Chapter 29 Encounter in Mecha Class

The welcoming ceremony finally ended, but what Zhou Jiu thought was the end was not the end.

The military leaders on stage had finished their interviews regarding the friendly exchange between the two schools. Zhou Jiu, who hadn't returned yet, saw several recording devices bearing media names rushing towards Ye Yang's direction.

Because they were not far apart, Zhou Jiu quietly took a few steps back and stood with Lin Xiu and Sun You. Just when Zhou Jiu thought he had escaped, a media outlet suddenly approached him.

"Zhou Jiu, hello. What are your thoughts on winning first place but being represented by Ye Yang?" The recording equipment from Dadi Media was shoved right in front of Zhou Jiu's face.

The drone from the company above appeared in front of her. Zhou Jiu glanced at it expressionlessly and said, "Sorry, I don't want to be interviewed."

"Is it because Zhou Jiu is unhappy about having his spot taken? Does Zhou Jiu know that Ye Yang is the son of the commander of the First Military Region?"

Zhou Jiu glanced at the media representative with red hair and denied their question: "Ye Yang deserves the title. He is very outstanding, and this has nothing to do with whose child he is."

Zhou Jiu, who was about to leave, was stopped by the media again. She cracked her knuckles, feeling a little impatient, and wanted to punch someone.

"I heard that Zhou Jiu is from Planet E. Does his admission to the First Military Academy indicate that he highly regards it?"

“I’m quite competitive, and I like the word ‘first’.” This was a rather sensitive question. After answering it, Zhou Jiu continued to answer a few more questions from the media. Zhou Jiu raised his hand to look at his personal terminal and then said, “Excuse me, I have class today. Could you please make way for me, or I’ll be late.”

Zhou Jiu nimbly slipped away from the media outlets and quickly left the area.

The three of them got together again.

"How did it feel to be interviewed?" Lin Xiu joked.

“Not good at all, every word is a pitfall,” Zhou Jiu replied.

"Are you going to your third-year mecha operation class later?" Sun You asked.

Zhou Jiu and Sun You exchanged a glance. Although they were currently on different sides, they both tacitly wanted to maintain their long-term friendship.

"Yes, their classes are going on as usual today. I received a message from the instructor hoping that I can come to class as soon as possible."

"Then hurry up and go, then grab the challenge letter and go after him," Lin Xiu said.

Zhou Jiu knew that Lin Xiu had been receiving a lot of mecha challenge invitations from his seniors, but he didn't feel guilty at all. Instead, he said with a hint of schadenfreude, "I haven't received any."

After Dora learned that she was Zhou Jiu, she did not spread the news. Although Dora's PK post was still in her message list, she had been busy engraving rune arrays and had only been using mini-programs related to mecha operation. She had not yet clicked on the mecha PK page.

After a short while, Lin Xiu looked over provocatively: "Friends should share joys and sorrows."

After seeing clearly what Lin Xiu had done, Zhou Jiu also clicked on the post Lin Xiu had posted on the campus forum: "A Few Things About Zhou Jiu Impersonating Lin Xiu and Telling the Senior Students That He Was a 'Vegetable' Student."

Zhou Jiu rolled his eyes and said speechlessly, "You think you can escape? Anyway, the three of us old folks are together. At worst, I'll change the mecha PK mode to a team 3V3. Nobody can escape then."

Lin Xiu was immune to Zhou Jiu's words; anyway, it was better for everyone to accept the PK challenge together than for him to be challenged by a sophomore alone.

Zhou Jiu checked the time and said, "I have to go to class. Don't wait for me for lunch today, I'll eat with Chu Zhao."

Seeing Zhou Jiu leave so abruptly after speaking, and making no attempt to hide her relationship with Chu Zhao, Sun You turned to Lin Xiu beside her and asked, "Chu Zhao? Is A-Jiu pursuing him?"

“They’re already together.” Lin Xiu thought of the video Qiao Shiyi posted in the group chat. Although it was a little different from the usual captain Zhou Jiu, it was definitely Zhou Jiu himself.

"Ajiu didn't tell me, could it be that she's really angry about that?" Sun You didn't think that Zhou Jiu's personality would lead to a falling out over such a small matter, so she asked curiously.

Lin Xiu thought of their Wasteland Star Squad's group chat. Although Sun You later joined their scavenging team, the people in the group were all victims of that starship disaster, and were also companions who grew up together and persevered through the most difficult years.

"No, she didn't tell me, I guessed," Lin Xiu replied.

As Zhou Jiu pushed open the door to the mecha training room, she saw several faces sweeping towards her. Some students had already entered the mecha cabins and begun their daily training.

"Zhou Jiu, what brings you here?" Chu Zhao walked towards Zhou Jiu before even entering his mecha, somewhat surprised, and asked, "Are you here to accompany me to class?"

"Oh, Brother Chu, who is this?" Nan Yu teased.

"My girlfriend," Chu Zhao introduced.

Zhou Jiu pulled up his class schedule and held it up in front of Chu Zhao: "I'm here to attend class." Don't be so narcissistic, senior. Because others were also present, Zhou Jiu didn't say this directly.

Zhou Jiu's eyes revealed very vivid emotions, which made Chu Zhao smile and say, "Come on, the teacher hasn't arrived yet, let me take you to choose a mecha first."

After Chu Zhao led Zhou Jiu over, he pointed to the assault-type mechs and introduced them: "Of these close-combat assault-type mechs, I mainly recommend these three: S16, S515, and S88."

"The S16 is thicker and a bit bulky, leaning towards a defensive melee mech; the S515 is agile and powerful but fragile, an assassin-type mech; the S88 has high destructive power, a large attack range, and can perform high-speed combos, but requires high manual control and is difficult to operate. I saw your Little Beast combat log, where you used the S18 melee tank mech, but after studying your mech's movement patterns, I think your operation is perfectly suited to try the S88. You can perform rapid critical hits with the S18, so the S88 would be more suitable for you. Although it's difficult to learn, given your learning pace, I think you can definitely do it," Chu Zhao explained earnestly.

When Zhou Jiu heard about the S88's destructive power during the introduction, he was somewhat tempted, but he was surprised by what he heard next: "You've seen my mecha training records?"

"So you're the one who broke Brother Chu's record? That's pretty impressive, junior." Nan Yu's voice broke in, looking at Zhou Jiu, and added, "I didn't expect Brother Chu to like someone better than him..."

Before Nan Yu could finish speaking, his classmate next to him retorted, "The instructor is here, get in the mecha."

Zhou Jiu chose the S88. After Chu Zhao had Zhou Jiu flash the chip, he successfully entered the S88, completed the initial preparations, and put on the helmet.

After the instructor entered, Chu Zhao also entered his mech at a leisurely pace. Noticing that Chu Zhao had chosen the S515 assassin mech, the instructor couldn't help but analyze how the S88 could avoid being approached by the agile S515 if it encountered it.

"I'm Ming Qiang. It seems our new students have already chosen their mechs. Now, let's begin our homework from last lesson. New students, pay attention, you'll also be participating in the final assessment." Instructor Ming Qiang was very decisive, standing in front of the large screen and starting to record the video.

"Chu Zhao, you go first."