First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Eight Years Old
Aside from the military department students who were still in exercises, Alliance University had been operating as usual.
Although their scheduled check-in time was tomorrow evening, Lian Sheng was worried there might be other matters to attend to, so she went ahead early. More importantly, staying at home seemed to mean no meals.
She only brought her optical computer and went straight out the door.
The best thing about this place was that everything could be done with just a scan. The annoying part was that no matter what you wanted to do, you had to scan something.
Lian Sheng sat by the window of the vehicle, looking outside.
Taking public transport was slower—it took Lian Sheng over an hour to reach Alliance University.
Alliance University was located adjacent to the city center, surrounded by bustling activity. Amidst the dense cluster of tall buildings, the university stood out prominently with its expansive grassy fields right past the entrance.
When she walked into the school, she realized something was off because almost everyone was wearing casual clothes.
She had assumed it would be like the exercises, where standard military uniforms were issued, complete from hats to socks, so she hadn't prepared at all. Scratching her nose, she continued inward to assess the situation.
Alliance University was completely different from the mountainous terrain of the exercises. Here, she could see many robots. The job of trimming plants was still left to humans, but all other basic tasks were handled by machines.
Since classes were still in session, there weren't many people moving about on the roads.
Lian Sheng looked around suspiciously as she wandered the campus for over three hours, cross-referencing with the map on her optical computer, before finally familiarizing herself with the buildings and layout.
By then, it was nearly 5 p.m., and the first wave of students poured out of the lecture halls, heading toward the residential area. Feeling very hungry, Lian Sheng found the nearest cafeteria and went in to eat.
The cafeteria was still quite empty. Lian Sheng scanned the room and noticed someone sitting at a table selecting dishes. She quietly walked over and stood behind them.
The male student, sensing her gaze, glanced back at her and said matter-of-factly, "Don't just stare. Today's special is crab. If you don't order soon, it'll be gone."
Lian Sheng nodded and moved to the adjacent seat, mimicking his actions to place her order.
After finishing her meal selection, Lian Sheng couldn't help but sigh. This life was exhausting. There was no longer an auntie willing to give her two pieces of fish fillet.
She was already starting to miss the simplicity of life in the mountains.
A robot delivered her meal. As she was halfway through eating, someone came over to greet her.
The male student studied her for a long moment before exclaiming happily, "Model Soldier Lian! You're back at school so early?"
Lian Sheng scrutinized him but didn't recognize who he was.
The boy sat down across from her, unfazed by her blank look, and asked, "Have you picked your classes yet?"
Lian Sheng hesitated. "Probably."
"What does 'probably' mean? Oh, you don't know which professors to pick, right?" The boy crossed his arms. "Actually, it doesn't matter much for the command department—all the professors are pretty famous. But the coursework is completely different from your original major, right? Since you're new, you might not understand it yet."
Lian Sheng lowered her head without responding. She already didn't understand.
The boy enthusiastically suggested, "How about I take you to tour the Military Academy building? There are a lot of specialized training rooms there that you'll definitely need later."
Lian Sheng: "Thanks."
She had mostly finished eating by then, so she set down her chopsticks, and the boy immediately ushered her out.
The Military Academy building stood beside the sports field and was notably massive. The architectural style here was distinctly different from the other colleges.
Embedded in the wall at the entrance was a huge screen.
"Points ranking board?"
Lian Sheng slowly looked upward and, sure enough, spotted Zhao Zhuoluo's name near the top. His points were already close to 200,000.
The gap was enormous—students ranked around the hundredth spot hadn't even reached 50,000.
The boy found Lian Sheng's name at the very bottom and marveled, "Wow, you really have zero points?"
Lian Sheng: "..."
Lian Sheng glanced at the screen again. All the students listed were third-years or above. The second-to-last place already had over 10,000 points, making her stand out even more starkly than the top rankers.
"Hmm..." The boy said, "This won't do. Without points, you won't be able to secure any positions."
Lian Sheng asked, "What positions?"
"Command? And various others?" The boy clicked his tongue. "You might not even be able to get into competitions."
Lian Sheng exclaimed, "You have to compete for competitions?!"
The boy mirrored her shock. "Of course. The school doesn't have unlimited equipment."
Lian Sheng: "..."
The boy gave her an inscrutable look. "Didn't you research any of this before transferring departments?"
Lian Sheng said, "No matter the outcome, it wouldn't have changed my decision to transfer."
"Fair enough." The boy gave her a thumbs-up. "Talent shouldn't be buried. Don't worry, just grind for points slowly. You'll get there."
He didn't linger, walking to the intersection and urging her forward. "Come on, let's get you acquainted with the place."
Most of the doors were closed, so they couldn't see inside. The boy gave her only a brief, hurried explanation: "The south building isn't usually open to the public. The first floor is all competition rooms. Normally, they're training rooms, but you have to book them in advance. Upstairs is the command department's territory, and above that are more training grounds..."
Lian Sheng followed behind him, nodding solemnly while still mulling over the points issue in her head.
So they really were that important?
After giving her a quick tour, the boy prepared to return to the dorms. Lian Sheng thanked him and circled back downstairs to study the board more carefully.
At the bottom of the points ranking board, fine print detailed the rules for earning points. For example, credits from theoretical courses, scores from simulation competitions, rankings in versus matches, and exercise scores each semester. However, aside from exercises, opportunities to earn points were sporadic, usually measured in single digits.
The specific uses for points weren't listed.
Lian Sheng did some quick math. Zhao Zhuoluo had performed exceptionally in the exercises, earning over 10,000 points in that alone. That meant Lian Sheng would have to attend over 10,000 classes just to close the gap from one exercise.
Lian Sheng rubbed her chin. Was she doomed?
The sky was gradually darkening.
Lian Sheng left the Military Academy and hesitated for a moment between going home to get her clothes or heading to the dorms first. She decided to check out the dorm first.
Her student information on the optical computer listed her dorm number. Following the directions, she found it.
It was a four-bedroom, one-living-room setup with private single rooms. Her three roommates were sitting in the common area watching a film when they heard the noise and exclaimed in shock, "Lian Sheng? You're back already?"
Lian Sheng nodded. She glanced at the four bedroom doors, spotted her name, and pushed it open.
The room had been almost completely cleared out. A pair of slippers sat by the bed, and the closet had no extra blankets.
Lian Sheng was now absolutely certain that Lu Mingyuan had tricked her.
A layer of dust covered the bed. Lian Sheng cleaned it up.
At 8 p.m., Lin Lie called to check in.
Lian Sheng answered the call. On the other end, Lin Lie asked urgently, "Lian Sheng, why aren't you home yet?"
Lian Sheng said, "Oh, I'm already at school."
"You're already at school?" Lin Lie frowned. "Then why didn't you take your things?"
Lian Sheng: "What was I supposed to bring?"
"Your military department uniform. You need to wear it for classes. And what about the model you made last semester? Didn't you promise to donate it to the Materials Academy as a memento?" Lin Lie sighed, sounding exhausted. "And your blankets? Your toiletries? Your suitcase was right by your bed—did you just leave for school like that?"
"..." Lian Sheng said, "Oh. Was it?"
Lin Lie fell silent for a moment before adjusting her tone and saying, "I'll bring your things over now. Stay in your dorm and don't go anywhere."
Lian Sheng obeyed. "Thank you, Ms. Lin."
Lin Lie had been extremely busy today, which made her particularly displeased with Lian Sheng's unusual behavior. She changed clothes in a hurry and stormed off to find her.
With a robot in tow, she arrived outside the dorm and was about to knock when she overheard Lian Sheng's conversation with her roommates. She paused.
"Why did you suddenly transfer departments? There wasn't any warning at all," a roommate said. "The professor mentioned you today and said it was such a shame. You had so much talent, and Colonel Lin works in weapons development too—yet you switched to command halfway through!"
Another roommate chimed in, "The command department is practically a cult in the professors' eyes now!"
The first roommate cut them off. "Enough about that. Lian Sheng, how was the exercise?"
Lian Sheng grabbed some snacks from the table. "It was alright."
"How many points did you get?" the roommate asked excitedly. "I heard the military department's exercises are insane! But at least girls have some advantage."
Another roommate added, "Ah! Were there any handsome guys? Though I doubt anyone acts like a gentleman during exercises."
Lian Sheng said flatly, "Zero."
The air turned eerily silent for a second.
"Uh..." the roommate said, "That must have been tough. But it's okay, you can always try again. If it really doesn't work out, you can always transfer back."
Lin Lie felt a lump form in her throat. Rubbing her forehead, she knocked on the door.
The girls inside opened it, and the robot behind Lin Lie carried the luggage in, delivering it straight to her room before starting to unpack. The roommates immediately stiffened, standing up to greet her.
Lin Lie smiled faintly and gestured for Lian Sheng to follow her inside.
The two entered the single room.
Lin Lie locked the door behind her, took a step forward, and said, "Ms. Lian Sheng, I think we need to have a serious talk."
Lian Sheng sat on the edge of the bed. "Go ahead."
Lin Lie: "Are you doing this to get my attention?"
"..." Lian Sheng didn't understand what she meant. "Can't I just ask for your attention directly?"
Lin Lie paused, then said, "What I mean is, are you protesting against me?"
Lian Sheng: "Does that make sense to you?"
Lin Lie: "It's the most reasonable explanation I can think of right now."
Lian Sheng hesitated. "Then I guess so."
Lin Lie pursed her lips. "I see. Get some rest."
By the time Lin Lie returned home, it was almost 10 p.m. She hadn't eaten dinner, hadn't showered, and hadn't written her report.
She had to wake up at 6 a.m. the next morning, yet she remained seated at her desk, the documents in front of her untouched, until midnight.
Lin Lie sighed and ordered a cup of coffee from the robotic housekeeper.
Her communicator beeped twice—a message from a colleague she'd worked with for years:
"Colonel Lin, still up so late?"
Sun Yan.
Lin Lie recalled that Sun Yan also had a son around the same age. She always spoke warmly and openly about her family. She must have some experience. After some hesitation, Lin Lie decided to ask for advice.
"I've realized my daughter has suddenly entered her rebellious phase," Lin Lie said. "We don't talk much normally, and I admit I'm a neglectful mother, but she's never given me reason to worry before. This time, I truly can't understand."
Lin Lie continued, "She suddenly decided to transfer departments, abandoning her expertise in weapons development to study command. While I don't want to interfere, the results have been disastrous. I don't know what she's trying to do. This choice affects her future, and I don't want her to regret it."
It took over a minute for a reply to come through.
"I never thought Colonel Lin would have parenting troubles," Sun Yan chuckled before turning serious. "This might not be rebellion—she might just have her own ideas. If she chose the command department, it's probably because she likes it. Maybe she has talent. You could give her a chance."
Lin Lie said, "She scored zero in the exercises! No one with any talent could manage that. Besides, she's studied with me since childhood—she's never learned command."
Sun Yan asked, "Is the girl at Alliance University?"
Lin Lie: "Yes."
"We're not the same generation—there's bound to be a gap. And without points in the military department, it really is hard to get started." Sun Yan said, "My son is also a student at Alliance University. Maybe I can ask for his opinion. Some things are just easier to understand between peers."
Lin Lie hesitated. "That would be wonderful. It doesn't need to be too involved—if she truly has no talent, I'll talk to her again."
Sun Yan said, "Please don't act rashly. She's an adult now—you should let her make her own choices."
After ending the call, Sun Yan sighed. "It's not easy. Colonel Lin manages an entire division and has to raise a child alone."
Her husband nodded in agreement.
Sun Yan stood. "I'll go discuss this with our son first."
She stepped out and saw that Zhao Zhuoluo's light was still on.
Zhao Zhuoluo opened the door for her. Sun Yan entered and clapped her hands together. "Here's the thing—a friend of mine has a child who also wants to study military, but she's a complete beginner. I was hoping you could take her through a few matches to help her get familiar with things."
Zhao Zhuoluo's scalp prickled. "A child?"
Sun Yan: "Yes, a girl."
Zhao Zhuoluo covered his face with a hand, his features twitching uncontrollably. "A girl? How old?"
Sun Yan thought for a moment. She didn't know Lian Sheng's personality, but if she had caused Lin Lie so much distress, she was probably quite stubborn. If Zhao Zhuoluo was too harsh and ended up arguing with her, that wouldn't be good. After some deliberation, she lied: "Eight years old."
Zhao Zhuoluo nearly jumped. "Eight?!"
"So you absolutely must be patient. Once you guide her through the basics, you'll see she's a smart kid." Sun Yan said, "It won't take up too much of your time. If it's really too much, I'll let her know. Could you do this for me? I've already promised her."
"Wait a bit," Zhao Zhuoluo said after some hesitation, reluctantly giving in. "There's a competition next week—after it's over."
"Then it's settled. But there are competitions every month—don't make excuses later." Sun Yan said cheerfully, "I don't have her ID yet, but I'll let you know once I get it. Thank you, dear son."
Zhao Zhuoluo: "...Got it."
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Heheheheh how funnn
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