Irreversible - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Little Poor One’s Military Training (Part 2)

The first day on Haiyan Island was mainly about organizing into classes, changing into military training uniforms, meeting the instructors, and practicing basic standing postures. For this initial meeting, the instructors maintained a kind and approachable image; the training was merely a “light drizzle.” The students felt it wasn’t difficult at all and actually found it quite enjoyable.

Once training ended in the evening, the students swarmed the cafeteria like hungry ghosts, sweeping away all the food and leaving behind a battlefield of empty plates. By 6:30 PM, the intensive training resumed.

Haiyan Island is a peninsula surrounded by the sea on two sides and mountains on the others, with lush vegetation. The entire military base was built right in the middle of a forest. As night fell, the open training grounds within the barbed-wire fences were lit up by floodlights. They shone like fireflies in the midst of the dark woods.

The surrounding insects followed the light and descended upon the gathered students, buzzing around those standing at attention. Finding any opportunity, they would dive in and bite, leaving the students’ heads covered in bumps.

Many students in Class 17 fell victim to this, unable to stand still as they tried to swat the mosquitoes away. The female Beta instructor training their class began to reveal her true nature. The moment she saw a student move—regardless of gender, she would kick them in the shin and bark: “Stand up straight!”

“If anyone moves again, the whole class will be punished with an extra ten minutes of standing!”

With the whole class facing collective punishment, no one could withstand the murderous glares of their peers. Everyone stood as still as statues. By the end of the session, the students were full of complaints. They sat on the dim playground, using their hats to fan away insects while grumbling: “Why are there so many mosquitoes… I’m being bitten to death.”

“Sigh, what a mistake. I forgot to bring insect repellent.”

The formation for military training was arranged by height. Since Gu Xizhou was much shorter than Su Zhiyi, they were separated by several rows. Hearing her classmates’ complaints, she felt a faint worry for Su Zhiyi.

0820 whispered a reminder: “Su Zhiyi is the type of person who attracts insects. She’s probably been bitten quite badly.”

Is that so?

Gu Xizhou turned her head toward Su Zhiyi’s direction. She was incredibly easy to find; in the murky night, sitting among a crowd of dusty-looking students, she was as fair as moonlight. Su Zhiyi had tied her hair into a ponytail and taken off her hat to fan away the bugs. Sweaty strands of hair clung to her forehead, and the large lights around the field grazed her profile, reflecting beads of sweat that sparkled like condensation on a cold drink taken out of a summer fridge.

She seemed to be suffering from the heat, fanning herself while looking around. A stray strand of hair stuck to her pink lips; she raised a hand to brush it away and tucked it behind her ear. Suddenly, there was no one else in Gu Xizhou’s field of vision. She stared blankly at Su Zhiyi, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

0820 gave a small “tsk,” sounding a bit disdainful: “Adolescent Alphas…” So easily swayed by a pretty face!

Su Zhiyi soon noticed someone watching her. She turned her head and met Gu Xizhou’s gaze, momentarily stunned. As their eyes locked, Su Zhiyi’s eyes crinkled into a smile. Like a night-blooming cereus, she slowly blossomed.

Gu Xizhou froze for a second, gave a quick nod as a greeting, and then turned away, pinching her own earlobe. Her face was hot and red, burning intensely.

Around 10:00 PM, the night training concluded. The students swarmed toward the bathhouse, rushing to wash up and prepare for bed. Based on the six genders, Alpha males were on the first floor, Alpha females on the second, while Omegas and undifferentiated students lived together on the top floor. Each floor was guarded by instructors of the corresponding gender. Except for the inside of the showers and toilets, surveillance cameras were installed everywhere to ensure student safety.

Gu Xizhou followed Su Zhiyi back toward the dormitory. As they were about to part ways at the second floor, Gu Xizhou called out: “Su Zhiyi…”

The girl ahead turned around, her expression curious. “What is it?”

Gu Xizhou looked at her pale, tender face under the lights and bit her lip. “Did you bring insect repellent?”

Su Zhiyi shook her head. “No.” Though she had brought many things, they were all common medicines; because she lacked experience in the forest, she had missed the most basic necessity.

Gu Xizhou nodded understandingly. “I brought some. I’ll give it to you tomorrow. Bye.”

Su Zhiyi was momentarily dazed, but she quickly waved back with a bright smile. “Mm, thank you. See you tomorrow.”

Back in the dorm, Gu Xizhou fished out her suitcase from under the bed, grabbed her disposable underwear and pajamas, and headed to the bathhouse. The bathhouse at the military base consisted of partitioned stalls, one for each floor, capable of accommodating a hundred people at once.

A hundred Alphas were rinsing with cold water in their respective stalls; the chill was refreshing, but the floor was so slippery that one could easily fall if not careful. Fortunately, everyone’s secondary gender was female, so they were quite mindful of privacy, keeping the stall doors shut. As Gu Xizhou walked past, she accidentally saw a naked classmate and immediately lowered her red face, scurrying away.

She found an empty corner and began to wash slowly. After a day of sweating, her body felt sticky; Little Xizhou was a bit of a neat freak, so she took a little longer. The sound of splashing water in the bathroom gradually diminished until only a few stalls remained active. Gu Xizhou was in a good mood, humming a song as she changed into clean clothes.

0820 was just about to tease her when she heard an abnormal noise from the neighboring stall. She warned alertly: “Push the door and get out, fast!”

Gu Xizhou’s expression changed instantly. Before she even had her pants on properly, she shoved the door open. Just then, with a splash, a bucket of cold water was dumped violently from above the stall. The splashing water hit Gu Xizhou, soaking the hem of her clothes.

“…”

Gu Xizhou’s face darkened immediately. She stormed into the adjacent stall and shoved the door open, finding a female Alpha about her age. The girl was plump with short hair and dimples. Currently, she was standing on a stool holding a water basin, looking at Gu Xizhou in a state of utter panic.

Cornered by Gu Xizhou at the door, the girl’s legs went weak. She wobbled and nearly fell off the stool. Gu Xizhou reacted quickly, grabbing the girl’s hand to steady her. The other girl, thinking she was about to be hit, quickly shielded her head with the basin, tears streaming down instantly. “Don’t hit me… don’t hit me…”

“I wasn’t the one who wanted to splash you.”

Gu Xizhou was stunned by her reaction. As the only one who understood the whole picture, 0820 sneered: “This was either Ding Yi or Su Nanfeng’s idea.”

“Su Nanfeng—!” Little Gu Xizhou gritted her teeth. She grabbed the timid female Alpha and said in a deep voice: “Let’s go. Back to the dorm!”

She wasn’t going to just take this lying down. She was going to settle the score with Su Nanfeng right now!