Liu A'dou arrived, and with him came salvation. Peace through nuclear deterrence had finally been achieved against the Vers Empire. Liu A'dou was without a doubt a living legend. Before the war began, there had barely been any news about him. But once it started, he lit up like a star, shining with blinding brilliance, forcing the Vers Empire into an unconditional surrender—something never before seen in history.
His popularity skyrocketed beyond anything anyone could have imagined. Many people even supported the idea of him becoming the next leader of the United Government, to rule the Earth. But Liu A'dou only cared about one thing—making sure his daughter was safe. Once he confirmed she was fine, he was ready to go home. Still, before heading back, he wanted to experience life on Earth a little more.
The reason he could enjoy life so freely was that all the powerful figures who wanted to use him had already been completely brainwashed. Ever since Ada told him not to worry about his background or decisions and to just follow his heart, Liu A'dou had been living without holding back.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Liu A'dou, a major general in the United Government Army. I'm really happy to be here with all of you at the academy today. I don't have much to say, so how about this—you ask, and I'll answer. Sound good?"
That sounded way more fun than a boring speech.
"Raise your hand if you have a question." As soon as Liu A'dou finished speaking, students—boys and girls alike—shot their hands into the air.
He casually pointed at one. "You, the girl with the pink hair clip. What do you want to ask?"
Everyone was speaking in Russian, so there wasn't any language barrier. The girl asked, "What kind of person is the Queen of the Vers Empire?"
Of course, girls were always more curious about that kind of stuff. "Hmm… that's a tough question," Liu A'dou paused for a bit, then answered. "She's a very traditional queen, just like all the feudal rulers from history. She's willing to sacrifice everything in the Vers Empire to achieve her goals. She sees the entire empire as her personal property—definitely someone born in the wrong era. If she had been born into a normal family, she might've been a cute girl. But from our Earthling perspective, the Vers Princess advocating peace is something we can agree with. At least, we're not at war anymore."
The crowd laughed. Honestly, everyone believed that if it hadn't been for the nukes, the Vers Empire wouldn't have surrendered—certainly not unconditionally. The arrogance of the Martian invasion had been felt across the entire planet. Even though the students were young, they knew full well how much damage the Martians had caused Earth.
"I want to know how you discovered the way to control the Martian relic technology?" That was the second most critical factor in winning the war—breaking the Martians' monopoly over their tech.
"That's easy. The inspiration just hit me, and I couldn't stop it." Liu A'dou couldn't exactly brag that his knowledge surpassed the smartest scientists on this planet. Letting Earthlings use Martian tech was just a problem he cracked in one night. That would've sounded way too arrogant.
"How did you go from captain to major general in just forty days? Are you still planning to climb the ranks?" That question got another round of laughter from the crowd.
"That depends on the organization's arrangements." But honestly, Liu A'dou figured he wouldn't be staying much longer. Maybe another month, tops. Even if he got promoted, it wouldn't matter anymore. "Next question… you, the guy in the third row, second from the right."
"Sir, I want to ask—what are your thoughts on the moon suddenly being restored?" This guy seemed to think Liu A'dou might know some classified intel that could explain why the moon had returned to normal.
"First of all, the moon hasn't really been restored. The current moon isn't the same as it was before 1999. Its mass is smaller, its orbit has shifted, and its effect on Earth's tides has also changed. So the damage the Martians did to the moon is permanent. Just because its appearance has been fixed doesn't mean the problem is gone. As for my opinion, I think someone on Earth just couldn't stand looking at that mess anymore and reshaped it into a sphere. At least now, our future generations can look up and see a full, round moon instead of a broken clump of meteors. Let's all thank that person."
Zhan Jun secretly laughed. His big bro Liu sure was bold and shameless—and funny, too.
"Then sir, who do you think fixed the moon?"
"What if I told you it was me?" Liu A'dou's answer made everyone chuckle. They just assumed he was joking, a way of saying 'How would I know?'
"I'd like to know when we'll get to pilot Martian mecha."
"I can share a little about that. Since the Vers Empire isn't allowed to have an army, all their weapons were taken over by the United Government Army. But replicating Aldnoah-powered mecha will take some time. That said, Martian mecha are way easier to pilot than the KG7. If you can handle a KG7, you can pilot a Martian unit. Hopefully by the time you graduate, you'll get to see one."
Martian mecha barely had any buttons. It was all neural control—super simple.
"You there, the chubby one. You've had your hand up forever. What's your question?" Liu A'dou pointed at Zhan Jun's roommate.
"Sir, sir! They say you once defeated a Martian Knight all by yourself. Compared to Inaho, who's the better mecha pilot?"
Zhan Jun heard that and thought, 'This deadweight really loves to stir things up.' The moment the question came out, the atmosphere got awkward. Inaho, though, stayed cool, surrounded by curious eyes without flinching.
Who was stronger? That kind of gossip fired up everyone. Who's the best—that's always the most exciting question, no matter the field. Superheroes—who's stronger, who's richer? In martial arts—whose technique reigns supreme? In anime—whose powers are most broken, which protagonist dominates?
That kind of rivalry question? Always the bait that reels in a crowd.
'This guy's kinda fun.' Liu A'dou thought to himself, 'I could beat them all without even piloting a mecha.' But that would sound way too arrogant. So he just smiled. "Let's do this—you've got sixteen classes. Each one sends two reps. We'll turn this into a practical session."
He grinned as he whispered something to the principal, asking him to get training-use KG6 units ready.
Liu A'dou's decision made all the students buzz with excitement. Each class quickly picked their two representatives. The chatter turned into a loud, lively discussion. Liu A'dou just stood there smiling, watching. Soon, he'd give these overconfident kids a real lesson.
It took over half an hour, but thirty-two students were selected. Zhan Jun and Inaho were among them. And it wasn't just freshmen—some upperclassmen joined in too.
All kinds of skin tones stood on the field. Liu A'dou smiled and said, "The mechas are ready. Go ahead and discuss your tactics."
"Sir, you're going to fight all thirty-two of us alone?"
Liu A'dou nodded. "Of course. Why else would I pick you all? Now hurry up and get ready."
Too arrogant! Liu A'dou's tone fired everyone up. Even if he was a hero, this kind of bragging had to be punished.
"General, are you sure this is okay?" The principal, also a major general, still treated Liu A'dou with deep respect.
"It's fine. It's not like they're in thirty-two Martian mechs." Kid answered calmly. "Just relax and enjoy the show, Principal."