Could he gain something by taking down Qin Yi? The young man's mind began to race.
Chǔ Jūnguī established a model in his logic processing module, attempting to analyze what benefits could be gained from suddenly taking down Qin Yi, and the probabilities of each.
The model began to run, a horizontal tree diagram rapidly expanding, with branches constantly extending. When the number of options reached dozens, the model's operation began to slow, and then gradually fell silent.
Chǔ Jūnguī's head started to hurt from the rapid calculations, so he quickly reduced the resources allocated to the model and carefully re-examined its construction to see where the problem lay. If even the test subject's brain was experiencing computational difficulties, there must be something wrong with the model.
Upon inspection, Chǔ Jūnguī discovered that the biggest problem lay in assessing human emotions. Once it reached this point, the variables became exceptionally numerous, and the calculations extremely complex.
For example, after knocking Qin Yi down with a slap, dozens of possible psychological reactions could occur, ranging from an unending vendetta to immediate subservience. Each psychological reaction, combined with different environments, would then generate different behavioral responses. For instance, even if his inner thought was utter subservience, he might still speak harshly to cover his shyness.
Chǔ Jūnguī's headache intensified. For the first time, he felt that human hearts were too complicated, and the hearts of the rich were even more so.
Thus, the first attempt at constructing a psychological analysis model ended in failure.
Chǔ Jūnguī thought for a moment, then added the prefix "Xinzheng" to the "4.0" above Qin Yi's head and changed its color to yellow.
Qin Yi, unaware that he had gone from red-named to yellow-named, drove while regaling Chǔ Jūnguī with tales of his heroic past.
He rambled on the entire way. As Chǔ Jūnguī listened, he subconsciously matched and compared the information received with his existing data. The matching analysis yielded no specific results; the major battles Qin Yi mentioned had indeed occurred, but Qin Yi's name was absent from the battlefield reports. This meant Qin Yi had not played a crucial role in them.
At this point, Qin Yi was summarizing, "In short, at the critical moment, I arrived at the critical location, eliminated the critical enemy, and that's how we won the battle."
"Hmm, a charging grunt..." Chǔ Jūnguī drew a rather unflattering conclusion.
Although the data matching yielded no results, Chǔ Jūnguī arrived at an unexpected conclusion related to age.
According to rather unscientific statistical analysis, people who frequently recall the past tend to be older, both psychologically and physiologically.
Thus, Chǔ Jūnguī looked at Qin Yi and began to seriously consider his age. Thirty? Or forty?
The car finally arrived at its destination, stopping in front of a quiet small building. Qin Yi finally ceased his nonstop reminiscence and led Chǔ Jūnguī toward the small building.
A display screen stood in front of the small building, bearing the words "Special Environment Combat Research Institute."
Chǔ Jūnguī felt a sense of awe again.
Special environments generally referred to all sorts of extreme conditions, such as high temperature, high pressure, high radiation, darkness, strong electromagnetic interference, underwater, or swarms of venomous insects. Those who could not only survive but also fight in such environments were masters among masters. And those who could research such things were likely individuals capable of guiding such masters.
This was the origin of the version.
Chǔ Jūnguī followed Qin Yi inside and upstairs. As they entered, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Chǔ Jūnguī felt several invisible rays sweep over him, silently completing a scan.
Strict security measures, outwardly relaxed but inwardly robust, were fitting for the building's status.
The interior was quiet, with occasional researchers hurrying past, not even glancing at them.
Researchers are so aloof... Chǔ Jūnguī's anticipation grew.
Qin Yi approached a security door. After verifying both physiological and electronic identification, the door finally opened. Beyond it was another security door; the outer door had to close before the inner door would open.
This time, the security measures were even stricter. Chǔ Jūnguī's physiological and electronic identification were also collected and, after Qin Yi's confirmation, the inner door slowly opened.
With a boom, a powerful laser beam shot through the door crack, striking Chǔ Jūnguī's face and momentarily blinding him. Then, a deep bass sound rolled in, vibrating his combat uniform into ripples.
Chǔ Jūnguī finally regained his composure and stared in astonishment at the people drinking and dancing frenetically amidst the powerful music and dazzling lasers.
He never would have imagined that, within the research building with its outwardly simple and solemn appearance, behind layers of security measures, there was actually a surprisingly lively bar, and quite a crowd at that.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go in!"
Qin Yi pushed Chǔ Jūnguī into the hall and headed straight for a central booth, taking a seat in the middle. There were already several people in the booth. Chǔ Jūnguī looked around; half of the troublemakers were there, along with a few unfamiliar faces.
"Boss, what would you like to drink?" a waitress asked, hurrying over.
To Chǔ Jūnguī's surprise, this waitress wore a standard portable terminal from the academy on her wrist, clearly indicating she was also a formal student. Her posture suggested grace and agility, and her movements implied good physical condition. Yet, her practiced movements and manner of speaking clearly indicated she was serious about her role as a waitress.
"You again," Fāng Yù said, walking over and sitting next to Chǔ Jūnguī, her arm naturally draping over his shoulder.
With a *slap*, Qin Yi tapped her hand with a spoon. "Take your paw off! Don't scare Jūnguī; can't you see how stiff he's become?"
"Oh really?" Fāng Yù withdrew her hand and, on impulse, patted Chǔ Jūnguī's face.
Chǔ Jūnguī remained motionless like a statue, indeed stiff.
"He really is, haha!"
Qin Yi looked around and asked, "Where's A-Chēn? Where's Sū Xuě? Where did those two run off to?"
"They had something important to do; they couldn't make it today."
Qin Yi frowned. "What could be more important than drinking?"
"A-Chēn recently developed a new business, and it's at a critical stage. I heard he's researched a brand-new repayment model that can make most debtors pay up willingly."
Qin Yi's interest was immediately piqued. "What method is it? Is it effective?"
Fāng Yù leaned over Chǔ Jūnguī and whispered something in Qin Yi's ear.
Qin Yi slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "So it's his li... oh, that thing! That's brilliant! How did that kid come up with it?"
Fāng Yù snorted. "Honestly, at the time, I had the impulse to shoot him."
Qin Yi said carelessly, "No need! Think about it, the academy has countless student loans for various purposes. As long as it's a somewhat normal need, they can borrow money. You can imagine what kind of people would go to A-Chēn to borrow money."
"That's true," Fāng Yù nodded.
"Um..." Chǔ Jūnguī finally spoke.
Fāng Yù lowered her head. "What is it?"
"You've been pressing down on me."
Chapter 30: Línghú Chōng
Fāng Yù returned to her original position, her hand still on Chǔ Jūnguī's shoulder. "Just taking a little advantage. What are you nervous about? Still not convinced? Fine, when you can beat me, I naturally won't touch you. How about it, want to try now?"
"No," Chǔ Jūnguī shook his head.
What was there to try? They were on completely different levels. As long as he had a heavy machine gun or similar close-quarters weapon, he could've crushed Fāng Yù no matter how many times she attacked.
"Alright, I can't bear to bully you anymore." Fāng Yù clearly understood and shifted to another approach.
Qin Yi, from the side, picked up his wine glass and said loudly, "Welcome, Jūnguī! Come on, everyone let's start drinking... drink as much as you want."
"Línghú Chōng?" someone suggested.
"No problem!" Qin Yi replied cheerfully, grabbing the wine bottle and pouring it into the pitcher. In a moment, a pitcher was placed before everyone.
Chǔ Jūnguī was still trying to match and search for the meaning of the name Línghú Chōng when a pitcher was already thrust into his hand. Following the example of the others, he lifted the pitcher and drank it down in one gulp, suddenly understanding what "Línghú Chōng" meant.
After a pitcher of strong liquor went down, Qin Yi let out a sigh and said, "Jūnguī, give me your hand."
Before Chǔ Jūnguī could react, Qin Yi grabbed his hand, opened his portable terminal, and accessed his account information.
On the screen in Qin Yi's hand, rows of numbers scrolled by, finally totaling a balance of: -113,655 yuan.
This long string of red numbers sobered him up considerably. He frowned. "You owe this much? Is this just one day?"
Qin Yi began to review the account's specific income and expenditure details. Upon seeing that, apart from the initial subsidy, Chǔ Jūnguī had only gained 2015 yuan after returning home once, Qin Yi frowned, having gained some understanding of Chǔ Jūnguī's family circumstances.
Scrolling further down, the expenses were itemized as academy benefits. These so-called benefits were, in fact, discounted, but each still cost money.
As a formal student of Canshang Academy, each person had a credit limit of 150,000 yuan, used to pay for various supplies and benefits purchased from the academy officially, or to pay tuition fees. Although this sum might be insignificant in Qin Yi's eyes, he knew very well what it meant to Chǔ Jūnguī.
Qin Yi looked up and glared fiercely at Fāng Yù. Fāng Yù clearly felt guilty, turned her face away, and dared not look at him, slowly trying to inch away.
"Come back, sit properly."
Fāng Yù obediently returned, sitting snugly next to Chǔ Jūnguī, like a naughty primary school student.
"Jūnguī's matters..."
Before Qin Yi could finish, Fāng Yù immediately interjected, "I'll pay it back!"
"You don't need to meddle!" Qin Yi glared at her again.
Fāng Yù glanced at Chǔ Jūnguī with a bit of worry. Seeing his bewildered expression, her heart settled slightly.
Qin Yi said seriously, "Jūnguī, Fāng Yù is a bit thoughtless. Don't take it to heart. However, I've looked at the benefits she chose for you; they are all necessary for the future, so keep them for now. As for the money, just owe it for now. I'll apply for an interest-free concession for you. Don't worry about earning money; I'll arrange something for you right away. Fāng Yù!"
"Boss, yes?" Perhaps because she had made a mistake, Fāng Yù was exceptionally obedient.
"Don't you have a work-study project? Add Jūnguī to it."
"That project? The core part or the peripheral part?"
"Naturally, the core."
Fāng Yù glanced at Chǔ Jūnguī with some concern and hesitated, "The core part might be a bit dangerous."
"If he doesn't get proper training, the danger at year-end will be even greater," Qin Yi said coldly.
"Alright, I'll take good care of him."
Qin Yi clapped Chǔ Jūnguī on the shoulder. "Alright, you have a place to earn money. Now, let's drink!"
With no immediate financial worries, Chǔ Jūnguī put his concerns aside and began to drink. He didn't understand any drinking etiquette, simply imitating others. He accepted every drink offered and, after receiving three drinks from anyone, would toast them back. In a short while, his consciousness began to feel hazy.
He suddenly remembered a question and blurted it out, "Isn't this a research institute? Why is there a bar here?"
"This isn't a bar; it's a training base."
Chǔ Jūnguī had already shouted "Línghú Chōng" countless times by now. His brain's processing speed had slowed down, and he couldn't quite comprehend it. It clearly looked like a bar; what did it have to do with a training base?
Qin Yi's eyes were already somewhat glazed over. He beckoned to Fāng Yù and said, "You explain it to him."
Fāng Yù hooked her arm around Chǔ Jūnguī, pulling him closer. She pointed to the bar counter and the dance floor ahead. "Wherever there are people gathered, there will be a bar. This is a very common special scenario; many mission targets appear here. So, the academy set up a dedicated bar to train how to eliminate or capture specific targets in such environments using various methods. Everyone you see here, from customers to cleaners, are students in disguise. We are in training right now, not drinking, understand?"
"So, it's for training," Chǔ Jūnguī realized.
"Clever!"
But looking at the people in the booth who were already swaying precariously, Chǔ Jūnguī couldn't shake the feeling that they were just there to drink.
Before he could fully process it, Fāng Yù leaned in, swirling the pitcher in her hand in front of Chǔ Jūnguī. "Training has begun! Come on, have another one!"
Training was serious business. Chǔ Jūnguī trained diligently, and in a short while, his face was flushed red, his consciousness blurred.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly broke out in a sweat and woke up. The first thing he saw was a fair white leg pressing down on him.
Chǔ Jūnguī steadied himself and saw that it was Fāng Yù's leg. She herself was sprawled on the sofa, fast asleep. To his left, Qin Yi was also passed out drunk. The table in front of them was piled high with empty wine bottles; no one in their booth was still conscious.
The servers, seemingly accustomed to this, continued to attend to those at other tables who were still awake.
Chǔ Jūnguī rubbed his head and checked the time. It was already three in the morning. Yueyong Star was close to its Homestar, with a 26-hour day. 3 AM was when most people were deeply asleep. Chǔ Jūnguī wanted to return to his dorm, but he had no car, and he was also somewhat concerned about these drunken individuals, so he stayed put. Before long, the effects of the alcohol surged, and he too fell into a deep sleep.
After an unknown period, a voice calling his name woke Chǔ Jūnguī from his slumber.
"Jūnguī! Wake up, it's time to get up!"
Chǔ Jūnguī opened his eyes and saw Fāng Yù's face close before him, her beautiful large eyes occupying almost his entire field of vision.
"I'm fine."
"You say you're fine? With this little alcohol tolerance, you won't be challenging me again from now on." Fāng Yù patted Chǔ Jūnguī, saying earnestly.
Chǔ Jūnguī remembered that she had passed out first last night, so why did she seem to have forgotten everything that happened?
"No!" a sudden roar came from beside them, followed by sobbing.
Chǔ Jūnguī turned his head and saw Qin Yi lying on the sofa, clenching his fists, his body trembling, tears streaming from his tightly closed eyes.
Fāng Yù sighed. "The boss is thinking about his comrades again. Only half of them returned from that battle. You'll understand later; the boss always gets like this when he drinks too much."
Chapter 31: Student Aid Program
"Let's go, I'll drive you back to the dorm and tell you about the project," Fāng Yù said, pulling Chǔ Jūnguī up. Ignoring the others, she led Chǔ Jūnguī away from the research building and back to the dorms.
Soon, Fāng Yù's car entered the Second District. Her car seemed quite special; checkpoints along the way automatically recognized it and granted passage. After parking below the dorm building, Fāng Yù said to Chǔ Jūnguī, "Aren't you going to invite me up for a drink?"
"You can't drink anymore, right?" Chǔ Jūnguī didn't want to suffer another headache.
Fāng Yù laughed heartily. "Then I'll be going. Don't forget about the project; report in three days."
"Don't worry."
Fāng Yù didn't linger and drove off in a cloud of dust.
Chǔ Jūnguī checked the time. It was only seven in the morning, two hours before classes. He returned to his dorm, took a shower, and then sat at his desk, brought up his personal terminal, and began creating a schedule and a study plan.
On the way back, Fāng Yù had already roughly explained the project's content to Chǔ Jūnguī.
As a military academy founded in a frontier Starfield, Canshang Academy placed great importance on combat training, to the point of obsession. The academy organized countless practical training exercises, large and small, including numerous survival training sessions on alien planets with hundreds of participants, not to mention the myriad of assessments and evaluations within the academy.
Canshang Academy boasted over three hundred practical training grounds, not only simulating various planetary surfaces and terrains but also replicating cities, villages, ruins, and even special training facilities for combat in outer space's zero-gravity environment.
Canshang Academy particularly emphasized team combat, a practice inherited from the Great Tang Dynasty's style. Many team or student assessments were conducted through practical combat simulations. Their performance not only affected their academic grades but also directly influenced their post-graduation assignments. Some outstanding students, after only two academic years, were already earmarked by elite units in Xinzheng, and there were even precedents of them being directly recruited by the Heavenly Dynasty's forces.
To conduct practical combat tests, adversarial forces were often required to simulate combat scenarios in various environments. Fāng Yù was responsible for assembling these adversarial units.
These adversarial units were established to test the combat capabilities of the units undergoing assessment. Volunteers were compensated with a certain amount of pay based on the mission objectives in different combat scenarios. While the amounts varied, they were generally quite generous; a basic assessment could often yield a thousand yuan.
There was a reason for the generous compensation. Many practical combat examinations required the assessed units to annihilate the enemy. This meant that a member of the adversarial unit would likely be hit by a stun bullet, and one might not even be enough. The experience was far from pleasant; without sufficient compensation, who would be willing to endure such suffering?
Additionally, in some survival battles, the attacking force would often employ heavy equipment to test combined arms capabilities. The positions held by the adversarial force could be carpet-bombed by heavy artillery. In such scenarios, there were always provisions for casualties.
Fāng Yù had a practical combat assessment scheduled in three days. The combat scenario was an infantry position attack and defense. The adversarial force, to which Chǔ Jūnguī would belong, was tasked with defending a high ground, relying on pre-constructed positions to counter the assessment team's attack. In this scenario, the assessment team comprised nearly two hundred people, while Chǔ Jūnguī's side had only thirty, and no heavy weapons.
Among various types of assessments, this scenario was considered moderately difficult for the adversarial force.
Initially, Fāng Yù had some concerns that Chǔ Jūnguī might shy away from the challenge, but to her surprise, he agreed immediately. The reason was quite simple: upon hearing that the compensation for this battle was fifteen hundred yuan, Chǔ Jūnguī stopped listening to anything else.
Having accepted the job, he naturally had to prepare well. After opening his personal information terminal, Chǔ Jūnguī began to review materials related to position attack and defense.
As the defending force, Chǔ Jūnguī could only use light weapons, and the variety was limited. The most powerful weapon available was a squad-level medium-caliber heavy machine gun, followed by light machine guns, assault rifles, and high-precision assault rifles. There were no indirect fire weapons or other support artillery.
After understanding the content, Chǔ Jūnguī found two courses in the curriculum materials: Basic Light Weapons Combat and Intermediate Light Weapons Combat. He habitually checked the version numbers and found that the basic version was 2.1, while the intermediate version was 2.0. For publicly taught courses, these were not low version numbers, indicating at least one fundamental major revision had occurred.
However, after Qin Yi's guidance, Chǔ Jūnguī looked at the version numbers more carefully this time and indeed saw markings for Xinzheng and Canshang Academy in the description. This meant that both versions were developed by Xinzheng based on the Heavenly Dynasty's 1.0 version, and were not comparable to the Heavenly Dynasty's own 2.0.
In the following two days, in addition to the Basic Armored Combat he had already chosen, Chǔ Jūnguī added Basic Light Weapons Combat to his schedule.