Chapter 24: Appointment and the Special Squad

While Xu Chuyao was still performing her incense-burning, stargazing good-luck ritual, Mi Xiaolu had already climbed into bed. She tucked herself in and asked lazily,
“So? What kind of pull did you get? Can it help you avoid getting ‘grassed’ by Shen Ning?”

Xu Chuyao, who had just been in high spirits, bared her teeth like she’d swallowed cold water with a toothpick stuck in it.

To be fair, at this stage of the story, reaching the peak of Tier 1 was impressive—more than enough to suppress the original female lead in the novel. But who could’ve predicted that Shen Ning would ignore all narrative logic? After that mall trip—which shouldn’t even have existed—she suddenly powered up like she’d unlocked her inner meridians. Her strength had skyrocketed.

No way she could win a fight. And if she couldn’t win, she couldn’t “grass” the other—meaning she’d get grassed instead…

“We’re innocent schoolgirls,” Xu Chuyao declared righteously. “Can we not say things like ‘grass this’ and ‘grass that’ all the time?”

“Okay, then I won’t say it today.”

Mi Xiaolu closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Outside, night had fallen. Xu Chuyao glanced one last time at the starry sky, packed away her “good luck ritual” props by the window, and crawled into bed as well.

“No matter what, I’m still peak Tier 1 now. No one’s bullying me,” she muttered under the covers before drifting off.

Zzzz…

A new day dawned. The morning breeze blew through the window, gliding past Shen Ning’s fingertips—then, strangely, changed course. It converged toward her hand, as if magnetized, forming a small vortex that compressed into a single point—then suddenly burst forth—

Biu!

In Shen Ning’s eyes, the air outside shimmered slightly, like ripples on a lake. But since there was no target, it just dissipated harmlessly into the distance.

Not much she could do—it was school, after all. Even damaging a tree out there would land her in solitary confinement. The move could kill, no joke.

She wasn’t entirely sure of the attack’s destructive potential, but it was definitely stronger than smashing people with a spiked hammer. She was satisfied with this reward.

Returning to her dorm bed, Shen Ning looked at the next task in her system—also the final one-star milestone:

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“First time saying ‘I love you’ (Must be said by Xu Chuyao).”

She pondered for a long while but couldn’t think of any way to get the busty girl to confess love. That small cherry-like mouth of hers always spat out “trash this” and “trash that.” Was she even capable of saying anything sweet?

She decided not to force it. Better to get used to her new skill first. Ever since she gained the system—and discovered that her strength now surpassed the original timeline by a whole year—she no longer felt as rushed as before.

Compared to the chaotic days recently, the past two days had actually felt… normal.

Classes had gradually begun integrating the new curriculum. While the timetable looked mostly unchanged—with plenty of PE and theory, and just a bit of academic learning—the main difference was that moral philosophy classes had decreased.

The biggest shift was in content. Theoretical lessons no longer just discussed spiritual power, but also included combat tactics—like where to strike an enemy during a fight.

There was a perfect real-life example right in class: Shen Ning.

Professor Hu, their theory teacher, used her mall battle as a case study.

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“As you can see, Student Shen Ning made a very smart tactical choice when facing multiple enemies. She first incapacitated part of the group, threw them into chaos, then used the opportunity to aim for a fatal headshot…”

No one had ever attended such an exciting theory class before. The entire room was dead silent, everyone completely focused.

“My god… Is this what senior-level classes are like?” Little Snow whispered from the back row. “Are we finally learning this stuff?”

No. Shen Ning knew very well this wasn’t a senior-level class—it was the curriculum reform the homeroom teacher had mentioned.

While the theory lessons were stimulating, it wasn’t until PE class that the students realized just how different things had become. The once-lazy sparring sessions were now strictly supervised. No one could slack off, and every match needed a clear outcome.

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“Sweat more in peace, bleed less in war,” the PE teacher declared. “Think about the five students who died during the mall incident—they slacked off in training and couldn’t even lift a hand when the enemy attacked. That’s why it ended in tragedy. Shen Ning, however, trained hard every day and was able to fight back and survive. You should all follow her example…”

The good news: Little Snow no longer had to spar with Shen Ning. He was too weak, and she had no match in class.

The bad news: Li Renhao did. His assigned opponent? His own girlfriend.

With the PE teacher demanding he fight seriously, and his girlfriend glaring at him like “just try to hit me,” he was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Shen Ning was curious to see how that would turn out—but her homeroom teacher, Yu Jing, came to fetch her and Xu Chuyao again.

“Sorry for interrupting class, but this is more important.”

Xu Chuyao followed along and asked, “Is this about what you mentioned last time?”

Shen Ning didn’t say anything, but that’s exactly what she thought too. Her first thought, though?

Yay, I get to go shopping again.

“Yes,” Yu Jing replied. “The school has decided to conduct an off-campus operation in two days. The participants will be fifth-year students.”

Fifth year was the final grade, while Shen Ning and Xu Chuyao were currently in third year.

Yu Jing walked with them toward the office building and explained, “Also, the members of the special squad have now all assembled. They’re waiting for you. Over the next two days, Shen Ning—since you’ve fought the Jester Gang before—you’ll be sharing your experiences with them. As for you, Xu Chuyao…”

She paused for a moment before continuing solemnly:
“You’ll be in charge of everything else.”

Xu Chuyao blinked. “Huh? In charge of what?”

“Pre-battle planning. Tactical strategy. How many members to send, what their objective is, how to approach it—and, most importantly, field command during the operation. All of it.”

“Huh???”

Chuyao froze.

“That’s not very reasonable,” Shen Ning spoke up. “If any students are injured on this mission…”

She had spent the last three years carrying the burden of 27 lives. She knew all too well how heavy that cost was.

But Yu Jing shook her head.
“You two won’t be responsible for the general students. The special squad’s mission is solely focused on the Jester Gang.”

The girls both let out a breath of relief.

“As long as we don’t have to play bodyguard, that’s fine,” Xu Chuyao said, sticking out her tongue.

Yu Jing had learned to understand her personality by now. She chuckled helplessly.
“Regardless, be careful. Also, your appointment to this position comes from higher up—specifically from Director Long, head of city security. You met him during the last conference.”

Director Long—the square-jawed man from the video meeting. Xu Chuyao remembered him. He held a pretty high position and was even a named character in the original novel.

So her little performance last time had actually caught his attention? She wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Yu Jing stopped walking and opened a door.
“Come on. Time to meet your special squad.”