SCOM - Chapter 23
Chapter 23
On Friday afternoon, the list of thirty-seven candidate military students was compiled. Starting Saturday until Sunday evening, thirty would be eliminated within two days, leaving the remaining seven winners eligible to represent the First Military Academy in the drill.
Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi were both on the list. This time, the anonymous forum surprisingly didn't buzz with hopes of seeing them face off. After all, the Federal Military Academy Drill was an external competition against other academies. Having another strong student increased the chances of winning.
[Our First Military Academy has won two consecutive times already, one more win makes it three!]
[But this time it's half a year early, and the other two academies prepared earlier than us. Winning this time might be tough.]
[Isn't Zuo Luohuan participating? Say what you will, she can definitely fight.]
[Exactly, and we have Senior Ji too!]
Zuo Luohuan never cared about the forum discussions. Right now, she was standing in front of her dorm mirror, lifting her shirt. The wound near her ribs was mostly healed, leaving only a few long, light pink scars.
Zuo Luohuan lowered her eyes, bit the corner of her shirt, dipped her finger in ointment, and casually smeared it on the scars.
Even though the ointment only felt slightly warm, her face remained pale. For a moment, she lost control of the pain, her hand suddenly pressing hard against the mirror opposite her.
Zuo Luohuan rested her forehead on her raised arm, her shirt corner long since released. She stared blankly at the ground, seemingly seeing nothing, only the mirror beneath her arm cracking outwards.
...
The next day, Saturday morning, the thirty-seven candidate military students gathered at the school gate. The instructors were already waiting.
The military drill selection was a major event for both the school and the students. Before the designated assembly time, almost all students had arrived.
"Thirty-six out of thirty-seven are here." Bai Feng scanned the students opposite him. "Zuo Luohuan isn't here."
Kang Guang grinned grimly. "She's just in her dorm. I'll go drag her out!"
"Assembly time is eight o'clock. It's only seven-thirty now," Jia Hailan said gently. "Let's wait here."
Finally, nearing eight o'clock, Zuo Luohuan arrived leisurely, slowly putting on her military uniform as she walked, showing no sign of hurry.
Kang Guang: "..." This student looked like she desperately needed a beating!
"Everyone's here, let's go." Jia Hailan had all the students board the vehicle.
They were taking these thirty-seven candidate military students to the trial grounds. Within two days, seven participants for the military drill would be selected.
"Are you alright?" Jiang Hong fell behind, standing beside Zuo Luohuan, asking in a low voice.
Her complexion today, while not great, was better than the past few days.
Zuo Luohuan fastened the last button on her jacket. "Alright."
Hearing her confirmation, Jiang Hong felt relieved. Fang Yong did have some skills.
The vehicle's interior was simple, just two long benches along the sides, with handrails at intervals for gripping. The thirty-seven students sat inside, while the instructors were in another vehicle.
After boarding, Zuo Luohuan's gaze inevitably fell on the opposite row, recognizing several people. Guan Xue and Qian Mao were there; the latter was likely recommended by a Weapons Development instructor. Yan Yan was also there, probably hadn't fought less these days, his face still bruised.
Finally, her gaze swept over Ji Yuezhi at the end of the row. He looked sideways towards the front of the vehicle, one hand raised gripping the green handrail, his posture straight, completely unaffected by the swaying surroundings.
The vehicle was completely enclosed, windowless. They couldn't see outside, naturally unaware of their destination.
After a while, a colorless, odorless anesthetic gas quietly filled the vehicle. Before most realized, the majority of the thirty-seven students collapsed, only a few with stronger constitutions still holding on.
The vehicle was sealed, with vents in every corner, conveniently delivering the anesthetic gas.
Ji Yuezhi had been observing from the start. Even knowing something was wrong now, he didn't react, assuming the instructors released the gas, likely wanting them unconscious for a period.
The anesthetic gas was potent. After most had fainted, Ji Yuezhi held on for a while, but his vision began to blur. Before closing his eyes, he subconsciously looked towards the person at the end of the opposite row, slightly startled: she was leaning against the vehicle wall, seemingly looking back at him.
Ji Yuezhi didn't get a clear look before his eyes closed heavily, slumping inwards.
Anesthetics, when used frequently, tend to lose effectiveness, especially on Zuo Luohuan. This concentration of anesthetic gas had almost no effect on her. She watched Ji Yuezhi at the far end opposite her close his eyes. Because he fainted suddenly, his fringe was slightly messy. Only then did the usual coldness surrounding him dissipate, his refined, clean face looking somewhat more obedient.
There were surveillance cameras inside the vehicle; the instructors must be watching their movements. Zuo Luohuan shifted her gaze away, finally closing her eyes like the others, slumping to the side.
...
When they opened their eyes again, everyone found themselves alone, with only a backpack and a signal gun beside them.
[Bzzt—]
A sound came from above. The dazed students got up, searching for the source, finally realizing it was static from a loudspeaker.
The static lasted a while before someone finally spoke. It was Instructor Jia!
[Beside each of you is a randomly distributed backpack and a signal gun. Firing the signal gun means elimination. The competition ends tomorrow at 5 PM. Those still holding a signal gun win. The number of signal guns must be less than or equal to seven. One extra, and everyone is eliminated. A new candidate list will be drawn up next week.]
The broadcast repeated only once, then silence. No further instructions from the instructors.
Apparently, those were all the requirements.
While the broadcast played, Ji Yuezhi scanned his surroundings. He was clearly inside an abandoned building, currently alone. He secured the signal gun and bent down to check the backpack's contents.
A compressed biscuit, a dagger, and a coil of rope.
The contents of the random bag weren't bad. Ji Yuezhi zipped up the backpack, stood in a corner observing downwards for a long time, then silently left the building.
In contrast, Zuo Luohuan's luck wasn't as good.
Although the anesthetic couldn't knock her out, she hadn't planned on peeking. Besides, after being carried down, they had black hoods placed over their heads, obscuring their view.
Zuo Luohuan deliberately didn't observe her surroundings until she was thrown into the bushes, waiting a calculated time before 'waking up'.
After the broadcast ended, she opened the backpack beside her. Inside was a pack of condoms, a toy knife, and a small iron pot.
"..."
None of the useful items were there. Did the person who packed this bag have a grudge against her?
According to the broadcast, they had to make others' signal guns fire. Fights were likely to break out soon.
Zuo Luohuan had just stood up, not even picking up the bag, when someone charged from behind, aiming straight for a chokehold, trying to snatch the signal gun at her waist.
All thirty-seven students wore identical black uniforms. Someone unfamiliar with Zuo Luohuan might not recognize her just from the back. But the moment the student's hand wrapped around her shoulder, they saw the person facing away turn their head sideways.
It was Zuo Luohuan!
"Who recommended this one?" Kang Guang watched the attacking student's pupils shrink and spat, "Scared already."
"Me," Bai Feng said. "This person is a student from the Weapons Development Department, skilled in firearm assembly."
Inside the surveillance video, Zuo Luohuan didn't even blink faster. Exploiting the opponent's attack posture, she grabbed his hand and threw him out.
"Where's the signal gun?"
Zuo Luohuan stepped forward and searched the person thoroughly, finding no trace of a signal gun.
"Guess?" The opponent saw Zuo Luohuan rummaging through his backpack and immediately tried to flee.
Zuo Luohuan emptied the backpack's contents. Good grief, even worse luck than her. Inside was only a brick and a wilted flower. She suspected the instructor had just grabbed random trash from the roadside.
By the time she stood up, the opponent had already run far off. Zuo Luohuan didn't care; there was still plenty of time.
"He hid the signal gun?" He Yue frowned. "If everyone hides them like this, this kind of selection is meaningless. The trial grounds are too large."
"Wait and see," Bai Feng said, his gaze fixed on the fleeing student.
Less than ten minutes later, the first eliminated person appeared on the trial grounds.
The student whose name was called was the same one who had just escaped from Zuo Luohuan. Hearing his name, he froze, searched everywhere for a surveillance camera, and asked why.
[There's a constantly lit green light on the signal gun you hold. If the person and the gun are separated by more than a hundred meters, the green light turns into a flashing red light, automatically eliminating you.]
It was Instructor Bai Feng's voice; the signal gun was likely his handiwork too.
"Shameless! Why didn't you remind us at the beginning?"
A student cursed under their breath somewhere in the trial grounds, quickly digging out their signal gun and carrying it with them.
The trial grounds weren't excessively large. The instructors wouldn't have placed them too far apart. By afternoon, the initial probing ended, and signal flares began lighting up the sky one after another.
Zuo Luohuan had no weapon. She broke off a branch, planning to go 'rob' someone; she hadn't eaten yet.
A fired signal gun inevitably revealed one's location. Zuo Luohuan headed towards the nearest signal flare. Passing an abandoned factory, she paused.
Someone was inside.
The closer she got, the clearer the sounds became. Moreover, she smelled several pheromone scents, none unfamiliar.
Amidst a pile of aggressive Alpha pheromones, a faint iris scent mixed with the smell of blood drifted out. Clearly, the fight inside was fierce, and someone was considerably injured.
"Ganging up on one person?" Zuo Luohuan walked in slowly, deliberately kicking aside scrap metal in front of her, creating a loud noise in the empty factory, startling those inside.
An hour ago.
Ji Yuezhi walked along the roadside. This area was an abandoned industrial zone, potential ambushes everywhere. He didn't actively seek out others; it wasn't time yet. The deadline was tomorrow afternoon at five; tomorrow would be key.
But even if he didn't seek others, someone found him.
Three S-rank Alphas, one from Weapons Development, skilled in making firearms. Each held a weapon: a long knife, a spiked iron rod. The Weapons Development student even had a gun.
It was a standard bullet gun, not a light gun. Ji Yuezhi could dodge it, provided the other two didn't interfere.
He only had a short knife. Facing three S-rank Alphas wouldn't be easy, but the trio couldn't manage to grab Ji Yuezhi's signal gun either.
These three had met earlier and formed an alliance. The Weapons Development student took another's gun and made them temporary weapons. They spotted Ji Yuezhi from afar and became excited.
No matter how skilled Ji Yuezhi was, he was alone. Three S-rank Alphas teaming up, how could they not win?
So they ambushed him at the first opportunity. However, Ji Yuezhi was trickier than imagined. Forget getting the signal gun, they had only managed to scratch his arm.
"Try releasing pheromones, see if you get eliminated," one said to the Weapons Development student.
"Me?" The Weapons Development student was clearly reluctant, fearing elimination.
"You're the weakest in combat here. Without our protection, you'll be eliminated anyway," another said.
Using Alpha pheromones to interfere with Ji Yuezhi was effective, but not overwhelmingly so. However, after confirming it wouldn't lead to elimination, the other two Alphas released their pheromones simultaneously. More interference meant more distraction for him.
Once Ji Yuezhi was eliminated, their chances of being selected for the military drill increased. They were doing a service for the others.
But they hadn't expected someone else to barge in and meddle.
"Zuo Luohuan, want to join us?" Chen Ce recognized the newcomer, paused, then immediately asked, "Let's eliminate Ji Yuezhi together."
"Together?" Zuo Luohuan stood against the light, a hint of malice in her eyes, as if looking at trash. "Do I need to team up with you to eliminate someone?"
Chen Ce was Zuo Luohuan's classmate in the Combat Department. Hearing this, his face darkened but quickly returned to normal. He negotiated, "I just thought you might want to eliminate him, fire Ji Yuezhi's signal gun yourself, so I asked. Since you're not joining, forget it. We three just want Ji Yuezhi's signal gun."
"As you wish." Zuo Luohuan bypassed them and walked out, seemingly uninterested in joining their fight.
Chen Ce breathed a sigh of relief. His biggest fear was Zuo Luohuan suddenly teaming up with Ji Yuezhi. If those two joined forces, the three of them wouldn't make it out today.
"What if Zuo Luohuan ambushes us?" the Weapons Development student considered further.
"So we finish this quickly, leave through the other side, avoid trouble." Looking back at Ji Yuezhi, Chen Ce's face twisted with malice. "Ji Yuezhi, leave the signal gun, and you won't get hurt."
Ji Yuezhi's arm had several cuts, blood dripping down his fingertips onto the ground. Since Zuo Luohuan entered, he had kept his head lowered, his expression hidden. Only now did he look up, icy frost flashing in his eyes, his tone indifferent: "Leave your three signal guns, and you won't get hurt either."
Hearing this, Chen Ce's face contorted. Did Ji Yuezhi still think he differentiated into an Alpha? The pheromones emanating from him were growing stronger. Alpha pheromones had a natural suppressive effect on Omegas. Thinking about Ji Yuezhi's state later, he felt immense satisfaction.
An undifferentiated person acting arrogantly for a year, now differentiated into an Omega, still dared to be so brazen.
However, the three Alphas hadn't released their pheromones for long when another, more powerful pheromone, capable of suppressing people to the point of breathlessness, emanated from the entrance, almost forcing Chen Ce and the others to kneel instantly.
Chen Ce felt as if plunged into freezing ice and snow, unable to even move his fingers, his mind filled with only one thought: Cold!
He looked towards the entrance in terror, unable to understand why. Weren't those two rivals? Why would Zuo Luohuan help Ji Yuezhi?
"Your pheromones really stink." Zuo Luohuan, walking slowly into the light, sighed. "Once you released them, I couldn't help releasing mine too."
Bullshit!
Zuo Luohuan's pheromones were entirely directed at the three of them! Not a single bit reached Ji Yuezhi opposite them! This was clearly helping Ji Yuezhi!
Chen Ce screamed internally, but his knees finally buckled, cold sweat drenching his forehead.
Ji Yuezhi looked up at her, lips pressed into a thin line. Even though the freezing ice and snow weren't directed at him, he could still feel the immense power within. His nape must be burning hot right now.
Ji Yuezhi felt himself trembling from the core, the kind of trembling born from extreme pheromonal delight, wanting to touch.
Outwardly, Ji Yuezhi remained calm and composed. He instantly snatched the three signal guns and walked out of the factory entrance, firing three shots into the sky.
Three eliminated!
When Ji Yuezhi turned back, he saw Zuo Luohuan already squatting impolitely, rummaging through the three backpacks.
"Biscuits, water... you guys actually have two cans of beef? What a waste." Zuo Luohuan clicked her tongue; her stomach was already rumbling.
The three waiting to be picked up: "..." How is it a waste for us to eat?
After Zuo Luohuan finished looting, she remembered Ji Yuezhi. She turned her head, her gaze deliberately landing on Ji Yuezhi's still dripping fingertips, and negotiated, "Can I have one of your cans? Let's cooperate."
"Cooperate?" Ji Yuezhi heard her words. Although his heart skipped a few beats, his thoughts remained clear. She didn't fear anyone else.
"Passing through earlier, I thought this factory was a good place for offense and defense. You just fired three signal flares consecutively; someone will definitely come tonight." Zuo Luohuan picked up the spiked rod one of them had dropped. "The instructor said tomorrow afternoon at five, if the signal guns are equal to or less than seven, we can leave. Didn't say we have to wait until five."
"You want to leave early?" Ji Yuezhi understood Zuo Luohuan's meaning.
"Can't eat well or sleep well here. I want to leave early and rest." Zuo Luohuan raised an eyebrow at him. "You're a good cooperation partner."
Cooperating benefited both; logically, agreeing shouldn't be a problem. Ji Yuezhi lowered his eyes for a moment, then agreed.
His agreement brought slight relief to the instructors in the monitoring room; they also feared the two would clash.
After all, Ji Yuezhi and Zuo Luohuan were students the school paid close attention to. Having both in this military drill was definitely advantageous in terms of strength. If they insisted on eliminating each other, it would be a real pity.
"If they can cooperate here, there shouldn't be problems competing on the same team later," Bai Feng mused. He initially worried that if these two were on the same team, conflicts might arise during the drill. Similar incidents had happened in previous years at various academies.
Chen Ce and the other two were picked up by staff. When the staff entered, they smelled the residual Alpha pheromones and felt a jolt of fear; the pheromones in the air were excessively domineering.
As for the cooperating pair, they had already moved to the second floor on the other side of the abandoned factory, preparing to ambush other incoming students.
Ji Yuezhi leaned against a corner on the second floor, unbuttoned his jacket. He hesitated for a moment, tore off the hem of his shirt, and bandaged his arm.
Night had fallen. Zuo Luohuan started a fire. She sat on the outer side, observing outside through a ventilation duct. Occasionally glancing back inadvertently, she saw the white skin of his lower abdomen revealed as he bandaged his wound.
"..."
She took off her jacket and tossed it to Ji Yuezhi. "Change jackets, yours is torn."
Ji Yuezhi had just finished bandaging when a jacket flew towards him. He subconsciously looked down at his own jacket: it had several cuts from the spiked rod, and was stained with quite a bit of blood.
But... the jacket in his hand still carried her pheromones.
Ji Yuezhi wanted to refuse. The intense, freezing pheromones on the jacket enveloped him, yet made him reluctant to let go.
On the other side, Zuo Luohuan clearly hadn't thought much about it. She turned, rummaged through her backpack, found the small iron pot, and poured a bottle of water into it.
"This pot finally comes in handy." Zuo Luohuan placed the beef cans in to heat, asking Ji Yuezhi, "Want some?"
Ji Yuezhi, covered by the jacket, hadn't moved. Now, hearing her voice, he finally regained his composure. "I have food."
"Save it." Zuo Luohuan stirred the burning wood. "I already put both beef cans in."
The heated cans were scorching. Zuo Luohuan took the pot off the fire, let it cool for a bit, then took one out and handed it to Ji Yuezhi.
"Thank you."
Zuo Luohuan turned to look at Ji Yuezhi, slightly surprised. "You won this stuff, not me."
Whether she was there or not, Ji Yuezhi would have won against those three eventually. The contents of the backpacks would have been his.
"Dealing with the three of them would have been difficult," Ji Yuezhi said normally. "Your pheromones helped me."
The three S-rank Alphas' pheromones couldn't suppress Ji Yuezhi, but they could interfere. No Omega liked that feeling, especially since the three had weapons and he only had a dagger.
"Just wanted to cooperate with you, leave early." Zuo Luohuan waved her hand. "You're injured, rest first. I'll keep watch."
Ji Yuezhi didn't refuse. He leaned against the wall, covered with her jacket, closed his eyes, and rested.
Night deepened. Ji Yuezhi wasn't sleeping soundly. When several signal flares sounded consecutively, he opened his eyes and woke up.
The fire started earlier had already gone out, and the person who proposed cooperation was gone. Only the jacket on him reminded him of the afternoon's events.
Ji Yuezhi calmly put on her jacket, reached out to touch the extinguished fire pit – still warm, just put out recently.
A slender figure instantly flipped down from the second floor to the first, blending into the darkness.
Ji Yuezhi gripped his dagger, silently moving along the factory's overhead pipes. He heard sounds nearby. Just as he was about to move forward, he was suddenly pulled into a corner behind a wall.
It was Zuo Luohuan.
"You..."
"Shh." Zuo Luohuan clamped a hand over Ji Yuezhi's mouth, whispering quickly beside his ear, "Two people are coming from the southeast, several more from the main entrance. We head west."
Earlier, Zuo Luohuan heard sounds. Seeing Ji Yuezhi still resting, she planned to go out and deal with them before returning. Unexpectedly, others appeared nearby simultaneously, so she came back for him.
Zuo Luohuan saw Ji Yuezhi stop making noise and released him. "The people from the southeast are closer. Let's deal with those two first."
"Okay."
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