It had to be admitted that the group of five that built the foundation of the Federation's society did indeed possess wisdom and foresight that the later generations could not hope to reach. The words that glittered with the brilliance of civilization and the social structure that was improving day by day proved this point. Among the three districts of the capital ring that had beautiful environments and distinct seasons, the university town that had been established in the Northern Latitudes a long time ago was a reflection of the great efforts of the ancestors of the Federation. Only the seventy days of winter every year could allow the young people of the Federation to experience the cruelty of nature and the hardships of life in a prosperous and peaceful environment.
The university town was actually not a city. It was a university campus that was built sporadically along the plains on both sides of the Rose River. Most of the universities on the capital planet were established here. As the development of the Federation's society increased day by day, the education level improved day by day, and the area of the various universities grew larger and larger. In the 34th Constitution Era, they were gradually connected together and became a large community. The people of the Federation habitually called this large area the university town. However, the Federation of today seemed to have forgotten the good intentions of the ancestors of the Federation when they established the university here. The heating in the building was available twenty-four hours a day, and the air conditioning system kept the air that people breathed absolutely fresh. Once winter came, the students who were unwilling to go out of the building and spent their boring time in front of the crystal screen every day. How could they experience the so-called cruelty of nature?
In the southeast area of the university town, there was an inconspicuous but extremely beautiful second-level college named Ewha University. Behind the dormitory of the university, on the road that led to the living area of the Federation, there was an even more inconspicuous gray bungalow. It stood awkwardly at the back door of Ewha University, making the scenery that was like pear blossoms in the garden become stiff.
It was such a small bungalow that was far away from the main building of the campus, yet it still enjoyed central heating. The interior was as warm as spring, and the glass that was not coated with anti-frost was filled with a pleasant mist. Wiping away the mist on the glass with one hand, Xu Le looked through the window at the snowflakes and frost on the pear trees in the garden. He smiled happily, thinking that this was a really nice place. It was still so beautiful in such a cold winter. When had he ever seen such a scenery when he was in Donglin? The sky in her hometown was overcast and gloomy. How could there be snowflakes that were whiter than pear blossoms?
He had been at Ewha University for more than ten days, following the suggestion left behind by his boss, Feng Yu, on the holographic screen before his death. Furthermore, he was a fugitive with a disguise chip in his body, so naturally, he was unwilling to follow the information on the chip and go to the Department of National Defense's Retirement Resettlement Office to find a job. Thus, he decided to come here himself, submitting a job application and the strange recommendation letter in his backpack to the school, and easily obtained his current job. At first, he was a little puzzled as to why it was so easy to find a job, but later on, he realized that other than guarding the back door of Ewha University, this job only required him to be responsible for cleaning the road within ten meters of him. On the surface, he was a member of the logistics department, but in reality, he was just a doorman. Without a doubt, he belonged to the lowest rung of society, and his salary was so low that it was pitiful … Fortunately, there was still a lot of money in that Zhang Sanlin Union Bank Card. Xu Le did not come to Shanglin for money, nor did he have any strong desire to be below others, so he happily accepted this job and obtained this small, gray bungalow that belonged exclusively to him.
If it was a normal citizen of the Federation, no matter how beautiful Ewha University's snowy scenery was, after looking at the plain white for more than ten days, they would have long since gotten sick of it. However, Xu Le was the same. He had never seen snow in his entire life, and looking at the snow for more than ten days was just a small enjoyment for him. Right now, it was still the winter holidays, and there were not many students staying behind at Ewha University, so his work had not officially started yet. Every day, other than cleaning the snow, he had nothing else to do, so he was very free.
Through the CD-ROM computer that the logistics department had placed in the doorway, Xu Le would also go online every day when he was free. He seriously looked through the information on Ewha University, and only then did he know that this seemingly unremarkable school was, other than the schools directly under the Ministry of National Defense, one of the most outstanding universities in terms of the three major self-propelled mobile armor systems and the standard repair of warship installations. Of course, the three major military academies directly under the Ministry of National Defense and the West Woods Military Academy could not possibly be located in a university town, so it was not a place that Xu Le could casually blend into. Therefore, if Xu Le wanted to satisfy his interests, the unremarkable Ewha University was indeed the best choice. Only now did he understand that his boss was still considering his own ideals in his arrangements, and his mood could not help but warm up like the air in the room.
When he had just arrived at the university town, Xu Le had tried to apply for an audit student certificate. After all, he still had quite a bit of money in his card, so he should be able to afford enough sponsorship. Unfortunately, the school's principal and dean in charge of reviewing new students had all returned to the various major cities on the Capital Planet for their holidays, just like the students. What made Xu Le feel even more regretful was that Ewha University's library had also been closed for the past few days due to the update of the system and the holidays. This meant that he had no way of accessing the knowledge he was most interested in regarding the M-series mecha's structure and maintenance. He also had no way of searching through the ancient books to see if there were any words or phrases regarding the mysterious trembling power within his body.
In these ten days of cold wind and snow, Xu Le who had nothing to do, other than watching Channel 23 every night and searching the internet for mecha maintenance knowledge that interested him, spent most of his remaining time nestled in his warm bed, closing his eyes to try to feel the slight changes in the trembling power within his body. He also tried to hide this dizzying trembling power as he thought about it on the Ancient Bell … It was snowing heavily outside, and he had not practiced that set of ten postures for quite some time. He was also worried that others would see it, but the trembling in his muscles had gradually become more and more practiced as he slept. It even felt as though it could surge out at will.
That night, accompanied by the familiar soreness in the deepest parts of his muscles and joints, Xu Le fell into a deep sleep accompanied by the howling of the wind and snow. In his dreams, he seemed to see a cute girl with a head of purple hair marrying him as his wife, and him becoming the chief mechanic of a large company in the capital. He could repair all sorts of fun things every day, and he seemed to faintly hear some big shot announcing on the television that the truth behind the explosion had been exposed … There were so many happy things. In his deep sleep, Xu Le's lips curved into a sweet smile. He smiled so much that his body started to tremble. This trembling did not stop until the muscles under his skin started to twitch slightly. It seemed that with every twitch, his body would become a little stronger.
…
…
Spring was bright and beautiful, with colorful flags fluttering in the wind. Shang Lin Administrative Region S1, which was also the capital planet's snow and cold, always came and went quickly. However, just as February entered, the snow on the banks of the Rose River had completely melted away, merging into the tranquil river that flowed south. Not a trace of it could be found anymore, leaving behind only a vast expanse of green fields and lush spring forests, as well as blocks of academy buildings that harmonized with the environment very well among the grass and trees.
Today was the first day of school, and countless students took all sorts of transportation back to the big city academy. The campus, which had been quiet for two months, was once again bustling with noise and excitement. From time to time, there would be cars driving into the quiet Ewha University, accompanied by even more youthful female students walking in. A youthful atmosphere that made people yearn for rippled through the campus with them. Because there were too many students going to the Federation's Living Area to shop, the back gate, which had always been somewhat deserted, was now bustling with noise and chatter. It even drowned out the voices of the male students who were passionately criticizing the government by the fountain.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the entrance of the campus, followed by a buzz of discussion that abruptly stopped. The attention of the youths in the school was attracted by something, and they subconsciously stopped in their tracks, casting complicated gazes towards the entrance. The few male students by the fountain who were deeply influenced by Carlinism also stopped spurting out hot blood and walked over. However, they did not approach the back gate, but instead looked at it with a very strange gaze.
A girl with shoulder-length hair, black-rimmed glasses, and a stack of books, calmly and slightly coldly walked in from the back gate of Ewha University under the gazes of countless people. The surrounding gazes contained too many emotions: pity, sympathy, disgust, disdain, envy, jealousy …
The students of Ewha University easily recognized who this girl was, because a year ago, she was a popular figure among the freshmen of Ewha University, or rather, the rebellious child — Zhang Xiaomeng. Zhang Xiaomeng, who was born in a good family, began to come into contact with Carlinism after entering her first year of university. Unexpectedly, this girl resolutely gave up on her good life, gave up on her studies, and went to the faraway S2 administrative district, where the anti-government faction had the strongest influence in New Jersey. She began to shout for the people at the bottom of society, participating in one demonstration after another.
As for what Zhang Xiaomeng did after leaving Ewha University, her classmates did not know the exact details, but they knew that the rumor was true. This girl who had once shocked countless people was indeed tired of the so-called romance of justice, abandoned the darkness for the light, and returned to the embrace of the Federation … There was an awkward silence at the back gate of Ewha University. No one came forward to greet this black-rimmed girl. There was no welcome, only faint hostility and complicated gazes. Yes, when she left this campus a year ago, she should have known that there was no possibility of her coming back.
— — If her ideals in the past were childish and laughable, but for the sake of an ordinary and comfortable life, she easily gave up her so-called ideals, then why did she leave in the first place? Why did she come back after leaving? Isn't that preposterous? This was probably the thought in the minds of most of the students. They looked at Zhang Xiaomeng calmly, but full of pressure. Zhang Xiaomeng, however, did not have the slightest bit of uneasiness. Her face was slightly lifted, and there was pride in her calmness as she walked towards her dormitory building.
At this moment, the few male students who were preaching Carlinism at the fountain suddenly blocked her path and said angrily, "You betrayed your ideals!"
"My ideal is to live a good life." Zhang Xiaomeng pushed up her black-rimmed glasses, ignored these people, and walked past them. The surrounding students looked at Zhang Xiaomeng's back with strange and mocking expressions. The male student who was giving the speech was stunned for a moment, then he spat a mouthful of spittle behind her back.
"This student, please wipe away these stains." A young man wearing a red cufflink walked to the side of the male student, handed him a piece of cloth, and said seriously, "Also, according to the regulations, I will recommend that the student office deduct three credits from you."
The male student asked angrily, "Who are you?"
The young man pulled on the red cufflink and answered, "I am a doorman."
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