Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Qian Qi is especially outrageous

The principal’s voice cracked as he asked, “Qian Qi is a girl?”

“Isn’t she?” Su Ang said with mild surprise.

The principal went quiet. He had no idea either. He never checked the student files, and when he saw Qian Qi for the first time, he just assumed she was a boy. He frowned as he asked, “Why do you think she’s a girl?” He could not find a single hint of girlish air on her, not with those shabby, messy clothes. And what girl fights every day, hauling a hoe around and hacking at those tough Magiplants?

“She doesn’t have an Adam’s apple,” Su Ang said calmly, “the bump at the front of her neck is the cricoid cartilage, not an Adam’s apple.”

The principal could not help admiring his observation: “Then that should be it. Who would’ve thought the Magiplant department’s Hedgehog Head is actually a girl.” He blinked, then stared at Su Ang with doubt: “Hold on. Why were you looking at her throat?”

“Accidentally saw it,” Su Ang replied.

“Oh.” The principal believed him. If Su Ang were a creep, then everyone in the world would be a creep. And Qian Qi would be the biggest weirdo of all.

He looked at the dried blood on his forearm and gave a cold snort.

After they reached the principal’s office, he locked the door and led Su Ang into an inner conference room.

In the center stood a conference table about three meters long. Eight human-figure projectors sat in a neat row on top, with a chair saved at every spot. The principal took the front chair and tapped on the device before him, sending out seven video calls at once.

A few seconds later, the call connected.

Three different figures flickered into place above their chairs.

“Principal.” The first to speak was a silver-haired middle-aged man in a black Commander uniform. Cold and strict, with blade-straight brows and hawk-like eyes, he carried the sharp air of someone who had lived through many battles. He glanced at Su Ang standing behind the principal, gave a small nod as greeting, and from the special hair color and their looks, it was easy to guess the two were related.

“Su Ang, report on the recent dungeon emergence,” Su Xing Chen said in a low, heavy voice, tapping the tabletop.

Su Ang opened the new Light-Brain on his wrist, expanded a data report, and spoke clearly, his tone cool and steady: “Field readings show the Dragon Spring Mist dungeon rift is stable. There were no abnormal waves in the last three days. We sent seven D class Awakeners into the dungeon. We have not confirmed any special cause for the monsters emerging. The simple guess is that it’s a normal out-of-dungeon activity.”

“Did any other Awakeners enter Dragon Spring Mist in the last three days?” asked Su Xing Chen, frowning.

Su Ang paused, then shook his head: “No.”

Su Xing Chen fell silent, eyes lowered in thought. On the opposite projection, a huge, muscle-bound man in custom Defense Armor let out a cold laugh as he said, “A bunch of cowards. They don’t even dare clear a D class dungeon and still call themselves Awakeners?” If they were not busy tackling high level dungeons and handling monsters in A class Combat Zones, these weaklings would never get their turn to clear low level ones.

“Enough, Gong Qiang,” said a red-cheongsam woman at another seat. She tapped her pipe and smiled in a sultry voice, “You complain every time. It’s not like you don’t know how hard dungeons are now. After so many years, a lot of monsters in E class dungeons have grown into D class, and D into C. No one can tell what an old D class dungeon looks like anymore.”

In dungeons, once monsters are killed, new ones of the same level spawn after a while. Even the dungeon boss is no exception. But if left alone, the monsters either breed into huge swarms or grow stronger by fighting one another. Time makes high level dungeons even scarier, so Awakeners hesitate to challenge them.

“Time no longer allows us to hesitate,” said Su Xing Chen. He laced his fingers, and a hard light flashed in his eyes. “Dungeons are getting less stable. The rifts are widening. Soon, Central Province will be overrun by monsters swarming out.” That would be a disaster for humans.

“To change this, I still support Commander Su’s plan,” said Tang Yan, the woman in the cheongsam, her smile fading. “Principal, forcing Awakeners to clear new dungeons will only spark unrest. If they refuse to move forward, then we must inject fresh blood.” It was like dropping a lively catfish into a lazy school of sardines. With young students setting the pace, the older Awakeners would feel ashamed to stand still.

“But…” The principal sighed. “They are still kids.”

“They’re almost twenty. Still kids?” Tang Yan gave a cold little laugh. “I was on the battlefield at sixteen and never complained once.”

“She’s right,” said Gong Qiang, raising both hands in agreement. “Young people should get out there and see the crisis coming at the world. Let them set an example, and stop those old Awakeners from squeezing cleared dungeons for easy rewards all day.”

Killing a dungeon boss counts as clearing the dungeon. Doing so grants a stat boost of different Strength levels, and the unstable dungeon will self-repair the rift, cutting off monster incursions. But because the reward only goes to the one who lands the final blow, Awakeners keep running the same dungeon, hoping to be the one to strike last and get stronger. That was why Gong Qiang mocked them for picking wool.

“I’ll think it over,” the principal said. He did not agree right away. As the principal, he had to put student safety first. At least during school, he did not want his students facing public gossip. The Awakeners were living proof: because of dungeon monsters, the public already grumbled about their inaction.

When the meeting ended and the principal was about to close the call, Su Ang suddenly spoke: “By the way, Father…”

[Wait.] The principal lightly tapped Su Ang.

Su Ang paused.

“What is it?” Su Xing Chen had been about to shut down his Light-Brain, but stopped when he heard his son’s voice.

“It’s nothing,” said Su Ang with an even face. “Please stay safe.”

Su Xing Chen nodded and hung up. When the room fell quiet again, the principal asked, “You were about to mention the Hemostatic Potion, weren’t you?”

Su Ang nodded in silence.

“Hold it for now,” the principal said coolly, a sharp light passing through his eyes. “Carrying jade invites thieves. If she faces powerful people too early, she’ll be exposed to danger too soon.”

After thinking for a moment, Su Ang said, “All right.”

“Also,” the principal snorted, “mainly I don’t trust that brat-cough, I mean, I don’t trust that girl can really make a Hemostatic Potion out of Magiplants.” He opened the door and stepped out. “We’ll drag this out. I’ll investigate quietly. If we let her take a big merit now, who knows how wild she’ll get in the Magiplant department.”

When they left, the room sank into long silence. No one would know that moments ago, people at the top had spoken here, and that under the calm, easy talk, dangerous whirlpools were hidden.

And the one about to be caught in that whirlpool, Qian Qi, was carefully preparing the sweet retirement life she dreamed of, like a bear guarding a honey pot.