Chapter 214
"How about it?"
As soon as Bu Qiu entered the room, the three people inside surrounded him, their eyes probing.
Bu Qiu briefly recounted everything he had overheard during a private meeting with representatives from various Military District, and then asked the three men, "What should we do now? Should we really do as they say?"
"That definitely won't do," Winnie whispered a reminder. "I'm sure we've all witnessed plenty of private fights between Modified Humans during our nightly patrols around the Fourth Military Academy. I went out for two nights, and several times during those nights, I saw the Fourth Military Academy's night patrol personnel notice the confrontations between Modified Humans, even seeing them fighting and splattering blood from hundreds of meters away, yet they turned away and patrolled other areas as if they hadn't seen anything. What do you think this means?"
Unlike the Modified Humans already serving in the Military District, they are currently in the experimental stage. Although they do not know the specific reform plan, they can tell from the researchers' brief remarks during the reform process that they are not considered successful. Otherwise, they would not have been sent here to test Qin Su. The Fourth Military Academy is not stupid. Knowing that they are in danger, they still kept them. They must know their purpose. The actions of the patrol personnel at night these days have also confirmed her guess.
Bu Qiu whispered, "... They're turning a blind eye."
Winnie nodded. "That's how it is. We all understand. There's never anything that's done without a reason. They firmly believe that no matter what we do, Qin Su can easily handle it. So even when the Modified Humans are fighting in Qin Su, they don't care and are too lazy to expel the Modified Humans involved in the fight from the Fourth Military Academy on the grounds of violating the rules. Furthermore, no matter how much trouble the Modified Humans cause in private, he watches coldly and shows no interest whatsoever. This further proves that our all-out efforts to suppress them are nothing more than moths to a flame to him, not worth paying any extra attention to."
Upon hearing the word 'moth,' Bu Qiu's eyes fell on the mechanical wings behind Winnie. He had entered the lab much earlier than Winnie, and he didn't tell the three people present, including Winnie, that he had actually seen Winnie before Winnie entered the lab.
At that time, she entered the research institute with the single-use access granted by the school, with the purpose of taking a Modified Humans to participate in the war. He saw the Alpha bustling around using her access to open the access control through the one-way glass that allowed him to see out from inside, and when he saw the Modified Humans locked in the rooms, he was stunned.
Whether it was due to the overwhelming shock she experienced, making it difficult for her to accept, or for some other reason, he did not participate in any of the wars. He only saw that the Modified Humans who were taken away never returned, and Winnie seemed to have had an accident in actual combat, covered in blood and sent to the same place as him.
Their next meeting was this time, when Winnie had become Modified Humans who moved using mechanical wings on her back. Whether it was him, Winnie later, or countless other Modified Humans, they all made him deeply feel the powerlessness in the face of the capriciousness of fate.
Now, Bu Qiu lowered his eyelashes, Winnie's words once again made him feel that suffocating oppression of being swept along by fate with no way to turn back.
Winnie's meaning was clear: if they actually did it, they would only die.
Before anyone else could speak, Winnie glanced at the three people present who were either looking away or looking in other directions. Her voice was calm. "Rather than dying tomorrow, I'd rather do nothing until I'm sent back and let them do whatever they want with me. I'll live as many days as I can."
The Military Academy she served didn't treat Modified Humans as human beings, so why should she use her own death to express her loyalty to the Military Academy?
Before becoming Modified Humans, she firmly believed that she was a future glorious soldier who would protect her homeland from harm, until she first stepped into the secret laboratory and became one of the countless cubicles filled with various instruments.
She didn't die on the battlefield, but she nearly died several times from painful surgeries that felt like backstabbing to her; her former beliefs had long since crumbled.
There's no way to escape. Although the Federation, in order to protect the Modified Humans, prohibits the installation of self-destruct devices similar to those used on serious criminals on every Modified Humans, the fact is that this practice has not guaranteed them much protection.
After all, who says that self-destruction is only effective when installed on oneself? Apart from a small number of special Modified Humans, the families of most Modified Humans are 'taken care of' by the Military District or Military Academy to which they belong.
"I don't know your situation, but my family members are so easily handed over to the school for money. I'm barely able to take care of myself, so I don't care what happens to them anymore. If I could," Winnie shrugged, "I even considered inciting everyone to give up, but unfortunately, I can't."
I'm afraid that before she can even open her mouth, and before Qin Su can do anything, she'll be silenced by the other Modified Humans.
Unable to think of a rebuttal, Bu Qiu remained silent.
"This is my stance, so tomorrow when I'm standing on the periphery doing nothing, I hope you won't call me. Of course, if you want to inform on me now, I don't care." Winnie ignored the other three's expressions and returned to her room. She was going to die eventually; she didn't care when or who killed her.
After Winnie left, the two people present glanced at Bu Qiu.
Although no one said it explicitly, they all knew perfectly well that their situations were basically the same.
Bu Qiu touched the fungus-like, uneven, wriggling thing on his body, powered by an implanted energy source. "That's what I meant too."
On any planet, not just any Military Academy can claim the title of 'number one'.
Regardless of which planet it's on, the First Military Academy there is unique on their planet, whether in terms of background, funding, or anything else.
So far, only the Fourth Military Academy, which possesses Qin Su, shows a tendency to surpass even the First Military Academy of Saint Parknia Planet in various aspects in the future.
In conclusion, with the capabilities of the First Military Academy, they could obtain any kind of detector that could adapt to any environment.
They were determined to give this human being such an ability, so they implanted many things in his body that he couldn't even name, so that he could detect life signs at a distance by sticking them to different objects, and then display the results on a screen in his palm.
Or perhaps it wasn't obsession, but just a personal quirk of some of the people conducting the modification experiments. After all, his detection range wasn't very far, and the functions he gained after the personal modifications were quite useless. Even when people from the Military Academy came to select him, they wouldn't linger on him for long. This is probably why he was chosen and sent to the Military District to serve as cannon fodder.
The thought that he could be freed from this world if he just lingered on for a while longer, and the fact that he saw no bright future ahead of him, didn't actually make him feel particularly sad or reluctant to leave this world.
The other two breathed a sigh of relief, clearly relaxing. "Since we came out together, we should too."
They were worried that Bu Qiu would betray them and shorten their lives, but now they've reached an agreement.
Similar scenarios played out repeatedly in different 'dormitories'.
[When gathered together, out of fear of other Modified Humans, they verbally say "Yes, yes, yes," but privately they say "Back off!"]
[Don't be fooled by the fact that they can't form a cohesive unit now. When the time comes, if Qin Su shows even the slightest sign of fatigue or weakness, the Modified Humans watching will join the fray.]
[Their biggest disadvantage was that they believed themselves to be Modified Humans, superior to normal Military Academy students in every aspect, and that they could defeat Qin Su by uniting as one, anticipating a bloody battle.]
[No, many of them are pitiful people (praying)]
--
During these five days, Aiseboer, who secretly monitored the movements of the Modified Humans through the school's patrol personnel, probably guessed their whereabouts.
Qin Su made no move whatsoever, and what he was facing was an army of Modified Humans with all sorts of strange abilities. This made Aiseboer so uneasy that he stayed up all night, sneaking around with the other Modified Humans were also on night duty near Qin Su's dormitory, keeping an eye on the direction of Qin Su's dormitory.
"It's already two o'clock, aren't you going back to sleep?" The person accompanying Aiseboer had been woken up by Aiseboer every night for the past few days and was almost at their breaking point.
How can I fall asleep at this age?
Aiseboer was so anxious he was practically losing his hair. He was terrified that when he woke up, Qin Su, his powerful backer, would be gone. If that happened, everything he had gained from Qin Su and all the future glory he had achieved would be gone in an instant. He wanted to personally watch Qin Su leave the dormitory and make sure he was safe and sound until all the Modified Humans Qin Su gone or dead. Only then would he feel at ease.
He knew perfectly well that thinking this way was immoral, but this was how he Modified Humans's destinies, and most of them probably knew that before they came.
"... Oh yes, yes, you're absolutely right." The person who was scolded was speechless for a moment, thinking about Aiseboer's age, and secretly thinking, 'Isn't this the age when you should be sleeping soundly? If he's like this at this age, he won't be able to sleep when he gets old,' while smiling apologetically.
At 2:10, just as Aiseboer's eyes were wide open like saucers, the screen of the Optical Brain suddenly unfolded in front of him.
Although the faint blue light was weak, it was enhanced by the darkness of night. He was still crouching in a dark place, craning his neck, like a small nightlight suddenly lit up in the pitch black, which immediately attracted the attention of the other Modified Humans around him who were also on "shift duty" for Qin Su.
Fearing he would embarrass Qin Su, Aiseboer didn't have time to read the contents before quickly pulling his neck back. The person next to him also had the foresight to pull open the black cover, enveloping Aiseboer inside.
Seeing the flash of light that appeared to be from the Speedy Optical Brain screen in the darkness, the other Modified Humans like, "?"
In the darkness, someone muttered under their breath, "I wonder which Military District they're from; they're so unprofessional."
"Forget it, anyone can see that the Modified Humans who came this time are somewhat unqualified."
As darkness enveloped the surroundings, Aiseboer finally had the chance to look at the Optical Brain screen. It was Qin Su's reply to his question from yesterday morning, "After the break, will classes resume as normal?"
[Qin Su: Yes.]
Aiseboer, recalling the Modified Humans conversations he'd overheard over the past few days, asked curiously, "[Have you been in the dorm these past few nights?]"
The dormitory didn't have any equipment to isolate vital signs Detector, unless Qin Su brought his own. They kept saying they couldn't detect any vital signs, which made him suspicious.
[Qin Su: Not here.]
Although he didn't understand why Aiseboer asked that question, Qin Su needed Aiseboer's help, so he obediently replied.
After replying, Qin Su made his request.
[Qin Su: I hope that tomorrow at the S-l279 Training Ground, there will be no students other than Class 6) and the Modified Humans. Thank you.]
Aiseboer: "!"
He knew it! He didn't even know Qin Su's whereabouts. What made those Modified Humans think that Qin Su was really waiting for them in the dormitory to "watch"? They were really dreaming.
Don't worry, I've got your back.
As he turned off the light screen, an excited smile appeared on Aiseboer's face. He knew that Qin Su would not sit idly by and wait for his doom.
With his long-held worry finally resolved, Aiseboer ripped off the cover that had been obscuring him and patted the person following him in a good mood. "Let's go, that's enough for today. I suddenly feel sleepy again."
"...?"
"OK."
'That speed of changing his expression... no wonder he was chosen as the Principal by Qin Su.'
With Aiseboer's assurance, Qin Su, wearing night vision goggles, placed his hand on his ring in the darkness. He gently turned the ring on his ring finger, and in an instant, the once empty training ground became a ghostly scene, with a cacophony of ghostly whispers filling the air.
Seeing the Optical Brain on the personal terminal in front of Qin Su disappear, the previously chattering ghosts wisely shut up. Those with eyes looked at Qin Su, while those without eyes turned their faces toward him.
This is the kind of good thing where, when you die and go on a business trip to another world to earn extra money, your family will also receive a generous reward. They frantically clicked on the registration link day and night with the phone given to them by the demon, and only managed to register successfully after a lot of effort. They had to be careful and not mess it up, and try to be promoted from temporary worker to permanent worker by the demon's brother because of their excellent performance.
The moment the Optical Brain screen disappeared from his sight, Qin Su saw many ghosts either manually turning their heads, which were facing away from their bodies, or running their hands through the hair of the heads they were holding, then holding them close to their chests and looking at him with their eyes showing.
"..."
'No matter the world, nothing can stir his emotions anymore, except for something suddenly falling from the sky and startling him.'
Qin Su took a deep breath, trying to calm his numb heart, and said in his usual calm voice, "The time hasn't come yet. Until then, don't worry about me."
A chorus of "Received"s rang out, followed by a cacophony of ghostly noises.
They had received several days of professional training from Qin Su and were determined to carry out Qin Su's orders.
As countless eyes finally left him, Qin Su felt much more relaxed and began to choose his seat in Class 6 during training the next morning.
Others are not allowed to see it, but Class 6) is allowed. Compared to others, they are not outsiders. He also needs to use this thing, which can be called his 'secret', to verify the 'loyalty' of the 999 people in Class 6) to him.
The sooner you identify someone who has designs on you at this stage, the less damage you'll suffer.
After painstakingly compiling a file of all the Modified Humans' personal photos, he discovered that besides being able to see what they looked like and the visible parts of their bodies that had been modified, he couldn't obtain much more data, such as the effects of the modifications, attack power, and so on.
Although Modified Humans are considered a mature technology in most planetary Military Districts and Military Academies within the Federation, everyone is aware that technological maturity does not equate to public acceptance. The Federation has regulations stipulating that any war involving Modified Humans must undergo rigorous censorship before any related reports are released, ensuring that Modified Humans are not exposed to the general public, causing panic and contradicting the Federation's Federation publicized image.
This prevented him from quickly gaining a better understanding of them and devising a solution on his own.
Solving this problem was urgent, so he had to change his approach. Since he couldn't get the specific data and they were showing signs of wanting to take action against him, which was confirmed by the Electronic Eye and the subtle and overt warnings from Principal Xu and others, he decided to find someone else to take the data from.
After all, they've come from afar, and they've already come all this way.
Unsure how many of the Modified Humans were taken voluntarily and how many were not, he could only resort to coercion and enticement to get them all involved.
So lately, he's been going back to the Real World from the Comic World every night to call for people... oh no, to call for ghosts.
The number of Modified Humans who came this time was too large, coming from different planets, Military District, and Military Academies. After he calculated three times, the Life Points required to exchange for the cyborg information for each person added up to more than the Life Points he needed to pack the ghosts together from the Real World. It would take a full seventy-three years of Life Points.
His Life Points have finally increased to 362 years after this period of time. He has experienced the good days of having more than 300 Life Points and is reluctant to see the number suddenly drop back to more than 200 years. Of course, he chooses the method that is most beneficial to his Life Points.
After apprehending the individuals, by using their registration information and the information provided, there's still a high probability of getting what they initially wanted.
With countless Modified Humans watching over the dormitory to prevent them from detecting 'vital signs' in his own room, and also not feeling comfortable leaving a group of ghosts from Ghost Mountain and Ghost Sea here, Qin Su simply didn't return to the dormitory or the Real World, but turned on his Optical Brain to continue his busy night.
--
The next day.
(Class 6 woke up, they found that their Optical Brain had received a notification from Qin Su at 6 o'clock.
Some students who woke up early were excited and remembered their habits from the past few days. No one went to the class location that Qin Su had mentioned alone. They waited obediently until 6:30, when all the students from Class 6 gathered, before heading to the S-l279 Training Ground in a grand procession.
Qin Su had finally returned to school. The students from other classes and grades of the Fourth Military Academy had not seen the popular Qin Su for several days. They were very familiar with the (Class 6's curriculum. Even if they didn't remember it, they could ask a few more people and find out the Class 6's training schedule. They had hoped to take this opportunity to see Qin Su, who had created the legend of Leichakan.
Unexpectedly, before they could even take any action, they received a notice from the Principal that they were once again confined to their dormitories.
Throughout the entire Fourth Military Academy, apart from the daily patrol personnel who disregarded everything after receiving orders, there were only Class 6) and groups of Modified Humans on the way to the S-l279 Training Ground.
Even though the school patrols ignored them when they came out during the day, the Modified Humans who came to the Fourth Military Academy felt guilty about what they wanted to do, so they all disguised themselves to some extent.
Most camouflage relies on clothing to cover the body.
They arrived early and only saw Class 6) on the way. Since Class 6) probably wanted to see Qin Su as soon as possible, some people did not notice anything strange. Even if some people noticed something unusual, they thought that things had come to this point and did not take it to heart.
(Class 6) These past few days, the students have been surrounded by people like this. Even though they are not close to their location, they still get goosebumps all over.
"It's kind of creepy, don't you guys think?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. I believe no one wants to become like that. They'll feel uncomfortable if you say that."
"Yes, believe me, that person is my cousin."
"They're heading in the same direction as us, towards the same training ground. It seems they're aiming for the S-l279 Training Ground just like us. Tsk, they haven't even gotten permission from the Class Monitor to join Class 6) yet, and they're already attending classes with us. What will they be like in the future?"
"What are you afraid of? We've already discussed our strategy. We'll just tell the Class Monitor as soon as we get there... Wait a minute, the message we received is that the Class Monitor told us to keep an eye on the area around the training field today. There's no chance we can get close to them. Does that mean they're just showing off their skills to us on the training field?"
"Holy crap, what's the difference between this and using a super move right up to our face?"
The Modified Humans around them didn't know what had happened, they only knew that when Class 6) passed by their assembled group outside, their eyes were full of resentment.
Some even gave them a cold, dismissive laugh.
"?"
"No way, are they crazy?!"
"Alright, alright, it's already this late, why bother arguing with them?"
"Isn't today our home turf? With Qin Su's abilities, he couldn't possibly be unaware of this. So why didn't he let (6) leave and even let them in? It seems that (Class 6) isn't that important to Qin Su, since he doesn't care about their lives anymore."
"Perhaps," Winnie couldn't help but scoff, "This is Qin Su's absolute confidence. Even if Class 6 is here, he doesn't need to worry about us being able to hurt anyone from Class 6."
"Hehe, even if Qin Su is a god, he can't keep an eye on 999 people. Someone in Class 6 will always get chopped up and turned into a dish."
(Class 6 6 shuddered as soon as they stepped into the S-l279 Training Ground.
"It's so cold, the temperature..." Before the person who entered could finish speaking, they saw Qin Su casually leaning on the railing from above, looking down at them. The words that were about to come out were, "Oh, it's the Class Monitor. Well, it's alright then."
A dozen minutes later, the cyborgs Modified Humans had finally finished gathering walked into the S-l279 Training Ground. At the entrance, they saw that Class 6) was not in the central training ground at the bottom, but in the 'Audience Seats' on the side.
"...?!"
'You spoke too soon; it turns out the food was their own.'