Evolution - Chapter 73
Chapter 73
The group exchanged glances, all wearing awkward yet polite smiles.
Damn it, of course they'd been annoyed by these people.
They knew perfectly well we weren't competing for Chief Student. Couldn't we all just live and let live, minding our own business?
You were born for this dream; I'm not going to fight you for it.
You guys can just go fight for Chief Student. Leave us alone and let us hug our military merit points in secret glee.
But no, they just had to come over and needle us, saying things like:
“Sigh, without you participating, I'm so lonely.”
“You guys have it so easy. If I could earn military merit points, I wouldn't want to work myself to death fighting for Chief Student either.”
“It's a real shame we won't have a chance to face each other directly.”
...
Lonely my ass! Work yourself to death, my foot! A shame, my butt!
After the awkward yet polite smiles, they each recalled their own frustrating experiences of being annoyed, silently marking down a list of offenders. A collective, wicked grin spread across their faces.
Eve was the first to extend her hand. “Let's do it!”
With her fiery temper, if it weren't for the fact that their entire group of friends had been disqualified for earning military merit points, and she couldn't find anyone she was willing to help compete for Chief Student, she wouldn't have bothered with these people. Otherwise, she would have rallied a crew long ago to push one of her friends into the Chief Student position with all her might!
Not to be outdone, the others quickly put their hands in, stacking them on top of each other. With immense spirit, they declared in unison, “Let's do it!”
Hahaha, alright then. You asked for it, and now you're going to get it! Our thinking was too narrow before. It doesn't matter that we're not competing for Chief Student; it doesn't stop us from hammering you at all!
Ji Changqing clasped her hands, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled, looking particularly delighted.
What she had encountered wasn't like the others, who just engaged in some trash talk and feigned regret.
“Ah, so you're Ji Changqing. You're really lucky.”
“Yeah, really lucky.”
Comments like these naturally didn't anger her—luck was a part of strength, after all. What made her unable to suppress her fury were their meaningful glances and baseless speculations:
“Tagging along with Gu Changge and He Qingping, you not only managed to snag a special recruitment spot, but you also got them to build up so much hype for you. Not bad, your methods.”
Not bad, my ass! I can also get them to stir up trouble with me and make you say bye-bye to the Chief Student spot ahead of schedule, believe it or not?!
What she hated most in her life was when people dismissed her hard-earned achievements as something she got easily by clinging to someone powerful.
If we don't mess with them now, should we wait until they ascend to the heavens?!
Among the group of people who had messed around together back then, why was it that the only ones who truly became friends were the first to arrive: He Qingping, Eve, Lu Youwen, Lu Youxia, Cheng Jian, and Weisman?
It was because the six of them had arrived first, not due to the distance of their journey, but because their friendship was stronger. In their eyes, regrouping with Gu Changge early was more important than gaining more points.
And knowing Gu Changge's personality, his passive “crow's mouth” jinxing ability, and his talent for causing trouble, their assessment of Ji Changqing was much more objective. They genuinely recognized her abilities and treated her as a new friend.
The others who arrived later, though also acquainted, were clearly not as close as those six. Most of them secretly believed that Ji Changqing had somehow hit it off with Gu Changge, and he was going all out to build her up.
Ji Changqing had no interest in offering a warm face to a cold backside; she didn't bother interacting with them much.
Even Yu Zhiyao back then...
No, don't think about it. Don't compare her to them. She was different.
But just thinking of that name, a flicker of sorrow passed through her eyes.
She asked the group, seemingly casually, “If differentiation fails, how can it be fixed?”
She asked casually, and they answered without any pressure:
“Oh, differentiation failure? Don't worry too much about that. Most people can undergo a second differentiation on their own after a few years. Only a small number need assistance.”
“And for those who need assistance to trigger a second differentiation, most cases can be solved with money.”
“That's right. And for what money can't solve, contribution points and military merit points can.”
“Right. For most people, the first differentiation fails because their bodily functions can't keep up temporarily. That's not a big problem. The most troublesome type is a genetic conflict, but with enough contribution and military merit points, that can be solved too. It just takes longer and takes a greater toll on one's potential.”
“No, that's not the most troublesome. The worst is having two conflicting evolutionary paths. In that case, not only do you need enough contribution and military merit points, but you also have to connect with the other evolutionary path and find someone willing to help.”
“Hahaha, listen to you guys. At worst, it's just a genetic conflict. It's not like you run into cases with two evolutionary paths every day. Who could be that unlucky, right?” Gu Changge, that toxic tumor, was spewing his venom again.
Eve smacked him, and everyone shouted in unison, “Shut up!”
Lu Youxia clutched her chest. “I have a bad feeling about this...”
The others condemned her with their eyes.
Ji Changqing must be asking because someone she cares about has suffered differentiation failure. It's one thing for that toxic tumor Gu to run his mouth, but you're a little fairy, you shouldn't be twisting the knife.
Look, look! Ji Changqing's face—her whole expression has changed!
Ji Changqing clenched her fists, inexplicably nervous. She... she was scared too, what should she do?
Ugh, it's fine. Yu Zhiyao's luck is so good, her reincarnation skills are top-notch. How could she be so unlucky as to encounter the most difficult and troublesome type?
Besides, her differentiation failure happened in the past. Even Gu the toxic tumor can't jinx her now!
She forced a wave of reassurance upon herself and finally managed to convince herself.
She then threw herself back into plotting with her friends—how to stir up trouble, how big to make it, and where to start.
Screening personnel was key. In theory, the group that had participated in the entrance assessment and successfully entered the Fourth Military was perfect for another collaboration, but they still had to be cautious. They couldn't risk recruiting allies of the very people they planned to target—that would be a disaster.
This task, of course, had to be handled by Gu Changge and his group of six. They couldn't let Ji Changqing, who was completely in the dark about everyone's relationships, do it. Otherwise, she'd recruit a bunch of moles in minutes.
However, there was one person Ji Changqing could handle.
After deciding to stir things up, Gu Changge and the others began screening people. The group would always chat about their progress during meals, exchanging information and asking for their friends' opinions.
One day after training, on the way to the cafeteria, Du Zhong rushed over to Ji Changqing as if on wings. He pulled her aside with the caution of a secret agent making contact, his lowered voice still unable to conceal his excitement. “Sis, are you guys planning something? Count me in!”
His eyes were shining, gleaming with the light of someone eager to cause trouble.
It was almost enough to blind Ji Changqing.
He was a strapping young man with perfectly sound values during the entrance assessment. How did a few months of training at the Fourth Military turn him into such a deviant?!
But he could fight and take a hit, and as another special recruit, he was also ineligible to compete for Chief Student. So... he was acceptable?
“How did you know we were planning something?” Ji Changqing was baffled. They hadn't let anything slip, had they?
Du Zhong chuckled. “You guys always eat together.”
He sounded a little aggrieved at this point. He had actually wanted to join their table, but they always chose an eight-person table, leaving no room for him. It was heartbreaking.
“Lately, when you eat together, you're all so animated, constantly exchanging glances and smiling mysteriously. Isn't that just bubbling with the desire to cause trouble?” he said with certainty. “If it were just about the military merit points coming in, the excitement wouldn't have lasted this long.”
What kind of beast-like intuition was this? Ji Changqing felt rather helpless.
The two put their heads together and whispered, “Who are you supporting in the Chief Student competition?”
Du Zhong rolled his eyes dramatically. “I'm not supporting anyone!”
He didn't think highly of any of them!
What's the big deal about eyeing the Chief Student position? In his opinion, people should have a broader perspective and think bigger. They should be like Ji Changqing, leading everyone to earn military merit points during the entrance assessment. Now that was exciting!
Besides, when Ji Changqing and her group led everyone, they even had clearly stated prices and were so generous with the points. How could that compare to these Chief Student candidates, who expected his support with nothing but empty words?!
It wasn't fun, there were no benefits, and they expected people to work hard for them the moment they opened their mouths. So petty. He really couldn't stand them!
Seeing his strong reaction, Ji Changqing revealed a little. “We, um, want to add a few small obstacles to their path to becoming Chief Student, to raise the difficulty just a tiny bit.”
Du Zhong wore an “I get it” expression. He slung an arm around Ji Changqing's shoulders like a brother and enthusiastically volunteered himself. “Count me in. Isn't it just about being a stumbling block on their road to success? I can do that.”
He was promoting himself so eagerly that Ji Changqing found it hard to refuse, but she still gave him a precautionary warning. “This isn't a job posting, you know. There's no pay!”
Du Zhong patted his chest to show it was no problem. Who cared if there were no benefits? The important thing, of course, was: “It's fun!”
Ji Changqing went back and asked for everyone's opinion. Gu Changge and the others had a good impression of Du Zhong too. Besides, they understood the meaning behind her question and all nodded. “He's fine.”
This meant that Du Zhong had no connections to any of the candidates with the strength to compete for Chief Student, so he could safely be brought in.
And so, the next day, Du Zhong happily discovered that he had finally moved the “seven-plus-one” group with his “sincerity”—seeking no reward, only trouble—and became the ninth member to share their table for meals.
That's right. Ji Changqing and her friends had switched to a ten-person table.
As the new year approached, the freshman training finally neared its end. The exciting combat competition was about to begin!
Through the continuous efforts of Gu Changge and the others, they had assembled a force of nearly five thousand people.
With a total student body of only 125,000, five thousand was an absolutely massive number.
After all, looking at the current scoreboard, the number of people who intended to compete, whose scores were neck and neck, and who had a chance to turn the tables in the final battle, did not exceed fifteen.
No matter how capable they were, a single candidate couldn't rally a team of two thousand. A thousand would be pushing it.
The majority were “salted fish” who didn't want to get involved.
Of course, to avoid being quickly turned into points during the competition, none of these salted fish were lone wolves; most formed small groups of about ten.
In previous years, the student combat competition was basically the final slaughterhouse for those vying for Chief Student. Freshmen who didn't want to participate in this Asura's field would mostly just take a look around before being eliminated by the large teams formed by the candidates, who relied on their superior numbers.
That's why the upperclassmen never rated the Fourth Military's student combat competition very highly. The game experience was just bad!
Now, hearing that someone was taking the lead to stir up trouble, to play together and become stumbling blocks on others' paths to success, everyone was quite happy to join in.
At least they could have a bit more fun!
In life, what's most important? Being happy is most important!
In a student combat competition, a freshman free-for-all, what's most important?
The game experience, of course! A free-for-all should look like a free-for-all.
They believed that with their specialized “Stumbling Block Brigade” dedicated to muddying the waters, this year's free-for-all would be chaotic in a very rhythmic way.
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