When Wang Tong appeared inside the submarine, he was greeted by cheers and applause.
"Principal, what the heck!? Next time you should give me a heads up!" Wang Tong forced a smile on his face.
Samantha's face bloomed like a flower: "Good job! You have given me face in front of Martyrus, and I will give you your reward later. Go have your body checked first."
"Kiddo, congratulations! You have passed the first test. I wish you good luck with your next challenge... you will need it." Martyrus beamed from side to side. At the thought of gaining a secret weapon against Capth, he laughed so loudly that his mustache was trembling.
Although Wang Tong looked alright, Samantha had decided to give Wang Tong a check up just in case.
"Take your cloth off and lay down on the bed," Samantha said. There were no doctors in the medical room, only a principal, and her student. Wang Tong's mind raced, wondering if he was going to strike lucky.
"Why are you gawking at me? Haven't you heard that I graduated with an honor's degree from a Medical School?" Samantha registered the desire in Wang Tong's eyes and drew the boundaries.
Samantha had been the best student at Capth, no only she graduated with the best marks, her graduation thesis had also made a significant contribution to the advancement of human medical technology.
Samantha watched as he took off his shirt, revealing his tenacious body that left her in awe. Not only was Wang Tong's body in excellent condition, but his energy had also recovered significantly after a brief respite.
Samantha patted Wang Tong's shoulder and said, "All good, get up now." As her hand touched the firm and muscular shoulder, Samantha had to look the other ways as she found Wang Tong's body devastatingly attractive.
Wang Tong put on his cloth and sat on the bench without any intention of leaving. He cracked a smile and said, "What about my reward?"
"What do you want, you little brat? And talk quietly!" Samantha draw closer to Wang Tong, afraid of others hearing their conversation. All the while, she avoided Wang Tong's gaze.
Samantha had made a wrong move. She had underestimated her attractiveness and overestimated Wang Tong's self-constraint. Wang Tong had been tempted by her red and succulent lips, and by then he could no longer hold that burning desire. Samantha sensed Wang Tong's intention and was about to back away; however, it was too late. Suddenly she found herself inside of Wang Tong's firm embrace, and his mouth pressed tightly to hers.
Samantha struggled to break free, sort of, but Wang Tong's body was like a magnet that attracted her closer. Wang Tong sensed a slight hesitation on Samantha's lips, so he frenched her with ease. He had never heard of the term "French Kissing" until a few night ago when his buddy, Hu Yangxuan, described it to him. Just like Hu Yangxuan had promised, it indeed felt good.
Wang Tong's tongue had caught Samantha off guard as her already-thinning defense crumbled.
They held each other for a while before they let go.
"It was sweet!" Wang Tong said as he noticed Samantha's face was flushed red.
Samantha finally broke free and attempted to recover her composure but failed. She conceded that Wang Tong was not a typical student who she could pin under her thumb. She regretted that she didn't realize earlier that underneath his seemingly meek appearance was a shameless rascal, and she regretted not kicking him out of Ayrlarng when she still had the chance.
"Look away!" Samantha hid from him as she gathered herself and tidied up her clothes.
"Attractive principal and her student!" Samantha had already found the headline for the next day's newspaper should this scandal was leaked to the public. Her face reddened. She would not let this happen. Any scandal would be detrimental to her dream: Ayrlarng's rise, so she realized that she had to lock up her desire and feelings.
"Get out now, don't let the others wait."
"What about you?"
"I need a bit of time. Seal your lips out there!" Samantha threatened Wang Tong.
Wang Tong could not register any condescension in Samantha's tone — like he would expect from a principal — instead, he felt that Samantha spoke like those girlfriends on Tv shows.
There was nothing wrong with the two flirting with each other if the society could turn a blind eye to their relationship in a more formal setting.
Samantha watched Wang Tong as he left the medical room. She struggled to calm herself but failed again. "Gosh, what the heck has happened to me! No, I can't give up my dream because of this… idiot!" However, she could not bring herself to deny the satisfaction she had felt while she was in Wang Tong's embrace.
"What did the doctor say?" Wang Tong's friends surrounded him as soon as he appeared in the meeting room.
"Everything is fine, and I am already fully recovered. Rumi, how are you doing, you’re not going to take more rest?" Wang said with a smile.
"Glad to see you here and safe. Thank you, Captain."
"Don't thank me, thank the team."
The submarine had surfaced while the students were talking. They noticed a hatch door propped open on the ceiling.
"We are almost there. Come up here now, it's stuffy down there."
The students filed out of the submarine through the hatch door to the deck above them.
They quickly noticed a large island looming in front of them. This was the FFC Paradise Island. It was Ma Xiaoru's first time arriving on this island, and she already had a feeling that the time she spent here would be memorable.
Before Martyrus's sudden test, Ma Xiaoru was still on the fence, hesitating to solidify her relationship with Wang Tong. However, Wang Tong's valor had deeply moved her and made her decide to work their relationship toward the next level.
She was born from a prominent family that had very strict family disciplines regarding the way she carried herself. Therefore, although Ma Xiaoru was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she was not spoiled and had learned through family disciplines always to be level-headed and understating. However, she felt that Wang Tong's charm came mainly from how different he was; he was reckless and even selfish most of the time, but during a crisis, he would turn into a trustworthy and selfless leader. Ma Xiaoru conceded that if it was she who had brought food and water with her, she might not share them with the group as Wang Tong had done. When everyone had given up fighting for survival, only Wang Tong had given them hope and encouragement.
Ma Xiaoru had never met a man who had such a sense of responsibility and valor.
As the heir of the House Ma and the FFC, Ma Xiaoru had grown up listening to tales of her ancestor and General Li Feng. Her favorite story about General Li Feng was the story about Princess Tang Ling of the GDA falling in love with General Li Feng while they were both students. Even after the family had openly opposed her marriage, she still stood with her lover and supported him wholeheartedly. In the end, General Li Feng's rise to power had proven to her family that her choice was right.
Ever since Ma Xiaoru had heard of that story, she had always dreamed that one day, she would be able to find and date someone like General Li Feng, and she felt that she had found what she was looking for in Wang Tong after the events in the sea. When Wang Tong had given her the last bottle of water and swum away by himself, Ma Xiaoru had tried really hard not to follow him, to care for him.
Wang Tong walked onto the deck and stretched his body. He had already let go of all the stress and felt relaxed under the sun.
"Ha! Xiaoru, your family business is everywhere! If I can't find a job, would you let me work for you?" Wang Tong laughed, and everyone laughed with him. Ma Xiaoru nodded trying not to reveal her happiness at the thought of having Wang Tong with her every day even after graduation. Even the students of Bernabeu felt lighthearted and joined in the prattle. The training had just started, so they figured that there were ample opportunities to earn some face for Bernabeu, and there was no need for them to dwell on their recent loss.
Martyrus and Samantha also walked out to the deck. "Mister Martyrus, have they also arrived? "
Martyrus nodded. "Yes, they arrived early. Our kids are enjoying themselves while they still can."
"We shouldn't underestimate our students. You have seen their performance today, and I doubt the hotshots from Capth could do any better."
"Therefore, I can't wait for tomorrow's show!"
The students were airlifted toward the island. From their vantage point, the students realized how huge the island was as its shoreline stretched out endlessly.
They were dropped off at the center of a large structure, while the workers were bustling with their business without paying any attention to the visitors.
All the student first underwent a physical check. The FFC had dedicated a significant amount of employee to their training since it was a work-order that came directly from their stakeholder.
The two principals watched the workers casually without interfering with them as they went on with analyzing the test results.
An hour later, the test was finally done. Martyrus gathered everyone around him.
"I'd like everyone to go around the table to introduce themselves."
Ayrlarng:
Battle Commander: Wang Tong, Ma Xiaoru, Wang Ben, Hu Yangxuan, Zhou Sisi, Carl.
METAL Fighter: Kyaero.
Information Warfare: Rumi.
Heavy METAL: Tita.
Fleet Management: Chen Chung.
Bernabeu:
Battle Commander: Shi Liang, Luo Manman, Deng Jia.
METAL Fighter: Apache, Cao Yi.
Information Warfare: Zhang Kui, Zhang Yan.
Heavy METAL: Scarlet.
Fleet Management: Stia, Xie Chengxun(Best).
"Excellent, now everyone knows each other, let's start the first training."
Although everyone was still tired, no one complained.
"This is officer Massa, and he will be in charge of your physical training."
Officer Massa stepped forward. He was wearing a military uniform, and his solemn face was blemished with countless small scars making it look like a bitter squash.