First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Grades

Lian Sheng had finally achieved a satisfying victory this time, but that didn't mean it came easily. A typical match lasted between three to seven hours, yet within less than a week, Lian Sheng and the studio members had watched all eighteen of Xia Yanfeng's most representative matches.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger was a walking database. Based on historical data analysis, he discussed their combat style with Lian Sheng and finalized the specific strategy for their counter-espionage plan.

When Zhou Shirui heard their plan, he initially felt unqualified and tried to decline. He believed his familiarity with various maps fell short of Hundred Meter Flying Dagger's expertise. If they drew a map he wasn't proficient in, even minor parameter errors in modeling could lead to embarrassing outcomes.

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger brushed it off. What was the point of learning if there were no challenges? If one person made a mistake, others would cover for them—that was the meaning of comradeship. But growth was essential. Before the real battlefield arrived, every failure held significance.

And indeed, Zhou Shirui performed exceptionally well.

Lu Mingyuan later watched their match and felt regretful because he, too, wanted to collaborate with Hundred Meter Flying Dagger at least once. Training with distorted map modeling was immensely valuable to him. Actual combat differed from drills—commanders needed the urgency of real battles to hone their skills. However, such opportunities were rare. Not every commander or company leader would support this tactic, and opponents who employed espionage warfare were nearly nonexistent in military academy competitions.

Lu Mingyuan couldn't let it go and lamented to Lian Sheng several times. Hundred Meter Flying Dagger then invited him to place an order, but Lian Sheng righteously blocked the attempt.

This shady studio's services were never obtained through normal channels.

The match caused too much backlash online. Xia Yanfeng's performance clearly demonstrated she was unfit for frontline combat, let alone matching the Expeditionary Force's iron-blooded image.

Liliana got what she wanted. She had ample grounds to oppose all proposals to induct Xia Yanfeng into the military. The other Expeditionary Force leaders naturally wouldn't accept her either. The matter was temporarily shelved.

Lian Sheng next saw Xia Yanfeng on Three Stars' forum homepage. A red headline floated for a long time, linking to her apology video.

Xia Yanfeng stood in the center of an empty room, wearing a white shirt, and bowed to the audience.

"I deeply regret disappointing everyone. This match, though a crushing defeat, helped me recognize my shortcomings. I was truly unprepared mentally and overestimated myself due to my lack of understanding about the military. I will reflect deeply on my arrogance."

"Here, I apologize to everyone who had unpleasant experiences because of competing against me. I'm sorry."

"I also apologize to all my fans who, in supporting me, acted against their principles and crossed lines. This was my fault for influencing everyone. I hope you can take me as a cautionary tale and avoid similar incidents in the future. Only through earnest effort can any competition hold meaning."

"Lastly, I must apologize to all the brave soldiers and military academy students working hard toward this goal. My unprofessionalism made me appear disrespectful, but in truth, I deeply admire your contributions to the Alliance and have always yearned to join your ranks."

"Thank you to Colonel Liliana, Lian Sheng, and the Hundred Meter Flying Dagger Studio for the lessons and reminders during the match. I will continue doing my best in what I can. I hope to improve alongside everyone."

Though she looked somewhat haggard, her mental state seemed stable.

Her sincere apology softened much of the online backlash. Her fans began controlling the narrative, expressing support and hoping to accompany her through this difficult time. Many also urged her to return to the entertainment industry and stay away from the military's muddy waters—it clearly wasn't for her.

Lian Sheng didn't quite understand the concept of "idols" as a profession. She couldn't grasp the foundation of such relationships or what fueled fans' fervent devotion.

In her time, those who could provide food, security, and peace were the ones people revered—usually esteemed officials or soldiers with tangible achievements. But here, "idols" seemed to require fans to spend money on them.

"It's about dreams!" Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said. "Idols sell dreams; those with real skills sell inspiration. Dreams may shatter as people grow older, but inspiration becomes more potent as reality sets in. That's why everyone wants to transition from being an idol to a skilled professional. If you can do both, your future is limitless."

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger added proudly, "Lian Sheng, you've got that potential!"

Lian Sheng: "..."

Hence her confusion.

Yet Lian Sheng was now wildly popular online. This incident had earned her many enemies but also won the admiration of military enthusiasts.

Some of Xia Yanfeng's fans tried to stir up trouble across social platforms, leaving inflammatory comments to smear her reputation. But her supporters swiftly countered them with sarcastic rebuttals.

Wherever Xia Yanfeng's fans went, Lian Sheng's followers were right behind them—enthusiastically so.

Lian Sheng maintained some dignity about this, but Hundred Meter Flying Dagger had long abandoned any pretense of restraint.

He created multiple burner accounts to leave comments like:

"That Lian Sheng? The one from Hundred Meter Flying Dagger Studio? The studio's homepage features someone called Piaoqi Great General!"

"I'm sorry," Zhou Shirui apologized to her. "I didn't know he was like this before."

Hundred Meter Flying Dagger had gone off the deep end. The once-idealistic "Brother Dao" was no more.

Lian Sheng shrugged.

She was currently learning mech operation from Super Bright Bulb.

Super Bright Bulb was more skilled in mech micro-operations than Bright Bulb because he specialized in reconnaissance and missions requiring lightweight mechs for ambushes.

If Bright Bulb was an unstoppable force, Super Bright Bulb was the elite soldier who could decapitate the enemy commander amidst thousands.

Super Bright Bulb said controlling speed was like surfing—the key was maintaining balance. Lian Sheng had no idea what surfing was, but it somewhat resembled keeping a steady stance. The difference was that one relied on leg strength to resist external forces, while the other required adapting to external interference with technique.

As for how to practice? Just mess around first. Once she got the feel for it, proper training could begin.

Thus, when people logged into Three Stars, they often saw her being dragged around, crashing and stumbling in a pitiful spectacle.

Spectators hesitated before commenting: "How do I tell her that Three Stars actually has dedicated racing games?"

A few days later, Alliance University was about to release grades on the academic system.

A small group of students initially discussed their curiosity casually but soon realized many others shared their interest—including students from other schools and even civilians. They camped on the university's website, waiting for the Military Academy's grade statistics.

Yes, they wanted to know how many subjects Lian Sheng, the notorious transfer student in the Military Academy's Command Department, had failed this semester.

The students openly speculated about Lian Sheng's failure count on the school forum, wagering their next semester's labor as bets.

The discussion grew so heated that insiders from the Military Academy stepped in to analyze. A small team used probability theory, historical average scores, professors' grading habits, and Lian Sheng's usual performance (or lack thereof) to make predictions. Their reasoning was so thorough it bordered on dissecting every exam question. The consensus settled on three failed subjects.

The topic then spread to Three Stars, attracting another wave of bored onlookers.

As the release time approached... it became the school forum's top trending thread.

Lian Sheng only remembered it was grade-release day after her roommate reminded her. She opened her academic portal to refresh the page and, at Roommate C's suggestion, browsed the school forum.

"Fireworks ready. I pick four fails. Please don't hold back—smack me with those red failing grades!"

"Third time's the charm. I pick two."

"The Chinese teacher of the above poster would rise from the grave. I'll go with the majority—three."

"This isn't very nice of us, serious face. I won't pick, but I'll accept your bets."

"As a die-hard fan, I firmly believe my Great General won't fail any subjects."

"Great General's clearly sharp—I also think she won't fail."

"I'm so naughty~ I just wanna see her fail~"

"I wanna see her cry over failing~"

"I want to sit in the same make-up exam room with her, feeling the breeze and the shared aura of academic despair."

"Everyone's setting up flags so smugly. Bet they'll get slapped in the face."

"For this moment, hahaha, I'm embracing my inner troll!"

Watching the school's most talked-about figure receive abysmal grades, seeing the former star of the Materials Engineering Department become the Military Academy's bottom feeder—how delightfully satisfying.

Anyone who knew Lian Sheng understood she lacked common sense, especially regarding military theory. She was a good commander but definitely not a good student.

Fang Jianchen opened a bottle of milk and stood on his balcony in the cold winter wind, chatting with his buddies over comms as they eagerly awaited this thrilling moment, ready to celebrate.

Ten minutes before the system refreshed, these students with too much time on their hands rubbed their hands in anticipation, eyes gleaming brighter than Lian Sheng's own.

They had already preemptively reveled in Lian Sheng's academic failure.

Lian Sheng scrolled through the thread and shook her head.

"Actually, I think I did well," Lian Sheng replied. "If the professors graded leniently, I might even have scored exceptionally high."

She had memorized all the key points for the exams. As for math and other science subjects, the university curriculum focused on specific topics, and past papers showed little variation.

These subjects had clear logic. Once she memorized the symbols and question types, she could apply them mechanically during the exam. She saw no issues.

The comment section erupted in shock.

"The protagonist herself has appeared?"

"Huh? Huh?"

"Ahem... Lian Sheng, I hope you'll recite this sentence in your heart before arguing with professors next time."

"Argue with professors?"

"The Military Academy's most notorious absentee. The bane of professors' existence."

"Sounds impressive."

"As a die-hard fan, now's the time to yooooo!"

After some idle chatter, everyone switched back to refreshing the page as the release time arrived. Insiders rushed to the Military Academy's backend and pulled up the grade records.

Then the forum fell silent.

The crowd clamored for the Military Academy's grades to be posted.

In the end, Lian Sheng was the first to speak up: "Told you so."

The person everyone expected to barely scrape by had instead scored near the top of her class. With an extra ten bonus points, her highest grade set a school record: 110.

Yes, that was her Art Appreciation elective—though it only carried one credit. Her other theory-heavy courses also earned high marks.

First semester after transferring departments: zero fails.

Finally, someone screenshot Lian Sheng's grades and posted them on the forum.

Lian Sheng, quite satisfied, said calmly, "I told you—even if I didn't understand the questions, I felt I did well."

The crowd: "..." A collective "WTF" hung in the air.

The actual bottom-ranked student in the Command Department hugged his pillow and wailed: "This isn't how it was supposed to go!!"

It felt like witnessing a ghost.

The school forum was instantly overrun by her fans. A top student remained a top student, even when switching departments like it was nothing.

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