Chapter 107: Spectating

PS: Thank you to Kyosuke and Yundong for the gifts sent to Douya. Thank you! May I timidly ask, does anyone else have any?

Everyone dragged their exhausted bodies to the cafeteria, only to find that their lunch portions had been halved. Given the intensity of the training, such a meager amount of food was disheartening, even if they hadn't been particularly fond of the canteen food or considered it beneath them to begin with.

As the elite pride of their families, when had they ever been subjected to such austerity?

Everyone wanted to protest, but one glance at Zhan Yu, who was watching them with a dark expression, made them swallow the words on the tips of their tongues.

They had all watched with their own eyes as the group that arrived late that morning was escorted to the starships and sent back to the Imperial Capital. No one wanted to be kicked out of the Federal First Military Academy after having worked so hard to get in. They could not afford to lose face like that. Even with the subpar and meager rations, everyone silently picked up their trays and headed to the tables.

The Wanqi brothers, Weihao and Weihan, carried their trays over to Xuan Xuan. Weihan still remembered how Xuan Xuan had raided the Wanqi family kitchen; she surely had quite a bit of jerky stashed away.

"Eh?" Upon reaching Xuan Xuan’s table, they realized there was another girl sitting with her.

Weihan glanced at Xuan Xuan. This was unusual; had they come to the wrong place?

Wanqi Weihao calmly set down his tray and said, "Hello, I am Xuan Xuan's brother, Wanqi Weihao."

"Hello," Lou Yitong said, looking a bit nervous.

Weihao was quite friendly; he trusted Xuan Xuan’s judgment and offered a gentle smile. "You must be Xuan Xuan’s roommate, Lou Yitong, right?"

Lou Yitong seemed surprised but nodded.

Weihan was even more astonished. "You’re Lou Yitong? You were the one singing this morning?"

It was no wonder they were surprised; the power of Lou Yitong’s voice was something that had to be experienced to be believed. They had been far ahead of the others today and thought few would make it to the finish line, but on the way, they noticed the trailing groups catching up. Then, they began to hear Lou Yitong’s singing. Even from a great distance, the energy of recovery, the feeling of hope, and the resolve to struggle were crystal clear. It was no wonder Weihan was shocked to see this young girl and confirm she was indeed the one.

"No..." Lou Yitong seemed very nervous. She shook her head, but then remembered Xuan Xuan telling her not to tell others. She hesitated; this was her brother, so that shouldn't count as "others," right? But what if Xuan Xuan didn't want people to know? She looked nervously at Xuan Xuan, who was busy picking through the food on her tray with disdain, completely oblivious to Lou Yitong’s gaze.

Wanqi Weihao glanced at Lou Yitong and seemed to understand. His sister had always been mysterious; if it involved Xuan Xuan, he wasn't surprised at all. Knowing Xuan Xuan probably didn't want others to talk about it, he changed the subject. "Xuan Xuan, do you have any other food?"

Xuan Xuan glared at them; she knew nothing good ever came from them seeking her out. The moment Weihao said her name, she felt as if the delicious treats in her storage space were jumping and about to pop out.

"Eh? Wasn't there an inspection?" Lou Yitong asked.

Weihan said, "You have a voice that can enhance people's abilities; can't you let Xuan Xuan hide some good food?"

Lou Yitong quickly waved her hands. "No, no."

Although she was reluctant, Xuan Xuan still pulled out a bag of jerky, giving one portion to each of them. Lou Yitong’s eyes went wide as she stared at the jerky, scanning Xuan Xuan up and down, yet she still couldn't figure out where the jerky had been pulled from.

Zhan Yu, who had been keeping an eye on Xuan Xuan, was also stunned, his brows furrowed tightly.

Kuang Shao was equally dumbfounded. "We aren't still in the StarNet, are we?" How could she just pull a bag of jerky out of thin air? How did she pass the inspection? Or were they all still in the StarNet, and everyone actually had a package?

Although Xuan Xuan had produced the food, she still wore a pained expression; if she ate this by herself, it would have lasted several meals. It was all that idiot Wanqi Weihan's fault. She was a spatial ability user herself, yet she couldn't even form her own space. If crafting spatial items wasn't so time-consuming and exhausting, she would have prepared a few more.

The people around them were complaining about the food. Although it was slightly better than the morning, when everyone left the cafeteria, Zhan Yu glanced at the leftovers on the tables and said, "Dinner portions will be halved again."

"Isn't that too harsh?" Kuang Shao asked with some concern. After all, these were all young masters and ladies from prominent families; if they really got sick from hunger, it would be troublesome.

Zhan Yu cast a glance at Kuang Shao, wondering why he felt like Kuang Shao was actually enjoying the misfortune. "Missing one or two meals won't kill them."

Shrugging, Kuang Shao didn't mind. Since they weren't the ones eating, he ordered, "Double the kitchen patrols tonight." He suspected there would be quite a few "mice" coming out tonight.

Just as the two had anticipated, everyone was hungry after returning to their dorms post-dinner. The Wanqi brothers lived with three other special training students: Zheng Chao, Zuo Chen, and Xiao Daopeng. After washing up, the Wanqi brothers climbed into their beds. Although the training intensity wasn't massive today, they were physically and mentally exhausted.

"Aren't you two hungry?" asked Zheng Chao. He was a typical "man's man," yet he was in the Mecha Repair department. His physical fitness was in no way inferior to Weihan's, and it was rumored he had a special talent for mecha repair, though the specifics remained unknown. Being tall and large, his lunch hadn't been enough, and dinner was even less; his stomach was growling like a drum.

"I'm going to take a stroll by the kitchen. Are you coming?" After pacing back and forth twice, Zheng Chao was starving. With such a meager dinner, there had to be leftovers in the kitchen.

"I'll go too," Zuo Chen added quickly. He was from the Pharmacy department and was said to be another of Elder Ji's disciples. However, because his research focus was different and he wasn't based in the Imperial Capital, he hadn't been to the Wanqi residence, and the brothers weren't familiar with him.

Nearby, Xiao Daopeng, who was climbing into bed, weighed his options and decided he couldn't resist the hunger. "I'll go, too."

Weihan definitely wasn't hungry. He lay on the bed with one leg crossed over the other, looking at the three and chuckling, "I suggest you don't go."

Wanqi Weihao nodded as well. Based on his knowledge of Kuang Shao, it was better not to go.

"Are you two really not hungry?" Zheng Chao asked.

"Hungry or not, I'm not going. If I go now, I might end up starving for another day tomorrow," Weihan said. "While I don't know Zhan Yu well, I do know a thing or two about Kuang Shao."

The three paused. "What do you mean?"

"If you go now, Kuang Shao's people are definitely waiting in the kitchen," Weihan said with a yawn.

The three looked at Weihao, trusting his judgment more than Weihan's. "Really?"

"It's more than likely," Weihao said. "And Zhan Yu’s methods are on a completely different level than Kuang Shao's. Otherwise, Kuang Shao wouldn't have been suppressed by him all this time. I've met him a few times; he is definitely not a simple character."

Zuo Chen’s eyes lit up. "For real?"

Weihao glanced at him and remained silent. Why was he so excited?

"Such good entertainment; I'm going to go see. Are you guys coming?" Zuo Chen asked the four.

Weihao rubbed his forehead; this guy really had a wide range of interests.

"Go, why wouldn't we?" Weihan jumped off his bed. How could they miss something this good? Anyone who dared to go there must be relying on their own skills. Half the people there were likely from their own special training class; where else could you find such good entertainment?

Even Zheng Chao and Xiao Daopeng were tempted. Weihan added, "Maybe we can even benefit as the third party." Once those people were caught, the patrols would surely relax, and they could sneak in for some food then. Zheng Chao and Xiao Daopeng were instantly moved; they were too hungry to endure it. "Let's go."

"Wait, I'll go with you," Weihao said, stopping them. These guys were impulsive; he couldn't rest easy. It was better to tag along.

To get from the dorm building to the cafeteria, they had to pass the girls' dormitory. The five moved lightly; they were all master combat artists. As they walked beneath the girls' building, Weihan paused. "I'll call Xuan Xuan; she'd definitely love to watch the show."

Weihao glared at him. "You dare." Xuan Xuan was bold and feared nothing. If she followed this group, who knew what trouble would arise? Weihao wouldn't dare let them drag her along.

"Dare what?"

Weihan froze. He turned around and saw Xuan Xuan and Lou Yitong standing there. "Why are you here?"

"Your footsteps were so heavy, how could I not hear you?" Xuan Xuan said. In truth, she had sensed the Wanqi brothers approaching and thought they needed her for something. However, since the girls' dorm had strict rules, she decided it was better to come out first. She had teleported out with Lou Yitong using her spatial ability just in time to hear Weihan’s remark.

"We're going to watch some fun; you want to go?" Weihan winked.

"Hm?" Her eyes lit up, and she nodded.

"If we're not in the dorm at night, we'll be sent back to the Imperial Capital," Lou Yitong warned, trying to persuade her. In just one day, she had realized that while Xuan Xuan appeared cold, she was actually easy to talk to.

Xuan Xuan said, "Then should I send you back first?"

Lou Yitong’s eyes widened. Knowing Xuan Xuan kept her word, she quickly shook her head. "No."

"Let's go, let's go," Xuan Xuan said.

As Xuan Xuan walked in front, Zuo Chen poked Weihan. "Is that your sister?"

Weihan nodded. Just as he was about to ask why Zuo Chen was asking, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "I heard your teacher is Elder Ji?"

Zuo Chen looked at Xuan Xuan’s back and nodded gloomily. This must be the legendary closed-door disciple of his grand-teacher.

"Pfft." Weihan burst out laughing. "Good disciple-nephew."