Chapter 25: Her Lover, the Deceiver Part 1

The Imperial Fourth Military Academy had three days off each month. These three days were up to the cadets to arrange; they could go home or travel. However, the vast majority of cadets chose to go to the Mission Hall to take missions and earn living expenses.

Apart from these holidays, if a cadet wanted to leave campus during the academic term, they needed to apply for permission from the Homeroom Teacher. Only with the Homeroom Teacher’s signed leave permission slip could they exit.

After morning combat training ended, Zhen Yan, holding Jia Hua’s hand, found He Tong and requested leave to go off-campus.

He Tong: “…”

Just the second day here and already wanting to run outside. This behavior isn’t good.

“Tell me, what are you two going out for?”

Zhen Yan said with a serious face, “I heard the scenery near the school is beautiful, with lovely mountains and waters. I want to go see it with Qin Hua. For a date.”

He Tong was utterly speechless. “…Must you go outside to see it? The military academy is so large, isn’t it enough for you two to look around?”

Zhen Yan nodded. “Yes, we must go out.”

He Tong looked at Jia Hua, who was obediently standing behind Zhen Yan, holding her hand, and asked, “Qin Hua, what’s your opinion?”

Jia Hua pursed her lips in a smile, speaking sweetly. “I’ll listen to Zhen Yan.”

He Tong pulled a leave slip from her document bag, signed both names—Zhen Yan and Qin Hua—in the “Leaving Persons” column. “…Fine. But class is at 3 PM this afternoon. You must be back before 3. Cadets late to class are punished with a 100,000-meter run penalty.”

Zhen Yan took the leave slip and nodded. “We won’t be late.”

Before He Tong could even dismiss them, the two disappeared before her eyes as if they’d oiled the soles of their feet.

He Tong shook her head, watching their retreating figures. “Sticking together all day, every day, how can they not get tired of it?”

How could a pair of young lovebirds know the meaning of being tired, when every day the only thought is being close to each other?

The two headed straight for the Class A dormitory area and changed into their casual clothes.

Jia Hua asked, “Darling, where are we going?”

Zhen Yan watched Jia Hua pull a pink dress from the wardrobe and lowered her eyes. “A place called the ‘Treasure Hunt Holy Land.’ I heard they have everything there.”

Before coming to this Imperial Fourth Military Academy on Planet Dinkley, Zhen Yan had researched the planet on StarNet.

Jia Hua nodded. “Okay.” As she spoke, she was about to unbuckle her belt to change into the dress.

Zhen Yan’s eyes widened. Although she was an Omega, and Jia Hua was also an Omega, she was currently using an Alpha identity! How could she look at an Omega’s body!

Zhen Yan instantly blushed. She grabbed an outfit—a very Alpha-style white shirt, black trousers, and a gray jacket—and said to Jia Hua, who was undoing her belt, in a fluster, “I-I’ll change in the bathroom. You change here in the bedroom. Call me when you’re done.”

And with that, she stumbled towards the bathroom.

But her voice came out from inside a second later. “You’re currently also using an Alpha identity. Isn’t wearing a pink dress not quite… suitable?”

Inside the military academy, a female Alpha wearing a pink dress would be seen by outsiders as a muscular woman trying to act cute—undoubtedly terrifying.

Jia Hua replied, “Do you like me in a pink dress?”

From the bathroom came Zhen Yan’s voice, “I like you in anything.”

Jia Hua said, “That settles it then. I’m wearing it for you, not for them.”

Zhen Yan replied, “Mm.”

In the bedroom, Jia Hua, changing, looked at the pink dress she’d tossed on the bed and murmured, “I heard Alphas like cute girls. Wearing a pink dress should be cute enough, right?”

Jia Hua swiftly changed into the pink dress and then called towards the bathroom, “I’m done.”

Zhen Yan then came out of the bathroom. The moment she saw Jia Hua, she froze in place.

Jia Hua’s face and figure were as if God had a favorite daughter—every part perfectly flawless to the extreme. Just a lift of her eyes could instantly steal all your heart and soul.

So an Omega could be this beautiful…

Zhen Yan lowered her eyes, looking at her own shirt and trousers, and pressed her lips together tightly.

“Zhen Yan, am I cute?” Jia Hua flicked her hair, letting half of it cascade naturally over her chest, smiling lightly at Zhen Yan.

Zhen Yan looked up and nodded. “…Of course, super cute!”

But inside she was thinking: Soft and alluring, yet charming and tender!

Simply entrancing!

Since getting together, both had changed significantly.

One seized every opportunity to flirt to the fullest; the other blushed and went weak-kneed at the slightest flirtation. Yet both drew closer to each other. It was a perfect romantic dynamic for the two of them.

Jia Hua, hearing this, nodded with satisfaction and smiled. “You look very handsome too.”

Zhen Yan grinned upon hearing this. “Thanks.”

They got into a hovercraft and headed straight for the campus gate. After presenting their leave slip at the gate, they exited the academy.

They hailed a taxi and stopped in front of the “Treasure Hunt Holy Land.”

Zhen Yan said, “Let’s go in.”

Jia Hua shook her head. She scanned their surroundings, then led Zhen Yan to a small shop where they bought two black face masks.

“Since it’s ‘Treasure Hunting,’ it’s better to be a bit mysterious.”

Jia Hua first personally put the mask on Zhen Yan, then put one on herself.

Jia Hua smiled, reaching out her hand to Zhen Yan. “Let’s go, girlfriend. Time for a date.”

Beneath her mask, the corner of Zhen Yan’s mouth curved to its highest point. She took Jia Hua’s hand and nodded heavily.

“Girlfriend, let’s go on a date.”

Hand in hand, they walked into the “Treasure Hunt Holy Land.”

At the entrance, the gatekeeper required them to wear a wristband. If the wearer used Mental Power, the wristband would locate them and sound an alarm. Security would then evict them.

“Absolutely do not stir up trouble or provoke conflicts inside. Otherwise, you bear the consequences yourself,” the gatekeeper said sternly.

After walking through the main gate, they saw a projection board beside them that read: [Holy Land Auction House, Day Auctions 8 AM-5 PM, Night Auctions 10 PM-12 AM.]

Upon just entering, they found the interior chaotic and disorderly, much like a street market.

The stall owner at the first stall near the entrance, seeing the two, enthusiastically pitched his wares. “Two beauties, these are beautiful gems I brought back from the Baturo Mining Planet! Come take a look, see if anything catches your eye! I’ll sell it to you cheap if you like it! Come, take a look!”

They walked over and saw several gems on his humble tabletop. Under the daylight, all the gems glittered, looking quite beautiful indeed.

Jia Hua picked up a purple gem, slowly rubbing its surface. Under her touch, the gem gradually dimmed, looking listless, devoid of any Energy.

Heaven-and-earth mineral treasures in this world all contained a certain amount of Energy. The more expensive the mineral, the higher the Energy within. This Energy could subtly nourish the wearer’s Mental Power. There were even legends of wearers’ Mental Power rising a minor rank because of a mineral.

And it was said: the more Energy a mineral contained, the more beautiful it was, even emitting dazzling, colorful light.

“How much is this?” Zhen Yan picked up a Sapphire from the gem box. This stone glowed blue, smooth overall, without any edges or corners.

The stall owner’s face bloomed into a grin upon seeing this. “Beauty, you have excellent taste! This gem is the best one in the entire box, with the most Energy inside. I placed it in this box precisely to find a destined person for it. Since you’re the destined one, I won’t haggle. 880,000 yuan and you can take it. Consider it a bond of destiny between us.”

Zhen Yan instantly frowned. “Your ‘destiny’ is really expensive.”

Stall owner: “Beauty, I spent 870,000 yuan to buy it on the Baturo Mining Planet back then. This extra 10,000 yuan is just a small fee for my hard work traveling back and forth. Take a closer look, this gem, it—”

As the stall owner enthusiastically pitched to Zhen Yan, Jia Hua returned the now-dull, lightless purple gem to him.

The stall owner’s eyes instantly widened, his expression changing. He huffed, “I’m not selling to you anymore! Go, go away!”

Naturally, Zhen Yan saw it too. She let out a cold laugh. “All fakes, and you dare ask for 880,000? You have nerve!”

The stall owner closed the gem box, brazenly saying, “Business is business, buy and sell by mutual consent. I didn’t force you to buy. What’s this talk of nerve?”

“You—” Zhen Yan hadn’t expected such shamelessness.

“Let’s go. We’ll look elsewhere.” Jia Hua took Zhen Yan’s hand and pulled her away from that stall.

Jia Hua said, “Someone who can set up a stall at the very first spot at the entrance must have some connections here. Don’t let him cause us to be targeted, lest we can’t enjoy ourselves to the fullest.”

Hearing Jia Hua say this, Zhen Yan silently nodded. She was here to look for a nice ring, not to expose counterfeits.

The further they walked inside, the more astonished they became.

This “Treasure Hunt Holy Land” wasn’t limited to stall owners selling fake gems. There were also sellers of rare medicinal herbs, high-intelligence equipment, low-lethality weapons…

The variety was immense. Almost anything you could think of was here, but whether it was real or fake was up to you to discern. A sign stood in front of every stall: [Goods Sold Cannot Be Returned or Exchanged.]

This was the rule of the “Treasure Hunt Holy Land.” Since it was “Treasure Hunting,” naturally, one had to “hunt.”

Their eyes were dazzled looking at everything along the way. As they walked, they found a crowd tightly packed ahead, with shrill, crying shouts coming from within.

Jia Hua loved watching excitement. She immediately pulled Zhen Yan, weaving left and right until they squeezed inside. Reaching the inner circle, they saw in front of a medicine shop, two store clerks in white lab coats forcefully pinning a man in sportswear to the ground.

A man in a suit and leather shoes stood before the crowd, explaining: “This customer is simply unreasonable. His Omega mother was critically ill. He came to our store seeking a treasure medicine. We went through great trouble to provide him with the most precious potion, but his mother was truly too far gone. She passed away before the potion could take effect, and then he came here to cause trouble. Sigh, we deeply regret his Omega mother’s passing, but that’s no reason for him to create a scene.”

“You’re lying! You said back then that even if a person was dead, one dose could revive them! You lied!” shouted the man pinned on the ground, weeping.

“You— Mmmmph!” Just as the man was about to say more, the two clerks on him forcefully pressed his face flat against the ground, causing him so much pain he couldn’t speak.

At that moment, several security guards arrived. The suited man repeated his account. Two security guards stepped forward to take charge of the troublemaker.

The suited man smiled at the Security Captain. “Brother Wang, sorry to trouble you with this matter.”

The Security Captain’s mouth curved into an ambiguous smile. “No trouble at all.”

But he reached up and tugged at his collar—a secret signal meaning payment. The suited man’s eyes flickered darkly, then he nodded with a smile.

“Take him away!” Having secured the money, the captain was in a great mood. He waved his hand for his subordinates to take the troublemaker away.

Jia Hua, who had observed everything, smirked coldly. Her right hand covered the wristband on her left wrist, directly shielding it. When she looked at the Security Captain, he suddenly seemed to trip over something and fell sideways, landing heavily on the ground. Before anyone could even laugh, he started rolling on his own like he was possessed, crashing straight towards the medicine shop and slamming violently into the table laden with potions.

Under the brutal impact from the Security Captain, the table’s leg snapped, sending the table tilting sharply to one side. All the “precious” potions in their glass vials crashed onto the hard floor. The liquid medicine inside spilled everywhere, filling the air with a potent medicinal smell.

From the captain’s fall to the breaking of the vials, the entire sequence seemed to happen in a single instant. Before anyone could react, the whole table’s worth of potions was shattered.

“Ooowww~~” the Security Captain groaned in pain.

“Heavens!!” The clerks cried out in shock, rushing forward to check for any intact vials.