Chapter 95

' Qin Su a man of unwavering loyalty, a good man who selflessly sacrificed his own weapons and led his own Fleets to eradicate the insects for the Federation, shielding himself from danger.'

More importantly, Qin Su has the ability to wipe out the pirates without anyone noticing!

Qiu Pang dared not say these words in front of this group. His status among them was already low, and to praise Qin Su would be utterly ridiculous. Therefore, Qiu Pang only offered a guess.

Upon hearing the name 'Qin Su', the atmosphere among those present instantly turned tense.

Seeing that no one spoke and the air became oppressive, Qiu Pang lowered his head, trying to minimize his presence.

With his limited intelligence, he couldn't fathom what these people were thinking.

[There's a 'traitor' among you, but this person is so contradictory—on one hand, they're doing bad things with great success, and on the other hand, they're secretly cheering for Su Bao.]

[I also want to know if it's Su Bao]

[Whether it is true or not, well done. I've long been annoyed by those pirates who commit arson, murder, and looting against ordinary people, yet serve as lackeys for the powerful. If they had any backbone and truly robbed the rich to help the poor as they claim, I might look at them with more respect.]

[No, Qin Su is busy with his Third Practical Exercise training. He appears every morning... wait, I forgot, and at night too (horrifying)]

[When Qin Su doesn't need to rest... Well, it's Qin Su, then that's quite possible. Do you guys remember during the Second Practical Exercise, Qin Su used his entire Fleets? What does that mean? Use your brains.]

[What does this mean? Seeking favor!]

[You really don't think things through at all. Well, I'll reluctantly spoil you then.]

[This indicates that Qin Su expressed great dissatisfaction with the Federation's regulations on the number of weapons used in each insect Purge. He sarcastically suggested that the Federation used excessive weaponry and supplies each time it attacked pirates, effectively eliminating the pirates and disrupting their plans to use the pretext of pirate suppression to resell resources, leaving them with a bitter pill to swallow.]

Master, I understand!

Qin Su: "?"

No, no, no, he was just eyeing the pirates' supplies. In the eyes of the Federation, the pirates' possessions were insignificant, but he was poor. Even the smallest bit of food was still food to him, and he couldn't bear to waste it.

He used the name 'Jiang Cheng' all along, so why did they suspect him so quickly? Fortunately, they only suspected him, they had no evidence...

Wait, Robin Hood-style redistribution?

Qin Su stared intently at the skin in the upper left corner, his expression unreadable in the darkness.

It is known that this group of people, who want to amass wealth under the guise of Purge pirates, are 'Rich'.

Correspondingly, he is pitiful, wronged, and exhausted from scavenging a little bit of weapons and supplies from pirates, all alone in another world, weak, pitiful, and helpless!

Why can't it be 'poor'?

Robin Hood-like figures who rob the rich to help the poor...

Qin Su felt as if he had been enlightened.

He truly understood.

What difference does it make who's a pirate? Emperors can rise and fall, so why can't pirates?

On another note, if the Fourth Military Academy could act as an angel investor on his "entrepreneurial" path, then naturally this group of people who had private ties with pirates could too.

He's not picky.

Qin Su's mood grew increasingly pleasant as he thought about it. He immediately opened his Optical Brain and carefully reviewed the security personnel's backgrounds, selecting suitable candidates one by one.

He was enlightened by a comment from Viewers in the live chat, and for the time being, he understood that he was capable of being a security guard and, of course, a pirate as well.

He said that at his young age, it would be a waste of his talents to just collect garbage. If he wanted to get rich, collecting garbage alone wouldn't work; he had to generate income.

After an unknown amount of time, Qiu Pang, who was sitting and feeling drowsy, heard someone's voice.

Greyliff: "It couldn't have been Qin Su who did it. The Fourth Military Academy has been reporting on Qin Su's whereabouts recently. Qin Su has been preparing for the Third Practical Exercise, working from 7 a. m. to 10 p. m. every day."

The Fourth Military Academy granted Qin Su access, knowing only Qin Su whereabouts and that the students in Qin Su team had been sporting huge dark circles under their eyes ever since he started training. However, due to Qin Su's deliberate seclusion and concealment of his activities, only the members of the 1st Brigade knew what Qin Su had actually been doing.

Surely, it can't be like what the people in the 1st Brigade said, that they're actually conducting completely unnecessary exams?

That's so fake.

Immediately, someone else chimed in, "You're right. Unless Qin Su doesn't sleep at night, even if he could, he might be able to for a short time, but his body wouldn't be able to handle it in the long run. He simply couldn't withstand the high-intensity training at the Military Academy."

"If you ask me, what reliable things could that idiot Qiu Pang possibly say?"

If it weren't for the mention of 'Qin Su' in those words, they wouldn't have wasted any time thinking about it seriously.

"Anyone who actually thinks Qin Su is a good person is a complete idiot."

"That's right. What Qin Su showed was only what he wanted others to see; it was all for his ulterior motives."

Feeling scorned, Qiu Pang didn't dare to refute, only offering a sheepish smile and remaining silent.

"Enough." Greyliff swept his gaze around like a hawk. "This is not the time for sarcasm. Speak up, everyone. Without pirates, how should the plan proceed?"

Greyliff already had a plan in mind, and the others knew what Greyliff was thinking. Greyliff was keeping quiet because he didn't want to bear the 'losses' this time; they were the ones who had to.

Next, let's see who the unlucky one is this time.

Greyliff's eyes swept around, and everyone whose gaze fell upon him looked uneasy.

Finally, Greyliff's gaze fell on Norian, and he asked, "Norian, what do you think?"

Norian looked up and forced a stiff smile, "... Only we can..."

"Hmm?" Greyliff interrupted Norian, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Unable to get away with it, Norian's lips moved, inwardly cursing Greyliff's ancestors, but outwardly he smiled and agreed, "I'll arrange it, don't worry."

Receiving a satisfactory answer, Greyliff smiled, stood up, walked over, and patted Greyliff on the shoulder. "Thank you for your hard work."

He then looked at the others present. "This time, we should all thank Norian."

"Yes, yes, yes."

"You're right."

Despite having put in the most effort this time, it was Greyliff who received the compliments, Norian forced a smile.

He suspected that Greyliff was targeting him this time because he had been forced into a position last time due to the president's presence, and hadn't been able to provide him with any favors.

"That's settled then. I don't want any more surprises." After saying this, Greyliff was the first to close the live video conferencing mode.

Norian was in a bad mood and closed the second window.

As everyone disappeared from his sight, Norian patted the spot on his shoulder where Greyliff had touched him with a look of disgust, and called for someone to come in.

[The pirates are our own people, and the ones we attack are also our own people.]

[Take the item out of the left pocket, shake it around, and put it in the right pocket; no middleman taking a cut.]

[It's too dark]

[The president is too weak. A typical term is 20 years, and he's already served seven consecutive terms—140 years! What makes him so special?]

[Given that the electors from each planet were willing to vote for him during each election, if he were truly that incompetent, the Federation wouldn't have developed to this point. It seems he's managed to maintain a pretty good balance.]

[Really? Then why are the truly developed places all home to powerful families, even on the most advanced planets, there are still many slums?]

Qin Su compiled the list of the 'pirate gang', created a fake Optical Brain clone, and logged into the pirate leader's account that he had logged into before.

Among the numerous messages, many were sent to the pirate's account from a list he had previously blocked.

Based on these messages and the information provided by the bullet comments, Qin Su could easily guess that they had a close relationship with the 'rich' he was about to rob.

The exam week in the Real World has ended, and his sister, parents, and children are rarely home. Qin Su is too lazy to go back. With the bug that Life Points him from dying, he decides to stay up all night and follow the clues to find more information. He doesn't plan to take any action yet.

Anyway...

Their Cleansing Plan will proceed as planned; he will only take action after the operation is complete and the distribution of benefits among all parties is finished.

They had to swallow their pride and bear the loss of their stolen goods, not daring to publicize it. They could only investigate in secret, and even if they suspected themselves... they still had no evidence.

--

Ever since Qin Su acted as a go-between and tricked Halton into becoming He Muzhi's "coach," He Muzhi's spare time has been filled with Halton.

Lin Yin, Lailisi, Samuel had spent a lot of time with He Muzhi since they were young, and they had waited for He Muzhi to finish his training on several occasions.

Halton couldn't stand it anymore. Since teaching one person was the same as teaching another, he invited the other three to join the training specifically for He Muzhi, as a way of making up for his guilt towards He Muzhi.

During a break from training, He Muzhi received a message from home, and his brows furrowed after reading it.

"What's wrong?" Lin Yin was the first to notice He Muzhi's furrowed brows and asked in confusion.

"It's about the pirates." He Muzhi rarely kept anything from his childhood friends, so he told them the truth. "My grandfather said that the pirates, who were extremely active and had raided the local residents several times, suddenly disappeared within a week, just before the Federation's Pirate Cleansing Plan was about to begin. He asked if I had any clues."

He Muzhi was completely confused. "I replied 'no'."

"..." He Muzhi's grandfather's expectations for him were clearly not limited to the Military Academy that Purge the Zerg.

Halton appeared to be alone at a distance from the four men, but in reality, he was listening intently to their conversation.

"Grandpa's back. He asked me what Qin Su was doing?" He Muzhi looked at his friends, "Do you know?"

Lailisi: "I don't know."

Samuel: "Rest in the dorm?"

Lin Yin: "Are you home?"

The three spoke at the same time, but their answers differed.

He Muzhi repeated the three answers to his grandfather one by one.

He Jin: "..."

Oh well, the kids are still young, it's normal for them not to understand yet.

Halton listened anxiously from the side.

The other side believed that He Muzhi and Qin Su were close, and their implication was clearly that they wanted to ask He Muzhi if Qin Su was involved in this matter, and if possible, they would like to ask Qin Su directly.

Unfortunately, He Muzhi three companions couldn't understand; their minds were filled with nothing but 'sandworms'.

How could they possibly understand that life isn't just about insects? Without Qin Su's instructions, he could only keep quiet.

"Well."

Halton sighed after taking a sip of the jasmine-flavored nutrient solution.

With a head full of question marks, He Muzhi and the other three all turned to look at Halton.

[Halton: I want to say it, but I don't dare~]

[There's no way around it; the memory of accidentally getting caught up in the insect-hunting battlefield in my childhood is too deep. Gradually, it has unknowingly become an obsession as I grow up, leaving no room for anything else.]

Halton, gathering his scattered thoughts, looked at the four and said, "Do you believe me or not, even if the pirates disappear without a trace, this plan to Purge them out will still proceed?"

"They're all gone, so who are we going to wipe out?" Samuel wondered.

Halton himself wasn't sure. If he had the ability to identify who it was, he wouldn't need the Panhe He Family. He could only say, "It's definitely not a pirate."

He Muzhi frowned even more deeply as he thought about what he had seen and heard while following adults when he was a child.

Lin Yin seemed to have thought of something as well, and looked at He Muzhi.

--

Monday.

Filled with curiosity and excitement, the 1st Brigade finished their daily morning training and assembled in front of Qin Su.

Standing at the front, Qin Su looked around and saw many people taller and bigger than him. He secretly rejoiced that he had been elected Commander; otherwise, he would have been easily overwhelmed by them, which would not have been 'strong' at all.

"Follow me." Qin Su withdrew his gaze, turned around, and took the lead, deliberately distancing himself from the crowd behind him.

[Mwah, it feels like we've been apart for ages, my Su Bao (pouting)]

[Today's Boss 1, BKing, performed consistently well.]

[It really has that kind of imposing aura, like someone leading a thousand troops.]

[It feels like the end of an infinite loop game, with the person who led the way clearing the dungeon guiding the other players out of the instance.]

Half an hour later, the 1st Brigade appeared in the largest Mecha operation hall in the entire Fourth Military Academy.

Aiseboer is a Mecha enthusiast who will do anything to buy different types of Mecha, even if it costs him his own money.

This space contains Mecha that Aiseboer had heard of and tried every means to purchase.

The Mecha are inherently durable, Aiseboer doesn't mind students using them. He also wants more people to experience the charm of Mecha. He just needs students to take good care of them when operating them.

Everyone at the Fourth Military Academy knows that many of the Mecha were purchased with the Principal's personal funds and were taken care of by him during use.

"I understand. Last week, we spent a whole week learning about insects, so this week's test will definitely cover Mecha- related knowledge."

"Putting aside any exams or anything like that, no matter how many times I come here, I'm always deeply moved by this place that seems to stretch on forever, a place so vast that it tires my eyes just looking at it."

[Welcome to the Principal's Large-Scale Personal Hobby Collection Exhibition]

[I see my sister's entire room full of blind box dolls]

[This is really cool. I understand the Principal. This is not only visually appealing but also functional. It's incredibly awesome! This time, I finally guessed what Su Bao was going to do.]

Judging from the comments, there are quite a few people who like Mecha. Qin Su turned on the Comic Capture Camera, ensuring that the Viewers didn't come for nothing and got their fill of the show.

In previous courses, the teachers had brought them here a few times, but they hadn't had many hands-on experiences. Many of the Mecha Qin Su here had only seen the structural diagrams and understood the operation in theory, but they had never actually operated them.

Putting myself in their shoes, I realized that the other students, lacking a systematic understanding, would know even less about Mecha than I did.

He will take this opportunity to practice touching the device from beginning to end, and so will his classmates.

Having experienced it firsthand, if any danger arises, you can operate any Mecha, regardless of its type, to fight back or escape. You won't put yourself in danger or lose your life because you don't know how to operate a particular Mecha.

After giving everyone a minute to appreciate the content, Qin Su silently connected to the indoor broadcast system before interrupting the students' viewing. "Everyone, please check the group document."

The document sent was one of the plans that Qin Su had made up a week earlier while staying up all night.

Since its creation, Group 1 has been virtually devoid of casual conversation, and the documents Qin Su posts are rarely flooded with comments and disappear from view.

Qin Su's voice suddenly rang out. During this period, everyone had often heard Qin Su's cold, commanding tone, and their brains and bodies had become accustomed to obeying Qin Su's orders even faster than their consciousness.

Upon opening the Optical Brain, everyone saw the detailed schedule for the five-day Mecha piloting practice.

There are a total of 59 Classes. The entire area is divided into 30 zones by Qin Su. Basically, two classes can occupy one zone for one time period. When it is the next time period, they will rotate in groups.

Over five days, across 30 zones, each team member in each zone will have hands-on experience operating Mecha.

In one class, besides the Class Monitor, there are other students who excel in Mecha and have been temporarily appointed by Qin Su as 'group leaders' to teach those who don't know how.

Assuming the students had probably finished reading, Qin Su's voice rang out again over the loudspeaker.

"If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via the Optical Brain. I will arrive as soon as possible to answer them."

"In addition," Qin Su deliberately emphasized.

Seeing everyone's attention focused on him and their tense expressions, Qin Su said, "Every night from 10 PM to 12 AM, each class will have 20 minutes to randomly select lucky students to stand up and answer questions."

"The methods of answering include, but are not limited to, oral responses and practical demonstrations."

The questions will be related to the Mecha -related activities in each class's practical area today.

Aside from necessary meal and lunch breaks, the rioting this week lasted from 7 a. m. to midnight.

If it were Earthling, they might not be able to withstand such high intensity. After observing the Interstellar People for a long time, Qin Su found that the Interstellar People were indeed worthy of being humans with an average lifespan of three hundred years, and could completely withstand it.

It was said that people would be randomly selected to answer, but in reality, Qin Su would find out who would be chosen from among the students who made mistakes during the practical operation later.

This is equivalent to having the answer all along.

Just like online shopping, the merchant advertises it as a "blind box," but in reality, the contents are determined by the merchant.

"!"

"Good news, there's no exam this time. Bad news, though, the daily risk of being randomly selected by Commander 1 to answer questions is even more terrifying than the exam!"

"Oh no, oh no," Sheng Shuang muttered to herself, "I've always had bad luck, could I have been chosen?"

Upon hearing this, He Muzhi thought of his own luck and dared not utter a word.

When it comes to bad luck, Lin Yin said he'd be second to none.

[Another nightmare]

[Top students are fearless. Except when teachers are listening or need them to explain something to the class, they'll raise their hands until they're tired, but the teachers will just pretend they don't see it.]

[During class, I'm most afraid of the teacher saying 'I'll call on someone to answer,' and what's even more terrifying is that every time I'm frantically thinking 'Don't call on me, don't call on me,' I'm sure I'll get chosen (laughing and crying)]

Murphy's Law applies everywhere, hahaha.

Qin Su pretended not to hear the students' timid remarks or see their pale faces, and decisively said, "Begin."

At Qin Su's command, even though everyone had a lot to say but didn't have time to say it, their bodies obeyed the schedule and began heading to their assigned positions for that time period.

The crowd that had been standing crowded in the middle of the aisle dispersed in an instant, each group clearly organized and distinct.

In the comic strip, the crowd dispersed quickly and orderly. Qin Su strode into the first area, which was the area where the two classes (2) and (6) were located during this time period.

In order not to appear abrupt and to conceal his ulterior motive of taking the opportunity to actually touch all the Mecha here, Qin Su planned to go through all of them one by one, from area 1 to area 30.

"The Class Monitor is behind us!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. We noticed it a while ago. Class (2) is still here. Be calm and don't act like you've never seen anything like this before. We need to stay calm. Besides being the Commander 1, Brother Su is also our Class Monitor, so naturally he'll favor us. Class (2) is just benefiting from our presence."

(2) The students in class. "...

That cannot be refuted.

Although they were happy, the thought of Qin Su in their area made both Class 2 and Class 6 tense up involuntarily, and their eyes kept turning towards Qin Su, watching his every move.

Under the watchful eyes of his classmates, Qin Su had to restrain his unbridled joy at touching the Mecha, feigning indifference and boredom. After his classmates finished using it, he quickly touched the mechas that he hadn't touched in previous lessons.

[Qin Su clearly treats He Muzhi differently; the first place he went to was the area where He Muzhi was located.]

[Is it possible that all areas are the same for our hostel's Boss Su, so we just start from 1?]

[They both seem to make sense (I'm conflicted)]

'Actually, neither of them makes sense.'

While the Optical Brain was connected to the Mecha control consoles across the entire area and collecting 'error reports', Qin Su silently replied to the comments on the screen.

Qin Su, who was collecting 'error reports', inevitably discovered that some students, when encountering difficulties, did not seek help from their group leaders, Class Monitors, or even him.

Sensing the other party's social anxiety, Qin Su contacted the Class Monitor Optical Brain his personal terminal for simple questions, asking someone the other party knew to solve them first. Only if they couldn't solve it themselves would Qin Su go to them.

Thanks to the completeness of the system data, Qin Su had memorized the operating procedures for all kinds of Mecha, making it easy for him to solve problems.

After resolving the problem, Qin Su quickly left.

In most groups of two shifts, to avoid queuing, they spontaneously take turns using the equipment.

At noon, the Mecha practice was suspended, and Qin Su announced the disbandment. Students who chose to eat fresh food went to the cafeteria, while those who chose to drink nutrient solution to sustain their lives went to their dormitories.

"Raymond, aren't you going to eat meat today? I heard that 98 Canteen got a special batch of meat today, don't you want to try it?" Anthony curiously, seeing that Raymond wasn't heading to the cafeteria as usual.

"I don't have much of an appetite right now," Raymond lied earnestly. "I don't want to eat meat."

As his childhood friend, Jeffrey knew Raymond all too well, and bluntly pointed out, "Don't you want to eat meat, or do you want to hurry back and cram on your Mecha knowledge?"

Raymond glanced at Jeffrey sideways. "... Next time you can't speak, you can sew your mouth shut."

"Tsk tsk tsk, getting angry and embarrassed after being exposed, I get it~"

"Heh!" Jeffrey's smug voice made Raymond scoff repeatedly. "You're all the same."

"I need to fix it? What a joke, I'm very capable."

"What Mecha? I'm not interested in it at all."

"If it's weapons, I'll secretly work on them. But as for Mecha, forget it. We're only assigned so few Mecha in each battle, it's pointless to bother. We'll probably never need them in our lives anyway."

Hearing these voices, Raymond pushed Jeffrey's hand away and quickened his pace, not wanting to talk to them.

He'll never fall for it again!

'If he still believes their nonsense, he's lost his mind!'

Last time, everyone said they wouldn't study at night, but after the exam, when they saw everyone else's rankings soar past his and his ranking drop by more than 10,000 places, he realized he had been tricked. He was the only honest person who went straight to sleep; most of the others were burning the midnight oil.

[Look how you've fooled the child; you've lost all trust!]

[Even an honest man gets caught telling a lie, poor Raymond]

[I guarantee that these people who said they wouldn't make up for it will make it up faster than anyone else when they get back to the dorm.]

Qin Su rarely went to the cafeteria and was planning to return to his dormitory. He walked not far from Raymond and the others and overheard their conversation clearly.

"..."

I dare not comment. He's no different from them. He pretends to be nonchalant on the surface, but in private, he's more willing to go to any lengths than anyone else just to appear strong.

Raymond walked angrily a short distance away and saw a familiar figure appear before him.

It's Xuan Jingxi.

Raymond's eyes lit up immediately. He straightened his clothes, stretched his limbs, flashed his signature smile, and walked briskly to Xuan Jingxi: "Senior Xuan, what a coincidence!"

"Raymond, what a coincidence." Xuan Jingxi had come for Qin Su, and her eyes were on Qin Su. However, Raymond blocked her view, so she subtly looked away and greeted him.

"Um... Senior Xuan, you're really good at Mecha. If I encounter any problems I don't understand about Mecha, can I bother you?" Raymond was pleasantly surprised to find that he finally had something to talk about with Xuan Jingxi.

[Where is the male peacock from?]

[If you don't understand, just ask: Why does Raymond always act like this?]

[You didn't read carefully, did you? Because of gratitude, Raymond was called a "nouveau riche" kid when he was young, and was looked down upon by the children from families that considered themselves well-off. At a banquet, Xuan Jingxi saw injustice and kicked the kid who had kicked Raymond into the thorns, sending him flying. This attracted the parents, otherwise Raymond would have been disfigured. He's such an arrogant person; disfigurement would be his life.]

[Congratulations to Raymond on returning to his old job of splash screen advertising]

No one dislikes a diligent and studious person, so Xuan Jingxi readily agreed, "Okay."

"However..." Xuan Jingxi explained bluntly, "Not now, let's do it later. I need to speak with Qin Su right now."

"Ah... okay." Raymond paused for a moment, then quickly said, "Then I won't bother you any longer, goodbye."

"Goodbye." Xuan Jingxi smiled.

Despite his curiosity about why Xuan Jingxi had come to see Qin Su, Raymond didn't press the matter and quickly left after saying goodbye.

He planned to secretly cram for the exam and then amaze all his classmates.

Raymond left, Xuan Jingxi's smile faded as she strode towards Qin Su.

The moment Qin Su saw Xuan Jingxi, he guessed that she might be after him, and the only reason Xuan Jingxi would come looking for him... Qin Su couldn't think of any other possibility besides He Wenyuan.

Xuan Jingxi must have also noticed the unusual situation in the Xuan Family.

Not wanting others to know about this, Qin Su deliberately stopped in a secluded spot to wait for Xuan Jingxi.

Seeing Qin Su's movements, Xuan Jingxi's eyes darkened slightly. Could it be... that Qin Su also knows something?

"Good afternoon, Qin Su." Xuan Jingxi quickly stopped a step away from Qin Su.

"Hello, Senior Sister Xuan." Qin Su greeted her naturally, though he didn't show it and waited for her to speak first.

"That's how it is." Facing someone whose background was unclear yet whose every move hinted at his extraordinary nature, Xuan Jingxi saw no need to beat around the bush and decisively stated her guess:

"My father is not normal. Normally, if he woke up and found out that I had helped to kill He Wenyuan, I would be severely punished. But this morning he was completely sober, and upon hearing the news of He Wenyuan's death, he didn't say anything."

"That's strange."

"Therefore, I think it's necessary to tell you that I believe there's something fishy about He Wenyuan's death."

The thought that He Wenyuan's ashes, which she flushed down the toilet, might be fake filled Xuan Jingxi with rage. Unfortunately, she had grown up in the Xuan Family, and apart from the occasional unexpected gain, her connections and resources were almost entirely related to the old man.

Even if some people could be temporarily bought off by her with promises of benefits, they would still waver back and forth between her and the old man. To confirm her suspicions, she thought that Qin Su, who was responsible for He Wenyuan's death, certainly didn't want He Wenyuan to live either.

Xuan Jingxi: "I've been researching lately..."

Qin Su interrupted Xuan Jingxi: "Senior Xuan, what would you do if your father were to die in an accident?"

He recalled that the Xuan Family had two votes in the Electoral College.

Xuan Jingxi: "..."

As expected of Qin Su, he can speak such beautiful language with such polite words and without any expression.

That hit the nail on the head!