Facing these newborn calves who were utterly unafraid of tigers, Xu Yi, the Fleet Captain of the First Legion, nodded in approval of their spirit. Then, without a shred of mercy, he vetoed the cadets' self-nominations.
The little brats were to stay obediently on the flagship and serve as logistics support!
To learn more, see more, and think more—that was the true purpose of their participation in this joint exercise.
Confronted with Captain Xu Yi’s cold, ruthless, and seemingly arbitrary decision, the cadets were indignant. However, it was useless; in this world, the one with the biggest fist held the power.
Currently, the Fleet Captain’s fist was the largest, so he called the shots.
Xu Yi directed this sentiment straight at Ji Wei, completely ignoring the young man’s hideous expression. He stated mercilessly that no matter who they were or what their status was, they had to follow orders on his flagship, or else they would face the consequences.
Threatened by Xu Yi, Ji Wei’s expression twisted for a moment. He felt a surge of humiliation. How did this mere Fleet Captain dare to threaten him?
Did he not know who he was?
As for Emir, though she was also pouting, she could only withdraw her hand dejectedly in the face of the Captain’s firm stance.
Just as the cadets were about to return in total defeat, Hill, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
"But... wouldn't it be strange if a normal merchant ship didn't have a single Omega on board?" Hill asked in a low voice.
When Xu Yi looked over, the petite Omega seemed to shrink back in fear. He cast a quick glance at the Alpha Captain with his emerald-green eyes and added softly, "Aside from us, there are no other Omegas in the fleet."
If a bait ship was filled entirely with burly, battle-hardened Alphas and Betas, wouldn't that be blatantly telling the pirates that something was wrong with the vessel?
That made a certain amount of sense.
The Fleet Captain stroked his chin and nodded. However, letting these students—especially young Omegas—act as bait was simply too dangerous.
Xu Yi’s gaze swept over the only three Omegas present. That petite, green-eyed Omega definitely wouldn't do, and the girl with the long ponytail who was so eager to volunteer wouldn't work either; she was too aggressive and not calm enough. Then...
Just as Xu Yi’s gaze was about to land on Feng Zhixi, Ji Yeran moved imperceptibly to stand in front of him, shielding the Omega behind him completely.
Ji Yeran was using body language to tell the Fleet Captain: if Feng Zhixi was to go on the bait mission, he had to go as well.
Ji Yeran didn't look at Hill as he made this stance, but in his heart, he had already moved this Omega—whom he had avoided like the plague in his past life—firmly into the "dangerous person" category. This person was doing this on purpose.
Since his rebirth, Ji Yeran was truly facing a fact for the first time, one he had carelessly overlooked. Perhaps, compared to Ji Wei, who constantly targeted him in the open, there was another person—one who hid in the shadows behind a facade of harmlessness—who was the far more troublesome existence.
That person, hiding his schemes, was Hill.
As Ji Yeran recalled the past and the path Hill had taken, he suddenly realized something that had likely been ignored for a long time: on Hill’s journey to the top, every single stumbling block had vanished.
Even his cousin, Ji Wei—the future Federation Marshal—had merely been a glamorous shield standing in front of Hill.
What exactly was this Omega’s goal?
Shielded behind Ji Yeran, a bored Feng Zhixi was looking around. By sheer coincidence, his gaze met Hill’s.
Meeting those emerald eyes, Feng Zhixi, who reflexively felt a "stink" from the boy, subconsciously frowned. Then, he saw the other’s mouth part slightly, those green eyes filling with tears that threatened to fall but didn't, looking exactly like a "Little White Lotus" being bullied.
"..." Feng Zhixi, dizzy from the imagined stench, was somewhat shocked. What kind of god-tier skill was this?
"Hill, what's wrong?" Noticing Hill’s distress first, Ji Wei immediately asked with concern. This genius researcher he had specifically brought along was a target he intended to grasp firmly this time.
Hill—a young, frail genius who was supposedly unaware of his own strength and remained obscure!
This was a treasure Ji Wei had discovered by chance. After learning that the modification ideas for the mecha he had piloted in the Inter-Academy Joint Competition—ideas that had boosted the mecha's performance by 200%—were actually Hill’s masterpiece, Ji Wei had chosen Hill without hesitation.
Compared to the arrogant Benjamin, the leader of Lanli Academy, this shy, simple, and even more talented Omega was much more to his liking.
Ji Wei, who was ambitious and constantly scouting for talent, believed that he was the true future leader of the Ji family!
Receiving Ji Wei’s concern, Hill lowered his head slightly and shook it gently. He said in a regretful tone, "I'm fine. I... I also wanted to participate in the bait operation, but..."
The frail yet resilient green-eyed Omega expressed that although his physical stamina was lacking, he still wished he could be chosen to participate in the glorious frontline combat.
Hill’s subtext was clear: since he had no hope of participating in the bait operation, then Feng Zhixi, who did have a chance of being chosen, had no reason to refuse.
One had to realize that Feng Zhixi didn't just represent himself; he represented the collective wish of all nine cadets! He had to go even if he didn't want to!
Hearing this, Feng Zhixi raised an eyebrow slightly. He wasn't actually a person very sensitive to emotions and hated the various schemes hidden beneath the surface. Now, he had reason to suspect that even before he had officially sought trouble with this "genius thief," the other party was already actively seeking trouble with him.
So the question was: where did Hill’s deep-seated hostility toward him come from?
They didn't seem to have any prior interaction.
While Feng Zhixi was puzzled, his intuition told him that Hill’s hostility was the key to unlocking all the mysteries.
While each of them had their own thoughts, Xu Yi, the Fleet Captain of the First Legion, hesitated for a moment before deciding to ask for Feng Zhixi’s opinion. After all, the idea had come from him, so Feng Zhixi presumably wanted to participate?
"Do you want to go?" Xu Yi asked.
Feng Zhixi nodded and replied with a smile, "Reporting to the Captain, Cadet Number Two requests to join the bait operation!"
"Fine." Xu Yi was not one to vacillate. Once he made a decision, he would see it through.
Thus, Number Two, Feng Zhixi, and Number Three, Ji Yeran, were assigned to the bait operation. However, the two of them were only responsible for acting as mascots; everything else would be handled by the executive officer on the bait ship.
At this moment, the Captain of the First Legion had no idea what a massive mistake he had made.
A bait ship?
Certain "little brats" had the ability to turn it into something else entirely.
Having settled on the two little baits, Xu Yi began to assign the other seven cadets. The two Omegas were grouped together, while the remaining five Alphas, led by Ji Wei, were formed into a squad to follow him.
All the other various arrangements were made to create a proper fishing net.
Listening to Xu Yi’s arrangements, Ji Yeran showed nothing on his face, but he felt a bit strange in his heart. The man was an experienced Fleet Captain, and for Xu Yi to be the commander-in-chief of the First Legion for this exercise, he certainly wasn't a reckless brute.
Ji Yeran didn't know if Xu Yi had used a bait plan in the previous life’s exercise, but assuming he had taken the same approach in both lives...
From Xu Yi’s current deployment, it was clear that even though he had chosen a bold bait plan, his arrangements remained extremely cautious.
With such thoroughness and caution, combined with the strength of the First Legion’s regular forces, how did Emir’s "accident" happen?
This unstable factor gave Ji Yeran a sense of crisis. He glanced at Feng Zhixi, making up his mind to set some ground rules with him first.
"?" Being stared at for no reason, Feng Zhixi looked at Ji Yeran warily, unsure if the other was plotting something bad.
He had only secretly eaten an extra half-piece of pastry today; could he have been found out?
Taking in the eye contact between his cousin and that beautiful Omega, Ji Wei felt he had found Ji Yeran’s weak point. This person clearly meant a lot to his cousin.
With his excellent family background, great strength, and especially his handsome appearance, Ji Wei had always been very popular among Omegas. The confidence this brought him made him appear even more mature and charming in their eyes.
He could steal this person away. When that time came, his cousin’s expression would surely be "very interesting"...
Lost in these thoughts, Ji Wei didn't notice that his "sure thing"—Hill—suddenly looked up at him. In those emerald eyes, there was nothing of the pure, innocent "Little White Lotus."
Just as the future Starry Sky Prison Warden, Ji Yeran, had overlooked Hill, the current Ji Wei—the future Federation Marshal—had never truly known his partner’s real face from beginning to end.
Busy assigning tasks, Fleet Captain Xu Yi didn't notice the undercurrents swirling among the cadets at all.
In Xu Yi’s view, they were just a few kids; what major trouble could they cause?
As the only female Omega among them, and being a natural expert at reading social dynamics, Emir vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
Though she was still young and hadn't yet developed the powerful heart forged by future trials, she still felt a sliver of unease when certain malicious intents were uncontrollably exposed.
Driven by a small animal’s instinct to seek safety and avoid danger, Emir unconsciously moved two steps away from Hill.
Although she hadn't yet perceived the darkness in Hill’s heart, she subconsciously chose the side most beneficial to her.
For some reason, Emir felt that being near the "Chief" was particularly safe.
"Reporting to the Captain! Cadet Number One requests to join the bait operation!" Emir raised her hand again. Her animal instinct made her choose the "Double Chiefs" team, which seemed the most reliable right now, without hesitation.
Xu Yi, who was being regarded as unreliable: "???!" What, were these brats coming out one by one just to cause trouble?!
***
