Chapter 84 - Library (1/2)

Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales

Ye Jingshan stood onstage in his Adjudicator Union uniform bearing a face as cold as a frozen lake. He coughed twice before addressing the auditorium in his severe voice. “First, I’d like to welcome everyone on behalf of Endaro Star Region’s Heaven Execution Training Camp. I am your battalion commander, Ye Jingshan.

“This year, the training camp accepted a total of 13,174 cadets, a number which, historically speaking, was the most we’ve taken in. Still, I should tell you that fewer than five thousand can usually finish this five-year course without getting eliminated!”

Murmurs could be heard in the auditorium. Ye Jingshan’s statement was like a severe reprimand, splashing a basin of cold water on these fresh hopefuls.

After a moment’s pause, Ye Jingshan continued speaking. “There’s one important rule in Heaven Execution Training Camp that no one can violate, and that is never to use any thermal weapons! If anyone is to go against this stipulation, they’ll be immediately removed from the training camp—no exceptions!”

“Adjudicators are part of the Pan-Human Alliance and are considered as one of the largest elite warrior organizations in the universe. A true warrior can win through their strength and doesn’t need to rely on external power!” Ye Jingshan demonstrated great vigor, his hand balling up into a fist as he spoke.

“I believe everyone here has heard of what happened to the ancient civilization; why would a once glorious civilization be destroyed overnight? That’s because living beings at that time relied too much on machines, relied too much on AIs, as a result of their underestimation of their capabilities! We must definitely not let a repeat of that tragedy!

“Everyone, keep that in mind. If we wish to lay a stake in this sea of stars where dangers abound, we can only rely on ourselves!

“I’ll admit that thermal weapons are very powerful, but they’re also very dangerous! Its emergence has eliminated the need for warriors to a large degree, but facts have proven that when warriors reach the pinnacle of their strengths or talents, it is entirely possible for them to take on these mechas which have no regard for their targets!

“If you are content with being a normal warrior, then I suggest you leave this training camp immediately, for you don’t fit this place.

“In contrast, if your goal isn’t so simple, striving to become an elite warrior, then I welcome you to this training camp with open arms! Accept the suffering from the searing flames of hell! Torture your body and flog your spirits!

“You’ll turn into a well-respected warrior—someone who won’t need any help and can take on enemies with their bare hands… A true warrior!”

The cadets in the auditorium got very excited, their blood boiling inside them. Each face turned red from their fire, their chests thumping vigorously.

Technology would forever be every living being’s bane. When talking about the level of technological advancement, the modern-day civilization was far from what the ancients had achieved, but the highly advanced ancient civilization was decimated by the very robots they had created.

The people of this day and age had risen from the ashes of their near-annihilation following the robots’ departure, and such a history had been etched into the mind of every survivor of that apocalyptic event. It was akin to a fish that knew how to swim upon birth; the movement to swim had already been ingrained in them and there was no way to wash it away.

Now that they were at the stage of great development again, their technological level was closer to the ancient civilization, though the closer they were, the scars left by the ancient civilization ached all the more.

A warrior who used thermal weapons would forever be a mere warrior, never reaching the standards of an elite fighter their entire life.

The world respected elite warriors who could take on what their ancestors had once relied on—a simple construct of primitive weapons—by relying solely on their strengths!

Through their continued success at tapping into their seventh brain region, mankind had proven that a top-tier warrior would be equally capable of destroying heavens and earth without utilizing thermal weapons!

Anyone who got the chance to visit the Pan-Human Alliance’s headquarters would see the famous motto of the great philosopher Kriens: ‘We are wielders of technology, but we will never become slaves to it!’

Xia Fei had once heard Phantom speak of it, so he had some knowledge regarding the ancient civilization. The technology was like a double-edged sword; the ancient civilization thought that they would have no worries using technology, never pursuing to improve their capabilities; as a result, their bodies gradually weakened.

That was why when that crisis occurred, the unprepared beings easily collapsed. It usually took eons for a civilization to emerge, yet the ancient civilization had collapsed in the span of a night.

Organizations like the Adjudicators Union and Monastic Order, who were basically the inheritors of the ancient civilization, tasked themselves with creating elite warriors capable of protecting the modern civilization with their bare hands.

Thus, it was easy to explain why Heaven Execution Training Camp had a no-tolerance rule regarding the usage of thermal weapons.

Ye Jingshan felt satisfied with the fighting spirits this batch of cadets was demonstrating at the moment, for he extended his hand next to beckon Xiao Haili and his three-man team over.

“As is customary, the Union supports the training camp by sending an elite group of warriors every year to oversee the imparting of practical combat knowledge and introducing some situations that the organization’s inner workings are presently facing to everyone in this camp.”

“This year, we have lucked out. I’m sure many of you have heard of the Executive department’s Team 13?” asked Ye Jingshan.

“The Magnificent 13?”

“The so-called Team 13 that has a ninety-nine percent success rate in the Executive department?”

“That strike team that is very famous?”

Discussions abound among the students, most of them pleasantly surprised by the arrival of such a famous team here.

“That’s right; the Union sent The Magnificent 13 as this year’s special instructors in the training camp; they will be here for a four-month-long assignment, so I hope that everyone will use this opportunity to consult with them as much as possible.”

…

Xia Fei did not really pay attention to the latter half of the ceremony as an inexplicable sense of worry filled his mind.

Xiao Yu’s disappearance, his ambush on Xiao Yong, and that mysterious insider—all clues did not have a direct correlation to Xiao Haili, yet Xia Fei inexplicably felt that there was something fishy about him. Perhaps he was just being paranoid and the guy had nothing to do with Xiao Yu’s disappearance, but the point was Xia Fei’s mind was growing more confused as he thought of it to the point that he felt out of sorts.

Through the information he had gathered via the interplanetary internet, Xia Fei learned that Xiao Haili and Xiao Yong were distant relatives. In terms of appearance, Xiao Haili could be considered a model Adjudicator, strong and upright; he had a kind disposition and was highly regarded by the public and his peers.

Still, Xia Fei always felt that the guy was too good and too clean. There was no such existence in this universe; be it a person or a thing, one would always have flaws.

The more perfect Xiao Haili was, the more Xia Fei felt that he had a problem.

Xia Fei did not return to the dormitory with Chen Dong and the others after leaving the auditorium. He avoided the throng by taking a foreign and quiet path, of which he had no idea where it was leading but did not mind it.

There were American sycamore trees growing on either side of this path, and since it was fall, dry and yellow leaves randomly drifted into the air before falling onto the ground.

No one cared to clear the path of the dead leaves, which apparently made the place feel all the more lonely and desolate.

Without even realizing it, Xia Fei had arrived at the end of the path, and in front of him was a white hexagonal building of about three stories, which covered a sizable plot of land.