High school admissions were in full swing, but Mao Yisheng had nothing to do with them anymore. The end of the college entrance exams also signified that the new season of the Beast League was about to start, and he would soon need to report to the club.

During this time, a staff member from the club had been in touch with him, taking care of all matters.

This could hardly be called "valuing" him, since the club's head coach and manager hadn't even shown their faces. It also reflected that the gossip Chen Gu had seen on the forums wasn't baseless—Battle Fire Club was indeed in contact with some star players, and all their attention was on them.

But Mao Yisheng wasn't disheartened and was still full of confidence.

He had a clear understanding of his position—he wasn't some "Chosen One" who could cause a sensation across the Alliance as soon as he joined. He was talented, but not spectacularly so.

What he needed to do was proceed steadily and aim to be one of the stable main players in a major club.

That path was long and full of hardship, but now, with Chen Gu's help, he felt even more confident. During this time, he had been strictly following the training plan given by the club's staff.

As the final deadline for admissions approached, Mao Yisheng also knew that the moment to truly part ways with everyone was imminent. He called Darkray, "How's it going on your end? Did you get in?"

His original intention was to invite Darkray out and treat Chen Gu to a meal—without saying anything, the gratitude would be clear.

Mao Yisheng understood Darkray's predicament all too well: he couldn't get into the good schools, and the lesser ones weren't enough to satisfy his ambition.

The two had been on the phone often these last few days, with Darkray frequently venting his frustrations. But today, Darkray said incredulously, "I—I got admitted to the Seventh Engineering Military Academy on Capital Star!"

Mao Yisheng obviously knew about the Seventh Engineering Military Academy and exclaimed with surprise, "You mean *the* Seventh Engineering Military Academy that trains Mecha pilots and is ranked among the top five in the entire Star Nation?!"

"Which other one could it be?" On the other end of the phone, Darkray rolled his eyes. "But... I'm really confused. You know my grades. Even if I had been hopeful and aimed a bit higher, I would have applied to some third-rate military academies, but the Seventh Engineering Military Academy is a top-tier military academy! I... I didn't even dare to apply, and my scores were far from enough, so how did I get admitted?"

Mao Yisheng said excitedly, "Why worry about all that? That's the Seventh Engineering Military Academy, man! Hahaha, you're going to become the Mecha pilot you've always dreamed of!"

"But... what if there's been a mistake and they kick me out..." Darkray started to worry.

Mao Yisheng scoffed, "Don't be so negative! Come out for dinner tonight. Let's invite Brother Chen too."

"Okay." Darkray figured staying home alone would just make him more anxious, so it was better to go out and gather with friends.

This time, they finally didn't meet up at Xianwei Residence but chose a restaurant closer to Chen Gu.

Upon meeting, Chen Gu immediately asked Darkray, "Did any military schools admit you?"

Darkray smiled strangely. "Actually, yes. The Seventh Engineering Military Academy."

Mao Yisheng, more attentive, noticed that Chen Gu had specifically asked about "military schools."

Chen Gu nodded. Marshal Bai really delivered. The Seventh Engineering Military Academy… quite impressive.

Seeing Chen Gu's lack of surprise, a bold guess popped into Mao Yisheng's mind—he wouldn't have entertained such a speculation if Chen Gu hadn't gotten him the Connector Type-V.

"Brother Chen, was it you who helped out?"

Darkray was startled. He remembered telling Chen Gu how unwilling he was to settle for less, but Chen Gu was just a high school student. Could he really have arranged admission to the Seventh Engineering Military Academy? He looked at Chen Gu with confusion.

Chen Gu, in turn, thought for a moment and decided to clarify things to avoid any issues after enrollment.

"I did ask someone about it," Chen Gu nodded, looking at Darkray. "But I'm afraid that's all the help they can provide. Once you're in the Seventh Engineering Military Academy, everything is up to you. If you fail too many courses and get kicked out, there's nothing I can do."

"It really was you…" Darkray was greatly surprised and then nodded repeatedly. "Don't worry. Even if it costs me my life, I *will* graduate successfully. Being a Mecha pilot—that's my lifelong dream! I won't let this opportunity slip through my fingers, no matter what."

Chen Gu gave a slight nod. It was good that Darkray was sensible.

Just at that moment, Mao Yisheng's private account emitted a crisp notification sound. He accessed it, appearing quite surprised. Darkray asked, "What happened?"

With a swipe of his hand, Mao Yisheng projected a screen in front of the two, displaying the official social media account of the Battle Fire Club he was following.

In a very short time, the official social media account posted two updates in quick succession. The top update read: Battle Fire Club has just signed two star players, "Thunderbolt" Meng Guangzhi and "Storm" Kostia, for massive transfer fees of 240 million and 210 million, respectively!

Both were Alliance front-line stars, just short of superstar status, and Battle Fire Club suddenly became much stronger.

Following that very eye-catching news, there was another update: next season, the club would relocate to Capital Star.

Mao Yisheng was mentally prepared for the club signing star players and didn't react much to the first piece of news. Instead, he was delighted with the second. "Hahaha, the three of us can reunite on Capital Star again!"

Darkray cheered. They all assumed that Chen Gu had surely already been accepted by the Tiangong Military Division, so they didn't even bother to ask.

However, a pall of gloom couldn't help but settle over Chen Gu's heart.

「The next day.」

Upon waking up, Chen Gu's first action was still to check the admission page of the Tiangong Military Division. It hadn't been updated for a long time, and his name still wasn't there.

This is surreal, Chen Gu thought. Am I going to be the first top scorer in the history of the college entrance exams to be rejected?

What exactly went wrong?

Today was the last day for admissions, and Chen Gu was starting to lose his nerve. If the Tiangong Military Division doesn't want me, other schools... would be fine too, I suppose.

But he had only applied to the Tiangong Military Division. When he checked his admission status again, it was still blank. Presumably, other schools also didn't expect the Tiangong Military Division to reject me.

Does this mean I'll really have to attend some place like National Second Agricultural and Forestry University...?

He waited until evening, but his name still hadn't appeared on the Tiangong Military Division's admission page. Unable to wait any longer, Chen Gu braced himself and made another call to Bai Yunpeng. "Marshal Bai… do you know someone at the Tiangong Military Division?"

He had already troubled Bai Yunpeng several times, and it was truly a bit embarrassing to ask again.

Bai Yunpeng was quite forthright. "What's the matter?"

"Could you help me find out why I haven't been admitted yet?"

Bai Yunpeng's answer, however, surprised him. "You've already been admitted!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.