Chapter Twelve: The Battle for Class President

“Hmm, some of you are dissatisfied. Good. As scouts—the soldiers on the front line—you have considerable authority. You must use your authority wisely. If an order from above contradicts your judgment, what should you do? Report it. Never make decisions on your own. So, your objections are invalid. Li Daoran remains the squad leader,” Xiong Shan declared in a booming voice.

Xu Xingxing's face was flushed, as if he were about to burst out cursing.

“Xu Xingxing has performed exceptionally. He’ll be vice leader. I hope you and Li Daoran can manage this squad together,” Xiong Shan continued.

“I don’t want it. If I’m to lead, I want to be the squad leader,” Xu Xingxing said.

“You think this is your home? Three hundred push-ups. Start now. If you behave like this again, you can go home,” Xiong Shan stood right in front of Xu Xingxing, his spit spraying across Xu’s face.

Li Daoran raised his little hand and said quietly, “Instructor Xiong, why not let him have the squad leader position? I don’t want it.”

Xu Xingxing felt insulted, sensing that Li Daoran genuinely didn’t care about the title. He immediately began his push-ups, signaling his acceptance of Xiong Shan’s words.

“You think you’re right? If you’re the squad leader and someone objects, that means you’ve failed; you’re not good enough. Five hundred push-ups,” Xiong Shan said.

Li Daoran’s wristwatch lit up with a new order: five hundred push-ups.

He smiled wryly, said no more, and started doing push-ups.

“The rest of you, two hundred push-ups. Both your leader and vice leader are being punished, which shows your group has issues. Start now. Everyone must finish within an hour,” Xiong Shan glanced at the time on his watch.

Xu Xingxing shouted while doing push-ups, “Instructor, it’s my fault, it has nothing to do with them!”

“Everyone, add one hundred more,” Xiong Shan said, expressionless.

The task count on everyone’s watches increased again.

Li Daoran’s expression became even more pained. He’d just returned to Aquamarine, and his genetic serum had been drained dry once more.

He sighed deeply, his helpless mood written all over his face.

“Your leader seems quite unhappy. Is it not enough? Everyone, add another hundred,” Xiong Shan said, still expressionless.

Li Daoran didn’t even bother to complain anymore. He simply felt that Xiong Shan was targeting him—just because he’d twisted his arm yesterday? It hadn’t even broken; was that such a big deal?

“You’ll do push-ups as you listen. Pay attention: if you can’t remember what I say, you’ll fail your end-of-month assessment, and that’s your own problem. Whether you leave this base depends entirely on yourselves.

Most of you may never have left your home planet, perhaps not even your own city. That doesn’t matter. For now, you’re executors. What you need to learn is how to survive the wars that could soon break out.

Everything you want to know, every skill you can learn here, will help you survive on the battlefield. The resources you’re enjoying are unimaginable to outsiders, so cherish this opportunity. I hope some of you will someday make it onto the mech operator rankings or the General Star list.

Here, you are free to choose any course you wish to learn. I am your homeroom instructor. If you have questions, consult your squad leader. Every month there will be a military exercise—a competition between groups. I don’t want you to disgrace me. Otherwise, you’ll realize that I’ve been gentle these past two days. From now on, you won’t gather daily. Tasks will be sent to your watches. Once you finish, the rest of your time is yours. All courses will be shown on your watches, unrestricted by branch. I hope none of you are idiots who can only complete basic tasks. That’s all.”

Xiong Shan walked behind his back, circling each student. As he passed Xu Xingxing and Li Daoran, he even pretended to step on their backsides. “These push-ups aren’t up to standard. Your watches won’t count them. Finish within an hour, or your task won’t be complete. That applies to everyone. You two, at this pace, are you fooling ghosts?

Today, your first task is to finish the required number of push-ups in an hour. Fail, and you’ll get a warning. Three warnings, and you’re out.

Don’t imagine ‘out’ means going home to enjoy life. Not so easy. You’ll all be shipped off to Milan Star to serve as garrison grunts.”

With that, he walked away.

Li Daoran watched Xiong Shan leave and collapsed on the ground, unable to move from his sore arms. Seven hundred push-ups in sixty minutes—twelve per minute. It didn’t sound too hard at first, and he managed well early on, but after ten minutes, he could hardly hold out. The others were tired too, but still pressed on. Glancing at Xu Xingxing, he saw that Xu was doing fourteen push-ups per minute.

“You only need ten a minute. Why are you doing so many?” Li Daoran asked.

“I’m going for eight hundred in an hour. I’m the real squad leader. I’m stronger than you,” Xu Xingxing replied stubbornly, turning to look at Li Daoran—only to find him lying motionless, staring back with dead fish eyes.

He couldn’t help but laugh, but the moment his strength scattered, he too collapsed onto the ground.

The two stared at each other for a while before Xu Xingxing, annoyed, said, “Is this your scheme? You’re conserving energy, deliberately going slow, then disrupting my rhythm so I end up weaker than you? Do you think you’ll succeed? I won’t let you win. I’ll finish my eight hundred before you, just watch.”

With that, he resumed his push-ups.

Li Daoran rolled over and looked up at the sky, muttering, “Well, good luck.”

After resting a while, Li Daoran dusted himself off and said, “I’m off now. Keep it up, Little Star.”

That final “Little Star” broke the composure of all the students behind. They couldn’t help but laugh, and then collapsed one after another. Anyone who’s exercised knows that once your momentum breaks, it’s hard to pick it up again. Everyone looked at Li Daoran with resentment, realizing their earlier efforts were wasted—they’d have to start over.

Xu Xingxing was the most exhausted, blood boiling in his chest, but too tired to move.

“You did it on purpose, Li Daoran. You really are a worthy rival,” Xu Xingxing said weakly.

Li Daoran scratched his head. Xu Xingxing’s name always made him think of “Little Star,” and everyone’s resentful looks made him a bit embarrassed.

He awkwardly explained, “Let me tell you a secret: physical training helps you absorb genetic serum faster. You should feel its effects. More exercise is good for you. Keep at it, everyone.”

Without waiting for their reactions, he quickly escaped their gaze.