Zhao Chen's earlier disregard had already irritated Zhang Haoran, so he seized this opportunity to pick a fight, even bringing up his relationship with Jiang Shasha.
Jiang Shasha frowned slightly beside him. She had only agreed to spend some time with Zhang Haoran, yet he outright claimed they were dating, which displeased her.
At this point, Zhao Chen finally looked up, giving Zhang Haoran a casual glance before uttering a single word: "Oh."
Zhang Haoran's lips twitched. What was wrong with this guy? Weren't there rumors that Zhao Chen had strong feelings for Jiang Shasha? Why wasn't he reacting at all to such provocation?
Jiang Shasha also stared at Zhao Chen in surprise, sensing he seemed different from before.
"Hahaha, truly a worthless baron, a complete failure," Zhang Haoran attacked again.
Li Wei couldn't take it anymore, pointing at Zhang Haoran: "Zhang Haoran, don't push your luck."
"And what are you? If I'm a worthless baron, then you're less than worthless. If I recall correctly, you failed your final exams for three consecutive years. If not for your father's connections, you'd have been expelled long ago," Zhao Chen remarked, his tone perfectly calm yet his words cutting deep.
"You—!" Zhang Haoran flushed with anger. This was his sore spot, something he hated others mentioning.
"So what if I have connections! My father's even arranged a T2 starship for me next semester!
I bet you'll only manage to scrape together a T1 starship by then. Remember there'll be combat drills—your T1 will just be target practice, hahaha..." Zhang Haoran laughed uproariously.
[Triggered 'Random Mission': Challenge Zhang Haoran to a starship duel and defeat him.]
[Accept?]
Zhao Chen's expression shifted. He hadn't expected to trigger a 'Random Mission' now.
Defeating Zhang Haoran... That would be challenging.
But compared to that quarterly mission, it was much simpler.
Most importantly, completing this mission would grant him a mission point in addition to unspecified rewards.
Although Zhao Chen currently had system points, items in the system store couldn't be freely exchanged—each required both points and corresponding mission points.
For example, Tier 1 items needed one mission point plus the required system points.
And right now, mission points were precisely what Zhao Chen lacked most.
"Don't blame me for being blunt, but facts are facts. Instead of wasting time here humiliating yourself, why don't you crawl back to your backwater star system?" Zhang Haoran sneered, seeing Zhao Chen's momentary silence as proof his words had struck a nerve.
Jiang Shasha watched coldly from the side. Zhang Haoran might be going too far, but if this made Zhao Chen recognize their differences and back down, so be it.
Then, Zhao Chen's lips curved upward.
"Who's humiliating who remains to be seen," Zhao Chen said, lifting his head to meet Zhang Haoran's gaze for the first time, his eyes brimming with challenge and mockery.
Simultaneously, Zhao Chen made his decision.
'Accept mission.'
[Random Mission accepted.]
[Mission: Challenge Zhang Haoran to a starship duel and defeat him.
Difficulty: D-class
Reward: 1 Mission Point + 300 Points
Failure Penalty: Deduct 300 Points]
So there was a failure penalty—a straight 300-point deduction.
Currently, Zhao Chen only had 100 points in his account. Failing would put him in the negatives.
"You, who can't even secure a starship, have no right to speak! If I were you, I'd pack up and leave—you don't even deserve to be at North Star!" Zhang Haoran jabbed his finger at Zhao Chen's face.
A down-and-out noble should just accept humiliation quietly. Why did this guy keep breaking the script?
"Since you're so confident, how about a starship duel?" Zhao Chen produced a card from his uniform collar.
It was his academy ID, used for all campus activities—including starship duels.
"A duel? With me?" Zhang Haoran blinked, then burst into laughter. He stood and leaned over Zhao Chen's table: "You don't even have a starship! What are you going to fight me with?
Are you even worthy?"
"Not right now, of course. There's still a month left this semester. Let's set it before the end of June—I'll notify you of the exact date.
If I lose, I'll withdraw next semester. If you lose..." Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes.
"I'll quit school!" Zhang Haoran snapped.
The situation had now escalated beyond Jiang Shasha and Li Wei's expectations.
Li Wei stood, pushing Zhang Haoran aside to shield Zhao Chen: "Zhang Haoran, if you've got guts, duel me instead!"
Zhang Haoran glanced at Li Wei and spread his hands with a smirk: "Everyone heard—Zhao Chen proposed this duel."
Li Wei's father had considerable influence, and Zhang Haoran didn't want unnecessary trouble.
"Li Wei, let me handle this," Zhao Chen said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"But—"
"If you're really my friend, trust me," Zhao Chen said seriously.
Gritting his teeth, Li Wei could only glare at Zhang Haoran in frustration.
At that moment, a holographic panel appeared between Zhao Chen and Zhang Haoran.
[Third-year cadet Zhao Chen challenges third-year cadet Zhang Haoran to a starship duel, timeframe within one month. Confirm?]
By now, the commotion had drawn a crowd.
Starship duels were rare—they involved actual combat, with risks of ship damage or even casualties. North Star Starship Military Academy typically saw only four or five such duels monthly.
"Though I don't know where you get your confidence, I'll make you regret this decision," Zhang Haoran sneered, producing his ID card to accept the challenge.
With that, their duel was officially logged into the academy database, pending final scheduling.
"Li Wei, done eating? Let's go." Zhao Chen wiped his mouth, his demeanor calm as if nothing had happened.
"Huh? Oh... yeah..." Li Wei had lost all appetite, following Zhao Chen out of the cafeteria.
Watching Zhao Chen leave, Zhang Haoran smirked coldly.
A guy without a starship, daring to challenge him?
He'd be the one humiliated in the end.
"Shasha, don't worry. Once I defeat him and drive him out, he won't bother you anymore!" Zhang Haoran told Jiang Shasha, already acting the victor.
"Mmm..." Jiang Shasha was also watching Zhao Chen's retreating figure. For some reason, he seemed so different now.
Most strikingly, she suddenly realized—throughout this entire encounter, Zhao Chen hadn't once looked directly at her.
Had he truly forgotten her?
Or was this an act?
For reasons she couldn't explain, Jiang Shasha felt inexplicably unsettled.