“Xiao Ai, what are you talking about?”
Yun Ruoxi blinked, a look of confusion on her face. “Did you say something during the evaluation? I honestly can’t remember at all.”
She gently cupped Aili’s cheeks, her voice soft. “But you, as long as you don’t blame me for going too hard back then, it’s all good.”
“No, no, not at all…”
Aili suddenly hugged Yun Ruoxi tightly, her voice a little choked.
“So that’s the end of it?” Yun Ruoxi laughed, patting her on the back. “We should hurry up and get to the cafeteria.”
“Mm.” Aili buried her head in Yun Ruoxi’s embrace and answered in a muffled tone.
It was several seconds before she finally released her hold, her face flushed as she trailed closely behind the blue-haired girl.
On the way there, watching Yun Ruoxi’s slender silhouette, Aili quietly clenched her fists.
These past days.
Every time she recalled the things she said during the evaluation, she felt so nauseated that she wanted to throw up.
She was so afraid of seeing that look of disappointment from her big sister, she hadn’t even dared to visit her in the medical room.
But her sister had forgiven her so easily, just like that.
She’s too gentle!
Such a gentle sister deserves the very best in the world!
Aili took a deep breath.
She… she didn’t want to keep hiding behind her sister like she did during the evaluation anymore! She wanted to become strong enough to protect her sister!
The urge to grow stronger had never burned in her as fiercely as it did now.
There was a fire blazing in her eyes.
「Oh no, Xiao Xi’s charm is too overwhelming, Xiao Ai is totally smitten」
「It’s only natural to fall for Xiao Xi」
「Which ‘fall for’ are you talking about?」
What a silly girl.
Yun Ruoxi, who had overheard Aili’s thoughts through the anime stream, felt a sense of comfort in her heart.
Becoming strong requires many things, but above all else, the desire to become stronger will always be the most important.
Now that Aili had ignited that resolve, and with the path she would pave for her in the future—
Yun Ruoxi felt that, at the very least, Aili should have no trouble gaining the strength to protect herself in the stars one day.
And that was enough.
***
They walked into the cafeteria.
Yun Ruoxi and Aili went to their respective seats.
Just over a month ago, the battle camp still had nearly ten thousand trainees, so many that they had to be divided into two cafeterias.
But now.
After round after round of elimination, only a little over five thousand remained—there weren’t even enough people to fill a single cafeteria.
Yun Ruoxi turned her head and looked around.
Even in just Class Nine, quite a few were missing.
Many familiar faces remained, but there were even more familiar faces she no longer saw.
Back at the very first assembly, there had been ten people at her table.
Other than Aili, there was only one person left: 9996.
Yun Ruoxi let out a soft sigh, withdrawing her gaze with a feeling of lament, just as she spotted Lin Zhen walking in alone from outside the cafeteria.
The boy had mercury-like liquid metal wrapped around his arm, an obvious fatigue in his brows.
Yet Yun Ruoxi’s sharp sixth sense caught a faint, almost imperceptible aura of danger coming from him.
Although it wasn’t very strong—about the same level as the cat-eared boy’s breathing—but compared to Lin Zhen’s previously low Star Energy Index and ranking, it was already a significant improvement.
The 24-hour training of [Full Cycle] was truly overpowered; in the early stages, it was as much of a cheat as Naruto’s shadow clone training.
And in fact.
In the last two days, when Lin Zhen discovered his Star Energy Index was still climbing at a bizarre rate, he more or less guessed it was the effect of the secret art, not just the result of the Laboratory’s training.
When Lin Zhen analyzed this, the comment feed was almost entirely filled with Naruto references.
Still, it wasn’t clear whether Lin Zhen thought Dr. Forefinger was aware of this or if he deliberately didn’t want him to know.
He maintained that “if you don’t ask, I won’t say” attitude, keeping the matter hidden.
After entering the main doors, Lin Zhen habitually scanned his surroundings—when suddenly he felt a particular gaze settle on him.
He instinctively turned his head, just in time to meet a pair of blazing crimson eyes.
They both smiled at each other.
Lin Zhen took his seat, feeling slightly at ease.
Yun Ruoxi looked to be in good shape, seemingly unaffected by her previous outburst, which was a relief to him.
These past days, trapped in the Laboratory, he’d actually been worried about Yun Ruoxi and Zi Jiu’s group.
But unfortunately.
Dr. Forefinger hadn’t given him the slightest chance to leave.
This Grade Five researcher of the Saints’ Hands Society seemed to charge by the second, pushing Lin Zhen to try out every possible development direction before finally hurrying off as if to catch another appointment.
Only then was he able to leave the Laboratory.
Otherwise, Lin Zhen suspected that even for today’s assembly, Dr. Forefinger might have forced him to stay.
Though he wasn’t sure whether Instructor Behemoth or Dr. Forefinger held more authority in the battle camp.
But honestly, he’d rather not offend Behemoth—this guy was seriously capable of killing someone!
「First thing you do in the cafeteria is look for your wife, unbeatable, Prison Lin」
「Getting ready to play the sheep to eat the tiger, Prison Lin’s hacks are really next level」
「Oh, another cafeteria assembly—callback to episode two」
Thump, thump!
As all the trainees took their seats, the cafeteria doors slowly closed and a burly figure strode out from the shadows.
He clapped his hands lightly, and the noisy cafeteria fell silent in an instant.
“To everyone present, congratulations on passing the annual evaluation.”
Instructor Behemoth scanned the room, his expression unusually solemn.
“No matter what your previous number was, whether you nearly got eliminated or not, from this moment on, you have only one identity—”
“A full-fledged trainee of the battle camp!”
“This means you will have the chance to choose your own name, receive better resources for development, face even harsher training, more difficult evaluations, and the opportunity to join the Saints’ Hands Society!”
At the last part, he emphasized his tone so that everyone would know what mattered most.
“The Saints’ Hands Society has existed for over five thousand years. You could say that when the Empire was at its most glorious, we were already there.”
“When the Empire declined, we only grew stronger. And it’s foreseeable that, even if one day the Empire falls, we will still endure.”
Behemoth struck his chest with a fist, then raised his right hand, two fingers pressed together.
“In the final evaluation two years from now, those who excel will be chosen to join the Saints’ Hands Society.”
“Trust me, becoming a member of the Saints’ Hands Society will be the greatest opportunity of your life.”
The trainees watched Behemoth in silence, far less excited than when they heard about the chance to become “Star Energy Users” before the annual evaluation.
Because they already understood.
In the battle camp, opportunities were always accompanied by danger—great danger!
Of course.
Becoming a member of the Saints’ Hands Society was obviously the best choice.
After all, if they failed…
As “graduates” the battle camp had spent two years painstakingly cultivating, what kind of fate would await them would depend entirely on the camp’s wishes.
They wouldn’t be treated as mere expendables, but the outcome was unlikely to be good.
So even if everyone was already tired of the battle camp’s endless promises, they still kept this in mind as something important.
But two years felt so far away.
What really caught their attention at this moment was the “self-naming” Behemoth mentioned.
As the name implied.
Would they finally be able to reclaim their own names?
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