"Teacher Lin, hurry, Liu Su fainted!" Liu A'dou had been chatting with Ouyang when a girl's sharp scream cut through the cafeteria.
On one side of the hall, a few girls stood in a panic around the table, while Liu Su had already collapsed on the floor. Clearly, they had just finished eating and were about to clear the dishes when Liu Su suddenly dropped.
'She can't be that fragile, right?' The instructor groaned inwardly. He knew modern students were weak, but he hadn't expected just half a morning of weighted training to knock someone out.
Liu A'dou froze too. Liu Su had been admitted through his connections and didn't have any medical records. If she had some hidden illness that the training had triggered, he wouldn't be able to dodge responsibility.
In an instant, the teachers rushed over. "Everyone, step back."
The students crowded around, but the instructors pushed them away. Liu A'dou checked Liu Su's neck—she was still breathing. But after examining further, he couldn't find anything wrong. Strange. "Send Liu Su to the infirmary."
"Everyone, disperse."
"No, we need an explanation! Someone has already fainted. If this kind of training continues in the afternoon, someone might actually die!"
That one line lit the spark. Many students echoed the complaint. They'd already been full of resentment, and Liu Su's collapse pushed them over the edge.
"That's right, we need answers!"
The General, who had been silently watching, frowned. So much fuss over such a small matter. With this kind of panicky reaction, how could these people ever be relied upon?
"All instructors, leave the cafeteria. Lock the doors."
"Yes, sir!"
At one command, the students were sealed inside.
It happened so fast, no one saw it coming. The student who had stirred everyone up thought he could use the group's complaints to pressure the instructors into lowering the training load. But this wasn't kindergarten. At the interstellar academy, crying and whining didn't earn you special treatment.
Dong, dong. Someone pounded on the iron doors, only to feel pain shoot through their fists. These doors were built to withstand even a small nuclear blast—there was no way the students could force them open.
"Let us out! You can't do this!" shouted the one who had started it all, a student named Jiang Yuliu. He couldn't handle the weighted training, so he'd tried to rally everyone to oppose it. He never expected things to backfire like this.
"Idiotic," Ming Wu snorted coldly. It was obvious this wasn't a place where you could mess around. The training definitely had a purpose. If you couldn't take it, you could leave, but trying to use group pressure to weaken the school's standards was pure stupidity.
"What did you say?!" Even though Ming Wu had spoken quietly, Jiang Yuliu still heard it. He glared furiously at him.
Ming Wu glared right back, completely unafraid. In fact, he almost wished Jiang Yuliu would take a swing so he'd have an excuse to beat him down.
"You two, cut it out! Haven't you embarrassed us enough already?" Ouyang stepped between them, motioning for calm. He knew the whole mess had been caused by Jiang Yuliu, but singling him out now would only create deeper splits. And division was the last thing they could afford. They had to act like a team. Unity was the most basic quality they needed.
Everyone here was an adult, all elites from top universities. Even if they hadn't met before, most had at least heard each other's names, knew they were all exceptional. Gathering here wasn't about scheming or forming cliques. It was because something greater was waiting for them.
"Everyone, sit down. I think the reason they locked us in was just to make us suffer a little," Ouyang said.
"Tch, who do they think they are, treating us like this? We're not prisoners!" Jiang Yuliu still refused to give up. "I want them to know there's a power in this world, surging through heaven and earth, hidden in our hearts. That power is courage. I won't accept their abuse. Classmates, one of us has already fallen. If this training keeps going, the next one to collapse might be you. So let's unite and resist this inhuman training!"
His speech was fiery, and sure enough, two boys joined his side. Jiang Yuliu kept persuading the hesitant ones, trying to drag them into his camp.
'Foolish.' That was Ouyang's judgment, same as Ming Wu's. To be honest, Ouyang didn't like the training either. He just didn't like that there was no explanation. But he gave himself a reason: the school wouldn't deceive them. Ahead of them had to be a future beyond imagination. That was enough to keep him going.
But Jiang Yuliu wasn't like that. He couldn't see that far.
"This Jiang Yuliu does have some talent," the General said with a cold laugh. He admitted Jiang Yuliu had a sharp tongue, and his followers were only there because of his words.
"Should we just throw him out?" an instructor asked.
The General stopped him. "Do you know the catfish effect?"
"I do," the instructor nodded. Then he understood. "General, you mean keep Jiang Yuliu here, use him as a negative example, and let him serve as a whetstone for the others?"
The General nodded.
"But sir," the instructor said, "isn't there an old saying, one rat's dropping spoils the whole pot? I'm worried Jiang Yuliu will poison the others."
"As long as Ouyang and Ming Wu don't get swayed, that's enough," the General said calmly. "Among this group, I only see Ouyang and Ming Wu as diamonds. That makes Jiang Yuliu the best tool to sharpen them."
"But…" The instructor wanted to say more, but in the end swallowed his words. What he really wanted to say was: if this school produces only two diamonds, then it's already a failure.
The General, however, had guessed his thoughts. He continued, "Believe in the people we picked. As long as Ouyang and Ming Wu stand firm, they'll become examples. Others will rally to their side. Then we won't just have two diamonds—we'll have a whole handful of them."
"Everything is as the General decides," the instructor replied. His job was only to give advice. The final word was always the General's.
Inside the cafeteria, only Jiang Yuliu's voice kept spreading, his demands echoing. Before long, he had gathered a dozen students around him. They huddled together, whispering like they were plotting something.
"Nice to meet you, Ming Wu," Ouyang suddenly said, taking the initiative. He liked Ming Wu's straightforwardness. Having a friend like that was reassuring.
Ming Wu didn't like Ouyang, but he wasn't about to punch someone who greeted him with a smile. That would make him a madman, not just himself.
"Hello," Ming Wu replied coldly, hoping his attitude would push Ouyang away. But he underestimated him. Ouyang casually sat right next to him, completely unfazed by his frosty aura. He became the only one willing to share a table with Ming Wu.
"Ming Wu, when do you think we'll be let out?"
"Don't know."
"Then what do you think of our morning training?"
"Don't know."
"Have you met Teacher Lin before?"
Ming Wu glanced at him, then gave the same answer. "Don't know."
Ouyang hadn't asked whether he knew Liu A'dou. He'd asked if they had met before. And Ming Wu's reaction gave him the answer he wanted. That only made Ouyang more interested. This younger brother who had entered the academy in place of his older sibling… was someone worth paying attention to.