Top Warzone Analyst Chapter 87

Mr. Zhou didn’t have much coaching experience, and the training methods at the base had always been brutally straightforward – just a good scolding would do.

In his limited understanding, quite a few students secretly got into fights, but ones who actually came to blows right in front of an instructor were as rare as national treasures.

The incident was so egregious and without precedent for him to draw on, that he couldn’t just turn a blind eye – he couldn’t even mentally prepare what to say.

He called Mr. Xue over and asked him to share in his headache.

In the office of about twenty square meters, Mr. Xue leaned against the desk, arms crossed, without saying a word.

Cheng Feng and Tao Rui stood before them, hands behind their backs, about a meter apart.

Cheng Feng, who was on the shorter side, hung her head low. From the two instructors’ angle, all they could really see was her soft, fluffy hair – harmless-looking and a little dejected.

But Tao Rui beside her had visible red swelling on his face, clear evidence of his offense. What’s more, he was rather clever about it: head held high, chest out, staring straight at the two instructors, forcing them to notice his injuries with his burning gaze.

After a long while, Mr. Xue turned his head slightly and asked his colleague gently, “What’s wrong with you? One of them is a student from First Military University, and the other is from the UFU class that you teach yourself. Why did you even call me over?”

“To observe, to learn, and to solve the problem!” Mr. Zhou said. “I called Mr. Wu, but he said this falls under your jurisdiction.”

Mr. Xue said angrily, “Then why doesn’t his subsidy also fall under my jurisdiction? You listen to him so obediently – is there some kind of shady collusion between you two that I don’t know about?”

Mr. Zhou raised his hand, signaling him not to argue in front of these two little hellions, lest it undermine their own authority.

Mr. Zhou truly couldn’t figure it out – she looked like such a well-behaved girl, so why was she so outrageously defiant?

He barked in a harsh tone, “Why did you hit him?”

Cheng Feng said very softly, “Because what he said was just too asking for a beating.”

Even though the muscles on half of Tao Rui’s face were too swollen to control properly, it still didn’t stop him from putting on a furious expression.

The bit of calm he had just managed to regain was once again completely shattered by Cheng Feng.

“Are you telling me you haven’t reflected on this at all?!” Mr. Zhou, equally furious with Cheng Feng, roared at her. “Do you even know what ‘peaceful communication’ means? Do you know what ‘a gentleman uses his words, not his fists’ means? And honestly, if you’d gone for his groin, that would’ve been one thing – but do you know the rule about not hitting someone in the face? Behavior like yours would be despised in our ranks!”

Mr. Xue gave a sharp, forceful cough, signaling him to talk sensibly unless he wanted to get into trouble himself.

Mr. Zhou turned his head and saw that Tao Rui’s expression could no longer be simply described as “grim.” Even the slightest twitch of his lips seemed to scatter shards of ice.

“I’m not joking with you!” Mr. Zhou said sternly. “If I wanted to come down hard on this, for fighting at the base, I could have a disciplinary mark sent straight to UFU with you! Do you think this is a joke?! Tao Rui, what do you want out of this?”

Tao Rui hesitated, glanced at Cheng Feng, and said, “A public apology.”

Mr. Zhou breathed a quiet sigh of relief inside, though his face remained stern as he scolded, “Tao Rui is being magnanimous by not pressing the matter further. Considering your age, the fact that you’re not a member of the Alliance, that you haven’t received systematic training, and that this is your first offense, I can show leniency. Apologize to Tao Rui now. You’ll be suspended from training for three days and receive additional punishment. I won’t report this back to UFU.”

Cheng Feng raised her head, opened her mouth, and said unhurriedly, “I can apologize for my impulsive actions – unless he apologizes to me for his views.”

Tao Rui immediately shot back, “I will not!”

Cheng Feng said stubbornly, “Then neither will I.”

Mr. Zhou sucked in a sharp breath, hands on his hips, looking as if he’d seen a ghost. “Cheng Feng! Do you even understand the situation? You’re the one who threw a punch – you’re the defendant here! You don’t get to negotiate! And on top of that, you want him to apologize? Apologize for having an academic opinion different from yours?”

“She’s never going to apologize to me,” Tao Rui said, his own composure beginning to crack. He looked at Cheng Feng, struggling to keep his voice steady, though a tremor still bled through. “I’ve looked at your personal file and related interviews. You came from a post-war planet, and your adoptive father was once a student at UFU. Exchange student spots between post-war planets and UFU have always been limited. By calculating the timeline, it’s easy to narrow down the pool of candidates. And since your father’s surname is Ye, there are only two people who fit the criteria…”

Cheng Feng’s gaze suddenly sharpened, cutting into him like a blade.

The two instructors, sensing there were unresolved historical issues at play, didn’t interrupt.

Tao Rui continued, “After graduation, your father chose to return to his homeland to help when the war broke out. Of the two possible candidates, one died before the war even ended – so it couldn’t be him. That means your father’s real name should be Ye Jing. He survived until the end of the war, received numerous medals during that time, and later passed away regrettably for unknown reasons. Of all the soldiers who chose to return and fight alongside him, every single one died as a martyr. Every single one was posthumously awarded the First-Class Merit. Only your father wasn’t. And in the official commendation documents, his name wasn’t even mentioned once…”

Mr. Zhou’s heart began to pound with unease, and he quickly cut him off, “Stop right there!”

For someone like Ye Jing – a top student who had studied for years in the Alliance and then returned to aid his homeland – he should have been a highly valued and rare talent within the military, with a relatively high status.

There weren’t many people on post-war planets who could pilot mechs well; most of them were individual soldiers trained by Alliance institutions.

By the time the war ended, there should have been no question that someone like him would be awarded a First-Class Merit – unless he had committed a major offense.

And yet, for an individual soldier with such a clean background, impeccable skills, and frontline combat experience, the military typically wouldn’t be too harsh over ordinary tactical mistakes. By the end of the war, he would have become something of a heroic representative.

…Unless he had been a deserter.

Cheng Feng asked, “So?”

Tao Rui’s lips moved slightly, but he said nothing more.

“After the external war came the civil war. After three years came another three years. The country may have remained, but homes were long gone. No one even knew who they were killing anymore. No one dared to die, and no one even dared to close their eyes – because the moment they did, they felt countless restless souls standing at the foot of their bed.” Cheng Feng’s voice was soft, but her enunciation was clear. “You haven’t experienced any of this. You have no idea what death even is. On what grounds do you use the word ‘shameless’ to describe someone else’s pain? All you can do is use a string of coded commands to make individual soldiers cast aside their fear and charge forward – and then call them deserters when they refuse. But if you were in their place, can you guarantee you’d never make a mistake? How can human beings possibly control their own mistakes?”

Neither instructor knew what to say. They opened their mouths, but words failed them.

Taunted by Cheng Feng, Tao Rui’s face flushed red and then paled. His brain short-circuited as he stammered, “The situation on post-war planets is different from the Alliance. My data analysis would also be grounded in reality. Specific circumstances should be analyzed based on actual conditions, not overturned by individual cases…”

Cheng Feng cut him off, radiating defiance. “Anyway, if he won’t apologize, I won’t either. Punish me if you want. If not, I’m leaving.”

Mr. Zhou pressed a hand to his forehead. He hadn’t faced a challenge this grueling even during the college entrance exams.

He tried reasoning with Cheng Feng gently. “Do you even know how to write the words ‘back down a little’?”

“I don’t,” Cheng Feng said flatly. “If you want, you can just beat me up.”

Mr. Zhou took a deep breath and nodded helplessly. “Fine. Then I’ll handle this according to base standards. Tomorrow, I’ll contact your supervising teacher and have him come take you away from the base.”

Cheng Feng turned and left.

Mr. Zhou cursed under his breath, chased after her to the door, and called out, “I’m giving you one last chance! If you come to your senses, get back here!”

Cheng Feng’s silhouette didn’t pause for even a moment. She reached up, took off her cap, and walked straight into the stairwell.

Behind him, Mr. Xue let out a soft sigh.

Tao Rui was still in a bit of a daze. His face held a mixture of confusion and uncertainty as his gaze darted between the two instructors.

Mr. Zhou turned around, still grumbling, and said to Tao Rui, “Never mind. Go back and rest. Stop by the medical office and get some medicine – don’t let your face get permanently scarred.”

Mr. Xue patted him on the shoulder. “Go to class. The rest has nothing to do with you.”

…

The classes on the third floor went on until 10:30 before the instructor finally announced they were dismissed.

Shen Dan and her two senior schoolmates rushed back to the dormitory as fast as they could. When they pushed the door open, they found the room pitch black inside.

One of the seniors said, “Just so you know, I’m turning on the light.”

The light came on, illuminating a room that was completely empty.

In unison, the group let out a sound: “Ah…”