"Get up," Liu Fei shouted, seemingly aware that his shout would have no effect. Before the sound had even faded, with a wave of his arm, he caught a multifunctional metal water tank hanging on the wall. Pressing a switch, ice-cold water cascaded down onto Li Meng's head.
"Ah..." Li Meng howled, suddenly sitting up, whimpering, "Fei, couldn't you find a gentler way to wake me up? Water is expensive!"
"This is the most efficient method, no choice," Liu Fei replied calmly. "You have five minutes."
"Five minutes..."
As if spurred by needles, Li Meng jumped out of bed, clutching a washbag hanging on the wall and a small water tank from the bed, and dashed out in a flash.
Five minutes later, Li Meng, freshly washed, returned.
"Fei, next time remember not to waste water. Water resources on Zuoer Star are precious. As cultured and educated people of Zuoer Star, we should lead by example, starting from ourselves, cherishing every drop of water..."
Rambling on, the two under the morning sun each took out several nutrient packs from their pockets, eating a bit haphazardly. They then proceeded towards a shortcut along the perimeter wall, climbed up a tree trunk, vaulted over the wall, and expertly made their way into the school. Along the way, they encountered at least five groups of fully armed security guards. Of course, all the guards knew them. They were accustomed to the two arriving early. After a brief greeting, the guards would leave. After all, they were both considered lower-class individuals and wouldn't intentionally cause trouble for them.
After registering their brain fingerprints, they received today's work information and clean uniforms from the school's main control brain. According to the school's strict security regulations, uniforms were issued daily and collected daily. To obtain a uniform, besides entering the authorization password, one also needed the main control brain to check the iris and fingerprints, among other strict security measures. It was said that the security level at Zuoer Mecha University was comparable to that of the Zuoer Star government building...
In fact, the uniform was equivalent to a pass within the school because each uniform contained the day's information, and the hidden holographic scanning system in various corners could always grasp the identity information of the wearer.
Due to the requirements of their work, Li Meng and Liu Fei had permission to enter the laboratory early.
Upon entering the laboratory, Li Meng immediately opened the main control brain and started playing the Interstellar War game. The Interstellar War game was a popular interstellar war simulation game among students, combining entertainment with work, making it easy to learn modern interstellar warfare experience from the game. Of course, many students purely played for entertainment, rather than learning warfare experience from it.
Unlike Li Meng, who was immersed in the game, Liu Fei went straight to the miniature auxiliary engine, starting to test the engine's functions with various devices...
...
This situation continued until eight o'clock in the morning, with an hour left before class. Li Meng and Liu Fei simultaneously stopped their games and research work, heading straight to the school's storage warehouse to collect the equipment and fragile parts needed for the laboratory according to the inventory provided by the main control brain...
Of course, Liu Fei had to first arrange the instruments in the mecha laboratory for Li Meng. This was their agreement. In reality, with Li Meng's clumsy movements, he would have been expelled from school long ago without Liu Fei's help.
Apart from the fact that Li Meng was his only friend, the main reason Liu Fei helped him was that it provided an opportunity for Liu Fei to study some mech components he found interesting.
After helping Li Meng finish his work, Liu Fei rushed to the brain laboratory to complete his own tasks. At this point, there were only ten minutes left before class.
Satisfied with the orderly brain laboratory, Liu Fei stretched his limbs before heading to his designated area: a small metal chair tucked away in the corner. Next to the chair was a huge trash can, and beside the trash can was a wall-mounted multifunctional metal cabinet mainly used for storing cleaning tools.
Sitting on the chair, Liu Fei began replenishing his depleted energy. Under normal circumstances, no one would notice a person in a janitorial uniform curled up on a chair.
Liu Fei had been living like this for two years now. According to his life plan, he still had at least a year before he could openly manipulate those expensive devices like other students.
Thinking of this, Liu Fei couldn't help but glance at the students who were laughing and playing. He could never understand why these students didn't cherish their learning opportunities. For Liu Fei, time was never enough.
In Liu Fei's world, there were no terms like "prodigal sons," "idle heirs," "aristocratic heirs," or "second-generation rich." He naturally believed that students should cherish every precious second to absorb vast knowledge.
Liu Fei only pretended to sleep. He never truly slept in such a complex environment. That's what Ironhead told him. No matter the environment, one must keep a vigilant and alert mind.
Life only happened once, and protecting oneself meant cherishing life.
Liu Fei wholeheartedly agreed with Ironhead's words. However, he never understood why Ironhead, who understood these principles, smoked and drank. On the cigarette box, it clearly stated "smoking is harmful to health," and Ironhead himself often said, "alcohol is poison to the intestines, and lust is a sharp knife to the bones."
When Ironhead was dying, the pathological holographic image of his lungs had turned completely black, making it impossible to discern the texture and veins. The doctor said that if he wanted to live, he would need a new lung. Obviously, with Ironhead's financial situation, getting a new lung was an unrealistic fantasy. Moreover, Ironhead seemed to have no attachment to life at all. In the few minutes Liu Fei was in the bathroom, Ironhead removed the life-sustaining tubes without leaving any last words. His expression was peaceful and content...
Thinking of Ironhead, Liu Fei sighed. Ironhead had been dead for half a year, but he always thought of Ironhead's appearance and demeanor. He always had the illusion that Ironhead hadn't died at all but was hiding in some dark corner, secretly watching him.
"Liu Fei, come here," a soft voice interrupted Liu Fei's thoughts.
"Coming!" Liu Fei immediately stood up. It was Professor Yun, an expert in optical brain pathways and one of the supervising professors of this laboratory. While developing optical brain pathways, he also supervised student research.
"I need a Hurricane-3 model optical brain chip."
"Okay." Liu Fei nodded and headed to the chip library in the laboratory.
Watching his slightly sluggish figure, a kindly smile appeared on Professor Yun's face. He liked this seemingly dull but actually intelligent child. Among the students he had encountered in decades of teaching, this child could be the most efficient worker.
Actually, Professor Yun always had assistants around him, but he preferred to order Liu Fei around. In Professor Yun's memory, Liu Fei was like a meticulous brain, never making mistakes. Sometimes, Professor Yun marveled at Liu Fei's talent. It was hard to imagine that someone with no interest in optical brain pathways could remember the names and functions of every optical brain component.
Sometimes, Professor Yun regretted that Liu Fei wasn't interested in optical brain pathways. Otherwise, he would be willing to financially support this child from the slums.
Soon, Liu Fei brought the Hurricane-3 model mech's optical brain chip and handed it to Professor Yun. Then, he silently returned to his position. In the vast laboratory, he was like a transparent person, and no one noticed his presence.
In the eyes of the students, Liu Fei was just a lowly janitor, and they consciously or unconsciously kept their distance from him.
"Wu Yuan, any plans for the summer vacation?" A pretty girl, tinkering with instruments beside a mech model, asked quietly to the tall and handsome guy beside her.
"I plan to go skiing on Kolon Star. They say the snow there is particularly heavy this year, perfect for skiing." Wu Yuan, who was recording data, stole a glance at Professor Yun, who was focused on testing, and whispered.
"Pfft, skiing! Aren't you too old-fashioned?" The pretty girl pouted, looking disdainful.
"Do you have a better plan?" Wu Yuan's eyes lit up as he paused his holographic recording.
"I do!" The girl glanced at Professor Yun, her face mysterious as she whispered, "Exploring the Earth, the mother planet of the Solar System."
"Pfft!" Wu Yuan scoffed, "You're just dreaming! Going to the mother planet for an expedition? Let alone the fact that the Earth is under martial law now, even without martial law, we don't have a spaceship to go to the Earth, it's very far away. It would take at least twenty space jump windows to get there. Don't tell me you plan to travel to the Solar System with your family's 'Mini' spaceship..."
"The Mini is definitely not suitable for long-distance space jumps." The girl's face reddened slightly. "Cao Gongzi's family has a spaceship, though. You're his good friend. As long as we persuade Cao Gongzi, we can make it happen."
"Forget it, there's nothing interesting on Earth. I've watched holographic documentaries countless times. Apart from the oceans and mountains, there's nothing else. And now, they say Earth is rampant with dangerous beasts due to an epidemic." Wu Yuan pondered for a moment, his expression uninterested.
"What's there to be afraid of? We'll bring our mechs. If there's danger, we'll just stay on the ship and observe. We don't have to land... Come on, as long as you go, I promise to bring Su Su along." The girl's eyes twinkled.
"Su Su..." Wu Yuan's fair face immediately brightened.
"Yes, as long as Cao Gongzi goes, I'll definitely convince Su Su to come."
"Cao Gongzi is no problem, but Earth is under martial law now. No spaceship is allowed to approach. We can't even enter the Solar System's space window. It's futile to go. I don't want to be blasted into ashes by laser cannons. How about we pick another place? Going to Tutu Star to see dinosaurs wouldn't be bad. They say the dinosaurs there are still evolving and are in the Stone Age. I wonder what it looks like when dinosaurs hunt prey with stone axes, hehe..."
"It's okay, my brother serves in the Mountain Cat Space Fleet, responsible for the spaceship and space monitoring in the Solar System. I'll just talk to him, and everything will be fine."
"Aren't you afraid your brother will be sent to a military tribunal?" Wu Yuan chuckled.
"Pfft, my uncle is the captain of the Mountain Cat Space Fleet. The entire Solar System is under the surveillance of the Mountain Cat Space Fleet. Hmph, who dares to send my brother to a military tribunal?!" The girl looked proud.
"Okay, I'll go talk to Cao Gongzi after class."
"Mm-hmm, I'll go convince Su Su now." The girl looked delighted, operated the instruments, took down the sensors being tested on the mech arm, and hurriedly left.
"Thanks for your trouble, hehe."
Wu Yuan's face revealed an evil smile. He had long coveted Su Zijing, the first beauty of Zuoer Mecha University. He had never had the chance to get close to her. This time, he must seize the opportunity. In the vast and lonely interstellar space, it's very easy for stories to happen, hehe.
At noon, the class in the brain laboratory ended, and the students left in groups of threes and fours. Liu Fei, who had been expressionless, suddenly had sharp eyes. His body moved agilely around the spacious laboratory like a cat. Soon, the cluttered laboratory became orderly.
This laboratory wasn't assigned to a specific class. In fact, besides students majoring in optical brain pathways, students from other subjects only had a chance to conduct learning experiments in this laboratory once a week. Sometimes, due to scheduling, several classes' students might crowd into the laboratory. Fortunately, the laboratory was large enough to avoid crowding.
The laboratory schedule was two sessions every day, in the morning and afternoon. Besides cleaning, Liu Fei's daily work mainly involved arranging teaching materials and experimental tools according to the list provided by the school's main control brain.