Meanwhile, in Earth Sector One, a man under forty, clad in a military uniform, was reviewing footage he had just received.
"We shouldn't have released Code Zero into human society, General Finn," the officer said quietly. "He doesn't follow orders the way others do. He's… hard to control."
The speaker was a young man in his twenties, wearing the same uniform. However, there was a clear difference—his shoulder tag bore only a single star, while Finn's displayed ten, marking the vast gap in their authority.
"It's not in my hand. Let's not worry, Jax," Finn replied calmly, his expression unchanged. "We now have a complete grasp of his weakness. In the past, he was troublesome, but with this leverage, he'll have no choice but to obey."
Jax frowned. "Code Zero is like a feral dog. He doesn't care about anyone—he only follows orders of his owner."
"That's precisely why the higher-ups value him," Finn said coldly. "I hope that meeting his family will awaken some humanity in him. Even so, keep monitoring him. Watch his every action."
On the higher ground at the southern outskirts, a hoverboard descended and landed softly. With a flick of her hand, the young girl deactivated it. The board folded into a thin piece of metal, which she slipped into her pocket.
"Kaizer, from here on, students are forbidden to fly. Remember that."
Kaizer nodded.
Before him stretched a series of massive stairways connecting different terrains, stacked like a pyramid. Towering buildings rose alongside them, one resembling a grand church-like structure. Under the reflected sunlight, the structures gleamed magnificently. His gaze halted at an arched building ahead, where a large title was engraved at its entrance:
Sacred Vault Hall
"This is the Sacred Vault Hall," Saira said. "It has nine layers and stores breathing techniques, auxiliary techniques, and battle techniques. Every newcomer can choose two techniques, but only from the first floor. If you want, you can come here after registration."
She had seen many newcomers stare at the hall just like Kaizer. Techniques were extremely expensive in this world, their value determined by grade. Even acquiring one didn't guarantee compatibility. This privilege alone was one of the academy's greatest perks. As long as a student performed well, resources would never be lacking.
Kaizer eventually pulled his gaze away and noticed students walking around the area. Their uniforms came in different colors—red, blue, black, white, and orange.
Seeing the confusion on his face, Saira explained, "Those five colors represent the five houses. There's intense competition between them, especially when it comes to badges."
She continued, tapping the silver badge on her chest. "I belong to the Black House. Each house ranks its students by badges—bronze, silver, gold, platinum, elite, and captain.
"Badges are earned by competing with students from other houses. Ten bronze can be exchanged for one silver, ten silver for one gold, and ten gold for one elite. The captain's badge is special—you'll learn about it later. Just remember, each house has only one captain, and their authority surpasses everyone else's."
Kaizer's eyes drifted to the badge on the left side of Saira's black blazer—one silver badge and two bronze.
She added playfully, "If you want, you can touch my badge."
Kaizer reached out and lightly touched it. "Miss Saira, are these badges actually made of silver?"
Her expression instantly stiffened.
Who would have thought this newcomer had absolutely no sense of humor? Not only had he touched the badge—he had brushed against something else entirely.
"Miss Saira," Kaizer continued casually, "I don't understand why these badges are so important."
"You—!" Her body trembled with anger.
Seeing no trace of guilt on his face, she forced herself to calm down. Is he pretending… or does he really not understand what he just did?
Judging by his genuinely confused expression, her only thought was that he had done it without any intention. Forget it. This was partly my fault anyway.
Kaizer blinked innocently, but inwardly, he was laughing. He found her playfulness irritating.
Saira regained her composure. "Badges grant monthly merit points. Inside the academy, star credits are useless. If you want to survive here, merit points are the only thing that matters.
"A single bronze badge gives about a hundred merit points per month. Every new student receives one bronze badge as a welcome gift. Higher-tier badges grant far more, but upgrading is extremely difficult, especially for newcomers."
"There are only two ways to earn badges," she continued. "One is by completing academy missions. The other is by challenging students from other houses. Challenges have strict rules—you can only challenge someone with the same number of badges as you, and both sides must agree."
Her expression turned serious. "You can't challenge students from your own house for badges. You can challenge them for merit points, but honestly, it's not worth it."
After a brief pause, she added, "At the end of every year, the academy distributes bonus merit points based on house rankings. If your house performs well, everyone benefits."
She continued explaining rules as they walked until they reached the exterior of the main academy building. Numerous senior students managed colorful booths, loudly calling out to recruit newcomers into their houses.
At the far corner lay the registration area. There wasn't much of a line—most newcomers had already registered.
Kaizer took out his invitation letter for the Starship Flight Program, his chosen major.
Inside the booth sat a man under thirty. His appearance was striking—an eyepatch covered his left eye, and both arms were muscular yet biomechanical. He lounged comfortably in his chair, with a desk, small computer, and scanner arranged neatly before him.
"Instructor, I brought a new student for registration," Saira said cheerfully, clearly familiar with him.
Instructor Lu smiled, revealing iron teeth that reflected Kaizer's image.