The two of them held each other silently for a while, gradually calming down.

Shi Jin helped Lian Jun back into his wheelchair and sat in front of him, reaching out to straighten his disheveled robe. "After the drill and performance, there's only the final review left. I'll be able to go back soon, just hold on a little longer."

Lian Jun took out a towel and wiped the water droplets and sweat from Shi Jin's face and head. "Shi Jin, actually, I came here for a reason."

"What is it?" Shi Jin was puzzled, but his expression became serious as he thought of something. "Is there something happening in the underworld?"

As they spoke, a monkey suddenly appeared on the roof of the nearby building, chattering and jumping around. The two of them looked up in surprise, momentarily forgetting their conversation. Lian Jun nodded and shook his head, soothingly touching his face and saying, "Yes and no. There is indeed some movement, but the changes in the situation are within my expectations and control. There is no need to worry too much. The problem lies with the officials."

Shi Jin's heart skipped a beat when he heard this and he hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with the officials? Are they already targeting us?"

"No, the situation on the road is about to change dramatically. The officials will only tolerate and be kind to Annihilation, and dare not make things difficult for us. After all..." Lian Jun paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, then his lips curled coldly as he said, "So that's it. This is the reason why the officials are moving the Tarantula. I didn't expect that the play that Aunt Lu and I performed not only fooled the people in the underworld, but also the officials."

"Tarantula?" When Shi Jin heard this, he was confused and didn't quite understand. However, he quickly grasped the key point and became anxious. He grabbed Lian Jun's hand and pulled him back to reality, asking, "What's going on? What's the matter with the Tarantula and the authorities?"

The Tarantula was the only ally they had on the road and an essential part of Lian Jun's future plans. They couldn't afford to have anything happen to it.

Lian Jun regained his composure and saw how worried Shi Jin was. He quickly reassured him and held his hand, explaining in detail what the authorities were planning against the Tarantula and briefly mentioning his own speculations.

As Shi Jin listened, his anxious mood turned into uncertainty. He didn't know what to say and choked for a while before finally speaking up, "So you're saying that the reason the authorities suddenly decided to target Tarantula is because they found out about what happened between Tarantula and me earlier, and they want to please you by bullying Tarantula first? They think that by doing this, you'll be happy and more loyal to them?"

If that was really the case, then Tarantula was unfairly blamed and was just a victim of Lian Jun's scheme...

"It should be like this," said Lian Jun. "The Tarantula and Annihilation have been enemies for many years, and from the officials' standpoint, Annihilation should be happy to have defeated the Tarantula. The officials are also acting out of desperation. After all, given the current situation, if I don't take action, the officials will definitely suffer a great loss. They have to treat me well."

Lian Jun explained, feeling somewhat amused.

"Those people only know how to stand on top and give out 'rewards' to those below, without asking whether those below actually want what they're giving... But it's good that they have this mentality, because it means I can use a gentler approach to save the Tarantula."

Shi Jin looked at the cold smirk on his face and the indifferent gaze that seemed to be looking at nothing in particular. He furrowed his brows and lifted his hand to hold his face, turning it towards him. "Where are you looking? I'm right here, and you're spacing out?"

Lian Jun snapped out of his daze, and the coldness in his eyes quickly dissipated, replaced by tenderness. He grabbed Shi Jin's hand and said, "Shi Jin, thanks to you, I finally figured out why the authorities chose to use the Tarantula. You saved me from wasting time and effort."

"I just asked a simple question..." Shi Jin furrowed his brows, but he couldn't stay angry when he looked at Lian Jun's apologetic expression. He moved his fingers and touched his face, dissatisfied. "You've lost weight again. This won't do."

Lian Jun turned his head and kissed Shi Jin's hand, trying to soothe him and apologize.

"...Forget it, I'll help you take care of it after military training is over," Shi Jin couldn't bear to scold him anymore and changed the subject, "So, are you going to personally participate in the G Province mission that we're collaborating with the authorities on?"

Lian Jun enjoyed seeing Shi Jin compromise with him and kissed his hand before replying, "Yes. Also, I came here to ask you about the G Province mission. Although we agreed before your school started that I would pick you up after military training to do the mission, it might take some time. You just started university, and maybe you want to experience life as an ordinary college student. If that's the case, I can wait until the G Province mission is over before coming back to pick you up, so you can stay in school longer..."

"I want to go to Province G with you," Shi Jin interrupted him without hesitation, choosing to stay with him. He spoke seriously, "I still have four years of university to experience, but it's different for you. Every step you take from now on will be accompanied by danger. I want to be with you. Don't even think about leaving me behind in a safe place." Besides, he had already experienced enough of university life after spending four years in police school in his past life.

Seeing his serious expression, Lian Jun asked, "Have you made up your mind? I heard you made friends in the military camp. Are you willing to leave them behind?"

"Friends are not as important as you," Shi Jin replied, carefully examining his expression.

Suddenly, he laughed and asked, "Are you jealous?"

Lian Jun didn't answer, but instead pinched his face and leaned in to touch foreheads with him. "Tonight, I'll take Number One, Number Three, Number Five, and Number Nine to G Province to meet with the officials. Number Two and Uncle Long will stay at the club for a few more days. You focus on training, and when the military training is over, I'll come pick you up. Then we'll go to G Province together. Is that okay?"

"Okay!" Shi Jin was very satisfied with this arrangement and hugged him again, saying, "You can't leave me behind anyway."

Lian Jun patted his head and said, "How could I dare to? And I don't want to either. Besides, B City isn't exactly a safe place. I need to keep an eye on you to feel at ease."

As Shi Jin heard Lian Jun's hesitant words, "How could I dare," he automatically translated them into, "I want to be with you every day," and happily tilted his head up to give him another kiss.

In his heart, he secretly planned to fatten up Lian Jun again once they arrived in G Province!

......

The entire mountain climbing and item retrieval process only took two hours. Although Shi Jin tried to minimize their climbing time by taking shortcuts, they were still pressed for time. Regrettably, he could only spend a little over 20 minutes in the cabin with Lian Jun before they had to say goodbye.

"When you're going down the mountain, take it slow and don't get hurt," Lian Jun helped him pack up his gear and looked at the bump on his forehead. "Remember to apply some medicine and bandage it up when you get down."

Shi Jin nodded, suppressing his reluctance. He adjusted his heavy equipment and walked towards the door of the small house, turning back three times. "I'll go first. Remember to take a nap...I'm really leaving."

Lian Jun clasped his hands together on his stomach, holding back the urge to pull him back. He nodded and replied, "Okay. After military training is over, I'll come pick you up."

Time was running out and Shi Jin had the doorknob in his hand. As he twisted it open and stepped out, he turned back to see Lian Jun reaching out to grab him.

The farewell words he had prepared vanished from his lips in an instant. He spun around and strode back, bending down to give Lian Jun a tight hug. Whispering in his ear, he said, "I'll bring you a gift, just wait for me."

He kissed Lian Jun's ear and let go, turning around and walking away without looking back. He quickened his pace and disappeared into the woods in the blink of an eye.

Lian Jun watched him leave, his eyes fixed on the swaying branches and leaves where Shi Jin had passed. He touched his ear where he had been kissed and covered his eyes with his fingers. "Is he silly? What kind of gift can he bring from the military camp?"

......

The mountain keeper's cabin was located between Route 1 and Route 2. If he were to go back to either route now and follow it down to the base camp, there would be no chance of getting first place.

He had to get first place, bring a gift back for Lian Jun, and also send Xiang Aoting back to the Air Force.

Shi Jin grabbed onto a tree branch and agilely jumped onto a large boulder below. Looking down at the steep slope ahead, covered in trees and rocks, it was not really a path. He thought of Lian Jun's reluctant expression earlier and furrowed his brow. He jumped straight down from the boulder and fell towards another tree on the steep slope.

Anyway, there was no rule that said he couldn't take a route other than the three designated ones. Since he was in a hurry, he might as well have a real mountain climbing adventure.

"Xiao Si!" He called out in his heart. Xiao Si immediately understood his meaning and said, "Leave it to me, let's charge forward!"

Snap.

He twisted his body and firmly grabbed onto the branch of the next tree. With a strong push from his waist, he leaned to the side and clung onto the trunk of the tree. He tightly wrapped his legs around the branch and pulled himself up with his arms, hanging like a monkey. With a smirk on his face, he searched for the next foothold and jumped down with ease.

Down the mountain.

Next door, even the instructor unconsciously turned his head while drinking water and glanced up the mountain. He vaguely saw a figure flash between the trees and blinked in confusion. He turned his head to look carefully.

A gust of wind blew, rustling the leaves and revealing the silhouette of a person hanging from a tree branch.

"Damn!" The neighboring instructor's water bottle fell to the ground as he rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He had just seen someone on the tree, but now there was no one in sight. He frantically scanned the area, and finally spotted a creature that resembled a human being on a rock beneath the tree.

It wasn't a hallucination after all. What was it, a monkey?

He was so shocked that he couldn't even speak. He quickly grabbed the binoculars from his desk, which he used to observe the trainees, and aimed them at the spot where he had seen the "monkey," desperately searching for its figure.

Half a minute later, he finally found the true form of "Monkey" and was shocked to see the creature agilely jump down from a tree, roll on the ground, and wedge itself firmly in the crevice between the tree and a rock below. Then it grabbed onto a branch extending beyond the mountain and descended vertically, sliding down the slope and landing on a small patch of open ground below.

What kind of monster is this? Its speed is too fast!

Even the instructor next door couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief. After confirming this "monkey's" appearance multiple times, he put down his binoculars and found Xiang Aoting, who was flipping through the roster not far away. He handed the binoculars to him and excitedly said, "Look over there, on the mountainside, your student has turned into a monkey!"

A monkey?

Xiang Aoting was puzzled, but then he realized something and his expression became serious. He quickly raised the binoculars and looked in the direction he was pointing. ...

Shi Jin had no idea that his descent from the mountain was being watched by those below. With the help of the buffs he had gained from Xiao Si, such as "agility," "increased speed," and "improved accuracy," he weaved and dodged through the forest, descending the mountain in no time.

As he approached the finish line, he turned onto the first route and sprinted towards the end with all his might. On the way, he didn't see any other students. Glancing at the time, he guessed that the fastest group should still be struggling halfway down the mountain.

He was sure of it and quickened his pace. He saw the tents of the campsite in the distance and immediately sprinted towards it. He crossed the starting point steadily and sat on the ground, pretending to be exhausted. He took out a small flag from his bag and turned his head to the nearest instructor, gasping and asking, "Am I the first one?"

The instructor he asked looked at him blankly, holding a telescope in his hand.

Huh? Why is the campsite so quiet? As Shi Jin blinked his eyes, he adjusted his breathing and looked around in horror. He realized that all the instructors within his sight were staring at him, most of them holding binoculars. A sense of unease crept over him as he made a foreboding guess.

No, it couldn't be...

Suddenly, Xiang Aoting strode over from behind and stopped in front of him. He looked down at Shi Jin with a heavy expression and a terrifying aura.

Shi Jin stiffly raised his head to look at him, swallowed nervously, and handed him the flag. "The flag I worked hard to get...please don't dwell on the details too much."

Looking at his seemingly pleading gesture, Xiang Aoting couldn't stay angry. He bent down, grabbed his hand, and pulled him up from the ground, saying, "Next time, don't do such dangerous moves...I just contacted the two other starting points, congratulations, you're the first student to come back."

"Great! First place! No, everyone saw it!"

"Hahaha, thank you, instructor. Actually, going down the mountain like that isn't dangerous. I used to like playing on the parallel bars, bouncing back and forth. It's just a habit." Shi Jin tried to ease the awkwardness with a forced laugh, but found it didn't work.

The instructors around him still stared at him, so he quickly grabbed Xiang Aoting's hand and frowned in pain, saying, "Instructor, I'm actually injured. Look at my forehead, I hit it on a tree. Sigh, climbing mountains is so hard."

Glancing at Shi Jin's forehead, Xiang Aoting noticed a big bump and his face turned even darker. He shielded him from the crowd's view, tightly held his hand, and scolded him while leading him away, "You think you're clever, but do you feel dizzy? Don't give yourself a concussion."

"I'm not dizzy," Shi Jin quickly replied, sticking close to him as they made their way to the medical tent at the back where there were fewer people.

It wasn't until Shi Jin and Xiang Aoting disappeared from sight that the instructors in the camp began to come back to their senses. One older instructor looked down at the heavy equipment Shi Jin had left behind and sighed with mixed emotions, "The younger generation is truly frightening...how can a student with this level of skill only attend the police academy?"

"I heard that the student himself didn't want to go to military school and insisted on choosing the police academy. He had attended the military school's preparatory class before going to college and had even been on a mission. Maybe he felt that the pressure there was too much," the neighboring instructor also came back to his senses and shared what he had heard, sighing, "With this level, he could go directly into the army, why waste four years in school?"

"Turns out he came from the preparatory class," the other instructors who heard this gradually came back to their senses, showing a knowing expression, "With this level, I wonder which mentor taught him. Is it possible that he comes from a military family?"

The highest-ranking person here heard this and glanced in the direction of Xiang Aoting leaving, coughed softly, picked up the teapot, and left.

......

When it was time to administer medicine, Xiang Aoting recalled his "unique" way of coming down the mountain, and he scolded him severely. Shi Jin humbly apologized with a great attitude, but whether he would truly change in the future was up to him to decide.

Xiang Aoting looked at his lowered head, sighed, and said, "Xiao Jin, military training is about to end, and I won't have much time to accompany you every day. You need to take good care of yourself."

Shi Jin looked up at him, saw the worry in his eyes, and his heart softened. He obediently nodded and replied, "I will take good care of myself, don't worry."

......

The training ended smoothly, and considering the students had expended too much energy during the training, the higher-ups generously gave them a day off. The students of Room 103 all chose to catch up on sleep in their dorm, except for Shi Jin who disappeared early in the morning.

"Where did Shi Jin go?" one of his roommates asked.

Luo Donghao covered his head with the blanket and pretended to not exist.

What else can he do? Of course, he'll stick to the instructor under the guise of additional training. Before leaving, Shi Jin even put on the full set of flag bearer equipment, looking quite pleased with himself.

Meanwhile, Shi Jin had put on his full uniform, not for vanity, but to ask Xiang Aoting to take a few photos of him in the military camp. "Lian Jun has never seen me in full uniform before, and I want to show him," he explained, adjusting his hat and standing in front of the instructor's dormitory.

He looked towards Xiang Aoting, who was holding his phone, and asked, "Can I stand here? Is the lighting good?"

"Sure," Xiang Aoting replied, watching him stand under the tree with a bright smile. He skillfully pressed the shutter button and said, "I'll go borrow a camera later, and we'll take some good photos."

"Great!" Shi Jin's smile grew even brighter. Suddenly, he had an idea and said, "Fourth Brother, can I take a photo with you?"

Xiang Aoting was taken aback, but then his eyes and brows softened as he replied, "Sure, I'll go change into my uniform later."

......

From the drill performance to the rehearsal and the actual review, time seemed to have been fast-forwarded. Before everyone could even react, the new student military training trip had reached the farewell stage that everyone had once looked forward to but now disliked the most.

Shi Jin naturally received the first place in military training. After the review, he took on the role of flag bearer and received the certificates and medals for outstanding students and best newcomers from the camp leader.

After the review, everyone in the team took a group photo and then went back to their dorms to pack their simple luggage. They arrived at the camp gate and, under the arrangement of their respective instructors, boarded the bus back to school.

"Instructor, I will miss you." Liu Yong cried with tears and snot, once the one who feared Xiang Aoting the most, now the one who couldn't bear to part with him the most.

Xiang Aoting was not good at dealing with this kind of situation, so he took the tissue that Shi Jin handed him and gave it to Liu Yong, reminding him, "Don't slack off when you get back to school. Exercise well, study hard, and remember to be friendly to your classmates."

He even glanced at Shi Jin as he said this. Shi Jin looked up at the sky, unable to bear listening to Xiang Aoting's clichéd farewell words any longer.

Luo Donghao observed their interaction and thought that Shi Jin was in a bad mood because he was saying goodbye to someone he liked. He frowned and pushed Liu Yong aside, then nudged Shi Jin with his arm and said, "Go give the instructor a hug. You two will be separated by distance and won't see each other often."

Shi Jin looked at him sideways and suddenly had an epiphany. He lowered his voice and asked, "Did you figure it out?" Did he figure out his relationship with Xiang Aoting?

Luo Donghao replied irritably, "You guys were so obvious. I'd have to be blind not to see it."

To his surprise, Luo Donghao had actually figured it out. Shi Jin felt a bit embarrassed and didn't know how to explain his secrecy about their relationship to outsiders and to their relatives. So, he decided to take his friend's advice and leaned towards Xiang Aoting's car, extending his hand and saying, "Come here, give me a hug. Your acting skills are terrible, and Donghao has already figured out our relationship."

Xiang Aoting had been paying attention to his movements the whole time and immediately leaned over to give him a hug, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "It's okay if he figured it out. When I have some time off, I'll come see you."

Then, he turned to Luo Donghao and said, "Xiao Jin can be a bit impatient. When he gets to school, can you please keep an eye on him for me? Thank you."

"What do you mean I'm impatient?" Shi Jin was not happy.

"Are you telling me you weren't in a rush when you jumped down the mountain that day?" Xiang Aoting frowned at him.

As they seemed to be on the verge of an argument, Luo Donghao quickly interjected, "Don't worry, Instructor. I'm a friend of Shi Jin's and I'll make sure to take good care of him. And...I wish you both happiness. I'll be waiting for your wedding banquet." So, please don't go for any hasty marriages. It's just not classy.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Aoting and Shi Jin both looked at him with a perplexed expression, leaving Luo Donghao confused. Did he say something wrong?

Liu Yong, who had just finished wiping away his tears and snot, asked in confusion, "Wish the Instructor and Shi Jin happiness? What's a wedding banquet? Donghao, why are you wishing them happiness? What's going on with them?"

As he spoke, he didn't pay attention to his volume. The other team members in the car, as well as the students and instructors standing by the two cars next to them, all heard what he said. Their gossip radar instantly went up, and they all turned their heads towards Shi Jin and Xiang Aoting, their faces showing shock, disbelief, and other emotions that flashed by one by one, their expressions contorted beyond recognition.

Immediately, Luo Donghao exploded, quickly covering Liu Yong's mouth and anxiously saying, "What are you shouting about? That, he's talking nonsense. The instructor and Shi Jin are just ordinary-"

"Ordinary brothers!" Shi Jin interrupted Luo Donghao, speechless, loudly announcing as he jumped out of the car and stood next to Xiang Aoting. He lifted his hand and placed it on Xiang Aoting's shoulder, saying to Luo Donghao, "He and I are brothers, real brothers, with the same father."

Inwardly, Xiang Aoting was quite satisfied with the situation where their brotherhood was exposed, but he maintained a serious expression on his face. He turned to Shi Jin and said, "Don't be unruly." However, he did not remove Shi Jin's hand that was resting on his shoulder.

"Brothers? Blood brothers?" Everyone around was stunned, looking at Xiang Aoting's manly face and then at Shi Jin's baby face, feeling as if a thunderbolt had struck them from the sky. How could they be blood brothers with such different appearances and such a huge age difference?

"But your surnames are different," Liu Yong questioned, breaking free from Luo Donghao's grip.

"Because one of us follows our dad's surname, the other follows the mum's," Shi Jin replied vaguely, deliberately letting everyone misunderstand. With a face that looked like the world was collapsing, Luo Donghao pointed his trembling finger at Shi Jin and Xiang Aoting.

As he looked at their serious and smiling faces, he couldn't help but think of their ambiguous behavior towards each other. His heart sank and he collapsed onto Liu Yong.

It was unbelievable, this was what was really going on. These two were actually...oh my god, it was so embarrassing, he didn't want to live anymore!