Chapter 44 Looking for Trouble

“It’s already mealtime. You can go to the school cafeteria to eat. All meals at the Xinghai Academy cafeteria are free because the cost is included in the tuition. If you want better food, you can go to the school’s restaurant and pay with a credit card or cash,” Xingmeng said as Lei Bin, recently defeated once in battle, hung his head low in gloom.

“Damn, it’s already time to eat? Fine, I’ll go grab something to eat and then come back to fight. I refuse to believe I can’t beat them!” Lei Bin, fueled by frustration, was determined to win this battle.

“By the way, Xingmeng, that old pervert gave me a card. How much money is on it?” Lei Bin pulled out a card from his backpack. It was some pocket money given to him by Reina before he left.

“There’s ten million Federation credits on it,” Xingmeng replied.

“Holy crap, ten million? That old man is way too generous! Doesn’t he worry I’ll waste it? Is this how much pocket money noble children usually get?” Lei Bin was stunned speechless for a long while.

“No, previous generations of the Lei family only got about fifty thousand credits a month as pocket money. Some even went out to earn money themselves to build their skills,” Xingmeng explained.

“If they only get fifty thousand each, then why did they give me so much? Could it be because the family has more money than they can spend? Even so, this is too much,” Lei Bin wondered, baffled.

“That’s beyond what I can speculate,” Xingmeng admitted, unable to figure out Reina’s intentions.

“This is ridiculous! They gave me so much money—how am I supposed to spend it? I used to spend only a thousand credits a month. A thousand! With ten million, how many steamed buns can I buy? Ahhh…” Lei Bin was overwhelmed, genuinely clueless on how to spend such a sum.

“If I were still in the capital, it’d be easier—maybe find some girls for some fun. But here, there’s no such place. What use is all this money?” Lei Bin frowned, turning the card over and over, considering all sorts of ways to spend it.

After much thought, Lei Bin still couldn’t figure out how to spend the money—it was simply beyond his imagination.

“Damn, this is enough to open ten high-end repair shops.” Lei Bin’s biggest dream was to open his own repair shop. Small ones cost a few hundred thousand credits, larger ones about a million. Now with ten million, his dream suddenly felt as cheap as leftover goods from a roadside stall.

“Whatever, I’ll think of something eventually. Hmph, for now, I’ll go eat first.” Lei Bin tossed the card into his pocket and stepped outside.

“Better check out their free cafeteria first. I heard Xinghai Academy’s free cafeteria serves high-quality ingredients,” Lei Bin thought, deciding not to splurge at the fancy restaurant just yet. Despite knowing he had ten million credits, he was still used to living frugally and felt that spending thousands on a meal was wasteful.

With Xingmeng guiding him, Lei Bin didn’t need to find his way himself. He jogged swiftly to the cafeteria.

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At Xinghai Academy, there were dozens of cafeterias. Lei Bin went to the nearest one. The academy was vast—traveling from one end to the other by hovercar would take an hour.

Upon arrival, Lei Bin saw many people already eating. Their food looked quite good. Though not as exquisite as the Lei family’s meals, it was definitely nutritious, as most here were military students requiring stamina and nourishment.

The school’s restaurants offered even more nutritious meals, sometimes capable of greatly enhancing an ordinary person’s health after one meal.

Looking around, Lei Bin noticed quite a few diners. Following suit, he took a tray and went to various food counters to pick his meal.

“Wow, is this the legendary wild boar leg? Looks delicious! Even a free cafeteria serves such quality food—no wonder Xinghai Academy is the best in the Federation,” Lei Bin’s appetite surged at the sight.

At the Lei family home, though the food was excellent, he never truly enjoyed eating because he was always watched and lacked freedom. He often just gulped down his meals without savoring them.

Now, finally alone and free, his mood was different, and naturally his appetite was awakened.

“Hey? Are you Lei Bin of the Lei family, the Federation’s great hero?” Just as Lei Bin reached for a roasted wild boar leg, a voice suddenly came from behind.

Turning around, Lei Bin saw a skinny boy looking at him with astonishment.

Seeing the boy’s admiration, Lei Bin’s vanity swelled. He smiled arrogantly, “Yes, I am Lei Bin.”

Although he’d encountered such praise during interviews, those were always stiff, official reporters, making him feel it was superficial. Now, at school, someone recognized him and looked at him with genuine admiration, which felt great.

“Really you? You’re here at Xinghai Academy? Every Lei family heir is an elite. It’s an honor to meet you here. Your father, Lei Xingfeng, was my childhood idol. Didn’t expect you to be so impressive too,” the boy said enthusiastically, shaking Lei Bin’s hand so hard it trembled.

Lei Bin felt proud hearing praise for his father. “My father was indeed a hero. I admired him greatly when I was young.”

“You’re amazing. Leading thousands to kill over a hundred thousand Imperial troops and rescuing so many prisoners—it’s unbelievable. I wish I could go to the battlefield, kill more of those hated Imperial soldiers,” the boy added.

“Haha, there will be opportunities. The victory wasn’t just my doing,” Lei Bin said modestly, as humility was a traditional virtue of the Huaxia people.

At that moment, a discordant voice interrupted.

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“Hmph, using fabricated news to boost your fame. As a Federation soldier, that’s shameful.”

Lei Bin frowned and turned around to see a sharply dressed boy in uniform watching with a haughty expression.

“Oh? You say the story about me leading people to rescue prisoners is fake news?” Lei Bin’s face darkened instantly. Damn it, he had led a breakout from a desperate situation, accomplishing the near impossible. To call it fake news was utterly shameless.

“Hmph, the Lei family heirs sure are arrogant,” the boy said arrogantly as he approached with a tray. “Too bad the Lei family line is extinct now. They had to dig up some petty thug from the slums to save face and create such a big fake story. Anyone with common sense knows it was just a staged event.”

“Hey, Fang Hao, how can you say that? The video evidence, testimonies from rescued prisoners, even captured Imperial soldiers—all fabricated? You’re just jealous and can’t stand others doing well,” the admiring skinny boy stepped forward to defend Lei Bin.

“Hmph, what do you know? They’re a bunch of shameless liars, using family influence to deceive the public and brag shamelessly,” Fang Hao insisted loudly, making sure everyone nearby heard.

“Do you have any proof that it’s all fabricated?” the boy argued, face flushed red.

“Proof? I have plenty but I disdain to show it. If I did, the Federation would deny it fiercely because they need this fake news to boost morale and shirk responsibility for defeat. That’s the Federation’s dark truth. You bookworms understand nothing,” Fang Hao said with self-righteous contempt, looking down on Lei Bin.

“What about the Golden Eagle troops who sacrificed their lives to open a path for others to retreat? That’s false too? They’ve been posthumously honored with the Golden Eagle Medal. You’re slandering their honor,” the boy countered, citing the Golden Eagle troops to affirm Lei Bin’s story.

“Hmph, the Golden Eagles? Just a hollow name now. They’ve been exploited by selfish people and turned into tools controlled by some. The so-called self-sacrifice to open a path was just propaganda. Who knows how they really died? Maybe they tried to surrender and were killed by the Imperial army,” Fang Hao spouted venomously, attempting to erase all of Lei Bin’s achievements and slandering his comrades.

“You... how can you speak so slanderously? It’s a grave insult to those martyrs,” the boy was at a loss for words, furious at Fang Hao’s shamelessness.

“Hmph, we respect true martyrs, but I can’t stand those who fabricate false honors for noble families. That’s despicable,” Fang Hao sneered proudly at Lei Bin, full of disdain.