Moye Military Academy

Xu Lingqu and Xu Xiqin's acceptance letters arrived within a few days. The Moye Military Academy enrollment period was already winding down, and Xu Lingqu had essentially been squeezed in through Xu Youwen's connections.

Her B-level psychic power slightly exceeded Xu Youwen's expectations, just barely meeting the minimum threshold for admission to Moye's command department. This dashed his original plan of her testing at C or D, which would have made her admission to the military academy hopeless.

Xu Youwen never imagined Xu Lingqu would test at A or above. If she had, he could have used that as an excuse to convince his mother to abandon the idea of sending her to the academy, to avoid nurturing a tiger that would eventually bite.

But B-level, sitting awkwardly in the middle, left Xu Youwen without any justification.

The non-combat departments at Moye Military Academy were that easy to get into. While handling the paperwork, Xu Youwen overheard a colleague complaining that this year's combat direction applicants to Moye were also full of water.

The combat direction applications for the six major military academies were supposed to be submitted only after selecting the best batch from the local military academy clusters of each star system. If even that was watered down, it seemed that even star system forces were starting to interfere in Moye's internal affairs.

Xu Youwen regretted even more letting his sister apply to Moye, but what was done was done.

Three days later, Moye Military Academy's one-and-a-half-month trial training period would begin.

These past few days, Xu Lingqu had basically stayed at the Xu residence, while Xu Xiqin, who aimed to be a mech pilot, was practically taken by Xu Youwen to his military department friends' place for extra training every day.

Madam Catherine watched her stepping stone plan about to come to fruition, her lips curling higher each day, and her attitude toward Xu Lingqu softened considerably.

Therefore, Xu Lingqu also openly had Liu Ming's Samoyed form walk through the front door of the Xu residence—she had gotten Madam Catherine's permission to keep a dog.

These past few days, Liu Ming had been eagerly pulling Xu Lingqu to take him for walks in the garden. After all, once he went to Moye Military Academy with Xu Lingqu, the training would be closed for at least a month and a half, and he couldn't even transfer his consciousness to the ring that Xu Lingqu wore, since jewelry wasn't allowed during training.

"You could just stay at the Xu residence in this little dog body and let Miss Gina play with you and take care of you," said Xu Lingqu, who was being forced into walking the dog, sitting on a garden bench, not really understanding why Liu Ming insisted on following her to the military academy.

Liu Ming came back to Xu Lingqu with a frisbee in his mouth, speaking indistinctly, "You just don't get it!" If he stayed at the Xu residence, who would protect Xu Lingqu at Moye Military Academy?

The frisbee, once put down, flew off again on its own. In the interstellar era, even walking a dog could be fully automated. Xu Lingqu watched Liu Ming gleefully chase the frisbee again, starting to wonder if this was an SSS-type mech or a real dog.

"Isn't Moye Military Academy that school run by Yin He? It's dangerous," said Liu Ming, who had run back again and was probably tired. This time, he didn't run off but lay at Xu Lingqu's feet, panting and chatting with her. "Back then, he set up this academy to take in all dangerous characters."

"Sounds like an interstellar mafia," Xu Lingqu said, speechless.

"Pretty much, okay?" Liu Ming emphasized.

"But it's been so long. They're a legitimate military academy now, right?" Xu Lingqu stood up, ready to jog around the small garden a few laps.

Liu Ming was used to it by now. Watching his little master run a few laps and then gasp for air as if about to die, he couldn't help running up to her and marveling, "How can you be so weak?! How did you even awaken me?"

Xu Lingqu couldn't speak. These days, she had been trying to train this body. The physical condition was truly terrible; running a bit more would bring a bitter, sweet sensation to her throat.

But she unexpectedly found that her control over this body was very strong, as if this were her own body, just weakened considerably...

"If you're this weak and I'm not by your side, you're done for, seriously..." Liu Ming looked up at his unlucky host, about to say more, when a voice suddenly interrupted.

"Who are you talking to?" A girl with long golden hair suddenly appeared in the garden. Xu Xiqin, dressed in casual clothes with a high ponytail, looking quite stylish, walked over to Xu Lingqu curiously.

Xu Lingqu glanced at Liu Ming, who was playing dead at her feet. "I'm just talking to myself."

"Why are you talking to yourself? If you want to talk, you can talk to me," Xu Xiqin said, still as enthusiastic as a golden retriever seeing a person for the first time. She looked at Liu Ming and said bluntly, "I heard you got a little dog, sis. I'm seeing it for the first time today. It's not even cute."

Indeed, a golden retriever sees no villains and no good dogs.

Liu Ming, wronged, gnawed on Xu Lingqu's pant leg to grind his teeth. He couldn't even voice a retort. It was enough to anger a dog to death.

"I think it's quite cute," Xu Lingqu said, comforting Liu Ming a bit, then looked at Xu Xiqin. "Why are you free to come here today?"

As the most promising candidate in the Xu family's younger generation to become a mech pilot, Xu Xiqin was practically kept tied to the training grounds by Madam Catherine and Xu Youwen.

"We're setting off the day after tomorrow. My brother said to give me two days off so I wouldn't be too stressed," Xu Xiqin sat back on the bench with Xu Lingqu, swinging her legs. "This time, only those ranked in the top twenty during the Moye trial training can officially enter the mech department and have a chance to become official mech pilots. I keep dreaming I'm number twenty-one."

The brutal selection by psychic power level for military academy students was just the threshold. Those truly fighting in the mech field were all talents chosen from thousands.

Xu Xiqin's psychic power level was tested at A+. That level was sufficient for admission, but whether she could actually become a mech pilot wasn't guaranteed.

"If only I were S+ like that freak Shen Shouli. No one ever doubts he won't become a mech pilot. The military department people are practically waiting for him with bated breath," Xu Xiqin sighed. "This time, he even signed up for Moye, which directly takes away a top-twenty spot. Ugh, I envy him so much."

Xu Lingqu, who had tested at SS level, felt no ripple of emotion. She even had an SSS-type mech lying at her feet.

Though right now it looked more like a puffed-up, sulky marshmallow.

"His grandfather, Admiral Shen Ruoshui, is the headmaster of Longyuan Military Academy. Why does he have to come to Moye instead of Longyuan, which ranks near the top in the military academy league?" Xu Xiqin was very puzzled.

"Military academy league?" Xu Lingqu was intrigued.

"Yeah, yeah. Federation military academies also send people to participate. It's hosted by Sky Network, so the whole thing takes place in the Sky Network simulation space," Xu Xiqin explained.

So this military academy league wasn't a joke. It was essentially a clash of fresh forces from the two major interstellar factions' military departments.

"Right now, we basically rely on Longyuan and Dolanston to fight against the Federation side. Their stronger ones are Lianda and Qingjun," Xu Xiqin said, becoming strangely optimistic. "So if Shen Shouli joins Moye's new batch, we might be able to move up a bit this league and not be at the bottom, right?"

"Moye is at the bottom?" Xu Lingqu asked. Liu Ming, who had been playing dead at her feet, was extremely shocked, lifting his dog head and staring at Xu Xiqin in disbelief.

Fortunately, Xu Xiqin didn't notice him. Instead, she continued, "Yeah, sigh. Moye was founded by Galaxy Admiral. In its early years, it was unstoppable, dominating the military academy league for over a decade. But ever since the second headmaster, Admiral Sheng Shu, passed away and stepped down, Moye has gotten worse with each year, to the point where it's now completely the bottom of the barrel."

From strongest to weakest, the fall was indeed substantial.

"I heard that Moye's decline is related to the fact that Admiral Sheng Shu was a staunch war advocate. Those old hands in the peace faction didn't like him," Xu Xiqin leaned close to Xu Lingqu's ear and whispered, "Admiral Sheng Shu was one of Galaxy Admiral's old subordinates, resolutely advocating war against the Federation. The subordinates he trained, those at Moye, were the same. Those old fogies in the peace faction couldn't shake Admiral Sheng Shu, so after he died, they've been suppressing and targeting Moye everywhere."

Even the toughest bamboo would be bowed by wind and snow. Moye's stiff spines, worn down over a decade, hadn't bent but had broken.

In last year's military academy league, they got last place, which they'd never gotten before.

"I just can't stand it. It's too bullying. It's like slapping Galaxy Admiral and Admiral Sheng Shu in the face," Xu Xiqin said with genuine anger. "In the new league, I'm definitely going to make Moye rank high again!"

"Good," Xu Lingqu said, clapping for her silently.

Xu Xiqin was about to pull her into more conversation when an uninvited guest suddenly appeared in the garden.

Xu Youwen showed up with his hands behind his back, looking at Xu Xiqin.

"Bro! I have the day off today, don't I? What are you here for?" Xu Xiqin eyed him warily.

"Mother wants to have a word with you. Since you're leaving the day after tomorrow, she asked me to come get you," Xu Youwen said slowly.

Since Madam Catherine was invoked, Xu Xiqin reluctantly left Xu Lingqu's side. She hadn't finished talking yet.

Watching her walk away, Xu Youwen still stood there. Xu Lingqu casually picked a green leaf. This person was here for her.

"Now that Xiqin's gone, I'll be direct," Xu Youwen said bluntly. "The trial training ranking points are very important this time. If there's a team-up phase, I hope you'll stay away from my sister and not drag her down."

So it was about this.

Xu Lingqu looked at Xu Youwen. "How do you know I'd be a burden?"

Xu Youwen snorted. "Anyone with eyes can see that."

Xu Lingqu scooped up Liu Ming and stood. "Whether or not we team up, the choice is mine, isn't it?"

"You..." Xu Youwen frowned.

Xu Lingqu brushed past him with a light laugh.

"Depends on my mood."