Xiang Yunjian and the others were going home today. Learning that Cheng Feng was waiting for a ride, they took a detour to pick her up. They also left their detailed address in her account, telling her to come visit them whenever she had time.
For the command positions in the grand battle, several roommates were still staying at school. Shen Dan wanted to make a push to see if she could secure a spot, while the other two roommates wanted to use this exam to gauge their actual skill level.
The UFU leadership attached exceptional importance to this year’s selection of commanders. Mr. Luo had stayed in his office for several consecutive days, discussing the scope of the exam questions with his colleagues.
According to the rules of the grand battle in previous years, the six military universities with the top six total candidate scores were eligible to register for participation.
Each military university had one thousand slots.
Infantries were to be selected from the candidates registered for the league, while the two commander positions could be recommended by the school. There was no mandatory requirement for the type of commander.
Considering that UFU had Xiang Yunjian and Cheng Feng, the teaching and research group deliberated for a long time and ultimately decided to follow last year’s approach – not to recommend Class A commanders, but to find two data analysts to support them instead.
Last year, UFU had lost precisely because of the team’s command and deployment.
Xiang Yunjian did have leadership talent, but unfortunately, he was not a professional commander and lacked sufficient experience. His ability to fight as an infantry was also considerably limited.
Moreover, the information on the battlefield was intricate and ever-changing, demanding absolute focus.
In that match, while piloting his mech to fend off the enemy, Xiang Yunjian came under a coordinated assault from the opposing side and failed to detect the anomaly on the field. To make matters worse, the two deputy commanders disagreed with each other, missing the optimal moment for adjustment. As a result, in the final stretch, Tao Rui dealt them a heavy blow, and they ultimately fell short of victory.
That match also became the key battle that made Tao Rui’s name.
Afterward, the faculty and students of UFU reviewed and reflected, concluding that the main reason for the grand battle defeat was that they had placed too heavy a burden and pressure on Xiang Yunjian, which gave Tao Rui an opening to exploit and systematically target Xiang Yunjian, leaving him unable to spare any attention elsewhere.
After last year’s competition ended, the leaders on-site solemnly declared that the following year, they would definitely bring a Class A commander! If one wasn’t enough, they’d bring two! They absolutely would not let Tao Rui dominate them again!
Unexpectedly, this year Cheng Feng burst onto the scene. After some hesitation, everyone decided to take another bold risk.
After all, that’s the style of our uni, right?
On the fourth day of the holiday, the selection assessment began.
The exam papers were somewhat long, covering multiple knowledge points that might appear in the competition, so there were three hours of testing in the morning and another three hours at noon.
The school provided free meals for the candidates. While everyone was eating, Mr. Luo called Cheng Feng over to choose her teammates.
He had previously said he would take Cheng Feng’s opinion into account, but in the end, what he handed to Cheng Feng were actually the anonymous answer sheets of the various candidates. These included the students’ modeling speed, model completion level, stylistic preferences, analysis, and so on.
Cheng Feng could pick her partners from the top fifty students.
Shen Dan’s personal style was simply too distinct – of course, it might also have been because Cheng Feng had read too many of her personal analysis reports. That anonymous paper in front of her felt as exposed as if Shen Dan were running around naked.
Cheng Feng couldn’t help but sneak a few extra glances at it, yet she felt awkward about actually choosing Shen Dan, afraid of being accused of favoritism or pulling strings. After all, Shen Dan’s scores weren’t among the very best of all the candidates.
Mr. Luo could tell what she was thinking and said with a smile, “Shen Dan’s skill level is indeed quite good. Although her knowledge base might not match that of a senior student yet, there aren’t overly complex models in the grand battle – her current technique is sufficient. If you get along with her, you can choose her too.”
Cheng Feng said, “We do get along.” Shen Dan listened to her well, and her hand speed was remarkably fast.
Mr. Luo was also very straightforward. He casually put a checkmark next to Shen Dan’s name and said, “Then we’ll add her.”
Selecting her teammates went faster than Cheng Feng had expected.
The other command slot was ultimately confirmed as Chen Huayue, another acquaintance of Cheng Feng’s. When Cheng Feng had previously participated in the military headquarters’ intensive training for the command department, Chen Huayue, as a senior, had helped her a great deal.
However, Cheng Feng didn’t pull any strings for this one. Chen Huayue had solid professional skills and an accommodating, easygoing personality – Mr. Luo had recommended him to her on his own initiative.
Chen Huayue was already a senior this year, with outstanding results in professional competitions. Ordinarily, after completing the school’s project requirements, he could go for advanced training or choose to pursue further studies, without caring about the performance opportunity in this league.
He had come back this time solely to help Cheng Feng snatch the MVP.
Mr. Luo organized all the electronic documents, sent them back to the students one by one, and notified everyone of their exam results. Seeing Cheng Feng standing there in a daze, he smiled and said, “This year, basically all the seniors who couldn’t make it back to school have signed up.”
Cheng Feng looked up.
Mr. Luo spoke casually yet somewhat solemnly. “Don’t feel pressured. You’re not alone. All the students from our uni stand behind you.”
When Cheng Feng came out from Mr. Luo’s office, a crowd of candidates was also just exiting the cafeteria. Hundreds of people gathered together, chatting and laughing, bringing life back to the otherwise empty and quiet campus during the holiday.
When they saw Cheng Feng approaching, the noise from the crowd subsided slightly.
Chen Huayue called out loudly, “Junior’s here!”
The February weather was very cold, already below freezing, but the military students’ cold resistance was almost supernatural – some wore only a light jacket, while others wore puffer coats or heavy overcoats. A quick glance around showed outfits representing all four seasons.
Cheng Feng quickened her pace, jogged over, gave a slight nod, and said, “Hello, everyone!”
The crowd naturally surrounded her, all chattering at once.
“Hi! Play hard in the competition – mostly, just play hard against Tao Rui.”
“Cheng Feng probably isn’t scared at all. I think Tao Rui should be the one afraid of our Cheng Feng – her momentum is too strong!”
“Since we’re all here, let’s come up with a slogan. We can’t lose to Tao Rui on that!”
“The light of the Command Department!”
“Don’t steal other people’s lines!”
Cheng Feng felt countless buzzing sounds around her ears, more chaotic than a thousand bees swarming. Whether she caught what was said or not, she turned her head in all directions and grunted in acknowledgment to show she’d heard.
Someone from behind gave her a little shove and laughed, “What are you ‘mm-hmm’-ing for? Even in class, you weren’t this perfunctory!”
“Tell us! Why didn’t you pick me? What did your senior do to disappoint you?”
Shen Dan’s voice drifted in quietly. “It’s mainly because I’m too irreplaceable.”
The senior who had asked earlier shook his head repeatedly. “No need to be like that, Junior. My legend isn’t over yet – if you want to claim the throne, you’ll have to wait a while longer.”
Chen Huayue pushed up his glasses and joked, “Cheng Feng, long time no see. No-prize quiz – can you tell what’s different about me?”
Cheng Feng stared at him for a moment, then said with certainty, “You changed your glasses.”
The crowd let out a simultaneous gasp – “Whoa–”
Chen Huayue was taken aback, almost flattered. Cheng Feng was the kind of person who couldn’t even remember her own teachers’ names, yet she actually remembered his glasses?!
Beside her, Shen Dan was equally stunned, then raised her finger to point at her own face. Cheng Feng silently pushed her hand back down.
…Honestly, all the guys had the same hairstyle anyway – what else was there to notice besides their glasses?
The group chatted and laughed for a while longer, then gradually dispersed as dusk approached.
…
Throughout the entire winter break, the candidates who had confirmed their participation were all doing intensive training for the grand battle.
The selection criteria for infantries were particularly simple – as long as they followed orders and obeyed commands, they were selected down the line based on their capability test scores.
Everyone was given three days off for the Spring Festival. Cheng Feng was dragged by Shen Dan to her family’s home for the New Year, and the next day she was personally hauled by Mr. Kong to show her face in front of his wife, and even forced by Mr. Kong to perform a singing talent.
Mr. Kong said that was the first wrong decision he’d made in the new year.
After the holiday, the workload lightened. Cheng Feng and the others continued following the command department instructors for technical adjustments, and squeezed in time to practice positioning and coordination with the infantries.
Shen Dan was extremely devoted when working – she could go for long periods without eating, talking, or even using the bathroom. But during her downtime, she was particularly lazy and had to spend at least half an hour every day scrolling through San Yao.
Not content with enjoying it herself, she would also read posts aloud to them.
She read in a flat, monotonous tone, so Cheng Feng preferred to read them herself.
Lately, there were all kinds of inside information circulating on San Yao every day, as if someone had planted a listening device under Tao Rui’s bed.
“Don’t disbelieve it – it’s true. First Military and Second Military have hooked up.”
“The faction allocation hasn’t even come out yet – how could they have hooked up? Even if they do end up in the same faction, is Second Military going to hand over command to Tao Rui?”
“Second Military hasn’t had any particularly outstanding commanders in recent years, right? The two universities have pretty similar styles anyway – Tao Rui should be able to lead them.”
“Wow, looks like they really are forming an alliance. No one even came out to curse when someone said the two academies have similar styles. Scary.”
“Don’t misunderstand – it’s almost the New Year, just trying to save some good karma.”
“Why haven’t Tao Rui’s fans been chanting their slogans this year? No wonder I’ve been feeling so off – no one’s come out to argue with me.”
“I heard Tao Rui lost to Cheng Feng. [whisper]”
“Don’t take those small-time casual matches too seriously, right?”
“If UFU misses out on the grand battle MVP again this year, then who ends up as the ultimate winner – Cheng Feng or Tao Rui? Or do they both ascend to godhood together?”
“Trust me – I’d bet my head on it. First Military and UMU are the ones truly holding hands.”
Shen Dan slumped bonelessly in the wide chair, crossing her legs, and let out a scoffing laugh. “Ambitious, aren’t they? Are they trying to make Tao Rui follow in the footsteps of the First Emperor – unifying all six universities under one rule?”
She said it dismissively, and Cheng Feng also felt it was just the usual internet hype-stirring.
Chen Huayue took off his glasses and wiped them slowly and deliberately, saying, “I’ve heard a bit about it too. It’s not just First and Second Universities – apart from our uni, all the major military universities seem to have intentions of cooperating this time.”
Shen Dan immediately straightened her back, slid back a little, and sat upright in her chair, saying, “But the grand battle only has two factions, though.”
Chen Huayue gave a light smile. “We’ll see when the time comes. Have you finished today’s assignments?”
The long, tedious training dragged on, time advancing with every line of code they typed. In the blink of an eye, it jumped to mid-February – the grand battle was about to begin.
