The spacecraft landed, blasting Cheng Feng with a wave of hot air and nearly sweeping her hat off.
She quickly stepped back a few paces, dodging behind Xiang Yunjian.
Dozens of meters ahead on the open ground, the young people erupted into an exuberant cheer. Upon receiving the clearance to proceed, they immediately dashed forward.
The team sent to recruit this time included a medical group, an administrative group, and a batch of crew service personnel and technical workers.
Only after the United Federation University’s backend had processed and confirmed all the new students’ paperwork would everyone set off again. According to the schedule, they were expected to stay on the post-war planet for a day or two.
Cheng Feng’s documents were rather complicated – she was an undocumented person and needed to undergo a background check first. Moreover, although the combat robot’s core had been destroyed, it still posed a certain risk and would have to go through rigorous security screening.
Xiang Yunjian picked up Cheng Feng’s luggage, went over to greet the security personnel, and boarded the spacecraft first to find her a room to settle in.
The interior of the cabin, in Cheng Feng’s eyes, could only be described as luxurious, filled with all sorts of electronic devices and precision components.
She walked at a leisurely pace, pausing now and then to observe the text annotations above the buttons, utterly curious about these technological products born from advanced technology.
Before she could even begin to connect with the Alliance’s modern technology, Jiang Linxia had already grown impatient and grabbed her by the collar, dragging her down the corridor.
“You’ll sleep in this room right next to ours.” Xiang Yunjian took the card from the door and gestured for her to keep it safe. “Call someone if you need anything, got it? If you don’t know how to use any equipment, you can come ask us, or find a crew member. Later, I’ll have them bring over a map so you can locate the dining area and the infirmary.”
It was a large suite, with Cheng Feng’s room at the far left and a spacious common room in the middle.
“The combat robot will be kept with us for now; we’ll give it back to you once we’re back in the Alliance.” Xiang Yunjian placed her suitcase by the entrance. “Your things are here.”
Cheng Feng nodded.
Xiang Yunjian and the others still had to return the training equipment, leaving Cheng Feng alone in the spacious room.
A faint floral fragrance drifted through the air. Cheng Feng couldn’t identify which flower it came from, but she felt certain that such a pleasant scent must originate from some kind of bloom.
She stood before the control panel, studying its functions.
The touchscreen buttons on this system had no text, only various pictographic icons. She wasn’t quite sure about them.
Before long, the door was knocked on again.
Cheng Feng hurried over to open it, and through the slowly widening crack, she saw a tall, handsome man.
Draped over his arm was a white coat, and he also carried a black bag. He wore a gray woolen vest over his shirt, which was ironed to crisp perfection, even at the edges. His demeanor was far more genteel than Xiang Yunjian and the others, possessing a tranquility that came with the passage of time.
Cheng Feng’s gaze slowly traveled upward from the ground, vaguely feeling that even his legs were taller than herself.
Dr. Lin’s eyes lowered, watching her observe him with surprise before she finally tilted her head back and blinked up at him. He couldn’t help but smile. “Cheng Feng?”
Cheng Feng nodded.
She seems quite well-behaved, Dr. Lin thought, pleased.
The odds of this were as slim as finding gold on the street on a rainy day.
Dr. Lin asked, “Do you want to rest first, or get your medical check-up done first?”
Cheng Feng didn’t answer.
Dr. Lin added, “There’s a long line for the check-up.”
Cheng Feng said, “Rest first.”
“Alright.” Dr. Lin walked past her into the room and placed the bag on the wooden table against the wall. “These are clothes they asked me to bring for you. Also, do you have a optical computer?”
Cheng Feng shook her head.
“I took the liberty of buying one for you. Having an optical computer is essential once you get to United Federation University; it makes it easier for everyone to stay in touch.” Dr. Lin pulled a box out of the bag and tapped it with his fingertip. “If you don’t know how to use it, go ask those internet-addicted youths.”
Cheng Feng stared intently at his hand. Just when Dr. Lin thought she wouldn’t react any further, Cheng Feng suddenly looked up, opened her mouth wide, and let out a delighted exclamation: “Wow–”
A robot with an optical computer, her program was upgraded!
Dr. Lin chuckled in spite of himself. He also thought that after all these years, UFU had finally gotten a normal person; it was truly a rare occurrence. His attitude towards Cheng Feng instantly softened, and he patted her head, saying, “I’m going to go take their samples first. I’ll come back later to let you know about the check-up. You get familiar with the environment here.”
Cheng Feng took off her jacket and lay down on the bed.
The bedding here was soft and warm, and when she brought it close to her nose, there was even a faint scent of milk.
Cheng Feng shamelessly succumbed to the comfort of this environment. She secretly rubbed her cheek against the pillow, then closed her eyes to rest.
She unconsciously drifted off to sleep, and was vaguely awakened by the hushed voices of a few people talking.
It was Xiang Yunjian and the others, who had returned and were now sitting in the living room playing with their optical computers.
Cheng Feng immediately grabbed her new optical computer and trotted out, wanting to chat with them.
Seeing her appear, Jiang Linxia picked up a fruit from the table and tossed it into Cheng Feng’s hands, grinning. “Brought you something good. They probably don’t have these on the post-war planet.”
It was a plump fruit, colored in shades of red and green.
Cheng Feng held it in her hands, examining it from all angles. Finding it a bit dubious, she asked, “What is this?”
“A pomegranate,” Jiang Linxia said. “Peel it and eat the seeds inside. It’s sweet and pretty good.”
Cheng Feng sat down next to him and pried the skin open with some effort.
Jiang Linxia watched as she ate the pomegranate, the two tufts of eyebrows above her eyes slowly knitting together, a hint of doubt creeping onto her face. Suddenly remembering, he pinched her cheek and said, “Spit out the seeds! Spit out the seeds!”
Cheng Feng’s cheeks puffed up, and she spat the seeds directly at his face.
Jiang Linxia was stunned for a moment, then jumped up and yelled, “Holy crap!”
He grabbed Cheng Feng by the collar and lifted her up with some force.
…But it wasn’t like he could hit her or anything.
Jiang Linxia released his grip, instead grabbing her head with both hands and shaking it. “Did you do that on purpose?! You actually spat in my face, my face is covered in your spit, you little punk! Damn it!”
Cheng Feng’s mouth hung open, her head spinning from his shaking, and her words came out garbled. “I didn’t mean to. You were the one who pinched my face and told me to spit.”
“Serves you right.” Xiang Yunjian smirked from across the room. “Put her down, you’re rattling her brains out.”
Jiang Linxia ran back to his room to wash his face. Xiang Yunjian beckoned for Cheng Feng to come over and pulled a document out from under the table.
“This is the United Federation University enrollment application. Take a look, and if there are no issues, sign it. Once your application is reviewed and approved, the university will send you an acceptance letter.”
Due to Cheng Feng’s unique circumstances, to put it simply, she had no money.
United Federation University was willing to provide her with free room and board. Based on her academic performance, they would award her different levels of financial aid, while also offering professional skills training. Provided it did not interfere with her daily studies, she was not prohibited from earning income through other legitimate channels.
The condition was that she must attend United Federation University and could not transfer to another school midway without just cause.
Cheng Feng gave it a rough scan and signed her name at the bottom.
“You just signed it like that?” Xiang Yunjian asked. “Do you understand the contract?”
Cheng Feng was clear-headed. “I don’t have a choice.”
She wanted to go to the Alliance.
“Alright.” Xiang Yunjian said with a smile. “Don’t worry, UFU… practices humanitarianism.”
The terms in this contract were indeed very generous, mostly supportive measures designed to attract Cheng Feng. Apart from the requirement to attend United Federation University, there were hardly any other restrictions.
Xiang Yunjian took a photo of the signed contract and sent it to the instructor.
Upon receiving it, the instructor immediately notified the publicity team, who gleefully posted a teaser on the official account.
@United Federation University: Here’s a little scoop. The player who last logged into our student Xiang Yunjian’s San Yao account to take the simulation test and set a hand-operated record on San Yao is one of our new students this year. They’ll be enrolling soon, so stay tuned! 【Cheering】
As soon as the post was published, it shot up to the top of the trending list.
“So it wasn’t a bug? I was wondering why San Yao took so long to clarify. Which new student is this impressive, directly topping the leaderboard? Why even bother coming to school?”
“Is manual mech operation really about to make a comeback?!”
“UFU’s manual mech is about to rise! Don’t the First and Second Military have any response yet? @Alliance Military Universities, are you even capable? The stagnant status quo is about to be broken, get hyped along with it!”
“Can we see a photo of the guy?”
“Wait a minute, the normal admissions process ended long ago, right? Didn’t they say Xiang Yunjian and the others were recently on a post-war planet for special admissions? So is the new student from a remote galaxy?”
“How is that possible? I remember the major military universities already went to the post-war planet to recruit a batch. Those admissions offices move like a plague of locusts, how could they have left behind such a hidden gem?”
“Does UFU even know how to handle publicity? School’s about to start, stop being so mysterious. Just show us what you’ve got!”
The account manager was particularly cheeky, only replying to a few hot comments with a mischievous emoji: [Hehehe], which drew a wave of scolding from the netizens below.
Xiang Yunjian taught Cheng Feng how to use the software from the company San Yao. He was the first to open the forum and let Cheng Feng scroll through the comments.
Getting to know the Alliance starts with getting to know the hilarious netizens.
Cheng Feng really wanted to register for an account, but she couldn’t. She was browsing the posts intently when a message abruptly popped up at the top of the screen: Cheng Feng, come for your medical check-up.
Cheng Feng put away her optical computer and hurried to the infirmary at the rear of the cabin.
There were hardly any people left in the examination area. By the time Cheng Feng arrived, the last young man was just coming out from inside.
He waved at her and called out enthusiastically, “Boss!”
Cheng Feng followed the direction he’d come from and pushed the door open.
Dr. Lin was sitting by the wall. Hearing footsteps, he pointed to one side without looking up. “Go in there for the X-ray.”
Cheng Feng entered the small, enclosed room. Not knowing what to do, she followed the diagram on the machine, raised her hands, and stood there for a moment. Then she heard Dr. Lin say, “All done. Go outside and take your clothes off.”
The scan came through, and Dr. Lin recorded the information based on the results displayed on the screen.
At first glance, nothing seemed amiss. He was just writing “chest symmetrical, trachea midline” when he suddenly froze. He quickly turned his head back to re-examine the scan.
If his many years of medical experience weren’t mistaken… Cheng Feng lacked the physical organs a normal male should possess.
“Wait! Wait a minute!” Dr. Lin stood up hastily and called out to the inner room, “Don’t take your clothes off yet!”
