Nearly a week had passed before Lu Heguang and the others finally encountered members of another combat class. Their numbers weren’t much larger than their own, suggesting that few had managed to stay through the “tests” during the previous training period.
Standing in formation, Lu Heguang quickly scanned the opposing team, his gaze once again drifting toward Salorian, who was collecting medical supplies nearby. Medical students didn’t participate in the survival battle they were still in their learning phase, with only the seniors taking part.
The survival battle rulebook stated that medical personnel were not to be attacked, but it didn’t forbid them from initiating attacks. This meant that aside from guarding against ambushes and sneak attacks from combat students, they also had to be wary of future doctors in white coats who might approach with a smile.
Staring at Salorian’s back, Lu Heguang couldn’t help but smile inwardly. No matter where they were, Salorian always managed to capture his attention first. Even if everyone wore the same training uniform, he could still spot Salorian in a crowd at a glance.
“Combat Class Two, I’m Captain Joan,” one of the opposing team members stepped forward, extending a hand. “Who’s your captain? As opponents for the next week, let’s greet each other properly.”
“Wow, a female Alpha,” Wen Zhao nudged Lu Heguang, who had been lost in thought. Lu Heguang looked up only to find his teammates all staring at him. He blinked. “Why are you looking at me?”
“Ahem, step forward, Captain,” Aizel coughed twice, signaling Lu Heguang to go shake hands. Lu Heguang shook his head firmly. “You can’t just pick me on the spot, can you?”
“Do you want a formal captain inauguration ceremony? We’ll give you one after the survival battle, okay?” Without another word, Wen Zhao pushed Lu Heguang forward. Reluctantly, Lu Heguang stepped up and shook Joan’s hand. She studied him with interest, and just as they released hands to return to their teams and prepare, Joan suddenly grabbed him again. “You smell strongly of an Omega. You’re not an O pretending to be an A, are you?”
Lu Heguang had learned from Mitchell how to release his pheromones, but he hadn’t yet experienced his rut. Until then, his pheromones would only emit a faint scent so faint that even Lu Heguang himself couldn’t quite describe it. Still, it was more than enough to prove his identity at that moment.
But just as Lu Heguang was about to release his pheromones, he changed tack and smiled. “What, do you look down on Omegas?”
Mitchell had told him not to blindly follow others’ leads; being passive could put him at a disadvantage.
Unexpectedly, Joan released his hand and smiled back. She had a beautiful face if she weren’t an Alpha, she could have won many hearts.
“Not at all, sorry about that,” Joan waved and returned to her team, though her gaze toward Lu Heguang remained filled with intense scrutiny.
Feeling somewhat frustrated, Lu Heguang returned to Wen Zhao’s side and nudged his shoe. “Do I really smell that strongly of Omega pheromones?”
Wen Zhao hummed in agreement, looking at him suspiciously. “Can’t you tell? Who have you been in contact with this morning?”
“My dad, and then there’s just my senior.” Lu Heguang lowered his head to sniff his own clothes. “Why can’t I smell it?”
“You’re the youngest among us. Before your rut, you’re not considered fully grown.” Wen Zhao patted his shoulder with a laugh. “It’s completely normal that you can’t smell it.”
Lu Heguang hesitated, then glanced toward the medical department students who were already boarding the starship. Salorian wasn’t there he must have gone in already. For some reason, Lu Heguang felt inexplicably down. They had only been apart from Salorian for a few minutes, so why were his emotions fluctuating so much?
“Wen Zhao, why would an Omega leave such a strong scent?”
“Reasons? There are plenty. Bodily fluids carry the most concentrated pheromones. If he wasn’t injured or doing anything to you, then you don’t need to worry about that.” Wen Zhao had already ruled out Lu Heguang’s father in his mind. With Marshal Feiluo’er as his partner, only Feiluo’er’s pheromones would overpower Lu Ze’s.
Wen Zhao followed his gaze toward the medical department. “Maybe your senior is entering his heat cycle.”
Lu Heguang froze at the words. Heat cycle? Salorian planned to participate in the survival battle in that state?
But there was no time to dwell on it. Chen Wang’s arrival brought a series of orders the survival battle would last seven days. The medical department would finish their exam and withdraw from the rainforest on the fifth day. Battles would be fought by class or squad, competing and attacking one another. Anyone who withdrew voluntarily or was incapacitated within the first three days would be considered to have failed the exam and would have to wait for the second round of tests to determine whether they could stay in the combat department.
In the remaining four days, the later a team member withdrew, the greater their chances of staying.
The most crucial rule was that attacks and competition were not restricted by grade level.
“Looks like we’ll have to watch out for Parker causing trouble,” Aizel said warily. “I really don’t want to run into him again.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll help you get revenge,” Wen Zhao patted his shoulder. Everyone’s eyes turned to Lu Heguang, who had unwittingly become their leader. He took the identity badges from Chen Wang and distributed them to each person twenty-seven in total. Who knew how many would remain in the end?
As he handed each badge to someone, Lu Heguang would pat their palm, silently wishing them success in staying.
“Good,” Chen Wang watched all this with a hint of approval in his eyes. He clapped his hands. “Prepare to depart.”
“Wow, I heard this is a training area exclusively used by Wyatt,” Aizel pressed against the starship window, looking at the planet they were about to land on. It was unremarkable in the vast universe, only a faint green visible. “The entire planet is a rainforest.”
Lu Heguang had no mind to share in his amazement. He was busy dealing with his starsickness—even though Salorian had told him a lot about it, once he was actually on the starship, he realized he couldn’t manage any of it.
Dizziness and a throbbing headache were the mildest of his reactions. Lu Heguang kept taking slow, deep breaths, facing a sanitary bag, afraid he might vomit.
“Why is your reaction so severe?” Wen Zhao asked, half-amused and half-concerned, patting his back. “Don’t pass out on us, Captain.”
“Don’t worry,” Lu Heguang gave a thumbs-up. “I’m fine.”
Chen Wang didn’t join them this time. He would remain on the Imperial Star, grading everyone based on footage transmitted by monitors. As a result, Wen Zhao became the de facto leader of the class having asked everyone’s birthdays when they first met, he concluded he was the oldest. With their captain in poor condition, he stepped up to take charge.
“Glad you’re okay. We’re counting on you,” Wen Zhao said, displaying his dual nature one side carefree and casual, the other responsible and reliable. Lu Heguang glanced at him and nodded.
A few minutes later, Lu Heguang finally returned to solid ground. Though everything around him was completely unfamiliar, the feeling of standing on firm earth was a relief. He let out a long sigh. “Did anyone see where Class Two landed?”
Aizel, shielding his eyes as he watched the starship depart, pointed westward. “They landed over there.”
“Good. Let’s head forward a bit, then turn west,” Lu Heguang said, opening his equipment pack to inspect its contents. Inside were compressed rations to last seven days, drinking water sufficient for only three or four days, and weapons a dagger and a fully loaded MDR. He couldn’t help but silently thank Mitchell when he received the assigned weapons from Chen Wang before departure.
What a prediction master he even nailed this.
By now, Lu Heguang had grown quite proficient with the MDR. Slinging the weapon over his shoulder, he turned to the others. “Should we stick together or split into two teams?”
Aizel raised his hand. “I have a question. Why are we heading west?”
“If we could see Qiao An and the others landing west, they could also see where we landed. As competitors in the same grade, they’d definitely come looking for us as soon as possible if they could,” Lu Heguang explained, crossing his hands to illustrate. “We move forward, then turn toward their direction after creating some distance, avoiding a direct encounter along the way.”
“What if they don’t come looking for us?” someone asked.
“Even better,” Wen Zhao chimed in, catching Lu Heguang’s drift with a grin. “We’ll take them out in one go.”
“Given they’ve made it this far, they won’t be easy to eliminate in one fell swoop,” Lu Heguang replied modestly, scratching his cheek. “If any of you have ideas, remember to share them. We’re a team, after all.”
Lu Heguang had no prior experience in wilderness survival his two-day break had been packed with training arranged by Mitchell, leaving him only with theoretical knowledge. Now was the perfect opportunity to put it into practice.
The group proceeded according to Lu Heguang’s plan. At first, the path was relatively clear, likely the same route taken by seniors who had participated in survival battles here before. Faint traces of the trail were still visible. But as they ventured deeper, not only did the path become increasingly obscure forcing them to blaze a new trail but new problems also emerged.
“Got bitten?” Lu Heguang squeezed past his companions and crouched beside a usually quiet Alpha, rolling up the boy’s pant leg to reveal a bloody puncture wound on his calf. “It’s a mosquito.”
“A mosquito that big?” Aizel opened his backpack and handed Lu Heguang a meager, equally distributed portion of medical supplies. “Apply some of this.”
“What about you?” The Alpha who had been bitten by the mosquito, named Alan, felt uneasy seeing Aizel give him his own medical supplies.
Aizel crouched beside Lu Heguang: “We’ll learn from your experience. Everyone, tighten your cuffs and pant legs, and fasten your belts. The remaining mosquitoes should be manageable.”
Just as everyone was busy securing any openings in their clothing where insects might enter, a sudden alarm sounded. Alan flinched, and Lu Heguang pressed down on his leg: “Someone near us has been eliminated.”
He raised a hand in a downward motion, signaling everyone to hide: “Shh, quiet.”
Footsteps rustled through the nearby woods, growing closer and closer. The approaching person even hummed a carefree tune, completely unaware that they were stepping into a dangerous zone…