As the last syllable of the ringtone faded, Song Shi's face was filled with complexity. Breaking the silence, she spoke, "Teacher... Would you... like to visit the infirmary?"
Chen Lishu, drenched in sweat, remained motionless in his original position, biting his lip as he managed to utter a somewhat coherent sentence, "Send... Wei Yuyu... to the... infirmary."
The three who had been restraining Song Shi reacted quickly, releasing her arms and rushing to assist the nearly unconscious Wei Yuyu, lifting him onto the broad back of a tall, sturdy student. The student carried him and pushed open the classroom door, heading toward the infirmary.
The male teacher also stood up, cautiously supporting Chen Lishu's arm. With an expression filled with sympathy, he spoke in a gentle tone, "I'll take you to the infirmary."
Chen Lishu gasped in pain, nodding slowly as he began to shuffle forward, each step slow and deliberate.
Only Song Shi remained in place. She looked around—desks, chairs, and books were scattered across the floor, a chaotic scene of devastation. The students who had gathered to watch stood together, frozen, their eyes fixed on her.
Although it was break time, the hallway outside was noisy with a mix of sounds, yet inside the classroom, the silence was so intense that even the sound of breathing could be heard—two extremes of atmosphere.
Song Shi felt compelled to check on Chen Lishu's condition. She gathered her hair, which had fallen loosely over her shoulders, and tied it back with a tie. Straightening her wrinkled patient's gown, she headed toward the back door.
A group of students had gathered by the back door.
Having just finished class, they were taking a break when they saw a student from Class 2 carrying an unconscious person out of the classroom. Two others, a male and a female, were rushing alongside, guiding the group hastily down the corridor.
The face of the person being carried was hidden, but a closer look revealed that the three students were none other than Wei Yuyu's usual followers. It was likely, then, that the unconscious person was Wei Yuyu himself.
But what could have caused him to fall unconscious without warning?
The group exchanged knowing glances and, without a word, made their way toward the half-open front door of Class 2.
They could vaguely see that the students were clustered in one corner, with a large empty space in the center.
Because of the angle, they couldn't see what was happening inside, as the doorframe obscured their view.
As they debated whether to discreetly push the door open further, they saw the class teacher, pale-faced, step out.
The way he moved couldn't be described as walking—it was more like he was shuffling, his legs barely lifting as he took tiny, hesitant steps. He was supported by another teacher, but despite this, he seemed to be enduring great pain, his face contorted.
"You're not heading back to your classrooms to review for the next lesson?" the teacher holding Chen Lishu snapped, trying to disperse the crowd of students.
However, his words had little effect. The students showed no fear, continuing to watch curiously, their gaze inspecting every detail of the scene.
The teacher's frustration grew, and his eyebrows shot up as if ready to scold them.
"Don't mind them," Chen Lishu muttered, though it was clear it took great effort for him to speak. His forehead was now beaded with sweat.
The male teacher was forced to swallow his frustration, and with Chen Lishu's help, they maneuvered through the crowd, making their way to the stairwell.
But there were simply too many people, and students from other floors had gathered to see what was happening. The crowd pressed in on all sides, making it impossible for them to move forward.
When Song Shi pushed open the door, she found herself facing a mass of students jostling against each other.
She froze for a moment, the scene reminiscent of her previous life, when she had to rush to the cafeteria for food during high school.
Her patient gown, stained with blood, was unmistakably new, and the open door behind her revealed the chaos of the classroom, offering enough evidence to suggest the violence that had unfolded within.
The students closest to her instinctively stepped back.
Song Shi glanced back at the classroom, then, taking a step back, slammed the door shut with a sharp thud to block their prying eyes.
She turned and began walking toward the direction where Chen Lishu had gone.
As she walked, the crowd parted, creating a clear path for her. Where there had once been a dense, immovable crowd, there was now a space wide enough for her to pass through.
The male teacher seemed to notice, glancing back at her but not offering any kindness in his expression. With a grunt, he turned away, continuing to support Chen Lishu as they quickly left.
Song Shi followed them at a distance of about two meters. When they reached the first floor, the school bell rang, signaling the start of class, and the crowd of onlookers began to disperse, returning to their respective classrooms.
Wordlessly, Song Shi followed them into the school infirmary building, watching as Chen Lishu entered the treatment room. She sat in a nearby chair, waiting.
"Your problems are only just beginning," the male teacher said coldly, sitting opposite her.
Song Shi, unbothered, closed her eyes to rest. In her mind, two lines of text flashed before her eyes.
[Abuse Value Progress: 16%]
[Anti-Abuse Value Progress: 15%]
By injuring the "innocent" Chen Lishu, she had lost 10% of her Anti-Abuse Value. She couldn't deny it stung—this 10% was significant, especially considering her current strategy, which involved harming herself in exchange for striking back. She wondered just how many blows she'd have to endure to make up for it.
Her progress toward awakening had slowed once again, and with a sigh, she opened her eyes to find the teacher staring at her with his arms crossed, his gaze full of authority.
Though Song Shi felt no particular joy, she didn't back down. She locked eyes with him directly.
He saw her as a troublemaker, but she didn't feel the same. In her past life, she would have been consumed with fear for her future, unable to eat or sleep. But now, in this dangerous world, with nothing tying her down and having survived multiple near-death experiences, she had learned to take it all in stride. If they couldn't kill her, it was no big deal.
What truly concerned her was whether she could awaken successfully, how she could become stronger. She was tired of being in a position where she was forced to accept whatever fate others handed her. Wei Yuyu, who could resolve his situation with a simple letter of apology, could easily escape consequences, while she could only suffer passively because of her lack of power.
She didn't realize her emotions were starting to show, her previously calm eyes now filled with a dangerous edge. The ferocity in her gaze reminded the teacher of the expression she wore when she smashed a chair over Wei Yuyu.
The teacher recoiled, his sweat pouring down his face. A shiver ran up his spine, and he hurriedly looked away, pretending to be busy as he stood and began pacing near the door of Treatment Room No. 6.
Song Shi remained seated, taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
Half an hour later, the door to Treatment Room No. 6 opened. Chen Lishu stood in the doorway, holding it open for a weary-looking healer who had massaged his temples as he walked out.
The healer, much sought after by prestigious hospitals for their high pay, had worked wonders in just half an hour. While it would have taken weeks for a normal hospital to treat Chen Lishu's injuries, the healer's hands had accelerated his healing to an almost miraculous speed, even for a C- or D-level practitioner.
Chen Lishu sighed in relief after seeing the healer off. But the real headache was what awaited him next.
In the half-hour of his treatment, he had received 34 missed calls from Wei Yuyu's mother.
Shaking hands, he dialed the number, only to be met by the furious face of a beautiful, elegant woman. Behind her, the familiar sight of the school's teaching building could be seen.
"Teacher Chen, I'll be in your office shortly. I expect today's incident to be handled appropriately!"
With that, she hung up without another word. Chen Lishu, stunned, had no chance to explain himself.
He wiped his face, forced a painful smile, and looked at Song Shi, who was walking toward him. "Call your mother," he said.
Song Shi, resigned, responded, "You tried contacting her earlier today. She only comes when it's time to collect my body."
The male teacher, unable to bear it any longer, scolded, "Song Shi, at a time like this, I hope you can take things seriously!"
Song Shi, who had already decided to show her seriousness through action, didn't respond verbally. Instead, she retrieved her communicator and, in front of the teacher, dialed the number saved under "Mother."
The call was almost immediately cut off.
The male teacher's gaze turned strange, now full of confusion about the strained relationship between mother and daughter.
Song Shi couldn't help but marvel at how fast the call had ended. Even scam calls usually took longer than that.
Her biological mother clearly avoided her like the plague.
Shrugging, Song Shi raised her head and sighed. "I told you—she'll only come to collect my body." If she even showed up at all, it was more likely the school would just dispose of
her remains.
With an air of indifference, Song Shi sat back down on the chair and resumed waiting.
It was only when the school's bell rang again, signaling the end of the break, that Song Shi finally rose and walked out.
Song Shi quietly glanced at Chen Lishu's holographic screen, hoping to find out the name of her mother. Unfortunately, the privacy settings on the device prevented her from seeing anything.
However, when Chen Lishu made the call himself, it was answered on the other end. It must be said, Chen Lishu's demeanor toward everyone was always remarkably pleasant.
"Song Shi is still a minor. She has violated school rules by engaging in a fight with a classmate, and I need you to come to the school in person to discuss this matter with the other student's parents. If you're unwilling to come, I will have no choice but to report this to the Federal Juvenile Rights Protection Center as per the law. As her legal guardian, you will face far greater complications than you currently do, so I advise you to consider this carefully."
After speaking at length and laying out the consequences, Chen Lishu made it clear that he wasn't backing down. The person on the other end of the line eventually agreed.
Chen Lishu ended the call and walked toward the office in the teaching building.
Song Shi hesitated briefly before following him into the office.
The male teacher, seeing that Chen Lishu had recovered and was no longer in need of assistance, decided to leave. After all, as a subject teacher, he had no position to deal with parents. Before he left, he sympathetically patted Chen Lishu on the shoulder, offering his well wishes.
Outside the office, Song Shi was stopped by two bodyguards wearing black suits. They stood one to each side of the door, allowing Chen Lishu to enter.
Song Shi found a spot near the door, standing against the wall at a distance neither too close nor too far.
If one looked closely, they would notice that just above her head was a small window with a narrow gap.
The conversation inside the office reached her ears clearly.
At first, all that could be heard were the woman's sharp reprimands, with Chen Lishu's soft, faint voice occasionally interspersed, sounding weak, pitiful, and helpless.
Gradually, it seemed that the woman grew tired of yelling. Her voice became less fiery and intense, and the soft clink of a porcelain cup and the sound of water being poured into a cup filled the air.
Chen Lishu poured tea for the woman, giving him the chance to speak.
"If she were an ordinary person, expelling her would be fine. But she is a high-probability ferocious-type awakener, and as you know, we place great emphasis on ferocious types here in District 11."
"Renxi High School, as a key institution, has fewer than ten ferocious-type awakeners, both awakened and non-awakened combined. This situation places us at the bottom among all key high schools in District 11. Losing another would be embarrassing for the school, don't you think?"
His words were sincere, but the woman remained unmoved.
"I had someone check with the Ability Management Bureau. She participated in the stimulation experiment but failed to awaken, and there is no longer any chance for her to do so. You will inevitably lose one ferocious-type quota; why not expel her and let me help you find another more promising candidate?"
Her offer was undeniably tempting.
"Stimulation experiments are not the only way to measure a person's potential to awaken. She still has three months until the final deadline for awakening. Given her initial high differentiation value of 49%, the probability of awakening in these three months is not zero."
"So... even if I agree to expel her…"
Chen Lishu paused, suddenly lowering his voice, as if speaking directly into the woman's ear. Song Shi pressed her ear to the wall, straining to hear.
"…The higher-ups in the Ability Department wouldn't agree."
The Ability Department?
It was the first time Song Shi had heard of this, but from the name, she could roughly guess its purpose.
The school had a class for people with abilities, so it likely had a leadership structure for managing them.
From their conversation, it became clear that even the vice-captain of the City Security Team could not afford to offend the higher-ups of the Ability Department.
Otherwise, Chen Lishu wouldn't have brought them up in this context.
Her curiosity grew as she wondered who the high-ranking officials in the Ability Department were.
A brief silence followed, with no sound from the woman on the other end.
Chen Lishu continued, his tone measured, "I'm sure you've heard about this morning's incident. Ultimately, it was Yu Yu who started the altercation, and if this escalates, the higher-ups tend to treat matters fairly across the board, which could make things difficult to resolve."
"Crash!"
The sound of a porcelain cup shattering on the ground abruptly filled the air. Startled, Song Shi quickly stepped back, rubbing her aching ear.
The woman could no longer contain her fury, her voice sharp and piercing. "She injured my son, and I can't take action against her?!"
Chen Lishu quickly tried to mitigate the situation, "This morning, Wei Yuyu wrote an apology letter. How about we punish Song Shi a little more severely by having her read the letter in front of the entire school?"
"Read an apology?" The woman thought she had misheard. "Chen Lishu, have you forgotten who Wei Yuyu's father is? He only had to write an apology because of his status. A mere commoner who dared to strike my son should read an apology in front of the whole school? Are you deliberately covering for her?"
Even though Song Shi couldn't see Chen Lishu, she could easily imagine him dabbing the sweat from his forehead at that moment.
She was already surprised that Chen Lishu had spoken up for her, especially since she had inadvertently injured him, yet he hadn't taken the opportunity to retaliate.
"Then... what would you suggest?" Chen Lishu's tone had grown more humble.
The woman snorted coldly, "Since you can't bring yourself to expel her, let's do this: send her to a correctional school for three months. During this time, she'll still be considered a student of Renxi High School. After three months, if she hasn't awakened, expel her."
Song Shi silently activated her holographic screen and searched for "correctional school," quickly skimming through the information.
In essence, these were Federally funded schools built at various bases to provide closed-off education for minors without parents, who had no means of attending regular school.
Federal law mandates that all minors must receive an education, and this educational history is recorded in their personal files. Those who try to evade education are treated in the same way as high-probability ferocious-type differentiators.
That is, if anyone scans their holographic device, they will see a "low-functioning" label next to their name.
Song Shi lingered on the words "low-functioning," confirming she hadn't misread them.
She couldn't help but chuckle. In comparison, her "high-risk individual" status didn't seem so unbearable after all.
No one would want to be labeled "low-functioning" for life. Thus, in the Federation today, whether in the prosperous First Base or the resource-deprived Eleventh Base, education was of paramount importance.
But the Federation also had many orphans.
With the constant threat of alien beasts and high mortality rates from accidents, the Federation had established these correctional schools to ensure that orphans still had access to education.
Funded by the Ministry of Finance, these schools were fully managed by the local City Security Teams, with teachers from various bases rotating in to teach. The system was as strict as a prison.
This caught the attention of ordinary schools, which struggled to deal with troublesome students. Expelling too many students would affect enrollment, but not expelling them would worsen the atmosphere.
A correctional school was a good solution—it wasn't exactly expulsion, but it allowed schools to "educate" troublemakers while also sending a strong message to other students considering misbehavior.
Such a punishment was not uncommon in today's Federation.
Song Shi scrolled through the holographic screen and focused on the phrase "fully managed by the City Security Team."
She lowered her hand, staring at the words, realizing that this was likely the true motive behind the woman's suggestion.
The correctional school was under the control of the City Security Team.
Wei Yuyu's father was the vice-captain of the City Security Team.
If she went there, she would be completely at their mercy.
(End of Chapter)