The whistle blew, and all the instructors stopped their movements. The firearms had been fully assembled and placed aside.
"Did everyone remember the steps? Both assembly and disassembly require strength. Since you're all around the same age, who wants to give it a try?" Li Ying addressed the group of children.
"Let the squad leader do it—he’s the strongest!"
Hu Zhenghao was pushed forward. Though the other kids also wanted a turn, this was a competition, and winning mattered more.
"Alright, I’ll do it."
Hu Zhenghao stepped up without hesitation.
Teammates were allowed to help, so everyone gathered around Hu Zhenghao, ready for the competition to begin.
"Are you all sure you remember the steps?"
Li Ying couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
The question made the children nervous—they had been fine before, but now they exchanged uncertain glances, suddenly doubting their memory.
"I remember."
Li Wen spoke up, quietly moving closer to Hu Zhenghao. The others made way without protest.
"Excellent. If you win, I’ll put in a request to let you ride in a tank."
Li Ying dangled the tempting offer, though he only promised to try—if higher-ups denied it, that wasn’t his fault.
Not only could they shoot targets, but they might also get to ride in a tank? The children’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
As the preparation time ended, the whistle sounded again, and the instructors from each team clicked their stopwatches.
Hu Zhenghao worked swiftly while Li Wen recited the steps beside him. With every part disassembled, Li Wen not only named the component correctly but also predicted the next move.
"All done—now assemble."
By now, Li Wen had moved right beside Hu Zhenghao, handing him each part without a single mistake, always picking the right piece at the right time.
Li Ying watched in amazement, even pausing his stopwatch for two extra seconds.
"Yay! We’re first!"
Li Wu cheered, and the others quickly joined in, rushing to hug Hu Zhenghao. Li Wu had already wrapped his arms around Li Wen.
"You’re worse than a bunch of kids—showing off, thinking you’re the best, refusing to listen, not trusting your teammates, and not even knowing how to cooperate."
The slower teams were scolded by their instructors, heads hanging in shame.
The children, oblivious to the reprimands, celebrated their victory, eagerly anticipating their reward and the next competition.
Hu Jun allowed himself a brief, satisfied smile before schooling his expression back to neutrality.
The holiday passed unnoticed. With the computer, Qin Nian’s work efficiency had improved dramatically.
"Professor, the core theory manuscript is complete. After this period of study, everyone’s experiments are starting to show promising results."
"Good. Very good."
Dean Hu’s hands trembled slightly as he held the thick manuscript—nearly a million words of core theory, covering the very knowledge they desperately needed to explore.
With this, they wouldn’t just be learning—they’d be surpassing and innovating.
"There’s still more to add. I’ll continue compiling."
Over the past two years, Qin Nian had done nothing but memorize texts and analyze critical data.
After just a few days of rest, she threw herself back into high-intensity work, sleeping only about six hours a day, refusing to slow down otherwise.
She had only returned to the residential compound once, and now, immersed in the lab, she could barely remember the date. It felt like ages since she’d been home.
With her newly received salary in hand, Qin Nian decided to visit home. But when she arrived, the door was locked—even Aunt Wang’s house next door was empty.
She checked her watch. It’s almost six o’clock—where is everyone?
At the agricultural research institute, a group of students crowded around two elderly women.
"Aunt Yang, your stew smells amazing!"
"Aunt Yang, you’re incredible! You lassoed that wild boar in one go—I thought I was done for today!"
The chatter was endless. Earlier, they had gone up to the orchard to clear weeds. The pear trees there bore poor fruit, and the area had been neglected until their professor assigned them to clean it up for grafting new varieties next year.
Midway through, someone screamed—a wild boar had charged out of the woods. The students scattered in panic, but the thick undergrowth made it easy to trip.
"Climb the trees! Now!"
Aunt Wang and Yang Yufen shouted, and the students finally reacted, scrambling up the nearest trees.
But the ones being chased weren’t so lucky—they had no chance to climb.
The quick-thinking students farther away hurled objects at the boar to distract it, then climbed up themselves.
Their usual camaraderie shone through in this moment of crisis.
Yang Yufen watched as the students led the boar in circles. She helped Aunt Wang up a tree, then grabbed a work rope.
The boar wasn’t huge—otherwise, the students wouldn’t have been able to outmaneuver it. Still, Yang Yufen didn’t trust her strength alone, so she enlisted a male student’s help.
"I’ll throw the lasso. If it catches, pull with me."
After giving instructions, she yelled, "Lead it this way!"
Her palms were sweaty, especially when she saw the exhausted student barely staying ahead of the boar. Without checking the terrain, Yang Yufen gritted her teeth and flung the rope.
The loop caught, and she yanked it tight. The student beside her instinctively grabbed the rope, his palms burning.
"Pull hard!"
At her command, he heaved, and the boar squealed in pain, turning toward them.
"Wrap the rope around the tree!"
Yang Yufen shoved the student toward the trunk, and he immediately understood, looping the rope and securing a knot.
Before Yang Yufen could act, another student had already swung a hoe at the boar’s head.
The male student panted, clutching his chest, and flinched at his classmate’s ruthless strike.
"Brutal… just brutal!"
The boar was dead. Since the students had been badly shaken, Wang Shuo decided to cook the meat to calm their nerves.
The promise of a barbecue energized them, and they gathered materials on the spot. Yang Yufen took charge of the cooking.
Word spread quickly, and soon, others came to join the impromptu feast.
"Be careful. This boar was small—there might be bigger ones deeper in the woods."
Wang Shuo reported the incident, requesting a team to clear and drive away any remaining threats.
"We’re not scared with so many of us here, but setting traps would help—just mark them clearly so no one accidentally falls in."
Wang Shuo’s colleagues arrived, relieved to see the students unharmed. Wild boars often raided the experimental fields, but usually, firecrackers were enough to scare them off. This time, though, the boar had charged despite the crowd.
