Metropia, The Capital of The Federation. Year 2021B.

The earth has now become The Federation. There was just one government, one military, and no borders. Humanity has come a long way from a time when people used to discriminate against each other based on their ethnicity and skin tone.

It was said that only in times of peril did people band together. Such a time came when a terrible virus hit humanity with a death toll that changed the way of life known to the people. For Humanity’s survival, nations dissolved all borders and merged into one. The Earth has become known as The Federation with the embodiment of one government, one military, and no borders. The Federation pooled its resources together in efforts for a better life.

The combined effort led them to scale the project toward the starry sky. Gradually, The Federation colonized every possible planet in the solar system, making it liveable according to the human standard. On the other hand, the huge advancement in science and technology also allowed them to develop a genetic serum that pushed the human body past the norms. The result was a generation and civilization that were far stronger than its original predecessors.

…

At such a prosperous age, a boy was shuttling through the heavily crowded sidewalks. The boy was a teenager, with handsome features. He was almost two meters tall and lean with slightly longer hair bouncing off his forehead as he ran with a bag slung over his shoulders. The boy was dressed in black pants, and a white shirt, paired with a maroon blazer and tie. He had black shoes neatly tied on his feet.

On the left chest pocket, there were an insignia of two swords diagonally intersecting each other. At the bottom of the crest, a few words were also inscribed, “Federation Star Academy.”

The Federation Star Academy was the most prestigious school in the whole world. At the moment, the boy, who was a weak-looking scholar and a student in the university tech department, was rushing to his class without a minute to spare. This was the second time that he was late for class. The reason was that he had overslept. He mumbled to himself, “Shit, I’m gonna miss the monorail again. Ms. Rosa is going to eat me alive if I don’t make it, not even my bones will be spared.”

Shi Lang lived near the outskirts of the capital with his parents, who were both ordinary people with normal day-to-day jobs. And, despite the advancement and speed of the monorail, it still took him about an hour from his house to get to his school.

Not to mention, a few minutes delayed can make the situation a whole lot messier.

Just when Shi Lang arrived at the Monorail Terminal, he watched his ride to school, and hope vanished in front of his eyes. He sighed and slumped down on a nearby bench, waiting for the next monorail to arrive. He fished out a pen from his pocket and clicked on the side of it. A holographic screen projected out from the pen and into the void. He looked at the date and mumbled, “A few days more.”

His eyes flashed with a mysterious glint. But in a blink of an eye, it disappeared and returned to normal. After a few minutes of skimming through the front news, he sighed, “Another planet is conquered, oh, I mean allied. Terran reporters surely know how to justify things.”

The strength of Terrans was divided by genetic barriers. These barriers were called the nine-star level. After breaking through the third-star level, humans all acquired special abilities. Moreover, these abilities were divided into three subcategories known as ranks: low, medium, and high. Ranks decide the number of resources and future prospects of a person for the rest of their life

Shi Lang was only a one-star Terran. Normally, with his strength, he did not meet the standard requirement to enroll as a student and neither was he wealthy enough. The reason that he was allowed to pursue his study here was that he made it to the top of the scholarship program offered by the academy.

If he could not get to the level of a three-star within two months, then his school terms will end and he will not be able to join The Federation Military. This was his only one-way ticket to ensure a better life for his parents and to see the rest of the world. No matter what, he was not willing to be the frog at the bottom of the well.

Shi Lang sat on the bench, lost in thoughts when the monorail had finally entered the terminal. The boy hurriedly stood up and boarded the monorail with the crowd. As a tech student, he couldn’t help but admire the level of engineering and sophistication to achieve this level. This vehicle used electromagnetism to run at speeds almost close to that of sound. It was truly the dark horse of all monorails.

During the commute, Shi Lang stood in an inconspicuous corner with his eyes closed and head down.

This was his daily routine. A mechanical voice sounded, “Next Stop, Federation Star Academy. Thank you for joining us today.”

Shi Lang opened his eyes, and as the automated doors opened, he rushed out. He paid no mind to his surroundings and moved quickly, tagged his wristwatch, and bolted toward his class. He only had three minutes to cover a two kilometers distance.

He strapped his bag on both shoulders as he dodged and weaved through the crowd. The speed was faster than any normal person, but still a lot slower than the few other students, who have already surpassed him. It seems that he was not the only one late.

Shi Lang was a one-star Terran. If he could not get to the level of a three-star within two months, then his school terms will end and he will not be able to join The Federation Military. That was his only one-way ticket to ensure a better life for his parents and to see the rest of the world. He wished to live a life with no regrets but did not want to limit himself to Earth and become a frog at the bottom of the well.

Normally, with his strength, he did not meet the standard requirement to enroll as a student and neither was he wealthy. The reason that he was allowed to pursue his study here was that he made it to the top of the scholarship program offered by the academy. As these thoughts ran through his mind, he further increased his speed, and finally, entered the technology department building.

He climbed the stairs to not delay a second on the elevator and made it to the second floor where his class was held. As soon as he reached and opened the classroom doors, he froze meeting the cold, hard gaze of Professor Rosa.

She said, “Student Lang. I assume you know what time it is?”