Chapter 53: The Night Before the Assessment

Closing the system panel, Yun Ruoxi shut her eyes.

The Treatment Fluid gently cradled her body, comforting her like the amniotic fluid of a mother’s womb.

She rested well for several hours, only pressing the “End Treatment” button after the throbbing pain in her head subsided.

Click.

The glass hatch of the pod opened in response, and Yun Ruoxi propped herself up.

Her sky-blue hair clung wetly to both sides of her cheeks, Treatment Fluid dripping from the strands’ ends.

Her Student Uniform was completely soaked through, outlining the slender contours of the girl’s figure.

However, this special fluid evaporated quickly, dissipating into the flowing air within just a few steps.

Yun Ruoxi stepped out of the treatment room and glanced out the window.

Though the sky was bright, it was undoubtedly the middle of the night; the hallways of the Trainee Zone were deserted.

She hurried back to the dormitory, where it was pitch black inside, the curtains blocking out all light.

Familiar with the layout, she groped her way through the dark to take a shower, then climbed into her bed.

No sooner had she sat down than a faint voice called out from the bed opposite, “Blue Hair, why are you back so late again?”

Yun Ruoxi had two nicknames in the war camp.

Those close to her called her “Xiao Xi,” while acquaintances simply referred to her as “Blue Hair.”

Though they had been roommates for six months, Yun Ruoxi’s relationship with her roommate was never good.

Partly because the other girl was extreme—jealous, unable to tolerate others’ success, and possessing a strong desire for control.

Yun Ruoxi could see the jealousy in her eyes—envy of her talent and appearance.

On the other hand, Yun Ruoxi had deliberately distanced herself.

The war camp had trained countless cohorts of trainees and already established a complete set of rules.

So not changing roommates for six months was unusual in a camp that deliberately maintained trainee relationships.

If Yun Ruoxi hadn’t read the script, she might have been fooled, but having read it, she certainly wouldn’t fall for this again.

“I got a bit injured during training and lay down in the treatment pod for a while. Took some extra time,” Yun Ruoxi replied with practiced half-truths.

Her roommate, a petite girl numbered 319, didn’t seem satisfied and wanted to probe further.

But with a “psst,” Yun Ruoxi had already pressed the Fast Sleep Spray.

“I’m tired. Going to sleep now.”

The petite girl fell silent, but after a while, seeing Yun Ruoxi’s breathing deepen and steady, no longer faking, she suddenly threw off her blanket and quietly climbed down the bed.

What?

Then she stepped onto the railing, climbed onto Yun Ruoxi’s bed, and straddled the Blue Hair girl.

In the darkness.

She gazed quietly at Yun Ruoxi’s peaceful sleeping face.

Jealousy, anger, obsession… all kinds of unsettling emotions flickered across her expression.

319 reached out to gently stroke Yun Ruoxi’s face, prying open her eyelids to scrutinize her vacant pupils for a long moment, as if trying to see something hidden within.

Then she lightly gripped Yun Ruoxi’s neck, as if comparing whether it fit her hand.

This torment lasted a full half hour.

Only then was 319 satisfied enough to crawl back to her own bed, using the Fast Sleep Spray to fall into a deep sleep.

“Whoosh whoosh…”

The dormitory fell utterly silent, leaving only the sound of steady breathing.

At that moment.

Yun Ruoxi silently opened her eyes in the dark and sighed without a sound.

“Every night it’s the same ordeal… I’m really fed up!!”

Honestly, even if she had known the script beforehand, if the war camp had assigned her a gentle roommate like Aili, she wouldn’t have deliberately distanced herself for six whole months.

But unfortunately, among thousands of girls, the camp paired her with a roommate worthy of starring in a horror movie.

God only knows how frightening it was that night when Yun Ruoxi pretended to be asleep while secretly browsing the alternate dimension forum on her system panel, suddenly hearing someone climb onto her bed and pry open her eyes.

It was terrifying—extremely terrifying.

If Yun Ruoxi hadn’t mastered ultimate acting skills by then, she’d have been exposed immediately.

“Just eight more days, then it’s all over.”

Yun Ruoxi closed her eyes.

This time, she truly fell asleep.

***

The following days.

The atmosphere in the war camp grew increasingly tense.

Instructors’ scoldings grew harsher, and training intensity escalated to near-cruel levels—

The entire camp entered a sprint similar to an exam week.

Even the dullest trainees could feel it now.

The annual assessment—the trial that would decide their lives and deaths—was drawing closer with every step.

Trainees numbered beyond five thousand nearly lost their minds during these final days.

If it weren’t for the camp’s mandatory lights-out rule, Yun Ruoxi suspected they might train 24 hours straight, relying only on the treatment pods and physiotherapy devices to barely maintain bodily functions.

Even Aili was no exception.

Previously, during free time, she almost clung to Yun Ruoxi like a koala, but now her visits had visibly decreased.

Yet every time their eyes met, Aili would flash a bright, determined smile.

As if telling Yun Ruoxi, “Don’t worry.”

How could Yun Ruoxi not worry?

The annual assessment hinged on combat strength, mental resilience, and willpower.

Aili was nearly failing all three—destined to fail unless Yun Ruoxi intervened.

One day, two days, three days…

Time did not pause for anyone’s will.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and finally, it was the night before the assessment.

That day, training intensity remained high, but most trainees gave up extra practice.

They chose to spend the last night gathering with friends.

Although camp management was strict, it couldn’t stop these eleven- and twelve-year-olds from forging deep bonds through shared experiences.

The lights that night were dimmer than usual.

In the hallways, on the training grounds, groups of two or three could be seen chatting and laughing.

Yun Ruoxi even spotted a few people around 0001.

They reminisced about the past twelve months, tacitly avoiding talk of the future or their lives before the camp.

Because the future did not belong to them.

And their past had long since been severed by the camp.

Yun Ruoxi had already agreed with Aili beforehand.

After dinner, she went straight to Aili’s dorm.

With a number around 6100, Aili lived in a twelve-person room, its simple conditions only sufficient for basic sleep.

Yet the atmosphere inside was harmonious; the girls greeted each other with smiles.

Still, this warm scene weighed heavily on Yun Ruoxi’s heart.

She pushed open the bathroom door to find the blonde girl staring vacantly at the fogged-up mirror.

The steam blurred the glass, reflecting a small face filled with unease and fear.

Hearing the familiar footsteps, the face immediately blossomed into a smile and turned to look.

“Sister… you’re here.”

“I promised you I would come.”

Yun Ruoxi pulled out a Wooden Comb from her pocket—at the start of the third month, the Supplies Depot opened a redemption system where points could be exchanged for daily necessities and entertainment items.

However, there weren’t many things available to redeem.

Over seven months, Yun Ruoxi had only exchanged for this Wooden Comb, worth ten points.