SCOM - Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Jiang Hong paced back and forth on the warship, frequently passing by where Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi were sitting, sneaking glances at them. They sat side-by-side, seemingly no different than usual, even separated by two armrests—further apart than Luo Shaoyuan, who was sprawled out asleep in the row ahead, was from Yan Yan beside her.
Ji Yuezhi was looking at his optical computer, while Zuo Luohuan was fiddling with the soft blade in her hand. If you ignored what had happened earlier, anyone who told Jiang Hong that these two were together would be called blind.
“Do you have a weak bladder?” Zuo Luohuan looked up at Jiang Hong, who had made five trips back and forth in the past hour. “Doctor Fang is right up ahead. He’ll definitely have a cure for you. Don’t avoid seeing a doctor just because you’re young.”
Jiang Hong: “…”
Just then, Jiang Hong noticed that whenever Zuo Luohuan spoke, Ji Yuezhi, sitting on the inside, would turn his head to look—not at him, but at Zuo Luohuan. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now Jiang Hong felt that the way Ji Yuezhi looked at Zuo Luohuan was… how to put it… it was the kind of look one only gave someone they liked. He listened attentively to everything Zuo Luohuan said, as if everything she said was incredibly interesting.
There was even a hint of reverence and admiration in his gaze.
Hmph! Couples who subtly flaunted their affection like this were even more hateful.
“I don’t have a weak bladder, my eyes hurt.” Jiang Hong turned and walked away, plopping down in his own seat.
Jiang Hong was annoyed at his own blindness. These two had been going back and forth right under his nose for so long, and everyone else had noticed, yet he, someone from a family specializing in information, hadn’t realized a thing. He wouldn’t admit that he was also jealous of Zuo Luohuan.
After logging into the Federal First Military Academy’s anonymous forum, Jiang Hong suddenly felt better. He knew now, even if those at school didn’t.
If this news spread through the school, those people would be absolutely shocked.
The thought of this happening brought Jiang Hong a sense of satisfaction.
…
When they returned to the Capital port, Ji Xixiu personally came to pick up Ji Yuezhi. The reason it was clear he was there for his son, and not waiting for the Seventeenth Army, was that he had no one else with him, and even the car was his personal one.
“You all head straight back to the academy. Hand over the damaged Skeletal Armor to the relevant personnel for repairs.” Ji Xixiu only said this one sentence to the dispatched Seventeenth Army. Then, he addressed Ji Yuezhi directly, “Xiao Yue, let’s go home.”
Ji Yuezhi glanced at Zuo Luohuan and then left with his father.
From beginning to end, Ji Xixiu didn’t say a single word to Zuo Luohuan.
“I think… things between you two are…iffy.” Jiang Hong watched the father and son leave, nudging Zuo Luohuan with a hint of sympathy.
Zuo Luohuan didn’t seem bothered. “Ji Xixiu didn’t just ignore me, he didn’t say a word to any of you either.”
“How can we be compared to you?” Jiang Hong thought Zuo Luohuan was too carefree. “In the future, I mean, if, you two really do get together, you’ll be his son’s partner, and the Zuo and Ji families will be in-laws! I think Ji Xixiu isn’t satisfied with you.”
“Probably.” Zuo Luohuan wasn’t oblivious to Ji Xixiu’s disapproval, but he hadn’t stopped Ji Yuezhi from interacting with her.
“Senior, I’ll go with my parents first.” Yan Yan came over to say goodbye to Zuo Luohuan and the others.
Zuo Luohuan nodded. “Okay.”
The 377th Army had come to the Capital together and would wait for Zuo Dihong’s deployment orders, but they would likely be staying in the Capital.
Luo Shaoyuan got off in the West District along the way, where An Yingjing and his people were waiting for her. She was alone, without any baggage. With the Xijiang Exile Star incident over, she went off to have fun again. She wasn’t going to waste a single day of her winter break.
…
Once home, Ji Yuezhi changed into casual clothes, revealing the pheromone patch on the back of his neck. Ji Xixiu saw it immediately and sighed, sitting down next to his son. “Did you feel any discomfort when she marked you?”
Ji Yuezhi shook his head. “She… Father, my pheromones are fine.”
“The doctor said that although you’re currently testing as a full Omega, your glands still need time to recover. There might be some residual effects from before.” Ji Xixiu stroked his son’s hair. “Her pheromone level is too high. No Alpha in the entire Federation can compare. It would be very strenuous for an Omega to bond with her, and you’re… A temporary mark is fine, but some things are better left for later.”
“I know.” Ji Yuezhi lowered his head, looking at the pattern on the floor, his ears tinged with red.
“School starts in a week. The Skeletal Armor incident has been exposed, so this semester, you should all begin training with it.” Ji Xixiu hinted. “Last semester, some of the third and fourth-year students already tested it, and all the data has been adjusted. It will be more adaptable now.”
“The Skeletal Armor hasn’t been fully calibrated yet?” Ji Yuezhi recalled the feeling of wearing it. “It’s not light enough.”
“The weight is already at its limit, unless there are new materials.” Ji Xixiu said, “It’s only the first year, and we need a lot of training data from military academy students. But you’ve seen the rescue army’s performance. What do you think?”
Ji Yuezhi had seen the improvement in Xiang Chengping and the others’ abilities, but he hesitated for a moment. “They’re very strong, able to withstand the damage from the robot dogs.”
The control chips in the robot dogs were still a mystery. The Gashro people could control them from behind the scenes, but the Federation couldn’t. The modified robot dogs in the previous war games could only execute simple commands and couldn’t match the capabilities of the Gashro Empire’s robot dogs. That’s why they had to find another way, developing the Skeletal Armor to provide the greatest protection for the army.
“What else?” Ji Xixiu could tell his son still had something to say.
“The rescue army’s strength has improved a lot, but they haven’t fully adapted yet.” Ji Yuezhi couldn’t help but recall how Zuo Luohuan looked wearing the Skeletal Armor on Xijiang Exile Star.
A smile flickered in Ji Xixiu’s fox-like eyes. “It will indeed take time to reach Zuo Luohuan’s level.”
Ji Yuezhi was startled. “Father… you know?”
“Xiang Chengping sent me a video.” No matter how complicated Ji Xixiu’s feelings towards Zuo Luohuan were, her strength was undeniable. So far, the Skeletal Armor was just a pilot program. The students from the First Military Academy who had accepted the task in the early stages had trained for a semester and their abilities had improved, but this improvement wasn’t enough to fully convince the Military Council to continue investing in the project, due to the enormous cost of the Skeletal Armor.
However, the video Xiang Chengping sent, showcasing Zuo Luohuan’s abilities, completely changed the Military Council’s mind. If most people could eventually train to her speed and agility, and then develop corresponding weapons, they wouldn’t have to worry about the Gashro’s machines anymore.
…
After Ji Yuezhi returned home, Zuo Luohuan was also called back by Yi Tong.
“Was Xijiang Exile Star fun?” Yi Tong asked casually, as if making small talk, but her tone was cold.
Zuo Luohuan pretended not to hear the underlying meaning. “Besides the underground black market, it was so-so.”
Yi Tong slammed her chopsticks down, looking at the nonchalant Zuo Luohuan across from her. “Your father contacted me a few days ago and said you’d run into Ren Pingbo. If no one had found out, were you not going to tell us?”
Zuo Luohuan put some food into her mother’s bowl. “I only found out recently myself.”
Yi Tong wasn’t appeased. “Ever since you were little, you’ve been full of ideas, running around all over the place. I didn’t interfere, but you have to value your life. Tell your parents if there’s anything dangerous.”
Recently, both Zuo Dihong and Ji Xixiu had been given a lot of trouble by Ren Pingbo. They initially thought Ren Pingbo had taken advantage of the situation after Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi discovered something amiss on Xijiang Exile Star and set a trap.
Unexpectedly, a few days ago, Ren Pingbo contacted Zuo Dihong using an untraceable optical computer.
He had done this kind of thing quite a few times.
Since he was young, Ren Pingbo had been extremely arrogant and conceited. After betraying the Federation, every time he led the Gashro Empire to victory, he would brazenly contact Zuo Dihong or Ji Xixiu to show off, leaving everyone in the Military Council frustrated.
As some in the Federation put it, Ren Pingbo was psychologically abnormal, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. In this respect, he did have the characteristics of the Gashro people.
This time, Ren Pingbo had set a series of traps, but he hadn’t exactly won. Although the army on Xijiang Exile Star suffered heavy casualties, the Federation hadn’t suffered a significant loss in comparison.
Ren Pingbo contacted Zuo Dihong, saying that his daughter was quite impressive and that he looked forward to their next encounter.
Zuo Dihong assumed Ren Pingbo was merely interested in Zuo Luohuan because she and Ji Yuezhi had disrupted the Gashro Empire’s plans. However, he didn’t expect Ren Pingbo to send a short video next.
“Worthy of being Zuo Dihong’s daughter, strong-willed.” Ren Pingbo on the other end of the optical computer was mature and handsome. Even after so many years, the arrogance in his eyes hadn’t diminished one bit. After all, in his view, no one in the Federation could compare to him.
Looking at his refined features and imposing manner, it was hard to imagine that this was someone who had betrayed the Federation simply out of boredom.
Zuo Dihong rarely showed his emotions, but seeing the scene of his daughter being tortured in the video, the fingers hanging by his side trembled involuntarily. This was a sign of extreme anger.
Ren Pingbo narrowed his eyes, seemingly noticing Zuo Dihong’s fury. The displeasure of having his plans disrupted vanished instantly. Before ending the communication, he left a message: “Zuo Luohuan is very interesting. I look forward to our next encounter.”
Zuo Dihong didn’t show the video to Yi Tong, but she had already guessed most of it from her husband’s words.
“You were injured and didn’t tell us?” Yi Tong raged. “You don’t say anything, you go find an outside doctor by yourself. Zuo Luohuan, your parents are still alive!”
Since she learned that Zuo Luohuan had returned to the Capital to resume her studies and had been carrying injuries, her heartache was followed by extreme anger.
“It was just a small injury, it’s already healed.” Zuo Luohuan said dismissively. “Mom, you don’t have to worry.”
Yi Tong: “…”
The Zuo and Ji families had always been the focus of public attention. Many people thought that the Ji family’s son was aloof and distant, but she knew that Ji Yuezhi had a close relationship with his parents. Then there was Zuo Luohuan, always smiling, seemingly easy to get along with, but in reality, she kept everything bottled up, not even telling her parents.
Yi Tong regretted letting Zuo Luohuan wander around and develop freely all these years. She didn’t know why she had developed such a personality. Zuo Dihong had never put any pressure on her either.
“You’re grown up now, I can’t control you.” Yi Tong leaned back in her chair, looking tired. “When your father contacted me, he seemed a little upset.”
Zuo Luohuan paused, her chopsticks stopping mid-air. “It won’t happen again. I’ll tell you everything.”
Yi Tong waved her hand dismissively. “You always say that.”
“Mom, there’s something I want to tell you.” Zuo Luohuan put down her chopsticks, her expression serious.
Yi Tong froze, suddenly becoming tense, the blame and distress on her face evident. “Are you injured again, or…”
“No.” Zuo Luohuan interrupted. “I like Ji Yuezhi.”
Hearing that it wasn’t about injuries, Yi Tong subconsciously relaxed, then immediately reacted to the second half of her daughter’s sentence. “…You like who?”
“Ji Yuezhi.”
Yi Tong suspected she’d misheard, but Zuo Luohuan’s expression was unusually serious. She was silent for a moment. “You like Xiao Ji?”
Zuo Luohuan nodded.
“That’s… not quite right, is it?” Yi Tong rubbed her forehead. Her daughter always seemed to be bullying Xiao Ji whenever they met. “Xiao Ji is a good person, but these things should be based on mutual affection. You two…”
Seeing her mother’s misunderstanding, Zuo Luohuan rephrased. “We’re together now, I think.”
Yi Tong was stunned. After a while, she asked, “What do you mean ‘I think’? Are you together or not? Are you unsure?”
“We temporarily marked each other, and we like each other. Doesn’t that count as being together?” Zuo Luohuan picked up her chopsticks again, speaking calmly.
Yi Tong, who had been worried about her daughter not telling her anything, now focused all her attention on whether she and Ji Yuezhi were together or not. “You temporarily marked each other? When did this happen? During this trip to Xijiang Exile Star? How could Xiao Ji like you?”
Zuo Luohuan: “…He does like me. As for the rest, Mom, you don’t need to know the details.”
Yi Tong still felt like her daughter was lying to her. Xiao Ji was so well-behaved, good-looking, and intelligent. How could he like someone as unruly as her daughter?
But looking at the faint hint of pride in Zuo Luohuan’s eyes, Yi Tong felt that it was true. She had never seen her daughter express her emotions so openly before.
Yi Tong asked again, just to be sure. “Really?”
“Really.”
“You eat first, I have something to do.” Yi Tong got up and walked towards the master bedroom.
Zuo Luohuan didn’t need to look back to know that her mother was going to contact her father and tell him about this.
She propped her face up with one hand, slowly picking at the food in her bowl, wondering what her father’s reaction would be. In any case, she was very happy.
Because of this interruption, Yi Tong temporarily forgot what she had originally planned to say and instead started thinking about how she should treat Ji Yuezhi in the future and whether she should send him a gift.
Thinking of this, Yi Tong called Zuo Luohuan over that evening and asked, “For his coming-of-age ceremony, you gave Xiao Ji a separate gift. What did you give him? Were you two together at that time? It didn’t seem like it.”
Remembering the coming-of-age gift, Zuo Luohuan couldn’t help but pause. That gift…
“Just a small gift. We weren’t together then.” Zuo Luohuan glanced at her optical computer. “Mom, I’m going to stay out for a few days.”
“Why are you going out again?” Yi Tong hadn’t cared before, but now she was worried about Zuo Luohuan.
Zuo Luohuan coughed, covering her mouth with her fist. “I’m not going alone.”
Carefully observing her daughter’s expression, Yi Tong suddenly realized and said a little awkwardly, “Alright, just… be safe.”
Things were developing too quickly, and Yi Tong hadn’t yet recovered. After returning to the bedroom, she couldn’t resist contacting her husband again to tell him about it.
Zuo Luohuan didn’t care what her mother was thinking. After returning to her room, she contacted Jiang Hong, asking if he had found any information.
Jiang Hong: 【…We just got back today. The Ji family’s information isn’t that easy to get. Why do you think Ji Yuezhi’s health is bad? Just because of something Ji Xixiu said?】
Zuo Luohuan: 【You don’t understand.】
Jiang Hong: 【…】
Fine, he, a single dog, didn’t understand, only she did. If she was so capable, she shouldn’t ask him for help!
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