The Silly Prince Successfully Cancels the Engagement, But the Fiancée is His Childhood Sweetheart - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Mid-Term Assessment for the Public

Meng Yunting’s efficiency was very high. Before the first class in the afternoon started, an academy announcement was released through the intelligent guide.

The mid-term assessment would be live-streamed to the entire StarNet, focusing on the entire process of Bai Qing’s examination.

Immediately, the public discussion surrounding this event reached its peak.

Those who supported Bai Qing expected him to perform well and completely reverse the situation. Those who were unfavorable to Bai Qing hoped he would perform terribly, thoroughly confirming all the accusations.

Naturally, everyone was gearing up, waiting for the day of the mid-term assessment live broadcast.

Bai Qing acted as if he were completely unaware that he was the center of public condemnation and abuse, attending classes and taking notes with complete composure.

Those watching the spectacle could only grit their teeth in frustration, unable to do anything.

Suddenly, his wrist vibrated. Bai Qing was distracted and tapped open his communication terminal, finding a message from Xiang Zhuo.

【FireBlaze (Xiang Zhuo)】: The mid-term assessment is only a week away. Need a sparring partner?

【BaiShu (Bai Qing)】: Thank you, no.

Xiang Zhuo was listless in class, but upon receiving Bai Qing’s reply, he immediately straightened his back in excitement. He tapped it open, and the four distant, indifferent characters stung his eyes.

Xiang Zhuo persevered:

【FireBlaze】: This year’s mid-term assessment is different from previous years. You don’t know yet, do you… This year will feature new assessment mechas, and the difficulty has also increased. I applied for a simulation training session tonight. Want to come and practice with me?

Bai Qing began to listen intently to the lecture on the other end and only remembered to check the message after class.

The mid-term assessment was actually an excellent opportunity for clarification provided by Meng Yunting. As long as he performed normally during the live broadcast, he could silence the critics.

This year’s mid-term assessment adopted a new format, and after the Mecha Battle Competition, he had been unable to train excessively due to doctor’s orders. His training hours had been insufficient these past few days.

He had been somewhat negligent.

Looking at Xiang Zhuo’s message, Bai Qing didn’t hesitate and accepted Xiang Zhuo’s invitation.

…

For the entire afternoon class, Xiang Zhuo was restless. He glanced at the time now and then, eagerly anticipating the end of class.

Finally, the last class finished. Xiang Zhuo was the first to rush out of the classroom, heading straight for Jing Yu’s class. Before people had left, he dashed in.

“Quick, quick, where’s that perfume of yours, the Omega Slayer Scent? Let me spray some.”

Jing Yu took the perfume bottle out of his bag: “Why the sudden desire to wear perfume?”

Xiang Zhuo sprayed twice professionally, ensuring the scent was neither too strong nor too light, before confidently saying: “To cover up my pheromones.”

Jing Yu complained: “Perfume can’t cover pheromones. Which Omega are you going to see? Aren’t you pursuing your dream Omega anymore?”

Xiang Zhuo smoothed his hair: “Who said I wasn’t pursuing him?”

Jing Yu: “He’s caused such a huge uproar. Now the entire academy knows he’s an Omega. Isn’t this going to be difficult? And the Bai family hasn’t intervened yet. The StarNet is saying Bai Qing has been abandoned by the Bai family. You, my friend, should probably stay out of this mess.”

“I believe in him,” Xiang Zhuo turned, waving his hand at Jing Yu. “Since I’ve decided to pursue him, I will always stand by him.”

Jing Yu rested his chin on his hand and smiled: “But you two canceled the engagement. This process will probably be hard.”

Xiang Zhuo’s voice was as firm as when he was determined to cancel the engagement: “I’m not afraid. As long as he doesn’t tell me he hates me, I will keep bothering him.”

The agreed time was six in the evening. It was only half-past five, and Xiang Zhuo was already there, eager to start. He preheated the training machine and then waited for Bai Qing.

When Bai Qing arrived at the training ground, he saw Xiang Zhuo waving at him from afar. He changed direction and walked towards Xiang Zhuo.

Other students were also using the new training mechas nearby. Upon seeing Bai Qing approach, they immediately exchanged knowing glances and whispered among themselves. Bai Qing paid no attention and continued with what he needed to do. Xiang Zhuo, however, reacted sharply:

“The whole day, have those people been so ill-mannered?”

Bai Qing put on his goggles: “They’re just looking and whispering a few words. They can’t affect me.”

Xiang Zhuo subtly stepped forward, blocking Bai Qing. A violent aura surged, the killing intent in his eyes unmistakable. The students who were maliciously scrutinizing Bai Qing immediately backed down, tucking their tails and scurrying back to their training mechas.

Bai Qing keenly sensed the sudden change in the atmosphere. He handed the goggles to Xiang Zhuo, interrupting him, and said: “It’s fine. If not these few, there will be others.”

Xiang Zhuo almost blurted out: “Then I’ll just stay by your side all the time.”

Bai Qing shifted his gaze, shaking his head: “I haven’t received any notification that the mid-term assessment method was changed. When was that decided?”

“…It was announced in a meeting during the days you were still in the hospital. There’s an official document, too. If you look through the previous announcements, you should find it,” Xiang Zhuo was initially regretting blurting out those words, but realized Bai Qing hadn’t responded to him at all. For a moment, he felt both relieved and disappointed.

Bai Qing nodded. As they talked, he did see the announcement regarding the change in the mid-term assessment format.

The training mecha in front of him was identical to the simulation battle mecha in the actual assessment. As long as he familiarized himself with the controls, everything else would be fine.

Xiang Zhuo patiently demonstrated to Bai Qing: “Piloting the training mecha is the same as piloting a real mecha. Except that it doesn’t move, all other operations can be directly replicated.”

Bai Qing looked at the control panel, which was indeed identical to a real battle mecha.

Xiang Zhuo: “There’s only one point to note: the training mecha requires you to select the opponent’s difficulty level, ranging from Grade D to SSS. But above SSS, there are three more levels: Major General, Lieutenant General, and General. However, these three levels are not recommended for the assessment.”

Xiang Zhuo’s words finally piqued Bai Qing’s interest slightly. His eyes brightened, and he stared intently at Xiang Zhuo’s operation.

“Because in the mid-term assessment, points are only calculated based on your performance if you defeat your opponent. Although a higher rank yields more base points upon victory, if you recklessly choose a rank beyond your ability, the mid-term assessment will immediately be judged as failed, and you’ll have to wait for a make-up exam.”

Bai Qing looked at him steadily: “What about you? What rank will you choose?”

Xiang Zhuo glanced sideways and smiled: “I’ll choose General.”

As if responding to Xiang Zhuo, Bai Qing instantly pushed the difficulty adjustment button to the highest setting, looked at Xiang Zhuo, and raised his chin slightly, his expression proud: “Want a match? Let’s compare?”

Xiang Zhuo, as an Alpha, was being challenged like this for the first time. The pheromones he unconsciously released hinted at an unusual intensity. He stared closely at Bai Qing, his chest seemingly burning with endless fire, and a muffled buzzing sound seemed to echo from the depths of his soul.

Xiang Zhuo suddenly chuckled, licking his canine tooth with his tongue: “Anytime.”

In this instant, the feeling of wanting to possess someone reached an unprecedented peak.

Alphas are beasts that choose based on instinct. Xiang Zhuo had always scoffed at this, but only now, at this moment, did he realize that the excitement and tremor deep within his soul had awakened that beast.

The General-level difficulty truly incorporated the combat data of all mecha warriors, as well as the combat records of the Eternal Empire’s five living Generals.

As soon as they entered the battle, both of them were immediately beaten without any power to fight back. Since Xiang Zhuo had genuinely trained hard in the military, he had a slight advantage over Bai Qing in the General-level training.

Bai Qing instantly saw the gap between himself and Xiang Zhuo. Xiang Zhuo’s moves were effective. Whether in defense or offense, even if they didn’t cause substantial damage to the enemy, they earned points. Xiang Zhuo bypassed the process of testing the opponent’s strength and immediately entered the grappling and struggling phase.

He, on the other hand, still needed to expose flaws and test the opponent’s strength.

Bai Qing: “You trained in the military?”

Xiang Zhuo took a punch, the immense impact forcing him to rapidly retreat.

“More than just trained. I was thrown into the military by the old man at the age of five to fend for myself. I trained during the day, had to guard uninhabited zones, and if there were space pirates or civilian rebel organizations, I had to go to the battlefield. At night, I had to study theoretical knowledge. I only returned two years ago, which caused severe lack of sleep during my adolescence. Otherwise, I’d be much taller than I am now.”

Xiang Zhuo spoke lightly. Bai Qing couldn’t help but glance at him: “What was life in the military like?”

Xiang Zhuo smiled: “You can barely call it life; it was more like survival. The Northwest Military is the toughest and most dangerous of the five legions. Outside the garrison is a large uninhabited zone, and who knows what’s out there.”

Bai Qing was hit and retreated again. The score panel still showed a big “0.”

Xiang Zhuo looked at Bai Qing’s still calm face. As if infected, the violent beast in his chest also miraculously quieted down.

If he had known that returning from the Northwest Military would lead him to meet Bai Qing, he would have been willing to stay in that place for ten more years.

“I’ll teach you a method. This method kept me unmatched in the military for five years.”

Bai Qing: “Then how did you finally meet opponents?”

Xiang Zhuo laughed: “They cracked it—there’s a pattern in military training, even applicable to real Generals. Their dynamic vision is very good, just as you told me last time: anticipation is ingrained in their instincts.”

Bai Qing’s block was judged effective, earning him 2 points.

“But they themselves are in constant irregular motion to prevent the enemy from anticipating their movements. Because on the battlefield, standing still makes you a sitting duck…”

Before Xiang Zhuo finished speaking, a high-energy particle cannon shot out, seemingly grazing his ear, and accurately hit one of the enemy’s weak points—the neck.

That area is usually dense with a large number of mental power links. When the power source cannot be targeted, the mecha’s neck is also a very high-yield strike point.

Watching the score on Bai Qing’s scoreboard instantly jump up, Xiang Zhuo curled his lips and whistled.

Bai Qing’s expression remained calm, showing no sign of pride: “What a coincidence. Out of the four physical fitness categories, shooting is my specialty.”

Xiang Zhuo raised an eyebrow. After the Mecha Battle Competition, he once again truly felt Bai Qing’s power.

Bai Qing realized almost instantly that the training in the military was counter-conventional.

In other words, as a non-military mecha warrior, Bai Qing only needed to think from the opponent’s perspective about where they would land. Then, for the next attack, if he targeted the opposite direction, there was at least a $40%$ chance of hitting.

In real combat in the military, the probability might be lower, but it was enough to deal with the high-difficulty training mecha for the mid-term assessment.