SCOM - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

By the time Zuo Luohuan placed the Face Lock back into the gift box and came out, the butler was already waiting outside. A single glance at the box in her hand was enough for him to recall which family had sent it.

“This is the gift from the Ji family.” The butler locked the warehouse door and followed closely behind Zuo Luohuan, a look of sudden realization on his face. “Miss, are you going to personally prepare a coming-of-age gift for the Ji family’s young master?”

Zuo Luohuan weighed the gift box in her hand. Thinking of its contents, she said with unclear meaning, “Uncle Zhao, the Ji family’s young master personally prepared a coming-of-age gift for me. For his coming-of-age, it’s only right that I personally pick a gift for him.”

The butler pretended not to understand the deeper meaning in her words. “Madam thought you wouldn’t be in the capital on the twenty-eighth and has already prepared a gift for the Ji family’s young master. Would you like to…”

“No need. Mother will send a gift on behalf of the Zuo family. I will send another one as a classmate.”

Watching Zuo Luohuan head upstairs, the butler muttered to himself, is the young miss really that kind? She had probably thought of some way to embarrass the Ji family’s young master.

After returning to her bedroom, Zuo Luohuan casually tossed the gift box onto the table. She walked to the bed, bent down, and pulled the nightstand aside. She pressed a spot on the wall, which flashed before suddenly recessing. The entire wall then split down the middle and slid open to reveal a hidden room.

Two large walls in the center of the secret room were covered with weapons, not to mention the heavy weaponry placed around them. It could be said that every type of artillery weapon a single person could use was here. On a long table inside, there was also a rack displaying long and short blades of various materials.

Zuo Luohuan stepped inside, her gaze sweeping over the firearms on the central wall before turning to the rack on the long table. Her hand caressed the topmost long blade, and she took it down. Gripping the hilt, she pulled slightly, revealing a section of the cold, gleaming blade.

It was a good blade, but a pity she couldn't carry it on her person.

In the end, she took a dagger from the bottom of the rack. The blade was thin and soft, made of a non-metallic, composite fiber material. Pressing the tail of the blade lightly with a single finger could make the body bend, but even if the entire blade was curved, it would spring back to its original shape as soon as she let go.

Zuo Luohuan tucked the dagger against the skin of her left wrist and pulled down her sleeve. No one would notice anything unusual. After securing the dagger, she walked out, closed the ‘door’ to the secret room, and moved the nightstand back into place.

She had been in her room for less than two hours when a knock sounded at the door. There was only the sound of knocking; the person outside was clearly not the butler.

Zuo Luohuan got up and opened the door. A graceful and beautiful woman stood outside. The moment she saw her, her eyes lit up for an instant, but her face quickly fell, her beautiful features filled with anger. “You still know how to come home? The people from school complaining and giving warnings come more often than you do!”

“I was wrong,” Zuo Luohuan apologized smoothly. “I won’t skip this semester.”

Yi Tong looked at her daughter, and her brow finally relaxed. “Go down and eat. Uncle Zhao had the kitchen make your favorite dishes.”

“Where’s Dad?”

“In the living room, waiting to eat with you.” Yi Tong let her daughter take her arm as they walked downstairs. “Uncle Zhao said you’re preparing a separate gift for Yuezhi? Don’t get any funny ideas. It’s true that the Ji family and our family are competing for resources, but there’s no need for you youngsters to get involved.”

“I just want to foster good relations with a classmate,” Zuo Luohuan said, making up a random excuse.

“It had better be just that.” Yi Tong looked at Zuo Luohuan with some disdain. “You’d be better off if you were as sensible as Yuezhi. He’s been in school for a year and has been the head of the Disciplinary Committee for almost a year. You’ve been in school for a year and have been skipping class for a year.”

Zuo Luohuan said nothing.

The Disciplinary Committee was indeed a good place. It was basically filled with the most outstanding students of the First Military Academy. To become its head meant building a powerful network of connections for the future. In this regard, Ji Yuezhi had done extremely well; the Disciplinary Committee was now his territory.

After scolding her daughter, Yi Tong let her go to eat. The head of the Zuo family was already waiting at the head of the table.

Zuo Dihong didn’t have much of a reaction upon seeing Zuo Luohuan. He simply nodded and gestured for her to sit and eat. “The crispy chicken strips are freshly made, try them.”

---

After skipping a full day of classes, Zuo Luohuan was kicked out of the house early the next morning. Yi Tong stopped just short of pointing at her nose and telling her to get lost and go to school.

Zuo Luohuan had no choice but to head to the academy. This time, she didn’t run into anyone from the Disciplinary Committee and successfully reached her classroom.

Jiang Hong glanced at her empty hands, then at her bare desk, and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence. “...You don’t bring books to class?”

“I didn’t go to my dorm,” Zuo Luohuan said nonchalantly. “I remember the contents of the book.”

This was a Federation History class. When they received their books two weeks ago, she had already flipped through all of them.

“You’re something else.”

The teacher hadn’t arrived yet. Jiang Hong watched someone walk in through the door and nudged Zuo Luohuan, who was resting with her arms crossed and eyes closed. “For the elective courses next month, I reckon you two are bound to face off, either in shooting or combat class. The school’s anonymous forum has already set up a betting pool on which of you is stronger. Of course… he has to successfully differentiate first.”

Zuo Luohuan opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the person in the front row. She suddenly remembered the black Face Lock from yesterday. The tip of her tongue pressed against her back teeth, a hint of wildness coloring her eyes. “So what if he successfully differentiates?”

Jiang Hong recalled the terrifying suppression of Zuo Luohuan’s pheromones and felt a bit dejected, but he quickly perked up. “You said before that he could kick out Xiang Chengping even before differentiating. Once he does, he might not be any worse than you.”

“We’ll wait and see.”

The person in the front row seemed to sense someone discussing him from behind. After sitting down, he turned his head slightly for a quick glance back before looking away again, unnoticed by anyone.

---

“All the clubs are recruiting new members recently.” Jiang Hong walked with Zuo Luohuan along a campus path. He pointed to the longest line. “That’s the Disciplinary Committee recruitment. You didn’t see it last year. There are several times more people than last time, probably all here for Ji Yuezhi.”

Zuo Luohuan’s attention was instead drawn to another club’s recruitment booth across the way, or more accurately, the person in front of it. She walked over and kicked his shin. “Freshman, I forgot to ask you last time, what’s your name?”

Yan Yan had been wolfing down sample pastries made by the Gourmet Club. Kicked, he reflexively wanted to fight back after swallowing the last bite, but he froze when he saw it was Zuo Luohuan. “Yan… Yan Yan.”

“Didn’t anyone tell you to restrain your pheromones on campus?” Zuo Luohuan asked, her arms crossed. “If you really can’t, use a Scent Patch.”

Yan Yan’s expression immediately changed, a mix of fear and annoyance. “Are you from the Disciplinary Committee too?”

“Impulsive, reckless.” Zuo Luohuan’s eyes swept over his arms and legs, and she sneered slightly. “But your physical constitution isn’t bad.”

Yan Yan’s face turned from pale to red. He wanted to retort, but his instincts told him it was best to keep his mouth shut. When Ji Yuezhi had broken his limbs, he had only felt defiant. But Zuo Luohuan was different. He could still feel the bone-deep fear from that day.

“Control your pheromones. I can smell that scent from a mile away,” Zuo Luohuan said. “It’s not just Alphas in this school.”

Even though Omegas now had inhibitors that could effectively block Alpha pheromones, failing to restrain one’s pheromones in a public place was akin to sexual harassment. Of course, people from some remote regions didn’t care about these rules.

“Which army do your parents serve in?” Zuo Luohuan asked suddenly.

He had already differentiated before entering the academy, his every mannerism was unrefined, and he devoured even poorly made club pastries with such relish. He was definitely not from any major place. He also carried the air of a military ruffian, likely picked up from growing up in a remote army unit with his parents.

“The 377th Army on Xijiang Exile Star!” Yan Yan puffed out his chest and said sullenly.

An idea struck Jiang Hong, and he looked at Zuo Luohuan. “That’s considered part of the Winter Army.”

Zuo Luohuan tossed Yan Yan a card. “I’ll treat you to a meal tomorrow. The address is on it.”

Yan Yan looked down at the card with the restaurant’s name, finally remembering belatedly that the leader of the Winter Army was named Zuo.

Before leaving, Jiang Hong offered a kind reminder, “At the First Military Academy, besides Omegas, only useless Alphas use Scent Patches.”

Yan Yan: “…”

Over at the other booth, Ding Wuming had finally finished signing up for the Disciplinary Committee. He came over to find Yan Yan standing there in a daze. He walked over and asked, “Yan Yan, I’m done registering. What’s that VIP card in your hand?”

“It’s for a restaurant.” Yan Yan pocketed the card, then shamelessly went back to grab another plate of sample pastries before leaving with Ding Wuming.

Zuo Luohuan and Jiang Hong hadn’t gone far when they ran into Ji Yuezhi. He was, as always, impeccably dressed, the top button of his military uniform meticulously fastened.

“You’re already trying to privately cultivate influence before graduation?” Ji Yuezhi looked up at Zuo Luohuan, his gaze as cold and sharp as the unmelted snow on a mountaintop. “Is this what you came back to do?”

Zuo Luohuan let out a flippant laugh. “I can’t compare to our Disciplinary Committee Head, who can gather the most outstanding students in the entire military academy. My methods are still a bit lacking.”

Ji Yuezhi’s brow furrowed slightly. He then walked past her without another word.

But Zuo Luohuan, of all things, had to turn back and provoke him. “Classmate Ji, did you forget to deduct my points from yesterday?”

Ji Yuezhi’s pace didn’t falter. He raised his hand slightly, and a second later, a system notification of a point deduction appeared on Zuo Luohuan’s optical computer.

Zuo Luohuan: “…Tsk.”

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