During their few days at Zhang Lyra's home, the four of them got plenty of rest! Both their bodies and minds seemed completely recharged!
Before they left, Christine stuffed another massive box of jerky into Wang Tianwei's hands!
"Don't go hungry while you're away from home! And don't just focus on the competition, make sure you take good care of your health..."
"Got it, Auntie! We'll come back to see you and Uncle after we win the championship!"
"Safety is the most important thing!"
Jian Jingyu squatted down to look the little demi-human in the eye.
"Shirley Zhang is about to start elementary school soon, you'll be able to make lots of new friends! Remember to watch our live stream!"
Shirley Zhang's eyes were red as she clung reluctantly to her sister's leg.
"Yeah... In the future, I'm definitely going to become an amazing heavy mecha combatant just like my sister! In two more years, I'll be able to go to Qilin with you guys!"
Jian Jingyu burst into laughter when he heard this.
"Hahahaha~ Alright!"
Zhang Lyra picked her little sister up.
"You'll definitely become an even stronger combatant than your sister in the future!"
Little Shirley wrapped her arms around her sister's neck, her voice soft.
"Sister is the strongest."
It wasn't until they were out the door that Christine took her youngest daughter back.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, just do your best. No matter what rank you get, your dad and I are proud of you!"
Zhang Qishui also said to Huang Yan and the others,
"Yes, the same goes for all of you! Come back and visit in the summer, and your Uncle and Auntie will treat you well!"
Saying goodbye to Zhang Lyra's family, the four finally embarked on their journey back.
Returning from the freezing Planet Karen to the blazing sun of Planet Shuomo, the first thing they did upon disembarking the starship was to raise their hands to shield their eyes from the sun.
Wang Tianwei put on a pair of oversized UV-protection goggles.
"Lyra, I can't believe you managed to adapt to Planet Shuomo's temperature... You're a warrior!"
It wasn't long before Jian Jingyu couldn't help but want a drink of water; he had only just returned, and he was already missing the heavy snow of Planet Karen!
Zhang Lyra rolled her shoulders.
"I wasn't used to it at first, especially when the freshmen went into the desert for training... But I'm used to it now. As a combatant, you have to be able to adapt to all kinds of environments."
Wang Tianwei nodded.
"Let's go! Let's head back to school first. My bones are itching after a few days without sparring... I'll adjust everyone's mechas before we depart to ensure everything is foolproof!"
"Let's go!"
**********
At 7:00 AM on the twenty-ninth,
The sixteen contestants from Qilin arrived at the school plaza on time, wearing their school uniforms.
After a few brief words, they lined up in an orderly queue and followed Chao Hao and Fu Manli onto the aircraft the school had provided to take them to the starport.
Once inside the small starship, everyone sat stiffly and formally. Seeing this, Chao Hao spoke up,
"You can relax a bit for now. Once we get off the starship, you might have to face the reporters' cameras.
The competition hasn't started yet, so if anyone asks you questions, you don't have to answer. We'll head straight to the competition camp..."
The others grew more nervous the more they listened. Reporters... and live broadcasts! The people of the entire Federation would be watching them...
"I'm going to the restroom again."
Zhou Yu, the commander of the sophomore squad, couldn't help but stand up. Feng Yi didn't even have the energy to mock him, because he was feeling pretty much the same.
Wang Tianwei couldn't take her eyes off Chao Hao's hair. She waited until he turned his back before whispering into Jian Jingyu's ear,
"How much hair wax did Yama Chao use? This is the first time I've seen a buzz cut with every single strand standing out so clearly! He looks like a black pineapple!"
"Speaking of pineapples..."
Jian Jingyu contentedly took the fruit Wang Tianwei handed him.
"Little Bear, do you want some?"
"...No thanks."
Huang Yan sat to the side, casually scrolling through his optical computer as if nothing was going on.
"The team from the First Military Academy has already arrived at the camp. If we head over now, we're expected to arrive in the afternoon..."
Fu Manli looked at the students, who were in completely different states of mind.
"If only these kids could balance each other out a bit..."
Chao Hao loosened his tie... Even wearing a military uniform back in the day wasn't this uncomfortable, was it?
"Everyone has a different personality. Those few are show-offs... Just think about their performance when they competed in the Zero Zone and you'll know. Remember to remind them to tone it down a bit when they get off the starship..."
After Wang Tianwei and Jian Jingyu ate a meal, Huang Yan took two naps, and Zhang Lyra and Feng Yi spent a few hours discussing how heavy mecha players could deal the maximum amount of damage,
"Planet Tianshu, we have arrived. Please take your belongings and prepare to disembark."
"Line up!"
Outside the starport, a circle of media had gathered.
These were the people who had come early, wanting to capture the footage of the participating teams stepping onto Planet Tianshu together for the first time!
The students from the First Military Academy had already entered the camp in the morning. Since the competition hadn't started yet, the reporters couldn't get in, and there were no live broadcasts set up inside the camp yet.
So they figured they might as well start with the military academies from other planets and dig up some talking points!
"The contestants from Qilin have arrived!"
"Qilin, look over here!"
"Qilin Military Academy, as the only veteran military academy on Planet Shuomo, may I ask if this time..."
"Excuse me! We're in a hurry to report in, we are not accepting interviews at the moment."
The sixteen students were still radiating energy despite sitting in a transport vehicle all day. As they got off the starship, they held their heads high, determined to embody the spirit of Qilin!
Before disembarking, Wang Tianwei and the others had also been instructed by their teachers and Huang Yan not to stop and answer any questions, but to just keep walking!
They only had a few steps to go before getting onto another aircraft anyway.
Even so, the first wave of viewers who saw the leaked photos couldn't help but have their attention drawn by the Qilin contestants.
"No way!? You're telling me they're from Qilin!? [Picture]"
The accompanying picture prominently circled Wang Tianwei, Huang Yan, and the others.
"Isn't Qilin famous for its profound heritage and strict, upright school rules!? What's up with these nonconformists? Did they bribe their way in!?"
"Look closely, the one with yellow hair is the eldest son of Taihe! The one with half-white hair is the little princess of Yida! As for the one with curly red hair, that's the son of Chief Judge Jian! These people are on the same team... use your imagination!"
"It's rigged! They definitely paid their way in! Qilin has gone downhill too!"
"Oh no! I'm here to watch the military academy league! Not to watch a bunch of rich kids!"
"What do you mean rigged!? They were properly selected by our school! It's been 300 years into the Interstellar Era! Are people still judging by appearances!?"
"It's pretty good that these guys are on the same team, they can all be sent packing together when they get eliminated!"
"To the person above! If you can survive three moves from Jian Jingyu without falling, I'll respect you as a real man!"
"Even if you don't believe in Qilin, you should believe in the organizers! This is a competition jointly hosted by the military and the Ministry of Education! Strength definitely comes first! Who cares about your family background!?"
"First Military Academy, eliminate them!"
"Go Santorini!"
The clarifying words of the Qilin students were quickly drowned out by the comments of other netizens.
It made them furious. Finally, someone posted on the Qilin forum,
"Everyone, ignore those small media outlets and negative comments for now. There's no point in arguing right now! Let's strike back once the live broadcast starts!"
"Potato is right! Once the junior's mecha comes out, it'll slap their faces to pieces!"
"Have Jian Jingyu put them in a chokehold! Let's see how they bark then!"
"Looking down on Huang Yan!? I'm speechless! How dare they!?"
