Fu Siheng worked on the application report until three in the morning. To ensure the higher-ups would approve the plan, he had revised it countless times.
At six-thirty the next morning, a brilliant dawn broke over the horizon, lifting the rising star slowly into view by the window.
The sound of rhythmic chants echoed from the training grounds.
Fu Siheng brewed a cup of coffee and stood by the window, sipping it slowly.
His communicator beeped. It was Fu Shouming.
Having served in the military for decades, Fu Shouming had long since made early morning training a habit. Fu Siheng answered the call. “Hello, Dad.”
“Up early, I see. Do you have classes today?” Fu Shouming asked, his voice coming through the headphones as he jogged around the military compound.
“No classes. I need to submit an application to the higher-ups,” Fu Siheng replied.
Fu Shouming grunted in acknowledgment. “Are you still getting used to things over there?”
“It’s alright.”
There was a brief silence on the other end. Fu Shouming’s breath was slightly labored as he spoke. “Take some time off next month and come home. Your mother is coming back soon.”
Fu Siheng’s grip tightened on his coffee cup. “Okay,” he said.
A low sigh came through the communicator. “Don’t be upset,” Fu Shouming said. “Sending her to Heim Star for treatment was for her own health.”
Fu Siheng’s mother, Chen Man, had always suffered from a severe mental illness, and her psychological state was extremely unstable. Fu Shouming had initially thought it was because she couldn’t adjust to life after moving to Warner. When treatment at the Empire’s best sanatorium proved fruitless, he sent her back to her home planet, Heim.
Back in the day, Chen Man had been one of Heim’s most stunning beauties. Fu Siheng’s own exceptional appearance was a result of his mixed interstellar heritage.
Heim was known for producing beauties, while Hera was known for producing heroes. The union of his parents had once been praised as a beautiful story. But in truth, only the three of them knew that this “beautiful story” was far from the perfection outsiders imagined.
After Fu Siheng hung up, his thoughts gradually drifted.
To ensure Chen Man’s recovery, the sanatorium on Heim rarely allowed her to use communication devices, permitting her only one call a month to report her well-being. From their conversation, he could tell her condition was gradually improving, and he also learned she had made some very good friends there.
He drained his coffee in one gulp, but his expression remained grim.
After a quick shower, he printed out the application and the plan, then took the folder to find Qu Mengda.
This time, he had arranged a special one-month training camp for Class 3 and was requesting approval from his superiors to conduct it at the Northwest Campus.
The Northwest Campus was nestled in the mountains of Warner, a region known for its most treacherous peaks and rivers, as well as the Imperial Military Academy’s “Devil Training Camp.”
Three years ago, a student had jumped from a building in a desperate attempt to escape the camp, resulting in fatal injuries. Consequently, the Military Department had shuttered the facility.
After reviewing the application, Qu Mengda’s expression turned grave. He looked at Fu Siheng and asked, “‘Train alongside the students’- what exactly does that mean?”
Fu Siheng replied unhurriedly, “It means exactly what it says. I will do whatever they do.”
Qu Mengda paused for a moment before saying, “Reopening the training camp requires the Principal’s approval. Why should he trust you to ensure their safety?”
His words weren’t an objection to Fu Siheng’s plan; on the contrary, he thought the idea was excellent. In fact, the Imperial Military Academy frequently held off-site training sessions, with five such camps located across Warner alone. It was common for instructors to apply for more rigorous external training.
However, if this specific application were submitted, there was a fifty-percent chance it would be rejected. The requested location was the Northwest Campus, and the most critical issue remained: safety.
Qu Mengda understood Fu Siheng’s choice of the Northwest Campus. Only in the harshest and most authentic environments could a person’s true potential be unleashed.
“The best way to ensure security is to keep the troops’ morale stable,” Fu Siheng said. “Have you ever seen anyone desert the Marine Corps?”
Qu Mengda stared at him for a few seconds, then broke into a smile of sudden understanding. He stood up, clapped Fu Siheng on the shoulder, and said, “You’ll come with me to the Principal’s Office later and repeat those exact words to him. I still trust your methods of commanding troops.”
However, the matter was not as difficult as they had anticipated. Qi Kun approved it surprisingly quickly.
Aside from the comprehensive set of security measures Fu Siheng had presented, Qi Kun himself had long wanted to utilize the land where the training camp was located. The Ministry of National Defense had previously allocated an astonishing amount of funding to the training camp each year. After the Northwest Campus area was left vacant, the funding was also reclaimed. With this money, Imperial Military Academy could develop many projects.
Furthermore, Class 3’s current performance was not very good, making them the perfect test case. If the training yielded results, it wouldn’t be impossible to apply for funding again next year.
After obtaining approval, Fu Siheng immediately began preparing for the various tasks.
Applying for funds, notifying the class committee, purchasing supplies, and coordinating the venue- in the past, he would have delegated all these tasks to subordinates, rarely getting his hands dirty. He had to admit, Fu Shouming sending him to the Imperial Military Academy this time had truly taught him a lot.
The news that Class 3 was heading to the Northwest Campus for a training camp immediately spread from their class group chat to the Imperial Military Academy Night Club group.
Let Me Fly, Kid: What?! Class 3 just got sent on a field trip like that?!
Li Xiao-On Guard: Field trip, my ass. They’re going to a Devil Training Camp, okay?
Son of the Sea: Hiss… How did Instructor Fu manage that? I thought outdoor training camps were banned?
Imperial University Scum: Heh, he’s got connections, obviously.
Little Sea-Suppressant Agent (DM me): Tsk, why do I smell something sour? Where did all this passive-aggressive bullshit come from?
Stop Being So Extra: Probably some Alpha who’s so jealous they can only throw a powerless tantrum.
Senior Yan is So Handsome: Hiahia, but seriously, I want to go to the training camp too, wuuu! Instructor Fu, can you take me with you!
Linlin is not Yueyue: …Calm down. Training camp is brutal. I heard they run over ten kilometers every morning and evening, and train all day without a break. There are bugs and snakes on the mountain, too.
Xiao Hai – Suppressant Proxy (DM me): Enough, enough! Stop talking. You’re making it sound like a horror movie. Just stay in school.
Yuezi – Lemon Soda Alpha: Yeah, a few years ago, someone couldn’t take it and died while trying to run away.
The group chat buzzed with chatter, and not a few people thought Fu Siheng was being too reckless.
He had been busy all day and hadn’t checked his messages.
It wasn’t until nightfall that he saw the message from Yan Xun.
It was just one sentence: You’re leaving?
It had been sent at 2:00 PM. Above it were two retracted messages, one from 10:00 AM and another from 11:30 AM.
After that, there were no new messages, as if he were unhappy.
Fu Siheng hadn’t ignored him on purpose. He typed: I didn’t see this in the afternoon. I’m going to the Northwest Campus for training camp. It’ll be about a month.
The other end kept showing “Typing…”, and for once, he didn’t lose patience and exit the chat. Instead, he waited quietly.
After about five minutes, Yan Xun finally replied: So I’m the last to know?
Seeing this, Fu Siheng fell silent.
Yan Xun’s attitude lately had been utterly inscrutable. It was more than just a friendship, yet he hadn’t made any inappropriate moves. It was more than a typical superior-subordinate relationship, yet every word he spoke carried a faint, lingering ambiguity.
Fu Siheng didn’t know how to respond.
After another moment, the other side sent: Forget it. When are you leaving?
Fu Siheng: The day after tomorrow.
Yan Xun: So soon.
Yan Xun: Instructor Fu, aren’t you being a little too much?
Fu Siheng stopped talking again.
He typed a message, then deleted it, feeling that anything he said would be wrong.
After a long while, the other side replied: Alright, I understand.
Understand what? Fu Siheng stared at the words, his head throbbing.
He took a deep breath and set down his communicator.
Fine, he thought. It’s better if he gives up hope. We shouldn’t have had much to do with each other in the first place.
Setting aside the fact that they were both Alphas, he was the Instructor and Yan Xun was the student. There was absolutely no possibility for them.
Despite his thoughts, Fu Siheng’s heart felt as heavy as the stifling weather outside.
Maybe it’s going to rain, he thought. I’ve been feeling so restless these past few days.
Before a heavy rain, a person’s mood always mirrors the weather.
The next day, Yan Xun sent no messages and didn’t show up for morning training.
The weather remained gloomy and oppressive, yet the rain refused to fall. The dark clouds hung low in the sky, as if trying to crush the entire horizon.
On the third day, the thirty students of Class 3, along with their instructor, packed their luggage and gathered in a grand procession at the gate, waiting for the school bus.
The Northwest Campus lacked a maglev train, so they had to take a bus.
Fu Siheng helped the students load their belongings onto the bus. He glanced at the horizon, where clouds were sweeping in, and bean-sized raindrops began to patter down.
It’s finally raining.
The sentries at the gate peeked out, their eyes filled with curiosity and envy.
Fu Siheng took one last look at the school gate, unsure of what he was waiting for.
“Instructor, get on the bus! We’re ready to leave!” the class monitor called out to him from inside the vehicle.
Fu Siheng boarded the bus. The students were all seated in the back, leaving the front row for him and the class monitor.
After taking his seat, he said to the driver, “Let’s go.”
The bus door slowly closed as the rain outside began to fall harder.
Just as the vehicle was about to pull away, a hand suddenly knocked twice on the door.
“Open up! Open up!”
The familiar voice filtered in, sounding a bit muffled through the door. Fu Siheng turned to look.
The door slid open again, and Yan Xun stepped inside in one stride, grumbling, “Damn, of all the times for it to rain, it has to be now.”
He wore a black training uniform and a cap, his clothes darkened by the rain. A rucksack was strapped to his back. He wiped the rainwater from his face and greeted everyone, “Sorry I’m late.”