Chapter 27: Going Out Again

The day before the operation was still an ordinary school day. Sitting in the classroom, staring out the window, the girl’s mind drifted somewhere far away.

Shen Ning had always thought she wasn’t strong enough. After all, there were still two grades above her. Even though she had leveled up to Second Tier through the system’s reward, she figured that just brought her up to par with the upperclassmen. But after going to the office building with Xu Chuyao yesterday and seeing those four arrogant fifth-years—only two were Second Tier while the other two were still First—she started to feel that maybe something was off.

Am I actually… pretty strong in this school?

“All pros, sigh… all pros,” came Xiao Snow’s voice from the back row. “This time, I really gave it everything I had.”

During yesterday’s PE class sparring session, Xiao Snow had shown his true skills for the first time. As the saying goes, you never really know how weak you are until you try your hardest and still get your ass kicked.

But at least he brought Shen Ning some good news—his dad managed to find an even earlier edition of that newspaper and would send it over in a couple of days.

Later, Shen Ning checked in on Li Renhao. He was one of the few classmates she was somewhat familiar with. Though honestly, it wasn’t so much concern as curiosity: What happened during his sparring round when he got matched with his girlfriend? Did he actually fight her?

“How could I dare? I didn’t even have the guts to touch her. And to make things worse, the teacher was standing right there watching me. In the end, I had no choice but to act all clumsy—pretending I couldn’t land a hit while getting smacked around for ten straight minutes.”

Shen Ning felt a bit sorry for him, but also thought he was kind of weak. If she ever got matched against Xu Chuyao, she definitely wouldn’t hold back—she’d pick her up and absolutely grass-slam her… no wait, beat her down hard.

Strangely enough, ever since that mysterious reflection showed up and said a bunch of cryptic things, whenever she thought about Xu Chuyao, the phrase grass-slam kept popping into her mind. Tactical support should probably be used sparingly.

And so, after a quiet day, the operation day arrived.

At 9 AM, the academy’s chartered bus once again pulled up at the school gate, waiting to take students onboard.

The last time this bus had come was two weeks ago. Time had dulled the memory of that tragedy, and today, the students about to board it were from Class 3, Grade 5.

They knew there was a chance of being ambushed outside, but were also told that the school had assigned specialized personnel for protection. Their task was simply to enjoy a shopping trip—and conveniently act as bait to lure out enemies so the real fighters could deal with them.

“Did you hear? Originally, they were going to bring some really strong students, but some third-year girl insisted on only taking a few underclassmen.”

“Seriously? She has that much authority?”

“Swear to God. Rumor is, she’s related to someone high up in the school.”

“I heard it’s because her boobs are big, so she calls the shots.”

The sidelined students couldn’t just swallow their resentment. In the past two days, they’d done their best to spread the word, hoping the rest would voice opposition—or even boycott the mission altogether.

But that didn’t happen, because—

“Whatever, the teachers are coming with us anyway.”

“Yeah, it’s the teachers doing all the real work. We’re just extras—who cares what grade she’s in?”

That’s how the school had spun it.

In the very last row of the bus, Yu Yuwei let out a breath of relief. “So there will be teachers coming along. Thank goodness.”

She had honestly thought this whole mission rested on the shoulders of a few lowerclass girls.

But Xu Chuyao simply shook her head. “Nope. That’s just what they told them to get them to agree. In reality, it’s just us.”

Yu Yuwei’s relieved smile immediately collapsed.

“Then… can we… actually win?”

Xu Chuyao didn’t answer. She just gave a look toward Shen Ning, who was staring out the window.

The look meant: Half a month ago she was barely First Tier and almost wiped out an entire squad. Now she’s fully hacked and Second Tier. What’re you even worried about?

Even if we’re outnumbered, Big Thunder Chuyao ain’t someone to mess with.

As for Shen Ning, she didn’t even register what the two were whispering about. She was busy thinking about what to buy on this trip.

First, cute clothes—she’d been thinking about that for days. Then the phone Xu Chuyao asked her to buy. She didn’t know much about phones, so any model would do. On top of that, Li Renhao had asked her to pick up a smoked chicken—his girlfriend wanted it.

And although Xiao Snow hadn’t asked for anything, Shen Ning planned to get him a magnifying glass—some of the characters in those old newspapers were just too tiny.

Soon, all nine students from Grade 5 Class 3 were on board. The driver checked the list and saw the pretty girl in the last row give him a small nod. That was enough—he stepped on the gas.

The higher-ups had been clear: today’s outing would follow her lead.

The bus pulled away from the school’s circular road and entered the highway, heading for the nearest mega-mall. At the same time, footage of the bus entering the highway was transmitted to a small alley on the outskirts of the city.

“They’re finally out. Time to move.”

“It’s been so long… what if it’s a trap?”

“Even if it is, who cares? We only have to deal with students. The school’s teachers will be handled by our people.”

They had received the same info the students did. Whether it was true, nobody knew.

The mall was different this time but looked quite similar. Instead of a top-floor plaza, this one had an open-air pedestrian street above.

After the students got off the bus, the team leader called them to a stop. Just as they were wondering why, a pretty, busty girl was the last to step down. She glanced at her phone, then addressed them:

“Originally, you had an hour of free time. But after thirty minutes, stop wandering. Find a safe place to wait and stay away from the entrances.”

With that, Xu Chuyao waved her hand. “Alright, move it! Time’s limited, so let’s go!”

She pulled Yu Yuwei along into the mall, leaving the others confused behind her.

“What the heck was that about?”

Shen Ning didn’t care. Chuyao said thirty minutes, so thirty minutes it was. No time to waste.

Seeing the three unfamiliar girls head into the mall, the others hesitated briefly, then followed. After all, they’d been cooped up for half a month. Even if they didn’t want to shop, plenty of friends had asked them to buy stuff.

Time to shop!

With the magnifying glass secured and the smoked chicken in the cart, Shen Ning went straight to the clothing section to look for outfits she liked.

She raised her head, her reddish eyes showing a hint of confusion.

Crap… there’s too many choices.

“You just keep walking—I’ll help you pick,” a voice said by her ear.

Shen Ning turned slightly. Reflected in the metal bar of the clothes rack was her own shadow.

“You’re picking for me?”

“Relax, I won’t screw you over. If you wear what I choose, and then go grass-slam Chuyao, she won’t even fight back.”