novelraw Chapter 169 : Extra Chapter - Return to Zhu Jing Fu
Chapter 169 : Extra Chapter - Return to Zhu Jing Fu
"Master Leng made me feel so good with her insults, she's too powerful."
"This is what you call the art of language. Before I was timid, now I'm learning word by word."
Leng Qiuchan's appearance instantly twisted the theme of this meeting. Her mouth could render the entire Gu family behind the light screen speechless. No one present dared to speak up, fearing they might catch her attention and become her next target.
Council members who had been notified of overtime work to handle extra matters near the end of their shifts all understood somewhat.
The Gu family was really something—being drenched with biochemical bombs, couldn't they just quietly live with the stink? Why did they have to announce it to the world? What was the point?
Leng Qiuchan's temper was known to anyone who had followed StarNet news over a decade ago. Although Master Leng had an extremely gentle face, her temper was exceptionally explosive. Because of her youthful indiscretion, she was often caught by media who exaggerated her few words to smear her. Later, she developed an iron mouth capable of countering all Star Alliance media.
Not to mention she came out with an 'alibi' for Zhu Jing Fu. Although this alibi was quite flimsy, compared to the Gu family who couldn't produce much evidence, it was enough to shut people up.
After the meeting, the military students received a communication connection from Song Baining. On the other side of the light screen, Director Song's expression seemed helpless, but her uncontainable mouth corners and eyes indicated she was secretly enjoying this.
"You've done what needed to be done. Now stop playing around and return to your respective schools. Handle the remaining course arrangements. Zone Eleven will soon resume border combat practice for military students."
Border combat practice was a six-month practical training arranged for second-year and above military students, allowing them to adapt to Border Army work content in advance. It was also part of the academic requirements.
After instructing the military students, Song Baining allocated some personnel to escort them out of the First Star Ring. After all, the old aristocratic families were in a bad situation, having had their tiger whiskers plucked by military students. There was no guarantee they wouldn't take desperate measures against the children.
She had always anticipated the worst methods from the old aristocratic faction.
The Zhu Jing Fu members separated from the others at the near-star ring space transfer station and headed to Yuguang Star alone.
Seven Academy students hadn't received news of the school team's return. Previously, news reports had covered their return from Zone Eleven, but the school team had changed course midway to the First Star Ring.
Then the Gu family incident ignited the StarNet. Many Seven Academy students participated privately, each seeing the live reports, making them happy for several days, even feeling energetic during exams.
Because of this, the school team members could feel the fervent, surging atmosphere as soon as they entered Seven Academy.
Along both sides of the long entrance to the school, tall landscape trees, catalyzed by the energy riot, had become more canopy-covering, casting a layer of overlapping tree shadows on the wide black-gold ground.
On the sturdy tree trunks were placed disposable projection devices. Floating numerical banners and portrait-like images hovered above the path entering the campus.
Chen Sui had just entered the school gate when she stopped in place, head tilted high, exclaiming in amazement: "Wow."
"Hmm? Whose idea is this?" Zhou Chen saw the enormous line of characters floating at the very top and burst out laughing.
The black characters with gold edges read: "Mere league match first place, Zhu Jing Fu took it."
"Here is the league match champion, Star Academy Seven, Zhu Jing Fu."
"Have you eaten today?" "Ah, so you also know we're the champions!"
"Exaggerated," Gu Qinxue said quietly, but if she hadn't been smiling, perhaps it would have been more convincing.
Puluo counted along the way, following a very distant trail: "A total of 512 messages, everyone put in a lot of effort."
The cumulative points from Zhu Jing Fu's five matches were 512,000.
"Hahaha, genius," Zhou Chen saw something and instinctively shared it with his teammates. "Who hung the Gu family report up there too? Hahaha, so savage."
The report about the Gu family was right below Zhu Jing Fu's championship announcement, very conspicuously using a guilty 'shh' emoji, paired with large characters saying "Warning!"
The sarcasm was extremely strong.
Puluo nodded, even seeing floating 'sponsor advertisements' in the distance.
"Grateful to the equipment provider: The best-tasting nutritional fluid @Red Apricot," Chen Sui read the last line, then looked at Puluo, teasing: "Your family business covers quite a few fields, huh."
Puluo hadn't expected his family's handiwork, suddenly seeing it, first blushing deeply, then immediately showing some pride: "Hehe, next time we should make it bigger, arrange it on the Twin Towers of the Main Star as well."
The Main Star's Twin Towers housed Gu family material industries. This comment was equivalent to opening big right in their face.
The school team members immediately laughed. Indeed, a white-faced black heart is the most vicious.
"By the way, I feel something's not quite right," the group walked into the school, already seeing the full view of the buildings, but the interior of Seven Academy was exceptionally quiet. The usually bustling atmosphere was now silent as a grave.
This scene reminded Chen Sui of the scenario when they returned to Zhu Jing Fu after the first elimination match.
"They haven't arranged another surprise, have they?"
Zhou Chen had the same thought as her, then immediately rubbed his hands excitedly with some embarrassment: "This feels pretty emotional."
Though he said this, his expression was particularly joyful, clearly still anticipating something.
But the next second, as they approached and saw the Zhu Jing Fu building, Chen Sui poked Zhou Chen, reminding him to look up.
"Oh, this time it's real."
As Chen Sui spoke, her eyes swept across the surrounding landscape bushes, her ear tips moving very subtly. Apart from Xie Chunshi who was watching her from her side, none of the Zhu Jing Fu members noticed this small movement.
"There's really no one here."
It wasn't a surprise, nor were there any classmates suddenly jumping out to spray confetti. The bushes were quiet, and the surroundings were silent. At the top of the Zhu Jing Fu building was written today's schedule.
"Huh? No way, Yuguang Star Museum reconstruction work? The entire school went?"
Zhou Chen found it somewhat incredible, sounding ridiculous.
Chen Sui: "There's really no one." To verify her statement, Chen Sui picked up a stone and rolled it into the bushes. The faint sound of crushed grass leaves arose, then quickly settled down.
The group looked at each other.
Zhou Chen accepted the fact: "Fine, and I had already prepared my boasting script in advance. Tsk, I'll go polish it some more!"
He definitely had to boast about this.
Chen Sui couldn't help but laugh.
The school team didn't meet any other classmates and simply returned to the school team building. Although the league match had ended, the school team would soon be involved in border combat. Since the league match had postponed some practical content, the subsequent planning still needed to be coordinated with the Border Army district for the internship.
Chen Sui didn't go with them. Passing by the central building, she wanted to visit Zhu Jing Fu. The others vaguely sensed something was off, but no one actively asked.
Chen Sui had many secrets, but for the school team members, these were all reasonable. Just like how Gu Qinxue and Zhou Chen still didn't want to talk about what they experienced in White Day Paradise, and Xie Chunshi never mentioned what he went through before his awakening. They all clearly understood that those belonged to the past, while they stood in each other's futures.
Seven Academy's nickname came from the ancient building complex at its very center. Zhu Jing Fu was like an ancient landmark, situated in the most central area. Seven Academy had built many teaching buildings radiating around it. Future-tech buildings surrounded the high tower with red tiles and black walls. From beneath the special material red tiles, one could see deep black metal frames.
The highest building in Zhu Jing Fu had only six floors, with the surrounding ones being even lower.
But Chen Sui knew that the highest floor contained a library-like structure with infinitely compressed space extending upward. The square building extended upward, countless data and materials floating above, enormous metal pipes connecting to the central cylinder. Detecting someone entering, blue light flickered outside the door as the protective device opened.
Chen Sui opened her light brain and entered the access sequence Song Baining had given her.
This was an entry sequence, only allowing entry and exit, without central machine usage rights.
The moment the sequence was verified, the central machine emitted light. Green data popped out from the cylinder, revealing part of the information network. The massive data flow made one feel dizzy.
Chen Sui moved her gaze away from the surrounding materials, looking toward the very center.
In front of the central machine was a tall statue.
Red-gold light floated from the human figure. Above the figure floated five pieces of Zhu Jing Stone, each the size of a mecha fist, like an angel's halo.
This was the source of the entire Zhu Jing Fu barrier.
"Perhaps, there's a special reaction between Zhu Jing Stones," Song Baining's reminder still rang in her ears.
Chen Sui boarded the mecha cockpit, holding Red General.
Sitting in the mecha, her eyes were level with the statue.
Red General's spear tip approached the floating, drifting Zhu Jing Stone.
"Zing—"
As they collided, a crisp sound accompanied by a flash of white light emanated.
The light, like a meteor, grew brighter and brighter, reaching its brightest point before quickly dimming.
The Zhu Jing Stone's light disappeared, continuing its rotation frequency. The stone passed over Red General's surface, leaving a scratch.
Chen Sui looked at the Zhu Jing Stone with its reaction gone. Her previously raised emotions felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over them, followed by uncontrollable disappointment. But as the light completely disappeared, she examined Red General closely.
The trace of the fracture in the center of the spear had not completely disappeared. Red rust covered it, seeming to 'stick' it together.
Apart from the fracture trace, it was no different from before.
And the statue—
Chen Sui's gaze swept over it inch by inch. It was a statue of Chen Youjin's virtual character—a miniature version of Chen Youjin with golden hair, a halo, and snow-white wings on her back.
Although she didn't know the story behind this image, Chen Youjin's three students had tacitly used this image to replace Chen Youjin's actual appearance, thus becoming the reference for most crafts about Chen Youjin in the Star Alliance.
On the chest of this virtual character statue, Chen Sui noticed an extremely subtle detail.
—There was an indentation on her chest.
It seemed to be the shape of a pendant.
Chen Sui's eyes flashed, and she instinctively gripped the cross pendant around her neck.
The next second, she controlled the mecha to stop in front of the statue, and the cockpit door opened.
Chen Sui was directly facing the position on the statue's chest. The pendant fell from her neck, and with one hand, she placed it perfectly into the indentation.