The next day, the North Starship Military Academy's affiliated No. 3 Starship Duel Zone had already been arranged.
This was a star sector located on the outskirts of the academy, consisting of dozens of abandoned, barren asteroids. It was specifically used for starship simulation battles or starship duels at the academy.
At this moment, this duel was also being broadcast live on the academy's internal network, which was standard practice for starship duels.
Class 8 classroom.
Someone specifically tuned into the broadcast channel, projecting it holographically in the center of the classroom.
"When will Zachary and Victor's duel begin?"
"I saw the announcement; it's scheduled for ten o'clock, and it's already ten o'clock. According to the duel regulations, both starships must arrive at the battle zone within half an hour of the stipulated time."
"Look quickly—that must be Victor's starship! It's actually a T2 Bald Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser!"
"That's the Star Glory Empire's most excellent T2-class Interstellar Cruiser; its speed is second only to the T2 Interstellar Frigate of the same class!"
"I heard that the current price of this T2 Bald Eagle is at least 7 million star coins, and it's currently hard to find on the market! You might not even be able to buy it if you want to!"
"It's over—Zachary is finished this time."
The students of Class 8 were all pessimistic about Zachary at this moment. With Victor's starship displayed there, how could Zachary fight? Could it be that Zachary could still produce a starship even more excellent than this one?
Class President Serena Frost stared at the T2 Bald Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser, but she didn't have the envious expression of the other students because she had studied this starship and considered it a 'flashy but impractical' product.
Its only advantage was speed; other than that, its configuration could only be considered a 'modded' Interstellar Destroyer. Because it was a light starship, its hull armor wasn't too high, and its firepower didn't meet the standard T2 Interstellar Cruiser level.
However, in a single starship duel, as long as the T2 Bald Eagle's captain commanded meticulously enough, he could completely use a kiting combat style, relying on high speed to defeat most starships. But in a real interstellar battlefield facing fleet-level combat, it would basically be of little use.
"Class President, tell me—does Zachary still have a chance to win?" Serena's best friend leaned next to her and asked curiously.
Serena's position as class president wasn't due to her beauty as a class flower; it was because she was the most outstanding student in Class 8. If it weren't for her ordinary background, she could have easily entered one of the higher-ranked classes. Despite this, in the past three years of theoretical exams, Serena had always been among the top ten in her grade. She was known as the commoner scholar.
"Very low," Serena said indifferently.
"Then he was still so high-spirited yesterday. Isn't this just slapping himself in the face? If I were him, I'd probably have already run back to my territory by now and honestly lived as a useless Baron." Her best friend mocked him unceremoniously.
At this moment, there were also many cold remarks in the class.
Because Class 8 was a commoner class, most of the students here were from commoner backgrounds or interstellar trade families. Only Zachary was an exception. Zachary's identity, among the nobles, was ridiculed and looked down upon. Among these commoner students, he was an irritating presence, so naturally everyone rejected this Baron student.
Serena didn't speak. She recalled Zachary's expression from yesterday; he was truly confident at the time. Was it just his 'arrogance'?
"Why hasn't Zachary's starship appeared yet? There's less than fifteen minutes left until the half-hour deadline. This brat wouldn't have really run away, would he?"
"Damn it, I don't care if he loses or not, but this is embarrassing for our Class 8."
"Forget it, forget it. Anyway, if he loses, we won't have to see that guy's grim face next semester."
The Class 8 students teased and scoffed.
Bang!
A loud sound came—it was Levi Warren. He slammed his fist on the wall, scanning everyone in the classroom with cold eyes. Everyone who met Levi's gaze averted their eyes.
Levi's status in Class 8 was considered the pinnacle, after all, he had a rich merchant father.
"No matter what, Zachary is a student of our Class 8. It's fine if you don't cheer for your classmate, but you're still here making sarcastic remarks! Where's the camaraderie you learned in your military literacy class?!" Levi angrily rebuked.
The students in the classroom didn't directly answer Levi, but many were whispering, and most of what they said wasn't anything good.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
At this moment, a voice came from Levi's side; it was the teacher for this class.
"Alright, it's time for class. All of you, return to your seats." The teacher glanced at Levi, walked into the classroom, and stood at the podium, preparing for the upcoming lesson.
Levi clenched his fist, silently returning to his seat. He was very concerned about Zachary, but he hadn't been able to contact Zachary since this morning.
"Look quickly! That strange-looking starship—could it be Zachary's starship?" Someone suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone's gaze gathered on the holographic broadcast window. In the universe, where only the T2 Bald Eagle had been, another starship slowly sailed in.
The hull adopted the most ordinary iron-colored paint, and compared to Victor's T2 Bald Eagle, this starship's exterior was dilapidated, and some areas even clearly showed 'patches'.
"What kind of starship is this? I don't recognize it."
"It looks like an Interstellar Battleship… but the weapons… aren't the caliber an Interstellar Battleship should have."
"This dilapidated starship—I estimate that one shot from Victor's T2 Bald Eagle would blast it to smithereens."
Seeing this strange starship, the students of Class 8 all regarded it as trash.
"Serena, you're good at studying. Do you recognize what kind of starship this is?" Her best friend asked Serena again.
Serena examined it carefully, frowning: "This starship… has structural features of three starships: T2 Hyena-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer, T2 Devil Crocodile-class Medium Interstellar Battleship, and T2 Gray Wolf-class Light Star Cruiser… Could this be an assembled starship?"
"An assembled starship? Zachary wants to use an assembled starship to defeat a T2 Bald Eagle? He must be dreaming." Her best friend said mockingly.
Serena stared at this old assembled starship, not speaking.
"Class is starting. Turn off irrelevant things. What's most important for you now is to study, not to do unimportant things. Be honest and down-to-earth." The teacher then announced the start of class.
But his words always seemed to hide something.
Levi clenched his fist, feeling indignant.
The holographic video in the classroom was also turned off.
Levi really wanted to know the outcome of Zachary and Victor's battle, but his grades were not like Zachary's—skipping class for a month wouldn't necessarily lead to being held back, but Levi had to attend every class.
The only words Zachary had left him before were: Don't worry, focus on class, and wait for my good news.
But in this situation, who could focus on class?
It wasn't just him; many people in Class 8 were actually curious. They weren't curious about the result but about how Zachary would lose.
He would probably lose very badly.