Apocalyptic Dragon Riders

Chapter19

The entire campus was massive, with its own small airfield just outside Changchun’s suburbs. If it hadn’t been for the airline’s shuttle dropping him off, Lin Mo figured he would’ve spent hours just trying to find the place.

Clutching his admission notice, he went through a careful security check at the gate before stepping into the sprawling campus. It took him more than twenty minutes of walking to finally find the registration office.

“Lin Mo, this is your dorm number and your meal card. Over the next week you’ll be scheduled for a psychological evaluation and a physical fitness test. If you fail either one, there’s still a chance you’ll be sent home.” The man at the desk—about fifty, half bald with black-rimmed round glasses—looked up from the documents he was reviewing.

“Understood,” Lin Mo replied. It felt a little like being back at the selection for the Dragon Rider Reserve Corps.

“Go out, turn right, walk a hundred meters, then turn left at the intersection. Building 15.” The man gave him a glance. This young man was unusually calm—almost too calm—unlike most new arrivals who came brimming with excitement.

“Thank you.” Lin Mo’s response was short as always. Half a suitcase of luggage, half a suitcase of books—he still wasn’t fully adapted to this world, so better to speak less.

After wandering through the maze-like campus again, he finally found his room: dorm 722, at the top floor of Building 15. As soon as he unlocked the door, a wave of warm air hit him, almost like summer. The northern heating system kept the room much cozier than anything in the south.

“Hey, man! Welcome, welcome!”

A dark-skinned guy about Lin Mo’s age was spinning a basketball in the room, wearing a tank top and shorts. A hoop hung on the wall, and a laptop on the desk was blasting rock music.

When he saw Lin Mo come in, he immediately dropped the ball, rushed over to grab his luggage, and started helping him unpack, all while talking non-stop:

“I’m Lei Dong, from Qinhuangdao! Been here three days already. Guess that makes us roommates. My friends call me Dongzi—you can too. Man, I’ve been bored out of my mind waiting for someone to show up. I love basketball and rock music. You into that? If you are, that’s awesome. If not, don’t worry, I’ll try to keep it down. Don’t judge me by my tan—I’m not some shady dude. I’ve actually got a good personality, believe it or not. And hey, if I was some gangster, there’s no way they’d let me be a pilot. They check your whole family tree for this. I’m red through and through.”

Lin Mo couldn’t help but smile at the guy’s chatter. “Nice to meet you, I’m Lin Mo.”

“Hope I didn’t hog too much space. My old man shoved a ton of stuff into my luggage, and I couldn’t leave my basketball behind—didn’t even deflate it for the trip. It just doesn’t feel the same if you pump it back up later.” Lei Dong started clearing his things off the desk to make room.

“Thanks, I can handle it.” Lin Mo unpacked and set up his bed. The room was small but not cramped for just the two of them. The radiator by the window kept the place toasty; even the bathroom had heating, so you could walk around in summer clothes.

Knock, knock, knock!

“722! Dongzi! I heard we’ve got a new guy. Let’s all grab dinner together tonight so you can meet everyone!” a voice called from outside.

“I’m coming!” Lei Dong bounded across the room like a monkey, dodging water bottles, wastebaskets, and washbasins before opening the door. He turned back to Lin Mo:

“Lin Mo, this is our dorm captain, Chen Haiqing. He’s a good guy—handles all the little stuff for us. We call him Chen Da Ma—Auntie Chen!”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lin Mo.” Lin Mo set down what he was holding and walked over. A fair-skinned young man with a warm smile stood outside.

“How about this—dinner’s on me tonight,” Lin Mo said. “I don’t know any places around here, so I’ll let you pick.” Building good relationships was important, and Lin Mo knew he still had some money saved up from his old life.

“No need, just call me Haiqing. Tonight’s on me! I’m the dorm captain—this is what I do. Think of it as a welcome party. There’s a great Korean dog-meat place nearby. I’ll take care of everything.”

Chen Haiqing had a face like a poster boy, with sharp features and slightly fox-like eyes, but his presence was naturally charismatic, the kind of person born to organize others.

Lin Mo was surprised to be welcomed so warmly on his first day. For someone to be appointed dorm captain of all forty-seven recruits, this guy had to be impressive.

“Lin Mo, don’t even think about paying. Our Auntie Chen here is the real deal—rich second generation. His dad’s the chairman and CEO of a giant conglomerate. When he came to register, he drove up in a Maserati—it’s parked right behind the dorms. He treats us all the time. I’ve barely used my meal card thanks to him. Everyone jokes he’s fattening us up for winter so we’ll owe him later!” Lei Dong grinned, clearly looking forward to dinner.

“Then I’ll gladly accept.” Lin Mo smiled. He knew enough about people like Chen Haiqing to understand that refusing his generosity would just be rude.

“Good man! I like you already!” Chen Haiqing clapped Lin Mo on the shoulder. “I’ll come get you guys at five. I’m in 701—if you need anything, just knock.”

A few blocks from the campus gate, in a narrow side street, was a small Korean restaurant. At dinnertime, over forty students crowded in and filled the entire place. The owner and servers scrambled to push tables together, laying four large round tops over low Korean-style tables.

“Boss! Bring the menus!” Chen Haiqing, leading the group, kicked off his shoes, stepped onto the tatami mat, and took charge of seating everyone.

Menus with colorful pictures were passed around, and Chen called out: “Pick whatever you like—don’t hold back! This is the best spot nearby. Oh, and boss—four big pots of dog meat stew to start with! Make sure it’s enough for everyone.”

Servers rushed out bowls, chopsticks, and boiled peanuts for everyone to snack on.

Soon everyone was flipping through the menu, ordering their favorites—Korean specialties, northeastern classics like chicken stew with mushrooms, cold potato noodles, sauerkraut dishes.

Once the food was ordered, Chen Haiqing stood up and raised his voice: “Let’s welcome our new recruit, Lin Mo! Stand up and say hi—he’s gonna be flying alongside us in the skies!”

“Hi everyone! I’m Lin Mo, from Hangzhou. I love the sky—especially chasing the wind and clouds.”

That simple line drew a round of applause. Every aspiring pilot there could relate to those words.

“Well said! Right from the heart.” Chen grinned. “Come on, everyone—let’s go around and introduce ourselves.”

He gave a look to the guy next to Lin Mo, who grinned and stood. “I’m Fang Weitao, from Taizhou University in Zhejiang. Welcome aboard!”

“I’m Ma Yan, from Xi’an Jiaotong University!”

“I’m Chen Shanshan, from Hainan University!”

One by one, like a chain reaction, everyone stood and introduced themselves, even the few female recruits scattered among the group. After just a few gatherings like this, everyone knew each other by name, and the room buzzed with conversation and laughter.