Chapter 6: Damn… There’s a Real Beast Here!

At 5:30 AM Federation Time, the sky was still dark, shrouded in mist. Suddenly, the assembly whistle blared—

“F*ck, not again!”

“Are the patrol squads trying to kill us? It’s been five days, five damn days!”

“I’m gonna puke. Sooner or later, I’m climbing up there to beat them to death!”

“Hey, who’s that kid up front? You’re wearing my boots! Give them back, dammit!”

“They’re all the same military boots. Just wear mine instead.”

“Ugh! Your feet stink, and you don’t even know it?”

The freshman dormitory was in chaos, the noisy chatter of Alphas filling the air.

On the same floor, upperclassmen who had been jolted awake by the whistle instinctively began cursing while throwing on their uniforms—only to realize halfway through that they had already been promoted.

“Sh*t.” They swore but casually lay back down, watching sympathetically as the freshmen scrambled toward the training field.

Ji Laili was so drowsy he kept nodding off, practically dragged out by his clothes the whole way.

When the whistle blew, his mind went completely blank—still lost in confusion about where he was—while the Alphas around him were already cursing under their breath, one of them kicking the detention room door.

“F*ck! Anyone still out there? Open the damn door!”

The guard outside barely unlocked it before the Alphas inside stormed out, leaving Ji Laili behind in the blink of an eye.

He stared at the open doorway, his brain still buffering, when a few panting Alphas rushed back in.

Without a word, they grabbed his clothes and dragged him along like cargo.

After getting hit with some cold air, he finally woke up.

Then it hit him—his current identity. A newly enrolled Alpha freshman. And right now? It was physical training time…

Up ahead, Instructor Aiger barked, “Warm-up begins!”

Everyone sprang into action, and Ji Laili followed suit.

After running 30 laps (1,000 meters), doing 500 push-ups, 500 sit-ups, and lifting an 800-kilogram barbell, the warm-up was over. A third of the freshmen had already collapsed.

Ji Laili stood among the crowd, forehead drenched in sweat.

His fingers trembled slightly. Sht… they didn’t tell me this mission would be this exhausting.*

The Federation’s No. 1 Military Academy was all about strength. Freshmen had to undergo physical training, mental power control, and pheromone immunity conditioning. Whoever ranked first in all three was generally recognized as the strongest of their cohort.

Upperclassmen were only divided into two grades, and the top figures were all prodigies.

Meanwhile, there was also an independent group within the academy—the Patrol Squad.

Made up of elite upperclassmen, the Patrol Squad didn’t usually interact with freshmen. Only the best of the best could join.

They had a lot of privileges, including assisting in freshman training. While Instructor Aiger was the head instructor, the squad captains essentially acted as vice-instructors.

So, after warm-ups, command temporarily changed hands.

Ji Laili spotted a familiar figure—Shen Yu.

Standing at the front, he wore his military uniform with meticulous precision. From the neck down, his skin was completely covered, even his hands gloved in white.

With black hair and pale skin, he had an air of eerie detachment. His lips, however, were strikingly red. Even in uniform, he exuded a chilling presence that was impossible to ignore.

At first glance, his cold demeanor might make others think he was simply an aloof prodigy.

Shen Yu was famous—the true golden child of the Federation.

Even from the crowd, Ji Laili could see the freshmen’s mix of defiance and deep-seated awe toward him.

Unfortunately…

This world was an HHH setting. While Shen Yu hadn’t suffered physical harm…

His mind seemed to have been contaminated in a way that made him unstable.

Like yesterday, when they first met—Ji Laili immediately felt something was off about him.

And right now…

If Instructor Aiger’s warm-up had been ruthless, Shen Yu’s training was downright merciless.

He didn’t even treat them as human. Halfway through, another wave of Alphas collapsed.

Aiger crossed his arms, adjusting his cap with satisfaction. “Exactly. These little brats need a reality check before they cause more trouble for me.”

Spotting Ji Laili still standing—drenched in sweat yet maintaining perfect form—he smirked.

“Xiao Shen, give that one some special attention later.”

Shen Yu’s dark eyes followed Aiger’s gaze. Seeing the familiar figure, his brow twitched slightly. He replied coolly, “You should do it yourself.”

Aiger raised a brow. “You’re my assistant. I trust you.”

“You’re the instructor,” Shen Yu said impassively.

In other words, not my job.

Aiger didn’t press further. “Fine.” He reached out to pat Shen Yu’s shoulder—only for Shen Yu to frown and dodge aside.

Aiger hesitated, frowning. “Xiao Shen, you seem… unusually tense lately.”

“Something wrong? If you need to, you can submit a request. You’re a valuable asset to the Federation.”

Valuable asset?

A trace of mockery flickered in Shen Yu’s gaze.

He ignored Aiger’s concern, instead scanning the training field.

One freshman in particular stood out—panting heavily, sweat dripping from his head. His movements were consistently half a beat slower than those around him, his face occasionally twisting as if in pain.

An Alpha who can last this long must be high-level… No wonder he had such dirty thoughts.

But…

Shen Yu’s gaze shifted to Ji Laili, the one Aiger had singled out for “special attention.”

The chestnut-haired youth was also sweating buckets, but his face showed no signs of pain or desperation.

Instead, he seemed… entertained? At times gritting his teeth in frustration, at others flashing a bright grin as if cheering himself on.

Lively. Unique. Nothing like a typical Alpha.

Or rather, Shen Yu had never encountered an Alpha like this before—especially one completely unfazed by his pheromones, avoiding him like the plague.

It wasn’t like this in the past…

Did something change after I came back?

He wanted to know—was this truly a different kind of Alpha, or just a disguise for survival?

“Instructor, I’ll take care of the special attention target.”

Aiger raised an eyebrow. “Changed your mind?” But before Shen Yu could confirm, Aiger smirked.

“Too bad. I changed mine too. You missed your chance.”

Aiger chuckled. “What, you think you can pick and choose when you feel like it? Xiao Shen, opportunities don’t come that easily.”

Shen Yu didn’t respond, simply staring at him with pitch-black eyes, sending a chill down Aiger’s spine.

“Tsk,” Aiger muttered. “You’ve gotten way scarier than before.”

That stare set off warning signals in Aiger’s instincts. A primal sense of danger.

“…Fine. Shen, it’s all yours. Make them suffer.”

“Yes, Instructor,” Shen Yu replied, his tone cold as ice.

With Aiger stepping back, the freshmen were about to endure an even harsher nightmare.

MOTHERFCKER! Are we even human to them? Do they think we’re dogs?!*

Just because they order us around, we have to obey? Can’t we get a single break? This is too much!

Shen Yu’s voice was emotionless. “Tired? Want a break? Is it unbearable?”

The sweat-drenched Alphas nodded frantically like pecking chicks.

Shen Yu glanced toward a certain spot. “I see an Alpha still going strong. Keep training.”

What?!

Everyone followed his gaze—

Ji Laili was doing pull-ups, his arm muscles stretching under the military shirt, exuding raw strength and vitality.

His chestnut curls bounced with each motion, his eyes bright as if he was actually enjoying himself.

Damn… there’s a real beast here!

Is he even human?!

“Beep! Timer complete. Cadet #699—pull-ups: 1,000.”

Jumping down, Ji Laili noticed everyone looking at him strangely.

Scratching his head, he caught sight of Shen Yu’s unblinking gaze.

And then—

“Training dismissed. Cadet #699, Cadet #253, step forward.”