The teachers in the Command Department liked to have their students play chess to exercise their minds.
It was a game that heavily tested one's brainpower and foresight, but the demands on mental energy weren't that high, so the matchmaking for the games was completely random.
Huang Yan followed the number on his optical computer and arrived at his assigned chessboard.
"Long time no see, Student Huang."
Wu Xinshui took the initiative to greet him.
"Student Wu."
Seeing these two matched up against each other, the surrounding students intentionally or unintentionally cast glances their way.
During the freshman training, Huang Yan had been forced by Wu Xinshui and another squad to climb a steep cliff in the pouring rain!
It could be said to be Young Master Huang's most miserable moment during the entire training, and that classic photo of him was still hanging on the school forum!
Although Wu Xinshui was only a B-grade, under his leadership, the Class B squad had fought several beautiful, victorious battles later on! They had even defeated a team from Class A!
What kind of outcome would happen when these two clashed!?
Even the Command Department teacher stopped his patrol and stood beside the two of them.
"Enemies on a narrow path? Haha, don't mind me, just start when you're ready."
Huang Yan sat down opposite Wu Xinshui.
"Are you playing black or white?"
"Your chess skills must be very high, Student Huang. How about letting me play white?"
Huang Yan set up the board and extended a hand, gesturing for him to make the first move.
Wu Xinshui didn't think too much about his first move, conventionally pushing the pawn in front of his king forward one square.
Huang Yan, on the other hand, moved his c-file pawn to the c5 square.
"The Sicilian Defense. As expected, you aren't someone who only knows passive defense..."
Wu Xinshui spoke while playing; this was his tactic.
The students on both sides stretched their necks and ears out long, taking ages to make a single move in their own games.
Half an hour passed. Both sides had lost a rook, a bishop, and several pawns. Huang Yan bit tightly onto his opponent's queen, while Wu Xinshui set his sights on Huang's two knights.
"I'm very curious, what exactly made you choose Qilin instead of the First Military Academy?"
Wu Xinshui asked casually.
"Every citizen of the Federation has the right to make a free and equal choice."
Huang Yan finally spoke. Wu Xinshui smiled after hearing this and used a pawn to capture his opponent's knight.
"Coming from your mouth, that sentence is truly convincing. I suppose you've never experienced the feeling of not being free, have you?"
Huang Yan didn't panic upon seeing he had lost a knight. He continued to push his pieces toward the queen, saying at the same time,
"I saw a phrase on the forum that I found quite interesting."
Wu Xinshui asked with interest,
"What is it?"
"Student Wu, do you know what it means to hate the rich?"
The students listening nearby couldn't help but gasp!
It was on! A verbal battle of swords and spears between commanders!
On the first day of class, the teacher had told them that while a commander indeed needed good physical fitness and a sufficient reserve of knowledge, those were merely for self-protection!
They were the brains of the entire team! Therefore, their minds were their most powerful weapons! And when facing enemies who understood human language, verbal output was also a sharp blade!
It could instantly destroy the enemy's mindset and disintegrate their will!
This guy Wu Xinshui was quite adept at this! In the past, he could always completely suppress others with just a few words!
But the teacher never stopped him, clearly intending for them to practice this. After all, no one could actually cover his mouth, right?
They originally thought Huang Yan was inarticulate and would just endure it, but who would have thought he would drop a bombshell the moment he opened his mouth!?
The others immediately grew restless.
"I admit defeat in this game! Let's take a break, take a break!"
"That's what I was thinking too!"
"Pause, let's pause for a bit."
"Shh! We get it!"
Hearing the commotion around him, the teacher shook his head. These students were still too impetuous.
However, the match between Wu Xinshui and Huang Yan was truly brilliant. Whether it was their chess skills or the clash of their minds, the others could learn a lot by watching.
Wu Xinshui chuckled softly.
"Knight to f6, so aggressive? That doesn't seem like your style."
He then completed a castling maneuver, hiding his king in a safer position.
"Whether it's aggressive or not depends on the person. Some people just require cutting the Gordian knot with a quick blade."
"Then you're looking down on me a bit, Student Huang..."
Huang Yan maneuvered his piece to capture his opponent's other bishop.
"Poor people always care very much about whether others look down on them or not. I only care about whether I can achieve my goal."
The smile on Wu Xinshui's face finally vanished.
"Haven't you heard the principle of hiding one's edge and playing the fool as the way to endure?
People who are too ostentatious usually don't end up well. I'll be taking this queen."
He knocked over Huang Yan's piece with a pawn, emitting a clack sound, and the white pawn landed on the square originally occupied by the black queen.
Huang Yan paused for a moment, discovering that his other pieces were locked down and unable to move, so he had no choice but to continue pushing his pawn forward.
"Being ostentatious requires capital. For instance, I've been ostentatious since I was a child, and there's a high probability I can continue to be so in the future.
Then again, Student Wu, you slaughtered everything in your path during the freshman training, relentlessly pursuing the students from Class A and Class S. That shouldn't have been for the sake of playing it safe, right?
I've read about this kind of strategy in books. Those generals who want to make a name for themselves first always operate like this."
"Heh. You still haven't answered my earlier question, Student Huang. Why didn't you go to the First Military Academy?
Were you afraid you couldn't keep up with the intensity of the First Military Academy, so you donated a building just to attend a school with no elimination rate?
If you have so little courage, wouldn't it have been better to study business and inherit Taihe?
Oh! I forgot! It seems you aren't the only one in your family waiting to inherit Taihe. Check."
The students in the class almost stopped breathing, and even the teacher couldn't help but twitch his lips.
His words really lacked a sense of proportion, but do kids these days play this ruthlessly?
However, what commander hasn't experienced something like this?
A family like Huang Yan's would be criticized even under normal circumstances; right now, it could just be considered desensitization training.
Huang Yan slowly moved his king away.
"I didn't expect you to care so much about my personal situation, Student Wu.
Actually, I'm also very curious. With your ambition, Student Wu, why didn't you go to the Federation's First Military Academy? Is it because you didn't want to?"
"..."
The chess game continued.
"Family assets are indeed hard to inherit. Having a younger brother makes the competition too fierce... It's simpler to rely on oneself.
You must surely understand me, right, Student Wu?
Just like how the scholarships and student loans at the First Military Academy are clearly higher than those at Qilin, enough to cover your family's expenses, yet you simply couldn't pass the entrance exam."
Wu Xinshui tapped the chessboard.
"Don't just focus on talking, Student Huang... Your other queen is gone too."
Huang Yan didn't even glance at his queen. He pushed his pawn into the opponent's back rank.
"Check."
Wu Xinshui was still only looking at the pieces on Huang Yan's side. Hearing this check, he finally realized... Huang's pawn had reached the back rank and promoted!
Ding-dong.
The class dismissal bell rang, and Huang Yan stood up.
"Good game."
The command teacher also spoke up at the right time.
"Class dismissed."
Huang Yan was the first to walk out of the classroom, and the other students also left in twos and threes.
Wu Xinshui remained seated, staring intently at the chessboard in front of him. The commanding teacher picked up Huang Yan's "knight" from the side.
"The moment you fixated on his two knights, you had already lost."
Wu Xinshui's gaze shifted to the teacher's hand.
"The ultimate goal of chess is always checkmate. While you were busy figuring out how to maximize your interference to capture his knights, your opponent was only thinking about how to checkmate you."
The teacher set the piece down and patted him on the shoulder.
"But you still did a very good job. At least you knew to go after his pieces. Besides, haven't you seen Huang Yan's videos? That kid is pretty ruthless himself. What you said was still too conservative. Next time, try taking a jab at his height. It might be a bit cliché, but boys your age seem to really care about that sort of thing."
"..."
