“For now, let’s rest here.”
Dawn was just beginning to break. Looking at the suddenly open clearing ahead, Qingyi turned to Lian Qiguang and asked for his opinion.
Ignoring her, Lian Qiguang walked past her, sat beneath a tree, took some food out of his storage space, and quietly began eating.
Qingyi had long since grown accustomed to being ignored. Taking his silence as approval, she found a clean spot and sat down on the ground.
Watching Lian Qiguang’s complete disregard for everyone else, the malice in Ji Renlin’s eyes deepened, though he forcibly suppressed it.
“Young Master Ji.”
Zhang Qi walked over and handed him a nutrient solution.
“Young Master Ji, what should we do with her?” Zuo Jing asked as she glanced toward Ye Chengcheng, who was still unconscious.
Looking at Ye Chengcheng’s filthy, battered appearance, Ji Renlin frowned slightly before turning to Lian Qiguang.
“The captain should decide.”
He spoke the word captain through gritted teeth.
“Captain.”
Understanding Ji Renlin’s meaning, Zhang Qi strode over to Lian Qiguang, looking down at him arrogantly.
“Ye Chengcheng is still unconscious. If this keeps up, she’ll only slow us down. If we run into another mutated plant like that one, we might not even be able to save ourselves.”
“So?” Lian Qiguang looked up at him expressionlessly.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I…”
Zhang Qi choked.
What could he say? Leave Ye Chengcheng behind?
Training was treated as real warfare. Abandoning an injured teammate on the battlefield would be enough to get him expelled from the Academy.
“You’re the captain. Of course the decision is yours.”
Looking at Zhang Qi’s self-righteous expression, Lian Qiguang calmly placed the last bite of food into his mouth and chewed slowly.
The deliberate pace made Zhang Qi increasingly agitated as he stood there, anger building inside him.
“You—”
“Ah!!”
Before he could continue, an agonizing pain exploded through his knee.
With a heavy thud, Zhang Qi crashed to his knees.
The sudden incident startled everyone nearby. One after another, they stood up, glaring at Lian Qiguang in shock or anger.
After swallowing his food, Lian Qiguang slowly rose to his feet.
Looking down at Zhang Qi, who was kneeling on the ground in pain, he said without expression,
“When I’m sitting, don’t stand over me and talk to me with that look.”
“Otherwise…”
“I’ll cut you down.”
“You! You!”
Zhang Qi glared at him with hatred.
“Lian Qiguang! You’re completely unreasonable! This is outright violence! I’m reporting you to the Academy!”
“I’ve always believed in answering violence with violence.”
“And don’t bother reasoning with me.”
“I tell you what to do—you do it.”
“If words don’t work…”
“I’ll kill you.”
“You!”
Lian Qiguang ignored him and walked toward where Ye Chengcheng lay.
“Xiaoguang…”
Ji Renlin stepped forward, preparing to lecture him once again.
Before he could finish, Lian Qiguang shot him a cold glance.
The deathly aura in that gaze was like the depths of hell itself.
Ji Renlin’s unfinished words froze in his throat.
His entire body turned ice cold, as though he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
“Get lost.”
Lian Qiguang uttered only two icy words.
Walking past Ji Renlin, he stopped beside Ye Chengcheng and looked down at her pale, dirt-covered face.
“We’ll rest for thirty minutes.”
“If she isn’t awake by then…”
“We leave her here.”
The calm statement rang clearly in everyone’s ears.
Qingyi and the others had never liked Ye Chengcheng, but years of peaceful living and the Academy’s teachings made them hesitate.
“Captain, the Academy doesn’t allow—”
“That has nothing to do with me.”
Lian Qiguang interrupted her flatly.
“Xiaoguang.”
Ji Renlin stepped forward, frowning.
“Ye Chengcheng is our teammate. She’s injured and unconscious. If you leave her here, she’ll die.”
“I’ll put her out of her misery.”
Put her out of her misery.
Two simple words.
Everyone immediately understood what he meant.
Even Qingyi and the others stared at him in disbelief.
“Xiaoguang!”
A flash of delight flickered through Ji Renlin’s eyes before instantly turning into grief.
“The captain’s duty is to protect the safety of every teammate!”
“You… how could you actually intend to kill one of your own teammates?”
He looked at Lian Qiguang in utter disbelief.
“Someone like you…”
“…doesn’t deserve to be captain.”
“So?”
Lian Qiguang watched Ji Renlin’s performance without expression.
The endless preaching only made his already foul mood even darker.
“Xiaoguang…”
Ji Renlin sighed, softening his tone.
“I’ve tolerated your childish behavior because I thought you were only throwing tantrums.”
“I never imagined…”
“…that you were this vicious.”
…
Lian Qiguang remained silent.
“Xiaoguang.”
“If it were only me, I’d follow every order you gave. As long as you’re happy.”
“But this team doesn’t consist of just me.”
“There are ten of us.”
“I can’t entrust everyone else’s lives to your recklessness.”
His expression gradually became resolute.
“Go on,” Lian Qiguang nodded calmly.
His face remained completely unreadable, making Ji Renlin increasingly uncertain.
“I’ve decided…”
“…to replace the captain.”
“I agree!” Zhang Qi shouted immediately, glaring viciously at Lian Qiguang.
“I think Young Master Ji should become captain,” Zuo Jing added.
“He’s been at the Academy much longer and has participated in training before. Whether it’s experience or ability, he’s clearly the most suitable candidate.”
“And you?”
Lian Qiguang looked toward Qingyi and the others.
Qingyi’s expression was conflicted, and she remained silent for a long time.
A smug smile slowly spread across Ji Renlin’s face.
“Since that’s settled, then I—”
Before he could finish, Qingyi suddenly grinned.
It was her trademark arrogant smile.
“Captain.”
“I already told you from the very beginning.”
“I’ll obey your orders without question.”
“Why don’t you trust me?”
“Oh…”
“My heart is broken.”
“I’m looking up at the sky, silently crying.”
Feng Qingyang sighed dramatically while staring upward.
“I only recognize you, Deadwood.”
Mi Xiaobao clenched his fists, looking firmly at Lian Qiguang.
“I never walk backward.”
Lan Qi nodded calmly.
Qiu Limo merely raised his head and looked at Lian Qiguang without saying a word.
His meaning was obvious enough.
“You people!”
Ji Renlin turned toward them, his face dark with anger.
“Do you all want to die?” Zhang Qi roared.
Before he could take another step—
A familiar pain struck.
With another miserable scream, Zhang Qi dropped to his knees again.
“Xiaoguang.”
“During training, attacking your teammates counts as betrayal. You’re violating Academy regulations. You’ll be—”
Qianming rested against Ji Renlin’s throat.
Lian Qiguang stared at him expressionlessly, waiting for him to continue.
“Xiaoguang…”
“You want to kill me?”
Ji Renlin looked at him in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“If you keep talking…”
“I’ll cut you down.”
With a smooth motion, Lian Qiguang sheathed Qianming and returned it to his storage space.
Turning around, he looked at the unconscious Ye Chengcheng.
A dark glint flashed through his eyes.
Before anyone could react—
He suddenly stomped hard onto Ye Chengcheng’s face.
“AAAAAHHHHHH!!”
A shrill scream echoed throughout the forest.
Grinding his foot down mercilessly, Lian Qiguang watched expressionlessly as Ye Chengcheng struggled in agony.
“Hah…”
Qingyi forced out a laugh, still unable to recover from her shock.
“Let go! Let go of me!”
Enduring the excruciating pain, Ye Chengcheng desperately grabbed at Lian Qiguang’s leg.
“So, Miss Ye…”
“You really can act.”
Qingyi sneered.
“Hah! If I’d known this would work, I’d have kicked you myself.”
“There would’ve been no need for our captain to dirty his noble foot.”
Feng Qingyang laughed.
“Miss Ye.”
“I never knew your tastes were so unique.”
Even Lan Qi couldn’t resist mocking her.
Seeing Ye Chengcheng screaming beneath Lian Qiguang’s foot, Ji Renlin’s expression became extremely ugly.
“You… you trash…”
“Let me go…”
“I said let me go…”
Ye Chengcheng had never imagined Lian Qiguang would actually dare to attack her.
She had awakened while the mutated plant was still alive.
But she had been utterly exhausted.
Covered in dirt and looking miserable, she felt too humiliated to face everyone, so she pretended to remain unconscious.
When Lian Qiguang first suggested abandoning her, she had panicked.
Then she comforted herself.
He wouldn’t dare.
But when he later said he would “put her out of her misery,” genuine fear seized her.
She had been preparing to “wake up” gradually when Ji Renlin’s speech changed her mind.
She wanted Lian Qiguang removed as captain.
She wanted Senior Ji to take over.
She had completely underestimated Lian Qiguang’s ruthlessness.
That stomp had been merciless.
The unbearable pain in her face forced her to scream.
Crack!
A wind blade embedded itself into the ground beside her face.
A thin stream of blood slowly trickled down her cheek.
She froze.
Then another earth-shattering scream burst from her mouth.
Qingyi and the others all dug at their ears with expressions of disgust.
“Shut up.”
Lian Qiguang suddenly increased the pressure beneath his foot.
Crack!
Ye Chengcheng instantly fell silent.
Her face twisted in agony.
Her mouth hung open, but no sound came out.
Judging from the unnatural angle of her jaw…
It had been dislocated.
Seeing her grotesquely twisted face, everyone felt a chill run down their backs.
That was unbelievably ruthless.
“If anyone keeps making noise…”
“I’ll make them stay silent forever.”
Removing his foot, Lian Qiguang swept an emotionless gaze over everyone.
The endless darkness and deathly aura in his eyes made everyone instinctively shudder.
He withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.
Watching Lian Qiguang’s retreating back, Ji Renlin’s resentment deepened.
The schemes in his heart gradually transformed into murderous intent.
Inside the observation room, silence filled the air.
An eerie chill lingered throughout the room.
“I’ve never really liked this student.”
“His methods are too ruthless.”
After a long while, Jin Anqi finally broke the silence.
“But you have to admit…”
Qing Murong smiled.
“On a battlefield, when faced with a team that’s nothing but loose sand…”
“…fear and overwhelming authority are undoubtedly the most effective ways to take control.”
“But this is the Academy.”
“They’re still students.”
“But sooner or later they’ll all go to war, won’t they?”
“Isn’t everything they’re learning now meant to be used on future battlefields?”
“If not…”
“What are these lessons for?”
“Political scheming?”
“Fighting over power?”
“Or killing one another?”
Qing Murong raised an eyebrow, undisguised ridicule flickering in his eyes.
“…”
Jin Anqi remained silent.
“Anqi.”
“Yes?”
“It seems…”
“…you’ve forgotten why we started all this.”
“…”
Jin Anqi fell silent.