Chapter 148: Curiosity
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"He didn't think that I am up to snuff?" Karl said in a low voice. Martyrus shook his head," He told me you shouldn't be a METAL fighter..."
"I knew it! He never liked me, but do you have to announce it in front of everyone?"
"Easy now! I am not finished yet. We think that you shouldn't be a METAL fighter, BUT, you are very talented in space battle. If you want, I can team you up with best. "
"Talented? Me?" Karl scratched his head as the words start to sink in.
Martyrus regraded everyone briefly and announced, "Today is your day off. You are allowed to walk wherever you like within District B. You can take a rest or keep on training, it is up to you. Should anyone want to visit the beach, a helicopter will be waiting for you out in the field. Just remember one thing: tomorrow, we will start the second round of the boot-camp training. Now dismiss!"
Everyone was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected day-off, and felt equally apprehensive fearing that it was another trap. None of the students returned to their bed. Instead, they started their daily jogging. The ten days of gruesome training was effective in transforming them from children to soldiers
By then, Wang Tong had completely gotten used to the four bracelets. He knew that Massa had wanted him to keep on using them with good intentions.
The bracket itself was not a heavy burden, but the tremendous electromagnetic force that it imposed on the wearer could bend the will of even the strongest soldiers. Any ordinary fighter would have to use GN force to fight against the restraint, but Wang Tong was able to overcome the electromagnetic force without using GN force. Amazed by Wang Tong's power and his potential, Massa had crafted his last message to encourage him to join the army to take his training to the next level.
Perhaps Wang Tong was still inexperienced compared to a veteran, but his young age would give him enough time to become a more seasoned fighter. Massa believed that as long as Wang Tong followed the correct training, he would become one of the best fighters in the entire Confederation.
Unknown to Massa, Wang Tong had never wanted to join the Army, as he believed that he could seek out other easier ways to be successful. This was a firm belief that took hold in Wang Tong's mind ever since he was a child, thanks to Old Fart's pragmatic influence.
After the morning jogging, the students returned to their quarters to rest. Although Martyrus didn't mention the type of training in store for them in the second session, the students already knew that it would not consist of resting and entertainment. Therefore, they decided to relax while they still could.
After the breakfast, most students chose to surf the internet. The intense training had actually disconnected them from the world, so they eagerly read news about the outside world.
"It's only one day, every minute counts. What are you planning to do?" Ma Xiaoru asked Hu Yangxuan.
Hu Yangxuan had ultimately given up his competition with Wang Tong. Wang Tong had impressed everyone, especially Ma Xiaoru, in the last ten days. Even Wang Tong's meager background had somehow complimented his achievements. Hu Yangxuan often lamented over the fact that his prestigious family name seemed to be more of a hindrance than a help.
Everyone had registered the apparent intimacy between Wang Tong, Ma Xiaoru, and Zhou Sisi, but no one had spoken out about it. Luckily for Hu Yangxuan, he was the type of guy who knew when to pursue and when to stop. After he had come to terms with his non-existing chance of winning Ma Xiaoru's heart—which happened very quickly and painlessly— he had diverted his attention to Luo Manman, the so-called "Seductress."
"Me? Nothing, I guess."
"Would you care to spar with me, Wang Tong? I don't want to train by myself, and it gets boring." Wang Ben asked Wang Tong.
"Lame. You know that we likely won't have the day off for another couple weeks!" Zhou Sisi chided at Wang Ben.
"I am not sure, and we will see how I feel like in the afternoon. I want to spend the rest of the morning training. It feels weird if I don't have my fair share of physical training every day, you know, as if something is not right."
"OCD! Ha ha!" The girls laughed.
"What's the latest breaking news?" The students browsed through the major events that had happened in the past ten days, trying to spot out the ones that were related to the war with the Zergs. Now and then, these sneaky creatures would surprise the Confederation, and therefore, the military had to be always cautious about suspicious maneuvers of the Zergs army.
"The news was bloated with propaganda and entertainment; it's so hard to learn any truth from garbage programs like these. And what is this pile of shit, 'Keep Up with the Zhao-Da-Xians?' Don't even mention the fake news!" Someone commented loudly, frustrated by the lack of quality journalism in the Confederation News.
Wang Tong looked through the section on PA fights. He had been away from the PA system for over a week, and therefore, he was quite happy when he finally had the time to turn on a PA system terminal. Compared to virtual fighting, training was just too boring.
As soon as Wang Tong signed into the online forum, he was greeted with a slew of discussions that displayed the audience's unease and impatience due to Einherjar Wannabe's disappearance.
Einherjar Wannabe had appeared regularly once every week, and therefore, when he suddenly disappeared for over a week, the IPA players—who had been regarding Einherjar Wannabe as their number one idol — had become restless. However, the TPA players weren't surprised since every fighter needed time to recuperate. He had already defeated a fighter that had been one tier above him, which had made him a target for a challenge for other much stronger opponents. The TPA players conceded that it was wise of him to stay put for a couple of weeks to avoid any further attention.
After all, Einherjar Wannabe's overall power was determined by his soul tier, including his GN force. He might have won one battle against an opponent that was one tier higher than him using his techniques, but it did not amount to being invincible, especially considering that high tier fighters with even better techniques were not unheard of.
It was no longer the era of Blade Warriors, when techniques were the decisive factor in a fight. In the current era, soul power trumped over everything else.
As the IPA players poured out their frustration and impatience in the online forum, other players simply waited. They knew that it was only a matter of time before Einherjar Wannabe took up another challenge again. Einherjar Wannabe's challenges came from both IPA and TPA league, but DREAM approved only 20 of them based on their unique abilities.
The prolonged waiting had also instigated many doubts regarding Einherjar Wannabe's real strength, as some believed that the reason behind Einherjar Wannabe's disappearance was his fear of defeat.
Afterward, one hurtful speculation came another. Some spread the rumors out of jealousy while some were simply haters, and they did what haters did best. Einherjar Wannabe's absence only added more fuel to these hurtful and mostly unfounded speculations, since he couldn't defend himself.
The two sides played the war of words for many days without any sign of giving up. The supporters of Einherjar Wannabe believed that his absence was only because he was busy, while the haters had insisted that he had fled out of fear and cowardice. The haters’ main argument was that if he were really busy, he would have said so instead of disappearing and leaving everyone hanging.
As Wang Tong scrolled through the fierce discussions, he found the debate becoming increasingly funny and ridiculous. Therefore, regardless of how malicious some of the comments were, Wang Tong didn't let them bother him. However, Wang Tong's friends had gotten fired up about the hateful remarks.
"These guys are ridiculous! What is there to argue about? They are just jealous!"
"No kidding. This guy for example, what a jerk! He thinks he knows everything, and look how much he talks! Gosh, he must love his own voice."
"Well, haters gonna hate. Wang Tong, you remained my first choice as an opponent. Once I have improved my Fist of the Racing Tiger, I promise I will give you a nice challenge!" Wang Ben announced with his usual seriousness in his voice. Einherjar Wannabe had somehow reminded Wang Ben of Wang Tong.
"Come on! This is the day-off, no talk of fighting please." Ma Xiaoru smiled and said.
"I agree! We are still just students, so be a good student Wang Ben. Try to get along with your classmate peacefully." Zhou Sisi nodded.
Girls’ competition had always been more discreet, but no less destructive and rampant.
Wang Tong had become speechless at the pages after pages of comments. "Do they get paid to do this? Their internet bill must be enormous!"
Wang Tong didn't let any of the comments—good or bad—affect him, and maintained his inner peace. It was a state of mind that only a handful of people could achieve. He had realized that these comments were merely noises until Einherjar Wannabe joined the fight again. Wang Tong conceded that it was better to stay put for the time being, because not only did he need to focus on his training, but partaking in PA fights right then would also risk exposing his disguise among his peers.
Truth be told, many comments from the opposing side were not entirely unfounded, such as their statement of someone much stronger than Einherjar Wannabe existing in the PA system. There were many strong fighters whose power had remained a mystery to the world, largely because that no one had dared to challenge them in the real world. Wang Tong then realized that if these fighters did exist in the PA system, the PA system would be his best shot at fighting an opponent who was stronger than him. Wang Tong decided to spend more time on managing the brand of Einherjar Wannabe to attract more powerful fighters. As for the fame and popularity that came with it, Wang Tong considered them merely unnecessary by-products. Wang Tong didn't want to be famous, nor did he want any grand adventures. He only wanted to become a captain of mediocre skills who carried little responsibility but no fewer privileges.
Wang Tong's mind drifted away as he dreamed of his life as a captain, surrounded by attractive looking female officers. He didn't even notice that he had started to drool.
"What the heck are you watching! Is it porn..." Zhou Sisi noticed Wang Tong's silly smile on his face.
"What you talking about? No! I was simply enjoying the feeling of making so much progress over the past ten days. It had been such a great opportunity for us." Wang Tong pulled himself back to the reality and put on a smile.
"Indeed! I never expected to have learned so much in an Academy. The boot camp was also unique in its training methods" Wang Ben nodded in agreement.
Ma Xiaoru and Zhou Sisi looked at each other in dismay, and both held the expression that said, ‘All the boys think the same, especially these two.’
"Us girls just wanna have some fun! Let's ditch these two, don't let them get in the way of our day off." The two girls finally decided to give up persuading the two to enjoy their holiday.
"Wang Tong, would you like to explore the island with me? I am getting bored." Wang Ben asked. He cared about those online comments even less than Wang Tong, so he had quickly got bored after reading the news.
"Good call! I had wanted to do that for a while now, but had never gotten the time!"
The two were both fearless teenagers who had a strong sense of curiosity about everything. Ever since their arrival, they were intrigued by the world out on the other side of the fence surrounding District B. Those fences were made of tall steel poles connected with electrically charged meshes. The danger and challenge didn't deter the two boys’ interest in the slightest.
When the two arrived at the training field, they saw Apache walking about, inspecting the fence as if he was also trying to find a way out.