Chapter 87: The Transfer

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: The Transfer

Captain Li chuckled. ’Yep, that’s them alright.’

Normally, the moment they stepped into the kitchen, they were like lit sticks of dynamite, ready to curse someone out.

They’d complain about this and that, always irritable and short-fused.

Today, after being accused of slacking off, they seemed even more furious.

After two hours of hard work in the kitchen, the five of them were finally able to sit down at a table in the mess hall with their food.

Perhaps too exhausted to speak, the five of them sat there, quietly eating with their chopsticks.

They gave off the aura of the living dead, causing anyone who passed by to do a double take.

The sheer resentment wafting off them was enough to sustain an Evil Sword Immortal.

The mass-cooked food wasn’t particularly appetizing, and it all pretty much tasted the same.

’It’s a mystery why the other soldiers think this stuff is any good.’

"Hey, eating?" Captain Li walked over. Seeing their lifeless expressions, he offered a greeting and sat down.

They grunted in acknowledgment and said nothing more.

They chewed the meat in their mouths expressionlessly, clearly hovering on the verge of a breakdown.

’After all that, we finally got a day off, only to run into those damn mutant beasts. Vacation, gone.’

’And even though they were given a three-day leave, Lin Jingjing was asleep the entire time, so the other four couldn’t really relax either.’

’Now that General Zhang has ordered us to participate in some stupid corps competition, cooking for everyone.’

’Cooking, always cooking!’

’Seriously, it’s just stir-frying, stir-frying, and more stir-frying until you’re sick of it.’

"Why the long faces?" Captain Li asked. "Cheer up."

"You’re the ones participating in the corps competition. Shouldn’t you be happy about that?"

"Then just get someone else," Gu Kaiwen said bluntly. "To be honest, we don’t really want to participate."

The words were barely out of his mouth when Captain Li smacked him on the head. "What are you talking about? You think just anyone can get into the corps competition?"

"If you win that competition, on top of the merits you’ve already accumulated, you could be promoted directly from Private to First level Military Chief."

"Work a little harder after that, and you could even make Lieutenant!"

In Captain Li’s eyes, they were fools who couldn’t recognize their own good fortune. ’What an amazing opportunity, and they’re turning their noses up at it.’

It wasn’t that they were disdainful, they were just sick and tired of cooking.

"I have a question." Lin Jingjing put down her chopsticks and looked at Captain Li. "As military cooks, how many people will we have to cook for?"

"I hear they made some big changes this year. You’ll only be cooking for thirty people," Captain Li replied, propping his head up with his hand.

There were six corps in total, with each one sending five people to compete.

"So how do we win?"

"You’ll win no matter which corps wins," Captain Li replied.

Hearing this, the five of them exchanged glances and fell silent. ’Wait... no one told us that’s how it worked.’

"Alright, we’re in," Lin Jingjing agreed, then asked, "When does it start?"

"After the mutant beast tide is over."

’The end of the mutant beast tide... that’s soon. Only about a month away.’

"Work hard. I just received my transfer notice. After this year is over, I’ll be returning to the Capital Star for a new post. The First Corps’ logistics department will be yours from now on."

The five of them, who had been stone-faced just a moment ago, stared with wide eyes upon hearing Captain Li’s words.

Shi Feng, in particular, stared at him in disbelief. "You’re leaving?"

"That’s right."

"Will you be back?" Feng He asked quickly.

’Even though Captain Li was short-tempered and loved to curse people out, he had always been incredibly good to the five of them.’

Now that they suddenly heard he was leaving, they all felt a pang of reluctance.

Seeing the sorrowful looks on their faces, Captain Li snorted and started yelling, "I’m just being transferred, I’m not dead! What’s with the funereal faces?"

"Or what, you want me to stay in this godforsaken shithole forever?"

"I’ve got my sights set on the Capital Star, you know."

Hearing this, they nodded. In their hearts, they understood.

A promotion and a raise—that was what everyone hoped for.

All good things must come to an end; parting ways was just a fact of life.

"Captain Li, don’t forget about us when you get to the Capital Star. I’ll work hard and come find you there someday," Shi Feng said, no longer looking sad. A new thought had just occurred to him, and he thought it was a brilliant one.

’If Captain Li goes to the Capital Star, doesn’t that mean they’ll have a connection there?’

’This is a great thing!’

Captain Li looked at the five of them and sneered. "Forget you five? Never. A bunch of good-for-nothings who somehow manage to cause world-ending trouble. Because of you lot, I almost got officially reprimanded!"

The two who hadn’t been involved looked on in confusion, watching the other three shift awkwardly—one scratching their head, another touching their nose, and the last forcing a pained smile.

Captain Li had been the one to personally take a team of robots to repair the massive hole they’d smashed in the cleaning bay.

’Even when they caused such huge trouble, he would curse them out but still go and plead with Chief Bei to lighten their punishment.’

"Don’t you dare cause any more trouble after I’m transferred." This was what Captain Li feared most. ’If they get into trouble and I’m not here, who’s going to clean up their messes?’

"It’s time for you all to be more responsible."

Listening to Captain Li’s earnest lecture, they all nodded in agreement.

"Don’t worry, Captain Li. We’ll definitely be more responsible," Lin Jingjing promised, speaking for the group.

Seeing them nod obediently and make their promise, Captain Li sighed.

’He’d trained so many recruits in his time. He’d gotten sick of it and transferred to Logistics, only to run into these greenhorns who had worried him more than all the others combined.’

Captain Li stood up and clasped his hands behind his back, his voice reverting to its usual impatient tone. "Alright, just eat."

After they finished eating, a glance at the time showed it was time for class.

Today was Mecha Design and Manufacturing, Shi Feng’s favorite class.

Gu Kaiwen and Mo Xuan, however, disliked it. There was too much to memorize, and they really couldn’t be bothered.

Lin Jingjing found it tolerable, and Feng He could handle it, but if you actually asked either of them to design a mecha from scratch, they would rather go fight a mutant beast one-on-one.

Shi Feng was buzzing with excitement, a complete turnaround from his gloomy, lifeless demeanor in the mess hall.

The lecturer on the stage was an old man with white hair and glasses, holding a silver cane.

He sat in a chair, gesturing with a pointer as he spoke.

Most of the students in the audience were already crushed and breathless from the long-term, intensive training and studies. They had long since lost their initial enthusiasm.

They all sat slumped in their seats, some propping up their heads and staring blankly into space, others looking down to fiddle with their Star Rings.

Only Shi Feng’s eyes were wide, and it was clear he was determined to master this subject completely.

"For a speed-type mecha, the most important characteristics are being lightweight and fast. It needs to be able to go anywhere, from the skies to the ground. Therefore, the shell for this type of mecha must be made from a metal that is both light and durable."

"Silver Mysterious Iron is a good fit, but you can’t use it in its pure form. While it is light and durable, it lacks ductility."

As the teacher droned on, Gu Kaiwen propped up his head and began to nod off, his head bobbing again and again.

’It’s... so... hypnotic.’