MRG Chapter 26: Each With Their Own Thoughts

Translator: Bamboo

Editor: yuki_shuichi

In the evening, Mu Chen was lying on the warm and comfortable bed and getting ready to fall asleep.

With a “ding!” sound, the terminal screen suddenly lit up. He turned over and pulled the quilt over his head, not intending to pay attention to the sound.

The atmosphere was silent for a moment, and then the white light came on again. Accompanied by the continuous sound of message notifications, a hand with distinct knuckles finally emerged from the quilt with great reluctance.

Mu Chen sat up from the bedside, opened the screen with his fingertips, and found that it was a stream of notifications coming from their high school private group, where someone was crazily pinging him.

Sheshe Shea: [Ahhhhh, the offer has arrived! 】

Sheshe Shea: [Admission Notice.jpg]

Mu Chen clicked on the picture and found that it was the admission letter signed with big letters “Capital University”.

Capital University was the number one comprehensive university in the Oz Empire, and both he and Shea applied for the early batch of admission to this school.

Reed 111: [I also received it, but it’s a rejection letter…/cry/cry/cry/]

Sheshe Shea: [@Great white shark, Mu Chen, have you finally got yours? 】

Sheshe Shea: [Go and have a look]

Sheshe Shea: [@Great white shark@Great white shark@Great white shark]

Mu Chen exited the chat interface and clicked on his mailbox. As expected, a small red dot appeared in it, with the prefix “Admission Decision.” Without any hesitation, he clicked on the email.

The first line was very eye-catching:

“Congratulations on being admitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering of our school…”

Those blue eyes scanned the admission letter from beginning to end without any emotion.

At the end of the email, there are two buttons below the line “Do you accept your admission?”:

[Yes] and [No].

Mu Chen’s eyes fell on the red and blue buttons. He hesitated for a moment and finally exited the interface.

Returning to the mailbox list, he swiped the screen and looked through it carefully from top to bottom again, even the spam mailbox. His expression was much more focused than when he checked the admission letter before, but after flipping through it several times, there was only one email that had been opened a few days ago, and it showed that the sender was [No. 1 Military Academy].

The content of the letter was, “After many considerations, you have been added to the waiting list of our school. If there are any changes in the future, we will notify you as soon as possible…”

When Mu Chen decided to apply for the military academy, it had already passed its early batch application deadline, and even the regular batch application deadline was approaching. Moreover, he made the decision secretly without telling Light, so he couldn’t let the other party become his recommender.

The admission requirements of military academies were different from those of comprehensive universities. It paid more attention to the background and physical fitness of students than grades. Recommendations were particularly important. The recommendation of a dignified imperial general was naturally much more weighty than that of a random cat or dog, but Light clearly opposed his application for the military academy.

In addition to recommenders and sponsors, Mu Chen’s application also faced other problems. One was that there was no accurate measurement data of his mental strength so far. The other was that most of the activities he did in high school were academic, which was not very important for applying to military schools. Of course, boxing in an underground boxing ring couldn’t be said openly. Compared with other competitors’ various superior simulated mecha driving results, shooting competition medals, and even military service records, Mu Chen’s application appeared lackluster.

Perhaps his only advantage was that he was a merman, which belonged to a rare race, but who knew what those interviewers thought of merfolks.

According to the news that Mu Chen had obtained by browsing the forum earlier, the results of the military academy’s waiting list have been coming out in the past two days, and only a small number of people who have been transferred to the official list would receive notifications from the No. 1 Military Academy.

After confirming that he had not received any notifications in his mailbox, Mu Chen returned to the interface of the chat software. Just in the short time he was checking his mailbox, there were nearly a hundred more chat records in the group, which was enough to show how lively it was on the day of the ranking release.

He clicked on the chat box and entered a line of text very calmly,

Great White Shark: [@Sheshe Shea, I haven’t received the email yet]

Sheshe Shea: [Ah, why is this like this]

Sheshe Shea: [But it’s okay. You are a great white shark, a rare species of Blue Planet. They don’t dare not admit you. At the end of the semester, we will come to the library together and suffer. No one can escape.]

Great White Shark: […]

Mu Chen’s original nickname was “Mu Chen” because too many people always came to add him on social software. Even after he closed the friend application channel, there were still many people in various large groups who liked to tag him randomly. Mu Chen was so annoyed that he simply changed his ID to “Great White Shark ” From then on, the world was indeed a lot quieter.

But the side effect was that now acquaintances in online chats were accustomed to calling him “Great White Shark.” For example, in this group now.

[Which major did Great White Shark apply for? 】

[Mechanical engineering, I think it was]

[Sure enough, this is the major that Great White Shark would apply for]

[I have a friend who also applied for mechanical engineering, and it seems that he got accepted]

……

Looking at the extremely familiar and awkward address, Mu Chen’s eyelids twitched, and he put down the terminal and prepared to continue sleeping.

At this moment, a message pop-up window suddenly crossed the light screen. Even with just a blurry glance, he still caught the flashing envelope logo and the word “Military Academy” in the message feed.

Mu Chen’s pupils tightened, and his heart beat like a drum in his ears. His sleepiness dissipated a lot at this moment. He clicked on the mailbox again, and at a glance, he saw the email at the top from the [No. 1 Military Academy].

The text of the letter was as followed—

“After comprehensive consideration by multiple departments, the application you submitted has passed the preliminary assessment. If you intend to continue applying to this school, please participate in the physical/combat/mental selection at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon. The address is as follows…”

The compact lines of text were reflected in Mu Chen’s eyes. He pursed his lips and there was a smile in his eyes.

……

At noon the next day, just after lunch, Mu Chen and Lance were still sitting there drinking tea, when Light got up from his seat.

Mu Chen looked at the other person’s hand on the coat on the back of the chair, “Gege, are you going out?”

Light picked up his coat. “Mhm, I have to go out for something…”

Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “Have the admission results come out yet? Capital University’s early batch application?”

Mu Chen stopped drinking tea, and then slowly put down the teacup. “Not yet.”

“I heard that all those who were admitted in advance have received their results. Will I be rejected?”

As he spoke, Lance, who was drinking tea, couldn’t help but purse his lips.

“Don’t worry.” Light walked over and patted Mu Chen on the shoulder. “You won’t have any problems. Even if you don’t go to Capital University, you will still have…”

Lance, who was sitting next to him, suddenly laughed.

Light frowned and looked at his unclear smile.

Lance tightened the curve of his lips, “Ah, what I mean is that Da-ge is right, don’t be discouraged, you will definitely get good results.”

“Yeah.” Mu Chen smiled.

Light saw that he didn’t look sad or lost, so he put on his coat and prepared to leave. “I’ll leave first.”

Mu Chen watched him leave. “Okay, Gege, take care.”

……

When Light got on the aircraft, Vice General Levi was already waiting for him inside. He sent a document to Light, “General, this is the final proofread speech. Please take a look at it again.”

“Okay.”

Light lowered his eyes and took the document seriously.

This was the speech he prepared for the admission meeting of the No. 1 Military Academy.

A few days ago, Light received an invitation from his alma mater. The current principal and the school committee hoped that he could serve as a special guest and give a mobilization speech to the new students who intend to enter the military academy.

In fact, the No. 1 Military Academy had always hoped to invite Light to give a speech, but in the past, when Light was away on missions during the admissions season, it could only be ignored.

This time it happened that he was on vacation in the capital, and it was now a sensitive period when hidden dangers on the border had not been eliminated. The importance of the No. 1 Military Academy as a reserve base for transporting talents for the front line could not be ignored, so Light agreed very simply this time.

……

In the military academy arena filled with the smell of hormones and sweat, the red scoring screen kept rolling.

With the sound of “Ding!”, the slogan “The competition is over” appeared on the electronic screen. He shook his head, marked “Fail” in the other applicant’s file, and then signaled the other applicant to step down.

Xavier wiped the sweat from his cheeks. He opened the terminal and looked up his audition ranking panel. It showed that he was ranked fifth in physical fitness, first in combat and mental strength, and temporarily ranked first in overall ranking.

Although today was the official audition, these freshmen who were admitted in advance also needed to participate because the college would make a comprehensive ranking based on the physical, fighting, and mental performance of these freshmen. This ranking would accompany them as they join the military academy together, and would be changed through quarterly assessments and a final elimination system would be adopted.

Xavier grabbed a bottle of sports drink from the ground. When he looked up after replenishing energy, he saw a group of people gathered at the edge of a ring in the distance, and from time to time there would be a few loud cheers.

He frowned in confusion…

What was going on?

So what was the background of the person fighting in there? How come they already had fans while participating in a freshmen audition, but he, who was the number one overall player in the arena, had nobody watching?

At this moment, Xavier’s friend Jeffrey came out from the crowd of onlookers. He stretched out his hand to lift the fence, jumped onto the ring, and met Xavier’s confused gaze, “Do you know what’s going on there?”

Jeffrey raised his eyebrows. “You don’t know? That person was ranked at the bottom of the rankings at the beginning, outside the 100th place. I heard that he was just a substitute candidate, but now he has jumped into the top ten. Damn, you should go and see his reckless playing style—it’s crazy. Also, I’m guessing you two will run into each other sooner or later. ”

Xavier touched his nose doubtfully. Isn’t it just the top ten? Isn’t this kind of boasting too much?

He muttered to himself, “So many people watching over there, he’ll have to take first place…”

“Oh, you’re talking about the crowd of onlookers.” Jeffrey smiled. “Maybe it’s because of his face. Didn’t you see that most of the people who joined in the fun were girls, and they even nicknamed the fighter ‘Long-haired beauty.’”

Xavier frowned. “A girl?”

Jeffrey, “No, a guy.”

Xavier, “…”

A male with long hair?

It was not that he had a problem with men having long hair, it was just that this was a military school. The school had strict requirements for students’ attire that were different from the norm. Girls must tie up their hair meticulously. As for boys, if they insist on keeping their hair long, they are sure to get a scolding from their commander.

While the two were talking, the red light on the arena lit up, symbolizing the end of the competition.

Deafening shouts erupted from the audience again, and Xavier and Jeffrey couldn’t help but look there curiously.

Just as the two of them were looking around, the uniformed officer walked to the bottom of the ring and informed the people above, “Xavier, the next competition is on ring number 7.”

Xavier was stunned for a moment, then jumped down from the ring, “Roger that, sir.”

“F*ck, so fast?” Jeffrey couldn’t help but sigh. “He’s already in the top three, isn’t he?”

“Excuse me, please excuse me,” Xavier muttered in his heart as he squeezed through the crowd of onlookers.

Who was it, causing such a huge noise?

He would like to try it for himself, it would be better if it wasn’t an embroidered pillow or a weakling in the long shot.

He climbed onto the ring and twisted his joints until they creaked with a crack.

Then, the moment he raised his eyes to meet those blue eyes, Xavier’s breathing suddenly stagnated, and the movement of his joints paused in mid-air. He subconsciously retreated towards the fence but was grabbed by the officer supervising the game.

The latter asked sternly, “What are you doing?”

Xavier glanced at Mu Chen from his peripheral vision, who was standing not far away and exuding cold air. Adam’s apple rolled up and down. “Is there a mistake? In that…ranking.”

The officer frowned and said with a dark face, “What’s wrong? He is now in third place. Do you doubt the outcome of the game just now?”

“No…” Xavier smiled at him awkwardly, “I mean, maybe I’m not number one? Right, maybe…”

“It’s impossible.” The officer interrupted him directly, looking at Xavier with a “death stare”, “You are.”

After that, he walked off the ring without looking back and started scoring.

In the increasingly solemn atmosphere, Xavier turned around resignedly and carefully looked at the person standing in front of him.

Mu Chen was wearing a tight-fitting black T-shirt today, and his silver hair was tied into a high ponytail on the back of his head. It seemed that it was because of the steaming heat from the competition just now. His fair cheeks were still a little pink, but those blue eyes exuded a biting chill that subconsciously sent a chill down Xavier’s back.

What was he afraid of?

Xavier provided spiritual guidance for himself in his heart…

Don’t be afraid!

He might just be better at operating mechas, but his fighting might not be that amazing. Besides, how many years ago was their previous competition? After so many years, Mu Chen might have disappeared from everyone’s sight by now.

What are you afraid of?

You coward!

Xavier, who had finished cheering himself up, raised his head again. Mu Chen had already assumed an attack stance.

Xavier tensed his muscles and also entered a fighting state, but his eyes couldn’t help but fall on the opponent’s face, and he was in a trance for a moment…

Damn, his face is so white. Do all merfolks look this fair?

He didn’t put on powder, right?

The next second,

There was a loud “bang!” noise.

Along with the severe pain coming from half of his cheek, Xavier felt like the world was spinning. When he opened his eyes again, he could only see a snow-white ceiling.

Damn…

Why did he hit him in the face directly?

This time, the audience did not applaud Mu Chen. Instead, bursts of sporadic laughter broke out. Because Mu Chen’s punch had no technical content, and the opponent just chose to stand there and be beaten like a stunned wooden stake, it would be rude not to laugh.

The red scoreboard starts rolling…

As the fight came to an end, there was a sound of regular footsteps in the distance. Silence, like an infectious disease, spread suddenly among the crowd surrounding the arena. The crowd of onlookers who had originally joined in the fun fell silent.

The arrival of the Imperial General made everyone straighten their backs and dare not speak out.

Light shouldn’t have come here at this time, but the principal insisted on letting him see the new students, and he was a bit reluctant to refuse.

After entering the arena, he subconsciously looked towards the No. 7 ring, which was surrounded by a tight crowd. The senior military officer on the side immediately guided Light with great discernment. While leading the way, he enthusiastically introduced the brilliant achievements of this new candidate. Describing the other party’s process from bottom place to first place vividly…

Ding! The red light turns on.

Mu Chen pulled the sweaty Xavier up from the ground and glanced casually down the stage. Then he noticed the man in the crowd walking towards the ring, and the familiar face under the person’s military hat.

This glance caused him to meet Light’s eyes, which were looking up at him.

The moment their eyes met, the expression on Mu Chen’s face went blank for a moment.

Light’s brows furrowed slightly as if he wasn’t sure about the scene he just saw. He stared at the ring in disbelief for a long time, and then his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

In the atmosphere that was so stagnant that it could freeze, Levi’s face froze. However, the officer on the side was not aware of this. He also very enthusiastically retrieved Mu Chen’s file for Light. “General, are you interested in this new student?”

Light looked across the screen with a gloomy expression, and saw the words “Prince Lance” written in the recommender column.

Below was a letter of recommendation that praised Mu Chen like crazy.

“…”