Chapter 56: That Kid Is Truly a Character

Philo chuckled helplessly. “How could I?”

“Really?”

A cool, measured voice rang out—not particularly loud, yet brimming with pressure.

Shen Yu tilted his head slightly, his long eyes gleaming with a blade-like chill as he stared straight at Philo. “I also thought that was what the instructor meant.”

“Xiao Shen?”

Philo seemed surprised that Shen Yu had joined the conversation. His expression flickered for just a moment before he laughed.

“What reason would I have to do such a thing? Clearly, Ji Laili is an outstanding trainee. As an instructor, I can only admire him.”

His smile was gentle, his lips curved in a perpetual half-smirk.

“But I never expected you to suddenly speak up, Xiao Shen. How rare.”

Philo teased him with a grin. “Usually, when Aiger and I talk, you just watch coldly from the sidelines. Looks like the rumors outside aren’t all that accurate.”

Dark, icy eyes met the warm amber gaze of the man before him.

Yet rather than melting under its warmth, the cold only deepened, damp and bone-chilling.

A fragment of a past life flashed before Shen Yu’s eyes.

A young man, newly classified as an Omega, his face streaked with blood. The golden triangle on his shoulder had vanished, and his black-and-gold Federation uniform was soaked through by the freezing rain, clinging heavily to his fevered body.

Across from him stood a group of military cadets with complex expressions—and a man holding a quantum gun.

His amber eyes were so gentle they seemed almost cruel, carrying a hint of obsessed delight.

From his high vantage point, he admired the young man’s predicament—

As if watching a bird with broken wings struggle to take flight.

A soft sigh echoed clearly through the cold, rainy night. “Xiao Yu, you’re truly a disappointment now.”

“Honestly, being an Omega isn’t so bad, is it?”

Unlike his usual gentle and refined demeanor, Instructor Philo’s smile back then had been filled with amusement, pleasure, admiration—and obsession.

Just like those disgusting Alphas before him.

It made Shen Yu want to kill him.

“Look at you—you’re having dangerous thoughts again. That’s not the kind of thing an Omega should be thinking.”

Philo’s gaze was full of indulgence. “Come now, Xiao Yu, stand behind me. I’ll protect you.”

In the end, the gun had struck his waist, but Shen Yu had managed to escape pursuit.

Still, he had clearly caught the man’s final murmured words.

“Even as an Omega, you still have that same bad temper… But, well… we’ll meet again.”

The sickening memory resurfaced.

Shen Yu’s hand found the quantum gun at his waist, his long fingers tracing the barrel. His pale, indifferent expression was eerily unsettling.

Philo kept smiling as if he hadn’t noticed a thing, his gaze unwavering.

The tension in the air reached a breaking point—only to be shattered by an excited voice.

“Instructor! You don’t believe those rumors either, right? I knew it! You’re not like those dumb Alphas!”

The always arrogant Alpha—who usually looked at people with a condescending gaze—was now visibly excited.

Eugene felt a rush of exhilaration, a rare sense of finding a kindred spirit. After all the disapproval and doubt he had faced, this moment was his vindication.

Finally!

It was over!

Instructor Philo thought the outside rumors were inaccurate! No wonder he was Instructor Philo!

The minor grudge he had held against Philo—ever since the instructor had defended Shen Yu and caused him to suffer a loss—vanished in an instant.

No one could understand how much this meant to Eugene!

With an uncharacteristically emotional expression, Eugene blurted out, “Instructor Philo…”

“You must also think those two have something going on, right? There’s no way they’re just rivals!”

Eugene declared confidently, his voice firm. “They’re hiding an even bigger secret!”

“Instructor, don’t you think so?” He pressed eagerly.

Philo’s smile faltered. “Uh… w-well, maybe?”

“It’s not ‘maybe’!” Eugene’s gaze sharpened. “Instructor, you have to trust your own judgment.”

“Just like me—I trust my instincts unwaveringly. No matter how much those dumb Alphas out there talk nonsense, I won’t waver in the slightest.”

“Because I am Eugene!”

How could his judgment be wrong? Eugene brimmed with confidence.

“………”

Philo’s smile became stiff. “…Confidence is a good thing.”

Eugene, having received praise, felt an unprecedented surge of admiration for Instructor Philo.

Initially, he had considered choosing Aiger as his instructor. But when Shen Yu chose Aiger, Eugene immediately found him displeasing as well.

Proud and arrogant as he was, he rarely sought guidance from others.

Thus, there had never been much of a bond between him and his instructor.

If it weren’t for the previous incident—where Philo, trying to make amends, had brought him into the monitoring room—Eugene wouldn’t even be here.

But now, things were different!

Eugene thought smugly, My choice was right after all.

I chose Instructor Philo for this exact moment—it was fate!

Philo: “……”

His smile grew rigid, his mouth opening slightly—but no words came out.

Aiger, on the other hand, was thoroughly amused.

That smug bastard Philo had never expected to be choked up by one of his own students, huh? That expression was priceless.

Eugene really was a character.

Aiger found him more and more pleasing to the eye.

The previously tense and awkward atmosphere dissolved completely. Even Shen Yu didn’t seem angry—he merely cast Eugene a fleeting glance before shifting his focus back to the blue screen.

Meanwhile, the other instructors gave Eugene unsettling, fake smiles.

An ominous glint flickered in their eyes.

“‘Dumb Alphas’?”

“‘Talking nonsense’?”

Eugene: “……”

The proud Alpha shut his mouth but still held his head high, unwilling to back down. “Did I say anything wrong?”

The instructors let out cold chuckles, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him aside to teach him the art of speaking properly.

Ji Laili was unaware of everything happening in the monitoring room.

Only after obtaining the quantum gun did he finally get the chance to check for updates, discovering the mission issued by the instructors.

“So that guy wanted to make physical contact with me because of this, huh?”

The mutants rule had instantly eliminated a large number of Alphas.

The worst part? Those who were eliminated wouldn’t leave the game—they would remain hidden inside. If anyone accidentally touched one of them… they were done for.

What a ruthless strategy.

Now, it was truly every man for himself.

In a group like Alphas, known for their intense competitive nature, this rule meant that some might not even be able to trust their own friends.

Ji Laili didn’t like it. He let out a soft sigh and adjusted his goggles.

Thinking too much wouldn’t help—better to focus on getting to his destination.

Following the marked route on his goggles, he grabbed the quantum gun he had seized and moved quickly.

He needed to reach the city fast and find someone.

His first place was hanging by a thread.

He couldn’t let anyone else take it.