On the playground, a cacophony of hypocritical wails filled the air.
The infantry trainees had already been pulled to another field to experience the darkness of human nature; those remaining were primarily fragile freshmen from the Command or Mech Construction departments.
Ten laps added up to a daunting four-kilometer run. For these youths, who had just finished their college entrance exams a little over two months ago, had spent the time partying wildly, and still considered themselves logistics personnel, it was undoubtedly a severe challenge.
With no time limit imposed, the students deliberately slowed their pace to conserve energy.
The instructor didn’t mind either, strolling by the edge of the field with a water bottle, occasionally offering encouragement with a clenched fist.
“Keep it up! Ten laps will be over in the blink of an eye!”
Nobody wanted his encouragement. They didn’t even want to glance his way.
The instructor’s smile only reminded them of the agony of being deceived.
Instructor Yuan, oblivious to their feelings, receiving no response, took the initiative to walk to the center of the field and make heart shapes at them, acting affectedly, “You guys are the best! I believe in you!”
“Yue!”
The young man leading the group roared.
Did the instructors at UFU have some unspeakable fetish?
This amount of exercise was nothing to Cheng Feng, but she was a lowkey person, mingling with the crowd and jogging along leisurely.
After completing one and a half laps, the instructor, who had been standing around casually, took out his optical computer and glanced at the time, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
He took two steps forward with his hands behind his back and announced loudly, “Forgot to mention, the first student to finish – boys and girls separately – also gets a surprise reward. You’ll have free time this afternoon and won’t have to attend training.”
The reward was rather too meager. Even temptation wasn’t worth such disdain.
The pace of the group hardly changed, everyone still draped in laziness, and Cheng Feng also opened her mouth in a yawn.
Before she could even finish the breath, a tall, slender figure flashed past the corner of her eye. In an instant, she had moved from the middle-back of the pack to the very front, maintaining her aggressive momentum and gradually pulling away from those behind her.
As she rounded a bend, probably unintentionally, Shen Dan turned her head and cast her calm, unwavering gaze over the crowd, then looked away with extreme indifference. That brief motion inexplicably carried a hint of mockery.
Cheng Feng jolted, and after a two-second delay, she too began to muster her strength and accelerate.
Although she didn’t have to train with the Command Department in the afternoon anyway, her competitive spirit couldn’t accept such a provocation.
By the time Instructor Yuan came back from buying a popsicle at the small supermarket next door, three echelons had already formed: the boys, the girls, and the duo of Cheng Feng and Shen Dan.
He stood in the shade by the field, watching the listless group in front of him, feeling that even his popsicle had become warm. Tearing open the wrapper, he clicked his tongue and shouted, “Get running! The girls have taken the lead up there, why aren’t you boys running? Aren’t you ashamed? Can’t beat them in grades, can’t even beat them in physical strength?”
He bit off a piece of ice, crunching it loudly. Seeing that these brats were still just as unambitious, his tone turned fierce and impatient. “Huh? What’s the matter with you big men? Been sitting in classrooms so long you’re half-crippled? Dawdling along here like turtles, putting on a show of delicate frailty? MOVE IT! Anyone who runs slower than the girls today gets two extra laps! You should be embarrassed, seriously.”
Upon hearing this, the group of boys let out wails, begging Cheng Feng and Shen Dan to slow down.
“Stop the rat race! Ban internal competition! We’re on the same side!”
“Big shots, stop fighting! This is blatant provocation!”
“Most of life’s pain comes from wrong estimates! This deal isn’t worth it, sisters!”
“Sister, save me! Please, have some pity on me! I’m just a data worker!”
The instructor fully revealed his true colors, shouting sternly, “You’ve still got energy to yell? Three laps! Any girl who doesn’t finish before the second bell gets two extra laps too!”
Everyone quickly shut their mouths, groaning inwardly. Seeing that Shen Dan and the others paid them no heed, they had no choice but to pick up the pace and chase after them.
The instructor sneered, “Outrageous. Show them a little kindness and they can’t tell their heads from their tails. They just ask for a beating. What a attitude.”
He finished his popsicle in a few bites, clapped his hands contentedly, and went to the side to throw away the trash.
An instructor from another group glanced at his own students, a hint of envy in his eyes. A moment later, he raised the whistle hanging on his chest and blew it hard.
The shrill, piercing sound, amplified by a loudspeaker, echoed across the entire playground, penetrating eardrums and jolting everyone’s spirits with its unparalleled impact.
That instructor cleared his throat and announced, “Ahem, we’re all part of the same academy, right? Can’t have two different sets of standards, or other instructors might report me for going easy. Look at the training intensity next door, we need to keep up. Now, everyone! Follow the reward and punishment standards of Cheng Feng’s class. RUN!”
Upon hearing this, a group of students nearly fainted. They had all sorts of curses ready, but remembering the precedent from the neighboring class where talking added a lap, they forcibly swallowed them. Red-faced, they began sprinting for their lives.
Several other instructors seized this golden opportunity and declared, “The same goes for you!”
Driven by competition, the entire playground instantly became lively.
Instructor Yuan nodded approvingly. “Ah, youth. This is how it should be – so flamboyant! Finally showing some signs of being young.”
They originally had several more progressive incentive plans lined up, but little did they expect Cheng Feng and Shen Dan’s leadership to be so effective, leaving no chance to try them.
…
A group of instructors sat around near the finish line with clear consciences, fanning themselves with their hats, counting laps for their respective students, and keeping an eye on the scene.
As they entered the final lap, Shen Dan and Cheng Feng remained locked in a dead heat, running shoulder to shoulder.
The physical stamina of these two girls exceeded everyone’s expectations; it wasn’t a level ordinary technical workers could possess, but was instead comparable to the infantry trainees next door.
The boys felt like they were just running faster and faster, and with the two-lap gap in between, they couldn’t catch up no matter how desperately they pushed. In the end, only a handful of youths with relatively good physiques managed to overtake them.
The difference between humans was starkly revealed when pushed to their limits.
After seven laps, Cheng Feng still looked like she had plenty left in the tank.
Her figure was small and slender; due to her genes, her muscles weren’t bulky, giving a visual impression of lacking power. However, she maintained an excellent running rhythm and moved with exceptional lightness, showing no signs of fatigue yet.
In contrast, Shen Dan seemed to be struggling. Her long, thin legs wobbled unsteadily, looking as if she might collapse at any moment.
Shen Dan turned her head to size up the person beside her. Sensing that her opponent’s condition was indeed better than her own, she gasped out, “Let me win!”
Cheng Feng remained unmoved.
Shen Dan, someone who could bend with the wind, called out, “Dad!”
How could a qualified robot possibly give in so easily for a meaningless title like “Dad”?
Seeing victory within reach, Cheng Feng accelerated, darting ahead of Shen Dan. With less than two hundred meters to the finish line, Shen Dan caught sight of the instructor waving his arms in welcome at the end. Panicking, her pale lips trembling slightly, she hastily bargained, “Two hundred bucks!”
Cheng Feng glanced back at her.
Shen Dan said, “Three hundred!”
This wasn’t a question of money. Money was merely an external possession to her. But her classmate’s tenacious and indomitable spirit had genuinely moved her; it had been a long time since she’d encountered such a worthy opponent.
Out of sympathy for a kindred spirit, Cheng Feng subtly fell back behind Shen Dan.
Shen Dan successfully crossed the finish line, staggered a couple of steps onto the inner field, and spread her arms, ready to collapse. But the instructor behind her quickly grabbed hold of her, yanking her upright by the collar.
“Keep walking! What do you think you’re doing?” The instructor prodded her. “If you’re not dead, walk on your own!”
However, Shen Dan was like a fish that had already been stewed, completely losing the ability to move on her own. Dragged around by the instructor, she would have collapsed on the spot the moment he let go, as if she had poured all her vitality into that long run, leaving no reserve for herself.
What kind of willpower was this?
Cheng Feng was a bit perplexed.
Was half a day off really that important?
The rest of the students arrived one after another. A few, unable to complete the task, simply gave up struggling.
The instructor disqualified their results and, after tallying up, happily announced to everyone, “Not bad! The average time is a full five minutes shorter than last year. This just goes to show that human potential is truly limitless. Next year, I’ll use this standard for the new students.”
The young man, who was regulating his breath, was practically rolling his eyes. While feeling sympathetic, he also gained a sliver of hollow comfort. This was the gift from their predecessors. They hoped the incoming freshmen would enjoy life.
The instructor, one hand on his hip, looked down at them and shook his head. “Panting like this? You’re not fit. Another round this afternoon, try to get used to it sooner.”
The young man couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
The instructor pointed to the side. “Look at them. It’s just that you guys are too weak.”
Everyone followed his gaze.
Cheng Feng was already standing on the track with a normal expression, slowly sipping water from a bottle.
Beside her, Shen Dan was sprawled out resting wantonly, looking like a limp pancake.
Tears welling up in his eyes, the young man pounded the grass, and asked, “Is she even human?!”
The lag in physical ability was an almost fatal blow to these young men.
Most of those who came to UFU were prodigies; the first half of their lives could be described with the word “smooth sailing,” and they were no strangers to hard work and struggle. But entering UFU, finding no gap in technical skills, and even having their innate advantages nearly erased – it was just too frustrating.
The others were also affected, questioning life itself. “That’s too exaggerated! Why?!”
“Essentially, Cheng Feng is also half an infantry trainee!”
“Honestly, are they your plants?”
“No.” The instructor encouraged them earnestly, “You can do it too!”
This shot of pep talk wasn’t very effective. It just made the tears in everyone’s eyes glisten a bit more.
“If girls have better physical fitness than you, it only means they work harder and are smarter than you. You need to acknowledge that.” The instructor patted the young man’s head gently. “Don’t be a waste, promise me, okay?”
This was practically a taunt right in their faces. Yet the group couldn’t even muster a wry smile, unable to refute it, they could only stew in their own frustration.
The instructor clapped his hands and announced loudly, “Alright, break time is over. Line up!”
The arrangements for the second half were much easier: just lining up, singing songs, and practicing goose-stepping.
Probably taking pity on them, around 11:30, the instructor let them go early.
Cheng Feng went back, had a meal, and took a shower. After getting ready, she headed to the teaching area with ease to participate in the infantry department’s full-simulation training.
While swiping her card at the entrance, she ran into Shen Dan again.
Both were startled to see each other. Without exchanging a word, they spaced themselves out and entered one after the other.
The instructor responsible for manual mecha operations was already waiting in the computer lab. Seeing Cheng Feng, he took the initiative to greet her and asked, “You haven’t set up an independent mech account yet, right?”
Cheng Feng nodded.
“Then you’ll need to register an intranet account first. This is a quota within our uni, so it’s not easily banned by San Yao. Of course, if you violate rules too severely, you’ll still be penalized. Usually, pay more attention to the school’s image.”
The instructor pulled up the specific tutorial from his optical computer and turned the page for Cheng Feng to see.
“The specific function introduction and parameter adjustment panel will be in this position. Remember it clearly. Also, for freshmen’s simulation training, you can enter a declaration, usually stating the type of opponent you wish to challenge. For example, speed types, sniper types, duo teams, or multi-player speed kills.”
Cheng Feng’s understanding of sensory mechs was limited, and due to the specificity of manual mecha operations, they didn’t have as many functional classifications.
The instructor observed her expression and, noticing she seemed a bit confused, subtly encouraged her, “Manual mecha operations can transform, so they’re generally not constrained by details. Mr. Kong told me you’re the most promising student in this year’s manual mecha operation class! Actually, you can afford to be a little arrogant, make a name for our manual operations specialty!”
Speaking of this, he added with a touch of sentimentality, “Our manual mecha operations get bullied every year, looked down upon. We’ve gone several consecutive sessions of the military university league with zero wins. It’s time for that to end.”
Cheng Feng nodded thoughtfully.
The instructor patted her shoulder. “If there’s no problem, get on the machine. There’s already a batch of students inside. Simulation training is relatively free-form, just a melee; get used to the characteristics of each mech.”
Cheng Feng was guided by him towards the simulator, put on the equipment, and chose to log in.
The registration process was somewhat tedious.
For her new ID, Cheng Feng still went with Ye Guicheng. When she reached the declaration section, she took it very seriously because of the instructor’s additional instruction.
After hesitating for a while, Cheng Feng typed in some characters: “Manual mecha will rise.”
She stared at it for two seconds after writing it, felt it wasn’t imposing enough, and disdainfully deleted it.
She stroked her chin, pondering repeatedly, when suddenly a spark of inspiration hit her – she understood.
Was her current opponent the manual mecha operation? Definitely not; it should be the sensory mechs.
A pioneer going against the tide of the times must meet every wave head-on.
The instructor had just hinted at this too.
With passion, Cheng Feng typed: “Strongest mech pilot in the Alliance, come fight!”
Just before clicking the exclamation mark for final confirmation, she still felt something was missing.
Cheng Feng pondered and thought maybe it wasn’t “arrogant” enough as the instructor had requested.
So she changed “come fight” to four characters.
Three minutes later, a virtual character sporting this arrogant declaration appeared in the activity hall.
Ye Guicheng: “Strongest mech pilot in the Alliance, your dad is here!”
