Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Milton's words were merciless, stripping the Royal Military Academy of its dignity and grinding it underfoot.

Yet, her words resonated with many.

Because the Royal Military Academy's luck was so astoundingly good, it bordered on unbelievable.

Despite being the least powerful among the top five military academies, teetering on the brink of exclusion, many lesser-known military schools on secondary planets possessed strength enough to catch up with, or even surpass, the Royal Military Academy.

This was despite the Royal Military Academy having access to the same caliber of exceptional recruits as the other four top schools. Should they lose this advantage, they might well have been relegated by other prestigious academies.

However, this weak school had astonishingly surpassed the universally acknowledged top military academies, even outperforming the combined achievements of two such institutions.

The comments section was ablaze with passion as the unexpected battle redirected their attention.

"Exactly!! Milton Su hit the nail on the head. What kind of insane luck must they have had to secure two energy cores?"

"After getting rolled by Saint Mountain Academy and Mencalton Military School, they only managed to find one energy core, and that too after months of joint effort."

"How come neither Artemis Military Academy nor Hui Lion Institute had a whiff of this dog's luck?"

This was merely what the audience knew since the broadcast began.

No one was aware that not only were the two top schools devoid of any luck, but their misfortune was so extreme that they nearly faced complete annihilation.

Of course, these details wouldn't be deliberately revealed, and the general populace would remain forever in the dark.

But the current scene, where the strong are humbled and the weak ride on luck to victory, was enough to irk anyone.

They loved Milton Su's venomous, merciless ferocity.

On the battlefield, only strength should dictate one's confidence.

The leader of the Royal Military Academy was named Deng Ke, a relative by marriage to the royal family. He lacked significant reputation among the nobility but qualified due to his close ties to the royal family. Furthermore, possessing a talent in his own right, he was appointed the leader of this edition of the Royal Military Academy.

He struggled in vain, hoping to escape from under Milton's foot.

Defeated, he attempted to negotiate: "We concede! Now get your foot off my face!"

Milton Su, languidly nonchalant, didn't take Deng Ke seriously: "I find this posture quite conducive for conversation. Now, tell me. How many energy cores did you get, where, and how you acquired them—I want to know it all, clear and crisp."

Deng Ke was taken aback, then his anger was uncontrollable, "Milton! Don't push us too far! We can hand over the energy cores to you, but how and where we got them is none of your business!"

Milton had only asked casually.

Before pursuing them, Lin Fu had casually reminded her to bring it up during questioning. She hadn't expected it would provoke such a strong reaction from Deng Ke.

Subconsciously, she wanted to look at Lin Fu, but stopped herself before turning her head, remembering they were on live broadcast. Revealing Lin Fu's involvement would bring him no benefit, only drawing the royal family's scrutiny.

Her eyes narrowed, and the blade of her sword rested against the neck of Deng Ke's mech. She asked slowly, "Are you stupid? I was merely asking casually. Since you're so agitated, perhaps there's something problematic about the source of these energy cores? Tell me, where did you get them?"

The already tense comment section exploded!

"What's going on? Why is there a problem with the source of the energy cores!?"

"The people from the Royal Military Academy are so agitated; Milton must have struck a nerve. They must have cheated!"

"What dog's luck, cheating is the real story here!!"

"A top five military academy cheating! Does such an academy still deserve its rank? Expel them!"

As lower-class citizens, they had little power to wield; they were always the first to be sacrificed under the whims of the elite. They resisted the class system, detested privilege, especially when it was used to commit injustice!

Even though Artemis Military Academy and Hui Lion Institute weren't weak, they were the victims of unfair treatment, clearly strong yet forced to step back due to the privileges of others. How could such a travesty exist?

Instantly, all the viewers empathized with the unjustly treated party, vehemently condemning the Royal Military Academy. The bolder ones even tagged the royal palace and the parliament on social media, demanding an explanation.

Public opinion, when powerful enough, is effective, even the nobility must yield.

Not to mention how furious the royal family and the parliament were with Deng Ke's stupidity, the competition on the barren star continued.

Though Deng Ke was somewhat foolish, he wasn't beyond redemption. With the cameras hovering overhead, if he uttered more damning words, it was uncertain whether the Royal Military Academy would be expelled from the top five, but his own fate would surely be grim.

The members of the parliament and His Majesty the Emperor would flay him alive!

Milton, infuriated by Deng Ke's obstinate attitude, gave him a thrashing, though he knew it was unlikely he'd get anything out of him.

But no matter, planting a fuse was enough.

Kicking the unconscious Deng Ke aside, Milton picked up another person, "Hand over the energy cores, and you'll be spared."

The person being held shouted in anger, "You're nothing but robbers! As soldiers, such behavior is disgraceful!"

Milton Su turned to Lin Fu with a smile, "Coincidentally, we do have a star raider here. Come, let him introduce himself to you."

Lin Fu: "…"

He reluctantly complied with Milton's wish, "Hello, my aunt is the leader of the Uzstamon star raiders. In a sense, I am indeed a robber."

The person being held: "…"

What a dog's day.

The energy cores were forcibly taken by the real robber, Milton, two of them, none left for the Royal Military Academy, split between him and the Artemis Military Academy.

The Royal Military Academy was left behind.

A team of over a hundred came quietly and left majestically.

The comment section died laughing.

*

In the vast cosmos, the range of human habitation seems extensive but is actually just a tiny corner.

The insect race occupies a significant area.

The only official government for humans is the Empire, but there will always be some who refuse to be controlled. Once they gather enough strength, even the Empire is reluctant to engage them, risking substantial losses. Moreover, with the insect race lurking, it is detrimental for humanity to weaken its own forces.

Thus, star raiders exist in a bizarre form, coexisting with the Empire.

There are at least a hundred star raider groups scattered across the stars, among which the most famous ones have prominent reputations even within the Empire. Their leaders are treated with respect, even by members of the parliament.

Uzstamon is one of these major star raider groups.

And Lin Si is especially notorious.

Never before has a leader of a star raider group emerged from nobility. Nobles are born with resources and privileges, far above the common fray, with no need to endure such hardships.

Lin Si is the only noble among them.

When her origins were revealed, and she was acknowledged by the Lin family, it caused quite an uproar in the Empire. It was unbelievable that a leader of the star raiders could be of noble birth.

Given such a background, Lin Sizhen's past became even more a topic of great interest.

The Star Thieves have always revered the strong, not only holding slight hostility towards the empire but also engaging in internal competition, making the rivalry within intense.

If one lacks sufficient strength, ascending to the leader's position without being able to lead the Star Thieves to greater heights would only spell disaster and trouble for all members.

However, an exception occurred with Lin Sizhen.

The former leader of Uzitamon voluntarily abdicated in her favor, passing on the leadership mantle.

The entire group's upper echelon unanimously approved.

The news not only shocked the empire's onlookers but also the other Star Thief groups.

They believed the former leader was muddle-headed, putting emotions above rules, which would doom Uzitamon.

They came with great fury, intending to swallow Uzitamon whole, only to be thoroughly defeated and retreat in utter disarray.

Through this interstellar battle, Lin Sizhen made a name for herself.

The Lin family then immediately claimed Lin Sizhen as their long-lost illegitimate daughter, shocking the empire's netizens and proving that even high-born nobles would bow their heads if faced with sufficient strength.

At this moment, Uzitamon's legendary leader was in the command center, with a live broadcast playing on the massive projection.

Several of her close associates were watching with her.

Watching the child utter their leader's name, everyone in the room's faces stiffened.

Some couldn't help but want to bury their faces in their hands to laugh, but out of respect for their leader, they tried hard to hold it in.

Lin Sizhen glanced at them indifferently; her usually gentle eyes appeared unexpectedly sharp and spirited on her face.

She said lightly, "Laugh if you want to."

They weren't burdened by too many formalities.

Immediately, the room was filled with subdued snickers.

"How adorable is this child? Strutting around like he's backed by his parents, it's killing me."

"Leader, are you going to let him openly claim a connection with you in front of everyone?"

Lin Sizhen stood upright, her back straight as an arrow. Her eyes followed Lin Fu as he leapt agilely from the dark mech, his slender frame defying gravity with nimble bounds, his dark eyes harboring depths untold.

He appeared frail.

But that was merely at a glance.

She inquired, "What's wrong with what he said?"

The laughter in the room gradually subsided.

"Well..."

They exchanged puzzled looks.

The leader's implication was clear: she intended to publicly acknowledge Lin Fu's identity within Uzitamon, accepting him as kin.

They all knew Lin Sizhen's past, discarded by the Lin family, wandering alone and desolate after her mother's death, until the former leader took her in, and she grew up within Uzitamon.

To her, the Lin family was less than nothing, let alone considering them as family.

Was Lin Fu an exception now?

Lin Sizhen's voice remained calm, devoid of evident emotion: "He won't rely on Uzitamon for anything. It's inconsequential to us and has no bearing on our affairs."

"Even if... he interacts with Uzitamon in the future, it's more likely for collaboration."

The room fell into a gradual hush.

Lin Sizhen's words seemed preposterous.

A guide, collaborating?