Part 2
The wind grew stronger, and the dark clouds on the horizon pressed very low, signaling rain. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning slashed across the sky. Jiang Chenyan instinctively grabbed Shen Shiyue’s arm. “Let’s go, let’s go. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be soaked to the bone.”
As soon as he finished speaking, bean-sized raindrops began to pelt down. They had only taken a few steps before they were completely drenched, truly becoming like drowned rats.
Jiang Chenyan shivered from the cold. How did it start raining so suddenly?
He and Shen Shiyue could only hide from the rain for a while, waiting for it to lighten before running back.
Not long after returning to the dorm, Jiang Chenyan used the excuse of asking about a problem to go find Professor Ariel. Shen Shiyue didn’t ask much, only saying he would wait for him to return.
At that moment, Professor Ariel was staring at the data network conducting an experiment, code sliding and switching on the light screen.
Hearing the sound at the door, he knew it was Jiang Chenyan, but he was busy and didn’t look up. “Did you run into an academic difficulty?”
Jiang Chenyan silently pushed a page full of calculations in front of him.
“Mhm.” Ariel only gave a low response and immediately moved his fingers away from the control panel, picking up a pen to circle things on the paper. “This is a good problem you found.”
Jiang Chenyan gave a light chuckle. “I looked for a long time. It really stumped me.”
As the explanation drew to a close, Jiang Chenyan asked as if casually, “Some people suddenly came to check our dorm today without giving a reason. Do you know what’s going on, Professor?”
Ariel’s hand holding the pen paused. When he looked up, the gentleness from before was gone, replaced by a flat expression. “Why are you asking this? Repeat what I just explained to you.”
Jiang Chenyan: “…”
He had been thinking about how to get information out of him and hadn’t really been listening. Jiang Chenyan gave an awkward smile, wrote down a different solution, and pushed it back. The professor’s face turned black.
“Use my method.”
Jiang Chenyan stubbornly said, “Professor, isn’t it better if I can learn and apply it to other things?”
“Heh.” A cold laugh escaped Ariel’s throat. “Put away your little tricks. Don’t play games with me.”
Seeing that he couldn’t bypass it, Jiang Chenyan simply leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Professor, I won’t hide it from you. The people who came to inspect today took my roommate’s things. I heard they are checking for contraband. I’m just afraid my roommate wasn’t careful and if something is found, he’ll be punished with copying the school rules.”
Ariel tapped the pen against the desk, his eyes instantly turning cold. “So everything you said just now was just to bait me?”
“Ah, you caught on, Professor. You’re just too smart.” Jiang Chenyan gave two dry laughs. “It’s mainly because I know there are too many school rules. Copying them is just too exhausting…”
He added at the end, “I’ve copied them before, and it’s truly tiring. Can you make sure he doesn’t have to?”
“Jiang Chenyan, are you truly stupid or just acting?” Ariel finally couldn’t hold back anymore, wanting to get rid of him. His pen almost stabbed through the paper. “Let me put it this way: rest easy. Your roommate has absolutely nothing to worry about.”
It was nothing more than a new, enhanced version of a nutrient agent. Even if it was confiscated, there was no reason to punish him.
The school had indeed discovered used Omega suppressants a few days ago, but they had already searched once and found no suspicious personnel.
Ariel let out a low laugh, his finger lightly tapping the desk. He was impatient and couldn’t help asking: “Jiang Chenyan, what are you actually thinking? Are you hoping Shen Shiyue is an Omega, or are you afraid he is one?”
Jiang Chenyan’s eyes narrowed slightly, reacting instantly. “Ah? What Omega? What are you talking about, Professor? This is an all-Alpha military academy. Where would an Omega come from?”
Ariel: “…”
The system thought to itself: [The host is quite good at playing the fool.]
Ariel was so angry he laughed. He reached under the desk, pulled out a sealed box, and pushed it over. “Open it and take a look. Use this to supplement yourself.”
Jiang Chenyan looked down and opened the box. With just one look, he was completely stunned. Inside the box were neatly arranged syringe-like objects, identical in appearance to the one Qi Bai had taken from their dorm.
His fingers paused on the edge of the box as he fell into thought. “…”
“What is this? It looks exactly like my roommate’s ‘contraband’.”
He had to play the part fully; he couldn’t break character.
Ariel said irritably, “Nutrient injections. Just a newly developed variety. It’s quite useful for the body. Take them back and use them well—stab yourself a few times, and stab your brain while you’re at it.”
He had specifically studied this when Qi Bai brought it over. It was quite convenient to use and could even help an Alpha through their rut. It was considered an Alpha-exclusive item.
Giving them to Jiang Chenyan was fine; it would help him supplement his health.
Jiang Chenyan: “…”
Professor Ariel looked up at Jiang Chenyan, his finger lightly pushing the frames on the bridge of his nose. “This whole box is for you. Go ahead and use them.”
Jiang Chenyan picked one up to weigh it. Not bad. “Thank you, Professor.”
After a brief thought, he figured it was time to leave. “Since there’s nothing else, Professor, I’ll head back first.”
“What’s the rush?” Ariel called him back. “Remember to prepare well for the first round of assessments. I heard from internal sources that those who don’t pass the first round will be kicked straight out of the academy.”
Jiang Chenyan froze, filled with shock. “?”
“Did the rules change this year?” he couldn’t help but ask. “Wasn’t it usually a single round of exams where the bottom few are filtered out? It’s changed to two rounds this year?”
“Mhm.” Ariel nodded slightly. “Changing the rules isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s good to have some novelty. Also, intensive training will start soon. Hurry up and prepare.”
Jiang Chenyan’s hand tightened around the box. “Understood.”
Ariel waved his hand, indicating Jiang Chenyan could leave. Holding the heavy box of nutrient injections, he turned and walked out of the lab, thoughtfully closing the glass door behind him.
The light in the hallway was dim. Jiang Chenyan glanced at the time; it was likely completely dark outside.
The entire building consisted of sealed laboratories, and the air carried a faint, pungent smell of disinfectant. A lamp overhead flickered on and off, the sound of current exceptionally clear in the silence.
Bzzzt—
Bzzzt—
Jiang Chenyan clearly remembered the light being fine when he arrived.
The laboratory was far too eerie. Jiang Chenyan couldn’t help but admire Ariel for being able to conduct experiments here day after day without finding it frightening.
As he neared the end of the hallway, a figure flashed by in his peripheral vision.
Jiang Chenyan’s whole body stiffened. He jerked his head to look, but the hallway was empty. There was nothing there. Only a room not far away had a light half-lit, the door slightly ajar. Inside, it was filled with colorful balloons and dolls.
Those dolls each had their mouths wide open in a grin that was indescribably creepy.
Jiang Chenyan’s heart skipped a beat, his face turning pale instantly. He didn’t dare stay a moment longer, clutching the box as he bolted down the stairs.
Only when he reached the outside did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Back at the dorm, Jiang Chenyan leaned over to open the box. His fingers brushed over the neatly arranged nutrient injections. He pulled out half of them, wrapped them in a bag, and turned to hand them to Shen Shiyue. “Look familiar? We’ll each use half.”
Shen Shiyue: “…”
It was indeed familiar.
For some reason, Jiang Chenyan felt completely drained, exhaustion seeping out from his very bones. Between running to the lab and getting caught in the rain today, he was so worn out he barely had the strength to lift his hand.
Almost collapsing onto the bed, Jiang Chenyan buried his face in the soft quilt, his head feeling heavy and groggy. “I’m going to sleep first. So tired.”
As soon as he finished speaking, before Shen Shiyue could respond, sleepiness submerged him, and he fell into a deep slumber.
In his daze, Jiang Chenyan remembered waking up. His head no longer felt heavy, and most of his fatigue had vanished.
He propped himself up and scanned the dorm. Shen Shiyue’s spot was empty; he probably took advantage of the weekend to go out.
There were no classes today. Jiang Chenyan casually checked his optical computer. When he scrolled to his notes, he saw a difficult problem he hadn’t solved before. For some reason, his first thought was to go ask Professor Ariel.
And so, he went.
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