Why Do All the Villains Look at Me Like This? - Chapter 87

“Bang!”

Another punch slammed into the classroom door, leaving a deep dent in the bulletproof glass.

Shen Zekai wasn’t a sore loser, but he couldn’t accept that all his carefully laid plans had merely served as a stepping stone for Yao Huai.

Just minutes earlier, he had naively believed he had won…

What could he do now? Charge in and let the beast within him tear into Yao Huai?

Pointless. Such a choice would put him at a severe disadvantage. Against Yao Huai’s Main Body, his martial prowess wasn’t an absolute advantage, and mindless brawling wouldn’t sway Meng Xuexiao even slightly toward his side.

Even Shen Zekai had to admit he was truly trapped in a corner.

Just then, his communicator suddenly vibrated.

Already agitated, the buzzing only intensified his frustration. He pulled out the device, ready to hang up immediately, but his eyes inadvertently glanced at the caller’s name.

As the student representative, Shen Zekai knew the communication numbers of all students at the academy, but he had never once dialed any of them. Even if he did, the other party would never answer.

But this time, the call came from the other end.

Shen Zekai stared at the name for a moment before finally pressing the answer button.

“What do you want, Wu Zian?”

Shen Zekai and Wu Zian had always been bitter rivals, and their subordinates clashed just as fiercely.

However, in recent times, Shen Zekai had been burying himself in grueling, self-punishing training, while Wu Zian had been stationed at the Military Department, groomed as the Marshal’s successor. The two had barely crossed paths.

With fewer conflicts and less interaction, and both having matured, their interactions had lost their former sharpness, now resembling those of strangers.

By now, Wu Zian could face Shen Zekai with composure, handling matters strictly by the book, truly embodying the demeanor of a future Federal Marshal.

“Have you heard about the tremors affecting the God statues?”

Shen Zekai had already heard similar remarks from Colonel Shen, so he quickly lost patience after hearing only a few words.

“If that’s all you wanted to say—”

Unexpectedly, Wu Zian shifted his tone. “Then can you tell me why someone with a face identical to the statue’s appeared at the Military Academy?”

With a “ding”, a photo was transmitted to Shen Zekai’s communicator. It showed the profile of a silver-haired man with a sharply defined jawline, his posture enviably upright even as he sat in a wheelchair.

Shen Zekai’s gaze flicked briefly over the man’s impressive physique before settling on the young man behind him, whose face was mostly obscured, leaving only a small portion visible.

Almond-shaped eyes, as round and soft as a cat’s.

It was Meng Xuexiao.

It seemed Wu Zian, like Shen Zekai, had also learned of Meng Xuexiao’s return.

Shen Zekai’s lips curled into a faint smile, his expression unreadable. “I thought you’d ask about Meng Xuexiao first. Didn’t you violate academy regulations so severely for him, sending half the students to the hospital?”

It had been a very long time since that incident, so long that many had forgotten what Wu Zian was really like. In the eyes of the public, Wu Zian was now seen as the Marshal’s heir, destined for limitless glory.

He was considered steady, reliable, and as if he had washed his hands of his past.

Wu Zian on the other end of the line remained silent for a long moment, offering no response.

Shen Zekai chuckled, finding this silence advantageous. His mood lifted slightly, and he decided to reveal the truth.

“Since we were classmates, I’ll be straight with you: that silver-haired man is the God depicted in the statue.”

The silence stretched again before Wu Zian finally spoke, “What’s the situation at the Military Academy?”

Shen Zekai’s smile widened, but his voice took on a somber tone. “Not good. He barged straight into a classroom, terrifying the students. Even the teachers couldn’t control him.”

“You should have seen it. Professor Xu, who’s getting on in years and was once a legend before retiring, was completely outmatched.”

These words were somewhat exaggerated.

The Federation Military Academy and the Federal Military Department were inherently closely linked. If the Academy faced a crisis, the Department would be the first to provide assistance. Moreover, Shen Zekai had just revealed to Wu Zian that the enemy’s strength was formidable, so the reinforcements sent by the Department would undoubtedly be formidable as well.

Sure enough, Wu Zian replied, “I’m already on a shuttle. I’ll arrive within two hours.”

He paused, “Until then, don’t make any rash moves. Every action you take affects the interests of both the Federal Military Department and the Academy.”

Shen Zekai couldn’t help but scoff, Such bureaucratic arrogance.

A dark glint flashed in his eyes, “Don’t worry, I’m not that foolish.”

He had no advantage facing Yao Huai alone. But what about with two allies?

For Shen Zekai in his current state, Wu Zian was a better temporary partner than Raven. After all, Wu Zian hadn’t yet broken through to 2S-Class and remained unaware that Shen Zekai was also a fragment of the Main Body.

As the class ended, Meng Xuexiao followed the flow of students out of the classroom, his gaze instinctively drifting to the spot where Shen Zekai had been sitting earlier.

He had heard the loud bang of the door slamming shut and couldn’t help but worry if something had happened. But when he finally emerged, the seat was already empty, as if no one had ever been there.

Shen Zekai was the person Meng Xuexiao trusted most at the Alliance Military Academy, having helped him countless times in the past. Now, his sudden disappearance—especially within the Federation Military Academy—made it impossible for Meng Xuexiao not to feel anxious.

“Shen Zekai probably had some urgent business and left in a hurry,” a man’s voice echoed in Meng Xuexiao’s ear. He turned his head sharply, his nose nearly brushing against the man’s cheek.

“Is that really what happened?” Meng Xuexiao asked, his tone skeptical.

The man nodded firmly, “You don’t need to worry about him. He’s a 2S-Class now. No one in the entire Alliance Military Academy can match him.”

Meng Xuexiao stared at him, speechless.

That sounds… highly improbable.

Moreover, the man and Shen Zekai had clearly been at odds before. For them to have suddenly reconciled to this extent after Shen Zekai’s “heart-to-heart” seemed utterly unrealistic.

The man seemed to sense Meng Xuexiao’s disbelief and chuckled softly, “Have I ever lied to you?”

Indeed… he hadn’t.

Even Meng Xuexiao had to admit this.

From the moment they met until now, the man had consistently kept his promises, whether it was returning Meng Xuexiao to the Federation Military Academy or anything else.

Even in class, despite clearly disliking the noisy students and the droning teacher, he hadn’t resorted to violence. Instead, he followed the classroom rules, dutifully answering the teacher’s questions when called upon.

Even when he couldn’t answer, he simply turned to Meng Xuexiao for help.

Frankly, such behavior was more typical of a grade-schooler.

Which of these high-threat-level overlords wasn’t utterly unrestrained? Even if they encountered a mild-tempered one, the Alliance Military Academy would have been blown up two or three times by now.

Yet Yao Huai remained still, appearing so… harmless?

Meng Xuexiao couldn’t help but wonder if he had misunderstood the man all along. Though his demeanor was cold, perhaps he harbored no ill intentions.

“Are you going to look for him?” the man asked again, as if a straightforward person had to make another concession. “I just saw Shen Zekai heading in that direction. I can take you there.”

“If you need me to.”

These words struck Meng Xuexiao’s heart like evidence of his distrust.

The young man’s guilt swelled unconsciously, magnified countless times.

“Uh… no, that’s not necessary,” Meng Xuexiao said awkwardly, twisting the hem of his shirt. “I… I trust you.”

In the blind spot where the young man couldn’t see, the silver-haired man’s lips curled upward for a moment before vanishing, replaced by that childish, teasing gaze. “Are you sure you don’t want to check on him?”

His counter-question only strengthened Meng Xuexiao’s resolve, “I’m really sure.”

The young man’s voice softened, becoming much quieter, like a lover’s whisper. Even the distance between them seemed to shrink.

“You’re right. With Shen Zekai’s strength, he couldn’t possibly be in any danger.”

After speaking, Meng Xuexiao paused, as if realizing he had said something wrong again.

Meng Xuexiao had already been leaning toward Shen Zekai and doubting Yao Huai. Now, hearing him praise Shen Zekai, wouldn’t Yao Huai feel even more uncomfortable?

How had he not considered this before?

“Don’t worry about him,” Meng Xuexiao said, instinctively tugging at Yao Huai’s sleeve. “There’s another Mecha piloting class later. Let’s… go together.”

Yao Huai glanced at Meng Xuexiao’s outstretched hand, then enveloped it with his own, stroking it carefully as if savoring a newly captured prey. “Alright.”

Then, his gaze shifted, piercing into a dark corner.

Shen Zekai stood there, temporarily choosing to avoid Yao Huai’s sharp edge, his fists clenched tight.

Yao Huai swept him with a dismissive glance, his eyes utterly indifferent, as if he had never even registered Shen Zekai’s presence.

Shen Zekai lowered his head, refusing to meet Yao Huai’s gaze, but the hand gripping his communicator pressed down with such force that a deep indentation formed on the hard electronic screen—a perfect fingerprint.

Shen Zekai: [Wu Zian, where are you right now?]