Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lin Fu, with his arms folded, took one deliberate step after another.

When the military academy students came out, they were met with the bizarre sight of a delicate guide stepping on a large hammer.

A group of cadets looked at the guide's slender frame, unsure whether to scold or to seize him, afraid of frightening him.

Lin Fu glanced at them, collected his things into his space, and confessed with the air of a self-aware convict, "I did it."

Having said that, he swaggered through the gates, leaving a cluster of people behind to exchange bewildered glances before hurrying after him to see what was going on.

With the average lifespan of interstellar citizens being two hundred years, eighteen was merely the age of a young boy, his body and bones not yet fully developed. The inherently frail guide's body retained the softness of youth.

The military academy was in disarray as a flurry of cadets, like a pack of wolves encountering a tiny rabbit, scrambled awkwardly to avoid stepping on it, as if fearing a single misstep might crush the fragile creature.

Sentinels under the age of majority rarely had the opportunity to interact with guides outside of their immediate family.

Now, standing before me was a tall and burly sentinel, each one blushing and curious like a bride being carried in her sedan chair for the first time.

Upon the instructor's arrival, he barked, "What are you doing?! Get to sleep, all of you! Do you think you don't have training tomorrow?"

The crowd dispersed immediately, though many glanced back three steps at a time, evidently reluctant to part with Lin Fu.

When most had left, the instructor frowned at Lin Fu and said, "Instead of staying at your own school, you dare to come knocking on the doors of the military academy in the dead of night. You've got some nerve."

The boy, who was clearly just past eighteen, was naturally assumed to be a student from the neighboring Cadell Academy. With a dismissive wave, the instructor said, "Get back quickly. I'll pretend nothing happened tonight and won’t hold your school accountable."

Lin Fu, unfazed, stated his purpose: "I need to see Principal Karl."

The instructor was amused by his naïveté: "Do you think the principal is someone you can just meet whenever you want?"

Lin Fu said, "I am of the Lin family. I wish to inform Principal Karl about some matters from the past."

The instructor paused, his expression gradually turning solemn. He instructed Lin Fu to wait in the office and left the room.

A minute later, he returned and informed Lin Fu, "Principal Karl has agreed to meet you. He will arrive shortly. But I advise you to think carefully about what you intend to say. The principal is not like those youngsters who can't move at the sight of a guide."

Lin Fu wasn’t intimidated; he calmly found a chair, sat down, crossed his arms, and waited.

The instructor had never seen a guide like this before, especially one so young. He frowned deeply, and his disdain grew when he thought of Lin Fu's association with the Lin family. His warning was already more than generous, given the boy's age.

Principal Karl arrived swiftly.

He was a middle-aged man with a formidable appearance, sporting a scar as big as a thumb on his cheekbone, reminiscent of flesh torn away by a vicious bite, which made his already stern visage even more intimidating.

As the muscles on his face moved, the scar seemed to come to life, twisting grotesquely. "You may leave," he said to the instructor.

The instructor opened his mouth to protest, "Principal, he is just a boy, you..."

Karl abruptly turned his head, his gaze cutting: "Do I need your instruction?"

The instructor snapped to attention and saluted, "I overstepped my bounds!" With that, he strode out, closing the door behind him, leaving the two alone.

The room fell silent. After sending the instructor away, Karl turned his gaze back to Lin Fu, his presence overwhelming. The aura of blood and battle honed on the fields of war almost suffocated anyone in its path. He sat down behind his desk, narrowing his eyes to observe Lin Fu's reaction.

Somewhat surprised.

This young guide was not only unafraid of him, but every muscle in his body was completely relaxed, his demeanor open and unaffected.

He asked in a deep voice, "Are you that useless brat from the Lin family?"

Lin Fu: "I am Lin Fu."

Carl had no interest in playing word games with him: "You said you had something to tell me, is it evidence of your worthless uncle's desertion? Or something else? If not, you'd better scram while I'm still in a good mood and not inclined to hit you."

Lin Fu shook his head: "I have no evidence, I'm not clear about what happened back then."

A vein on Carl's forehead was visibly throbbing, a sign of impending anger. Lin Fu continued, "But I can offer you a handle against the Lin family."

Lin Fu: "Because of your discord with the Lin family, reconciliation is out of the question, which is why I dared to come to you today. I swear on my honor that everything I'm about to tell you is true."

"The reason I lack psychic power is not because I suffer from a deficiency, but because someone has been poisoning me since I was a child. Maybe even when I was still in my mother's womb. I've become the empire's laughingstock because of the Lin family, and my mother mysteriously weakened and died giving birth to me. The Lin family has been pressuring me ever since. Although I bear the Lin surname, I have long lost any affection for them."

Carl interrupted him: "Spare me the sob story. Who knows if this is just more Lin family deceit. What honor does the Lin family have that you can swear by it!?"

Despite his harsh words, the look in his eyes softened somewhat when he gazed at Lin Fu.

Unperturbed, Lin Fu knew what to heed and what to ignore in negotiations, methodically revealing his intent: "Whether you believe me or not, time will tell. My purpose in seeking you out is to join the Artemis Military Academy. I am the leverage against the Lin family."

"I can disregard the Lin family, but they cannot afford to ignore me. If the empire learns that the person discarded by the Lin family has grown stronger in the hands of their enemies, aligning with them, the Lin family will become the biggest joke in the galaxy."

Carl mocked his naivety: "Even you know that you're nothing but refuse the Lin family doesn't want. How can you talk about getting stronger? Kid, have you been knocked senseless? This is a military academy for sentinels, not the Cardell Academy next door that trains guides!"

Lin Fu: "I know. That's exactly why I came here, to the military academy, aspiring to become a soldier."

His eyes burned with a steadfast fire, not the flames of hatred but the glowing embers of eager passion, which caught Carl off guard for a moment. The refusal on the tip of his tongue slowly receded, morphing into a different answer.

Carl: "I'll give you a chance. My demand is not steep—within a month, you need to be able to pilot a mech and make it move."

Lin Fu smiled, visibly relieved, and agreed without hesitation: "Done!"

Carl glanced at him, then shouted, "Bazell, get in here!"

The door swished open, and the instructor walked in with an awkward smile: "General..."

He eavesdropped from just outside the door, cornered by fear that the general's wrath might snap the neck of the underage guide. Fortunately, the general managed to contain his fury.

Carl: "Take him down for arrangements. Assign him a training mech and you'll be responsible for teaching him."

Instructor Bazell: "?"

Carl glared: "Are you deaf!?"

Bazell: "Yes, sir!"

Lin Fu followed the instructor out, bowing deeply to the principal before leaving: "Thank you."

He straightened up after two seconds, closed the door, and left.

Carl stared blankly at the door, rubbing his bristly head, his expression twisted. It took him a while to say: "Indeed, he doesn't belong in that dump called the Lin family."

*

The instructor couldn't fathom what the principal was thinking to actually agree to let a delicate guide enter the military academy.

He led Lin Fu to an isolated dormitory area, assigning him a detached villa: "Sentinels are not allowed around here. There's an alarm system at the door, and you can send me a vidcall if anything happens. If you need anything, tell the delivery robot that comes daily, and it will bring it to you."

Lin Fu: "Alright, when do I start training tomorrow?"

Bazell's mouth twitched, realizing not only was the principal out of his mind, but this young guide was too.

"Anytime... Just message me when you're ready, and I'll take you to the mech training field."

Lin Fu nodded and turned to enter the villa.

Bazell was stressed, scrolling through his cyber-brain for a long while before deciding to warn those youngsters on the forum first, telling them to keep their sentinel instincts in check.

The villa was fully equipped with everything.

As usual, Lin Fu completed a set of exercises, sweating profusely and steaming with heat. After putting away the training equipment, he stripped off his clothes, threw them on the ground, and entered the bathroom to wash off the sweat. Pinching his arms that now felt stronger, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

Indeed, as long as he endured the training, even a guide's physique could be strengthened.

At the crack of dawn the next day, Lin Fu abruptly opened his eyes, clear and sharp. He finished washing up briskly in just over a minute and sent a message to the instructor asking for the training location.

Bazell, who was leading the sentinels in morning exercises, glanced at the message: "?"

He tossed and turned until midnight before falling asleep, and now he's awake before dawn?

The child is quite persevering.

He coordinated with his fellow teachers, assigning someone else to supervise and take Lin Fu to select a mech.

The Artemis Military Academy, nestled in the imperial capital, boasts undeniable financial strength. Although it can't compete with the Royal Military Academy, it still ranks among the top five military academies in the entire galaxy.

Towering over twenty meters high, the colossal machines sat in rows upon the grey-white square. Varicolored and humanoid, their steel limbs were half-kneeling on the ground, with hatch doors located at the heart. Once the pilot enters and links their mind, they can take control.

But it required more than just mental strength; otherwise, guides would have been able to join sentinels on the battlefield, piloting mechs to fight against the insectoids.

Piloting a mech demands a lot physically. Once linked mentally, the mech becomes an extension of the human nervous system, with every touch sensation transmitted directly to the pilot's brain. The body endures a certain degree of pressure and damage from the mech—a consequence of the mental connection that inherently bars the naturally frail guides from ever piloting mechs.

Forget about fighting in one; just making a mech move a finger could overwhelm their bodies with pressure.

Lin Fu had learned about these matters through searching the StarNet.

It was said that over a hundred years ago, a rebellious guide insisted on going to the battlefield. He was indeed formidable, not only capable of moving the mech with agility but also participating in combat training. Yet, his first trip to the battlefield ended in tragedy during a spatial jump; the mech landed intact, but the pilot inside was crushed beyond recognition.

Since then, no guide dared to attempt such a feat, nor did any parent dare to let their child dream of the battlefield.

Even after more than a hundred years of technological advancement, with mechs undergoing significant improvements, and some guides capable of piloting light mechs for mental organization behind the battle lines, those who venture into such dangers are mostly guides of civilian origin.

Lin Fu stood before the towering mech, gazing up at the cockpit, and let out a soft breath.

His goal was the combat mechs piloted by sentinels.