Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Jiang Se looked up from her light-brain and turned toward the person addressing her.

It was a familiar face.

The girl had fair skin and wore a pair of large black-framed glasses. Her eyes curved into crescents when she smiled, giving her a very cute appearance.

It was the same girl Jiang Se had just helped earlier in the dormitory hallway—her future roommate.

"There weren’t any seats left up front, so I moved back here. I didn’t expect to run into you here. Hey, what a coincidence."

"My name is Feng Qing. I’m a freshman in the Mecha Department this year."

"I’m Jiang Se."

"Thank you so much for earlier. If it weren’t for you, I might have fallen and gotten hurt in the hallway. After all, you know how it is with us Mecha Pilots’ physique."

As she finished speaking, a trace of lingering fear was still visible on Feng Qing’s face.

With the drill march approaching, getting injured was the last thing anyone wanted.

By now, students from different colleges had gradually filled the previously spacious venue. The corridors and seats were packed.

However, there were still more seats in the Alliance University venue than the actual number of students. At the very least, there were a few empty seats in the last row where Jiang Se was sitting.

Jiang Se lowered her gaze and glanced at the messages in the Freshman Group Chat, surprised. "The student union is taking attendance?"

Feng Qing, who was sitting beside her, added, "Yeah, it seems Alliance University is really strict about these things on the first day of school. My brother is in the Campus Patrol Team of the student union, and he just warned me not to be late."

"What’s the big deal about being late?" Jiang Se’s curiosity was piqued, and she couldn’t help but ask.

"Because those who are late have to run three laps around the school track—in front of everyone," Feng Qing replied, her tone sounding defeated. "And as everyone knows, Alliance University’s track is twice the size of those at other schools."

"It’s not so bad for the students from the Individual Combat Department. They’re all built tough—three laps are nothing to them. But for us in the Mecha Department and the Command Department, those three laps are a nightmare."

Jiang Se nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I’d rather die than run laps on the school track."

The thought of the drill march made Jiang Se dread. "I wonder what they’re going to make us do during the march?"

Feng Qing sighed. "I asked my brother, but he wouldn’t tell me. He said we’ll find out when we get there and that it’ll be a memorable experience."

"I don’t want a memorable experience. I just want to stay in an air-conditioned room and design my beloved mechas," Jiang Se said, her voice equally miserable.

Feng Qing nodded. "Same here."

After all, the destiny of a Mecha Pilot was to be a total homebody.

By now, almost everyone had arrived, and the auditorium echoed with the sound of a stirring anthem.

"Wow, it’s Alliance University’s school anthem," Feng Qing remarked.

Jiang Se listened for a moment. "It’s quite nice."

The central stage of the auditorium was filled with Alliance University’s administrators.

Jiang Se had attended many opening ceremonies like this before and was familiar with the routine. She had even spoken on stage as an outstanding student representative.

Even though this was the Interstellar Age, the format and content of the opening ceremony probably wouldn’t be too different...

Or so she thought.

As she was lost in thought, a middle-aged man in a black suit walked onto the central stage, holding a speech.

Yes, just a single sheet of paper.

He cleared his throat, and the next moment, the entire auditorium fell silent. Everyone looked up, waiting for him to speak.

"Hello, students. Welcome to Alliance University. I am the president of Alliance University. You will spend the next four years of your lives here..."

Then, Jiang Se listened as the president sped through the freshman intro process at what felt like lightning speed. Finally, he said leisurely, "What’s coming next is our school’s tradition—the drill march. The starships are already waiting above our school, ready to depart. I hope everyone has an unforgettable time on the deserted planet."

Jiang Se: ???

Wait, is that right?

She wasn’t the only one filled with questions. The young students around her were equally bewildered:

"Ugh, we’re going on a drill march right after the opening ceremony? Is that normal?"

"No way, I don’t want to go to a deserted planet! We Mecha Department students were born to design mechas in air-conditioned rooms!"

"They even managed to get starships? Alliance University is really loaded!"

"It’s not so much that Alliance University is loaded, but more that the military district they’ve always collaborated with were on the same page. After all, these starships were probably provided by the military district."

"My sister came back from the drill march last year having lost a lot of weight. When I asked her about it, she wouldn’t say a word. I guess the intensity must be hardcore."

"Tell me about it. Weren’t you tortured enough during simulated battles?"

...

*

In the center of the auditorium, the leaders of the various colleges couldn’t help but murmur at the students’ reactions.

The Dean of the Mecha Department flashed a nostalgic look in his eyes. "Year after year, Alliance University welcomes a new batch of students."

The Vice Dean beside him nodded. "Yes, we send off one group and welcome another."

A Vice Dean from the Individual Combat Department spoke up. "I wonder how this year’s freshmen will perform during the drill march."

"I’m not worried about the Individual Combat Department. It’s the stamina of the Mecha and Command Department students that concerns me."

A teacher from the Individual Combat Department shook his head. "Every year, it’s the Mecha Department students who wind up in the med bay the most during the drill march."

"There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s common knowledge that Mecha Department students don’t like to exercise. Since this is a school-wide drill march, we can’t go easy on the rules for just one college."

*

Jiang Se followed the crowd out of the auditorium. Outside, the once boundless sky was now covered with a dense cluster of starships.

The massive starships hovered silently in the sky like dark clouds, looming silently.

"Wow, these are starships. I’ve only ever seen pictures of them on the StarNet. I never thought I’d see the real thing here."

"This is really insane. These starships are huge."

A student from the Command Department nearby couldn’t help but remark, "If only I could command a starship in my lifetime."

After all, becoming the Commander of a starship was the lifelong dream of many Command Department students.

Jiang Se also couldn’t help but look up at the starship. The massive vessel seemed like a feat of engineering, leaving her momentarily stunned.

The next moment, a massive white gangway descended from the starship, set down before them.

The starship’s hatch slowly opened, and there stood someone Jiang Se recognized. Standing at the entrance in a black combat suit was Lin Xu, looking at the crowd.

His expression was icy, rather unsettling.

“You have five minutes. Please board the starship in an orderly manner. I don’t think you want to experience the consequences of being late.”

His gaze swept slowly across the crowd, lingering momentarily on Jiang Se before quickly moving on.

After all, the students of Alliance University were seasoned. Five minutes—just enough time.

Soon, the crowd below formed into orderly formations and began boarding the starship in an orderly fashion.

Jiang Se remained her usual lazy self, her movements casual and carefree. She was still scrolling through her Light Brain as she boarded the starship.

As she passed by Lin Xu, she heard him say, “Long time no see, junior.”

His tone was calm, but for some reason, Jiang Se detected a faint hint of barely concealed annoyance.

She thought for a second, then replied, “Uh… long time no see, senior.”

With that, she walked straight past Lin Xu and boarded the starship.

The interior of the starship was vast, with rows of seats arranged in an orderly yet neat arrangement.

Jiang Se casually took a window seat—she preferred sitting by the window to take in the view.

Feng Qing sat down beside her and said, “Wow, you know Lin Xu on the school team?”

Jiang Se replied lazily, “Not really, but my friend and I crossed him somehow before.”

“Oh no,” Feng Qing responded. “I’ve heard Senior Lin Xu is notoriously strict. Since you’ve offended him, do you think he’ll target you during the exercise?”

“I suppose a senior like him would be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against a freshman like me,” Jiang Se said calmly.

With that, she continued admiring the scenery outside the starship window.

Meanwhile, in their group chat on the Light Brain, a heated discussion was underway:

Zhu Jin: “Wait, the principal spoke way too fast. I didn’t even have time to process it before we were sent off to a desolate planet for training?”

Chu Yun: “Exactly! I brought a tiramisu from the campus X restaurant, planning to sneak a bite during the principal’s speech. But before I could even open it, we were already preparing to leave.”

Xi Qing: “I just opened a bottle of soda and only took two sips.”

…

Jiang Se typed: “I just saw that team Commander at the starship entrance.”

Zhu Jin immediately responded: “How did it go? He didn’t give you a hard time, did he?”

Jiang Se: “No, he seemed quite polite. I suppose a senior like him is big-hearted and has already forgiven us.”

Upon reading this, Zhu Jin replied with six exclamation marks: “……”

Then he added: “If you said that to any of Lin Xu’s opponents, they’d probably laugh out loud.”

Jiang Se: “Well, even if they don’t target me, given my fitness level, I’ll probably be pushed to my limits by the training exercise anyway.”

Jiang Se had a fairly clear understanding of her own physical capabilities.

Chu Yun added: “I wonder which desolate planet we’re going to for training. I hope it’s somewhere cool.”

Jiang Se: “Yeah, I hope it’s not some hot and dry place. I can’t stand that kind of climate.”

Perhaps her words jinxed it. As soon as they reached their destination and Jiang Se and her classmates opened the hatch, they were engulfed by a blast of oppressive heat.