As Elizabeth and Dr. Todd had said, this project involved not only a few of them, but also soldiers with exceptional mental strength from various military districts.
The four students were the core figures of the current Federal Military Academy League, which was the hottest topic in the Federation right now. Moreover, many of the soldiers present had graduated from these same academies, so seeing them felt familiar.
“Hiranuma Yusho, right? That mental illusion realm you set up was quite impressive… Elizabeth, I’ll teach you a few tricks later, and next time we’ll take him down directly.”
A female soldier with a black ponytail swept her gaze over Hiranuma Yusho and then called out to Elizabeth Page from behind.
“Yes, ma’am! Thank you!”
“Just call me senior.”
On the other side, a buzz-cut male soldier in the uniform of the Ninth Military District let out a light snort.
“Hmph, you think Valk has no one? Hiranuma, next time we’ll do it again!”
“…”
“Why does Huang Yan look so listless? Got social anxiety now that your teammates aren’t here?”
Several soldiers chuckled at the kids’ slightly awkward demeanor.
“Don’t even mention it—the cockiest ones didn’t even show up!”
“Oh, I really want to meet Sister Ma. That transforming mecha was so awesome~”
“Calling her Sister Ma too? Old man, do you even have any shame left?”
“What the hell, I’m only twenty-three!”
“She’s eighteen…”
Just as they were talking, the conference room door opened again.
Xue Jie, Wen Nanfeng, and several researchers filed in. They immediately spotted Huang Yan and the others standing there.
“Why aren’t you sitting? Find yourselves a seat.”
“Yes, sir!”
The four kids quickly found empty seats and sat down.
Xue Jie held a stack of reports in her hand as she walked to the head of the conference table.
“Good afternoon, everyone. First, I want to thank you all for trusting the Academy and agreeing to come here.
As we mentioned in the invitations, this project is primarily aimed at…”
Everyone sat up straight, listening intently as she explained the project’s background and objectives in full.
“Before we move on to the next item, if anyone does not wish to participate in the subsequent mental strength enhancement plan, you may speak up now.
This project is not mandatory and carries certain risks. The Federal Academy fully respects everyone’s right to make their own choices.”
She paused and looked around the room. No one raised a hand.
Wen Nanfeng, the director of the Isolation Control Center, deliberately glanced at the students. He saw the four young people sitting among the soldiers, their faces still showing a hint of youth, but their spines held equally straight and firm.
Even after hearing Dean Xue’s words, they showed no hesitation or surprise, exuding the characteristic steadiness and composure of military cadets.
“Since everyone is willing to participate, we’ll first need to sign some agreements.
Once that’s done, I’ll explain the specific implementation method of this project and what each of you will need to do.”
The important content was naturally saved for last.
When Xue Jie, using diagrams, explained the kind of damage mental strength above S-level could inflict on the Zerg, the soldiers in the room became visibly excited.
Ultra-high-level mental strength could deliver a devastating blow to lower-level Zerg? Their comrades who had been parasitized could be saved!
And the Federation actually had soldiers with 3S-level mental strength? Who was it? Why had they never heard of this before?
But thinking about it, it made sense—if they wanted to know, the Zerg would too. Keeping it confidential was the safest approach!
When they later discussed the dangers of mental strength upgrades,
“Dean, wouldn’t it be enough for us active-duty soldiers to handle this? Those four… haven’t graduated yet.”
A commander from the Third Military District hesitated to speak. He was worried the kids might feel too embarrassed to back out.
Regardless, when it came to dangerous Zerg matters and the inherent risks of the project itself, it didn’t seem appropriate to involve students who hadn’t even graduated.
Two of them were still freshmen—well, they should be sophomores this year… still not even nineteen! Throwing them into this so early might not be a good thing.
Xue Jie gave a slight nod.
“I understand your concerns. This project is also a long-term initiative aimed at discovering and cultivating talent for the Federation. However… I suggest you all take a look at this table first.”
She opened a file on the projector, and the large conference room screen immediately displayed a very clear table: “Mental Strength Test Report for Participants.”
On the far left were the participants’ names, followed by their mental strength ratings, and then detailed mental strength data—everything from output conversion rate to recovery speed.
The list was sorted from highest to lowest. At the very top was the name “Huang Yan,” with a mental strength rating of “SS”!
Output conversion rate: 90%; Recovery speed: 95%; Resistance to mental erosion: 92%; Control precision: Excellent…
The supplementary note in the remarks column read: “Due to the use of suppressors, mental strength is generally maintained at S-level. Reason: Physical fitness has not yet advanced; forcibly invoking higher-level mental strength risks bodily collapse.”
This time, not only the commanders from the other three academies but also all the military soldiers in the room turned their heads abruptly to stare at Huang Yan. A double-S was right there among them!
“You held back!?”
Elizabeth’s face was almost twisted!
“How many skills have you been hiding!?”
How dare this guy!?
“Huang Yan…”
He Siyu was also deeply shocked. Double-S mental strength!? Why in the world didn’t he come to First Military Academy?
At first, she thought Kirin’s biggest threats were the two solo fighters. Then she thought it was the extraordinary mecha designer Wang Tianwei. And now… You guys really know how to play games, don’t you?
No wonder those three from Kirin kept such a close eye on Huang Yan, constantly talking about giving him injections and stuff. So that was mental strength suppressors!?
What a niche need…
Hiranuma Yusho’s gaze was locked onto Huang Yan.
With double-S mental strength and you’re still sitting in on everyone’s classes!? And here I was feeling sorry for you because I thought you worked hard to get from A-level to S-level… You really deserve to die!
Huang Yan had mentally prepared for his mental strength to be made public, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so suddenly. Now he had no choice but to endure everyone’s stares.
On the outside, he seemed as steady as a rock, but underneath, he felt like he was sitting on a bed of needles. Wait, this feeling…
“Elizabeth… pulling a mental attack on me right now is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Oh, really? Compared to you?”
Huang Yan had no choice but to block her mental attack and gestured for her to continue looking at the table.
“You’re second. We’re about even.”
The crowd snapped back to attention and continued scanning the table. Second place—“Elizabeth Page,” mental strength rating: “S+”!
Output conversion rate: 95%; Recovery speed: 85%; Resistance to mental erosion: 88%; Control precision: Excellent…
“Whoa…”
Another super-S?
The commander from the Third Military District who had made the earlier suggestion now fell completely silent.
So many active-duty soldiers had been outdone by two students… It seemed like it should be them, the “old-timers,” who ought to back out.
