Evolution - Chapter 46
Chapter 46
The instructor was overjoyed to receive her communication.
Major General Xie'er had just given him the assignment, and in the blink of an eye, Ji Changqing had come knocking on his door!
What was this? This was an achievement practically throwing itself into his hands!
He enthusiastically sent Ji Changqing the materials he had previously compiled, including introductions and admission requirements for various military academies, as well as the study and training plans they had prepared for her.
Ji Changqing thanked him and began to study the materials seriously.
Meanwhile, the instructor delightedly reported this good news to Major General Xie'er.
Major General Xie'er glanced over their study and training plans. “This is the kind of study and training plan you set for her?”
Her tone was filled with the disdain a top student has for a slacker's study plan.
The scorned instructor was angry but didn't dare to speak out.
Who could blame him? Major General Xie'er was a true academic prodigy. An Omega, naturally at a disadvantage in terms of physical strength, graduating as the chief student from one of the Alliance's top three military academies—that alone spoke volumes.
Major General Xie'er had just teased Yu Zhiyao a few days ago, and now Ji Changqing had delivered herself to her doorstep. Her interest was piqued. She was idle anyway. “Have her come to the base. I want to take a look.”
She felt that for Ji Changqing to have entered that “mass grave” instance and still successfully completed the mission, she must have received some incredible gift. If that was the case, then the current plan was a complete waste of her talent.
Soon, Ji Changqing received a communication from the instructor, warmly inviting her to visit the base. He tactfully explained that to fully understand her talents, they needed to see her recent progress, after which they would tailor a study and training plan specifically for her.
Ji Changqing was completely baffled. Didn't they constantly test this and that during the training class? Why again?
Nevertheless, she accepted the invitation with great pleasure.
Since she had decided to apply to a military academy, her future would surely be in the military. What was wrong with getting an early look at the Alliance forces?
What’s more, she would receive professional guidance. It was a huge win!
The instructor was also incredibly efficient, arriving the very next day in a small spacecraft to pick her up.
Ji Changqing found it all quite novel. After boarding the small spacecraft, it was as if she had a “ten thousand whys” chip installed, constantly asking about this and that until the instructor wished he could pretend he'd left his ears at home.
He only knew how to fly it; was he supposed to know how to build a spaceship too?!
By the time the small spacecraft landed smoothly at the base over an hour later, the instructor's eyes were glazed over from all the questions.
Of course, Ji Changqing didn't receive the same treatment as Yu Zhiyao, with two high-ranking officials waiting in a conference room.
Following Major General Xie'er's instructions, the instructor first led her through a very rigorous examination. The results would take some time, so in the interim, he gave her a tour of the base.
By the time Major General Xie'er finished her official duties for the day, Ji Changqing's physical examination report was on her desk.
She picked it up and looked it over carefully. When she saw the gene activity level, her brow twitched. Putting down the report, she pulled up a video of Ji Changqing's training. After watching for a short while, she had a clear picture.
She knew it. Anyone who could successfully complete the mission in that “mass grave” instance was no simple character. With the boon from that instance, plus the Beginner's Heart Medal that Yu Zhiyao had secretly guided her to obtain…
She was even a little jealous of Ji Changqing's luck. What was she to do?!
Xie'er, the academic prodigy, pulled up her own old study and training plans. After some thought, she increased the training difficulty by one level, seeing no need to modify the academic curriculum. After a quick check to ensure everything was in order, she sent it to Ji Changqing's instructor.
The instructor glanced over it and couldn't help but shed a tear of sympathy for Ji Changqing.
The prodigy's own pre-academy study and training plan, with the difficulty cranked up a notch—it was simply brutal.
Following this standard was tantamount to not letting Ji Changqing enjoy the special recruitment benefits of Blue Star's fifty-year grace period at all. Oh, wait, that wasn't quite right. Except for her age, she was still receiving preferential treatment.
The clueless Ji Changqing accepted the plan without a second thought and expressed her sincere gratitude to the instructor.
She was so sincere that the instructor felt a pang of shame. He made sure to highlight the key points for her and reminded her that in six months at most, she would have to train either at the training class or at the base, since she couldn't just do bodyweight exercises all day and would need to use equipment.
Ji Changqing agreed to everything.
When the ban was finally lifted, she logged into the game, and a message immediately popped up:
“Never forget your original intention, only then can you achieve your ultimate goal. An original intention is easy to have, but difficult to uphold. Please use the Beginner's Heart Medal with caution.”
Ji Changqing clicked to read the description of the Beginner's Heart Medal, and a cultivation mantra was suddenly stored in her mind.
Strictly speaking, the Beginner's Heart Medal was a small auxiliary technique for mental power cultivation. To put it in more fantastical terms, it was similar to a Heart-Clearing Mantra, with the potential to achieve a state where one’s “heart is as clear as ice, unshaken even if the heavens fall; unmoving amidst myriad changes, with a serene spirit and tranquil qi.” It was meant to fortify one's will, making one impervious to external temptations.
Reading this, Ji Changqing thought with a sense of utter despair, Is this designed to make me destined to be single from every conceivable angle?
Reading on, she saw it came with an excellent skill drop: when the emotional perception ability was cultivated to its peak, one could sense the goodwill or malice of others, making it a handy little tool for seeking fortune and avoiding disaster.
She mulled it over. Hmm, this little skill was actually quite good. The human heart was the hardest thing to read. Being able to sense whether someone harbored goodwill or malice, and even to seek fortune and avoid disaster, seemed pretty great. As long as you didn't run into the type of person who genuinely thought they were helping you but ended up screwing you over by some twist of fate, it would still be very useful.
With that thought, she felt that failing the mission, dying a tragic death, and suffering from a persistent headache were all worth it.
She tried cultivating her mental power according to the technique until the system kindly reminded her not to overdo it, at which point she reluctantly stopped.
Although she didn't feel like she had instantly become as calm as still water, she was still thrilled and went to find The First.
When it came to studying and making progress together, of course you had to team up with a top student.
As expected, The First was delighted. She looked at this wayward, slacking middle-aged woman with a gratified expression that said, “My child, you've finally grown up,” and eagerly shared the information and plans she had gathered.
“Look, the Alliance's joint entrance exam is administered in batches. If you want to apply to a certain university, you have to see which subjects are required in addition to the standard ones. Generally, it's 7+2.” Her eyes sparkled with longing. “I'm going to apply to the Alliance First University, and after I graduate, I'll go to the Academy of Sciences!”
The Academy of Sciences held a transcendent status in the Alliance; it was practically a paradise for researchers.
She desperately wanted to go, so the Alliance could sponsor her for the rest of her life!
Ji Changqing sighed. “I'm going to apply to a military academy.”
The First's eyes went wide. She rarely had such a shocked expression, which showed just how stunned she was. “A military academy?!”
She looked down to search for information, a little conflicted. “The general requirements for military academies are age 30, Physique Level 6, and Mental Power Level 5. Even with our grace period, it's still under 50. Hmm, let me calculate… you have to get in within five years…”
“No, it's within four years. The military academy exams are at the beginning of the year. At most, I only have four years,” Ji Changqing explained. “Physique and mental power aren't big problems, but I have to catch up on the academic subjects.”
The thought of having to cram so many years of curriculum into just four years was enough to make her feel like she was going bald.
The First thought Ji Changqing was being extreme. She was either completely inert or, once she moved, she chose something incredibly difficult. Before, she was like a slacking middle-aged person, and now suddenly she's all fired up and passionate?
She seriously doubted if Ji Changqing could stick with it.
Passion, after all, fades easily.
Ji Changqing insisted, “I can do it. No problem. Trust me.”
Since she said so, The First had no choice but to believe her. The two of them began the life of college entrance exam prep students, logging on at a fixed time every day for classes and practice problems. To speed up their progress, they chose virtual classrooms, going from 1.5x speed to 2x, and then to 3x. After six months, they had finally, haltingly, passed the initial language barrier and graduated from elementary school.
On the forums that had once captivated Ji Changqing for a short time, the hot topic was no longer the difficult adjustment after differentiation or the winding, comical tales of their struggles.
It had become about how to study like crazy to get into the prep classes that were about to start for the Alliance joint entrance exam.
It was as if everyone could once again see the boundless opportunities for social mobility that had appeared when the college entrance exams were first reinstated, heralding a new era.
For those under fifty, the chance to be young again had ignited a new fire in the hearts of many middle-aged people who refused to be old, who still had ambition, but had been worn down by life.
The most common phrase on the forums now was: Have you studied today?
The burdened middle-aged generation had finally returned to the battlefield of the college entrance exams. Their parents, who had been retired for years and were now in their sixties or seventies—an age that would have previously been considered having one foot in the grave—now had long lives ahead of them. How could they just stay idle?
Reinvigorated with nearly a century of life ahead of them, they re-entered society, going to work so that the family's original breadwinners, those in their forties, could have another shot at making it big.
The entire society was being dismantled and reconstructed.
Basically, most people between thirty and fifty had collectively become college prep students. It was a rare sight to see a family with two generations studying for exams at the same time.
In such a wave, the other four members of the “BT Concentration Camp” were no exception.
The others' family situations were fine, but Zhong Lan's was a bit of a mess.
Her parents were the ultimate oddballs, idle and shiftless their whole lives, never holding a proper job since they were young. Ever since Zhong Lan was seven or eight and could stand on a small stool to cook for herself, she had shouldered the heavy responsibility of preparing three meals a day. After making breakfast, she even had to wake her bizarre parents up to eat.
After Zhong Lan finally graduated from university and passed the civil service exam, her parents—who at the time were younger than the friends were now—quit even the occasional odd jobs they did and began their retirement. Their daily life consisted of asking Zhong Lan for money, playing mahjong, and playing cards…
Now that everyone was swept up in the wave of exam preparation, Zhong Lan was naturally eager to join. This was an era of great change; who could be content to just slack off?!
But her parents were terrified that if she really went back to school, she would lose her stable income and they would have to suffer. Having enjoyed a comfortable life for over twenty years, these oddballs refused. They called Zhong Lan every single day to nag her, telling her not to be foolish. What if she threw away the “golden rice bowl” of her civil service job and failed the exam? Even if she passed and graduated, she might not find a job as good as her current one!
They even went so far as to abandon their card-playing buddies back home and personally came to the Imperial Capital to keep an eye on Zhong Lan, throwing tantrums and forbidding her from taking any more exams or going back to school.
In the end, the police had to come and take them away. They spent a night in a detention center for interfering in another person's life, and only then did they quiet down.
The whole affair was so speechless-making that Zhong Lan, who usually avoided talking about family matters, actually complained about it in the group chat for once.
Son of Heaven Zhou: Why not take the military academy exam with me? The subsidies are high! You'll have no worries from then on.
RMB: Qing, are you only applying to military academy because the subsidies are high?
Son of Heaven Zhou: Aiya, I just wanted to give it a try, hahaha!
Red Scarf: Isn't joining the military the best option for Alphas?
He Shi Bi: Is it because their birth rates are lower than other genders, so they have to join the military to earn more contribution points?
Son of Heaven Zhou: Everyone has their own strengths. People should do what they want to do and what they're good at.
RMB: Qing, you always like to challenge yourself with difficult things. We don't have to go for military academy; we can keep taking the exams until we're sixty!
Red Scarf: Right. Speaking of difficult things, have you and President Yu been in touch at all?
The originally serious and solemn atmosphere was instantly shattered as everyone started gossiping cheerfully.
This damn fake friendship!
Ji Changqing seriously considered whether she should cut ties with these people.
He Shi Bi: Definitely not. Qing isn't the type to keep things to herself.
RMB: President Yu made a move and Qing didn't take the bait? You've matured!
Red Scarf: Fine, whatever. You're an Alpha, so you have plenty of options. You don't have to be with President Yu.
Old Cadre: You guys are too much. Whether she wants her or not is Her Majesty's business. Why are you all so worked up? But speaking of President Yu, I think I heard a rumor that she had a differentiation failure.
Ji Changqing's heart gave a sharp pang.
When she came to her senses, she realized she had subconsciously searched for the effects of differentiation failure.
Reading the few simple lines, her eyes began to sting. Yu Zhiyao was such a proud person; how could she bear being knocked from the heavens down to the earth in an instant?
She completely forgot how ruthlessly Yu Zhiyao had killed her in the instance.
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