The next morning, Yu Tang woke up from his perfect pillow fortress.
Shi Ji returned to the dormitory early in the morning.
He had changed into a refined black training uniform today, had packed his equipment for the exercise, packed his tactical backpack, and was reviewing the Dolphin's interface commands in the living room.
Sensing the fluctuations in his sea of consciousness, Shi Ji's eyes lit up: "Mr. Yu."
"It's me." Yu Tang yawned, holding the digitized cookies and milk and transmitting himself in, "How are you preparing?"
Shi Ji answered very seriously: "No problem."
His tone was still gentle, but different from the past. It was like a seed that finally woke up and sprouted, breaking through the numerous blockades, revealing a particularly distinct and tenacious power.
There was more smile in Yu Tang's eyes: "Okay."
Yu Tang circled around in his sea of consciousness. He had already discovered that Shi Ji had secretly hidden gifts in various places. He rang the wind chime hanging on the light screen twice: "Thank you."
The wind chimes jingled happily twice.
"Don't worry about me this time." Yu Tang said, "I bought the super powerful and invincible motion sickness medicine."
Yu Tang specially ordered a new keyboard. He was not familiar with the process of pre-match mobilization. He thought for a while and said, "Just play as hard as you can. The cooler you fly, the better."
In the last competition, he actually noticed that Shi Ji still retained most of his strength.
Not only was it because of the limitations of the anti-ooc program, but also because he was in Shi Ji's sea of consciousness.
When he took over Shi Ji's body, his consciousness inside and outside the sea was synchronized. The physical load brought by the extreme operations of fighter jets is something that ordinary people cannot bear smoothly without high-intensity long-term training.
Not to mention, while Yu Tang was dreaming about returning to the roller coaster, he also had to deal with the anti-ooc program that kept making trouble.
"They promised that one pill would work and I would never feel dizzy again. One pill is better than six. If it doesn't work, we will refund or exchange it."
Yu Tang consulted a store that sells motion sickness medicine in the mall, and specifically told Shi Ji: "You can rest assured..."
Shi Ji was still listening attentively, but Yu Tang suddenly stopped talking.
After a few seconds, Yu Tang said "Huh".
Shi Ji: "Mr. Yu, what's wrong?"
"It's okay." Yu Tang said, "There was a note, I just read it."
Yu Tang set up a dining table in his sea of consciousness.
There was nothing unusual in his tone, and he continued to follow the usual procedure, putting away the milk and biscuits, turning on the light screen connected to the computer, and placing it aside for monitoring at any time.
Yu Tang prepared motion sickness medicine and poured himself a glass of water in advance: "Okay, let's go."
Shi Ji responded, put on his tactical backpack, and walked out of the dormitory.
This special training of the Military Academy was directly connected with the Central Military Region and joined the Red Camp in the exercise.
The blue team is the league's famous special forces team.
The combat environment completely simulates a real war, and there is no need to even control the strength of the mecha. Instead, each person is equipped with a disposable self-starting protective shield.
This kind of protective shield is made of some kind of extremely tough synthetic material, combined with a tactical backpack. When encountering life-threatening danger, it can be spontaneously activated in an instant to ensure the trainees' life safety to the greatest extent.
Once the protective shield is triggered, the person will be directly judged to exit the exercise.
Although new equipment with large-scale and strong lethality is prohibited from real use, it is still possible to emit virtual signals.
When hit by a virtual signal, the mecha will automatically simulate the degree of damage. If it exceeds 90%, it will be considered dead and will be judged to exit the exercise.
At the same time, each person is equipped with a dedicated positioning system, a special distress button, and a life level detector. If the life level is less than 20%, it will be judged as losing combat effectiveness and forced to withdraw from the exercise. Triggering the distress button is equivalent to giving up.
…
In other words, any situation that would be judged as withdrawal from the exercise would mean a real death on the battlefield.
This unusually high intensity has made some people keenly aware of something unusual.
"That was not the original plan."
The dean of the mecha major frowned. He put down the exercise overview and looked at Zhuang Yu: "Are there any new changes? If so, you should discuss it with us in advance..."
"There are some changes." Zhuang Yu said, "We just received the notification half an hour ago."
The dean of the Mecha Academy was stunned.
This exercise was originally linked to the special operations team selection. Logically speaking, the special operations team should be responsible for it.
If Lian Zhuangyu has only just "received the news", it means that high-level military officials are involved in the planning of this exercise.
This is just a selection exercise. What's so special about it that would cause the military to suddenly change its attitude
The dean of the mecha major felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He took the new rules handed over by Zhuang Yu, read through them at a glance, and his face changed instantly: "Why are you doing this?!"
In the new rules that Zhuang Yujiao gave him, the rule of "forbidding attacks on each other within the same camp" was deleted.
Otherwise, the battlefield will be reopened to allow unrestricted entry for those who have not passed the selection and assessment.
If you want to grab the exclusive positioning system of other trainees, it is equivalent to occupying the other party's selection quota. If you get the top three in the exercise, you can also join the special operations team.
At the same time, the Blues will still serve as the enemy camp and conduct a long-term pursuit and interception of them.
This new rule completely divided the trainees, who should have been united to resist the special forces' encirclement and suppression, into competing cubes.
The dean of the Mecha Academy had almost imagined that scene.
It's not the trainees' internal disintegration.
Once the battlefield is opened, those who did not get a place but are unwilling to stand idly by will flock in.
They would target the trainees and snatch their positioning systems in order to gain trainee spots.
After getting the quota, they themselves will become the new hunting targets.
This was a devastating blow to order.
The dean of the Mecha Academy frowned: "Why do we have to conduct such disorderly selection? The trainees are all top students of the military academy, young elites selected by various military regions. They should be tempered slowly, not thrown into such a situation all at once. This is not a war—"
The dean was suddenly shocked by his own thoughts.
He looked at Zhuang Yu, his expression changed slightly, and he stood there in silence for a long while before he spoke in a very low voice: "What's going on... Is there another insect tide coming?"
"It's not clear yet." Zhuang Yu said, "It cannot be ruled out that the alliance has received relevant warnings."
The dean did not ask any further questions. He frowned and looked at the surveillance screen in the war zone.
The Zerg that migrate along fixed routes are not scary.
The Alliance has mastered mature prediction technology and will intercept them in advance. Small-scale battles can induce them to change direction and minimize casualties.
What is really scary is this sudden and massive outbreak of insects without any warning.
The more sudden the insect tide appears, the greater its scale and intensity will be, and the disaster caused by this explosive migration is almost devastating.
They certainly hope to give these young elites time and opportunities to grow, but if there is no war, then these young people must grow up thoroughly as quickly as possible.
They will become the last line of defense for the entire galaxy.
“Have the rescue teams arranged enough?”
The dean did not argue any more. He put back the new rules issued by the military and looked at Zhuang Yu: "If it is not enough, the military region and the college can help."
Zhuang Yu: "The military has sent a professional rescue team."
The dean nodded.
He wanted to say something else, but in the end he didn't say it. He just sighed heavily and cast his gaze towards the surveillance screen.
The issuance of the new regulations shocked the trainees who had just been sent to the war zone.
"What's going on?"
Xin Qiang was filled with anger: "If this is the case, what's the point of fighting for first place?"
He was a mecha operator who partnered with Ye Hanfeng. In order to get the first place in the final examination, he trained day and night for two months. Finally, he found the right opportunity on the ring and bombarded the annoying wingman who had been protecting Sheng Yi endlessly.
Now the adjustment of the rules made him feel that all his hard work in the past two months had gone to waste and he was extremely frustrated.
Ye Hanfeng asked: "For taking first place, the Mecha Department didn't provide you with S-level instructors to provide you with one-on-one guidance, a dedicated training ground, and mecha modifications as rewards?"
Xin Qiang was speechless for a moment: "How come these are mixed together—"
"Okay." Ye Hanfeng sorted out his equipment and buckled it up, "Don't mix them together."
Ye Hanfeng said: "Those who didn't get the quota originally are just temporary passers-by."
"If they enter the battlefield immediately after receiving the communication, they will be seriously unprepared."
"If they are ready to come back in, it will be at least three to five hours later."
Ye Hanfeng: "The time difference of three to five hours is enough for us to adapt to the battlefield and even prepare ambushes and traps in advance."
"… That's not what I meant!" Xin Qiang was unable to refute what he said, and was very upset: "They have no right to compete with us! If the rules hadn't been changed—"
Ye Hanfeng said: "What if there is a war?"
Xin Qiang's voice instantly disappeared in his throat.
His expression changed unconsciously, and he stammered, "W-what?"
"If you were going to the battlefield, would you still blame them for competing with you for the spot?"
Ye Hanfeng said: "The military—"
Ye Hanfeng looked at Xin Qiang's pale face and shook his head: "It's okay... I was just talking casually."
He couldn't understand why the military suddenly changed the nature of this exercise, but Ye Hanfeng was clear about at least one thing.
After learning Shi Ji's true identity from Sheng Yi, Ye Hanfeng contacted his father, hoping to find a suitable subordinate unit to receive Shi Ji.
After watching the video footage sent back by his son, Ye's father was shocked by Shi Ji's talent and potential. Even though he knew Shi Ji's identity as a bionic human, he was still willing to take the risk.
… When he arrived at the military headquarters, he discovered that many units and military regions that wanted to snatch this young observer had already lined up.
The Western Military Region and the Southern Military Region were arguing with each other. The Western Military Region was willing to help Shi Ji solve all of Sheng Ji's remaining problems. The person in charge of the Air Force base had a cold face and said nothing. He brought a yellowed old information bag and would yell at everyone he met.
The mecha unit directly under the alliance sent an invitation letter to the military academy, promising to let Ren Shiji choose a partner as a mecha operator.
Due to the order of Sheng's father, Shi Ji has been concentrating on being Sheng Yi's observer. His true talent has been strictly hidden, and he is just an exceptionally outstanding observer student in the military academy.
Now, even though he had slightly escaped from Sheng Yi's control, Shi Ji's own extremely powerful talent and strength were already so dazzling that they could not be ignored.
…
Ye's father came back and told his son that at the end of the robbery, no one present missed Shi Ji.
The new head of the special operations team directly locked Shi Ji’s military status.
It's not that no one protested. The special forces are indeed the best among all the alliance's troops. After all, it's not unreasonable. All military regions have the right to compete for outstanding talents with potential.
But Ye's father just sighed and told Ye Hanfeng that the special forces team had obtained the highest priority privileges.
Ye's father said that under one circumstance, the special forces will have the highest priority privileges.
—The insect swarm is coming and the war is imminent. The special forces are the first sharp knife to face the battle. They need the finest steel to temper it into a sharp blade.
…
It took Xin Qiang a long time to recover.
He was a little angry and humiliated by his own embarrassment, but he didn't dare to provoke Ye Hanfeng, so he walked far away to the other side, chopping at the branches blocking his way in annoyance.
Ye Hanfeng glanced at him and then looked away.
The deployment method of this selection was very special. Observers and mecha operators were deployed into the battlefield at the same time, but the wingmen and mechas they drove were deployed in other places on the map.
This kind of hiking is fraught with dangers, and any extra time wasted could lead to encountering a fatal attacker.
The observer must discuss with the operator whether to prioritize retrieving the mecha or the wingman, or whether the two should simply act separately.
"Go find your mecha first."
Ye Hanfeng said: "I've looked at the map. We need to cross a forest and two rivers."
Xin Qiang was stunned for a moment, his complexion improved a little, and he coughed dryly: "You don't go out of your way to take care of me..."
Ye Hanfeng said nothing and walked towards the forest.
He didn't take special care of Xin Qiang. His wingman was responsible for observing and detecting directions. He optimized the power propulsion effect and ensured that the weight of the aircraft was light enough without cutting off most of the weapons and equipment.
That's why Ye Hanfeng was so shocked when he saw Shi Ji performing those incredible and difficult moves with a fully loaded old wingman in the audience that day.
Only after watching enough training and actual combat materials, can we truly realize how terrifying Shi Ji's power is...
Before he could finish his thought, the leaves that Xin Qiang had just passed by suddenly moved slightly.
Ye Hanfeng's expression suddenly turned stern. He used all his strength to pull Xin Qiang back and activated the electromagnetic radiation cannon on his arm.
A mechanical beetle knocked Ye Hanfeng heavily to the ground.
Xin Qiang's reaction was fast enough. He rolled on the ground, leaped up with fallen leaves and dirt, pounced on the shadow that suddenly appeared, and wrestled with the mechanical insect.
His fighting skills were indeed not low. After all, that mechanical insect was half the size of a human, and its shell was incredibly strong. Even with the combined efforts of Xin Qiang and Ye Hanfeng, they could barely trap it.
Xin Qiang gritted his teeth, exerted force suddenly, and resisted the mechanical insect with all his might.
Ye Hanfeng found the right opportunity and aimed at the weakest part of the mechanical worm. The electromagnetic waves vibrated violently, completely destroying the brain cavity of the mechanical worm.
…
Xin Qiang rubbed his numb arm, exhaled heavily, and stood up.
He had just entered the jungle and had successfully killed a bunch of mechanical bugs, which made him feel better immediately. "Don't worry, I was just startled just now... I'm fine now."
Xin Qiang recovered a lot. He tried his best to make up for it. He straightened his body and said, "After all, I am ranked seventh in the comprehensive score of the mecha major and second in combat. Is that why you are looking for me as a partner? Don't worry, I am not like Sheng Yi. I will protect my observation hand..."
Ye Hanfeng sighed.
He chose Xin Qiang as his partner because he would join his father's army after graduation and would have the opportunity to select the most mature and outstanding mecha operators.
Since the partners were going to break up sooner or later, there was no need to waste other people's time, so Ye Hanfeng just randomly found someone who was okay.
… Now it seems that we have gone too far.
Ye Hanfeng wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and simply treated a few scratches.
He exchanged positions with Xin Qiang, walked in front to lead the way, and looked at the location on the map again.
…
He wanted to know how Shi Ji would perform.
Before coming to the Military Academy, Ye Hanfeng had always been the best.
Even after he entered the school, he was suppressed by Shi Ji, the former number one observer, for a short period of time, and soon regained the first place in the Wingman Academy.
Even though he was clearly aware of the huge gap between the two in wingman piloting, Ye Hanfeng still couldn't help but want to compare himself with Shi Ji.
Shi Ji's partner was the automatic mecha. Without an operator, it was the most dangerous for him to enter the war zone alone.
This was an area specially designed for military exercises. In addition to the Blue Army acting as the enemy, countless mechanical Zergs were deployed in these jungles.
The mechanical bugs can perfectly simulate the combat power of the real Zerg. For military academy students, if two of them work together to kill a group of mechanical bugs, they can already get 95 points on the evaluation form.
Without an operator partner, the combat effectiveness is not just halved. Even the best soldiers under Ye's father would not risk entering these jungles alone.
In this situation... How is Shi Ji going to deal with this crisis
The other side.
Shi Ji pushed it, causing the mechanical bug to fall to the ground.
The huge and heavy body of the mechanical insect splashed a cloud of dust.
Shi Ji flicked his wrist lightly, put away the dagger, hooked his hand to gain leverage on the branch, and landed steadily.
He half squatted down, turned the shiny black beetle over and took a look. He felt a little disappointed and reported in his mind: "Mr. Yu, this is a mechanical insect."
Yu Tang squatted in his sea of consciousness and studied with him: "Isn't this edible?"
"No, there don't seem to be any real Zerg in this area."
Shi Ji said: "The sword-horned worms really can be grilled. The captain told me that and he said they are delicious."
Yu Tang sighed with regret.
They had already entered the combat zone. The military district chief made a pre-war mobilization. Zhuang Yu just brought people to have a look and then returned to the combat tent with a lack of interest.
Those who came to participate in the selection and training were all elites. Many of them were stimulated to death by the arrogant attitude of the special forces and were eager to show these people how powerful they were.
Shi Ji stood quietly behind the crowd, received the equipment he was assigned, and was dropped into the war zone.
"The military region should have its own considerations."
Shi Ji looked at the newly revised rules, thought about it himself, tried to stand in the commander's perspective, and reported his reflections to Yu Tang in his sea of consciousness: "We are the assessors, and you are the assessed."
"For the special operations team, we are the one being assessed."
"Those newcomers who originally did not enter the selection training but are now allowed to participate in the exercise and will besiege us for places are actually one of the assessments we need to pass."
"For those newcomers, we are just testing them."
"The original trainees will not sit idly by and wait for death. Under the common goal of maintaining the vested interests, most of them are willing to choose not independence but unity."
"Through this exercise, we will allow ordinary trainees and soldiers to experience the cruelty of the battlefield to the greatest extent possible, and let the selected elites bear greater pressure than before - most importantly, it will force everyone to understand one thing: facing the enemy's internal strife is self-destruction."
“These are the most obvious signs of preparation.”
"If this is just an ordinary war, there is no need to use such a tragic and human-facing approach."
Shi Ji said: "If I am not mistaken, within three months, there will be the largest insect invasion in history."
…
In his sea of consciousness, Yu Tang put down the confidential military documents he had just intercepted.
He couldn't help laughing, rubbed his forehead, and drew a small red flower in the S7's data stream.
Shi Ji was a little embarrassed, his ears blushed shyly: "...Mr. Yu?"
"Don't worry, the anti-ooc system doesn't recognize the little red flower."
Yu Tang: "If you say this in front of the military, they will probably take you away from the Operations Staff Headquarters, and Captain Zhuang will not be able to take it back."
Shi Ji was startled and quickly shut his mouth.
After Yu Tang finished the last biscuit, he closed the confidential document which was exactly the same as what he had said to Shi Ji and put it aside.
When Dean Nie roared angrily, "He saved tens of thousands of people," Yu Tang had not yet realized clearly what it meant to have such an evaluation from an old observer who had experienced countless wars and had made great contributions.
Shi Ji's judgment and overall perspective are not limited to a specific battle situation.
This is a top interstellar commander who is still in his infancy.
Due to the implanted program control over the years, Shi Ji did not do many things, so he would keep writing reflections and summaries, and would never stop thinking - the implanted program could not stop people's actions or change their choices, but the only powerless part of human beings was the part that truly had thoughts.
It strangled and dissolved them brutally time and again, but it could never completely stop those thoughts from appearing.
Therefore, when he sensed a glimmer of hope to break free, even though he only had a tiny bit of energy left, Shi Ji still chose to continue fighting without hesitation.
…
"Mr. Yu."
The top commander in his childhood pushed aside the bushes and asked in his mind: "Do you need me to play another game of flying chess with you?"
"… No more." Yu Tang said, "Just focus on clearing the way."
Yu Tang had never been very good at games like flying chess and Monopoly where luck was the main factor. He had lost three games in a row and missed the second-hand game console he left in the villa of the third book.
Yu Tang comforted Shi Ji: "It was fun, I'm very happy."
Shi Ji's ears turned red, and he pursed his lips, deciding to play flying chess with Mr. Yu more often in the future.
Yu Tang didn't understand what he was thinking. He yawned and threw himself back into the pile of pillows.
To be fair, the Dolphin's communication system has been temporarily shut down and it will not actively respond to their calls. Shi Ji needs to find his partner's mecha first.
The special forces team hasn't started "hunting" yet, and there haven't been any intense battles for the time being. The anti-OOC system in Shi Ji's brain is very well behaved.
This morning, the system left him a note saying that he had won a 72-hour holiday in a lottery and was forced to take a leave. They would not see him again until three days later.
Mechanical bugs are not edible.
Yu Tang felt a little bored, so he rummaged through the pillow pile and poked the life-size mecha model that Senior Zhan had left for him.
The next second, the taillights of the figure suddenly lit up bright red.
Yu Tang was stunned.
He took the mecha model and wanted to check if there was any electrical problem. Just as he sat down, he suddenly heard a mechanical sound that was completely different from before.
"Detection: Your system is on vacation. In order to ensure the safety of the lottery staff, the mall has activated the emergency plan."
The mechanical voice was gentle and pure, without any hint of favoritism: "Hello, I am your temporary replacement system. We are currently doing a promotion."
"You are our lucky host. Do you need a random classic new video game console?"