Chapter 41: Who Drained the Essence?

Just after breaking a certain boundary, Senior Shen, feeling an oddly sick sense of pleasure, never expected things to turn out this way.

The two of them remained silent for a moment, and the once ambiguous atmosphere shifted into something entirely different.

Sensing that something was off, the system thought to itself—well, this now seems just right.

Ji Laili ruffled his hair and sighed helplessly. “Senior, aside from this…”

“Then just stay away from them.”

“Huh?” Ji Laili looked at Shen Yu in confusion.

His gaze swept past the two Alpha being punished nearby. Shen Yu’s voice was light and fleeting. “Stay away from them, at least for now.” He then turned to look at Ji Laili.

The moment their eyes met—cool, deep black eyes—it felt as if he was being pulled into a dark current.

Ji Laili was momentarily stunned. Then, he heard his voice.

“I don’t like you carrying someone else’s pheromones.”

“If I ever get to smell yours, I want to recognize it immediately… to know exactly what scent belongs to you.”

…

“Hey! What the hell did Shen Yu do to you? I’ve spoken to you three times, and you keep zoning out!”

Lei Po’s dissatisfied voice rang in his ears, snapping Ji Laili back to reality. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and chuckled. “Ah, just thinking about something.”

“Bro, I didn’t mean to. Want to say it again?”

Lei Po clicked his tongue and tilted his head, the little tuft of hair at the back sticking up toward the sky. “Forget it. Even if I say it, you won’t remember.”

Zhai Yifei: “Not worth listening to.”

The refined Alpha smoothed back the hair at his temple, took a dry mist spray from his little follower, and carefully treated the sweat on his forehead. His voice was cool and indifferent. “All nonsense.”

“Laili, by not listening, you just saved thirty precious seconds of your life.”

Lei Po laughed, full of provocation. “Your precious thirty seconds aren’t worth even one of mine, second place~”

Click—the spray canister burst in his hand. Zhai Yifei stared at him expressionlessly.

“You wanna fight?” Lei Po raised his chin, cracking his knuckles, eyes full of challenge.

Their underlings immediately took notice. Lei Po’s crew stepped forward, while Zhai Yifei’s group met them head-on, their gazes darkening.

The tension crackled, just as a head of curly chestnut hair popped between them.

“Stop—!”

Ji Laili squeezed himself in between the two groups, his curly locks bouncing as he sighed. “Guys, can we chill for a second?”

“You’ve already been punching bags for half an hour, fought three rounds while wearing weighted gear—your muscles must be wasted. Aren’t you tired?”

How do they still have energy to argue?

Lei Po crossed his arms and sneered. “Alphas don’t say they’re tired.”

Zhai Yifei’s gaze remained calm, his tone low. “I haven’t reached my limit yet.”

Yeah, sure. The moment they got off the stage, they were shaking so badly they almost lost composure.

Ji Laili mentally ridiculed them both while keeping up a cheerful façade.

“Right! You guys aren’t tired, you’re amazing! So, let’s go back and train even harder!”

“We’ll astonish all the other Alphas!”

I’ll make sure you’re too exhausted to even open your mouths!

The two stiffened. Ji Laili smiled sweetly. “Not going? Don’t tell me… you’re actually tired?” He gasped. “No way, really?”

“Impossible! Let’s go!”

Lei Po waved a big hand, leading his reluctant subordinates along.

“You guys alright?”

Zhai Yifei, surprisingly considerate, turned to ask his followers, earning countless touched gazes.

“We’re exhausted!”

“Zhai-shao, can we stop for today?”

Faced with their hopeful eyes, Zhai Yifei frowned. “Fall behind, and you’ll get beaten for life.”

“Lei Po’s crew went back. Do you want to be left behind? Do you want to be beaten by them forever? Do you want them to always mock you, unable to surpass them?”

His followers’ eyes turned red, their blood boiling. “No way!!”

Nearby Alphas, exhausted like dead dogs, rubbed their ears.

What kind of brainwashing speech was that?

“I don’t want that either,” Zhai Yifei murmured, his gaze firming. “Let’s go!”

A large group of Alphas charged back into the training grounds with high spirits… only to emerge later, heads hanging low, completely drained.

Now, they looked exactly like—

“Who drained you all dry?”

“You guys sure look strong with those broad shoulders and firm asses, but turns out you’re actually weaklings. You’re a disgrace to Alphas.”

What the—who the hell are you calling weak?!

The Alphas turned around, furious—

Only to have their pupils contract in shock.

One of them blurted out, “Holy shit! Who the hell brought a pig into the Federation Military Academy?!”

“What? A pig? Did the cafeteria lady’s pig escape?!”

“…Are you guys blind? That’s a person. And he looks kind of familiar…”

“Eugene-senpai?” Ji Laili said, instantly sparking a chorus of realization.

Oh—it’s him!

Wait…

This pig-faced guy is Eugene?!

The Alphas burst out laughing. “Yo, Senior, that’s quite the new look you got there.”

Eugene’s face turned black.

But paired with his still-swollen pig-like features, it only made the scene more hilarious.

“Shut up!” Eugene barked, hastily pulling on a mask.

Damn that Shen Yu for hitting so hard—and those ridiculous freshmen!

In order to fix his injuries, especially his crooked nose, Eugene had mustered all his courage to go to the medical bay.

He had kept his head down, avoiding eye contact, fearing that any familiar Alphas might recognize him—he even got mistaken for a thief by one of the medical staff.

And yet—

“You’re saying it’s sold out?”

Eugene asked in disbelief.

“Yep, not a single one left.” The Beta nurse grinned widely. “Totally sold out.”

Eugene’s crooked nose remained unfixed as he lost all hope in his eyes. “How could this happen…”

It must be a conspiracy.

It had to be!

How come, right after his incident, the most common medical supplies were suddenly sold out? This had to be a plot against him!

To stop him from returning as an acting instructor? Ha! Did they think he would just give up?

No way!

With a burning rage, Eugene stormed toward the training grounds, determined to stay there overnight—only to run into Ji Laili and his group halfway.

And they saw his face.

And now, these lousy Alphas were laughing at him. Eugene was about to explode.

The Alphas, of course, wouldn’t let this golden opportunity slip by.

“Senior, where’d you get that unique look?”

“Come on, pigs shouldn’t just wander out of the cafeteria—it’s ruining my appetite.”

“Hey, hey, respect your elders! If Senior wants to be a pig-head, let him! After all, he’s our acting instructor~”

“Bet the meds were all sold out, huh?”

“I thought Eugene-senpai had some… peculiar preferences.”

Eugene couldn’t take it anymore. He was about to throw a punch—but suddenly, clarity struck him.

“Sold out? It was you guys, wasn’t it?!”

His gaze locked onto a familiar figure, eyes burning with fury.

Ji Laili, suddenly targeted: …?