"I was so stupid, I actually thought he could become a pillar of the younger generation…"
Qin Tian chuckled at himself, a hint of dejection in his eyes.
"…"
Chen Shu and Liu Feng wanted to comfort him, but didn't know what to say.
Qin Tian took a deep breath and said, "Tell me what happened."
Chen Shu nodded and recounted the entire incident concerning Ling Chen.
After a long while, Qin Tian fell into silence.
"Principal, before Ling Chen died, he wanted to say sorry to you…"
"What use is that?"
Qin Tian shook his head bitterly, "I don't have such a student, Hua Xia Academy doesn't have such a student!"
"Before he died, he let Fang Si go, and he also saved Xie Fengyu…"
"But he is still a sinner!"
Qin Tian interrupted Chen Shu, his face filled with grief, "No matter what he did, it cannot change the mistakes he made! Because of him, we lost too many compatriots on the front lines!"
"…"
Chen Shu remained silent. He actually understood this reasoning.
Even though Ling Chen did something good before he died, it couldn't change anything.
If putting down the butcher's knife could lead to immediate enlightenment, it would be unfair to all the good people…
"He is the shame of Hua Xia Academy!"
Qin Tian gazed at the surging Long River, his eyes firm. "Even if you hadn't acted, I would have personally cleaned house!"
"…"
Chen Shu and Liu Feng exchanged glances but remained silent.
"Alright, you must be tired. The situation is urgent now, so take this time to rest well."
Qin Tian looked up at the sky, suppressing the grief in his eyes, and returned to his usual decisive demeanor.
"Principal…"
"I'm fine."
Qin Tian shook his head and smiled, "The most important thing now is to resist the fierce beasts, how can I have time to think about these things?"
"Okay, Brother Qin, we'll take our leave then."
Liu Feng, who knew Qin Tian well, understood that he wouldn't be overly affected by such matters.
"Mhm, I'll take a walk alone. You guys head back first."
Qin Tian walked along the Long River, heading forward…
Watching his retreating figure, Chen Shu and the other two stopped in their tracks, speechless.
"Teacher, Principal he…"
"It's alright, Brother Qin is the principal of the academy after all, his mental fortitude is top-notch. Are you still worried he'll jump into the river?"
Liu Feng smiled and patted Chen Shu's shoulder.
"The Dragon Abyss Heroes are about to dissipate. Prepare yourselves for the battlefield sooner."
"Mhm."
Chen Shu nodded, not showing any concern.
With his current strength, he wouldn't be in any life-threatening danger. What he needed to worry about was Fang Si and the others.
"Alright, I'm going home. I'm heading back to school too."
With that, Liu Feng got into his wheelchair and his hands blurred like afterimages as he sped forward in an instant.
"Hey…"
Chen Shu wanted to say that he could teleport and give him a ride, but seeing Liu Feng's excited expression, he didn't say anything more.
Perhaps, this was also his hobby…
"I'm going home first."
Chen Shu shook his head and vanished from the spot with a teleport, returning to his home in Nanjiang City.
His parents didn't seem too worried, likely because the officials hadn't revealed too much information about Chen Shu.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back."
Chen Shu looked at them, safe and sound, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Because of Ling Chen's incident, he was now somewhat like a startled bird…
"It's good that you're back."
His parents sat in the living room, still watching the front-line war reports.
"I'm a bit tired, I'm going back to my room."
Chen Shu glanced at the television and turned to head back to his room.
"I still need to apply to the old man…"
Although mentally exhausted, he didn't rush to rest. Instead, he informed the old man of his request.
Due to the incident with Fang Si, he wanted Ah Liang and the others to be transferred to the battlefield near Nanjiang City.
This way, even if there were any unforeseen circumstances, he could quickly provide assistance.
Moreover, their close coordination and absolute trust meant that fighting together would also increase their combat effectiveness.
"He should agree, right…"
Chen Shu rubbed his head and flopped onto his bed.
Although he hadn't been abroad for long, he had been in high-intensity combat continuously and had experienced life-or-death crises, leaving him mentally exhausted.
"Huhu—"
Chen Shu closed his eyes and instantly fell into a deep sleep…
…
One day later,
Chen Shu, who was fast asleep, suddenly sensed something.
He instinctively rubbed his eyes and saw four people standing by his bed, staring at him with inexplicable smiles.
"Holy crap!"
Chen Shu instantly snapped out of his daze and grabbed the urea bag beside his bed.
"Don't be rash… don't be rash…"
Ah Liang's expression jolted, and he instinctively took a few steps back, fearing that this guy might suddenly lash out and tie them up…
"What do you four want?"
Chen Shu recognized Ah Liang and the others, but his vigilance remained high, ready to act at any moment.
To have four men suddenly appear by his bed while he was sleeping soundly would naturally provoke an extreme reaction…
Wang Jue, standing beside them, said, "We were just waiting for you to wake up…"
"Damn it, is this how you wait?"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched, and he shouted, "Without a word, just standing there so creepily by my bed, I don't feel safe at all!"
Old Xie also chimed in, "We were mainly worried about disturbing your sleep…"
"Get lost!"
Chen Shu didn't listen at all and continued, "You guys are truly perverted!"
"Why didn't you notify me!"
He grabbed the rabbit beside his bed. The rabbit was looking at him with its usual innocent eyes, and communicating with him telepathically.
[Combat Instinct] was meant for enemies. Ah Liang and the others had no hostile intent, so the rabbit naturally remained unfazed…
"Fine…"
Chen Shu rubbed his head. Seeing that his clothes hadn't been touched, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Why are you guys here instead of fighting on the battlefield?"
"Didn't you ask us to come back?"
"When did I…"
Before Chen Shu could finish his sentence, he remembered the request he made to the old man before falling asleep.
He muttered, "Is the old man this efficient?"
"Rogue Officer, we've been instructed to come to Nanjiang City and await your command!"
Xiao Xing stood up straight and said, "Any orders, you can directly issue them to us!"
"Now, Out!"
Chen Shu pointed to the bedroom door, "Stop crowding around my bed…"
"…"
The four exchanged glances, their expressions reluctant. They turned and left the room.
"What are you dawdling for?! Anyone who delays any longer will be bagged!"
Chen Shu brandished the urea bag, ready to strike at any moment.
Seeing this, the four quickly left the room, not daring to linger.
"This is truly ridiculous!"
Chen Shu picked up the rabbit and said, "From now on, no matter who it is, if they get close to my bed, they must notify me!"
"Woo…"
The rabbit looked confused but nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Chen Shu's parents, watching the four people emerge from Chen Shu's room, were completely bewildered…
Ah Liang and the others had left through the bedroom window, so Chen Shu's parents were naturally unaware of their arrival.
"These darn friends!"
Chen Shu shook his head, a hint of helplessness creeping into his expression.
Ever since they started college, Chen Shu and his friends had maintained the 'virtue' of not using the front door…