Shi Lang was sleeping in his room when his communicator vibrated. The youngster woke up quickly and found that it was a message from X. He got up and after taking a shower got dressed in the attire of this place. A black spacesuit with a trace of white on the abdominal and the shoulders. There were no markings on the suit whatsoever.
Before going out of the room, he memorized the map on the back of the door. After coming out, he followed the directions and came to a place that looked like a classroom from the outside. At the moment inside the room sat thirty people. Shi Lang saw X standing at the podium gazing in front of him.
He took a deep breath and knocked at the door. The knock was like thunder in the barren land. All the eyes turned to gaze at Shi Lang, who could only pretend to be calm because he could tell that none of these people were easy to deal with, they all gave him a feeling like he had just walked inside a cave full of hungry beasts. But was he to be taken advantage of or scared away so easily? He returned their gaze with an indifferent face.
X saw this exchange between everyone and said, “Come in.”
Shi Lang walked inside the class and came to stand in front of X. He saluted him n a crisp fashion and the man said, “Introduce yourself to the classmates.”
The youngster turned around and after a salute said, “Major Shi Lang, age seventeen, five-star Terran.”
That was it. X said, “Take a seat in the front. The lecture is about to begin.”
Shi Lang nodded and took to the empty seat in the front of the class, he could feel the gazes lingering on his back. He shrugged this feeling off and waited for X to start speaking.
X cleared his throat and said, “The topic we are going to discuss today is the next target of engagement. Neomons. Does anyone knows about them?”
A person seemed to have raised their hand after this question. X nodded to the person, and a pleasant voice sounded inside the room, “Neomons, a humanoid species, are located ten light-years away from Mythya. Their home planet is called Nestia. Their technological development is higher than ours, but the population has been dwindling. Neomons are a species dominated by females, heaven for feminists.”
X said, “That will be enough, Quinn. Sit down.” after Quinn sat down, X said, “Now, let me elaborate on the topic. As Quinn said, the technological development of the target is higher than ours, however, they do not only depend on their technology but also know how to harvest the elements of nature. Unlike the Federation, Neomons have never faced a threat to their existence. The reason their population is dwindling has something to do with the psychological change in the mentality of the males and females of their species.”
The people were all listening to him with rapt attention, X continued to discuss the species and the key factors related to them. He asked, “Any questions?”
Shi Lang raised his hand, him being a newbie in the room, everyone was attracted to his movements. X nodded to him and Shi Lang asked, “Sir, you mentioned that Neomons use different means of transport, may I ask what they are?”
X asked, “Why do you want to know that?”
Shi Lang replied, “You mentioned that they are still using the natural renewable sources of energy at some places of their world, which is similar to what our predecessors used, so I wanted to know if their mode of transportation is also common.” his voice was calm.
X nodded and said, “Their modes of transportation range from space ships to native species of horses. They do not have cars. Despite the technological advancement, their society is still based upon monarchial values.”
Shi Lang nodded and the lecture continued. The other students also raised their hands over time and X patiently told them all the answers. They did not notice that the sun had already come down and it was night. Shi Lang also did not move or question anything. He was aware that this was not his school where the lecture will end after an hour.
X said, “I would like you all to know, that in the coming week, you will all be out in the woods to hunt. One more thing, competition is good, but if you let a comrade die or are severely injured on your watch, I will have your backs broken and let you live like a worm for the rest of the time. Understood?”
The class replied in one voice, “Yes, Sir.”
X said, “Class dismissed. You can go and eat now.” with that said, the man in the mask left the class. As soon as he stepped out of the door, the students all loosened up and leaned back in their seats.
Shi Lang stood up and was about to walk out when a voice stopped him, “Oye, rookie. I heard that you were in the secret division?”
Shi Lang turned around to look at the source of this voice, after spotting a person he replied, “Yes.”
The other person was a slightly older guy probably in his early twenties. He leaned forward and asked, “What was the biggest task you handled?”
“SSS.” replied Shi Lang. This simple sound from his mouth attracted surprised gazes from the students.
“No wonder you managed to get in here. What was your codename?” asked the person again.
Shi Lang replied, “Ace.”
As soon as he said this, everyone burst into laughter. They had such funny expressions on their faces. Shi Lang did not mind and turned around to go outside the class, when the person who initiated the chat said, “Oye, wait, you do not have to feel embarrassed…” however, his laughter did not stop.
Shi Lang did not say anything and kept on walking ahead. The young man saw his words being ignored and said, “Yeah, run away show off, but hear this and understand, the code name you use, must be earned.”
Shi Lang stopped in his tracks and turned to face the guy. He said in a calm voice and indifferent gaze, “And you are the one I have to earn this for? Do not overestimate yourself.”
His words made the laughter come to stop abruptly. None in the class expected Shi Lang to be retorting them. The person who initiated this was even more shocked. He was being ridiculed by a rookie? The guy stood up and said, “My codename is Atlas. I shall show you why the codenames must be earned.”
As he walked toward Shi Lang, his body issued crackling sounds, Quinn said, “Atlas, you have to get X to permit you for a duel, and it shall only be played inside the gym area.”
Atlas stopped in his tracks, and said, “I have sent X a message, he will be allowing it soon enough. Till then, how about a warm-up rookie?”
Shi Lang gazed at him and asked, “Are you worthy? I will see you in the gym area.” with that said, he turned around and made his way to the cafeteria to eat. Leaving behind the stunned students.
They could not believe that this guy blatantly dismissed Atlas, twice, and even asked if the latter was worthy of him warming up? When they all came here, they were all hesitant and cautious but this newbie had put all the restraints to the side and agreed to take the hit. This was not normal. While everyone else was surprised, Quinn had an amused expression on her face. She thought, “It will be very lively here now.”
Atlas clenched his jaws and walked to the gym area. He needed to vent some rage before the match or he will be too angry to think and might get tricked by the newbie.
…
In the cafeteria, Shi Lang sat at a table eating his meal of protein bars and other high-energy content snacks. Suddenly, he stopped eating and looked behind him. He found Quinn standing there. The girl had blonde hair and fair skin, blue eyes, and a stunning figure. However, she was still worse than Amelia by a grade.
He turned back to his plate and kept eating. The reason he reacted just now was that he found someone gazing at him with an intent gaze. He understood that this girl must have gotten curious about his behavior and thus she came to investigate, but Shi Lang was in no mood to entertain her. He was going to calm his mind and fill his stomach before the duel.
Quinn saw this guy ignoring her and was surprised, she has never come across a male who could resist her charm. Shi Lang finished his last protein bar and stood up. At this moment Quinn said, “Do you not know the courtesy to say thank you to someone who helps you?”
Shi Lang did not stop and said, “He instigated first, I would have gotten away with self-defense. You can keep your help for those, who need it truly. Also, do not get chummy with me. I do not like nosy people.”