CR CH92

Chapter 92: Self-Criticism or Provocation

In the brief silence.

With eyes darkening, Jiang Tianji tilted his head up and leaned in, only to be stopped halfway by a hand calmly covering his mouth.

“The training curriculum does not include this.”

“It isn’t training time yet either.”

The moment Jiang Tianji leaned close, he realized something was off with his state—abnormally stimulated, energy fluctuating. It hadn’t escalated to mild mania or loss of control, but it was certainly far from normal.

Yet he only hesitated for a split second. His senses were magnified infinitely, leaving him no room for further thought.

Their bodies pressed tightly together. The scent of jasmine tinged with vapor lingered around Jiang Tianji’s nose. Curtains cloaked this pocket of thick intimacy; within the shadows, a flash of carnal desire flitted through his dark green eyes.

Slender, well-defined fingers gripped the base of the fluffy tail, his grasp decisive and forceful as he stroked upward in a slow, suggestive motion.

The gently swaying white tail went stiff. Ling Kongmiao looked down.

Whether intentional or by pure accident, the tail whipped across, delivering a heavy lash against a certain part standing proudly erect.

“Ngh…” Caught off guard, Jiang Tianji doubled over with a muffled groan.

A hand swiftly clamped onto the back of his neck with immense force.

Jiang Tianji twisted, minute sparks of electric current coursing through his arms. Breaking free from Ling Kongmiao’s grip, he whipped his arm around to sweep him off his feet.

His expression remained relatively calm; attempting to pin his superior onto the bed seemed to him like the most natural thing in the world.

Unfortunately, Jiang Tianji failed. His strength abruptly drained away, and with a stumble, he was shoved back down onto the bed by a single hand.

Beep—

The energy inhibitor collar around his neck activated, flashing a glowing red warning ring. Ling Kongmiao switched off the device, tilting his head as he looked down at him from above.

“I certainly underestimated your nerve.”

“…Hah… Captain, I…”

Jiang Tianji knelt prone on the bed, burying his face deep into the quilt. The intoxicating scent of Ling Kongmiao engulfed him entirely. Breathing heavily, he struggled to turn his head to catch a breath of fresh air.

Ling Kongmiao eased his pressure slightly, allowing him to turn onto his side.

With his vital area pressed firmly by the other’s knee, Jiang Tianji instantly went still.

“Your energy readings are abnormal, but nowhere near the point of losing your mind.”

Ling Kongmiao looked as serious as if he were reviewing official files, pinning him down with one hand while keeping his eyes on the telemetry on the floating screen.

“So once you sober up, don’t give me any of that ‘Sorry, Captain, I didn’t mean to’ nonsense.”

His breathing labored, Jiang Tianji strained to prop a hand against his shoulder, attempting to push him back.

“Captain… cough.” Jiang Tianji gritted his teeth and let out a low gasp, his voice dropping deep. “Don’t… push so hard…”

His natural voice was on the deeper side; usually when calling him ‘Captain’, he pitched his voice higher to play the innocent junior, sounding bright and docile.

Ling Kongmiao’s knee bore down tighter and tighter, completely at odds with his detached, strictly professional expression. Ignoring Jiang Tianji, his beast ears twitched.

“First, you will submit a self-criticism of no fewer than one thousand words. Second, this session’s training will be extended by twenty minutes. If you can’t endure it, the time will roll over to the next session.”

Ears burning crimson, Jiang Tianji stared at the man whose expression hadn’t shifted in the slightest, utterly speechless.

He vaguely felt that Ling Kongmiao was the real lunatic here.

Leaning down, Ling Kongmiao curved his lips in leisure: “Any objections?”

“…None.”

“Good. Then let us begin.”

Ling Kongmiao cast his gaze downward, landing precisely upon the enthusiastic ‘Little Jiang’.

“My apologies, but I’m quite a germaphobe.”

When the blue motes of light wreathed his body, Jiang Tianji hadn’t yet realized the gravity of the situation. By the time he grasped what Ling Kongmiao’s warning meant, it was already too late—a dull ache and sharp tingling assaulted his nerves.

“Wait… fuck, ah…!”

The condensed blue light pierced straight into the tip of his most sensitive region. He began thrashing violently, desperately crying out “Captain” amid the chaos.

But it was futile; before Ling Kongmiao, he was still far too green.

“Perform well and you’ll get out sooner.”

The man chuckled against his ear, his long hair brushing against the nape of his neck, ticklish and provocative.

“I mean the psychic realm.”

…

Chaotic. Utterly chaotic.

Everything felt like a dream from the very start; Jiang Tianji couldn’t tell whether it was a nightmare or a wet dream of spring.

A place untouched by anyone else was being handled and toyed with. He was like a rubber ball on the brink of bursting, its air valve forcefully clamped shut, while the one holding the ball leisurely released the pressure every now and then, the escaping hiss sounding dreadfully like helpless whimpers.

Vivid images flashed through his mind: a pair of hands Jiang Tianji had once scrutinized closely, peeling off black gloves glistening with sticky silver strands, and tossing them lightly against his face.

It didn’t hurt; rather, it was maddeningly itchy and faintly cool.

“You had best remember your place.”

The voice overhead sounded playful, dripping with hidden meaning.

“Subordinate.”

“…”

At the moment, the room was empty. Ling Kongmiao was already gone.

Jiang Tianji sat quietly on the edge of the bed questioning his life choices. Just as he was about to chalk the whole thing up to a hallucination, a strange sensation stirred in a certain area of his body.

He looked down and saw a bow neatly tied around his little brother.

“…”

Stunned for merely a second, Jiang Tianji laughed out of sheer exasperation. His heart pounded fiercely; whether it was the fury of humiliation or a bizarre thrill, he couldn’t tell. Perhaps it was both.

Just picturing how Ling Kongmiao had bent over to tie that thing on, Jiang Tianji felt as if he were losing his mind.

It was a long, pale-blue lace hairband, inside of which seemed to be tucked a neatly folded note. Taking a soft breath to steady himself, he slowly reached out and picked up the slip of paper.

—Submit a 1,000-word self-criticism tomorrow. Furthermore, take away the things you soiled.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something on the floor. Jiang Tianji turned his head and saw the bedsheet crumpled into a ball.

Click.

With an impassive face, he zipped up his trousers, bent down to scoop the bedsheet off the floor, and strode out of the dormitory.

“Xiao Tian?”

Who would have guessed that the moment he stepped outside, he ran into Eileen, who was heading back to her quarters.

Standing at her own doorway, her sour expression softened noticeably upon seeing Jiang Tianji, though her hesitant gaze dropped to the bedsheet clutched in his hands.

“What’s this?”

“Nothing.” Jiang Tianji smiled, casually nudging the bundle behind his back. “Spilled some water by accident, just cleaning it up.”

Eileen’s door was slightly ajar. Jiang Tianji’s sharp eyes caught the absolute wreckage inside. Remembering the abruptly terminated call, he formed a vague guess.

“Sister Eileen, need any help?”

“Oh, no need. Someone will be here to take care of it shortly.”

Speaking of which, Eileen flared up with irritation. Ling Kongmiao was cunning as a fox; predicting what she’d do in her rage, he had actually used master override permissions to sneak into her dorm and hide.

“Go on about your business.” Eileen rubbed her temples, letting out a cold sneer. “Just remember to give me a heads-up if you see Ling Kongmiao.”

“Understood.”

Seeing the blue veins bulging on the hand gripping her communicator, Jiang Tianji quietly took a detour toward the elevator on the other side.

The door to the main lounge was partially open, with people bustling back and forth along the hallway.

As the chatter exceeded permissible noise levels, an AI sprite hovering midair issued an alert:

“Please mind your volume.”

The crowd lowered their voices immediately. Someone looked up in wonder:

“Since when did Special Support get a new sprite model?” he whispered. “Who put those bunny ears on it? Looks pretty cute.”

“That’s Technician Jiang’s personal sprite. Must be here for a handover.”

“Right, I saw him in the Special Support building earlier. Probably looking for Captain Ling.”

“Hey, hey, I wasn’t finished yet…”

“Go on, I’m listening.”

“It’s about that new unlucky bastard—something-Huo, the one who fell onto thorns and got pricked in the ass.”

“Feng Huo, right? I see him all the time in the training room next to mine. What about him?”

“You wouldn’t believe it, but his form has been incredible lately. His combat performance is stellar. Captain Jiang is already keeping an eye on him. I bet the second squad reserves—oh, good day, Sir.”

“Sir.”

“Mm.”

The whispers were drowned out by approaching footsteps. Ye walked into the main lounge, greetings echoing along his path.

Sitting at a desk, Jiang Tianji turned at the sound and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.

Ye took off his coat and hung it casually on the rack. His sharp vision immediately caught two large characters written across the blank white sheet of paper:

—Self-Criticism.

Several floating mini-screens hovered before Jiang Tianji. Holding his pen, he hadn’t made a move in ages. Sensing he seemed somewhat distracted, Ye rarely took the initiative to ask:

“A self-criticism? The Captain made you write it?”

Jiang Tianji nodded. “Yeah.”

Jiang Tianji’s capabilities were plain for all to see, and Ye quite appreciated his performance. Stepping closer to see how it was going, Ye looked down and saw a brief opening line:

I am sorry. I should not have harassed my superior without cause.

“…”

Ye paused for a moment. Seeing that Jiang Tianji had no intention of covering it up, he didn’t react for a second.

The atmosphere turned bizarre.

Yet, as if oblivious to the person standing beside him, Jiang Tianji composedly penned the second sentence:

—Nor should I have spilled male reproductive cells onto your bedsheet.