Chapter 6: Defected, He’s Even Praising the Enemy…
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Everyone filed out, chatting in groups of three or five.
“Say, Brother Ren wouldn’t hit an Omega, right? Although that Little Yu is cocky, he doesn’t look like he can take a beating.”
“That’s impossible. He only uses lethal force on Alphas. Last year during combat practice, he almost twisted my arm off.”
“The way I see it, he won’t let this go. Summer Training won’t be boring this year.”
Yu Shi was packing up his lesson plans when an Alpha poked his head in from the doorway and said, “Instructor Yu, Principal Tang wants to see you in his office.”
The person wore round-frame glasses and introduced himself. “I’m the Life Instructor, Li Yang. Let’s exchange contact info.”
Li Yang was very enthusiastic. He sent Yu Shi a map of the school and pulled him into the class group chat so he wouldn’t have to use the system for notifications in the future.
“During Summer Training, the only students in school are from our academy and those staying to prep for grad school exams.” Li Yang led the way to the academic building, talking as they walked. “Two cafeterias are open. The swimming pool, hot springs, and bar are all open as usual. Outside of work, you can go relax.”
Xu Bohan was shocked. “There’s a hot spring and a bar?”
Li Yang said, “Except during missions, NDU doesn’t prohibit alcohol daily. After some Alphas return from the battlefield, they suffer from war trauma. The school administration places great importance on psychological soothing, so they built quite a few entertainment facilities.”
He smiled slightly. “Instructor Yu, there are a few students who are hard to handle, right?”
Yu Shi had a helpless look in his eyes. Qi Huan laughed, “Seems like Teacher Li is a veteran victim.”
“Just call me Brother Li. The command class is like that. The missions they go on are dangerous, so they often don’t take theory teachers seriously. Don’t take it too personally,” Li Yang sighed.
He escorted Yu Shi to the door of the Principal’s office and left with the other two.
The Principal was Tang Jiadong, a General from K9. Seeing Yu Shi enter, he stood up and extended his hand in greeting. “Director Yu, welcome to our school. I’ve been bogged down with affairs these past few days and didn’t have time to meet you yesterday.”
His voice was resonant, and he appeared to be a decisive man of action.
Yu Shi shook his hand. “It’s alright. Did the Principal need me for something?”
Tang Jiadong looked him over a few times. “Then I’ll keep it short. The first thing is regarding the training observation application you submitted. It says you need the physical data of the Command Class Alphas. May I ask the specific purpose?”
“It’s like this: I have a mecha project involving pheromone connection that requires physical data to proceed,” Yu Shi said. “I’ll email the details to you later.”
Tang Jiadong looked thoughtful. “You know S-class Alpha data is classified. I can allow you to record it, but it cannot be taken off campus or used for your personal experiments. Do you accept this condition?”
He was putting it subtly. S-class data was not only classified but also a priceless commodity on the gray market.
Such an opportunity was rare. Yu Shi agreed without hesitation.
Tang Jiadong nodded. “Director Yu is a straightforward person. I like communicating with straightforward people. The second thing is regarding the Armory pass you applied for. I’d like to ask the reason for the application.”
Yu Shi said calmly, “NDU’s weapon collection is world-famous. I wanted to take this opportunity to go in and have a look. If it’s convenient…”
Before he could finish, Tang Jiadong shook his head. “No.”
“The Armory is a restricted military zone. Passes for every level must be submitted to K9 for approval. Even I only got mine after review. It’s not a place for sightseeing or study. I’m sorry, but this cannot be approved.”
He paused, then added, “If you really want to see weapons, the school will host the 17th Gun Expo in a month. I’ll arrange for you to attend then.”
Yu Shi’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t press further.
“Then… the third thing is something I personally want to discuss with you.” Tang Jiadong cleared his throat. “You have people from the Falcon Regiment in your class, right?”
Yu Shi immediately realized who he was talking about and asked with a frown, “What do you mean, Principal?”
Tang Jiadong said helplessly, “Our school is subordinate to K9. My superior officer is Marshal Xie of the Army Corps, as you probably know… However, the Falcon Regiment does not belong to K9. To be precise, it answers directly to the Sovereign.”
“In other words, we can’t impose too much control over the Falcon Regiment, but he has the authority to requisition my people. For example, regarding their mission to Zone 9 this time, Xie Ren pulled people directly from me. Cough, Instructor Yu, do you understand what I mean?”
Yu Shi scoffed. “Understood. The Falcon Regiment outranks K9, so you’re telling me not to manage Xie Ren.”
Unsurprisingly, he already knew about what happened in class today.
Tang Jiadong looked awkward. “It’s not that you can’t manage him at all. After all, you are his teacher; do what you must. But if there are special circumstances, he can leave school at any time without needing our approval.”
Yu Shi said indifferently, “I understand.”
Before he left, Tang Jiadong added, “A few last words, just a bit of advice from me.”
“That kid Xie Ren yields to persuasion but not coercion. To make him truly submit, you either have to suppress him with martial force or use some tricks. Instructor Yu, surely you don’t want to exchange blows with an Alpha who frequents the battlefield.”
A mocking look flashed across Yu Shi’s face. “Principal Tang, don’t speak too soon. What if I can suppress him with martial force?”
Tang Jiadong looked shocked as he watched him turn and walk out.
Yu Shi left the administration building and went near the playground. It was close to the school gate, so there was a faint signal. His communicator vibrated a few times.
He received a message from a stranger. There was no history in the chat box.
[A: Did you get the pass?]
Yu Shi walked to a blind spot in the surveillance. He replied: [There is signal monitoring. It’s inconvenient to talk. Contact on the weekend.]
The other side didn’t reply. He deleted the chat box as usual and looked up at the burning clouds on the horizon.
Orange clouds covered the sky, leaving amber traces on the glass. The sunset was brilliant and dazzling, but reflected in his eyes, it was a heavy solemnity.
After watching the news in the evening, Li Yang invited them to walk around the playground.
During Summer Training, the curfew was adjusted to midnight, and beer was served on the playground at night.
Yu Shi hadn’t planned to go, but Li Yang said sincerely, “Work isn’t urgent right now. Instructor Yu, you’re new here; you should interact more with the students.”
Tang Jiadong’s words flashed through his mind: …persuasion… coercion… truly submit… martial force… if he doesn’t submit, beat him until he does.
So he changed his mind and stood up. “You’re right. Let’s go take a look.”
Night fell. The summer breeze carried cool moisture, rustling the plane tree leaves. The running track was brightly lit, filled with laughter and jeering.
Li Yang was the first to sense the chaotic pheromones and immediately apologized, “Sorry, I forgot you are Omegas. Do you need suppressant patches?”
“Ah, it’s fine,” Qi Huan said. “This concentration is okay; the scents are just a bit mixed.”
Xu Bohan looked at Yu Shi. He adjusted his wristband but didn’t say anything.
A circle of Alphas gathered on the playground. Two people were grappling in the center. One was Zhao Yi, wearing a night patrol uniform with an FNP pistol at his waist.
Zhao Yi looked cheerful and lively, but he was exceptionally fierce in combat. He stepped forward to lock the opponent’s leg, followed by a backhand body slam. The Alpha he grabbed was equally agile, flipping in the air to land steadily.
Xie Ren’s voice came from the crowd: “What are you staring at? Go for the back! Too slow. Tsk, Xu Ze rested for a month and his reactions have dulled. Continue.”
He was also wearing a night patrol uniform, his right hand habitually resting on his waist as he offered a few leisurely pointers.
Zhao Yi fought according to his instructions. Within a few minutes, he pinned the Alpha named Xu Ze under his foot. The guy yelled angrily, “Brother Ren, you’re biased! Why teach him and not me?”
Xie Ren chuckled. “If you’re trash, practice more.”
Xu Bohan and Qi Huan laughed too, their eyes wandering a bit. Yu Shi looked at them in confusion. “What are you laughing at?”
Xu Bohan lowered his voice. “Teacher, didn’t you smell it? Zhao Yi’s pheromones smell like peaches.”
Qi Huan couldn’t hold it back and burst out laughing. “A big, burly Alpha like him actually smells like peaches. What’s the difference between that and a muscle man wearing pink… Hiss, he seems to have seen us.”
Zhao Yi waved and shouted, “Isn’t that Little… Instructor Yu and the others? Hey, Brother Li, come over and practice.”
Everyone looked over. Li Yang hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no, who can beat you guys? We’re just taking a walk after dinner…”
Before he could get the word “walk” out, Yu Shi walked over.
No one expected him to approach. Xie Ren, looking somewhat amused, crossed his arms to size him up.
“How do you want to practice?” Yu Shi asked Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi was stunned. “Huh?”
“Weren’t you the one wanting to practice? State the rules.”
As Yu Shi spoke, he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows, revealing pale arms.
He had a slim build. His collarbones pushed against the fabric of his collar, and the shirt wrapped around a well-proportioned body, the hem tucked into his trousers to outline a narrow waistline.
Xie Ren’s gaze landed on that waist, then unobtrusively moved away.
Zhao Yi was dumbfounded. “You’re serious?”
Jeering sounds erupted around them.
“Don’t chicken out! Yi-zi, Godfather’s got your back.”
“What are you afraid of? Scared to hit the instructor? Coward.”
“No, who the hell dares to hit him? If I break him, I’ll get stuck with a 59 and fail the course.”
“Hahahaha, that would be too wicked.”
Hearing their sarcasm, Yu Shi didn’t get angry. He said calmly, “If you break me, I’ll give you a 95.”
The crowd instantly exploded, whistles rising and falling.
“Hear that? Go get him!”
“Holy crap, can I join this activity?”
“No way, no way, I don’t hit Omegas…”
Yu Shi took a step back, assumed a standard fighting stance, and beckoned to Zhao Yi.
No Alpha could tolerate such provocation, especially when the opponent was a frail-looking Omega.
Zhao Yi rubbed his fists. “Instructor Yu, then I won’t be polite. If you can’t handle it, call stop early. My fists don’t have eyes.”
“I don’t know your rules. Is anything forbidden?”
“Doesn’t matter, anything goes.” Zhao Yi shrugged. “Freestyle sparring. You can use weapons, even a fruit knife.”
The last sentence carried a bit of teasing, causing the crowd to roar with laughter.
Yu Shi scoffed, “If this were a battlefield, a fruit knife would be enough to slit your throat.”
“Hmph, you’re overthinking it.”
Zhao Yi’s smile vanished. Without another word, he arched his body like a cheetah and pounced, right fist striking straight at Yu Shi’s face, abruptly opening the curtain on this fight.
Yu Shi dodged sideways, his movements practiced and fluid, even somewhat leisurely.
Zhao Yi’s eyes flashed, seemingly approving of his quick dodge, but his hands gave no respite. He coiled around like a python, combat boots kicking up dust on the grass as his knee drove straight toward Yu Shi’s ribs.
Qi Huan covered his mouth in fright. “How… how are they fighting!”
Li Yang worriedly said, “Zhao Yi’s codename is ‘Python.’ He excels at suffocating opponents in close quarters. Even without pheromone suppression, ordinary people can’t handle this kind of grappling. Instructor Yu is being a bit impulsive.”
It was Xu Bohan’s first time seeing Yu Shi fight, and his eyes were wide round.
Just when everyone thought Yu Shi was about to be hit, instead of dodging, he suddenly exerted force. His right palm chopped toward Zhao Yi’s throat like lightning. The throat bone was the most fragile spot; a hit there meant injury or death.
Zhao Yi immediately abandoned the attack and threw his head back to dodge.
Yu Shi followed up by raising his leg to sweep at his head. The movement was dashing and agile. In just a few seconds, the situation had changed drastically.
Xie Ren hooked the corner of his mouth and said loudly, “See that? Offense is the best defense. Use your brains when fighting. Learn from this.”
The crowd whispered among themselves.
Xu Ze said, “Why isn’t Brother Ren coaching Yi-zi this time?”
Ye Bingyang curled his lip. “Defected, hasn’t he? He’s even praising the enemy.”
“Traitor.”
“Lackey.”
“Do you dare say that out loud?”
“I don’t dare, but aren’t you whispering too?”
Yu Shi broke through his close-quarters attack and used his legs to create distance, smartly avoiding being entangled again. He lengthened the battle line, running Zhao Yi ragged with frustration.
The two went back and forth, neither at a disadvantage, as time ticked by.
During physical exertion, pheromones became uncontrolled and inevitably evaporated through sweat.
Alpha pheromones spread through the air, but there was no Omega scent. Yu Shi began to pant, his face turning slightly pale.
Ye Bingyang said, “Instructor Yu is skilled, but his stamina needs work.”
“You kidding? Yi-zi is top three in stamina. How can he compare?”
“If this drags on, he won’t have the advantage.”
Under the dim lights, Yu Shi’s lips were pale, yet there wasn’t a drop of sweat on his forehead. It didn’t look like exhaustion, but rather like sudden pain.
Xie Ren stared at his face, slowly frowning as he sensed something was wrong.
Taking advantage of his slowed movements, Zhao Yi found another opportunity to close in, tearing through the defense with hook after hook. Hard knuckles grazed Yu Shi’s cheekbones, leaving red marks on that porcelain-white skin.
Yu Shi realized he couldn’t drag this out with the kid any longer.
The Alpha pheromones made his entire body sting. Every inch of skin felt burning hot. The discomfort was too intense and seriously affected his fighting.
So he made a prompt decision. He stepped on Zhao Yi’s bent calf, used the momentum to leap up, and struck viciously at his eye socket.
Zhao Yi decisively turned his head. It was this movement that created a brief blind spot. Instinctively, he cried out internally: Bad move.
At the same time, Yu Shi grabbed the FNP at his waist, pulled it out, and pressed it against his head!
The fight stopped abruptly. Zhao Yi had lost.
The surroundings went into an uproar, followed by a deathly silence.
For a soldier, having one’s gun snatched was a supreme humiliation. For an Alpha, having a gun blatantly pressed against one’s head, especially by an Omega, was the ultimate insult.
Yu Shi raised the muzzle a few inches, aiming right between Zhao Yi’s eyebrows, his eyes holding a trace of provocation. “Letting your guard down during a fight is very dangerous, ‘Python.'”
Zhao Yi’s eyes instantly turned ferocious, as if he wanted to pounce and take him down with him.
A hand wearing a fingerless glove gripped the muzzle.
Xie Ren walked out from behind Zhao Yi and said in a deep voice, “Instructor Yu, combat shouldn’t draw blood.”
Yu Shi glanced at him, raised his hand, and tossed the gun to him. “You look like you want to exchange a few moves with me too, but your hand is injured. I don’t want to take advantage.”
“Instructor Yu must be joking. I don’t fight Omegas.” Xie Ren smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “But the fight just now was brilliant. If you have time tomorrow, do us the honor of coming to Tuberose.”
Tuberose was the campus bar, the birthplace of all sorts of rumors.
Yu Shi refused without thinking. “No time. I’m very busy. Don’t make appointments for this and that. If you want to fight, do it now.”
His tone was too blunt, causing another round of murmurs.
“First time seeing someone choke back harder than Brother Ren. Truly cool, hahaha.”
“He really is skilled. Almost no one can snatch Yi-zi’s gun in close quarters.”
Xie Ren didn’t get angry. Hooking the trigger guard of the FNP, he spun it around his finger playfully. “Is Instructor Yu really not going? There’s something you like best there.”
He put the gun back into his waistband with a backhand motion and said meaningfully, “There’s a firearms competition tomorrow night. I look forward to your presence.”
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