"Why aren't you going inside?"

Qiao Zhi was a little intimidated by him and quickly replied, "I was waiting for you."

Who knew why Fu Zhi was here? Wasn't he busy?

What surprised Qiao Zhi even more was that the atmosphere between the two of them felt... off.

What's going on?

He glanced at Ruan Xing and then at Fu Zhi. He just couldn’t erase the feeling that something was weird between them.

"Fu Zhi, long time no see!"

A tall, energetic man with graying temples walked over.

Fu Zhi slightly bowed. "Teacher, long time no see."

So this man was Fu Zhi's teacher.

The man laughed heartily. "I'm retired now, but you're still as polite as ever."

Ruan Xing glanced at the man. There is something about him...

"You two must be the new assistant instructors. Go submit your documents at the office—I need to catch up with my student."

Ruan Xing looked at Fu Zhi, who seemed to have something to say. But instead of waiting, he turned his head, grabbed Qiao Zhi, and walked away without looking back.

"You know that young man?" the middle-aged man asked.

Fu Zhi replied, "Mm, he is one of my squad members..."

Their voices gradually faded.

Qiao Zhi tugged at Ruan Xing's sleeve. "What’s going on? Did you guys fight?"

Fu Gui chimed in, "Worse than a fight. They brawled!"

Qiao Zhi didn't understand what Fu Gui was saying, but he could read its body language. He let out a dramatic "Wow!" and said, "Bro, you're so brave!"

—

The work of an assistant instructor wasn't difficult. It mainly involved helping the teachers with administrative tasks or leading students during practical lessons. The latter usually took up more time.

Ruan Xing was assigned to a small room, probably a former student dorm. There were two bunk beds with desks underneath. He chose the left side, grabbed his things, and went to take a shower.

When he came out, wrapped in a towel and still damp from the steam, he saw Fu Zhi putting down his belongings.

Seeing him emerge, Fu Zhi’s movements stiffened slightly, and he averted his gaze. "It seems they assigned dorms based on squads."

That explained why they were now roommates.

Ruan Xing's cheeks were flushed from the steam, his lips slightly red, and water droplets slid down his chest, disappearing beneath the towel. As he dried his hair, a few stray drops splashed onto Fu Zhi’s pant leg.

"Why are you here? I remember someone else was supposed to come."

Fu Zhi put his things down, unfazed by the question, and answered naturally, "That person is here too. I'm just covering a few classes for a friend."

He wasn’t lying. As an affiliated instructor at the school, he occasionally taught a few classes.

That meant three people from their squad were here—two assistant instructors and one substitute teacher.

Ruan Xing let out an indifferent "Oh" and bypassed Fu Zhi to grab his things.

Fu Zhi hesitated. "About that night—"

It would have been better if he didn't mention it. Because as soon as he did, Ruan Xing’s face darkened. "I know. I didn’t take it to heart."

But you clearly took it to heart. Fu Zhi sighed internally.

"I left my body wash on the rack inside. If you need it, feel free to use it."

With that, Ruan Xing grabbed a hairdryer and started drying his hair. By the time he looked up again, Fu Zhi had already left.

For some reason, that made him even more irritated.

The next morning, Ruan Xing was woken by faint rustling sounds. The movement was very light—whoever was moving around was trying to be careful—but he was a light sleeper and still woke up.

"Sorry for waking you," Fu Zhi murmured in a low voice.

Ruan Xing propped himself up on his arm, and as the blanket slid down, his fair skin was exposed. Some of his wounds hadn't fully healed, leaving behind faint pink scars.

Fu Zhi quickly averted his gaze and turned around. "I have a class this morning. I'm heading out first. Breakfast is on the table—remember to eat it."

His tone carried a hint of an embarrassed retreat.

But in his sleepy state, Ruan Xing barely registered what he said.

—

Ruan Xing's first class wasn't until the second period in the afternoon. Unexpectedly, he was assigned as an assistant instructor under Fu Zhi’s former teacher.

The middle-aged man was named Qian Hua (錢華 "Qián Huá"). He retired from the Investigation Corps a decade ago and has been teaching full-time ever since. At his age, most people had already left teaching, making him a highly respected figure at the school.

Ruan Xing arrived a little late, but Qian Hua didn’t mind. Instead, he was quite patient. "I spoke with Fu Zhi about you yesterday. You have great potential—if you develop your skills properly, you'll have a bright future. Today, we’re teaching the younger students. It’s not difficult. Watch how I do it first, then you’ll take over the lesson."

Not long after, a group of students arrived lined up for class. They looked like twelve or thirteen years old children who had just entered the specialized school.

Both the boys and girls noticed the unfamiliar young man and started whispering among themselves.

"Wow, who is that? He's so handsome!"

"He's from the Investigation Corps! Look at his badge!"

"Is he the new assistant instructor?"

"That crow! Is the assistant instructor also an Awakened?"

"Today is the first lesson of your assistant instructor Ruan. Everyone, settle down." Qian Hua gestured, and the students immediately fell silent.

"This class is about recognizing pollutants. Last time, we covered common animal-based pollutants and observed a mutated mouse. Today, we’ll learn about plant-based pollutants. Take a look."

Ruan Xing also listened attentively. He was barely educated and lacked much academic knowledge. If it weren’t for the crow feeding him answers, he wouldn’t even pass the written exam.

Now that he had the chance to learn properly, he figured he might as well pay attention.

Qian Hua opened a silver-white box from his briefcase. "Who can tell me what this is?"

A student answered, "An isolation box!"

Qian Hua nodded approvingly. "That’s right. An isolation box is used to contain pollutants. It not only isolates pollution but also suppresses radiation. Even if you put a living organism inside, it will remain active. It’s a highly practical tool."

Although Ruan Xing had experienced three special polluted zones, that had been due to bad luck. Most of the time, Investigation Corps members dealt with ordinary pollutants or polluted zones that hadn’t yet developed into anomalies. Thus, understanding the properties of pollutants was crucial.

Qian Hua wore white gloves and carefully extracted a tiny object from the box.

Ruan Xing discovered that it was actually a seed.

"This is a mutated morning glory seed, and this is a normal seed. Now, let's see the difference between them."

The man took out two flower pots. He dropped a black seed into one, then turned on a lamp-like device that emitted a green light. Within a few minutes, green vines stretched out from the soil, and purple morning glory buds shyly bloomed.

On the other side, he tossed another seed into the soil without doing anything else. About seven or eight minutes later, thick, dark green vines burst forth, and a bright red carnivorous flower swayed seductively in the air, appearing even more delicate and alluring than the morning glory.

The students watched with curiosity.

"So this is a man-eating flower? I've never seen one before."

"It's actually kind of pretty."

Some students even wanted to get closer and touch it.

Fu Gui was so anxious that he was practically hopping in place. "How can they let these kids think pollutants are harmless? Isn't this misleading?! What kind of lousy teacher is this?!"

Ruan Xing remained still, watching the situation unfold.

As soon as the students approached, the flower suddenly opened its petals, revealing a dense array of sharp teeth at its core. It let out a ferocious roar, lunging as if it was about to swallow a student's head whole.

The students were startled, some even falling to the ground in fright.

Qian Hua shook his head. "Some of you still don't understand. Pollutants are never friendly. Their first goal is to consume humans, and their second goal is to pollute them. No matter how beautiful they may seem, it's only a façade. Even if you're drawn to them, never let yourself be tempted to pick their fruit or pluck their flowers."

"This is today’s lesson: the more beautiful it is, the more dangerous it might be."

With a wave of his hand, Qian Hua grabbed the unruly vine. No matter how wildly it struggled, it couldn't break free. The flower’s gaping maw dripped with toxic fluid, but it couldn’t harm Qian Hua’s skin, which had turned into a solid stone.

Physical attacks had no effect on him. Instead, he wrenched the flower from its stem with a firm tug. Green sap dripped onto the ground as the bright red blossom immediately withered, turning into a black, unidentifiable substance. With a light squeeze, it crumbled to dust and scattered in the wind.

The students were stunned.

Even Ruan Xing didn't expect that the so-called practical lesson could be taught this way.

"Alright, students. Come get your own seeds. Plant it yourselves and then try to destroy it using your abilities or attack techniques. Each group must record three characteristics or weaknesses of the pollutant in their notebooks. Be careful not to get bitten."

The class was split into five groups, each with five students. The sound of seeds being planted echoed through the air, followed by the sprouting of more mutated flowers.

"Assistant Instructor Ruan, please keep an eye on them. Make sure no one gets hurt."

Ruan Xing nodded.

As he walked around while observing each group, he was surprised to find that two or three students had already awakened their abilities at such a young age.

"Hey!" A girl unleashed a bolt of lightning, causing a carnivorous flower to twitch violently before slumping over.

"Ah! You fried it! How are we supposed to record its characteristics now?" a boy scolded her with his hands on his hips.

The girl’s face turned red. "Well, that gives us two points—one, it's afraid of lightning, and two, it's easy to kill."

Ruan Xing couldn’t help but chuckle.

The students were shocked. "Instructor?"

He leaned in and said, "Well done. That was a great summary."

Encouraged, the girl nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you, Assistant Instructor!"

Aside from that small incident, the other students followed a more cautious approach. When Ruan Xing intervened to stop a flower from biting a young girl, he unexpectedly gained a bunch of admiring students.

Ruan Xing: [Human cubs are actually pretty cute.]

Fu Gui scoffed, [Heh. You hypocritical magician. Have you really fallen so low that you need the admiration of human children to satisfy your pathetic ego?]

The class ended quickly, and with no lessons scheduled for the afternoon, Ruan Xing decided to visit the library. On his way past another training area, he overheard Fu Zhi’s voice.

"Insect-type pollutants usually appear in swarms, making them difficult to deal with. You must be fully prepared, or you'll end up exhausting too much energy..."

The man stood on the open ground, dressed in uniform with a tall and commanding posture.

Beside him, Qiao Zhi acted as an assistant, holding up a giant mosquito while demonstrating its features. The annoying buzzing sound filled the air, making Fu Gui wish he could summon an electric mosquito repellent on the spot.

Fu Gui sneered, "Look at the difference. He’s just here to slack off, and yet he gets to be a full-fledged instructor. Meanwhile, you’re stuck running around as an assistant."

Fu Zhi’s teaching was clearly qualified—perhaps even the most suitable for the job. His expression remained calm as he explained everything clearly and concisely. In just a short while, he had thoroughly discussed the characteristics of one pollutant before smoothly transitioning to the next.

Ruan Xing didn't leave. He simply stood there and watched.

Opposite Fu Zhi was a group of teenagers, about fifteen or sixteen years old—the perfect age for excitement and admiration. Seeing the person they had only encountered online appear before them in real life, they were ecstatic, and their faces flushed with excitement.

Some girls clutched their textbooks tightly, unable to contain their enthusiasm.

"It's Major Fu! Oh my god, he's so cool!"

"Help, I can't breathe! Please give me a dozen men like him!"

"Calm down! Keep your thoughts above the neck!"

After finishing his explanation, Fu Zhi prepared to demonstrate. He drew a long white blade and gestured for Qiao Zhi to release the pollutant.

The moment he unsheathed his sword, his gaze sharpened. A powerful, almost tangible aura surged around him.

So fast that it was invisible to the naked eye—the pollutant was instantly cleaved in half. Its body collapsed to the ground before it could even take flight.

A cacophony of applause followed, and Fu Zhi gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. As he sheathed his sword, he suddenly sensed that someone was watching him.

But when he turned to look, there was nothing there.

Was it just his imagination?