Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Eating in the mess hall wouldn't feel any different from normal!

Every morning after PT, Bai Xingshu would also eat with Lin Lie.

In the early days, Zhao Gao would join them, but later, after Zhao Gao became familiar with his own classmates, he stopped coming to find Lin Lie as often.

—Back then, if Zhao Gao wanted to spar with peers, he could only turn to Lin Lie. But now, he had discovered plenty of other options and was having the time of his life.

This didn’t mean, however, that Lin Lie could have one-on-one meals with Bai Xingshu.

Because Bai Xingshu had also grown close with others.

As a result, other classmates often crowded around.

Basically, when Lin Lie and Bai Xingshu ate in the cafeteria, the only thing Lin Lie could guarantee was that he would sit right next to Bai Xingshu. There was no telling how many people would surround them.

After all, at its peak, there had even been a sight to behold where a whole group of people stood around Bai Xingshu, chowing down on baozi or mantou while listening to him talk.

Seeing how half the Combat Department had participated in the equipment upgrade this time, Lin Lie could just picture how lively their cafeteria meetups would turn out to be.

But could Lin Lie refuse?

He couldn’t.

"Alright, the cafeteria it is," Lin Lie agreed with a sigh.

Half a loaf was better than none.

Bai Xingshu, blissfully unaware of any subtext, was already looking forward to his weekend date with Shen Geng—test-driving the new gear in the Combat Command Department.

While at it, Bai Xingshu also inquired about the progress of the equipment installation in the Combat Command Department.

Upon learning that it was only about 30% complete at most, Bai Xingshu puffed up with pride.

Knowing that the Combat Department would be the first to complete the upgrade and surpass the others by such a margin hit different.

"Teacher Song is really lucky to have an assistant like me," Bai Xingshu bragged without shame to Shen Geng.

Shen Geng didn’t refute Bai Xingshu’s words.

Good fortune lieth within bad, bad fortune lurketh within good—whether this assistant who won over everyone was truly a blessing was hard to say.

As someone whose heart had also been won over, Shen Geng resigned himself with a sigh.

The weekend arrived before they knew it.

The war environment simulation equipment, the flagship training system in the Combat Command Department, was about as big as an ordinary family’s living room.

This was Bai Xingshu’s first time getting hands-on with equipment from another major, and it looked way more complicated than when he had first encountered mechs.

"How do you use these?" Bai Xingshu asked.

Shen Geng walked him through the basics. In truth, the system could be quite simple—it mainly consisted of screens displaying the current situation and a mobile command interface.

Different departments had different commands, so there was no point for Bai Xingshu to memorize them now.

After all, Bai Xingshu was only here to try out the new gear.

So...

"I'll set up the simplest battle mode for you. Just pay attention to the enemy's combat situation, adjust the attack formation, and arrange the combat squads," Shen Geng pointed at the control panel in front of Bai Xingshu.

Ignoring all the logistics and coordination matters, this was the most stripped-down experience.

After watching Shen Geng's demonstration, Bai Xingshu quickly got the hang of it.

Twenty minutes later, Bai Xingshu saw the word "DEFEAT" appear on the screen.

Bai Xingshu: "..."

Shen Geng chuckled softly at Bai Xingshu's dumbfounded look, which only made him more frustrated.

"If this squad were led by me, under these conditions, we could definitely charge in and take down this command post!!" Bai Xingshu gritted his teeth.

He hated this profession where his actual skill level didn’t give him control.

Many of Bai Xingshu's combat failures were like this—he was certain it would work, but the system ruled his attack a failure.

Often, Bai Xingshu felt that even if it weren’t him, other students from the Combat Department could pull it off successfully, but the system wouldn't accept it.

Thus, accumulated failures led to the current outcome.

In this war simulation, failing a twenty-minute training session was roughly equivalent to losing a one-minute match on the mecha combat platform.

All he could say was...

Thank God his original major was in the Combat Department.

If it were the Combat Command Department, Bai Xingshu wasn’t sure how many times he’d have gone insane.

In the post-apocalyptic world, large-scale group combat scenarios like this didn’t exist.

One reason humans initially survived in an environment overrun with Mutants was that the Mutants weren’t unified—they all fought independently.

All of Bai Xingshu’s experience came from small squad combat.

The difference between the two was vast.

"Want me to demonstrate?" Shen Geng asked.

Bai Xingshu also felt he needed to collect himself after being tormented by the incompetence of the squad he’d controlled.

Then, Bai Xingshu watched as, under Shen Geng’s meticulous arrangements, the same squad that had seemed hopelessly weak under his command now operated in perfect coordination, gradually taking apart the enemy’s command center.

"Most combat squads operate at roughly this level. What your Combat Department trains are squad leaders," Shen Geng explained.

"Many soldiers are conscripts—they don’t have the skills Combat Department graduates do. Combat command has to work with the average soldier’s capabilities."

"However..."

"If this squad were you," Shen Geng tapped the unit heading straight for the enemy command center, "I’d also believe you could take it down."

Bai Xingshu’s gaze followed Shen Geng’s fingertip before lifting to meet his eyes, seeing how hard he was trying to cheer him up.

He...

wasn't accustomed to being comforted.

This was a pretty unique experience.

It’s just… Shen Geng's people skills didn’t seem all that great.

Nowhere near as good as mine!

That's what he thought, but the frustration in Bai Xingshu's heart quickly dissipated.

After all, when it came to coaxing someone, the most important thing wasn't skill—it was conveying the sentiment of "I care about you."

Bai Xingshu got Shen Geng's message loud and clear, so naturally, Bai Xingshu got excited all over again: "I want to try other modes!"

No problem there.

Though 'other modes' wasn't quite the right term.

In reality, this simulation device was divided into many modules, designed for multiple players.

After all, no single person could run a whole army.

Bai Xingshu had just tried out the combat module. Next, Shen Geng selected the full logistics operation for him.

Not the mechanical repair work Bai Xingshu had done at the previous Exchange Fair, but the entire army’s supply management.

Pretty complicated work.

To Shen Geng’s surprise, Bai Xingshu did surprisingly well in this area.

If not for Bai Xingshu occasionally asking him about various control inputs, the rest didn’t seem like his first time at all.

And...

Shen Geng checked the score reports.

His resource efficiency stats were so high they seemed crazy to Shen Geng.

"How'd you pull this off?" Shen Geng wondered.

"I've done this before," Bai Xingshu replied succinctly.

Shen Geng naturally assumed he was referring to the Exchange Fair Bai Xingshu had attended last semester.

But what Bai Xingshu actually meant was the apocalyptic era.

Who could compare to the people of the apocalypse in terms of resource utilization?

Bai Xingshu had witnessed plenty. Though he couldn’t match the professionals from his old base, many of the standard procedures from the apocalyptic world worked like a charm in the interstellar age.

Shen Geng started analyzing Bai Xingshu’s various operational choices just now.

From then on, Bai Xingshu was really getting into this simulation device.

He went on to experience several other modules—some were fun, others were a grind.

After working through all the different modules, Bai Xingshu began to understand why Shen Geng was so even-keeled.

He'd been worn smooth by experience.

Bai Xingshu snickered to himself at the thought before shooting a look at Shen Geng.

Shen Geng stood not far away, just as before, watching him intently with a faint smile.

It seemed as though he was looking at him, his whole posture anything but bored.

As if simply looking was enough to satisfy him.

Bai Xingshu paused in his operation of the device, suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable.

But he figured it was only because he was the only one playing.

So he turned to Shen Geng and offered, "Since this is a multi-player mode, why don’t you join me?"

"We should team up!"

At Bai Xingshu’s suggestion, Shen Geng: "..."

"For dorm harmony's sake, let’s not," Shen Geng said seriously.

"Hm?" Bai Xingshu looked at him in confusion.

"In every Combat Command Department class, there hasn’t been a single pair of classmates who successfully lasted a month as a couple," Shen Geng said, keeping his expression carefully neutral. "Even the Combat Command Department dorms have strict rules—only mixed between classes."

"No one, after experiencing being operational partners in the same class, can avoid swearing at each other’s families."

...And throwing hands was basically routine.

So most students in the Combat Command Department weren’t much worse than the Combat Department in close-quarters combat skills.

Bai Xingshu: "..."

Recalling the chaotic scenes of the squad he’d just been operating, Bai Xingshu felt... Shen Geng’s words were quite vivid.

But...

Bai Xingshu gave Shen Geng a rare, curious look. "You actually swear at people?"

During the long break when he’d worked as temporary staff at the police station, he’d seen plenty of messy, rage-inducing situations, but he’d never once heard Shen Geng swear.

This guy was obsessed with maintaining his image.

Shen Geng was silent for a beat before replying, "That’s why I’m always the one in the right."

"I just talk sense into them."

Translation—he didn’t curse, and he couldn’t win if he did.

Bai Xingshu, fully understanding, chuckled quietly, then grew curious, a wistful look crossing his face. "In that case, I’d really like to see what you’re like during class."

"Sounds kinda fun."

Faced with this wish of Bai Xingshu’s, Shen Geng pondered for a moment before finally saying, "That... might be tough."

"Hm?" Bai Xingshu wasn’t expecting that response at all.

Capital Military University didn’t ban students from sitting in on each other’s classes. Back when Bai Xingshu had been scheming about Jiao Rong, he’d even attended one of Song Xiyan’s lectures in the Mechanical Engineering Department’s advanced class.

Shen Geng glanced at this guy, who was always drawing attention yet remained utterly oblivious.

"The people in my class wouldn’t want you seeing them like that."

First-year students were all seventeen or eighteen, the age when hormones were at their peak.

Those guys cared a lot about how they appeared in the eyes of someone attractive.

Especially since Bai Xingshu had seemed pretty... composed during the focus training.

Bai Xingshu couldn’t help but laugh.