Under strong pressure from Jian Jingyu and the others, the group of eight ended up at a self-service Korean BBQ restaurant.
"Teachers, did you actually place bets on us? Did you know from the start we'd win the championship?!"
Wang Tianwei kept shoving meat into her mouth.
She had originally worried about making the teachers spend too much, but it turned out they were treating the meal with money won from betting! In that case, she wouldn't hold back!
"Beef! I need another plate!"
Eugene watched his students feast with gusto.
"With you guys competing, the teachers just had to show some support!"
This was how eighteen-year-old students should look—just moments ago on the arena, they'd fought like their lives depended on it...
Fu Manli and Jin Xi helped with the grilling; otherwise, the four kids would devour a whole pot in just a couple of bites, leaving more time waiting than eating.
Chao Hao handed the last two plates of meat on the rack to Fu Manli.
"What made you think of entering the competitive tournament?"
Wang Tianwei repeated their reasoning, with Huang Yan occasionally adding details. The two kids talked nonstop, leaving the teachers present with no way to argue...
"Wait, you're telling me your parents all know about this?"
Fu Manli couldn't believe it.
Other kids were one thing, but these ones! She'd thought for sure she could discipline them properly!
"Teachers, we've been super well-behaved! We got permission from our families!"
The other three nodded along earnestly, with Huang Yan blending in flawlessly without a hint of guilt.
Even Chao Hao found it hard to believe. These kids... they really were something else.
"...You all keep eating. I'll go grab some more meat."
The empty plates piled high on their table, and that was even with the robots coming by every so often!
Eugene silently thanked his students for choosing a buffet; otherwise, the winnings wouldn't even cover a week's salary on top of the prize money...
Kids in their developmental stage really had incredible appetites!
Fu Manli and Jin Xi couldn't even keep up with the grilling speed compared to how fast the kids ate!
Eventually, they stopped grilling piece by piece and just dumped whole plates of meat onto the grill, pulling them apart with tongs.
Huang Yan keenly sensed something off about Yama Chao's mood.
"What's wrong, Teacher Chao?"
Fu Manli glanced at Chao Hao's retreating figure.
"Don't mind him."
Wang Tianwei and Jian Jingyu exchanged looks—there was major gossip here!
"Teacher Fu, please give us the full story!"
"Yeah, I always feel like Teacher Chao has some special mission. He looks all grim and his expression changes constantly..."
"Also, why is he called Yama Chao? I mean, he seems to actually like that name?"
Zhang Lyra, who had been quietly focused on her food, pricked up her ears like a bear at the word.
Eugene couldn't help but speak up.
"Ah... there's actually a reason why Teacher Chao has been so harsh on you all..."
Fu Manli shot him a glare but eventually gave in under the kids' puppy-dog-clear gazes. There was nothing that couldn't be said anyway.
The incident with the First Military Sector had caused a big stir back then; many people knew about it.
"Did you know that Teacher Chao used to be the commander of the First Military Sector?"
"We know."
Huang Yan immediately answered.
"And we know you're also from the First Military Sector, Teacher."
Fu Manli nodded.
"Yeah. Chao Hao was one of the top military commanders back then, very famous. His squad was incredibly strong too, achieving the highest kills of star beasts on every mission."
Wang Tianwei took a sip of juice.
"Wow! So sort of like our squad!"
...This kid sure knew how to flatter her own team.
Fu Manli brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"At the time, their squad had an assault specialist who came from a very well-off family... In those days, he was a lot like you, Tianwei.
That squad member lived on Tianshu Star and had a younger brother. They used to hang out together during breaks and were all very close."
The four students nodded along, not interrupting.
"Unfortunately, that squad member's younger brother was kidnapped by star pirates during a vacation on Vega Star."
Wang Tianwei's eyes widened in shock.
"Star pirates?!"
Fu Manli placed two pieces of grilled meat on her plate.
"Yeah. The family paid a huge ransom to get their son back, but the star pirates didn't release him.
Chao Hao's squad wasn't allowed to directly participate in the rescue mission; instead, they were deployed to clean up a swarm of star beasts in the area..."
"What happened next?"
Jian Jingyu had even forgotten to eat his meat.
"And then, during the operation to clear the star beasts, that squad member went AWOL on his own."
"Hiss!"
The four students gasped in unison. That was a direct violation of military orders!
"When Chao Hao realized he was missing, they happened to encounter a group of high-level star beasts emerging from a wormhole... As you know, once you face a star beast tide, soldiers might have to fight for days on end. Losing their assault specialist made their defense extremely difficult."
"So that's why Old Chao has been so hard on us since the start of the school year? He thinks we'll also be undisciplined and break ranks?"
Jian Jingyu put down his sweet soup, leaving a ring of soup residue around his mouth. Eugene couldn't stand it and handed him a napkin, which he used to wipe the sweat off his forehead instead.
"Isn't this like mistreating the Goldfish because of someone else's mistake?"
"Wait, there's more... That assault specialist went off alone, determined to rescue his brother.
But it turned out the star pirate group wasn't the small-time operation he thought it was—it was a massive organization.
So, unsurprisingly, he got captured too. The star pirates even used his brother to force him to reveal the First Military Sector's defensive layout."
"This is too ridiculous!"
Wang Tianwei's eyes were wide open. Plot twists that even TV dramas couldn't dream up were actually real?!
"So now you know why there are so many military regulations. Behind every seemingly strict rule, there's an even crazier reason...
Chao Hao's forces had just finished clearing the star beasts when they were attacked by fully armed star pirates in another wave. Casualties were heavy... his squad alone suffered one dead and two wounded. That's how he lost his right leg."
Huang Yan couldn't help but glance at Chao Hao, who was waiting by the food counter for more beef.
Fu Manli finally set down her tongs and took a sip of water.
"Sometimes I think his teaching methods are too extreme, especially with kids like you who come from well-off families. He sets the bar even higher for them.
But there's one thing he's right about: the more you have, the greater your responsibility.
Once enemies have leverage over you, everything around you—all your resources, all the information you know—could flow into the enemy's hands!
So only when you're strong enough can you protect yourselves, protect the things and people you want to protect."
The four kids listened seriously to Fu Manli.
"Some people join the military out of necessity, while others make it their own choice.
Ultimately, how much weight that choice can carry depends on how capable you are.
You four ended up gathering at Qilin—do you have any idea how much extra security the school has added?"
Chao Hao finally returned carrying two towering piles of meat plates. Fu Manli picked up her tongs again.
"Of course, that doesn't rule out the possibility that this guy is just a psycho... somehow managing to pass every psychological evaluation.
But hey, you're stuck with him as your teacher, so eat up—you'll have extra training on Monday."
"Huh?!?!"
