As dusk deepened, Zunhao glanced at the assignment notice, his face darkening with displeasure.
"Thorough Apology and Rectification Letter to Ziyang High School"—due at the School Council Office by 1:00 AM!
A 3,050-word essay plus a 5,000-word report detailing his failed attempt to humiliate the school and why he shouldn't be stripped of his position. All due before midnight! He couldn't even go home, f**k!
Zunhao slammed his fist on the table, startling everyone nearby.
Xie Zhenyu wiped the sweat from his face with a nearby towel, his expression helpless. "Boss... there's a rule against table-slamming after 5:00 PM. It's for chairmen like you. Don't take it too seriously."
"I swear, those idiots from Phoenix Ridge are just... infuriating!"
"..." Faced with Zunhao's outburst, Xie Zhenyu could only sigh helplessly.
According to the school's administrative review team report... approximately 14 facilities at Ziyang Industries were instantly destroyed, including the formation flags! All other school equipment suffered varying degrees of contamination.
From the newly upgraded broadcasting system...
To the holographic projection screens used for virtual simulations...
Though not destroyed like the formation flags, all the equipment malfunctioned during use.
Phoenix Ridge's mere two-day visit had caused significant losses.
Thirty percent of the equipment was damaged! When would these losses ever be recovered?!
He even suspected that the Phoenix Ridge group had ties to the damn government!
Baiye, standing beside him, frowned. "Like wolves in sheep's clothing..."
"Exactly!" Zunhao immediately agreed.
"We can't predict their next move... I heard they're planning to stroll through a student district later. Perhaps we could send someone to teach them a lesson."
Teach them a lesson? As if I haven't tried that! Zunhao rolled his eyes.
Dealing with Su Xinyi on campus was troublesome, but things would be different off-campus.
As the young heir of the Qionghua Galaxy Corporation, she was bound to have bodyguards. Especially after the Starfall Park incident and the recent assassination attempt, her security arrangements had been completely overhauled and upgraded. Now those bodyguards were practically like Bitdefender antivirus software—impossible to shake off!
"Hmm... this is indeed tricky, but we don't have to focus solely on her," Baiye mused, adding after a moment's thought, "According to my intel, she isn't the only one that poses trouble. Zhao Ming, for instance, is the son of a renowned monk from the Golden Province Heavenly Buddha Temple in Jinzhou City. Hao Zhen's family runs a Spirit Beast business with deep political ties. Lianhua and Xu Yutong... these two have close ties to the Su and will be equally difficult to deal with."
"That leaves only..." Baiye trailed off, but Zunhao cut him off, answering before he could finish.
"That purple-eyed pretty boy that excelled in archery!"
"Mm. His background is surprisingly simple—he comes from a remote mountain village and actually brought a jujube wood sword to the upcoming 4556th Spiritual Sword Tournament. I suspect he—"
"It's definitely him!" Zunhao declared with unwavering certainty. "Of all the people you mentioned, he's the only one who truly infuriates me. If I'm going to take revenge, he'll be the first one I settle accounts with!"
Meanwhile, Ling Xian couldn't help but sneeze.
...
As evening fell, after dinner, the students of Phoenix Ridge No. 73, were enjoying their free time, planning a leisurely stroll. Since the teaching building was still in its trial phase, the administrator handed Su Xinyi the VIP access card and hurried off to tend to her child.
Ling Xian initially wanted to decline, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his ears twitched violently, forcing him to remain silent.
It wasn't until the mention of shopping that he paused to consider.
When faced with difficult decisions, Ling Xian often relied on the intensity of his ear twitching to gauge the severity of the situation.
This passive skill, "Ears of Judgement," had two levels. When upgraded to level two, both his nose and ears would twitch violently, signaling an imminent crisis.
Though capable of predicting the end of the world, such an event would never come to pass—at least not while Ling Xian lived.
However, this ability didn't grant Ling Xian omniscience or precognition. Therefore, if unexpected situations arose during shopping, he couldn't accurately predict them before they occurred.
The old man lazily distributed talismans to each student. "These are talismans for summoning humans. If anything happens, use these to notify me, and they will automatically teleport me to your location."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Xuan! We're just taking a stroll. We'll let you know if anything comes up!" The students replied in unison, accepting the talismans.
The old man nodded and turned away without another word.
Just as the group was dispersing, Teacher Xuan suddenly turned back to warn them, "Oh, and be careful. I've heard there's a gang specializing in scams and causing trouble."
...A gang involved in forgery cases?!
No matter how Ling Xian looked at it, this was definitely a danger signal!
And precisely as the old man finished speaking, Ling Xian's ears twitched slightly.
...A danger warning? Looks like a two-and-a-half-star danger level...
...
Being a hero is difficult enough; being a hero without drawing attention is even harder.
Aside from exceptional cases like Superman or The Flash, Ling Xian had never considered becoming a hero. For someone buried under mountains of homework, just keeping up with his studies was already a struggle.
Ziyang High School No. 74 was actually quite close to Shinjing (Student) Avenue.
More importantly, to avoid encountering scammers who deliberately staged accidents, they had completely abandoned using electric scooters for transportation.
As they walked down the street, Hao Zhen propped his chin in his hand and said, "Speaking of this scam collision gang... I've heard of them."
Ling Xian rolled his eyes. Is there anything you don't know?
"Rumor has it they're a group of unemployed people in their thirties, all fired from their jobs! According to multiple police sightings and reports, they appear to be middle-aged. Some are skilled street dancers who turned to this after losing their jobs, hoping to make a living from it. That's why more and more criminals are joining their ranks!"
"I heard the payouts are quite generous, right?" Zhao Ming asked.
"..."
"Indeed. About twenty thousand yuan a month—depending on who they're scamming."
"Remember when the gang first started? Most police stations ignored them completely! It wasn't until complaints flooded in that they finally started investigating. Besides, most members are just thrill-seekers."
Thrill-seekers?
In this day and age, people will do anything for attention. Live-streamed suicides, filming home burglaries—I never imagined these unemployed drifters would find such a shortcut to fame and fortune.
To be honest, Ling Xian could almost understand them. If he'd just lost his job and heard about the gang's payouts, who wouldn't join immediately?
But that's no excuse for fraud...
Hao Zhen said, "Actually, they extort money almost every month. If they're not extorting, they're planning new scams. Even if they get detained, they just do community service for a week or so and get released. But recently, their expansion rate has been insane—they're almost as big as Mingming and Sushu's fan clubs now."
"..." As expected, it's all because of those dismissals!
Colorful streetlights illuminated the end of the street, where a large arcade and shopping mall glittered against the night sky, bustling with activity.
The vendors on Shenjing Avenue offered high-quality goods at affordable prices, allowing one to fill their stomach without spending much. Even more remarkably, showing a student ID granted discounts on over ninety percent of the entertainment options.
Shuyuan district had similar streets, but the one near Ziyang High School was by far the most refined!
"Holy shit!" Zhao Ming couldn't help but exclaim.
He remembered those limited-edition golden sneakers he'd seen online, only available in specific regions!
Su Xinyi was simply strolling to maintain her figure.
Lianhua was thinking about what to draw.
Xu Yutong was wondering when the next update of the Yarichin B Club Manga would be released.
Hao Zhen scanned the street, patted his chest, and declared confidently, "Guys, don't worry! As long as no one gets too close and causes trouble, we'll be fine!"
"..." Ling Xian's heart tightened. Was this some kind of red flag warning?!
Before Hao Zhen could finish speaking, Ling Xian sensed an aura suddenly closing in...
...