63: Chapter 63 Giving Up the Spot

The words that followed plunged everyone into silence.

Everyone stood on different ground, so they naturally reached different conclusions.

However, Jiang Ruowei also knew that saying these things was useless.

But some things had to be said; after all, there were many eyes and ears present.

Then, Jiang Ruowei's tone underwent a complete change.

"Qin Ce."

This time, Jiang Ruowei's voice carried a distinct emotional tremor.

"I understand how you feel."

"But what can you change by going to Yuntai Town now? Even if you fight to the death to hold a section of the wall alone, can you stop a beast tide? The scale of a beast tide is beyond imagination; the defensive forces of peripheral towns simply cannot withstand a full-scale assault. What can you do by yourself?"

She took a step forward, her tone bordering on severe:

"Be rational! If you go to the Inner City, earn high military merit, win the bet, and get all the privileges of being first in the graduating class—Inner City real estate, top-tier security, resource quotas—you can move your family directly to the safest place! That is the rational, truly responsible way to take care of them!"

Qin Ce listened quietly until she finished, then nodded.

"Senior Jiang, you are absolutely right," he said slowly. "Rationality, logic, the optimal solution... I understand all of it."

"Doing what you say would indeed be the best choice for me."

"But is it for my family? What if they can't wait that long?"

He spoke softly, his gaze sweeping over the faces in the meeting room—some confused, some mocking, some sympathetic.

"If the beast tide really splits its forces to strike the southeast, if Yuntai Town really falls, if my mother and sister..."

He looked up at the map of Fengling City on the meeting room screen.

"If my family becomes a sacrifice in this 'optimal solution,' then what meaning does any of this have for me?"

He turned back to look at Jiang Ruowei, his eyes as calm as a deep pool.

"Family is the 'one' that stands before all the zeros. Without that 'one,' no matter how many zeros follow, they are still just zero."

He didn't continue.

But everyone understood.

Some choices aren't a matter of right or wrong.

It wasn't a question of whether it was "worth it."

In Qin Ce's heart, family was the foundation of everything.

Bets, military merit, the future, even life itself... all had to make way for this "foundation."

Jiang Ruowei was stunned.

She opened her mouth to argue but found herself speechless.

From Qin Ce's perspective...

He wasn't wrong.

But...

Jiang Ruowei fell silent.

She looked at Qin Ce for a long time before finally taking a step back.

"You... suit yourself," she eventually muttered through gritted teeth. "You blockhead!"

"However, no matter what you choose, I won't cancel the bet! If you lose this way, then forget being my second-in-command—you'll be my lackey!"

Disappointment. Undisguised disappointment.

For someone with such potential to be so driven by emotion!

She turned around, no longer looking at him.

Her fingers even clenched slightly at her side.

Qin Ce paid Jiang Ruowei no mind.

He simply looked back at Wei Ming.

Change zones?

With his status and social class, this was very difficult and could easily lead to being held liable for collateral responsibility!

Think about it: on the eve of a beast tide, everyone was busy mobilizing supplies and arranging troops. Was it appropriate to submit a transfer request now?

If Qin Ce weren't truly exceptional—having caught up with and surpassed most seniors in less than half a year—

Wei Ming would never have said so much to a single student.

How could he manage both?

Wei Ming looked at Qin Ce, and something suddenly occurred to him.

He took out his phone, quickly checked some data, and then said to Qin Ce:

"I just checked; the main direction of the beast tide's impact is indeed the West and North. Yuntai Town is in the Southeast and will most likely not be the main target. Also... I have an old friend in Yuntai Town who is the head of the military base nearby, named Mike. If you're worried about your family, I can contact him and ask him to look out for them."

He looked at Qin Ce, his tone almost pleading. "That should be enough, right? Don't be impulsive. Go to the Inner City first, and I guarantee your family's safety—"

"Thank you, Teacher," Qin Ce interrupted, his tone still firm. "But I still have to go."

He paused and added, "Standing in front of my family in times of danger and shielding them from the storm is the reason I trained to gain these skills in the first place."

"You—!" Wei Ming's hands shook with anger. "How can you be so stubborn!"

"War is not a game; you can't just do whatever you want."

But Qin Ce's eyes were full of entreaty.

Wei Ming looked at this student, then at the map—at that solitary white marker that didn't even have Yuntai Town labeled, forgotten by almost everyone—and finally sighed.

"Yuntai Town is not on the Elite Class's standard selection list. But if you insist, I can help you apply for a special reassignment—on the condition that you give up your spot in the Inner City. Even then, after reassignment, it depends on whether the military can arrange it; there's no guarantee you'll be within Yuntai Town itself."

"I give up my spot in the Inner City," Qin Ce said without hesitation.

The meeting room erupted in an uproar again.

He really gave it up!

That final, coveted Inner City spot that countless people were envious of—he didn't even give it a second glance before giving it up!

Jiang Ruowei's brow furrowed even tighter. She looked at Qin Ce with confusion, disappointment, and a hint of irritation at being slighted—the opponent she deemed worthy of being taken seriously was making such an irrational decision at such a critical juncture?

Qin Ce ignored the complex looks. He looked at Wei Ming:

"Teacher, please help me apply for the reassignment."

...

Wei Ming looked at him and finally nodded.

Just then.

Suddenly, a student named Sun Hao stepped forward.

"Who doesn't have a family?"

"But at a time like this, when it concerns one's future, life and death, and even the survival of a city... is it appropriate to put 'family' before the 'big picture'?"

"If everyone only cares about their own small family, who will look out for the collective?"

"By looking out for the collective, aren't you also looking out for your own family? This is pure selfishness!"

"For all we know, you might just slip away from the border the moment you see the battle going poorly!"

Following this, the surrounding students also began to whisper among themselves.

"That's too selfish... With the beast tide imminent, he's only thinking about his own home?"

"Exactly. We're all going to the core defense zones to risk our lives, and he's going to guard his own hometown?"

"Are his family members' lives the only ones that matter? What about everyone else's?"

"I thought he was a tough character before, but it turns out he's so muddled..."

Public opinion began to shift.

Under the guidance of those with ulterior motives, Qin Ce's initial image of being "deeply devoted to family" gradually transformed into being "selfish," "disregarding the big picture," and "making trouble without reason."

The murmurs surged like a tide, and every gaze felt like a needle pricking his back.

Even Teacher Wei, who had originally intended to simply let Qin Ce apply for the zone transfer, slowed his movements because of these comments.

If the opposition within the class was too great, he would definitely be implicated for facilitating such a move.

...