“?” Looking at the beautiful face magnified inches from his own, Ji Yeran couldn’t help but notice the other’s thick, long eyelashes. The way they curled slightly upward was just right, lending him a touch of docility and obedience that usually didn't belong to an Omega.
Seeing Ji Yeran wake up, Feng Zhixi blinked. He pulled back naturally, as if he hadn't been up to any mischief at all, and stood up with an air of nonchalance.
It was early morning. Having enjoyed a full night’s rest, the Omega stretched his arms upward, fingers tensed, letting out a long yawn like a cat.
This was their second day on Planet M88. They had come with two objectives: besides uncovering the secret of the trial star map, they also had to deal with the task the Old Principal had forced upon them.
Though, in their minds, that task was entirely optional.
With that thought, Feng Zhixi rose from the sofa and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Sensing the command, the hotel suite’s system switched the glass to transparent mode.
Feng Zhixi had originally intended only to catch a glimpse of the morning scenery on Planet M88, but he immediately spotted one of their mission targets.
“...” Feng Zhixi froze.
Ji Yeran, who had also gotten up, looked at the Omega’s stiff back and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?” Was there something special outside?
Feng Zhixi turned around, his expression a mix of inexplicable complexity. “Remember those two Joint Military Exercise invitation cards?”
Ji Yeran nodded. He hadn't forgotten; before they left Planet Kanta, the Old Principal had used the excuse of being "fleeced" by them to shove those tasks into their hands.
There were two cards in total, issued by the Federal Military, inviting military academy students to participate in a joint exercise. The cards the Old Principal had "gifted" them were small signal-recognition cards that would release mission orders at specific times.
Upon landing on Planet M88, the cards’ embedded operating systems had automatically recognized the local signal and displayed the mission information.
Only then did Feng Zhixi and Ji Yeran realize that these invitation cards were not just invitations, but a test. To complete the mission, students had to find the liaison officer stationed locally. Only by finding the liaison and exchanging the card for an official entry code could they participate in the formal exercise.
Thus, having an invitation card didn't guarantee participation. Planet M88 was merely a screening ground set by the Federal Military for the prospective participants.
If these "outstanding students" couldn't even solve a simple riddle, they had no business causing trouble in the exercise. Military drills were not child's play; they were real battlefields.
When they had first read that text upon landing, Feng Zhixi and Ji Yeran had shared a look, both reaching the same conclusion instantly.
*In that case, let’s just not look for him. It’s much better to just forfeit.*
Their true goal was to uncover the secrets pointed to by the three star maps; participating in the Joint Military Exercise was merely incidental.
Besides, it wasn't that they *refused* to participate; they were simply "disqualified" because they failed the mission. Surely the Old Principal wouldn't mind~
Having reached a silent consensus, the two had looked at each other and shared a similar smile. And so, the matter was happily settled~
At that moment, far away on Planet Kanta, the Old Principal suddenly shivered for some unknown reason.
Feeling an inexplicable chill, the Old Principal looked out the window. It was midsummer, the sun was high, and the weather was perfect. Where did this ominous premonition come from?
Unable to find a cause, the Old Principal speculated privately: *Surely those two brats wouldn't intentionally ignore the mission and pretend to forfeit, right?*
*No, impossible.*
Dismissing the ridiculous thought, the Old Principal shook his head, firmly believing that students of Ben’en Military Academy would never retreat without a fight!
Little did he know that the two star students he placed so much hope in were currently planning exactly that.
***
Inside the luxury hotel suite on Planet M88, Feng Zhixi and Ji Yeran stood together before the massive window, their gazes fixed in unison on a certain spot outside.
The luxury hotel they were staying in was situated on a prime stretch of beach. Along the winding pink coastline, there were many seaside shops of varying heights—some floating in mid-air, others nestled on the sand.
Among them was a small shop topped with a dome that looked like a hot air balloon. Atop the white dome sat a sapphire that flashed rhythmically, like a signal tower in the sea, telling everyone: *Come here! This is where the Joint Military Exercise liaison is!*
*Military students, look over here!*
Feng Zhixi and Ji Yeran, who had no intention of looking: “...” They saw nothing!
At that moment, in front of that signal-tower-like shop, a certain liaison officer—who had been forced into the role due to his abysmal luck in a drawing—was holding a large cattail fan. He sat outside the shop door with his legs spread wide, his face so sour it looked like everyone in the world owed him millions.
Sitting before the seaside shop, the liaison—a Captain of the Federal First Legion—was fuming.
In this godforsaken place, single dogs could only stay in capsule hotels. This forced a peerless family man like himself to huddle in a "dog hole" just to preserve his purity. It was absolutely insane!
While guarding the shop and waiting for people, the Captain was miserable. Not only because he was forced to live in a "dog hole"—no, a capsule hotel—but also because of his extra task: he was responsible for the safety of these "dead weight" brats, as all these military students fell under the jurisdiction of his First Legion!
As the primary force of the First Legion for this exercise, the Captain had fought tooth and nail, finally beating down the other captains within the legion to become the lead commander for this Joint Military Exercise.
Just as he was feeling high-spirited and ready to show his prowess, he had been sabotaged by the hooligans of the other seven legions!
Who was the first person to suggest drawing lots to pick the scapegoat?!
The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. The Captain’s expression grew so ferocious that a passing young couple, intending to buy something, turned and fled in terror.
*Ten more days,* the liaison and First Legion Captain counted the days silently. He hoped those ten brats wouldn't show up at all; his warship didn't need these student anchors!
Indeed, for every Joint Military Exercise, the military would dispatch one fleet to act as the liaison for the participating students. Whoever picked them up had to let them do chores on their ship. It was commonly known as the "Nanny Ship"—the one looking after the kids.
How could the Captain of the First Legion, who had been sharpening his blade to take the top prize, endure this?
*Him? A nanny?*
To hell with that!
In the history of the Joint Military Exercises, no Nanny Ship had ever taken first place. Therefore, the graduation trial the Old Principal of Ben’en had given his favored students was to turn the impossible into the possible.
The shrewd Old Principal believed that the power of Ben’en Military Academy, combined with its vast network of alumni, was not so easily inherited. The Chief had to be worthy of the position and make everyone acknowledge them.
However, at this moment, Feng Zhixi and Ji Yeran were still unaware of the Old Principal’s "earnest expectations."
Their current plan was—
“Let’s go get breakfast.” Ignoring the bright signal light, Feng Zhixi turned around. He spoke in a relaxed tone, indicating that after eating, they would go look for clues regarding the trial star map. What signal light? They hadn't seen a thing!
Ji Yeran nodded, tacitly choosing to ignore the flashing military signal outside the window.
Currently, although they had reached Planet M88, the three-in-one star map remained unresponsive, as if it were dead.
Where that unknown star system was, and where those Brookite ores were located—the map gave them no answers. The secrets behind the map still required them to solve the puzzle.
“Let’s go,” Ji Yeran said.
And so, the two "blind" men left the room together, heading for the hotel’s sky restaurant. That restaurant happened to be on the other side of the hotel, perfectly avoiding the view of the beach.
Walking along, the two felt quite satisfied.
However, the moment they reached the sky restaurant, they both regretted it instantly.
As they stepped inside, a powerful stench hit their noses. It was a sour, putrid smell, like something had gone rancid—a scent so thick and nauseating, yet so familiar. This was—the smell of rotten eggs!
Smelling it almost simultaneously, Feng Zhixi and Ji Yeran both shuddered, their footsteps halting.
“Let’s eat out,” Ji Yeran suggested immediately.
Feng Zhixi nodded at lightning speed.
Thus, the two didn't even dare to look inside, fleeing the scene of this horrific biochemical crisis as if for their lives.
Meanwhile, inside the "biochemical crisis" zone, Ji Wei was intoxicated by the Omega’s sweet pheromones. A smile played on his handsome features as his raised finger seemingly brushed past the Omega’s cheek by accident.
*So smooth.*
Rubbing his fingers together, savoring the tactile sensation, Ji Wei looked at the little Omega whose eyes were red like a startled rabbit's. Suddenly, he felt a bit thirsty.
Hill lowered his head as if embarrassed, his face flushing. Because he had been too nervous staying with Ji Wei last night, he had "forgotten" to apply a pheromone blocker again, allowing that sweet scent to diffuse without restraint.
It was an extremely sweet, cloying scent, possessing a powerful allure, especially for Betas and Alphas.
Not just Ji Wei, but even the Betas and Alphas at the surrounding tables were somewhat affected.
More and more people were looking at Hill, causing the sweet and cute-looking Omega to bury his head lower and lower.
*So sweet.*
Ji Wei thought dizzily. He looked at the Omega’s golden hair, his eyes darkening as a desire for conquest ignited in his heart.
With his head down, Hill’s face grew redder and redder, like a cooked shrimp.
To outsiders, Ji Wei and Hill dining together looked like the union of a handsome, domineering Alpha and a sweet, innocent, rabbit-like Omega. It was a divine pairing that made many onlookers smile knowingly.
Consequently, no one noticed that the look in Hill’s eyes as he kept his head down wasn't shyness at all, but the madness of a plan succeeding.
*Ding!* The system, reactivating, even spoke with a higher volume. *“Key character favorability obtained. Mission rewards are about to be issued. Host, please check!”*
Then, Hill saw the new reward granted by the system: “Phase One Blueprints for a Short-Range Directional Jump Device.”
“!” Hill was so excited he nearly knocked over his water glass.
“Careful,” Ji Wei said, covering the little Omega’s fair hand with his own palm, his gaze deep and domineering.
This scene was also witnessed by Benjamin, who had just arrived from the capsule hotel. His footsteps paused slightly, his hands clenched. He remained silent for a moment, then strode over with long, purposeful steps.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
准入码 | Entry Code | A formal code required to participate in the military exercise.
接应官 | Liaison Officer | An officer stationed to receive and test students for the exercise.
第一军团 | First Legion | One of the major military divisions of the Federation.
胶囊酒店 | Capsule Hotel | Cheap, cramped accommodation, often for single travelers.
保姆舰 | Nanny Ship | A derogatory term for the ship assigned to look after student participants.
溪矿石 | Brookite Ore | A specific type of ore mentioned in the star map's secrets.
短距定向跃迁装置 | Short-Range Directional Jump Device | A high-tech teleportation/warp device rewarded by Hill's system.
