A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 204: Selection Over
Chapter 204: Selection Over

From the start, Kellan had been watching with an intense gaze. The hypnosis was part of a military plan, and the hypnotist was merely following orders.

Sighing, he thought, ’sometimes trouble finds you even when you’re just doing your job.’

”Doctor, thank you for your hard work,” Kellan said, ending his invisibility spell with an awkward cough. He knew he was unfairly blaming the innocent hypnotist, but watching his sister being so vulnerable was almost too much for him. It took all his willpower not to pull her away.

The doctor waved dismissively and calmly. ”Just doing my job. But hurry with your questions. Arix’s psychic power is strong; I can only keep her under for 15 minutes.”

”Thank you,” Kellan nodded. He turned to Arix and asked seriously, ”Arix, who do you like more, me or Drexel?”

Arix’s eyes twitched, and her brow furrowed as if she might wake up.

The doctor’s mouth twitched in frustration. He quickly intervened, ”What’s your big brother’s name?”

”Kellan,” Arix replied, her frown easing.

The doctor sighed in relief and glared at Kellan, ”Sir, please avoid asking such personal questions during hypnosis.”

Asking controversial questions like, ”Who do you love more, Mom or Dad?” or ”Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” during hypnosis is a big no-no. It reduced the effectiveness and could wake the person prematurely.

Kellan rubbed his nose, feeling guilty. ”Sorry, doctor. That was my mistake.”

The doctor rolled his eyes and warned, ”There are only ten minutes left. Please stick to the necessary questions now, sir.”

”I understand.” Kellan, never before so openly chastised, quickly got to the important questions.

”Arix, will you betray the Alliance?” Kellan asked seriously.

”No,” Arix answered softly.

”If killing one innocent person could save 100, what would you choose?”

”Life is priceless. As long as I have a clear conscience.”

”Is being a military student tough?”

”Yes.”

”Why don’t you give up?”

”Because I have someone to protect.”

...

Arix had no idea how many questions she answered while under hypnosis. When she woke up, her throat was dry, but she felt like she’d just taken a nap.

”Awake? You’ve passed the third level. There’s an officer outside to take you to the next stage,” the doctor said gently.

Arix nodded slightly and left the small room.

Watching her leave, the doctor finally breathed a sigh of relief. He silently prayed, hoping he’d never have to deal with this sibling duo again in his life.

Arix swung open the door and found an Alliance soldier standing there.

With a warm nod, he said, ”Follow me,” and led the way.

”Okay,” Arix replied, trailing behind him.

After a brief stroll, the soldier halted at a door marked ”Meeting Room.” He knocked three times.

”Come in,” Kellan’s voice called from inside.

Arix was surprised to see Kellan there. She knew he was an officer, but she wondered if this meant she had passed the selection.

The officer beside her didn’t catch her thoughts. He nudged the door open slightly and gestured, ”Go in. You’re the last one.”

Arix was puzzled. ’The last one for what?’

Confused, she nodded and stepped inside alone.

As soon as she entered, it clicked. Besides the military academy reps and corps members, there were six other military students in the room. With her, they hit the selection quota.

”Arix, take a seat,” Kellan said with a fond smile.

Nodding, Arix spotted Drexel with two unfamiliar students and chose to sit near Deanna and her brother.

”Arix, you made it too!” Deanna exclaimed, hooking her arm around Arix’s.

”Yeah, looks like just the four of us passed,” Arix said, eyeing the other students.

Apart from Drexel, Deanna, and Marceau, the rest were unfamiliar faces.

Deanna sighed, ”Too bad some of our friends didn’t make it through the second round.”

”The second round was tough,” Arix agreed, glancing at the newcomers. One was tall and lean, with features like a Persian cat—curly hair and handsome. The other was imposing, with a strong face and the air of a wolf.

Oddly, Arix saw animals in them—a lazy kitten, a fierce wolf, and Drexel, who seemed like a silly husky in the middle.

Just then, Drexel waved with a goofy grin, looking even more like a husky.

Arix couldn’t help but smile and waved back.

With everyone present, Kellan, sitting at the head of the table, cleared his throat and looked at the students seriously.

”First, congratulations on passing the selection competition. From now on, you’re members of the Alliance’s National Mecha Team.”

He began to clap, and the other officers and mentors joined in.

The six students felt a bit shy amidst the applause, but pride shone in their eyes.

After the applause died down, Kellan continued with a serious tone, ”You’ve passed the military academy selection, but don’t get too comfortable. Only ten of you will officially join the national team. The five academies selected thirty students in total, so later on, twenty of you will be backup members. I hope each student from HMA can make the cut. So, work hard and don’t let us down.”

The six students exchanged glances, then nodded earnestly at Kellan.

Seeing their determined faces, Kellan finally smiled.

”Alright, you have today and tomorrow off. Meet at the school gate at 9 AM the day after tomorrow. Use these two days to say goodbye to your families. You’ll undergo six months of special training with no visits or holidays. That’s all I have to say. You’re dismissed.” Kellan said, getting up with his two deputies to leave.

As he passed Arix, he gently patted her head.

”Arix, I’m heading out,” Kellan said warmly.

”Okay, goodbye, Kellan,” Arix replied, waving obediently.

Kellan smiled and nodded, then left with his deputies. President Gunder offered a few encouraging words before departing with the corps representatives.

Finally, only the six students remained in the meeting room. They introduced themselves and started saying their goodbyes.

Rahan, the one who looked like a Persian cat, waved and said, ”I’m heading out first. See you the day after tomorrow.”

”See you then,” Dollan responded coolly, nodding before leaving.

After saying goodbye to the new faces, Arix turned to Deanna and her brother. ”Deanna, what are your plans for the next two days?”

Deanna shook her head, looking a bit sad. ”We don’t have any family to say goodbye to. We’ll just stay in our room to avoid any trouble.”

Marceau patted his sister’s head comfortingly and nodded in agreement.

Arix thought for a moment, then asked, ”I’m going to Planet Waste for the next two days. Deanna, if you’re free, do you want to come with me?”

Deanna’s eyes lit up. ”Really? Can I come with you?”

”Of course! The more, the merrier,” Arix replied with a smile.

”Great! I’ll hang out with you for the next two days,” Deanna said, excitedly hugging Arix’s arm.

”Alright, let’s go. Come home with me first. My mom will like you so much,” Arix said happily, linking arms with Deanna and walking out. She completely forgot about Drexel behind her.

Deanna, equally excited, linked arms with Arix and chatted away, forgetting about her brother too.

The two ignored brothers shared a look of bitterness. After a moment, Drexel put his arm around Marceau’s shoulder and laughed, ”Shall we go?”

”Yeah, let’s go,” Marceau replied, sounding more relaxed than usual.

Drexel’s smile widened. Then, like good friends, they left the meeting room with their arms around each other’s shoulders.