Chapter 122

Whether it was a threat or not, Alec was still speculating and hadn't confirmed it yet. The only thing he was certain of right now was the embarrassment he felt tonight.

What about his previous repeated check-ups to confirm Qin Su's absence before posting the message?

Even if he wasted his energy, did he?

After staring at the chat window on his Optical Brain for half an hour without anyone sending a second message, Alec pretended to just notice and added a comment himself:

Alec: Okay (smiling).

Privately messaging classmates to ask them to send messages to clear their screens... No secrets stay hidden forever. What if someone blabs about it when we meet tomorrow, and the people in Class 6 find out? What's the difference between that and Qin Su finding out?

Now, not to mention the Fourth Military Academy, all the Military Academies and Federation citizens, whether related to or not to the Zerg, know that Class 6) and the other 58 classes that fought alongside Qin Su in the Class of 26 semester last year, follow Qin Su's lead.

If Qin Su knew that after Qin Su's seemingly menacing remarks, he not only saw them but also kept silent and even asked a classmate to deliberately circulate the message, it wouldn't just be a matter of embarrassment; it would escalate to the point where Qin Su was seen as deliberately ignoring and provoking him.

Yake Li, who was reluctant to increase the difficulty of his work, chose to bite the bullet and reply amidst embarrassment and fear.

After sending the message, Alec waited ten minutes, but Qin Su didn't reply with a single word.

Alec: "..."

It's confirmed; it's probably just a show of force.

(Class 6) It was rumored that Qin Su accurately gave the correct answer before the lottery results were announced, and that he had also spoken out immediately when the announcement was made not long ago.

This suggests that Qin Su is likely, as speculated on in the Forum, not only because of his fortune-telling abilities, but also because he might be monitoring things that interest him. The fact that he hasn't replied now most likely means he saw the message but didn't reply.

Does this mean he or she is 'disdainful' of himself?

The more Alec thought about it, the more unwell he felt. Overwhelmed with fear, he abruptly shut down his personal Optical Brain. Instead of going to bed, he threw himself into Hibernation Pod and forced himself to sleep.

Poor Alec was tossing and turning, unable to sleep, because of Qin Su's words. But was that really what Alec thought?

[It's not that Alec is overthinking things; it's mainly because Qin Su returned too quickly before, and we didn't even get a single shot of Qin Su. It's hard not to wonder.]

[From a metaphysical perspective, the name "Alec" is poorly chosen, as it contains both the connotations of pressure and restraint, which has led to the current controversies. Perhaps it should be renamed "Yake Li," as it immediately evokes images of high-transparency boards (doge).]

[I threw a handful of glutinous rice at you. Brother Su said we should believe in science, but you guys are all like Raymond, always indulging in feudal superstitions?]

At midnight, before sending the message back to the Real World, Qin Su opened the new group chat to check it, making sure he hadn't missed any messages.

Immersed in memorizing his classmates' data, Qin Su, who had temporarily blocked the comments in the upper left corner, only then realized that the entire group had been quiet since Alec's announcement. Apart from Alec replying to him half an hour later, no one else was paying attention to him.

Qin Su: "..."

Awkward.

Alec was so kind; he saw it half an hour later and even replied to avoid embarrassing him.

Knowing he had classes in the Real World the next morning, Qin Su privately asked Alec for an hour's leave in the morning.

It was almost dawn, Alec should have already fallen asleep, so it was normal that he hadn't replied. As the Class Monitor, Qin Su didn't forget to send a message in the Class 6 group asking for leave, reminding them to arrive at the classroom that Alec, the class Class Monitor of (Class 66), had mentioned on time and to train according to Alec's requirements before leaving the Comic World with peace of mind.

--

The next day.

When Alec woke up and saw Qin Su's leave request sent at 11:55 p. m., his first thought was happiness.

'Great! That way he can see Qin Su an hour later!'

The second idea is:

'Did I overthink things last night? Did Qin Su not actually mean to intimidate me? Or did my smile in response to Qin Su have some effect? Or perhaps it was a combination of factors— Qin Su knows I have a pretty good temper, so he gave me an extra hour to relax?'

Whatever the reason, Alec was certain that after seeing the news that Qin Su had asked for an hour's leave, his mental and physical stress was somewhat relieved.

8:55 AM.

Alec arrived at the training ground a little before the scheduled class time and found that everyone in Class 6) was there except for Qin Su.

Seeing that they were led by He Muzhi, and that they had obviously taken a shower, with some of them still having wet hair, it was clear that they had practiced in advance. Alec also confirmed this guess from the other students in Class 66) who had also spontaneously trained in the morning.

Whether in unfamiliar or familiar surroundings, people like to stick together with people they know wherever they go.

The students from Class 6) and Class 66) were in the same space. The students from Class 66) did not know that Qin Su had asked for leave. They only saw the students from Class 6) doing morning exercises. After approaching them to find out about Qin Su, they quickly left and returned to their classmates to share.

Upon seeing Alec arrive, the students of Class 6) looked at him with curiosity and doubt. They stood tall and straight behind He Muzhi Alec, and then walked with He Muzhi, Sophia Jeffrey and others who were walking at the front to the location of Class 66).

They were all classmates personally chosen by Qin Su. With Qin Su absent, they all tried their best not to embarrass their Class Monitor, whether in terms of their spirit, diligence, or ability.

After all...

"The Class Monitor only asked for an hour's leave, and he even specifically told them. What does that mean? It means the Class Monitor wanted to see if, without him, they could hold their own against people stronger than themselves after the close mentorship they received last semester!"

In plain terms, this is a test from Qin Su for them.

'Otherwise, why not ask for leave for the same morning as before, but for a mere one-hour break that's unprecedented? Luckily, they're smart; they immediately understood what the Class Monitor meant.'

'Within this hour, they will do their utmost to show Class 6 66 they truly deserve to be the class chosen by Qin Su, and to satisfy Qin Su.'

[Ah, I see (apparently realizing)]

[That's why they say they're soldiers trained by Boss 1; their resourcefulness is truly impressive (thumbs up)]

Watching Class 6 marching proudly and in perfect formation toward their class, the entire Class 66 exclaimed, "..."

No, what does it mean that they (Class 6) are doing this?

Just now, when they spontaneously started morning training, weren't they all all very friendly? This change of attitude is so fast that Class 66) is completely baffled.

The statement about 'testing' was posted by He Muzhi in the group chat of 499 People in Class 6). He Muzhi felt that he had taken on the responsibility of 'not letting Qin Su down'. He stopped a few steps away from Class 66), his red eyes trying to imitate Qin Su's calm and composed demeanor. He forced himself to lower his eyelids slightly as he looked at Alec.

Qin Su wasn't there, but Alec suddenly had to bear the pressure from the entire Class 6, said, "..."

Opening champagne at halftime is considered very taboo.

At least he wasn't facing Qin Su, Alec smiled, revealing his signature expression, and calmly observed the situation under pressure.

"Hello, Class Monitor Alec. Class 6) is reporting for duty. From now on, we will follow your instructions."

He Muzhi deliberately lowered his voice and spoke slowly and deliberately, having practiced repeatedly, in just a few words.

After saying that, He Muzhi mentally gave himself a thumbs up.

Last night he observed himself in the mirror. When his eyes were wide open normally, he had a kind of 'clear stupidity', and he looked very innocent and energetic. When he lowered his eyelids a little and deliberately pressed down the corners of his mouth, he had a slight resemblance to Qin Su's coldness.

Alec's smile froze.

They marched aggressively towards our class, looking ready to fight, but... that's it?

Alec was glad he wasn't walking, otherwise he would have stumbled and physically expressed his speechlessness.

[Haha, I can't stand my mule!]

[Mu Bao: When Qin Su is not around, imitate his manner and pretend to be composed.]

[Alec: Does anyone in the family understand?]

Not receiving a reply from Alec, He Muzhi resisted the urge to blink and stared intently at Alec.

Alec suppressed the urge to twitch his lips and nodded, "Mm."

After saying that, Alec turned around and said, "Come with me, all of you."

Their (Class 66's specialty is logistics transportation. They are responsible for providing the entire force with the weapons and supplies needed on the front lines during combat, transporting them to every Spaceship, Warship, airship that needs supplies, and to precise locations, etc.

The majority of the class are betas, with a smaller number being Omega and Alpha.

After choosing their major, for the entire last semester, they acted as cogs in the machine, following orders when collaborating with the 23rd and Class of 24 graduating classes.

Alec, walking ahead, felt a headache coming on when he thought about how he, a beta, was commanding Qin Su, an alpha.

If everyone in Class 6 seems this 'difficult' when you first meet them, Qin Su must be even more terrifying.

So many 'frontline combat squads' were being drawn, but Class 6) was chosen by the Transport squad, which only accounted for ten of them. Class 66)'s luck was truly incredible.

Upon arriving at the usual training ground, Alec turned to the two classes and said, "Assemble."

The students of Class 6, tense and not daring to relax for a moment so as not to embarrass Qin Su, stood in neat rows in an instant, and the assembly was completed in three seconds.

"..."

The contrast was stark. Alec looked at his classmates with a look of utter disappointment, as if to say, "Look at them, and then look at you."

The neighboring Class 66): "..."

It's just a simple gathering; is it really necessary to rush it?

The Class 6, which was not particularly fast to begin with and seemed sluggish in comparison to (Class 66, was shocked for two seconds before their assembly speed increased.

"This is the first item in our daily training: small arms retrieval and Transport."

Alec didn't know what Qin Su's habits were, so he planned to let Class 6) experience what his class usually did based on his own class's habits.

Do weapons need to Transport? Aren't they carried onto the Warship themselves? (Class 6 students had never experienced a battle where supplies needed to Transport extra, so they were in a knowledge blind spot. Even though they wanted to appear 'generous', they couldn't control the doubts and curiosity pouring out of their eyes.

Seeing them like this, Alec felt somewhat relieved.

In terms of material Transport, it is clear that the Class 6, which will be fighting on the front lines in the future under Qin Su's leadership, is definitely no match for them.

"This is a map of this training area. Class 6) has divided itself into thirty groups: ten for scavenging, ten for carrying, and ten for Transport. Please complete the required item list instructions randomly issued by the virtual frontline combat members within ten minutes. Class 66) does the same."

Comparing the two classes, Class 6) can see their shortcomings, so... it's only natural that they would learn from them, right?

"You have five minutes to prepare. Please proceed to your assigned areas."

Because they had never been in such a rush before, and were unsure of what they would accomplish, Class 6 was more nervous than excited. Basically, no one discussed anything. After being divided into thirty groups according to the order of the lines, they quickly went to their assigned 'positions'.

Ten minutes later, the tense small arms Transport was completed.

Because Qin Su frequently appeared, and with Class 6) consciously learning from Qin Su, Class 6) became fast enough not only in walking and executing commands, but also in maneuvering the Warship.

However... even though the map was marked, Class 6) was new to this place and was not familiar with the weapon placement area. They were also unfamiliar with the Transport precautions and the picking, moving and stacking procedures. Class 6) only had speed and lost to Class 66), who had a semester of learning and practice experience.

The beginning was discouraging, but the Class 6) was not too discouraged and prepared to redeem themselves in the second attempt.

Fifteen minutes later, they tried again but lost to (Class 66 in the large weapons Transport.

The third time, they failed again in the Transport of ammunition and energy.

The fourth time, the loss was even more devastating due to mixed Transport.

With three minutes left before Qin Su's one-hour leave was about to end, the students of Class 6) experienced firsthand what it meant to have a wonderful ideal but a terrible reality during Qin Su's absence.

Alec figured Qin Su would be arriving soon, so he decided to let everyone rest for five minutes.

Seeing how Class 6's initial high spirits had transformed into an aura of resentment capable of boosting the power of a hundred Evil Sword Immortals, Alec, believing himself to be the culprit, whispered to his classmates, "Have we been a bit too much of a bully?"

"Does that count? That's what we studied; besides that, there's nothing else we can teach them."

"That's right. Usually, when higher and lower levels collaborate, it's the higher level teaching the lower level skills they haven't learned before. We're not wrong."

"More than that, we should be thinking about what Qin Su will do to us when he arrives and finds out that we 'bullied' Class 6). After all, Class 6) has declared themselves to be Qin Su's direct disciples on the Forum and StarNet."

Alec: "... Well said. Shut up next time."

Class 6) was so engrossed in their despair that they didn't notice how Class 66) was looking at them.

"It's over, we've failed."

"When Brother Su comes back and finds out we didn't pass his test, he'll be disappointed in us, won't he?"

"But it's really not our fault."

"We lost, so we apologized and promised not to do it again next time... no, no, we won't do it again next time. The Class Monitor will forgive us."

"Admitting your mistakes and correcting them—I think that's a good suggestion."

"Support."

(6) Just as he finished his treatment, with three minutes left until 10 o'clock, Qin Su appeared at the entrance of the venue.

Qin Su knew that the students in Class 6 were very familiar with his footsteps, so he deliberately intensified his footsteps. As expected, Class 6 discovered him immediately.

The students of Class 66) were influenced by Class 6). Qin Su saw that when he was still a long distance away from the crowd, almost at the same time, heads turned to look in his direction.

Having achieved his goal of making a successful appearance, Qin Su approached the crowd with his carefully planned steps.

Alec clearly saw that the students of Class 6) spontaneously turned their heads to look at Qin Su as he arrived and walked in their direction, and at the same time skillfully made way for him, leaving a wide Passageway leading to his location.

Alec: "..."

At that moment, he really wanted to blend into the crowd and make way, rather than stand at the 'end' and force himself to remain motionless.

The sheer scale, the grandeur, the oppressive atmosphere...

Alec was internally cursing the person who set the rules, silently complaining that he shouldn't be called Alec and should just change his name to Yalikesi (meaning "pressure kills").

Despite his thoughts, Alec remained unmoved, maintaining the dignity expected of a senior student, even though... under Qin Su's intense gaze, he was internally screaming with frustration, completely losing his composure.

To divert his attention, Alec glanced at the students in Class 6) and saw them standing orderly on both sides, their eyes following Qin Su's actions, and he looked on with envy.

Before Qin Su could reach within earshot of her, she couldn't help but mutter to her classmates, "We're both Class Monitors, but I 'Class Monitor longer than Qin Su. Why don't you treat me the same way?"

"... Or Class Monitor position isn't about antiques, it's not about age." (Class 66 whispered back from behind.

"I don't care, I want it."

Alec let out a longing sound.

(Class 66: "..."

In terms of naiveté, their Class Monitor has never lost.

Fortunately, Qin Su was closer to them, so the Class Monitor stopped pressuring them.

Although they decided to apologize, most of the students in Class 6) still habitually pushed the students they thought Qin Su had treated specially and had led more times to the front row positions closer to Qin Su.

That is, He Muzhi, Sophia, Raymond, Sheng Shuang, Jeffrey, Cen Yuan, and others.

When Qin Su was still two steps away from them, He Muzhi, who was in the lead, was the first to apologize. "Class Monitor, I'm sorry."

In short, Qin Su was 'forced into submission', his steps faltering at the opportune moment. He looked at He Muzhi with a bewildered but unchanged expression.

With a leader in place, it became much easier for the others to speak, and apologies followed one after another.

"Sorry, Class Monitor."

"Class Monitor, I'm really sorry."

"We've let you down, Class Monitor."

"We failed the test, I'm sorry."

"?" With a head full of question marks, Qin Su naturally swept his gaze over his classmates, pretending to be omniscient and calm under everyone's watchful eyes.

But in my heart:

Why did she apologize so readily, and why did her eyes dart around nervously, avoiding his gaze? Help—what happened that she doesn't know about?!

Sometimes, Qin Su really wanted to sneak into his classmates' private group chats and find out what kind of bizarre thought processes they were having all day with their backs to him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't.

The private group 499 People. If he dares to enter, he'll be discovered instantly unless he hacks into the students' Optical Brain to gain access. This... He's already quite immoral, and unless absolutely necessary, for the sake of his already precarious moral bottom line, he'd better not do such a thing to his classmates.

After nearly thirty seconds of apology, the students in Class 6 noticed that Qin Su simply glanced at them with a deep look, his face showing no emotion, and he remained silent. They were terrified and fell silent.

"Class Monitor, why aren't you saying anything?" Raymond, who could never hold back his words, spoke softly but dared to, "Is it... that you haven't forgiven us?"

Hearing Raymond's words, Qin Su looked at the comment section. Since he returned to this world, almost all the comments he could see were like this:

[Everyone really worked hard, Su Bao, please forgive them. It's pitiful that the Boss 1 were bullied. Qin Su, please don't blame them. It's just that Class 66 is used to having an advantage, so it's only natural that they lost to Class 66. ] and other similar words to make him forgive them.

There was no specific, useful information.

Qin Su: "..."

He wanted to forgive, but he had no idea what he should forgive them for.

Qin Su could only judge from the existing information. First, he listened to what his classmates and the comments on the screen. Was what his classmates did related to the PK between Class 66)? They had already finished the PK and lost, and they still thought that he had asked them to do something against Class 66).

In all honesty, he never intended to do anything to Class 66).

As the Class Monitor, Qin Su could only suffer the hardship of his spine, bearing this undeserved burden of blame, and give the truthful and infallible answer that was appropriate for the current situation, "It's not a matter of forgiveness."

"?!"

(Class 6 students looked uneasy and puzzled.

What does the Class Monitor mean by this?

Qin Su continued, before finishing his sentence, and then, in front of Class 66, said politely, "It's perfectly normal that we can't compare to Class 66 right now."

"!"

The Class Monitor... doesn't seem to intend to pursue the matter at all, meaning they failed the test? Did the Class Monitor already know they would lose, which is why they weren't surprised?

The Class Monitor's words also proved that no one was better at understanding Qin Su's meaning than him... no, He Muzhi, who received special treatment from the Class Monitor.

If it weren't for He Muzhi's announcement that, while seemingly a Class Monitor request, actually had a deeper meaning, none of them would have realized what was going on. Everyone's eyes turned to He Muzhi.

Observing how his classmates subconsciously glanced at He Muzhi after receiving his evasive answer, Qin Su, "..."

I understand now. The 'blame' most likely came from He Muzhi.

Qin Su headed towards Alec.

Alec watched the man getting closer and closer, his heart pounding with anxiety.