CH 66

Teaching Someone a Lesson (4)

……… It’s not the first time he’d done such a thing.

At dusk, in the wide tactical classroom, Jiang Jianming looked at the young man standing opposite the simulator.

“Hey.”

The young man in plain clothing and fierce eyes shouted.

“I know that Teacher Luo Hai called you here because he wanted you to teach me a lesson, right.”

Kevin snorted coldly, brown crystals on both of his wrists flowed with luster, crackling and rapidly growing into crystal bones that were as long as an arm, which had their ends integrated closely to the virtual screen.

“Let me tell you first, it’s useless. Even if I lose, I won’t give up my resolve either.”

-The Kaios Military Academy was named after the great emperor’s surname. Although it was a military academy, its six departments covered most of the subjects. It was the undisputed highest institution in the human empire.

Abundance of geniuses actually meant dissatisfaction of the subjects and many obnoxious persons that think highly of themselves.

Thus the shrewd faculty members had an unwritten custom: catch some more powerful students, even former students who have graduated, and rub those narrow-minded little brats a few times on the ground to wake up their minds.

“Speaking of defeat first before the battle even started.”

Jiang Jianming lightly rolled up his cuffs, stretched out his hands, and spread his five fingers, “Ominous.” Ten slender, white fingers silently pressed on the virtual screen emitting blue light.

Kevin was taken aback for a moment, and his face suddenly turned pale, “You, you are a disabled…”

Jiang Jianming: “It’s alright, use your crystal bone.”

He heard that when Major General Xie of Silver Big Dipper was still studying in the military academy, he was often caught by the instructors to do this kind of job.

He was the same, since he entered this school, he had been a ruthless rubbing machine that was often caught and used by Luo Hai. (TL: always caught by LH to teach obnoxious students a lesson)

“Both the left and the right, focus your attention, get ready.” 

Teacher Luo Hai shouted out.

Soon, the electronic sound from the simulator resounded.

[Random map: B-03, students on both sides are in position, showing 3D battlefield projection in five seconds. After thirty seconds, the simulated confrontation battle will begin. Starting countdown, thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-seven…….]

Only……Jiang Jianming’s gaze once again looked at the young man who was like a wolf cub in front of him, and said silently in his heart: an accommodation fee.

When he worked as the rubbing machine for Teacher Luo, he always used coins.

In an instant, the blue light quickly spread in midair, forming a two-dimensional map.

The random map this time was mainly plains, with sparse vegetation, unsuitable for small tricks.

The rules of the simulated confrontation battle were actually very simple.

The blue light simulated the geographical environment of the battlefield: the red dots symbolized alien creatures; the black and white blocks respectively symbolized the troops of the two sides in the battle. The goal of the battle was simpler: defend your own camp, clear the alien creatures along the way and capture the opponent’s camp. The system would give the final score based on the comprehensive performance of the students. That’s to say, the students needed to fight against the obstacles set by the machine and against the living opponents at the same time.

There were some rustling noises outside the classroom.

“Hey, brother Kevin is playing a simulated battle with someone!”

“Who is the other party…”

Jiang Jianming swept a glance out of the corner of his eye, and through the window on the door, he vaguely saw the sneaky figures of several teenage boys and girls. They’re all students…..and judging by their clothes, they’re civilian students?

This should be what Teacher Luo Hai had just said, the children who went on strike together with the young man in front of him.

Outside the classroom, several teenage boys and girls who heard the news were causing a commotion.

“Hey, look at his wrist.”

“A disabled human!? Unexpectedly, he was not affected by brother Kevin’s crystal bones……”

“Did he take tranquilizers beforehand?”

“Is he a noble? Doesn’t feel like that though……”

“Since you’re all here,” Luo Hai suddenly called out, “Come in and have a look.”

The little naughty and disobedient children outside the door shut up all of a sudden, and after a short pause, they slid in with their heads bowed like frost-beaten eggplants.

Inside the classroom, Jiang Jianming’s heart skipped a beat.

He realized that since his return to the empire, he had vaguely noticed that the “atmosphere was different”, but where was the difference?

The kneeling down and weeping disabled humans to the Bishop of the Crystal Religion, the nobles stirring trouble in the street, the civilian students who went on a strike……

It’s those hidden contradictions. Behind the glory of prosperity and peace, the contradictions within this huge empire suddenly intensified, like a wild beast that had been freed from the suppression of iron chains, showing its sharp fangs.

Why? Jiang Jianming couldn’t help frowning, it wasn’t like this before he set off, why did it suddenly…

“Hey, you’re not from a noble family, are you?”

On the opposite side, Kevin stared at the simulated map, and began to move his troops, “We just want to fight for equality, why did you come to obstruct me?”

His was white, and this young man’s style after getting on the plane was not as impulsive as his attitude. On the contrary, facing the mysterious person brought by Teacher Luo Hai, he showed extreme caution.

On the contrary, Jiang Jianming manipulated his black troops and rushed out in a straight line along the terrain.

The vanguard was in the front, the main force followed steadily, and expelled alien creatures along the way…It was a very solid but common offensive style of play.

“……equality. “

Jiang Jianming looked at the young man in front of him with a peaceful expression, “You name’s Kevin right? How much do you spend on tuition at Kaios Military Academy every year?”

A girl who just walked into the classroom suddenly exclaimed, “Brother Kevin is the best in our class, he can obtain scholarships and subsidies from the Empire every year! He doesn’t have to pay tuition fees.”

“Right!” A little chubby individual also shouted, “Just……just because he refused to bow his head, offended the Brandon family, that those nobles tried to isolate him and bully him. Obviously none of those guys have better performances than Kevin.”

Quite a coincidence, why is it Brandon again……

Jiang Jianming smiled inwardly, and calmly nodded, “It turns out to be like this. It is not easy to get a scholarship at the Kaios Military Academy, you are an excellent student.”

During the conversation, on the simulated projected battlefield, the black and white on both sides collided.

Kevin’s eyes flashed, and he was secretly happy: The other party walked into his trap!

The black fought all the way from the red dots that symbolized alien creatures, which had the other’s troops slightly reduced, while he was holding his position waiting for the enemy’s attack. Now, as long as…….The young man used his crystal bone to quickly manipulate. The right flank and left flank of the white deformed, and their formation became a curved “U”, enclosing the black like a dumpling.

It turned out to be smoother than expected.

The corner of Kevin’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch: Very good, this way the enemy will be like a turtle in a jar. The next step is a prolonged battle, as long as you can nibble away the opponent’s strength little by little…..(TL: turtle in a jar-metaphor for something that is already under control and cannot escape.)

“As far as I’m concerned, the Brandon family donates millions of dollars to the construction of the military academy every year.”

Suddenly, a clear and slightly deep voice floated from the opposite side.

The black-haired young man lowered his eyebrows, and when he spoke, he gazed at the simulated projection without any waves in his eyes. His white fingers traced a graceful trajectory on the virtual screen, moving his troops calmly.

Facing the spread out enclosure of the white, the black’s pace did not turn chaotic in the slightest, instead, the advancing formation changed into a sharp cone shape, speeding up its advance!

“——What!?” 

Kevin’s complexion changed drastically, and he looked at the projection in front of him in disbelief, “How, how…how did it become like this?”

The expected encirclement circle did not form, the white troops didn’t even have time to completely enclose the black troops, and the bottom of the “U” broke with a boom. The black troops on the battlefield were like sharp knives, or a spear, or even like a rampaging bull, directly breaking through the formation of the white troops, causing the original semi-arc to be completely cut in two!

“And you, not only will you not have to pay the tuition, but the military academy will instead lose money to support you in finishing your studies.”

Jiang Jianming raised his eyes leisurely, “Is this equality to the military academy?”

There was a slight sigh in his tone. The decadent red light of the setting sun outside the window and the cold blue light of the simulator in front of him were intertwining and swaying in the depths of those dark pupils.

Kevin was stupefied, and watching teenage boys and girls from the side were also stupefied. They didn’t know if it was because of the sudden change in the battle situation, or because of the words in the mouth of the black-haired young man in front of them.

Jiang Jianming knocked on the edge of the machine, trying to bring the young man back to his senses. “Your formation is too loose, and you don’t have enough experience, don’t hastily disperse your troops.”

Kevin clenched his fists fiercely. He was too eager to form an encirclement, but unexpectedly, the change of formation caused the white troops to scatter, causing a weak flaw to appear……

The girl who spoke for Kevin first perked up her eyebrows anxiously, “Don’t talk fallacious reasoning! Isn’t Kaios an Imperial Academy? Isn’t its purpose is to cultivate talents for the empire!? What earning money or losing money, it’s not to do business like small merchants—”

Jiang Jianming shook his head helplessly, and glanced at Teacher Luo Hai.

These children……

What’s the problem with earning money and losing money?

It was precisely because of the status of the Kaios Military Academy here that sometimes it was restrained by more intangible things and had to make some compromises.

For example, the current tactical simulation machine, equipped with the most advanced computing system and intelligence, costs nearly a million coins per unit.

How would it be possible to support these ordinary children who couldn’t afford tuition fees to attend school without earning money?

Similarly, if some compromises were not made, once the military academy itself collapses, how could this group of innocent children who say “strike down those evil nobles” and “won’t come to class until those dandies are expelled” be protected?

However, such a complicated thing, for a brief period of time, he’s unable to reason out to this group of children to clarify the facts.

Thus Jiang Jianming could only sigh, “Yes, what you said…they’re true.” In the next second, he raised his eyebrows indifferently and asked, “But with what you are like now, can you even consider yourselves talents?”

“……..” 

The teenage boys and girls became ashen-faced and fell silent.

Even though the heating in the wide classroom was fully turned on, it seemed that there was a cold current pouring down from the top of everyone’s head. They looked at each other with timid eyes. 

Are they……… considered talents? Is there any value in them that can be worth a million coins?

Only then did Jiang Jianming glance at the battle situation again. Kevin’s head was covered with cold sweat, and he was gritting his teeth trying to bring the two dispersed forces closer together.

Jiang Jianming flicked the screen casually, and the black troops moved left and then moved right for a moment. Like a dragon waving its tail, and breaking through the two chaotic streams of white troops one by one. “It’s already like this, is there any use in gathering troops again?”

“See clearly your enemy, make the accurate judgment.”

“Face me, you should run.”

Kevin raised his face suddenly, the corners of his eyes twitched, and his face was red, it was unknown whether it was from shame or anger.

Jiang Jianming: “You can’t even beat the one Teacher Luo randomly caught, you are still far behind.”

Kevin’s teeth trembled, he closed his sour eyes unwillingly, and with difficulty…..began to manipulate the remaining soldiers, and fled in embarrassment. But suddenly a red dot lit in front of his eyes.

Red dots that symbolized alien creatures were lying across in front of the scattered white troops.

Jiang Jianming’s face sank as he saw it. “Where are you going? Didn’t you just take a defensive stance, the alien creatures in that area haven’t been cleared yet, have you lost your head?”

“Ah…”

Kevin’s face paled instantly.

Then the black troops met him head-on leisurely, split into four groups halfway, and accurately devoured the scattered white troops.

一Complete annihilation.

“……..”

Kevin stood there in a daze, with his back hunched, and was dragging an unbearable shadow on the ground.

However, as the sun sank completely, the surrounding darkness also submerged the shadow.

Several companions walked over silently, surrounded their “Brother Kevin” in the middle, and stared at Jiang Jianming defensively.

They were like stubborn and dusty pieces of stones, looking a bit pitiful.

“Do you still want to fight?”

Jiang Jianming moved his wrist, without any trace of winning or losing on his face, “If you are not reconciled, put away the crystal bone and switch to manual control, I can play a few more rounds with you.”

“Before that……” After speaking, he turned his head and looked at Luo Hai who had been standing with arms folded, watching silently.

This time, there were vivid traces between the good-looking eyebrows and eyes. Jiang Jianming said softly, “Teacher Luo, can you buy me coffee?”