Chapter 62

"Teacher, you must keep your word."

The moment Yuan Hanshuang finished speaking, all the freshmen in the hall chimed in: "Teacher Wei, you have to be a man of your word!"

"That's right! Teacher, every student present heard what you said before class! If you said you wouldn't fail a single one of us from Silver Star this semester, you can't fail anyone!"

Some freshers even turned the tables on him: "Before the military training started, the chief instructor said that no mercy would be shown on the battlefield, and that any means could be used as long as final victory was achieved. We all took that to heart. How do you think our application of this lesson went, Teacher Wei?"

The Vajra Parrot added insult to injury, mocking him: "Aren't you big and bad! Aren't you big and bad!"

Scaring Ke Jiunda into quickly pulling it back, terrified that it might blurt out something inappropriate.

As for Wei Wenwei, he stood frozen in place for a full half minute.

For a split second, he even had the illusion that the tail of that red and white giant fish hadn't lashed against the mecha's face, but rather across his own.

It hurt. It really hurt.

He never expected to be outwitted by this pack of brats.

The mecha possessed multiple shooting functions, and one of the laser types even came with a tracking feature. Even without using skills or personally operating the mecha, Wei Wenwei could have easily trounced these newbies.

That final high-powered laser used by the mecha just now was strong enough to force a Tier 6 mimesis to its knees with a direct hit. The Vajra Parrot putting up ten shields wouldn't have done any good against its piercing capability. No wonder Wei Wenwei, despite suspecting that Feng Bai hadn't even shown up, chose to turn back out of sheer confidence in his own strength.

If he hadn't turned back, he might have been able to react the moment the koi fish atomized and thus dodged it.

To take it a step back, if he hadn't engaged in close combat with Xuanyuan Sheng at the beginning, he might not have been sprinkled with the Dream Butterfly's hypnotic powder, allowing him to assemble the mecha a bit faster. In those final few seconds, even a fraction of speed was the key to victory.

Unfortunately, there were no "ifs."

He had spent his whole life hunting geese, only to be pecked in the eye by a goose.

"Fine. No failing grades, then."

After all, Wei Wenwei wasn't a sore loser.

It was just a bit embarrassing to try and put on a show of dominance only to get slapped in the face, so he couldn't help cursing inwardly that these brats didn't even know how to leave their teacher a shred of dignity.

"Xuanyuan Sheng, Xia Mengrou, Wu Haoxuan, Ke Jiunda, and Yuan Hanshuang, right?"

He looked at the roster on the holographic screen and sneered, "I'll remember you all."

Hearing this, the smile on Wu Haoxuan's face instantly froze, and he whispered, "What do we do? I have a bad feeling we've offended Teacher Wei."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Xuanyuan Sheng still wore a victorious smile and rolled his eyes at the remark. "If you hadn't offended him, you'd have gotten beaten up by him today and mocked into the bargain."

"Besides, as long as we don't fail this semester, that's all that matters. He's the commander of the Third Legion, just drafted in this year to fill the vacancy left by the captured Silver Star instructor. Do you really think he's going to stay here and teach you every year?"

"True." Put that way, everyone's conscience was entirely clear.

Having won the victory, the Silver Star freshmen walked arm-in-arm, grinning and joking.

Losing face, Wei Wenwei dismissed the class early.

"Those little brats—"

Upon returning to the office, Feng Bai, who knew his temper well, immediately saw that something was amiss. "What is it? You look terrible. Didn't you say you were going to test the proficiency of the Silver Star freshmen and give them a taste of authority?"

"Don't even ask!" Wei Wenwei's expression was foul. "Those Silver Star brats tricked me with a mix of bluff and misdirection to divert my attention, and on top of that, they were holding back their real moves."

As soon as he spoke, the entire Third Legion office erupted.

"No way, old Wei. By the sound of it, did you actually get outwitted by a bunch of newbies today?"

"Who was it this morning saying that a proud army is bound to fail, and that those Silver Star freshmen needed to learn that beating the Imperial Academy's freshmen was nothing special?"

"Hahahahaha, Old Wei, you've finally had your day. I'm dying."

As comrades-in-arms who were under joint investigation, the internal relations within the Third Legion were quite good. Furthermore, since Wei Wenwei had worked his way up from the ranks, many of them were veterans who felt comfortable joking around with him.

"What are you laughing at? The same thing would happen to you if you went," Wei Wenwei said, unamused. "Say what you will, the coordination among this year's Silver Star freshmen is genuinely impressive. That core group of five clearly practices a lot in private, and there's some cold-hearted mastermind who popped up out of nowhere. Coming up with a plan is one thing, but dragging the whole class into it is another."

"The worst part about the Silver Star instructor getting captured this year is that in past years, each class at least had a head teacher keeping an eye on them. This year, they're completely running wild, utterly lawless, and every single one of them has turned into a thorn in the side!"

Unfortunately, the entire office was doubled over with laughter, and no one offered him any sympathy.

"And that female student's mimesis is actually rather strange. How could a high-level exemption skill possibly appear on a Grade A mimesis..."

Feng Bai keenly caught the keyword: "Which female student?"

"The one I mentioned looked familiar last time."

Wei Wenwei said offhandedly, "Her mimesis looks like it's more than just that level."

"I wonder why on earth she looks so familiar to me."

Before Wei Wenwei could dwell on it further, Feng Bai handed over a thick stack of spreadsheets. "Stop thinking about it, Old Wei. Come help scan these mecha mimeses."

Wei Wenwei, who routinely served as the legion's scanning tool-human, muttered, "Fine, coming."

While Feng Bai was fraught with worry, struggling to protect the identity of Yuan Hanshuang—who might or might not be his young master—the bait he and Feng Ming had dropped was finally getting some nibbles.

Indeed, on this very day, Yuan Hanshuang finally made up her mind to make a trip to the Imperial Academy's library.

Because apart from the military academy's archives, she could no longer obtain any further news about her father through the black market or any other channels. Just as Feng Ming had guessed, having no other avenues of information, she had no choice but to take a calculated risk and see if she could establish contact with the old guards of the Third Legion.

Of course, walking right in without any preparation was simply not Yuan Hanshuang's style.

After making thorough preparations, she picked up that blank Imperial Academy student ID and library card, and with the air of someone marching to her execution, she walked straight into the Imperial Academy without looking back.

This time of day was right in the afternoon, and many students were active inside the military academy.

Among the crowd of military cadets in white uniforms, Yuan Hanshuang in her gray Silver Star uniform looked like a little lamb straying into a pack of wolves. Keep in mind that ever since the military academy had designated a restricted military zone and implemented a completely enclosed lockdown this year, outsiders were strictly forbidden to enter. While military cadets were allowed to go eat at the Silver Star Academy cafeteria, Silver Star students had no way of crossing over to their side.

"Isn't that Yuan Hanshuang from Silver Star next door?"

As luck would have it, Yuan Hanshuang was considered a prominent figure among the freshmen of both schools. Her personal strength had left her face etched in the memories of all the Imperial Academy freshmen, and a few individuals—specifically those military cadets who had been ambushed in the restroom—had severe PTSD regarding her face.

"Yeah, why is she showing up here?"

"I have no idea! Could she be here to scout the enemy? In any case, her showing up can't mean anything good!"

At the corner of the corridor, several military cadets acted as if facing a formidable enemy. Yet they looked at each other, and not a single one dared to step forward to question her, terrified that Yuan Hanshuang would throw them over her shoulder the moment she approached.

After some thought, they decided to post on the forum to warn everyone that a treacherous Silver Star individual had sneaked into their midst.

[Look out! Walking right now through the Imperial campus is a treacherous Silver Star freshman!]

Seeing this post, Bian Yu was lounging on a sofa by the surfing pool in the Chief's Building, browsing the internet on his optical computer. When he saw it, his eyes lit up, and he suddenly sprang up from the sofa. Just as he was about to stride out, he seemed to remember something and headed toward the shower room beside the pool.

"A three-minute quick shower, hurry up, maybe I can still catch her."

After Bian Yu hastily finished up and rushed out of the Chief's Building like a bolt of lightning, he could feel his heart pounding inside his chest, filling him with an eager excitement.

Bian Yu had never imagined that he could be defeated by a Tier 4 junior freshman.

Because of this, on the day of the confrontation match in the tiered classroom, upon seeing the badge in the hands of the black-haired girl with twin tails, he hadn't reacted for a moment and stood frozen in place. Only after she had left did Bian Yu finally realize that the badge had fallen off without him noticing.

*I was just careless,* he thought.

Without synchronized mimeses, he could certainly claim he hadn't lost, but given Bian Yu's competitive nature, he wanted to fight Yuan Hanshuang fair and square.

After rushing all the way to the library entrance, Bian Yu was suddenly struck by a wave of bewilderment.

Wait a minute, she was only a Tier 4 junior; even if he wanted a rematch right now, she wouldn't be able to handle it, so why had his brain short-circuited and made him rush over so enthusiastically the moment he saw the news that the junior schoolmate had arrived?

However, before Bian Yu could ponder it further, he spotted the very person he was looking for.

As Yuan Hanshuang walked along, she noticed that the military cadets were casting rather bizarre glances her way. Just as she reached the entrance of the library, she saw a tall, familiar figure.

"Hey!" Bian Yu rushed over eagerly, "Junior Yuan!"

Yuan Hanshuang, who had been looking at his dripping wet hair and half-expecting him to seek revenge and settle accounts, paused: "?"

*No, schoolmate from the rival school, why are you calling out to me with such enthusiasm?*

She silently withdrew her retreating footsteps, suddenly remembered something, and pulled a card out of her spatial button: "Your student ID. I happened to pick it up last time."

"Huh? Oh." Bian Yu took it. "Did you specifically come over to give this to me?"

"No." Yuan Hanshuang nonchalantly bypassed him and walked toward the library.

Bian Yu: ???

Without hesitation, he quickly gave chase, trailing right behind Yuan Hanshuang: "Do you have business at the library? Oh, I forgot to mention, I already got a replacement student ID a couple of days ago, but thanks anyway. Are you looking to borrow some books? I can lend you my student ID."

"No, not needed, thanks."

A relentless chatterbox, practically talking her to death.

Walking in front, she suddenly pivoted.

Clearly not expecting this, Bian Yu nearly failed to brake in time, watching in a panic as his chest almost collided with her.

"What are you following me for?"

"Well, about that," a suspicious flush appeared on the face of the Imperial Melee Division's chief, "I want to have another match with you, but you're still too weak right now... so how about we schedule a fight for next year's academy ranking tournament?"

Yuan Hanshuang: "..."

*Sometimes, if you don't know how to speak, you really don't have to say anything!*