Yu Lian always felt that his popularity, at least among the boys, was open to debate.
Therefore, when he entered the tactical simulation room's main hall, he was a bit surprised to find that the spectator seats were already full, and people were even standing in the aisles of the stands, numbering well over a thousand.
"It can't be that they're all here for me, can it?"
"Yes, they're all here to watch you get thrashed by Wien," Roommate A Luo Ming said, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm.
"So, you should understand the feeling of the world suffering from Yu for too long," Roommate B Ris said with a mocking smile.
"Good luck," Roommate C Lu Ke said, pushing his glasses up with an indifferent expression.
What kind of divine roommates do I have?
Roommate A Luo Ming is from the Military Engineering Department, Roommate B Del Ris is from the Communications Department, and Roommate C Ska Lu Ke is from the Intelligence and Logistics Management Department. As you can see, none of them are from the Strategic Research Department or the Ship Management Department, which train admirals and captains; they're clearly just cannon fodder.
If you don't add prefixes like A, B, C, not only would Yu Lian not remember them, but even observers from outside the great universe in their boxes probably wouldn't.
They also indeed had faces that couldn't be described with two digits, and they weren't famous figures from later generations in Yu Lian's memory.
However, Yu Lian's memory also told him that these roommates actually had no ill intentions. They all respected him greatly.
"No! I don't! Don't talk nonsense! I'm annoyed just looking at you now!" Luo Ming said.
"Yes, ever since you said you'd take us to a mixer with the Misses from the Student Union, but then you stood us up, you've been my lifelong enemy!" Del Ris said.
"When you are as learned as I am, there is no hate, nor is there love," Lu Ke said, pushing his glasses again… Hmm, this guy was also a glasses-wearer, probably hoping to add a bit of character since he had a cannon fodder face.
Yu Lian then entered the simulation hall, "surrounded" by his three enthusiastic roommates, and immediately drew everyone's attention.
He was just about to greet everyone, but before he could even smile, a wave of boos erupted:
"Boo~~~~~"
I feel everyone's enthusiasm, and their resentment. Yu Lian inexplicably felt a little bitter.
He looked towards his opponent, only to see "King of the Moon" Horatio Wien standing there like a statue, expressionless but with fire in his eyes. His surging battle intent seemed to have solidified into a tangible totem, baring its fangs and claws above his head, exuding an overwhelming aura.
What a great man! Yu Lian thought of later history; no wonder so many warriors were willing to follow him and fight until the end of the world.
Thinking of that future, full of war, passion, but also unyielding spirit and tragedy, Yu Lian once again felt a profound respect for the central figure within it, who was Wien standing opposite him.
So, he decisively raised his hand and made a cutting gesture across his neck.
The entire hall erupted in an uproar, then fell silent. However, after this momentary pause, the students began to cheer and applaud, and many even whistled and shouted.
Of course, after about ten seconds, they seemed to realize something again and reverted to a uniform "Boo~~~~~"
My popularity is indeed not very good. Yu Lian became even sadder.
Horatio Wien indicated that he saw nothing, absolutely nothing, otherwise he would have exploded long ago.
He took two deep breaths, originally intending to calm himself down, but perhaps due to the dense crowd indoors, the air quality wasn't good, which made him even more agitated. He used almost all his composure to maintain his cool and arrogant persona, and incidentally, asked his companion in a low voice, "Why are there so many people?"
"Yesterday, when we confronted each other in the park, others saw it, and someone directly uploaded the video to the campus network. Now, probably the whole school knows!"
Wien was speechless; it was clearly supposed to be an epic knightly duel, but it had turned into a farce for the onlookers.
But there was nothing that could be done. You see, this tactical command simulation room was originally converted from an indoor sports arena, and the surrounding spectator stands were not removed, capable of accommodating one to two thousand people. In the center were twenty command stations similar to computer consoles, available for students to conduct simulated tactical operations. One computer could simulate a standard main fleet the size of an Outer Rim fleet. This way, one person could duel with one fleet, or ten people could team up for an epic grand battle.
In addition, the real-time battle situation would be holographically projected onto ten to fifteen extra-large light screens, allowing all spectators in the venue to observe the battle.
This was a military academy; even those just here for a diploma had at least some military fan inclination. These large fleet simulation battles were the students' favorite "program," with viewership even higher than the finals of the Celestial Sphere Galaxy Championship Cup.
Yes, although this small stadium could only squeeze in one or two thousand people now, those who arrived late were watching the live broadcast on their phones.
"Also, someone even set up a betting pool. It's said you're 1 to 1.5, and Yu Lian is 1 to 1.7," Yahata said, pushing his glasses up again, looking serious.
"The commission is really steep!" Kent exclaimed admiringly, "Who's running the book?"
"...Fourth-year, Franz Parker from the Logistics and Intelligence Management Department."
"It's that guy, as expected..."
"What, are we going to smash his book?" William Banner asked, itching for action.
"No, tell him to hand over two-thirds of the profits. We need to raise money for the new house we're building soon," Kent said as a matter of course.
Well, now it wasn't even a farce; it had completely turned into a circus comedy.
Wien felt a little sad, and what was even sadder was, "...Wait, why are our odds so similar?"
"This reflects public opinion! After all, he's participated in actual combat," Yahata continued to push his glasses.
"I, I've also participated in actual combat..." Wien's confidence wasn't very strong.
"I think, if you were fighting hand-to-hand, there wouldn't even be a betting pool. Besides, if you hadn't won against him in the last simulation battle, I estimate the odds would be flipped," Yahata added.
Wien suddenly felt a bit disheartened, and the battle intent that had been sparked by the opponent's provocation inexplicably began to dissipate.
"I thought you would be united with me against a common enemy," Wien sighed.
"We will be united with you against a common enemy," Yahata said expressionlessly, continuing to push his glasses.
Kent, Rozes, and Deng Zhengqing all showed indulgent and understanding smiles.
"Yeah! Yeah! I wish I could flatten him into a pancake!" The only one willing to stand with Wien, of course, was William Banner, who shared the same hatred.
At this moment, the girls from the Student Union also arrived. Cheers and applause immediately erupted inside the venue. To be fair, although Fina and her Student Union cohort were an all-female group, the girls were quite impressive in both looks and ability, and they mostly spoke from the perspective of ordinary students, so their popularity was naturally very high.
Yu Lian was sitting in a chair resting, pondering how to fight this battle. Roommate A Luo Ming, still somewhat loyal, handed him a bottle of mineral water. Just then, a group of beautiful girls of various shapes and sizes were walking towards them. Luo Ming, annoyed and embarrassed, quickly opened the bottle cap and gulped down all the water inside, almost choking himself.
"Why bother?" Yu Lian sighed.
"None, none of your business!" Luo Ming shouted.
"Grilled fish! Boiled fish! Pickled cabbage fish! Steamed fish! Pine flower fish! Smoked cured fish!" Roommate B Ris continued to smile broadly.
Roommate C Lu Ke said nothing, just stood far away, as if Yu Lian were something dirty that would contaminate him.
"Boo!" The onlookers continued to jeer and boo.
A first-year freshman looked at everything around him with some confusion and couldn't help but ask a senior next to him, "Senior, senior, why are you all dissing Senior Yu Lian?"
"Why not? He should be burned alive!"
"But, I, I heard Senior Yu Lian is quite formidable, always dealing with those campus bullies from the Brotherhood! He's cleaned up a lot of rich kids who bullied classmates!"
"Yeah, my roommate was saved by him."
"I also heard that matter... well, that thing the school doesn't allow us to mention, he was the one who resolved it."
"Right, if it weren't for that guy. Pu... In short, that guy was too pitiful, couldn't even get justice. When those bastards were expelled, we even held up that guy's portrait to send them off! I even threw eggs!"
"Then why..."
"However, he should still be burned alive! No, he should be stuffed with ninety-nine tons of high-explosive dust, tied to a quantum torpedo, and launched to a red dwarf!"
The freshman was furious. He thought, for such a hero, it's one thing not to follow or worship him, but how can you slander him? He prepared to say a few fair words, even if it meant confronting the seniors directly. He believed he still had that kind of passion. But just then, he saw a group of beautiful Misses had already walked up to Yu Lian, a riot of colors, like the emperor's three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines surrounding him...
One of the girls, with the most "main consort" aura, even handed Yu Lian a bottle of drink. Yu Lian and she exchanged a smile, and their eyes, as they met, conveyed a myriad of unspoken words.
The freshman recognized that girl as Miss Fina Li, the soon-to-be outgoing Student Union President, the champion of the Moon City University Beauty Pageant two years ago, the contemporary "Chang'e."
Of course, she was also his goddess.
All the freshman's passion and fair words were stuck in his throat, his face flushing crimson, then turning pale with dejection.
"See? He deserves to be burned alive, right?" the senior said.
"Yes, yes..." The freshman's sorrow gradually turned into anger.
"Then, what should we do? Follow me, one, two, three..."
"Boo~~~~~~"
Amidst the students' synchronized jeers, Yu Lian patted his face, ready to enter the arena.
"Waiting for your victory," Fina gave Yu Lian a cheering gesture and walked with the girls towards the spectator stands.
"Well, I'm going!" Yu Lian said to his roommates.
"For Turan!" Luo Ming said seriously.
"For Turan..." Ris reined in his playful demeanor and said in a deep voice.
Lu Ke's expression remained indifferent, but his eyes were filled with battle intent, as if he were the one about to enter the arena.
On the other side, Wien also walked towards his console. Cheers and applause erupted from the spectator stands; this was the courtesy due to the dignified "King of the Moon."
However, these cheers were probably only half as loud as the earlier "Boos."
The battle was about to begin!
Yesterday, a reader asked me why the 830 Party members betrayed their class when it wasn't yet a time of national hatred, family feuds, or national annihilation?
Well, just consider it that all the capable and conscientious noble scions of the Commonwealth are concentrated in this generation, serving as tools for the protagonist. After all, it's a novel, and the protagonist must be the center of the universe.
Also, they truly haven't betrayed their class; it's just the inherent knightly complex and moral purity of young people with heroic ideals. For example, a certain famous World War II general who used a saber to cut down old soldiers dreamed of being a Knight of the Round Table when he was young.
As for whether they will eventually be beaten by society and come into conflict with the protagonist due to class issues? Aha, if this were a realistic novel, probably yes.