41 4.3

The next day, Chen Yu entered the morning class without any sense of fatigue despite having exercised all night. It seemed that here, human bodies were much stronger than in previous worlds, of course his had been further improved by the system.

The academy generally allowed its students to choose what subjects to take for their two weekday classes, with the rest of their time left free for individual training. Jin Yongguang had predictably chosen 'Expert Battle Training' in the morning and 'Expert Mecha Control' for the afternoon, both of which were exclusively available to top students. Thus, the five other boys looking back at him when he stepped into the practice hall all ranked within the top ten of the twelfth grade.

Smiling brightly, Chen Yu surveyed them, musing to himself that genetic evolution had definitely been geared toward perfecting the human appearance, every one of these teenagers could dominate any world's entertainment circle. Obviously, the protagonist and elite cannon fodder were both the most outstanding, just...in very different ways.

Whereas Hou Yi merely nodded gently back at his greeting then resumed his conversation with another student, Murong Wen hurried over, pulling Chen Yu to a spot he'd 'reserved' for him. This lackey-like impression caused the other students except Hou Yi, none of whom had as high or low a background as either of them, to scoff at Jin Yongguang for his bullying and Murong Wen for his servitude. With the protagonist's frail, pretty-boy image, however, most of the blame fell on Jin Yongguang.

Although most of them were accustomed to such a display, one student who had been glaring at them as if they were disgusting bugs couldn't stand it anymore. He stepped forward, jeering, "Murong Wen, so you rejected me to slave away for Jin Yongguang? What, you think he'll ever look at a peasant like you?"

Chen Yu was momentarily startled.

Having gone through a couple rather conservative worlds recently, he hadn't realized that this world was so open about homosexual relationships. This was likely thanks to technological advancements. While only a female could give birth naturally after having intercourse with a male, in the laboratory, it was possible to create a baby by combining the genes of two men or women. If the quality of the product was projected to be excellent, the noble families would even encourage the same-sex union.

Returning from his thoughts, Chen Yu examined this bulked-up, arrogantly showy suitor. He could vaguely recall from the original owner's memories that he'd pursued Murong Wen for several years, unfortunately he'd been publicly refused a week ago.

Well, Murong Wen wasn't Chen Yu's type, but he supposed he could understand the appeal, anyway he had the protagonist's ability to attract anyone powerful.

And this boy wasn't too weak, his name was...Ding...Ding..."Ding Bo, don't insult my friend simply because he doesn't feel the same way you do."

The poor kid flushed at this reminder of his rejection, pointing at him and yelling, "Jin Yongguang, you, you, you—"

Sweeping a glance over the finger in his face, Chen Yu's eyes darkened, but he asked in a clueless voice, "I, what?"

Ding Bo, who was two heads taller than Jin Yongguang and twice as wide, spat out, "So you want to play hero? Ha, can you back up your words with actions?"

Chen Yu could guess where this was going, he generously proposed, "Sure, let's have a match during class!"

Ding Bo, however, didn't know what was good for him. He shot back, "If you dare, we'll settle this in the arena, or else you'd better apologize to me and never talk to Murong Wen again!"

A short distance away, the academy kept a stadium, colloquially called the 'arena,' to resolve disputes through a duel, which would continue until one side surrendered or died. Of course, despite this regulation, no student had actually been killed, since anyone on campus could watch the brawl virtually or physically, meaning that any survivor of a death match would be thoroughly ruined.

Although the stadium appeared to be a convenient way to release frustration, in reality, it wasn't frequently used.

This was because an arena fight was a great gamble. Whereas, depending on his performance, the victor could obtain fame and glory, on the other hand, no matter what, the loser of the confrontation would be scorned even after graduating. Being defeated in such a duel implied not only inferior skills, but also the cowardice of having begged for mercy.

Hearing the boy's predictable taunt, Chen Yu grinned. What a good opportunity to test how he compared to these brats. Still, he concernedly inquired, "That...Ding Bo, you're only fourth place in this class, are you sure?"

At this accurate comment, Ding Bo faltered. Nevertheless, he couldn't back down now without losing all his face, he clenched his fists and blustered, "Hng, I've been letting you win before, just shut up and wait for the teacher!"

Chen Yu agreed, calmly sitting down on the floor.

Truly, it's never peaceful around the protagonist ah.

Turning to the boy holding onto his sleeves and apologetically crying, Chen Yu mused. Whether or not he'd conspired with Jin Zhong in the plot, Murong Wen's meek behavior irritated him, so Chen Yu had intended to distance himself. Still, maybe he should leave him around a bit longer? He brought such interesting things along...

Once the instructor arrived at the practice hall a few minutes later, he was quickly informed of what had happened.

The middle-aged man had been brought by the academy straight from waging deadly battles over to the tranquil classroom, he was also eager to experience the straightforward, hot-blooded daring of youth. Thus, he declared that he was willing to hold the arena fight right away for instructional purposes and directed all six of the students to troop over to the stadium immediately.

While Chen Yu walked, he was wondering how such a brash student like Ding Bo could have survived for so long in the academy when he recollected that this Ding Bo's parents were known for their logistical support systems and had signed some contracts with the Hou group.

Therefore, in Ding Bo's mind, despite Jin Jia's great political power, since the Ding family was allied with the supreme might of the military, he felt secure in challenging the other boy. Probably, if Jin Yongguang came from a military pedigree, no matter how lowly, Ding Bo wouldn't have dared.

But his whole plan depended on Hou Yi championing him...

Curious whether that inwardly callous boy would really be so benevolent, Chen Yu twisted around to peek at him.

At that moment, Hou Yi was following along with the other students, shaking his head. That Jin Yongguang, he had definitely forgotten Ding Bo's name, he had definitely eagerly agreed to this spectacle purely because he wanted to spar, he had definitely ignored rumors of what students suffered if they lost.

Was there anything that could interest him besides training and more training? But why was he even spending time on Jin Yongguang, what did he have to do with himself?

When he glanced up, however, he surprisingly found that Jin Yongguang was...staring at him?

Somewhat puzzled, he nonetheless flashed his signature mild smile and caught up to the other boy. In a warm tone, he warned, "Yongguang, perhaps you should be more careful. After all, Ding Bo is stuck in fourth place because he can't bear to attack our third-ranked student."

Chen Yu blinked.

Indeed, if Ding Bo steeled himself against his love for Murong Wen, who held the third place, he would easily beat him, thereby earning the right to challenge the second-ranked Jin Yongguang. The original owner might have even lost to the bigger boy, although that wasn't an issue now.

This wasn't news to Chen Yu.

Instead, what was unexpected was firstly, that Hou Yi had so coldly pointed out his minion Ding Bo's lack of sound judgment; secondly, that he'd hinted at how Murong Wen had maintained his status; thirdly and, most importantly, that he believed Jin Yongguang, who presented himself as a silly brute, would go through all the steps necessary to understand his meaning.

Furthermore, it was odd that the words which should have come across as a threat seemed to be genuinely rooting for him.

En, Hou Yi was a weird kid, not someone Jin Yongguang could fathom. So Chen Yu simply laughed, responding, "Ah Yi, don't worry, it's just a friendly competition! Also, if I win, can you train with me? You're the best in the academy, I bet I'll learn lots!"

Gazing at that foolish face, Hou Yi lost any will to enlighten the boy on the consequences of losing this 'friendly competition.' Besides, the battle maniac apparently remembered his name, how could he refuse?

---

Meanwhile, Jin Zhong sat across from his wife, discussing how to take care of their eldest son.

Realizing that she still wasn't convinced that Jin Yongguang needed to be dealt with, he gritted his teeth and explained again, "You know that even if Yongguang seems stupid, he often notices what normal people can't, like some kind of animal instinct. What if he enters the military and makes a connection between the missions I've had information on and their high fatality rates? He might already be suspicious about why I've asked him to tell me about the academy's talented students."

Madam Jin recognized the danger, but she was reluctant to give in. "That...that's true, but he's our son! Even if he did find out what you've been doing, would he really turn you in?"

Jin Zhong scrubbed his head. "I don't know, that's the problem. Yongguang has always been different from us. Then...should we wait and see?"

But when he asked that, Madam Jin stiffened. While she hated to sacrifice her son, being discovered wasn't something they could chance. Thus, their positions switched, with her urgently whispering, "How can we take the risk? What if the old man learns about it?"

They both shuddered. Jin Zhong's father might no longer be as active politically, but he remained a staunch loyalist, he would never forgive anyone who'd betrayed the Federation.

Recognizing their helplessness, the two gritted their teeth, resolved to get rid of Jin Yongguang. Anyway, their younger boy was so much more obedient, he had not once gone against their wishes like Yongguang had. If that unfilial child hadn't insisted on attending that ridiculous academy, how could they be in this situation now?

As for how to prevent Jin Yongguang from entering the military, aware that their pleas would fall on deaf ears, they began deliberating on a way to disable him so severely that it would be physically impossible for him to enlist. Since neither of them knew the situation inside the academy very well, however, they wracked their brains in silence for a long time.

Finally, Jin Zhong jumped up, rummaged through a pile of papers on his desk, then plucked a letter out.

To his wife's confused gaze, he disclosed, "The academy recently sent a notice that the quarterly assessment trials will be taking place soon. Since we can't figure out a way to cripple his body, we can at least act on his reputation! I've heard that many of the teachers there have ties to the military, if they witness him viciously harming another student, would anyone recruit him for their team?"

Madam Jin's eyes darted around, pondering what her husband had said. Frowning, she argued, "Yongguang isn't that kind of boy, he'd stop if the other person was very injured."

"Normally, that would be the case...but what if we can fix the fight?" Jin Zhong muttered.

The woman gaped. "Bribe the opponent? The academy's students wouldn't ever lose on purpose!"

Pacing around the room, Jin Zhong gripped the letter tightly. "No, that would be the case for most of them, but do you remember that boy Yongguang always talks about? Murong something?"

Madam Jin grasped what her husband was implying. "That commoner boy? The one that Yongguang said he's faced in the second-to-last round for every assessment?"

The couple's faces lit up. The more they considered it, the more it seemed that it would work. A guaranteed opponent who lacked money...

Thus, they immediately sent someone to find out the information of the commoner boy.