“Do you think this is some kind of respawn point in a video game?”
The camp doctor, meeting the same group of students for the third time in a single day, was at a loss for words. His eyes swept over their haggard appearances each time they came in.
“Listen, you need to remember you’re human beings, not livestock!”
Even the Federation’s livestock were now raised under humane, eco-friendly conditions—no one used them like this!
How did they manage to push themselves to this point three times in one day? What, did they think they were made of iron?
“Doc, let me into the treatment pod right now. I’m going to take down Hiranuma Yusho today, and no one is going to stop me!”
Wang Tianwei was seething with resentment after being trapped in an illusion by that bastard Hiranuma, forced to sun-dry fish and kelp for two hours.
Seriously!? What was his problem!?
Leola, Hiranuma Yusho, and Wu Fangyu could barely stop their calves and thighs from cramping up—this level of training was way too much for them…
The rest of the students also looked utterly exhausted, clear signs of physical and mental overwork.
The doctor shook his head and waved a few students into the treatment room.
“Go on, go on.”
At this point, lying in a treatment pod was indeed the fastest way for them to recover, but how could they treat themselves like this?
Had the pressure from the Military Academy Tournament already gotten this bad? As a doctor, he rarely felt this kind of concern anymore…
But the truth was, even inside the treatment pods, the students weren’t idle. Their minds were racing, reviewing and memorizing the theoretical knowledge they had learned that day.
Wang Tianwei had discovered that her brain worked exceptionally well inside the treatment pod—probably because as soon as she used up energy, it was instantly replenished.
So she preferred to tackle difficult or forgettable material while in there.
Just moments after entering, the room was filled with the cool voice of Hiranuma Yusho’s father, forcing Leola—who was in the same treatment pod room—to re-learn the art of mental illusion weaving.
Knowledge had entered her brain in the most vicious way possible…
Twenty minutes flew by. During that time, Wang Tianwei’s commlink buzzed several times. When she finished, got dressed, and checked it, she saw messages from Elizabeth and Lian Sheng complaining about their hardships.
One said the days of physical training were simply unbearable. The other couldn’t understand why she had to join in too!
After learning from the group chat that the source of this madness was Qilin, Lian Sheng didn’t care whether Sister Zebra was her idol or not—she outright said Qilin was being too intense, dragging everyone else down like innocent bystanders.
Wang Tianwei smiled confidently, her hands resting on the virtual keyboard.
First, she sent Elizabeth a photo taken this morning—students from all three military academies collapsed in exhaustion on the training field—with the caption:
“Don’t panic, you’re not alone.”
Then she followed up with a soul-stirring question for Lian Sheng:
“Don’t you want to level up?”
After a moment, feeling that one sentence might not be enough impact, she added another:
“If everyone else becomes an SS- or SSS-class mecha designer, able to build and pilot even more powerful mechs, would you be satisfied with just an S or double S class? I mean, it’s not like that’s unacceptable…”
A full five minutes passed before Lian Sheng replied with a single line:
“You’re ruthless.”
Wang Tianwei closed the chat window, thoroughly satisfied.
That was the spirit. If Sir Huang hadn’t signed a non-disclosure agreement, none of her circle of friends would have escaped!
The tournament organizers had announced in advance that, given the unexpected incidents during the first two mecha competitions, this time the rest period between rounds had been extended from seven days to ten—specifically to conduct a thorough check for potential problems before the finals began.
That gave the students three extra days to adapt to the physical training.
Wang Tianwei had not only made up for the fitness she’d neglected while focusing on building mechs, but she could now even carry Jian Jingyu around during strength training.
The Science Academy’s training plan was something else—combined with her family’s nutrient solutions, the effect was simply unbeatable!
The only downside was that everyone seemed to be going a little “crazy” lately. The amount of food prepared in the mess hall increased every day, all because Little Bear said that eating could help alleviate some negativity.
Even He Siyu, usually the most composed, would occasionally let out two cold laughs.
Wu Pingzhuo had even sent her a private message asking if they should find some kind of deity to pray to.
So she generously lent them the statue of Lord Guan that her team had once used:
“When in doubt, pray to Lord Guan—it’s never a bad choice!”
The instructors from the three military academies hardly dared to speak too loudly these days.
The intensity of the training plans they had designed was nowhere near what the students were actually following…
Whenever they felt like urging the students to take a break, they were faced with the seal at the top of the training plan—Federal Science Academy.
Who dared to claim their own experience was more authoritative than the Science Academy’s?
The students’ breakdowns and progress happened simultaneously. Wu Fangyu would often come to Lin Youfu crying that he just couldn’t take it anymore.
But sometimes, before he even finished crying, someone would call him away with a message.
The reason was simple: if Sister Zebra, an A-class, could keep up with the training, he could cry and he could feel tired, but he absolutely could not embarrass himself or fall too far behind everyone else. Otherwise, how would he ever show his face if he couldn’t build higher-level mechs in the future?
Hiranuma Yusho was much the same. Though he wouldn’t come crying to Lin Youfu, he would occasionally drop by for two minutes, ask himself a few questions, talk himself into feeling better, and then get back to training.
Lin Youfu couldn’t help but think: given how much these kids cared about saving face, if Valkyrie ever offered a class on how to act cool, they wouldn’t even need to look for another instructor…
When the military and the Science Academy learned that all the students were following the training plan, they sent over a few specialists.
Their tasks were to collect some data and keep an eye on the students to make sure they didn’t hurt themselves. After all, the plans were custom-made for the three commanders, but the overall training volume was basically unchanged. Others who wanted to join only needed minor adjustments.
What they discovered was astonishing. The Science Academy personnel quickly realized that, aside from Huang Yan and the other two, the potential of the remaining students was no worse than that of the soldiers currently undergoing training!
Fu Xingyuan and Jian Jingyu in particular were impressive, as were Leola and Taylor!
As for Wang Tianwei’s mental strength, it was indescribably odd. She could engage in one-on-one physical and mental strength combat training against S-class soldiers and commanders, yet she stubbornly refused to advance in rank!
The Science Academy had already arranged for her to undergo a more comprehensive checkup once the competition was over.
YiDa Technology had taken on orders from the military and the Federal Science Academy, putting a customized nutrient solution plan on the fast track.
But in the camp, thanks to Wang Tianwei, the students were already consuming the highest-grade nutrient solutions currently available.
The instructors found themselves completely out of work. Over the past couple of days, they had started studying psychology again to make sure they could provide the most appropriate feedback when students came to them to vent—in other words, advice that was actually useful, instead of the kind that, well, no one would listen to anyway…
