he was also the type to provoke the Disciplinary Committee at the school gate and challenge Zuo Luohuan in the Challenge Hall, all in full public view. The look on his face at the time couldn't be faked; he genuinely meant to do it.
...This was a smart person.
The two entered the old building, one after the other. Inside, the facilities were merely old, not much different from a regular academic building. However, after Zuo Luohuan led Yan Yan into a classroom on the first floor, this perception immediately changed.
Zuo Luohuan raised her hand and pressed a spot on the wall. A light screen appeared. She placed her palm on it, and the floor in the center of the classroom suddenly opened, revealing a staircase within.
"Come over here." Zuo Luohuan moved aside slightly. "Press your hand on it, so you can get in by yourself next time."
It was time to register his fingerprint.
Yan Yan did as he was told, registering his fingerprint and entering his name within a minute.
"Let's go." Zuo Luohuan turned and headed down the underground staircase.
Yan Yan followed, observing the surroundings from behind. The underground stairs were made of ordinary steel, the paint on the surface worn away. After walking for less than two minutes, they reached the bottom.
There was another door.
This time, it required not only a fingerprint but also facial recognition.
As soon as the door opened, various sounds spilled out, along with red and green lights. For a moment, Yan Yan thought he had walked into a bar.
The moment they entered, the door closed behind them, sealing the inside from the outside world.
"Oh, a new person has arrived!"
"Did Zuo Luohuan bring them?"
...
Once inside, Yan Yan realized it wasn't a bar party. Someone was engrossed in repairing something, which was the source of the red and green lights. Another group was gathered around, cheering on a fight.
The most crucial thing was that a person was currently shouldering a cannon, and it was aimed right at his face.
Yan Yan cautiously shuffled to the side, but the mouth of the cannon followed his movement. "..."
"Don't be nervous. Today is our Disciplinary Committee's welcoming party. There are plenty of other newcomers like you," the person on the other end of the cannon said enthusiastically. Yan Yan would have been happier if it wasn't aimed at his face.
Zuo Luohuan casually pulled over a battered chair and sat down. "Guan Xue, put that thing down before you talk."
"Oh, I almost forgot. Don't worry, it's not loaded." Guan Xue tossed the cannon onto the floor and grinned warmly at Yan Yan. "Since you're here, you get to experience our welcoming party's tradition."
Yan Yan was waiting for her to continue, but instead, he was met with a group of people surrounding him and starting a fight.
"!"
Over half an hour later, a dozen or so newcomers stood side by side, their faces bruised and swollen.
"Aiya, you guys are no good," someone said critically. "When Zuo Luohuan joined last year, she beat us all up. You're a bit lacking."
The newcomers looked like they wanted to speak but held back. They had come here to find out what this so-called 'Disciplinary Committee' was all about. As it turned out, it seemed more like a 'Lunatic Committee'!
Although Yan Yan ached all over from the beating, the brawl had given him a chance to get a good look at the place. It was filled with piles of dismantled weapons, like someone's personal workshop.
Guan Xue sat on her cannon, resting her chin in her hand. "Stop letting your eyes wander. Since you're here, you're one of us in the Disciplinary Committee, and you should know what we do."
Initially, there was only one Disciplinary Committee, where teachers selected the best fighters among the military students to suppress other unruly cadets. However, the most unruly individuals were often within the Disciplinary Committee itself. As the best fighters and the most rebellious, the school granted them special privileges to appease them. But this group was too effective and too conspicuous, easily arousing student dissatisfaction. Gradually, they were separated and moved underground.
The Disciplinary Committee that operates in broad daylight is now responsible for managing the daily regulations for military students. As for their group...
"Although the Gashiro Empire hasn't launched a major war in recent years, they've been constantly sending people to infiltrate our Federation, especially the military academies." Guan Xue, having procured a knife from somewhere, was now carefully trimming her nails with it. "Our mission is to root out these people from among the student body."
"What if someone from Gashiro infiltrates our ranks?" a newcomer asked.
"That's a good question." Guan Xue tucked the knife into her military boot, stretched, and tried to lean against Zuo Luohuan's leg.
Before she could get close, Zuo Luohuan blocked her with her foot. She gave Guan Xue a slight smile. "Get lost."
"I know I'm just a Beta, not worthy of you," Guan Xue said, feigning a pitiful look, still trying to get closer.
Zuo Luohuan ignored her and addressed the newcomers, "We are a mechanism within the school, but the Federation also has the Scavenger Army."
"There are weapons here that can be used in an emergency." Guan Xue stopped trying to cling to Zuo Luohuan and said seriously, "There's another level below, a training ground. You can come practice when you have time."
Before leaving, Yan Yan asked Zuo Luohuan, "Are we the Scavenger Army reserves?"
Zuo Luohuan raised an eyebrow. "We are just students of the First Military Academy. We have no connection to the Scavenger Army."
After the newcomers had left, Guan Xue hugged her cannon. "I'm exhausted. My mouth is sore from talking all day."
"Aren't you being a bit of an alarmist?" The person who had been tinkering with the red and green thing looked up at Zuo Luohuan.
If Ji Yuezhi were here right now, he would definitely recognize this person as the flyer guy from the school gate on the first day.
"Recruiting so many new people, splitting them into different gathering points, and keeping the newcomers from knowing each other." Qian Mao thought about Zuo Luohuan's actions. It was overly cautious. Moreover, she had also recruited many who clearly weren't destined for the combat track, like himself.
In Qian Mao's view, the original nature of just rooting out Gashiro spies had changed. Zuo Luohuan seemed to be preparing for other situations. Perhaps they would only be at the First Military Academy for four years before graduating, but once something was started, there would naturally be others to take over.
"The history of Yundong Military Academy's near destruction still stands." Zuo Luohuan lowered her eyes. "If they had been able to resist back then, it wouldn't have been necessary for the Winter Army to come."
Many people only knew that Yundong Military Academy was saved and the eastern defense line was restored, but they didn't know how many lives the Winter Army lost by diverting personnel to provide support.
Since she had taken over, she naturally had to do it well, especially since the school had given her free rein.
"I'm heading back first. I have things to do tomorrow." Zuo Luohuan stood up.
"Oh, right. I heard Chairman Zuo is returning to the Northern Region." Guan Xue hugged her cannon affectionately and asked Zuo Luohuan, "There's a farewell banquet tomorrow. Can I go and freeload?"
"I want to go too!" Qian Mao immediately raised his hand, all traces of his earlier seriousness gone.
"Suit yourselves."
The Zuo family held a farewell banquet, and many people attended. Most of them were 'sincerely' seeing him off. For every day Zuo Dihong remained in the capital, a low-pressure system seemed to hang over the city. No one knew when they might fall into his hands. With his return to the Northern Region, many people were just short of setting off firecrackers at home to celebrate.
Zuo Luohuan had been dragged out of bed by her mother early this morning to stand at the door and greet guests. The morning was almost over, and her face was stiff from smiling.
Tsk, there was even a rose pinned to her chest. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was having a wedding today.
When Ji Yuezhi arrived with his parents, the guests had almost all arrived. He saw that person standing at the entrance, head lowered, impatiently fiddling with the rose on her chest.
Mrs. Zuo loved roses and decorated every banquet with them, so naturally, she wouldn't miss the opportunity to adorn her own daughter.
Ji Yuezhi trailed behind his parents, slowly walking to the entrance. His steps paused slightly. In front of Zuo Luohuan, his gaze fell unabashedly on the rose on her chest. With that clear, cool voice of his, he said, "Nice flower. It suits you."
Though the words were fine, paired with his cold and aloof face, Zuo Luohuan couldn't help but hear a hint of mockery.
"I think this flower suits you better."
When it came to provoking people, Ji Yuezhi's skills were still a bit lacking.
Zuo Luohuan pulled the rose from her chest and leaned forward slightly. The moment she raised her hand, Ji Yuezhi reacted, reaching out to block her, but she firmly held his hand with her other one. She successfully tucked the rose behind Ji Yuezhi's ear and asked in a low voice, "How about we give this flower to our Yuezhi?"
With one of his hands held by her, Zuo Luohuan practically pressed against and half-embraced him to prevent him from using his other hand to remove the flower.
"Oh, my God!" Qian Mao, seeing the ambiguous embrace between the two at the door from a distance, covered his eyes with his splayed fingers. "What are they doing?"
Guan Xue, on the other hand, clutched her chest. "I never thought my rival would be an Alpha!"
"A reminder, Ji Yuezhi has now differentiated into an Omega," Qian Mao said helpfully.
"So that's how it is!" Guan Xue looked even more 'heartbroken.' "Zuo Luohuan really does prefer sweet and soft Omegas after all."
Qian Mao squinted at Ji Yuezhi in the distance. Sweet and soft? He doesn't look it.
"Let go." Ji Yuezhi hadn't expected her to do this. He spoke only after a moment of stunned silence.
Being so close, Zuo Luohuan seemed to smell that iris scent again. For a moment, she regretted her actions, but looking closely at Ji Yuezhi with the flower behind his ear, she found she didn't really want him to take it off.
"It really is beautiful," Zuo Luohuan said, then slowly and deliberately let him go. But just before releasing him, her fingertips casually brushed along the tip of Ji Yuezhi's ear.
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