Section Ten
Ye Zhong couldn't believe it – he had unintentionally completed the training! His mind short-circuited for a moment, and he still hadn't processed how he had managed to meet the requirements!
He tried piloting the Blackbird to run through the training a few more times, and each time, he succeeded! Ye Zhong was utterly perplexed. Just what was going on?
Forget it. After spending half a day without finding an answer, Ye Zhong wasn't particularly keen on figuring out the reason. As long as his skills had improved, that was all that mattered! More importantly, he wouldn't have to eat organic nutrient paste next week!
Without lingering any longer, Ye Zhong immediately logged out of the virtual net. The steel ball training was still waiting for him! Since Wenny was injured, Mu had reinstated the steel ball training into the schedule.
However, this training session had taught Ye Zhong one thing: speed wasn't everything!
※※※
Sun Xuelin softly comforted her cousin, Axiu, whose face was pale with fright. She felt a wave of gratitude toward YC. Thankfully, he had caught Axiu; who knows what the consequences would have been otherwise. But then she remembered that he had been further away than her, yet he was faster. A hint of fear stirred within Sun Xuelin, but it was immediately washed away by intense curiosity. How had his skills improved so rapidly? Had he really been hiding his strength last time?
Axiu's slightly frightened eyes, her serene and beautiful face deathly pale, her shoulder-length black hair slightly disheveled, and her slender body trembling faintly – she resembled a flower bud struggling and shivering bitterly in the cold wind, evoking a surge of pity in anyone who saw her.
Sun Xuelin tenderly smoothed Axiu's hair. Unable to hold back any longer, Axiu threw herself into Sun Xuelin's arms and began to sob quietly. Sun Xuelin silently patted Axiu's delicate shoulder, embodying the very picture of a caring older sister. In truth, Axiu was only about ten days younger than Sun Xuelin, but due to her gentle nature, she had always followed Sun Xuelin around since childhood. Sun Xuelin, strong-willed and having received guidance from her father since she was young, had always been someone no one dared to provoke. She naturally became Axiu's protector. Two years ago, Axiu's family moved away, and the cousins were separated, but Axiu still held a deep reliance on this sister in her heart.
"Don't cry, Axiu, don't cry," Sun Xuelin coaxed gently. "Let's go home first, alright? Let's go home."
Axiu nodded meekly.
Sun Xueling held the tear-streaked Axiu and logged out directly. Before leaving, she glanced back at the room one more time.
Did he recognize me? Was he nodding at me? Sun Xuelin felt inexplicably unsettled.
The next day, Ye Zhong had already started new training. The content and the training rooms were different.
Since it was the first day, Ye Zhong's movements were still very clumsy, but he threw himself into the training wholeheartedly. So engrossed was he in his arduous practice that he completely failed to notice two uninvited guests who had entered the room and had been observing him for a long time.
Sun Xuelin's jaw dropped in astonishment. She stared blankly at the clumsy figure on the training field. Was this really the same YC who had made her feel fearful yesterday? If seeing him training in the basic training area had already surprised Sun Xuelin, then watching YC meticulously performing drills she had mastered at eight or nine years old – and with movements as awkward as if he were learning them for the first time – left her utterly flabbergasted!
Hadn't he learned the basic curriculum? If he had, why was he here? And why were his movements so clumsy? If he hadn't learned them, how did he complete that highly difficult disordered wave jump? Was it just luck?
The only thing Sun Xuelin was sure of was that this was a really strange guy!
Axiu gazed intently at the Blackbird engrossed in training, her bright eyes revealing little about what she was thinking.
Both of them watched the focused figure on the field, completely captivated.
After a long while, Sun Xuelin snapped out of her reverie. Seeing her cousin Axiu still standing there motionless, she asked curiously, "Axiu, why are you still here? Aren't you training today?" Then she teased, "You're not scared from yesterday, are you? Too afraid to train now?"
Axiu seemed to jolt back to reality, her face instantly flushing bright red. Flustered, she stammered, "Ah... Oh... I... I... I'll start right away!"
With that, she stumbled into her Blackbird and flew shakily downwards.
Watching Axiu's Blackbird wobble unsteadily in the air, looking like it might crash at any moment, Sun Xuelin's heart was in her throat. She called out reassuringly, "Don't be afraid, Axiu, it's fine! I'm watching you!"
Once Axiu flew into the training field, she looked around blankly, seemingly at a loss.
Seeing Axiu's lack of action, Sun Xuelin asked, puzzled, "Axiu, what's wrong?"
Axiu replied with a sob in her voice, "Xuelin... I think... I think... I've forgotten everything I learned yesterday!"
Hearing this, Sun Xuelin's expression froze. She couldn't help but facepalm, looking like she was about to faint.
Ye Zhong, wholly dedicated to striving for better food, remained completely unaware that two people had entered the room. If Sun Xuelin and Axiu had gotten closer, they would definitely have heard Ye Zhong muttering under his breath, "I want meat... I want meat..."
Mu Shang's requirements were truly苛刻. Ye Zhong knew just by thinking about it that this was undoubtedly pushing his Blackbird to its absolute limits.
Ye Zhong repeated the mind-numbingly monotonous training over and over, completely losing track of time. It was only when Mu Shang reminded him that time was up that he realized his stomach was so empty it felt like his back and front were sticking together.
Ye Zhong logged out immediately.
Sun Xuelin and Axiu, however, stared in astonishment at the spot where Ye Zhong had vanished.
From that day on, two figures watched him from the stands of his training field every day.
Of course, Ye Zhong noticed. Maintaining vigilance at all times and in all places was an instinct honed by survival for him. But since those two mechs just sat there watching quietly, never disturbing him and having no impact on him, Ye Zhong simply ignored them. He just didn't understand – his training wasn't particularly advanced, and it was extremely boring. How could they not find it tedious?
But, that had nothing to do with him, Ye Zhong told himself. If he didn't give it his all, he'd be stuck eating that tasteless, mud-like organic nutrient paste!
Ye Zhong continued his training as persistently as ever, and Sun Xuelin and Axiu continued watching as persistently as ever. As if by tacit agreement, neither party ever initiated conversation, at most occasionally exchanging nods.
Ye Zhong's real-world training had also seen significant breakthroughs. He could finally last an hour and a half with ten steel balls, and his physical fitness had reached a new level. Ye Zhong was deeply aware of his improved capabilities. His full-speed running was five times faster than before, his strength was seven times greater, and the speed of his hands was eleven times faster. The only puzzling thing was that his body weight hadn't increased noticeably, something even Mu Shang found remarkable.
Now, even without piloting a mech, Ye Zhong could hunt some low-level mutated creatures, a testament to his formidable physical prowess.
Ye Zhong held an extremely thin, sharp blade in his right hand and a fragrant roasted rodent leg in his left. With a flick of his wrist, he sliced off a piece of meat so thin it was almost transparent, curling up as soon as it separated from the leg. Deftly using the tip of his blade, he flicked the meat roll, sending it flying directly into his mouth as if it had eyes. His hands moved faster and faster, the meat rolls streaming into his mouth like bullets from a machine gun, while Ye Zhong wore an expression of pure bliss.
Ye Zhong had discovered by accident that slicing the meat extremely thin preserved the rich aroma of the roast, and it melted in his mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste. The thinner, the better.
The meat leg in his hand grew smaller and smaller until soon, only a clean, bare bone remained, looking as if it had been washed.
Ye Zhong let out a long sigh, casually tossed the bone aside, stretched, and said, "Mu, I finished all the basic training yesterday. What's next today?"
Although the recent days of arduous training had been somewhat monotonous, Ye Zhong had gotten used to it. Compared to his previous aimless existence, this life was undoubtedly more fulfilling. Now, suddenly lacking a goal, he felt a bit lost.
Suddenly, he thought of Yingfeng and the Blackbird who always watched his training. They had never even exchanged a word, only occasionally nodding. Will I ever see them again? Ye Zhong unexpectedly felt a twinge of longing for these strange yet familiar... friends? Tomorrow, I'll go tell them I won't be coming to the training room anymore. But then he dismissed the thought. Friends? Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part. We're not from the same world. Leaving like this might be for the best. If I could ever leave this junk planet, maybe we could really become friends... Ye Zhong couldn't help but let his thoughts wander.
"Combat," Mu Shang stated flatly, interrupting Ye Zhong's reverie. "Accumulate a certain amount of practical combat experience, then study advanced techniques."
Ye Zhong's eyes lit up. "Combat? Excellent! I love combat! All this training has been so boring!" His previous melancholy vanished instantly.
Having practiced for so long, he finally had a chance to test his skills, filling him with eager anticipation!