Chapter 00050: Star Expedition Army Assessment
# Star Expedition Army Assessment
Chapter 50
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 50: Star Expedition Army Assessment
"However, I suggest you don't become an ordinary citizen; you might as well roam in the starry skies, as during that time you would feel so humble that just being alive feels like a stroke of luck." Ke'er had become even more talkative. Since they were together, his mouth had not stopped running.
Lan Xiaobu followed the chatterbox Ke'er for nearly forty or fifty minutes before finally arriving at the massive circular building's periphery.
Outside the circular building, there was a sign that read, "True Promise Star Military Recruitment Office."
Ke'er lowered his voice and said into Lan Xiaobu's ear, "Once we go in, let's eat first. After we’re done eating, we can find out which military forces are recruiting here. Remember, our first choice is the Star Expedition Army. Only by joining the Star Expedition Army can we have freedom. If we can't join the Star Expedition Army, we'll check out other military forces."
"Okay," Lan Xiaobu replied, as he knew nothing about the rules here and could only follow behind Ke'er.
As they entered the grand door, they stepped into a hall that must have been at least four to five hundred square meters. Such a vast hall boasted no supporting pillars in the center. Thinking about how this building must be at least forty to fifty meters high, Lan Xiaobu inwardly sighed, realizing that the architectural capabilities of this Level-2 Technological Civilization Planet were truly impressive compared to Earth.
Although the hall was large, it was equally filled with people. Some were dressed elegantly, but more people looked just like them, worn out from travel. However, there weren't many like Lan Xiaobu, who was barefoot and in tattered clothes.
"Are all these people from our Blue Asia Star?" Lan Xiaobu asked in confusion.
Given that so many had escaped from Blue Asia Star, shouldn't there be a considerable number of flying saucers arriving as well?
Ke'er lowered his voice once more, saying, "Only a very few are from Blue Asia Star; a portion are from other lower-tier planets. Some are fugitives, while others, like us, are soldiers from planets that fell into slavery. Additionally, there are some locals from True Promise Star."
"Locals from True Promise Star are also coming to enlist?" Lan Xiaobu asked, somewhat perplexed.
Ke'er chuckled, "Of course. The soldiers recruited here generally need to participate in interplanetary wars. This is different from the conscription in empires, as those happen within the country. Only here can the entire planet's soldiers be recruited, and alien soldiers can enlist too, like us."
"What happens if other planets invade? Does every nation send troops to fight?" Lan Xiaobu queried.
He was beginning to understand that True Promise Star was somewhat akin to Earth—it had many nations, each with its own army, and conflicts between these nations were inevitable.
Ke'er explained, "True Promise Star is ruled by the Hanlan Empire, while the other nations are nominally governed by it. If an alien invasion occurs, the Hanlan Empire issues a Star Salvation Order, and all nations residing on True Promise Star must mobilize their full strength to defend."
Lan Xiaobu did not ask what would happen if a nation refused. Since such regulations existed, it was likely every nation would give their all. Any nation not doing so would probably no longer exist.
"I see the recruitment station for the Star Expedition Army, so let's quickly eat something first. Once we've finished eating, we can go take a look..." As Ke'er spoke, he seemed to remember something and turned to Lan Xiaobu with a puzzled expression, asking, "Xiaobu, how come you don't know these common facts?"
The things Lan Xiaobu had just inquired about were basic common knowledge, and he should have known them.
Lan Xiaobu chuckled, "I joined the Peacekeeping Army not long ago when the Flying Jade Star attacked our Blue Asia Star, so there are many things I'm not particularly clear on."
"Oh..." Ke'er said, not delving deeply, evidently distracted by the aroma of the cafeteria food, which seemed far more important to him.
Everyone who managed to be here was entitled to a free meal. Lan Xiaobu and Ke'er left their fingerprints in the sensing zone, and each of them received a tray.
It was just like a buffet, where they could serve themselves with dishes.
There wasn’t any rice; the staple was something resembling white flour. However, the array of dishes was bountiful, including different vegetables and meats.
Even though there was always the Vitality Essence Potion, nothing reassured one's heart quite like having a hot meal. Lan Xiaobu understood the importance of including vegetables in his diet, so he made sure to grab some. Ke'er was different; he requested no staple food at all and only hefty portions of meat.
After finishing the meal, Ke'er sighed in contentment, "Ah, if only I could join the Star Expedition Army! They say their food is truly excellent—several times better than this. The accommodations are also nice; everyone has a luxurious mansion..."
Lan Xiaobu thought the food was average. The technological civilization here might be a few tiers above Earth's, but the food quality was quite standard. As for Ke'er's claim that everyone in the Star Expedition Army lived in luxury estates, Lan Xiaobu smiled inwardly; the boy was dreaming. After enlisting, they'd definitely live in collective military dorms—luxurious estates? Those were reserved for generals, weren't they?
"You country bumpkin, the Star Expedition Army's meals are not just several times better than here; they belong to an entirely different tier—there's truly no comparison! But allow me to give you a piece of advice: don’t waste your time trying to join the Star Expedition Army. With your appearance, it's highly unlikely you'll be accepted," came a rough voice from nearby.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t need to turn around to know that the speaker was a woman in red. She looked quite young, but her attire was fierce, sporting a bow on her back and exuding an assertive aura. Even her voice carried a strong personality. Alongside her was a woman in green, who seemed much gentler and had a graceful appearance.
"A Xu, don't say that," the woman in green quickly urged in a low voice. Afterward, she gazed apologetically at Ke'er and Lan Xiaobu, saying, "Sorry, A Xu is straightforward; she doesn’t mean any harm."
Ke'er replied with a goofy smile, "It's fine; we know the chances are slim. We just want to try our luck. By the way, are you also trying to join the Star Expedition Army?" The woman in green smiled faintly, "Yes, we just participated in the Star Expedition Army assessment."
"Did you succeed?" Ke'er asked eagerly.
Before the woman in green could respond, the woman in red proudly stated, "Of course! Once we finish eating, we'll leave here and head to the Star Expedition Army to complete the enlistment procedures in a few days."
"Since you've already succeeded, why do you think we won't succeed?" Lan Xiaobu couldn't help but ask.
The two women before him seemed quite ordinary. Lan Xiaobu had reached the peak of the Meridian Opening Realm, just a step away from the Innate Realm, and naturally, he could tell that the two women lacked strong vital energy. If their vital energy was not robust, it merely indicated that their strength could only be considered average.
If those of average strength were being recruited by the Star Expedition Army, why would he and Ke'er be left out?
The woman in green bowed her head to eat, saying nothing further.
"We are from Blue Asia Star; what about you?" Ke'er, clearly unconcerned by the other party's attitude, continued to ask.
"You are also from Blue Asia Star?" the woman in red asked in surprise, her tone noticeably improving.
The woman in green also raised her head with surprise, glancing at Lan Xiaobu and Ke'er before trying to speak softly. "We applied for the Star Expedition Army’s Cosmic Information Collection and Analysis. It has lower physical requirements but higher science scores. We've always had an interest in technology, so we managed to succeed by luck."
"We are from the War Shuttle Army, of course; we applied there," Ke'er said boldly.
The woman in green hesitated, then finally said, "Then I wish you success."
"Let's go." From the tone and glances of the two women, Lan Xiaobu had already surmised that it would be somewhat challenging to enter the Star Expedition Army's War Shuttle Division.
There were the most people signing up for the Star Expedition Army here, but those eliminated were also the quickest. Each assessment usually had twenty participants, and only one in twenty generally succeeded. Although Lan Xiaobu and Ke'er were at the back of the line, the rate of elimination was rapid, allowing their group to advance quickly.
After a mere half-hour queue, it was finally Lan Xiaobu and Ke'er’s turn, accompanied by eighteen others who entered with them.
Outside, Ke'er appeared relaxed, but once inside, he noticeably became a bit apprehensive.
"Don't worry; even if we don't succeed, there are other paths," Lan Xiaobu comforted him with a pat on the shoulder.
Ke'er bit his lip and nodded. He guessed that Lan Xiaobu probably didn’t understand just how vast the difference was between the Star Expedition Army and other military forces, nor did he realize how tough those other paths could be.
Inside the room, an examiner was already present. On the white wall behind the examiner, large letters declared: "Star Expedition Army Round One Assessment." Just a few simple words could make anxious participants tense up. They needed to be aware that the Star Expedition Army's assessment consisted of three rounds, and anyone eliminated in any round would be dismissed immediately.
The first round had the highest elimination rate, usually only four to five people out of a hundred would pass.
The examiner’s gaze scanned the group before he solemnly said, "True Promise Star is a Level-2 Technological Civilization Planet, and our Star Expedition Army is True Promise Star's first army. Thus, each soldier entering the Star Expedition Army must possess adequate knowledge; only in this way can one qualify to be a member of the Star Expedition Army. This first round is an assessment of technological knowledge from True Promise Star, and the answering time is fifteen minutes. Answers begin as soon as you receive the test paper. Now, everyone please take your seats."
"It's over," Ke'er internally wailed. Had he known it would be a technological knowledge quiz, he would not have come in at all. He and Lan Xiaobu had indeed signed up for the War Shuttle Army; why would they need to answer questions about technology?
Lan Xiaobu intentionally chose to sit behind Ke'er. Ke'er was a good person, and if he could lend assistance, he would certainly help him.
As soon as the twenty people were seated, the table flipped, presenting each person with a test paper, a pen, and a blank sheet of paper.
The test consisted of ten questions, and Lan Xiaobu scanned Ke'er and the surrounding participants’ papers with his mind. He noticed there were very few identical papers; most were different.
However, for Lan Xiaobu, who had absorbed the majority of Li An's memories, the questions were not particularly difficult. What he was worried about was not which questions he couldn't answer, but rather how many he should answer correctly.
He should have asked those two women how many questions needed to be answered correctly to pass.
(End of Chapter)