Chapter 131: Skywater Star

P.S.: I woke up this morning to see the peace charms from a1995 and Little Fish Fairy's Pink Hawke. I am so happy, thank you all! The fan artist Ling used the character Wanqi Xuanxuan from the story for the grand character design contest. I went to take a look, and I love both images, especially the "Trick or Treat for Meat" one—I absolutely adore it. Thank you, Ling! Everyone should go check them out too.

"What does that have to do with me?" Xuanxuan asked. It was expected for freshmen to have a competition on their first day of school; it was understandable. Such contests could strengthen class and school cohesion and foster ambition. But most importantly, it didn't seem to have anything to do with her.

Wanqi Weihao said, "But the Freshman Competition requires seven-person squads."

The school's requirement was for teamwork; individual heroism was to be avoided. The regulation specified groups of seven. Naturally, as the Federal First Military Academy operated on a military structure, this was the standard they had always followed. Work was done as a unit, and if one erred, all were held accountable.

Xuanxuan did the math. It was true that they wouldn't have enough without her, but, "Are you sure you want the seven of us to go?"

"Of course, we're teammates, aren't we?" Wanqi Weihao replied.

Xuanxuan covered her mouth and chuckled. Usually, a seven-person squad would consist of one from the Command Department, one from Mecha Maintenance, and the rest from the Mecha Pilot Department—that was the formula for an advantage and superior combat power.

Their group, however, consisted of one from Command, one from Mecha Pilot, several from Mecha Design, and two "pseudo-designers"—one from Pharmacy and one studying Zerg. In terms of combat strength, even counting Weihao from Command, there were only two fighters. The other five were dead weight. Once the competition started, they would have to spare someone just to protect them. Plus, Wanqi Weihao and Wanqi Weihan couldn't operate mechas for long periods.

Wanqi Weihao felt a bit dejected, but the Freshman Competition was meant for the same teams formed when they first entered the jungle. He didn't want to abandon his original teammates. Even if there were five people dragging them down, there was no other choice. Lou Yitong could add a bit of strength. If the pharmacy student was allowed to use potions, and with Xuanxuan and Zheng Chao handling mecha repairs, they might just barely count as a squad. Zheng Chao seemed to have decent physical skills, though it was unclear if he could pilot a mecha.

"Is there a mecha piloting trial?" Xuanxuan wanted to be sure.

Wanqi Weihao and Wanqi Weihan nodded gloomily.

Xuanxuan propped her chin on her hand and smiled. "Then you have an advantage—the mechas are all Grade A."

Higher-grade mechas were harder to operate, but they offered significant advantages in weapons, equipment, and overall combat power.

"You're overthinking it," Wanqi Weihan said gloomily. "How would the school allow that? The mechas are standardized. If a team has a Mecha Maintenance student who can perform modifications, they have to be part of the team."

But how many freshmen could actually modify a mecha? Being able to perform repairs was already good enough. That was why, in the Freshman Competition, many teams were either pure Mecha Pilot students or a mix of Command and Pilot students. Nobody would voluntarily lower their team's strength by taking on a "dead-weight" mecha mechanic who served no other purpose.

Given this, with five people dragging them down, they were likely the most bizarre squad in the history of the Federal First Military Academy’s Freshman Competition.

Xuanxuan knew this, and Wanqi Weihao certainly did too. She tapped the table and thought about it. Actually, it wasn't bad. If they could modify the standardized mechas in time, she could apply the modifications she had planned for the simulation mechas before military training to their actual units and test the results. Besides, the school-issued mechas were surely of a lower grade, which meant less strain for Weihao and Weihan—that was definitely a plus.

On the side, Zuo Chen was moved to tears. It was hard enough for a Pharmacy student to get into the Freshman Competition. Although pharmacy had become popular recently due to the potions released by the Kuang, Zhan, and Wanqi families, those were currently held by the major clans; commoners had only heard of them and never actually used them. Therefore, even if the department was trending, it was all quite abstract, and how could a freshman possibly craft such potions? Consequently, even if the department was popular, nobody wanted to recruit a dead weight. Of course, one couldn't rule out the possibility of a genius freshman, but it was rare.

As for Lou Yitong, she didn't see any difference; as long as she could act with the team, that was enough. Zheng Chao, the special recruit for Mecha Maintenance, had jumped ship to Mecha Design, going from a position where he might have competed to one where he couldn't, only to join Xuanxuan's group.

When their squad went to register, the teacher in charge looked at Wanqi Weihao and Wanqi Weihan with pity, urging them to reconsider again and again, until the faces of Zuo Chen and the others turned black. Only after Weihao and Weihan insisted did the teacher reluctantly agree.

As they left, the teacher could still be heard muttering and shaking his head, "What a waste, the top students from the Mecha and Command departments both stuck in a team of dead weights."

Xiao Daopeng and the others were grinding their teeth in frustration. How were they dead weights? Once they reached the battlefield, let's see how those Command and Pilot types fared without them.

Soon, the news spread throughout the school: the top freshmen from the Mecha and Command departments were leading five special recruits, and they had no hope of winning the championship. Xuanxuan’s group remained calm, but Wanqi Weihan and Zuo Chen almost flipped a table. "No hope?"

They hadn't planned on taking first place, but now it seemed they had no choice.

"Bring out all your hidden trump cards, hmph," Wanqi Weihan said fiercely. "Let them get a good look at that first place."

Xuanxuan watched him lazily, not understanding where his confidence came from. The weekend was approaching, and it was time to move forward with the trip to Tianshui Star that she had discussed with Wanqi Lianjun. "I'm going to Tianshui Star this weekend. Is anyone coming?"

"Tianshui Star? You mean the one they call 'Heaven above, Tianshui below'?" Zuo Chen’s eyes lit up, immediately forgetting their previous frustration.

Xuanxuan nodded. She had conducted a simple investigation into Tianshui Star after learning about the Zerg presence there.

"I want to go!" Zuo Chen roared.

Xuanxuan glanced at the nearby students eating their meals, then turned her head away in silence along with Wanqi Weihao and the others, pretending not to know him. They had never seen anyone so embarrassing; he had nearly brought the cafeteria ceiling down.

Seeing Xuanxuan turn away, Zuo Chen rushed over. "Good Xuanxuan, I want to go, please take me with you."

"Call me Martial Aunt," Xuanxuan insisted. She remembered that he was Elder Ji's disciple; calling her Martial Aunt was already letting him off easy.

Zuo Chen's face darkened. He couldn't bring himself to call someone ten years younger than him "Martial Aunt." Xuanxuan gave him a look and smirked. Bullying him once in a while was quite fun.

Tianshui Star bordered the Imperial Star. It was economically prosperous and densely populated, but that wasn't its most important feature. It was a famous tourist planet, essentially a world of oceans, filled with beautiful small islands—a perfect place for leisure, vacationing, and sightseeing. Most people vacationing there were high-ranking officials from the Federal Empire. It was precisely because of this importance that Wanqi Lianjun was stationed there.

"What are we doing at Tianshui Star?" Lou Yitong asked.

Xuanxuan poked at the food on her tray. The food at the Federal First Military Academy was better than at other schools, but it certainly couldn't compare to home cooking. If they had afternoon classes, they usually ate at school. "Mutated Zerg have been discovered on Tianshui Star," Xuanxuan said.

Wanqi Weihao and Wanqi Weihan already knew, so they weren't surprised, but those who didn't know reacted dramatically.

"What?" Another outburst. Before he could say more, Xuanxuan glared at him, and Zuo Chen quieted down, realizing the gravity of the situation. Lowering his voice, he still asked in shock, "Zerg found on Tianshui Star too?"

Xuanxuan nodded. For a tourist planet like this, finding Zerg was truly difficult to handle given the massive flow of people and the number of strangers. However, Wanqi Lianjun had already placed the people who had come into contact with the infected individuals and the places they had stayed under temporary control.

Xiao Daopeng’s eyes sparkled. He hadn't managed to study the mutated Zerg last time; maybe he would have a chance now. Only Zheng Chao and Lou Yitong were indifferent; school was too tiring, and going out for a trip sounded nice.

Since everyone agreed, there was no problem. On Saturday, they were picked up and taken to the Wanqi family estate, then boarded a private spacecraft to Tianshui Star.

Tianshui Star was indeed a great place for a vacation. While the Imperial Capital was already in deep autumn, Tianshui Star was pleasant and warm, like spring. With Wanqi Lianjun present, they didn't dare act out, especially Wanqi Weihao and Wanqi Weihan, who were on their best behavior, making the others like Xiao Daopeng feel quite anxious.

"How do you plan to investigate, Xuanxuan?" Wanqi Lianjun asked.

Xuanxuan pointed to the map. All the land on Tianshui Star consisted of small islands, and there were few areas with dense populations, so the investigation wouldn't be too difficult.

"We'll visit every inhabited island and have Lou Yitong use her singing to investigate." That was the simplest method. Since the islands weren't large, with Xuanxuan assisting to carry the sound, it shouldn't be an issue to cover them. As for the uninhabited islands, Wanqi Lianjun had already surveyed them, so the focus now was on those parasitized by the Zerg.

Wanqi Lianjun looked at Lou Yitong, who was beside Xuanxuan, with surprise. "Singing?"

Influenced by the atmosphere created by Wanqi Weihao and the others, Lou Yitong was already feeling self-conscious, and under Wanqi Lianjun's gaze, she became even more nervous.

Xuanxuan helped her out, "She has a special ability; her singing is unique. You'll see the effect in a moment, Uncle."

Wanqi Lianjun nodded and didn't ask further, beginning to arrange for people to meet them on the various islands. They headed first to the places where the group parasitized by the Zerg had stayed, as those locations were the most likely to hold clues. Xuanxuan nodded in agreement.