Learning Pressure

At dusk, a "convoy of steel" arrived, delivering ammunition.

The vehicles' tires were made entirely of steel. The convoy consisted of more than a dozen riders, five armored combat vehicles, and three armored transporters.

Inside an empty transporter, Chu Fei found several new "companions." They looked to be boys and girls of thirteen or fourteen, most of them silently sobbing.

Chu Fei's heart sank slightly.

As night deepened, Chu Fei fell asleep to the sound of explosions and woke early feeling listless.

At first light, Captain Huang dragged him out of bed.

Chu Fei desperately wanted to sleep in. His whole body ached from getting up early, and he did not even want to move a finger. Unfortunately, that was all he could do—want it.

More than ten minutes later, motorcycles and armored vehicles roared into the wilderness, their steel tires crushing Living Corpses with tooth-grating crunches.

Standing on an ammunition crate, Chu Fei looked out through the transporter's side rails at this savage world.

Under the dim daylight, swaying Living Corpses were everywhere.

Carrion birds continually landed on the Living Corpses.

Whenever a Living Corpse approached the convoy, it was immediately shot down.

With sufficient ammunition, Living Corpses were not much of a threat. But industrial production capacity in the apocalypse was truly worrying.

Chu Fei asked the female rider beside him, "Big sis, why have so many Living Corpses suddenly appeared? Weren't there only Beast Tides before?"

Big sis?

The female rider looked at Chu Fei, then at the youths huddled in the corner sobbing. Coolly, she said, "Don't know."

Chu Fei gave an oh, glanced at the steel motorcycle secured inside the vehicle, and felt a flicker of envy.

The convoy passed through two villages, left behind ammunition, and took away several more sobbing youths.

Seeing this, Chu Fei questioned the female rider again.

The female rider began to explain at an unhurried pace.

Villages under protection not only had to pay protection fees—they also had to provide people!

In the apocalypse, the most precious thing was "people," and the thing consumed most heavily was also "people."

Different "factions" had different demands. Some wanted adult warriors, some wanted strong women who had given birth, and so on.

Dawn Academy wanted boys and girls between twelve and fourteen. It even offered subsidies—though they were really payments for buying lives.

For volunteers, the payment was five thousand yuan; for forced recruits, the subsidy was one thousand yuan.

One thousand yuan for one life, clearly marked and plainly priced!

The convoy continued onward, while Chu Fei stared blankly into the wilderness.

Seeing Chu Fei remain silent, the female rider spoke first. "Do you think human lives are worthless?"

Chu Fei stayed silent.

The female rider sighed and said softly, "I entered Dawn Academy at twelve. Before that, I ate grass roots for seven days."

Chu Fei suddenly came to himself. This was the apocalypse—he could not judge it by the morals of peaceful times.

The knot in his heart loosened, and he could not help asking, "Then what exactly is Big Data Cultivation?"

The female rider pondered for a while before saying, "That is difficult to answer. I can only say that Big Data Cultivation is the Yanhuang Federation's most precious legacy.

"Oh, right. My name is Zhao Hongyue. You can call me Sister Zhao."

"Okay, Sister Zhao."

Zhao Hongyue fell silent for a while, then suddenly forced out a sentence through clenched teeth. "But in my view, Big Data Cultivation is not only the most precious legacy—it is also the most hateful one!"

"Huh? Why?"

Zhao Hongyue ground her teeth. "Big Data Cultivation is the product of peak science, and the foundation of science is mathematics.

"As for mathematics, if you can't do it, you can't do it. Even if they whip you, you still can't do it!"

They even got whipped?

Things were feeling more and more wrong.

The convoy kept moving. The compartment was silent except for the rumble of the vehicles.

Until Chu Fei faintly felt the earth trembling.

"An earthquake?" Chu Fei looked around.

The vehicles began to roar as they seized the nearest high ground. Drones rose into the air, while missiles, autocannons, and more entered combat readiness.

Zhao Hongyue leaped onto her motorcycle, which roared out of the compartment.

Before leaving, Zhao Hongyue instructed the youths, "If things go bad, find cover yourselves."

Chu Fei lay over the side rails and gazed into the distance.

Boom!

Boom!

Heavy thunderous blasts echoed through the mountains and wilderness, growing clearer and clearer.

The earth trembled, the mountains shuddered, rocks began to tumble down, and panicked birds, beasts, Living Corpses, and more rushed out across the wilds.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out, shaking heaven and earth.

A distant cliff face collapsed, revealing a thick metal ram, followed by an upturned "deck."

Rubble shot into the sky as an enormous metallic body emerged. Beneath it were iron jointed limbs like pillars holding up the heavens.

A "land aircraft carrier" appeared before Chu Fei. More than thirty pairs of limbs beneath it moved in alternation, crushing mountains and rivers beneath their feet, unhindered wherever they went.

Two weathered characters were painted on the side of the "supercarrier": Thunderclap.

Cannons and missile silos bristled across it, while radar slowly rotated.

Fighter jets stood on its deck.

Countless "tiny" beasts fled madly before the "supercarrier."

Chu Fei stood dumbstruck.

Everyone watched until the "aircraft carrier" vanished into the distance.

Zhao Hongyue returned, her face filled with shock. "The Thunderclap Land Carrier!

"No wonder the Living Corpse Tide broke out. It must have uprooted their nest and driven them over here.

"But why did the Thunderclap Land Carrier come here?"

The convoy continued forward, gradually reaching noon.

After crossing another hill, Chu Fei suddenly saw a majestic, winding city wall built against the mountains, cutting across the heavens.

Above it was pale sunlight; below it was a pitch-black "abyss."

Black and white formed a stark contrast.

"Sister Zhao, what city wall is that?"

"Flying Tiger City's High Wall." Zhao Hongyue gave a simple explanation. "The wall is about two hundred meters high, with a circumference of roughly fifty kilometers. The flat area inside is around seventy square kilometers, and the population is approximately eight hundred thousand."

The convoy continued onward. The towering wall gradually blocked out the pale sunlight. Gray walls linked with brown mountainsides, their cannon barrels standing thick as a forest.

The wall sloped in places and was pitted with holes, mottled with both old and new scars.

Heavy vehicles passed in and out through the city gates in a bustle of activity.

After inspection, the convoy entered gates like tunnels. It then passed through a chaotic transportation hub, went by factory districts filled with pungent, strange odors, crossed crowded and dilapidated residential areas, and finally arrived at the southern side of a small hill.

The vehicles stopped. Zhao Hongyue said blandly, "We're here. Get out. I hope you'll like it here."

Chu Fei looked up.

At the foot of the mountain stood a concrete archway covered in old vines. Written upon it were the words: Dawn Academy.

To the southwest was an almost vertical cliff, jagged with scattered rocks and dotted here and there with buildings.

Suddenly, Chu Fei saw a figure leap from the cliff.

What was that person doing?

Chu Fei focused his eyes.

The figure smashed into the jagged rocks, tumbling wildly through the air. Then came a brief, shrill scream.

Chu Fei was stunned. Stammering, he asked Zhao Hongyue, "Sister Zhao... th-this... this is..."

"Probably too much pressure from studying. All right, your homeroom teacher is here."

Chu Fei gaped.

A man even "weaker" than Captain Huang came down the mountain path. His skin was bronze, and he moved with the agility of a leopard.

Captain Huang stepped forward to hand over the group. "Teacher Cao, here is the roster for this batch. Twenty-seven in total."

Teacher Cao glanced through it, nodded slightly, and said to Chu Fei and the others, "Little ones, you are now students of Dawn Academy.

"I am your homeroom teacher, Cao Liwen.

"Now, let's do a simple entrance test.

"See the flag halfway up the mountain?

"The straight-line distance from here to that flag is about six hundred meters. Time limit: one hundred and sixty seconds.

"The top three will be rewarded.

"The bottom three, or anyone who fails to arrive on time, will receive three lashes!"

Lashes?

Chu Fei's heart tightened. Remembering Zhao Hongyue's words, he took off running.

With Chu Fei taking the lead, the remaining youths quickly reacted. Several ran extremely fast and soon overtook him.

Cao Liwen said nothing, merely watching in silence.

As the saying went, a mountain seen in the distance could run a horse to death. The straight-line distance was six hundred meters, but the actual distance was likely twice that, and the mountain path was rough and difficult.

The few who had sprinted ahead soon stopped midway, hands on their knees as they panted heavily.

Chu Fei was not moving quickly, but his pace was nearly constant. Little by little, he passed one figure after another.

But gradually, Chu Fei's legs began to ache and weaken. It was yesterday's exhaustion catching up with him.

Two boys passed him.

"Hold on a little longer! I can see the flagpole!"

Chu Fei let out a low roar, the veins on his neck bulging as he gritted his teeth and seized third place by half a step.

The two boys ahead looked him over.

One of them suddenly said, "I estimate that path was about eleven hundred meters."

The other said, "I think it was less than a kilometer."

Then the two looked at Chu Fei.

At that moment, a number flashed through Chu Fei's mind: 977.6 meters. In the haze, a dazzling "gem" flashed past.

Chu Fei was delighted, but said aloud, "I think it was over a kilometer."

The first boy smiled at Chu Fei. "My name is Li Honggang."

"Chu Fei."

The other boy glared at Chu Fei, but under the gazes of Chu Fei and Li Honggang, he introduced himself irritably. "Jiang Shaohu."

Since readers have asked too many questions, here is a special explanation: Dawn Academy is not a place for teaching and nurturing people. Its purpose is very clear—to find one outstanding tool among countless people. Nothing more.

Because the subject matter is relatively novel and difficult to write, this author is also exploring while writing. If you find any issues such as contradictions with established settings, please point them out.

Supplement added on 2024.03.15.