Volume II: The Stealth War of Aston University

Chapter 43: Dean, Why Are You So Cool?

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Planet Dunkirk was located in the Υ System’s first arm, with eighty percent of its surface covered by oceans and only one continent worldwide. The atmosphere, vegetation, and biosphere here were all very similar to ancient Earth. Eight hundred years ago, humans arrived here aboard the “Ark” and used resources brought from Earth to transform it. Today, this planet could almost be called a second Earth.

Over the past eight hundred years, humans had established a glorious civilization, which once experienced a population explosion, putting natural resources under immense pressure. Later, the Voyager Army was established, and humans began to expand into the depths of the galaxy, exploring several asteroids suitable for colonization and establishing numerous space fortresses. Gradually, the population here declined to within safe limits.

Aston University was located in the beautiful Twin City and was ranked first among all federal universities. Because most of its majors were related to the military, it was also known as the top military academy in the federation. After hundreds of years of development, the entire Twin Cities had become the campus of Aston University. It could be said that it was both a school and a city. The residents here, apart from students, were various personnel serving the university.

The Medical School was established relatively late, less than three hundred years ago, in the eastern district of the Twin City. The entire college consists of a large European-style architectural complex, with ancient charm and a very beautiful environment. Wu Chenghe’s dormitory was a fifteen-story circular building, with four independent bedrooms, a shared living room and bathroom, and a simple dining area.

He and Marlow arrived in the Twin City three days early to familiarize themselves with the environment and make friends. This time, more than thirty descendants of the Voyager Army were admitted to this university. They could be considered fellow villagers, closer to each other than others.

On the first day of school, Wu Chenghe got up early, washed up, changed into sportswear, and went for a run. This was the first time he had lived in a natural environment since arriving in this world, and it felt very good. Although the sky here was a light purple, and the stars were different from Earth’s, the feeling of being grounded was great, giving him a sense of returning to Earth.

In order to grow taller, he had been insisting on morning exercises recently. After running two laps around the track, he was about to go play on the equipment when suddenly two tall black boys ran up from behind him. The thinner one bumped into him fiercely as he passed by, and the fatter one stretched out his foot, trying to trip him.

Wu Chenghe was startled but thankfully agile. He quickly jumped with one foot, skipping over the foot trying to trip him. However, he stumbled a bit upon landing and fell down.

“Why aren’t you watching where you’re going?” the fat black boy actually came over to scold him. “If you fall, it’s your own fault. Don’t block others from running!”

Wu Chenghe got up, carefully looked at the two of them, who looked quite similar, probably twins. But he didn’t know them at all and didn’t understand why they were causing trouble so early in the morning. He said, “I was in front, and you were behind. If anyone should watch the road, it should be you watching me. How can you blame others for bumping into people?”

“What did you say? You got a problem?” The fat black boy looked like he was about to fight, rolling up his sleeves. 

The thinner one followed behind, jeering, “Do you think this is the Voyager Army? You can do whatever you want here. You really don’t know your place.”

Wu Chenghe speculated that these two were probably descendants of federal officials and didn’t like him as an outsider, so they were picking a fight. Looking around, because there was a school opening ceremony today, there were few people jogging, and none of them seemed interested in interfering. Seeing they were about to fight, they all ran away.

“I warn you, don’t lay a hand on me, or you’ll suffer the consequences.” Wu Chenghe also rolled up his sleeves. It was good to finally have someone dare to fight him after leaving Hannibal. Although he was relatively weak, he had gone through various exercises in his previous life, and his military combat skills were up to standard. Dealing with these two kids should be more than enough.

The fat black boy was surprised that he didn’t run away and dared to talk tough. He hesitated for a moment, then swung a punch at him. “You’ll suffer the consequences, all right!”

Wu Chenghe quickly dodged his fist, ducked his head, and forcefully bumped into his armpit with his elbow, then swept his legs, knocking him down. As the fat black boy fell to the ground, there was a dull thud. His little buddy was startled, obviously not expecting his seemingly weak opponent to be so fierce. He kicked at Wu Chenghe’s shoulder.

This guy seemed to have some training in taekwondo or something similar, much faster than the fat one. Wu Chenghe folded his arms to block his leg, feeling a sharp pain in his wrist. He glimpsed a jackal running towards him from behind and realized he was a sentinel.

Sentinels were a hundred times stronger than ordinary people, even without special training, he couldn’t resist him. Moreover, this guy had some training. Wu Chenghe thought it was bad. He endured two more moves, and his small body was starting to feel overwhelmed. He had to resort to his killer move—a mind suggestion, staring into his eyes, “You’ve got the wrong person.”

The skinny black guy was completely unprepared. His pupils contracted and dilated, immediately accepting his suggestion. With a flying kick, he slapped the fat black boy’s head as he was getting up from the ground, kicking him five meters away.

“Thud!” The fat black boy fell into the bushes unexpectedly, spraying a nosebleed half a foot high. The skinny one’s eyes went blank for a moment, suddenly waking up, not understanding why he attacked his companion. He turned around and vented his anger on Wu Chenghe, roaring and kicking towards him again.

“Stop!” The voice, for some reason, made Wu Chenghe’s heart tremble, and the skinny guy’s movements seemed to freeze in mid-air for a while. After a long while, the two of them came back to their senses and looked towards the direction of the sound.

A young man in a black T-shirt and black pants stood two meters away, a towel draped around his neck as if he had just passed by while jogging. His hair was slightly long, damp with sweat covering his forehead, revealing a pair of bottomless black eyes. His nose was narrow and straight, his lips were pale, and the corners of his mouth were tightly pursed, giving him an imposing air, making people feel like kneeling when they saw him.

“Go fight in front of the police station. Fighting here won’t get you arrested. It’s no fun.” His voice was as cold as ice, with a hint of wickedness. He looked at the fat black boy. “With this kind of skill, you shouldn’t fight outside. You’ll only embarrass yourself. Either ask your dad for a couple of particle guns and blast whoever you don’t like, or let the school save the trouble of educating you and send you straight to execution by electric shock.” Then he turned to the skinny one, “Voluntarily degenerate. What’s the point of an American learning taekwondo? Fancy moves, meaningless! Hurry up and take your brother to the infirmary. Do you want his nosebleed to last a week?”

Lasting a week… Wu Chenghe almost laughed. 

The guy then looked at him coldly, surveyed him up and down, and fixed his gaze on his eyes, as if trying to freeze him with his icy stare. Wu Chenghe felt uncomfortable under his gaze. His eyes seemed to carry some kind of magic, sharp and venomous, with a hint of allure, almost sucking people in, completely inconsistent with his ordinary demeanor.

After a while, the man’s brows suddenly relaxed, as if he had discovered something pleasing, but what he said was still extremely hurtful, “What a mess. How did Hannibal give birth to such a cripple like you?”

“… ” A herd of grass mud horses ran through Wu Chenghe’s mind.

“Useless bunch.” The man’s expression was as if he had seen dog poop, shaking his head, continuing to jog, while grumbling, “Why should I bother with them? I should let them keep fighting. One less if one dies, one less pair if two die, one less trio if three die… Well, then I’ll be in trouble. Anyway, with fewer useless people, the teaching pressure will be much lighter…”

What a weirdo! Wu Chenghe was completely speechless. From the sound of it, he seemed to be a teacher, but how could such a jerk be teaching at the medical school? What about professional ethics? Where’s the dignity? Has it been eaten by mice?

“What happened? Why are you fighting?” a Japanese student ran over, recognizing Wu Chenghe, and grabbed his arm. “It’s almost eight o’clock. The opening ceremony is about to start. Let’s go, Wu.”

Kikujiro also entered Aston as a descendant of the Voyager Army this time, studying medicine like Wu Chenghe, both freshmen majoring in clinical medicine for eight years.

On the way back to the dormitory, Kikujiro asked, “How did you end up fighting with them? Those two brothers are the twin sons of the Defense Secretary. The Commander-in-Chief and the Defense Secretary are arch enemies. Stay away from them in the future to avoid trouble.”

The Defense Secretary originally controlled most of the federal forces, but over the past decade, Hannibal had used various means to take away a large portion of them, naturally earning the Defense Secretary’s intense hatred. Wu Chenghe sighed silently, feeling like he had been implicated. But he was basking in the glory of being Hannibal’s son; these kinds of things were inevitable. He would just have to be careful in the future.

After showering and eating back at the dormitory, Wu Chenghe and Kikujiro hurried to the auditorium on the first floor of the administrative building to attend the freshman enrollment ceremony. There were more than four hundred freshmen in this batch, from various cities in the federation, and there were also quite a few sentinels. Everyone was of similar age and quickly became acquainted, making the place lively and bustling.

At exactly eight o’clock, the bell rang, signaling the start of the enrollment ceremony. Everyone quieted down, and a middle-aged woman in a black suit walked onto the stage. She said, “Hello, everyone. I am Minnie, the Dean of the Medical School at Aston University. Welcome to medical school!”

Everyone applauded and stood up to sing the national anthem. Wu Chenghe had finally learned the national anthem over the past six months, so he didn’t have to pretend anymore and sang along. Then the dean asked everyone to sit down and announced that the president would deliver a speech.

A tall figure walked onto the stage. The president was wearing a fitted black suit, a black silk shirt, a black tie, and black leather shoes. He looked as if he was attending a funeral. With his strikingly handsome face, the temperature in the entire auditorium seemed to drop by half as soon as he stood there.

Wu Chenghe looked in surprise at the man on the stage. Yes, he was the MT who had cursed them all in the morning. He combed back his hair, revealing a handsome face that looked mature and refined. Under the bright lights, Wu Chenghe realized that he wasn’t young anymore. By the standards of this era, he should be over forty years old. However, because he was Asian, with delicate bones and fair skin, he didn’t look old.

“Hello, everyone. My surname is Mu. You can call me Dean or Professor, but don’t call me Dean Mu, because it sounds like there’s no dean in the medical school.” Mu had a cold expression on his face as he cracked a cold joke that went against humanity. “According to Aston University’s unified requirements, my speech must last fifteen to twenty minutes. But my time is precious, and I don’t want to waste it on such things. So, I have already posted the video of my speech from two years ago on the homepage of the campus network. You can waste your own time later by opening your personal terminals and watching it. It’s the same every year anyway. Thank you!”

Dead silence. Everyone was dumbfounded. The dean rubbed her forehead and reluctantly led the applause. The students, who didn’t understand what was going on, kept their Spartan expressions and clapped along. Mu nodded slightly. “You can stop now. I have only one thing to say to everyone—work hard and stay alive! Thank you!”

The magical dean ended his speech just like that, left gracefully, and waved his sleeves, not taking away a single cloud but taking away a hamburger hidden in the drawer of the podium.

Kikujiro watched the dean’s pitch-black figure leave the auditorium with an expression of incomparable admiration, then turned to Wu Chenghe and asked, “How is he so cool?”

Wu Chenghe sighed, “He was even cooler when he cursed at us this morning.”

Kikujiro looked awestruck, “The capitol is really different!”

Wu Chenghe agreed, “Yeah…”

“Speaking of which,” Kikujiro suddenly thought of something, hesitatingly said, “Did you feel like you’ve seen him before?”

“Yeah, kind of,” Wu Chenghe had this feeling the first time he saw him in the morning. “I also felt like I’ve seen him somewhere.”

The two pondered, exchanged a glance, and suddenly Kikujiro’s eyes lit up. “I got it! He looks like you!”

“Huh?” Wu Chenghe carefully recalled, and indeed, they both had large eyes, slightly drooping at the corners, and similar facial structures. It’s just that Mu was a bit older and had a more masculine facial contour.

“His features are about seventy to eighty percent similar to yours, and even his physique, just taller than you,” Kikujiro said. “Maybe you guys are relatives?”

“Impossible,” Wu Chenghe immediately rejected the idea. The only possibility for someone resembling him would be relatives on his mother’s side, but the Wu family had been single-handed for generations. In Wu Xi’s generation, there was only one daughter left, and he hadn’t heard of any other relatives.

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence,” Kikujiro also knew about his background, scratched his head, and didn’t pursue it further.

On the podium, the enrollment ceremony was still going on. Next were various lengthy speeches: the dean’s speech, senior students’ speeches, freshmen representatives’ speeches… Soon everyone was glad that the president didn’t say anything and left early – listening to these speeches early in the morning was almost hypnotic.

Finally, after all the speeches, everyone stood up to sing the school song, followed by the reading of the Hippocratic Oath, pledging lifelong dedication to the medical cause of humanity.

“I declare that today’s enrollment ceremony is successfully concluded!” Minnie finally stepped onto the stage, smiling at everyone. “Once again, welcome to the medical school. I hope you will have a pleasant university life here. Next up is a two-week military training. You can go back and prepare. Later, the military training instructors will assign you to classes.”

Everyone applauded and dispersed.

At lunchtime, Wu Chenghe went to the cafeteria with Kikujiro as usual. The twins who had ambushed him in the morning had already treated their wounds and were sitting at a table not far from them, accompanied by a slim and sinister-looking white man, probably their lackey.

Looking at the three of them – two black and one white – sitting together, Wu Chenghe suddenly had a craving for Oreos.

“They’re staring at you,” Kikujiro nudged Wu Chenghe discreetly. 

Wu Chenghe lowered his head and ate, “Ignore them.”

The Oreo trio seemed quite wary of him too, not coming over to pick a fight but shooting murderous glances at him from time to time. Fortunately, Wu Chenghe had extremely robust mental resilience and was not moved at all. Instead, he calmly discussed military training matters with Kikujiro. Just then, someone knocked on the tabletop.

“I heard you got into a fight this morning?” Miss Lancer looked down at him, her tone cold. “How embarrassing. On your first day of school, you managed to send the Defense Secretary’s son to the school clinic. Impressive.”

She also got into the medical school, but she was majoring in nursing. This major had the shortest duration of all medical school majors, only four years. Wu Chenghe guessed that was why she got into this school.

“Please don’t cause trouble. Do you think this is Gabriel? Misbehaving under the guise of the Commander-in-Chief’s name?” This girl had an extraordinary ability to distort right and wrong and imagine things, “No one will cover for you here. Don’t drag Marlow down.”

“Are you done eating?” Wu Chenghe asked Kikujiro. 

Kikujiro looked slightly puzzled, glanced at Lancer, then at Wu Chenghe, and said, “Oh, yes, I’m done.”

“Then I’ll go.” Wu Chenghe stood up with his tray, not even glancing at her. 

Miss Lancer’s face turned red with anger. “Hey! What do you mean? I am your senior, and you’re so rude!”

“Are you talking to me?” Wu Chenghe faced her only then. “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand. What fight? Misbehaving under the Commander-in-Chief’s name? What does this have to do with me? I’m not good at refuting baseless accusations. Also, my mother’s surname is Wu, and my father’s surname is Simpson. I don’t have any relatives surnamed Lancer. I don’t know when you became my senior. May I ask which side you’re from?”

“You!” In the previous provocations, Wu Chenghe had always swallowed his anger, and Miss Lancer had always thought he was a pushover. She never expected him to counterattack so sharply this time, leaving her speechless.

“If you’re still holding a grudge over the dance at the last party, I apologize to you again,” Wu Chenghe nodded solemnly, “I’m sorry. Goodbye and enjoy your meal.” With that, he left the proud princess behind and walked away with Kikujiro.

“Wow! Is that the famous Miss Lancer?” Kikujiro exclaimed, “She’s amazing. Just because you asked her to dance, she hates you so much?”

He was from the Third Army and had only heard of the princess from the Second Army. This was the first time he had seen her.

“Yeah, she has a serious princess syndrome,” Wu Chenghe sighed, “You should stay away from her too, lest she thinks you want to eat swan meat.”

“Uh…” Kikujiro scratched his head embarrassedly, “Actually, I’m gay.”

“Well, that’s even better,” Wu Chenghe licked his lips. I am too. 

***

Military training was a traditional feature of Aston University. All military majors had to undergo a month-long authentic wilderness military training, while non-military majors like education, medicine, and arts were reduced to two weeks of training on campus without participating in field training.

Jin Xuan stayed at Aston University to teach, but due to professional restrictions, he couldn’t apply for a position at the medical school. Instead, he was assigned to his own field of study – the Interstellar Strategic Academy. He could only serve as a guest lecturer to teach Wu Chenghe some supplementary courses.

Marlow happened to be studying at the Strategic Academy. This institution was one of Aston University’s flagship schools, known as the “cradle of top military talents in the federation.” All freshmen had to undergo rigorous military training for a month, with elimination for those who didn’t meet the standards, even if they scored first in the federation-wide exams.

As a new counselor, Jin Xuan was also pulled into service to train the freshmen at the Mala Canyon. This meant he couldn’t come and bother Wu Chenghe for a while, allowing him to enjoy a period of peace.

For Wu Chenghe, the two weeks of military training were relatively easy to endure. During this time, the Oreo Trio targeted him with a series of boring pranks again, such as setting trip wires or stealing his clothes while he was showering. Wu Chenghe could only roll his eyes at these childish pranks. Did all the second-generation officials of the Federation have this level of juvenile behavior? Even Lancer’s little girl wasn’t as bad!

Two weeks later, Wu Chenghe successfully obtained an A+ grade in military training. Hannibal, who was far away in Gabriel, received his report card and expressed great satisfaction. He encouraged Wu Chenghe to study hard and strive to return to Gabriel Military Harbor as soon as possible, as the First Hospital needed him.

Wu Chenghe hadn’t thought about joining the First Hospital, but he didn’t express his opinion prematurely. Eight years of medical school lay ahead of him, and he had to take it one step at a time without relying on his father’s wings.

A month later, the military training at the Strategic Academy finally ended, reportedly eliminating nearly 10% of the students. The results were indeed brutal. However, in such a harsh competition, Marlow still stood out and obtained formal admission with the second-best score.

The day after the military training ended, which happened to be Saturday, Jin Xuan sent a message early in the morning, inviting Wu Chenghe to spend the weekend together. It had been about three months since Wu Chenghe had seen Jin Xuan. Although they often video called, he felt a bit awkward. He was even a bit indecisive when changing clothes, unsure whether to dress up a bit or keep it casual.

This feeling of a first date was a bit awkward for Wu Chenghe, who hesitated for half a day. In the end, he changed into a shirt and trousers, rolled up his sleeves to make it less formal.

However, when he saw Jin Xuan, he realized he had been too presumptuous. Even if he dressed himself up with the utmost malice, standing next to this guy would still make him look like a prince!

On his own turf, Jin Xuan had no reservations at all. His white shirt was full of holes, as if he had just returned from the Vietnam War. Several tattoos were visible in various places. As for his pants and shoes, it went without saying – he looked like a model for Crocs. But his physique was just too good, and he had just supervised military training. His wheat-colored skin was as beautiful as if it had been oiled, combined with the silver-streaked ponytail and the obsidian earrings on his ears. There was a kind of beauty mixed with decadence and health, making him visually stunning.

Why did he have the thought that “he’s handsome”? This wasn’t scientific! Wu Chenghe covered his heart, trembling. If he continued like this, his aesthetic sense would be disabled by the emo…

 

 

 

 

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