Tong Gu stared at the two untouched cups of tea on the table, but the words of Yang Yuanping and Gong Li still echoed in his mind.
He had always known that his so-called "hidden identity" meant nothing before the machinery of the state. They had countless ways to track him down.
Yet, the long-standing inaction from the authorities had led him to believe they weren't interested in people like him, a "Exploiter," who only strategized and theorized online.
As it turned out, they were simply protecting him...
Thinking back, even someone as prominent as Jiang Gu was willing to reach out and teach him. That must have been underpinned by some degree of official influence.
This realization pressed a weight of responsibility upon Tong Gu's heart. Restless, he pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello?"
"AGu? You're alive! Thank goodness!"
A voice full of vigor answered, though the man was speaking in a hushed tone, as if afraid of waking someone.
Tong Gu instinctively lowered his voice as well. "It's me. I'm back, Uncle Li."
The man on the other end let out a long sigh of relief, and a woman's voice chimed in from beside him.
"I told you, with AGu's strength, the Awakening Trial would be a breeze…"
Hearing their familiar bickering, Tong Gu felt the oppressive weight of his recent experiences lift slightly. "How is she?" he asked softly.
The man sighed. "Since your trial began yesterday, she's been uneasy. I was worried her heart might act up again, so I let her sleep…"
Tong Gu stayed silent, but his emotions churned. Although he was an orphan in this world, he was far from alone. There were still people who cared deeply about him.
Imagining that fragile girl waiting anxiously in front of a screen, he suddenly made up his mind.
"Uncle Li, no need to wake her," Tong Gu said, smiling faintly.
"But—"
"She'll see me when she wakes up."
---
Tong Gu donned a windbreaker, stepped out the door, and strode with purpose toward his destination.
His tall frame and striking features immediately caught the attention of many as he entered the school gates.
Zhai Lishan, the instructor responsible for Class 3-A, spotted him and nearly burst into tears. He had waited all day yesterday for Tong Gu, only to leave in disappointment alongside grieving parents.
"Tong Gu! I knew it… I knew you would… you could…"
Zhai Lishan, though only thirty-nine, had strands of gray in his hair. He clutched Tong Gu's arm, tears streaming uncontrollably.
"Forty-six students… Forty-six of them didn't come back… Oh…"
Usually fatherly and composed, Zhai Lishan now sobbed openly for the children he had cared for like his own over the past three years.
Tong Gu's lips pressed into a firm line as he supported his instructor's weight with a steady arm.
"Teacher," Tong Gu said firmly, "look at me. Look at us."
"We're still here."
Zhai Lishan, his eyes red and swollen, looked at Tong Gu—the quiet, reserved student who had always stayed out of the spotlight despite his physical prowess and combat skill.
But today, Tong Gu seemed… different. A light seemed ready to burst forth from within him.
Supporting Zhai Lishan, Tong Gu led him to the campus square, which had been adorned with festive decorations.
The underclassmen sat quietly in neat rows. On a raised platform, ceramic bowls filled with wine were lined up in solemn arrangement.
Standing at the center of the platform was Principal Zhang Xingwen, a spry elderly man with snowy white hair. Holding a towering wine barrel, he was personally pouring drinks into the bowls.
Zhang Xingwen was rumored to be a hidden "Gold Tier" player, a speculation that had never been confirmed.
His expression betrayed no emotion as he moved methodically from one bowl to the next. When he reached the middle of the line, he abruptly set the massive barrel down and turned to face the crowd of students.
"I said yesterday," he began, his voice quiet but resonant, "that we would prepare 3,423 bowls of celebratory wine, waiting for them to drink."
"Many of them agreed…"
His voice faltered, so low that students in the back could barely hear.
"But they broke their promise."
"They didn't come back…"
For the top training school in mountain city, and even for the entire southwestern Dongxia region, another Awakening Trial had claimed nearly half its students.
The vice principal moved to steady Zhang Xingwen, worried about his state of mind. But with a casual flick of his arm, the old man sent the younger man stumbling back into his seat.
Standing tall, Zhang Xingwen addressed the remaining students, his voice steady but laden with sorrow.
"Live. Live well."
"Graduate. Every last one of you."
The graduating seniors began to cry openly. Among them, a usually composed and confident girl, Tang Shutao, broke down into sobs.
"Zhu Xiuwen, you bastard!" she wailed. "You dared confess your love but didn't dare come back…!"
Tong Gu froze for a moment. Zhu Xiuwen, the one who had mastered Qi perception, had perished in the trial?
He had always kept a distance from his peers to avoid such pain, but now, seeing their raw grief, he realized he was the one who had lived a less honest life.
Zhang Xingwen's voice rang out again, commanding attention. "Graduation ceremony for Class 3 begins now!"
"Drink the celebratory wine!"
Tang Shutao, her tears still flowing, was the first to step forward. She downed a bowl of wine in one go, coughing violently but refusing to stop.
Grabbing a second bowl, she declared, "This one's for Zhu Xiuwen. Principal, he didn't break his promise!"
Then, without another word, she left the platform and walked out of the school gates.
Others followed, drinking their own and their friends' portions, smashing the bowls afterward, and silently shouldering the weight of those who couldn't return.
Tong Gu remained rooted in place, unmoving even after everyone else had finished.
Zhang Xingwen, his gaze sharp, looked at the towering figure of the young man who hadn't stepped forward.
"Don't want to graduate?" he asked with a wry smile.
The underclassmen burst into laughter, easing the somber mood. All eyes turned to Tong Gu.
Without a word, Tong Gu inhaled deeply.
Boom!
His first step echoed like a thunderclap.
Boom!
With his second step, the ground seemed to quake.
Boom!
On the third, the platform nearly collapsed as Tong Gu leapt ten meters into the air, landing directly before Zhang Xingwen.
Grabbing the enormous wine barrel with one hand, Tong Gu raised it high and began to drink.
Crash!
The barrel shattered against the ground.
Turning to face the crowd, his voice boomed:
"The celebratory wine—it's all here!"
"Their regret, fear, and sorrow—I'll take it all!"
"I, Tong Gu, the Exploiter, officially challenge the Game of Fate!"
The audience was stunned, unable to look away from the young man radiating unshakable resolve.
Pointing to the younger students, Tong Gu declared:
"Watch me. Follow me. I will conquer the Game of Fate!"
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