A Tedious Wait
An Xiaoyi glanced at the golden-haired girl sleeping on her shoulder.
Drowsiness enveloped him, and he dozed off, only to wake an hour later.
It was already nearing evening; the station was noticeably emptier, and his hopes dwindled with each passing minute.
The setback he faced on his first day of work was, ironically, not being able to find the school.
Buzz! Buzz!
His phone vibrated incessantly, with a flurry of notifications.
Seeing that he wouldn’t run into any seniors at the moment, he took out his phone and slid the screen open.
His wallpaper, a giant clock, immediately caught his eye.
He entered a social app, and a striking verification popped up.
It was a forum called “Campus Forum,” surprisingly large with nearly four thousand members.
An Xiaoyi didn’t recognize the group administrator who added him, but he noticed “St. Antiona” written on the group’s profile.
“What the hell is with that professor? Giving out knives upon entering school? What kind of school is this? Is it even legitimate?!”
The first post he saw was from a freshman.
The section was like a social media app, and messages popped up, seemingly from another freshman.
“It’s probably a toy knife.”
“Why say ‘probably’? What good school gives out knives at the start?”
“You old-timers, pretending to be freshmen again, huh? It’s become an annual tradition. Come on, if you have time to chat, why don’t you go welcome the new students? Farrow will scream again soon!”
“Senior, senior, what are you talking about? I am a freshman…”
An Xiaoyi frowned, now completely certain this was an internal group for St. Antiona College.
The social group was integrated with the forum, offering both the newsworthiness of a forum and the dynamism of a chat group.
The group was lively.
Occasionally, a genuinely timid freshman would pop up with questions, and the seniors would explain things in a joking tone.
Messages flew by so quickly that his eyes couldn’t keep up.
Occasionally, professor-like administrators would post, flooding the screen with announcements and points to note.
Thankfully, he had already joined the forum, though he wasn’t sure how the administrators knew his account.
At least now he could directly ask the group for the school’s address.
And it seemed like this school wasn’t particularly special; judging by the students’ chat tones, the environment should be similar to a regular university.
Just as An Xiaoyi was typing, an account with administrative privileges, with the ID “Ms. Farrow,” appeared.
“Today’s the last day, and two new students haven’t arrived yet. Does anyone know what’s going on? Which class was assigned to welcome them at the train station today?”
“Oh no, I forgot!”
A butterfly avatar sent a guilty emoji.
An Xiaoyi was startled when he saw this message.
So, there were people specifically assigned to pick up new students at the station.
After some hesitation, he sent a message:
“I’m at the South City Station. Excuse me, how do I get to St. Antiona College?”
“You’ve joined the group? Good. Stay at the station and don’t move. A professor will pick you up soon.”
“Ms. Farrow” replied.
You all?
An Xiaoyi looked at Felice, who was drooling in her sleep.
How did Ms. Farrow know she was with him?
Without overthinking it, he stood up and woke Felice.
The golden-haired girl swayed as she stood up.
“Are they here?”
She was still half-asleep.
An Xiaoyi pushed his suitcase and hurried out.
“Quick, quick! A professor is coming to pick us up for school!”
Looking out from the station’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky had grown dim.
Night was falling over Honghu City, the skyscrapers outside draped in a black veil, and the elevated railway vibrated with passing trains, while pedestrians hurried below.
The night view was beautiful, neon lights sparkling, and dust danced like snowflakes in the beams of the streetlights.
If they didn’t come soon, they’d have to find a guesthouse for the night.
Fortunately, a woman wearing a hat appeared just in time, running and waving.
Her eyes lit up when she saw An Xiaoyi.
“Are you Professor An?”
“I think so.”
An Xiaoyi went over with his luggage, Dorothea close behind.
Even though the woman’s voice was loud, no one around seemed to notice them, as if they were invisible.
It wasn’t late yet, and the waiting hall was still crowded with people on their phones, listening to music, and chatting.
An Xiaoyi had been interested in the knowledge of powers since he was a child.
He remembered that powers that could conceal perception were rare and not very lethal.
The woman’s power effect was very consistent with [Phantom Party].
It could temporarily shield people within its range from the outside world.
She was probably in logistics or administration.
However, there were exceptions.
According to documents in the family library, hundreds of years ago, a Blood Kin had activated an SSS-level Phantom Party, causing all life within a few kilometers to vanish into thin air, never to reappear.
“Hello, Professor! I’m the new student, Dorothea Felice.” The golden-haired girl quickly went up to greet her.
“Sorry I’m late,” the woman said, wiping sweat from her brow.
She turned and shook An Xiaoyi’s hand.
“My name is Yan Shishuang.”
“Hello,” An Xiaoyi replied, not calling her out on forgetting.
“Follow me.”
An Xiaoyi, dragging his suitcase, followed Dorothea out of the train station.
Outside, he saw a waiting white van, a bit old and rickety, looking like something a dog thief would drive.
Yan Shishuang looked around cautiously, as if avoiding something, then opened the car door.
“Don’t mind it,” Yan Shishuang said, helping them put their luggage in.
“St. Antiona School is highly secretive. I’m sure you already have some understanding of Blood Kin, so we don’t provide new recruits with the exact location.”
“Understood.”
“It’s my first time seeing such a young professor,” Yan Shishuang chuckled.
“He looks more like an older student,” Dorothea added, nodding vigorously.
She had already thought the new professor was incredibly young.
“May I ask, Mr. An, what is your specific teaching direction?”
Yan Shishuang got into the driver’s seat and buckled up.
“History and foundational knowledge of powers.”
An Xiaoyi remembered the notice mentioned this, and it happened to be his area of expertise.
“A history professor?”
Dorothea was surprised.
“History professors are usually old men, aren’t they?”
“That’s a bit of a stereotype. Just don’t let it get to me,” An Xiaoyi joked, trying to sound more like a professional professor.
Then he paused.
“Ms. Yan, we might be colleagues from now on.”
“Not entirely. I’m just an intern teacher.” Yan Shishuang stepped on the gas.
“That’s what I thought, why are all the professors so young…” Dorothea mumbled.
The van started, slowly merging into the traffic, speeding through the bright city lights.
An Xiaoyi felt a bit nervous, feeling like he had become a professor through connections, without really knowing how to teach or having any teaching experience.
To be precise, it wasn’t an application; it was an invitation.
It was strange, though.
Even if St. Antiona School was a semi-official, semi-private military organization, it shouldn’t so casually invite a young person to be a professor.
Combined with his grandparents’ attitude, it seemed even more bizarre.
He felt the conclusion was obvious: he was likely entrusted with another purpose in going to this academy.
Dorothea had fallen asleep again, snoring against the car window, seemingly oblivious to any danger and able to sleep anywhere.
This golden-haired girl from across the ocean was surprisingly determined to become an enforcer who eradicated Blood Kin in the future.
The road from the station to St. Antiona was long, seemingly endless.
Looking up, there was a long elevated road, and far in the distance, a slightly strange twin building was hidden among the trees.
The silver-gray school gate slowly opened, and the van drove in under the direction of fully armed guards.
Spotlights from the high towers swept across the area.
Under the night sky, several advanced helicopters were test-flying, and groups of what appeared to be either school staff or professionals were operating at the airport.
The noise was so loud they couldn’t hear each other.
“Your school… has an airport?” An Xiaoyi’s expression was strange.
He had to admit he was shocked.
It truly was a military organization disguised as a school, no different from a base.
A base hidden in the city center.
“St. Antiona is considered the largest school in the world, and also the largest power-user training institution,” Yan Shishuang said.
“We work closely with enforcement bureaus in multiple countries, sending a large number of elites all over the world every year.”
“Isn’t that just openly telling the Blood Kin there’s something fishy here?” a now-awake Dorothea grumbled.
“The new student registration is on the first floor. Dormitories are assigned, and they’re like luxurious hotels.”
Yan Shishuang looked at Dorothea: “Several hotels outside also cooperate with our school; student prices are especially cheap.”
An Xiaoyi looked up at the transparent twin peaks ahead, tall enough to pierce the clouds.
The two towers, connected by platforms and bridges, flowed with a soft, pearly light.
The moment his gaze touched the outer walls, the glass surface seemed to change, appearing brighter.
He vaguely saw swarms of patrolling drones flying overhead, as dense as bees.
An Xiaoyi became even more certain that St. Antiona was a violent organization where the school and the enforcement bureau were integrated.
This was also the headquarters of the Hua Country’s Enforcement Bureau.