Inside the mud pit, Evans reluctantly jumped in.
Across from him, Mo Yizhou stood tall, his dark pupils looking down as if viewing a lowly insect, which made Evans feel incredibly unsettled. Dealing with Chu Li was humiliating enough; now another Alpha was daring to cross him!
Evans swung a fist toward Mo Yizhou. Mo Yizhou’s speed was blinding; he caught the fist with precise strength. Evans tried to sneak an attack on Mo Yizhou’s abdomen with his other hand, but that too was accurately intercepted.
Unwilling to be restrained, Evans gritted his teeth and let out an angry roar, exerting all his strength to force Mo Yizhou back.
But Mo Yizhou didn’t budge an inch.
Evans resorted to kicking, but Mo Yizhou slammed his fists aside. Unbalanced, Evans stumbled back and accidentally stepped into one of the hollows Chu Li had dug earlier. With a splash, his right foot sank in, and he fell flat on his back into the mud.
Mo Yizhou grabbed his collar. Strangled and gasping for air, Evans’ face turned a frantic purple. Realizing he was no match for Mo Yizhou, he hissed a low threat: “Do… do you know whose man I am? You offend… me, you offend… Fu—”
Thud! Mo Yizhou’s fist connected squarely with his face.
Evans howled in pain, though he didn’t forget to keep threatening: “You… aren’t you afraid of Major General Fu Lin?”
Before he could finish, Mo Yizhou roughly hoisted him by the head and struck the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious with a single blow.
Two waiting team medics jumped into the pit, checked Evans’ pulse and breathing, and once they confirmed there was no life-threatening injury, they quickly hauled him out.
Zhou Yueming frowned. “He was already subdued. Why did you knock him out?”
“His mouth was too foul,” Mo Yizhou said indifferently.
The surrounding Alphas laughed, and even Zhou Yueming’s mouth twitched slightly. He waved a hand for Mo Yizhou to step aside.
Next up was the seventh candidate: Feng Yuming, the man who had also scored a perfect 100 on the mecha test and was hailed as a once-in-a-decade genius.
Chu Li watched the Alpha step out. He had a slender build, clean skin, and eyes that held a certain detached indifference. Feng Yuming’s gaze crossed with Chu Li’s. Thinking the man was going to choose him, Chu Li instinctively raised his hand to forfeit, but Feng Yuming’s gaze moved past him, pointing at Mo Yizhou.
“…” Chu Li.
100 vs. 100. It seemed true powerhouses had no interest in a 96-pointer like him.
Mo Yizhou didn’t seem surprised. Meeting Feng Yuming’s gaze, he jumped into the pit. Feng Yuming’s combat style was a sharp contrast to his cold face; every move was sharp and rapid. Mo Yizhou was just as skilled, agile and fierce. The two became a blur of combat.
A punch for a punch, a kick for a kick.
They were perfectly matched.
They fought for over half an hour without a clear winner. Both were drenched in mud from head to toe, their faces and hair unrecognizable beneath the sludge. Eventually, they ended up in a stalemate, limbs locked together in a pile, neither willing to let go.
Left with no choice, Zhou Yueming rubbed his brow and announced: “A draw. You both get 0.5 points.”
The two separated, now looking like little statues made of clay.
As Mo Yizhou climbed out, Chu Li handed him a wet wipe and a bottle of lightly salted water he had prepared.
“Thanks,” Mo Yizhou said.
Chu Li lowered his voice. “I should be the one saying thank you to you.”
Mo Yizhou twisted the cap. “I wasn’t standing up for you. I just can’t stand people like that.”
Chu Li nodded, understanding. Mo Yizhou gave him a strange look before turning away to gulp down the water.
Zhou Yueming looked at Mo Yizhou, then at Feng Yuming. “Feng Yuming, why choose Mo Yizhou?” Normally, the strong choose the weak to ensure a win.
Feng Yuming had wiped his cheek, leaving a startling red mark on his left face. He didn’t seem to notice it, saying casually, “I believe the pilots trained by the mecha department should be true powerhouses.”
He didn’t say much else, but the Alphas who had challenged or planned to challenge Chu Li looked quite uncomfortable. Zhou Yueming nodded in agreement, making those Alphas feel even more embarrassed.
As a result, for the rest of the matches, the Alphas—unwilling to be labeled as “weaklings”—stopped challenging Chu Li.
Suddenly finding himself with nothing to do, Chu Li took some sterilized wipes and water to find Feng Yuming out of gratitude. Feng Yuming didn’t take them at first, saying almost the same thing Mo Yizhou did.
“I didn’t intend to help you. I just do what I want to do.”
“I know,” Chu Li replied. “But objectively, you still helped me out. Keep these wipes for your scrapes.” Mud pits could be full of bacteria.
This time, Feng Yuming didn’t refuse.
The competition, which was supposed to end in the afternoon, lasted until evening. The Alphas were exhausted, both mentally and physically, and had no appetite for dinner. Nearly half were carried back to the dorms on stretchers. That morning, they thought the Beta would die a tragic death; by day’s end, they were the ones suffering.
That night, after showering, Mo Yizhou noticed Chu Li wasn’t in the room. He opened his optical computer and found himself added to several freshman group chats. One group was discussing Chu Li.
Is that Beta backed by someone? How else did he get into the mecha department? Probably no background. A friend said his grandfather had military merit, so he got the registration rights. Tsk, he must be paralyzed with exhaustion by now. He was just forcing himself to stay standing today. …Actually, I just came back from the cafeteria and saw him doing extra laps on the field. ……
A series of ellipses followed. Mo Yizhou checked the members; Chu Li wasn’t there. Aside from the official school group, Chu Li was excluded from all of them. It was a silent ostracization.
Mo Yizhou was about to exit the group when a notification popped up:
Feng Yuming has left the group.
A moment later, another notification:
Feng Yuming has requested to add you as a friend.
“…” Mo Yizhou.
Chu Li finished ten laps, drenched in sweat. He sat on the grass, gasping for air as sweat rolled down his face. After resting, he wiped his face and returned to the dorm.
Mo Yizhou was already clean, sitting on his bed reading a book, seemingly ignoring him. Chu Li entered quietly, trying to be unobtrusive. He took out his small rice cooker and set it on the bar counter in the entryway. He washed the ingredients he’d brought from the Lower District and started a pumpkin oat porridge.
While it cooked, he showered. When he came out, the porridge was ready. He opened the lid happily as steam billowed out. “Mo, would you like some pumpkin oat porridge?”
“No,” Mo Yizhou said coldly.
“Pumpkin porridge helps with pain and bacteria, and it replenishes energy.” Chu Li had brought four small pumpkins, anticipating injuries. He served a bowl and placed it on Mo Yizhou’s desk. “Try it when it cools down.”
Mo Yizhou glanced at the porridge and then at the satisfied smile on Chu Li’s face. He said nothing.
Chu Li went to bed early. The moment he lay down, he felt an incredible sense of relief; every pore seemed to open and relax. He fell into a deep sleep and woke up ten minutes before morning exercises. He noticed the bowl of porridge across from him was empty and had been washed clean.
He smiled. Mo Yizhou was like Uncle Su Nuo—a bit of a tsundere who said he wouldn’t eat but secretly did.
After morning exercises and his usual five extra laps, Chu Li went back to heat up the leftover porridge. At 8:30, they had their first academic class: Basic Mecha Knowledge.
When he and Mo Yizhou arrived, the room was nearly full. The chatter died down for a second when they appeared. The back rows were taken, so they sat in the middle of the front row.
As the bell rang, Feng Yuming walked in. Seeing the only empty seat was next to Chu Li, he sat down.
Now, Chu Li sat flanked by the two 100-point scorers. The three “trending” students sitting together became a sight to behold. Everyone behind them stared.
They expected Chu Li to be uncomfortable between two top Alphas, but he just kept his head down, his long lashes drooping as he focused intently on his textbook, seemingly uninterested in those around him.
However, Professor Lin didn’t show up on time. The students began to whisper.
“Professor Lin is never late. What’s going on?” “I heard he still has a post in the military. Maybe something urgent came up.”
Suddenly, an Alpha stood up and shouted, “Professor Lin isn’t coming! He… he died in the line of duty at the Northern District battlefield yesterday!”
Simultaneously, everyone’s optical computers pinged. The Northern District camp had been suddenly attacked by Zergs last night, resulting in numerous casualties. Professor Lin was on the list. Even Admiral Lu Jin was rumored to be injured and receiving treatment at the Imperial Military Hospital.
The mecha department sent a message canceling morning classes. The classroom fell into chaos.
Chu Li frowned at the news. Lu Jin is injured?
The news was vague about the severity. He opened his computer, found Lu Jin’s contact, and after some hesitation, sent six words:
[Admiral, are you doing, okay?]
There was no reply. The avatar was gray, offline.
He closed his computer. Behind him, the Alphas were still talking.
“I heard it’s because the mecha pilots temporarily withdrew from the North last night, creating a gap in defenses.” “A coincidence?” “Who knows? Maybe the bugs evolved, or maybe someone intentionally drew them there after the pilots left.” “Don’t talk nonsense. I just hope we graduate soon so we can go kill some Zergs.” “A friend in the military just told me Admiral Lu is in the hospital. Guess who went to see him?” “Who?”
The Alphas crowded around. Chu Li couldn’t help but lean in to listen.
“Song Xu.”
The 3S-level Omega who had been missing for six years had suddenly reappeared.