The following day. Under the cool weather, every student participating in the military training at Fudan was lethargic. Some genuinely wished to engage in real military drills, while others were decidedly unwilling, creating a stark contrast: one group striving to deliberately impress, and the other deliberately slacking, sinking so low in the drill instructor’s eyes that they barely registered above mud. Unquestionably, these slackers were often the archetypal examples labeled as 'problem students.'

“Class, today’s training session will conclude early. So, I’ll keep this brief. Afterward, you will circle this field fifty times. Anyone who manages to complete the entire run will be dropped from the base training roster until the day after tomorrow when you report to the military barracks for instruction.”

Whoosh—Upon hearing this, the students erupted into a fervent clamor. What kind of joke was this? Fifty laps, on a massive track where one circuit was a full six hundred meters? That was practically a death sentence!

“Silence!” The drill instructor roared suddenly. “Everyone, attention!” “Snap!” It had to be said; after a full day of training yesterday, some effect was showing today. “Forward march…” “One-two-one, one-two-one…” A burst of spirited shouts erupted from the students’ throats, their steps falling neatly into formation as they began to run.

“Brother Yi, what do you say? Are we going or not?” Fatty Lin whispered to Yang Yi, who was leading the way. “We’re going. Why wouldn’t we? Too many variables are still unclear; we must go,” Yang Yi replied softly.

Simultaneously, somewhere within the school buildings, the young General watched the running students with a smug smile, sighing, “When will I ever forget how those scoundrels used to trick me? Now, look at this—one little scheme of mine, and they’re tasting a bit of hardship. Tsk tsk, I am truly a goddamn genius.”

“Boss!” Just as the young General finished speaking, two figures suddenly materialized. They were clearly the two youths from yesterday. “Hmm? Has the arrangement for the Minister of Foreign Affairs been finalized?” the young General inquired. “Yes, the nation has already dispatched Dragon Group to protect him; our people aren’t needed at all,” one of the two youths reported. “Heh heh, since the nation holds him in such high regard, that’s excellent. But what about the other matters?” “The evidence has been thoroughly collected. Boss, take a look…” Taking the file handed over by the youth, the young General stared at the contents for a long moment before bursting into laughter. “Haha, splendid! With this, those old fossils behind the scenes in the Eight Great Families, and even the British Royal family, will have nothing to say. Moreover, the nation can use this information to stir things up—this is highly beneficial to us. Very well, you two have earned merit points.” “Thank you, Boss. However, Boss, there’s one thing I need to tell you.” “Oh? What is it?” the young General asked. “Last night, people from the British Royal family held discussions with the Nangong family and their associates. It seems their true target this time is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. And let me tell you, those bastards will definitely make a move tomorrow when we send the new recruits to the barracks. After all, we leaked the information that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is stationed at Military Camp A6 in Shanghai.” “Hmph, if they want to come, all the better,” the young General sneered, addressing the two youths. “You don’t need to handle anything else now; return to Barracks A6 and make some arrangements. As for what arrangements, I shouldn’t need to spell it out, should I?” “Yes, we understand.” Hearing this, the two youths exchanged sly, sinister smiles. “I want them to come and never return,” the young General chuckled faintly, then murmured, “Ah, once this mission is complete, I can finally get some real rest.” With that, his gaze returned to the sports field, but his eyes unexpectedly fixed on three specific individuals, completely ignoring everyone else.

Meanwhile, back on the field, large beads of cold sweat dotted the foreheads of the freshmen, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. The drill instructor shook his head with a wry smile, watching students constantly fall behind, some even stopping altogether. “It seems asking these students to run fifty laps is indeed too much of a strain.” Originally, the entire class had over fifty students. Excluding the girls, who were under a separate female instructor, there were thirty-five male students. But now, barely twenty students could keep pace with the formation.

“Damn, asking these guys to run fifty laps seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it?” Fatty Lin glanced back at the students collapsing behind them and pursed his lips. “Yeah, there aren’t many left,” Ye Xiaohou seemed to agree. Hearing them, Yang Yi merely smiled without confirming or denying. “Actually, don’t you two feel a bit idiotic?” “Uh!” Ye Xiaohou and Fatty Lin froze momentarily, then quickened their pace to match Yang Yi. “Boss, what do you mean by that?” “Do you really think there are only this few people in Fudan University?” Yang Yi retorted without patience. “I’d wager that the number who will actually make it to the training at Military Camp A6 won't exceed thirty!” “Why?” Fatty Lin felt increasingly confused the more he listened. “Use your brain for once, don’t just go around thinking about killing,” Yang Yi stopped abruptly, giving Fatty Lin a deep look before resuming his run. “Ugh!” Fatty Lin halted, struck by the way Yang Yi had looked at him—the first time ever. He frowned, staring at Yang Yi’s retreating back, muttering, “Damn it, I just don’t like using my brain much!” “Second Brother,” Ye Xiaohou ran back and called to Fatty Lin. “What is it?” “Think hard about what the Boss just said, and also… Second Brother, I envy you.” Ye Xiaohou left Fatty Lin with another cryptic remark. “What the hell is going on? Did I just ask one question? Why are you both acting like this…” “Don’t you dare stop! Keep running!” The instructor’s voice boomed like thunder before Fatty Lin could finish his complaint. “Damn it!” Fatty Lin grumbled, forcing himself to run, but his expression showed he was deeply bothered—bothered by Yang Yi’s look and even more by Ye Xiaohou’s inexplicable words.

If the label of ‘idiot’ was forged in the lower strata of society, then ‘genius’ was tempered in the crucible of the upper class. For Fatty Lin, he belonged to neither. Since his debut, he had constantly urged himself to become Yang Yi’s foremost vanguard. Though this position was now generally acknowledged, he felt it was still insufficient. But what exactly was lacking—he couldn't pinpoint it. Every time he tried to delve deeper into the feeling, it was like a beautiful woman seeing him naked and instantly walking away—he wanted to grasp it, but couldn't hold on. Yet, giving up felt unacceptable. Now, Fatty Lin clearly felt this sensation again, and this time it was more intense than ever before. With a sudden jolt, his eyes fixed on Yang Yi’s figure, filled with complicated emotion, and his face instantly darkened. “Brother Yi, I’m truly sorry. It seems I’ve just been a burden to you all along.” The blankness in his gaze strongly suggested he had grasped something, but whatever it was, he remained silent now, as if sinking into a deep, bewildering abyss.

Time slipped away rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the results were out. As expected, Yang Yi and his group were eliminated from the current batch. They would officially transfer tomorrow morning to Military Camp A6 for a month of intensive training.

“Brother Nangong, they failed to qualify. They’ll be joining us at Barracks A6 tomorrow for training,” Ximen Ling seemed to monitor the enemy’s every move ceaselessly, unwilling to let a single action slip by. “Mmm, have the prepared men move to Barracks A6 immediately and wait for an opportunity to act,” Nangong San commanded. “Understood.” “Brother Nangong, doesn’t something feel strange to you?” Tang Shen asked Nangong San. “Strange?” “Yes, I think this military training setup is very odd. And those DA people last night felt the same way,” Tang Shen said with a furrowed brow. “Are you implying that this training exercise is connected to that…” Nangong San suddenly realized something, a chill flashing in his eyes. “Damn it, those foreign devils…” “What is it?” Ximen Ling asked, confused by the sudden shift in their expressions. “We’ve fallen for a trick,” Nangong San articulated each word slowly, his tone laced with boundless coldness. “Those damned foreigners, they were planning to use borrowed knives to kill.” “Killing with a borrowed knife?” Ximen Ling frowned upon hearing this, his eyes widening as if understanding immediately. “Could it be that this military training is just a smokescreen? And in reality, it’s just about…” “Exactly. I’ve been wrestling with this problem since last night,” Tang Shen admitted, his phrasing somewhat hesitant.

But Nangong San and Ximen Ling had no time to dwell on awkward phrasing. Startled, Ximen Ling immediately pulled out his phone and made a call. He hung up less than half a minute later. “How is it?” Nangong San pressed eagerly. “They’ve already been escorted away, and we don’t know their current whereabouts. I suspect they plan to make their move tomorrow.” “What do we do now? If this implicates us, then the Central government…” Tang Shen felt an unreasoning surge of anger. He couldn't believe that after being so clever for so long, they had been momentarily foolish enough not to consider why the British Royal family would suddenly send people to Huaxia at this crucial juncture.

At this moment, Nangong San and the others realized the true plot: the British Royal family’s arrival wasn't just about assassinating the Minister of Foreign Affairs; rather, it was designed to sow discord between the Chinese Central Government and Nangong San’s faction, effectively preventing the Central Government from focusing its resources on addressing the incident of overseas Chinese being abused by the British. It was clear the British Royal family members were indeed cunning and deeply strategic.