Chapter 125: Chapter 28 Lesson 1, Day of Shame
The fight incident didn’t cause much of a stir at the academy.
After a brief investigation, the academy suspected Ming Yu of insulting an instructor and issued a notice of criticism as a punishment.
As for the assailant, Xu Mo… Xu Mo was defending an instructor, and although he might have gone a bit too far, he had already been given a verbal warning and would face no further punishment.
Xu Mo himself wasn’t even aware that he had been verbally reprimanded.
Reynolds reported the matter of the transfer student to the academy, which responded that it would consider his suggestion.
Upon learning the outcome, Ming Yu was utterly distressed.
This was the second time.
Had he been beaten up for nothing the first time at the Lin Family’s home, and now again?
However, as a transfer student, Ming Yu seemed to have little influence in the academy.
Life went on as usual.
Afterward, quite a few people at the academy heard that a cocky transfer student had arrived at Noah Academy.
On his first day, he had beaten down the young master of the Ming Group, who was another transfer student.
It was said that the transfer student was a former Desert Hunter and had been brought to the academy by Instructor Lin Xi, who recognized his talent, thus allowing him to become a transfer student.
Many students remarked that it was no wonder he was brutal, having come from the ranks of Desert Hunters.
This incident seemed to be just a minor episode at the beginning of the school year.
Following this, the students at Noah Academy would officially enter the learning phase.
The morning of the first day of school consisted of assessments, followed by a public class in the afternoon.
Xu Mo took a look at his schedule and found most of the classes uninteresting.
But he arrived early for this public class and sat down in the front row of the classroom.
The class was on the history of Byron Star.
And he knew nothing about history.
The topic of this class was “The Day of Shame!”
Students gradually entered the classroom, and although many new students from Steel Dome City knew something about the history of Byron Star, there were still many who were very interested in the subject.
Chen Qiuxue also arrived.
She likewise took a seat in the front row, next to Xu Mo.
Seeing Xu Mo next to her, she showed a trace of surprise, but then quickly composed herself and sat quietly.
Many boys took seats in the rows behind Chen Qiuxue when they saw her.
Xu Mo, on the other hand, had little interest in all of this.
His maturity was far beyond that of the other students here.
So, he liked older women!
On the podium, an elderly professor was adjusting some equipment.
Whispers filled the classroom.
Chen Qiuxue sat quietly, stealing glances at Xu Mo beside her.
This ‘rude’ Desert Hunter transfer student seemed different from what she saw in the cafeteria, very quiet.
And different from the other students, too.
As the only student in the new class with an A-grade Source Power Fusion Degree, she attracted many glances as she walked through the academy.
But this Desert Hunter transfer student seemed not to care at all.
Could it be that he didn’t recognize her?
Xu Mo had no clue that the new student beside him was experiencing such a whirlwind of thoughts.
The classroom lights dimmed and gradually became silent.
The old professor stepped aside from the podium and moved to one side, as the screen at the front lit up.
The students quieted down involuntarily, with no one speaking anymore.
All eyes were fixed on the screen.
“This is a precious footage from before the Federation’s history, very far from you, yet also very close,” said the old professor.
As his voice fell, an incredibly splendid scene appeared on the screen.
It was like the universe.
Many star systems, numerous planets, countless dazzling civilizations.
“The Silver Star Empire reigned for tens of thousands of years, under which numerous planets thrived and developed, with advanced technology. Our Byron Star was the seventh planet in the empire’s civilization history, also known as Planet 7,” said the professor, his voice solemn as the scenes continued to shift on the screen.
From the universe to a star system, and then to a planet.
The planet, a giant ellipse, was covered in countless cities, mountains, and oceans.
Human civilization was highly advanced.
On the screen, Xu Mo saw towering skyscrapers reaching towards the heavens, dazzling flying sports cars, and flying devices shuttling through the city’s airspace.
An advanced sci-fi world.
“These are images from before the Federation’s history, from many years ago when humanity lived this way. Back then, under the rule of the Empire’s civilization, countless planets thrived; war was restrained and seemed far from us, and humankind embarked on interstellar travel.”
“But just as with civilization, Byron Star gradually lost its sense of crisis, believing that war was far from us.”
The professor’s voice grew serious.
“The Silver Star Empire collapsed.”
“The Star System began an era of war, and powerful civilizations started to plunder resources, waging war on weaker civilizations. Though Byron Star was far from the Empire’s center, it could not escape the conflict. Warfires burned all the way to Byron Star.”
The images continued to evolve, showing dense fleets of warships appearing above the planet.
The moment the warships opened fire, the Energy Light seemed to engulf the entire planet.
“Byron Star had forgotten the crisis and failed to focus on developing war weaponry. Under attack, the planet’s defense systems were destroyed. Fleet after fleet invaded the planet. What you’re seeing is just a fraction.”
“That day was Byron Star’s day of shame.”
The professor’s voice became increasingly lower, and the students were fully immersed in this slice of history.
They witnessed the defense systems being destroyed, and warships invading the planet.
A terrible war erupted, causing devastating destruction to the planet.
The images shifted again.
In the Capital of Byron Star, humanity’s elite gathered, setting up powerful defenses in the city’s airspace.
The students saw a gigantic interstellar battleship appear, swarming with jets and Mechas as they hovered above the city.
The lone battleship pushed deep into the fray, fighting its way to the city.
In the images, Xu Mo and the others saw a silhouette appear atop the massive battleship.
He was clad in Battle Armor, standing alone atop the warship, a sword strapped to his back.
Then, he moved, diving down towards the city at a terrifying speed.
The jets and Mechas that had disembarked from the warship charged down with him.
Byron Star’s jets launched an attack on him, and around that plunging figure, a horrific battle broke out.
The crowd saw that when potent firepower hit the space before that figure, it seemed slowed as if blocked by an incredibly terrifying shield of Power before exploding.
The students held their breath, watching the figure continue his charge toward the city. With jets and Mechas desperately intercepting and attacking, the figure drew the sword from his back.
As the sword slashed down, a terrifying beam of Energy Light shot through the city’s airspace, severing jets in half.
The students’ hearts pounded violently.
They witnessed the figure in Battle Armor slicing through the defenses on his own, raiding into the city, and pointing his sword at Byron Star’s leader.
The grand classroom was utterly silent.
The sound of the students’ breathing and even their heartbeats could be heard.
One man, with a sword, disregarded jets and Mechas, taking down Byron Star’s leader.
The image disappeared, leaving no continuation.
But the students all knew what followed was the real catastrophe.
“This is Byron Star’s day of shame.” The old professor walked to the lectern facing the pupils below: “The planet was invaded, its defense systems destroyed. Byron Star’s elites just watched as one man killed their way to their leader, no one could stand to oppose, not a single person could block the aggressor.”
Still, there was utter silence.
The real day of shame.
“You are probably all aware of what happened afterward. They took everything of value from Byron Star, including Scientists and certain scientific achievements, as well as all valuable resources, plundering it all. Then came destruction; they demolished our technology, and people from other planets came to Byron Star to loot and destroy; the civilization of Byron Star regressed, monsters arose from the ruins, and humanity faced annihilation.”
The old professor scanned the young faces before him and said, “You are able to sit in this classroom because those ancestors exchanged their blood for it. After the apocalyptic disaster, those heroes and brave souls built monuments with their blood, allowing humanity to barely cling on, rebuild cities, and reforge civilization.”
“More than three hundred years after the Federation’s founding, many seem to have gradually forgotten about war, yet war has never left us, potentially descending upon us at any moment.”
“The threats we face are not just the monsters from the ruins but also the starry sky above us. I hope you never forget this shameful piece of history. To this day, we still rely on Alien Powers, and even in our cities, many Aliens hold status above us. We live humiliated under this starry sky.”
“This is also why the Extraordinary Academy was founded. Each of you sitting here in the classroom today represents the future of humanity. I hope that one day your names will be on the monuments of history, your heroic epics written by future generations.”
The old professor’s voice was emphatic, igniting the fires within the young students in the classroom.
Youth is a time of fervor, especially faced with such a humiliating history.
As the first public lecture of the term, the class was brief but profoundly shocking.
Even Xu Mo, as he sat there, felt somewhat stirred.
So Byron Star has such a humiliating history.
Day of Shame!
“Can human Power truly reach such extents?” Chen Qiuxue murmured to herself softly, the previous images having greatly impacted her.
She turned her gaze, looking towards Xu Mo beside her, seemingly addressing him.
But she saw Xu Mo stand up, turn around, and leave his seat.
“…”
Chen Qiuxue watched Xu Mo’s retreating figure.