Chapter 3: Enrollment

According to rumor, those places were called Contamination Zones.

They had formed during the Great Catastrophe and existed in large numbers. Each zone covered an enormous area and was filled with countless dangers—but also contained priceless resources.

Every Special Zone claimed a number of Contamination Zones and regularly sent military forces inside to gather resources.

They were like Pandora's boxes:

Places where hope and destruction coexisted.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

The aircraft made several stops along the way, picking up more Alpha freshmen from various slum recruitment sites who had passed the tests.

By evening, the transport finally landed smoothly inside the military academy.

It was still recruitment season, and the campus was full of new students.

Following the signs, Song Qiu checked in at the Academic Affairs Office. After receiving bedding supplies and a school uniform, he was handed his student ID.

𝄄𝄀 Combat Department, Class D. Student Number: 60200419E. Dormitory A-402 𝄄𝄀

After depositing his Star Coins into his terminal account, Song Qiu headed to the campus supermarket to buy necessities.

The prices on most shelves started in the hundreds.

Without hesitation, he turned and headed straight for the discount section.

On the way, he spotted a promotional display offering free travel-sized shampoo-and-body-wash combo bottles.

Free.

No charge.

Blushing slightly, he grabbed two.

In the discount area were:

Underwear: 20 coins

Toothbrush: 8 coins, comes with a free cup

Towel: Buy one, get one free for 16.8 coins

Not bad.

Song Qiu nodded.

Affordable products were the real treasures.

He bought one of everything.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a clearance rack of pajamas.

90% off. Only 30 coins!

His eyes lit up.

Not buying them would be a waste!

As for the pink hearts and lace trim decorating the pajamas...

He chose to ignore those details.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

The dormitory housed four students.

Alphas and Betas lived together.

It featured loft beds with desks underneath, a row of wall-side desks, and four metal lockers.

When Song Qiu pushed open the door, none of his roommates were there.

Beds A and B were by the window.

Beds C and D were near the door.

The only empty bed was B.

Clearly his.

The very first thing Song Qiu did upon entering was charge into the bathroom.

He was so dirty he could barely recognize himself.

If he didn't wash now, he'd surely stink the house.

Half an hour later, after changing into his newly purchased pajamas, Song Qiu felt reborn.

There was a small mirror above the sink.

He wiped away the fog and looked at his reflection.

This was his original body.

The person in the mirror had black hair, long eyelashes, and elegant phoenix-shaped eyes.

His lips naturally curved upward, forming a permanent smiling expression.

The only flaw was his slightly sunken cheeks.

Everything else looked fine.

Song Qiu poked at his cheek.

Definitely lacking flesh.

Looking down at his body, the difference was even more obvious.

Before transmigrating, he hadn't been muscular, but he had been healthy and well-proportioned.

Now he looked visibly undernourished.

All because of hunger.

Since arriving here, he hadn't eaten a single truly satisfying meal.

Pouting, Song Qiu continued making his bed.

At that moment, the dorm door opened.

A red-haired Alpha wearing an earring walked in.

Seeing someone already inside, he paused.

"New guy? I'm Shu Dian."

"Hello."

Song Qiu looked up.

"My name is Song Qiu."

As he lifted his head, a strand of hair fell across his eye.

He casually brushed it back.

To Shu Dian, however, the scene looked very different.

The Beta before him—more beautiful than many Omegas—raised slender fingers to tuck away a perfectly placed lock of hair, revealing a smooth forehead.

His smiling eyes sparkled softly.

The corners of his lips curved like a crescent moon.

Gentle.

Soft.

Well-behaved.

"Holy shit."

Shu Dian instinctively covered his nose.

What kind of top-tier Beta was this?!

He was prettier than every Omega he'd ever seen!

The only problem was his terrible taste in pink pajamas.

Blushing, Shu Dian immediately began furiously typing on his terminal.

Seeing that he wasn't interested in conversation, Song Qiu climbed onto his bed to rest.

Meanwhile, Shu Dian's fingers were practically shaking.

His terminal displayed a three-person group chat.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Bookstore Young Master: @Everyone

Bookstore Young Master: Holy shit! The new roommate is a gorgeous Beta!

Xixi: New roommate arrived? Want some cake? I can bring some back.

Bookstore Young Master: No, I'm full tonight.

Bookstore Young Master: ...Did none of you read what I said? Gorgeous Beta! A total beauty! Better-looking than Brother Mu!

Mu: Mm.

Xixi: I'll be back soon.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Nobody responded to his topic.

Annoyed, Shu Dian shut off the terminal and secretly peeked at the new roommate.

Shu Dian was a devoted face-con.

Previously, he'd always believed people like Brother Mu—the cold, abstinent type—were the pinnacle of attractiveness.

But the moment he saw Song Qiu, his conviction wavered.

Even though he was a Beta...

This kind of innocent-looking beauty was unbeatable!

Sure, the beauty had a terrible fashion sense.

But beauty was beauty.

Sorry, Brother Mu.

Young Master Shu Dian had decided to switch sides.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Meanwhile, the beautiful Song Qiu was lying on his bed in boredom.

It had been a week since he transmigrated.

Back in the refugee camp, he survived on free relief porridge and barely needed money.

But now he is in military school.

Everything costs money.

Life was hard.

The academy offered student loans for those from poor backgrounds.

Students could study tuition-free for three years and receive 2,000 Star Coins per month in living expenses.

The price?

After graduation, they had to serve in the First Military District for ten years before gaining the freedom to leave.

Most First Military Academy graduates chose to work in the First District anyway, so many students from outside the zones accepted the loan.

But Song Qiu had no intention of applying.

He disliked the feeling of losing his freedom.

Unfortunately, that meant tuition and miscellaneous fees became a major problem.

Given his current finances, he couldn't even survive a month.

He needed to find a way to earn money.

Song Qiu silently made a decision.

Tomorrow, he'd start looking for a part-time job.

The problem was...

What could he even do?

He barely understood this world.

So annoying.

He ruffled his hair and buried his face in the pillow.

Just then, another Alpha roommate returned.

"Where's the new guy?"

He asked immediately after entering.

Clearly, Shu Dian had already spread the news.

Shu Dian pointed with his chin.

The new roommate's voice sounded surprisingly pleasant—warm like a spring breeze.

Song Qiu looked up.

The man standing there had rugged, masculine features.

His neatly worn uniform wrapped around powerful muscles, outlining a physique that looked almost exaggerated.

At a glance, he was probably around 190 centimeters tall.

The contrast between his massive frame and gentle voice was striking.

Song Qiu swallowed nervously and raised a hand.

"H-Hello..."

"Hello. I'm Xi Zhou."

As he spoke, the muscular Alpha casually reached out, lifted Song Qiu straight out of his blanket with one arm, and gently set him on the floor.

By the time Song Qiu processed what had happened, he was already standing in front of Xi Zhou.

Xi Zhou compared their heights.

About 170 centimeters.

Not even up to his shoulder.

You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone shorter in the entire academy.

"So this is the beautiful Beta roommate you were talking about?"

He glanced at Shu Dian before turning back to Song Qiu.

"How did you get into military school?"

His tone was gentle, not offensive at all.

But...

Beautiful Beta?

Song Qiu froze.

Then he looked at Shu Dian, who was currently covering his face in embarrassment.

"I tested A-rank mental power on admissions…"

Xi Zhou thought for two seconds.

"From outside the zones?"

When Song Qiu nodded, understanding appeared on his face.

Every year, the First Military Academy established recruitment centers in the slums outside the Special Zones.

The admission requirements there were relatively lenient.

As long as someone had A-rank mental power, they could enroll regardless of physical ability.

Officially, the policy existed to uncover talented individuals who lacked the resources to develop their potential.

Because of this, other military academies often mocked First Military Academy as a "garbage collection center."

Still, the policy had produced results.

The powerful S-rank Alpha Colonel Min Nanxing had been discovered through this very system and now served in the First Military District.

However, in the past ten years, he was the only S-rank Alpha to emerge from the slums.

Before Xi Zhou could ask any more questions—

The dormitory door opened.

The final roommate had arrived.