Chapter 94
Everyone: "???"
Before everyone could recover from this sudden 'blow,' they heard Qin Su's cold and unfeeling voice ring out again from all around them.
Qin Su: "Begin."
Along with Qin Su's Qin Su voice came not only the links he sent to their Optical Brain, but also a three-hour Countdown that suddenly appeared on the electronic screens in front of each location.
The crimson Countdown began to decrease second by second without giving them a chance to process it, following Qin Su's cold and ruthless announcement of "start."
The sense of urgency instantly surged.
"..."
The hearts in everyone's chests pounded uncontrollably.
No one told them they would have to take such an exam! It was completely different from the thrilling and exciting experience they had imagined.
As future military reservists tasked with Purge the Zerg, shouldn't they be focusing on improving their weaponry, physical fitness, and skills with Mecha, Warships, and Spaceships? Why do they need to sit down and take exams?
However, Qin Su gave off an unusually unapproachable vibe today. His tone was so authoritative that most people who were reluctant to take the exam dared not express their thoughts, no matter how many ideas they had.
They finally understood what "familiarity breeds contempt" and "it's best to admire from afar, not get too close" meant.
Soon, these people lost their focus. They realized they knew nothing about Qin Su's methods and were completely baffled by the questions on the exam. The red numbers ahead were decreasing, affecting their mindset. They had no time to think about anything else and were scratching their heads trying to figure out the questions.
"Oh no! Help! What kind of question is this? How could anyone remember it so clearly?!"
'Teacher Insect specifically mentioned this in class, what did she say again? Hmm... I can't remember at all!'
What are its attack methods?
'Weaknesses? How the hell am I supposed to know what weaknesses it has?'
'Tsk, all four options look like the correct answer? Maybe I should just roll the dice. Holy crap, why is it locked? I can't use other functions of the Optical Brain until I submit the test!'
Among the few who were willing, apart from the students in Class 6 who followed Qin Su's lead, there were other students who took the basic Zerg knowledge courses seriously.
After hearing Qin Su's instructions, they immediately followed them, focusing intently on the questions on the Optical Brain and beginning to answer them.
Although there are nearly 30,000 students in the classroom, they are all immersed in a sea of problems. Apart from the complaints and sighs of those who cannot solve the problems, it is relatively quiet.
[Now I can really feel the immersion, it's terrifying, it's like a demon's lair]
[Who understands that I've been having nightmares about classes and exams for seven or eight years after graduation? The nightmares scare me so much that I lose consciousness?]
[That's how it is for us academic underachievers:)]
The psychological trauma was truly severe.
[Haha, serves him right. Anyway, I've finished my exams. Now, as long as it's not me taking them, it doesn't matter who takes them. I'm just here for the fun of watching the show.]
[Finally, it's my turn to 'proctor' the exam]
No one can escape the claws of exams, no one.
Although teachers emphasize the importance of theoretical knowledge, most people do not pay much attention to the theoretical knowledge of the Zerg when taking theoretical classes.
In Class 6), the percentage of students who were academically weak in Zerg knowledge was generally as high as 70%.
Many people believe that it doesn't matter what kind of insect it is, as long as you have enough firepower, you can just bombard it and kill it. There is no need to understand its weaknesses, habits, attack methods, and other information.
But who can guarantee that they will have enough weapons in case of an emergency? In case of an even worse situation where they have no weapons, the more information they have about the insects, the greater their chances of survival.
In addition to the content the teacher covered in class, the exam paper also included some information that Qin Su believed was necessary for everyone to know, based on data he had reviewed.
Although he had never set exam papers before, Qin Su had at least seen how things work. Having experienced countless exams from childhood to adulthood, he could imitate them.
Multiple choice questions, true/false questions, problem-solving questions, subjective questions... there's something for everyone. Even if Qin Su got caught in the rain, he'd tear up his classmates' umbrellas so everyone could get soaked together.
While the students were engrossed in answering questions on their respective Optical Brain, Qin Su activated his skin, fully embodying the roles of proctor and exam setter.
There were nearly 30,000 people in the room, all using links sent by his Optical Brain. Every time a student answered incorrectly, there would be no abnormality at the lower level, but it would all be counted in real time at the upper level.
If the error rate exceeds 50%, it will become one of the sources of questions for Qin Su at this moment.
He created one set of questions yesterday, and now, based on the actual situation of the preliminary test, he can create a second set.
The same process will continue to produce the third, fourth, and so on...
This week is tough for him, and it's tough for everyone else too.
With his promotions resulting in salary reductions instead of increases, Qin Su discovered that, barring the possibility of him hacking into the system himself, the scope of permissions granted to him by the school was expanding from Class Monitor to Commander.
The Electronic Eye in this classroom have been disabled by him using the Commander authority granted by the school. No one knows what he writes on the Optical Brain except himself, so there is no risk of leaking the exam questions.
Even in the cramped cubicle, where the indoor temperature was kept constant at a comfortable 25 degrees Celsius—neither too cold nor too hot—many students still broke out in a sweat from nervousness because they couldn't answer the questions.
Those who could answer the questions confidently racked their brains, writing down each answer, while the thought of "That's me for sure. Luckily I listened attentively in class, otherwise I would have embarrassed myself in front of Qin Su" would keep flashing through their minds.
From childhood to adulthood, He Muzhi has always taken even the most mundane tasks seriously.
Although he was surprised by Qin Su's actions, he didn't think much of it. Adhering to the principle that everything Qin Su did was reasonable, he carefully completed the test. After finishing, he still had some spare time, so like the other top students, he went back to check it from beginning to end.
With just over ten minutes left before the deadline, these students, who were usually considered top students, became unconsciously cautious in front of Qin Su. They didn't dare hand in their papers early, repeatedly checking them while their minds wandered, trying to figure out Qin Su's purpose in doing so.
Three hours would normally be a long time, but now, amidst the oppressive feeling of the decreasing red numbers and the resulting anxiety, it felt short and agonizing.
The top students submitted their exams voluntarily just seconds before the Countdown reached zero, while the struggling students were forced to submit their papers the instant the Countdown ended, regardless of whether they had finished or not.
Clicking on the Optical Brain link again, only the four large Green √ characters "Exam Over" remained.
"It's okay if I don't finish?"
"Ugh, I was just a few words away from finishing the plan! If only my brain could work faster!"
"Oh no, oh no, oh no! Will I get kicked out by the top guy because I'm not good enough at the knowledge test?"
After the papers were handed in, the once quiet classroom was filled with voices of complaints, unease, anxiety, and regret.
Qin Su didn't let them move. They sat obediently in their seats, resisting the urge to come out of the cubicle and whisper to the people around them.
"No matter what, we finally made it through." Raymond leaned back and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Score?
It's hilarious. He doesn't even dare to hope for a better outcome; he knows his own limitations perfectly well.
The process involves one-click grading, and nearly 30,000 exam papers are graded in less than a minute.
This is the first time, and to avoid discouraging the students, for the other questions that don't have an 'absolutely right or wrong' rule like multiple-choice questions, Qin Su filled in all the possible answer ranges when setting the test last night. As long as you hit any one of those points, you can get points, and the more points you hit, the higher your score.
Of the 100 points, only 30% scored 60 or above, only 10% scored 80 or above, and only 3% scored 90 or above.
The list is ranked according to scores.
The result was not much different from what was expected, and there were no surprises. Qin Su unlocked the graded test papers with one click. The unlocked test papers also showed the pass rate and the proportion of each score range.
After doing all this, Qin Su didn't say anything, giving everyone time to go back and check their mistakes. He then organized the top-performing students in the class and assigned them to small groups for learning.
"..."
Most people who were trying to calm themselves down experienced a sudden surge of emotions, like riding a rollercoaster, after seeing the prominent red marks on their test papers.
Their knowledge of the Zerg is surprisingly weak... It seems that's indeed the case.
Their greatest knowledge of the Zerg was limited to the names of the insectoids; even then, they could only name seven out of ten. Asking about the others would be impolite.
But you can't blame them; there are just too many types of Zerg. They just have to fight them.
The classroom was eerily silent.
'Damn it, such terrible results! Qin Su seemed to be in a bad mood today, are they going to be killed by his glares?'
"Sorry, it stung Qin Su's eyes."
Even students who scored above 80 couldn't help but frown at the worrying pass rate.
Although they didn't understand why Qin Su wanted to focus on such... cultural subjects, they couldn't help but have high expectations of him because Qin Su was a well-rounded individual, perfect in every way.
60 points!
"Phew..." Raymond breathed a huge sigh of relief. He passed! That was fantastic!
Looking at her score of 69, Lailisi muttered in frustration, "Damn it, if I had scored just one more point, I wouldn't be in this range."
Samuel instinctively tried to hide his score of 57, but since it wasn't on paper, he couldn't. He could only look on in shame, his ears burning red.
It's his fault; he usually does crafts under his desk during class and doesn't pay attention.
96 points. Lin Yin saw this score, only two words came to her mind: auspicious!
He Muzhi stared at his score of 99, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong.
[... This score... it's got me all worked up. My forehead veins are bulging. If I were in the Boss 1 of a top student, I'd want to pinch their philtrum.]
[In the Comic World, this passing rate would be considered a terrible class in our Real World. The homeroom Class Advisor would be so angry that he'd probably hang himself.]
[So, out of these four kids, only my Yinyin and He Muzhi are good at studying? (facepalm and wry smile)]
[I dared not utter a sound, because I was exactly like them (trembling)]
Raymond was quite pleased with himself as a walking, talking vase (a decorative object used to embellish beauty).
[Samuel, listen to your mother, don't sew that tattered doll of yours next time, it really is ugly.]
[Mu Bao showed us what it means to learn diligently even when you're not interested.]
Everyone had different scores and different feelings.
Especially from the time the papers were collected until the grading was finished and the scores were announced, Qin Su didn't say a word. The longer Qin Su remained silent, the more uneasy most of the students whose scores were far from ideal became.
How will Qin Su treat them?
Similar thoughts filled every corner of the entire page.
After an unknown amount of time, just as most of the students were about to faint from the suffocating silence, they finally heard Qin Su's cold voice ring out from above.
"Have you all finished reviewing it?" After making arrangements based on the situation, even though he thought that this time was enough for everyone to review the correct and incorrect answers, Qin Su still asked before making the announcement.
Everyone assumed Qin Su was referring to their exam scores and quickly replied.
"I've finished reading it."
"Um."
Many people felt guilty and spoke softly.
'Sure enough, Qin Su gave them so much time just to make them stare at their pitifully low scores, tormenting them and putting them under immense pressure, forcing them to face results that were utterly humiliating.'
Why can't I see Brother Su? Everyone else can see him.
[Perhaps Qin Su's actions this time weren't 'beautiful White Moonlight actions,' but rather comparable to 'Black Moonlight actions,' so they weren't shown?]
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Qin Su exclaimed approvingly, "Very good."
Everyone was very conscientious.
Everyone: "..."
'Sure enough, Qin Su was angry just now. What do you mean by "very good"? If that wasn't sarcastic, they'd be eating bugs on live stream.'
No one spoke. Qin Su announced the schedule, a mix of old and new, which could barely be considered freshly made. "This is the group study schedule from 2 PM to 10 PM today. Tomorrow morning at 9 AM, after the morning training, we will have the second round of exams here."
The learning location will be chosen by the group leaders themselves.
"Thank you for your hard work during this time, team leaders."
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the group."
When he created the group chat, he was too lazy to come up with a name, so he just typed the number '1'. When One-Click Send, he also posted a copy in the group as an announcement.
Qin Su brought the 100 students with the lowest scores. After announcing the results, he stood up and said, "The 100 students in Qin Su's group, please assemble in classroom Z-168 at 2 PM."
It's ten minutes past twelve now. The morning exams have ended, and it's lunchtime.
"Disband."
Knowing that he was there, and that many things were inconvenient for everyone to say, Qin Su finished his announcement and took the lead in leaving the classroom, giving everyone time to digest and discuss.
As always, Qin Su was very considerate. He published the list on everyone's Optical Brain, highlighting his own name in a striking red color so that anyone with eyesight could see it at a glance.
When the bottom 100 people easily found their names and discovered that their afternoon study group leader was 'Qin Su', they felt as if struck by lightning.
The list clearly marked the members and group leaders of each group. When the top students saw that the person at the bottom of the class had the good fortune of being Qin Su's group leader, they were furious.
Taking advantage of Qin Su's absence, the top students swarmed out of their cubicles, looked at the student at the bottom of their class, and asked a profound question.
"No, why did you all get Qin Su's attention so easily? What about all my hard work?"
The underachievers chosen by Qin Su smiled wearily, "Consider yourselves as people who have endless energy."
This blessing is like honey to one person but poison to another; they truly don't want it, while the top students crave it but can't obtain it.
"Perhaps, this is just fate playing tricks on us."
"Can I do poorly on the exam tomorrow morning so that Qin Su can select me?"
"... You dare?"
The person who had come up with the wicked idea immediately shook their head and became obedient upon seeing Qin Su's chilling gaze. "Then let's forget about it."
"Hey guys, is it really necessary to be so frustrated? Don't forget, we're soldiers. This kind of knowledge doesn't matter at all. Whatever kind of bug it is, just kill it."
"Rational!"
Everyone said it wasn't important, but the thought of taking the same exam the next morning and not wanting to get such a bad score again made them quickly say goodbye and head to their dorms.
Few people head towards the cafeteria, since there's a daily Transport chain delivering fresh nutrient solutions to the dorm rooms, which are then placed on the dorm doors.
Those who achieved such poor grades don't deserve to eat delicious food in the cafeteria; they should punish themselves by drinking some nutritional supplements.
It's best to secretly study while drinking. A bunch of guys keep saying they won't study, but who knows if they'll skip their afternoon nap to try and get a few more points on tomorrow's test?
They keep saying tomorrow's exam isn't important, but someone else got it anyway; they don't want to fool themselves.
The Third Practical Exercise involved two Commanders: Qin Su and Blumer. Shortly after the results were announced, the Forum unhesitatingly referred to Qin Su's team as "1st Brigade" and Sequential Placement referred to Blumer's team as "Unit 2".
Qin Su was referred to as 'Commander 1' on the Forum, while Blumer continued to be referred to as 'Commander 2'.
On the Train back, compared to the other members of the Unit 2 who had trained all morning, the students of the 1st Brigade didn't seem physically tired, and their spirits were exceptionally high.
Unconsciously, Qin Su ignited their fighting spirit.
Grades don't matter; what matters is getting a higher ranking. If they were ranked so low, Qin Su wouldn't even see their names on the list first.
The people in the Unit 2 were puzzled.
Su Zhanghua couldn't keep anything to himself and asked directly, "Hey, Jeffrey, what did your Commander 1 do this morning?"
The people in the Unit 2 thought that only a fool would tell the truth, and Su Zhanghua's question would be pointless.
"Invigilator." Jeffrey glanced at the other Unit 2, deliberately not hiding it.
He hoped to drag the people of the Unit 2 into the water, so that they would all pay more attention to their academic studies and avoid surpassing the 1st Brigade in physical fitness and weapons proficiency.
"Ha?"
Su Zhanghua's tone conveyed distrust, leaving the Unit 2 students in the same carriage speechless.
Feeling deceived and given a perfunctory answer, Su Zhanghua changed his question, "So what did you do?"
Jeffrey smiled, "Exam."
Come on, let's all 'sink together'! If you're a student from the class of Class of 26, come and take the exam!
Su Zhanghua: "... Hehe."
Does he look that stupid?
"You guys in the 1st Brigade are something else. Was it really necessary to conceal the strategy to this extent? I even suspect that your current energetic demeanor is an act; you're so half-hearted in your perfunctory response."
"It's true, believe it or not." Jeffrey shrugged. He wasn't joking or lying; why wouldn't the people in the Unit 2 believe him?
Everyone was curious about how Qin Su trained the 1st Brigade, especially since no one had seen anyone from the 1st Brigade at any training ground all morning.
Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. The members of the Unit 2 inquired everywhere, and in just Unit 2 hours during their lunch break, they learned from different people that the same deception was being spread: Qin Su was leading the 1st Brigade in a test on Zerg knowledge.
When the Unit 2 assembled in the afternoon and checked the messages, they found they were exactly the same, leaving them speechless.
"I'm speechless at their 1st Brigade; they even coordinated their story to deceive us."
"Anyone who believes that will die in this life."
"I've already said it. I was rude, but I'm too lazy to even criticize them."
"Even if they went to the classroom instead of the training ground, who knows if it was just to mislead us? Once the door is closed, who knows what they're doing in there? After all, they pretended to be so energetic to fool us; they're a bunch of cunning dogs."
"That's right, all the scheming was on us. Everyone knows that during the Second Practical Exercise, Qin Su, as the Class Monitor, trained the people of Class 6) to the point of exhaustion every day in the simulated combat scenario."
Is it possible that they are telling the truth?
[This clearly shows that everyone believes Military Academies prioritize combat skills, and Qin Su has truly lost sight of the key point this time.]
[A whole month! I don't believe Brother Su would focus on something so unimportant.]
2 PM.
Knowing that everyone was intimidated by him, Qin Su deliberately found a small classroom to keep them focused and ensure they were all under his watchful eye, so they wouldn't dare to get distracted.
The results were indeed as good as Qin Su had predicted. During the one-hour dinner break, every student he taught remained highly focused throughout the entire seven-hour afternoon study session.
Standing high above, Qin Su exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression. The hundred men looked like quails. Qin Su's opening words, "Raise your head," firmly controlled them, making them afraid to lower their heads, afraid to even breathe, let alone lose focus. They dared not disobey a single word Qin Su spoke.
When the course ended, they belatedly realized that the knowledge had been forcibly instilled into their minds.
At 10 p. m., Qin Su dismissed on time, and the other study groups strictly followed Qin Su's arrangements and also dismissed at the same time.
On their way back, the students from the 1st Brigade discovered that the students from the Unit 2 had also been training until 10 o'clock.
However, this time, they studied so hard that their minds were buzzing, and their mental state was no different from that of the Unit 2.
On the Train back to the dormitory, the students from the Unit 2 saw that the students from the 1st Brigade were exhausted and no different from them. They were satisfied and believed that their guesses had been confirmed.
'They knew it! How could Qin Su not train them!'
That night, most of the students in the Unit 2, having exhausted themselves during the day, went straight to sleep after washing up in their dormitories.
Although the students in the 1st Brigade were mentally exhausted, the thought that someone might surpass them in tomorrow's exam kept them glued to the various Zerg information on their Optical Brain, wishing they could stretch every minute into an hour.
--
The next day.
During the two-hour morning training session, no matter how late they studied the night before, they all gave the same answer to the outside world.
"What? Stay up all night to study? Are you kidding me? I'll be so tired when I get back that I'll just fall asleep. I won't have the brainpower to study anymore."
"Same."
"+ Identity ID."
No one admits it, but everyone portrays themselves as someone who appears indifferent on the surface but is secretly fiercely competitive and greedy.
Raymond listened to these voices, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. He had felt guilty last night, wondering if he should have gotten up and studied a little more, but in the end, he hadn't been able to get up.
Now that he heard that everyone was doing the same thing, he immediately stopped worrying.
[I suspect they're filming a scene involving our class.]
[The daily routine of top students studying late into the night in Illusion, would Su Bao do the same?]
[Raymond, you... sigh... I...]
After seven hours of tutoring yesterday, everyone's scores on the second exam were significantly better than the previous one.
Judging from the comments, Qin Su knew everyone was studying late and still had so much energy after early morning training. He was speechless.
In terms of physical fitness and Mental Power, sometimes he really wanted to fight these Interstellar People to the death.
Before the 1st Brigade could even celebrate, Qin Su announced the revised schedule.
Everyone was inwardly groaning, but they didn't show it out loud. Instead, when they saw that their scores had clearly improved compared to last time, their competitive spirit intensified, and they secretly made up their minds.
The third, fourth, and even fifth exams saw the passing rate of 1st Brigade increase from 30% initially to 60% in the final fifth assessment.
This result wasn't good, but five days of the month had already passed, and with three weeks left, he needed to push forward other matters. As for the Zerg knowledge, that had to stop here.
The fifth exam was scheduled for the afternoon and lasted for six hours. Qin Su announced the scores at 8 p. m.
Qin Su: "Get some rest these next couple of days. Monday will be a fresh start."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; 'exam week' was finally over. Now, they wondered... how Qin Su would arrange their training next?
Qin Su returned to his dormitory and saw the message from the Military Factory. He skillfully seized the login information of the pirates' Spaceship and used the pirates' accounts to post some phishing messages.
Every time pirates "visited" a village, after the pirates were dealt with, Qin Su would post a message imitating the pirates' tone, always with an air of "unable to suppress his joy and secretly showing off." He would delete it shortly afterward, revealing his ulterior motive of "wanting to show off his good fortune but not wanting others to get the same good fortune as him."
The realism is off the charts.
Pirates were already universally hated, and with limited supplies and weapons, they wandered from place to place. Few could resist such temptations. They knew that with their pirate strength, they simply couldn't possibly consume the entire stock of a Military Factory. They were all tempted and itching to buy it.
Many are willing to take the risk.
As more pirates fell for the trick, Qin Su did this several times this week, becoming quite adept at it.
The same was true for the security guards; every group of pirates who came never returned.
When posting phishing messages, Qin Su didn't forget to block accounts that looked suspicious based on the login information of each pirate leader's Optical Brain.
They also made a list of those accounts, preparing to carefully investigate the owners behind them during the Third Practical Exercise break.
Pirates typically don't want to be found, especially if they've acquired a large quantity of weapons. They're afraid of being robbed, so hiding their whereabouts and keeping a low profile is quite normal.
Most pirates didn't suspect anything, and even those who did were only a few able to resist the lure of huge profits, resulting in a continuous stream of pirates being lured in.
According to the daily reports from the Ghost Security Guards, even though Qin Su was not physically present, he knew that four groups of pirates had 'visited' the Military Factory.
Military Factories also gradually began operations.
Several Spaceships were already parked in the Military Factory warehouse that Qin Su had taken over from Abraham. It would be a pity to destroy the Spaceships, so Qin Su issued an order to modify them.
Weapons that were captured were used after removing the pirate markings; those that were not were sorted, melted down, and recast into new weapons, ensuring that no one could tell they came from pirates.
In just one week, the pirate crime rate dropped.
A month had passed since the request for help was made, and the Federation had spent a full month preparing for military action against the pirates. On the eve of this, the planet that had originally requested the Federation's help sent a new message informing them that they could no longer find any trace of the pirates who had been frequently harassing them.
"What do you mean the pirates are missing?!" The hook-nosed, black-haired Alpha suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the table in front of him.
Across from him were different faces sitting in their respective offices, holding meetings via physical projection.
At the bottom of the food chain at this table, Qiu Pang's obese body trembled, his bulging fat face shaking. "That's what the people from Feimikanna Planet said, I was just..."
Greyliff interrupted Qiu Pang, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Find a way to make contact. The operation cannot be canceled under any circumstances."
"This operation will ensure no one is left alive." They dared to take the money and not do the job; they're so disobedient, we have to replace them.
Having spent considerable time maneuvering and employing legal and compliant means to designate a military operation perfectly aligned with the interests of all parties, the operation now faces cancellation, a prospect no one present is happy about.
They understood the meaning behind Greyliff's glances; if the pirates didn't work, they would have to send another group to take their place.
As soon as Greyliff finished speaking, someone else chimed in, "I can't get in touch with them."
"Same."
"My messages have all disappeared without a trace."
"Everyone, to be honest, I sent out the message three days ago, but I haven't received a single response."
The crowd chimed in with their opinions, but Greyliff's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. "Don't tell me they've become so rich that they no longer need to scrape by between your fingers?"
No one spoke, and they had no idea what had happened. There had been no warning since they lost contact with the pirates.
"So, what are we supposed to be attacking?" Greyliff slammed his hand on the table, making a loud thud.
"Um... I've thought of a possibility." Qiu Pang raised his hand.
Greyliff's tone wasn't very friendly. "Speak!"
Qiu Pang shuddered and said timidly, "Is it possible that Qin Su did it?"
Whenever he thought of 'good deeds,' the name 'Qin Su' would involuntarily flash through his mind.