novelnext Chapter 137 131 Academy (Part 2)
Chapter 137 131 Academy (Part 2)
The enrollment ceremony at the academy wasn't until tomorrow, but most of the cadets had already arrived today. Despite being a military academy, the cadets weren't particularly constrained during their free time.
Jun Jiushao quite liked this atmosphere; she was inherently carefree. Joining the military was more of an accident, and getting to where she was today was filled with many surprises. She came from a family steeped in thousands of years of scholarly tradition, complicated in ways that modern people could hardly imagine.
Even though she loved the four arts of the Chinese scholar, she disliked the rigid traditions and the predefined life set out for her. So, she chose a rebellious path, donning a military uniform and becoming an officer.
However, the military also had its set of rules, but at least she had some autonomy. When the Universe Army started recruiting talented individuals, Jun Jiushao didn't hesitate to apply. She didn't quite know why; it all felt a bit like she was just going with the flow. She just hoped that the Universe would be a better place for her.
At a small airstrip within the academy, Jun Jiushao saw an Iridium Starfighter that was even larger than the usual Earth fighters she saw and had a very different shape, more like a tri-body ship.
Suddenly, someone beside her said in English, "This is that Iridium Starfighter that shot down two F-22s in San Francisco, I think its codename is Banshee. It looks indeed cooler than the F-22."
Jun Jiushao understood English, and she turned to glance at the speaker. He was a somewhat blonde, mixed-race man, not particularly brawny, wearing camouflaged Marine Corps pants from the Lighthouse Country and a black tight T-shirt, and he even had a dog tag hanging around his neck.
But after just a glance, Jun Jiushao turned her head back, showing no desire to chat with him.
This made the mixed-race young man a bit embarrassed. Seeing Jun Jiushao about to leave, he hurriedly followed up and switched to Chinese, "Ah, aren't you curious why there is someone like me here at the academy?"
Jun Jiushao was still sparing with her words, "Not curious."
The mixed-race young man rushed to her side and introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Mike Taschwe, American, half Chinese."
Seeing that Jun Jiushao still showed no interest, Taschwe had to explain himself, "I am also a student at the Star Alliance Military Academy; we might become classmates in the future."
"Mike Taschwe, former Marine Corps aviation pilot."
Huang Quan, somewhat surprised, asked, "What model did you fly, if you can tell?"
Taschwe, not sure if he was self-deprecating or just didn't care anymore, laughed and said, "To get my butt here, I sold all the military secrets I knew, haha, it doesn't matter anymore. I flew the Super Hornet, but it wasn't satisfying enough, so I just retired."
Huang Quan looked incredulous and said, "Just because of that?"
Taschwe, as if it were obvious, said, "I became a pilot purely for the best flying experience. Honestly, the Super Hornet is a piece of crap, and since I couldn't switch to the Air Force, I just retired."
The guy was actually a rich playboy, owning a trust fund worth several hundred million US dollars, meaning he could make millions annually doing nothing, ensuring his lifestyle was without issues.
Pointing at a distant Banshee Fighter, Taschwe said, "When I saw this plane on TV beating the F-22 effortlessly, I was obsessed. I thought, no matter what, I had to fly such an amazing plane and have the chance to battle aliens in space. Wouldn't that be the most thrilling thing? Haha, so I joined the Star Alliance Universe Army."
Since Taschwe had retired and joined the Universe Army two years later, strictly speaking, he wasn't considered a deserter. However, his motivations were still somewhat incomprehensible to Huang Quan.
Huang Quan could well imagine that despite being half-Chinese, as an American to be recruited into the Universe Army, this guy must be exceptional and had made great efforts.
In just this short amount of time, Taschwe had already started treating Huang Quan as his wingman in Ruyi City, laughing as he said, "Buddy, do you know how many chicks are in this academy? Have you ever met the beauties from Iridium Star, haha."
Huang Quan said, "I'd advise you to stay honest if you still want to fly planes properly. The Universe Army is nothing like your Marine Corps, where sexual offenses happen frequently; here in space, it's zero tolerance. If you mess up, your superiors won't hesitate to throw you out of the spaceship to drift in space on your own."
Mike Taschwe shivered upon hearing this, but still said dismissively, "Boring."