Chapter 3

Mu Chenxing chatted casually with Tong Xiao and the others as they walked, finally getting a clear breakdown of the campus dormitory layouts.

It turned out that the Omega and Alpha dormitories were situated at opposite eastern and western ends of the campus to minimize any mutual pheromone interference. The Beta dormitories, on the other hand, were located right next to the Omegas’. In fact, at least half of the students on the hover shuttle earlier had been Betas.

Mu Chenxing, however, could not tell the Betas and Omegas apart. To him, the entire passenger cabin had simply looked like a room full of young men.

Testing the waters, he grumbled under his breath, “It’s nothing but guys here.”

Since his subconscious language system clearly included terms for both men and women, he assumed women had to exist somewhere in this universe.

Xia Weizhen chimed in naturally, “What are you thinking? Women are a rare, highly intelligent, and heavily protected demographic. The Alliance shields them like national treasures—why would they ever be at a military academy?”

Mu Chenxing paused. “A rare demographic?”

“I really wonder what it was like over a thousand years ago, when women supposedly walked the streets everywhere,” Tong Xiao mused, looking thoughtful. “It must have been an incredible sight.”

Tao Xirui’s eyes filled with a similar longing. “A street entirely filled with women… I can’t even picture it.”

Mu Chenxing: “…”

He understood now. It was a matter of evolutionary biology: as the female population dwindled over the centuries, the male population had split into secondary physiological sub-genders to fill the reproductive gap.

*What a pain.*

By the time they finished their conversation, they had arrived at the classroom.

As Mu Chenxing followed his roommates inside, he was momentarily taken aback. The room was a massive, 360-degree circular amphitheater reminiscent of the Roman Colosseum, containing at least several hundred seats. A giant 3D holographic projection hovered directly in the center of the air. As he walked along the semicircular rows to find a seat, the 3D image adjusted dynamically to his perspective, ensuring he always saw the image from the front view regardless of his angle.

Because they had arrived late, they barely had time to settle into their seats before the instructor entered the room.

The central holographic display transitioned smoothly from explanatory text to structural diagrams and then to real-time dissection footage. The dissection feed was broadcast directly from the instructor’s point of view, rendered in such high definition that Mu Chenxing could clearly make out the fine fur of the specimen and even its tiny capillaries.

*Now this is high technology,* Mu Chenxing thought, watching the display with genuine fascination like a complete newcomer to the modern era.

Once the dissection demonstration concluded, he pulled his gaze away and began discreetly observing his fellow classmates. According to Tong Xiao, this was a large lecture class where multiple class cohorts combined.

Every student in the room wore the standard military academy uniform, crafted from a crisp, form-fitting fabric designed for maximum mobility. Seeing hundreds of students dressed in identical, clean-cut uniforms within the circular hall created an incredibly disciplined and impressive sight. This included several of the Alphas they had encountered earlier outside.

On closer inspection, however, Mu Chenxing noticed subtle differences in their attire.

From what he could gather, the uniforms fell into three distinct categories:
1. A dark green uniform paired with brown short boots and a lion emblem embroidered on the shoulders.
2. A camouflage green uniform paired with tan short boots and a hawk emblem on the shoulders.
3. A light green uniform paired with beige short boots, featuring no shoulder emblems but a cluster of delicate small flowers embroidered on the left chest.

He had no idea what species of flower it was, but the design felt remarkably delicate. *A cluster of flowers… What a headache.*

Unsurprisingly, his own uniform was the light green one adorned with flowers.

He also noticed that in this massive classroom of several hundred students, there was not a single person wearing the uniform with the lion shoulder emblem. Connecting this to the gender classifications he had just learned, he realized that the uniforms clearly designated Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. This meant there were no Alphas present in this particular pharmacology lecture.

*Wait. What major am I actually enrolled in?*

Tong Xiao turned to him. “Your class schedule? Don’t you have it on your device? Fine, let me send you another copy.”

He reached down and tapped a small band on his left wrist.

Mu Chenxing stared at the translucent holographic screen that projected from Tong Xiao’s wrist, though he could not see the actual text on it from his angle. After Tong Xiao tapped the screen a few times, Mu Chenxing’s own wristband vibrated with a soft notification.

“Sent,” Tong Xiao said.

Mu Chenxing thanked him, looked down, and began examining his wristband. He felt around the edges of the device until a holographic screen projected into the air. Unlike when he had tried to peek at Tong Xiao’s screen, his own projection was crystal clear to his eyes, suggesting the device utilized advanced anti-spy filters.

Relaxing slightly, Mu Chenxing began tapping around the interface. One tap opened the course catalog; another opened the entertainment portal. After familiarizing himself with the basic navigation, he returned to his inbox and opened the document Tong Xiao had shared.

*Class Schedule for the Nursing Major, Fall Term, Class of 8028.*

Nursing. He had received basic first-aid and medical training during his time in the military, so he figured he could manage the academic side of the coursework.

However, as he scrolled through the document, his brow furrowed.

*Where are the physical training classes?*

He scrolled back to the top of the schedule and searched more thoroughly. There was absolutely nothing. No strength conditioning, no endurance drills, no tactical combat simulations—nothing of the sort. The entire week was packed with purely academic lectures, including subjects like music appreciation and basic drawing.

*Music appreciation and drawing? In a military academy? What is going on here?*

He nudged Tong Xiao gently and whispered, “Where can I view the schedules for the other majors?”

Tong Xiao looked puzzled. “Why do you want to see the other majors’ schedules?”

“Just curious,” Mu Chenxing replied.

Tong Xiao rolled his eyes but sent him a link regardless.

Mu Chenxing opened the link immediately and scrolled through the departments: the Medical College, the Military College, the Command Academy, the Combat Academy, and the Mecha Academy.

His eyes lit up, and he immediately tapped on the Mecha Academy’s curriculum.

*Atmospheric Flight Training, Gravity Tolerance Training, Tactical Combat Drills, Physical Conditioning…*

*Now this is what a soldier should be learning!* Mu Chenxing thought with excitement.

He continued scrolling down the page: *Energy Theory, Advanced Mechanics, Spatial Physics…*

His enthusiasm faltered slightly. *Wait, it’s not just physical combat?*

Xia Weizhen leaned over to look at his screen, expressing surprise. “Why are you looking at that? The physics and spatial sciences courses for the Mecha major are notoriously difficult. The Alphas who manage to pass those exams are literally one in a hundred thousand.” He cupped his face in his hands dreamily. “My ultimate dream is to marry an Alpha from the Mecha Academy.”

Mu Chenxing asked in a serious tone, “What do you think my chances are if I apply to transfer into the Mecha major?”

Xia Weizhen stared at him. “Did that pheromone surge do some permanent damage to your brain?”

Hearing the conversation, Tong Xiao leaned over as well. “What are you thinking? Operating a Mecha requires a physical rating of A+ or higher to withstand the intense pressure changes inside the cockpit. With your delicate frame, if you ever got into a Mecha, the gravitational forces would turn you into paste.”

Mu Chenxing: “…”

He felt a deep sense of disappointment. Trying to keep his questions general, he asked, “With my current physical rating, which majors am I actually allowed to transfer to?”

“With our C++ physical ratings, we’re strictly limited to the Medical College,” Xia Weizhen answered, clarifying his doubts. “We shouldn’t even dream about the other departments.”

Tong Xiao added, “And the Nursing major has the lowest admission threshold in the entire Medical College. You wouldn’t qualify for the other medical programs, so transferring is completely out of the question. You should put that thought out of your head.”

Mu Chenxing slumped onto his desk, thoroughly defeated by his apparent status as an academic underachiever.

“Stop chatting,” Tao Xirui whispered, leaning past Xia Weizhen. “Zhang Linlin just messaged me saying Shen Mingtao is waiting right outside our classroom.”

Xia Weizhen and Tong Xiao gasped in unison, turning their heads to look at Mu Chenxing.

Mu Chenxing remained face-down on his desk, mumbling, “Who is that?”

Xia Weizhen let out a soft huff. “Stop pretending. Aren’t you supposed to be madly in love with him?”

Mu Chenxing slowly lifted his head. “Ah… Shen Mingshu’s older brother.”

The three roommates nodded in perfect synchronization.

“I don’t even like him anymore!” Mu Chenxing protested, feeling entirely drained.

Tong Xiao offered a sympathetic but skeptical look. “You don’t sound very convincing.”

Xia Weizhen patted his shoulder. “Hang in there.”

Mu Chenxing sighed. “Anyway, why is he waiting outside? What does he have to do with us?”

“That’s true,” Tong Xiao said, turning back to Tao Xirui. “Why is he here?”

Tao Xirui replied timidly, “Did you all forget that Xingxing just roughed up his younger brother a few minutes ago?”

Tong Xiao and Xia Weizhen gasped again.

Mu Chenxing defended himself, “I didn’t rough him up. He fell over on his own!”

Tao Xirui whispered back, “But you did kick him.”

Mu Chenxing replied defensively, “That was a tactical kick, not a beating.”

The three roommates: “…”

Mu Chenxing thought for a moment. “Is he here to retaliate on behalf of Shen Mingshu?”

Tong Xiao frowned. “I doubt it. Would an Alpha actually raise a hand against an Omega?”

“Probably not,” Xia Weizhen agreed. “This is the academic building. If the disciplinary committee catches him fighting, he’ll face severe academic demerits. He wouldn’t risk it.”

*So, Alphas are strictly prohibited from fighting Omegas on campus?*

Mu Chenxing slumped back onto his desk, feeling a distinct lack of excitement. “Whatever. We’ll handle it when we get out there.”

The group continued to whisper among themselves until the end-of-class bell finally rang. Their next class was a smaller lecture located in a different academic building, requiring them to move.

Mu Chenxing took the lead, with his three roommates crowding closely behind him as they joined the stream of students exiting the circular hall.

As soon as they stepped into the corridor, they spotted Shen Mingshu standing near the wall. True to Tao Xirui’s warning, an exceptionally tall, broad-shouldered young man was standing right beside him.

Mu Chenxing cast a brief, slightly envious glance at the majestic eagle emblem embroidered on the stranger’s shoulder, and then turned his attention to Shen Mingshu.

As expected, Shen Mingshu was pointing directly at him.

Mu Chenxing offered a polite, cheerful smile and walked straight toward them, dragging his three roommates along as they clutched nervously at his sleeves.

Shen Mingshu’s eyes widened in surprise. “What are you doing? Why are you coming over here?”

Beside him, Shen Mingtao was calmly observing Mu Chenxing from head to toe.

*Ah, so he isn’t here to start a fight immediately,* Mu Chenxing realized. Adjusting his approach, he said politely, “My apologies for earlier. Are you alright? No injuries, I hope?”

Shen Mingshu immediately puffed up with arrogance. “Hmph. It’s good that you recognize your mistake. I don’t expect much from you, but at the very least, try not to humiliate our home planet. Don’t make people think the Omegas from our world are completely undisciplined.”

Mu Chenxing: “…”

*What an incredibly unpleasant individual.*

He rolled his eyes and turned to walk away.

“Wait a moment,” Shen Mingtao called out. A polite smile touched his lips, but his eyes remained cold, conveying a distinct sense of distance and distaste. “Aren’t you going to greet me? Even if my words were a bit harsh the other day, surely you shouldn’t be this impolite.”

Mu Chenxing stopped in his tracks. He had almost forgotten about the history between the original owner of his body and this man.

He turned back and assessed Shen Mingtao thoroughly. “According to school regulations, you aren’t allowed to strike an Omega. However, I am genuinely interested in having a proper match with you. What is the most appropriate way for us to arrange that?”

Even though Shen Mingtao had not spoken aggressively, his dismissive attitude was highly irritating.

Shen Mingtao blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

Shen Mingshu chimed in, “See, Brother? I told you he has become incredibly arrogant lately.”

Ignoring Shen Mingshu entirely, Mu Chenxing nodded to himself. “I see. You don’t know the proper procedure either.”

The Shen brothers: “…”

Mu Chenxing turned to Tong Xiao. “If I am the one who initiates a match with him, will I still receive academic demerits?”

He did not care if the other party faced consequences; he simply wanted to ensure his own record remained clean.

Tong Xiao looked completely baffled. “I’ve never heard of a specific regulation covering that, but—”

“That’s good enough for me,” Mu Chenxing said, his interest fully piqued. He cracked his knuckles slowly and tilted his chin toward Shen Mingtao. “Come on. Let’s trade a few blows.”

He was highly curious to see just how formidable these highly praised Alphas actually were in a physical contest.

The Shen brothers: “…”

The three roommates: “…”

*This Omega has clearly lost his mind.*