Afterlife Department

"We have to carefully choose our identities." Yi Bing spoke as they head to the place where the seller of the light brain pointed to them who can forge identities for them four.

Although Shou Ji came from this world, he is already dead. Naturally, he can't use his original identity, since it will definitely cause chaos. Not to mention that they still have an enemy, their target, the reborn soul… they have to be very cautious for them to not warrant the reborn soul's suspicious and alarm him, making him be alert with his actions and have his guard up against them.

Huo Ling nodded in agreement to what Yi Bing said as he opened his light brain. "Since our target is a military officer, we should choose identities that are related with the military world." He spoke. "Naturally, we can't forge achievements." He added.

They all grimaced. Since they are outsiders in this world, naturally they can't make up some achievements about their past. The past has already been changed enough, and they definitely can't add more chaos in this world.

"How about we act as military students, then?" Huo Ling suggested.

Naturally, they can't be military officers immediately. They also can't be teachers. That is out of the question since they first have to have achievements and the ability to teach. Not to mention that they don't know much about this world yet, with the spaceships and mechas new to them, aside from the pheromones possessed by the new humans.

"'students'?" Shi Jiu was surprised. He didn't expect this, though he feels gratified.

He has once worked with Huo Ling before in Normal World 341, which is an ancient world that has a missing case that might have the supernatural involved. He brought his younger brother Jiu Ye with him to train him while Huo Ling was with Yi Bing. The case was really a tricky one, since, until the end, they still don't have a conclusion whether the supernatural really was involved even though the culprit Ke Hanying was already caught, but there is still that mysterious white cloth that Pei Tingting used to hang herself with.

Anyway, that case proved to him that Huo Ling is really very smart. Now, Huo Ling suggested for them to forge identities as students and he has the confidence with Huo Ling's judgement.

Yi Bing heard what Huo Ling said and he looked at him meaningfully. Huo Ling was puzzled at first why the other was looking at him before he immediately understood what the other is thinking. He frowned and looked away. Yi Bing is thinking of what happened in the Abnormal World 9999 where he acted as a student while Yi Bing acted as a teacher.

And both of them acted as an engaged couple. Tch.

Shou Ji started when a thought flashed in his mind and he opened his light brain. He was the one who taught them how to use the light brain, since he came from this world, so he is the most familiar with everything here. "Huo Ling… do you mean this year's Annual Challenge?" he asked as he looked at Huo Ling.

"'Annual Challenge'?" Shi Jiu asked and also opened his light brain to search.

Yi Bing finally retracted his gaze from Huo Ling and also opened his light brain to search about the Annual Challenge.

Chel Military Academy Annual Challenge is an open competition between the military students and civilian citizens who wanted to become soldiers. If they can defeat a student from the Chel Military Academy, then the challenger will be directly admitted to the academy and become a military student. But, it isn't that simple, since there are different stages in the competition, and each stage is harder than the previous one.

Furthermore, the last stage will be fighting against a teacher and the winner will obtain a scholarship. It has to be said that it is through this competition that Yu Yan also became a military student. The Annual Challenge happens at the end of the year and the purpose of the event is to give the aspiring citizens a chance to become a soldier because they have missed, or failed, the enrollment mid-year. Yu Yan also missed the enrollment so he joined the Annual Challenge. Since he won, he definitely has his own strength. Though, his 'strength' might also be luck.

This applies for the original Yu Yan though, as Huo Ling guessed, since in the data of the reborn Yu Yan that he looked up earlier, Yu Yan succeeded in his enrollment to the academy instead of participating in the Annual Challenge of the Chel Military Academy.

He immediately told them about his conjecture and a long silence fell. Then, they all looked at Shou Ji whose expression turned blank.

"Indeed… when Yu Yan was admitted to the academy, he was the best newcomer." Shou Ji spoke and smiled with woe.

"… Yu Yan can be called a black lotus." Shi Jiu can't help but mutter. "Of course, I am referring to the reborn Yu Yan." He said and grimaced. Using his knowledge about the future of the world to make changes to this world… he is really a black lotus.

Huo Ling didn't answer but he totally agrees to what Shi Jiu said. This Yu Yan, after he reborn, he became a blackened Yu Yan. Just what happened in the original world? Precisely, what happened to him before, for him to change everything after he was reborn? Huo Ling can't help but recall the rebirth novels that he has read online before.

"For Yu Yan to be reborn… he must have died in the original world." He spoke.

They all looked at him. "What?" Shou Ji was surprised.

"Well, his death might have triggered something for the whole world to turn back in time." Huo Ling spoke. "His soul then was pulled back along with the time. As to why it was only him who was conscious about this… we have yet to find out." He told them.

They all nodded in understanding. "What could he has experienced before though, before his rebirth?" Shi Jiu muttered as he wondered.

"It is useless to ask now." Yi Bing spoke. "Shou Ji's memories are of the current world's and not of the world before, the original world. Let's wonder about this question later." He said.

"Okay." They nodded.

…

"Ooh! A group of hot-blooded young men who are filled with dreams!" the shop owner spoke as he laughed after they told him that they wanted to participate in the Annual Challenge of the Chel Military Academy. "This is great! Really great! The Alliance needs zealous young men like you!" he told them as he happily registered fake identities in the database of the statistics office. He even made them hospital records, the marriage license of their parents, etc.

"Thank you." Shou Ji answered with a smile.

"I'll make you passports, too. The Chel Military Academy's Annual Challenge will begin in three months." The shop owner spoke as his fingers tapped very fast on the holographic keyboard. "Have you done enough preparations? Although having a dream and being ambitious are good, but you also need strength and luck if you are determined to enter the academy." He told them.

"We know." Huo Ling nodded. "Chel Military Academy is the best military school. So, please be assured that we know what we are doing." He told him.

"That's good, then." The shop owner grinned as he pulled out four identification cards from the machine. Then, he turned and gave it to them. "Although one of my business principles is to not ask of your origins, but I want to warn you that it is best for you not to offend anyone in the capital planet." He told them. "Especially right now that the Alliance… ai." He sighed.

Their brows raised but they didn't ask anything.

The shop owner waved his hand. "Anyway, fighting is good but be sure to pick wisely who can be fought against with." He said. "Although the military academy sounds magnificent, but naturally, there are also students there who have been admitted through backdoors." He whispered. "Of course, they either have money or connections. It is good if these young masters are reasonable and won't pick a fight with you, instead. But, most of them don't have good temper." He frowned in disdain.

They all looked at each other and just smiled. As grim reapers who have lived for more than a hundred years, naturally, they have already seen many kinds of people. These young masters who were pampered by their families are nothing in their eyes.

"Thank you." Yi Bing spoke.

The shop owner smiled. "It's nothing. It's nothing!" he told them. "I have lots of customers like you, too, and most of them don't have a good ending because they didn't heed my advice and became an eyesore to those people because of their ignorance." He shook his head in disappointment. "I hope you won't become like them, who have no one to collect his corpse, or no one even know where to pick up his corpse.." He said.