Chapter 22 Building Connections

Chapter 22: Making Connections

After taking attendance, Wang Liangzhong didn't immediately launch into the lecture.

He took out a holographic device and turned it on, displaying a complete star chart. It seemed to depict a single star system.

Little Snow, seeing the star chart, was captivated by the drifting planets and space rocks within it. She stood up, wanting to grab them, but Ji Anzhi was quick to react, pulling her back down and giving her chin a scratch to settle her.

Wang Liangzhong began, "This should look familiar. It's a complete star system chart, based on a star system at the Federation's border. It was also a graduation project from a previous student."

Ji Anzhi was stunned.

A graduation project?

A star chart of this scale would typically take at least two or three years to complete... and it was just a graduation project?

Before Ji Anzhi could finish his amazement, the teacher on the podium dropped another bombshell.

"Alright, now I'm assigning your graduation assessment. Similar to this star chart, you'll draw lots to complete a star system chart for a specific star system, with an error margin controlled within 0.01."

Ji Anzhi: "..."

It has to be said, the First Military Academy constantly redefines one's understanding...

The others, being descendants of mid-to-high-level Federation officials, knew a thing or two about the Star Chart Department's graduation assessment requirements, so they didn't show much surprise.

Wang Liangzhong ignored their reactions, took out a box containing slips of paper with over a dozen star systems written on them—a real test of luck.

He first walked to Feifer, who was sitting at the very edge.

Feifer reached in and grabbed a slip. Before he could even open it, Teacher Wang had already moved on to Snow.

When he reached Ji Anzhi, he gave Little Snow an envious pat before letting Ji Anzhi draw his lot.

After everyone had drawn, Teacher Wang collected the box and told them to open their slips, see their assignment, make a note of it, write their names on it, and hand it in.

Ji Anzhi glanced at his slip. He didn't recognize it.

Blue Moon System.

Ji Anzhi wrote his name on it, planning to look it up on the StarNet later.

After collecting all the slips, Teacher Wang stored them in his Space Bracelet and continued, "Turn in your graduation project whenever it's finished and meets the standards. If you submit early, you can choose to graduate early. Conversely, if you haven't completed it by the end of your fourth year, you'll automatically be held back a year. If you repeat for more than three years, you won't receive a graduation certificate, only a completion certificate."

"Tomorrow, I'll distribute the star chart creation equipment you'll need for your graduation assessment. So, I hope no one is absent tomorrow."

"Understood?"

The five of them answered in unison without hesitation, "Understood!"

Teacher Wang nodded in satisfaction and began the lecture.

"Today, our first lesson will cover basic star chart knowledge. Although you may have heard or learned this before, it's still good to review frequently to avoid mistakes."

"Humanity's explored regions have just extended beyond the Milky Way. Strictly speaking, the territory we humans occupy should be referred to as 'star systems,' but 'star regions' is more colloquial and commonly used. I hope you don't confuse the two when writing reports."

"The main area humanity is currently exploring is the Local Group. So far, human exploration of the Local Group has only spanned two to three hundred years."

"You've probably seen some materials on this—the Zerg appeared around two to three hundred years ago."

"So, if you have the opportunity in the future, I hope you can try exploring the unknown regions of the Local Group."

"But be cautious of the Zerg. Since they discovered humanity, almost all safely navigable borders of the Milky Way have been infested with these bugs."

"Alright, I've digressed. Let's look at the classification of galaxies. Galaxies are generally divided into four main types: elliptical galaxies, spiral galaxies, and irregular galaxies. Among these, spiral galaxies account for over 70% of the universe and are further divided into normal spiral galaxies and barred spiral galaxies..."

"The Milky Way belongs to the barred spiral galaxy category among spiral galaxies..."

"..."

Two hours later, the dismissal bell rang.

Only then did Teacher Wang reluctantly put away the holographic device, bid farewell to the students, and leave.

Although Teacher Wang's lecture indeed covered commonly known basic knowledge and theories, his explanations were structured clearly and categorized logically, making them easier to understand and memorize compared to previously scattered knowledge.

He also added a lot of information not easily accessible or very vague on the StarNet.

Ji Anzhi put away his notebook, turned off the recording function, picked up Xiaoxue—who had been lulled to sleep by the lecture—and headed to the classroom for his next elective.

The Star Chart Department used to separate core and elective courses, but for some reason, they were later merged into one subject. Now, only this one subject is tested at the end of the term, with occasional physical fitness assessments.

This resulted in the Star Chart Department having only one class per day, with classes scheduled only four or five days out of the six-day week.

The remaining time is for students to freely audit elective courses. As for whether to include these electives in their final exams, the military academy respects the students' choices and doesn't require it.

For his future travel plans, Ji Anzhi had selected courses for the week that didn't conflict with his department's schedule. These included courses from the Energy Department, Starship Design Department, Pharmacy Department, Medical Department, and Materials Department.

His next class was a theoretical course from the Energy Department.

Seeing Ji Anzhi stand up, Andrew instinctively followed.

He hadn't finished reviewing the problem set, and since he had no classes in the morning, he figured he might as well follow Ji Anzhi. If he encountered anything he didn't understand later, he could ask Ji Anzhi directly.

So, when Ji Anzhi looked at him questioningly, Andrew held up the paper notebook in his hand and said sincerely, "Haven't finished reviewing the problem set. Wanted to follow you and ask if I don't understand something."

Chi Yunjiang facepalmed. This star chart fanatic was going to scare the top student...

Hearing Andrew's words, Snow's eyes lit up. He shuffled over and wordlessly stood behind Andrew.

His eyes pleaded desperately with Ji Anzhi.

Me too! Me too!! Me too!!!

Ji Anzhi: "..."

Ji Anzhi gave a helpless, faint smile and explained to them, "I've selected a class for my next period. I'm going to the sixth floor for the Energy Department's basic theory class. If you come along, there might not be any seats."

Andrew immediately said, "I can stand!"

Snow chimed in from behind, "I can stand too!"

Seeing how insistent the two were, Ji Anzhi didn't want to turn them down and nodded in agreement.

Seeing that the top student had agreed to Andrew and Snow following along, Chi Yunjiang also followed suit.

The top student is so impressive. This class is too good to pass up.

So, only Feifer was left in the classroom, secretly seething with resentment and disdain toward the other four. He brooded for a while before finally returning to his dorm to review and research on his own.

When Ji Anzhi appeared at the doorway of the Energy Department's theoretical classroom, everyone in Energy Class One shot him puzzled looks.

Given his recent experiences, Ji Anzhi could now calmly disregard these stares, especially since today's gazes lacked the hatred and lethal aura from yesterday.

As he entered, he saw Jian Fuxu sitting alone by the window in the last row. Likely because of his presence, the last four window and center rows were deserted, whereas all other seats were taken.

Ji Anzhi had originally planned to find an inconspicuous spot to sit, but given the situation, it seemed he had no choice but to sit next to Jian Fuxu.

Remembering that Jian Fuxu had a pheromone allergy, Ji Anzhi took out a neutralizer and gave himself a spray to avoid carrying any alpha pheromones that might bother him.

He handed the neutralizer to Andrew, who was behind him, instructing them all to spray themselves and ensure no pheromones leaked.

Upon seeing Jian Fuxu by the window, Andrew and his two companions immediately understood. They sprayed extra neutralizer and carefully checked their pheromone-blocking bracelets, confirming everything was in order before following Ji Anzhi inside.

Ji Anzhi took a seat one spot away from Jian Fuxu.

Noticing someone sitting nearby, Jian Fuxu glanced over warily and saw Ji Anzhi sitting beside him with Xiaoxue in his arms, followed by several alphas.

Ji Anzhi set down the still-sleeping Xiaoxue and volunteered, "I signed up to audit the Energy Department's theory class."

Jian Fuxu nodded in understanding and added, "If you don't understand anything, you can ask me after class."

Then he went back to burying himself in the latest research materials he had compiled yesterday.

Ji Anzhi continued quietly explaining the Giraldo theory to Snow, while Chi Yunjiang continued studying the analysis Ji Anzhi had written for Andrew.

The rest of Energy Class One looked at Ji Anzhi and his group as if they were brave warriors.

Ji Anzhi was one thing—yesterday he had defeated the genius fourth-year Star Chart Department chief, and as a beta who was also Jian Fuxu's roommate, it made sense for him to dare to sit nearby.

But were those three alphas behind him trying to get themselves killed? Weren't they afraid Jian Fuxu might suddenly pull out a gun?

Regardless of what they thought, the three sat there quietly until the teacher arrived and class began, at which point everyone finally looked away.

The female teacher who entered raised an eyebrow in surprise upon seeing alphas sitting next to Jian Fuxu and was clearly impressed.

The Energy Department class was too large, so the teacher didn't take attendance, instead saying she would randomly select names from the roster for questions later.

She got straight to the point and began lecturing from the textbook.

Ji Anzhi quickly finished explaining to Snow, then took out his notebook on energy theory and listened attentively to the lecture.

Snow slowly digested the knowledge Ji Anzhi had explained, while Andrew looked up materials and tried to understand as he went.

Whenever they encountered something they didn't understand, they waited until Ji Anzhi wasn't listening to the lecture before asking him. The class proceeded smoothly.

Near the end of the class, Jian Fuxu finally emerged from the data on his terminal. Noticing Xiaoxue sleeping in front of him, he remembered that his beta roommate seemed to have signed up for this class as an auditor and turned to look at Ji Anzhi.

When Jian Fuxu glanced over, Ji Anzhi was explaining a step in the analysis to Andrew. Only after finishing did he notice Jian Fuxu looking at him.

He thought Jian Fuxu would ask why he had chosen to audit the Energy Department's class or how he had brought Xiaoxue along.

Instead, Jian Fuxu asked, "Who are those three alphas?"

"..."

Ji Anzhi: Isn't his reaction time a bit too slow?

Ji Anzhi quickly explained, "They're freshmen from the Star Chart Department this year, my classmates."

Jian Fuxu eyed the three alphas with suspicion. "Star Chart Department? Did they all sign up for the Energy Department's theory class?"

Up to no good.

Before Andrew and the others could speak, Ji Anzhi had already explained, "They came along to ask questions. They didn't sign up for this class. Are they bothering you?"

Jian Fuxu glanced at the three. If they were genuinely here to ask questions, that was fine—as long as they weren't looking for trouble or trying to recruit allies.

Jian Fuxu averted his eyes and replied calmly, "No. Are you going back to eat at noon?"

Ji Anzhi had another class in the afternoon—Materials Fundamentals. If he went back to eat and rest, he'd have less than half an hour before heading to the first teaching building for class again. It would be better to go to the classroom early and review.

So he suggested, "I have class in the afternoon. How about we go to the cafeteria instead?"

Jian Fuxu nodded and sent messages to Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan: "Cafeteria today."

A while later, class ended. Andrew was about to ask another question when Chi Yunjiang and Snow quickly covered his mouth and dragged him away.

Didn't this guy hear that the chief was going to the cafeteria with Jian Fuxu?

Still asking questions? Did he have a death wish?!

Ji Anzhi and Jian Fuxu found Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan, who had also just finished class, on the second floor, and they all walked to the cafeteria together.

On the way, Lu Yan learned that Ji Anzhi had actually signed up for other classes and was instantly jealous.

The Command Department had four main subjects alone, plus other elective minors. With classes six days a week, at least two classes a day, plus additional electives...

Lu Yan felt his future looked bleak just thinking about it.

He looked at Ji Anzhi, who had actively chosen so many classes, with admiration. Truly, academic gods were different from ordinary people like them. He definitely didn't have that kind of drive.

They still ate on the third floor of the cafeteria, the exclusive area for department chiefs.

Lu Yan wasn't a chief, so as before, he had Qi Yanshen order for him.

They got their lunches and chose a secluded table by the window to eat. As soon as they sat down, Ji Anzhi saw Andrew ordering food behind someone else.

Their eyes met, and after saying a few words to the person beside him, Andrew walked over to Ji Anzhi and the others.

Standing before Ji Anzhi, Andrew asked again: "Chief Ji, would you reconsider being my private tutor? Any conditions are acceptable."

Qi Yanshen's alarm bells went off—the Gnos family was part of the Second Legion.

They were here to poach him!

Ji Anzhi replied with the same resigned tone, "Sorry, Andrew, I really don't have any intention of doing that."

Andrew's disappointment was palpable, but he then asked, "Then can I ask you questions this afternoon?"

Before Ji Anzhi could answer, Qi Yanshen coldly interjected, "No time. Your chief needs to rest."

Ji Anzhi gave Qi Yanshen a puzzled look, not understanding why he had suddenly stepped in to reject Andrew on his behalf, but he didn't contradict Qi Yanshen's words.

He didn't like having an alpha following him around.

Especially since the other party is an S-class alpha—if a physical conflict broke out, I'd stand no chance.

Ji Anzhi shot Andrew an apologetic look. "Sorry, I need to head back and rest at lunch. I've got stuff this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, Andrew looked utterly dejected, like an abandoned puppy, and tentatively asked, "Are you free this Sunday?"

Qi Yanshen replied, "He's busy Sunday too. No time."

Ji Anzhi nodded along with Qi Yanshen's words. Andrew could only leave reluctantly, throwing out a 'sorry to bother you' on his way out.

After Andrew left, Jian Fuxu and Lu Yan both gave Qi Yanshen strange looks.

Even if you're worried about Ji Anzhi being poached, there's no need to go this far, right? He hasn't even joined the Third Legion yet.

Though puzzled, Ji Anzhi still thanked Qi Yanshen for bailing him out. He really did find it hard to refuse Andrew's request.

"Thank you."

Qi Yanshen withdrew his scrutinizing gaze from Andrew and replied with a slightly gentler tone, "Don't mention it. Next time, if you don't want to, just say no."

Ji Anzhi smiled but said nothing.

Refusing might sound simple, but in reality, when you think about it, it's not easy to do.

The other party is an S-class alpha. While they can't openly do anything to me, if they were to pull some underhanded tricks in private—as long as it doesn't violate the student handbook—the military academy wouldn't lift a finger.

Even though Andrew doesn't seem like the type to resort to such petty tactics, I can't take that risk.

I'm not part of any faction, and I don't want to be. Besides, without any backing to rely on now, it's best to avoid conflicts whenever possible.

Qi Yanshen understood this too. A beta with no backing has to watch their step. However, he knew Andrew well. Although their families didn't interact much, Andrew was a star chart nut—he'd hauled home stacks of books on galaxies back in elementary school.

Andrew's talent in the Star Chart Department wasn't particularly high. In a major where talent accounts for 60% of the determining factor, Andrew had managed to compensate through sheer hard work, missing admission to the First Military Academy's Star Chart Department by a hair.

Even though he later entered the Star Chart Department through connections, both the federal higher-ups and the military academy turned a blind eye.

When it came to perseverance, Andrew was their equal—maybe even better.

However, out of personal bias, Qi Yanshen didn't mention that Andrew was simply a star chart obsessive, somewhat similar to Jian Fuxu. Moreover, his family were staunch advocates for ABO gender equality, and their upbringing was good, so they wouldn't make things difficult for Ji Anzhi.

But the Third Legion was severely lacking in talent from the Star Chart Department. Even if Andrew had no intention of poaching, Qi Yanshen remained wary of the two interacting.

Besides, there was no guarantee that Ji Anzhi wouldn't voluntarily join the Second Legion himself.

Qi Yanshen silently calculated that his plan to build a rapport with Ji Anzhi should be put on the agenda soon.

However, he had never actively approached a gentle and mild-mannered beta like Ji Anzhi before. The experience of dealing with the betas in the military district couldn't be applied here...