Zhang Tie could hardly believe he'd managed to make it through the afternoon until school let out without fainting. At noon, a few guys from the Airplane Brotherhood had beaten him up, and his lunch had gone down the drain. All afternoon, he'd had to tough it out on an empty stomach. When the hunger became unbearable, he could only head to the school's water pipes during breaks and gulp down a few mouthfuls of water. That was one of the survival skills he'd learned at school in this era. The instructors had said that in extreme circumstances, if you had absolutely nothing to eat but had access to clean water, you could gulp down plenty of it whether you were thirsty or not. It would ease the hunger and slow the decline of your strength. Someone who was hungry and had no water could last two days at most, while someone who was hungry but had water could last more than three. That was the difference.
The one thing Zhang Tie felt lucky about was that his afternoon class was group military drill, one of the least physically demanding afternoon classes. The entire afternoon, all the graduating students changed into matching light training armor, shouldered training spears over three meters long, and drilled in formation on the parade ground. They changed formations at the instructors' commands, practicing maneuvers and thrusts. Becoming a Level 1 spearman and earning a Level 1 Spearman badge marked the beginning of every boy's transformation into a man in this era. It was also the path most students chose during their military service. Spearmen relied more than any other branch on formation and teamwork. They were the strongest and the weakest of troops. A square of spearmen made up entirely of Level 1 Battle Soldiers could easily withstand the uncoordinated, non-ranged attacks of more than three times as many enemies of the same level on the battlefield. A heavy-armored spearman square made up of Level 5 Battle Soldiers, meanwhile, was a force to be reckoned with on any frontal battlefield. Black Flame City and the surrounding region, with its population of several million, had managed to muster only three Level 5 Heavy Armored Spearman squares. They were the Coal and Steel Union's ultimate military force for ruling the city.
Since his physique was nothing special and he was actually a little scrawnier than the others, Zhang Tie didn't much like the spearman profession. The training spear, over three meters long and weighing more than ten kilograms, always felt unwieldy in his hands when he swung and thrust it. As training wore on, he'd look at his feeble thrusts and wonder whether he could hit and kill an enemy at all with his speed and strength. Even the fat bastard Barry looked more at ease with a spear than he did. After fifty or so thrusts, Zhang Tie could feel his strength ebbing, yet that fat bastard could manage more than seventy before his strength began to flag. Among all the members of the Airplane Brotherhood, Zhang Tie was the worst with a spear.
Though he disliked the spearman profession, Zhang Tie had to admit that the square formed by this very profession gave him a tremendous sense of security. Whenever he stood unobtrusively in the middle of the formation and looked at the classmates around him, he felt a strange sense of safety. It was a deeply contradictory feeling. To Zhang Tie, it seemed to be the sorrow of all the insignificant little people of this era: often, you had to rely on the very things you disliked to survive.
During the afternoon drills, Zhang Tie felt as if his stomach were a waterskin filled to the brim. Whenever he moved, the water inside sloshed back and forth, making his heart jump. Several times, when he thrust with a little too much force, the water in his stomach surged up like a rising tide, carrying a sour taste into his throat. It left his throat raw before sinking back down, and he'd nearly thrown up. His hands always felt limp and weak. Several times, he caught the drill instructor's stern gaze circling over him. After looking him over, the instructor finally turned away with a trace of understanding contempt and looked elsewhere. Zhang Tie gritted his teeth in frustration, but there was nothing he could do.
The one who caught the drill instructor's attention was naturally Gelis. Of the six spearman squares on the training ground, the one Gelis was in drew the most eyes. Already a Level 2 Battle Soldier, Gelis immediately showed how different he was from the other rookies during training. Nearly 1.9 meters tall, he carried a Black Flame City military-issue standard steel spear weighing over thirty kilograms, with a triangular red squad leader's pennant attached. He stood out among the ranks, looking imposing and utterly unapproachable. Under the instructor's admiring gaze, Gelis became even more excited, as if he'd been injected with chicken blood. Every time he thrust, he let out a howl like a wailing ghost, filling the entire training ground with his roars.
Zhang Tie looked down on him a little, but he had to admit that if he faced Gelis right now, two or three thrusts might be enough to skewer him—or even just one. Gelis had every right to be proud. Among all the students in the graduating classes, he was the only one who wasn't a Reserve Battle Worker; everyone else wasn't even a Level 1 Battle Soldier. On the usual path, most people advanced from Battle Worker to Level 1 Battle Soldier during their first two years of service, at around age eighteen. Over eight years of military service, more than 95 percent of ordinary people retired at Level 3 or Level 4. A small number reached Level 5, while only career soldiers and those who later made a living through force could hope to reach Level 6 and advance from Battle Soldier to Warrior. They earned respect wherever they went.
As soon as the afternoon military drills ended, Zhang Tie changed out of all his gear in the stinking equipment room, hurriedly put on his shoes, and clutched his stomach as he dashed out without even saying goodbye to Barry and the others. The other members of the Airplane Brotherhood, who had been about to talk to him, stared at one another in bewilderment.
"What's wrong with that guy?" Shavin, whose brown hair and freckled face stood out, scratched his head.
"He drank a lot of water this afternoon. I guess he can't hold it in," Baghdad replied. As the Brotherhood's strongest member, Baghdad was also the most physically powerful of them all. That afternoon's drills had been easy for him, and he was also the strongest fighter in the Airplane Brotherhood.
"Heh, poor guy," Light laughed.
"Poor guy? I'm the one who's got it rough!" Even now, Doug was still indignant. Especially when he thought of how people had seen him covered in vomit from head to toe earlier that day, he felt as if everyone had spent the whole afternoon pointing and whispering about him. It had left him painfully jumpy.
"Come on, Barry will help you get those few silver coins back!" Sista winked and made a lewd gesture everyone understood. Looking at Barry, he suddenly puffed himself up with confidence. "Every member of our Brotherhood has to lose his virginity before graduation. We're going to become real men!"
"Don't worry. You won't miss out on your benefits," Barry said, patting the rather wounded Doug in consolation. Watching Zhang Tie's back disappear in a flash, he thought of his four silver coins. The fat on his face quivered twice with pain, then he shook his head. "An interesting fellow. I haven't figured out what he's good at yet. He's ordinary in every way, but he's kindhearted and reasonably sharp. He seems like someone you can trust. At least, you don't have to worry about him stabbing you in the back." The fat man Barry stroked his chin with an old hand as he spoke.
Everyone nodded. Only Doug was still there, cursing with a look of bitter outrage.
Zhang Tie had nearly held it in until his bladder burst. He rushed into the toilet and relieved himself, finally feeling comfortable. But his stomach started rumbling like thunder. After leaving the toilet, he hastily rinsed his hands at the water pipe and headed for the school gates. He had four silver coins and thirty-four copper coins in his pocket now. Getting something to eat was what mattered; otherwise, he doubted he'd make it home.
There was a bakery not far outside the school. Normally, Zhang Tie was so broke that his pockets wouldn't even jingle. Whenever he passed by, he could only stare at the tempting bread and swallow. But today, feeling the money in his pocket, he finally had the courage to go inside. He spent ten copper coins on an ordinary rye loaf, then hurried out of the bakery, wolfing it down. That was when he spotted Teacher Daina.
Teacher Daina was as beautiful and charming as ever. Captain Colin and another male teacher were walking beside her, chatting with her in an attentive, gentlemanly manner. Zhang Tie's mouth was stuffed with a huge piece of bread, puffing his cheeks out of shape. The moment he saw Teacher Daina, he froze. Even Captain Colin didn't so much as glance at him, probably feeling it would be embarrassing to admit he knew this student at that moment. The three of them walked past without looking at him. Zhang Tie didn't snap out of it until they'd gone a long way. He hurriedly turned around and checked his reflection in the bakery's beautiful glass display window: one hand held half a loaf, while his mouth was full of another huge piece. He looked as if he were choking to death, mouth agape and head tilted to one side. He'd been exercising all afternoon, and his nosebleed still hadn't stopped completely, so two wads of paper were stuffed up his nostrils. His eyes were squeezed into slits, his face still showed signs of the beating, and he stood there like a fool. There were crumbs mixed with saliva at the corners of his mouth. He looked just like a halfwit.
Had that really been what Teacher Daina had seen? The realization made Zhang Tie feel utterly dejected and disheartened. No wonder Teacher Daina hadn't even glanced at him. With that idiotic look on his face... He lowered his head and saw his old leather shoes again, grinning so lewdly they could hardly have looked more despicable.
The fifteen-year-old boy felt as if all hope had died and life had lost all meaning.
Zhang Tie watched Teacher Daina in the distance. Her beautiful figure seemed to drift farther and farther away from him. At that moment, he didn't even feel like quietly following her for a little way, watching her beautiful figure as she walked.
He stood blankly outside the bakery, watching the crowds come and go. At last, he ate the rest of the bread bit by bit without tasting it, then dragged his weary, bewildered body toward Black Flame City's eastern commercial district. Since last year, his family had pulled strings to get him a part-time apprentice job there, so he could learn a skill to make a living. Twice a week, as usual, Zhang Tie had to work for two hours before he could go home...