Chapter 35

He Muzhi marched toward number 36 with such determination that ten oxen couldn't have dragged him back, reminding Qin Su of the (screaming marmot.jpg) meme Jiang Lu had sent him.

Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay?! Get back here!

A storm was raging in Qin Su's heart, but he had to put on an appearance of "unmoved indifference" and watch helplessly as the protagonist made things harder for him.

He didn't know whether He Muzhi would be okay, but he felt like he was about to meet his maker.

Suppressing the ominous thought that he might "give it a try and promptly die," Qin Su steadied himself, held back every emotion threatening to show, and began analyzing the situation.

In weightlifting competitions on Earth, professionally trained athletes who reached four hundred kilograms were already among the very best.

By his estimate, number 36 weighed over six hundred kilograms.

There was no doubt that a normal Earthling without years of professional training could never lift something so heavy.

According to the comments, Huo Maoshan, an SSS-rank Alpha from the twenty-fifth class, had lifted a Lizard Viper weighing over six hundred kilograms without training, relying on the explosive strength induced by his pheromones.

It was hard to imagine how terrifying a weight Huo Maoshan could lift if he underwent years of professional training like an Earthling.

The innate gap in physique was far too wide. Earthlings simply couldn't compare.

Based on his experience in previous classes, his physique, after some training, might have been very strong among Earthlings, but it was largely equivalent to that of an untrained Alpha in the Comic World.

Rounding it off, He Muzhi was an SS-rank Alpha, and with the buff from his pheromone burst, his physical abilities would most likely surpass Qin Su's trained ones.

He only had his parents' descriptions and no actual experience, so he didn't really know how much stronger his physique, enhanced by K-110, was than that of He Muzhi, an SS-rank Alpha using his pheromones.

If He Mu really lifted number 36, then he...

Having reached that point in his analysis, Qin Su looked at number 37, and his heart died.

Although they were only one number apart, the difference in weight was like heaven and earth.

Number 36 looked to weigh over six hundred kilograms, while number 37 looked to be well over eleven hundred.

Almost twice as much.

Qin Su: "..."

Did nobody care whether he lived or died?

Qin Su kept his emotions under control. He felt so suffocated that he couldn't even be bothered to hide his gaze as it rested on He Muzhi. He had been watching the members of the Protagonist Group "meaningfully" from the start; this wasn't the first time, so he wasn't worried that the "viewers" would find it strange.

Qin Su didn't move. In the minds of the students of Class 6, He Muzhi was also stronger than they were, and many of them paid close attention to his every move.

Qin Su is looking at He Muzhi again.

Qin Su, who was already the center of attention, wasn't lifting weights but was instead looking at He Muzhi, drawing another wave of attention to him from their classmates.

He Muzhi had no time to care how his classmates were looking at him. He was already standing in front of number 36, looking up at the Lizard Viper, which was as tall as a small mountain.

At first, Raymond hadn't been sure where He Muzhi was headed, but when he saw him stop in front of number 36, his jaw nearly dropped.

His gaze wandered between Qin Su and He Muzhi several times. After a moment's thought, Raymond swiftly strode over to He Muzhi's side.

Although they were far enough away, the mere thought of the name "Qin Su" made Raymond's skin tighten all over. He cupped a hand beside his mouth and whispered a warning, "Are you crazy? Come to your senses!"

Raymond didn't name anyone, but He Muzhi knew the person he meant could only be Qin Su.

Ever since Raymond had insisted that Qin Su treated him differently, he had paid particular attention to Qin Su and his movements. Not daring to gossip about Qin Su, he had decisively aimed his gossip at He Muzhi instead.

Aside from Lailisi and the other two, who had been assigned to different classes, Raymond had thus become one of his closer friends at the Fourth Military School.

He Muzhi paused, then whispered back to Raymond, "...Perhaps."

With that, He Muzhi turned his head and looked in Qin Su's direction.

They were far enough apart that he couldn't see the expression in Qin Su's eyes as he looked at him, but... he could be certain that Qin Su was watching him coldly.

Although Qin Su's gaze put him under immense pressure, looking at it another way, couldn't it count as encouragement?

That's right, encouragement.

He Muzhi looked away and cautiously regarded the Lizard Viper in front of him.

Raymond, who had watched the whole thing from the side, said, "...Going this far for him, you really... leave me speechless."

"Good luck." With that, Raymond stepped away.

Although they had pheromone shields, no Alpha liked having another Alpha release pheromones nearby. It instinctively made them irritable, as if their territory were being invaded.

Before he left, Raymond heard He Muzhi say "thank you" to him.

[He Muzhi is looking at Qin Su, and Qin Su is looking at He Muzhi. How is this not mutual pining?]

[As expected of Alphas above S-rank, even their flirting is this intense. Double Alphas really have that energy, delicious @Plague God, go ahead and be green with envy]

[He's really going for it because he has protagonist halo. Isn't he afraid he'll throw his back out and drop a rock on his own foot?]

[Just because Boss 1 casually glanced at No. 36, Mu Bao rushed over without a second thought. Sob, I'm shipping this so hard; he's bound to move Boss 1!]

Was He Muzhi really trying to lift number 36 because of a single glance from him? Qin Su was reluctant to believe the comments' speculation.

Moved?

Qin Su: "..."

Thanks, but he didn't dare move. He didn't dare move at all.

Unlike He Muzhi, who seemed to have endless strength every day.

Not long after Raymond stepped away, He Muzhi gathered his strength and placed both hands on the Lizard Viper, searching for a position from which he could lift it.

"He Muzhi... is there really nothing wrong up here?"

The student whispered the gossip and pointed at his own head. "If I remember correctly, his pheromone rank is SS, while Huo Maoshan, who lifted number 35 last time, was SSS-rank. No way He Muzhi can lift it."

Students in the higher years with high pheromone ranks could naturally lift bugs heavier than number 35, but that was with bodies they had trained, not what they had achieved as freshmen.

At the Fourth Military School, only freshmen who had just enrolled and had yet to choose a major according to their physiques and interests could access the basic training programs. Records were usually broken only once every few years.

"Maybe a little? Qin Su did give him quite a shock during the last simulated combat exercise."

"Then do you think he can lift it?"

"No. He's only an SS-rank Alpha. That's higher than either of us, but he's a rank below Huo Maoshan. Huo Maoshan is over two meters tall and as strong as a small mountain, too. He Muzhi can't compare in any way."

"...No, He Muzhi is more handsome than Huo Maoshan."

"You..." There was no arguing with that. "But being handsome won't put food on the table. Just wait and see, He Muzhi definitely won't be able to lift it."

As He Muzhi felt around, the comments were lively, and the students chattered among themselves.

Amid the many discussions, He Muzhi found a suitable place to grip and wedged both hands beneath the Lizard Viper's two front legs.

Some student had posted what was happening in Class 6's weightlifting room on the forum, and students from other classes who were training nearby heard the news and found their way over.

Among them was He Wenyuan from Class 7.

He's going to lift it!

Realizing this, everyone muttering away, both in the comments and on the scene, fell silent at once and fixed their burning gazes on He Muzhi.

Qin Su's gaze was also fixed on He Muzhi.

Besides cheering He Muzhi on in their hearts, the others were also guessing whether he could lift it.

Qin Su, however, was "secretly rebellious," praying frantically in his heart: Don't lift it, don't lift it, don't lift it...

He Muzhi took a deep breath. Invisible SS-rank pheromones seeped from the gland where he had removed his pheromone-blocking patch before putting on the Alpha pheromone shield.

The instant he caught the rich, mellow scent of red wine, the muscles beneath He Muzhi's training clothes swelled.

Qin Su: "!"

He Muzhi's physical condition visibly reached its "peak" in an instant.

As expected of pheromones, they were clearly good at "creating something from nothing." He couldn't imagine how cheerful a college student he would be if he truly had pheromones one day.

[Oh my (glasses fall off in shock) those muscles are huge]

[(pat pat)(lean against)(pout)(smooch)(spins around cheerfully)]

[As expected of the protagonist, he's got some looks (wipes drool)]

[He Muzhi is making such a spectacle of this. Careful, he might shatter if he can't lift it]

[So what? With Mu Bao's looks, he'd be just as delicious with that broken beauty vibe~]

[Anyway, our Boss 1 will never be associated with that broken beauty stuff. Nobody can stir Boss 1's emotions, our Boss 1 has a heart as cold and hard as thousand-year-old ice!]

Qin Su: "..."

He certainly didn't have a broken beauty vibe, but seeing He Muzhi in a state like the "Sikong Zhen using his ultimate" that his roommate Jiang Lu had described when he lost it while gaming, Qin Su quietly lost it inside.

But Jiang Lu had said Sikong Zhen using his ultimate was like a plane crash. Would He Muzhi be like that game character?

Hope quietly rose in Qin Su's heart at once.

With both hands wedged against the Lizard Viper, feeling its weight, He Muzhi was in no mood to think about Qin Su now. He focused all his attention on the Lizard Viper before him.

After testing its weight with two tugs, He Muzhi had a rough idea of what he was dealing with. Once he was fully prepared, he wrapped both hands around the Lizard Viper and made his first attempt to lift it.

In an instant, veins bulged on He Muzhi's neck, and the muscles all over his body swelled to their limit.

But...

Number 36 didn't budge.

The floor was made of a special material. It showed no change under the weight of so many heavy objects at once, so naturally it wouldn't collapse because He Muzhi was trying to lift one.

Everyone: "..."

Just as they had thought.

[Hahaha, I knew it. Where are Mu's fans? Come out and make some noise]

[What's the big deal? Even an SSS-rank Alpha could only lift No. 35. Our Mu Bao is just an SS-Class Alpha, isn't it normal that he can't lift it?]

[Sure enough, you can't force your way into something that doesn't suit you]

[(pat pat) Just having the courage to try is already amazing]

Even Huo Maoshan, an SSS-rank Alpha, had only managed to lift number 35. He Muzhi had never expected to actually lift number 36 on his first try.

He paid no attention to the silence around him, nor did he intend to look at Qin Su before he actually lifted it.

He let go and loosened up for a moment, then, beneath his classmates' disappointed "just as expected" gazes, wedged his hands into position again.

The concentration of his pheromones increased again, and this time, He Muzhi's physical condition was even better than before.

Soon, thirty seconds passed, and He Muzhi let go again, marking the failure of his second attempt to lift number 36.

He Muzhi wasn't discouraged. After letting go, he loosened up his body, and after resting for a few minutes, he began his third attempt under the hopeful gazes of the crowd...

Aside from the sarcastic remarks, most of the comments encouraged He Muzhi.

[You can do it, A-Mu!]

[Having the courage to try is admirable in itself. A fan of Boss 1 sends their best wishes]

[You can do it!]

[No matter the result, Mu Bao, I'll always believe in you]

Qin Su had originally hoped He Muzhi would fail, but when he saw how persistent He Muzhi was, his expression became unreadable.

As the comments said, He Muzhi's "courage to begin" was admirable.

People from other classes also appeared at the entrance. The weightlifting room was unusually quiet, everyone's attention focused on He Muzhi. The newcomers instinctively held their tongues and silently joined the spectators.

He Muzhi's third attempt failed too.

The fourth.

The fifth.

By the eighth attempt, the disappointment in everyone's eyes was growing more apparent.

He Muzhi remained unmoved, continuing to mobilize his pheromones again and again as he had planned.

"If you ask me, you really can't get fat in one bite. When our class tried lifting, the best anyone did with pheromones was number 15."

"Our Class 10 got to number 19."

"I don't get it, so I'll ask: why is he so fixated on number 36? Lifting number 35 would still get his name on the record."

"Because Qin Su glanced at number 36, He Muzhi ignored his own abilities and got into a contest with it."

"...Hard to say. Speaking of which, Qin Su lifting..."

Nearly everyone was pouring cold water on He Muzhi. It grated on He Wenyuan's ears, and he looked coldly at the Class 10 students beside him. "If you don't know how to talk, shut..."

Before He Wenyuan could finish his sinister words, he heard the students who had been chattering suddenly fall silent. Then came a burst of shocked gasps.

He Wenyuan put away the gloomy look in his eyes and turned toward He Muzhi, his pink contact lenses filled with admiration. Raising a brow and curling his lips, he was the first to lift the hands hanging at his sides and clap them together.

Clap, clap, clap...

As expected of He Muzhi. He never disappointed him, always made him proud, and brought him pleasure.

"Holy shit!"

"Heavens... he lifted it! He really lifted it!"

"He Muzhi is amazing!"

On He Muzhi's eleventh attempt, when the vast majority of people had all but given up hope, every muscle in his body was already taut to its limit from repeated bursts of intense exertion. He lifted the Lizard Viper, which had previously sat motionless on the rack, off its platform.

After a brief blank, the comments were flooded with "!" after "!"

[He did it! Mu Bao really did it!]

[(fireworks)(fireworks)(fireworks)]

[Mu Bao is the best forever!]

[A-Mu, I'll love you forever! Where are the people who dissed our baby earlier? Hurry up and apologize!]

Going from disappointment to shock, people from several classes witnessed He Muzhi break the previous class's record. After the cries of surprise and admiration came wave after wave of spontaneous applause.

Everyone cheered for He Muzhi from the bottom of their hearts, the clapping going on without end as they unconsciously drew closer to him.

Qin Su: "..."

If not for his persona, he too would have raised his hands and applauded like the other students.

Eleven times, a full eleven times. Every failure and every discouraged remark from the watching students would have put psychological pressure on He Muzhi.

But He Muzhi had never given up. He had persevered, finally succeeding after one attempt after another.

His hard work and sweat had not been in vain.

[Qin Su is still looking at He Muzhi! Can anyone figure out what Qin Su is thinking right now?]

[There's no figuring it out. I've carefully studied every shot of Boss No. 1. He's been watching He Muzhi ever since he started lifting, but the size of his pupils, the curve of his eyes, the state of his facial muscles—none of them has changed in the slightest.]

[Even though what He Muzhi did was really exciting, I'm more inclined to think Qin Su isn't feeling a thing about it.]

Qin Su: "..."

He was just forcing himself to keep up the act. His persona wouldn't let him show emotion over anyone or anything, but he was already silently applauding He Muzhi in his heart.

He Muzhi, who had spent a long time immersed in his own world, finally saw that he had lifted No. 36. A flicker of joy passed through his red eyes, but he still didn't dare let out the breath he had been holding.

He carefully put No. 35 down, but instead of immediately removing his protective hood, he let the drops of sweat fall from his red hair inside it and instinctively turned toward Qin Su.

Only these thoughts were on his mind:

Would this make Qin Su a little less disappointed about how easily he had been defeated in the simulated combat exercise, even though his opponents had gone easy on him several times? Had Qin Su's interest in them returned?

Neither he nor his friends would ever stop here. They really were stronger than He Wenyuan.

No matter how dazzling Qin Su was, the person He Wenyuan regarded as number one would always be He Muzhi.

Following He Muzhi's gaze, He Wenyuan saw Qin Su sitting in the quick-rest area in the distance, meeting He Muzhi's gaze with an indifferent expression.

"..."

He Wenyuan's hands, reddened from clapping, came to a halt. The smile on his lips gradually flattened.

He stopped smiling.

His expression darkened.

[!!!]

[I'm shipping them first!]

[He's looking at him, he's looking at him, and he's looking at him. It's starting to feel like a shura field. Text really is broad and profound.]

[There's something about the way He Muzhi is looking at Qin Su that feels like he's asking for credit: "Look, I did it."]

[A golden retriever asking his owner for praise?]

[Get lost, all of you calling him a dog. Our Mu is clearly a blazing flame, a brilliant sun!]

Qin Su: "..."

The bullet comments and the look He Muzhi had given him after successfully lifting the weight made it all plain as day: the reason He Muzhi had chosen No. 36 in the first place was that Qin Su had looked at the pretty Lizard Viper, No. 36, to "wash his eyes" after being disgusted by No. 35.

As it turned out, he couldn't just go around "washing" his eyes.

After all, "capital's trap hadn't caught him, but he'd made a trap for himself."

Qin Su kept his expression under control, looking back at He Muzhi indifferently while feeling emo inside over digging a pit and burying himself in it.

Finally, after nine long seconds of eye contact, He Muzhi looked away first.

The tension in Qin Su's heart eased slightly, and he silently declared a preliminary victory in his "staring contest with the protagonist."

The protagonist's show was over. Next, it was his turn.

Afraid He Muzhi would misunderstand him again, Qin Su kept his gaze from lingering on No. 37 this time.

Once He Muzhi was surrounded by the students now gathering around him and lifted up amid their cheers, it would be time for Qin Su to act.

He Muzhi looked away from Qin Su and pressed a button on the side of his protective hood.

A whoosh sounded by his ears. A few seconds later, the red wine-scented pheromones trapped inside the hood had completely dissipated. Only after the hood had fully broken down the pheromones, so they wouldn't affect the other students, did He Muzhi remove it.

Once they were sure He Muzhi's pheromones had been dealt with, the students felt safe crowding around him.

He Muzhi took a handkerchief from Raymond, the first to rush up to him, and used it to wipe away his sweat.

He had only just managed to wipe the sweat from his face when his excited classmates hoisted him high into the air in celebration. He Muzhi, who had broken the Class of 25's record and become a "hero" to the Class of 26, was met with a chorus of cheers.

He Wenyuan watched from a distance, grinding his teeth.

After he had delayed Qin Su's class last time, Xuan Jingxi had seized the chance to get back at him with a series of slaps. He had then been summoned home and punished by his father.

After all that torment, his body still hadn't fully recovered. He hadn't been able to push past that group of Alphas just now and, like the other Omegas and Betas, had been shoved to the edge of the crowd.

[Plague God: I □□□□]

[So many boxes. You can tell just how filthy He Wenyuan's cursing is right now.]

[People's joys and sorrows are not the same~]

Lifted up by his classmates, He Muzhi wore a radiant smile.

Although Kaixier had remained in the rest area, she had long since gotten to her feet. Now she stood with her legs apart and her hands behind her back, looking at He Muzhi with gratification.

Time's up.

The scene he had anticipated was playing out, and Qin Su rose from his chair.

Even when Qin Su was sitting still in the same space, he was hard to ignore, let alone when he moved.

In an instant, the tall, upright figure in the rest area drew almost everyone's attention.

[!]

[He moved! He finally moved!]

[He's moving right after that. Raymond was right—if there's nothing going on here, I won't believe it. (doge)]

[The direction Boss No. 1 is heading... which number is he going to lift?]

[I'm betting on No. 36, because Mu Bao lifted it. (shy) If I'm right, I'll make the Lizard Viper the token of love between two Alphas!]