"During the years of war with the foreigners, you were still young, and some things might not be very clear to you,"
Principal Zhou stood up and traced his finger over a map.
"The main battlefield was in the South Sea, but Tianmen City, as the home port of the Northern Fleet, also suffered more than one attack from the foreigners. Almost the entire area from the harbor to South City was nearly destroyed."
Wang Yunxiao sharply noticed that Qinghe Middle School was within the area that Principal Zhou had just demarcated.
"Only a few high-rise buildings, including Qinghe Middle School, survived the warfare, and the locations of these buildings happened to form a pattern..."
Principal Zhou pointed at a few places on the map, which, at a cursory glance, did seem to have some symmetrical arrangement to them.
"So, there was speculation that Qinghe Middle School might have served as the fulcrum of the city's defensive barrier, which was why it remained intact."
Ah?
Wang Yunxiao was momentarily unable to react.
He felt he just heard a term that seemed rather out of place.
You tell me this world has divine demons and martial masters, I can accept that.
But what on earth is a city defensive barrier?
"That's how it's written in the novel."
"Novel?"
Principal Zhou nodded and said, "There's a popular novel that appeared in the market recently; the author claimed to disclose some war secrets from back then, but the book is full of hearsay and far-fetched folklore. Among them is a section about him drinking with a Mr. Yin Yang, who told him that the few buildings that survived in Tianmen City were the so-called fulcrums of the city's defensive barrier, making them the safest places."
"And in reality?"
"If it were as mystical as he claims, our school would have been overrun by high-ranking officials and dignitaries, leaving no room for you students,"
Principal Zhou shook his head and sighed, "If only it were true, it wouldn't be such a struggle to find sponsors as it is now. I would remodel the academic building into a high-end luxury private apartment, rent it out exclusively to the rich, and then we'd find other places to rent classrooms. I'd make sure you ate meat every day."
Wang Yunxiao felt a newfound respect.
You see, this is the difference between people.
Lv'er, that guy, despite breaking his head over it, could only think of gathering a group for gambling.
Principal Zhou might seem like a staid scholar on the outside, but he probably already calculated the parking fees and property management costs in his head.
It's a pity it's not feasible.
"Actually, this kind of conjecture is nothing new; it's been around for a while. Everyone else's homes were bombed into rubble while your school remains untouched. No matter how you explain it, people won't believe you."
Principal Zhou said helplessly, "Moreover, Qinghe Middle School is a military-controlled area, and we don't allow outsiders to enter, which makes it hard not to arouse suspicion."
If you put it that way, even I can't help but wonder!
Wang Yunxiao asked puzzlingly, "Why is it a military-controlled area?"
"There's an entrance to the Tianmen City Underground Civil Air Defense system right here in our school,"
Principal Zhou explained, "Simply put, it's a bomb shelter. During the war, our students hid there, which is why there were no casualties. It's a military secret. We can take shelter, but we can't publicize it. People outside do not know the situation and assume there's some Dharma Treasure hidden here. Some wild rumors even claim the government is secretly training students in Immortal Technique..."
Is a bomb shelter really a military secret?
Wang Yunxiao didn't have a memory of this, but he vaguely remembered there should be different classifications.
Civilian and military ones aren't the same, and the shelter entrance in the school should belong to the military grade.
Principal Zhou certainly hadn't told the whole truth, which was understandable. After all, Wang Yunxiao was only his student, not his son, so there was no need to explain everything so clearly.
There's one crucial question he hadn't clarified—no matter how sturdy a bomb shelter is, it can't protect the buildings above ground.
Why Qinghe Middle School's academic building remained intact in the war is a question that the school cannot explain clearly, leading to wild speculation.
"When people are curious, they can't help but probe. If they find something, it's a pleasant surprise; if not, no harm done. Now that times are better, some have made money and gained power, and they inevitably begin to indulge in whims and start stirring up trouble over nothing,"
Principal Zhou shook his head and continued, "Huo Haowen is a year senior to you, and he's about to graduate and move on in a couple of months. He's doing well academically, and although he's a bit introverted, as long as he focuses on his studies, there shouldn't be an issue with him getting into university. But his family might not care about his grades; they just want him to make use of the remainder of his time before graduation. I suspect that he was pressured into desperation, which is why he took such a risk."
Wang Yunxiao couldn't help asking curiously, "Now that he's been shot, won't his family create trouble?"
Seeing how aggressive and domineering his family was that morning, they clearly didn't seem like the type to take losses lying down.
Principal Zhou looked deeply at Wang Yunxiao and said meaningfully, "Trouble? Using sorcery to harm others, coupled with prying into military secrets, he won't be coming back in this lifetime. He's a minor, so his parents are also liable. If Huo Qingyang digs up any more problems, the entire Shen Family would have to join him in jail."
And you say there are no secrets here?!
What kind of thing would exterminate someone's entire family?!
Wang Yunxiao laughed dryly, feeling a chill down his spine.
"But I think what you said also makes sense,"
Principal Zhou changed the subject, "Indeed, there's no end to being wary of thieves. If you have any ideas, feel free to speak your mind."
Wang Yunxiao spoke earnestly, "Principal, I think we might as well set a trap to lure out the person behind Lv'er and see what they're really up to. Catching them or not is just a phone call away for you, isn't it?"
Principal Zhou shook his head and said, "No, that's too risky. You're my student, and I can't let you take that kind of risk."
Wang Yunxiao shrugged and said, "At least I've been involved in these kinds of things on the streets and have some experience. If you don't want me to take this risk, does it mean they won't target other students? At least I'm a descendant of the navy; what about the students from ordinary families?"
Principal Zhou glanced at an old photo on the wall, fell silent for a moment, and then asked in a low voice, "How confident are you?"
Wang Yunxiao smiled and said, "When you were my age, couldn't you handle a petty loafer addicted to eating, drinking, and gambling?"
For a moment, Principal Zhou had no reply.
That was a good point.
But after all, times have changed, and as an educator, if he couldn't protect his students from the injustices of the wicked, what was he really teaching?