SCOM - Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Upon hearing Zuo Luohuan's name, Ji Xixiu felt a surge of complex emotions. "They left alone?"
An Yingjing's eyes darted around, his voice vague. "I think so."
Ji Xixiu caught the faint lingering scent of poppy pheromones in the air. Lost in thought for a moment, he unexpectedly dropped the matter.
The dispersed security personnel gradually reported back to Ji Xixiu. Most of the students had gathered in the large plaza at the intersection of the north and south sections. A few hundred cadets had gone to repair the signal base station. Judging by the restored communication signal, they had succeeded. A security team had already been dispatched to retrieve them.
"Wait for the instructors to return, assess the damage, and protect these students," Ji Xixiu instructed.
The capital was destined for a sleepless night. Countless Seventeenth Army aircraft soared through the night sky, and army groups continuously appeared at various defensive points.
He Yue was tracking the suspects when she noticed several aircraft flying overhead. Seeing the large 'Seventeen' insignia on the aircraft, she paused. Such activity from the Seventeenth Army indicated a major incident.
Before she could draw any conclusions, Jia Hailan contacted her. Judging by the background, he wasn't in a meeting but was also on an aircraft.
"Instructor He, the First Military Academy was attacked by Gashro forces."
He Yue froze, abruptly turning to her team. Her current direction was the complete opposite of the First Military Academy's location. Most of the Purifier Corps' forces were here today.
They had been lured away. Tonight's intel was most likely a decoy!
Since Instructor Jia and the others were already aware of the situation and were likely heading to the First Military Academy, He Yue didn't follow. She intended to investigate this false lead and determine whether there was a problem within the Purifier Corps or if the Information Department had been manipulated.
…
By the time Ji Xixiu brought the students from the other academies over, Jiang Hong and the three hundred students who had gone south earlier had also been found and brought to the north-south plaza.
The cadets didn't return to the building that night but rested in the plaza, guarded by the security detail, the arriving Seventeenth Army, and the instructors.
As soon as Jia Hailan disembarked, he asked Ji Xixiu what had happened.
"Several groups of Gashro forces launched a sneak attack in the middle of the night. Their main target was An Yingjing," Ji Xixiu explained while issuing orders on his optical computer. Since the Gashro forces dared to take such a significant risk and activate their agents within the capital, he would ensure they never returned.
Jia Hailan had already guessed as much on his way over. They had returned from the competition less than two days ago. An army group was scheduled to arrive tomorrow to guard the students from the other academies. No one anticipated the Gashro forces would act tonight.
He observed the cadets in the plaza. Their spirits seemed relatively stable, leading him to believe the Gashro forces might have been small in number.
"A preliminary count shows over a hundred Gashro corpses. There are also quite a few burned beyond recognition on the roof of the north building, making it difficult to determine the exact number at the moment," Ji Xixiu explained, noticing Jia Hailan's expression.
"Over a hundred?" Jia Hailan was shocked, then realized, "The fire on the north building's roof… was that set by our cadets?"
"I heard it was Zuo Luohuan alone," Ji Xixiu said, rapidly scanning messages on his optical computer. "Many of Gashro's skilled operatives were targeting the students from the other academies. The First Military Academy students arrived in time, so there were no fatalities among the three academies. An Yingjing sustained some injuries, but his scent gland is unharmed."
The arriving instructors were unsure whether to be astonished by Zuo Luohuan's actions or shocked by the number of Gashro agents hidden within the capital.
Jia Hailan suddenly asked, "What about the casualties among the First Military Academy students?"
Ji Xixiu paused, then replied gravely, "Currently, we know of three fatalities: a second-year student from the Disciplinary Committee patrol and two other cadets who were killed by Gashro forces while securing the signal base station."
Even though this number was unexpectedly low, it still struck the First Military Academy instructors like a thunderbolt.
"What about serious injuries?" Jia Hailan continued.
"We haven't completed the statistics yet, but we estimate nearly seventy," Ji Xixiu calmly stated. "The casualty rate is this low only because your students had guns."
Jia Hailan was taken aback. "What guns?"
"Firearms," Ji Xixiu said, then recalled something and glanced towards a corner of the plaza. "Oh, and a few light guns as well."
Instructor Jia, the chief commander, was momentarily speechless, unable to grasp the logic.
…
When Ji Yuezhi and Zuo Luohuan arrived at the north-south plaza, the instructors had already dispersed, with Ji Xixiu directing operations at the front.
As soon as Zuo Luohuan approached the plaza, Jia Hailan called her over for questioning. She glanced at Ji Yuezhi before turning to leave.
Ji Yuezhi stood there for a moment, then, noticing his father's gaze, walked towards Ji Xixiu.
As he approached, Ji Xixiu's eyes fell on the pheromone patch on his son's neck. "What happened?"
Ji Yuezhi pursed his lips and looked down. "My heat cycle started."
Ji Xixiu already knew that Ji Yuezhi had led the rescue of the students from the other academies. He understood the effects of poppy pheromones better than the cadets and instantly deduced what had transpired. With mixed feelings, he asked, "She temporarily marked you?"
Ji Yuezhi nodded slightly.
Ji Xixiu observed his son's expression and sighed inwardly. He put an arm around his son's shoulders. "The second stage of the exercise will likely be postponed. I'll request leave for you and Zuo Luohuan until the temporary mark fades."
Ji Yuezhi had differentiated late, and his first heat cycle was unpredictable. Now, temporarily marked, Omega inhibitors were ineffective, and he needed Zuo Luohuan's help to get through it. The ideal scenario would be that it had already passed, and he wouldn't need Zuo Luohuan, but Ji Xixiu didn't want his son to experience any complications in public.
"The Gashro…," Ji Yuezhi hesitated for a moment.
Ji Xixiu looked towards Zuo Luohuan and Jia Hailan in the distance. "She's being questioned. Afterward, you two go and rest. We'll contact you directly through your optical computers if anything arises."
"…Okay." Ji Yuezhi didn't move towards Zuo Luohuan but stayed by his father's side, briefly recounting the night's events.
Hearing his son mention the well-trained cadets with guns, Ji Xixiu remarked, "The First Military Academy has two Disciplinary Committees. You must be referring to the Shadow Committee. But they've progressed to having firearms? It seems their recruitment criteria have changed."
Ji Yuezhi had never heard of the Shadow Committee. He pondered, eyes downcast. The Gashro forces were first detected in the north. Zuo Luohuan had triggered the alarm in the Alpha building. If she had mobilized this so-called Shadow Committee at that time, it would explain the timely arrival of the armed cadets from the south.
"Is she part of the Shadow Committee?" Ji Yuezhi asked his father.
"Zuo Luohuan's father was back in the day," Ji Xixiu replied. "Their personalities are quite similar, fitting the Shadow Committee's requirements."
Their conversation didn't last long. Zuo Luohuan approached. Hesitating briefly upon seeing Ji Xixiu, she addressed him as "Uncle Ji."
Ji Xixiu stared at her coldly, but considering his son's situation, he nodded in acknowledgment. "Xiao Yue needs to rest. Take him and leave. I'll arrange leave for both of you for the next few days."
Even if Ji Xixiu hadn't said anything, Zuo Luohuan had already planned to do so. "I have a suite in Central City. It's a good environment, well-equipped. We can rest there."
"I'll have someone escort you," Ji Xixiu said, despite his complex emotions. He could only entrust his son to Zuo Luohuan for now.
…
By the next afternoon, the basic sequence of events was clear to everyone. Gashro forces had launched a midnight raid, targeting the building housing students from other academies. Fortunately, the patrolling Disciplinary Committee cadets had sounded the alarm, and the students from both the north and south sections, under the leadership of certain individuals, had maintained their composure. Coupled with their access to weapons, although seventy-one students were seriously injured and three lost their lives, the Gashro plan had ultimately failed.
This was just the beginning. The capital would now follow the trail and root out the Gashro agents embedded within the Federation.
"They…," a weapons development instructor started, hesitant, then blurted out, "Which student thought to go to 404 and get light guns? And even managed to acquire energy blocks?"
"We haven't been able to find out," Jia Hailan said with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Let's not pursue this matter."
"Speaking of which, did that Zuo Luohuan really burn that many Gashro soldiers? Forty-six?" Kang Guang still found it hard to believe. "I didn't think she was that capable. Were those Gashro soldiers particularly weak?"
This was an internal meeting of the First Military Academy, so Kang Guang spoke frankly.
"The Gashro plan was well-devised, both in terms of the number of attackers and the timing, coinciding with the border conference in the north district and the false intel given to the Purifier Corps. They invested significant effort. Logically, it shouldn't have failed," Jia Hailan analyzed. "Gashro's primary target was An Yingjing. The others were divided into two groups: one to attack our students in the south and the other, presumably, to eliminate Zuo Luohuan."
"So…," Kang Guang didn't fully understand.
"So, the Gashro forces Zuo Luohuan encountered were definitely not weak." Jia Hailan suddenly had someone bring two items over. "I found these not far from the building housing the students from the other academies."
Kang Guang reached for them, and as soon as he held them, he frowned and stood up abruptly to avoid dropping them. He exclaimed, "These are… weighted belts?"
Jia Hailan nodded. "I asked Zuo Luohuan before coming this morning. They're hers."
Kang Guang felt the weight in his hands and fell silent. As expected of Zuo Dihong's daughter.
…
Zuo Luohuan received Instructor Jia's call at 7:00 AM. She was already awake. Glancing at the sleeping figure on the bed, she got up from the chair, placed her pheromone-laden jacket beside the bed, and went to the living room to answer the call.
Looking at the two weighted belts, Zuo Luohuan didn't deny it. There were numerous surveillance cameras within the First Military Academy. Even with the signal jammed, they continued recording. The Gashro forces had destroyed some cameras, but not the ones outside the building where the students from the other academies were housed. They likely intended to kill An Yingjing and the others in full view of the cameras.
After she admitted it, Instructor Jia gave her a long look but ultimately didn't comment.
Zuo Luohuan ended the call and quietly returned to the bedroom. Ji Yuezhi was still asleep, his face now nuzzled against her jacket, likely having noticed the slight dissipation of pheromones in the room.
Now awake, Zuo Luohuan couldn't fall back asleep. She sat in the chair, watching him until he woke up.
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