Chapter 43: Is There Still Time?

Sorry, Ms. Jiang, we are very sorry to hear about your situation. However, the channels for the academy system have already been closed, and all students have completely finished their class assignments. If you wish to transfer, you might have to wait until next year to see if you can change your major. The person on the other end replied with a tone of regret.

Jiang Hui was equally regretful to hear this news, as it meant the matter was essentially irreversible. Yet, she felt that perhaps, just perhaps, she should try a little harder... could there still be a turning point?

After receiving a definitive, gentle refusal from the academic affairs teacher, Jiang Hui had no choice but to let go of her previous thought.

Perhaps unable to bear the sight of her "soul-crushing" disappointment, the other person added: Or you can consult the academic affairs office again after the semester starts. I will also report your situation to the admissions committee to see if we can help arrange a transfer for you. It's just not very likely. Student, you need to mentally prepare yourself.

...Actually, she could have skipped that last sentence. On second thought, Jiang Hui realized it was better not to pin too many illusory hopes on such a matter. Wouldn't it be better for her to face reality sooner rather than later?

Still, the teacher clearly meant well, and Jiang Hui was naturally grateful. After asking a few more questions related to enrollment, she whispered her thanks and hung up the optical computer.

Turning off the optical computer interface, Jiang Hui could not help but let out a long sigh.

What should she do? This was getting really tricky now...

Things were indeed as she had expected; once missed, there was no opportunity for late registration. While the school deeply regretted her accidental injury, they could not make an exception to reopen the campus system. Not to mention how troublesome it would be to alter the backend and reschedule everything, more importantly, doing so would break the rules.

If such a bad precedent were set, what should they do if every student below made similar demands?

Therefore, Beska Intermediate Academy tried its best to strictly uphold the rules and ensure fairness and impartiality regarding admission rankings. The school atmosphere was exceptionally good, and she had barely heard of any negative trends.

Since Jiang Hui missed the window to change her major, the system automatically assigned her to a military-related major and even chose the specific discipline for her. Actually, there was no real choice. Military majors were in high demand, and with very few spots left, everything was packed to the brim, leaving her no choice but to accept her assigned slot.

Jiang Hui was assigned to the Mecha Solo Combat Department... Well, just hearing the name screamed a passion-filled major, the romantic ideal exclusive to interstellar soldiers.

Yet Jiang Hui possessed no such lofty ambitions. The girl wore a wry smile.

This was the second blow she suffered after learning she couldn't change her major. There were dozens of military majors, and logistics alone had over a dozen sub-specialties. Choosing the latter would have made things slightly more bearable.

Unfortunately, all those minor military specialties were completely filled. Every year, a massive number of applicants vied for Beska Intermediate Academy's minor specialties, making them exceptionally popular.

Unless military dependents with guaranteed quotas passed a preliminary test before applying for a major change, they were forced to accept whatever was assigned.

Only major categories like the Solo Combat Department or the Mecha Manufacturing Department had vacancies—no, actually, those didn't have vacancies either, but they had the largest student populations, the biggest classes, and the most abundant teaching resources. Consequently, almost all military-dependent students reassigned to military majors this year were dumped into the Solo Combat Department.

That was how Jiang Hui ended up in the Combat Solo Combat Department, completely swept along by the current without a single shred of choice.

At first, Jiang Hui still tried to comfort herself, thinking things might not be as terrifying as she imagined. At fifteen or sixteen years of age, how far could combat studies really go? They were probably just theoretical knowledge or flashy routines. But the moment she searched the keywords online and watched some related student training videos, Jiang Hui just wanted to lie flat.

This was practically pushing her to change schools. Was it still too late to switch schools and majors?

She had already learned long ago just how martial this interstellar world was. Military might flourished, and many young people who completed their studies were eager to join the military and expand the borders of the interstellar civilization.

Moreover, the interstellar society didn't just select people from adulthood; they started nurturing them from childhood. It was said that starting from elementary school, many specialized mecha and combat classes were established. Intermediate school further refined these divisions, truly separating students with career inclinations from ordinary societal talents for intensive training. Only then were the top-performing elites funneled into the military academy system... Beyond that, there were further selections, but those involved deeper promotions within the military and political systems, which remained unknown to her for now.

Jiang Hui was currently at the dividing line of the second stage. The intermediate school years, from ages fifteen to eighteen, were a crucial period for adolescent growth and the formation of worldviews. Intensive training naturally had to be "fast, accurate, and ruthless," adopting an extremely strict militarized management system.

Correct, which meant that the moment Jiang Hui enrolled in the Solo Combat Department, she had to mentally prepare herself to be incorporated into this militarized management system.

Well, to put it simply, she was about to... become a soldier.

Figuring out the connections, Jiang Hui was completely dazed.

This was entirely different from what she had imagined. She was just a salted fish who wanted to peacefully coast along until old age; why inflict this on her?

Jiang Hui felt the greatest misfortune since her arrival in the interstellar world envelop her.

—Good heavens, not only did she have to return to school, but she also had to become a "new recruit." Was there any way out for people anymore?!

Jiang Hui buried her head deep into the quilt. Even when night fell and it was time for sleep, she remained dazed for ages, causing her to once again forget the existence of her mental space that night, resulting in another night of tossing and turning.

Thus, when she woke up in the morning, although Jiang Hui was rested in every sense, her spirit was even worse, her expression listless.

When the optical computer call came through, she hadn't even reacted in time to adjust her state.

Hello, is this Ms. Jiang Hui? Sorry to disturb you, this is the follow-up clinic of the District Intermediate Hospital, and I am the nurse, Sangsang. How are you feeling today... holding up okay? Looking closely at her expression, the other person seemed somewhat hesitant at the end of the sentence.

Hearing that the call was from the hospital, Jiang Hui's chaotic brain finally cleared up a bit: Oh, oh oh, I know. I'm sorry, I was a bit dazed from sleep. May I ask what this is about?

The other person seemed relieved. Actually, when she saw Jiang Hui's sleepy appearance just now, she had almost been startled, thinking this discharged patient was suffering terribly and looking so terrible. It turned out she just hadn't woken up yet. Still, this kid's energy was way too poor; it seemed brain damage had inflicted an extraordinary toll on her.

Although the nurse had automatically filled in her head a lot of completely unrelated scenarios for Jiang Hui, she didn't skip the verbal procedure...

You forgot? Tomorrow is your follow-up checkup date, and you need to return to the District Intermediate Hospital for an examination. I'm calling to confirm the time with you. What time tomorrow morning are you free? Also, Mr. Kalate from our hospital has been quite busy lately and might not be able to make it to that shift. Would you be willing to accept another senior therapist for your follow-up...