"Oh?" Alex asked, looking at the seed with interest.
Most people wouldn't have understood its value, but Alex had studied biology, so he knew how important it was.
The seed was small, but it had the potential to do great things.
To save his daughter, the biological expert was willing to part with his most valued possession. This was a very rare seed, so it was a great sacrifice.
Celia noted the change in Alex's expression and was filled with hope.
"If you agree to help us, then this seed will be yours," she said. "The student will graduate in three months, and after that, your mission will be complete."
Celia attached no conditions. She didn't say that Alex would only receive the seed if his mission was successful. She simply stated that it would be his once the job came to an end.
She wanted to show that she had confidence in Alex and viewed him more like a partner than an employee.
She had deliberately brought Ethan with her, knowing that he would annoy Alex, because she had hoped it would provoke Alex into displaying some of his power. As expected, Ethan's behaviour had led to the verification of Alex's abilities.
Unfortunately, Ethan's attitude had discouraged Alex from working with them, and now Celia had to work hard to bring him around.
Alex frowned. He was trying to keep a low profile, so he didn't feel that this kind of job would be suitable for him.
"No, I can't help you," he said, all signs of interest vanishing. He stood up and prepared to leave.
A photo fell out of Celia's bag, and Alex picked it up, glancing casually at it as he went to hand it over.
He stopped, staring at the pretty girl in the picture.
"Is this the student?" Alex asked curiously.
"Yes. Do you know her?" Celia asked. "Her name is Heidi." She sensed the change in Alex's attitude and stepped forward, hoping she could still persuade him.
"Okay. I'll do it," Alex said.
"Oh! That's great!" Celia said, grinning at him. "Thank you so much. We'll arrange everything for you. Your cover will be as a physical education teacher at Oak Ridge High School."
Once she had explained the details, she placed the seed into a box and left.
**
Oak Ridge High School was a top institution located in a large rural area. The scenery was beautiful, and the school was full of the best equipment and books available. They ran on a specialized curriculum and had a unique way of doing things.
The school had a reputation for excellence, and it had been known to produce many talented people over the years. Only the best teachers were hired, and the students all came from good families.
Unfortunately, there was one issue that marred the standing of Oak Ridge, and that was Class 6.
At Oak Ridge, students were put together in core classes in their first year, and stayed in that same grouping every year after until they graduated. They took all their classes together and, for better or worse, knew each other extremely well. Class 6 was one of the classes currently in their final year at the school.
This particular class disgraced the entire school, and the principal was unable to do anything about it.
His current plan was to wait them out. Sooner or later, the problem students would graduate and then the issue would resolve itself.
The class contained both the best and the worst students in the whole school. There were several troublesome students in Class 6, but two of them were particularly awful.
During their time at Oak Ridge, almost every day had seen at least one violent act from a student in that class. Teachers and security guards had been beaten, sometimes ending up in hospital. Each day was the same. During class, the students often fought, smoked, and drank, and they paid no attention to the teachers.
The staff at the school had tried everything to turn things around, but nothing had worked. Over the last few years, fifteen teachers had quit, and all their replacements had left too. Three teachers were currently lying in the hospital, unwilling to return once they recovered.
The principal had wanted to fix things, and he had even called his superiors many times to ask for help. But his request had been denied every time, and nothing had been done about the class. Everyone seemed to prefer to wait until the students simply moved on, and now there were only three months left until graduation. The staff all waited impatiently for it to be over, glad it wouldn't be much longer.
The students in Class 6 were so difficult to manage because they all had rich, powerful families. Their parents were all politicians and successful businessmen. So whenever they misbehaved, everything was smoothed over, and the students were never punished. The principal couldn't do anything on his own, and the parents never backed him up.
**
"You can't do this!" a man yelled, pacing up and down the principal's office. "It's ridiculous! I can't accept this. I won't accept it." He was a good-looking man wearing a suit and leather shoes, and he was agitated.
"Billy, calm down," the principal said, not looking up from the document he was reading. "It wasn't my decision. I just do what I'm told." He pushed his glasses further up his nose and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach.
The principal was an older man, the hair at his temples streaked with grey. His demeanour was calm, and he refused to let Billy ruffle him.
Billy was so angry that he could barely control himself. How could Alex just appear from nowhere and leapfrog him to take charge of Class 6?
That position should have been Billy's.
He had worked hard to become the teaching director at Oak Ridge High School. It was the start of his career, and he intended to climb to the top. He had counted on becoming the head teacher of Class 6.
Each year, each of the core classes was assigned a head teacher, an instructor who took responsibility for the class overall in addition to their duties of teaching their subject. The head teacher was meant to be a resource for the students, someone they could go to if they needed help. The head teacher was also in charge of tracking their progress and keeping them in line if they misbehaved.
For obvious reasons, no one had wanted to be the head teacher for Class 6.
But Billy had been determined to do it. As their head teacher, he would be able to network with their wealthy parents.
But teaching directors were not usually assigned to be head teachers, since they did not teach a class on their own but rather acted as coordinators for the other teachers. Billy had hoped that the situation with Class 6 would become so unmanageable that the principal would have no choice but to make an exception.
But in a cruel twist of fate, the principal had just informed him that Alex, his old enemy, would be taking the position Billy had been coveting. Alex would soon be arriving at Oak Ridge High School to take charge of the problem class.