Chapter 55.3
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”CharacterQiao Zhiya: Half-elf, half-dwarf MC.
“Planet D28 has complex landforms and a small living area. It has always been one of the favorite places for mercenaries to explore. The amount of intermediate and high-level materials found every year is almost twice that of other D-level planets, but correspondingly, survival there is harder – there’s more dangerous beasts living there.”
Chu Yan projected a holographic map of Planet D28 into the air while speaking. He pointed to the large adventure area marked on it, clicked on an area closer to the residential area, and said, “Our training tasks will be concentrated in this area, the low-risk area A.”
Yuan Xiu counted the time with his fingers and said, “The graduation training will last for half a month, and the teacher asked us to bring three high-level materials from the adventure area. Since there’s both of us, we will need six materials in total. But with Qiao Zhiya here, I think we only need one day to complete the task. For the remaining fourteen days, what will we do? Enjoy the scenery?”
Qiao Zhiya, who was given such high expectations by him, felt a little embarrassed. “If we are unlucky, or the terrain is complicated, it will be difficult to get six materials a day.”
“Then two days in the worst case scenario. Still, that leaves us with thirteen days free.” Yuan Xiu was very confident in Qiao Zhiya’s prowess.
Qiao Zhiya blushed and couldn’t speak anymore. Meanwhile, Chu Yan focused his gaze on Yuan Xiu, grinning fully, white teeth on display.
“…”
Yuan Xiu’s back turned cold, he leaned back on the chair defensively, looked him up and down, and said, “Why do you give me such an expression? I feel there is a conspiracy…”
“It’s not really a conspiracy…” Chu Yan pretended to be coy by waving his hand. Then, he leaned closer to Yuan Xiu after he couldn’t contain his secret, whispered something near his ears.
Yuan Xiu’s eyes widened after hearing this, and he quickly shook his head and refused. “No, no, it’s too dangerous for you to run around! No, I don’t agree!”
“Oh, c’mon, and you’re calling yourself my best friend?” Chu Yan hooked Yuan Xiu’s neck and continued to convince him.
Ning Kongran, who sat quietly and listened, looked at Qiao Zhiya suspiciously. Qiao Zhiya, who knew a little bit about Chu Yan’s plan, quickly poured him a glass of water when he saw this. Then he smiled back at him with a little guilt and embarrassment.
Five minutes later, Yuan Xiu came back with Chu Yan with a tangled face. He gritted his teeth and nodded. “Fine. I can hold the locator for you and pretend that you stay with me all the time, but you have to make sure you will come back on time. And there will be no danger.”
“Don’t worry, my Erge will send someone to protect me and Qiao at that time, so our safety will be guaranteed!” Chu Yan reassured him again. “Actually, this should be even easier than I originally planned. After all, Xiang Kun will not tail after me like usual, so I don’t need to think about how to trick him and can move freely!”
Yuan Xiu knew that what he said was reasonable, and was finally convinced by him. “Don’t worry, if Xiang Kun is after you, I will definitely help you to hide from him.”
He noticed Ning Kongran next to him, and his expression changed. He looked stiff. He then jabbed Chu Yan beside him.
Following his instructions, Chu Yan met Ning Kongran’s gaze, rolled his eyes, and jabbed Qiao Zhiya who was obediently sitting on the side.
Qiao Zhiya turned his head to look at Chu Yan, and then followed his instructions to look at Ning Kongran. He looked at Ning Kongran silently for a few seconds, moved uncomfortably, and said, “Kongran, will you be free soon? I, I want to talk to you alone.”
Ning Kongran glanced back and forth at the three of them. He stood up and said, “It won’t take a while, let’s do it now.” After speaking, he walked out first.
Qiao Zhiya looked at Chu Yan nervously.
“Qiao, you can do it, come on! Fool him!” Chu Yan whisper-shouted, then glared at Yuan Xiu, and said, “Arghh, it’s all your fault. Now Ning Kongran will just be an extra trouble.”
“Hey, you didn’t tell me before that you have other arrangements…” Yuan Xiu sounded offended. He didn’t want to take Ning Kongran with him at first, but the conditions Ning Kongran gave were too tempting…
Qiao Zhiya followed Ning Kongran to his room next door, and before he could figure out how to cover up the matter of leaving the team to find the Star Sand, Ning Kongran took the initiative to speak and said, “Qiao, I have something to do. I need your help.”
“Ah?” Qiao Zhiya was taken aback for a moment, and then quickly asked, “What’s the matter, do you still need materials? Then I’ll handle it for you now.”
Ning Kongran was amused by his reaction. He smiled, shook his head, and replied, “No, I might leave the team to do some errands, but my itinerary is not suitable for others to know. So I need you and Chu Yan to help me cover it up.”
“You, you want to leave the team too?” Qiao Zhiya was stunned, and the first reaction after digesting what he said was to frown. “No, even if it is a low-risk area, it is very dangerous for you, a mecha maker, to act alone. What do you want to do? Xiao Yan and I can help you first, you better not act alone.”
Ning Kongran was warmed by his words, and his expression became more gentle as a result. He comforted him, “Don’t worry, there will be other people at that time to help me. I will keep a few people to protect Yuan Xiu, so nothing will happen. In fact, I guessed that Chu Yan might take you to participate in this experience, so I partnered with Yuan Xiu for that.”
Hearing that there will be other people who will be with him, Qiao Zhiya was relieved. Now he was simply confused on why Ning Kongran needed to be so secretive about his itinerary. But thinking about what his plan entails, he could only stay silent. He silently suppressed all doubts, and asked, “Are you… okay, staying in the Ning family?”
Ning Kongran’s performance today almost directly expressed his closeness to the Chu family and his estranged and guarded attitude towards the Ning family. Plus coupled with his alienation from the Ning family’s other juniors, and the matter of his special spiritual power… it only worries Qiao Zhiya.
“Don’t worry, I’m okay,” Ning Kongran leaned closer and patted the younger man’s hair, and continued in a hushed whisper, “Qiao, you have to protect yourself.”
Seeing him like this, Qiao Zhiya only became more worried. “Kongran, you…”
Ning Kongran patted his head again, shook his head to indicate that he didn’t need to say more. Heretracted his hand, and his tone returned to normal. “Now we have reached a consensus. I won’t ask what your plan is, and you won’t pry mine either. This is a little secret between us, okay?”
Seeing that the older youth didn’t want to talk more, Qiao Zhiya closed his mouth. With pursed lips, he rummaged through his space button and grabbed a lot of potions. He stuffed them all into Ning Kongran’s hands, saying, “You have to come back safely. I will keep the communicator on, so you can send me a message if you need help.”
Ning Kongran glanced at the heavy potions in his hand. He sighed deeply, but accepted this generous gift. He nodded at Qiao Zhiya with a gentle smile. “Well, you have to come back safely too.”
The matter of leaving the team was finalized in this way. Chu Yan and Yuan Xiu were very surprised that Ning Kongran would also secretly leave the team, but since they also had their own secret plans, they tacitly did not mention this. Instead, they followed the teacher’s order to get ready.
Two days later, the students arrived at Planet D28, and after settling down, they started the last mecha maintenance before the assignment began.
The students and their mecha masters gathered in the battle hall, their enthusiasm bursting inside the jam-packed hall.
Qiao Zhiya skillfully took out his equipment, and began to help Chu Yan overhaul his mecha. He even sneaked his magic power in order to help him comb through the inner circuitry, making sure that everything was in tip-top shape.
“How come that brat Xiang Kun has become so vicious recently? Although he doesn’t come here to make trouble, he always looked at us with this gloomy look. He’s very weird…” Chu Yan, who was squatting on the side, frowned and muttered. He turned to help Qiao Zhiya block him from Xiang Kun’s line of sight. He was very puzzled with this bizarre situation. “What stimulated that brat? Could it be that his hormonal balance is fucked up because of puberty, so his temparament got all wonky as a result?”
Xiang Kun seemed to sense this. He turned around, and walked into a maze of mecha, disappearing from their sight.
Qiao Zhiya replied, “He was already like this when I went to school to take the grade-skipping exam last time… You are his friend, so please talk to him when you have time. I always feel that something is not quite right about him…”
“Who the fuck is his friends now?? Tell me!!” Chu Yan almost lost it. He howled at the top of his lungs, while Qiao Zhiya only watched him silently. Realizing his childish outburst, Chu Yan immediately calmed down, cleared his throat, then awkwardly frowned. “Okay, okay, since we have known each other since we are in literal diapers, and since he has provided a lot of jokes for me, I will take care of him. Yes, yes, I think this is just a puberty problem, I won’t beat him up for this kind of… minor infraction…”
Qiao Zhiya stepped forward and patted his head, squinting and smiling.
He had already discovered that although Chu Yan acted to hate Xiang Kun, he regarded him as a friend in his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have cared so much about what was wrong with Xiang Kun, and kept talking about it.
As for Xiang Kun’s feelings for Chu Yan… Anyway, he didn’t feel any pure evil from Xiang Kun. Most of the friction in the past was just their stubbornness and reluctance to admit defeat from their perceived “nemesis”. It was just pure childishness. On the contrary, it was the Xiang family behind Xiang Kun who took advantage of this relationship – most likely, they encouraged Xiang Kun to twist this alternative expression of intimacy with Chu Yan into something more sinister.
Qiao Zhiya thought that when Chu Yan said that he was going to beat Xiang Kun, he was angry because of awkwardness, but he didn’t expect—
Chu Yang actually went and beat Xiang Kun. Although he didn’t hit hard, he still hit his face. This behavior was still very outrageous.
“You…” Qiao Zhiya rarely felt speechless after seeing the panda eyes on Xiang Kun’s face. Looking at Chu Yan, he didn’t know what to say for a while.
“Although this method is a bit rough, if it works, it works…” Chu Yan felt guilty. He raised his arm and put it on his shoulder, leading him away from Xiang Kun. As he walked faster, he said, “Go, go, faster! It’s time to set off, and it’s time to go.”
“Bastard Chu Yan! Stop! I’m going to kill you!”
Seeing Chu Yan’s figure, Xiang Kun immediately chased after him. Holding a miniature mace, he chased Chu Yan. His expression was filled with seething anger, as if he really wanted to beat Chu Yan to death.
Chu Yan immediately quickened his pace without looking back. “Look, isn’t it very effective? He directly returned back to normal, all lively and spry.”
Qiao Zhiya: “…”
Xiang Kun noticed a teacher rushed over to stop him, so he had to put away the mace angrily. He raised his hand and nursed his sore eyes, grinding his teeth in anger. But the depression that had been suppressed in his heart dissipated a lot.
‘That bastard! He’s still really so hateful! Do you think I’m scared because now you have an extra playmate like Qiao Zhiya!’
“You better wait for me…” He finally snarled under his breath, one hand still covering up his punched eye. His eye sockets were a little red, as if he was angry or because of something else.
“Young Master Xiang, calm down. I will help you vent your anger. This mission… huh.” Liu Hongzi walked up to him, looked coldly at Chu Yan and the two who had gone away. He handed him an ice pack to express his concern.
But Xiang Kun didn’t appreciate it at all. He put down his hand and stared at him, took the ice pack to cover his eyes and emotions, and said impatiently, “Stop thinking about it, I want to win over him fair and square! This time you will fight for me! Don’t you dare use a dirty trick… anyway, just don’t embarrass me!”
Liu Hongzi’s expression stiffened after being trained by him. He took a deep breath to suppress his emotions, lowered his head, and replied obediently. “I understand.”
At ten o’clock in the morning, after distributing the locator and rescue device, the graduation exam officially began.
Students were free to form teams, so Chu Yan and his group stood together from the beginning, and specially picked a place farthest from Xiang Kun and Liu Hongzi. Xiang Kun noticed their behavior, so he gave Chu Yan a vicious look, and then led Liu Hongzi to walk further away from them.
“Hey, Xiang Kun has changed?” Yuan Xiu was surprised when he saw this. He clicked his tongue in disapproval. “He seemed to be possessed thanks to his elder brother’s sway just now, so he was gloomy and shit. Although he has recovered a little today, he has learned to only provoke. Who gave him advice? Or did he finally realize that he was stupid when he gave away his head from thousands of miles away?”
“Maybe it’s because he’s grown up, and today is a very important exam,” Chu Yan replied in a low spirited manner. He patted Yuan Xiu on the shoulder, changing the subject. “After entering the adventure area, we will go directly using the mecha and speedrun this, roger that?”
Yuan Xiu looked at him curiously again, and wanted to say something else. But he was suddenly pulled by Qiao Zhiya.
He turned his head to look at Qiao Zhiya’s implicit information. He sighed, understanding what the shorter youth wanted to say.
‘Well, if Chu Yan says he grew up, then he grew up. It’s me who’s still a child.’
The process of finding materials was indeed as smooth as Yuan Xiu expected. Although high-level materials were relatively rare in low-level adventure areas, with the treasure radar of Qiao Zhiya, it was still very easy to find them.
It took one day to complete the exam’s tasks, and everyone found a safe place to rest for the night. The next day, the person sent by Chu Rong arrived first, and that person was Lin Zhen, who they hadn’t seen for a long time.
After the two parties greeted each other, Chu Yan handed over his team’s materials and the locator issued by the school to Yuan Xiu. He gave Yuan Xiu some instructions, and left with Lin Zhen.
In the afternoon, another group of people came and looked at the people arranged from Chu Rong’s side. They tacitly ignored each other, pretending to see nothing. Then, the people from this new group came to take Ning Kongran away, leaving behind his locator behind Yuan Xiu.
Yuan Xiu sat on the rock, glanced at the two groups of people around him who were not talking to each other. He raised his hand to support his face, and took a long, deep sigh.
‘Alas, as expected, I am the only one who hasn’t grown up yet. Everyone is an adult and has secrets.’
Qiao Zhiya was very excited to see Lin Zhen. He chatted with him as they traveled, and Lin Zhen himself was also cooperative as he chatted back. The team members he brought were very surprised.
In the end, Chu Yan couldn’t listen any longer, and interjected forcefully into the conversation between the two. He swished a map, and said, “Let’s talk about the old days slowly on the road. It’s important to find things. This is the map that the guide drew for me. The Star Sand is located in the most dangerous area – Area D. So, we have to find a way to bypass the beasts in area B and C as much as possible, and rush up to our destination. We should plan the route now.”
After hearing this, Lin Zhen and Qiao Zhiya ended their reminiscence. They both focused on the map, sharing their opinion and findings.
The team members brought by Lin Zhen also cooperated immediately. They tacitly sat around these three, creating a safe and private space for them to talk.
A/N: “If you have a same-sex rival for more than a decade, then that is no longer just rivalry; that’s just gay.” – Confucius, probably.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
”CharacterQiao Zhiya: Half-elf, half-dwarf MC.
“Planet D28 has complex landforms and a small living area. It has always been one of the favorite places for mercenaries to explore. The amount of intermediate and high-level materials found every year is almost twice that of other D-level planets, but correspondingly, survival there is harder – there’s more dangerous beasts living there.”
Chu Yan projected a holographic map of Planet D28 into the air while speaking. He pointed to the large adventure area marked on it, clicked on an area closer to the residential area, and said, “Our training tasks will be concentrated in this area, the low-risk area A.”
Yuan Xiu counted the time with his fingers and said, “The graduation training will last for half a month, and the teacher asked us to bring three high-level materials from the adventure area. Since there’s both of us, we will need six materials in total. But with Qiao Zhiya here, I think we only need one day to complete the task. For the remaining fourteen days, what will we do? Enjoy the scenery?”
Qiao Zhiya, who was given such high expectations by him, felt a little embarrassed. “If we are unlucky, or the terrain is complicated, it will be difficult to get six materials a day.”
“Then two days in the worst case scenario. Still, that leaves us with thirteen days free.” Yuan Xiu was very confident in Qiao Zhiya’s prowess.
Qiao Zhiya blushed and couldn’t speak anymore. Meanwhile, Chu Yan focused his gaze on Yuan Xiu, grinning fully, white teeth on display.
“…”
Yuan Xiu’s back turned cold, he leaned back on the chair defensively, looked him up and down, and said, “Why do you give me such an expression? I feel there is a conspiracy…”
“It’s not really a conspiracy…” Chu Yan pretended to be coy by waving his hand. Then, he leaned closer to Yuan Xiu after he couldn’t contain his secret, whispered something near his ears.
Yuan Xiu’s eyes widened after hearing this, and he quickly shook his head and refused. “No, no, it’s too dangerous for you to run around! No, I don’t agree!”
“Oh, c’mon, and you’re calling yourself my best friend?” Chu Yan hooked Yuan Xiu’s neck and continued to convince him.
Ning Kongran, who sat quietly and listened, looked at Qiao Zhiya suspiciously. Qiao Zhiya, who knew a little bit about Chu Yan’s plan, quickly poured him a glass of water when he saw this. Then he smiled back at him with a little guilt and embarrassment.
Five minutes later, Yuan Xiu came back with Chu Yan with a tangled face. He gritted his teeth and nodded. “Fine. I can hold the locator for you and pretend that you stay with me all the time, but you have to make sure you will come back on time. And there will be no danger.”
“Don’t worry, my Erge will send someone to protect me and Qiao at that time, so our safety will be guaranteed!” Chu Yan reassured him again. “Actually, this should be even easier than I originally planned. After all, Xiang Kun will not tail after me like usual, so I don’t need to think about how to trick him and can move freely!”
Yuan Xiu knew that what he said was reasonable, and was finally convinced by him. “Don’t worry, if Xiang Kun is after you, I will definitely help you to hide from him.”
He noticed Ning Kongran next to him, and his expression changed. He looked stiff. He then jabbed Chu Yan beside him.
Following his instructions, Chu Yan met Ning Kongran’s gaze, rolled his eyes, and jabbed Qiao Zhiya who was obediently sitting on the side.
Qiao Zhiya turned his head to look at Chu Yan, and then followed his instructions to look at Ning Kongran. He looked at Ning Kongran silently for a few seconds, moved uncomfortably, and said, “Kongran, will you be free soon? I, I want to talk to you alone.”
Ning Kongran glanced back and forth at the three of them. He stood up and said, “It won’t take a while, let’s do it now.” After speaking, he walked out first.
Qiao Zhiya looked at Chu Yan nervously.
“Qiao, you can do it, come on! Fool him!” Chu Yan whisper-shouted, then glared at Yuan Xiu, and said, “Arghh, it’s all your fault. Now Ning Kongran will just be an extra trouble.”
“Hey, you didn’t tell me before that you have other arrangements…” Yuan Xiu sounded offended. He didn’t want to take Ning Kongran with him at first, but the conditions Ning Kongran gave were too tempting…
Qiao Zhiya followed Ning Kongran to his room next door, and before he could figure out how to cover up the matter of leaving the team to find the Star Sand, Ning Kongran took the initiative to speak and said, “Qiao, I have something to do. I need your help.”
“Ah?” Qiao Zhiya was taken aback for a moment, and then quickly asked, “What’s the matter, do you still need materials? Then I’ll handle it for you now.”
Ning Kongran was amused by his reaction. He smiled, shook his head, and replied, “No, I might leave the team to do some errands, but my itinerary is not suitable for others to know. So I need you and Chu Yan to help me cover it up.”
“You, you want to leave the team too?” Qiao Zhiya was stunned, and the first reaction after digesting what he said was to frown. “No, even if it is a low-risk area, it is very dangerous for you, a mecha maker, to act alone. What do you want to do? Xiao Yan and I can help you first, you better not act alone.”
Ning Kongran was warmed by his words, and his expression became more gentle as a result. He comforted him, “Don’t worry, there will be other people at that time to help me. I will keep a few people to protect Yuan Xiu, so nothing will happen. In fact, I guessed that Chu Yan might take you to participate in this experience, so I partnered with Yuan Xiu for that.”
Hearing that there will be other people who will be with him, Qiao Zhiya was relieved. Now he was simply confused on why Ning Kongran needed to be so secretive about his itinerary. But thinking about what his plan entails, he could only stay silent. He silently suppressed all doubts, and asked, “Are you… okay, staying in the Ning family?”
Ning Kongran’s performance today almost directly expressed his closeness to the Chu family and his estranged and guarded attitude towards the Ning family. Plus coupled with his alienation from the Ning family’s other juniors, and the matter of his special spiritual power… it only worries Qiao Zhiya.
“Don’t worry, I’m okay,” Ning Kongran leaned closer and patted the younger man’s hair, and continued in a hushed whisper, “Qiao, you have to protect yourself.”
Seeing him like this, Qiao Zhiya only became more worried. “Kongran, you…”
Ning Kongran patted his head again, shook his head to indicate that he didn’t need to say more. Heretracted his hand, and his tone returned to normal. “Now we have reached a consensus. I won’t ask what your plan is, and you won’t pry mine either. This is a little secret between us, okay?”
Seeing that the older youth didn’t want to talk more, Qiao Zhiya closed his mouth. With pursed lips, he rummaged through his space button and grabbed a lot of potions. He stuffed them all into Ning Kongran’s hands, saying, “You have to come back safely. I will keep the communicator on, so you can send me a message if you need help.”
Ning Kongran glanced at the heavy potions in his hand. He sighed deeply, but accepted this generous gift. He nodded at Qiao Zhiya with a gentle smile. “Well, you have to come back safely too.”
The matter of leaving the team was finalized in this way. Chu Yan and Yuan Xiu were very surprised that Ning Kongran would also secretly leave the team, but since they also had their own secret plans, they tacitly did not mention this. Instead, they followed the teacher’s order to get ready.
Two days later, the students arrived at Planet D28, and after settling down, they started the last mecha maintenance before the assignment began.
The students and their mecha masters gathered in the battle hall, their enthusiasm bursting inside the jam-packed hall.
Qiao Zhiya skillfully took out his equipment, and began to help Chu Yan overhaul his mecha. He even sneaked his magic power in order to help him comb through the inner circuitry, making sure that everything was in tip-top shape.
“How come that brat Xiang Kun has become so vicious recently? Although he doesn’t come here to make trouble, he always looked at us with this gloomy look. He’s very weird…” Chu Yan, who was squatting on the side, frowned and muttered. He turned to help Qiao Zhiya block him from Xiang Kun’s line of sight. He was very puzzled with this bizarre situation. “What stimulated that brat? Could it be that his hormonal balance is fucked up because of puberty, so his temparament got all wonky as a result?”
Xiang Kun seemed to sense this. He turned around, and walked into a maze of mecha, disappearing from their sight.
Qiao Zhiya replied, “He was already like this when I went to school to take the grade-skipping exam last time… You are his friend, so please talk to him when you have time. I always feel that something is not quite right about him…”
“Who the fuck is his friends now?? Tell me!!” Chu Yan almost lost it. He howled at the top of his lungs, while Qiao Zhiya only watched him silently. Realizing his childish outburst, Chu Yan immediately calmed down, cleared his throat, then awkwardly frowned. “Okay, okay, since we have known each other since we are in literal diapers, and since he has provided a lot of jokes for me, I will take care of him. Yes, yes, I think this is just a puberty problem, I won’t beat him up for this kind of… minor infraction…”
Qiao Zhiya stepped forward and patted his head, squinting and smiling.
He had already discovered that although Chu Yan acted to hate Xiang Kun, he regarded him as a friend in his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have cared so much about what was wrong with Xiang Kun, and kept talking about it.
As for Xiang Kun’s feelings for Chu Yan… Anyway, he didn’t feel any pure evil from Xiang Kun. Most of the friction in the past was just their stubbornness and reluctance to admit defeat from their perceived “nemesis”. It was just pure childishness. On the contrary, it was the Xiang family behind Xiang Kun who took advantage of this relationship – most likely, they encouraged Xiang Kun to twist this alternative expression of intimacy with Chu Yan into something more sinister.
Qiao Zhiya thought that when Chu Yan said that he was going to beat Xiang Kun, he was angry because of awkwardness, but he didn’t expect—
Chu Yang actually went and beat Xiang Kun. Although he didn’t hit hard, he still hit his face. This behavior was still very outrageous.
“You…” Qiao Zhiya rarely felt speechless after seeing the panda eyes on Xiang Kun’s face. Looking at Chu Yan, he didn’t know what to say for a while.
“Although this method is a bit rough, if it works, it works…” Chu Yan felt guilty. He raised his arm and put it on his shoulder, leading him away from Xiang Kun. As he walked faster, he said, “Go, go, faster! It’s time to set off, and it’s time to go.”
“Bastard Chu Yan! Stop! I’m going to kill you!”
Seeing Chu Yan’s figure, Xiang Kun immediately chased after him. Holding a miniature mace, he chased Chu Yan. His expression was filled with seething anger, as if he really wanted to beat Chu Yan to death.
Chu Yan immediately quickened his pace without looking back. “Look, isn’t it very effective? He directly returned back to normal, all lively and spry.”
Qiao Zhiya: “…”
Xiang Kun noticed a teacher rushed over to stop him, so he had to put away the mace angrily. He raised his hand and nursed his sore eyes, grinding his teeth in anger. But the depression that had been suppressed in his heart dissipated a lot.
‘That bastard! He’s still really so hateful! Do you think I’m scared because now you have an extra playmate like Qiao Zhiya!’
“You better wait for me…” He finally snarled under his breath, one hand still covering up his punched eye. His eye sockets were a little red, as if he was angry or because of something else.
“Young Master Xiang, calm down. I will help you vent your anger. This mission… huh.” Liu Hongzi walked up to him, looked coldly at Chu Yan and the two who had gone away. He handed him an ice pack to express his concern.
But Xiang Kun didn’t appreciate it at all. He put down his hand and stared at him, took the ice pack to cover his eyes and emotions, and said impatiently, “Stop thinking about it, I want to win over him fair and square! This time you will fight for me! Don’t you dare use a dirty trick… anyway, just don’t embarrass me!”
Liu Hongzi’s expression stiffened after being trained by him. He took a deep breath to suppress his emotions, lowered his head, and replied obediently. “I understand.”
At ten o’clock in the morning, after distributing the locator and rescue device, the graduation exam officially began.
Students were free to form teams, so Chu Yan and his group stood together from the beginning, and specially picked a place farthest from Xiang Kun and Liu Hongzi. Xiang Kun noticed their behavior, so he gave Chu Yan a vicious look, and then led Liu Hongzi to walk further away from them.
“Hey, Xiang Kun has changed?” Yuan Xiu was surprised when he saw this. He clicked his tongue in disapproval. “He seemed to be possessed thanks to his elder brother’s sway just now, so he was gloomy and shit. Although he has recovered a little today, he has learned to only provoke. Who gave him advice? Or did he finally realize that he was stupid when he gave away his head from thousands of miles away?”
“Maybe it’s because he’s grown up, and today is a very important exam,” Chu Yan replied in a low spirited manner. He patted Yuan Xiu on the shoulder, changing the subject. “After entering the adventure area, we will go directly using the mecha and speedrun this, roger that?”
Yuan Xiu looked at him curiously again, and wanted to say something else. But he was suddenly pulled by Qiao Zhiya.
He turned his head to look at Qiao Zhiya’s implicit information. He sighed, understanding what the shorter youth wanted to say.
‘Well, if Chu Yan says he grew up, then he grew up. It’s me who’s still a child.’
The process of finding materials was indeed as smooth as Yuan Xiu expected. Although high-level materials were relatively rare in low-level adventure areas, with the treasure radar of Qiao Zhiya, it was still very easy to find them.
It took one day to complete the exam’s tasks, and everyone found a safe place to rest for the night. The next day, the person sent by Chu Rong arrived first, and that person was Lin Zhen, who they hadn’t seen for a long time.
After the two parties greeted each other, Chu Yan handed over his team’s materials and the locator issued by the school to Yuan Xiu. He gave Yuan Xiu some instructions, and left with Lin Zhen.
In the afternoon, another group of people came and looked at the people arranged from Chu Rong’s side. They tacitly ignored each other, pretending to see nothing. Then, the people from this new group came to take Ning Kongran away, leaving behind his locator behind Yuan Xiu.
Yuan Xiu sat on the rock, glanced at the two groups of people around him who were not talking to each other. He raised his hand to support his face, and took a long, deep sigh.
‘Alas, as expected, I am the only one who hasn’t grown up yet. Everyone is an adult and has secrets.’
Qiao Zhiya was very excited to see Lin Zhen. He chatted with him as they traveled, and Lin Zhen himself was also cooperative as he chatted back. The team members he brought were very surprised.
In the end, Chu Yan couldn’t listen any longer, and interjected forcefully into the conversation between the two. He swished a map, and said, “Let’s talk about the old days slowly on the road. It’s important to find things. This is the map that the guide drew for me. The Star Sand is located in the most dangerous area – Area D. So, we have to find a way to bypass the beasts in area B and C as much as possible, and rush up to our destination. We should plan the route now.”
After hearing this, Lin Zhen and Qiao Zhiya ended their reminiscence. They both focused on the map, sharing their opinion and findings.
The team members brought by Lin Zhen also cooperated immediately. They tacitly sat around these three, creating a safe and private space for them to talk.
A/N: “If you have a same-sex rival for more than a decade, then that is no longer just rivalry; that’s just gay.” – Confucius, probably.
CharacterQiao Zhiya: Half-elf, half-dwarf MC.Planet D28 has complex landforms and a small living area. It has always been one of the favorite places for mercenaries to explore. The amount of intermediate and high-level materials found every year is almost twice that of other D-level planets, but correspondingly, survival there is harder there's more dangerous beasts living there.Chu Yan projected a holographic map of Planet D28 into the air while speaking. He pointed to the large adventure area marked on it, clicked on an area closer to the residential area, and said, Our training tasks will be concentrated in this area, the low-risk area A.Yuan Xiu counted the time with his fingers and said, The graduation training will last for half a month, and the teacher asked us to bring three high-level materials from the adventure area. Since there's both of us, we will need six materials in total. But with Qiao Zhiya here, I think we only need one day to complete the task. For the remaining fourteen days, what will we do? Enjoy the scenery?Qiao Zhiya, who was given such high expectations by him, felt a little embarrassed. If we are unlucky, or the terrain is complicated, it will be difficult to get six materials a day.Then two days in the worst case scenario. Still, that leaves us with thirteen days free. Yuan Xiu was very confident in Qiao Zhiya's prowess.Qiao Zhiya blushed and couldn't speak anymore. Meanwhile, Chu Yan focused his gaze on Yuan Xiu, grinning fully, white teeth on display.Yuan Xiu's back turned cold, he leaned back on the chair defensively, looked him up and down, and said, Why do you give me such an expression? I feel there is a conspiracyIt's not really a conspiracy Chu Yan pretended to be coy by waving his hand. Then, he leaned closer to Yuan Xiu after he couldn't contain his secret, whispered something near his ears.Yuan Xiu's eyes widened after hearing this, and he quickly shook his head and refused. No, no, it's too dangerous for you to run around! No, I don't agree!Oh, c'mon, and you're calling yourself my best friend? Chu Yan hooked Yuan Xiu's neck and continued to convince him.Ning Kongran, who sat quietly and listened, looked at Qiao Zhiya suspiciously. Qiao Zhiya, who knew a little bit about Chu Yan's plan, quickly poured him a glass of water when he saw this. Then he smiled back at him with a little guilt and embarrassment.Five minutes later, Yuan Xiu came back with Chu Yan with a tangled face. He gritted his teeth and nodded. Fine. I can hold the locator for you and pretend that you stay with me all the time, but you have to make sure you will come back on time. And there will be no danger.Don't worry, my Erge will send someone to protect me and Qiao at that time, so our safety will be guaranteed! Chu Yan reassured him again. Actually, this should be even easier than I originally planned. After all, Xiang Kun will not tail after me like usual, so I don't need to think about how to trick him and can move freely!Yuan Xiu knew that what he said was reasonable, and was finally convinced by him. Don't worry, if Xiang Kun is after you, I will definitely help you to hide from him.He noticed Ning Kongran next to him, and his expression changed. He looked stiff. He then jabbed Chu Yan beside him.Following his instructions, Chu Yan met Ning Kongran's gaze, rolled his eyes, and jabbed Qiao Zhiya who was obediently sitting on the side.Qiao Zhiya turned his head to look at Chu Yan, and then followed his instructions to look at Ning Kongran. He looked at Ning Kongran silently for a few seconds, moved uncomfortably, and said, Kongran, will you be free soon? I, I want to talk to you alone.Ning Kongran glanced back and forth at the three of them. He stood up and said, It won't take a while, let's do it now. After speaking, he walked out first.Qiao Zhiya looked at Chu Yan nervously.Qiao, you can do it, come on! Fool him! Chu Yan whisper-shouted, then glared at Yuan Xiu, and said, Arghh, it's all your fault. Now Ning Kongran will just be an extra trouble.Hey, you didn't tell me before that you have other arrangements Yuan Xiu sounded offended. He didn't want to take Ning Kongran with him at first, but the conditions Ning Kongran gave were too temptingQiao Zhiya followed Ning Kongran to his room next door, and before he could figure out how to cover up the matter of leaving the team to find the Star Sand, Ning Kongran took the initiative to speak and said, Qiao, I have something to do. I need your help.Ah? Qiao Zhiya was taken aback for a moment, and then quickly asked, What's the matter, do you still need materials? Then I'll handle it for you now.Ning Kongran was amused by his reaction. He smiled, shook his head, and replied, No, I might leave the team to do some errands, but my itinerary is not suitable for others to know. So I need you and Chu Yan to help me cover it up.You, you want to leave the team too? Qiao Zhiya was stunned, and the first reaction after digesting what he said was to frown. No, even if it is a low-risk area, it is very dangerous for you, a mecha maker, to act alone. What do you want to do? Xiao Yan and I can help you first, you better not act alone.Ning Kongran was warmed by his words, and his expression became more gentle as a result. He comforted him, Don't worry, there will be other people at that time to help me. I will keep a few people to protect Yuan Xiu, so nothing will happen. In fact, I guessed that Chu Yan might take you to participate in this experience, so I partnered with Yuan Xiu for that.Hearing that there will be other people who will be with him, Qiao Zhiya was relieved. Now he was simply confused on why Ning Kongran needed to be so secretive about his itinerary. But thinking about what his plan entails, he could only stay silent. He silently suppressed all doubts, and asked, Are you okay, staying in the Ning family?Ning Kongran's performance today almost directly expressed his closeness to the Chu family and his estranged and guarded attitude towards the Ning family. Plus coupled with his alienation from the Ning family's other juniors, and the matter of his special spiritual power it only worries Qiao Zhiya.Don't worry, I'm okay, Ning Kongran leaned closer and patted the younger man's hair, and continued in a hushed whisper, Qiao, you have to protect yourself.Seeing him like this, Qiao Zhiya only became more worried. Kongran, youNing Kongran patted his head again, shook his head to indicate that he didn't need to say more. Heretracted his hand, and his tone returned to normal. Now we have reached a consensus. I won't ask what your plan is, and you won't pry mine either. This is a little secret between us, okay?Seeing that the older youth didn't want to talk more, Qiao Zhiya closed his mouth. With pursed lips, he rummaged through his space button and grabbed a lot of potions. He stuffed them all into Ning Kongran's hands, saying, You have to come back safely. I will keep the communicator on, so you can send me a message if you need help.Ning Kongran glanced at the heavy potions in his hand. He sighed deeply, but accepted this generous gift. He nodded at Qiao Zhiya with a gentle smile. Well, you have to come back safely too.The matter of leaving the team was finalized in this way. Chu Yan and Yuan Xiu were very surprised that Ning Kongran would also secretly leave the team, but since they also had their own secret plans, they tacitly did not mention this. Instead, they followed the teacher's order to get ready.Two days later, the students arrived at Planet D28, and after settling down, they started the last mecha maintenance before the assignment began.The students and their mecha masters gathered in the battle hall, their enthusiasm bursting inside the jam-packed hall.Qiao Zhiya skillfully took out his equipment, and began to help Chu Yan overhaul his mecha. He even sneaked his magic power in order to help him comb through the inner circuitry, making sure that everything was in tip-top shape.How come that brat Xiang Kun has become so vicious recently? Although he doesn't come here to make trouble, he always looked at us with this gloomy look. He's very weird Chu Yan, who was squatting on the side, frowned and muttered. He turned to help Qiao Zhiya block him from Xiang Kun's line of sight. He was very puzzled with this bizarre situation. What stimulated that brat? Could it be that his hormonal balance is fucked up because of puberty, so his temparament got all wonky as a result?Xiang Kun seemed to sense this. He turned around, and walked into a maze of mecha, disappearing from their sight.Qiao Zhiya replied, He was already like this when I went to school to take the grade-skipping exam last time You are his friend, so please talk to him when you have time. I always feel that something is not quite right about himWho the fuck is his friends now?? Tell me!! Chu Yan almost lost it. He howled at the top of his lungs, while Qiao Zhiya only watched him silently. Realizing his childish outburst, Chu Yan immediately calmed down, cleared his throat, then awkwardly frowned. Okay, okay, since we have known each other since we are in literal diapers, and since he has provided a lot of jokes for me, I will take care of him. Yes, yes, I think this is just a puberty problem, I won't beat him up for this kind of minor infractionQiao Zhiya stepped forward and patted his head, squinting and smiling.He had already discovered that although Chu Yan acted to hate Xiang Kun, he regarded him as a friend in his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have cared so much about what was wrong with Xiang Kun, and kept talking about it.As for Xiang Kun's feelings for Chu Yan Anyway, he didn't feel any pure evil from Xiang Kun. Most of the friction in the past was just their stubbornness and reluctance to admit defeat from their perceived nemesis. It was just pure childishness. On the contrary, it was the Xiang family behind Xiang Kun who took advantage of this relationship most likely, they encouraged Xiang Kun to twist this alternative expression of intimacy with Chu Yan into something more sinister.Qiao Zhiya thought that when Chu Yan said that he was going to beat Xiang Kun, he was angry because of awkwardness, but he didn't expectChu Yang actually went and beat Xiang Kun. Although he didn't hit hard, he still hit his face. This behavior was still very outrageous.You Qiao Zhiya rarely felt speechless after seeing the panda eyes on Xiang Kun's face. Looking at Chu Yan, he didn't know what to say for a while.Although this method is a bit rough, if it works, it works Chu Yan felt guilty. He raised his arm and put it on his shoulder, leading him away from Xiang Kun. As he walked faster, he said, Go, go, faster! It's time to set off, and it's time to go.Bastard Chu Yan! Stop! I'm going to kill you!Seeing Chu Yan's figure, Xiang Kun immediately chased after him. Holding a miniature mace, he chased Chu Yan. His expression was filled with seething anger, as if he really wanted to beat Chu Yan to death.Chu Yan immediately quickened his pace without looking back. Look, isn't it very effective? He directly returned back to normal, all lively and spry.Qiao Zhiya: Xiang Kun noticed a teacher rushed over to stop him, so he had to put away the mace angrily. He raised his hand and nursed his sore eyes, grinding his teeth in anger. But the depression that had been suppressed in his heart dissipated a lot.That bastard! He's still really so hateful! Do you think I'm scared because now you have an extra playmate like Qiao Zhiya!'You better wait for me He finally snarled under his breath, one hand still covering up his punched eye. His eye sockets were a little red, as if he was angry or because of something else.Young Master Xiang, calm down. I will help you vent your anger. This mission huh. Liu Hongzi walked up to him, looked coldly at Chu Yan and the two who had gone away. He handed him an ice pack to express his concern.But Xiang Kun didn't appreciate it at all. He put down his hand and stared at him, took the ice pack to cover his eyes and emotions, and said impatiently, Stop thinking about it, I want to win over him fair and square! This time you will fight for me! Don't you dare use a dirty trick anyway, just don't embarrass me!Liu Hongzi's expression stiffened after being trained by him. He took a deep breath to suppress his emotions, lowered his head, and replied obediently. I understand.At ten o'clock in the morning, after distributing the locator and rescue device, the graduation exam officially began.Students were free to form teams, so Chu Yan and his group stood together from the beginning, and specially picked a place farthest from Xiang Kun and Liu Hongzi. Xiang Kun noticed their behavior, so he gave Chu Yan a vicious look, and then led Liu Hongzi to walk further away from them.Hey, Xiang Kun has changed? Yuan Xiu was surprised when he saw this. He clicked his tongue in disapproval. He seemed to be possessed thanks to his elder brother's sway just now, so he was gloomy and shit. Although he has recovered a little today, he has learned to only provoke. Who gave him advice? Or did he finally realize that he was stupid when he gave away his head from thousands of miles away?Maybe it's because he's grown up, and today is a very important exam, Chu Yan replied in a low spirited manner. He patted Yuan Xiu on the shoulder, changing the subject. After entering the adventure area, we will go directly using the mecha and speedrun this, roger that?Yuan Xiu looked at him curiously again, and wanted to say something else. But he was suddenly pulled by Qiao Zhiya.He turned his head to look at Qiao Zhiya's implicit information. He sighed, understanding what the shorter youth wanted to say.Well, if Chu Yan says he grew up, then he grew up. It's me who's still a child.'The process of finding materials was indeed as smooth as Yuan Xiu expected. Although high-level materials were relatively rare in low-level adventure areas, with the treasure radar of Qiao Zhiya, it was still very easy to find them.It took one day to complete the exam's tasks, and everyone found a safe place to rest for the night. The next day, the person sent by Chu Rong arrived first, and that person was Lin Zhen, who they hadn't seen for a long time.After the two parties greeted each other, Chu Yan handed over his team's materials and the locator issued by the school to Yuan Xiu. He gave Yuan Xiu some instructions, and left with Lin Zhen.In the afternoon, another group of people came and looked at the people arranged from Chu Rong's side. They tacitly ignored each other, pretending to see nothing. Then, the people from this new group came to take Ning Kongran away, leaving behind his locator behind Yuan Xiu.Yuan Xiu sat on the rock, glanced at the two groups of people around him who were not talking to each other. He raised his hand to support his face, and took a long, deep sigh.Alas, as expected, I am the only one who hasn't grown up yet. Everyone is an adult and has secrets.'Qiao Zhiya was very excited to see Lin Zhen. He chatted with him as they traveled, and Lin Zhen himself was also cooperative as he chatted back. The team members he brought were very surprised.In the end, Chu Yan couldn't listen any longer, and interjected forcefully into the conversation between the two. He swished a map, and said, Let's talk about the old days slowly on the road. It's important to find things. This is the map that the guide drew for me. The Star Sand is located in the most dangerous area Area D. So, we have to find a way to bypass the beasts in area B and C as much as possible, and rush up to our destination. We should plan the route now.After hearing this, Lin Zhen and Qiao Zhiya ended their reminiscence. They both focused on the map, sharing their opinion and findings.The team members brought by Lin Zhen also cooperated immediately. They tacitly sat around these three, creating a safe and private space for them to talk.A/N: If you have a same-sex rival for more than a decade, then that is no longer just rivalry; that's just gay. Confucius, probably.
