His Match Is an Interstellar Monster

Chapter 26: Mech Academy (Minor Revisions)

The next day.

Xiao Sa and Landis had breakfast together in the dining room.

Landis used a butter knife to spread butter on his toast, occasionally glancing at Xiao Sa, who ate his breakfast in silence.

After a moment's thought, Landis spoke up. "Last night, you mentioned wanting to go to the Mech Academy to study mechs. I've considered it, and it's not entirely impossible. However, you must promise not to stay on campus. You must come home every day, and I'll arrange for bodyguards to escort you."

Xiao Sa looked at him, surprised. Landis actually remembered?

Landis said, "Don't be upset. I'm just concerned that your condition might not be suitable for a military school; your body might not handle it."

Xiao Sa, picking out the peas he disliked, pretended to serve Landis, secretly placing them on his plate. He shook his head and said, "I'm not angry. After all, you're not obliged to agree to every request I make."

Landis ignored his picky eating habit. "Then why haven't you spoken to me since last night?"

Xiao Sa casually replied, "I was a bit upset last night, but after a good night's sleep, I've forgotten about it."

Landis was silent for a moment and then asked, "What if I don't agree?"

Xiao Sa shrugged. "Then I'll find another solution."

Landis sighed inwardly, stood up, and made a few phone calls. When he returned, he said, "In a few days, I'll have someone arrange a spot for you as a transfer student."

Xiao Sa, with a piece of bread in his mouth, generously gave him a smile and mumbled, "That's great, thanks."

Landis thought to himself that young people are often enthusiastic for only a short while. Perhaps Xiao Sa's interest was fleeting, and when he found the military academy's training too rigorous, he would realize that Landis was looking out for his well-being.

※※※

A few days later.

Xiao Sa and Landis sat in the back of the flying vehicle, with the driver steadily navigating in the front. The Capital Mech Academy was about an hour's flight from the city where Wenser Estate is located.

Xiao Sa looked at Landis. "You don't have work today? I can go by myself."

Landis, eyes focused straight ahead, opened his light computer to handle today's meeting agenda and said, "It's your first day of school today. I'll personally see you off."

Xiao Sa sighed inwardly, Lan Dis was really being overprotective in his care for him. But one day he would tell him that he wasn't a low-level, nor was he a terminally ill disabled individual.

He wondered if Lan Dis's expression would be one of surprise or shock that day.

The butler handled Xiao Sa's admission procedures. As one of the shareholders of the Capital Mech Academy, the Wen family's admission process had no obstacles, and he smoothly became a transfer student in Class A of the Mech Piloting major.

Xiao Sa was led into the classroom by the dean of students.

The spacious tiered classroom had nearly 30 students. Some were sleeping, others playing with their data pads, and they all turned to look at him.

The dean briefly introduced Xiao Sa and left after reminding the teacher.

The students in the class boldly scrutinized Xiao Sa and whispered among themselves.

Those more informed had already discovered that he was the C-class disabled individual who had "married" into the Wen family and become the partner of General Lan Dis.

A student at the back, dressed in an unbuttoned uniform, stared at Xiao Sa's face for a while. "I heard his compatibility with General Lan Dis is 100%. With that face, it’s no surprise he caught his eye."

His classmate curiously asked, "Didn’t we hear that the Wen family was planning to arrange a marriage with your Lot family?"

The student sneered. "It was just my father’s fantasy. Who would’ve thought my useless little brother would make a fool of himself in front of General Lan Dis and everyone else? He's already been sent back to the lesser planets by my father."

Xiao Sa ignored their whispers and found an empty seat. His desk automatically raised a light screen, displaying the mech major course schedule and theoretical textbook content.

He was far from unfamiliar with mechs. On the contrary, back on his home planet, he had excelled in his mech courses.

However, on this planet, because of the different language and operating systems, Xiao Sa was temporarily unable to operate the current mechs.

He opened his data pad and asked Haino to retrieve the mech major textbooks. He also had a comprehensive glossary of technical terms next to him for reference.

Someone behind him whispered derisively, "Is he a complete novice? He actually needs to check a dictionary."

"I heard he's from a lesser planet and somehow rose to prominence due to his 100% compatibility with Haino."

Xiao Sa was concentrating on reviewing the textbooks and tracking the current course progress when Haino's voice gently reached his ears.

"Xiao Sa, someone behind you is insulting you. Do you want me to shut down their data pads to get even with them?"

Xiao Sa covered his mouth helplessly. "No need to do anything unnecessary. I just want to focus on understanding the mech system on this planet."

He looked around and found that most of the students weren't paying attention at all. Some were even fast asleep in the back row. However, the professor seemed oblivious and continued lecturing.

The first class of the day was Mech History. Although Xiao Sa was a transfer student, fortunately, the semester had just begun. He hadn't missed much coursework.

Students at the Capital Mech Academy range in age from 18 to 25. Even those who had previously attended other higher education institutions could enter the academy through an examination.

This year’s mech major has five classes. Xiao Sa’s class, however, had only 30 students.

Moreover, the admission exam for the mech major at the Capital Mech Academy was extremely strict, and the yearly tuition of 500,000 was beyond the means of ordinary people. Only exceptionally talented students who earned scholarships could have their tuition waived.

Xiao Sa discreetly asked Haino via his terminal, "Why does this school differ so much from what I expected?"

Haino: "Class A is specifically for imperial nobles to enhance their resumes. The curriculum is very basic, making it ideal for you."

Xiao Sa raised an eyebrow. "A class to enhance resumes?"

Haino: "Class A doesn’t require the daily military physical training that other classes do. The exams are also different. You only need to complete the three-year curriculum to receive a graduation certificate. Other classes, however, require rigorous entrance exams. In addition to two years of specialized courses, there is also a year of field practice. To graduate, you must complete a final project."

Xiao Sa curled his lips. No wonder Landis agreed to let me attend. He enrolled me in a noble class.

Typical of you, Landis.

Haino: "All four major academies on Central Star have similar classes, tailored for the children of noble families."

Xiao Sa fell silent. How did I end up being considered a spoiled child?

Haino chuckled. "Who let you in through the back door without taking the entrance exam?"

Xiao Sa shook his head. "Three years until graduation is too long."

Haino: "According to school regulations, if you complete the exclusive graduation project ahead of time, you can still receive your graduation certificate and mech pilot license."

Xiao Sa reviewed his schedule and noticed that almost no field practice was scheduled. Most days were dedicated to theoretical learning, with only occasional mech operation training. Furthermore, classes were held only three days a week.

Xiao Sa was speechless. These well-connected students aren’t here to study, which explains why the academy treats them differently.

After class, Xiao Sa took his schedule and rushed up to the podium, stopping the professor who was about to leave.

"Yes, student? What do you need?" the professor asked patiently.

He knew that this new transfer student was personally sent by General Landis, who was known as the "Sword of the Empire."

Although he didn't know why General Landis would send his newlywed partner to learn about mecha, the student in front of him was certainly not someone to be underestimated.

He had seen similar students before; they would typically stay for a few days and leave once they lost interest.

"Professor, can you tell me why our class doesn't have field practice courses, and why there are no scores for the monthly grade combat exams?"

The professor said meaningfully, "Field practice courses are high-risk and prone to injuries. Class A is a foundational class and isn't suitable for participation. For the monthly combat exams, you need to register yourself. If you don't register, you won't receive any scores."

"Can I transfer to a regular class?"

The professor shook his head, "Only students who passed the formal entrance exam can do that. However, you are a transfer student."

Xiao Sa still didn't give up, "Then how can I participate in field practice and get an internship position in the Exploration Legion?"

"Exploration Legion?" The professor looked at him in surprise and couldn't help but laugh, "That's far too dangerous for you. The Exploration Legion needs to go to other planets and might face unknown creatures at any time, with a significant risk of injury."

Unknown creatures? Xiao Sa got excited. That's precisely what he was seeking.

The professor said, "Only if the class's total score exceeds the grade's average can you secure a position."

Xiao Sa replied with an "Oh" and casually asked, "So what rank is Class A currently?"

The professor twitched his lips and said, "First, but it's the last."

Xiao Sa rubbed his nose. This could be quite troublesome. He was confident in his own abilities, but seeing the 30 slackers in his class who didn't even join the physical training, he suddenly felt that the future looked grim.

Haino whispered a bad idea in his ear, "You just need to beat all the other students to the hospital. Then your class will only have you left."

Xiao Sa: "..." You're really sharp!

According to the regulations, every student in the mecha piloting program can bring their own mecha. If they don't have one, they can use a standard mecha provided by the school.

Landis had already commissioned a customized C-grade mecha for him, which has performance nearly on par with a B-grade mecha but only requires C-grade mental energy to operate.

While he couldn't fully utilize its potential, it was already an excellent toy.

※※※

After having lunch, Xiao Sa arrived at the mech maintenance and repair base.

In the maintenance base, a group of robots bustled among the various mechs. Controlled by the maintenance personnel, they performed routine maintenance and repairs on the students' mechs.

Feng Yu was a student in this year's freshman Class B. He was admitted to the Capital Mech Academy with the top overall score, and after a significant portion of his tuition was waived, the remaining fees were still a stretch, so he was now working part-time at the Capital Military Base to earn some living expenses.

Feng Yu's spirit entity was a woodpecker, highly attuned to mental energy, with exceptional hearing. He could detect subtle mechanical faults using his heightened senses.

Since childhood, he had dreamed of owning his own mech, dreaming of piloting it and becoming a civilian hero like Laite Wenser.

He was also from the lower planets and had no idea how much effort it took to gain admission to the Capital Mech Academy.

Among the new batch of mechs that arrived today, his favorite was a silver-white mech.

The sleek design lacked unnecessary embellishments, and under the lights, it emitted a noble, moonlit glow.

This was a modified mech. Obviously, the person who modified it was a master, maximizing performance while lowering the operational threshold—even a C-class pilot could operate it.

A nameplate hung beneath the mech, inscribed with "First Year Class A, Xiao Sa."

A new transfer student who had just enrolled. He furrowed his brow. Even though he didn’t like participating in idle gossip, he had overheard other students talking about this new transfer student—the newlywed partner personally brought by General Landis—who was merely a C-class disabled individual.

Although also from the lower planets, he had faced immense challenges to gain admission to the Capital Mech Academy with a double-A mental energy rating.

Yet this person only required a 100% compatible marriage to obtain the mech he had long desired.

Meanwhile, he could only opt for the most basic standard-issue mech provided by the school. With his double-A mental energy rating, he couldn’t fully leverage his strengths.

This was likely what it meant to be from the nobility.

He opened his thermos, took a sip, and set it aside.

Although he had little interest in these spoiled scions, he still diligently performed a basic inspection on the new mech, only hanging the "inspected" sign after confirming there were no issues.

As he turned around, he almost bumped into a man's chest.

Looking up, he saw a tall man dressed in white casual sportswear.

The man pulled down his hood, revealing short dark brown hair. He wore a black mask that outlined the bridge of his nose, and his amber eyes, with an indifferent smile, looked down at him.

"Classmate, this is my mech. Can I go in and take a look now?"

The person was Xiao Sa. Feng Yu frowned slightly but said nothing, just stepping aside. "Be my guest, it has already been inspected."

Xiao Sa nodded, first unlocking with his ID and iris scan, then binding his mental frequency. The cockpit door opened, and he nimbly climbed in.

This was the second time he had sat in a mech’s cockpit alone; the first time was in the virtual arena.

Xiao Sa opened the basic manual for mech operations, studying the operating system while attempting a mental connection.

His vast mental network covered every neural port inside the cockpit. With a "thud," the kinetic energy device showed full power.

Xiao Sa confidently pressed the start button according to his operating habits, ready to take the mech for a casual stroll. Unexpectedly, as soon as he moved, the mech lost balance and toppled over.

It nearly crashed into Feng Yu in front—luckily, he dodged quickly.

Inside the cockpit, Xiao Sa said sincerely, "Sorry, newbie driver. Are you okay?"

Feng Yu looked at him with a frown. "I’m fine."

Thinking about how his favorite new mech belonged to someone like this, it was truly a case of a brilliant gem being wasted.

Xiao Sa hadn’t operated a real mech in a long time, and he was extremely excited to check each control on the console.

For some reason, Feng Yu didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he stood there, watching the silver-white mech start to walk awkwardly.

It jumped up and then fell down. Even standing outside with his eyes closed, he could imagine how reckless Xiao Sa was inside the cockpit.

Seeing the white mech stumble like a baby learning to walk, almost splitting its legs, Feng Yu finally couldn’t take it anymore.

He couldn’t help but walk to the side of the white mech and spoke in a low voice, "Beginners shouldn’t use both hands and feet at the same time. Start by exerting force from your feet. Don’t try to run before you can walk."

What if this beautifully rare custom mech got damaged from such rough handling?

Xiao Sa, inside the cockpit, was stunned, not expecting this classmate to be so kind.

He asked, "Are you a student here as well?"

Feng Yu replied, "I’m a student in Class B. I’m here doing part-time work to support myself."

Xiao Sa nodded, saying, "I'm a new transfer student here today. I've missed a few classes. Could you help me catch up?"

Xiao Sa didn’t think it was inappropriate to seek advice from a younger student.

If he recalled correctly, the tuition at this academy was extremely high, and students qualified for work-study were those who excelled in selection assessments.

If he could receive one-on-one guidance from a top student, he would consider himself fortunate.

Feng Yu refused outright. "I'm just a student. If you have questions, you should ask the teachers."

He found it ridiculous. Why would someone like him seek advice from someone like me?

Seeing that Feng Yu was unwilling, Xiao Sa didn't push. He continued to refer to the manual and practice the basic operations on his own.

He found that the way people in this star system used their mental frequency to control mechs was inefficient. For instance, he could issue five commands per second, but the mech would only execute three.

He didn’t know the cause, maybe it was due to the low level of the mech, or perhaps it had to do with the way people here used their mental frequency.

He had to reduce his mental frequency to achieve resonance with the mech.

Even though Feng Yu had refused Xiao Sa, when he saw the horrendous operation of the silver mech, his body honestly couldn't help but point out Xiao Sa's mistakes.

When he snapped out of it, he realized an hour had passed.

His mental entity, a woodpecker, flew around the silver mech, pecking a couple of times before being called back by its owner to land on his shoulder. It fluttered incessantly and even tried to peck its owner.

Feng Yu felt a headache coming on. The supply of inhibitors he had for the month was down to just a few vials; he would have to use them sparingly.

Xiao Sa noticed the woodpecker, which seemed to be itching to peck at anything it saw, and couldn't help but ask, "Your mental entity doesn't seem too comfortable."

Feng Yu replied coldly, "None of your business. I'm leaving."

Xiao Sa jumped out of the mech control room, picked up the thermos flask that Feng Yu had dropped, and casually took a B-grade inhibitor vial from his pocket, adding a single drop to the water.

"You forgot your water bottle."

Feng Yu pressed his aching temples, turned around, took the water bottle from Xiao Sa, quickly thanked him, and left.

As he was leaving, Xiao Sa’s lazy voice drifted from behind. "Thanks a lot, kid. Will I see you here next time?"

Feng Yu faltered a bit in his steps. That person was barely a few years older than him, and yet he had the nerve to call him "kid"? What an odd fellow.

※※※

At the end of the school day, when Xiao Sa left the school, a driver arranged by Landis was waiting at the gate. He took the vehicle back to Wenser Estate, and dinner was ready by the time he got there.

Landis, who had been very busy with work, had rushed back to share a meal with him before returning to his study to deal with paperwork.

It wasn’t until bedtime that Landis came back to the bedroom from his study.

Seeing Xiao Sa still diligently writing, reviewing his class notes and summarizing his experiences, Landis's surprise was evident.

This was the first time he realized that Xiao Sa was so diligent when it came to studying.

"How was your first day at school? Tired?"

Xiao Sa turned his head at the sound of his voice, lazily stretching his arms. "It went pretty well. My classmates are serious and dedicated. The teachers were enthusiastic in answering all my questions. And the best part is, the mechs are really cool."

Landis raised his eyebrows in confusion. If he recalled correctly, the noble class that Xiao Sa had transferred into was notorious for being full of rich, spoiled kids. The idea that they would be hardworking was a joke.

Landis spoke with a complex expression, "Don’t overwork yourself."

Xiao Sa put away the notes he had used that day and turned around, full of confidence. "My goal is to join the Exploration Legion. I can’t afford to slack off if I want to achieve that."

After a brief moment of surprise, Landis chuckled. "Not a bad dream. Young people are always fearless, like a young bull unafraid of tigers."

"But joining the Exploration Legion isn’t a game, and the number of spots available each year is very limited. You don’t know how competitive it is, and it’s dangerous and not really suitable for you."

He hadn’t realized that Xiao Sa was so adventurous and restless.

Isn’t he treating him well enough? Why did he always want to run off?

Xiao Sa raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. He seemed to understand a little why Landis’s adjutant had once secretly complained about him scaring away potential marriage partners.

Landis treats him well, but it seemed more out of a sense of marital duty. His kindness carried an inherent arrogance and machismo. He didn’t truly understand him.

Of course, there was no need to blame him for that. After all, Xiao Sa had hidden many things himself.

"It's getting late. Time for bed," Landis said, pointing to the wall clock, which had just struck 11 PM.

Xiao Sa finished gathering his belongings and walked over to the side of the bed, folding his arms and looking down at Landis, who lay on the bed.

The lines from his brow bone to his nose were remarkably defined. The soft, yellow light in the bedroom created two shadows under his brow, and when he wasn’t smiling, his sharp features stood out more.

"Landis, would you like to make a bet with me?"

Landis raised himself slightly, leaning against the soft headboard pillow, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh? What sort of bet?"

Xiao Sa said slowly, "I bet I can join the Exploration Legion."

Landis curled his lip slightly before pressing it into a straight line, obviously skeptical. Yet, he still indulged his partner in this game. "What’s the stake?"

Xiao Sa gave him a half-smile, kneeling on one knee on the bed, leaning forward, and placing his hands on the headboard and pillow. The shadows from the bedside lamp enveloped Landis.

"The loser has to agree to one request from the winner. Such as—" Xiao Sa’s low voice carried a hint of mischievousness. "Call me 'Daddy.'"

Landis narrowed his eyes and let out a low "Heh."

Call me 'Daddy'? No way.