Not far away, the crowd suddenly erupted in commotion. The students who had originally gathered here because of the large lecture couldn't help but look toward the source of the noise, wanting to see who exactly was shouting so loudly at such a critical moment.
The source of the disturbance wasn't far from Jiang Hui and her group. Looking over, they could see what appeared to be a small group of people blocking several students who looked very angry.
Everyone was wearing those same uniforms, and from this distance they couldn't make out the professional badges, so Jiang Hui and the others couldn't identify their affiliations. But each person had a thin, gaunt build lacking definition, and their speech patterns were sharp and rhythmic in tone - without even listening to the content, you could tell they were the type who habitually dealt with pen and paper.
The few people facing them who were obviously being blocked appeared to have relatively mild demeanors overall. Even in their current state of anger, you could still see their restraint - they didn't look menacing, which showed that these people had decent upbringing and at least good emotional control.
"Du Fei?" What are they—
Jiang Hui and the others immediately looked toward Zhou Xiuwen, as his words suggested he seemed to recognize those people.
"Du Fei, Jiang Xingyun, and Neville - they're all my classmates," Zhou Xiuwen explained. There was nothing he couldn't tell Jiang Hui and the others about this.
Seeing that he seemed to want to go over, Jiang Hui quickly grabbed him: "What are you planning to do?"
"Classmate Neville has some congenital health issues. He just returned to school after completing a course of treatment recently, and his condition hasn't been good lately. I'm worried something might happen to him," Zhou Xiuwen said anxiously.
Although his relationship with his classmates was mediocre, nowhere near as close as his relationship with Jiang Hui and the others, they were still classmates who spent day and night together, so naturally he couldn't remain indifferent. Moreover, given Neville's condition, there was no way he could just stand by and watch.
There were many types of congenital diseases in the interstellar age, but basically all of them were considered innate deficiencies. Zhou Xiuwen's description suggested that Neville's health was typically fragile.
"That group looks very barbaric," Xierman clicked his tongue, then was warned by Clarens's glare from beside him and fell silent.
"I've already reported this to the Academic Affairs Office teachers. Someone will come to handle it soon," Huan Xian was quick to react.
"We'll go with you," Jiang Hui said. Although she really couldn't understand why someone would choose to cause trouble at such a critical time, right before class when teachers could pass by at any moment, since Zhou Xiuwen was worried, as his friends they naturally couldn't back down.
"I don't know what you're dissatisfied about. The spots were allocated by the teachers. If you really have such strong opinions about this matter, you can report it directly to the school, or speak directly to your own class. Blocking us here serves no purpose," the leading girl with delicate features was still trying hard to control her emotions, making herself appear not too out of control or discourteous.
"Is that all you people can say, going back and forth with the same few sentences? Don't you think we don't know these things? We just feel it's necessary to remind you that while everyone can come according to school rules, don't you think that coming here out of momentary interest is completely taking up learning resources and wasting opportunities that people in need should have?"
"It's precisely because there are people like you who signed up out of momentary interest that more talented students who need this opportunity can't come. Don't you feel ashamed?" The young man spoke with pointed meaning, becoming increasingly self-righteous.
This left even the eloquent Du Fei momentarily speechless. Although she felt something was wrong and that concepts were being switched around, what the other party said wasn't entirely incorrect - the three of them knew nothing about mechas and had all come here out of interest.
"If you put it that way, shouldn't all these spots be given to students from your Mecha manufacturing Department? No wait, first-years from your major already get the most allocations - nearly half the spots are prioritized for you. But you still have such a large shortage, so shouldn't all other majors and grade levels supply you to be fair?" A voice interjected, breaking the deadlock.
The person who had been pressuring Du Fei looked up to see a tall young man who had somehow approached them, his clear, handsome eyes glaring angrily at them.
"Zhou classmate?"
"Zhou classmate!"
"?"
The students from Logistics Department Class 1 all called out in surprise, not expecting to receive protection from a classmate in such a situation.
Zhou Xiuwen immediately looked toward Neville, who weakly called out "senior brother." Seeing that he seemed okay, Zhou Xiuwen signaled for him to step back. This guy was as physically weak as a chick, and his parents worried about it constantly - word of this had even reached his father's ears.
The faces of the opposing group immediately changed upon hearing this, then they sneered: "We thought someone was coming out to seek justice, turns out you're all in cahoots. I say, is your Logistics Department interesting? You don't understand anything yet you come and occupy so many spots, and you still have the nerve to speak."
"Oh, so you understand very well then? Can you guarantee you'll definitely become mecha masters in the future? Lights of the mecha world? Benefiting the entire interstellar human race? Should we kneel down and kowtow to you right now, thanking you for the great contributions you're about to make to interstellar humanity? As for the title... well, I forgot you've only studied for less than a semester and don't even know if you've finished learning the theoretical knowledge, so let's wait until you've finished studying before congratulating you," Xierman said this entire passage without needing to catch his breath.
"Don't worry, if you're willing, every time you reach a new stage in your studies, I'll hire people to display your achievements on rolling broadcasts at the capital planet's central tower, letting everyone know how amazing you are, guaranteed to continue until the day you truly become mecha masters - if you can manage it." Verbal attack x2.
Wow, Xierman's eloquence seemed to have improved again. Now he could combine sarcasm with passive-aggressive attacks. Even as someone on their own side, his verbal combat ability was truly impressive. Both Jiang Hui and Huan Xian stood with arms crossed, listening from the side, already struggling not to laugh too arrogantly.
Clarens covered his forehead, seeming unable to bear watching. The young master had always been well-mannered and had never witnessed such a scene, so he felt somewhat uncomfortable. Of course, he also didn't forget to restrain someone who was getting so excited they were about to rush forward, preventing them from actually losing control and poking someone in the nose, which would be bad if they actually got beaten up.
The opposing group was indeed angered by Xierman's words, their faces turning alternately green and purple: "What are you people? Also part of their group?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Combat Infantry Department... you really love meddling in other people's business. What does this have to do with you?" The other party calmed down a bit and sneered coldly: "Too lazy to talk to you crude people. What do you know about mecha manufacturing? Don't think that just because you pilot mechas you can speak up about this? Save it. I advise you not to waste time here either - go back and learn your standard mechas properly first.”