13: Chapter 13: A Combination of Attacks and Relief

Just then, a figure appeared at the classroom door.

A man in a dark gray teacher's uniform and gold-rimmed glasses, looking to be about thirty years old with a gentle and refined temperament, walked in slowly.

Holding a class roster in his hand, his calm gaze swept across the messy classroom, then over the dozen or so terrified students, and finally over Qin Ce, who was sitting calmly by the window.

Finally, his gaze landed on the corridor railing, where painful moans and curses were continuously drifting in.

A hint of... confusion appeared on his face at just the right moment.

"Hmm?"

This man, who was presumably the homeroom teacher, pushed up his glasses and spoke in a gentle tone, as if he truly didn't understand what had happened.

"Is this... the result of a spring cleaning session? The way the desks and chairs are arranged is... quite creative. And the students' enthusiasm is so high that they've all gone outside to sunbathe?"

The students in the classroom: "..."

The corner of Qin Ce's mouth twitched slightly.

The homeroom teacher acted as if he hadn't seen everyone's expressions. He opened the roster and said unhurriedly, "Well then, before we officially start class, let's take attendance and, while we're at it... restore the classroom to its original state. Students sitting in the classroom, please lend a hand. As for the students outside..." He glanced out the window, "Hmm, it seems they still need a little more time."

Under the "gentle" gaze of the homeroom teacher,

the students in the classroom, including Qin Ce, all stood up and began to tidy the mess of desks and chairs.

The entire process was eerily quiet, with only the sounds of furniture clashing.

Outside the teaching building, those who had been thrown down were also slowly shuffling back to the classroom under the homeroom teacher's beckoning. Supporting each other, bruised and limping, the looks they gave Qin Ce were filled with fear, resentment, and a deeply hidden sense of humiliation.

The homeroom teacher picked up the roster and checked off names one by one.

As each name was called, a student would answer, either lowering their head in shame, gritting their teeth in anger, or trembling with fear.

When Qin Ce's name was called, he responded calmly.

The homeroom teacher glanced at him, his gaze behind the lenses unfathomable, and nodded.

Soon, the roll call was finished.

Except for the main instigator of the entire event, Wang Yu—who was absent, having gone to the infirmary or elsewhere—everyone was accounted for.

The Elite Class was supposed to have 52 students. In reality... there were 18 people in the classroom including Qin Ce, plus the 33 "wounded" who had just crawled back, making the count complete. However, these two groups were clearly divided.

The homeroom teacher closed the roster and leaned his hands on the podium. His gaze swept over the students with their varying expressions, his face still wearing that gentle and refined smile. "Everyone is here. Now, before we begin our first meeting, there is a matter that needs to be handled."

Just as he finished speaking, the classroom door was pushed open with a loud "bang!"

"Teacher Sun! Sun Zhengping! The students in your class are simply lawless!"

Accompanied by a furious roar, a slightly pudgy middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and a livid face stormed in.

This was the Battle Academy's Director of Teaching, Gao Fuping.

Behind him followed a student in a wretched state, covered in grass and dirt, with a bruised and swollen face. It was Wang Yu, who had been absent during roll call.

He glared at Qin Ce with a venomous look in his eyes.

"Director Gao, what is the meaning of..." Teacher Sun turned around, a look of appropriate "surprise" appearing on his face.

"Teacher Sun, look! Look at what this freshman in your class has done!" Director Gao pointed at the group of students behind him, his voice shrill with agitation. "Publicly brawling in the classroom, using cruel methods, and throwing so many classmates from the corridor onto the plaza! This behavior is extremely egregious! He must be severely punished! I suggest immediate expulsion and a transfer to the City Defense and Security Department for processing!"

Seeing their backer arrive, the thirty-three "wounded" students immediately straightened their backs and began to chime in one after another.

"That's right! Expel him!"

"Teacher Sun, Qin Ce was the one who started the fight!"

"He just used his strength to bully his classmates!"

"We just wanted to reason with him, but he suddenly went crazy and started hitting people!"

"Director Gao, you have to get justice for us!"

The villains were the first to complain. The students Qin Ce had thrown out spoke all at once, distorting the facts and shifting all the blame onto Qin Ce.

As Director Gao listened, his face darkened further. He looked at Qin Ce with a stern gaze. "Student Qin Ce, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Everyone's eyes focused on Qin Ce, including Teacher Sun's.

Qin Ce stood up. Facing Director Gao and the group of indignant "victims," his expression remained calm.

"Director Gao, Teacher Sun. The matter is simple. Student Wang Yu demanded I give up my seat for no reason. When I ignored him, he attacked me directly. His four companions then joined the assault. After I restrained the five of them and asked them to leave the classroom, Student Wang Yu used favors and Pet Beasts as rewards to incite over twenty classmates to besiege me. Some even used their Pet Beast powers. I was forced to act in self-defense, nothing more."

His narrative was concise and clear, devoid of any emotional exaggeration, yet it caused the expressions of Wang Yu and the others to change.

"You're lying!"

"You were clearly the one who provoked us first!"

"We were just acting in self-defense!"

They talked over each other, twisting the truth and describing Qin Ce as a tyrannical thug who initiated the provocation.

Meanwhile, they portrayed themselves as united, helpful victims who were forced to resist an injustice.

Teacher Sun pushed up his glasses, still wearing a gentle smile as he looked at Qin Ce. "Qin Ce, is what your classmates are saying true? Did you, by yourself, actively provoke... a whole group of people? And then you... hmm, invited them all out to 'sunbathe'?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "by yourself" and "a whole group of people," framing the question quite skillfully.

Wang Yu faltered, and the other students around him also looked embarrassed.

Director Gao frowned. "Teacher Sun, regardless of the cause, the fact remains that Qin Ce acted with such heavy hands, causing injuries to multiple students and creating an extremely negative impact! This is an indisputable fact! He must be punished; otherwise, where is the dignity of the school rules and regulations?"

Seeing Director Gao's firm stance, Wang Yu and the others regained their confidence and began to clamor again. "Yes! He must be severely punished!"

"Nothing less than expulsion will appease the public!"

Teacher Sun Zhengping pushed his glasses up again. As if he couldn't hear Director Gao's unreasonable badgering, he said unhurriedly, "Director Gao, logically speaking, Student Qin Ce's account seems more in line with common sense. It seems quite irrational for one person to actively provoke over twenty people."

He paused and looked at Wang Yu and the others. "Furthermore, it's clear that some students in the classroom utilized the power of Pet Beasts. Although the residual energy at the scene is faint, a careful investigation should still be able to find traces of it."

"Using Pet Beast powers to attack classmates within the school without permission and outside of actual combat training is a serious violation of Federal Regulations, as well as Articles 5 and 17 of our school rules."

"If we were to pursue this, wouldn't it be much more serious?"

Teacher Sun's words were well-reasoned.

Instantly, the clamor from Wang Yu—the instigator who had used his Pet Beast power—weakened, and his face turned unsightly.

Director Gao's face also darkened. He naturally knew that the situation most likely involved Wang Yu and his group provoking the wrong person first.

However, the Wang family was his foundation; his ability to hold the position of Director of Teaching at this school was entirely due to his connections with the Wangs.

Moreover, the families of the other students were also either wealthy or influential.

On the other hand, Qin Ce's file clearly stated he was from an ordinary family in Yuntai Town with no background whatsoever.

Weighing the pros and cons, he naturally leaned toward speaking for the children of the elite.

But now, Teacher Sun had clearly seized upon Wang Yu and the others' weak point.

This matter had already blown up. If it truly escalated to the school level and a deep investigation was conducted, no one would come out unscathed.

After weighing his options, he stared at Sun Zhengping and asked in a softer tone, "Teacher Sun, you are the homeroom teacher. How do you think this should be handled?"

The ball was kicked back to him. Sun Zhengping remained silent for a few seconds, his gaze flickering behind his lenses.

He glanced at Qin Ce, then at the already resentful Director Gao and Wang Yu's group. Considering he had to keep these troublemakers in check for four years,

he suddenly sighed, a hint of "difficulty" and "compromise" appearing on his face.

"Director Gao makes a valid point. Harmony should be the priority among classmates. Resorting to violence is indeed wrong and creates a negative impact." He looked at Qin Ce, his tone becoming stern. "Student Qin Ce, regardless of the cause, it is a fact that you caused injuries to multiple classmates and damaged classroom facilities. As punishment, you need to write a thorough self-reflection and read it aloud at tomorrow's school-wide opening ceremony, admitting your mistakes to the injured students and the entire faculty and student body. Is that acceptable?"

Qin Ce locked eyes with Sun Zhengping. When Teacher Sun emphasized once more that it should be a public, fair, and sincere self-reflection, he suddenly understood something.

He nodded and said, "Fine, I will do the self-reflection."

Both the Director of Teaching and Wang Yu were stunned for a moment.

They had thought that since Qin Ce had just heard Teacher Sun's analysis—that Wang Yu and the others' mistakes were more serious and could be pursued—he might refuse.

They hadn't expected Qin Ce to agree, and to agree so readily.

"Good! Tomorrow, after the opening ceremony concludes, you will go on stage and give your self-reflection!" Director Gao immediately finalized the matter, fearing Qin Ce would back out.

After saying that, he took Wang Yu and left in a hurry, using the excuse of needing medical attention.

Once they left, the atmosphere in the classroom immediately relaxed.

The thirty-three "wounded" students were dejected, while the dozen or so onlookers breathed a sigh of relief.

Teacher Sun clapped his hands. "Alright, the interlude is over. The matter I mentioned earlier has also been successfully resolved. Everyone, focus your minds; we need to prepare for the start of the semester."

"Oh, right. Student Qin Ce, remember to be factual in your self-reflection. Make sure the apology covers every single aspect."

After saying that, he began to explain the rules and regulations of the Battle Academy and the teaching schedule for the first academic year.

Wang Xuan was slightly stunned. She suddenly turned her head and whispered in a voice only her best friend could hear, "Teacher Sun's move... is brilliant. Once this self-reflection is read, won't that group of people who got beaten up just lose face in public all over again? With this as a foundation, those young masters won't have the spirit to cause any more trouble for the next four years."

Zhou Min blinked, not quite understanding. "Huh? Why?"

Wang Xuan shook her head and didn't explain further. She looked at the homeroom teacher and Qin Ce respectively, deep in thought.

Neither of these two was a simple character; they were both far too shrewd.

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