5.13

According to the final scores and ranks, Qiao Chen, Dick, and Justin all successfully joined the Lion Corps. The other cadets who made it to the top five consisted of one from class A and another from Class C. Everyone else did not qualify to join the Lion Corps.

Chad worked hard to improve his score throughout the last month. However, he still failed to enter the top five. Everyone would be shocked once the cadets at school learn about what happened.

Dick was assigned to the Special Operations Team 2. Justin was assigned to the 4th one, and the other students were assigned to an ordinary team. Qiao Chen, however, was assigned to the Special Operations Team 1. It was a special escort team lead by Au Luo.

They were just waiting on the two nations signing an agreement for the competition, and then they would officially begin. All the other cadets, except for Danny and his team who were supposed help to represent the country, were sent back to the school first.

Qiao Chen and the other newly minted Lion Corps members were moved to their dorms. The special ops team members were sent to a special area and each special ops member had their own single room.

Dick finished packing his belongs up. He sat at the edge of the bed and talked to Qiao Chen. "Fred told me that I was originally supposed to be put on the explosives technology team as a reserve member. However, because my overall performance throughout the training was good, and 'cause I ranked high enough, I was assigned to the special team. So I really need to thank you. "

"What are you thanking me for? You were the one who put in all that work." Qiao Chen said as he packed his things away.

"If you didn't help me stabilize my abilities then how would I be able to do everything I did? I was only able to get such a high score and join one of the special ops teams because of your help. I'm even representing the country in a competition. I would never, in a million years, have thought that I could do something like that. It feels like it's just a dream. I can't even thank you for everything you've done for me. Nothing I do could even fully show how thankful I am to you." Dick replied seriously.

Qiao Chen finished packing and then sat on his bed. He looked at Dick and said, "Everything that happens in this world is for a reason. There is a cause and then an effect or consequence that follows after. You planted seeds of goodness, so I helped you grow them. These were the fruits of your labor. Danny and Harold, however, planted seeds of darkness and hate. I also helped the two grow them. They will taste the fruits of their labor when it is time."

"What do you mean? What seeds did I plant?" Dick asked puzzled. He didn't quite understand what Qiao Chen said.

"It's okay if you don't understand. You just need to know that I help you because you are worthy of it. You don't have to thank me either. You've earned everything you have and deserve it too." Qiao Chen stood up and said. Then he patted Dick's shoulder.

...….

Even though Qiao Chen was given a single dorm for him to live in, he could only use it for storage. Au Luo didn't want Qiao Chen to sleep in a different room.

"Ah~ Unh~" Qiao Chen moaned. Au Luo pushed into him while he held him against the bathroom wall. Qiao Chen felt like his wait was about to break. He smacked Au Luo's shoulder and asked, "Are you done yet?"

Au Luo put Qiao Chen back down. However, Qiao Chen couldn't feel anything below his waist and almost slumped to the floor. Au Luo picked Qiao Chen back up and carried him to the bed.

"Oof. Ahn~" Qiao Chen moaned in complaint as he tried to push Au Luo off. Au Luo kissed him until he was breathless and then let him go. Qiao Chen lied on Au Luo's chest and said, "You're always so hard on me all day during training. Then, you're always going too hard at me at night too. It's too much. Don't you realize that I'm about to collapse from lack of energy? Is it too late to regret joining the Lion Corps?"

"You still have some time." Au Luo laughed. He ran his fingers through Qiao Chen's short hair and said, "You can choose to do one other thing besides staying in the Lion Corps."

"Really?" Qiao Chen asked. He was only joking, but curiosity got the better of him so he asked, "What's the other choice?"

"You can quickly marry me, and then you can just stay at home every day. You can have tea and socialize with other noble home-makers. If you're bored, then you can host a party or banquet. I'll accompany you after I finish work. How's that life sound?" Au Luo suggested.

This guy just wants me to be a househusband! Qiao Chen angrily bit Au Luo's chest and said, "Don't tell me that I can't work anywhere else besides the Lion Corps. Aren't you looking down on me?"

"I'm not saying you're incapable of doing anything else. It's just that these are the only two options I like. You can stay with me at work or you can wait for me from home. I don't want you to do anything else."

"What? Why? You're being too possessive. I'm not your personal property- a doll that you can control like that." Qiao Chen replied. He was not having any of this nonsense.

"What do you mean personal property? Isn't here and here all mine?" Au Luo rolled Qiao Chen back on to the bed. His hands traveled from Qiao Chen's chest all the way down to his dick.

"Ugh no more. I'm going to break. I get it already. I'm yours. You can stop now." Qiao Chen grabbed Au Luo's hands and complained. He was done. There was no more energy to go for another round. What made it more dangerous was that his man never knew what tired meant once he was in the mood.

"I have to talk to you. Stop pressing on me." Qiao Chen quickled changed the topic. "I need to ask how you are negotiations going with the Kendosian Empire? Have you laid out all the rules? Tell me first, so I can prepare for it."

"The contract and rules are almost all done. I'll tell you in greater detail once we formally agree on and sign it. You don't have to worry so much about it. The only thing you need to keep in mind during the competition is keep safe. If you think something is off, then don't try to push through or fight it all. You need to ensure your safety above all else."

"So the Kendosian Empire doesn't really want to have a competition? Is there another reason for proposing this match?" Qiao Chen guessed. He had thought about it before. It was odd that the Kendosians would suddenly propose a friendly competition out of nowhere. He had the hunch that they were probably plotting something.

"The competition is real, but they probably have a different reason for it then what they claim." Au Luo looked into Qiao Chen's eyes and said seriously. "You're very intelligent. You can deal with things and adapt quickly. However, you should remember that the competition's result isn't more important than your own life."

—–

After the two nations signed the contract for the expected guidelines for the match, they formally agreed to the 'friendly' competition. Now all they needed to do was agree on the time.

The contract they agreed on stated that each side would send out two groups of cadets. These cadets would compete with each other in combat. Each side would start at opposite ends. They needed to traverse a jungle full of beasts and arrive at the designated area before they would be able to fight. The first group to reach the designated area would defend their claim while the second group attacks as they attempt to seize the area.

The group that can defend their hold on the area for at least three hours would wing. It was easy to see that the defending team would have an advantage over the attackers. However, there was still the possibility of the attacking team reversing the situation if they were capable enough. The rules allowed any means to win without external aid. Injuring or even killing the opponent was also allowed. The entire competition would be broadcasted live on the two nations' interplanetary networks. The agreed upon location for the competition was a planet located in the public sector of the universe.

The cadets were escorted to the competition by the two strongest teams in their nation.

Au Luo and Qiao Chen spent a lot of time together before the match began. He reminded Qiao Chen, "Don't forget what I told you. The competition's result isn't more important than your own life. Save your life over winning the game if the situation becomes that dangerous."

"Did you just tell us all to fight with our lives to win honor and glory for the empire?" Qiao Chen looked at Au Luo and teased.

"Inspiring words like those are needed sometimes. You just need to remember that you are far more important to me than those so-called honors."Au Luo said seriously.

"Roger. I'll be careful." Qiao Chen said with a smile. "By the way, you need to remember that I have the smarts and capabilities to keep my life while still winning the game."

"I was the one who taught you. Of course I believe in you." AU Luo kissed Qiao Chen's forhead and said. However, even though he believed in Qiao Chen, that didn't mean that he wouldn't worry.

Qiao Chen understood how important the competition results were to the two nations very clearly. He also knew that Au Luo was just worried about his mental state and health. Qiao Chen decided to both satisfy both Au Luo and himself.

All the participating cadets were escorted from the airship to the departure point. They were all waiting for the signal to begin the competition.

Justin looked at the other cadets' unusually mature figure and face. He quietly asked Qiao Chen, "Don't you think that the Kendosian cadets look like they aren't cadets? Are they really not students?"

Qiao Chen used the system to look up the information on each of the Kendosian cadets. He found out that some of them were cadets only in name. Each of these cadets-in-name spent most of their time in the army. This meant that they were vastly different from fresh faced cadets who only had their school's theoretical experiences. These 'cadets' were battle-hardened veterans with many years of experience.

However, those 'cadets' were registered as students in the Kendosian nation, so they couldn't accuse the other side of cheating the contract's qualifications for the participants. It looked like the Kendosian Empire had been planning this match for quite some time now.

"Two or three of them aren't that simple. We need to put 120% of our energy to beat them in this competition. Don't think lightly of them." Qiao Chen said to Justin and Dick.

"Of course they aren't simple people. This is a competition. Who's going to send in easy prey to compete against an enemy nation? Besides, the competition isn't only on physical capabilities. You need to use your brain too. Why do you need to bring our side's momentum down in the first place?" Danny looked at Qiao Chen and scolded.

"You are the type to use your brain. Luckily, the way you use your calculating brain is by framing and trapping other people. I hope you can set up and trap the opposing team as well as you have done to me." Qiao Chen said with a smile.

"Stop fighting. This is an important match. We're already arguing before the competition began. The Kendosians would definitely be laughing at us. We'd probably be punished after we return too." Chad said.

The signal went off and the match began. The Kendosian cadets immediately sprinted into the jungle. Qiao Chen and the rest also set out quickly. The cameras turned on and the live broadcast began streaming on both nations' interplanetary network.

Qiao Chen and the group finally stopped after they ran for a while. They decided to separate into smaller groups and take different routes in order to ensure a better chance of claiming the designated area first. The Kendosian cadets were probably doing the same.

Qiao Chen projected the map out. There were possible routes outlined throughout the entire jungle. However, there were only a few paths they could take. If an unstable route was chosen, then they needed to return to the beginning and try again.

Qiao Chen quickly found the two most suitable routes for them to take. One was the safest of all paths, but it was the one that had the longest distance and was farther away. The other route they could take was relatively nearby. The only problem was that it was much more dangerous. They had to go through several beasts' nesting grounds and territories. It was better to avoid the creatures, but this was the quickest way to get to the designated areas.

"Let's take this route. You are weaker, so you should take a safer way." Danny said as soon as Qiao Chen showed the possible paths.

Qiao Chen looked at Danny and laughingly said, "You surprisingly have no shame in claiming that you're stronger than us."

Danny understood what Qiao Chen was insinuating and immediately refuted, "That one time you ranked higher than us doesn't mean anything. Real strength is dependent on long achievements and rankings. That's without even mentioning how you injured my hand. If you hadn't done that, then we wouldn't have needed to take other people's gems. We would have been able to obtain the three gems if you hadn't interfered."

Qiao Chen was once again surprised by Danny's ability to feel no shame and deflect blame onto others. If he didn't go and try stealing his gem, then he wouldn't have hurt his hands. Furthermore, he stole other people's gems and ran off. They had reached the middle point before Qiao Chen and his group even reached the obstacle course, but still got second place. What kind of mental gymnastics was this that let him believe he was stronger than me and my group?

"Qiao An, please focus on the big picture here. Don't fight anymore. Nothing is more important than the glory and honor we're supposed to bring to our nation. Let's take this route. Then we'll have a bigger chance to win the competition." Chad also believed that their group was genuinely stronger than Qiao Chen's. Chad didn't see the raw amount of power Qiao Chen displayed when he got rid of the two giant beast bears. The other cadets ignored their group too, so no one told them about Qiao Chen's significant strength. They all believed that Qiao Chen's group was far inferior in terms of strength compared to them.

"Well, if you insist that we have a greater chance to win, then we'll listen. But you need to remember your own words. This competition is only a way for us to bring honor and glory to the nation. This isn't some sort of vanity project to stroke your egos." Qiao Chen said. He put the map away. He didn't mind either way because he would be able to beat the Kendosians even if they claimed the designated zone first. There were plan for his back up plans in case anything happened.

"Qiao An." Chad called out Qiao Chen. Qiao Chen was headed in the opposite direction and stopped to listen, so Chad continued, "You- you guys be careful."

"You should worry about yourself." Qiao Chen replied curtly. Chad had been trying to find the opportunities to be kind to Qiao Chen, but Qiao Chen didn't pay him any attention.

Danny looked at Chad's worry for Qiao Chen and gritted his teeth. He spend so much time and effort to get Chad to change his affections to him, but now he decided to look back at Qiao An just because Qiao An was performing better than him. Furthermore, Chad had clearly told him that he didn't have any thought about Qiao An especially after he had confirmed that he had a lover. However, his current expression and actions recently didn't follow his words at all. He didn't seem like he didn't have any thoughts towards Qiao An at all.