Chapter 17

Wu Ying gradually sank into a deep sleep—she had been far too exhausted lately. Every training session pushed her to her physiological limits, and even after the special conditioning, she had still fainted several times. Each time, she'd go to the infirmary, lie down for a bit, then get up and continue training, only to faint again.

Perhaps her body eventually got used to it. Slowly, she managed to hold out until the end. From a certain perspective, the military training had been a success. But when it came to mecha training, the breath Wu Ying had been holding finally gave out.

She had always valued her inner world more than the real one, so when reality relentlessly battered her mental state, she had no strength left to resist.

This feeling was somewhat familiar—like when she first arrived in this world. Everything around her felt utterly absurd, a profound sense of unreality gripped her heart, her thoughts spiraled into chaos, and there was a suffocating sensation of her spirit being gradually caged.

The medical pod worked wonders. When Wu Ying woke up, she was floating inside it, her body utterly limp. She pushed herself up, wiped the sticky fluid from her face, and stared at the doctor with dazed eyes.

"Awake? Any headaches? Any discomfort?"

Because the cause of Wu Ying's collapse was unknown, and it happened right at the start of mecha training, she was under the doctor's special watch.

Wu Ying shook her head. She was listless, not in the mood to talk, mechanically cleaning the fluid off herself. The doctor didn't rush her—she understood a student's reluctance to leave the infirmary.

No matter how slow she was, the moment had to end. The doctor confirmed she was in good condition, marked her status as healthy on the Light Brain, and Wu Ying's wrist unit automatically reminded her to rejoin the formation.

Wu Ying paused mid-motion. She knew she couldn't delay any longer, so she returned to the training ground.

The instructor's objective was simple and clear: pilot the mecha through obstacles. The field was strewn with a series of barriers and pits from start to finish.

Wu Ying glanced back at the instructor lounging idly nearby. With that kind of teaching attitude, getting students to learn was nothing short of a pipe dream. She kept her face cold and resumed staring blankly at the hulking machine in front of her.

She certainly couldn't learn anything from this training method.

Wu Ying's apathetic attitude was fairly obvious. The other students were at least scrambling around and making an effort, but she didn't move at all—only shifting her stance occasionally when her legs got tired.

Instructor: ? What's wrong with her?

The instructors exchanged baffled looks and quietly observed her situation, since she had a track record—she'd fainted just from spacing out.

The instructors were actually quite innocent in all this. Every year, before the training started, they had no idea which school they'd be assigned to. But no matter which school it was, the training goals and methods stayed the same. The intensity might be adjusted based on the students' specific conditions, but for all these years, the military district had always gone easy on Federal University.

Even with the same training plan, military cadets could chat and laugh while the College of Plant Science students were hanging by a thread. They didn't know how to change it either. If they really adjusted it to match the plant students' pace, the ripple effects would go far beyond data in reports—it would be a fundamental shift in the entire education model, a drastic move that defied the very purpose of military training.

So far, no one was willing to stick their neck out. Or maybe it was just a minor inconvenience—troublesome, but not worth causing a stir over.

Mecha training happened to be the easiest of all the military training programs. Other subjects like weapons instruction and combat training had clear measurable progress, but with mechas, the instructors didn't dare force the students to trigger anything beyond their limits.

And so, the training ground finally had some "rest time."

Cynthia quietly turned to Wu Ying. "What's wrong? You seem like you've lost all your energy."

She had spent a few days with Wu Ying by now, and she could tell the difference between happy and unhappy—especially since Wu Ying wasn't really trying to hide it.

Wu Ying slowly lifted her head. The past few easy days had let Cynthia recover a bit, and Wu Ying thought maybe she was the only one still hung up on things. She thought for a moment, then spoke slowly: "I... I kind of miss my flowers."

"Flowers? The ones you planted?"

"No talking amongst yourselves! Practice on your own!"

Cynthia's voice was cut off. The faint expression that had just surfaced on Wu Ying's face vanished instantly. Here it was again—they controlled every minute of training, eating, and sleeping, leaving no room for actual communication. Did they guard prisoners more strictly than this?

The two fell silent and resumed guiding their mental power in slow circles around their mechas.

Wu Ying's mecha was called Jin Yao. It was indeed beautiful, gleaming gold like a bar of precious metal. Unfortunately, in her hands, it was as lifeless as a corpse—it wouldn't move at all.

Her mental power was like water, gentle and soft, probing through the seams of the mecha. She didn't know where she was supposed to touch, or maybe she wasn't supposed to touch anywhere at all.

That day, Wu Ying "fainted" from exhaustion once again. After being taken to the infirmary, she pretended to sleep. The doctor didn't say anything when she saw her like this, and seemed to have something to take care of. Before leaving, she told Wu Ying: "Once you've rested enough, head back on your own."

"Head back" probably meant to the dormitory. Wu Ying pulled the blanket up, her eyes shining with gratitude as she watched the radiant doctor-angel leave.

After lying there for a while, she got up and opened the window. Outside stood a tall wall, so high it seemed to pierce the sky.

From this angle, she couldn't even see the sky—that was how tall it was. The infirmary was built in a remote spot, right up against the wall.

A flicker of movement caught Wu Ying's eye. A figure was creeping toward the wall, step by cautious step. Wu Ying's brain stuttered. What, were they sneaking out to steal a snack? That couldn't be it.

Something about them looked familiar—chestnut short hair, a girl. It was Huo Lin!

Wu Ying perked up slightly, utterly stunned, not knowing what to say. It looked like she was trying to climb the wall.

Huo Lin moved abruptly and banged against the windowsill with a creak, successfully drawing Wu Ying's attention.

"Wu Ying?"

Huo Lin jumped, startled. She remembered Doctor Lily had gone to the treatment room next door. What was going on?

Their eyes met. Huo Lin thought for a moment, then tentatively raised her finger and crooked it upward in a beckoning gesture. At this point, she had no choice but to try to drag someone else in with her.

Wu Ying thought it over, then carefully climbed out the window. Heart pounding, she made her way to Huo Lin's side. "What are you doing?"

A pair of bright, almond-shaped eyes darted left and right like a mischievous cat on high alert. Huo Lin could tell she wasn't exactly a rule-follower either.

"I want to get out. This military training is boring, and I don't want to do it anymore. You... wanna come with?"

"I don't want to train either, but how do we get out? This wall is so tall."

Wu Ying thought she could climb out a window, but there was no way she could scale that towering wall. She also wanted to ask what would happen if they got caught. But well, they were already in it this far—she'd worry about that later.

Her expression was serious, which shocked Huo Lin. She had figured Wu Ying might agree, but she hadn't expected her to be this decisive. This soft little roommate was more than she seemed.

"Alright, here's my plan. Step on this, and then this, and we can climb over. I have a friend waiting on the other side of the wall. We'll play a few games and come right back. You can even log onto your Light Brain and check on your flowers—weren't you really worried about them before you left? Perfect timing. As long as we're back before lights-out, we're fine."

As she spoke, Huo Lin pulled out one thing after another from beside her—well, stools.

Wu Ying was still processing her words when she nodded, then immediately froze in shock: "How did you hide those?! They didn't confiscate them? You're amazing—you came prepared."

"Tsk, I'm not wasting my time on this half-baked military training."

Huo Lin smirked in disdain, patted the stools, and stacked them together. Fortunately, though they looked precarious, they wobbled but held steady.

"Let's go."

Wu Ying marveled again at how much this military training had pushed her physical limits—look at her, she'd even climbed over a wall this tall.

Beyond the wall, everything seemed... unremarkable. It was quiet, nothing like the bustling scene she'd imagined. But that made sense—this was a military base, after all. Who would live nearby?

"Yo, you actually made it out? And you brought a pretty girl along too. Impressive, Linlin."

A clear, young male voice suddenly rang out. Wu Ying flinched in surprise and turned to see a boy, not very old, wearing a gray plaid shirt. Ah, probably Huo Lin's friend.

Wu Ying mustered a shy smile and moved next to Huo Lin as the two chatted familiarly. "Cut the crap. You brought the stuff, right? Let's go."

Li Ge pulled some clothes out of his bag. "You should thank me. If I weren't worried about you being picky, there wouldn't be a second outfit for you two. Tell me in advance next time if the plan changes."

"You talk like a fool. How am I supposed to contact you?"

True enough. Li Ge snorted a few times and led the two of them out. Once they left the area near the wall, the crowds noticeably increased.

Some shops along the street were open for business. Though not busy, it at least had some semblance of everyday life. The deeper they followed Li Ge, the more people appeared—mostly young ones.

This appeared to be a net café, though the equipment and name had been changed up a bit.

"Come on. Inside, they rent out Light Brains and sensor gear. Some senior from years back runs it—it's been around for a while. Don't worry, it's safe and reliable."

Wu Ying followed Huo Lin, and the three headed inside. There were quite a few people, probably mixed in with some military cadets. Having spent so much time looking at Asher, Wu Ying had grown sensitive to that kind of aura.

Li Ge booked a private room for Huo Lin and Wu Ying. "He probably didn't come alone either—went off to find his friends. Don't worry, I brought you out, so I'll get you back safe and sound."

Wu Ying smiled and shook her head. She wasn't worried about that. Coming out had been her own decision, so she'd bear the consequences herself.

She didn't want to follow those rules anymore anyway. They were meaningless. She was a bit curious about Li Ge's identity, but she didn't plan to pry.

She hadn't been joking when she said she wanted to check on her flowers. Wu Ying picked up the Light Brain in the room, entered her fingerprint and password with practiced ease, and the moment she logged in, messages popped up in her mailbox like whack-a-mole. They were all from Jiujiu—oh, and there were the usual ones from Nova, saying she'd been assigned to a different base.

Wu Ying opened Jiujiu's messages first. They were clearly structured, and she immediately jumped to the section about the camellia observation. Sure enough, that delicate little thing had yellowed leaves again.

But it was within expectations. As long as the roots hadn't rotted, she could still save it once she got back.