Chapter 98: The Unbelievable News

His large travel bag was still sitting where he had left it, packed with everything he needed.

He walked over, opened it, and began unpacking and setting everything up.

The first thing he arranged was his desk setup.

It wasn’t much different from his old one, except that he had bought a higher-grade PC and laptop to improve his workflow.

He set up the TV stand as well, along with the gaming gadgets he had brought, though with such a tight schedule, he doubted he would ever have the time to play them.

After stuffing his new clothes into the wardrobe and sorting out a few other items, he finished organizing everything within half an hour.

Then he sat at his desk, the widescreen monitor glowing before him.

He placed his device on the phone holder and connected it to the monitor, and all the notes he had received were transferred instantly, filling the screen with pages upon pages of material.

He ran them through a summarizing software package, letting it condense everything into the key information he needed to understand first.

Within minutes, the summaries were ready.

Within an hour, he had skimmed through every note and overview, and only then did he begin reading properly.

He went through each note word for word, taking his time.

This was how Declan always studied: first grasp the general picture, then dig deep into every detail until nothing was left unclear.

Hours passed with his eyes focused intensely on the screen, absorbing everything, while his mind processed the information faster than he even realized.

Sixteen hours later, he finally pushed his chair back and stood up.

He had finished everything.

Every note from every class, even the advanced topics they had not reached yet. Every theory. Every explanation.

All of it had been locked perfectly inside his head.

When he walked around the room with his eyes closed and then opened them again, a shocked glint crossed his eyes.

"I remember everything?"

No. That was wrong.

He didn’t just remember everything. He knew it all word for word, every explanation playing in his mind as clearly as a recording.

[You know you’re still far from being the strongest in Mordran right now. But if there is one thing, it is that you’re the most intelligent human on Mordran right now.]

The system panel blinked into view as Declan paused.

[I’ve seen what you’ve read. Most Mordran Mech Modules do not prioritize the brain.]

[They focus on physical strength. Nanorobotic arms. Implanted weapons. Body reinforcements.]

[There are very few modules that focus on increasing brain speed.]

[So while the Nexians may indeed be physically stronger than the average human, the truth is that their thought processes and comprehension remain at the level of an average human.]

[The only advantage they hold may be that their enhanced bodies could allow them to sit and read nonstop for three days, while a normal body would collapse.]

[But you...]

The system panel flashed again as the realization settled in.

"I can input stat points strictly into Intelligence and grow it just like Strength."

[Exactly.]

[Your Intelligence rises alongside your power, making not only your physical strength beyond human limits, but also your mind.]

[And at this level of intelligence, comprehending a couple of theory notes in less than a day really isn’t much of an achievement.]

Now it all made sense.

The system’s Attribute stat feature bypassed one of Mordran’s biggest challenges: boosting the brain’s intelligence capacity.

As a Mech Designer, he knew well that there were not many Mech Modules designed for the brain.

Even for other Mech Designers using brain-focused modules, the human brain had physical limits.

It was fragile, and too much bionic fluid could easily reduce it to mush.

At best, the strongest brain module boosted cognitive ability to three times that of an average human.

But Declan was eleven times stronger than an average human, and his brain was boosted eleven times as well.

There was no way to limit his comprehension to that of normal humans or even brain-enhanced Nexians.

He was beyond all of them in intelligence.

What he found wild was that he had always possessed this potential, yet had never actually recognized it.

He had initially thought he would need weeks to catch up with the notes, yet he had finished everything in just sixteen hours.

But he wasn’t completely done.

While he understood everything, some concepts still had missing links. He would need in-depth lab practicals or NVTube videos for a deeper understanding.

NVTube was an educational platform used on Mordran, but there was a problem accessing it.

The truth was that most software for outside-world news and entertainment wasn’t available on XGuard.

The only network there was Xnet, a special network exclusively for X Guard Academy.

He reasoned that the academy had chosen this to make sure the students weren’t distracted by news from the outside world, but still... Declan had a backdoor.

He sat back down and connected to an outside satellite, a privilege he had gained through his previous working relationship with the Mechnoheart Organization.

As he quietly browsed the outside world’s internet, everything seemed normal at first, just like any ordinary day.

But gradually, he began seeing the emboldened headlines, and quiet shock set in as his body stiffened and the horror of what he was seeing slowly crept over him.

"Wh... what the hell!?"

THE CEASEFIRE WAS A LIE! THEY’VE BEEN PREPARING FOR MONTHS.

CLICK!

GLOBAL CRISIS: Ember Forces Break Ceasefire, Renew Assault on Mordran!

CLICK!

MORDRAN’S SHIELDS BREACHED: Ember Offensive Surges Without Warning!

CLICK!

"What the hell is happening!?"

Declan muttered in shock, leaning closer to the monitor as his fingers flew across the keyboard, reading through headline after headline.

Reflected in his irises were various pieces of footage showing entire skyscrapers being sent tumbling down, while fighter jets crashed toward the ground as groups of muscular, four-armed beings with completely blue bodies clashed with them in the sky, blowing them apart amidst exploding flames.

The scenes depicted humans fleeing in panic, desperately dodging falling blocks of debris, while some unlucky souls were crushed beneath them.

"Is this... maybe it’s an AI simulation."

Declan mused quietly as he ran various programs, and after three hours of battling with the keyboard, his hands finally fell to his sides as he collapsed into his seat.

The panel blinked into view right after.

[The war has started.]

Declan’s heart sank within his chest.

It had already started!?

The Ember, an invading race that had waged war against humanity, had caused a staggering death toll during their first descent, but with the creation of Cores, humanity had managed to push them back from their territory.

Yet here they were now, with cities being rapidly overtaken by them.

What was worse was that their attack had been all over the headlines for a couple of weeks now, yet Declan had no idea.

Actually, none of the students in X Guard Academy had any idea.

The only reason he could see this was because of the satellite access granted to him by the Mechnoheart Organization back when he still worked for them.

They had forgotten to cut off his connection to the satellites because they had assumed he was dead.

And that was how he had been able to connect to the outside world.

At that moment, a random memory resurfaced in his mind, that of his last conversation with Boss Morg, accompanied by the explosions and gunshots in the background.

’Could it be?’

He mused, and in the next moment, his hands grabbed his phone from the holder as he jumped to his feet and dialed the number.

DRIIING!

DRIIING!

The sound rang out as Declan paced back and forth until the call was finally picked up.

"What’s up, Kiddo?"

"Have you seen the news, Boss Morg?" Declan asked, and silence came from the other side.

"Yeah, though I’m not a news fan. Did you find a topic that caught your eye?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. Twelve cities overtaken by the Ember, the government only managing to evacuate six while still fighting to take back the rest?"

"That!... How did you... You’re not supposed to know that!"

Boss Morg shock-filled voice rang from the other side, and Declan paused.

’It’s real. It’s really... real!’

"The Ember have attacked!?" Declan mused quietly in realization.

He had thought it was a lie, or perhaps he simply couldn’t accept the truth.

"They unfortunately have, but..." Morgaret said, continuing, "it’s nothing for you to worry about."

"There’s no safer city than X City, remember. It’s never been invaded before, so you’ll be fine."

She said the words rapidly, but they only left Declan lost for words.

In the next moment, his hands tightened into fists as he called out, "I want an Xmission."

"What!?"

"You said if I survived the Core implantation, you’d get me on my first mission, and it’s been three months since then."

"You’re only a Newcomer."

"No! I’m a second year now. You can ask Principal Onelore," he defended.

"Listen, Declan."

"If none of this had happened, I could have put you on a mission, but right now, anyone out here would trade anything to be in X Guard and replace you faster than a heartbeat."

"This is the worst time to be out here."

"But..."

"I don’t know how you came by this information, but stop watching the news. Many of the facts there are exaggerated by the media to create more panic. It’s a lot more complicated than that."

"All I can say is that from now on, you focus on growing your strength as fast as you can."

"It’s only a matter of time before the academy starts sending you guys out to help in the real world anyway, so until then, make sure you learn to survive."

BOOOOOOOOOOM!