Confusion

"Ugh, how stingy. If it had been ten thousand Federal currency, I wouldn't have said anything."

Su Ming couldn't help complaining.

"Hmph, stingy as hell. They even went out of their way to exchange it into ten-yuan denominations."

Chen Tong's disdain as he looked at the thousand Federal currency was plain to see.

"All right, stop complaining. A thousand isn't a small amount. The three of you add up to three thousand in prize money! Your teacher only earns ten thousand a month, and I'm not an ordinary teacher—I'm a specially appointed instructor at the school. Don't treat money like it's worthless. Federal currency has a lot of purchasing power."

Tang Yan consoled the three of them helplessly, though he also held Principal Roken in deep contempt.

The reward was pitifully paltry. It was obvious that if Principal Roken hadn't wanted to take that photograph, he probably wouldn't even have brought the certificates and prize money.

"Teacher, we're not complaining. If you had presented this honor to us, we'd have been thrilled even without a single cent in prize money. But now it looks as though all the credit belongs to him. It's fucking disgusting."

Chen Tong refused to put up with it and spoke bluntly.

"All right, I understand how you feel. But you're still young. You'll understand once you grow up. Enough of that—let's start reviewing."

Tang Yan changed the subject solemnly.

"Okay!"

Su Ming and the other two stopped dwelling on it and began seriously preparing for class.

At seven that evening.

Su Ming, Su Yuan, and Zhao Ning sat around the dining table, eating dinner as a family.

"Honey, how's everything going at the garbage dump?"

"It's more or less settled. The missing employees have received their compensation, and we've paid the Thirteenth District's fine. The funds in the accounts are almost depleted now."

Su Yuan spoke dejectedly.

"It's all right. Things will be fine once we get through this period. If necessary, I still have some savings."

Zhao Ning spoke to Su Yuan with some heartache.

Although Su Yuan wasn't very capable, he was still her sky and the pillar of their family.

"No. How could we use your money? I still have some. It should be enough to get the garbage dump running again."

Su Yuan shook his head.

Listening to them, Su Ming sighed softly as well. It seemed that although Su Yuan had escaped trouble, the penalty had been severe.

Bzzz~

At that moment, the phone in his pocket vibrated. Su Ming took it out and glanced at it. A message from an unknown number popped up.

"Tonight's lesson will begin promptly at eight. Log in to the Star Cluster Website. Room number:"

Su Ming's eyes lit up. He quickly shoveled down a few bites, then stood and said to Su Yuan and Zhao Ning, "Father, Mother, I'm full. I'm going back to my room first."

"Son, you're not going to eat a little more?"

Zhao Ning looked at her increasingly gaunt son with concern.

"No, you two enjoy your meal."

Su Ming hurried toward the stairs.

Although it was still some time before class, he had to prepare in advance so nothing would go wrong and leave a bad impression.

Soon, Su Ming returned to his room. He walked to the desk and sat down, then reached out to turn on the computer.

The completely transparent crystal display lit up, and the computer entered its operating interface.

The moment he saw the wallpaper, he was instantly captivated.

Amid the vast, boundless sea of stars, brilliant starlight illuminated a magnificent warship as it pierced through the nebula. The lines of its hull were smooth and elegant, while its metallic shell gleamed with a cold luster. At the bow stood a stunning woman with a graceful figure, dressed in an exquisite blue command uniform. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall as she gazed into the distance.

Beside her floated the phantom image of a mysterious-looking mecha wielding a golden spear.

Looking at the exquisite wallpaper on the desktop, Su Ming inexplicably grew excited.

Then his brows suddenly furrowed slightly, his expression turning solemn as he stared blankly at the computer.

Su Ming knew perfectly well why he had inexplicably felt excited. It was because of this body.

In other words, the body he had merged with and its original memories were influencing him in every way. If he wasn't paying attention, he might not even notice some of these effects.

By contrast, his memories from before were growing increasingly blurred.

Put simply, two people with different personalities had fused together, and they were influencing each other. As for what he would ultimately become, he didn't know either.

Because of this, Su Ming felt somewhat lost, expectant, exhilarated, and afraid. In short, he was filled with the unknown.

"Hoo~"

Su Ming took several deep breaths to calm his excitement, then opened the browser.

The browser immediately brought up the official page of the Star Cluster Forum, where all kinds of the latest frontline news were updated.

Looking at the Star Cluster Forum's homepage, Su Ming fell into thought.

In fact, the original owner of this body had been a seasoned military enthusiast. Despite his chubby body, introverted personality, social anxiety, and pitifully poor abilities,

deep down, he yearned to join the military and was utterly fascinated by mechas.

As a result, he often followed current military affairs and had a certain understanding of the Old Federation's latest situation and its various prominent figures.

In truth, this hobby suited Su Ming perfectly. Although he had never touched a mecha before, he had fallen deeply in love with them the first time he saw a real one.

Su Ming glanced at the time on the desktop: 7:10. There was still plenty of time before the scheduled class.

He browsed the Star Cluster Forum for a while. It was a special encrypted platform jointly developed by the council and the military. It could be used not only for long-distance video communications, but also as the Old Federation's largest military news network and discussion platform.

Nearly everyone in the Old Federation used the platform.

Of course, even so, the encrypted platform still could not be used to transmit classified information. It could only serve as a daily auxiliary tool.

Su Ming carefully examined the more important headlines.

Latest News: On May 3, 4618 of the Old Era, at 2:00 p.m., the Old Federation's Second Joint Fleet—Remnant Light Legion—returned to the Third Planet for rest and recuperation. The fleet refused all public interviews and coverage during this period. According to unverified reports circulating online, the Second Joint Fleet's flagship, Star Hidden, was damaged, and a large number of enlisted personnel had become casualties. The specific cause remains unknown.

Latest News: At 1:00 a.m. on May 4, 4618 of the Old Era, the Old Federation's directly administered K413 mining planet was attacked by the Mechanical Race, resulting in ten thousand deaths. Preliminary speculation suggests the incident was caused by improper operation of a high-powered signal device.

Latest News: At 11:50 p.m. on May 9, 4618 of the Old Era, a large-scale invasion by Chilami larvae broke out in the Thirteenth District of the Third Planet. The exact number of casualties remains unknown. Further details will be announced!

Latest News: On May 10, 4618 of the Old Era, the Old Federation Council officially announced its latest decree, raising the interstellar freight transaction tax by 1.3%.

Su Ming browsed through it briefly, his expression growing increasingly grave.

Although these news reports were all very brief, each one hinted at matters of no small significance. Just considering the Chilami larval invasion in the Thirteenth District alone, he had nearly lost his life.