To an ordinary Major, Du Shuangyu felt no fear whatsoever, replying haughtily, "If you cancel my qualification today, I will cancel your Major status tomorrow!"

The declaration stunned everyone aboard the ship.

Was this a public challenge to a Major? What arrogance.

In truth, before the military training commenced, the Major held a list marking every individual under special observation; Du Shuangyu was among them. Thus, from the first day of training, any slight move he made was instantly reported.

As for Du Shuangyu’s family background, the Major was well aware. Du Shuangyu hailed from a military lineage; his grandfather, father, and elder brother all held high positions within the armed forces. Such arrogance was, perhaps, understandable.

The crucial point was that Du Shuangyu’s family did not belong to the Interstellar Federation, nor the Great Families; they belonged to Kaga. Kaga had always maintained its own independent military force.

The Major, however, was merely part of the army attached to Lings University, operating under Kaga’s armed forces.

Therefore, Du Shuangyu’s haughtiness was not entirely without basis. Still, the Major paid it little mind, responding with a firm voice, "Thank you for the sentiment. Today is my last day leading students. Starting tomorrow, I will no longer be associated with Kaga."

Du Shuangyu glared at him, eyes blazing.

Ignoring him, the Major blew his whistle. "Assembly."

Finding no leverage over the Major, Du Shuangyu redirected his animosity toward Ziye. He approached her, pointed a finger, and declared arrogantly, "I challenge you."

Ziye glanced at him sideways, too languid to respond.

In this era, she understood the power of connections and the license it gave one to make baseless threats, but she felt the Major was correct. No one would ever entrust their back to such a petty person.

If minor competitions elicited this behavior, what would he do in the face of actual war? Would he eliminate a comrade just to seize the top honors?

Ziye had no desire to associate with such a type.

So, facing his challenge, she tilted her head away and walked toward the stern of the cabin.

Du Shuangyu turned green with rage.

This was the first time he had been so utterly disregarded.

Fortunately, the number of students boarding at that moment was still small; otherwise, he wouldn't have a face left to save. Thankfully, he retained a shred of rationality and didn't rush forward to kick Ziye.

The Major, vexed by his narrow-mindedness, spoke up, "Private altercations are forbidden during military training. If you desire a duel, contact the administration after the training concludes to request the right to duel. Alternatively, resolve it privately."

Du Shuangyu fixed a provocative gaze on Ziye. "Resolve it privately, how about that?"

Ziye snapped back without thinking, "You're sick?" Then she walked along the ship's edge toward the back to catch the sea breeze.

Once all team members had retrieved the five items and handed them over to the instructors, the military training finally concluded. The agonizing month-long ordeal had reached its end.

Every group received a prize. Ziye additionally obtained a Li Jian (Sharp Sword) model, making her ecstatic enough to jump for joy. In terms of gains, the Qi Bing Hao (Cavalry) and the Li Jian were the greatest hauls!

Du Shuangyu got nothing. Furthermore, having been disqualified, he would have to repeat the training next year. In his fury, he relentlessly pounded the deck. The most frustrating thing was that the long-range communicator had no signal; he couldn't call home. It was too late even if he wanted to inform his family.

At four in the afternoon, they boarded the cruiser to return to the academy.

Many students hadn't bothered bringing their luggage down from the cruiser. However, at that moment, no one cared about their belongings; they were busy taking photos everywhere, looking like they were returning from a vacation.

Ziye disliked being photographed and hated loud noises. She retreated to a quiet corner to examine the five items that had served as the 'treasure' for them to find.

These five items were mostly common components for mechs and starships.

They were, however, all damaged.

Ziye found a spot and began dismantling the components. Little Sprout scanned them instantly, identifying the manufacturing consortium and detailing their strengths and weaknesses with perfect accuracy.

Ziye listened while she worked, thoroughly engrossed. She loved this method; dismantling a device was the quickest way to understand it, and with Little Sprout’s narration, she gained complete comprehension by the time she finished taking everything apart. She could clearly see which sections were damaged.

She found the faults, repaired them, reassembled the devices, fed them energy, and watching the indicator lights glow green brought her immense joy. She was naturally inclined this way, drawn to the feel of cold metal, eager to study exquisitely crafted and complex machinery.

Only in the presence of machines did she feel entirely without pressure.

"Ziye, where did you run off to?" Lingyin rushed over, snatched the tools from her hands upon seeing them, and placed them aside. "Forget about that. Let's take pictures; everyone is waiting for you."

Ziye shot a helpless glance at Little Sprout, which responded with a soft "Meow" before hopping onto her head. Ziye turned back to Lingyin, whose face was alight with a beautiful smile.

A warmth spread through her chest.

Military training, despite its hardship and fatigue, yielded friendships like these—a fortune for a lifetime.

They arrived at the academy at five.

As the students disembarked, the surrounding crowds instinctively parted.

Though they had showered during the training, they all carried a lingering, briny scent of the sea. One person smelling like that was tolerable, but a group of them carrying the stench was akin to a biological weapon.

Seeing others recoil, the group burst into laughter, wishing they could fling their dirty clothes into the air. They had endured Lings University's devilish training, and they had passed!

In that instant, every student shared a single thought: We are Lings students, we are the favored elite, and we are home!

Back at the apartment, Ziye’s first priority was bathing—first a quick shower to scrub off the seawater smell and grime, then a long, comfortable soak.

Little Sprout bounced around in the water, its fluff saturated, too heavy to fly. It could only cling to the edge of the bathtub, giving Ziye a listless glare. "You have two colors all over."

Ziye feigned anger. "Color Sprout!" She grabbed it and forcefully tossed it toward the living room. Being small, Little Sprout couldn't control its momentum, yelling "Help!" mid-air before landing with a soft thud on the sofa.

Little Sprout glared at her in indignation, but she ignored it, turning her face away. Days of sun and weather exposure during training had turned the skin outside her clothes into a wheat color, contrasting sharply with the milky white hidden beneath. Looking at the stark difference, she felt gloomy, and the cursed Little Sprout had poked at her insecurity.

After her bath, Ziye walked into the living room. Little Sprout had buried its face in the corner of the sofa, stubbornly presenting its backside to her. She poked its rear end, but it remained still.

Ziye wrapped it in a scarf, dried herself, used the low-heat setting on the dryer, and carried the bundle toward the bedroom. "Good boy, time to sleep." She promptly threw herself onto the bed, pulled the covers tight, and fell into a deep slumber.

Having not slept properly for a month, she was exhausted and asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Little Sprout remained unresponsive until her breathing deepened, then it slowly crawled out from under the covers. Throwing it around? Calling it 'Color Sprout'? Poking its bottom? Hmph, this great master was quitting!

Little Sprout decided to run away from home.

Across the stars, it didn't know many people.

Perhaps it could visit An Junlie? Little Sprout activated its holographic screen, pulled up the star chart, and searched for An Junlie’s signal. Thanks to him always wearing his Silver Link, it located him in under a minute.

His current location was the Angel Domain, Space Station Angel-7.

That seemed a bit far... Little Sprout clicked on the coordinates. Traveling the normal route would require 48 warp jumps.

Little Sprout immediately gave up. Who else did it know besides An Junlie?

Red Hair? Going to Red Hair was too dangerous; she might just blast it or immediately send it back to Ziye. Not an ideal choice.

Little Sprout felt a small pang of indecision, but it continued scanning the star chart for her Silver Link.

Red Hair was closer, located at Space Station Kelaiz-2.

The problem was, she was currently engaged in a fierce battle with syndicate pirates.

Pirate clashes were a common occurrence.

Generally, there were two types of pirates: Wild Pirates and Syndicate Pirates. Syndicate Pirates usually had powerful backers, perhaps the Interstellar Federation, or one of the Great Families or major military legions. The main purpose of these pirates was to eliminate other interstellar powers that couldn't be brought under control.

Syndicate Pirates outwardly acted like Wild Pirates—blocking transit, committing murder, and plundering cargo. However, their targets and the goods they stole were highly specific, often involving strategic materials belonging to a certain legion.

To Wild Pirates, Syndicate Pirates were disruptors of established pirate rules, whereas Syndicate Pirates viewed Wild Pirates as reckless fools who spoiled their plans.

When they targeted the same space station entrance or the same batch of goods, they would fight until one side was destroyed.

Red Hair was a Wild Pirate, and a relatively new one at that. Her methods were fierce, her attacks always precise, making her a thorn in the side of the Syndicate Pirates. This conflict had escalated into open warfare.

Red Hair, with her strong personality, not only engaged in the fight under these circumstances but was determined to win.

Little Sprout looked at her coordinates and decisively shook its head. It absolutely could not go to her; it was too dangerous!

Besides Red Hair, there was Blackbeard. Little Sprout immediately dismissed Blackbeard. That guy was too close, and the moment Little Sprout arrived at Kelaiz, Blackbeard would definitely send an urgent transmission to summon Ziye.

Did it have to fly back to Silver Crest Star to find those people who hadn't left yet?

Wormhole travel was too perilous; it didn't want to end up as wormhole debris, woowoo...

Little Sprout sulked on Ziye's duvet. Could it really not even manage a successful runaway? Little Sprout felt increasingly indignant.

It jumped onto Ziye's face and stomped hard a few times. It decisively flew out of the apartment—it had made up its mind. Even if An Junlie was farther away, he was the safest option. It would go to him!

A fluffy plush toy, seething with resentment toward Ziye, shot toward the exit gate. It locked onto the warp trajectory and boarded the appropriate interstellar shuttle.

It needed no luggage, didn't require food, and its energy reserves were full. The only thing it needed to do was set its body to semi-transparent mode so no one would notice it.

An Junlie, here I come! RS