Northstar Starship Academy · Class 3-8.
"Well, well — that Zhao Chen of yours in Class 8 didn't turn up for lessons again today. He couldn't have gotten scared and holed up somewhere, not daring to show his face, could he?"
A jeering voice carried, just then, into the Class 8 room during the between-lessons break.
At the sound of it, the cadets in the room all wore looks of displeasure.
There was no need to guess who'd come.
Zhang Haoran of Class 3-2, and his pack of hangers-on.
Ever since Zhao Chen and Zhang Haoran had agreed to their starship duel, Zhang Haoran had taken to coming round the Class 8 room to lord it over them. And having failed several times to catch so much as a glimpse of Zhao Chen — on learning that Zhao Chen had, since that day, taken an extended leave — his arrogance had swelled past all bounds.
He'd decided Zhao Chen had gotten scared of him.
"Zhang Haoran, this is our Class 8's room. If you have no business here, kindly take yourself back to your own Class 2!" A cold-faced girl stepped up before Zhang Haoran and fixed him with an icy look.
"Oh, please — there's no rule in the academy code against visiting another classroom on one's own break. And besides, aren't I here to see your dear classmate Zhao Chen? He's the one who challenged me to a duel, after all — and here it's very nearly the end of June already. I'd hate for him to have forgotten about our duel, is all; I thought I'd come by and give him a little reminder." As Zhang Haoran spoke, his gaze roved over the girl before him — Class 8's reigning beauty, and its class monitor besides: Shen Bing.
Shen Bing said, cold as ice, "Zhao Chen hasn't come to class in over half a month. If you want to find him, find your own way to do it — and don't disturb the rest of us."
"Aiya, now — isn't your Class 8 supposed to be one big team? The way you're carrying on, anyone would think Zhao Chen wasn't a member of Class 8 at all." Zhang Haoran laughed.
At that, the pack of lackeys behind Zhang Haoran fell to jeering one after another.
"If you ask me, that Zhao Chen's gone and gotten scared — hidden himself away where no one can see him."
"Come the end of June it's the holidays; I'd say our lordship the baron means to slink back to his fief with his tail between his legs."
"Spineless coward. If he didn't dare duel, what did he go challenging our Young Master Zhang for in the first place?"
"I say our Young Master Zhang's got a big heart — let that Zhao Chen kneel on the ground and cry out 'Daddy, I was wrong' a few times when the day comes, and we'll call it even. Hahaha…"
Hearing this lot sneering away in the classroom doorway—
—left the cadets of Class 8 badly out of sorts. But there was nothing to be done: the cadets studying in Class 8 were all of ordinary station, their marks average as well.
Whereas Zhang Haoran's Class 2 were, one and all, of good birth.
And so, apart from Shen Bing — the class beauty and monitor, ever proud in temper and outstanding in her marks, who dared to meet them head-on — the other students could only swallow their anger and hold their tongues.
Which was why, in their hearts, the cadets of Class 8 all rather held Zhao Chen at arm's length.
The fellow was simply a walking embarrassment. It was one thing that, lacking ability of his own before, he'd been frozen out within the class — but now he'd gone and stirred up trouble outside besides, dragging the whole lot of them down with him.
A fellow like that would do well to hurry up and withdraw.
"Zhang Haoran, if you've got the nerve, duel me! What kind of skill is it to stand here bawling — and the duel was set for the end of June, so the deadline's not even up yet!" Li Wei, unable to bear it any longer, walked up before Zhang Haoran and let fly.
Though his father, an interstellar merchant, had drummed it into him 1,000 times over that a man ought to conduct himself and his affairs with a low profile—
—here was his sworn brother being mocked and pushed around, and he simply couldn't sit still for it.
"Li Wei — what's this, wanting to stick your neck out for that good-for-nothing brother of yours? Honestly, you're hopeless at choosing your friends. Of all people, a good-for-nothing baron — what use could he possibly be to you?" Zhang Haoran didn't answer Li Wei at all, only went on mocking Zhao Chen.
"You—!" Li Wei's whole face was ablaze with fury.
"Since there's someone here who can't wait to go file his withdrawal papers, then I'll be so kind as to see him to it."
Just then, an unhurried voice drifted in from beyond the doorway.
Every gaze in the room was drawn toward it.
And there was Zhao Chen — unseen for a good stretch of time now — strolling in at his leisure, regarding Zhang Haoran and his crew with a look of open mockery.
The Zhao Chen who'd all but vanished for close to a month had, of all things, appeared!
"Well, well — and here I thought you'd hidden yourself away, too gutless to show your face." Zhang Haoran looked at Zhao Chen with some surprise, though he wasn't the least bit worried.
In his eyes, Zhao Chen was no more than an ant — one he could crush however and whenever he pleased.
"I only took a few days' rest. Never dreamed a certain someone couldn't wait to come looking for a beating. In that case, then, let's set our duel for tomorrow. How about it, Young Master Zhang?" said Zhao Chen, light and unruffled.
Li Wei strode quickly to Zhao Chen's side and murmured under his breath, "Zhao Chen, calm down a little. A starship duel is no small matter — once it begins, there's no such thing as taking it back."
"Rest easy. I know exactly what I'm doing." Zhao Chen clapped Li Wei on the shoulder.
"Set fast in your folly, are you. Then let's formally fix the hour of the duel." Zhang Haoran produced his own cadet ID card and looked at Zhao Chen in challenge.
Zhao Chen didn't hesitate, and drew out his own ID card as well.
Under the watching eyes of everyone present, the two of them formally nailed down the time of the duel.
10 o'clock tomorrow morning, at the Northstar Starship Academy's No. 2 starship simulation-duel arena.
"Since it's all settled, then trouble yourself to take these running-dogs of yours and clear off. Don't disturb my classmates at their studies." Zhao Chen issued his eviction notice.
Zhang Haoran's lackeys glared, eyes round with rage — that a good-for-nothing like Zhao Chen dared curse at them.
Zhang Haoran held his lackeys back. The date of the duel was fixed now; there was no need to waste more breath here. All he had to do was wait for the duel and win it before the eyes of the crowd, and this lordship the baron would be stripped of every last shred of face, sent slinking off in disgrace to withdraw.
"Then I'll be looking forward to a splendid battle tomorrow. Do try not to go vanishing on me again when the time comes." Zhang Haoran didn't forget one last needling remark, then turned and left with his people in tow.
Calm and composed, Zhao Chen went back to his seat.
The other cadets in the room were, at that moment, buzzing among themselves — the great majority of it cold, cutting talk.
"Zhao Chen's truly gone off his head. What ability does he have to go dueling Zhang Haoran?"
"It's not even certain he has a ship. And I hear that Zhang Haoran's got himself a brand-new T2!"
"It'd be one thing if Zhao Chen just disgraced himself and withdrew — but dragging our whole Class 8 into the shame with him, that's on him."
To all of this, Zhao Chen turned a deaf ear. Only a result could stop these people's mouths.
Li Wei, seated beside Zhao Chen, was just about to speak when someone else spoke first.
"If a person hasn't strength enough of his own, then no matter what he does, it's wrong. You are a member of our Class 8, and I have no wish to see you nailed to the pillar of shame. Your sister is a prodigy student. Working through her connections ought to be enough to smooth this over." Shen Bing stood before Zhao Chen, her voice cold.
Zhao Chen looked at this commoner-born beauty of a class monitor. "So you don't believe I can win either, Monitor?"
"What do you think?" Shen Bing shot back, without the least softening.
Zhao Chen shrugged. "Then let's wait and see, shall we."
Seeing there was no moving him, Shen Bing let the cold in her eyes deepen further, turned, and left.
"Old Zhao, are you really going to duel Zhang Haoran?" Li Wei looked at Zhao Chen in earnest.
"Certain, sure, and not un-affirmed." Zhao Chen had grown a touch weary of the question.
For the sake of moving freely in the days to come, it was about time he gave them a glimpse of his strength.
Li Wei looked at Zhao Chen, and felt that this brother of his had, from about a month ago, changed a very great deal in temperament. "Well, since you've made up your mind, then here's what we'll do. Tomorrow you'll go into battle with my T2 Hyena. My deputy captain is a starship captain with 20 years' worth of T2 combat experience in the imperial navy. All you'll need to do is hand the whole thing over to him."
"You needn't worry about it. I've got a ship of my own," said Zhao Chen helplessly.
"Those three junk… ships you redeemed… how in the world could they win!" The sight of Zhao Chen, past all persuading, had Li Wei truly beside himself with worry.
Zhao Chen knew there was no getting through to Li Wei by explanation now, so he said no more, found some pretext, and left the classroom.
By now there was, in all likelihood, not a single soul who believed Zhao Chen would win this duel.
Then Zhao Chen would simply win — and make every last one of them watch!