Huo Lan laughed dryly. "Don't patronize me big bro Yu. How can Lingxiu Academy's examination be trivial?"
"I'm really scared. I'm not like Qi San who has SS rank potential or you, " He paused and stared at Wen Yu thoughtfully, "You probably have SSS rank potential with how strong you are."
Wen Yu looked away in guilt.
"I only have A rank potential ah, " Huo Lan continued, "If I don't do well I could be laid off. Although A rank is considered great, based on Lingxiu Academy's standards, I'm only small fry..."
Qi San bounded over then and swung his meaty arm over Huo Lan's shoulder. The smaller boy almost collapsed under his weight.
"What are you so paranoid for? You're so smart, just like big bro Yu. You're the only one who can answer his questions and hold your own against him in battle strategy."
Huo Lan struggled and finally freed himself from Qi San's grasp. "Can you not speak without touching me? Were you trying to kill me just now?"
Qi San touched his nose and grumbled, "You're usually so happy, why are you such a spitfire because of a mere exam?"
"A mere exam?!" Huo Lan swelled in anger and looked at Wen Yu. "Big bro Yu, you better shut his mouth before I turn him to meat paste." He turned around and let his tiny legs carry him away.
Qi San stared at Huo Lan's back with wide eyes. "Did I say something wrong? I was just trying to cheer him up."
Wen Yu couldn't bear to look at this clueless little fool.
"What was he mad at me for? It's not like I was the one who set the exams! If he doesn't want to write it why did he come here then?!" Qi San huffed when Wen Yu remained silent.
Wen Yu just patted the stewing Qi San's back and went after Huo Lan with a sigh. Raising kids was so hard, he really was never going to have kids.
He had his hands clasped behind his back, the perfect image of a sage as he walked up to Huo Lan, who resembled an angry porcupine, at the other end of the hall.
Huo Lan looked up at him with teary eyes once he arrived. "Big bro Yu wuwuwu..."
'...' Wen Yu took three beats to calm his incoming headache before refocusing on the crying child before him. How exactly did Huo Lan pass the preliminaries?
"If you can't handle something as trivial as an exam without covering the entire surroundings in snot, what exactly did you come here for?"
Huo Lan sniffled and cocked his head to the side. "I... I want to become a spaceship pilot for the army?"
Wen Yu laughed coldly. The kid was really too naive. He couldn't handle an exam but wanted to join the army. He had to see if he could live long enough in this world with that attitude of his first!
His choice of profession was even more ironic. A spaceship pilot. Those people relied on strong mental fortitude when using their spirit energy to command a spaceship!
One slip up and they get invaded by blockers and crash to their doom, bringing with them numerous lives!
Wen Yu's gaze grew cold. "Do you even know what a spaceship pilot does? Are you trying to help people or kill them?"
Huo Lan stared at him in confusion. "How will I kill people? I only want to pilot a spaceship, the-"
"-With that mental fortitude of yours?" Wen Yu cut him off impatiently. "Just an exam has gotten you this flustered, imagine when you have to resist the invasion of blockers and pilot a spaceship at the same time!"
Huo Lan froze. He seemed to see the image of countless people dying due to his carelessness.
He bit his lips to restrain his tears. "Big bro Yu..."
Wen Yu sighed and patted Huo Lan's fluffy hair. He really didn't mean to scare the child but it was better he was frightened into being cautious than dying without even knowing what killed him.
If the kid continued this way, he would only be torn apart in this wolf den of a universe in the future. He might have gotten past the preliminaries through a stroke of luck,
But even though luck was also a form of strength, it was fleeting and unreassuring. Depending on luck was only dooming oneself to fail and fail absolutely well.
Wen Yu spoke to Huo Lan but he was also reminding himself. He might have gotten a second chance due to a stroke of luck too but so what? He was still so pitifully weak.
His mind drifted over to the attendant boy and the «Fire and Ice Assimilation Manual». The Qi San of his former world had dealt him a huge blow, no doubt. A blow that still traumatized him to this day but then what?
Was he going to keep letting the bastard from his past life influence his current life? He had to admit to himself that past Qi San wasn't the only one holding him back.
He was also holding himself back due to fear. He feared that after everything, he was still going to be trash. That after everything, he wouldn't be able to escape the ending he had in his past life.
Looking at the teary eyed Huo Lan, he cursed himself for being a hypocrite. How was he any different from the cowardly Huo Lan? What right did he have to admonish the kid when he, himself, was also an offender?
He fisted his hands. Never again. Since this world wanted strength, he'd show them strength. He'd make them fear strength. The Xie family, the Marshals, he'd let them taste strength.
The mechanical voice of an AI sounded throughout the hall, commanding the cadets to get to their assigned seats in preparation for the exams.
Huo Lan looked up at Wen Yu and a calm look settled in his eyes. There was no need to be afraid. Would his fear change anything? So what was the need?
He thought back to Wen Yu's words and grit his teeth, he didn't want to be the cause of people's deaths.