41: Chapter 41: Level 10 version of Su Wan? The future Su Dali!

The return bus jolted down the road, its seat springs groaning under the strain, each bump causing the gear in the cabin to clatter dully. Outside the window, the scenery shifted from the grey-white wasteland characteristic of the Cold Plains to the familiar building silhouettes of the Wei City suburbs. The cabin was filled with a faint scent, a mix of sulfur and sweat—the distinct smell of the Cold Plains.

Hu Jinsi slumped by the window, his head bobbing with the bus's sway like a wilted eggplant. His iron-clad staff lay across his knees, still stained with patches of uncleaned mud—the dark brown clay unique to the Burial Grounds. He was half-asleep, debating whether to sleep an extra hour once back, when he suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged violently.

Su Wan beside him sat up straight as if she'd been electrocuted, her high ponytail nearly sweeping his face. Her eyes were startlingly bright; she grabbed Hu Jinsi with one hand and patted Lin Rui's shoulder with the other, pulling the two of them closer to the center of the seat.

"Hey, hey, hey, you two, guess what?" She lowered her voice, though the inflection at the end couldn't help but rise, like a little mouse that had stolen some oil. "My experience pool... is full! It's enough to reach Level 9!"

Hu Jinsi was pulled forward, his head nearly knocking against the seat in front. He rubbed his eyes, looked at Su Wan's slightly flushed face from excitement, paused for two seconds, and then began to calculate mentally.

Two weeks ago in Raccoon City, Su Wan was still fretting that she was three thousand experience points short of Level 8. Over these past two weeks, Water Blue Star had fed back two dungeon achievements, each granting ten thousand career experience points, plus the combat experience provided by the undead and demons in the Cold Plains...

"With over twenty thousand experience points poured in like a river," Hu Jinsi counted on his fingers, intentionally making an exaggerated expression, "let alone Level 9, you've basically touched the threshold of Level 10, right?"

"It's not that fast." Su Wan swatted him, but the smile on her lips couldn't be suppressed. "However... it's not too far off."

She leaned back against the seat, her fingers plucking a short note on the lyre, her voice tinged with pride: "When I went home last week, I recorded the Requiem Chant as a video and uploaded it online. In just one week, guess how much experience I got as feedback? Five thousand! A full five thousand points!"

"How much?!" This time it was Lin Rui's turn to look over. He had been leaning back with his eyes closed, resting, but upon hearing this number, his eyes snapped open, and his posture straightened.

"Five thousand." Su Wan held up five fingers and waved them in front of the two, her fingertips trembling slightly from excitement. "I feel that even if I don't do anything else, just relying on that song spreading online, I can steadily reach Level 10 before the end of the term. By then, that scheduled achievement will definitely be in my pocket."

Hu Jinsi smacked his lips, the sleepiness in his heart completely dispelled. The Requiem Chant was basically a dimension-reduction strike in a place like Raccoon City, which was crawling with undead. Su Wan's talent [Siren Songstress] doubled the range of her sonic abilities, extending the original five-meter effective radius to over ten meters, covering an area of over two hundred square meters. The caster could also move, and the Holy-attribute sonic damage dealt to the undead was calculated as double. What did this mean? It meant that as long as Su Wan stood in the center of the team and started singing, the zombie crows within a ten-meter radius wouldn't even dare to approach. Those things used to be most annoying when they swooped down in swarms from the sky, but now, once they entered her singing range, it was like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

As for monsters like the Licker that excelled in ambushes, with a 10-meter radius, by the time it snuck from the perimeter to Su Wan's side, it would have to endure a round of holy baptism. If they were injured and the three-man team still didn't notice any movement, then they could indeed just find a Block of tofu to smash their heads against.

"Don't just be surprised, you two," Su Wan plucked the strings, a faint glimmer appearing at her fingertips. "Next week's dungeon, we have almost no choice; we can only enter Raccoon City. My Requiem Chant over there, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's a total wipe, right?"

Hu Jinsi nodded, lowering his voice to analyze his previous calculations for the two.

"So," Lin Rui said in a deep voice, his fingers tapping lightly on the short scabbard, "our upper limit in the Raccoon City dungeon next time depends entirely on how long Su Wan can sing?"

Su Wan tilted her head and thought, her high ponytail swaying gently with the bus's jolts: "If it's the formal chanting required to release the skill, I can hold out for a little over forty minutes at a time. If it's just singing like usual, without focusing on spellcasting, maybe two or three hours wouldn't be a problem."

Hu Jinsi immediately took out his phone and opened the calculator. Although he could do mental math, the ritual was necessary. "At Level 9, there are 9 chanting opportunities a day. 9 times 40 minutes is three hundred sixty, which is a full 6 hours. This means that in our 24 hours a day in Raccoon City, we can spend a full 6 hours completely immersed in Su Wan's singing."

The more he calculated, the brighter his eyes became. His voice inadvertently rose a few notches, then he quickly lowered it: "This efficiency, isn't it much higher than that Gunpowder Squad? What restricts the Gunpowder Squad is the stamina of Li Hao and the others, the density of the surrounding monsters, and the size of the mall entrance. Even if Chen Yu and Zhou Hao are blazing away with their guns, they have to consider the cost of ammunition and whether their arms are sore. And what restricts us is only one thing—whether we can lure enough monsters so that Su Wan can clear the field with maximum efficiency every time she opens her mouth."

"In other words," Lin Rui's brows relaxed, and his fingertips tapped on the shield surface, "as long as the monster luring keeps up, it's completely easy for Su Wan to farm ten thousand career experience points within 72 hours?"

"More than easy." Hu Jinsi grinned, his eyes and brows filled with shrewdness. "If we get something like a loudspeaker and lure the monsters into the singing range in batches, Su Wan might even be able to farm fifteen thousand, or even more. And this doesn't even count the follow-up spread of her Requiem Chant—there was no audience base in the first week, and it still gave her five thousand experience. Next week, as the coverage expands, or other transcendent professionals get inspiration from the song, the feedback experience will definitely rise."

He counted on his fingers for the two, his voice kept extremely low, yet unable to hide the excitement. "Calculating this way, Su Wan's minimum guaranteed experience next week starts at twenty thousand. At most two weeks, she'll steadily reach Level 10. If that song suddenly goes viral next week, rushing directly to Level 10 isn't impossible. This completely fits the Bard's professional duties of adventuring, collecting, creating, and spreading. Su Wan is using the entire Water Blue Star as her experience pasture."

Su Wan felt a bit embarrassed, her earlobes slightly red, but her eyes were getting brighter and brighter, as if two little flames were burning. She hugged the lyre, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the old scar left by the Defias Thief on the instrument body, and suddenly felt that the scar wasn't so unsightly after all.

Hu Jinsi leaned back, deliberately drawing out his tone, and spoke cheekily: "So, from now on, the thigh of our team is Comrade Su Wan. Su-Thigh! Golden Thigh! In future dungeons, Lin Rui and I will be responsible for shouting '666', and Su-Thigh will be responsible for clearing the field—a perfect division of labor. By then, you stand in the middle of the dungeon, open your mouth, and the undead fall in droves. Just thinking about that scene is exhilarating."

"Get lost!" Su Wan swatted him with the strap of her lyre, the force as light as a tickle, but she laughed happily, the corners of her mouth unable to be suppressed. "What thigh, what thigh, that sounds terrible!"

Lin Rui rarely curled the corners of his mouth, then immediately returned to a calm expression, reaching out to press Hu Jinsi's head back against the seat: "Stop fooling around. Hu Jinsi, don't just count the experience for Wanwan, what's the progress of your own experience bar?"

Hu Jinsi cleared his throat and freed his head from under Lin Rui's palm: "If we can really achieve that monster-clearing efficiency next week, by the end of next week, or at the latest the week after, I'll be able to touch the edge of Level 9."

"My situation is about the same," Lin Rui nodded, his gaze falling on his bandaged wrists, "maybe a little faster than Hu Jinsi, and I should be Level 9 by the end of next week."

"Then it's settled." Su Wan gently plucked the strings, a string of clear notes flowing through the cabin, like a clear spring diluting the pungent smell of sulfur. "Next week, we're going to Raccoon City to sing."

Hu Jinsi closed his eyes, but the corners of his mouth were curled up. He was already starting to calculate in his mind where to buy a few annoying loudspeakers before the dungeon next week.

The bus stopped at the gate of Wei City No. 1 High School, and the three of them got off with the crowd. They returned to the apartment complex together.

The key to the two-bedroom apartment turned once in the lock, the door opened, and the room was quiet, with only the portraits of his parents on the wall glowing softly in the sunset.

He threw his backpack onto the sofa and leaned the iron-clad staff against the corner of the wall, the metal of the staff colliding with the wall, making a dull thud. He didn't rush to meditate, but sat cross-legged on the bed and summoned the panel that only he could see.

[Current Level: 8]

The upgrade to Level 8 had been completed after a certain battle deep in the Cold Plains. A dungeon achievement last week dumped ten thousand experience points, another ten thousand this week, plus the gains from the battle with Bishibosh... If it weren't for his talent being an experience-hungry beast, his leveling speed might have been faster than Su Wan's.

He took a deep breath and sank his consciousness into the panel.

[Do you want to spend 12,800 experience points to draw a Level 8 career specialty?]

"Yes."

The pale golden light slowly rotated in the depths of his consciousness, like three pebbles polished by flowing water, emitting a soft but undeniable halo. The three options unfolded one by one, each line of text as clear as if it had been engraved on his retina, carrying a certain ancient and majestic pressure.

[Crane Stance: You transform your form into a crane shadow in the wind, no longer clashing with brute force, but seeking to enter through gaps amidst graceful dancing. After entering this stance, you gain a slight dodge bonus, and your jump distance increases by an additional 1.5 meters (horizontal) or 0.6 meters (vertical). In this stance, you can only use related skills and actions under Crane Stance (Crane Wing Sweep, Crane Beak Peck) to attack.]

[Dragon Stance: You release the true qi within your body, turning it into a gale like a dragon's roar. Each strike carries a destructive momentum, no longer seeking delicate flaws, but crushing obstacles with pure power. After entering this stance, your unarmed strike (Dragon Claw) damage increases, each miss increases the hit probability of the next strike, and each Heavy Strike increases the damage of the next strike.]

[Tiger Stance: You awaken the predator instinct deep in your bloodline, your body crouching low, your eyes like torches. After entering this stance, your unarmed strike (Tiger Claw) can cause sharp cutting damage. When you land a Heavy Strike in this stance, the target has a probability of falling into a continuous bleeding state.]

Hu Jinsi stroked his chin, analyzing them one by one, as if a small abacus was clattering in his mind.

These 3 specialties that appeared were all related to attack stances. For a fake like Hu Jinsi, these 3 options were all quite average—one added a slight amount of dodge and jumping ability, one added damage, and one added a tearing bleeding effect. In reality, none of them were what Hu Jinsi currently needed.

Basically, Hu Jinsi already had similar specialties or skills as substitutes for these, so he wasn't very interested in these options.

[Parkour] was completely superior to [Crane Stance] when activated; Hu Jinsi wore [Licker's Ripping Knuckle Duster] on one hand and [Hot Boot Spike] on his feet. The offensive nature of these positions had been replaced by equipment. The spare hand had to hold the iron-clad staff as a weapon for blocking, and he couldn't spare a hand to perform Dragon Claw or Tiger Claw.

"Three mosquito legs..." Hu Jinsi muttered, his gaze shifting between the three options, feeling a bit hesitant. If he chose Dragon Stance or Tiger Stance, they would be completely useless in actual combat, which meant wasting 12,800 experience points for nothing. Choosing Crane Stance would at least add some dodge, and although it was also a chicken rib, it was at least watchable.

Just as he was hesitating, a line of golden small text that hadn't been there before suddenly appeared below the [Crane Stance] line. The handwriting seemed to have been temporarily engraved by some invisible force, carrying a vivid feeling of being "discovered", and was slightly hot in the depths of his consciousness.

"Highly correlated skill detected. Do you want to associate [Divine Crane Neck-Stretching Kick] with [Crane Stance]? After association, [Divine Crane Neck-Stretching Kick] will retain all its original abilities, and when activated under [Crane Stance], it will gain all the ability bonuses of Crane Stance."

Hu Jinsi's eyes narrowed, and his body leaned forward involuntarily.

Divine Crane Neck-Stretching Kick, the core AOE skill he got at Level 6. It consumed one point of qi to start, rotating at high speed on one foot, and performing continuous kicks on all enemies within two meters. That thing had already proven its value among the murlocs by Crystal Lake. Although he would feel so dizzy after turning six times that he wanted to vomit, the field-clearing efficiency was indeed impressive. If activated under Crane Stance, not only could it retain the original rotating attack, but it could also stack the dodge bonus and jump bonus of Crane Stance...

Although that little bonus was indeed the smallest of mosquito legs for Divine Crane Neck-Stretching Kick. But mosquito legs were also meat, which was better than the two stances of Dragon and Tiger that couldn't be used at all. At least, the dodge bonus of Crane Stance could make him a bit safer when rotating, and the jump bonus could also make him more cosplay Ryu?

"Select Crane Stance."

The panel vibrated slightly, and the pale golden light converged like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, turning into a solid mark that sank into the depths of his consciousness, as if some ancient aura was rippling gently in his meridians.

[Unlocked Level 8 Specialty: Crane Stance]

Hu Jinsi opened his eyes and let out a long breath, a thin layer of sweat actually seeping from his forehead. He looked at the remaining experience points, the gap wasn't large, and it wouldn't be a problem to squeeze out Level 9 before the next dungeon.

But... should he upgrade immediately?

He touched the prayer beads on his wrist; the warm, smooth touch of the beads calmed him down.

Lin Rui was also level 8 now, and according to what was said on the bus, one wouldn't be able to reach level 9 until after next week.

If he were to reach level 9 ahead of time, although he could explain it away with "high meditation efficiency," it would still feel a bit abrupt.

Moreover, after reaching level 9, he didn't have spare experience to draw a level 9 specialty, and a panel with a level but no new abilities would easily attract attention.

His talent, "Infinite · Monk," was his trump card, and a trump card is only a trump card because no one knows about it.

"Low profile, keep a low profile," Hu Jinsi admonished himself, "When Lin Rui reaches level 9, I will slowly catch up. Anyway, even if I reach level 9, I can't afford to draw a specialty for the time being, so I might as well save the experience and spend it all at once later."

As for how to disguise this Crane Stance... he touched his chin, already having a plan in mind.

Recently, when practicing with Lin Rui and Su Wan, he would set up a few more starting moves for Crane Fist and occasionally use those broad, sweeping Crane Wing movements during combat.

Anyway, Crane Stance was an optional activation; if it felt awkward in actual combat, he could just not activate it.

If his teammates asked, he would just say it was a new fist technique he had learned; it wouldn't be hard to brush it off.

A monk, after all, should be interested in traditional culture; isn't it normal to know a few sets of fist techniques?

He stood up and stretched his muscles, his spine emitting a series of slight cracks.

His gaze fell on the calendar on the wall; there was still some time before next month's National Collegiate Freshman Tournament broadcast.

And tomorrow was Thursday.

Before officially starting his meditation, Hu Jinsi clicked on the interface for the regional qualifiers of the Freshman Tournament again.

The list was completely locked.

He scanned it, his gaze pausing on the line "Senior Xiao Gu & Destiny Martial Venerable," then moved away.

Apart from Senior Xiao Gu's class, which could be called a bug, the rest of the big list this year was full of old faces that had been passed down for hundreds of years, whose names one was already sick of hearing; there wasn't even a new school of thought that made one's eyes light up.

Last year, there was still someone doing masked wrestling, but this year, even that kind of niche style couldn't be seen.

"Boring," Hu Jinsi curled his lips, closed the interface, and lay back, "I can only wait until next month to watch the National Tournament broadcast. I hope the seniors can come up with something new, instead of just routine against routine."

He sat cross-legged, ready to sink into meditation, when he suddenly remembered there was one more thing to do.

He hadn't drawn the achievement reward from the last dungeon yet.

Hu Jinsi brought up the panel and confirmed the draw.

A flash of light appeared, and a line of description floated into his consciousness, the font carrying a certain strong and vigorous charm.

[Unarmored Movement: In both combat and non-combat states, your movement speed can be increased by 1.5 meters/second. While this effect is active, you will suffer additional stamina consumption.]

Hu Jinsi stared at this line of text, remaining silent for a full five seconds.

A movement speed increase of 1.5 meters per second... This number wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either.

Combined with the monk's naturally high agility, he could indeed run quite a bit faster.

However, the side effect of "additional stamina consumption" meant that in the future, when traveling or guerilla-fighting in dungeons, his stamina bar would drop faster, like a bucket with a hole in the bottom.

"A monk version of light footwork?" He touched his chin, then showed a wry expression, "No, this is clearly a god-tier skill for a delivery guy. If I can't make it in a dungeon in the future and have to go out to deliver takeout or parcels, I'll definitely be the first to arrive, but also the first to pant like a dog."

Although he was complaining, a free skill was a free skill.

He confirmed the learning and added this skill to his skill list.

Anyway, a monk's stamina recovery speed wasn't slow, and combined with the rest time saved by [Deep Meditation], this extra consumption was still within an acceptable range.

Moreover, a 1.5 meters/second acceleration might be the difference between life and death at a critical moment.

"Alright, business finished." He spread the [Zen Cushion] on the bed, wrapped the prayer beads around his wrist three times, and slowly closed his eyes, "Time to start working... ah no, start meditating."

Qi flowed slowly through his meridians, like a sluggish little snake, crawling along a fixed trajectory.

The numbers on the experience panel began to jump at a speed visible to the naked eye, jumping up one notch every fifteen minutes.

Outside the window, the night in Wei City grew thicker, and in the room, only the sound of even breathing and the occasional dog barking from downstairs remained.

On Friday morning, the students of Wei City No. 1 High School surged toward the school gate like a tide.

Hu Jinsi and the other two, however, took a detour first, going to the commercial street near the school.

The morning dew from last night still hung on the sycamore leaves, shining and dripping under the morning light.

The breakfast stalls by the street were emitting white steam, and the sizzling sound of fried dough sticks flipping in the oil pan mixed with the sweet fragrance of soy milk, dyeing the morning air greasy and warm.

Su Wan stood in front of the display window of a music store with a "Baiyin Pavilion" sign, her nose almost pressed against the glass, the white breath she exhaled clouding a small patch of mist on the glass.

Displayed in the window was a war drum covered with thick cowhide, the drum body painted with vermilion lacquer, its edges wrapped in a circle of worn brass nails.

Next to it hung a brass horn, shining in the morning light like a proud little rooster.

Further inside, there was a row of lyres—maple, oak, and even one carved from some kind of black animal bone, the strings shimmering with silver light.

"Are you really going to make a whole dumpling feast just for a bottle of vinegar?" Hu Jinsi, with his hands in his pockets, poured cold water on her from behind, his toes subconsciously kicking the fallen leaves on the ground, "Just for the 20% gap in the effect of the Marching Song, you want to specifically take up an Instrument Proficiency slot to learn military drums? You play the lyre quite well, why bother? And look at that war drum, how big it is. Are you going to carry a drum while running in a dungeon? Afraid your target isn't obvious enough?"

Su Wan bit her lower lip, her fingers subconsciously twisting the corner of her shirt, the strap of her lyre slung crookedly over her shoulder, "I know that too... but playing the Marching Song on a lyre can only achieve 80% effect at most. Full or even better performance effects require coordination with military drums, war drums, or horns. My Instrument Proficiency specialty, after deducting the reserved slot for level 10, really does have one empty slot left..."

"But if you allocate it to military drums," Lin Rui walked over carrying three cups of soy milk and shoved one into Su Wan's hand, his tone as steady as a rock, "you're effectively learning an instrument you don't usually use just for one skill. A Bard only has three slots for Instrument Proficiency, and it's unclear when the new specialty after level 10 can be obtained. What if you encounter a more suitable instrument in the future—like some kind of wonder item that can amplify sound wave damage—but you don't have an empty slot? It wouldn't be worth the loss."

Su Wan held the warm soy milk and sighed, the white steam rising from the cup blurring her expression, "I know it's making a dumpling feast for a bottle of vinegar... but that 20% gap might just be the difference of one breath at a critical moment. Imagine, we're being chased by a horde of corpses in Raccoon City, the Marching Song speed boost can't keep up, and the whole team gets blocked in a dead end..."

"Don't think so far ahead." Hu Jinsi moved away from the display window and stretched, his bones emitting a series of slight cracks, "Just make do for now. In case you get a better instrument later, you'll regret it too late. Anyway, we aren't entering Raccoon City until next week, so there's no rush for a day or two. Besides..." He lowered his voice and leaned into Su Wan's ear, "If it really comes to a critical moment, we won't mind if you use pots and pans to beat the rhythm."

"Get lost!" Su Wan kicked him with a laugh, but her tense shoulders noticeably relaxed.

The three of them walked side by side toward the school, the morning light stretching their shadows long, like three crooked chopsticks.

Su Wan sipped her soy milk and asked vaguely: "By the way, what did you two draw for your dungeon achievement rewards last week? I haven't had a chance to ask yet."

"I'll go first." Hu Jinsi put his free hand into his pants pocket, kicking a pebble on the road, "I drew [Unarmored Movement]. The effect is simple and straightforward: I run faster, an extra 1.5 meters per second. But it burns stamina quickly. In the future, if we need to pull monsters or run for our lives in a dungeon, I can be at the forefront, but I'll probably be paralyzed on the ground panting for five minutes after running. It's truly for human express delivery."

"Practical." Lin Rui commented, and then took out the round shield that had been with him for a long time from the side pocket of his backpack.

There were still white marks left by Defias bandits on the shield surface, "I had the best luck. Shield Bash, bash a single target within a 1.5-meter range with the shield; the damage is determined by both the shield type and my strength. The core is that it can link with [Block]. You can smash out while blocking, counting as one action. If the link is successful, the counterattack damage from the Block and the damage caused by the Shield Bash are calculated together."

Hu Jinsi whistled, the sound sounding exceptionally crisp on the morning street, "Eight in, twelve out, Team Leader Lin. The harder they hit you, the more damage you Block, and the more painful the Shield Bash rebound will be. If this skill is used in a narrow terrain like Raccoon City, when zombies pounce to bite you, you put up your shield, 'clang,' not only do you take no damage, but you can also backhand the zombie into a meat patty. Big profit, big profit. Compared to mine and Su Wan's, you hit the jackpot."

"It's not that exaggerated." Lin Rui's lips curled up, but there was clear satisfaction in his eyes as he gently stroked the shield surface, "But it is indeed a big profit. By comparison, Hu Jinsi's express delivery god-skill..."

"Hey, hey, hey, show some respect." Hu Jinsi glared at him, but couldn't help laughing himself, "Running fast also has strategic value, you know? When pulling monsters, I'll run at the very front with a string of zombies behind me. That scene, just thinking about it is spectacular."

Su Wan was amused and threw the empty soy milk cup into a trash can on the side of the road, clapping her hands, "It's my turn. You both know part of it already; what I drew is [Chanting - Marching Song]. While maintaining the performance, the walking speed of allies within an 18-meter radius can be increased to 1.8 meters per second, and it can also support them for another hour in a fatigued state. It's just that the lyre can only exert 80% effect..."

"80% is enough." Lin Rui comforted her, crushing the soy milk cup and stuffing it into the side pocket of his backpack, "We usually ride bicycles, where would we need a march? Even in combat, occasionally bursting out, 80% is enough."

"That's true." Su Wan nodded, put the lyre back on, and slid a short note on the strings with her fingertips, "Then that's it for now. We'll talk about the military drum after level 10."

The three of them bickered all the way and arrived at the gate of No. 1 High School before they knew it.

The atmosphere in the classroom was strange from before the first class of the morning.

Hu Jinsi had just stuffed his schoolbag into his desk, not yet having time to take out his textbook, when he heard two classmates from the life profession stream talking in hushed tones.

The voices seemed to be deliberately lowered, yet they were subconsciously raised, carrying a kind of excitement and secret pleasure peculiar to spreading gossip.

"...Did you hear? Zhao Lei transferred schools."

"Which Zhao Lei?"

"Who else could it be? The one from the Knight Squad, the A-grade profession, Hell Knight Squire. Wasn't it said he was taking a year off? Why did it suddenly change to a transfer? And the transfer was so quiet; the paperwork was only finished yesterday."

Hu Jinsi's hand froze in mid-air.

He slowly straightened up and turned to look at Lin Rui and Su Wan.

Both of them also had looks of astonishment, obviously having heard the wind as well.

Lin Rui's brows instantly twisted into a knot, his fingers gripping the edge of the table.

"Wasn't it a one-year leave of absence?" Su Wan frowned, her lyre leaning against the side of the desk, her fingers gripping the body of the instrument, her voice as light as a feather, "All attributes permanently reduced by one... under those circumstances, a leave of absence for adjustment is the normal choice. How did it suddenly become a transfer? And handled so urgently?"

Hu Jinsi didn't speak; he got up and walked straight to the back of the classroom.

Zhen Kai was sitting by the window, spinning a totem pendant in his hand; that was the magic tool for the Shaman profession.

Seeing Hu Jinsi come over, he looked up and shrugged, lowering his voice, "I also just heard about it when I arrived at school this morning. The news came from the life profession side; it happened just in the last two days... to be precise, the day after we came out of the Cold Plains dungeon, the paperwork was only done yesterday."

"Wasn't it a leave of absence before?" Hu Jinsi asked, his voice extremely low, but every word was enunciated clearly, "After the Knight Squad incident, didn't Zhao Lei apply for a one-year leave of absence? The whole school knew."

"I don't know." Zhen Kai's expression was also very confused.

He looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before continuing, "I asked a few people who live in the same neighborhood as Zhao Lei. They said his family suddenly got busy a few days ago, as if they were dealing with some urgent matter. Then yesterday, the transfer procedures were completed, and he went directly to a school in another city. There wasn't even a farewell; he just left like that."

Hu Jinsi thanked Zhen Kai and returned to his seat.

The three of them formed a small circle, the air so heavy it could drip water.

The noise in the classroom seemed to be blocked by an invisible film, leaving only a heavy silence between the three of them.

Lin Rui's fingers tapped lightly on the desktop, the rhythm slow and heavy, like some kind of countdown: "The timing is too coincidental."

"Yeah." Hu Jinsi lowered his voice, his gaze sweeping over the two faces, a trace of imperceptible coldness hidden in the depths of his eyes, "This week we just finished off Bishibosh deep in the Cold Plains, and then Zhao Lei transferred away. And think about it, what is Bishibosh? It's the leader-level monster of the Cold Plains. The Knight Squad previously fell into the hands of an elite monster in the Cold Plains; Zhao Lei used a shield prop to survive, resulting in all attributes permanently reduced by one..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already very clear.

Su Wan hugged her lyre tighter, her voice almost inaudible: "You mean, Zhao Lei's transfer... is related to us taking down Bishibosh?"

"I don't know." Hu Jinsi leaned back in his chair.

He paused, then said word by word, his voice low enough that only the three of them could hear: "But to say there's nothing fishy between these two things, nothing we don't know about, I can't even convince myself."

In the classroom, the bell for class hadn't rung yet, but the discussions were flowing between the seats like an undercurrent.

The news of Zhao Lei's transfer, like a stone thrown into a lake, was causing ripples that were spreading rapidly.

Some were surprised, some were whispering, and others were typing frantically on their phones, as if confirming the truth of the news.