Chapter 35 The Eyes Behind the Screen
The simulation room was still buzzing.
Students were shouting.
"Who was that?" "That was impossible!" "Did the system glitch??"
On the giant screen, Lin Yan's simulation replayed in slow motion.
He had piloted a beginner-class training ship…
Like a war veteran.
Precision. Prediction. Zero hesitation.
He cleared the battlefield in 4 minutes and 12 seconds.
The previous academy record?
11 minutes.
Silence fell as instructors walked in.
Chin stood there, glasses slightly tilted, staring at Lin Yan like he was looking at an alien.
"Lin…" Chin pushed his glasses up. "You said you've never piloted before."
Lin Yan coughed.
"I've played… some games."
Star's voice whispered in his ear:
"Yes. 'Some games.' Like tactical fleet annihilation simulation version 7.3."
Lin Yan mentally screamed.
Shut up.
Instructor Reaction
Professor Gao replayed the footage again.
Zoomed in.
Paused.
Lin Yan had predicted enemy fleet split formations before they executed.
He had used gravitational slingshot maneuvers that weren't even taught in second year.
A first-year student.
Using third-year war doctrine.
Professor Gao frowned.
"Run a background check."
Meanwhile…
Unknown to the students…
Deep beneath the academy.
Inside a restricted government surveillance room.
A blue holographic screen flickered.
A man in a black uniform watched the footage silently.
Blue Star's Defense Bureau emblem glowed on his shoulder.
"Flag him."
"Potential talent?"
The man's voice was calm.
"Potential anomaly."
Back in the Simulation Hall
Chin approached Lin Yan quietly.
"You… weren't guessing in there."
Lin Yan smiled casually.
"Lucky."
Chin didn't smile back.
"My family trains military fleet commanders."
Pause.
"I've watched them practice my entire life."
Another pause.
"You move like them."
Lin Yan's heart skipped.
Star whispered again:
"He's smart. I like him. Can we keep him?"
This is not a pet store.
The Bigger World (Subtle Reveal)
The screen behind them suddenly changed.
A global broadcast appeared.
Emergency military update.
A border planet on the outer Blue Star system had just detected unidentified fleet movement.
The announcer spoke calmly:
"High civilization planet Virex has conducted military exercises near Blue Star territory."
The room went silent.
Everyone knew what that meant.
Every 2–3 years…
Someone tested Blue Star.
Sometimes it ended as a "drill."
Sometimes it became war.
Chin looked at the screen.
Then at Lin Yan.
"You chose ship piloting because of this… didn't you?"
Lin Yan stared at the news.
His eyes sharpened slightly.
For a moment…
Just a moment…
The playful, poor-boy mask faded.
Something deeper flickered.
Star's voice softened.
"They're watching us too."
Final Scene — The Hook
In the underground facility…
The black-uniformed man replayed Lin Yan's simulation one more time.
Zoom.
Pause.
Enhance.
There.
A 0.3 second maneuver.
The system lagged.
Not because of hardware.
Because it calculated a trajectory outside its programmed combat database.
The man leaned forward.
"That maneuver…"
"Is classified."
Silence.
"Who trained that boy?"