TCFGBH Chapter 85

The azure sky stretched endlessly above, with two fiery red suns hanging high in the heavens. The tall trees lining both sides of the school road were lush and verdant, their branches and leaves swaying gently.

In the tiered classroom of Class 3-A, a group of vibrant young men and women couldn’t help but glance toward the back of the room.

“Edwin ended up in the same group as Xia Yan for the first practical assignment. That’s just too unlucky.”

“They just had a conflict yesterday, and now they’re being forced together. Considering that the theme of this assignment is cooperation, um… did the teacher do this on purpose?”

“Five people in the team, and three of them are commoners. With Xia Yan’s disdainful attitude towards others, their assignment is doomed.”

Xia Yan Gardner, a self-proclaimed noble with a distinguished bloodline, always looked down on commoners. Among the 50 students in Class A, there were only eight commoners in total.

Yet, his team had three of them—one-third of the group.

Calling it a coincidence was a stretch.

The crowd exchanged glances, then quickly looked away.

—

At the back of the classroom, the atmosphere was tense.

A tall, Level A warrior stood with a rigid expression, his handsome face etched with vigilance as he carefully shielded a female Level B warrior behind him, keeping her separated from Xia Yan to avoid any harm.

Xia Yan lazily raised his eyes. Noticing the defensive stance, he let out a mocking chuckle.

Meanwhile, Ludwig, also of commoner origin but with an S-rank mental level, leaned casually against the wall with his arms crossed. He neither aligned himself with Xia Yan, his roommate, nor grouped with the commoners. His half-lidded eyes gave him an air of detachment, as though he were uninvolved in the situation.

“…”

Another teammate, a minor noble whose father held the rank of baron—a family wealthy but far from the stature of a duke—was deep in thought.

Starting with team infighting… How were they supposed to pass this assignment?

Rubbing his nose in frustration, he coughed twice to feign composure and spoke up hesitantly, “Ahem! Since everyone’s here, should we discuss our strategy for the practical assignment?”

The school had spared no expense for this task, bringing live Zerg from the border regions.

As military academy students, they had slain countless Zerg in virtual reality. However, this was their first time facing them in real life, which excited everyone.

When no one replied, Zhao Jiang took on the role of peacemaker. “If there are no objections, let’s start by choosing a team leader…”

The team leader, who would receive extra credit, was typically the most outstanding member.

In terms of grades, Xia Yan was undoubtedly the best. But his personality and attitude made him deeply unpopular. As Zhao Jiang feared, his worry came true the next second.

Edwin and the brown-haired girl standing behind him didn’t hesitate, pointing directly at Ludwig. “We vote for him.”

From the moment Ludwig joined the academy, his exceptional abilities and striking looks made him a standout figure. Even though he kept a low profile, avoided trouble, and stayed away from social activities, he still garnered a massive following.

Ludwig was the obvious choice for Edwin and his companion—far better than Xia Yan.

“This…”

Zhao Jiang cautiously glanced at Xia Yan.

The young man raised his eyelids slightly, his golden eyes gleaming coldly with arrogance. The slight upward tilt of his peach blossom-shaped eyes gave a false impression of warmth but betrayed no trace of tolerance.

With a detached tone, Xia Yan declared, “I’ll be the team leader.”

It wasn’t a negotiation but a statement.

In this world, being good was hard, but being bad? That was easy.

Xia Yan reflected that his failures in the previous two worlds stemmed from being too restrained, and not evil enough, which allowed the protagonists to deviate from their expected paths.

This time, he resolved to be utterly villainous.

When the teams were assigned, Xia Yan immediately recognized an opportunity. Following the usual tropes, now was the time for the cannon fodder character to act. His role was to display a poor attitude and make idiotic decisions, thus highlighting the protagonist’s brilliance.

Step one as cannon fodder: seize what belongs to the protagonist.

And while he was at it, he could cross off bullying Ludwig from his daily task list. Killing two birds with one stone—genius, really. Xia Yan mentally applauded himself, smugly awaiting his inevitable downfall.

As expected, Edwin jumped in the next second.

“In teamwork, the majority should decide.”

Perfect, right on cue.

Xia Yan didn’t harbor malice toward Edwin, nor did he feel particularly fond of him. Sure, the original owner was wrong to mix personal grudges with coursework, but Edwin had been wrong too—he shouldn’t have touched someone else’s instrument without permission.

But now, Xia Yan felt immensely grateful for Edwin, his trusty plot device, for setting up the scene perfectly.

Raising his chin slightly, Xia Yan sneered. “Three against two counts as a majority for you?”

Edwin froze. “Where are your three votes coming from?”

“Hmph.” Xia Yan’s lips curled into a disdainful smile as he turned to Ludwig.

The man had already opened his eyes, his pale blue gaze as clear and bright as the sky beyond the window. Like precious sapphires, they were cold and detached, free of any shadows, yet entirely unapproachable.

Under Ludwig’s scrutinizing stare, Xia Yan felt a twinge of nervousness but forced himself to maintain composure. In an intentionally pompous tone, he delivered a foolish threat:

“Ludwig, I’m going to be the team leader. You know what to do, don’t you? Don’t forget your place.”

If Ludwig had any backbone, he would surely resent Xia Yan for this and immediately oppose him.

Xia Yan braced himself for the inevitable pushback.

However…

The man stared at him for ten full seconds. Just as Xia Yan wondered if something was wrong with his face, Ludwig abruptly closed his eyes.

“Doesn’t matter. If you want it, take it.”

Xia Yan: “???”

What? Bro, can you hold out just a bit longer?

Giving up so easily—where’s your protagonist gong aura?

Xia Yan’s expression stiffened slightly, and his gaze slowly shifted to the only teammate who had yet to voice an opinion—Zhao Jiang. Hidden within his golden eyes was a flicker of expectation.

Quick, oppose him! Call him out!

Make the protagonist gong lead the team.

The brilliance in Xia Yan’s golden irises intensified with his emotions, making his already flamboyant features appear even more radiant and divine, enough to inspire awe.

Zhao Jiang, who had been wavering, swallowed nervously. “Xia, Classmate Xia, as the top of the class, you’re surely capable of taking on the responsibilities of a leader.”

Xia Yan: “???”

Wow. You, with your thick eyebrows and seemingly loyal demeanor, betrayed me like this?

With the decision made, Edwin and Betty had no choice but to reluctantly accept Xia Yan as the team leader. They sat in nearby seats, clearly displeased, their expressions stormy and silent.

Now that everything was in place, all that remained was for the new leader to give his orders.

But could Xia Yan perform? Absolutely not.

Although the original Xia Yan had faked his mental power capabilities, his other academic achievements were legitimately top-tier.

When it came to humanity’s greatest enemy, the Zerg, he had an extensive knowledge base.

With a quick search through his memories, Xia Yan could come up with countless strategies. But if he performed too well, someone might start defending him again, leading to another storyline collapse.

This time, he was determined to nip any errors in the bud.

Under the watchful eyes of his four teammates, the newly appointed team leader propped his chin on one hand and lazily announced, “I’m appointing Ludwig as the vice-captain. He will be fully responsible for the combat strategy.”

The others: “???”

Shameless!

Xia Yan had claimed the captain’s position for himself, taking the extra credit, but was now shirking all responsibility and dumping the work on Ludwig.

Wasn’t this the classic move of a corporate slacker?

Reap the benefits for yourself, and if anything goes wrong, let others take the fall.

Everyone in the classroom was at least a Level B mental power user, and with their sharp senses, Xia Yan’s words were heard by everyone nearby.

Naturally, whispers started spreading among them.

Was Xia Yan’s position as the top student achieved the same way? This was too underhanded.

Xia Yan could feel the subtle glances of disapproval around him, but instead of being upset, he was delighted. This was exactly what he wanted—an exit without complications.

He sat there with a clear conscience, looking over at Ludwig, and nodded at him with an air of authority, silently signaling him to say something.

But Edwin couldn’t bear to see Xia Yan bully others. His expression turned icy. “As the team leader, don’t you have your own opinions, Young Master Xia?”

The group’s only female warrior nodded in agreement. “Before Ludwig speaks, we’d like to hear your thoughts, Captain.”

The word “captain” was enunciated with extra clarity and emphasis.

Xia Yan glanced at them impatiently, his tone dripping with disdain. “It’s just a simple field task. What’s there to discuss? I’ll handle the main attack with Ludwig, Edwin can assist, and as for Betty Froman and Zhao Jiang—the weakest among us—just try not to let Edwin get killed.”

His words were blunt and arrogant, and his strategy was crude and dismissive.

Edwin, barely holding back his anger, growled, “Our opponent this time is the Zerg, not some children’s game. A single misstep could cost us our lives! If you can’t handle the responsibilities of a captain, then don’t take the position in the first place.”

Xia Yan gave him a look as though he were a fool. “The Imperial Central Military Academy has existed for 1,536 years. Outside of the first hundred, in the remaining 1,400-plus years, has there ever been a student who died in a field training exercise?”

Edwin froze, his momentum faltering. Still, he stubbornly argued, “What if something unexpected happens? Besides, we’re competing for extra credits. We should plan more carefully.”

“Knowing how to delegate is a skill in itself,” Xia Yan countered, doubling down on his refusal to lead properly and pushing Ludwig into the role.

Edwin and Betty’s faces flushed red with anger, bristling at the blatant entitlement of nobles who shamelessly ordered others around. Zhao Jiang, however, wisely kept his mouth shut, pretending to be mute to avoid drawing the flames of their argument toward himself.

Not far away, Huo Ruihe couldn’t help glancing in their direction, the commotion catching his attention.

One of his friends pulled him back. “Don’t get involved in another group’s task.” After hesitating for a moment, they lowered their voice. “The more arrogant someone is now, the harder they’ll fall later. The person above… has begun to test him.”

Given Xia Yan’s current behavior, it was clear he wouldn’t pass the test.

Once he was officially excluded from the line of succession, the first thing any newly appointed crown prince would do was eliminate him. They couldn’t risk Xia Yan using his golden eyes to claim legitimacy.

Huo Ruihe froze, his expression turning tense. “But he’s already been given the Gardner name. How could it come to this?”

“Well, you can thank yourself for that. Even the most loyal Huo family member to the imperial family doesn’t approve of the new heir, so naturally, they’re reconsidering.”

“…”

Huo Ruihe gave a complicated smile but couldn’t help looking again at the young man in the distance.
Seated by the window, Xia Yan was illuminated by the faint sunlight streaming in. A light breeze swept through the room, lifting his bangs to reveal a smooth forehead. His half-lidded peach blossom eyes carried a carefree air, softening the sharp arrogance in his expression.

If he were to die… Huo Ruihe realized he wouldn’t feel happy about it.

Touching his chest, he frowned, uncertain what he truly wanted.