[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shadows-of-the-deep-space":3,"chapter-shadows-of-the-deep-space-shadows-of-the-deep-space-chapter-4":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Shadows of the Deep Space",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},722358,962,"Chapter 4 - 4 4 City Exam","shadows-of-the-deep-space-chapter-4",4,"\u003Cp>4: Chapter 4: City Exam 4: Chapter 4: City Exam Zhao Ning saw Su Ming had stopped eating, looking listless, and asked with concern,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My dear son, are you still upset about that matter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listen to me, don’t worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your father has already taken care of it, and he will definitely find the person who bullied you and throw him behind bars!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the school, if you don’t want to go there anymore, I’ll switch schools for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Ming felt a little awkward upon hearing Zhao Ning’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, he felt as if he had unwittingly picked up the script of a cannon fodder antagonist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, Su Ming spoke to Zhao Ning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s alright, Mother; there’s no need to change schools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the city exams are about to start, and transferring schools now could easily cause complications.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My dear son, it doesn’t matter, whether you do well or poorly on the city exams.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ning was still a bit worried about Su Ming, fearing he would be overwhelmed if he returned to school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she knew very well that her son was an introvert with very fragile and sensitive emotional endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you always want to go back to Starlight City?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t worry, I will definitely try my best to get back there through the exams,” Su Ming said earnestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The so-called city exam was a highly important entrance test organized by the old Federation, said to be a stepping stone to greater heights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was also an important means for residents from various districts and other planets to enter the three main cities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Ming’s family had actually moved down from Starlight City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Su Family was quite an esteemed financial empire there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father, Su Yuan, the ninth son of the current Su Family patriarch, Su Zhen Tian, was assigned to live in the Thirteenth District due to his mediocre talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The industry assigned to Su Yuan was shares in the Thirteenth District’s waste processing plant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the backdrop of the interstellar era, being assigned to such an industry clearly showed how little Su Yuan’s talent and status were regarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this industry was indeed very lucrative, so they lived relatively well here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, given the choice, who would want to spend a lifetime underground?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that the Su Ming’s family couldn’t go back to Starlight City; it was just that they couldn’t return triumphantly and rightfully so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, being assigned to the Thirteenth District was essentially a veiled exile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they went back without a justified reason, they would undoubtedly face sarcasm and ridicule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, if Su Ming excelled in the city exam and went to advance his studies in Starlight City, Su Yuan and Zhao Ning would have a reason to return triumphantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elders wouldn’t have any objections, and they would actually be quite proud since it would mean the family had produced another talented person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ning was very moved by Su Ming’s words, but she knew better than anyone what his capabilities were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Zhao Ning was pondering how to gently dissuade Su Ming’s ambitious declarations to prevent a future setback, an excited voice came through!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well said, that’s my son!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Ming turned his head to look and saw Su Yuan approaching with a big, joyous smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just arrived home and was thrilled to hear his beloved son’s bold ambitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Zhao Ning gave Su Yuan an irritated glare, and his smile immediately stiffened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ning then walked over to Su Yuan and whispered a complaint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you encouraging him for?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You know exactly what level our son is at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What happens if he gets hit hard again later on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, son, actually, it doesn’t matter how you do on the city exams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If push comes to shove, coming back home to take over the family business isn’t a bad idea,” Su Yuan awkwardly amended his statement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Ming’s mouth twitched slightly upon hearing Su Yuan’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ning hurriedly changed the subject and inquired about Su Yuan’s progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did the handling of the matter go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did you catch the person?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yuan also felt a headache coming on as he replied resignedly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, we questioned the person involved, and she didn’t know anything about the incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was in special training with her teacher when it happened and only found out about it afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person who sabotaged our dear son is a master at handling information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That person cleverly took photos of the letter content and uploaded it to the campus network, also sending it to all the students without leaving much trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You know it’s rare to find people skilled in information technology nowadays, but it’s not a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old patriarch is already aware of this and has specially sent an information specialist down here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’ll be able to catch that individual soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Ming carefully reflected upon this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The love letter he remembered from this body’s memory had been slipped into the girl’s desk when he snuck into her class during a lunch break with no one around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In theory, no one should know about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So how was he sabotaged?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t you just check the surveillance?” Zhao Ning said, irritated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“CCTV is only present in key areas, and it didn’t capture anything useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As you know, we don’t install surveillance unless necessary,” Su Yuan explained helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, the technological tree of this world was somewhat skewed, largely because of a catastrophic war that erupted a hundred years ago between the old Federation and the silicon-based Mechanical Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During that war, the Federation’s fleet communications, scanning devices, and information command platforms were all infiltrated and covertly compromised, resulting in a massive amount of weaponry paralyzing and backfiring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the Federation’s fleets were disastrously defeated and almost never recovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subsequent war analyses showed that the Mechanical Clan could easily capture signals, invade databases, and manipulate all sorts of information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since then, the old Federation had restricted the use of communication technology devices, using local area networks and closed circuits as much as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currently, communication within the three major cities of the third planet and the Sixteen Districts is conducted using closed circuit lines, with signals only used for civil purposes in local areas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surveillance equipment is also kept to a minimum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because in case of war with the Mechanical Clan, all these could become the enemy’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, Mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I plan to return to school tomorrow,” Su Ming pondered for a moment, then spoke to Su Yuan and Zhao Ning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding the investigation, he didn’t hold much hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the person who sabotaged him was certainly a student who was a master of information—a very outstanding person, not just anybody.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a person could not be heavily penalized even if caught; at most, they could be accused of privacy infringement or be dismissed as playing a prank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, a person that outstanding couldn’t withstand much scrutiny; it would be easy to speculate who it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his father had been investigating for so long without any results, it indirectly clarified everything—ultimately, Su Ming had to deal with it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for his eagerness to return to school instead of transferring, the reason was simple: there wasn’t much time left before the city exam, and there was no time to waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Son, are you going back to school?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are you sure it’s alright?” Su Yuan asked worriedly after a pause.\u003C\u002Fp>",1250,"2026-06-02T10:49:53.932Z",1,"novelbin.me","f935d73192176f75362f674378d7791b5bd4d8f0dbd497adefa9f676a5f50f2b","shadows-of-the-deep-space-chapter-5","shadows-of-the-deep-space-chapter-3",1854,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshadows-of-the-deep-space-cover.jpg"]