The first activity scheduled for the new semester at Qilin Military Academy was organizing students from all grades into groups to clear out mutant beasts and star beasts at Mount Juji and the edge of the desert.
In the past, this task was handled by the academy's instructors, but this time Gui Sizhe decided to let the students join in. The instructors were primarily responsible for assisting from the sidelines and ensuring their safety.
For this mission, students were allowed to pilot their own mechas, with no restrictions on weapons or equipment.
So when Huang Yan and his group deployed their mechas, they inevitably drew everyone's attention once again.
If memory served, Wang Tianwei's mental power had only upgraded to A-class at the end of the previous semester... After just one summer break, what was the deal with the three brand-new mechas for their team!?
Why did they all look so dark and edgy!? And what kind of structural design was that? Did you guys not rest at all!?
Eugene rummaged around for a long time before finding a portable scanner, eager to scan the three mechas of Wang Tianwei's squad!
"How is it? What grade are they?"
Chao Hao and Fu Manli asked him over the comms channel.
Didn't these kids say last semester that they were waiting for Wang Tianwei to modify their mechas? Or could it be... in just one summer, she built three A-class mechas!?
The scanner was a bit old, so Eugene had to pilot his mecha in circles around the kids to ensure a complete scan, which annoyed Wang Tianwei so much that she eventually started shooing him away.
"Instructor... you're blocking my view!"
After finally getting the readings, Eugene fell silent at the three Super A-class test results.
"Still haven't got the reading?"
Fu Manli winced as she watched Zhang Lyra pilot her mecha and slam a mutant boar, the size of a civilian aircraft, right into a rock wall.
That boar weighed at least a ton! Now it lay on the ground, covered in blood and twitching uncontrollably, looking like it was about to breathe its last...
Zhang Lyra had no time to wait for it. She rushed forward in two steps, swung her beam sword, and decapitated the mutant boar.
Looking at her mecha again, there wasn't even a scratch on the paint! This was definitely no ordinary A-class...
"Super A."
Eugene slowly spat out the two words, then looked at Wang Tianwei not far away—his star pupil!
Who would have thought that when he turned his head, he'd see her with one foot on a snake's head and the other on its body, wielding a chainsaw and viciously sawing into the weak point of a giant star snake... The star snake's body was incredibly tough, and it was still thrashing its head about. The scene was rather gory...
Ahem, better wait until she's finished to praise her...
Unlike the two girls, Huang Yan had absolutely no intention of conserving ammo!
The rapid-fire energy Gatling guns on both his mecha's shoulders were going rat-a-tat-tat at a nest of crazed mutant rabbits! The scales and keel on its back didn't look like mere decorations at all...
Eugene even forgot he was still synced with his mecha and couldn't help but wipe his face with his hand, causing the mecha outside to mirror his action.
Stimulated by a certain squad, the surrounding students searched even more meticulously, sweeping through like a plague of locusts...
Rescue aircraft and safety officers were still following in the sky, but this time they weren't cloaked; they were waiting openly to provide rescue.
"Whose is Super A-class?"
Chao Hao piloted his Golden Armor higher to observe if any students were in danger, while taking a glance at the positions of the three A-class students.
Which one was the Super A-class exactly? Why did they all look like it to him?
Eugene took a deep breath.
"All of them!!!"
"..."
The several instructors waiting for an answer in the channel all fell silent.
Observing the distinctly extraordinary synergy among the four of them, Jian Jingyu coordinated with Huang Yan, and the two even pulled off a silky-smooth combo...
"Where did they go to serve in the military over the summer!?"
Fu Manli finally couldn't help but voice the question in her heart, but no one answered... They wanted to know too!!
Shock was one thing! As instructors, how could they not be thrilled to see such progress in their students, whether in mecha piloting or physical combat arts!?
"Tianwei, turn on your mecha's recording, and let me inspect it when this is over!"
Eugene connected to the students' comms channel.
This kid!! How did the mecha she built end up completely different from the blueprints she submitted last semester!?
And what was the structure of Huang Yan's mecha!? The scales clearly served a shielding function, but what was the keel for!?
Super A-class... He wondered how high its defense rating was. He really wanted to fire a shot at him just to see...
Over on Wang Tianwei's side, she balled up the star snake's corpse and tossed it onto the recovery vehicle.
"Got it!"
Zhang Lyra had thought her first mecha test drive would be at the academy's mecha training grounds; she never expected it to be straight out at Mount Juji!
Tianwei was a true god!!!
To think she managed to make a heavy mecha so lightweight without reducing its weapon payload or structural integrity!
When starting up, she had applied her usual amount of force, and the mecha had practically catapulted forward! She almost lost her footing!
Only later did she remember Tianwei saying that she had added a power assist system to the mecha... So this was how it assisted!
To adapt to the new mecha, Zhang Lyra simply unleashed her speed and charged at the very front.
When the other students saw this heavy mecha running over on all fours with the fluid movements of a light mecha, going boom! boom!, they thought they were dreaming...
It did not take long for the mecha to find its prey. It stood up straight, and at the very last moment, the spikes on its back stood on end, completely piercing the star beast that was lunging to attack it!
Looking closer, it seemed there were various gun barrels hidden beneath those spikes...
"With that kind of speed, is that really a heavy mecha??"
"...Is that Wang Tianwei's squad?"
"I... guess so? Even though it looks like a porcupine... its face is still square."
"...I think I'll head in a different direction."
"Don't rush, wait until I finish off these mutant birds and I'll go with you..."
It was a rare actual combat opportunity for the first-year students, and everyone was earnestly putting into practice what they had learned during the previous semester.
The upperclassmen spared absolutely no effort, determined not to be outdone by their juniors!
However, everyone unanimously gave one particular mecha squad a very wide berth...
Huang Yan had finally finished testing the small thermal weapons and wanted to see if the defense mode was just as effective on the uneven terrain.
Pressing the defense button, the mecha rolled down the mountain path at breakneck speed. Along the way, mutant vines tried to ambush it, but they could not even get a grip on the rolling "giant egg"!
The vines were quickly severed by Jian Jingyu's long blade—who was keeping a close eye on their commander—and then tossed into the recovery vehicle...
Thanks to the students' sheer enthusiasm and their fierce competitive spirit, unwilling to lose to anyone else, such a massive area was mostly cleared out in just a single day.
A few students accidentally sustained injuries during the process, but they were quickly rescued by the teachers and safety personnel.
It was not until the extermination operation concluded and everyone had gathered in one place that Principal Gui Sizhe stepped out of a rescue aircraft, leaning heavily on his cane.
"...What you have done today is what the soldiers of the Federation do every single day."
Only then did the students understand the school's true intention behind organizing this operation.
Every major habitable planet in the Federation is protected from the shadows by a military district! At the same time, these soldiers must strike down space pirates, exterminate star beasts and the Zerg, and maintain peace both inside and outside the Federation...
"...Salute to every soldier."
The children, still wearing their school uniforms, offered their most standard military salutes.
The teachers also wore solemn expressions, turning to face the direction of the Ninth Military District to offer their salutes.
