Chapter 141

Chapter 141

On the first day of the new academic year, the instructors were all busy with the freshmen's enrollment. For second-year students like Bai Xingshu, things were relatively relaxed. They were only assigned an instructor to briefly recap the focus training content for their first semester of sophomore year.

Namely, specialized environmental training.

This semester’s special terrains included swamps, caves, deep seas, and rainforests, with one day of field training for each environment.

They’d already covered these topics in specialized courses with their Instructors during their first semester as freshmen. However, to avoid any mishaps, an additional day of training was added.

But Bai Xingshu suspected the real reason for this extra day was that most of the academy’s instructors were currently preoccupied with the Freshman Tournament for the new students and couldn’t spare the manpower.

Griping aside, Bai Xingshu still arrived right on time to class.

The moment he stepped in, he noticed everyone turning their heads in unison to look at him, each holding something in their hands, clearly itching to ambush him.

Bai Xingshu—also holding gifts—just: '…'

A sinking feeling hit him.

And sure enough—

Bai Xingshu, now buried in gifts: '…'

"Come on! I at least made sure to buy you all small, portable gifts. What’s with all this?!" Bai Xingshu slammed a hand on the mystery box beside him.

His classmates burst into laughter, completely ignoring his helpless outrage, even seeming totally unapologetic.

"Well, Deputy Squad Leader, after careful consideration, we realized the things you lack are just naturally bulky!" they said while snatching their gifts right out of Bai Xingshu’s hands.

"Aishi-family wrist guards... these must be Little Qiubao’s."

"This fridge magnet! My favorite seasonal collection!"

Wasting no time, the classmates began dividing up the gifts Bai Xingshu had brought, picking out items and guessing who they were for—a self-service gift grab, no input needed from Bai Xingshu.

At a loss for words, Bai Xingshu watched the lively scene before digging into his own pile of gifts, big and small.

Upon closer inspection, the large box he’d slammed earlier was an ergonomic chair.

A quick look to his left revealed a thermos.

Further ahead was a latex pillow.

The gifts varied in size and purpose, but honestly, they were all things Bai Xingshu had never considered buying for himself.

Even after a year in this world, he hadn’t realized just how many tech luxuries its inhabitants enjoyed.

In Bai Xingshu’s mind, the fully automated laundry machine in their dorm—which washed, dried, folded, and stored clothes all in one—was the pinnacle of convenience.

Looking at the pile of gifts, Bai Xingshu felt a rush of warmth. He nudged Lin Lie, who had somehow appeared beside him yet again.

"What’s this you gave me?" Bai Xingshu asked curiously, examining the pitch-black stone in his hand, darker than ink.

In his perception, the metal composition of this stone was quite intriguing—light yet sturdy, and great for ability control.

Bai Xingshu felt that controlling this stone with his psychic power required a full 30% less energy expenditure.

"It's ore from a new planet. I picked it up during patrol—a new type of metal. I thought you'd like it." As Bai Xingshu's seatmate for a year, Lin Lie had noticed his unconscious preference for metal objects occasionally revealed.

If given the choice, though, Lin Lie would have preferred to send something Bai Xingshu actually needed—something practical, The more frequently used, the better.

Every time Bai Xingshu used it, he'd remember it was a gift from Lin Lie.

How wonderful would that be?

But...

He was stuck in the Fourth Legion.

Army regulations were way tighter than the academy’s, leaving him zero contact with the outside world. So when his long vacation ended and he returned to school, he discovered over twenty days earlier he'd been added to a group chat—one that deliberately excluded Bai Xingshu.

Scrolling through the logs, all his dear classmates had already carefully selected gifts for Bai Xingshu, leaving no stone unturned, covering everything from food and drinks to daily necessities and entertainment.

There was no room left for Lin Lie to contribute.

Ugh.

In the end, this meteorite was the only thing Lin Lie could find after turning the place upside down.

"Yes, I love it!" Bai Xingshu didn’t hold back his approval.

Seeing Bai Xingshu couldn’t put it down, Lin Lie, as the gift-giver, felt his heart skip a beat upon receiving such affirmation.

A goofy grin plastered across his face.

After reveling in it a bit, Lin Lie remembered his real reason.

"By the way, the notes you gave me at the end of last semester... my brother found them and read them," Lin Lie said, avoiding direct eye contact. "He thinks they're excellent—really valuable."

"He suggested they should be published for more people to see. What do you think?"

Guilty about pushing his own idea, Lin Lie pulled the classic 'my buddy' move, throwing his brother under the bus.

Bai Xingshu froze mid-unwrapping and turned to Lin Lie, eyes lighting up with interest. "What exactly did your brother find impressive?"

Bai Xingshu’s name was a household name to Lin Li, but...

To Bai Xingshu, Lin Li’s reputation had gradually blended into the crowd as he encountered more and more formidable opponents in mecha battles.

Still, because of Lin Lie, Bai Xingshu remembered a few things about Lin Li—like being the Empire’s youngest lieutenant colonel, the Empire’s top young officer, and... the older brother who enjoyed bullying and exploiting Lin Lie.

Bai Xingshu didn’t have much curiosity about him.

Most people wouldn’t be overly interested in their friends’ family members.

The reason for his reaction now was Lin Lie’s words.

Lin Li had raved about the notes he’d sent.

Now that was something Bai Xingshu was all ears to hear.

Lin Lie was left speechless by Bai Xingshu's words. He wordlessly stared at Bai Xingshu for a moment before suppressing his frustration and passing along some of his older brother’s remarks about the notes.

There were instructions based on the notes' content for Lin Lie, as well as feedback just about the notes themselves—some positive, some negative.

However...

Lin Lie hadn’t made up a single thing when he told Bai Xingshu that Lin Li found his notes excellent and highly valuable.

When Lin Lie first sent the materials to Lin Li, his brother had only skimmed through them. But by the time Lin Lie was about to leave after the long vacation, Lin Li had already started carrying his tablet around constantly, completely hooked on Bai Xingshu's notes.

Bai Xingshu listened to Lin Lie’s account and thought it over briefly.

Still, Lin Lie could only relay so much, and Bai Xingshu only faintly sensed the clash of ideas between his survivalist tactics and the Lin family's approach to combat.

If he got the chance...

He’d quite like to have a chat with Lin Li.

But for now, class came first.

Bai Xingshu saw the instructor enter their classroom.

"Those notes are yours now. You can decide what to do with them," Bai Xingshu offhandedly answered as the rowdy classmates returned to their seats.

Not surprised by Bai Xingshu's answer, Lin Lie thumped his chest. "Got it! Leave it to me!"

Bai Xingshu gave him a teasing look. "Didn’t you say your brother wanted to publish them?"

After a year of knowing Bai Xingshu, Lin Lie could discern his preferences—just as Bai Xingshu, with his sharp eye for people, understood Lin Lie’s personality well.

From the very beginning, Bai Xingshu had called his bluff regarding the "I have a friend" excuse.

Lin Lie, caught red-handed: "..."

"Fine, I’ll leave it to my brother then," Lin Lie said, doubling down, futilely, to save face.

Then, he heard Bai Xingshu let out a quiet laugh beside him.

The sound, full of amusement, made Lin Lie’s ears flush.

He ought to have been mad, but hearing Bai Xingshu’s laughter, he couldn’t help but smile too.