Chapter 9

The principal's office was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

In front of the educational affairs director, Lin Nan, the ice in his cup had melted away, the amber-colored whiskey had lightened, and the crystal-clear glass was covered with condensation. His round forehead was drenched in sweat.

On the wall screen, an old agricultural mecha was sprinting at full speed.

Xu Boyan stared at the screen, lost in thought, his posture unchanged, and the cigar in his fingers had long since gone cold.

Lin Nan's face was a mix of red and green, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles. He had just boasted that everything was foolproof, but now he had lost face in front of the principal. For a moment, he didn't know how to excuse himself.

The silent Xu Boyan suddenly spoke, "Do you know what I see?"

Lin Nan cautiously glanced at the principal, unable to discern his mood, and respectfully replied, "What you see is the starlight across the vast sky. We mere mortals can only see the grass and soil at our feet. Please enlighten us, sir."

Xu Boyan, who had been expressionless, suddenly smiled and praised, "Well said! You, Old Lin, understand me the best!"

He then cleared his throat, "A fierce warrior."

Lin Nan sat up straight, lost in thought.

Xu Boyan put down the extinguished cigar, stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, and watched the distant dust, his voice full of admiration. "It's just an old agricultural mecha, but look at it. It moves like thunder, unstoppable, and everything in its path is destroyed. If he had a better mecha, could the security center stop him?"

Lin Nan asked tentatively, "What do you mean?"

Xu Boyan waved his hand, "Admit him. Running a school is all about keeping your word! Not only will we admit him, but we'll also give him the highest scholarship! No need to give him money; give him mecha equipment! I understand the principle of buying bones. Good bones, we need bones for the vicious dogs in our school."

Lin Nan suddenly understood, showing admiration, "Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

Xu Boyan said proudly, "If the vicious dogs are busy fighting over the bones, we can relax a bit. How much did the security center cost last time? Sixty million! How much sponsorship would it take to break even? If we hadn't made the parents sign the bill, we would have gone bankrupt. Throwing out a bone for them to fight over is much better."

Lin Nan showered him with flattery, "Sir, your foresight is amazing. Why don't we put him in the discipline office to maintain order? Let the students handle their own affairs, so these energetic guys won't keep thinking about blowing up the school."

Xu Boyan nodded, satisfied, "The discipline office is a good idea. A general needs soldiers. Transfer a few people from the security center to be his assistants. Remember, they can only handle logistics, not get involved in the fighting. Let the students handle their own affairs."

"Understood, sir." He hesitated, "What if he refuses? This is declaring war on the entire school."

"Make him pay," Xu Boyan sneered. "He's a pauper. Just two [Fire Hurricane] mechas would be enough to bankrupt him."

"When will I learn even a fraction of your wisdom, sir?"

"Ha ha ha, let's go, let's go, and see our top warrior."

Long Cheng hadn't even reached the principal's office when he heard the announcement that he had been admitted. He ignored it and continued sprinting until he arrived within the specified time.

In the training camp, he had seen all sorts of plots and schemes. He didn't easily trust others or any information.

Long Cheng got out of the Iron Farmer's cockpit.

A thin, shy-looking boy with soft black hair, slightly bowed his head, wearing a camouflage T-shirt that seemed to indicate malnutrition, and a pair of military green pants and old white sneakers. The pants were too big, revealing his thin calves.

He was listed as 17 years old on the application form, but he looked more like 14 or 15.

The Long Cheng in front of them was a shy, introverted neighborhood kid, far from the resolute and fierce person he had been just moments ago.

Of course, they wouldn't judge a person by their appearance. To be honest, in this school, there were hardly any normal students.

The principal rambled on with a lot of grandiose words, but Long Cheng remained unmoved. After the principal finished, he asked if he had been admitted.

Director Lin Nan hurriedly said he had been admitted and would be given the highest scholarship and an important task.

Long Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he wouldn't have to leave the farm. As for what the two said afterward, he didn't care at all.

Lin Nan called a staff member to take Long Cheng to the dormitory, and as usual, said a few words of encouragement, "Work hard and study well. Behave yourself and don't cause trouble."

Long Cheng looked at the fat man a bit strangely. Shouldn't he have said, "Work hard and stay alive"?

As they walked to the dormitory, Long Cheng carefully recalled everything that had happened today, suddenly realizing that this training camp seemed different from what he had expected. It was a strange place.

But no matter what, he could stay on the farm. Thinking of this, Long Cheng's mood immediately brightened.

Fermi, who was leading the way, finally couldn't resist, "Hello, Long Cheng, I'm Fermi, your assistant. I'll help you with the discipline office work. Looking forward to working with you."

Long Cheng said hello.

When the plan failed, Fermi had lost all hope, thinking he would be fired. But unexpectedly, he became Long Cheng's assistant. Director Lin Nan had specifically instructed and encouraged him to assist Long Cheng with the discipline office work.

The joy of surviving the ordeal filled Fermi's heart. As for being an assistant to a student, he didn't mind; his salary wouldn't be reduced anyway.

Moreover, Fermi was quite impressed by Long Cheng's strength.

Fermi was smooth and knew how to read people, noticing that Long Cheng didn't like to talk, so he took the initiative to introduce the school.

Long Cheng listened carefully, but gradually, his expression became strange.

Noticing Long Cheng's oddity, Fermi couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Long Cheng, is there something you want to know?"

Long Cheng asked how he could return to the farm.

Fermi suddenly understood, thinking Long Cheng was homesick. He remembered his first day in the military when he had been incredibly homesick.

He's still a child.

Fermi's gaze softened, and he smiled, "The school is under closed military management, and you can't leave the campus normally. You get a three-day break once a month, during which you can go home."

Long Cheng stopped, turned to face Fermi, and asked seriously, "Do I have to kill everyone?"

Fermi's body stiffened, his mind went blank.

Kill... everyone?

Fermi stared at the serious Long Cheng, trying to force a smile, "Kill everyone? Ha ha ha... Ha ha ha, don't joke, this is a school, not a slaughterhouse."

Long Cheng didn't move his gaze, his expression unchanged.

The training camp wasn't a slaughterhouse. The chickens and ducks in a slaughterhouse wouldn't kill you, but the other trainees in the camp were always thinking of ways to take your life.

Fermi swallowed hard, his face muscles stiff, his legs trembling involuntarily, and he forced a smile, "No, no, if you want to go home, I'll help you get a leave from the office. You don't need to kill anyone."

Long Cheng said, "Oh, no need to kill anyone."

Are you disappointed that you can't kill?

Long Cheng's serious expression made Fermi almost turn and run. He had been in wars and was sensitive to the smell of blood. The seemingly weak boy in front of him gave Fermi a sense of facing an unknown and extremely dangerous creature.

Fermi blurted out, "Really, no need to kill."

As soon as the words were out, Fermi felt a sense of shame. Why did he emphasize this? But seeing Long Cheng nod, he felt a strange sense of relief.

He had been at Fengren for three years and had seen countless abnormal and perverted students. Some couldn't go a day without fighting, some thought about blowing up the school, and some beat themselves into depression.

But compared to Long Cheng, they were all well-behaved.

After nodding, Long Cheng continued walking, and Fermi, feeling relieved, hurried to follow. He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, but Long Cheng asked, "When can I kill someone?"

Fermi's raised arm froze in mid-air. He was about to be driven mad. Oh God, what had he done to deserve this! This was a psychopath who thought about killing all the time!

Should he quit?

After three deep breaths, Fermi mustered his last bit of courage, "Long Cheng, the school forbids killing."

Long Cheng stopped, looking at Fermi in surprise.

Is there a training camp where you don't kill?

Fermi said seriously, "Long Cheng, this is a school. You're here to learn skills, not to kill. In the school, killing anyone has extremely serious consequences. It's a serious crime!"

The surprise on Long Cheng's face disappeared, and he returned to his usual expression.

So, it really is a training camp where you can't kill. Long Cheng's mood improved a bit. He didn't like killing. But, killing isn't a skill? Long Cheng thought this was wrong, but he didn't argue. Instead, he asked, "What if I'm attacked?"

Fermi breathed a sigh of relief, unaware that his back was drenched in sweat. "You can defend yourself, but under no circumstances can you kill!"

Fermi emphasized "under no circumstances can you kill."

Long Cheng's expression didn't change, and he continued, "Can I injure them?"

Fermi nodded, "Yes."

"Can't kill, only injure..." Long Cheng said, "What's the standard for injury?"

Fermi felt like he was going crazy. He took another deep breath, "The standard is based on current medical conditions, and the school must not have any fatalities!"

"Then what about slow death?"

"What if they die after missing the best treatment time?"

"What if they die outside the school? So, the holiday is a window for attacks?"

Long Cheng's questions came one after another.

Fermi's mouth opened wide, and he was stunned.

A faint light appeared in the depths of Long Cheng's eyes.

All the doubts he had after entering the school were now resolved. It turned out his understanding was wrong. This training camp, or rather, this school, wasn't about learning to kill but about learning to injure without killing. Compared to simply killing, injuring without killing was several levels more difficult, involving complex techniques and knowledge, such as human anatomy, medicine, toxicology, and mecha structure.

Before, he had learned to kill with one strike. This meant he had to start learning from scratch.

This training camp, or rather, this school, was not simple!