"Chen Tiannuo, we're here. How's the test on that weapon going?" Theresa asked, visibly intrigued.
"You guys made it," Chen Tiannuo replied, handing over a tablet. "It's alright, more or less met my expectations."
Theresa glanced at the data on the screen—stats so outlandishly unique, she couldn't help but ask, "Chen Tiannuo, are you sure this is a mass-produced weapon?"
"Yup. Pretty trash, huh? I only picked this Amp because it's good at controlled fire—it can sustain endless shots if managed well."
"Focused on close-range defense, then? That's not bad," Theresa remarked.
"Well yeah, it's mainly for keeping enemies off me. If things get dicey at a distance, I can just teleport out."
"What's this weapon called? And could the students use it?" Theresa asked, curious—especially since his blueprints seemed to require specialized energy sources.
"You're thinking of letting students use it?" Chen Tiannuo paused to think. "It should be usable. It absorbs residual Void energy to recharge, but since they can't tap into Void energy directly, the recharge rate would be lower."
"Even so, that'd make a great emergency option. Adds another offensive method." Theresa nodded, pleased.
"Oh right—this can only be made with a Foundry, right?" she asked, suddenly recalling the detail.
"Correct. Foundry only. Takes eleven hours to produce."
"Were the materials you used the same as the ones you requested last time?"
"Not exactly. That batch only covered part of it," Chen Tiannuo shook his head. "The rest is for another project."
"This one probably doesn't use that much, right?" Theresa sized up the weapon. "Looks compact."
"Yeah, it's relatively light on resources. All it needs is fish oil, azurite, alloy, and a special material," he said, then handed her a copy of the blueprint. "Here you go."
Theresa took the blueprint. "So, this can be scanned directly into the Foundry?"
"You guys haven't used it yet?" Chen Tiannuo paused. Right, he'd only given them the schematic—R&D might still be testing. "Yeah, just scan it directly into the Foundry."
"Hmm?" Theresa's brow furrowed as she spotted one of the listed ingredients. "Chen Tiannuo, what's this 'Cetus Wisp' material?"
"Oh, that's a type of rock-based lifeform. You can substitute Honkai beasts for it. That's what I used in mine."
Guess I'll pass this along to Grandpa for analysis, Theresa thought.
"Wow, Chen Tiannuo, this gear's pretty cool! Can I try it too?" Kiana asked, her curiosity fully sparked by the unusual equipment.
"You want to try it? Hold on—it needs to be detached in the armory. It's a full-fit piece."
Chen Tiannuo didn't need the hassle—he could just dematerialize and re-equip in an instant. Still, quick-swapping lacked the perfect sync feel you'd get from an armory fitting.
He phased the Amp off his arm and handed it to Kiana.
The armory was just next to the training room, so Kiana headed over to get suited up.
Watching her gear up, Chen Tiannuo suggested, "Principal, how about we test it in real combat?"
Seeing Kiana target practice with the Amp, Theresa agreed.
…
They returned to the combat training field.
They selected enemies with a variety of attributes and began live testing.
Kiana darted around the field, launching concentrated beams from the MoteAmp. Honkai beasts, zombies, even mechs—none lasted more than five seconds under her barrage.
…
Testing concluded.
Theresa and Himeko returned to the office.
"Himeko, what do you think—he really means us no harm, right? I mean, he just handed over a weapon of that caliber," Theresa said, still a bit unsure.
"He's been here a month. Aside from occasionally getting teased by the girls, he's spent all his time refining his energy control." Himeko shrugged. She'd originally assumed Chen Tiannuo was a pervert who joined just because of all the girls—but clearly, she was wrong.
"Our intel division scoured every database and found nothing. It's like he didn't exist before showing up here," Theresa said seriously. "Maybe… he really isn't from this world."
"Whoa, Principal, that's a wild theory," Himeko laughed, waving her hand. "Why don't we just ask him?"
"That's not a bad idea," Theresa considered. "We'll ask when the scores are posted."
"Alright."
…
Chen Tiannuo was still at the training field, observing Kiana's test run.
"Tiannuo! This weapon's awesome! Can I get one too?" Kiana asked, out of breath but thrilled.
"Theresa will probably start making a batch soon. You'll be using them in training, so don't worry."
Chen Tiannuo hadn't made a second Mote Amp. While he could build other Amps, most of them required manual reloading—unlike Mote Amp, which had automatic rapid recharge.
Reclaiming his Amp, he waved goodbye. He wanted to check on Bronya—just in case there were any side effects from the Void Energy. Still can't believe I used that on instinct…
…
At the infirmary, Bronya was awake.
"You're up," Chen Tiannuo said. "Don't worry—the Void Energy won't do lasting damage from short exposure."
"Bronya is fine." She shook her head calmly.
"Doctor checked you?"
"Mm."
"Alright then."
The atmosphere fell quiet. Too quiet. It made Chen Tiannuo a bit uncomfortable.
"Uh… you should rest up. I'll head out first."
"Bronya understands."
Chen Tiannuo left the infirmary and returned to the lab. The screen showed it—three more days until his first Warframe would be complete.
He left the lab again, heading for the training room. He still needed more practice with the Amp.
…
Two days later, the results were posted. First place: Fu Hua. Second: Chen Tiannuo. Third: Mei. Bronya hadn't taken the full exam, since he'd knocked her out during their match.
Nearby, Kiana stared in frustration at her name in the fail column, ready to tear the list off the wall. Mei rushed over to stop her.
"You failed all the written tests—how could they not fail you? Look, you even got zero in history," the instructor said, holding her score sheet.
"Ah! Mei, don't look!" Kiana lunged, trying to snatch it back. "Give it!"
Chen Tiannuo strolled over, glanced at the sheet. "Written test is out of 500… and you got 12. Impressive. A true number-one in a very unique way."
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Kiana wailed in defeat.