Chapter 20: Is the Protagonist Shou About to Lose His Vest?
It was a bit of a trick, but he indeed won.
Xie Huaijin nodded slightly. “Mm. I admit itâI lost.” He had studied marksmanship since childhood and hadn’t expected Jiang Chenyan to win.
Jiang Chenyan was very good at observing the environment and using clever tricks with precision. Therefore, Xie Huaijin didn’t feel ashamed of losing.
Besides, Jiang Chenyan was very smart, wasn’t he?
It was quite interesting to have such a person as an opponent.
Jiang Chenyan hadn’t expected Xie Huaijin to accept the result so openly. After a moment of surprise, he stepped forward quickly to support Ji Xuan. “Letâs go.”
Xie Huaijin didn’t stop them, tacitly allowing them to leave.
He admitted that when he first saw Jiang Chenyan, he only thought the man was reckless and arrogant, and was full of annoyance and the intent to toy with him. But things were different now. It wasn’t bad to encounter such an interesting opponent; at least these years in the military academy wouldn’t be so boring.
The surrounding people saw this and instinctively cleared a path for Jiang Chenyan.
They knew clearly that something was different now.
On the other side, the system was exceptionally excited: [Host, how exactly did you do it?]
“Birch bark is film-like with a high oil content, making it particularly easy to ignite with a laser gun,” Jiang Chenyan explained. Actually, as soon as he saw the woods, he had begun quietly pondering a strategy. After kneeling to check the soil condition, he had deliberately run toward the dry areas to ensure a high probability of ignition.
The system was filled with ultimate admiration: [As expected, following the Host leads to good results.]
Jiang Chenyanâs mouth curled up almost imperceptibly, his tone teasing. “You finally spoke like a human.”
System: [I’m not human.]
“I know.”
The system was momentarily jammed. […]
Ji Xuan, who was being supported by Jiang Chenyan, finally couldn’t hold back and whispered in praise, “Jiang Chenyan, you’re so impressive. You actually won.”
“It was actually alright. In terms of shooting, I’m not that impressive, but I know that thereâs always more than one way to win.”
He hooked his lips and smiled. The sunlight fell on his hair and shoulders, making him look as if he were glowing. Ji Xuan was dazed for a long while before nodding. “Mm.”
Jiang Chenyan supported Ji Xuan into the infirmary. As soon as the doctor saw Ji Xuanâs state, he immediately brought out equipment for treatment, nagging as he performed the check-up: “How did you get injured like this? You must pay more attention in the future.”
“I understand. Thank you, Doctor,” Ji Xuan hurriedly thanked him.
When the treatment was almost finished, Jiang Chenyan suddenly asked, “Do you have other companions? Weâre still missing two for the team.”
“I do.” Ji Xuan nodded, but then hesitated. “But they originally didn’t plan on participating in this battlefield test anymore.”
Hearing this, Jiang Chenyan frowned. “You can just not participate if you want?” He had heard the first-place title was very valuable.
“By the rules, essentially no,” Ji Xuanâs voice dropped. “But previously, no one was willing to team up with us. We had no choice but to think about giving up.”
He looked up at Jiang Chenyan. “To be honest, I shouldn’t be in a team with you. It would only drag you down.”
Jiang Chenyan patted Ji Xuanâs shoulder. “What are you saying? Our team is lacking people. Besides, there aren’t many people willing to team up with either of us right now.”
He paused and added, “To be honest, whether we get first place doesn’t matter much. Let’s just finish the test first.”
The main reason was that he had heard the last few teams would be ordered to drop out, so he had to hurry and find teammates. Whether they were first didn’t matter; staying in the military academy was the priority.
Furthermore, the person before him was no ordinary person. Not only was he the villain, but he would also become a top commander later. This capability was unique.
“Then Iâll tell them now. As long as you don’t mind us,” Ji Xuan said hurriedly.
Jiang Chenyan couldn’t laugh. How could he mind? Currently, everyone was avoiding him and Shen Shiyue; being able to scrounge up five people was already good enough.
After the two exchanged contact information, Jiang Chenyan returned to the dorm. As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw Shen Shiyue was already awake, clearly having waited for him for a long while.
“Where did you run off to so early in the morning?” Shen Shiyue looked up and asked, his sharp gaze as if wanting to strip Jiang Chenyan bare.
“Looking for teammates,” Jiang Chenyan chuckled. “I actually found suitable people.”
He would set aside the matter of the suppressants and the rescue for now. “We have exactly five.”
Shen Shiyue gave Jiang Chenyan a flat look. His oppressive height closed in, his tall figure casting a shadow that completely enveloped Jiang Chenyan.
Jiang Chenyan was startled for a moment. For some reason, a chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively took a step back. “Whatâs wrong? Isn’t finding teammates a good thing?”
“Itâs nothing. Itâs a good thing,” Shen Shiyueâs voice was unreadable. He only said, “Push their info to me so I can see.”
“Mm.” Jiang Chenyan responded and tapped his optical computer.
But just as his finger touched the screen, he heard Shen Shiyue speak again, his voice colder than usual. “Are you hiding something from me? Going out today… it probably wasn’t as simple as just finding teammates, was it?”
Jiang Chenyanâs hand jerked, and the interface on his device flickered.
“There was a slight accident,” Seeing Shen Shiyueâs cold, heavy face, Jiang Chenyan had no choice but to tell the truth. “The new teammate I found was someone I rescued while passing by. Later, we had bad luck and ran into Xie Huaijinâs people and were taken away.”
A layer of frost covered Shen Shiyueâs face. He pursed his lips and spoke slowly. “Did he do anything to you?”
Jiang Chenyan: “He didn’t do anything to me. We just had a shooting competition. I ended up winning.”
Shen Shiyueâs expression finally softened, and his tone relaxed. “Thatâs good. I was afraid heâd take the chance to do something to you.”
“How could he? In broad daylight, he can’t just do something openly.”
Shen Shiyue didn’t respond. His gaze landed on Jiang Chenyanâs neck. It was strikingly white. His eyes darkened. “Why couldn’t he? Be careful in the future.”
“Mm,” Jiang Chenyan responded.
Actually, he hadn’t really done anything. Usually, he just stood still and trouble and bad luck would actively seek him out.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chenyan hooked his lips and smiled. “Shen Shiyue, that’s not the point. The point is I won. Am I impressive?”
“Mm. Impressive.” While answering, Shen Shiyueâs gaze dropped to Jiang Chenyanâs hair, and his fingers felt a faint itch.
There were no classes today. Jiang Chenyan took a hot shower and went to bed early. Just as he relaxed, a message from Ji Xuan popped up. He said the other two had agreed to join and sent their general information.
Both were B-rank, average level.
Ling Yi: Proficient in grappling, with outstanding close-combat abilities.
Du Er: Skilled in piloting flight vehicles.
Jiang Chenyan was quite satisfied with this configuration; at least for now, it was enough.
Once the list was finalized, he sent it directly to the teacher in charge of teaming.
The teacher clicked the list and scanned it. His vision nearly went dark. He couldn’t help but send a message to confirm: [Are you sure you want to team up like this?]
“Whatâs wrong? Is there a problem?” Jiang Chenyan asked back.
“N-No problem.” The teacher said no more, silently forwarding the list to Professor Ariel.
Upon seeing the list, Professor Ariel was instantly enraged. He asked directly: [What kind of ‘god-tier’ team did you send me? Where did he find these people? How did he even drag the Ji family person in? And the other twoâthey fail almost every subject. Can this team hold out until the end?]
The teacher let out a helpless sigh. [You should ask him yourself. I’m truly powerless. Regardless of his high level, since he offended that ‘god’ from the Xie family, he’s lucky to have any team at all.]
Ariel: “…”
In the middle of the night, Arielâs messages arrived one after another on Jiang Chenyanâs optical computer: [Are you sure you want to team up like this? Are you joking? Have you gone crazy?]
Watching the messages pop up one after another, Jiang Chenyan only slowly replied with one sentence: [Professor, let’s just leave it like this. I feel good about our teamâs state.]
Ariel: “…”
As long as you’re happy.
The next day, Jiang Chenyan dragged Shen Shiyue along to meet with Ji Xuan, Ling Yi, and Du Er. He wanted to take the chance to bond.
To his surprise, they were all “silent jars.” Throughout the whole thing, only Jiang Chenyan and Ji Xuan talked. The other two either kept their heads down or only answered in one word when asked. By the end of the gathering, Jiang Chenyan was exhausted.
It took a full week of grinding before the teammates were somewhat familiar. At the same time, the final team list was officially entered and published on the military academyâs website.
The news caused a massive uproar: [Jiang Chenyanâs team…]
[I want to flame them, but I feel like I’m not qualified to flame.]
[…]
It wasn’t surprising everyone reacted this way. Among the other teams, many were full A or even full S configurations. Only Jiang Chenyanâs team had uneven qualifications, looking exceptionally “pulled down” among the strong teamsâlike a chicken among cranes.
The most impressive were naturally the teams where Xie Huaijin and Mu Si’an were located, respectively; the lowest rank in those teams was S.
Jiang Chenyan made no comment on this. It would be fine as long as they could make it to the finals.
On this day, after injecting a suppressant, Jiang Chenyan was in an exceptionally poor state. He felt groggy and lacked even the strength to raise his hand.
It wasn’t until his optical computer was bombarded with messages from Kailan that he finally frowned and opened it, typing: [What is it?]
[Holy shit! You didn’t lose that suppressant I gave you, did you?!]
Jiang Chenyanâs fingers paused. He replied: [No…]
He had always hidden them very well.
[Something happened,] Kailanâs message followed immediately. [I got it out of Professor Arielâhe said that yesterday, a used Omega suppressant was found on campus. Now thereâs going to be a secret, all-out search across the whole school! Hurry and be careful! Hide your things well, and don’t let them be found!]
Jiang Chenyan frowned. He counted his suppressants every day; he couldn’t possibly be missing one.
That meant the Omega suppressant found on campus must belong to someone else.
Could it be Shen Shiyueâs?
As soon as that thought emerged, Jiang Chenyan believed most of it. Calculating the time, the plot point where the protagonist shou loses his vest seemed to be coming.
Just as Jiang Chenyan was about to head out to find Shen Shiyue to confirm the situation, he bumped into a “black wall.” The pain made him let out a hiss.
Looking up, he saw Qi Baiâs face.
If he wasn’t wrong, Qi Bai was that “black wall.”
Qi Bai led several people inside. He was in his sharp uniform, his eyes as cold as ice. As he scanned Jiang Chenyan, he only said flatly, “Go out first. We need to check some things.”
Jiang Chenyan frowned deeply, but could only retreat out the door.
The group entered and began rummaging through the dorm. Jiang Chenyanâs heart beat faster and faster, nearly breaking through his chest. He was afraid they truly would find something.
Qi Bai suddenly stopped and turned to look at him as if scrutinizing. “Are you nervous?”
“No,” Jiang Chenyan replied with an expressionless face. “I have no idea what you’re searching for.”
“Mm. It had better be so.” Qi Bai asked no more and turned to continue the search.
Jiang Chenyan clenched his palms. He couldn’t rush in, so he could only be anxious, wishing he could just jump up and kick them all out.
“Senior, let me go in and look. Iâm afraid you’ll mess up my bookshelf…”
Just as he took a step forward, his arm was gripped tightly by Qi Bai. Qi Baiâs eyes were dark and the chill reached the bottom of his pupils. He looked as if he wanted to see through Jiang Chenyan on the spot. “What’s the panic? Itâs a routine search for prohibited items.”
“There are no prohibited items in our dorm…”
Before he could finish, he heard someone inside shout, “Chairman Qi! We found a syringe-like thing under the bed. Itâs already empty!”
In an instant, Jiang Chenyanâs whole body went taut.
He had never thrown a suppressant under the bed.
Qi Bai looked at Jiang Chenyan with those cold black eyes. In a tone devoid of warmth, he told the person inside, “Bring the item out.”
Translator’s Note:
- “Lose his vest” (ć銏 – diĂ o mÇ): This is common internet slang in Chinese web novel circles. “Vest” (éŠŹç˛ – mÇ jiÇ) refers to an online alias or a secret identity. “Losing the vest” means someone’s secret identity has been exposed.
- “Bondage” (ćçť – kÇn bÇng): Ariel is using this in a slightly suggestive/teasing way because Jiang Chenyan handed him a person who was literally tied up with rope.
- “Pulled down” (ćčŻ – lÄ kuĂ ): Slang for something that is a let-down, poor in quality, or failing to meet expectations.
- “Chicken among cranes” (隤çŤé¸Ąçž¤ – hè lĂŹ jÄŤ qĂşn): A reversed idiom here. Usually, it’s a “crane among chickens” (someone standing out), but the text says his team is the “chicken” among the “cranes” (the strong teams).
- “PUA”: Pick-Up Artist. In modern Chinese slang, it refers to emotional manipulation or gaslighting.
- “God-tier team”: Sarcastic usage. Ariel thinks the team is a disaster.
See you in the next chapter! The plot is really thickening…
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