The Cannon Fodder Became the Empire's Beloved Omega - Chapter 34

Do a handstand lap around the track!

And do it while blowing a whistle!!

Although Stellaris Academy’s sports field was a standard track, with just one lap being 400 meters, this wasn’t an ordinary lap. It was a handstand lap using only your hands to traverse the entire field.

For anyone with even slightly poor physical stamina, completing such a lap would likely leave them collapsed and sent to the hospital.

Song Si’s face turned pale as he tried to argue, “No, I was just.” spouting nonsense in the heat of the moment.

Before he could finish, a pair of utterly humorless eyes swept over him. “School rules?”

“…” Song Si froze.

“If you can’t do it, don’t boast about it,” the other said flatly. “Drop out or stay choose one.”

At these words, everyone present felt a chill run down their spines, casting helpless glances at Song Si.

Generally speaking, while Stellaris revered strength, it wasn’t overly aggressive. Unless something major happened, everyone maintained a surface-level friendliness and harmony.

But this time, Song Si had insisted on invoking the creed of bullying the weak. Now that the tables had turned, he had no one to blame but himself.

As for dropping out or keeping his promise?

Even a fool would know which to choose.

Song Si gritted his teeth, stiffly twisted his neck, and slowly nodded in humiliation.

Yu Ruan and Cheng Mu walked out of the auditorium together.

The sun outside was blazing, slightly scorching. The two made their way back along the path, the road bustling with students jostling and pushing forward, creating a lively, market-day atmosphere.

Curious, Cheng Mu grabbed a passing student. “What’s going on? Why is everyone in such a hurry?”

He considered himself something of a Stellaris gossipmonger, yet he couldn’t recall any major event today besides the freshman assembly.

The student, recognizing him, quickly stopped and answered respectfully, “Senior Cheng. I’m heading to the library, but the others.” He gestured with his chin, “They’re probably all rushing to the sports field to watch the commotion.”

Commotion?

Yu Ruan was momentarily confused before remembering why he and Cheng Mu had left. He spoke up, “Excuse me, have you seen Gu Yu recently?”

Gu Yu was quite famous at Stellaris virtually no one didn’t know him.

Sure enough, upon hearing the name, the student replied, “I heard someone say he went to the sports field with a group earlier. There’s some kind of ruckus over there now maybe that’s why.”

A ruckus?

Yu Ruan jolted at the words. For some reason, his first thought was of the Alpha who had challenged him a few days prior. That person was tall and sturdy, clearly not someone to be trifled with. If a fight broke out, Yu Ruan doubted Gu Yu would come out on top.

Especially since Gu Yu was surrounded by a group of others.

Immediately, he grew anxious. He couldn’t help but look at Cheng Mu. “Let’s hurry over there. We can’t be late.”

Hearing this, Cheng Mu’s heart sank as well, sensing trouble. But what he thought was: Who on earth offended this ancestor Gu Yu? Are they that eager to experience a one-way trip to the underworld?

He felt it necessary to call an ambulance in advance for that unlucky soul.

Cheng Mu vaguely agreed, too embarrassed to correct Yu Ruan’s obvious misunderstanding, and followed him as they rushed headlong toward the sports field.

The distance between the auditorium and the sports field wasn’t short. By the time they arrived, Yu Ruan’s face was flushed, and a fine layer of sweat dotted his forehead.

Leaning against the railing outside the field to catch his breath, he suddenly realized the situation wasn’t what he had expected.

Gu Yu, whom he had assumed would be surrounded and bullied, was instead lounging comfortably on a bench beside the track, one arm draped over the backrest. He propped his head on his hand, eyelids half-lowered, lazily watching the distance with an air of casual indifference.

Following his gaze, Yu Ruan spotted a somewhat familiar figure upside down on the track, feet pointing skyward. The person wore a Stellaris uniform, his face flushed and swollen with blood. Beads of sweat the size of peas streamed down his neck, his shoulder muscles trembling faintly as he struggled to inch forward on his hands.

Strangest of all, the person had a whistle clenched between his lips. With every painful shift of his hands, he forced out a weak blow. He looked like a frog struggling in boiling water drenched in sweat, red all over, utterly pitiful.

Yu Ruan paused, hesitantly asking, “Are you okay?”

The person addressed slowly turned his head, eyelids lifting slightly. “Mm.” He tilted his chin. “Sit.”

Yu Ruan: “…”

What was happening?

Baffled, he walked over, about to ask, when a soft voice murmured beside his ear, “Don’t speak yet. Just watch.”

As the words drifted by, the distant figure laboriously pushed forward a few more steps. Then, with a loud thump, he face-planted into the dust, limbs splayed.

Yu Ruan: “…”

Well, it was kind of funny.

He glanced further away and noticed the group of Alphas who had been following the person earlier, all pale and trembling, yet none daring to step forward and help.

So, Yu Ruan turned back, looking confusedly at Cheng Mu.

Taking in the scene, Cheng Mu knew immediately that someone had foolishly provoked this ancestor. Gu Yu, despite his terrible temper, had the virtues of laziness and good upbringing. For minor matters, he usually didn’t bother holding a grudge.

But this spectacle was clearly no minor matter.

Cheng Mu shook his head with a pained expression and mouthed to Yu Ruan: “Watch.”

Yu Ruan: “?”

During their exchange, Song Si, who had collapsed in the distance, struggled to crawl over.

His face was smeared with dust and bits of broken grass, and his lip was cut. In a disheveled state, he propped himself up, half-kneeling on the ground as he gasped for breath: “I finished. Is it okay now?”

Upon hearing this, Gu Yu let out an indifferent “Hmm.”

A flicker of relief, as if having narrowly escaped disaster, immediately appeared on Song Si’s face.

But before he could revel in it for long, the person before him seemed to recall something and suddenly said, “Oh, right.”

Song Si jolted, instinctively turning his gaze to Gu Yu.

The other leisurely shifted his posture, resting his elbows on his knees, and said slowly, “‘As long as I can crush you to the ground, you’ll do whatever I say,’ right?”

“…” Song Si had never felt so acutely what it meant to “lift a rock only to drop it on one’s own foot.”

After holding back for a long while, he nodded in humiliation: “Yes.”

“Does this count now?”

“Yes.”

“Then do another lap.”

“…”

Hearing this, Song Si felt his mind go blank. He lost his balance entirely, nearly planting his face on the ground again.

Gu Yu lifted an eyelid slightly: “Not going?”

Song Si gritted his teeth, forced himself to stand, and trudged back to the starting line. Biting down on the whistle resentfully, he repeated the entire process all over again.

Yu Ruan was completely baffled by what was happening. He only remembered that the same line had been said to him earlier. So, he lowered his head to look at Gu Yu and asked, “What happened?”

“He made a bet and lost,” Gu Yu replied flatly, his eyes fixed on the distant figure. “Now he’s honoring the bet and fulfilling his promise.”

Yu Ruan: “…” He’s actually quite honorable.

Noticing his expression, Gu Yu raised an eyebrow slightly but didn’t offer any explanation, instead shifting his gaze away.

As they spoke, the person forced to walk on his hands in the distance struggled forward another dozen steps.

Such a spectacle was rarely seen. The crowd, intrigued, swarmed the track, blocking it completely as they watched with great amusement.

Sensing the varied stares, Song Si felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, making him dizzy. The veins on his forehead throbbed violently. He took a deep breath, but suddenly his vision went dark, and he toppled over, collapsing to the ground unconscious.

With a dull “thud,” someone with sharp eyes exclaimed, “Hey, he fainted!!”

Hearing this, the crowd surged forward like a tidal wave.

Cheng Mu had been watching from the sidelines. Seeing the person faint, he quickly directed the medical staff to carry him away on a stretcher. Yu Ruan stared in astonishment at the chaotic scene, glanced at the tightly packed crowd in the distance, then looked at Gu Yu’s indifferent expression, suddenly feeling deeply embarrassed.

“Um!” Even with his slow reflexes, he now understood the situation. “Thank you for standing up for me. I’m sorry.”

After all, the other party had targeted him, so he should have been the one to handle it. Yet Gu Yu had stepped in first, dealt with the situation on his behalf, and even taken the blame for bullying the weak.

He truly felt apologetic.

Gu Yu glanced at him, stood up from the chair, and said unhurriedly, “Let’s go.”

Yu Ruan looked at him and obediently nodded.

The two of them walked together toward the entrance of the sports field. Yu Ruan, carrying his backpack, walked ahead with a guilty conscience, while Gu Yu followed slowly behind him. The grass beneath their feet was soft and damp, but Yu Ruan’s mind was still preoccupied with what had just happened. In a moment of distraction, he stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

The person behind him caught him steadily, and in an instant, a faint scent of lime enveloped his senses. “Be careful.”

Yu Ruan’s ears grew warm, and he instinctively held his breath. For a moment, his heart pounded nervously. Staring at the face so close to his, he nodded blankly. “Thank you.”

Languid, thick eyelashes half-concealed the other’s dark blue eyes, which seemed to hold some inexplicable emotion that Yu Ruan couldn’t quite decipher. Gu Yu looked down at him for a moment before gently releasing his grip. “No need.”

As the source of warmth finally moved away, Yu Ruan’s heartbeat gradually returned to normal. He quietly let out a sigh of relief and took a slightly awkward step back.

Maybe it’s just too hot today, he couldn’t help but think.

Gu Yu glanced at the suddenly empty space beside him but said nothing, silently withdrawing his hand. Yet, an inexplicable and subtle dissatisfaction rose in his heart, causing him to furrow his brows slightly.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and caught up with Yu Ruan, speaking in a detached tone, “Don’t be soft-hearted.”

Yu Ruan looked at him in confusion.

“Next time you encounter someone like that, don’t go easy on them,” Gu Yu’s voice was low, carrying a tone of habitual indifference. “Being kind to others is being cruel to yourself. Don’t think he’s pitiful, he brought it upon himself.”

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