Chapter 10

Qiao Yan sat in the car and drank a glass of cold water to calm down the restlessness. The pheromones were terrifying. Thinking that there was still a practical training course later, she had to suppress that feeling.

If this had happened five years ago, she would have been dead long ago. Unable to remain calm, unable to think clearly, her mind filled with a jumbled mess of thoughts—this lack of control terrified Qiao Yan. How many years had it been since she'd felt this way?

How could she say she'd come again tonight? She was already having a hard time facing Nan Ya Yin. Qiao Yan truly regretted what she had just said; it sounded as if she wanted to continue their intimacy that night.

She has never done anything out of line, and she has smelled Omega pheromones before. Is this a 99% compatibility?

Nan Ya Yin's pheromones could reduce her inner anxiety, and she increasingly felt that he could help her survive the fierce and vulnerable period, but at the same time she hoped that she would not let him release such strong pheromones in the future.

If we do something that she'll regret even more, it won't be good for anyone.

As soon as Qiao Yan returned to school, she changed into her combat uniform and went to the training site. The students she was facing were likely to participate in the next interstellar expedition recruitment. This was not a course that could be passed easily. When they stood on an unfamiliar planet, they would face a life-or-death situation.

"When I heard Qiao Yan left around noon, I thought she would ask for leave. I thought we definitely wouldn't be able to attend this class," said one of the Alpha students.

"At least the tuition was worth it; it's much better than just reading from the book."

Qiao Yan stood at the front of the crowd, looking at the scattered ranks, and sighed, "I know some of you are determined to join the interstellar expeditionary force, but the first thing you need to correct is your current lax attitude. An expedition is not a picnic. If you don't have awe for the universe and unwavering determination, you should give up now."

“

"Second, cast aside your so-called arrogance. No matter how the times develop, or how powerful the changes brought about by technology, you will never know how to resist the unknown. Only life and death are the eternal answers. If you harbor arrogance in battle, you will underestimate your enemy and become complacent." Qiao Yan looked at everyone before him. "Third, you cannot be afraid or timid. Otherwise, you will be unable to choose a calm answer, make wrong choices, and may very well ruin everything. And fearing what is to come will hold you back; the more afraid of death you are, the more likely you are to die."

After the introduction, Qiao Yan had them do some warm-up exercises before they formed teams for friendly battles, and of course, she was also included in the challenge. Quite a few Alphas wanted to go up and spar with Qiao Yan, and she never refused such people, nor did she ever underestimate them.

But some of these people saw Qiao Yan's lifeless, dark eyes as if they were looking into a black hole. Even though she had left the army for many years, she was still surrounded by the aura of someone who had fought on the battlefield, a feeling of someone who had crawled back from hell.

That composure that comes from having fought the unknown before, that terrifying instinct to fight monsters even after losing a leg.

Then a girl with short black hair stepped out from the crowd. She looked frail. "May I try, teacher?"

Qiao Yan glanced at her; she was a Beta named Qi Haiwei.

“Okay.” Qiao Yan stood in front of her. Qi Haiwei was tall, half a head taller than Qiao Yan, but she was very thin, like Nan Yayin, with no flesh and only protruding bones.

"Teacher, don't cheat by releasing pheromones!"

Qi Haiwei's initiative drew a crowd, as many students had complained about Qiao Yan's pheromone imbalance.

"No, I won't." Someone helped me not long ago, so I definitely won't let my pheromones fly around like that again.

When Qiao Yan said to start, Qi Haiwei attacked first, quickly circling behind Qiao Yan and striking her right leg.

It was very heavy, with no effort put into it. Few people who came to Qiao Yan's class would not know that her right leg had been injured, broken off and then reattached in time. Otherwise, Qiao Yan would have spent the rest of her life either with a mechanical leg or hopping on one leg.

In the past, when someone challenged Qiao Yan or when there was an exam duel, no one would ever attack her right leg. Perhaps they felt that winning with such a trick was not honorable, but Qiao Yan did not think there was anything wrong with this approach.

Unfortunately, this child made a huge mistake.

Qiao Yan received the kick, but Qi Haiwei on the other side keenly sensed that she hadn't actually kicked a leg.

Then Qi Haiwei felt a sudden dizziness, and people around her exclaimed in surprise. Qiao Yan pressed her neck down with her thigh, and she couldn't even struggle to stand up. Her hands were grabbed behind her back.

She was defeated just like that? Qi Haiwei couldn't believe it.

“You’re the first person to attack my right leg,” Qiao Yan said on her head. “That’s rare, so it’s also rare for you to let me test my right leg.”

“When you encounter strange creatures on other planets, it’s important to quickly identify their weaknesses to avoid dying in battle.” Qiao Yan released her. “But I already know my weakness, so it can’t be my weakness.”

Qi Haiwei knew that she must have tampered with Qiao Yan's right leg, but as for what it was, she wouldn't know unless she could pull down her pants. She could shamelessly attack Qiao Yan's right leg, but she really didn't have the ability to pull down a teacher's pants.

Although many people didn't approve of Qi Haiwei's actions, because she was the first person to dare to challenge Qiao Yan, no one said much about her behavior. More people wanted to challenge Qiao Yan afterward; after all, showing off one's skills in front of a friend was pointless, and frankly, no one would actually fight.

Qiao Yan was tolerant of all, but things wouldn't be so easy when they faced alien creatures. Whether weak or strong, they would face equally insurmountable monsters. In terms of strength, everyone was at a disadvantage.

Thinking about this suddenly reminded me of the Omega I hit in the park yesterday, who was it?

Qiao Yan didn't press further, and Nan Ya Yin remained silent. Although he had been beaten and the police had been called, it couldn't be ruled out that this person would return. Fortunately, Nan Ya Yin was currently in the hospital.

She began to think that living in the teachers' dormitory wouldn't be enough to protect Nan Shuyin, and that if Nan Yayin wanted to protect Nan Shuyin, she probably wouldn't care too much about her.

Although she was lost in thought, her hands didn't stop moving, and one after another, she overturned them to the ground like she was planting rice seedlings.

"I often say that Qiao Yan is terrifying, but now I don't quite understand why I chose her class."

"Everything is for academic credits."

“I know, you’re just trying to put on an act. You should know that in this school, there’s only one finger that can beat Qiao Yan.”

Who is it?

"I mean, there might not be any at all."

As get out of class was about to end, Qiao Yan relaxed her shoulders, satisfied with today's teaching.

Qi Haiwei, the first Beta to challenge her, wanted to ask a question. She wasn't afraid at all when challenging, but she hesitated a bit when asking the question: "Professor Qiao, do you think Betas can pass the expeditionary force's selection?"

Betas are naturally considered neither as strong as Alphas nor as gentle as Omegas, placing them in a somewhat awkward position. However, this comparison is made among humans. If one were to participate in an interstellar expedition, everyone would encounter monsters several times stronger than themselves, making such minor calculations seem like child's jokes.

"Are you looking for a definite answer from me?" Qiao Yan looked at her. "I can tell you very clearly that Alphas make up 60% of the expeditionary force, and the remaining 30% are Betas. This doesn't mean they are fewer in number, but that there are Betas among them, just like you."

Qi Haiwei's expression remained unchanged, as if she was deep in thought.

"More than these things, you should understand what kind of expedition the interstellar expedition is, what they will face, and you need to make a decision yourself rather than seeking my approval." Qiao Yan was well aware of what the expeditionary force was facing. She longed to see someone strengthen this team, and she also hoped that they could understand whether they liked the title or were truly prepared.

Qi Haiwei nodded. "I understand. May I ask another question?"

Qiao Yan nodded.

"Are there any Betas in your team?" Qi Haiwei asked intently.

Qiao Yan's thoughts and life seemed to stretch out for a moment, and then she nodded, "Yes."

After receiving the reply, Qi Haiwei immediately returned to the group. Because get out of class was about to end, the group was very relaxed, and everyone was chatting and laughing.

When Qiao Yan got into the car and headed towards the hospital, she was still in a daze. The smell of blood and sand still clung to her even after so many years.

Her right leg was in a lot of pain, and she thought her leg had been cut off again, but when she looked over, there was no bleeding.

Here we go again. Qiao Yan thought to herself, just like every time she dreamt of those scenes, but this time it wasn't because she dreamt of those scenes, but because these memories could never be forgotten.

How many people in the world still remember the names of the other members of her team? Apart from their family and friends, only her.

Countless expeditionary soldiers died in space and on alien planets. If they could not return with merit, no one would remember a name with two or three characters like everyone else's.

She was the only survivor of that squad, and she had a duty to live on with the memories of all of them.

"You really came." Nan Yayin was having dinner with her sister in the hospital room. She thought Qiao Yan was just saying it casually, since she had already come in the afternoon.

Qiao Yan didn't like hospitals. To her, hospitals weren't places of healing, but rather places of death sentences. The treatment pod suited her better; the pain from the rapid cell growth and forced healing of her flesh and bones in a short period of time reminded her that she was still alive.

"You promised you'd come." Qiao Yan glanced at Nan Shuyin, who seemed to be in good condition.

"The doctor said I don't need to stay for a full week; maybe I can be discharged in a couple more days," Nan Shuyin said happily.

Qiao Yan glanced at Nan Ya Yin, "Really?"

"Children's healing ability is probably much better, and their bones are more resilient than adults'. They say that if you lie at home for a month, you can get up and move around a little." Nan Yayin was much more relaxed and no longer looked like she was facing a major crisis.

"Are you alright?" Nan Ya Yin asked her. She seemed a little different, even more tired than she had been that afternoon. He had used his pheromones to help her, hadn't he? Could it be that the pheromones had already worn off?

Qiao Yan shook her head. "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired after class. It's not important, I'll just sit for a while."

The ward had its own sofa, and Qiao Yan sat on it. Nan Ya Yin had probably sat there too, leaving a faint, fresh scent.

She was exhausted, but dared not fall asleep, afraid that she would dream of the past. Yet the pheromones left here made her feel at ease, so she eventually drifted off to sleep.