SCOM - Chapter 31
Chapter 31
The map consisted of several parts: the dense forest, the river, and the mountain they had passed through earlier. The mountain path was roughly marked, allowing Ji Yuezhi to identify several potential ambush locations.
As for the destination village, the map only indicated its name and a general direction. Coming down from the mountain path exit, they saw a signpost pointing towards the destination village, matching the map's direction. After walking for so long, seeing a village with people naturally made everyone subconsciously assume they had arrived.
Ji Yuezhi had felt a strange sense of unease since entering, but couldn't pinpoint it until an idea struck him: Although the map pointed in this direction, it never specified the distance. What if this wasn't the real destination village?
Only then did all the details finally click together.
There were too many people in the village. A normal village didn't need much manpower for farming; a few machines could handle it. Yet, this place was bustling everywhere. Secondly, the houses looked too clean; the corners and doorways showed no traces, as if no one had ever entered. The Capital was rainy in October, and a village with fields would inevitably leave some marks. These people seemed more like they had appeared out of thin air and were only now active in the village.
The most crucial point: upon closer inspection, the crops in the fields lacked vitality, neither suffering from pests nor wilting. Combined with the other deductions, the only explanation was that they had been temporarily transplanted here.
By this time, the villagers had completely surrounded them. Some were hunched-over old men with white hair, who had trembled while walking on the road, yet now stood straight, their legs steady, somehow producing clubs and swinging them expertly.
The surrounded group: "..."
"These people..." Jiang Hong swallowed hard. "Third and fourth years, right?"
"Well, well, the juniors found out?" The nearest white-haired 'old man' twirled his club with both hands, grinning. "The instructors said we get one point for each hit on you. I even brought two clubs!"
The instructors had actually issued a mission at school. Jiang Hong's vision instantly darkened. These brutes, desperate for Fierce Shield badges, were reckless when doing missions. He could already imagine the scene of this group chasing them down.
"If you hadn't pulled the flag and just bypassed this place, we wouldn't have gotten points." The white-haired old man ripped off his wig, smiling sweetly at Ding Wuming. "Freshman, right? Senior Sister has to thank you, junior, for giving us this opportunity."
Ding Wuming's face turned ugly. He forgot the pain in his thigh, subconsciously looking guiltily at his teammates.
"Instructors?" Guan Xue suddenly shouted towards their rear, as if seeing Jia Hailan and the others.
Some of the surrounding third and fourth-year military students were fooled and turned to look back.
"Go!" Zuo Luohuan decisively ordered the others in a low voice.
She and Ji Yuezhi cleared the path ahead. Yan Yan immediately hoisted Ding Wuming onto his shoulder, sticking close with Qian Mao. Guan Xue and Jiang Hong brought up the rear.
Many of the third and fourth-year military students were seasoned veterans and weren't fooled. They swung their clubs at them. Anyway, when accepting the mission, the instructors said as long as they didn't kill anyone, it was fine.
"Senior Sister, can you go easy?" Guan Xue dodged while negotiating. "Hitting like this takes effort. Since hitting counts for points, save your strength, you can hit more times."
"You make a good point," the Senior Sister thought for a moment. "But hitting like this feels great."
Guan Xue: "..." Scram!
The group had already traveled for a day and a night. Compared to these well-rested brutes, they were in a sorry state.
"Yan Yan, put me down, you guys go first," Ding Wuming said uncomfortably. He never expected this place to be a fake village.
Zuo Luohuan dodged two clubs, turned to give them an idea: "Actually, no need to put him down. Yan Yan carrying you can block some hits. Since you can't walk anyway, a few extra hits won't matter."
"Junior Sister, you're... so heartless!" A senior brother chasing from behind heard this and felt a pang of pity for Ding Wuming.
Zuo Luohuan ignored him, turning her head sideways to look at Ji Yuezhi: "You take them and leave."
"You're staying?" Ji Yuezhi asked, blocking a swung club with his arm.
Zuo Luohuan moved behind Qian Mao, saying casually, "So many senior brothers and sisters, a rare chance to meet them all together. It's a good opportunity to spar."
"Junior Sister, still in the mood to talk?" the senior brother beside them reminded. "You alone against so many of us? A bit fanciful."
More people were catching up from behind, about to surround them again. Crucially, they were all students from the same school; they couldn't use lethal force against each other.
Ji Yuezhi gave Zuo Luohuan a deep look, finally grabbed Qian Mao's arm, and continued running forward with him. Yan Yan gritted his teeth and followed. Only Zuo Luohuan remained, blocking the others.
As for Guan Xue and Jiang Hong, they were already submerged in the crowd, unable to move, only able to crouch down, protect their heads, and take the beating from the senior brothers and sisters.
Zuo Luohuan kicked the person beside her unconscious, snatched his long club, drew a line on the ground, and held the club horizontally before the pursuing crowd: "This line inward is where you belong."
"Junior Sister speaks boldly. Let's see about that."
They swarmed forward, trying to overwhelm her with numbers, leaving Zuo Luohuan no room to counterattack. However, they underestimated her agility. Surrounded, the clubs actually crowded together, hindering their effectiveness because Zuo Luohuan moved too quickly.
But amidst the chaotic clubs, someone was bound to land a hit.
"Senior Brother." Zuo Luohuan was struck on the back by a club. She turned, grabbed the club with her hand, and said coldly, "You hit my wound."
If her military jacket weren't black, everyone would see a large bloodstain spreading across her back and shoulder.
Zuo Luohuan glanced in the direction Ji Yuezhi had left; they were already out of sight. She tilted her head slightly, and her pheromones instantly erupted across the open center of the fake village.
Caught off guard, the intensely cold, biting ice and snow pheromones pressed down on them, making even breathing difficult.
Among the attacking third and fourth-year military students, there were quite a few S-rank Alphas, but at this moment, they fared no better than the others, equally overwhelmed. Some weaker Alphas couldn't resist and directly buckled at the knees, kneeling.
In the tent, Kang Guang couldn't help but be stunned. He was too far away to smell the pheromones, but judging from the reactions of the others in the surveillance footage, he could guess the cause.
"Heard Zuo Luohuan's pheromones were formidable before, already reaching this level?" Kang Guang narrowed his eyes with interest. "Why hide it all this time, rarely releasing them?"
"She's released them twice this month already," He Yue stated matter-of-factly. "Last time at the trial grounds, plus this time. Not exactly hidden."
"True." Kang Guang rubbed the scar on his mouth thoughtfully. "But I heard before she rarely released her pheromones."
"Using pheromones now is indeed the most efficient method," Jia Hailan said. "Ji Yuezhi has already reached the path to the real destination village. He should arrive in about an hour."
After passing the fake village, there were no more obstacles.
"Looks like Zuo Luohuan and the others will catch up soon," Bai Feng observed the students in the surveillance footage. "Their performance during this training wasn't too bad."
"The training time is too short," He Yue said. "Hopefully, there won't be major problems during the military academy drill."
...
Because Zuo Luohuan suddenly released her pheromones, catching everyone off guard and suppressing them severely, Guan Xue and Jiang Hong barely managed to get up, supporting each other. Though they protected their heads, their faces were still swollen, noses and mouths bleeding.
Not everyone was incapacitated, but Zuo Luohuan walked over to Jiang Hong and Guan Xue, personally escorting them away.
[Everyone stop pursuing.]
Just as some military students tried to follow, Jia Hailan pressed the communication button. This message echoed in the earphones of all third and fourth-year students.
The training was nearing its end. The instructors had roughly assessed the seven students' performance within the team. There was no need to continue this siege.
"Truly unlucky." Guan Xue wiped her swollen face. "What were the instructors thinking, setting up a fake destination?"
Jiang Hong walked with a limp: "Bringing up the rear is too hard. A few more times like this, and I might not survive this semester."
Their minds were still buzzing. They hadn't noticed that as soon as they were far from the fake village, Zuo Luohuan's pheromones instantly retracted. If not for the faint residual scent on her clothes, one would hardly know she had released such potent pheromones just minutes ago.
"Will there be more obstacles ahead?" After a while, regaining some clarity, Guan Xue asked Zuo Luohuan beside her, her face swollen, words slurred.
Zuo Luohuan turned her wrist, glanced at the two struggling to even breathe, and said lightly, "The training time is almost up." The instructors wouldn't arrange anything meaningless.
Because Guan Xue and Jiang Hong walked with difficulty, before the three reached the destination village, Ji Yuezhi's group had already arrived at the real flag platform and pulled down the flag.
"Isn't that them?!" Guan Xue saw a transport aircraft hovering ahead and stopping, instantly excited.
Indeed, moments later, the aircraft door opened from the inside, and Qian Mao emerged, waving at them: "Over here, we should head back."
The seven reconvened. After Ji Yuezhi reached the destination and pulled the flag, a military transport aircraft was waiting to take them back to the front of the dense forest, ready to return to the military academy.
"This is my first time on an aircraft." Guan Xue entered, touching everything curiously, almost drooling. Coupled with her swollen face, it was truly... a sight difficult to behold.
"After graduation, join an army group, you'll get sick of riding them." Jiang Hong was aching all over, but discussing inside information still perked him up. "I heard everyone has to train daily on piloting aircraft. Some people with acrophobia can't even join the elite troops."
Only army groups in the Federation possessed various aircraft. Military academies could occasionally requisition a few; they were basically non-existent elsewhere.
All seven were injured. Ding Wuming's leg arrow had been removed; a doctor on the aircraft was treating his wound, occasionally letting out painful gasps.
Ji Yuezhi leaned against the seatback. Zuo Luohuan sat beside him. He could always smell the familiar Alpha pheromones faintly. As time passed, the gland at his nape grew increasingly swollen and sore.
He lowered his eyes to his hands, then got up to leave after a long while. Zuo Luohuan's legs were long, almost filling the space in front.
Zuo Luohuan noticed Ji Yuezhi's movement, looked up at him, and shifted her legs aside.
"Thank you."
Ji Yuezhi quickly walked out, but his calf still inevitably brushed against Zuo Luohuan's knee. Although it was only for an instant, the two thin layers of fabric couldn't block the sensation for someone paying close attention.
He almost couldn't stand steady for a second, gripping the seatback in front to steady himself before walking out normally.
Ji Yuezhi walked to the doctor in front, spoke a few words in a low voice, and then a nurse beside him turned to find a packet of something for him.
Zuo Luohuan was tall; her view wasn't blocked by the front seatback. She clearly saw what was in the packet.
—Omega-specific inhibitors.
She froze for a moment, then remembered the Alpha pheromones possibly lingering on her. At the coming-of-age ceremony night, just the minuscule amount in her blood had been detected by him, let alone her releasing so much pheromone this time.
Under conditions of mental exhaustion or injury, both Alphas and Omegas were extremely susceptible to pheromone influence.
Zuo Luohuan got up and walked to the last row: "Guan Xue, let's switch seats."
Ji Yuezhi, having finished injecting the inhibitor in front, saw Zuo Luohuan's departing back. His fingertips tightened.
...She didn't want to sit with him?
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