Compared to the school duty room where the four old gentlemen of the Central Alliance play mahjong, the level of attention given to the budding talents by the Coastal Base is much higher.
In front of the main entrance of the dormitory area, there is a security duty room. Every night, six duty personnel are on duty, conducting regular patrols and signing patrol duty logs for each building. And under each dormitory building, there is a dormitory supervisor aunt or uncle, as well as a teacher on night shift rotation.
Searching for a person is not like delivering a gift, where you can just leave something and run. If by any chance someone sees it, it might be mistaken for theft or criminal activity, leading to increased school security measures, which in turn makes it more difficult to find new mutants. In a more serious scenario, if the mutant’s identity is exposed, it would openly violate the “Non-Interference Treaty between Mutants and Humans,” causing significant trouble.
Although mutants have hardly adhered to that treaty in private…
After the Prophet narrowed down the location of the new mutant, the three immediately made a resolution. It was decided that during the day, when most students were in class and the area was less populated, Shen Shanwu would secretly enter the dormitory area and initiate the initial phase of the investigation.
So, the next morning, Shen Shanwu boldly skipped class and leisurely made his way to the dormitory area. In his hand, he held a boarding pass he’d acquired from a classmate. If he couldn’t slip in today, he would have to put on a brave face and resort to tantrums, asking Jiang Huan for assistance in arranging accommodation.
When Shen Shanwu was swiping the student card at the entrance of the dormitory area, the security guard didn’t even lift an eyelid and let him through. However, as he reached the bottom of the dormitory building, that tactic wouldn’t work anymore. The dormitory supervisor’s eyes were sharper than an eagle’s. One moment he was squinting through his reading glasses as if trying to devour the words on a page, and the next moment he exclaimed, “Hey hey hey, you there, stop!”
Shen Shanwu inwardly cursed the situation as he turned around, only to find the supervisor setting down his yellowed pages of a book and sternly asking, “You’re not a student living in this building, are you? It’s class time. What are you doing here?”
“I’m helping a classmate retrieve some medicine they left in the dormitory,” Shen Shanwu said very openly, with a natural demeanor. His reason was sensible, and the supervisor believed most of it. He then asked in a more amiable tone, “Which class are you in? Let me record your visit.”
“Class 3-3, third grade,” Shen Shanwu replied, realizing that this was where things could take a favorable turn. He approached happily, ready to sign his name with a pen. But then he heard the supervisor call out behind him, “Hey? Isn’t this Mr. Tao’s class? Mr. Tao, your student!”
Shen Shanwu: “…”
Damn it! What kind of luck is this?!
The next moment, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Tao Han, appeared from behind the supervisor. He looked at the young man before him with a puzzled expression. “Jiang Tong… It’s class time now, and you’re not a boarder, right? Why are you here?”
The supervisor enthusiastically explained on Shen Shanwu’s behalf, “He said he’s fetching medicine for a classmate.”
Mr. Tao asked with suspicion, “Which classmate? Why don’t I know if anyone in the class is sick?”
Shen Shanwu: “…”
Shen Shanwu: “Teacher, please listen to my explanation…”
After his first visit to the dormitory area, the outcome concluded with Shen Shanwu being mercilessly dragged to the office by the homeroom teacher for a half-hour conversation. What’s even worse, he ended up writing a five-hundred-word self-criticism afterwards.
Of course, Teacher Tao couldn’t have guessed the true purpose behind Jiang Tong’s excursion to the dormitory area. He simply thought Jiang Tong was skipping class to have some fun, engaging in such reckless and neglectful behavior that was detrimental to his studies—a situation that deeply saddened the homeroom teacher.
While Shen Shanwu was being reprimanded, Yao Wuque was sitting at the nearby desk, shaking with laughter, enjoying the spectacle. He gleefully listened from start to finish, his eyebrows dancing, thoroughly entertained.
“Write the self-criticism before the end of school, hand it to me for review, and then tomorrow morning, read it aloud in front of the whole class! Understand?”
Shen Shanwu looked dispirited. “I understand.”
Teacher Tao sighed and waved his hand. “Go back to class. Get enough sleep at night and don’t stay up late. Why do you always look so tired?”
“…It’s not that I’m tired, I’m just lazy,” he thought.
After school, on his way back to the team, Shen Shanwu received merciless teasing from Yao Wuque. “I’ll be the first to tell the captain about your self-criticism, so get ready for another round of scolding, hahaha.”
Shen Shanwu glanced at him wearily and said, “…Brother Wuque, I want to become a resident student and stop being a day student.”
“Running away won’t solve your problems, Ah Tong.”
“It’s not just because of the self-criticism… It’s just that, as a day student, I have less interaction with my classmates. They don’t include me in their activities.”
“Hah…?” Yao Wuque raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure it’s not you who doesn’t want to interact with them? I see several girls approaching you during breaks, and you seem to be ignoring them.”
“…You must have misunderstood. Anyway, I want to become a resident student. Could you talk to the captain for me?”
Yao Wuque had an inkling that something was off. He furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then suddenly widened his eyes and exclaimed, “I got it! I know what you’re up to, Xiao Jiang Tong! Are you trying to… have after-school dates with that girl who used to write you love letters?”
“…What nonsense.” Shen Shanwu rolled his eyes. Yao Wuque, however, was extremely excited and certain, saying, “That’s definitely it! Because if you’re a day student, the moment school ends, either I or someone else will come to pick you up. You won’t have any free time to meet the girl. Jiang Tong, let me make it clear here: the Shanhai Unit won’t allow early romantic relationships!”
Shen Shanwu silently quickened his pace, not wanting to be in the same scene as Yao Wuque, fearing that his low IQ might be contagious. The two of them raced side by side, competing to outpace each other. Surprisingly, they returned to the headquarters building in nearly half the time it usually takes.
“Are you two exercising?” Zhang Xiaowen leaned on a cane at the doorway, catching sight of the two wild donkeys charging like mad into the Shanhai Unit compound from a distance.
“Damn, this little brat… How the hell can he run like this?” Yao Wuque leaned against the wall, panting, “Xiaowen, let me tell you… Jiang Tong, he skipped class and is in an early romantic relationship. You should scold him and make him give up on this idea.”
Zhang Xiaowen nonchalantly adjusted the collar of Shen Shanwu’s disheveled clothes, “Why are you running so urgently? The cafeteria isn’t open yet. Look at how sweaty your forehead is… Huh, why isn’t there a drop of sweat?”
Shen Shanwu came up with a rather perfunctory explanation, “It did come out, and then it dried in the wind.”
“Be careful not to catch a cold! I can’t believe you guys. Both of you should quickly take a hot shower and change your clothes. I’ll wash your dirty clothes. I’ve been lying in bed for so many days that my bones are about to turn soft.”
“Alright! Thanks, kind and beautiful Sister Xiaowen!” Upon hearing that someone was helping with laundry, Yao Wuque couldn’t contain his excitement. He swiftly scooped Shen Shanwu under his arm, paying no heed to Shen Shanwu’s startled cries and struggles. In just a few steps, he carried him upstairs.
What was bad luck? This was bad luck. Shen Shanwu stood under the shower, feeling hopeless. Jiang Huan had once asked him why, even though he was a mutant, he was still bullied by humans. Shen Shanwu had no idea either…
But what he didn’t anticipate was that just two minutes after he obediently took his clothes to the adjacent room, where Lu Jingzhi’s dorm was, to take a shower, Yao Wuque, who was supposed to have entered the bathroom before him, peeked his head out from his own room. He then stealthily opened the door to Shen Shanwu’s room, sneaking in with a sly look on his face.
Zhang Xiaowen slowly made her way upstairs with her crutches, ready to collect Shen Shanwu and Yao Wuque’s laundry. When she saw Yao Wuque sneak into Shen Shanwu’s room, she found it a bit strange. She furrowed her brows and followed them in. Inside, she saw Yao Wuque carefully opening Shen Shanwu’s backpack and taking things out one by one.
“What are you doing?” Zhang Xiaowen had an immediate suspicion that Yao Wuque wasn’t up to something good.
“Oh, you scared me,” Yao Wuque waved his hand dismissively, “Quick, close the door. I’m looking for evidence here.”
Zhang Xiaowen, puzzled, asked, “What evidence? Has Jiang Tong committed a crime?”
“Sort of, I’m looking for evidence of Jiang Tong dating one of the girls in our class,” Yao Wuque replied as he rapidly flipped through the pages of a book. He continued in a serious tone, “At this young age, he’s not focusing on his studies and refuses to admit it. I’m sure he still has the letters he writes to the girls locked in his bag every night. Once I find them, I’ll report it to Lieutenant Lu. Let’s see how he tries to explain himself then.”
“…” Zhang Xiaowen sighed helplessly. She walked forward and picked up Jiang Tong’s coat and pants that were lying at the end of the bed. She draped them over her arm, one by one. “How old are you? Why do I feel like you and Jiang Tong are the same age? Quickly put all these things back where they belong. Do you realize you’re invading someone’s privacy? You’re acting like those awful parents who sneakily read their kids’ diaries.”
“Oh, I don’t like that argument. In our country, parents are meant to read their children’s diaries and spy on their secrets. If parents don’t read their kids’ diaries, are they even proper local parents?”
“Hey, now you’re trying to justify it, huh!”
“I’m not talking to you anymore, darn Jiang Tong, hiding things so securely.” Yao Wuque put down the bookbag, then opened the drawer under the desk—three or four books, a stack of draft papers, a pen, an ink bottle, and a small blue velvet box of unknown purpose.
Yao Wuque exclaimed and grabbed the velvet box, waving it frantically at Zhang Xiaowen. “Come on, Xiaowen, you’ve got to see this! Can you believe it? Could this be a ring box? Are kids nowadays playing around with such big stuff?”
Although Zhang Xiaowen disapproved of Yao Wuque’s behavior, her curiosity was still piqued by the unknown blue box he held. “It seems… Why have I never seen Jiang Tong take it out before?”
“Could be a gift for a girl he fancies. How could he show it to us?” Yao Wuque licked his lips. “Shall we open it and take a look?”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea…” Zhang Xiaowen hesitated, torn between her conscience and curiosity. Yao Wuque clenched his lips, using one hand to gently open the box while nervously staring at it. Zhang Xiaowen eventually succumbed to the torment of her curiosity and leaned over to take a peek.
Just at that moment, a cold and serious voice sounded at the door, “What are you two doing?”
Yao Wuque: “Ah!!”
Zhang Xiaowen: “Ah!!”
Both of them were so startled that one threw the ring box into the air, and the other even accidentally launched her crutch. In addition to this chaotic scene, Zhang Xiaowen’s abrupt movements caused the shirt belonging to Shen Shanwu to fall to the ground.
Jiang Huan stood at the door with a composed expression. His gaze initially landed on the guilty faces of Yao Wuque and Zhang Xiaowen, then gradually lowered to the open blue velvet box in Yao Wuque’s hand – it was empty.
He calmly walked forward and picked up Jiang Tong’s coat and pants from the floor. Yao Wuque quickly placed the box back in the drawer and casually retrieved Zhang Xiaowen’s crutch.
“Captain, uh…” Faced with Jiang Huan, Yao Wuque immediately lost the arrogant flame he had when debating with Zhang Xiaowen earlier. He quickly shifted the focus: “Today, Jiang Tong skipped class again. His homeroom teacher, Tao Han, caught him in the act and made him write a 500-word self-critique. He’ll have to read it aloud in front of the whole class tomorrow.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Huan said calmly. He patted the dust off his coat, not noticing that he had shaken a cardholder out of the pocket. He skillfully caught it and then walked closer, intending to place the item on the bedside table. “But can this explain why you were in Jiang Tong’s room?”
Zhang Xiaowen deeply regretted pinching Yao Wuque’s arm as he grimaced in pain. Yao Wuque, with a pained expression, explained that Jiang Tong wanted to stay in the dormitory, suspecting that it was related to a potential romantic interest.
As foam covered his hair during his hair wash, Shen Shanwu had a strong sense of impending doom, as if a major calamity was about to strike. By the time he was applying shower gel, his eyelid was twitching uncontrollably. Shen Shanwu curiously cut short his shower, his body still covered in steam, as he pushed open the door to Lu Jingzhi’s room. He had a strange thought: Did this have something to do with the newly mutated individual who seemed to be imprisoned? When did he also gain the precognitive abilities of the Prophet?
Subsequently, he saw Yao Wuque, Zhang Xiaowen, and Jiang Huan all gathered in his room, with his backpack rummaged through and his desk drawer wide open.
“Hey!”
Shen Shanwu immediately rushed over, his anger evident, “What are you doing touching my stuff?”
Zhang Xiaowen hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, Jiang Tong, I’m really sorry. We won’t do it again. Yao Wuque, you better apologize too!”
“Uhh… You could have just said you’re into someone directly, bro. I was genuinely curious,” Yao Wuque tried to act tough with his words. But as he noticed Jiang Tong’s face turning extremely grim, a shade of dark rage ready to devour, he quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, okay? We didn’t find anything, didn’t discover a thing.”
As if you’d discover anything. Shen Shanwu certainly wasn’t foolish enough to put the ring Jiang Huan gave him in such an obvious box and place it at the front of the drawer.
The velvet blue box was sent by Milk Tea after hearing that Jiang Huan had given a ring. Shen Shanwu thought it looked nice, so he just stuffed it somewhere casually.
“… In the future, you must not enter my room without my permission,” Shen Shanwu said sternly. Then he realized it would be even more intimidating if Jiang Huan spoke those words, so he turned to Jiang Huan and softened his tone, “Captain, you should…”
But this glance almost frightened Shen Shanwu out of his wits. Jiang Huan, who had been silent all along, was standing in front of the bedside table, his gaze fixed on Shen Shanwu’s cardholder.
Shen Shanwu’s pupils contracted, and he swallowed the second half of his sentence back down forcefully. He hurriedly rushed forward to snatch the cardholder, only to find that Jiang Huan had already raised his gaze. His chilling eyes were as sharp as a blade, cutting through Shen Shanwu’s facade.
“Jiang Tong,” Jiang Huan’s tone was colder than frost, “explain to me why your cardholder…”
He flipped through the cards, “There’s this boy’s student ID, who is he?”
Shen Shanwu quickly reached out to grab the cardholder and concealed it in his embrace. He forced a fake smile and said, “He’s my desk mate. I was just teasing him, haha. I’ll return it to him early tomorrow.”
In reality, even returning it tomorrow morning would be too late. The unlucky deskmate returning to the dormitory tonight would likely encounter quite a bit of trouble. Shen Shanwu had been scolded by his homeroom teacher and completely forgot about this matter. He should probably compensate the poor boy by treating him to some snacks tomorrow.
But fortunately, fortunately, having this student ID card was a stroke of luck. Fortunately, Jiang Huan was drawn to this unfamiliar document, diverting his attention away. If he had flipped through a bit more…
Jiang Huan’s gaze remained fixed on him, his face icy as he said, “Jiang Tong, you’re too mischievous. Skipping classes, leaving early, sleeping during lessons, bullying your classmates. Apart from the reflection assigned by your homeroom teacher, I’ll have you write another three-thousand-word reflection. Hand it to me before you go to sleep tonight.”
“Three thousand? Tonight?” Zhang Xiaowen exclaimed, “Captain, isn’t that too harsh? Jiang Tong, he…”
“Shut up,” Jiang Huan’s tone was stern, “Both of you, get out.”
Zhang Xiaowen looked at Jiang Tong apologetically, while Yao Wuque gestured an apologetic gesture to Jiang Huan and then quickly supported Zhang Xiaowen out of the room, lest they be caught in the captain’s furious rage.
Three thousand words? Shen Shanwu had never written that many words, even for his high school essays. He quickly tried to act cute and said, “Captain, I’m sorry, I won’t dare anymore. Spare me this time, please. I haven’t had dinner yet, and I’m starving.”
With the door gently closed by Yao Wuque from the outside, there was a soft sound of the door being shut, and after that, Jiang Huan locked the door again from the inside.
Shen Shanwu’s smile faded from his lips as Jiang Huan’s gesture filled him with a sense of unease, like an unexpected downpour on a summer day that drenched him through and through.
“Jiang Tong.” Jiang Huan’s voice carried suppressed anger and icy chill, as if a storm was brewing. He spun his fingers, gripping a white card firmly between his two fingers. The card had no writing on the back, and on the front was a row of familiar, strong strokes of a pen.
“Explain why this card is sandwiched behind your ID card.”
The author has something to say:
Writing three thousand words in one night? Heh, heh! Some people have to write four thousand every night!
35: …Are you praising yourself?
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