"Hey, why are you all looking at me like that? I don't know anything about it," Hurst spread his hands innocently, protesting his innocence.
Ren Yunying glanced away coolly, not intending to say much more.
But these cubs were indignant, and Daniel waved his fist:
"How could you not know anything? Weren't you running the arena on the Barren Planet? Wasn't the whole Barren Planet afraid to provoke you?"
"That's a different matter, my dear," Hurst always spoke with a hint of not-quite-sincere indulgence, as if no matter who stood before him, they were the object he should cherish and tolerate. "It's true that I ran the arena, but I was just going with the flow."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over the cubs as he said slowly:
"Before I came to the Barren Planet, it was already in chaos. I was able to take charge purely because of the opportunity that arose, and also..." Hurst paused, looking at Daniel, and lightly tapped his own temple.
His mind.
For some reason, Daniel always felt he was insinuating something about him.
Just his mind, didn't Daniel have one too? Why was he looking at him with that provocative gaze?
It was really annoying.
He skulked to the back of the group.
After some more discussion, Ren Yunying called for them to go outside.
It seemed she wanted to talk to Hurst alone.
Outside the laboratory, the five cubs walked slowly.
Halfway there, Anderson stopped: "The guy from the casino, who do you think he resembles?"
At his words, the previously dejected Daniel immediately perked up:
"Hurst! He looks like Hurst!"
Qin Huaibei calmly pondered for a moment, then said, "Yes, very similar - that casual, debauched manner, as if they were cast from the same mold."
Hearing this, Anderson nodded slightly but said nothing, only glancing sideways at Chloe.
Chloe fiddled with the pendant around her neck as she said, "Not very much."
At her words, the others all looked at her.
"Why not?" Katherine asked.
After all, in the cubs' minds, Hurst was almost equated with the strange man from the casino.
Chloe spread her hands, her tone serious: "Physique."
The cubs blinked in confusion, while Anderson gazed at her calmly, seeming to understand.
Chloe continued: "Although Hurst always wraps himself up neatly in his well-tailored suits, he has a straight build and his frame fills out the suit nicely - he's a sturdy adult male, through and through."
"Compared to that man in the casino," Chloe's eyes flashed with disdain, "he was too thin, like he hadn't put on any meat anywhere."
"Did you notice his hands sticking out? Those bony wrists, I bet I could wrap one hand around them."
The others recalled and realized she was right.
Daniel curled his lip: "What a scrawny guy, not at all like me." He flexed his arm to show off his muscles.
Everyone: "..."
Qin Huaibei rolled his eyes: "Easy there, too much flexing looks oily."
Daniel grudgingly lowered his arm.
They hadn't been outside long when Ren Yunying came out, carrying the ill-tempered muscle mouse.
The muscle mouse had a terrible temper and kept trying to bite Ren Yunying's fingers.
Ren Yunying held its jaws shut with two fingers, immobilizing it.
The muscle mouse squealed frantically.
Seeing Anderson, Ren Yunying immediately tossed the muscle mouse into his arms, as if she'd been holding a hot potato.
Recognizing the familiar scent, the muscle mouse immediately cowered, not daring to even fart.
Anderson glanced coolly down at it and carelessly tossed it into his pocket.
The muscle mouse obediently sat there, not squeaking or fidgeting.
Ren Yunying wiped her fingers with a wet wipe and said, "That's about it, let's head back to the military academy."
"When we get back, it'll be the academy's anniversary celebration. There will be a banquet, and people from other military academies will be invited to attend."
A silence.
Daniel raised his hand: "Will people from the Brut Military Academy be there?"
Ren Yunying nodded.
Daniel immediately made a disdainful "tch" sound.
Then Katherine raised her hand: "Instructor, will people from the Sasley Military Academy be coming?"
Ren Yunying nodded again.
Katherine immediately looked away, clicking her tongue irritably.
Ren Yunying: "..."
She sighed exasperatedly, "Are you all just not even pretending anymore?"
"I'm your instructor right here, shouldn't you restrain yourselves a little?"
Chloe grinned: "We're all so familiar now, instructor, no need to be shy."
Ren Yunying: "..."
She frowned severely, purposely taunting them: "Hurry up and follow me, you unruly little rabbits."
...
Ren Yunying acted swiftly, saying they'd return to the military academy, and immediately took the cubs to the spacecraft dock.
The place was still full of loiterers, just like when they'd arrived.
Those good-for-nothing thugs liked to bully outsiders at the spacecraft dock. Chloe even spotted the man they'd encountered when they first arrived on the Barren Planet.
Back then, Ren Yunying had intended to make an example of him - that whip strike had been extremely heavy, nearly knocking him out cold.
Now, the man caught sight of them and shrank away in fear, not even daring to speak to his gang, frantically trying to blend into the crowd.
Chloe saw it all and silently sneered: Pathetic.
...
The spacecraft travelled extremely quickly. Coupled with the urgency from the military academy, they practically raced back at top speed.
When they arrived at the gates of the academy, colorful banners and ribbons were already hung up.
Balloons of all colors were stuck to the entrance, giving a festive air.
At the sight, Chloe couldn't help commenting: "It looks just like a kindergarten arts festival."
Originally, Ren Yunying had been happily telling them about the grand history of The No. 1 Military Academy, but at Chloe's words: "..."
She was truly exasperated by them.
Ren Yunying turned and warned, "Mind your manners, all of you. If you speak like that in front of the leaders, you'll be punished when we return."
At this, Daniel protested: "But it was Chloe who said it, so if anyone is to be punished, just punish Chloe alone."
Chloe: "..."
She gripped the large knife tightly, increasingly tempted to cut off Daniel's lower half as an appetizer.
But Ren Yunying knew them all too well:
"You're all the same kind of scum, don't think I don't know."
Chloe lowered her eyes guiltily, then changed the subject:
"Instructor Ren, let's go inside, the food on the spacecraft isn't good, I'm starving."
They bickered all the way until they finally reached the military academy dining hall.
