Chapter 7: Simulation Training
"This will be your first group combat drill."
Morning light filtered through the transparent ceiling of the training hall, casting a pale sheen over the space. At the center stood a thirty-meter-wide combat zone, filled with modular terrain and surrounded by adjustable barrier walls. Surveillance drones hovered silently above, humming softly as they tracked movement.
Zhong Lan stood at the edge of the field, hands clasped behind her back. She wore a black combat suit, her expression as calm and unreadable as ever.
"Four people per group. Objective: hold the zone, repel the enemy shadows, and survive for ten minutes."
The students murmured among themselves—some eager, some nervous, some flipping through enemy specs on their wrist displays.
"E3 isn't a normal class," Zhong Lan continued, her gaze sweeping the group. "You're not here to collect points. This is your first time fighting side by side—and your first time using Memory Armaments for actual coordination."
Her voice wasn't loud, but the room instantly went quiet.
A holographic screen popped up with team assignments:
Group One: Nie Shi, Su Xu, Xie Ping, Lu Jingxing Xie Ping let out a theatrical groan. "This lineup? I'm about to get annihilated."
Su Xu rolled her eyes. "Just don't drag us down."
"Quit whining." Lu Jingxing folded his arms. "With me here, you're lucky to witness greatness."
Nie Shi said nothing. He stood still, black spear leaning beside him like a shadow of its own.
He glanced at the names on the list, but inside, he felt like a ghost in the group.
"They're joking around. I have nothing to add."
"I don't remember anything—not even where this weapon came from."
"…But I want to help." The environment began to shift. A glow pulsed beneath their feet as the training ground morphed. Ding— They were now in a simulation: a ruined cityscape. Cracked streets, crumbling walls, toppled power lines. The sky was a deep, oppressive blue, like the moment before a storm.
Zhong Lan watched them from a raised platform, eyes narrowed.
"The enemies have tactical AI. They're not dummies. If you die in there, the system logs it."
Her lips twitched slightly—like she was watching baby birds shoved off a cliff.
"Ready." Countdown: 5—4—3—2—1. A shadow burst from a side alley, moving fast—like a wild hound lunging at prey.
"I got the front!" Xie Ping dashed forward, his Armament igniting into flame around his fists. One clean punch slammed the shadow into a wall.
"Right side incoming!" Su Xu's mirror clone flared to life, perfectly blocking a second attacker.
"Get out of my line of fire." Lu Jingxing muttered from his perch, firing three arrows in rapid succession—each one skewering a target at a different angle.
"This isn't hero syndrome—it's reflex!" Xie Ping shouted. "Team, follow my rhythm!"
"Shut it," Su Xu snapped. "You're all rhythm and no brain."
"It's called tactical flair!"
Their banter flew as smoothly as their teamwork. Rough, but improving fast.
Nie Shi stood in the center, hand resting on the black spear.
He wanted to move. He really did.
But his fingers were cold against the metal.
"Should I fire? What if I lose control? Can I… really be one of them?"
He hesitated. "Lock down center!" Su Xu shouted.
"I'm getting swarmed!" Xie Ping grunted.
"Why are you yelling?" Lu Jingxing's voice was sharp. "Where's Nie Shi?"
He heard his name.
Thrown into the air like a lifeline. Like someone was waiting for him.
His chest tightened—not in fear, but… yearning.
He gripped the spear.
And then he heard it. "Don't let them touch me."
"I hate… repeating wars."
"Memories aren't for trade."
"Remember me." The voice wasn't a whisper anymore. It was sharp and close.
And Nie Shi realized: the spear wasn't waiting for orders—it was waiting for an answer.
"…Fine. Let's do this together." The spear moved.
The air shimmered.
The system screamed. [Sync spike detected]
[Non-registered Armament status fluctuation]
[Critical interference warning] The black spear twisted into a full weapon—its tip gleaming white, its body wrapped in flickering glyphs.
Boom—!!
A shockwave exploded outward, clearing half the field. Dust and gravel flew as enemy shadows were blasted back.
Emergency lights flared. System logs spiked.
"You're crazy!" Su Xu staggered back three steps.
"You nearly nuked us too!" Xie Ping coughed—but then added, "Okay, fine. That was badass."
Lu Jingxing narrowed his eyes. "That wasn't standard syncing. Not even close." The simulation cut out.
Zhong Lan approached from the far end as dust hung in the air, system alerts blinking around her.
She looked at Nie Shi, whose spear still trembled faintly in his hand.
"You heard it speak?"
He nodded.
"What did it say?"
"…It asked me to remember it."
Zhong Lan exhaled slowly.
"That damn thing… just how much does it remember?"
She said it quietly, maybe to herself.
Then she turned to the group. "Today's training is over. Group One—barely passed."
"Oh?" Xie Ping grinned. "First pass of my life!"
"One more word and you'll be back to zero."
She didn't smile, but her eyes softened, just a little. As Su Xu passed Nie Shi, she muttered, "Next time, give us a heads-up before the nuke. But… nice shot."
Xie Ping clapped him on the back. "Told you. This guy goes off—boom!"
From afar, Lin Kui stood quietly, eyes fixed on him.
"I heard it," she whispered. "It was shaking."
Nie Shi turned toward her, startled.
But she had already looked away. Nie Shi sat by the wall. The spear leaned beside him like a sleeping shadow.
He looked down at his hand.
And said softly:
"I'll learn how to use this… without hurting anyone."
"This time was an accident."
"…Next time, I'll protect them."