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墨書 Inktalez
Jufeng tossed and turned all night, but he quickly fell into a deep sleep. The next morning, the university town had taken on a more orderly appearance. The parents who had come to drop off their children were leaving before the start of the semester, marking the official beginning of university life.
Romain's dormitory was a four-person room, and his roommates were from various regions. They had all gone out with their parents to explore the sights of Washing City the previous night and did not stay over. Early in the morning, Romain set off alone from the dormitory, but he was accustomed to this mode of life—walking alone through the vastness of the world.
As is customary at the start of the school year, military training was unavoidable. This tradition had been upheld in Huaguo for over a hundred years. Despite significant societal advancements over time, military training at universities remained rigidly traditional. Officially, it aimed to strengthen physical fitness and temper willpower, but many students, especially those from wealthy families, often found excuses to skip it.
However, Romain would not be absent. Although he could easily pass as a rich second-generation heir, he chose not to. When faced with that choice in the past, he resolutely left behind his family filled with the stench of money and plunged into the sea of ordinary people.
The large grass field, regulated by international athletics standards, was now dominated by military green camouflage uniforms. However, only a portion of students participated; Romain's major, Mechanical Engineering, was one of them.
The Earth of this era was vastly different from that of two hundred years ago. With technological advancements reaching such heights, mechanical technology had become inseparable from people's lives. Aside from soccer, Romain had always been most interested in machinery, which is why he chose this field of study.
In the distance, Romain spotted his three roommates arriving one after another: Diao Ke, Cai Fanshuang, and Tong Bailong. The first two were ordinary individuals with unremarkable appearances and backgrounds; their lives could not be described as affluent but were certainly not impoverished. Tong Bailong, on the other hand, came from a poor background and lived in extreme hardship. Despite this, he was tall and robust—over two meters in height—and although his academic performance was lacking, he had been admitted due to his exceptional talent in Mecha Control.
Mecha technology was an emerging field within Mechanical Engineering that had become quite popular but lacked sufficient talent; this provided Tong Bailong with an opportunity.
"Hey guys, I'm over here!" Romain waved at Tong Bailong and the others. They quickly spotted him and exchanged pleasantries before waiting for their instructors to arrive.
"Attention! Stand at ease!"
The initial address came from a stern-looking middle-aged man who served as Chief of Staff. He appeared quite young for someone in such a position; one could imagine his exceptional abilities that led him there. After a series of clichéd opening remarks, formal training commenced. Each squad consisted of about thirty to forty people under the guidance of a Private First Class. They were temporarily designated as A Squad; three squads formed A Company, and eight companies made up A Battalion. The new students at Huan City University were organized into three battalions for this training.
Fortunately for Romain and his three roommates, they were grouped together in A Squad of A Company’s second platoon and fifth section.
The temporary squad leader was a young man with dark skin who exuded an impressive presence due to his military background; he appeared somewhat mature beyond his years.
"Young men, I am pleased to become your instructor for the next ten days. My name is Diao Xiaocheng. I am quite straightforward; as long as you perform well during drills, I will ease up on you a bit. However, if I receive criticism because of you, then you will be in serious trouble. Do you see that fireball above? Standing under it for two or three minutes would be a light punishment."
This was the typical intimidation tactic every instructor employed before training began. Many students instinctively shivered as they looked up at the blazing sun.
Diao Xiaocheng noticed the change in the students' expressions and subtly revealed a mischievous smile. He continued, "Let's not rush into training just yet; it's just a simple march after all. Before we start the formal training, let's choose a deputy leader. Any announcements I have will be passed down through them."
"How do we choose the deputy leader? Can I be one? We're family after all," a bright voice rang out among the students. Everyone turned to see Diao Ke jokingly speaking up. Diao Xiaocheng chuckled and replied, "So you're family, huh? But with so many people watching, I can't show favoritism. Let's keep it simple: we'll have a wrestling match. Whoever wins gets to be the deputy leader."
Upon hearing the instructor's lewd smile, Diao Ke cursed him silently in his heart but decided not to dwell on family ties anymore. He was an actual bookworm; wrestling was far more challenging than solving a hundred calculus problems.
"Heh, I'll pass on the wrestling; let the capable take charge. I won't interfere." With that, Diao Ke chose to remain silent, looking quite unwilling.
Jufeng found the instructor amusing and nudged Tong Bailong beside him, whispering in a tone only they could hear, "Tong Bailong, why don't you give it a try? Your academic performance is lacking; excel during military training to make up for it."
Tong Bailong's eyes lit up at Jufeng's words, and he shot a grateful glance before striding forward confidently.
"Instructor, I'd like to give it a shot."
With his towering height resembling a hill, Tong Bailong couldn't help but draw attention. Diao Xiaocheng noted this and thought to himself about how this guy had grown so well. He nodded slightly and asked, "Is there anyone else who wants to challenge?"
The visual impact alone made many eager students hesitate, but after a brief silence, someone stepped forward.
"Classmate, my name is Andland. I am the young director of And Group. Today, I would like to compete with you for the position of deputy leader; I hope you'll teach me a thing or two."
And Group was a well-known conglomerate in Washing City and even across Huaguo. Given Andland's status, he wouldn't typically participate in military training; however, he had heard that the girl he admired was also part of this training session. Thus, he decided to join in hopes of creating a beautiful encounter with her. Just moments ago, he had seen her walking toward them and had been contemplating how to showcase his abilities in front of her.
He thought that after revealing his identity, those who knew the situation would at least give him some face. In the past, his title as the Young Master of the An Clan had almost guaranteed him success in everything he did. He even planned to reward this big guy with a sum of money afterward. However, he never expected that the giant standing before him was completely oblivious to social niceties and utterly confused by his subtle gestures.
"Hey, are your eyes okay?" Tong Bailong asked, looking bewildered.
Andland was taken aback by this response, thinking to himself, what are you pretending for? But at this moment, he had no choice but to act. Diao Xiaocheng didn’t give the two much time to prepare; as soon as he called for them to start, Tong Bailong swung a punch.
"Hey, why are you so weak? I haven't even put any strength into it yet!"
Tong Bailong looked down at Andland, who was sprawled on the ground, with an innocent expression that only added to Andland's humiliation. Of course, Tong Bailong's thoughts were genuine and not an act.
Two students rushed out from the crowd to help Andland up. Their overly respectful demeanor clearly resembled that of sycophants. Rubbing his sore jaw, Andland was about to explode with anger when a woman approached him, causing him to swallow back all the curses he had prepared.
"Hello, Instructor Diao. I'm a sophomore and a special reporter for the school newspaper during military training. I would like to conduct a brief interview with you before the training starts. Do you have some time?"
A pleasant female voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention to the graceful woman in camouflage attire, including Jufeng.
However, upon seeing her, Jufeng couldn't help but feel surprised; he recognized her as Lu Qijia, the girl he had helped last night at Azure Waterside.
"She’s also a student at Huan City University..."
What Jufeng didn’t know was that his casual act of kindness had infuriated a certain young master.
Seeing such a beautiful woman approach, Diao Xiaocheng immediately broke into a smile and said, "Of course I have time! Please wait a moment, beautiful."
Turning to the students, he added, "Big guy, since you won, you can take charge now. Lead them in some warm-up exercises; I'll make other arrangements when I get back." With that, he walked aside with Lu Qijia.
As the beauty walked away, Andland's face darkened as if it could drip water. He shot a fierce glare at Tong Bailong and thought to himself, just wait! How dare you ruin my plans? You’ll pay for this sooner or later.
"We're leaving."
"Brother Ango, where are we going?"
"You idiot, of course we're heading to the infirmary! Ouch! Be gentle, can't you see I'm injured?"
The morning passed quickly, and by noon, Jufeng and his three companions went to the cafeteria for lunch. During military training, the meals were standardized by the cafeteria: four dishes and a soup, a good mix of meat and vegetables.
"Tong Bailong, what did you do last night?"
The four of them sat at a table eating. Jufeng remembered that Diao Ke and another person had gone out to have fun, but Tong Bailong must have had something else going on. He felt a natural affinity for such straightforward people because in today's world, the qualities embodied by Tong Bailong were gradually disappearing from society, making them increasingly precious.
"I was planning to go out looking for a job. Although the school waived my tuition, I still haven't secured living expenses, and my family is waiting for me to send money back. But in this big city, all the jobs require work experience. They see that I have nothing and won't hire me."
Jufeng knew about Tong Bailong's family situation. Having drifted around for years himself, he had witnessed some of the hardships faced by those at the bottom of society, which stirred his compassion.
After pondering for a moment, Jufeng said, "How about this evening? Come help me deliver packages; it will be enough to get by."
"Really?" Tong Bailong's face lit up with joy at the prospect of having work to do, and he expressed his sincere gratitude.
Jufeng smiled slightly and didn't say much more; he simply picked up his chopsticks and increased their pace in his bowl.
Just as they were about to finish eating, a faint scent of jasmine wafted into Jufeng's nostrils. He looked up and saw a graceful figure appear before him.
"What a coincidence! So you're a new student at Huan City University; we've met again."
The newcomer was none other than Lu Qijia, the beautiful reporter from that morning. Jufeng initially didn't want to get too involved with her because he knew that her world came with many complications, and he didn't want his ordinary life to be disturbed.
"How coincidental, Senior, hello. The person next to you must be waiting for you, so I won't disturb you any longer. Goodbye."
Jufeng led his three roommates out of the cafeteria. Lu Qijia was about to say something to keep them from leaving, but was interrupted by Andland.
"Jia'er, do you know that poor student?"
"I wouldn't say I know him; I've only seen him a couple of times. But I don't like the way you refer to others. He may be poor, but he relies on himself, unlike some people who depend on their family background."
With that, Lu Qijia turned and walked outside, leaving Andland staring blankly in the direction where Jufeng and Tong Bailong had disappeared, his expression darkening as he fell into deep thought.
(To be continued)
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