Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Wang Lei, was it?
Excellent. Death had set its sights on him–or rather, a certain Backup Reaper had.
Qin Lan knew little about the other schools and genuinely had not realized such a remarkable fool existed.
He had rejected Su Xiaoyue’s advances?
Did Wang Lei even hear himself?
“Peaceful coexistence is the most important thing between schools.”
“If vengeance only breeds more vengeance, when will it ever end…?”
Qin Lan spoke calmly, making everyone tense.
Was he telling them they could not take revenge? If they missed an opportunity this good…
As they grew anxious, Qin Lan continued.
“As long as we beat the students from No. 1 High School badly enough to leave them traumatized, they’ll wet themselves whenever they see us. Then everyone can coexist peacefully.”
Qin Lan sounded completely certain.
What?
No one understood his logic, but it somehow made sense.
Senior Qin was right.
“But Wang Lei…” The boy from the Su Xiaoyue Admirers’ Alliance hesitated. “He and the other B-rank elites are very strong. Even if all of us attack together, we could eliminate one of them at most…”
Liang Yu glanced at Qin Lan. Only after receiving his approval did she speak.
“Don’t worry.”
“Senior Qin has a way for us to win.”
Excitement immediately swept through the team.
They might still harbor some doubts about Qin Lan’s strength, but they trusted Liang Yu.
“Wow! Senior Qin, if we really defeat No. 1 High School today, you’ll add another glorious achievement to our alliance’s Honor Roll!”
The boy, Zhang Ke, was beside himself with excitement.
Wait. What did he mean by “another”?
Qin Lan immediately sensed a problem.
“Hold on. Are you saying my name is already on your admirers’ alliance Honor Roll?”
“That can’t be right. I’ve never participated in any of your activities. Did you make a mistake?”
What the hell was going on?
Zhang Ke nodded in understanding. “Oh, you haven’t heard, Senior Qin?”
“News spread that you helped Senior Su escape from the Hitchhiker Ghost during the college entrance examination. That makes you a major contributor!”
“You’re currently at the very top of the Honor Roll!”
“During future celebrations, you’ll have first choice of one of Senior Su’s limited-edition photos as your prize…”
Qin Lan’s expression became wonderfully complicated.
“That actually happened…?”
“I don’t need any photos. What happened back then was… uh… mostly an accident.”
“Su Xiaoyue escaped because she was capable herself. Yes, that’s what happened.”
“Please remember to remove my name next time, all right?”
Admiration filled Zhang Ke’s face.
“As expected of the man at the top of our Honor Roll. Senior Qin, you’re far too modest!”
“You accomplish a great deed, then walk away and conceal both your achievement and your name. Even in the face of such a tremendous honor, you remain perfectly calm. Your devotion to Senior Su must have reached a realm far beyond ours.”
Why did this sound more wrong with every sentence?
Even Liang Yu could no longer listen. She quickly stopped Zhang Ke from continuing his bizarre speech.
“Enough. We can discuss that after the instance… Dealing with No. 1 High School is more important.”
“We’ll follow Senior Qin’s plan. But Senior, are you sure you want to do this?”
Reluctance crossed Liang Yu’s face. “If everyone outside sees it, a lot of people will curse you.”
Qin Lan shook his head.
“I don’t care.”
“As long as I can leave Wang Lei traumatized– No. As long as our schools can coexist peacefully, this small sacrifice will be worthwhile.”
“Friendship first, competition second.”
The thing Liang Yu had asked him to do was an utterly shameless plan.
In polite terms, Qin Lan intended to play weak and lure the enemy into a trap.
In cruder terms, he was going to pretend to be a coward and sucker-punch them.
His plan was simple.
First, he would make his presence known to No. 1 High School, then pretend to be outmatched and flee at full speed.
Next, while Wang Lei and his teammates were overflowing with confidence, Liang Yu’s group would rush out and beat them like fallen dogs.
One detail was critical.
Qin Lan had to make his performance convincing enough to ignite his opponents’ desire to fight.
To Wang Lei, Liang Yu and the others were nobodies.
Many of them had lost to him before.
What would happen if Wang Lei was at his most confident, only to be mauled like a dog by people he had already defeated?
The thought alone delighted Qin Lan.
“Senior Qin is sacrificing so much. The man at the top of our Honor Roll is willing to bear all that abuse…”
Zhang Ke’s eyes reddened, and he nearly began to cry.
“Could you stop bringing up that Honor Roll?” Qin Lan asked weakly. “That whole thing is pretty embarrassing.”
Tears glistened in Zhang Ke’s eyes.
“You’re so strong, yet you’re giving us the chance to prove ourselves… Afterward, the students from No. 1 High School will call you treacherous, vicious, and utterly despicable. Just imagining the injustice makes me feel terrible for you…”
Qin Lan hesitated and decided not to mention that he would feel rather proud if his enemies described him that way.
Why couldn’t an enemy’s curses serve as medals of honor?
“They’re ahead!”
Yu Tian, who had been scouting the map, suddenly spoke with a nervous expression.
The four corridors assigned to the schools were connected by a complex network of intersecting passages. Someone with a scouting Talent had to keep it active at all times to identify what lay ahead.
“All right. Wait around this corner. I’ll be right back.”
Qin Lan nodded. Before anyone could respond, his figure flickered and vanished.
“He’s so fast…”
Liang Yu was stunned.
She had been only half-convinced when Qin Lan described his achievements. Now she finally knew that he truly possessed the power to overwhelm a 1-Star anomaly.
At that speed, he could probably slap all nine of them before anyone had time to react.
“Yu Tian, can you hear what’s happening ahead?” Zhang Ke asked nervously.
He was terrified that the highly revered leader of their Honor Roll might encounter danger.
Yu Tian nodded and began relaying events in real time.
“Senior Qin found them!”
“Senior Qin greeted Wang Lei…”
Everyone held their breath and listened.
“Senior Qin insulted Wang Lei’s mother…” Yu Tian froze. “Then he planted a flying kick right in Wang Lei’s face!”
“Senior Qin…” Yu Tian’s cheeks suddenly reddened, and she stammered. “He’s saying some very filthy things…”
Silence fell over the group.
Zhang Ke wiped the moisture from his eyes and said mournfully, “The world will remember this day…”
“The alliance will remember Senior Qin’s sacrifice…”
“No matter how viciously the other schools curse him, we will stand firmly behind Senior Qin…”