Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Bang-bang—

Two bursts of energy rounds streaked out, striking the mecha's shoulders from cunning angles. The targeted mecha frantically shifted its light shield, attempting to deflect the fierce ion gun fire, but was caught off guard by another mecha that materialized like a phantom, delivering a direct punch to its face.

After a graceful, arcing trajectory backward, the final candidate was knocked off the circular platform.

The simulated combat room fell into a profound silence. Only when Eve sprang from the cockpit, her luminous silver hair tracing a crescent arc in the air, did Jessica clear her throat twice. Picking up the data-recording light screen, she rose and addressed the others: "Since all students have completed their demonstrations, it's time to announce the results."

The results were finally here!

Though the students present maintained a facade of calm, their ears had instantly perked up.

"Regarding the final selection of participants, first are the Chief and I. I trust there are no objections to that?"

Hearing her name, Eve waved at her classmates with a smile, but the others collectively shivered. Some, still reeling from particularly brutal defeats, involuntarily recoiled—like Liz, who, realizing her reaction, forced a smile and instinctively hid behind Jessica.

Jessica, mid-announcement: "..."

What good would hiding behind her do?

She shot Liz a sharp glare before deliberately enunciating: "Next are Liz and Song Xingxing. While Liz's mecha piloting skills require improvement, her Spiritual State Ability is quite unique. We hope you both live up to everyone's expectations, swiftly master your combination technique, and become a standout presence in the Five-School League. Can you achieve this?"

Song Xingxing awkwardly ruffled the stray hairs at his temple: "Uh, I suppose so?"

"What do you mean, 'I suppose so'? Don't be so indecisive! And Liz, why are you silent?" Jessica chided impatiently. "Show some spirit! Both of you, give me a loud, clear promise!"

"......"

Song Xingxing took a deep breath, suddenly regretting his decision to join the league. Exchanging a desperate glance with Liz, the two closed their eyes, their voices ragged, expressions grimly determined, and shouted with wavering conviction: "Yes! We promise to live up to the Chief's and everyone's expectations, train diligently, and strive to become a unique presence in the league!"

Jessica: "What's the name of your combo skill?"

"F-Forced Logoff!"

After a prolonged silence, someone finally broke, a "pfft" of laughter escaping. Soon, the space was consumed by boisterous "hahaha" laughter. Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Liz and Song Xingxing stood in the center, like two fragile saplings battered by a harsh storm.

Jessica concealed her triumphant smirk with the light screen, while Eve lowered her head, feigning interest in the floor patterns, though the tips of her hair trembling at her shoulders were suspiciously telling.

Once the laughter subsided, Jessica cleared her throat and read out six more names. Those selected were naturally overjoyed, while those not chosen seemed to harbor no particular disappointment.

All selections had occurred under their watchful eyes. The chosen individuals either possessed unique Spiritual State Abilities or were highly skilled in mecha piloting, each demonstrating distinct strengths. Even those not selected had gained invaluable one-on-one combat guidance from Eve—a worthwhile exchange.

"Alright, everyone understands their situation. Those selected, practice diligently. Those not selected, don't slack off—you still have final exams even without the league," Jessica said, stowing the light screen and waving dismissively. "If you understand, you're dismissed. Confirmed participants, remember to check your terminals for notifications regarding group training sessions."

The Mecha Department students drawled out an "okay" and gradually logged out of the simulated space. Soon, the vast training ground was left with only Eve and Jessica.

"The specific data and replay have been sent to your terminal. I'll head back now."

"Alright," Eve nodded. "Thank you for your hard work today."

Jessica scoffed. "Not as hard as you single-handedly taking on thirty."

She seemed to have other commitments and logged out hastily after a brief exchange.

The data tide receded from the corners, and the empty training ground dissolved into a flurry of scattered white stardust. The moment she exited the simulated world, fatigue surged through Eve's body and mind. Her legs gave way, and she slid down against the wall. Sipping a potion she had brought, she waited for her stamina to slowly recover while reviewing the combat videos Jessica had just sent, analyzing the performances of the selected Mecha Department students.

Engaging in combat was one experience; observing it was another.

When immersed in battle, even Eve couldn't guarantee every move was flawless and precise. Considering the influence of Spiritual State Abilities on her, reviewing the combat videos from an external perspective allowed her not only to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of other students but also to subtly identify areas for improvement in her own combat style.

"My movements were too fast here, and a close-range light sword would have been more suitable than an ion gun," she tapped her head in annoyance. "I forgot... my aim isn't as good as it used to be."

Maintaining a normal life sometimes lulled Eve into forgetting that her spiritual energy was still constrained. She had initially thought Agnes had shown mercy, but it turned out the true trap lay here.

As she focused on making notes, another message from Luo Lin illuminated her terminal. Eve opened it to find the list of Medical Department participants for the league, jointly drafted by Luo Lin and Qi Cheng.

The selection process was also included. Unlike other combat-focused disciplines, the Medical Department's role in the league was straightforward: logistics.

Their function required neither advanced alchemy proficiency nor extensive theoretical knowledge. The sole requirement was to produce stamina recovery, spiritual energy restoration, and healing potions as quickly as possible, ideally while also enhancing their self-defense capabilities.

Thus, Luo Lin selected participants directly based on these criteria.

No one found it unfair. Although alchemists were widely known as delicate, lab-bound creatures, their combat capabilities differed from public perception. Firstly, creating high-damage alchemical products required a certain threshold.

It wasn't that alchemy and physical prowess were inversely proportional; rather, the more proficient an alchemist, the greater the indiscriminate damage they could inflict.

With Luo Lin overseeing things, the Medical Department was even more reassuring than the Mecha Department.

...If she ever became overwhelmed and had to step down, promoting Luo Lin as her successor might be a serious consideration, Eve mused.

She continued watching until she had reviewed both videos, then messaged her two Vice Chiefs.

For the Medical Department, she instructed Luo Lin to submit the list and ensure follow-up training. For the Mecha Department, the situation was more awkward.

Objectively speaking, the Mecha Department students had a solid foundation. After all, they had earned their place at the First Empire Academy on their own merits—even the weakest among them were among the empire's top youth.

However, objective differences between individuals didn't vanish simply because they shared the same platform. Mecha Department students generally fell short of the excellence seen in the Melee Department, lacked the specialized skills of the Weapons or Medical Departments, and faced the notoriously heavy coursework of the Investigation Department. After careful consideration, the practical Mecha Department was still chosen.

Eve didn't believe this choice was wrong. Before her transmigration, her background had been humble—an orphanage upbringing offered limited options. Back then, for employment convenience, she had unhesitatingly chosen computer science upon entering a top university.

Making money wasn't something to be ashamed of.

But since she had chosen this path, in Eve's view, she had to excel.

She planned to leverage the princess manor's resources to borrow personnel from the military for specialized training of the selected students. Since they had chosen the most versatile, all-rounder role, they had to hold themselves to a matching standard—being a jack-of-all-trades didn't mean taking it easy. To become one required even higher capabilities.

Eve never tolerated incompetence under her command.

Several training plans flashed through her mind. Just as her stamina had mostly recovered, Eve stretched her legs, her joints emitting an unpleasant cracking sound. She stood up, tossed the empty potion vial into the waste processor in the corner, and prepared to contact Sophia to arrange things upon returning.

It wasn't until she reached the entrance that Eve's expression shifted to one of blank astonishment.

...It was raining outside.

The rain fell relentlessly from the sky, pattering loudly. In the downpour, the world was veiled in gray. Outside the towering doors of the training building, puddles had already formed a shallow layer.

"Student, why are you only leaving now?" the training building's facility manager asked lazily from behind the sign-in desk, chin propped on her hand. "The students who came with you left long ago."

"Why did it suddenly start raining?" Eve pointed at the sky outside. "The capital planet didn't issue any rainfall forecast today."

Moreover, she glanced at the raindrops that sizzled and emitted white smoke upon hitting the ground—this didn't look like normal rain.

"The notice was issued this afternoon. A large lab in the school had a leak. To handle the dispersed hazardous gases, emergency rainfall was deployed. A notification was sent to everyone specifically—you can check your terminal."

"But I was in the simulated combat room this afternoon," Eve said, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I couldn't see the message, and I didn't have time to go back for a rain guard."

The facility manager, clearly aware of her situation, suggested without much hope: "...Then why don't you check the public rain guards at the end of the hallway?"

Accidents during experiments are hardly uncommon, and the school has called for emergency rain protocols more than once or twice. The training building usually keeps twenty to thirty rain covers available for rent. With a bit of luck, there might still be some left—though given the number of students who left earlier, even the facility manager wasn't very confident about that.

Five minutes later, as expected, the silver-haired girl returned empty-handed.

The facility manager sighed and pointed to a small metal stool nearby, comforting her: "Sit there and wait. It won't last long—probably just two or three hours."

"May I ask when you get off work?"

"In an hour and a half."

"Did you bring a rain cover?"

"Nope, I'm here all day. Who would've thought the lab would have an accident today of all days?" The facility manager continued scrolling calmly on his smart device, unfazed. "But things like this happen at the school almost once every month or two. It's an old campus—equipment malfunctions are normal. Young people always overreact."

Eve: "......"

The teacher's rock-solid calm was nothing short of astonishing. With no other options, Eve sat back on the small metal stool like a schoolgirl and, out of boredom, pulled out the combat footage to review again.

Footsteps tapped outside, followed by the facility manager's voice: "Student, we're closing in just over an hour. I wouldn't recommend starting a training session now."

"Teacher, I'm not here to use a training room," a gentle male voice replied. "I'm here to pick someone up."

The footsteps drew nearer, and Eve recognized the speaker from his voice. She didn't look up but watched as dark gray trouser legs came into view, followed by a dry, slender hand extending toward her.

Slightly curled, palm facing upward.

"Not leaving yet?" Lorca said with a laugh. "The teacher just said he's about to get off work."

"How did you find me?" Eve asked.

Lorca gestured with his eyes in a certain direction. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slender, pitch-black, playing-dead snake—the Wall-Imprisoned Serpent.

She had almost forgotten this thing was still on her.

Eve wordlessly stuffed the playing-dead Spiritual State back into her pocket. Lorca, thorough as ever, had brought two rain covers and gave one to the facility manager, sparing him from having to work overtime. When they reached the entrance, Lorca wore an apologetic expression: "Xiao Fu, since I only brought two rain covers, you might have to......"

Share one with him.

Lorca's clear, light-green eyes blinked with feigned innocence at Eve, his cautious tone and seemingly pure demeanor making him appear harmless.

Unfortunately, with his track record, Eve wasn't buying it. She chuckled, revealing even, white teeth, looking even more innocent than Lorca: "Then just give me the rain cover. I'll bring you a new one after I get back."

"......"

"Sharing one rain cover is so crowded. Why aren't you saying anything? Worried I'll run off with it?"

It wasn't out of the question.

After a brief stalemate, Lorca finally gave in: "I'm sorry, I was wrong."

"Hmph."

Eve slid the bracelet-like rain cover off his wrist, pressed the button, and a translucent, pale-yellow energy shield popped out, arching over her head like a rainbow bridge, shielding her from the falling raindrops.

Standing mostly in the rain, she asked: "So, what were you wrong about?"

Her tone suggested that if Lorca couldn't give a proper explanation today, she'd leave him right there.

"I... I shouldn't have come to find you without telling you first," Lorca said softly, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly. "But you only said not to let my other identity interact with you too much."

He had made sure today that Eve was out in her real identity before approaching.

Eve's response was to step back, now out of reach.

Lorca: "......"

"I was wrong," he quickly backpedaled, seeing the situation turning sour. "I shouldn't have used my Spiritual State to secretly track your whereabouts without your permission. And... I shouldn't have deliberately brought only one rain cover to make others think we're especially close."

Eve gave a doubtful hum and stepped back under the shield: "What else?"

What else... Lorca's expression contorted slightly. It wasn't that he didn't know what to say—it was just that, given Eve's pet peeves, there were too many things to apologize for, and he wasn't sure where to start.

After some thought, he decided to start with the most recent incident: "I shouldn't have lied to you."

"Which time are you referring to?" Eve asked critically.

"The time at the Medici residence," Lorca's voice was barely a whisper, clearly guilty and lacking confidence. "But I didn't actually tell a lie back then, I just..."

—Just created a very pitiable illusion.

He didn't dare say that part out loud. Instead, he looked at Eve with those gentle, guileless eyes, hoping to sway her with some imagined "extenuating circumstances."

Eve's expression clearly shifted, but before she could speak, the facility manager poked his thinning-haired head out the door: "Hey, students, if there's nothing else, don't linger. The rain has acidic vapors—stay out too long and you might lose your hair."

"......Teacher, you should worry about that yourself. If needed, I can recommend a skilled hair transplant specialist."

"Hey, you little rascal."

The teacher, stung by her retort, muttered something and retreated back inside. Eve glanced down, watching raindrops hit the floor and burst into opaque white vapor.

It really didn't look like something good for the body. Who knows what kind of gas the school's lab had leaked? Seeing that Lorca's attitude of admitting fault was acceptable, Eve sighed and decided to let him off: "Fine, you—"

Before she could finish, she was suddenly swept into a sudden embrace.

"!"

Her slightly disheveled black and silver hair tangled together instantly. Fortunately, the rain cover, activated from the energy bracelet, required no manual support and remained steadily suspended mid-air.

The hem of her clothes, lifted momentarily, was touched by the acidic rain outside the shield, releasing a faint scent of bitter almonds from the chemical reaction. But Eve had no attention to spare for such details. A warm sensation spread from her forehead as Lorca held her shoulders tightly, cheeks pressed together like twin tree ferns entwined as one in a rainforest.

Eve's eyes shifted in surprise, unexpectedly meeting a pair of green, glass-bead-like eyes staring intently at her.

The next moment, the owner of those glass beads pursed his lips into a smile.

"You didn't push me away," his tone held a strange sweetness, like a naughty cat that had just been disciplined but quickly realized its owner wasn't planning to abandon it, now proudly raising its tail again. "Does that mean you forgive me? I'm sorry, I promise I'll listen to you from now on. Just please don't ignore me anymore, okay?"

Those days when Eve had cold-shouldered him, he had felt miserable, almost like he was dying. Even though he hadn't seen her every day in the past, the feeling of those two situations was entirely different.

Eve barely managed to free a pair of utterly resigned eyes from his arms: "Really, you'll listen?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Lorca tried to nuzzle against her head but was pushed away.

"It's too squished," Eve frowned, unable to bear it any longer. "Can you let go of me first?"

Embracing in the rain, talking about forgiveness... Did Lorca think he was in some idol drama?!