Chapter 140: Frankness

"Rest assured, the suffering you endured will be compensated with academic credits. That includes any impact this may have on your final assessments, and it includes the special methods Commander Qin used on you—I have taken note of all that and will give you preferential treatment. For example, if it affects your final exams, I will waive the penalties for failing this year’s assessment. As for damage done to your bodies and minds, I will arrange special care and compensation." Dean Ye curled the corner of her mouth into a smile, then shifted tone: "But you must also understand that the doubts Commander Qin raised do indeed exist. This matter has to be investigated thoroughly."Hearing that, everyone’s hearts sank.

It was obvious.

Dean Ye’s reply put her squarely on Qin Bai’s side.

Su Zhan felt heavy inside.

No matter what, if doubts existed, they had to be probed. It even tacitly accepted the reasonableness of Qin Bai’s special methods.

This time there was no alternative.

Did he have to use his last trump card?

Did he have to go all-out against Daxia in order to survive?

He didn’t want that.

That outcome would mean an upheaval across Daxia. If the mist really broke through the border then no one in Daxia would survive—not even him. But if it came down to death, he would not hold back.

After all—

If even he died, then what meaning would there be for this world to continue existing?

Sigh… then let it be destroyed together.

Xie Xi hurried forward a step. "Dean, we understand the need for investigation, but the screening method Commander Qin proposed—"

"Student Xie." Dean Ye raised a hand lightly and cut her off. "I already said all of this will be compensated. I’m still confident in Commander Qin’s way of handling things."

"Dean!" Liu Ziming spoke up. "We can provide complete mission records. There’s absolutely no need for this."

"All right, children." Dean Ye stood up, her red hair falling like a curtain. "I’ve said what needed to be said. Go back and prepare for the examination."

With things said so plainly, there was nothing left to say.

They could only leave, tails between their legs.

There was nothing they could do—no connections, no clout, no one to turn to. How could they possibly persuade Ye Hongyu?

Su Zhan’s thoughts turned inward again. He had lost count of how many times he had wished for a powerful background. Not to be like this—without any influence or voice. Even being an SSS-grade Life Soul Awakener didn’t change that.

Once, Doberman had used the internet to call him an Aberrant. In the end, because Su Zhan had awakened an SSS Life Soul, Doberman was sent to the execution platform. That wasn’t because Doberman had been truthful—rather it was because the authorities would not tolerate slandering someone of SSS rank.

But now it was different. The doubts were too numerous.

Sigh…

If you wanted few doubts you had to hide and develop slowly—but that was too slow. If you wanted rapid growth, doubts multiplied; the two couldn’t be reconciled.

If only he weren’t an SSS Life Soul Awakener. If only he and his teammates weren’t students of Vermilion Bird Academy. Otherwise Qin Bai wouldn’t need to apply to Dean Ye—he could have taken direct action.

They walked on in silence.

No one spoke. They all understood the screening was inevitable. No words now could change that.

At that moment, a familiar figure appeared not far ahead.

Su Zhan brightened at the sight. This person had never let him down. He hoped this time would be no different. If so, the debt would be enormous, and he would repay it tenfold or a hundredfold.

"Oh wow! Isn’t this our Teacher Wang!" Liu Ziming limped forward and shouted, "You don’t know what we just went through in the Dean’s office! That Dean Ye—polite on the surface, promising to compensate with credits, but between the lines she’s clearly siding with Qin Bai!"

"Slow down, slow down, you kid—" Wang Mingyuan studied the five drained faces and sighed, "I heard too. Commander Qin is determined this time to get to the bottom of things. You lot… sigh…"

"Teacher!" Xie Xi clutched his sleeve, voice trembling. "How could my parents do that? They could have helped with just a word, but they insist on procedural justice!"

"You shouldn’t blame your parents. They aren’t obligated to help Su Zhan and the others." Wang Mingyuan patted her hand. "But as their teacher, I can put in a few words. It’s not as influential as your parents’ connections, but over the years I’ve gathered some contacts."

"Really, Teacher?!" Xu Hao was so excited he nearly threw his cane. "If that’s true, you’re like my rebirth parents!"

"All right, all right. I’ll go coordinate the tests, but—" Wang Mingyuan was almost made to laugh by them, then his expression turned serious. "You need to be honest with me about that so-called Aberrant—"

"Teacher, you can rest easy!" Su Zhan cut in. "If we really had a problem, do you think we’d still be strutting around the academy? We would have run and disappeared ages ago! Isn’t that obvious?"

Sorry, had to lie to you. He could only deceive the teacher and his teammates. Some teammates probably suspected there really was an Aberrant among them. They could choose to protect him.

Sigh…

Saying too many grateful words would sound cloying. Just this once—today’s favor will definitely be repaid!

Wang Mingyuan stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed out loud. "All right. I’ll go coordinate with Dean Ye now, but I’ll be honest up front: I can’t promise success."

"Understood." They all nodded. They knew this logic. If Wang Mingyuan tried, and things went well, then their relationship would be mended. It wouldn’t make sense to blame him if he failed—who would be so heartless?

...

Wang Mingyuan stood before Ye Hongyu’s office door, his finger hanging in midair, unable to knock.

The door slid open by itself.

Ye Hongyu’s face appeared, half smiling, half not. "What, you’ve been standing at my door for ten minutes—planning to be a door god?"

"Teacher…" Wang Mingyuan’s eyes were complex. "You knew I was coming."

"You finally decided to come after ten years." Ye Hongyu turned and walked to the tea table. The teapot tipped on its own and amber tea poured into a cup.

Wang Mingyuan pushed his glasses up. "…It’s not that I refused, I just had no face to show up."

"That’s a reasonable thought." Ye Hongyu sipped her tea. "After all, a former genius who fell and recovered slowly—such a gap is hard to accept."

"You always know how to rub salt in people’s wounds." Wang Mingyuan looked a little desolate and forced a smile.

"Stop with the chatter." Ye Hongyu’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You avoided me for ten years, and suddenly you show up uninvited. I don’t need to guess—you’re here for those students."

"That’s right." Wang Mingyuan’s gaze was straightforward. "I’m here for them."

"You’re blunt." Ye Hongyu’s voice carried a barely perceptible disappointment. "But if you’re just playing the sentimental card today, you can leave now. I need a more convincing reason."