A New Life

Although Academy reinforcements never arrived in the end, Zhao Xiao unexpectedly received a piece of news from Lao Bai that he could hardly believe— He could go home. It was a dark, windy night. The wide camp stood empty, shrouded in silence. Fifteen minutes earlier, soldiers of the Burning Corps had set up the area, but they had not stationed themselves here. Leaving behind a truck and some supplies, they had departed. Standing in the center of the camp, Zhao Xiao had mixed feelings. He hadn't expected Lao Bai to be serious, but the man had actually released them. Not just him, but Chen Yutong, as well as Wu Liangping, who lay in a critical coma inside a hibernation pod... Every captive was here. As for Xuan Feng. The Alliance insisted that a bionic without a "sapience plugin" installed counted as equipment—which was the Academy's own stance—so neither its body nor its AI core was included in the prisoner exchange. While it felt a bit like sophistry, the Academy truly did not recognize bionics as human, and Zhao Xiao couldn't think of any counterargument. Not just Xuan Feng. His sniper rifle and its accessories had also been confiscated by that guy named Ye Shi... though he had never expected them to return his weapons along with his freedom in the first place. Even though he had regained his freedom, there was one thing Zhao Xiao couldn't wrap his head around no matter what: why the Alliance and Enterprise had released them at all. And what baffled him even more was why, when he was about to return home, he couldn't feel happy in the slightest. Perhaps it was because of that bet. Lao Bai hadn't brought up the glass of beer, only patting his shoulder with a smile at the end to congratulate him. Yet deep down, Zhao Xiao knew he had lost after all... Just then, Chen Yutong, who had been standing nearby, spoke up. "I changed my mind." Zhao Xiao froze, turning to look at her. "Changed... your mind?" Chen Yutong nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to stay." The confusion in his eyes gradually turned into shock. Zhao Xiao stared at her in disbelief, taking a long while before squeezing out a question from his throat. "Your reason?" Betrayal was a grave crime. Defecting students faced endless bounties and hunts from the Academy, with higher-ranked individuals carrying higher bounties. Not only that, any student had an obligation upon discovering a traitor to record their words and deeds, reporting them to the Internal Affairs Bureau for the Rectification Project Team to handle. Failure to do so carried a conviction for condoning treason... Zhao Xiao instinctively reached for his waist, but quickly realized there was nothing there, and lowered his hand again. "I don't know." Chen Yutong didn't care about her teammate's reaction, gently shaking her head as if she hadn't noticed. Turning around, she looked toward the starlit southern sky and murmured softly to herself, "Maybe... I just want to see it for myself." Though she knew very well the Alliance was not the "paradise" she had imagined, she still wanted to see what kind of place it was—a place that made those loyal to it puff out their chests and say with utter confidence: *You can see for yourselves.* Her curiosity about that place right now even exceeded her interest in pre-war ruins. Of course, the food being delicious was another factor. Having finally reached a decision, Chen Yutong felt as though a crushing weight had been lifted from her shoulders; her whole being suddenly felt much lighter. Rank, status... None of that mattered anymore. She had already died once for the Academy. For the rest of her life, she intended to follow her own heart and live for the things that interested her. She looked at Zhao Xiao. "Just tell the captain that I died in our previous battle. And thank him for taking care of me all this time..." Pausing there, she gave a self-deprecating smile and shook her head. "Wait, never mind, forget I said that. It'd be too weird for a dead person to talk." In any case, the captain probably had no idea she had been captured. It would be fine to let him believe she had perished during the previous operation, just like the other fallen squad members. As long as she didn't embarrass the Academy, they had no reason to dwell on a lowly Grade-E. Prospectors who went missing in action weren't necessarily all dead anyway; for all anyone knew, they might be living comfortably somewhere, just like that Grade-D prospector Lao Bai had mentioned. As for thanks... If the chance arose in the future, she would say it in person. Zhao Xiao swallowed hard. Duty told him he should stop the defector before him, but when he opened his mouth, entirely different words came out. "...Take care." They had worked together for years, after all; he simply couldn't enforce that protocol. He only hoped she wouldn't regret today's choice. He would just consider her dead. Chen Yutong nodded. Turning her back on him, she walked out of the camp without the slightest defensive guard. Less than ten minutes after she left, the crunch of treads grinding over gravel resonated through the ground. Zhao Xiao looked up toward the north of the camp. The familiar heavy tracked vehicle slowly rolled into the quiet, vacant grounds. Behind the steering wheel sat Zheng Hao, captain of Beacon squad. Surprise flashed across Zhao Xiao's eyes. He hadn't expected the captain to come pick him up in person. "Captain!" Watching Zheng Hao hop down from the vehicle, Zhao Xiao jogged over and threw his arms around him in an emotional embrace. Patting the young man's shoulder, Zheng Hao let go. Looking at the youthful face before him, the tension on his own face softened slightly. All the way here, he had wavered over whether he was making the right choice, but at this moment, every shred of hesitation evaporated. He was immensely grateful for the choice he had made. From the Academy's standpoint, striking the names of a few Grade-Es off the roster was the most "economical" approach, while he and the rest of the squad should simply purge those names and memories from their minds. Yet he was not the Academy. Both Dr. Conclusion and the Chief Technology Officer were worlds away from him. He was merely a selfish man, an inconsequential Grade-D, a nobody ordered about at his superiors' whim... Whatever hardships or justifications there were, those people had died under his command. Even saving just one could alleviate some of the guilt weighing on his conscience. "Those people didn't do anything to you, did they?" Zhao Xiao shook his head vigorously. "No! They were pretty friendly to me... didn't even beat me." "Good." A rare smile cracked Zheng Hao's usually impassive face. He patted the young man's shoulder and released him. "They kept their word. I'll remember this favor... By the way, did that guy named Lao Bai give you anything?" "Yes! I have it right here!" Zhao Xiao nodded immediately, pulling a test tube from his pocket and handing it over. Lao Bai had instructed him earlier to deliver it directly into their captain's hands. Taking the test tube, a flicker of joy flashed in Zheng Hao's eyes. But when his gaze fell upon the nearby hibernation pod, that joy was swiftly diluted by complicated emotions. "Is there anyone else?" Zhao Xiao fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No one." Zheng Hao said nothing more. "...Help me load Old Wu onto the truck. This isn't a place to linger; we should get moving." Zhao Xiao nodded without asking questions. Working together with the captain, he hauled the hibernation pod containing Old Wu onto the bed of the truck. Next, the two went around to the front of the truck, opened the doors, and climbed into the driver's and passenger's seats. A slip of paper was stuck to the steering wheel. A few crooked stick-figure drawings roughly illustrated how to start the truck, turn on the headlights, drive it, and so forth. Zheng Hao glanced at it, tore the paper off, tossed it aside, turned the key to ignite the engine, and drove out of the camp. Watching the campsite recede in the rearview mirror, Zhao Xiao suddenly spoke up. "Right... there's one more thing." Driving, Zheng Hao replied offhandedly, "What is it?" "Chen Yutong... she was critically injured earlier. Knowing she couldn't make it, she gave up the hibernation pod to Old Wu, who could still be saved." This was the story he had just concocted. Without revealing that she was still alive, it was just enough to make sense. After a brief silence, Zhao Xiao continued, "She asked me to thank you... to thank you for taking care of her all this time." Zheng Hao nodded. His expression suggested he might have guessed something, yet he also seemed not to read too much into it. "Mm, understood." Zhao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. Holding certain words back had felt stifling. Getting them out made him feel much better. ... The truck drove for about five or six kilometers before pulling over beside a mountain road. Several members of Beacon squad approached with rifles raised. Seeing the captain and their sniper in the front seats, they all breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their muzzles. "The trade was successful." Hopping down from the truck, Zheng Hao looked back. No headlights followed them. It seemed those people truly had let them go. Perhaps, as Lao Bai had put it, they were looking forward to cooperating next time... though Zheng Hao had no desire to encounter those monsters ever again. Vice Captain Song Changfeng stepped forward and asked, "What do we do now? Without communication equipment, we can't report our situation to the Academy..." "That works out fine. When we get back, we'll say we were ambushed by Alliance and Enterprise reinforcements, and the tracking operation failed." Pausing, Zheng Hao continued, "However, heaven never bars all exits. At the cost of a vehicle, we not only managed to rescue our captured teammates, but also secured a tissue sample of the broodmother." Although they lost a tracked vehicle, it hadn't belonged to them personally in the first place; trading Academy equipment for captured comrades was well worth it. They had discussed this beforehand, and everyone had agreed. To cover their tracks, the squad's engineer had even helped format the AI cores of the two bionic squad members. One of the teammates climbed onto the truck bed and noticed that besides the hibernation pod, two crates were also sitting there. He called out, "What are these two crates on the truck?" Hearing him, Zhao Xiao answered, "Oh, those. They're supplies from them. They said they couldn't finish it all anyway, so they left it for us to eat on the road..." The combat medic curled his lip. "Who'd eat enemy food?" He had already unloaded the supplies from the tracked vehicle, including freeze-dried rations, energy bars, and fresh water sufficient for the squad to last thirty days. Zhao Xiao scratched the back of his head. "Well, that's true, but the stuff actually tastes pretty good..." Several teammates exchanged odd glances. *Did this guy lose his mind in captivity?* Song Changfeng looked at Zheng Hao, his expression clearly seeking the captain's input. Zheng Hao didn't make much of it, merely nodding and saying casually, "Keep them." He had already heard Zhao Xiao mention the two crates during the drive. While puzzled as to why their captors would bother with such a superfluous gesture, he never suspected they would poison the supplies. With their capabilities, there was simply no need. Trivial matters like that didn't matter in the least; he couldn't be bothered to fret over them. What he was currently pondering was which professor would be the most suitable contact once they returned to the Academy. There was only one chance. He needed to find a way to maximize the value of the test tube in his hand... Meanwhile, north of Oasis No. 8. After nearly a week of long-distance trekking, Lao Bai and his group finally rendezvoused with the main relief force. Seeing Sun Ze walking toward them, several Enterprise pilots stepped forward with grins, patting his shoulders and arms. "Haha, buddy, we heard back there that you took a hell of a crash." Sun Ze let out a theatrical sigh. "Tell me about it! God knows what got into those crows in the marsh—the moment we locked eyes, they slammed me with a missile! You have no idea how wild it was. I was a hair's breadth from being done for! Thank god my piloting skills are god-tier, managed to pull it back from the brink!" "What about the plane?" another pilot asked curiously. Sun Ze waved his hand dismissively. "Totaled! I marked the wreck on the map, so let the aviation department send someone to clean it up later... Who gives a damn, it was worth it anyway! Hahaha!" With that, Sun Ze launched into a vivid recounting of what happened after he and the Burning Corps hit the ground. He placed particular emphasis on how his wits, courage, and decisive leadership guided the troops in breaking through the Academy's encirclement, conveniently forgetting how he had nearly pissed himself in terror at the time. Several low-level players standing nearby were dumbfounded. Watching the subtitles on their VMs, they whispered to each other in Mandarin: "Holy crap, is this guy for real?!" "+1. His skin is thicker than the walls of Boulder City..." The two rescued Enterprise pilots would take a direct flight back to Ideal City to face media interviews and clear up a few misunderstandings. Before departing, however, the pilots' commanding officer seemed to have something to say to the two lucky survivors, pulling the boisterously bragging Sun Ze aside. As for Luo Yu and Xiao Yu, they would board an Enterprise aircraft back to Dawn City along with the samples salvaged from the Hawk fighter jet. Enterprise wasn't particularly interested in Xiao Yu. Or more accurately, those interested in it lacked sufficient voice and influence within the Supreme Council. By contrast, the bionic named "Xuan Feng" might draw the interest of the Kangmao Group, but that was for the Administrator to worry about. Lao Bai checked the updated quest on his VM. Having regrouped with the main force of the Burning Corps, they would escort the Reindeer heavy tracked vehicle "captured" from the Academy back to the frontline airfield to await further orders. Word was that the frontline was progressing exceptionally well. Under the combined offensive of the Skeleton Corps, the Storm Corps, and the Lion Kingdom Army, two more of the Legion's nine retreating ten-thousand-man corps had been obliterated. If this trend continued, probably fewer than half of the corps would manage to withdraw to Oasis 2. The scales of victory had tipped decisively in the Alliance's favor. At this rate, before the year's end, the Alliance would likely be reuniting with their old friends aboard the Pioneer. At that moment, Kuang Feng, who was operating a drone, suddenly looked up at Lao Bai, who was pondering the marching route. "Someone's approaching from the north." Surprise flickered across Lao Bai's face. The north? Haven't those nerds given up yet? "How many?" Kuang Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I only saw one." "Let your granddaddy go meet him!" Ye Shi hopped down from the truck in excitement, eager to test out his freshly looted weapon mods, only for Lao Bai to put out an arm and stop him. "They might not be here to cause trouble. I'll go check it out." With that, Lao Bai walked out of the camp alone. About ten minutes later, a figure appeared on a distant dune. She had come alone, carrying no weapons. Looking at Chen Yutong as she walked up to him, Lao Bai smiled and asked, "Leave something behind?" Chen Yutong shook her head, but after a moment, gave a slight nod. "I want to come with you guys... to see that place where wastelander survivors huddle together for warmth." Lao Bai looked at the girl in surprise. Seeing that she wasn't joking, he refrained from probing further and smiled, offering his right hand. "Looks like you've thought this through for a while. Since your mind is made up, I won't try to dissuade you... Welcome aboard." "Thank you. If you guys didn't take me in, I'd probably be homeless," she said, shaking his hand. Her expression relaxed slightly as she joked, "After making this decision, my status with the Academy has probably changed from missing in action to confirmed dead." Lao Bai bantered back, "Congratulations on starting a new life. Thinking of taking a new name?" Chen Yutong answered straightforwardly, "No need. I have no intention of forgetting my past, and there are plenty of people with the same name anyway. Besides, nobody will care whether a Grade-E prospector lives or dies." She was just a nobody, hardly worth the attention of the high-and-mighty Grade-As or Grade-Bs. Pausing briefly, she glanced around and continued, "Didn't you get a tracked vehicle from Zheng Hao? How come I don't see it?" Lao Bai said sheepishly, "It's still on the way... My guys just took over and are busy studying the manual your captain left behind. They should have it driven over in a few minutes." Compared to the Alliance's trucks, driving that thing was a nightmare—the twelve-inch center console was crammed with what felt like over fifty buttons. It wasn't any easier to handle than the ornithopters Enterprise sold them. Chen Yutong smiled faintly. "That works out well. When your guys get back, I can teach you how to drive it." A flicker of pleasant surprise lit up Lao Bai's eyes, and he laughed heartily. "That's awesome! You're doing us a huge favor!" Her bangs hung naturally across her brow, partially blocking her view. She gave her head a slight flick and said airily, "Don't mention it, it's nothing. Just buy me a drink made from potatoes when we get back... What was it called again?" "You mean vodka?" Lao Bai looked at this bold young woman in surprise, teasing with a chuckle, "I heard people from the Academy don't drink alcohol, that ethanol is only used as reagents and fuel... You sure you can handle it?" The corners of Chen Yutong's lips curled upward. "I'm not part of the Academy anymore. Besides, how will I know if I can handle it unless I try?" Perhaps because her status had changed, or perhaps because she had found peace of mind, Lao Bai felt she seemed completely different from yesterday. Still, that was hardly a bad thing. Trying new things one had never experienced before went a long way toward adjusting to a new life. "Alright, I won't stop you... But I'd recommend a beginner-friendly way to drink it: you can mix in some cola or Sprite." Chen Yutong asked curiously, "What are those? Do they taste good?" "A kind of drink... something cooked up by the lifestyle players—I mean, shelter residents who love life. To put it simply, it's sugar water with carbonation." "Carbonic acid? Does that have any taste?" Chen Yutong frowned slightly. The Academy certainly had beverages that replenished sugars, caffeine, and vitamins. However, they would never add carbonic acid to drinking water. Instead, just like ethanol, it was kept in labeled sample cabinets. Such substances provided no nutrition and did not stimulate dopamine secretion; on the contrary, they caused mineral loss in the body, just as alcohol damaged the brain. Even if the harmful dosage was controllable, there was zero reason to take on avoidable risks for something utterly devoid of purpose. "No, it doesn't taste like anything, but the sensation of bubbles bursting between your lips and teeth gives mundane sugar water an unusual kick. You'll understand once you try it..." Lao Bai's answer aligned with her expectations. What surprised her, however, was his perspective on "purpose." To someone embarking on a new life, that was even more intriguing than good food. "I see. Could you... tell me more about Sprite? I'm curious." Looking at her intensely inquisitive expression, Lao Bai scratched his head in mild exasperation. "Hiss, that's getting a bit too technical. In short, it's similar to cola, except we replace the caffeine with citric acid..." "Citric acid instead of caffeine?! I see... That really gives me something to look forward to." Without either of them realizing it, they had begun walking back. Chen Yutong naturally fell into step beside him, full of genuine interest as she asked questions she had wondered about before but hadn't had the chance to voice. The two walked together like old friends who had known each other for years, completely free of barriers, strolling on and on before they knew it... On a sand dune not far away, Ye Shi, who had been propping up his sniper rifle, cursed under his breath as he packed it away, dusting off his pants as he stood. "Damn it! I'm done watching. And here I was worried something might happen to him, only to get a mouthful of dog food shoved down my throat." Holding a pair of binoculars, Kuang Feng gave him a sideways glance. "Which eye of yours sees dog food? Can't it just be pure friendship?" Ye Shi grumbled back, "Come off it! Did you forget that dog Fang Chang? At first all he talked about was 'the mission, the mission,' and later on it was all 'wifey, wifey'... *Blehh.*" He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand public displays of affection—unless they were his own. Kuang Feng coughed lightly. "Fang Chang is Fang Chang, and Lao Bai is Lao Bai... They're not the same." Ye Shi rolled his eyes. "I'm heading back."