Chapter 59: Law
In the afterglow of the setting sun, the two of them hurriedly got busy for more than ten minutes. After spraying the powerful hypnotic potion, the harsh crying in the vegetable garden finally ceased.
Xiao Lin breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground to rest. He was not tired. Rather, the sound was far too ear-piercing and his eardrums were straining then.
“Thank goodness, thank goodness!” Even Song Junlang was somewhat traumatized.
“These cabbages are living things[1]?”
“Yes, they’re hybrids. I’ll let you try them when your total attributes are higher.”
Xiao Lin shuddered, then immediately shook his head firmly and refused.
“Although you almost messed things up for me, I won’t hold this against you because you helped me. Your dormitory building is going to be locked soon. Time for you to head back!” Department Head Song picked up the empty pot of hypnotics and waved Xiao Lin goodbye.
Xiao Lin was momentarily speechless and immediately called out, “Wait, I didn’t come here to spray hypnotics for you!”
Department Head Song stood still and put his hand to his forehead. He looked as though he was thinking, but he could not remember what Xiao Lin had said earlier.
Xiao Lin could only remind him again, “We’re going to have our first monthly exam tomorrow.”
Department Head Song suddenly clapped his hands, “Oh, okay! Good luck, remember to come to me after you’re done. I recently thought of a species that suits you very well. It can increase the damage of your basic spells...”
“This is the information for this exam.” Seeing as the sun was about to set, Xiao Lin cut through all the nonsense and passed the information about Sunset Canyon that he had just received. He felt that Song Junlang, who was a department head, would definitely be able to help him.
Song Junlang glanced at the information but did not take it. He looked at the red clouds on the horizon and said slowly, “Reconnaissance in Sunset Canyon. The topic was set last week and I’ve known about it all along. After all, I do know someone high-up.”
What followed was a brief silence. After a few minutes, Xiao Lin was forced to speak. “And? Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Department Head Song was dumbfounded. “Are you asking me for help?”
“Well, duh!”
“I can’t. I’ve never taken the simulated combat exam with this map.” Song Junlang then kept quiet for a while before saying, “Actually, this kind of simulated combat map isn’t suggested for use in freshmen exams.”
“The simulated combat map?”
Song Junlang sighed and spoke as he walked. “There are actually two simulation environments used in exams. One is a reconstruction of the various battles that have happened in colonist history, and the other is created by the academy. The first type is more difficult. Even if there are practical examples in history to refer to, the difficulty often exceeds the strength of candidates because the actual combat environment is full of uncertain factors. In general, freshmen shouldn’t be facing simulated combat.”
Xiao Lin followed behind and could not help but feel angry hearing it. “Why are they using this simulated combat map then if it’s so difficult? Did you know that ten years of our life will be deducted if we die! Why are there such cruel rules when this is a school! Isn’t this an academy to train colonists? If all of us fail the exam, who will colonize the New World!”
The latter point left Xiao Lin angry and agitated, as he was thinking of Gu Xiaoyue, who had only two years left to live. As instructor Qin Chuan mentioned, they would have to wait another month for the next batch of lifewater. In other words, if Gu Xiaoyue perishes in the coming exam, she would die for real!
Although Xiao Lin himself still had several chances to die, who knew how long he would be able to stay in the academy and how many times he would have to go through simulated combat exams like this? Could anyone guarantee that he would not die in the future?
It was both a fear of death and a dissatisfaction with the academy. After venting however, Xiao Lin quickly calmed down and smiled bitterly. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be angry with you. I’m just a little unhappy about this.”
Song Junlang stood still, then turned around and looked at Xiao Lin quietly. Then, he asked in an emotionless tone, “Let me ask you this. Who do you think we are?”
“Us? We’re colonists?” Xiao Lin was not quite sure why Department Head Song’s asked that question.
“In that case, what do you think colonists are?” Song Junlang’s tone was very unassuming.
“Conquerors of Planet Norma and establishers of a new world,” Xiao Lin answered very curtly that time. It was what the dean said at the opening ceremony. Those words were practically the motivation and driving force of all the freshmen who studied hard.
“That’s what you call an invasion!” Department Head Song sighed, and when he raised his head a second time, his eyes were a little cold. “The Eight-Nation Alliance during the late Qing Dynasty invaded China. They burnt, killed, looted, and divided China. Have you ever considered that the world’s colonist academies, us included, are actually the same as the original invading forces that destroyed China! When we set foot on the New World, we were destined to be enemies of the natives of Planet Norma. Our hands will be covered with their blood!”
Xiao Lin was stunned. He had not seen it from that angle and he really did not ponder about it in more detail. Song Junlang felt like a more distant person with hardly any of the gentleness he showed in the past. His eyes were filled with an apathy that inspired reverence, and Xiao Lin suddenly remembered the article in Dawn Academy Evening News about the logistics department’s head who had been to the New World and participated in many battles. No one knew the number of New World inhabitants who died at his hands.
Song Junlang’s low and slow voice continued resonating. “Remember, Dawn Academy has never been a welfare institution, let alone a charity. This is a military academy that trains qualified soldiers! If you fail to meet the requirements of the school, is there any difference between you dying right now and you dying in the New World when the time comes?”
Lives would be lost in actual combat exercises on Earth too. If the monthly exam was regarded as analogous to that, then it was actually very normal that some lives would be lost in the process, especially when Dawn Academy had colonization on the mind.
Department Head Song sighed and his tone softened again. “If you have the opportunity to contact any of the foreign academes in the future, you’ll understand that Dawn Academy has actually done a good job in protecting new students. As for the deduction of your life upon death, do you really think that the dean is willing to do that? Even though the academy continues to expand their enrollment quota every year, we’re still at a disadvantage in terms of the number of people on Planet Norma. It’s only as a last resort. Who would want the students to waste their entire lives on the simulation battle?”
The rule of deducting life points was indeed the main reason for Xiao Lin’s displeasure.
Looking at Xiao Lin’s persistent eyes, Song Junlang shook his head reluctantly and sat on the ground. He faced the horizon of the setting sun and said, “A special teacher is the one who’s supposed to be telling you all this when you finally go to the New World, but since you want to know about it so badly, I guess it doesn’t hurt to tell you earlier.”
After thinking for a moment, Song Junlang rephrased his words and said, “In the beginning of colonial history, the pioneers had only one life. In addition, the physical quality of Earth’s people were several levels worse than natives of Planet Norma. They fought terribly in the colonial war... Those pioneers were extremely talented, but the disadvantage in terms of numbers was too great. Many people died just so they could gain a foothold in Norma...until a prodigious pioneer appeared and used his unparalleled powerful talent to create a new law. The specific details of that law are no longer known, but it likely means that anyone who was marked with a special brand will have the power of immortality!”
After a pause, Department Head Song smiled bitterly, “This predecessor of ours has an unprecedented double SS-level talent, and he was also the only one with a clear record of having an SS-level talent. His strength was unimaginable, and although his original intentions were good, he went against natural order when he changed the law of the world. Despite burning his own soul and life as the price to pay for creating this law, he was still unable to fully realize his intentions. He failed to give the world true immortality, and a law like that is bound to bear a massive defect!”
[1] Normal cabbages (that don’t scream) are supposed to be living things too, right?