Chapter 141: Strongest Omega / Fairy-tale Romance
On the day of the Ares assessment, Shen Zhuo finally saw Ai Li and the others again.
Chu Baixian was evidently tight-lipped; no one else knew about Shen Zhuo’s pregnancy yet.
Based on past performance, there were three spots for exemption from the written exam. Ai Li took one spot with full marks in all written subjects.
Following closely was Shen Zhuo, with an accuracy rate of 99.8%.
And Fu Qishang, with an accuracy rate of 99.1%.
Just as Fu Qishang had said, before Shen Zhuo came to Ares, he was the strongest Omega, holding the first place for a whole year.
Feng Muya, having been too busy handling state affairs at the Royal Palace recently, didn’t have time to review, so she still needed to take the written exam.
Fortunately, Feng Muya was very smart, and she passed without mishap.
The written exam and practical combat were held in the morning and afternoon, respectively.
The practical combat test was conducted in the Research Institute’s large-scale Virtual Reality Battlefield.
Each student would link to a machine to enter the virtual reality world, choose a mech type, and become the commander of a squad.
Facing them were two thousand Zerg.
Grades were calculated based on dozens of data points, including final Zerg annihilation stats, squad survival rates, and the student’s strategic adjustments.
The footage of all students would be broadcast synchronously on the network.
All members of Class S had results that were leagues above the rest, especially Fu Qishang and Feng Muya.
Both chose ground combat unit mechs.
While maintaining a squad survival rate of over eighty percent, they annihilated over 1,500 Zerg.
However, commanding battles wasn’t Ai Li’s strong suit.
But when fighting in the air, his nearly one hundred percent kill accuracy and extremely strong roaming support capabilities allowed him to stand out successfully.
Shen Zhuo was in the second batch to enter the Virtual Reality Battlefield.
Without much thought, he chose his original aspiration:
The Special Task Force.
The Special Task Force consisted of the Empire’s most elite personnel. The mechs equipped were all Oracle-grade, and the team had at most five people.
Shen Zhuo checked the stats of his “team members,” and sure enough, every one of them was top-tier.
But no matter how powerful an individual was, facing thousands of Zerg, they would eventually be stretched thin.
Terrain, climate, temperature, and other factors could also be used to achieve victory.
Therefore, strategy was the most important link in warfare.
Shen Zhuo was very glad he had spent a considerable amount of time by Du Feng’s side, learning quite a few techniques.
The boy clicked the mech’s start button. On the screen in front of him, countless hexagons unfolded one by one, revealing the scene outside the mech.
It was a completely desolate desert.
The junction of heaven and earth was just a bland, lifeless line. Yellow sand covered the sky and earth, occupying the entire field of vision.
Barren, with sand flying and stones rolling.
Behind him, the “team members” voices came through, asking for orders.
The boy gazed from afar at the massive tide of Zerg blotting out the sun like a sandstorm, his voice cold:
“Everyone, follow me.”
Du Feng and Chu Baixian were in the observation area. Several lists of students were set aside on the table.
Among the fourth-year students at Ares, fewer than ten could lead an entire team independently.
This exceeded their expectations and was a joyous matter.
“The ground combat troops are numerous. Fu Qishang and Feng Muya can each lead a team at the Northern Border and the Western Border.”
Chu Baixian tapped on the virtual sand table created by Du Feng.
Du Feng raised his hand and planted a flag where Chu Baixian’s finger landed.
Chu Baixian continued:
“The South is a maritime area. Ai Li leading a unit of the Air Combat Force should be no problem.”
“When the Bug Mother issue is resolved, you can use the sand table to deduce the battle situation in various places and then coordinate the overall strategy.”
Du Feng nodded. Looking at the data of the students fighting on the screen, he suddenly changed the subject:
“Stay behind later to discuss the Bug Mother annihilation plan.”
Chu Baixian scratched his hair, pulled out a chair, and sat next to Du Feng, finally exploding:
“I haven’t slept for three days! Even donkeys aren’t used like this!”
Du Feng glanced at him indifferently. “You said yourself you wanted to return to the Special Task Force.”
Chu Baixian was speechless for a moment. He raised his hand and patted Du Feng’s shoulder. “Fine then. I’ll prepare for their entry into the troops and wait for you guys.”
Du Feng lowered his eyes to look at the students’ data on the table.
Just as Chu Baixian prepared to return to the military first, one of the student screens suddenly turned green.
That wasn’t the color for time running out.
It was the notification that all Zerg had been annihilated.
Du Feng stood up abruptly, his gaze fixed tightly on the student’s name in the bottom right corner of the screen, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Baixian put his hands in his pockets and whistled.
“I feel the future battle situation might not be as terrible as we imagine. After all, the Command Center has you, and the battlefield has him.”
Chu Baixian revealed two rows of white teeth, laughing and hooking his arm around Du Feng’s other shoulder:
“With you two around, I can rest easy and slack off. Long live His Majesty, long live the Queen.”
When Shen Zhuo walked out of the Virtual Reality room, he saw countless shocked eyes crowded outside the door.
As soon as the door opened, they squeezed in like spotlights.
“The Queen is so strong!!”
“How did you do it?!”
“This isn’t possible… Your Majesty, how exactly did you arrange it? Did you choose a different team than us?!”
Pheromones of all kinds filled the air here.
The chaotic mix made Shen Zhuo’s face start to look pale.
But in the next second, rosemary forcefully broke through all the pheromones to reach him, wrapping him up.
The crowd quieted instantly, then tremblingly parted to form a path.
“Let’s go.”
The Alpha walking through the crowd was taller than almost everyone.
He smiled at the boy and extended his hand.
Shen Zhuo looked up, gave a smiling “Mn,” and held Du Feng’s hand.
After the Emperor and Queen left side by side, the onlookers closed ranks again.
“Boohoo, what a fairy-tale romance!!”
“I want a partner too, ahhh! If I don’t get a partner in five minutes, I’m blowing up the Research Institute!”
“To be honest, I didn’t expect the Queen to personally go to the battlefield. I thought people in high positions would just protect themselves.”
“This is probably the consciousness and responsibility of a super-high rank… Sob, just looking at their backs makes my eyes want to pee…”
“Let’s go, let’s go, go check the scores.”
Shen Zhuo held Du Feng’s hand, feeling the soothing pheromones continuously transmitting from the Alpha. His other hand couldn’t help but touch his lower abdomen.
Be good, don’t worry your father.
Du Feng sharply noticed Shen Zhuo’s subtle movement. “Is your stomach uncomfortable? Has it been uncomfortable for several days?”
Du Feng was always attentive. He had certainly noticed the boy touching his abdomen intentionally or unintentionally over the past few days.
But he hadn’t found any signs of illness on the boy, so he hadn’t called a doctor.
Shen Zhuo immediately withdrew his fingertips. “No, I just ate too much at lunch.”
Usually, Du Feng’s insightfulness always made him feel cared for, but at times like this, this strength became a ticking time bomb that could detect his secrets at any moment.
Fortunately, Shen Zhuo had told more lies recently than he had since birth.
Now he could spout nonsense without his face changing or his heart skipping a beat.
Du Feng nodded. “I’ll go get some digestion tablets.”
Once they left the Research Institute, all students headed straight for the military headquarters.
After the results were out, military ranks and uniforms would be awarded directly.
This was the first time Ares students could wear military uniforms before graduating.
Ai Li and the others were already waiting.
Du Feng softly bid farewell to Shen Zhuo and went to the high platform where the results were announced, standing with Chu Baixian.
Sitting below now were students capable of commanding troops across the four years; after comprehensive evaluation, there were a total of nine.
Four Omegas, five Alphas.
The Omegas were all familiar faces: Shen Zhuo, Ai Li, Fu Qishang, Feng Muya.
The five Alphas averaged S3 rank and were students frequently heard of at the top of the lists at Ares.
“Major Ai Li, leading an Air Combat Force of one thousand, will head to the South Sea Command in five days as a roving support unit.”
“Colonel Fu Qishang, Colonel Feng Muya, leading Ground Combat Forces of three thousand each, will go to the Western and Northern Commands in five days, to be led by local commanders.”
Chu Baixian assigned them methodically.
The remaining Alphas were distributed evenly among the ground and air forces in the four regions.
Shen Zhuo sat quietly waiting, but even at the end, he hadn’t heard his assignment.
He couldn’t help looking up at Du Feng.
Coincidentally, the man’s gaze also lifted from the report.
“Shen Zhuo.”
No military rank, just a name, but the boy still straightened his back.
Du Feng gazed at him and spoke: “Special Task Force. Only you and Chu Baixian. You will head to the East. The defense line is closest to the Imperial City, and it is also the place with the highest danger coefficient during the Mega Insect Tide.”
Shen Zhuo nodded. “Yes.”
Du Feng put away the report. “Result reporting concluded. Shen Zhuo and Chu Baixian stay behind; others are dismissed.”
Ai Li made a gesture to Shen Zhuo to contact him later, then left with Fu Qishang and Feng Muya.
Shen Zhuo stood up from the seat below and walked to Du Feng’s side. “Is there a special arrangement for us?”
“The Southern, Western, and Northern borders are too far. They still need to go early to familiarize themselves with command matters. A flight to the Eastern border takes only a day, so…”
Chu Baixian patted Shen Zhuo’s shoulder. “Trouble has fallen into our hands, I guess.”
Du Feng was silent for a moment. “Yes. Before the insect tide erupts, we have a tricky matter to deal with.”
Shen Zhuo had already guessed it. “The Bug Mother.”
Du Feng nodded. “The expedited report is out. In three days, you will prepare to go to the East to resolve the Bug Mother problem. After the Bug Mother is dealt with, remain on standby in the East.”
Shen Zhuo paused.
We resolve it?
“Just the two of us?” Shen Zhuo glanced at Chu Baixian.
Du Feng pulled out a red-covered Top Secret file from a pile of reports.
“Judging from the lab reports, there is only one way to annihilate the Bug Mother.” Du Feng’s finger tapped on a specific data point.
Shen Zhuo understood.
“Nuclear weapons.”
Chu Baixian leaned against the table next to them and chimed in:
“Yes. So the plan is for Oracle and my Impermanence to carry nuclear warheads, drop them on the Bug Mother, and blast that floating continent back to where it came from.”
“There will be military personnel to clean up the battlefield afterward, ensuring radiation levels there are normal after a month.” Du Feng looked at Shen Zhuo. “This mission must be completed before the insect tide.”
Shen Zhuo nodded.
Du Feng let Shen Zhuo go back first. Once the boy left the conference room, he looked at Chu Baixian, who had his arms crossed.
“I said what you planned. Do you really not want to think of other ways? I can formulate another…”
Chu Baixian looked down at him with a smile, fiddling with the lotus brooch on his chest, interrupting what Du Feng wanted to say:
“Du Feng, you know what I’ve always wanted to do.”
“As friends for so many years, surely you can grant me one wish?”
Du Feng withdrew his gaze and slowly closed his eyes, leaning back exhaustedly in his chair.
“Forget it,” the man said. “Go.”
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