25: Chapter 25 He's such a show-off!

"You—"

And just as Deputy Commander Zhou Mu's blood pressure broke through the limits of humanity—

Another voice floated over from the adjacent queue, neither salty nor bland.

"Teacher Zhou, watch your health."

The tone was elegant, neither salty nor bland.

Li Haoran stood at the very front of Class 1's queue, holding that mithril-trimmed custom card box in his arms. His dustproof cloak remained motionless in the morning breeze; from his hairstyle to his standing posture, he exuded an air of coolness.

The coolness of a rich person!

He was surrounded by three or four lackeys. One of the lackeys, covered in designer brands, couldn't help but burst into laughter after seeing what Su Bai was holding.

"Hahahaha—Boss, look at what that kid is holding!"

He pointed at Kyubey, laughing until his waist bent.

"A kitty plushie! That's a cat, right? That's really a cat, right! And he even said it could turn someone into a Magical Girl!"

"The threshold for this Monthly Exam is too low, right? Even a ragdoll can enter?"

There was a burst of suppressed laughter all around.

Li Haoran curled his lips slightly.

He raised his hand, stopping his lackeys' overt laughter. His movements were clean and crisp, carrying a bit of the restraint and bearing that a leader should have.

"Don't say that."

Li Haoran's gaze finally fell on Su Bai. An extremely elegant glance.

"For some classmates who have neither resources nor talent, choosing to make a plushie card with no lethality is the most prudent and safest option."

He paused.

A very faint arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"At least when the card is activated, it won't cause a mana backlash and blow oneself up on the spot. This is a kind of 'survival wisdom' that shows self-awareness. It's worth encouraging."

He said this in an extremely gentle tone. As gentle as a teacher comforting a student who got a zero on an exam.

But everyone understood.

You are poor. You have no talent. You cannot make an Armament Card. So you made a ragdoll to make up the numbers.

You are not qualified to compete.

This is called survival wisdom.

The group of elite students around Li Haoran let out knowing chuckles.

Zhao Dahai gripped his spiked club tightly, the fat on his face trembling with anger.

"Li, watch your mouth! Su Bai spent—"

Lin Xiao stepped on Zhao Dahai's foot without changing her expression, her force landing precisely on his little toe.

"Ugh—!" Zhao Dahai was in so much pain that he swallowed the rest of his words. He stared at Lin Xiao with wide eyes, but Lin Xiao just shook her head slightly. The meaning was: Don't say it here.

Su Bai expressionlessly retrieved Kyubey to his front and patted the cat's head to keep it quiet.

Then he looked up and stared straight at Li Haoran.

"You're right." Su Bai said indifferently, "Survival wisdom—that's a good term. I'll be using it later."

Li Haoran's eyes flickered imperceptibly. He clearly hadn't expected this reaction from Su Bai. Is this guy that confident?

Then he elegantly withdrew his gaze, as if the conversation just now had never happened.

At this moment, Deputy Commander Zhou Mu could no longer hold back.

Li Haoran's words weren't actually wrong; after all, Su Bai was indeed at the bottom of the class in terms of grades. However, having been teacher and student, he felt regret watching Su Bai resign himself to failure just like that.

"Su Bai—come with me."

In a flash of thought, Deputy Commander Zhou Mu grabbed Su Bai's arm, his grip so strong it was like arresting a deserter.

In a hidden corner of the plaza, behind the side of a bus, away from the queue and the holographic cameras.

Deputy Commander Zhou Mu dragged Su Bai there and took several breaths, like a boiler about to explode doing its final pressure release. Then he quickly looked around, confirmed that no one was paying attention to this side, and quickly pulled a magic card from his pocket.

[Tier 1 · D-Grade · Blazing Flame Staff].

The card surface was clean. The mana lines were clear. It wasn't outstanding, but it would definitely pass the test.

"Su Bai, put that cat away. Use this card instead."

He shoved the card into Su Bai's hand.

"Teacher Zhou—"

"Shut up and listen to me!"

Deputy Commander Zhou Mu wiped the sweat from his forehead. Sweating so much in March showed just how much this man's inner state had collapsed.

"Su Bai, let me be clear with you. The bottom-ranked students in the neighboring Class 2 and Class 3, their head teachers have long since stuffed them with finished backup cards. This isn't an isolated incident; it's a convention. Every time there's a big exam, the head teacher will prepare backup cards—just to prevent their students from embarrassing themselves during the critical occasion of a network-wide live broadcast."

He paused, veins pulsing slightly on his graying temples.

"In front of Master Li Qingyue and the entire network audience, our class cannot afford to lose. You cannot afford to lose either. If you understand, hurry up and switch it!"

Su Bai looked down at the Blazing Flame Staff, his mouth twitching slightly.

Old Zhou, oh Old Zhou, you've really underestimated me!

He pushed the card back.

"Teacher Zhou, thank you for your kindness. But my card is truly a complete card, and—"

He thought about his phrasing.

"It is really strong."

Silence.

The morning breeze blew between the two men.

Deputy Commander Zhou Mu stared straight at Su Bai. His face transitioned from purple-red to the gray-white of the edge of a breakdown, then bounced back. He was no longer angry; he was speechless, deeply speechless.

A student. Made a ragdoll, insisting it's a cat is one thing, but also wanting to turn himself into a Magical Girl.

At the Monthly Exam site broadcasted to the entire network. In front of Master Li Qingyue. After the mockery of Li Haoran and his elite group. He insists that his cat is very strong.

"...You stubborn mule!"

Deputy Commander Zhou Mu's throat was hoarse.

"Li Haoran's Armament Card is A-Grade! They used Tier 9 Phoenix Pattern Blood Marrow, the cost of the entire card is at least eight figures! What are you using to compare with them? With this—of yours—"

He pointed at Kyubey, who was lying on Su Bai's shoulder.

"This—worthless—ragdoll cat!"

Worthless.

Su Bai's mouth twitched. This was worth 2.05 million!

However, he didn't want to talk about this now; if he said it out, Deputy Commander Zhou Mu would definitely think he was even crazier.

Su Bai said calmly, "Teacher Zhou, I understand your concern. But I really don't need to replace it."

Deputy Commander Zhou Mu gripped the Blazing Flame Staff card until his knuckles turned white. He opened his mouth, wanting to curse, wanting to say "You kid, just wait to go to the front line as cannon fodder"—but in the end, he said nothing.

Because he saw Su Bai's eyes.

Those eyes were very calm. Not the eyes of a madman, nor the eyes of a stubborn mule. They were too calm to be the eyes of a student who was about to make a fool of himself in front of the entire network.

He understood.

This kid, he is really good at acting cool!