Quota

The Imperial Court Academy is the Old Federation's highest-level military school. This school is divided into an Inner Academy and an Outer Academy. Its history is very long; it's said to have existed even before the Federation was founded, which is why the academy's admissions are incredibly strict.

Tang Yan tapped the table, looking disappointed as he said, "You need to have confidence. This year, the Thirteenth District has a total of ten spots for the Imperial Court Academy's Inner Academy and a thousand spots for the Outer Academy."

"Teacher, there are three million examinees in the Thirteenth District this year. With so few spots, it's really going to be tough."

"Yeah, I bet only the top few students in the school have a chance."

The students in the classroom sighed one after another.

"If you can't get into the Inner Academy, aim for the Outer Academy! If that doesn't work out, at least try to get into a regular academy! I know it's hard, but I'm not making things difficult for you; I'm worried about you! If you get into the Imperial Court Academy's Inner Academy, you'll graduate as a high-ranking officer, a specially cultivated talent, a precious gem with boundless prospects!"

"Of course, if you don't get into the Inner Academy, getting into the Outer Academy is also very good. You'll be assigned a decent position after graduation, and your future will be bright. If you really can't get in, you still have to find a way to get into a higher education academy. That way, even if you join the military after graduation, you can at least become a corporal or sergeant, greatly increasing your survival rate."

Tang Yan spoke earnestly.

"Teacher, what happens if none of us get in?" Huang Mao asked helplessly.

"If none of you get in, you'll have to participate in the Red-Black Lottery and become reserve soldiers, commonly known as cannon fodder! Don't think I'm joking. Once you become cannon fodder, you'll be dispatched to the most dangerous areas to serve."

Tang Yan reminded them sternly.

Su Ming's brow furrowed tighter upon hearing this. The Old Federation's conscription system was as follows:

If you attended a higher education academy, you could postpone military service for four years. Otherwise, you had to participate in the Red-Black Lottery for conscription. Those who drew the winning number served in the military, while those who didn't were exempt. The probability was fifty-fifty.

Those who drew the winning number became reserve soldiers and were sent to various battlefield zones for training, with an extremely high mortality rate, no different from cannon fodder.

Therefore, for everyone, this was a nightmare.

However, students who graduated from the Imperial Court Academy were officers upon graduation and were key talents being cultivated. They would absolutely not be casually used as cannon fodder.

Of course, it wasn't that drawing the black sign and being exempt from military service meant everything was fine. You had to find legitimate employment and could not be unemployed. Otherwise, you would have to participate in the lottery again the following year until ten years passed without needing to participate.

From this, one could see that the Old Federation's military strength was extremely strained.

"Ah, can we not participate in the Red-Black Lottery?" many students complained with tearful faces.

"Impossible, unless your physical condition doesn't allow it. However, I advise you not to have any crooked ideas. This determination is very strict. Don't think about intentionally harming yourselves to escape; the examiners aren't fools. Once it's confirmed to be intentional, you'll be locked up for life."

Tang Yan warned them very sternly.

In fact, the reason Su Yuan and his wife indulged Su Ming's excessive weight gain wasn't entirely due to spoiling him. It was somewhat intentional, aiming to make things easier for him when he reached adulthood.

"Sigh, we know."

The many students said dejectedly.

"Alright, I've finished with the bad news. I have some good news for you. After the City Exam ends, you'll have a year-long holiday, which is Freedom Day. You can play to your heart's content! There will be welfare subsidies too."

Tang Yan said to all the students with a smile.

"Oh yeah!" Huang Mao and the others immediately cheered excitedly.

Freedom Day was essentially a holiday for everyone to rest and play to their heart's content, to enjoy life.

Therefore, the City Exam results wouldn't be announced immediately. They would be announced after the holiday ended, and the Red-Black Lottery would also begin then.

Tang Yan raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. He then coughed to clear his throat and said, "Alright, we've finished discussing the City Exam. Now, let's start reviewing. There are no classes this afternoon or tomorrow morning, so you can review freely. Don't be lazy! Also, remember to prepare, as our class will be going to Computer Room No. 3 tomorrow afternoon for Mecha simulation combat training."

"Understood."

The many students responded in unison.

Su Ming's eyes flickered upon hearing this. In fact, they had already been divided into different subjects and classes.

The City Exam results were divided into two parts. One part was the basic cultural course score, which everyone had to take, and the papers were the same.

The other part was bonus points, which varied depending on the chosen subject. The optional subjects included Command Department, Mecha, Fighter Jet, Ground Combat, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and so on. Among these, the Command Department and Mecha were the most popular subjects.

Of course, these elective subjects also determined what you would study in higher education. For example, if your elective was the Command Department, you would major in the Command Department in higher education and would likely become a command officer upon graduation. After majoring in Mecha, you would be assigned to a Mecha Legion.

As for electives like Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, they were for those pursuing careers as researchers and technicians.

Although they were elective subjects, their weight in the City Exam score was extremely high, no less than the basic subject scores.

At this moment, Tang Yan picked up his lesson plan and began explaining some key knowledge points to everyone.

"Let's turn to Lesson Sixteen. We'll review the key points of linear functions."

Su Ming flipped open his textbook and found the content Tang Yan was reviewing. He looked at the dense line graphs and numbers, his eyebrows slightly raised.

This knowledge was all so new; he had never encountered it before.

But fortunately, that kid was usually quite diligent. Although his foundation was average, he could at least understand it. For a 150-point exam, scoring eighty to ninety points was not a problem.

There was still a month left. If he could cram hard, he might still have a chance.

Thinking this, Su Ming listened intently as Tang Yan lectured.

Noon.

Su Ming walked out of the classroom, reading a book as he went.

"Did you guys see that? The dead shut-in is reading while walking. Has he changed his ways?"

"Weird. Whatever, let's ignore him. Maybe he wants to surprise everyone."

"With his half-baked grades? Forget it. To put it bluntly, Lin Chuyu's baseline scores are always around 145 out of 150."

"True."

Su Ming flipped through the book, rapidly imprinting the content onto his mind to fill in the gaps in his knowledge.

Not long after, Su Ming returned to his dorm room from memory. He found his bunk, took out some clothes, and then went into the bathroom to wash up and change into something looser.

After finishing all that, Su Ming directly opened his drawer and took out his Library Card and a Synthetic Chocolate Bar.

This chocolate bar would be his lunch.