CH 17

17. Zongbingyi Institute's opening ceremony day.

【You have won!】

【Rank points +14, your current rank value is 4367!】

【Current ranking: 168.】

The cockpit slowly opened, and Ji Mingzhu stepped out, taking a breath of fresh air. Due to his tight budget, the loaned cockpit he bought had no issues for gaming, but the ventilation system was mediocre. After playing for a while, it would start to feel stuffy, far less comfortable than the high-end cockpits. However, with limited funds, Ji Mingzhu didn't expect much more.

"Welcome back," Axiu's voice sounded as expected.

Ji Mingzhu ran his hand through his slightly damp hair, revealing a smooth forehead, but there were no fans around: "Any movements from the Calamity Control Bureau?"

After reaching a rank value above 3500, the points gained from winning became limited. Ji Mingzhu had been playing for a few days and finally made it to the overall rankings.

Ranking 168 might not sound high, but in reality, it was an impressive achievement. "Warfall" in this world was considered a game for the masses, with numerous experts. Just being in the top 500 already placed Ji Mingzhu among the most elite players. Combining his frightening 100% win rate, his account registration time of only a few days, and the fact that he had only used the base hardware of the Azure Storm mechafrom start to finish, it could be said that if Ji Mingzhu wanted, he could try out for any top professional club.

In fact, after his gameplay videos circulated on gaming forums and other media platforms, his email inbox was flooded with countless messages. Among them were trial invitations from some well-known clubs and inquiries about his identity. If it were the newly arrived Ji Mingzhu, he might have been willing to pursue a career as a professional player, living a comfortable life. Unfortunately, reality didn't allow it. The situation and dangers he faced were not something a mere professional player could handle.

"The Calamity Control Bureau has already accessed your cockpit data, and there are traces of your personal file being reviewed," Axiu said. "It's likely that you have caught the attention of the Calamity Control Bureau."

Just as expected.

With the support of an advanced AI like Axiu, many things became much easier. If Ji Mingzhu relied solely on his own abilities, he would never dare to be so high-profile. Apart from other reasons, he simply couldn't explain how he acquired such advanced mechaskills with his own identity.

During these days of climbing ranks in Warfall, Ji Mingzhu had allowed Axiu to infiltrate the resident system of the satellite city's government, modifying his own files to make his background more plausible. Although the government's firewall was highly secure, it still paled in comparison to the internal firewall of the Thunder Division. After some effort, Axiu successfully breached it.

Ji Mingzhu even had Axiu modify the historical records of the game arcade and even forged videos from the orphanage and game arcade, successfully fabricating the life trajectory of a resilient and talented young prodigy.

Through the information revealed by Bai Weng and the data Ji Mingzhu had gathered during these days, he knew that becoming a true Titan pilot was not an easy task. Apart from rigorous screening and background checks, the most crucial challenge awaited him at the final stage: passing the Thunder Division's current Red Guard Commander, Zuo Quanzong.

Ji Mingzhu diligently studied Zuo Quanzong's biography and information, gaining a deep understanding of this legendary pilot. It could be said that every step he took now was carefully calculated. Ji Mingzhu had set up a persona that had a high probability of gaining Zuo Quanzong's recognition. From now on, he had to play this role flawlessly, keeping himself distinct from the ace pilot of the Netherworld Organization and avoiding any suspicion.

"Is there any activity from the Calamity Control Bureau?" Ji Mingzhu asked.

"Not at the moment," Axiu replied.

Ji Mingzhu breathed a sigh of relief. No news was good news, indicating that the Calamity Control Bureau had no objections to his actions. It meant he still had plenty of room to maneuver.

Now, Ji Mingzhu needed to carefully plan his next steps.

...

Another two days passed, and on this day, Ji Mingzhu didn't immediately enter the cockpit to climb ranks like he usually did.

Because today was the first day of school at the Zongbingyi Academy.

Ji Mingzhu picked up a set of brand new clothes placed on the bedside and stood in front of the mirror, meticulously getting dressed.

These were the new student uniforms from Zongbingyi Academy delivered by the courier yesterday. When the courier entered the shabby rental house and looked at Ji Mingzhu, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes. From a certain perspective, Zongbingyi Academy was also an elite institution, and this child before him didn't come from a privileged background nor did he have any apparent connections. It meant that he must have exerted extraordinary efforts to change his own fate.

Ji Mingzhu put on the uniform, adjusted the collar and his hair in front of the mirror, making eye contact with his reflection.

Hmm, looking handsome.

He smoothed his hair at the forehead, slightly slumped his shoulders, and his gaze became somewhat evasive. This transformed Ji Mingzhu's entire demeanor from confident and upright to seemingly meek and submissive, emanating an aura that said, "I'm easy to bully."

After finishing everything, Ji Mingzhu turned and walked out of the room.

Axiu's voice sounded, "Planning the route to Zongbingyi Academy."

Facing the morning sunlight, Ji Mingzhu couldn't help but squint his eyes. The road ahead was covered in the morning glow, bright like a grand boulevard. However, in Ji Mingzhu's eyes, it looked more like a path leading to the unknown and dangerous.

"Let's go," Ji Mingzhu raised his gaze and then took a step towards the direction of the nearest tram track.

For some reason, Axiu felt that this scene was somewhat familiar.

...

【Tian Nan】is currently ranked 86th.

Anyone who searches for the ID Tian Nan and sees the terrifying win rate and astonishing combat data will be startled. Discussions about whether Tian Nan is an up-and-coming dark horse player, a smurf account of a retired driver, or a secret ace cultivated by some club are highly active on the internet. 

Battle videos featuring him have also spread rapidly within the player community. His high-level maneuvers are truly awe-inspiring. During the mere ten-minute journey from the rental house to the tram, Ji Mingzhu had already heard many young people discussing this matter.

"Oh my goodness, this Barlot Spin is just perfect... it's heavenly!"

"So, you're also watching videos of my idol?"

"Of course! He's my idol too!"

"Wasn't your idol the captain of the DND team before? I remember that guy got blown up by Tian Nan in just two minutes a couple of days ago..."

"Uh, let's not talk about that. That's all in the past. Now, my idol is Tian Nan!"

Compared to well-known players who have been famous for a long time, a sudden and rising extraordinary expert undoubtedly generates more buzz. With an aura of mystery surrounding him, whenever Tian Nan comes online, he either plays ranked matches or is on his way to one. He never accepts interviews or engages in conversations with opponents during matches, appearing like a silent god of slaughter, displaying his unrivaled dominance.

For young people, such a cool character design is truly attractive.

"Don't skip over it so quickly! That Alloy Blade Forward Thrust followed by the retraction, let's watch it again!"

"How many times have you watched it already? Seriously..."

"No matter how many times I watch it, it's not enough, okay? That retraction is just too cool. I dare say that even professional league players don't have that level of skill!"

"Though it's indeed impressive, you're exaggerating... But come to think of it, is it really possible to perform such maneuvers with the basic novice mecha, the Azure Storm, the dog that even beginners don't bother playing?"

"That's why he's called the *Nan Shen. Just open his profile and you'll see. Azure Storm, completely stock without any modifications!"

*Nan Shen(Southern God) the Nan from his ID: Tian Nan - 天(Tian - Sky/Heaven) - 南(Nan - South) and God - someone with outstanding skill

"I actually tried using Azure Storm yesterday... I got blown up in less than ten seconds. Its armor defense is so weak that it can't withstand a single hit from a Class C or higher model."

"Tch, are you even worthy of playing my idol's mecha?"

A group of young people who appear to be high school students huddled together on the tram, engrossed in lively discussions while replaying videos on their terminals over and over again. Suddenly, one of them nudged his companion's shoulder. "Look over there..."

Following the direction indicated, his companion's gaze fell on the corner of the tram where someone was sitting, wearing the distinctive uniform of Zongbingyi Academy. Instantly, envy appeared on his face. "Wow, it's from Zongbingyi!"

Today is the first day of Zongbingyi Academy, but encountering Zongbingyi Academy students on the streets is not a common sight. Most Zongbingyi Academy students come from wealthy or influential families and generally do not take public transportation like trams, which are considered for the common people. Therefore, seeing a Zongbingyi Academy student here is quite rare.

Their discussion was not particularly loud, but with the powerful information-gathering abilities of Axiu, every word and sentence was clearly heard by Ji Mingzhu. Ji Mingzhu kept his head down, appearing as if he was resting his eyes, and didn't show much reaction to the overly enthusiastic praise from these young people.

As a top professional player, and even more so, the most popular one, he had lost count of how many times he had heard such excessive praise... just water under the bridge.

The tram sped along the suspended track, swiftly passing through the intertwined high-rises and streets, and soon came to a stop at a platform.

"Ding-dong."

"Fengding Station. We have arrived."

The doors opened, and a group of well-dressed individuals with briefcases filed in, instantly filling the previously spacious space with bustling activity.

Ji Mingzhu lifted his head for a glance and in that momentary glimpse of the crowd, a fleeting trace of surprise flickered across his face.

Among the crowd, a middle-aged man in a wrinkled suit was squeezed in with the rest of the commuters, holding an old briefcase like everyone else. His features were ordinary, showing the resigned helplessness of a middle-aged person who had no choice but to work. "Hey, hey, don't push from behind. If there's no room, wait for the next one!"

He was completely different from the driver of the Aerial Raider who had massacred the aliens and mechas a few nights ago.

As Kai Yang shouted and squeezed himself in, his gaze swept across and he spotted the Zongbingyi Academy uniform, instinctively looking in that direction.

Their eyes briefly met.

Ji Mingzhu calmly shifted his gaze away and looked out of the window.