Half-Day Rest

As Instructor Chen and Kai Ang watched the students' coordinates on the smart brain map converge one by one toward Opening 7—280 points clustered together, not a single one left behind—both of them fell silent.

Had they simply failed to find the materials and rushed out? Or...

The twenty mech soldier students stood by waiting, their sub-systems not running, so they had no idea what was happening.

Natata had been feeling drowsy, but the strange expressions on the two chief instructors' faces snapped her wide awake. Did something weird happen in there? Curiosity mixed with worry for Xu Lingqu, and she found herself staring intently at the entrance.

The pitch-black opening was sealed by an iron door. With a thunderous rumble, the door slid upward, and everyone outside fixed their eyes on the now-exposed entrance.

The first person stepped out. By now, the sky had lightened—night had passed—and the wind lifted her short black hair. She walked out with steady, unhurried steps. No special pose, no elaborate gear—just an ordinary combat uniform—yet she embodied the very definition of dashing and valiant.

It was Xu Lingqu. After she emerged, the students behind her seemed to share an unspoken understanding, waiting until she was out before they filed out one after another.

It was a salute to their commander.

Whether they believed in her or had doubted her, tonight's assessment had proven that Xu Lingqu had led everyone to the fastest and best solution.

Kai Ang watched the girl with complicated emotions. His first impression of her during the trial period had been poor. She'd been frail and pale, passing out during the interstellar jump. Kai Ang didn't despise weakness, but weakness had no place at Moye Military Academy. He'd prematurely slapped that label on Xu Lingqu—and then watched her tear it off, piece by piece.

All 280 students had emerged through the opening on the first open—far exceeding what Instructor Chen and Kai Ang had anticipated. And all twenty groups had brought materials out with them. Some groups had miscommunicated at the start and grabbed the wrong items, but half the teams had still retrieved what the mech soldiers needed.

A result like that could only come from unified coordination and command—and the ability to set aside competition and make everyone work together for a win-win outcome.

Kai Ang suddenly felt tears welling up. He quietly turned to the side.

If they'd had a student with this level of command ability in the last two years, Moye Military Academy wouldn't have lost so miserably.

He still harbored bitter memories of last year's desert map battle. In the post-match analysis, the students had blamed each other, and Kai Ang had wanted to walk away then—he'd rather return to the battlefield, to the frontier, than teach students like that again.

But the old men in the administration refused to let someone with his experience and passion go. They'd given him the authority to plan the trial period as the chief instructor for new students.

Kai Ang had deliberated long and hard before staying. And the scene before him now was an answer to the pain he'd felt then: his choice had been right.

Instructor Chen, standing nearby, was surprised at first, then quietly shifted his position to block Kai Ang from the students' view—hiding this sudden moment of vulnerability.

It was the tacit understanding between partners.

Kai Ang had always been like this. His anger, his pride, his melancholy—they all flared up and faded fast. He might enjoy messing with people, but Instructor Chen knew perfectly well how much hope and effort Kai Ang had poured into this new batch of students.

"You've got fifteen seconds," Instructor Chen said, watching the students hand off materials. "Chief Instructor, you'd better get a grip and take charge."

Kai Ang grunted in acknowledgment, his voice muffled. Instructor Chen almost laughed.

Natata took the materials from Lin Xiao and the others. They were far from light, and Lin Xiao had been a little worried—but the girl took them all steadily in her hands and broke into a huge grin. "You all did wonderfully!"

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Xu Lingqu nearby. She didn't fully understand what had happened, but Xu Lingqu had been the first to walk out—that meant she was absolutely amazing!

This time, she'd really latched onto the right person.

Xu Lingqu felt that burning gaze, glanced back calmly, and gave a small nod.

It wasn't that she was putting on airs or feeling upset. She'd talked so much in the underground labyrinth that she felt like she'd used up her entire quota of words for the day. She simply couldn't be bothered to speak.

But others saw it as the composure of a true expert. It only deepened the awe some students already felt for Xu Lingqu.

"I've got to push my rank up and make it through to stay. I really want to experience what it's like having Commander Xu on our side in the military academy league."

"There's this feeling that as long as our commander's still standing, we haven't lost."

"Will you guys cut it out? Enough already. Do you have to brown-nose Xu Lingqu that hard?"

"What's so special about what she said? I could say that too. It's just empty talk and grand slogans, isn't it? The analysts did all the real work."

"Holy crap, you idiot—we should throw you back in the underground labyrinth."

"How can someone who says stuff like that have the nerve to walk out of here with the rest of us? I'm asking."

A small commotion rippled through the student ranks again, all centered on Xu Lingqu.

By then, Kai Ang had pulled himself together.

"Alright, you lot did well this time. You can rest here for half a day. This afternoon, we head back to the original training ground."

Instructor Kai Ang's words made all the students freeze in shock.

Half a day of rest? The demon chief instructor was voluntarily giving them half a day off? Did those words actually come out of Kai Ang's mouth? Something was wrong—definitely wrong. There had to be a catch.

All the students stood ramrod straight, completely forgetting the exhaustion of being startled awake in the middle of the night, hauled across country, and dragged through the underground labyrinth. They each displayed their iron will to Kai Ang, practically writing on their faces: "Just tell us what trial you're throwing at us this time."

"A trust crisis," Instructor Chen murmured beside Kai Ang, a hint of mockery in his voice. He then picked up the loudspeaker. "We're not lying to you. Half a day of rest. I'm the one calling the shots, so head back to the training ground here for now."

With Instructor Chen's reassurance, the students finally swallowed their doubts. Cheers broke out, and they made their way back to the mech soldier training ground.

Kai Ang glanced at Instructor Chen, slightly embarrassed. "These little brats trust you a lot now? You've been good to them."

"Just average, really. Mainly it's the contrast that does the work," Instructor Chen said. "Besides, I do try to let them get a decent night's sleep."

Unlike someone—now known to the students as the sleep killer.