Chapter 5: Jean Zarack!

The next day, in the afternoon, Zhou Yuan went out and bought a new suit before heading to the academy. The super soldier serum greatly enhanced his physical abilities, even increasing his height. Previously standing at around 1.78 meters, he now soared to 1.85 meters, making his old clothes ill-fitting. 

"Zhou, over here!" As soon as he arrived at the school gate, Zhou Yuan heard someone calling out. It was Carl, Rico, Carmen, and Diaz, the four people he had arranged to meet. Diaz was also a classmate and had a secret crush on Rico. She had an outgoing and straightforward personality, getting along well with everyone, including Zhou Yuan. 

"You guys came really early," Zhou Yuan greeted them with a wave and a two-finger salute. 

"It's actually you who's late!" Carl rolled his eyes. "The dance started at noon, and I reminded you four times, but you still missed lunch."

"Maybe you can explain why no one spoke when I answered your call, just an impatient hum," Zhou Yuan replied.

"Is that so?" Zhou Yuan feigned surprise. "Perhaps your phone is broken."

Carl and Johnny were ignored as Zhou Yuan turned his head and looked at Carmen and Diaz. He spoke softly, "Ladies, you're becoming more beautiful every day."

"Pardon my rudeness, but your beauty is too radiant for me to describe. Fortunately, the word 'beautiful' barely does you justice."

"I wonder if I have the honor of inviting you both for afternoon tea. My attendants, Carl and Rico, will take care of everything."

"Of course," Carmen and Diaz laughed and extended their hands for Zhou Yuan to kiss.

"Just wait, he'll get beaten up once he joins the army," Carl grumbled.

"You're right." Johnny smiled, not concerned about Zhou Yuan's interaction with Carmen. After four years of being together, they were all quite close.

"Wait a minute..."

"Zhou, you seem to have grown much taller?" Johnny suddenly realized something was amiss and asked curiously. "Today is the graduation dance, after all."

Zhou Yuan smirked, pointed at his feet, and lifted his heels to indicate there was an issue with his shoes.

"Good idea, but I don't need it." Johnny nodded in realization and struck a self-proclaimed cool pose. He was the captain of the indoor football team and had a standard height and physique, a true hunk.

"Shet, can't you guys take care of my emotions?" Carl urged impatiently. "We'll have a chance to be cool tonight, can't we stop standing here under the sun?"

Comparatively, he looked very ordinary, just an average guy among average people.

After some playful banter, the five of them entered the campus together...

... ...

The graduation dance wasn't particularly exciting, at least not for Zhou Yuan. He didn't have any crushes, and attending the dance was simply for the sake of receiving his graduation certificate and having a drink or two.

Once the dance officially started, the group of five quickly split up. Carl was pulled away by a female classmate to dance, Johnny and Carmen entered the dance floor, while Diaz stayed close to Johnny.

Zhou Yuan found himself near the edge of the venue, enjoying some pastries and sipping on his drink.

"I thought young people like dances," a calm voice came from behind Zhou Yuan amidst the noise.

"Professor Zalak, hello," Zhou Yuan turned around and greeted him. He had heard footsteps but only now realized who it was.

Jean Zalak! A tough man who lost his left arm in the war and became a history teacher after retiring. When the war between humans and the Arachnis Zerg broke out, he would be called back to the Mobile Corps and become a lieutenant commanding a special operations unit.

"I saw your application form," Professor Zalak said with an expressionless face, sitting down next to Zhou Yuan.

"You have telepathic abilities, why didn't you choose the strategic forces?"

Zalak nodded without emotion and sat down next to Zhou Yuan.

"Lately, there have been more and more news about Zerg meteors. Almost every day, there are Zerg meteor attacks on Earth. I feel like war is likely imminent."

"Being stationed in the rear is not my pursuit, nor do I have that level of ambition. I just want to directly confront the bugs, or be torn apart by them."

Zhou Yuan took a sip of his drink, meeting Zalak's gaze.

Zerg meteors referred to small asteroids. In the Arachnis Zerg, there was a type of bug called the Giant Plasma Worm, which could launch plasma projectiles from its tail. These plasma projectiles were extremely powerful and could shoot from the surface of a planet into outer space, even attacking nearby asteroid belts. When a small asteroid was hit by plasma, it would immediately be propelled out of the planet's gravitational field, and some of them happened to be directed toward Earth.

"Torn apart by bugs?" Zalak finally smiled, patting his severed left arm and said, "I don't recommend doing that. It's fine to blast the bugs, but being torn apart by them is another matter because it's really painful."

With that, Zalak gulped down a glass of whiskey and left with just two sentences.

"Rookie, I hope your bones are as tough as your mouth."

"Do your best to survive. Only those who survive till the end can be called tough men."

"He's leaving just like that?" Zhou Yuan was slightly stunned but didn't pay too much attention. Zalak had always been like this, rarely interacting with students outside of class. It was already good enough to exchange a few words.