“He probably heard you,” Zhou Xiuwen concluded calmly, casting a single glance before looking away.
“Ugh, that’s terrifying! Did I say something wrong to offend him? It felt like he glared at me,” Xierman said, as if startled.
Clarens’s expression was one of exasperation. He’d seen the whole thing and didn’t think Huo Qi was glaring at anyone, though he had indeed noticed one of them—likely because of Xierman’s comment. Still, Xierman really needed to curb his habit of blurting everything out. A little scare might do him good, and Zhou Xiuwen was happy to oblige.
“Then you’d better think hard about what you just said,” Zhou Xiuwen teased, shaking his head with a chuckle, clearly enjoying coaxing the kid.
“I-I didn’t say anything! I just said ‘Jiang’s probably the only S-grade in our year’… That’s it, right? Nothing bad about that,” Xierman stammered, genuinely trying to recall his words.
“You’re right, there’s nothing wrong with what you said. But—rumor has it Huo Qi’s mental strength is rated A+, the highest in your class. He might’ve been annoyed, thinking you were… implying something?” Zhou Xiuwen said, sounding uncertain.
“What?! I didn’t mean it like that! Why would I imply anything about him? He’s practically the uncrowned king of our class! Offending him would be asking for trouble—I still have to survive a few years in Class One!” Xierman protested frantically, looking like he was about to cry from the injustice.
“You didn’t mean it, but maybe he thought you did,” Zhou Xiuwen said, clearly enjoying teasing him further. “Or maybe I’m wrong. Still, you should reflect on whether you’ve offended anyone before.”
Xierman waved his hands desperately, his face crumpled. Why would he invite trouble? Huo Qi wasn’t just talented—his aura was commanding. In Class One, he carried an “I’m the boss” vibe, and most classmates deferred to him. A mediocre soldier like Xierman wouldn’t dare pull a tiger’s tail.
But seriously… just going out for a meal and somehow provoking the big bad wolf? Talk about bad luck. Would Huo Qi’s admirers gang up on him at tomorrow’s class? Xierman’s mind was already spinning with wild, exaggerated scenarios.
“Jiang, save me! You’ve got to help me if it comes to that!” Xierman pleaded, turning to the one person he trusted most.
Jiang Hui seemed to consider it seriously before saying slowly, “Actually, I was going to say… Huan’s mental strength is also S-grade. You got it wrong.”
“You’re hung up on that?! Did you even hear what I said? You didn’t notice Huo Qi passing by just now, did you?” Xierman exclaimed, exasperated. “And I meant the combat soldier department in our year. Huan’s in the command department, okay?”
“…I saw him, but he just passed by. What’s the big deal?” Jiang Hui said nonchalantly.
Their usual table was in line with the food pickup area, so it wasn’t odd for someone to walk past after grabbing their meal. They’d run into plenty of familiar faces here before, but this was the first time they’d seen Huo Qi.
And it was no big deal that they were all schoolmates running into each other.
As for Huan Xian subtly holding her back earlier, it was probably to prevent her from leaning back and bumping into someone passing behind her.
“Okay, isn’t he your classmate? Why do you seem so scared of him?” Jiang Hui asked, shaking her head with a smile.
Xierman bristled instantly. “You guys aren’t in his class, so you wouldn’t get it—” His voice rose in agitation but was quickly silenced when Clarens patted his shoulder, forcing him to lower it.
“That guy’s mecha piloting style isn’t something just anyone can handle. He’s like a maniac. Even if you surrender, he’ll keep pounding you until you’re done for. I’ve been thrashed by him a few times already. It’s not just me—hardly anyone in Class One isn’t wary of him.”
“Then… you’re the same,” Clarens said, glancing at him.
Xierman blinked, confused by what he meant.
“Clarens means if you were in Class Two, it’d be the same,” Zhou Xiuwen explained, shaking his head. “Do you think you could beg Clarens or Jiang not to thrash you? Even if they agreed, their advisor, Captain Stark, probably wouldn’t. Honestly, Class One’s Captain Zou Yi has a more open teaching style. You’re lucky you’re in Class One.”
Zhou Xiuwen’s words shattered Xierman’s hopeful fantasies, deflating him like a punctured balloon. “I was just thinking out loud. Ugh, I can’t compete with you guys. Geniuses who work hard—how’s anyone else supposed to keep up?”
“So this is a chance for you to toughen up. Don’t slack off,” Huan Xian said coldly, cutting off Xierman’s excuses.
Facing a coordinated takedown from his four friends, Xierman surrendered completely.
“Fine, fine, I’ll listen to you big shots. Anyway, back to business—haven’t we got something coming up? I heard next week there’s a warm-up for a joint comprehensive lecture,” Xierman said. His resilience was remarkable; after the verbal beating, he bounced back quickly, eagerly sharing the latest news with his friends.
Jiang Hui and Clarens, busy with other things recently, were hearing this for the first time. “Next week?” Weren’t there still two weeks before the practical classes ended? The schedule had always been set—where did this warm-up class come from? It didn’t sound like a formal course.
“I heard the practical classes will continue as planned, with the last two sessions as usual. But next week, they’re holding a special warm-up class. Probably to address coordination issues for the joint class,” Xierman explained.
“Your combat soldier department is really something else. Joint practical classes are unheard of in our majors,” Zhou Xiuwen said thoughtfully.
“Joint class—Class One and Class Two together?” Huan Xian asked, showing rare interest.
“No, it’s Class One, Two, and Three together. The other classes are split up too, in groups of three,” Xierman clarified.
“So the teachers are involved too?” Zhou Xiuwen asked, finding it intriguing.
“Yeah, I heard Captain Zou Yi, Captain Stark, and Captain Lynch from the next class will take turns leading and guiding,” Xierman said, his expression turning odd. Even he knew his class advisor and Captain Stark from the neighboring class didn’t get along. If they taught together, they’d probably end up arguing on the spot.
What was the school thinking, putting those two together?