Should I change my application?

Cen Yu was unsure whether Sang Huaizhou truly felt he was unsuitable for the Fifth Legion or was simply mocking him.

But Sang Huaizhou didn't offer any explanation. After saying that, he got up and went back to his room.

Lan Yao leaned back on the sofa, watching Sang Huaizhou's retreating figure without turning his head. Considering the way the other man's gaze had lingered on Cen Yu's tattoo, and the casualty rate of the Fifth Legion... he roughly understood Sang Huaizhou's intention.

But he wasn't kind enough to remind Cen Yu, because Sang Huaizhou was worried that he would die in the Fifth Army.

"Do you really want to join the Fifth Legion after you graduate?" Lan Yao asked.

After graduation, he will probably join the Second Legion, a faction directly under the Lan family. Compared to the First Legion, which is a prestigious training ground, and the Fifth Legion, which directly faces the Zerg, the Second Legion has a more unique mission.

Their main task was to explore uninhabited planets, find suitable places for new human colonization, and incidentally discover valuable items on these unknown planets.

There are always some unknown races on the planet, and sometimes they can even be wiped out... Although the danger level is not low, the casualty rate is much lower compared to the Fifth Legion, which directly confronts the Zerg.

“Why not consider the Second Legion?” Lan Yao said. “Unknown planets, unseen civilizations… and strange creatures.” He tried to change Cen Yu’s mind. “Don’t you think that’s interesting too?”

"Moreover, the Second Legion's treatment is definitely better than that of the Fifth Legion."

I have no interest in any of your legions.

Cen Yu nodded perfunctorily. "I still think the Fifth Legion is the best." He stood up, preparing to go back to his room to rest, but after walking around the sofa, he looked at Lan Yao, who was still sitting there, hesitated for a moment, and then asked—

How much do you know about Lou Miao'an?

Lan Yao was somewhat surprised to hear this name from Cen Yu. "Lou Miao'an? That Beta from the Lou family?"

“Yes.” Cen Yu nodded. “It’s a Beta.”

Lan Yao remembered that Lou Miao'an was recruited into the student council by that hypocrite not long after entering the Imperial Military Academy... He thought for a moment and realized that Cen Yu had met Lou Miao'an while doing odd jobs.

But logically speaking, Lou Miao'an, a Beta, shouldn't have attracted Cen Yu's attention.

Many thoughts raced through his mind, but his face remained that gentle, saintly expression. "What's wrong?"

Have you run into him recently?

Cen Yu was really annoyed by Lan Yao's evasive attitude. He shrugged and said, "If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."

Lan Yao immediately reached out and grabbed his arm. "I'm just wondering how you suddenly got involved with him." He said to Cen Yu in a reassuring voice, "I didn't mean I didn't want to tell you."

"Then you say it." Cen Yu wasn't buying it; he wasn't going to sit back down.

I just stood behind the sofa, waiting to hear Lan Yao speak.

"Lou Miaoan is the youngest son of the Lou family, with two older brothers and three older sisters."

“Except for him, everyone else is an Alpha or an Omega,” Lan Yao said slowly. Although the Lou family was a large family in Xingdu, or even a behemoth, there was no large family that held real power… A slight thought that didn’t fit his persona flashed through his mind.

"Initially, the Lou family's Alphas married into upper-class Omegas through marriage alliances, while the Omegas naturally married into families that were beneficial to them."

It can be said that the Lou family expanded their influence in Xingdu through marriage.

Their kinship ties helped them successfully establish their own network and influence in Xingdu, but as the saying goes, they had no real power—at least Lan Yao felt they had none.

"Although the Alpha didn't continue to marry into other families, he maintained contact with quite a few," Lan Yao said after a moment's thought. "While Alphas and Omegas are abundant, there are exceptions..."

"Lou Miao'an?" Cen Yu asked, "The only Beta?"

“The remaining Betas always disappeared without a trace or encountered accidents in their childhood.” Lan Yao said this with that saintly expression of compassion on his face. “Perhaps the Lou family can only tolerate the existence of Alphas and Omegas.”

"...But I remember that the differentiation period should be quite late."

How could a Beta possibly suffer an accident in childhood?

“The fluctuations in pheromones don’t have to wait until the differentiation period to be known,” Lan Yao said meaningfully. “Judging from the results, apart from Lou Miao’an, the Lou family are indeed all young and beautiful Alphas and Omegas.”

This is something the Lou family is extremely proud of.

Although Cen Yu knew nothing about this family, he had managed to sketch out some of their image from Lan Yao's description.

To be able to rapidly expand one's influence in the Star Capital through marriage, one must possess exceptional mental strength and genetic qualities, not to mention striking good looks.

He recalled Lou Miao'an, who was short, thin, and had freckles on his face. Indeed, this person was from a completely different world from the other members of the Lou family.

"Why are you suddenly interested in him?" Lan Yao asked tentatively.

“I heard his surname is Lou,” Cen Yu said nonchalantly. “I also heard that the Lou family members are all good-looking… but he’s so ordinary.”

"That's why I came to ask you if he's lying."

“Lou Miao’an is indeed an exception.” When Lan Yao spoke, it was impossible to detect any other emotion. It was unclear whether he was being sarcastic or simply stating a fact.

But this exception made countless Alphas tremble with fear in the later stages...

The novel doesn't actually mention Lou Miao'an's specific appearance later on. It only mentions that he hates Alphas extremely, is merciful to Omegas but not much, and the only ones he spares are Betas.

The Lou family was also heartbroken, stating that the other party had not had any contact with them since disappearing.

It's a pity that Lou Miao'an is mentioned in the novel much later on...

Cen Yu kept going through the details of the novel in his mind, and finally found the time of Lou Miao'an's disappearance in a description of less than 100 words.

[...In December, Lou Miao'an became unreachable...]

December?

It's not that Cen Yu is overthinking things; isn't December the time for joint exercises between the Empire and the Federation?

Could it be that Lou Miao'an disappeared around that time?

"Will the logistics personnel also participate in the joint exercises?" Cen Yu asked Lan Yao.

Although Lan Yao had doubts in his heart, he answered honestly—

“Of course,” he said to Cen Yu, “after all, logistical arrangements are also very important in wartime.”

That must be it... Cen Yu thought to himself. At the end of that joint exercise, the Zerg suddenly appeared, and Lou Miao'an's disappearance was most likely around that time. It's just a pity that, unlike Cen Yu, an Alpha who usually has a very strong presence, Lou Miao'an has always been a nobody. In addition, the Lou family doesn't seem to care about this matter, so this part wasn't described in the novel.

—Could it be that he and Lou Miao'an ended up in the same place after being captured by the Zerg?