Chapter 24: Her Lover, the Deceiver

The challenge is made by logging into the Imperial Fourth Military Academy’s internal combat network, locating the challenged party, and issuing a challenge request. Once the challenged party accepts, the challenger pays a venue fee of one thousand yuan. The academy then schedules the match, and at the appointed time, the parties proceed to the Combat Arena for the duel.

“Teacher, the next class is exactly combat training. May I use this class period to have a match with classmate Zhen Yan?” Ji Shuoqing looked at He Tong and asked.

He Tong nodded. “As long as Zhen Yan agrees, it’s fine.”

Ji Shuoqing stood up from her seat and looked at Zhen Yan on the podium, smiling. “Rather than picking another day, how about we have a match right after this?”

Ji Shuoqing’s provocation was too glaring. Zhen Yan also wanted to use this match to see just how powerful her Mental Power truly was, the reason General Qin valued her so highly.

Zhen Yan nodded coldly. “Fine.”

With outsiders, she was generally quite aloof. She truly didn’t want to waste an extra sentence on them.

Ji Shuoqing immediately sent a challenge request to Zhen Yan on the combat network. Zhen Yan logged in and accepted.

Their match instantly appeared on the combat network’s homepage.

Ji Shuoqing’s name was first, Zhen Yan’s name second. After their names were written: Combat Room #2, 10:30.

This match immediately attracted the attention of the military academy’s teachers and students.

This was a contest for the top spot on the rankings, far more interesting than an ordinary match.

Challenging cost money, but spectating was free. One could either go to the combat room to watch or log into the Fourth Military Academy’s intranet viewing area, where there would be a live broadcast for free viewing.

The entire class moved to the Combat Arena for combat training. The class stayed on the first floor’s public training ground for paired combat training, while Ji Shuoqing and Zhen Yan were to go up to the second floor’s Combat Room #2 for their duel.

The class cadets all looked at He Tong expectantly.

He Tong waved a hand dismissively. “All of you go watch.”

“Thank you, Teacher!”

The Combat Arena was very large. Besides the first floor being a massive public training ground, the second floor held four combat rooms. Each room contained a combat platform, surrounded by spectator seating, allowing watchers to enjoy the exciting matches on stage.

At this moment, thirty-two cadets from Class A of the first year and their Homeroom Teacher, thirty-three people in total, walked into Combat Room #2.

“Alright, which two cadets are dueling? Come up to the platform,” the referee teacher sitting on the judging platform said as they entered.

“Shuoqing, you can do it! We believe in you!” Du Han, the closest to Ji Shuoqing, shouted beside her.

Wearing white boxing gloves, Ji Shuoqing stepped onto the combat platform. Her gaze fell on Zhen Yan below the stage.

She wanted to know just how great the gap between these sub-ranks truly was.

Zhen Yan completely ignored Ji Shuoqing’s gaze. She simply turned to Jia Hua beside her and said, “I’m going.”

“Wait a moment.” Jia Hua ran to a glove area nearby, bringing back a pair of red and black gloves, helping Zhen Yan put them on.

“Don’t let yourself get hurt.” After the gloves were on, Jia Hua hugged Zhen Yan and whispered in her ear.

Zhen Yan hugged Jia Hua back, nodding. “Don’t worry, safety first.”

Wearing the red and black gloves, Zhen Yan stepped onto the combat platform. Immediately, a transparent protective barrier rose, isolating Zhen Yan and Ji Shuoqing from the outside world. This prevented the Mental Power released during the match from affecting the spectators in the stands.

A live recording device rose from the floor, its lens aimed at the two on stage. It was going to broadcast live.

Referee: “The match is point-to-point. Do not take lives. Violators bear full responsibility for the consequences. Match, begin!”

He Tong silently took a seat next to Jia Hua, handing her a bottle of water. “Drink.”

“Thank you.” Jia Hua took it, twisted the cap open, but didn’t drink.

“Who will win?” He Tong looked at the two standing opposite each other on stage and asked.

Jia Hua smiled softly. “Naturally, Zhen Yan.”

He Tong turned to look at Jia Hua. “Are you sure?”

Jia Hua nodded to her. “One hundred percent.”

“Heavens!! Ji Shuoqing knelt! She lost?!?!” An incredulous voice came from a Class A cadet in the distance.

Both looked toward the combat platform. Ji Shuoqing was on one knee on the ground, her face covered in sweat, her expression pained.

The spectator area buzzed with discussion.

“My god! Is this the gap between 4A and 5A? Just releasing Mental Power made Ji Shuoqing kneel instantly. Damn, this Zhen Yan is so fcking strong!”

“But, this gap is way too huge! I swear, their Mental Power clash didn’t even last ten seconds!”

“…”

It wasn’t just the audience below the stage who were stunned. Zhen Yan on the combat platform was also shocked. She knew her S-Rank Mental Power would win against A-Rank Mental Power, but she never imagined ending a match so effortlessly.

Simply releasing her Mental Power completely crushed the 4A-Rank Ji Shuoqing across from her.

Zhen Yan’s eyes darkened. In the future, it would probably be very difficult to slip away unnoticed.

With a mental shift, the Mental Power she’d released surged rapidly back into her body.

As the final trace of Mental Power vanished from the combat stage, Ji Shuoqing, who had been struggling desperately to hold on, visibly exhaled. She lifted her head towards the judging platform, pointed her index finger at herself, then pointed to the ground, signaling her surrender.

The protective barrier opened. The school medic, who had been waiting nearby, quickly took Ji Shuoqing away with the help of assistants.

The referee teacher announced Zhen Yan’s victory on the judging platform.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Zhen Yan calmly walked down from the combat platform, placing the gloves on the designated table. She had just taken her phone out of the personal item storage box when a message arrived. Opening it, she saw she’d received a transfer of one million yuan to her military academy Imperial Magnetic Card.

Zhen Yan paused in her steps, the corner of her lips curling up. This money was earned with promising prospects.

As Zhen Yan passed the gathered Class A cadets, it was so silent you could hear a pin drop. They all looked at Zhen Yan with awed, envious eyes.

This was a military academy; everyone revered the strong. They had previously flattered Ji Shuoqing because she was the strongest in the entire first year. But now, that strongest person had been defeated. She had to yield her position for the stronger one to be worshipped.

Watching Zhen Yan’s retreating figure, they all bitterly regretted why they had antagonized Zhen Yan. Now, getting on good terms with her would require a great deal of effort.

“I’m back,” Zhen Yan said to Jia Hua.

Jia Hua handed Zhen Yan the water bottle she’d already opened. “You were amazing! Thirsty? Have some water.”

Zhen Yan took the bottle, originally intending to twist the cap open, only to realize Jia Hua had already done it for her. Her eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled at Jia Hua. “Thank you.”

Jia Hua raised an eyebrow. “Why say ‘thank you’ between us?”

“Ahem, ahem,” came a crisp, dry coughing sound from beside them.

“Be mindful. This is a public place.”

The two exchanged a glance, sharing a silent laugh.

He Tong rose from the spectator seat and said to Zhen Yan, “Zhen Yan, come here for a moment. I have something to tell you. Qin Hua, you go down with the other cadets first—”

“Teacher, Qin Hua already knows my Mental Power is S-Rank. There’s no need to hide it from her. Besides, you also know our real relationship,” Zhen Yan said, standing next to Jia Hua.

Jia Hua heard this, tilted her head to look at Zhen Yan, a smile spreading across her lips.

Help, she loves me so much! She even opposed the teacher for me!

He Tong: …Is an Omega-Omega Relationship this sweet?

Feeling overwhelmed by their intimacy, He Tong simply turned and shouted towards the Class A cadets gathered on the other side. “Class Monitor! Take them downstairs for paired combat training! Zhen Yan and Qin Hua stay behind, I have words for them.”

Her voice, laced with Mental Power, clearly reached every cadet’s ears over there.

“Yes!” replied a handsome male Alpha.

The Class A cadets quickly departed Combat Room #2. The referee teacher also left afterward. The entire room was left with only three people: Zhen Yan, Jia Hua, and He Tong.

Ignoring Jia Hua beside her, He Tong looked at Zhen Yan and asked, “What insights did you gain from the last match?”

Zhen Yan was silent for a moment before saying, “That I shouldn’t have defeated a classmate right from the start, making her lose face?”

He Tong: “…No. Why did you only make her kneel on the combat platform, instead of making her lie flat on it?”

Zhen Yan’s eyes widened upon hearing this. Beside her, Jia Hua curved the corner of her lip, smiling at He Tong.

Zhen Yan: “…Wasn’t the rule not to take lives? Once I saw her kneeling, I stopped releasing my Mental Power.”

He Tong shook her head. “You are an S-Rank Mental Power User. If you could skillfully control the Mental Power in your body, you could instantly take down a 4A-Rank Mental Power User. Instead of letting her stand for ten seconds under the pressure of your S-Rank Mental Power and not even forcing her prone in the end.”

“Your Mental Power is powerful, but you can’t control it well. You let it fly everywhere wild, with no clear attack target. Now, the opponent was close, so she quickly submitted to your Mental Power. But what if she were farther away? Could your Mental Power still reach her?”

Zhen Yan was silent.

She hadn’t tried it; how would she know if she could or not?

“Zhen Yan, sit here.” He Tong pointed to a spectator chair beside them. “Can you, without damaging surrounding objects, shatter the third chair from the left in the top row of Area C?”

“Just like I do.”

He Tong raised a hand. Invisible Mental Power transformed from her palm into a thin rope, shooting towards the chair next to the target. “Bang!” Cracks appeared on the chair, rapidly expanding before it split apart, tumbling down the steps. Aside from that single chair, nothing else was damaged.

“You try,” He Tong said to Zhen Yan. “Gather the Mental Power in your palm, then strike it at the target chair.”

Zhen Yan was silent for a moment, then slowly raised her hand, guiding the surging Mental Power within her towards the target chair.

“Bang! Bang! Bang—” The target chair shattered, but so did the five chairs surrounding it.

She hadn’t achieved the precision strike like He Tong.

“Sorry, I still can’t control it well,” Zhen Yan shook her head.

He Tong: “…This is precisely why we had you come to the military academy to learn—to help you master the control of the immense Mental Power within you.”

“Zhen Yan, your talent is strong, but it still requires diligent study later on. Empty talent is useless otherwise.”

Though she couldn’t execute a precision strike, this was the first time Zhen Yan had intentionally controlled the Mental Power in her body. This result already had He Tong laughing inwardly with delight.

As expected of an S-Rank Mental Power User, her comprehension ability was also stronger than ordinary people’s!

When Class A’s cadets first arrived, how many of them didn’t need a long time just to barely control their Mental Power and stop it from flying everywhere recklessly? Even now, a small portion of cadets still couldn’t release their Mental Power well, let alone perform precision strikes.

“I understand. I will study hard,” Zhen Yan replied.

He Tong nodded. Her peripheral vision caught Jia Hua sitting to the side, one leg crossed, swinging it back and forth. She sighed silently. “Let’s go, regroup downstairs.”

Jia Hua smiled upon hearing this, stood up, walked over, took Zhen Yan’s hand, and led her out.

He Tong watched the two Omegas, roughly the same height, and shook her head.

These two Omegas are really tall. And thankfully they are so tall; otherwise, people would easily think they were Omegas.

He Tong turned off the lights in Combat Room #2, closed the door, and pulled out her phone to call the Maintenance Department.

“Minister Qi, it’s like this. Today, while demonstrating for a cadet, seven chairs in Combat Room #2 on the second floor of the Combat Arena were destroyed. Could you please send someone over to reinstall them?…”

Standing in the elevator with Zhen Yan, Jia Hua watched He Tong walking towards them, revealing a faint smile.

At noon, He Tong, eating in the faculty canteen on the sixth floor, received a call from the Maintenance Department.

“Senior Colonel He, I sent people at noon to install the chairs. But the feedback they gave me differs somewhat from what you described. I’ve sent a live video to you. Please take a look.”

He Tong frowned and opened the video. She saw that in Combat Room #2, all the chairs had been crushed into powder, as fine as flour.

Just then, Minister Qi sent He Tong another surveillance video from Combat Room #2. It showed that originally, only seven chairs were damaged. But the moment He Tong closed the door, all the chairs in the room silently crumbled into powder, falling onto the steps.

He Tong felt her eyeballs were about to pop out.

This Zhen Yan’s Mental Power was far, far stronger than she had imagined!

And the so-called ‘powerful’ Zhen Yan, right at this moment, was walking out of the military academy with Jia Hua, heading towards a place famously known on Planet Dinkley as the “Treasure Hunt Holy Land.”

A place rumored that, as long as you had money, you could buy anything.

Zhen Yan had earned one million yuan. She planned to visit the “Treasure Hunt Holy Land” to see if there were any nice rings, and what their prices were.

Jia Hua was so beautiful. She couldn’t just wear that low-quality ring. She deserved the best and most beautiful one!

She wouldn’t let Jia Hua suffer hardship with her!

She would secretly choose the most beautiful ring, and later stealthily put it on Jia Hua’s finger. Jia Hua would be very happy, right?