Tianlei and the Feather Lady stood in line with the other students before the huge metal gates.
The gates slowly began to open, metal screeching against metal in an ear-grating cry. After a while, the grinding of shifting gears finally stopped, and the gates opened fully with a heavy click.
The interior looked exactly as Tianlei had expected . It was a dusty, disorganized compound with jeeps moving back and forth and men parading across the grounds.
A man stood before them and guided the group toward a massive building. It was one among many, yet it resembled the Beast Hall, supported by thick pillars, with multiple floors stretching beneath the ground.
Tianlei and the other students were issued simple military uniforms resembling tracksuits and a pair of boots. They were also given polythene bags to store their belongings. Unlike them, some students carried suitcases and luxury bags, as if they had arrived fully prepared.
Not everyone sent to the military branch was a fugitive punished by the academy. Some were children of wealthy families, while others were poor youths who had failed to qualify for Golden Earth Academy but still sought martial training or physical refinement.
They looked healthy, some even meticulous about their appearance and clothes Tianlei could never afford. Their faces radiated comfort and privilege. If Tianlei had ever imagined rich children, he had thought them spoiled brats obsessed with handsome faces, yet standing here made him realize how far removed he truly was.
The guide's voice echoed sharply.
"Boys on the right. Girls on the left."
Tianlei turned, searching for Su Jiaru. She was already speaking to someone. Unlike him, she knew how to connect with others. Tianlei struggled to speak to people, especially now, surrounded by well-built men and women. Some girls looked as though they had stepped straight out of a cologne advertisement with flawless hairstyles and confident expressions on display.
Only then did Tianlei fully understand what Xue Ren had meant when she said, someone like you. He looked out of place especially with the lotus staff clutched in his hand like a walking stick.
Which girl would want to talk to someone lame like him? This was a new environment, and he would need to stay cautious.
When Su Jiaru's eyes met his, she walked over.
"Are you alright?"
Tianlei nodded, but their brief exchange was interrupted by the man's shout ordering her to join the other girls. She hurried away, merging with the group.
Soon after, medical personnel entered and began injecting the students with some kind of drug. When Tianlei received his dose, dizziness washed over him.
The man then guided them toward their resting quarters . It was more of a crumbling building more than two hundred meters away.
Even with colorful flowers planted around it, nothing could hide the building's poor condition. The three-storey structure looked ready to collapse.
"Beds twenty-three, fourteen, seventeen, twenty-five, and thirty-six," the man said, pointing at each student in turn.
Tianlei was assigned thirty-six. There were exactly thirty-six beds in the room, placing his in the corner. Thankfully, the room wasn't crowded, though everyone still stared at him as if he were some strange exhibit.
Someone like me, he thought.
Every other guy was well built, abs proudly on display. Some flexed openly, comparing muscles without shame. What did Tianlei have to show? His flab?
For someone as shy as him, how was he supposed to survive in a place where men casually walked around in nothing but trousers or boxers after leaving the bathroom?
With too much to process, Tianlei moved to his corner bed. Curtains hung between each space, offering a small mercy of privacy.
His head pounded like his heart, beating wildly against his skull as if trying to escape. Whatever they had injected him with was definitely not harmless.
Sleepiness crept in despite the early afternoon hour, and even the whirring fans failed to ease the heat.
Forgetting his insecurities, he removed his upper clothing and lay down, the lotus staff slipping back into his storage ring.
I feel sleepy. Could this be the side effect of the drug? Tianlei thought.
His mind drifted back to the conversation he had with Xue Ren.
"They will inject you with some kind of drug. At first, you will feel sleepy, then your mind will wander…"
She paused, as if trying to find the perfect words.
"Have you had diazepam or any type of benzodiazepines?"
"Those drugs are well known for serious side effects like amnesia and dizziness. I've had ketamine before to help reduce pain from my evolving genes."
"Okay, that saves me the trouble. But this drug is a lot worse. Its purpose—you will know in the future. For now, find a way to play with the system."
He needed a plan, but first he had to counter the side effects.
He sat cross-legged on his bed and placed two fingers against his forehead.
"Drowning Cursed Mind."
Instead of targeting others, he directed the technique inward at a controlled level. If it stayed active, perhaps the side effects hallucinations included wouldn't affect him.
Calm slowly enveloped him. The chatter of the other men faded into distant noise, and Tianlei allowed himself to sink into sleep.
He could still sense other people's mental strength.
Three figures approached, standing over him. One of them smoked a cigarette clearly forbidden within the military branch.
"Is he asleep?" one of them asked, leaning closer.
He placed a finger beneath Tianlei's nose. "Seems like it. This one isn't dead."
"Muyan, stop playing around," the smoker said, pinching the cigarette between his fingers. "Let the guy rest."
"Alright, Dad."
Even in his sleep, the stifling scent of smoke reached Tianlei's senses, but his body was too heavy to respond.
The two men walked away, leaving Muyan behind. His presence alone was enough to make the hairs on Tianlei's body stand on end.
Muyan pulled out a marker and traced something across Tianlei's belly.
"That's my welcome gift," he mocked before walking away.
Tianlei's body remained unconscious, but his mind was hyperactive. He felt like strangling Muyan if he had the strength to do it.
He just had to wait for the side effects to lessen.
Hours passed. Strength slowly returned to Tianlei's body. Though fatigue lingered, he managed to swing his feet off the bed and touch the cold tiles.
The chill shot up his legs, yet his eyes remained half-closed.
"I need to pee," Tianlei muttered under his breath.
He stood and began to walk. Pain still clung to his body, but he forced himself forward.
Laughter echoed around him, though he lacked the strength to open his eyes. It was as if they refused to obey him but thankfully, his mind still allowed him to make sense of things.
Whatever Muyan had drawn on his belly was causing the laughter.
"Muyan, don't tell me you drew that," someone laughed.
"Hey, do I look like that kind of person?"
The voice echoed from his left, meaning Muyan was just around the corner.
Tianlei could hear the restrained laughter in his voice, thick with pride.
"You dumbass. You'd make a perfect piece of my plan," Tianlei thought.
Then the craziest idea formed in his mind. He flinched just thinking about it.
He took five steps forward, then stopped.
"Dude, are you okay?" Muyan asked.
Tianlei turned slightly, took two more steps, and lowered his trousers, releasing everything he had been holding back.
"What the fu—what is wrong with you?!"
Laughter erupted as students stared in disbelief while Tianlei peed on Muyan.
It was his greatest idea. If the military branch wanted him to look insane, then so be it. Besides, this guy had dared to draw six-pack abs on his stomach. Tianlei wanted abs but that didn't mean some fool had the right to mock him.
"Shit, dude—"
Something hard struck Tianlei's back like a bolt of lightning. His mind rebooted, clarity snapping back into place.
He had no time to process anything before a kick slammed into his knees, sending him crashing to the ground. Another followed. Then another.
Muyan began kicking him relentlessly, striking every side of his body without pause.
Instead of helping, the others only screamed and laughed, their voices rising as the beating continued.
Tianlei couldn't find the strength to fight back. He remained curled on the floor, absorbing the blows. He could have used the Drowning Cursed Mind Technique but in his drowning senses, his body was far too exhausted to try.
Then someone grabbed Muyan by the shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Muyan shouted.
Instead of answering, the man pulled the cigarette from his lips, dropped it to the floor, and crushed it beneath his boot.
"Well, maybe I'm tired of your bullying. Besides, you deserve that. Maybe it's karma."
Another man stepped forward.
"Xue Yuchen, you must be kidding. This mad person is the one to blame."
He kicked Tianlei squarely in the chest, but before he could strike again, Xue Yuchen punched him, sending him flying backward.
The force of the punch rippled throughout the room.
More bodies surged in. Punches and kicks flew indiscriminately, no one noticing the person crushed beneath them.
Tianlei felt weight slam onto him as bodies fell on him boots stepping down and people trampling without realizing he was there at all.
The last thing he heard was the shrill blare of alarms