Chapter 25: Chuyao Came to Be the…

Shen Ning had no expectations about teamwork. Over the years, she had gotten used to working alone. Even during the mall battle, where over a dozen classmates were involved, she was the only one who did all the killing.

As for Xu Chuyao —she didn’t care. According to Yu Jing, she didn’t join the special squad for any kind of team activity. She came to be the Emperor.

“This is the place.”

Yu Jing brought them to a large room in the office building. Judging by the decor, it was probably used for receptions before. In the middle of the hall, five classmates were already seated on chairs and sofas—two girls and three boys. With Xu Chuyao and Shen Ning added in, there were seven people in total.

“Well, look who’s here,” said an upperclassman boy, letting out a whistle. “Isn’t this our new commander?”

So, they were clearly already aware of the appointment—and not too thrilled about it either.

Yu Jing gave them a brief introduction and then turned to leave, telling the group to get to know each other on their own. As soon as she left, the senior students immediately surrounded them.

“Not sure which leader you’re related to, busty girl,” sneered the boy from earlier, “but don’t think for a second you can boss us around, got it?”

Xu Chuyao glanced at him like he was an idiot, didn’t say a word, and went to sit in a nearby chair. Shen Ning followed and sat beside her. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but sticking with her girlfriend felt like the safest bet. Li Renhao had taught her that—no matter what happens, stand by your girlfriend. Then he ended up getting paired against his own girlfriend in gym class.

“She already chickened out?”

“She’s not gonna run crying to the teacher, right? We didn’t bully her.”

The four upperclassmen tossed out their jabs one after another before walking away with smug grins.

They were all fifth-year students, in their final year at school and close to graduation. As some of the top students in their grade, they had ambition—they hoped to land good positions after graduation, ideally getting leadership roles in the security departments of a major city.

Normally, that kind of goal would be hard to achieve. But due to the recent threat from the Clown Gang, the school had formed a special squad and announced that all successful actions carried out by its members would be counted as military merit. It was a golden opportunity. The four of them had been full of enthusiasm—until they learned they’d have to take orders from a third-year girl named Xu Chuyao.

And who was Xu Chuyao, anyway? The most popular school beauty when the semester started, the flawless Thunder Goddess with a perfect face and body. Sure, those were all compliments—but they made her sound like a total airhead.

If it had been a year earlier, maybe they’d have been happy to play house with the cute girl, maybe even develop some feelings. But now, with graduation looming, what mattered most to everyone was their military merit.

“A terrorist group targeting students? I say it’s just ‘cause the third-years are too weak.”

“Even a Tier 1 clown could go on a rampage—what does that tell you?”

“If it had been our class that day, not a single student would’ve died, and not a single clown would’ve escaped.”

The three fifth-year boys and one girl chatted loudly nearby, clearly intending for Xu Chuyao and Shen Ning to overhear them. But the two girls remained calm and unbothered.

Shen Ning, a firm believer in “strength is power,” actually agreed with part of what they said. The students involved that day had been weak, and the Tier 1 clown wasn’t that impressive.

Well, she was Tier 2 now anyway.

As for Xu Chuyao, she just found their comments amusing. The more they talked, the more she wanted to laugh. She could hardly wait to see their expressions later.

At that moment, the other girl in the room walked over to them and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Yu Yuwei from Class 4, Year 4. Looks like I’m the only fourth-year here.”

Yu Yuwei was a bit taller than Shen Ning. She wore a beige knit top and cropped pants, with shoulder-length wavy brown hair. She looked like a sunny, cheerful girl.

She didn’t have the “high status” of the fifth-years, so she couldn’t join their little clique. But she also wasn’t “immature” like the third-years, so they didn’t mock her either. She was stuck in the middle. After some thought, she decided it’d be better to team up with the lower years. After introducing herself, she looked at the white-haired girl:

“You must be Shen Ning. There’ve been so many stories about you around school lately—it’s an honor to meet you.”

Then she turned to the stunning Thunder girl:

“And you must be Xu Chuyao. Before I came, the teacher told me to follow your lead in the squad. She said you’re a genius.”

Whether or not her teacher actually said that, Xu Chuyao didn’t know. But the flattery was nice to hear.

“That’s the right attitude,” Xu Chuyao said, beckoning her over. “Come sit with us. Don’t hang around those idiots.”

Yu Yuwei snuck a glance behind her. The four others hadn’t heard. She let out a tiny sigh of relief and said, “Those guys are really strong. Two of the boys are Tier 2. The other two are at the peak of Tier 1—about to break through any day.”

Shen Ning frowned. She couldn’t help asking, “That’s it?”

Big deal.

Xu Chuyao was even more unimpressed. She gave a little snort. “On paper, maybe they’ve got some strength. But you know what? There’s an old saying in Huaxia: ‘If I say you’re good, then you’re good—even if you’re not. If I say you’re bad, then you’re bad—even if you are good.’”

Yu Yuwei was baffled. What was that even supposed to mean?

At that moment, their homeroom teacher, Yu Jing, returned—this time with a tall, stern-faced man in tow. As soon as the four fifth-years saw him, they straightened up immediately. He must’ve been their instructor.

“Now that everyone’s familiar,” Yu Jing said, stepping to the center of the room with the male teacher beside her, “let me explain. This mission will involve Class 3, Year 5. Nine students in total will go out. You will add a few from the special squad to blend in. Submit your roster to me by the day after tomorrow.”

She handed a roster sheet to Xu Chuyao. All seven members of the special squad were listed. She had the authority to assign roles.

“No need to wait,” Xu Chuyao replied. “I’ll decide now. Me, Shen Ning, and Yu Yuwei—three people total.”

The room instantly erupted.

All four fifth-years stood up in outrage.

“Are you serious? This is a personal vendetta!”

Even Yu Jing was momentarily speechless. She’d been planning to have the whole squad go out for their first mission—something safe and steady. But Xu Chuyao had just excluded all the fifth-years with a single sentence. Still, she was Xu Chuyao’s teacher and ultimately supported her decision.

The male fifth-year teacher twitched his lips as if to speak, but held back. According to the higher-ups, Xu Chuyao did have the final say.

The fifth-year girl stepped forward, demanding, “I get that you don’t like us, but the battlefield isn’t a place for petty grudges. If you handpick your team and we fail against the Clown Gang, will you take responsibility?”

Xu Chuyao just smiled.

You think you understand the Clown Gang better than me? You think you see more clearly?

“Ahem, I guess some of you didn’t hear me clearly,” Xu Chuyao said, stepping into the center of the room, directly in front of the two teachers. She raised the roster high and declared in formal tone:

“Disregarding personal objections, I hereby demote Cheng Li, You Jia, Shi Lei, and Zhong Ming—to the bench!”