"Stop fighting! Don't you guys fight anymore!"
The twelve members of the simulation group playing the King of Earth and Mountains fled in panic, wailing repeatedly.
Cheers erupted across the playground as members of the Student Union and the Lionheart Society high-fived and hugged. Susie put down the Viking Battle Axe in her hand with great regret, the "Armor-Piercing +9" enchantment characters on the axe blade gleaming with a cold light.
Pazzi, a Student Union member in front of her, held up a shield simulating dragon king scales, maintaining a defensive posture with a bitter face, and only dared to put it down after hearing the word "end": "Abusing public office for personal revenge! This is definitely abusing public office for personal revenge! Where is Chu Zihang? Control your people!"
"So touching!" Professor Guderian said with tears of excitement in his eyes, "This is youth! Passion, courage, teamwork! Look at these kids, they fought for the same goal, put aside club opposition, and put aside personal pride! Manstein, did you see this?"
Professor Manstein nodded along; he thought this battle formation was much better than the Day of Freedom, as it not only preserved the turf, but the students also figured out how to cooperate.
"Hmph."
"Playing house." Professor Schneider let out a cold snort. "Look at the things sent by the Equipment Department."
He pointed to the simulated equipment scattered in the center of the field. Aside from Susie's "Armor-Piercing +9" battle axe and Pazzi's cartoon dragon-head shield, there was even a greatsword whose appearance closely resembled Cloud's from Final Fantasy.
"Large-scale cosplay event," Schneider concluded. "Those people in the Equipment Department simply treated the exercise as their toy exhibition."
"This is just a full-element simulation, just running through the exercise process!" Guderian argued strongly. "Tomorrow's actual combat will feature Frigg Bullets and the Alchemical Gravity Simulation Field. That is the real test!"
"Frigg Bullets won't kill you when they hit, and the Alchemical Gravity Field is nothing more than a simulated gravity environment." Schneider's voice had no fluctuation. "As long as you know you won't truly die, this is always playing house."
Guderian wanted to retort, but couldn't find the right words.
At this moment, Nono walked over with the casualty list: "Professor, the current casualty statistics are out."
"Speak."
"The simulated Dragon King group was completely wiped out, two commandos were heavily injured, and four pincer-movement team members were slightly injured," Nono said. "In addition, there was one case of actual injury outside the exercise."
"Oh?"
"The Medical Team caused a left-shoulder joint dislocation while dragging a wounded person to evacuate."
"You can drag a wounded person to the point of dislocation?" Schneider frowned. "Who did it?"
Nono pursed her lips toward the edge of the playground.
At the edge of the field, Zero's uniform was stained with some mud and grass clippings, and the cuff of her left sleeve was rolled up to her elbow, exposing a section of fair forearm.
Lu Mingfei stood at the side of the field, watching the cheering students in a daze, and Zero walked up to his side.
"Boring game," she said.
Lu Mingfei was startled; he had always thought this girl had no emotions, but didn't expect her to have a bit of a temper too.
After thinking about it, Lu Mingfei still gave a little objective commentary: "Actually, the exercise is pretty good. At the very least, it enhanced communication, and the team also learned how to cooperate. For rookies who have never been to the battlefield, this is a very good introductory lesson."
Chu Zihang just happened to walk over. "But?"
"But in the face of a real Dragon King, all of this is useless."
"Why?" Chu Zihang asked. "We know the power of the Dragon King, and in subsequent exercises we will continue to refine the Dragon King's simulation mechanism, making the Dragon King stronger and stronger. Today's victory is actually an accident. According to the Director's Department's deductions, logically there shouldn't be a victory."
"The physical mechanisms on the battlefield can be simulated," Lu Mingfei said, "but when humans face natural disasters beyond imagination, that sense of despair, powerlessness, and fear cannot be simulated."
He pointed at those cheering students.
"It is precisely because everyone lacks a sense of crisis that this kind of exercise has turned into a large-scale cosplay. Because they know the opponent is the same kind of person as themselves-who will get tired, get fatigued, surrender, and won't truly kill them-everyone uses enthusiasm to replace combat will. Yet when humans face an enemy they cannot defeat, the most important thing is will."
"This exercise cannot train that."
Caesar walked over; he understood Lu Mingfei's meaning: "This is already the best plan for now. Conditions are limited; surely we can't actually catch a dragon to train with."
"Long-term training can form muscle memory." Caesar's gaze grew sharp. "Even if your mind goes completely blank the first time you face a Dragon King, your body will remember how to react. That way, you can at least survive a few more seconds."
Lu Mingfei nodded; that was indeed the plain truth.
"Since that's the case," Caesar's eyes lit up, "I invite you to participate in the official exercise, to take part in playing the Dragon King simulation team and give the current students greater pressure."
Professor Schneider on the observation deck stopped his argument with Guderian, his gaze beneath his mask casting toward this side.
"Use the ability you displayed on the Day of Freedom," Caesar said, "and show us the despair you spoke of."
Lu Mingfei thought for a moment.
"Alright."
A low murmur of discussion sounded all around.
"But I have one requirement."
Caesar raised an eyebrow. "What requirement?"
"I am the only one who can use Word Spirits on campus," Lu Mingfei said. "This gives me an innate advantage, allowing me to simulate the gap between the Dragon King and humans to the maximum extent. Therefore,"
"I will simulate the Dragon King alone."
The entire audience erupted in a commotion.
Schneider strode over, sizing Lu Mingfei up from head to toe.
"How is the strength of your Word Spirit? How is your control?"
He said, "This relates to two issues: first, will you harm yourself; second, will you harm others."
"We can go to the Equipment Department to test it."
Lu Mingfei didn't care at all. "After the test, the referee panel can independently decide what data to provide to the exercise personnel, allowing them to formulate combat plans on their own before the exercise."
To him, the formal exercise was just a incidental matter; figuring out the performance of his own AT Field was the primary goal.
Schneider stared at Lu Mingfei for a few seconds, then nodded.
"I agree."
He turned to look at the students who were still in a daze. "Clean up the field! Make it snappy!"
Then he beckoned to Guderian and Manstein. "To the Equipment Department's underground weapons testing range."
"Zero," Lu Mingfei said, "let's go together."
Zero tilted her head slightly.
"I need an assistant during the exercise," Lu Mingfei's tone was very natural. "Your performance in the exercise was very calm, and you talk little, so you won't distract me."
Manstein looked at Zero, who had walked up to Lu Mingfei-her expression still maintaining that ice-cold look-and then looked at Lu Mingfei, saying, "Agreed. Besides, she is your girlfriend anyway."
Guderian beside them was so excited he almost jumped up: "Lu Mingfei is going to test his Word Spirit! This will be one of the most significant Word Spirit tests in the history of Cassell College! I want to record it! I want to record the whole thing!"