ABFMV Chapter 28 Part 1

The other professors also had their doubts. Quite a few of those present were on good terms with Rong Ruyue, and everyone knew she definitely wanted Xu Linlang to enter the Mecha Repair Department.

Some of them had even suggested to the dean and other professors that they create an extra slot just for her. So how on earth did Xu Linlang end up being admitted into the Mecha Manufacturing Department instead?

Could it be that Xu Linlang was just going through a rebellious phase and made the decision on her own?

But before the exam, she had been coached by Chu Luo-chi, the son of Academician Chu Shao, and he was a graduate of the Repair Department.

If she really wanted to apply for the Manufacturing Department, there would have been no reason for her to obediently keep following Chu Luo-chi’s tutoring.

Word was, she had gone through fifty years’ worth of actual test papers and thirty years of mock exams several times over.

Originally, their desire to recruit Xu Linlang into the Repair Department was mostly out of respect for Rong Ruyue.

But now it was completely different.

Even though no one knew exactly what made Xu Linlang so exceptional, the fact that Elder Jiang had taken a personal interest in her meant her abilities must surpass those of any incoming student at the Mecha Academy in decades.

Missing out on such a promising talent was an absolute loss for the Repair Department.

And since the Repair and Manufacturing Departments had always been rivals, competing fiercely over the best students year after year, to lose someone like her to Manufacturing was like picking up sesame seeds while dropping a watermelon.

The department head grew more and more uneasy. “No, this doesn’t add up. Get me the exam hall surveillance footage. I want to see Xu Linlang’s test process—and how she ended up applying to the Manufacturing Department.”

When they finally watched the footage, the professors—already unsettled—were shaken even more.

“A genius. Absolutely a genius. I’ve never seen an assembly sequence like that—and she actually pulled it off perfectly!”

“What’s even scarier is that, according to the results sheet, in just twenty minutes Xu Linlang casually produced a flawless component.”

“My god… why didn’t the Marshal’s wife tell us sooner that Xu Linlang had this kind of gift? If we’d known earlier, we would’ve made our move long ago!”

Just thinking of such a prodigy being admitted to Manufacturing made their blood boil. They could almost see the smug expressions of those professors as if they’d hit the jackpot.

But then, on the recording, they saw Xu Linlang stride confidently over and place her work on the Repair Department’s submission table.

The professors: “!!!?”

What the hell? Xu Linlang had clearly applied to the Repair Department, so how had she ended up in Manufacturing?!

Something wasn’t right.

There had to be foul play.

Their eyes all locked onto the submission table, as if they could burn holes through the screen, desperate to see how Xu Linlang’s project ended up submitted under Manufacturing.

When a fellow candidate “accidentally” knocked her work onto the floor, the professors’ expressions shifted from anxious to livid.

The department head frowned at the candidate and the proctor. “Looks like someone tried to set Xu Linlang up, never expecting that she’d still have the strength to get into Manufacturing.”

What enraged him even more was that the proctor was actually a lecturer from the Repair Department. Which meant it was their own people who had handed over this talent to their rivals.

Xu Linlang had intended to apply to Repair, but thanks to this mess, she was snatched away and became part of Manufacturing instead.

The department head rubbed his temples. “Bring that proctor here. I want to know who thought it was a good idea to drag political power struggles into our department.”

The lecturer in question had already realized something was terribly wrong the moment he heard Xu Linlang had been admitted to Manufacturing. He knew he had failed Admiral Peter’s orders while also earning the wrath of the Repair professors.

Shaking, he entered the office. After a moment’s hesitation, he confessed outright:

“It was Admiral Peter who ordered me to do it. I couldn’t refuse him. And honestly, I figured Xu Linlang’s level wasn’t high enough for the Repair Department anyway—she’d just be dead weight—so… I never thought it would turn out like this!”

He’d thought it through clearly. Admiral Peter’s sister might be the queen, but her influence at court was still less than Marshal Xu’s.

Now that Xu Linlang had become Elder Jiang’s final disciple, with limitless potential and the Xu family poised to reach new heights, there was no reason to keep opposing them.

Better to come clean.

The department head slammed his palm on the desk. “To drag the younger generation into political scheming—shameless!”

The younger professor burst out angrily: “Shameless is bad enough, but they even tampered with Xu Linlang’s application and cost us a talent!”

The other professors slowly turned their heads toward him. Realizing he’d said out loud what everyone was secretly thinking, the younger professor shut his mouth.

The department head sighed. “When a student faces something like this, as teachers, we’re obligated to help. Don’t you agree?”

Everyone nodded furiously.

The department head straightened his tie and stood. “We need to honor our students’ true wishes. Xu originally applied to the Repair Department, but someone maliciously altered her application to Manufacturing. We should speak with the Manufacturing professors and explain.”

The professors rose eagerly, ready for battle.

So together they marched to the Manufacturing office, determined to defend their department’s talent.

At the door, the department head noticed it was open. He peeked inside and, seeing Elder Jiang wasn’t there, finally felt relieved.

If Elder Jiang had been present, he wouldn’t have dared to demand the student back. But with him absent, he could put on a strong front.

The department head cleared his throat, ready to walk in. But before he could, Professor He Tan from Manufacturing stepped out. “Can I help you?”