Chapter 121

Chapter 121

"Congratulations," Lorin said calmly as she passed Eve. "It seems the position of Department Chief is destined to be yours."

"It's only the first day."

"The Medical Department doesn't allow second challenges. Most of the formidable contenders have already made their appearances on the first day. Those who remained, having observed today's situation, are unlikely to act rashly again. Even if they do, I'll intercept them for you."

It was already late at night, and the lecture hall was empty. Eve watched her for a moment, then suddenly folded her hands across her chest, a smile playing on her lips. "So kind? Is this for the glory of the Medici family?"

"..." Lorin shot her a look as if she were mad. "Are you serious?"

"Just kidding."

Eve had arrived empty-handed and was leaving the same way, as if her outing wasn't for an intense and thrilling Department Chief selection, but merely to buy groceries or run a quick errand.

She placed a hand on Lorin's shoulder, affectionately bumping heads before preparing to leave. "I won’t be coming tomorrow. Even if I become Chief, I won’t frequent the Medical Department much, so I’ll leave this side of things to you. Get some rest tonight. Goodnight."

From the moment "Lu Qing" unexpectedly appeared in the Medical Department's military training ranks, and then skipped training by challenging the instructor, Lorin had suspected she was a temporary placement. Thus, when Eve openly declared her intention to be a hands-off manager, Lorin merely responded with an expressionless "Oh."

Lorca stood outside the door, likely giving the two girls from the same family space to talk. As soon as Eve stepped out, she saw him leaning against the wall, head bowed, scrolling through messages on his device.

The motion-sensor lights in the hallway had long since extinguished, leaving only the soft, luminous glow of his device to illuminate the elegant, sharp contours of a portion of his face. He appeared composed and serene, possessing the refined grace of someone admiring beauty by lamplight.

Eve observed him from a few paces away for a while before approaching. Her footsteps triggered the motion-sensor lights, and a bright cascade of light instantly poured down from above. She naturally leaned in. "What are you looking at? You seem so engrossed."

Unexpectedly, Lorca shifted uncomfortably, turning his device screen away. "Nothing, just some departmental matters."

"So busy. The role of Department Chief truly is daunting."

Fortunately, Eve didn’t dwell on the matter. It was a habit for her to casually glance at others' devices; back at the princess's residence, she sometimes couldn't be bothered to open her own device and would simply read messages on a subordinate's. Occasionally, a private message would pop up, and the subordinate would awkwardly conceal their device from her view.

But what private message could Lorca have that he wouldn’t want her to see? After a moment of fruitless thought, she shifted her attention to another question. "Where’s Luo Wenqing?"

"She left right after watching your match with Lorin," Lorca replied truthfully.

"Ran off so fast," Eve muttered under her breath. "No chance to settle scores with her."

But on second thought, it made sense. Knowing Luo Wenqing, she’d seize the opportunity to flee rather than stick around for the inevitable repercussions.

"If you’re looking for someone from the Luo family, you can come to the Reconnaissance Department tomorrow. Luo Wenzhou is a freshman there this year," Lorca said unexpectedly.

"What use is he?" Eve asked casually. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, a cool evening breeze brushed past, and she suddenly realized something was amiss. She stopped and turned. "Wait, Luo Wenzhou is in the Reconnaissance Department?"

"Yes."

Come to think of it, Dick was also in the Reconnaissance Department. It seemed this year’s niche programs, like Mecha and Reconnaissance, were unexpectedly filled with hidden talents.

Eve asked curiously, "So, who do you think is stronger, him or you? Can you keep your Department Chief position?"

Lorca let out a faint scoff. "He won’t have a chance."

"That confident, are you?"

"It’s not just confidence. Our department’s Vice Chief... well..." Lorca sighed, as if struggling to find the right words to describe the person. "You’ll have to see for yourself. That guy is a bit special."

His words piqued Eve’s interest. With Lorin managing the Medical Department and the little princess clearing the way in the Mecha Department, she clapped her hands and smiled. "Then I’ll come check out your department tomorrow. You’ll be defending your position, right? Mind if I watch the excitement?"

This was precisely the purpose of his earlier roundabout conversation, so he allowed a smile to grace his lips, his eyes sparkling. "Of course not. I’ll be looking forward to your visit."

-

The consequences of running between two places the previous day caught up with her the next morning. At the crack of dawn, when the military training whistle blew, Eve almost didn’t make it out of bed.

She’d stayed up late before, but never after such exhaustion and then sleeping past midnight. By the time she returned to her dorm, it was already past midnight, and just before bed, Qin Mengde had sent her a new message.

There was nearly half a day’s time difference between Lyra’s main planet and the capital planet. While the capital was deep into the night, it was noon for the Ninth Fleet. Qin Mengde always sent messages whenever it was convenient for her. Eve lay stiffly in bed for a long time before sighing and getting up to see what new trouble her superior had dumped on her.

...This time, Qin Mengde had truly given her a headache.

Even as she stood on the training field, Eve was still mulling over Qin Mengde’s message from the night before.

Perhaps it was a ripple effect of her transmigration into the book. Qin Mengde, stationed with the Ninth Fleet on the front lines, had noticed that the frequency of Advanced Zerg appearances had far exceeded the average over the past fifty years. Though she lacked Eve’s foreknowledge, her sharp instincts had led her to compile data on recent anti-Zerg operations across the fleets.

On the surface, compared to the average over the past fifty years, the occurrence of small-scale Zerg incursions involving Advanced Zerg had increased by 89% in the last year alone. There had been 49 large-scale Zerg swarms, a 115% increase. This didn’t account for battles that fleets might have withheld for various reasons. Additionally, a Royal Zerg awakening incident had occurred near the border of the 11th and 12th Fleets. Fortunately, it was far from inhabited areas, so while over twenty mineral-rich planets were damaged, there were no major casualties.

Qin Mengde, unaware of the plot, didn’t know what these changes signified but remained silently vigilant, waiting for the storm to break. Eve, however, knew exactly what it meant—this was the precursor to the Zerg War! Especially with Royal Zergs awakening one after another, the intervals between awakenings would shorten. When the Zerg Queen awoke, she’d rouse all remaining dormant Royal Zergs like a summoner-type boss in a game.

The sequence seemed straightforward, but one question remained: This was supposed to happen two years later. Why was it occurring now?

"This isn’t right... The Royal Zergs shouldn’t be awakening now. The first one woke accidentally due to stellar tidal forces near the Ninth Fleet, and the second wasn’t due for another three years," Eve pondered, baffled. "Where exactly are we in the plot timeline?"

Could it really be the butterfly effect of her transmigration? Eve found it hard to believe... Had her influence extended to the Zerg?

Instructor Lin quickly took attendance and gathered the ranks to demonstrate the military drills from the previous day. As the five rows rearranged into three, Eve accidentally bumped into another student.

"Sorry," she said, suddenly snapping back to attention and reaching out to steady the person she’d collided with. Only then did she realize it was someone she knew. "Jessica? How are you feeling?"

"Hmph, I’m fine. Just a bit of mental exhaustion."

The wine-red-haired princess had been ready to snap at whoever wasn’t watching where they were going, but upon meeting Eve’s concerned gaze, she swallowed her words.

She still smarted from Eve’s dismissive "petty trick" on the training field yesterday, but had to admit Eve’s subsequent performance justified the remark. After a moment of internal conflict, she grumpily tapped the student who should have been next to Eve. "Move. I’m swapping spots with you."

The displaced student dared not protest and sullenly moved away.

The instructor seemed to notice the commotion and shot a warning glance from the front of the formation. But Jessica, having accumulated many points through her excellent performance over the past few days, was unbothered.

As she stretched and twisted through the drills, she whispered to Eve, "Are you free this Saturday?"

"Why do you ask?" Eve said, surprised. "Want to ask me out?"

"Of course not! Seeing you annoys me. It’s the Imperi... someone else who wants to meet you."

Jessica’s voice rose slightly, prompting a warning cough from the instructor. She reluctantly lowered her voice, her pretty face scowling. "This Saturday morning, I’ll take you there. The person who wants to see you is very important. Don’t waste this opportunity."

She thought she’d made herself clear, but Eve replied bluntly, "Not going."

"?!" Jessica’s green cat-like eyes widened. "Why not?"

"Because I have something else to do."

Eve needed to report Qin Mengde’s findings about the Zerg to the emperor. The matter was too urgent to delay, so she planned to go to the palace on Saturday.

To placate the princess a little, Eve added, "My matter is very important. I’m not brushing you off."

"Whatever," Jessica said, inexplicably angrier. She turned away huffily. "You’re being ungrateful. You’ll regret missing out on meeting such an important figure."

Eve: "..."

It seemed Jessica had a knack for intimidation. For a moment, Eve doubted herself: Wait, her nominal father was the Prime Minister, her direct superior was the Imperial Princess, and she was going to have an audience with the Emperor this weekend.

What gave the little princess the confidence that this "important figure" could make her regret anything?

But she couldn’t say that to Jessica’s face, or she’d throw another fit. So Eve just smiled vaguely and dismissed it lightly, "Seems like bad timing. We’ll talk another time."