When Li Xiao heard Qi Ge say “Jump down,” he had a momentary impulse. Suddenly, he understood how Qi Ge managed to completely bypass surveillance and infiltrate the Student Council office.

This strange pheromone seemed capable of manipulating others, making targets follow his commands completely—similar to certain prohibited mind-altering drugs. But drugs would be detected in restricted areas, while pheromones could not be tested for.

Was that how those people got to my brother in my past life?

The Imperial Eagle, its feet bound, flapped its wings in chaos. Li Xiao had no time to think; he had to resolve the trouble in front of him first.

“Ah—!”

On the mechanical arm, the last student in line was swept by a lunging Imperial Eagle and left hanging in mid-air. The students in front reached out to pull him, but as more Eagles dived, they were forced to press themselves against the arm to dodge.

“Hold on!”

With the strong winds and heavy rain in the mountains, combined with the siege of the Imperial Eagles, the few students were clinging desperately to the mechanical arm, covered in wounds.

“Here it comes again, get down!” someone screamed in the rain.

The Imperial Eagle dived again, targeting the student hanging in the air. The student’s pupils constricted; at the last moment, he decided to let go. He had given his all in this assessment; if he dragged on, he would be snatched away by the Eagles.

In a flash, a figure dropped from the sky. A military saber slashed across the Imperial Eagle’s neck, blood spraying from the blade and leaving a red trail in the rain that vanished in an instant.

The student stared wide-eyed as the Eagle plummeted before him. He grabbed back onto the mechanical arm with his half-released hand.

Li Xiao reached out: “Quick!”

The student used his remaining strength to grab Li Xiao’s arm and was pulled back onto the mechanical arm by an upward force. His heart was pounding wildly, and he gasped for breath, barely able to open his eyes in the rain.

“Using a launcher to hook the Imperial Eagle’s feet… that was too dangerous, but so powerful!”

“Now is not the time to be dazed. Speed up and go help on the other side!” the leading student commanded.

“Copy that!”

The Imperial Eagles pursued their prey, and Li Xiao became the bait, with Eagles constantly lunging at him. Finding the right moment, Li Xiao swung onto the back of another Eagle, his military saber flipping nimbly in his hand, harvesting three more Eagles in the blink of an eye.

On the ground, Song Jin’s gaze never left Li Xiao. The target finally seemed to be getting serious, and the aggressiveness radiating from his body held an extreme attraction for him. He had never been this interested in someone before. He used to think little of his brother’s claim that Alphas were born with a strong desire to conquer, but now he began to understand.

As the last student on the mechanical arm crawled over, Jiang Hao asked loudly: “Is everyone over?”

The student quickly confirmed: “One more!”

Li Xiao had attracted more than half the Eagles in the air, while Song Jin dealt with the rest, using a rope tied to the hilt of his blade to stab several more.

Qi Ge was mixed in the crowd. Having just dodged a falling Eagle, he accidentally stepped on a tick, tripped, and was bitten by a swarm of bugs that lunged at him. Hearing Qi Ge’s miserable screams, Song Jin withdrew his gaze coldly.

In his peripheral vision, a flash of steel appeared. Song Jin looked up sharply; a military saber had been thrown into the air, piercing the Imperial Eagle Li Xiao was controlling.

“Careful!”

Amidst a high-pitched scream, Li Xiao was thrown off by the violently struggling Eagle, plummeting rapidly.

Jiang Hao: “Big brother!”

Qian Can and the others: “Li Xiao!”

The group on the other side screamed hoarsely. During the fall, two more military sabers cut through the air. Li Xiao swung his blade to deflect one, but the other came from such a tricky angle that he could only avoid a fatal wound, unavoidably getting injured.

Clang! The military saber was suddenly knocked flying.

Li Xiao seized the opportunity to release his rope, wrap it around the mechanical arm, swing from below, and flip onto it. He looked forward, rain sliding from his brows and disappearing into his collar along his jawline.

Ten meters away, Song Jin stood on the roof of the excavator, having just caught the recovered saber. Through the heavy curtain of rain, their gazes clashed across the distance.

“Help!”

A cry for help came from behind. Li Xiao turned his head to see a student running over, covered in mud, followed by a large group of wild boars. If he wasn’t mistaken, this one was an exchange student.

Li Xiao scanned the boar herd, released his rope to bind the front leg of the boar closest to the student, grabbed the mechanical arm with his left hand, and yanked the rope hard with his right.

Under the immense force, the boar was tripped. The boars in the back couldn’t brake in time, and they all collided, rolling down the ravine like dumplings.

The students on the other side heard the commotion, stretched their necks to look, and were stunned.

“Holy—! He wiped them all out in one go?!”

“Beautiful!”

“Too strong!”

If this level of strength made Li Xiao a “pretty vase,” then they didn’t even reach the threshold to be vases.

The excavator hung in mid-air, swaying uncontrollably under the violent impact. Jiang Hao tried to stabilize the machine and reverse, but the tracks slipped; the wheels were spinning so hard they were smoking, but it wouldn’t budge.

The excavator shifted slightly to the right. Song Jin jumped to the front of the vehicle to check and found a protruding rock jamming the left track. If they tried to reverse violently, they might pull the track off. The exchange student had already jumped onto the mechanical arm with Li Xiao’s help. Song Jin turned and opened the driver’s side door.

“Go to the back seat and untie the anchor ropes, I’ll drive.”

“Got it!” Jiang Hao waited for him to take over before letting go and diving into the back seat.

The number of Harp Frogs and ticks was too high, and Imperial Eagles could arrive at any moment. Every minute they stayed here added another minute of danger.

Song Jin controlled the excavator and spoke on the public channel: “From now on, follow my orders.”

Everyone: “Copy that!”

Song Jin drove forward a little; the excavator suddenly dipped, and a large amount of sand and gravel rolled down the ravine. The students in the back didn’t understand, instinctively pulling their ropes tight and screaming for him to reverse.

Song Jin calmly adjusted the angle of the wheels, tilting to the right. Li Xiao returned to the front of the vehicle, watched the track clear the stone, and reminded Song Jin: “Ready.”

Song Jin replied coldly: “Prepare to reverse! Jiang Hao, coordinate with me to release the ropes.”

Jiang Hao: “Copy that!”

Everyone tightened their ropes. Song Jin increased the drive power, finally pulling the excavator up and retreating to a relatively safe position.

In the warship’s monitoring cabin, the group of instructors cheered and high-fived as if they had won a battle.

“Beautiful!”

“I’m going to add this rescue mission to the practical case analysis. These kids are too outstanding.”

“For first-years to display such a high standard of teamwork, it’s quite impressive.”

“Li Xiao and Song Jin… tsk, why aren’t they in my class!”

Chen Xing notified the rescue team to cancel the alert for Zone D9, feeling ecstatic, until an instructor next to him said: “But both brats got single-digit scores on their last written exams, and they are both impossible to manage. Hard to deal with.”

Chen Xing: “…”

How exactly should one inspire these precious kids’ fighting spirit? I’ll go ask Old Qian later; he’s a professional.

Inside the exam hall.

The cries of Imperial Eagles were heard in the sky again. The group didn’t dare to delay and quickly retreated to higher ground. By the time they reached a rock cave, it was completely dark.

Song Jin parked the excavator at the cave entrance. The group sat on the ground, gasping for air, too tired to speak, unable to care about the rain and mud covering them. Qian Can leaned against the rock wall, his voice hoarse and weak: “That… that was really exciting.”

Qin Le dug out a searchlight and hung it high for illumination: “Those with injuries, treat them early to avoid infection.”

Li Xiao was soaked through. He took out a towel to wipe his hair while observing the situation outside. Song Jin’s gaze swept over Li Xiao’s profile; the silver ring on the earlobe under his wet hair was even more conspicuous.

He rubbed his fingertips, suppressing the urge to touch it, and asked casually: “Why did you jump down earlier without saying a word?”

Song Jin didn’t deliberately lower his voice, so many nearby heard him and looked over. Li Xiao glanced at Song Jin, his peripheral vision catching Qi Ge looking over—his expression was vigilant and suspicious, probably wondering why Li Xiao had broken free of his control.

He had indeed been influenced for a second, but he had sobered up quickly, using the opportunity to jump into the ravine to see Qi Ge’s reaction.

Li Xiao: “My head was a bit muddled; I don’t know why I jumped. Luckily, the cry of the Imperial Eagle brought me back, or who knows where I would have been carried off to.”

“You really are optimistic,” Song Jin said, dragging his voice out gloomily. “If you really fell into the mud, who knows whose stomach you’d end up in.”

Talking about the situation, the surrounding students started whispering.

“Luckily you bound the Imperial Eagle; that was too dangerous.”

“Good thing you have the skill. If it were me, I’d be in someone’s stomach already.”

“Li Xiao, what rank are you at the Dansi First Military Academy? Your combat ability is so strong.”

“Flying into the sky to kill an Imperial Eagle… I wouldn’t even dare to imagine that.”

Da Bei asked excitedly: “Brother, where did you train? So amazing!”

Song Jin raised an eyebrow: “He isn’t a student at your military academy?”

Da Bei realized his slip of the tongue and stammered a supplement: “I meant before he entered the academy.”

This reaction was too obvious. Song Jin nodded slowly, looked at Li Xiao, and probed: “Did you receive professional training before entering the academy?”

“I learned everything at the academy.” Li Xiao didn’t intend to give Song Jin a chance to continue questioning. He looked toward Qi Ge to change the subject: “Did you say something to me earlier?”

Qi Ge’s hand, which was bandaging a wound, tightened. He avoided Li Xiao’s gaze: “Did I? If I did, it must have been something like ‘thanks.’ I was too nervous to remember.”

“Is that so?” Li Xiao’s tone was uncertain. “Then maybe I remembered wrong.”

Song Jin noticed Li Xiao’s probe of Qi Ge and asked intentionally: “I think I smell something—weird. Did you smell it?”

Facing Song Jin’s gaze, which looked puzzled but was actually scrutinizing him, Li Xiao replied unhurriedly: “Seems like it. That rotten stench is too foul; it must be the odor from the Harp Frog’s internal organs.”

Song Jin: “Like a thousand-year-old rotting corpse pickled in a vat. Almost made me puke.”

What kind of smell is so unique? Qian Can, Da Bei, and others were overcome with curiosity, starting to discuss it chatteringly.

Qi Ge’s lips pressed into a tight line, his face looking ugly. The mission had failed, he was covered in injuries, and he was being mocked for the smell of his pheromones—he was getting more and more annoyed.

The two who had started the topic didn’t discuss it further, whispering to each other instead.

Song Jin: “Soaking wet like this, why not take your clothes off? Keeping them on won’t let them dry.”

Li Xiao had wiped his hair half-dry and joked casually: “So concerned about me?”

Song Jin: “Caring for fellow students is a traditional virtue of us Saint-Yar military students.”

Li Xiao spread his coat on a clean rock, intending to take off the inner layer, but when he turned his head, he saw Song Jin staring straight at him. He retorted: “Is peeking at others undressing also a traditional virtue?”

Song Jin was caught but didn’t feel guilty at all: “I’m helping you check if you have any wounds.”

Li Xiao: “Thanks.”

Song Jin: “We are comrades-in-arms, no need to be so polite.”

Li Xiao: “I’m not used to being stared at by someone as pretty as you. It makes me shy.”

Song Jin: “If you don’t look at me, you won’t realize you’re being stared at.”

After a stalemate, Song Jin hummed two dissatisfied notes and left.

Li Xiao: “…” He’s upset?

Inside the cave, a few exchange students were bandaging each other’s wounds. They noticed a tall figure approaching; they looked up, and it was Song Jin. Song Jin looked down at two of the Beta exchange students, his tone cold: “Where are your military sabers?”

The question grabbed everyone’s attention. Jiang Hao remembered the three sabers that had flown toward Li Xiao and stood up. Qian Can and Qin Le lost their mood for joking, their expressions turning serious. Li Xiao wiped the water off his body, calmly monitoring the situation.

The black-haired, buzz-cut Beta felt the change in atmosphere and said innocently: “Lost them during the fight.”

The brown-haired Beta chimed in: “Couldn’t find them after stabbing the Harp Frog.”

“Stabbing the Harp Frog?” Song Jin sounded as if he had heard a joke. “Wasn’t it the Imperial Eagle? Afraid you wouldn’t hit it, so you threw three? Huh?”

Jiang Hao clenched his fists until they crunched: “So it was you two. You deliberately pierced the Imperial Eagle and almost caused Big Brother to fall into the ravine.”

“I didn’t!” the brown-haired Beta shouted in rebuttal.

“Saint-Yar is not like Dansi, where the technology is so backward,” Song Jin said unhurriedly. “Every military saber has a unique identifier. The system can check who attacked their own teammate.”

The black-haired Beta stood up abruptly: “I was killing an Imperial Eagle, not trying to hurt anyone!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the black-haired Beta was hit by a punch that caused a nosebleed, staggering him back into the stone wall. Before he could steady himself, Song Jin grabbed his collar and delivered another punch: “I have no patience for your explanations. Go tell the instructors slowly.”

The brown-haired Beta grabbed Song Jin’s wrist and scolded sternly: “We are exchange students! Do you dare lay a hand on us?!”

Song Jin: “You dared to kill in the exam hall; what do I not dare to do?”

The brown-haired Beta pressed down hard on Song Jin’s hand but was shaken off easily, receiving a solid punch to the jaw. The black-haired Beta tried to counter-attack but had his hands twisted back and broken by Song Jin, screaming in pain.

“You asked for this!” The brown-haired Beta gritted his teeth and attacked.

Song Jin threw the black-haired Beta aside, subdued the brown-haired one in two moves, and kicked his ribs until they broke.

“Ugh—!”

The brown-haired student curled into a ball, only to be lifted up and beaten again. The observing students didn’t dare to intervene, and even the other exchange students looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

They had all seen Li Xiao falling because his saber was pierced. If Song Jin had intended to pick on the exchange students, he wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of rescuing them earlier.

After beating them half to death, Song Jin crouched down, wiped the blood from his gloves onto their clothes, his voice low and cold: “I don’t care about your grievances, but you must follow the rules of Saint-Yar while in Saint-Yar. Don’t blame me for being rude if you dare to cause trouble.”

Qi Ge watched from a distance, his expression subtle. Although the words were for those two, they were a warning to all exchange students—killing the chicken to scare the monkey.

Da Bei had never seen such a brutal fight. His face turned pale, and he whispered to Li Xiao: “Brother, were they really doing it on purpose?”

Li Xiao shook his head: “Since it’s become such a scene, the military academy will surely intervene and investigate.”

Da Bei’s face turned even worse. What is going on? Someone among the exchange students is intentionally trying to murder the Second Prince?! He had never heard of such a thing!

Qin Le contacted the rescue team, and the two Betas were carried away soon after. The atmosphere in the cave was stifling. The group occasionally peeked at Song Jin, having refreshed their understanding of who was not to be messed with.

In the middle of the night, the rain stopped.

Li Xiao sat on the hood of the excavator, listening to the wild beasts howling from near and far, enjoying the night view alone. A slight movement reached his ears; he didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Song Jin braced himself on the cover and jumped up, sitting down next to Li Xiao: “Why aren’t you asleep so late?”

Li Xiao: “Waiting for you. You didn’t come out knowing I was here?”

Song Jin looked deeply at Li Xiao. Qi Ge’s pheromones were very strange; he had faintly heard that “jump down” command at the time and wanted to know if it was mental control. Asking Li Xiao was the most direct way. Although he didn’t know Li Xiao’s stance, he was at least not on Qi Ge’s side.

Song Jin: “What did it feel like at the time?”

Li Xiao looked into his eyes, his voice low: “I can answer your question, but before that, I want to see that person.”

Both knew perfectly well who “that person” was.

Trading information for benefits? Song Jin sneered: “What do you want to see him for? Whatever he can give, I can give.”

Li Xiao: “You?”

Song Jin: “What? Am I not even as good as an old man?”

Li Xiao: “…”

Old man? Song Yu was, at the very least, a beauty.

“You can’t give it,” Li Xiao looked at the dark forest ahead. “Find a way to let me meet him. I know you can do it.”

Qi Ge’s matter had given him a sense of urgency. Perhaps there were many things from his past life that he still didn’t know.

Song Jin felt inexplicably annoyed, saying patiently: “Alright, but the old man lives in seclusion and doesn’t see outsiders.”

Seeing Li Xiao look over, Song Jin said slowly: “If you want to see him, you have to marry me first.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Li Xiao: “Sworn brothers?”

Song Jin smiled: “Marriage.”

Li Xiao: “…”