The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 664: Chapter 664: Everyone Got Screwed

”Hurry up and make the payment here.” Mu Jianling lifted her hand, pointing to the card swiper beside her, and urged without a trace of emotion.

”...” Ji You stiffened completely, hardly able to believe what she was hearing, thinking she had heard wrong, ”Teacher... are you kidding me?”

”Do I look like I have free time?” Mu Jianling, arms crossed, retorted with a question.

”But...” Ji You pursed her lips, unable to help but ask, ”Isn’t this normal consumption during the assessment process? Shouldn’t it be borne by the school? Why should the student pay it themselves?”

Hearing this, Mu Jianling lifted her eyelids, saying with a smile, ”Indeed, it is normal consumption, but the school only provides one free of charge. Since you’ve used up the mecha’s energy and weapons, of course, you have to pay to replenish them. If you’re not preparing to take the makeup exam, you don’t have to bear the cost of this consumption.”

Ji You: ”...”

Ji You took a deep breath and asked, ”So you mean, if I don’t pay, I won’t be able to use the mecha next time I retake the exam?”

Mu Jianling nodded, replying, ”Of course. Alternatively, you can continue using this same mech whose energy has been exhausted.”

Overlord clause, huh!

Ji You clutched her chest, really wanting to say she had no money, but after catching Teacher Mu Jianling’s cold gaze, the words she was about to blurt were swallowed back.

Mu Jianling frowned and said, ”Hurry up, don’t waste time.”

Ji You couldn’t help but ask, ”Could you... Teacher, could you help me replace this antique mech with a Level 2 energy box?” Level 1 energy just doesn’t last, or else she wouldn’t have missed by just 1 meter.

meter.

Just thinking about that 1 meter, Ji You felt like coughing up blood in frustration.

Upon hearing this, Mu Jianling promptly rejected, ”No.”

Ji You’s mouth twitched, but still, with a hurting heart, she paid.

Just at this moment, an assistant robot came up, temporarily took away Ji You’s antique mech for replenishment of its energy, and for maintenance.

Ji You was full of gloom.

At this time—

Mu Jianling looked up, turning to the other students who were watching the commotion, saying, ”Everyone is treated the same. During the assessment, if the mecha undergoes consumption, and needs maintenance, energy replacement, weapons, or other equipment, come up and pay conscientiously.”

Upon these words, the faces of all the students present suddenly showed a hint of red.

A red of shame.

99% of the students had already kneeled at the starting line, some couldn’t even successfully connect with the mecha, how much energy could they consume? Not to mention causing damage to several weapons and equipment like Ji You did...

Seeing this embarrassed expression on the students’ faces, Mu Jianling deliberately made an enlightened face, saying, ”Oh— I forgot you bunch of idiots can’t even pilot a mech, how could you cause any damage to it?”

Students: ”...”

[Teacher! It’s too much to hit us in the face!]

No one said a word, silently bearing the verbal irony from the poisonous-tongued Teacher Mu Jianling; originally, everyone thought the teacher would continue to mock for a few more sentences, but suddenly her tone shifted, asking, ”Anyone wants to switch mechs?”

Huh?

We can change?

The atmosphere in the waiting room suddenly became livelier, and the students asked one after another:

”Teacher, can we really change?”

”Can we change anything?”

”Really?”

...

Facing the students’ questions, Mu Jianling nodded without hesitation and gave an affirmative answer: ”You can exchange. But only this once.”

”Wow!”

”Awesome!”

”That’s great!”

In an instant, a wave of cheers erupted from the dead silent, stale, oppressive waiting room. The students could hardly believe these were words from Teacher Mu Jianling; some even doubted if they had misheard.

Then.

Mu Jianling looked at the elated students and said with a smile: ”To exchange mechas, it costs 50 points per exchange.”

The students: ”...”

Mu Jianling said: ”Those who want to exchange, you can apply now.”

The students: ”...”

Sure enough, there’s no pit too deep, only pits that are deeper.

I thought Teacher Mu was being so kind, but as expected, there was a trap set afterward. 50 points for an exchange, she might as well just rob us!

Sensing the grievances brewing in the students’ hearts, Mu Jianling’s smile faded, and her tone instantly turned colder: ”I gave you time to choose your mechas, yet you didn’t seize the opportunity. Am I supposed to hand-hold you through your selection? A Mechanical Warrior, after such long training, if you can’t even be sure of what mecha suits you, if you can’t even be certain about your future direction, I advise you to give up being a warrior and go back to the Star Network to toil away!”

The students pursed their lips.

Mu Jianling pressed with a serious gaze: ”Or do you think you’re still children, that you can be capricious at any time, that you can casually change your decisions without paying any price or taking responsibility?”

The students kept their lips pursed, but their faces couldn’t help showing shame.

Mu Jianling declared: ”Within 5 minutes, those willing to exchange, apply now. Don’t expect to wait past that time.”

The students listened silently, none speaking out, but many who were forcefully matched with a mecha by the system, or who chose the wrong mecha, hurried over to the exchange screen to make their applications.

This included Yue Qiyuan, Lou, Lance, and others who had matched with the wrong mecha.

Ji You did not move.

She was reluctant to part with 50 points. 50 points could buy 10 servings of braised pork ribs rice, isn’t the ribs rice delicious? Why use it to exchange for a mecha?

Besides, having had the experience once, Ji You was now very confident in herself. Next time, during the make-up exam, she was sure to pass the assessment smoothly. Therefore, there was no need to exchange her mecha.

However—

Ji You looked strangely at Shen Changqing, who remained motionless, and couldn’t help asking, ”Classmate Shen Changqing, do you really not plan to exchange your mecha?”

Like Ji You, Shen Changqing had chosen an antique mech, and with his energy depleted, he had to pay extra energy charges to continue using it. However, this guy was luckier than Ji You; he had only spent an energy box level 1, just 500 credit points, unlike Ji You, who had paid more than 5000 credit points.

Hearing Ji You’s question, Shen Changqing looked a bit uncomfortable, but still resolutely said: ”I won’t exchange it.”

Ji You, upon hearing his reply, blinked, blinked again, and finally, couldn’t help but sigh for this honest kid, saying: ”Classmate Shen Changqing, keep it up! I believe you’ll pass the assessment this time.”

Shen Changqing pursed his lips and said: ”Thank you. I will.”

Then came lunchtime, and Mu Jianling announced that the assessment would continue in the afternoon.

The students, after lunch, didn’t delay and hurried back to the examination room; then, with the time remaining, they seized every minute to get familiar with their mechas.

As soon as Mu Jianling arrived, she announced the assessment to continue.

During the first round of the assessment, the entire Combat Department of the 131st class, with a 0% pass rate, all needed to retake the exam. Everyone dutifully paid the 10 points retake fee and waited for the system to call their numbers.

The true challenge of piloting a mecha was indeed far harder to compare with the castrated version they were trained with before. Even with prior experience from the first attempt, there were still many students who fell at the first hurdle.