Chapter 23
Chapter 23: You Dare Kick Me, I Dare Hit You—Mutual Damage, Who’s Afraid?
Chong Ming hadn’t expected her to be that strong—or that fast. He was dragged in front of her before he could blink.
But he reacted instantly.
In a twist, he broke her grip and stepped away, leaving her exposed to the pounce. “No, Cadet Jiang Tea Tea. The mutant tiger likes you more.”
Jiang Tea Tea tried to shove him back in front of her again, but there wasn’t time. The tiger was already dropping.
In the split second before impact, she arched backward, spine bending like a reed, waist nearly parallel to the ground.
The tiger missed her by inches and crashed past, slamming into the space behind her.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three shots. The mutant tiger’s head burst open. Blood sprayed across the stone.
Jiang Tea Tea planted one hand on the ground, flipped upright, and kicked at Chong Ming.
Chong Ming shifted aside with effortless grace, his coat hem lifting. “Good reflexes,” he said. “What ability did you awaken?”
Her kick cut only air.
Jiang Tea Tea steadied herself and glared at him. “No matter how good my reflexes are, they’re nothing compared to you and your sneak attacks, Your Highness.”
As an everything-eating tree demon, she hadn’t even decided whether she wanted to eat this Gleaming Big Golden Dragon—and he was already testing her.
Fine.
Very fine.
Chong Ming’s breathing hadn’t even changed. His tone was shamelessly reasonable. “I pushed you to help you dodge a mutant tiger. How is that a sneak attack?”
Jiang Tea Tea let out a cold laugh. “You’re very good at twisting words. Do your subordinates know?”
Chong Ming turned his head smoothly and addressed his escort guards, almost casual. “Adjutant Ai. Major Ma. Do you think I twist words?”
Adjutant Ai and Major Ma—better known as Da Ma Zi—answered in perfect unison, faces solemn. “Does Your Highness twist words? No. We don’t know anything about that.”
They were absolutely certain of one thing: this pure human female with no abilities had the nerve to challenge Your Highness to his face.
She was brave. She was cool. She was… terrifyingly A.
If the situation weren’t a battlefield, they would’ve cheered.
Jiang Tea Tea laughed, genuinely amused. “So it’s three against one now? Testing me by bullying the few with the many?”
Chong Ming blinked, golden eyes calm. “Testing you? Cadet Jiang Tea Tea, what guilty thing did you do that makes you think—”
He didn’t finish.
Jiang Tea Tea kicked again.
Not at him.
At his guards.
Her foot lashed out with startling speed. Adjutant Ai and Major Ma both took solid hits and stumbled forward, weapons jostling. Their protective half-circle collapsed.
In an instant, Chong Ming and Jiang Tea Tea were exposed—tea king hornets above, Level 7 mutant rats below, mutant beasts lunging from the sides.
Chong Ming stared at her. “On a battlefield, injuring yourself to injure the enemy is a very unprofitable trade.”
Jiang Tea Tea’s smile turned sharp. “When the gap in power is huge, mutual damage still counts as a win. And besides—if you push me first, don’t blame me for not being polite.”
Chong Ming looked at her the way someone looks at a cat with claws out. His eyes gleamed with interest. “If I apologize now, is it still in time?”
“Too late,” Jiang Tea Tea said. “I’m petty.”
A mutant cheetah lunged at her.
She twisted aside and deliberately led it toward Chong Ming. The beast missed her and slammed toward him, roaring.
Chong Ming didn’t even flinch. He spun and kicked.
The massive cheetah flew back as if it weighed nothing, hurtling toward Jiang Tea Tea. She stepped aside, and the cheetah crashed into the ground where she’d been—crushing three Level 7 mutant rats under its body.
Somewhere in the chaos, a cadet screamed, half in awe. “Your Highness is so handsome!”
Then it spread like wildfire.
“His legs are longer than my life!”
“I want Your Highness to kick me too!”
“That kick killed a mutant cheetah and three Level 7 mutant rats—ahhh!”
Jiang Tea Tea swept her eyes over the shouting cadets. They stared at Chong Ming with feverish devotion, faces glowing, completely blinded by what he wanted them to see.
She couldn’t help it. She smiled.
This Big Golden Dragon was wicked. These kids didn’t know the first thing about what lurked underneath.
Then, from the far side of the battlefield, a frantic cry rose above everything else.
“Woof—woof! Sister Tea, help! Sister Tea!”
Jiang Tea Tea stomped a mutant rat into paste, pivoted, and looked.
Huang Da Zhuang—who had tried to challenge a mutant tiger like an idiot—had been bitten in the leg. He was half-transformed, dog body with a human head, howling in terror as the tiger dragged him.
“Annoying,” Jiang Tea Tea muttered, and sprinted.
Adjutant Ai lifted his gun, aiming for the tiger’s head to cover her—
And Chong Ming pressed a hand down on the barrel, stopping him.
Adjutant Ai stared at him in disbelief. “Your Highness—”
Chong Ming’s lips curved. “Someone who can knock you over with a single kick isn’t going to lose to a Level 5 mutant tiger. You aren’t her match either.”
He didn’t even look away from the fight. “After we return today, double your training. So you won’t look so pathetic the next time she kicks you.”
Adjutant Ai and Major Ma nearly choked.
Double training already killed people. Double again and they’d be corpses.
Jiang Tea Tea cut through the swarm, stomping mutant rats as she ran. She reached Huang Da Zhuang just as she lifted her leg to kick the tiger off him.
Thunder cracked.
A bolt of lightning dropped from the sky and slammed into the mutant tiger’s back.
The tiger convulsed. Its fur ignited. Its jaws loosened, and it collapsed with a pained whine.
Jiang Tea Tea seized the moment and yanked Huang Da Zhuang up. He shifted back into human form, limping hard.
She turned, eyes narrowing at the approaching figure in a blood-smeared combat uniform.
Sui Xuan Chu.
“Two-S-rank lightning element,” Jiang Tea Tea said. “That bolt was yours?”
“It was,” Sui Xuan Chu replied. He looked her up and down, amused. “Didn’t see it coming, roommate. You’ve been hiding your claws, and you even dared to go up against Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming.”
Jiang Tea Tea’s mouth twisted. “He started it. I fought back because I had to. Isn’t he sick?”
Sui Xuan Chu laughed. “Officials are all sick. You’ll get used to it.”
“I won’t,” Jiang Tea Tea said. “I want payback.”
Sui Xuan Chu’s eyes lit up. “You want to fight him again?”
“So he’s allowed to nearly get me bitten by a mutant tiger,” Jiang Tea Tea said, “but I’m not allowed to hit him?”
Sui Xuan Chu’s gaze flicked to Huang Da Zhuang. He pointed. “We use him as bait. You and I work inside and out. We beat up Chong Ming.”
Huang Da Zhuang went blank. “…”
Jiang Tea Tea stared at Sui Xuan Chu. “Do you have a grudge?”
“No grudge.” Sui Xuan Chu grinned like a villain. “It’s just business. He once said that no matter when or where, if a cadet can get close enough to kick him once, the Imperial Top Thirty Elite Legions are open.”
“That kind of temptation doesn’t come twice,” he said. “As a cadet, how can you not be tempted?”
Jiang Tea Tea didn’t look tempted. She looked offended. “He’s arrogant.”
Sui Xuan Chu corrected her easily. “He’s not arrogant. He has the power to back it up. Otherwise he wouldn’t be Commander-in-Chief, and he wouldn’t be able to intimidate the surrounding planets.”
“If he gave the order, his guards could clear this entire invasion in minutes,” he continued. “The fact he hasn’t means he’s using this as a test—of the academy and of us.”
Jiang Tea Tea let out a low whistle. “Roommate, your brain really works. He’s sitting back and watching the tigers fight.”
Sui Xuan Chu spread his hands like the conclusion was obvious. “So. Roommate. Are you coming with me to beat him up?”
Jiang Tea Tea’s smile turned cold and pleased. “Beat him.”