Anxiety on the Eve of the Physical Test: An Unconventional Approach to Preparation

Zhou Yu paused, her fingers stroking Dania's hair, and her thumb loosened its grip slightly.

Lahai-Roi Defense Line.

The girl next to him was licking the remaining sauce from the corner of her mouth, completely unaware.

Zhou Yu pulled her sleeve down to cover the words on her wrist.

Are you full?

He tightened the lid of the thermos, making the same sound as usual.

Dania:(๑´ڡ`๑)

"Um."

She let out a satisfied burp and swung her legs.

"I've already memorized this month's schedule."

Zhou Yu smiled, pulled her up from the edge of the rooftop, and patted the dust off her skirt.

"Let's go, I'll take you back to your dorm."

"Would you like meat buns or red bean buns for breakfast tomorrow?"

"I want them both."

Dania skipped and hopped away, disappearing around the corner of the dormitory corridor.

The smile on Zhou Yu's face gradually faded. She turned around, leaned against the wall, and raised her wrist again.

The green text was still lit up.

[Venue: Lahai-Roi Defense Line replica battlefield.]

He pulled out his terminal, scrolled to the bottom of the more than 300-page "Annual Physical Fitness Comprehensive Test Implementation Rules," and typed three words into the search bar.

In the appendix, a description of special venues popped up.

His thumb slid across the screen, and his lips moved silently.

"100% accurate reproduction of environmental data, terrain, climate... low-intensity Tacet Discord interference."

Close the terminal.

The night wind blew in from the rooftop, making his clothes flutter several times. He stood there for a long time.

The next day, a pink lightning bolt appeared on the training field.

He sprinted fifty meters as fast as the wind, and while doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar, he also did a 360-degree twist.

Sigelica held the stopwatch, staring at the numbers on it, her expression gradually turning blank.

Sigelica: (°Д°;)

"Yaya, you... you're treating the physical fitness test like the Olympics, aren't you?"

Dania flipped off the horizontal bar without breaking a sweat, and casually straightened her bangs.

"Linnai said that those who achieve excellent physical test results can apply for double the buffet vouchers."

"Linnai herself never passed a physical test, and you're listening to her bragging?"

Dania tilted her head, her expression very serious.

"But double is really a lot."

She walked to the strength testing area, where a state-of-the-art smart punching bag stood, with an LCD screen providing real-time feedback on the impact force.

"Hey!"

With a sharp shout, she lightly landed a straight punch.

There was no loud noise.

The leather on the surface of the sandbag cracked silently from the point where the fist landed, and the filling turned into fine dust that seeped out from the cracks, piling up into a small sand dune on the ground.

The numbers on the LCD screen jumped wildly a few times, flashed a string of garbled characters, and then went black.

The training ground fell silent.

All the students who were training stopped in unison, staring at the pile of fine sand and the pink-haired girl who was still in a punching stance.

Zhou Yu happened to be walking over from the logistics warehouse, carrying a box of screwdrivers.

He saw the pile of sand, the blacked-out screen, and the purchase price of the smart sandbags on the bulletin board next to it.

It would take him two months of pestering the principal to make up that number.

His face remained expressionless as he turned to meet Sigelica's gaze.

Sigelica was looking at him too.

They clearly read four words in each other's eyes.

They're going bankrupt.

Zhou Yu gritted his teeth, walked over, and pulled Dania aside.

"Next time, use only 30% of your strength."

Dania: (Looking wronged)

"I only used one-tenth..."

Zhou Yu's temples throbbed twice.

Sigelica leaned closer, holding a stopwatch, and spoke in a very low voice.

"These sandbags cost 60,000 yuan just to purchase, not even including installation and debugging fees."

"I know."

What will you use to compensate us?

"Get it on credit from the principal."

Sigelica stared at him.

"Can you still get credit?"

Even if we can't get credit, we'll still have to.

Zhou Yu glanced at Dania, who was diligently practicing her punching angles, and lowered his voice.

"This isn't a physical fitness test, it's clearly a demolition."

Sigelica frowned.

"If she gets to handle the official physical tests, the entire Lahai-Roi simulated battlefield will have to be dismantled into pieces."

Zhou Yu picked up the screwdriver box from the ground and walked towards the Engineering Department.

What are you planning to do?

"Find Chisaki and buy a collar for the Tyrannosaurus Rex."

That afternoon, in Chisaki's laboratory in the Engineering Department.

A bag of strawberry-flavored daifuku was placed on the table.

"Urgent order."

Chisaki pushed up her glasses, her gaze shifting from the tablet to the dessert bag, and then to Zhou Yu's face.

"Explain."

"A single piece of equipment can physically limit the target's peak output power while simultaneously cushioning and absorbing energy."

Zhou Yu's words were concise and to the point.

"It looks exactly like ordinary sports equipment; we can't arouse the target's suspicion."

A stream of data flashed across Chisaki's lens.

"Simply put, it's like putting a sturdy collar on a Tyrannosaurus Rex that's wearing sheep's clothing."

Zhou Yu:(≖_≖)

"Your analogy was vivid, but don't use it again next time."

Chisaki pulled a silver metal box from under the lab bench and opened it.

Inside lay a pair of black wrist guards and two knee pads, looking quite ordinary.

"High-density neutron star materials, gravitational field compression and reconstruction."

She handed me the wristband.

Zhou Yu reached out to catch it, but his arm slumped down, almost slipping from his grasp.

"Multiple?"

Fifty kilograms.

Chisaki's tone was no different from reading out experimental parameters.

"It has a built-in micro gravity adjustment module that absorbs 90% of the wearer's kinetic energy and converts it into harmless heat energy."

Zhou Yu weighed it in his hand, and the veins on his wrist bulged.

Will she find out?

"Won't."

Chisaki pushed up the glasses frames that had slid down.

"The appearance camouflage data has been entered into the system. Regular scans by the college will only show 'Latest Fashion Sports Accessories'."

"Send the bill to the Logistics Department, stating 'Routine equipment update for security personnel.'"

"Make a deal."

Chisaki tore open the bag of daifuku, picked one up, took a small bite, and puffed out her cheeks.

"Remember to remind users not to jump into swimming pools while wearing the device."

"How?"

"It sank directly to the bottom."

Zhou Yu carried the silver box back to the Logistics Department warehouse. Before she could even put the contents into the cabinet, her digital watch vibrated.

[WARNING: A large-scale, high-frequency surveillance probe deployment has been detected, centered on this warehouse.]

[Source: Principal's Office Security System Main Control Terminal.]

He looked up at the window.

On the top floor of the administration building across the street, a small reflection from a mirror shone through the gap in the blinds.

Lupa.

And then there's Moning.

Zhou Yu sneered, sat down in front of the computer, and began typing away at the keyboard.

Ten minutes later, a notification came out of the printer.

[Urgent Notice from the Logistics Department Security Supervisor's Office, Joint Engineering Department, Flamebearers' Academy]

[Reason: Due to recent aging of the college's electrical circuits, in order to ensure stable power supply during the annual physical fitness test, a twelve-hour power outage maintenance will be conducted on the surveillance lines throughout the entire campus, including teaching areas, administration buildings, and training fields, from 8 PM tomorrow night to 8 AM the day after tomorrow.]

[This is to inform you.]

At the end of the document, next to Zhou Yu's flamboyant signature, was Chisaki's electronic seal.

He printed more than a dozen copies and personally led two interns from the Logistics Department to post them on various bulletin boards one by one.

Just as the poster was being placed on the north side of the teaching building, Moning happened to be walking over from the end of the corridor.

She paused for three seconds in front of the notice board, her gaze sweeping over the entire notice.

Zhou Yu nodded politely.

"Director Moning, please bear with me if there are any inconveniences during the maintenance period."

Moning glanced at him, said nothing, her face was ashen, and turned to leave.

Zhou Yu watched her figure disappear around the corner, then pressed the thumbtack into the last corner of the bulletin board.

The night before the physical test.

Girls' dormitory.

Dania spent a long time trying on her workout clothes in front of the mirror, turning left and right.

There was a knock on the door.

Zhou Yu walked in carrying a paper bag and handed her a pair of black wristbands.

"These are the new sports protective gear pieces, a gift for you."

Dania:(✧∀✧)

Wow! That's so cool!

She reached out and took it, slipping it onto her wrist. Her arm felt heavy for a moment, but she didn't pay any attention and swung her fists twice to test the feel.

"Thank you, Xiao Yu!"

Zhou Yu watched as she easily swung her fist, and her eyelids twitched.

Fifty kilograms, which looked about the same as a hair tie on her wrist.

"Don't be too nervous about the physical test tomorrow."

He cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets.

"I've already spoken to Chef Wang at the cafeteria. As long as you get a passing grade or above, and aren't last in line..."

He paused, his voice becoming more formal.

"Let's go have a seafood charcoal barbecue buffet."

Dania's eyes lit up.

"Live abalone."

Three-quarters of it was lit.

"One-meter-long lobsters, unlimited."

It's all lit up.

Dania clenched her fists, her arm muscles tensed, and the fifty-kilogram wristband on her hand barely felt like it.

Dania:(ง•̀_•́)ง

"Don't worry, Xiao Yu!"

"I will definitely work hard for abalone!"

Zhou Yu nodded and turned to walk towards the door.

"Xiao Yu."

He turned around.

Dania stood in front of the mirror, looked down at her wristband, and then looked up at him.

"This color matches your vest perfectly."

Zhou Yu paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Then let's get matching sets tomorrow."

Dania's face flushed red, and she clutched her wristband, pressing the back of her hand against her burning cheek.

Zhou Yu closed the door and casually touched an inconspicuous security camera on the corridor wall.

The lens was cold, and the indicator light was off.

Very good.

The maintenance work is proceeding smoothly.