The morning training tasks were relatively light. After the students submitted their reports, the instructor, showing great mercy, let everyone go to eat early.
Carrying the organized data, he headed to the administration building. In the conference room, some other teachers were already present.
A group of people sat around a long rectangular table, whispering discussions about the data on the screen beside them.
On the information card to the left, green checkmarks had already been filled in, while a few candidate names remained on the list to the right.
“Have the list of sophomore students been confirmed?” The instructor tossed his optical computer onto the table, sliding it to the opposite side. “Here are this morning’s test results.”
The teacher at the head of the table adjusted his glasses and said, “For the sophomores, unless there are special circumstances that need consideration, we should still rank them based on their grades and specialties. As for the freshmen, we have too little reference data; this time, the only requirement for them is not to hold the team back.”
As he spoke, he turned to look at the person beside him. The other added, “The two infantries have been confirmed. The biggest issue now is, for the remaining two commander positions, should we select based on the level of the infantries, or according to professional ability?”
The instructor collapsed onto the wooden chair, leaning all the way back without a hint of proper posture. “I think Cheng Feng is pretty good. She grew up on a post-war planet. Her understanding of war and her practical experience are both deeper than that of ordinary students. She’s more suited to the requirements of this San Yao program.”
The teacher recalled something and asked, “Is she still a robot now?”
“Yeah, probably?” The instructor rested his arms on the chair’s armrests, leaning forward with enthusiasm to share, “Plus, her team has grown. She found a very interesting intelligent robot from who knows where… Or is it that robots produced on the black market just think differently from ours in the alliance?”
The middle-aged man’s face was stern. “This simulation side quest places very high demands on psychological resilience.”
“That doesn’t affect the assessment of her psychological resilience. Her performance has been flawless. Strong willpower, decisive decision-making, minimal emotional fluctuation – aren’t these all positive indicators?” The instructor lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously, “Most importantly, based on my observations, I’m certain that the only robot she considers a friend is that one! The others are nothing to fear!”
The middle-aged man hadn’t expected the instructor to adapt so quickly, and he couldn’t help but doubt his own judgment a little.
Was this really not a significant issue? Was he being too demanding regarding the students’ psychological fortitude?
“Let them participate,” the instructor urged. “Once the physical fitness tests are done and they pass smoothly, let them join. Opportunities like this are rare; let’s be fair. If the results aren’t good, San Yao might not develop similar simulation side quest in the future. That would make it a limited edition!”
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then finally conceded, “Alright then… let’s wait until after the military training ends.”
…
The military training content for the freshmen wasn’t difficult, nor was it long. It mostly consisted of physical training, with the rhythm adjusted by learning military songs and some basic professional knowledge.
The most challenging parts were probably the two field training sessions in between, but Cheng Feng adapted quite well.
After the military parade ended, there was a two-day break, and then cultural courses officially began. Sophomores through seniors also all returned to campus.
The best news was that Cheng Feng finally received her financial aid from UFU. Along with her previous competition prize money, it was all deposited into her account, totaling around twenty thousand.
She was almost overwhelmed by this sudden windfall, feeling dizzy as if hit by a pie falling from the sky. She made a conscious effort to calm down and created a budget list.
After repaying debts, buying a few items of winter clothing, and setting aside some money for meals… in the end, there wasn’t much left.
Previously, Cheng Feng’s annual expenses were less than five thousand. Now, in less than two months, twenty thousand was already gone.
Human life is truly extravagant, using money to corrode her happiness.
Cheng Feng’s hair had grown out a bit, but it still looked somewhat sparse due to its dry, yellowish color.
She raised a hand to touch her head, then glanced at the little owl’s feathers for comparison. After hesitating for no more than two seconds, she decided to buy two more wigs to maintain appearances.
Just as she was browsing the shop, a red notification suddenly popped up at the top of her screen.
Startled, Cheng Feng thought someone was spying on her and quickly closed the interface. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was just an advertisement.
[San Yao’s Brand New September Simulation (Beta Version), Click to Claim Your Invitation.]
What is this?
Cheng Feng initially thought it was a scam message, but when she expanded it, the sender was listed as the United Federation University Academic Affairs Office.
She clicked to view it, but there was nothing inside except a time and a confirmation button. The time was set for tomorrow morning.
Puzzled, Cheng Feng forwarded the image to Xiang Yunjian. He replied shortly after.
Xiang Yunjian: I’ve heard about it. It seems to be prepared for newcomers; only freshmen and sophomores can participate. This simulation’s setup is quite special, and there are only a few spots during the beta test. You should give it a try.
Xiang Yunjian: However, there’s no prize money for this competition.
Ye Guicheng: Ah…
Xiang Yunjian: Rumor has it that each school only gets 12 beta test slots. Cherish it. Let me know if you need money.
Just as Cheng Feng was about to log onto the San Yao forum to research, a text message from the instructor came in.
Instructor: Click confirm.
Cheng Feng promptly clicked confirm.
Instructor: Good.
After that, there was no further news. It wasn’t until the next morning that the instructor notified her to assemble in the computer lab.
Just as she was about to open the door and head out, Cheng Feng ran into Shen Dan in the living room.
Since they were heading the same way, they exchanged nods and walked side-by-side towards the computer lab.
Shen Dan was quite active online, but relatively quiet in person. Along the way, she kept glancing at Cheng Feng from the corner of her eye, mentally drafting a message to send her once they got on the computers.
They arrived right on time and entered the room, where a dozen or so students were already standing.
Cheng Feng swept her gaze over them quickly, recognizing only one person: Number One from the freshman competition.
The young man waved his arm enthusiastically and beamed, “Hi! I knew you’d be here for sure!”
Cheng Feng had no choice but to walk over to him.
Not expecting Cheng Feng to remember his name, the youth introduced himself proactively. “I’m Song Zheng. It’s the ‘Zheng’ from Wei Zheng’s name.”
Shen Dan couldn’t help but chime in leisurely, “Are you sure she knows who Wei Zheng is?”
“Ah…” Number One looked at Cheng Feng’s expressionless face, then traced the character in his palm for her to see, saying, “It’s this character.”
Cheng Feng was looking down at his palm when two senior students beside her finished their assessment and began whispering.
“Two girls? For command positions?”
“No choice, the requirement is at least four freshmen. In this mission, the deputy commander isn’t that important anyway. It’s normal to give those spots to first-year students.”
“With twelve people, we didn’t need two data analysts anyway. San Yao’s configuration requirements this time are too strange. For rescue missions like this before, it was always all infantries.”
Cheng Feng’s ears twitched, and she narrowed her eyes dangerously.
This was the first time someone had said to her face that she wasn’t important.
Who was getting ahead of themselves here?
“Everyone’s here.”
A booming voice interrupted their chatter as a figure strode in quickly through the door.
The instructor stood with one hand on his hip, drawing an imaginary line on the floor to indicate they should line up, then announced, “You all know by now. San Yao has added a new team rescue simulation this time, all using intelligent NPCs.”
In previous leagues or competitive simulations, the focus was always on scene design and physical combat. NPCs were merely tools, lacking even basic conversational functions. The side quest backgrounds weren’t necessarily realistic either, so the narrative immersion was low.
This time, however, San Yao has referenced real-world data. More than individual soldier capabilities, the greater concern is mental pressure.
After all, there are plenty of soldiers who can’t handle life on the front lines. These freshmen, raised in an era of peace, are still just flowers in a greenhouse.
“I only know that this training exercise is a rescue mission. Everything beyond that is confidential information, and you’re required to investigate and obtain it yourselves.” He cleared his throat and continued, “Because this is a new side quest, and we have freshmen participating, it’s a case of veterans guiding rookies, understand? You’re a team now. Don’t make a fool of yourselves.”
One of the senior students raised their hand and asked, “Didn’t they say there would be no livestreaming for the beta test?”
“There’s no external livestream, but it will be open within the school. The Military Academy’s research topic for today is your rescue operation. If you don’t want to die from social embarrassment beforehand, perform well. Also, if the beta test goes smoothly, your footage will be edited and released publicly.” The instructor clapped his hands. “Not much time left, everyone get on the computers.”
Cheng Feng chose a computer and logged in according to the instructions.
The first login screen was for backpack equipment. Based on Song Zheng’s answers, she copied his loadout: roughly, thermal weapons, medical supplies, and a set of explosion-proof gear.
After finishing her equipment selection, she officially logged in. The mission prompt popped up.
[Welcome to San Yao’s Full Simulation Side Quest: Emergency Rescue!]
[Mission Description: Enemy forces are about to evacuate this city. Your team has received an urgent rescue request. The only remaining information is the codename “Whale Fall.” The coordinates from which the signal was sent seem to be the Second Hospital on the east side of the city…]
