Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Bai Luming quickly realized that "8:00 PM" was merely a broad approximation.

The following day, after assembly, Liang Deng, the head of the mecha project, announced the selection criteria for the elite team to the trainees:

From that day forward, all trainees, upon completing their daily training, were eligible to participate in a week-long ranking challenge on the simulation platform.

The challenge would be conducted in a 1v1 format. Throughout the selection period, each trainee would be matched according to their current military points bracket. The higher the military points bracket, the more points they would earn for a victory, and conversely, the more points they would lose for a defeat. Each trainee's daily challenge would conclude upon achieving five victories. Should a trainee fail to accumulate five wins by midnight, or if no suitable opponents remained within their military region's matching pool, their challenge would also be deemed concluded.

After a brief listen to the introduction, Bai Luming pinpointed two crucial details:

First, 8:00 PM marked not the upper limit of their training, but rather the minimum requirement.

Second, by swiftly securing five wins, they could conclude the daily ranking challenge early and return to rest.

If there was any aspect of these rules that offered a modicum of satisfaction, it was undoubtedly the reward and penalty system, tiered according to military points brackets.

With his current 40 military points, Bai Luming likely stood in the upper-middle tier among all trainees—comfortably above some, yet significantly trailing the top performers. Even if he consistently achieved five consecutive wins daily, his total points would still fall short of what a front-runner like Ji Xinghan could accrue from a single victory.

In essence, he could confidently secure his wins and clock out for the day.

Bai Luming felt a pang of relief that Liang Deng had only requested 40 military points in exchange for meal expenses, rather than making an exorbitant demand. Had he been matched in a higher-scoring bracket, he would have had to deliberately lose at least three or four matches daily to ensure an early finish. This would not only cut into his rest but also force him to devise ways to lose subtly.

While he was content to slack off, as a former soldier, he harbored a genuine dislike for losing.

Compared to Bai Luming, He Yilan evidently carried even less mental burden.

His military points remained at a pristine zero. Even if he spent a month competing alongside other bottom-ranked trainees, the ranking points he accumulated would likely be a mere fraction of what top-tier students could earn in a single week.

His unwavering stability was something even Bai Luming found himself envying.

After the team was dismissed, the trainees of Military Region 6616 plunged into rigorous training.

As the rules stipulated, the higher one's military points in the simulation system, the stronger the opponents they would face during the ranking challenge. This, in turn, made it easier to accumulate high scores and contend for a spot in the elite team.

Given the opportunity, everyone was eager to compete.

After all, the elite team offered more than just access to advanced mechas. During the final reserve selection exercise, this team would command the spotlight, becoming the primary focus of attention for commanders across all military regions. With representatives from the Four Military Regions present, a sufficiently brilliant performance could pave the way for rapid advancement.

Liang Deng, having just concluded his motivational speech, surveyed the lively atmosphere with satisfaction.

However, as his gaze swept across the field and finally settled on two figures in a quiet corner, his half-raised smile completely dropped. All traces of contentment vanished, and he immediately strode towards them.

Bai Luming turned at the sound of footsteps, and recognizing Liang Deng, greeted him warmly, "Colonel Liang, good morning!"

"Morning, my—" Liang Deng swallowed the expletive on the tip of his tongue. Seeing Bai Luming’s cheeky grin only fueled his irritation. "You received the meal money, right? You earned those military points pretty quickly yesterday."

Bai Luming replied modestly, "Not bad, not bad."

Liang Deng: "..."

Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to sound encouraging. "So, can you earn more points today? If you can exceed 80 military points and put in some effort during the ranking challenge, we might just make it into the elite team."

Bai Luming shook his head almost instinctively. "No way, I’m too weak. Those 40 military points already pushed me to my limit. I think that’s as far as I can go."

Liang Deng: "..."

Limit my ass! It took you less time to earn those 40 military points than it takes to eat a meal, and you’re still putting on an act!

He resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "One year."

Bai Luming didn’t quite catch it. "What?"

Gritting his teeth, Liang Deng forced out the words, "If you can make it into the elite team, I’ll cover your meal expenses for an extra year!"

Bai Luming admitted it was a tempting offer, but the cost of exchange was too high. He simply smiled with a look that said, "I wasn’t born yesterday." "Colonel Liang, a year from now, who knows where I’ll be?"

The implication was crystal clear—it was almost as if he had blatantly written "I’m eager to be eliminated" on his face.

Liang Deng was at his wit’s end. "Have you really never once considered joining the military?"

Bai Luming answered, "No."

Liang Deng couldn’t understand. "What’s so bad about being a soldier?"

Bai Luming continued, "It’s too exhausting. I’m a delicate flower and can’t handle hardship."

Liang Deng: "…………"

After a long silence, he could only turn his hopes to He Yilan, forcing a kindly smile. "Yilan, if I remember correctly, your military points are still at '0,' right?"

"Yeah."

He Yilan responded and, without waiting for Liang Deng to continue, added, "I’m the same as him."

Liang Deng’s mind went blank. "Same what?"

He Yilan glanced at Bai Luming out of the corner of his eye and calmly uttered a few words: "I’m crap too—and a delicate flower."

Liang Deng: "."

Bai Luming: "?"

Why drag me into this when you’re talking about yourself?

With Liang Deng right there, Bai Luming didn’t argue but silently glared at He Yilan. All he got in return was an unapologetic smile, so he could only curl his lip in disdain.

Liang Deng stood by, having failed to motivate either of them and having witnessed their entire flirty eye exchange, could only helplessly close his eyes.

They were both such promising talents—how could they be so utterly lacking in ambition?!

Feeling utterly drained, his usually robust voice sounded somewhat weak. "Do your best. I need to prepare for tonight’s ranking challenge. I’ll take my leave."

Bai Luming lazily waved. "Take care, Colonel Liang. Watch your back."

After seeing Liang Deng off, he turned to He Yilan. "Can’t you speak without dragging me into it?"

He Yilan, far from feeling guilty, curved his lips slightly at the accusation. "I picked it up from you."

Those four short words left Bai Luming speechless.

If he really thought about it, he had dragged He Yilan into trouble far more often than not.

Pushing the issue would only make him look worse, so Bai Luming smoothly changed his attitude. "The weather’s nice today—perfect for training. Let’s not disappoint Colonel Liang’s expectations. Time to put in some effort."

With that, under He Yilan’s amused gaze, he calmly and unflinchingly opened the simulation pod door and slipped inside.

He Yilan watched Bai Luming’s figure disappear into the simulation pod, a faint, almost imperceptible smile flickering in the depths of his eyes, before he began his own "training" for the day.

At 8:00 PM, after the day's training ended, all trainees replenished their stamina with the nutrition supplements provided on-site and officially began the ranking challenge tournament.

The challenge matches were conducted directly on the virtual Star Network.

Bai Luming was eager to clock out and quickly matched with his first opponent of the day. After glancing at the randomly generated unfamiliar ID on the other side, he made quick work and effortlessly closed out the match in a few moves.

Then the second match, the third match...

By the time the fifth match ended, Bai Luming, having achieved a five-win streak, opened the sim pod door and stepped out, just in time to see He Yilan nearby, also preparing to call it a day.

Their eyes met, both pairs showing mutual understanding.

Without exchanging a word about their experiences of dominating lower-ranked opponents, they walked side by side to the staff member nearby to report their matches.

The staff member had just set up the registration desk and was surprised by their request: "So soon? Are you sure you've already won five matches?"

"Yes, definitely." As Bai Luming spoke, he took out his micro-terminal and scanned it on the machine. Moments later, a record of five wins in the 30-60 military points range appeared prominently on the virtual screen.

The staff member: "."

They actually finished already!?

Seeing the staff member standing frozen, Bai Luming politely prompted, "Can we register now?"

The staff member snapped out of it: "Yes, right away!"

Unnoticed by them, someone standing at the entrance was watching.

"The registration desk already has people? These two finished their five wins pretty quickly!" The speaker was Duan Heguang from the Azure Shadow Legion. Tonight, he and other legion reps had no urgent matters and decided to take a casual look since it was the day for selecting elite teams in various military regions.

At the moment, the other two were in the neighboring training ground, so he happened to wander over here with Huo Mingyue.

Though somewhat surprised by the speed of these two trainees' five wins, given that it was still rookie matches among trainees, it wasn’t impressive enough to warrant excessive amazement.

After saying this, Duan Heguang took a step toward the training ground to check on the current match situation. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the person beside him take out a micro-terminal and swiftly capture a few photos.

Watching Huo Mingyue finish taking photos and then open the comm interface on his micro-terminal, Duan Heguang asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, just taking souvenir photos out of habit." As Huo Mingyue spoke, he sent the photos via his micro-terminal. He slightly raised his head, his gaze lingering on a figure in the distance. His hair fell, hiding his widened eyes, stunned by what he saw.

On the micro-terminal, Huo Mingyue’s fingers, usually rock-steady when piloting mechs, trembled uncontrollably due to his current emotions.

Though Duan Heguang couldn’t see Huo Mingyue’s expression, his keen intuition was enough to detect the abnormality in the other’s reaction.

Following the direction of Huo Mingyue’s photos, his eyes fell on the people at the registration desk. He opened his mouth to say something but felt his micro-terminal vibrate twice.

Glancing at the source of the communication, Duan Heguang immediately stood at attention: "Wait a moment, I need to take this."

Huo Mingyue’s mind was clearly elsewhere. While waiting for a response from the other end of the communication, he didn’t even look at Duan Heguang: "Mm."

Duan Heguang also had no time to investigate.

He hadn’t expected Headquarters to contact him at this time, and the call came from Qing Yileng’s personal office.

Making sure he was out of Huo Mingyue’s sight, Duan Heguang answered the call: "Marshal Qing!"

Qing Yileng’s voice was as cold and emotionless as metal, as always: "Are you in the Nawei Military Region?"

Though puzzled by why Qing Yileng would suddenly ask about this, Duan Heguang replied respectfully: "Yes, do you have any instructions?"

Qing Yileng responded: "I need all trainee information for those with 40 military points or above. Send it to me tonight."

Duan Heguang replied: "Understood! I’ll prepare it for you immediately!"

Qing Yileng gave a curt "Mm" and ended the communication directly.

When Duan Heguang returned, his expression was one of confusion, as if he were stuck in some bizarre dream.

Trainee information for those with 40 military points or above?

"40 military points," and "trainees"?!

If he hadn’t heard it with his own ears, he could never have imagined that such information could be connected to their Marshal Qing.

"I have something to attend to and need to head out for a bit."

Returning to the training ground, the bewildered Duan Heguang saw the same dazed look on Huo Mingyue’s face. After a pause, he asked, "Do you want to come back with me?"

Huo Mingyue replied: "No, I’ll stick around a while longer."

Duan Heguang glanced at the other’s expression. Though puzzled, he had urgent business to attend to and didn’t push it. After saying goodbye, he turned and left.

Though he didn’t know the specific purpose, since it was something Marshal Qing had assigned, for members of the Green Army, it was top priority!

Huo Mingyue had just received a reply from the other end. Still in a daze, he still hadn't collected himself even after the virtual screen darkened again.

After seeing Duan Heguang off, he stood frozen on the spot, as if time had stopped.

Moments later, footsteps approached.

Huo Mingyue looked up and saw the two who had just completed their registration.

Bai Luming clearly hadn’t expected to encounter Huo Mingyue here.

He had never formally met the Vice Commander of the White Army before. Caught off guard, he greeted him calmly despite the other’s intense gaze: "Vice Commander Huo."

After a brief silence, he heard Huo Mingyue’s reply: "Y-you honor me… Please, just call me Huo. Are you planning to head back and rest?"

At these words, He Yilan glanced over.

"Mm... I’m heading back to rest."

Bai Luming waved at Huo Mingyue, "Goodbye, Vice Commander Huo."

Huo Mingyue: "Goodbye!"

Bai Luming didn’t respond. After leaving the training ground, he walked straight toward the dormitory without looking back.

Long after he left, the gaze from behind finally disappeared into the distance.

In the quiet of the night, He Yilan’s voice was calm and unhurried: "The Vice Commander of the White Army is quite polite."

Bai Luming: "."

After a long silence, Bai Luming couldn’t help but silently facepalm.

What He Yilan had noticed, he had naturally noticed as well.

Huo Mingyue had used the formal "you" with him.

Polite didn't begin to cover it. If He Yilan hadn’t been there, given the situation, Huo Mingyue looked ready to salute him!