Chapter Two: The Scandal of the Special Admissions Student

Chapter Two: The Special Admission Controversy

When Xia Zheng opened his eyes and was helped down from the machine by a doctor, he was immediately startled. In front of him stood over a dozen doctors, and present among them was Lieutenant Felina, the federal officer, who was scrutinizing his test report with particular focus. The other doctors, both men and women, were eyeing him up and down; one bold female doctor even glanced at his thigh, prompting Xia Zheng to instinctively cover himself, which drew laughter from her and her colleagues.

Felina was also drawn by the laughter, and when she saw Xia Zheng’s reaction, she smiled—a smile that was particularly enchanting, making Xia Zheng’s heart pound uncontrollably.

“Xia Zheng, your test results are in. Congratulations, the military will officially admit you as a special recruit,” Felina said to him.

“What?!” Xia Zheng was stunned. He hadn’t expected to be granted special admission status, and to be accepted on the spot without having to wait for a notification.

“Is… is it really true?” Xia Zheng still couldn’t believe it.

Felina nodded, then asked him a few questions, mostly about his daily routines—diet, exercise, and whether he’d encountered anything unusual. Shortly after, she let him go.

Soon, the news that Xia Zheng had been admitted as a special recruit to the Federal Military spread like wildfire throughout the school, even reaching the city and district of Polante.

That evening, Lieutenant Felina convened a special meeting attended by the experts and officers who had accompanied her. The main topic was the discovery of two qualified candidates during the day’s examination: a girl named Delia, seventeen years old, with an AB-161 index of 0.1 and a potential rating of C; and Xia Zheng, eighteen, with an AB-161 index of 0.8 and a potential rating of S—the most significant find of this special examination.

Initially, Delia was meant to be the focus of the meeting, but Xia Zheng’s unexpected emergence shifted all attention to him, sparking a heated discussion.

A man in his forties, dressed in a white lab coat, stood up, waving several sheets of data. “I think the military is being too hasty in granting special admission to candidate T3041801, this student named Xia Zheng. In my hands are all his AB-161 results from his first vaccination in elementary school up to this current examination. His growth curve is highly unusual and does not fit our definition of an ‘ability warrior.’”

No sooner had he spoken than Lieutenant Felina retorted sharply, “Doctor Wang, are you saying my decision today was rash?”

“My criticism isn’t directed at you personally, but at the military as a whole,” Doctor Wang replied tactfully.

Felina snorted, slapping the table. “The military sent me here to identify qualified ability warriors. Now I’ve finally found a rare talent, and you call it rash—based on your old data? The growth curve for ability warriors is a reference, not gospel. In the past ten years, one percent of the three thousand qualified warriors did not match the curve, yet they are the elite among us. Are you going to deny their existence as well?”

“I’m just stating the facts. Must you be so unreasonable?” Doctor Wang protested.

“All right, both of you, calm down,” interrupted a man in uniform seated beside Felina, his presence instantly commanding attention. Doctor Wang and Felina sat back, each harboring their own displeasure.

This man appeared to be in his early thirties, tall and handsome, with tawny hair and beard, both the same shade, and blue eyes.

“Our dispute centers on this student’s physical condition,” he began. “Doctor Wang’s analysis has merit. Since elementary school, Xia Zheng’s test results have been poor, averaging below the ability threshold of 0.05. But at eighteen, he suddenly shows an explosive spike—rare indeed. We must be cautious.” At this, Felina bit her lip, visibly annoyed, and left the meeting. The others looked at each other in surprise, Doctor Wang most of all. The man simply frowned, then resumed chairing the meeting.

Leaning forward, his tone grew serious, and the room tensed. “Nevertheless, we cannot miss a single potential candidate. Ability warriors are humanity’s last trump card, a matter of honor for the Federation. My proposal is to postpone Xia Zheng’s special admission, monitor him closely for a month, and then retest him individually. If his data remains at today’s level, he will be admitted immediately. Please vote on this resolution.” He raised his hand first.

Doctor Wang’s supporters promptly followed suit. Those who’d initially sided with Felina, now absent, reluctantly joined in. The result: one abstention, the rest in favor—the abstainer being Felina’s adjutant, Andy.

Andy quickly reported the outcome to Felina, who replied with a single sentence: “Fools always regret their decisions.”

News of Xia Zheng’s provisional admission reached his family, who celebrated with decorations and called over relatives from both sides for a grand party. Even the neighborhood committee made huge banners and posters, instantly turning Xia Zheng into the community’s model child, a celebrity of sorts.

That night, his parents, tipsy with pride, held his hands before relatives, neighbors, committee leaders, and an array of unfamiliar media and officials, expressing their feelings—at the heart of which was pride.

Full of hope for the future, Xia Zheng dreamed of becoming a hero of the Federation, a name for the history books.

But the next day at school, he noticed something strange—the envy in his classmates’ eyes had shifted to pity and ridicule, leaving him uneasy and curious.

In class, his homeroom teacher, Audrey, called him aside to deliver a bombshell: his special admission status had been revoked. The military deemed his condition too unusual and would continue to assess him.

Xia Zheng could hardly remember how he returned to class. Friends who’d always been close were now whispering about him.

“What’s the big deal? Turns out it was just a mix-up. Hilarious…”

“He really thought he was the chosen one. What a joke.”

“Poor guy—could end up a complete failure, not a special recruit…”

“Ha ha ha…”

The ridicule stung Xia Zheng’s young, tender heart like venomous snakes. He’d never imagined that classmates he saw every day could be so cold and distant, that his only crime had been to make them jealous—now they reveled in mocking him a hundredfold.

Some people, lacking the most basic respect, reveal only the meanness and shamelessness within themselves.

Xia Zheng struggled to hold back tears throughout the next class. When he left the classroom, someone patted his shoulder; turning around, he saw it was Chen Xiu.

“Don’t listen to those gossips, brother. It’s nothing—we’re just back to where we started. We still have the professional entrance exam. As long as we do well, we can hold our heads high,” Chen Xiu said, deeply touching Xia Zheng. Having someone stand by you at such a moment meant everything.

“Thank you, Chen Xiu. You’ll always be my brother,” Xia Zheng said, eyes red, then pulled out his phone to call his parents.

Their feelings were easy to imagine—they were suffering the same social whiplash. But they hid their disappointment well, comforting and encouraging him not to be crushed by setbacks. Life, they reminded him, is full of such cold winds; nothing is ever smooth or instantaneous. Better to face adversity early and grow stronger, to become a towering tree.

The first class passed with Xia Zheng barely hearing a word. But with the support of his good friend and his parents, he pulled himself together, returning to normal for the second class—much to the disappointment and confusion of classmates who’d anticipated his breakdown, and to the surprise of those teachers who’d been concerned for him.

The school day ended, and Xia Zheng remained a prominent figure—not for glory and brilliance now, but for the pressure and the trial he faced.

Delia had become a star, the spotlight shifting back to her after Xia Zheng’s brief moment of fame. She had felt depressed before, but now basked in the attention of a fawning entourage.

As Xia Zheng was leaving school, Delia blocked his path, smiling. “What’s wrong, summer genius? I heard your special admission was revoked. What a shame—I thought we’d be comrades.”

“Delia, don’t flatter him. He doesn’t have what it takes.”

“Exactly. People need to know their place and stop aiming so high.”

“Princess Delia, don’t bother with him. All he has left is exam prep—let him get home and revise.”

“Ha ha ha…”

The laughter was venomous, but Xia Zheng had matured. He met these insults with only a faint smile.

“Delia, I read some statistics: in the past ten years, three million students qualified as special recruits, but less than one percent made it to the top. You might be excellent, but you’re probably not in that one percent. Good luck. You’re blocking my way home—please move aside.” With that, Xia Zheng walked past, shouldering Delia aside.

Delia, no match for Xia Zheng’s strength, was easily pushed aside. Unwilling to let it go, she shouted after him, “Jerk! What are you so proud of? Even if I’m not the best, at least I’m not someone who got disqualified!”

Xia Zheng shrugged indifferently, turned, and gave her a friendly gesture, which only infuriated her more. Her sycophantic companions tried every insult, but their barbs fell on deaf ears—Xia Zheng was gone. Their words could not hurt their target, only rebound upon themselves.