Nano Machine Chapter 33: Eye for Eye, Tooth for Tooth (A)

"Ha ah… ha ah… darn it!"

*Ta tak!*

After the training instructor used a field blood transfusion kit on Cheon Moo Geum who was huffing and puffing like an angry child, he picked him up on his shoulders. After muttering to himself, "I should take him to the dispensary," he began to head for the academy's main building.

"Wait, training instructor sir!"

Cheon Yeo Woon called out to the training instructor as he rushed Cheon Moo Geum out, but it unfortunately fell on deaf ears.

Despite the fact Ja Hyeon was also injured and needed medical attention, the train instructor was too busy treating Cheon Moo Geum that he had completely missed Ja Hyeon who was right next to him on the floor, bleeding on the head.

After considering whether to send his underling, Cadet Number Twenty Three Heo Bong after him, something in him told him he should do it himself. So he picked Ja Hyeon up and headed out the door.

"Where did they go?"

The fleet-footed training instructor had already made his way all the way up to the main building's lawn.

Subsequently, Cheon Yeo Woon began to air travel towards the building in the hopes of catching up to him.

As soon as he caught up and was running side by side with the training instructor, the training instructor slowly looked over at Cheon Yeo Woon with an expression on his face that said, "I was waiting for you to show up."

Thinking the situation a bit strange, Cheon Yeo Woon asked the training instructor in curiosity.

"Training instructor sir, his injuries aren't as severe as Cadet Number Four's, but Cadet Number Eighty also sustained intensive trauma to his head."

"I'm aware."

"Excuse me?"

"I knew one of you would either drag or carry him over to the dispensary behind me."

According to the training instructor's words, he had intentionally left Cadet Number Eighty behind.

After chewing on what the training instructor said for a few seconds, Cheon Yeo Woon asked him another question.

"So you left him there on purpose?"

"At least you're not stupid."

"For what reason, sir?"

"Reason? There's not much of a reason. Anyway, it seemed like everyone in your group were hanging their heads down as though everything was done for just because your group leader was compromised. But, I guess what happened to the guy you're carrying is a tragedy."

It almost sounded like the training instructor had intentionally called Cheon Yeo Woon out to reassure his group that what happened wasn't a big deal. However, it was still all too strange for Cheon Yeo Woon.

"That's all I wanted to tell you. Hand him over to me."

He then swooped up the unconscious cadet, Ja Hyeon, onto his shoulder and told Cheon Yeo Woon to go back to the dormitory.

"You know that cadets are restricted from being out of their dormitory rooms at night, right?"

"…. I'm aware, sir."

As Cheon Yeo Woon turned around to make his way back to the dormitory, he heard the training instructor utter something to himself.

"If you don't have teeth, you'd better get used to using your gums."

After saying that, he readjusted the weight of the two cadets on his shoulders and continued on his way to the main building.

Having this weird feeling the whole time like the training instructor was saying all those things intentionally for Cheon Yeo Woon to hear, he contemplatively made his way back to the dormitory but not without a major headache.

Right before he walked into his dorm room as he continued to ruminate on his whole interaction with the training instructor, the thought hit him like a ton of bricks.

-When he said that the cadets in our group seemed to be dejected just because our group leader was injured and acted like it wasn't a big deal, he was trying to imply that this whole thing probably happened to all the groups!-

Cheon Yeo Woon figured out what the training instructor meant by his enigmatic words.

Unlike Cheon Moo Geum, who had heard from Eum Ma clan's Grand Prince candidate Cheon Won Ryeo about the ambushes that were taking place in the academy in light of the second round test, Cheon Yeo Woon was completely oblivious to everything that was going on in the academy.

But, being the nimble-witted survivor that he is, he was able to put the few pieces that he had together and figure out the puzzle.

-That fact that they sought to incapacitate the group leader who holds the most important role in executing the formations means that whoever the attackers were, they are trying to get an unfair advantage over their opponents for tomorrow's test.-

As soon as he was able to connect those dots, Cheon Yeo Woon naturally was able to find other puzzle pieces to the bigger picture.

-Was this the original intent in making the brackets into groups of four?-

Ultimately, it was the host of Ma Fighting Academy who had instigated such an upheaval in the academy so as to stimulate a contest between the groups which wasn't based on fairness, but on scheming and trickery.

-I knew there was more. The nature of the test was too simple.-

This wasn't Jeong faction's noble institute, the Jeong Training School— no, this was the Ma faction where survival-of-the-fittest is a way of life and everything revolved around Machiavellianism. It sounded too uncharacteristic of the faction's principles when they rambled on about cooperation, teamwork and whatnot. Of course, there were other conspiracies at play.

Finally coming to terms with this reality, Cheon Yeo Woon's eyes filled with a look of tenacity.

-You want us to behave like Maians (people of the Ma faction), huh? Well good. I guess I don't have to abide by the rules anymore either.-

Cheon Yeo Woon walked into his room with a deadpan expression on his face— he had a few tricks of his own up his sleeves.

Just as the training instructor on night patrol had mentioned, inside all the cadets in Group Eight were sulking around as though all was lost.

Annoyed by the despondent scene, Cheon Yeo Woon threw a sharp rebuke at them.

"How long are you going to wallow in self-pity over what happened to the group leader?"

"Who, who says we're wallowing in self-pity?"

Thrown off by his question, one of the cadets who were loyal to Cheon Yeo Woon stumbled for words.

Then Cheon Yeo Woon began to look around at the cadets and retorted.

"Are you trying to tell me that you guys aren't wallowing in self-pity when you're all just sitting around with your head down when, instead, you should be putting your heads together to pick out a new leader and start planning new strategies for tomorrow's test?"

No one was able to refute Cheon Yeo Woon's rebuttal this time as the room fell silent— he was absolutely right.

They all looked disappointed at themselves for being so dejected over their loss of hope in light of what happened.

Suddenly, one of the cadets carefully raised his voice.

"Who could possibly be the replacement group leader?"

Although all the cadets were familiar with the fighting techniques, battle tactics and formations learned in the academy, only the group leaders received the supplemental training needed in order to command and lead their respective groups.

To be a group leader meant one needed to carry the burden of pulling the whole group through the next round— to fail would invite the eternal resentment of many people.

Besides the group leader, Cheon Moo Geum and his right-hand man, Ja Hyeon, all the rest of the eighteen cadets in Group Eight belonged to lesser, insignificant clans within the faction.

As a result, there was no one left in the group who was ballsy and competent enough to bear the immense pressure of being the next group leader.

But suddenly, Cadet Number Twenty Three Heo Bong stood up and addressed the crowd.

"Why do you all believe there isn't anyone fit enough to be a group leader amongst us? Did you forget about my master, Gongja Cheon Yeo Woon?

At Heo Bong's suggestion, everyone's face began to take up a look of intrigue.

Initially, the cadets believed that there was no one else who possessed the same leadership level as Cheon Moo Geum.

However, seeing how assertive and commanding Cheon Yeo Woon's charisma was in the moment, they all began to wonder the possibility of him replacing Cheon Moo Geum's place.

While everyone fell silent in deep contemplation, one of the cadets suddenly raised his hand.

"Cadet Number Thirty Eight, Lee Chan, gives his consent to the proposed recommendation."

"I, I consent too!"

And that began a domino of consensus.

As one cadet and then another raised their hands in consent, group psychology kicked in and within seconds a majority of the group had consented to have Cheon Yeo Woon replace Cheon Moo Geum as the group leader.

Caught up in the group fervor, even the six cadets who were staunch followers of Cheon Moo Geum reluctantly consented to the proposal.

"So does everyone accord with me being the group leader?"

After all the cadets in the room acknowledged the proposal, Cheon Yeo Woon began to lay out the well thought-out game plan he's visualized while on the field during formation training.

One by one, the gaze of the listeners became perkier as Cheon Yeo Woon laid out each detail of his strategy.

Accordingly, late into the night the cadets in Group Eight rallied around Cheon Yeo Woon to plan and strategize for the second round test that would commence the following morning.

* * * * * * * *

It was around midnight when everyone was fast asleep…

Someone from Group Eight's dormitory room quietly snuck out and was tiptoeing through the dark halls of the dormitory first floor.

The night-crawler prowling through the silent hallway had a black cloth mask covering his face.

-Nano, turn on night vision.-

[Implementing night vision mode on user's eyesight]

The masked man lurking about in the dark was none other than Cheon Yeo Woon.

As soon as night vision was implemented, the pitch-black dark hallway lit up like day as Cheon Yeo Woon was able to see everything clearly.

What was he up to? Why was he discreetly prowling around the dormitory in the dead of night?

-Hoo woo..-

Suddenly Cheon Yeo Woon's near silent footsteps came to a halt at the entrance of another group's dorm room.

It was the dorm room of Group Seven.

Right on top of the room door was a rectangular glass window that was open, which allowed Cheon Yeo Woon to peep into the room. After pulling himself up to the window, he seemed to ask a familiar question as he peered inside.

-How about now? Is there anyone who's still not asleep yet?-

[Initiating full scan of the room]

A white vertical line formed on the left side of both Cheon Yeo Woon's wide open eyes which slowly ran across to the right side.

[All the cadets in the room are in stage four of non-REM deep sleep]

As soon as Nano's voice rang in his head, Cheon Yeo Woon slowly opened the door and quietly tip-toed inside.

-That took forever.-

Cheon Yeo Woon was up all night, periodically visiting each of the rooms in the dormitory to see if the other cadets were asleep or not.

Although the whole dormitory was dark as pitch, night vision mode allowed him to see identify each cadet's face with clarity.

-Nano, is Cheon Moo Geum's attacker in this room?-

Cheon Yeo Woon asked Nano knowing that everything he ever looks at becomes instantly saved into the Nano machine's hard-drive.

[After scanning through all twenty non-users in the room using the physical frame of the masked-man, no match was found]