Chapter 9: The Clash Between First and Second

“System, what do you think he means by this?”

What did he mean by “I’ll always be watching you”? On the way back, Ji Laili kept thinking about those words, finding them rather strange.

[Host, there’s a saying that perfectly fits this situation.]

Ji Laili was curious. “What saying?”

[Very well, Alpha, you’ve successfully caught my attention.]

The system’s serious electronic voice delivered the classic line in a deadpan manner. Ji Laili’s shoulders shook, laughing uncontrollably. “System bro, you’re hilarious! Hahaha!”

[Please maintain a proper attitude. The system is not joking.]

“Hahaha, come on, don’t be shy. I’m complimenting you!” Ji Laili grinned.

[The system does not experience shyness.]

“Alright, alright, I got it.”

[…]

The system decided to stop talking.

Ji Laili, amused by the system’s unexpected humor, momentarily forgot about the oddity of those words. What did he mean by attracting his attention? That was the protagonist who hated Alphas!

If Shen Yu found out, he might just rip the system out and crush it.

Brutal.

Ji Laili clenched his fist. But damn, Shen Yu was so ridiculously cool. He didn’t even need saving. Ji Laili felt ashamed but also excited at the thought that he could be that cool too. This made him even more motivated during training.

Ji Laili had weighted bands on both his arms and legs, adding up to a total of 800 kilograms.

At first, he struggled, his body feeling as heavy as lead. Even lifting his foot was difficult. But gradually, he adapted.

He enjoyed the thrill of running, drenched in sweat, laughing freely, and enthusiastically greeting those around him.

“Bro, you’re really fast! What lap are you on?”

A breathless freshman glanced at him. Ji Laili couldn’t help but notice the mix of helplessness and frustration in his eyes.

“…This is my first damn lap.”

“…” Ji Laili awkwardly rubbed his nose. “Sorry about that.” He sincerely apologized.

“Screw your apology. I don’t need it.” The Alpha, who had his hair tied into a small tuft at the back, shot Ji Laili a disdainful look.

The sheer arrogance was unbelievable—hard to imagine that this guy had actually come in last place.

One at the front, one at the back. Ji Laili, having sprinted far ahead, mistakenly assumed the other was running alongside him and had greeted him out of enthusiasm.

Turns out, it was a huge misunderstanding.

Before Ji Laili could explain, a scoffing voice interrupted.

“Laili, don’t bother with him. Finishing dead last and still having the audacity to speak up? I really wonder how you even got the top entrance score. Did you bribe the military academy instructors?”

Ji Laili turned and saw an Alpha with sharp, refined features and an air of nobility. His eyes lit up in surprise. “Zhai-ge!”

Zhai Yifei looked at Ji Laili with his usual proud demeanor but carried a hint of familiarity. “Laili, you’re running quite fast—makes it hard for me to catch up.”

“Huh? You were behind me this whole time?” Ji Laili grinned.

Zhai Yifei had been one of the people in the detention room that day. He was also among the ones who had dragged him out this morning when his mind was still groggy.

“So, you’re one of Zhai Shao’s lackeys, huh? No wonder you picked a fight the moment you arrived.”

The sneering youth interrupted their conversation, making Zhai Yifei frown in displeasure. Raising his brows provocatively, he smirked, “Tell me, does losing out on first place keep you up at night?”

Zhai Yifei’s face darkened.

“It was just an accident,” he replied coldly.

Leipo tilted his head, raising his chin with a taunting smirk. “Well, first place doesn’t belong to you anyway.”

Ji Laili, observing from the side, finally realized the tension between them. Sparks flew in their cold smiles. He was momentarily stunned before recalling their relationship from the original storyline.

Zhai Yifei’s grandfather was a Federation General—highly respected with numerous military achievements. Naturally, the general put great effort into training his grandson. Yet, in the Federation entrance exams, Zhai Yifei lost to an Alpha from a remote star system.

Proud as he was, how could he accept that?

In the end, it all boiled down to the battle between first and second place.

Ji Laili glanced at the two of them and thought: This is not good.

In the original story, their rivalry led to an unfortunate end.

And what they were truly fighting over… was Shen Yu.

After dealing with two cannon fodder characters in the early stages, these two love interests appeared next.

During an Alpha’s secondary differentiation, their genes undergo drastic changes, causing excruciating pain.

To put it simply, an Alpha and an Omega’s genes are ingrained in their very bones. Altering them means restructuring bones and muscles—like the growing pains of puberty, but far worse.

And the pain of a secondary differentiation wasn’t just simple growing pains. Bones constantly reshaped, genes forcibly altered, new biological structures formed, and Omega pheromones were produced.

An Alpha’s instinct is to dominate Omega pheromones. But when both Alpha and Omega pheromones exist within the same body, the Alpha’s instincts fight to consume and suppress the Omega side.

The Omega pheromones are devoured, only to be regenerated due to the genetic reversal—a cycle of endless pain.

A slow, agonizing torment.

Yet Shen Yu had never once shown any sign of suffering.

Thinking of this, Ji Laili instinctively turned to look at the high platform, only to be met with an unexpected gaze.

Shen Yu stood beside Instructor Aige. The instructor seemed to be speaking to him, and upon hearing something he didn’t like, Shen Yu rolled his eyes.

But those pitch-black eyes—so intimidating to most—had been locked onto Ji Laili the entire time, like rising tides, threatening to swallow him whole.

“Ji Laili, I will be watching you closely.”

Shen Yu’s words resurfaced in his mind.

Even now, the sentence felt eerie and unexplainable. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling.

Since he couldn’t figure it out…

Then he just wouldn’t think about it!

Ji Laili, always the optimist, refused to overcomplicate things. Right now, dealing with these two Alphas was more important.

Pushing aside the persistent, unsettling gaze, he focused on the two still bickering about who deserved first place.

“If you can’t accept losing to me, get used to it! There’s a lot more you’ll be upset about!”

“You think you can take first place again?”

“First place is mine!”

Zhai Yifei sneered. “With you panting and sweating after just a few laps? Coming in dead last?”

His mocking tone was full of arrogance. “Yeah, you’d definitely be first… in last place.”

Leipo cursed, “I just had low blood sugar, damn it!”

Ji Laili attempted to mediate, but he couldn’t get a single word in.

Silently, he looked to the sky and walked away, continuing his training with the weighted bands.

He left the two of them behind, jogging while arguing.

As the real third-place runner finally caught up, he couldn’t help but chime in after hearing their endless bickering.

“Zhai-ge, let’s stop arguing.”

Zhai Yifei frowned. “What did you say?”

Leipo smirked. “Even your lackey is telling you to quit. Guess you just don’t have what it takes.”

Sensing the icy aura radiating from Zhai Yifei, his teammate hastily pointed ahead.

“First place has already been decided.”