Chapter 124
Senior?
Hearing Qin Su call him that, Alec felt no joy, only utter despair.
Does he deserve it?
"Why don't they switch places? I'll just call him 'senior'," Alec thought, his brow twitching. He turned to face Qin Su, his mind still somewhat dazed, and asked, "Is there something you need?"
(Class 6 students' serious attitude can increase their impression score, etc... Being too serious can also be a burden. This path is not working, so Qin Su decided to change his approach.
Qin Su pretended not to see the stiff smile on Alec's face as he turned to him, a sign of resistance to communication. He brazenly asked Alec, "I'd like to know, are the training sessions this afternoon the same as this morning?"
Alec Qin Su was afraid that because of the heavy blow in the morning, Emo would give up in the afternoon, and their Class 6 would be hopeless in front of Class 66.
In that case... how can Class 6 learn things from the seniors of Class 66 that they haven't learned in previous courses?
If it is confirmed that there is no difference between the training program in the afternoon and the morning, he will replan and use facts to convey to the seniors of Class 66 that Class 6 has no intention of provoking them, so that Class 66 can regain its confidence and accept Class 6 again.
Apologies... just as he had thought before, words are too pale, actions speak louder than words.
"?" Upon hearing Qin Su's words, a look of surprise flashed across Alec's numb eyes, and alarm bells immediately went off in his mind.
'What is Qin Su trying to do by asking this now?'
'Do you think they weren't hit hard enough this morning?'
Regardless of his true thoughts, after Alec's eyes cleared, his lips moved, but ultimately he succumbed to his honesty, shyness, and timidity, lacking the courage to lie under Qin Su's cold, dark gaze; "The same..."
Qin Su breathed a sigh of relief. He could tell that Alec didn't seem too keen on talking to him, so he asked his question and didn't linger, "Thank you, senior. I understand. Goodbye."
"... goodbye."
After saying that, Alec couldn't help but add, "Just call me Alec."
The way Qin Su addressed him as "senior" made him feel eerily like ants were crawling all over him.
Alec knew very well that these feelings stemmed from his own lack of strength and his feeling of 'unworthy' of them.
Standing before Qin Su, compared to him in every aspect, he was unworthy.
Qin Su: "..."
Good grief, he's gotten so angry that he doesn't even want to call me 'senior' anymore.
On the surface, it's just a simple title, but in reality, it's a matter of 'closeness or distance'.
In this situation, Qin Su knew he couldn't agree. If they called each other by name, Alec would represent Class 66, while he would represent Class 6, meaning the gap between Class 66 and Class 6 would widen.
Qin Su pretended not to understand the meaning of the inner layer of the Alec, insisting on addressing the senior with the proper etiquette of a lower-level person addressing a higher-level person. "You are a senior, it is only right that you call me 'senior'."
Having stuck to his own ideas, and having already said goodbye to each other, leaving now was only natural. Qin Su didn't give Alec any chance to open his mouth and widen the distance between the two classes. He nodded slightly, turned around, and strode away briskly.
As long as he walks fast enough, the unfamiliarity of Class 66) will not be able to catch up with Class 6).
Qin Su meant... that this address of "senior" was simply a normal way of addressing someone from a lower level to someone from a higher level, without any implications regarding... strength? Was he telling him... not to be presumptuous? Why was he thinking about whether their strength was commensurate?
"..."
Looking at it this way, what he just said did seem quite narcissistic.
Alec felt awkward.
Qin Su spoke in an artful and elegant manner, so elegant that if someone's brain wasn't quick enough, they wouldn't understand the deeper meaning behind Qin Su's words.
[Why is Qin Su asking this?]
Alec looks like he's about to break.
Qin Su stopped Alec's actions and firmly controlled Class 66) and Class 6). Regardless of how tense they had been fighting each other for the past few hours, they remained silent during the time between their conversation and their departure.
As soon as Qin Su left, the students of Class 6) seemed to have forgotten the confrontation with Class 66) just now. Their skin was thicker than a brick added to the corner of the city wall, and they all gathered in the direction of the Yake Li.
Alec was surrounded by students from Class 66. The students from Class 6 were sensible enough not to get too close and didn't say a word. They just kept their ears perked up and their eyes were all staring at Alec with gossip.
Alec: "..."
(Class 66: "..."
'Shameless.'
(Class 6 66 looked at them with speechless eyes, but in the face of gossip about Qin Su, they could temporarily abandon any sense of face.
Even when they were fighting fiercely, they would always take a temporary break to hear what was going on.
Alec knew that Class 6 was afraid to ask Qin Su, so they came to him for answers. If he didn't tell them, it would seem like he couldn't accept defeat. Under the curious gazes of everyone, Alec generously recounted his conversation with Qin Su.
After saying that, he looked at the people who had blocked his way and said helplessly, "Can you let me go now?"
With his doubts answered, a Passageway was instantly cleared in front of Alec, allowing him to pass through the 'sea of people'.
Looking at the students crowding on both sides of the Passageway he was about to pass, Alec unconsciously recalled the scene he had imagined not long ago.
"..."
Good news, judging from the images, he bears a striking resemblance to Qin Su, if not 100%.
The bad news is that the reasons everyone gave way were completely different from Qin Su's; they had absolutely nothing in common.
Alec didn't have time to pay attention to what everyone was saying and left with mixed feelings.
Why did our Class Monitor suddenly sigh?
"Forgot? Didn't the class leader want a powerful mid-lane setup? Forget why everyone's clearing the way for the Class Monitor now, just look at the effect. The Class Monitor is probably overjoyed to suddenly get the scene he imagined."
"... You can donate your brain to a robot if you don't need it. The Class Monitor was clearly sighing because of Qin Su's words. Speaking of which, why did Qin Su specifically ask the Class Monitor that kind of question?"
"Don't look at me, how would I know? Those guys from Class 6) are just sitting there, aren't they? They're always running around the StarNet like street urchins, saying... no one knows Qin Su better than them, go ask them."
After Alec left, the people in Class 6 quickly snapped out of their gossipy mood and went to a place some distance away from the group in Class 66 to whisper among themselves.
After discussing it with each other, they were unable to come up with a specific guess about what Qin Su had done. Just as they were feeling confused, they noticed that the people from Class 66, who had been secretly chatting with them, were looking in their direction. They were immediately startled.
"Why are they suddenly looking at us? What kind of look is that?" Raymond tensed up. "We lost so badly just now, they're upset, thinking that Brother Su might have taken a black bag and beaten us up?"
He Muzhi's voice was low and somber. "I guess they're thinking the same thing we were discussing earlier, but they can't come up with a solution, so they're asking us if we have any leads."
The truth is... they didn't.
Thinking of this, the entire Class 6) who had been acting together for a long time had an unspoken understanding. When someone from Class 66) walked towards them, they pretended not to see them, turning their heads away and muttering to themselves.
"I'm outta here."
"Get out of here, you dead leg!"
"Gogogo."
Even if you beat them to death, they would never reveal the slightest fact to anyone other than Class 6 that Class 6 actually doesn't know Qin Su as well as they claim.
"We just lost to them so badly, even the dogs... Never mind, if the dogs won't go, I will... How come they ran away so fast?"
(Class 66 had barely started moving when they saw (Class 6 group turn around and leave in a large, imposing manner.
The speed was so fast that the students in Class 66, who had only taken a few steps, were dumbfounded.
" (Class 6... what are they doing?"
"I guess they just don't want to share their guesses about Qin Su's intentions with us."
"It seems that's the case. They really kept things to themselves."
"Heh, what's so special about hiding their strength? Before Qin Su, they were even concealing their power, just waiting to make a good impression on him and use us as stepping stones. They're really cunning. Even if you told me about such a scheme, I would absolutely..."
Before she could finish speaking, Kataerla changed the subject. "On the other hand, it seems unnecessary to be so absolute."
(Class 66: "?"
Kataerla declared confidently, "That's Qin Su! He's the one who made half of the Class of 26 graduating class rich with Federation funds in just one real battle!"
With a simple and unadorned sentence, the students of Class 66 recalled the overwhelming speeches of those 59 Classes at the end of last semester and were thoroughly convinced.
They don't understand scheming, power, or conspiracies, but surely they can see through the obvious benefit of money?
[Everyone was a little confused, but they didn't want the people in Class 66 to realize it, so Class 6 was really going all out.]
[Class 6): As long as we slip away fast enough, we won't be able to figure out the secret of the Boss Su, and Class 66) will never find out.]
[Class 66): They understand, they get it, but they don't show up to tell us (crying)]
[Class 6): We're practically beets!]
[Kataerla's plot twist made me laugh so hard I almost split my hair out]
--
On the Train, Qin Su saw comments mentioning him and silently apologized to Class 6).
According to his emergency rescue plan, Emo will not disappear, but will only transfer from Class 66 to Class 6.
At that time, the students of Class 6) stepped out of their comfort zones. Although they became withdrawn, Class 66) had a change of heart.
Not only did Class 6) acquire skills they weren't good at before, but their lives are also much longer than their current lives. What if they can use these skills someday? They can also improve their impression of the seniors in Class 66) and increase the probability that they will share their knowledge with them.
In the past, Qin Su might have worried that Class 6) was criticizing him in his mind.
After the reactions of Class 6) to every incident last semester, Qin Su is now 90% certain that although Class 6) is emo because of his new arrangement, they will be on their own and 'debate' for themselves.
--
Afternoon.
(Class 66 were all filled with doubts and arrived very early. Basically, they had all arrived at the Training Ground before the official assembly time of 2 p. m.
In order to protect their image in front of outsiders, the students of Class 6) did not want to be misled by Class 66) who were unaware of the situation. They collectively scouted the location and arrived at the venue.
The Class of 26 comprised 118 classes, all residing in the same building, yet connected by countless suspended tracks at varying elevations, linking different locations, with Trains running frequently and at high speeds almost every minute.
(Class 6 went to scout the location together, but in the end, only nine of them arrived on the same Train as Qin Su at the same time.
These nine people usually addressed Qin Su as "Brother Su" and "Class Monitor" smoothly when they were online or in front of other students. But now, in front of Qin Su, they each called him "Class Monitor" after he responded. After Qin Su, they didn't know what to say to him. They huddled together, jostling each other, and silently watched from behind Qin Su without making a sound.
Scouting locations and such... Many students and teachers do this in the Real World, it's a very normal thing. Qin Su didn't find it strange to meet his classmates on the Train.
It wasn't until he saw a huge crowd of people from Class 6 Training Room in the afternoon, all of whom were there to scout the location, just like him.
Qin Su: "..."
Aside from the fact that the people in Class 6 were avoiding Class 66 because they didn't want Class 66 to know that they didn't actually understand him, Qin Su silently pondered the question of whether the Class Monitor's scouting could also have a negative influence.
(Class 6 saw Qin Su, it was as if they had seen a savior. After greeting him, they quickly stood behind Qin Su and naturally let Qin Su walk in front.
At exactly 2 o'clock, Class 66) saw Class 6) enter with murderous intent, led by Qin Su.
(Class 66: "..."
They were right. Why would Qin Su ask their Class Monitor for no reason before leaving at noon? And in the afternoon, Qin Su led the way in inviting everyone to come together. There must be a conspiracy.
Seeing that the students of Class 66 all stood behind Alec with tense expressions as his class approached, Qin Su knew that Class 66 had probably misunderstood something. The fact that none of the students from Class 6 had entered the venue in advance but had come together made it easy for people to misunderstand that they were rejecting Class 66.
Qin Su sighed inwardly. Having no other choice, as the class Class Monitor of Class 6, he also had to shoulder the social responsibility on behalf of Class 6. Naturally, he greeted Alec, the Class Monitor who was also the social representative of Class 66, with a tone of "Senior Alec".
"You're here." Alec nodded with a forced smile, and continued without pausing in the tense atmosphere, "Now that everyone's here, let's begin."
"Same old rules, three minutes of preparation time, but each session will be extended to half an hour, with each of the two classes..."
Later, it will be extended to an hour, three hours, or even seven or eight hours. Alec thought that with the groundwork laid step by step, Class 6) will gradually get used to this boring and repetitive practice, just like them. After all, what they do is Assembly Line work that is not interesting at all.
If Qin Su isn't around, their (Class 66 is already a "veteran" and will be much more casual. Basically, he'll just say "just check the group" and won't say anything else.
But with Qin Su around, Class 6) always maintained a well-trained and serious demeanor, regardless of whether Qin Su was there or not, making it impossible for them to relax at all.
Half an hour? In the previous semester, Qin Su had been training them for an hour or more, and the training was capped at seven or eight hours. The mere half an hour was nothing to Class 6.
However... if it goes on for a long time, wouldn't the loser be embarrassed for even longer?
Thinking of this, (Class 6 felt an alarm in their hearts and their bodies were the first to enter a state of combat readiness.
'They don't like being embarrassed in front of the Class Monitor for an extended period of time... they refuse!'
After speaking, and seeing that everyone nodded to indicate that they had heard, Alec naturally turned to look at his students.
In the brief moment when he turned his back, Alec saw Qin Su also looking at the people in Class 6).
A few seconds later, Alec, who was facing away from Class 6, was frantically winked at by his classmates.
Alec turned his head and saw that the grouping of Class 6) had changed completely in less than a minute compared to the morning.
Why was Qin Su regrouped?
For a moment, the bewildered people were not only the bystanders (Class 66), but also the students involved (Class 6).
When the students of Class 6) finished listening to Alec's words, they were eager to defeat Class 66) in the afternoon and strive to reach Qin Su's expectations for them as soon as possible. Subconsciously, they wanted to disperse and gather together according to the group they had formed in the morning. However, Qin Su did not say a word and posted a new group list in the group chat.
"?"
(Class 6 did not understand, but simply followed the instructions.
After the group was divided, everyone was still in a daze, and all eyes were focused on Qin Su.
They soon discovered that not only were the group assignments different from the morning's, but the positions Qin Su assigned them were also vastly different from those they had discovered throughout the morning, based on their respective strengths.
In the morning, Qin Su assigned them to jobs that matched their majors.
Now, before they've even started, they already feel like they're being targeted.
Judging from the expressions of the students in Class 66) opposite them, they not only knew nothing about the group assignments in front of them, but also did not know the predicament that Class 6) would face under this group assignment.
'With this kind of allocation, they'll lose. But then again, the Class Monitor has his reasons for doing this. Perhaps... he wants them to not only do what they're good at, but also train them to excel at what they're not good at? So... after the Class Monitor arrived, he deliberately let them win all morning, just to let them win and show Class 66 that they (6) can beat Class 66? Then, when they lose in the afternoon, Class 66 won't dare to underestimate them? And they'll feel better after winning themselves?'
(Class 6 in an instant.
[The Class Monitor has betrayed us, and Class 6) is at risk of being sold out. To find out what happens next, please scroll down.]
[According to everyone's inner thoughts, is Qin Su an undercover agent sent by Class 66)?]
[Class 6): Anxious but did as instructed]
After a brief moment of thought, the students in Class 66) came to the same conclusion as most of the students in Class 6).
Alec took a deep breath. Everyone else was polite first and then forceful, but Qin Su was forceful first and then polite. Even though Class 6) kept losing in the later training sessions, they (Class 66) did not dare to look down on them because of their victory in the morning.
Qin Su really went to great lengths for Class 6).
No wonder the group from Class 6) has always proudly proclaimed themselves the legitimate successors; they certainly have some merit.
Having figured things out, Class 6) had already anticipated that they would win. With this expectation in mind, half an hour passed, and the first match of the afternoon ended. The result displayed on the screen did not make Class 66) very happy.
When Qin Su reassigned them to positions they were not good at, the students in Class 6) were already mentally prepared, guessing Qin Su's good intentions towards them from morning until now.
During the competition, even when faced with things they were not good at, they did not panic or become agitated as they had been when Qin Su had not arrived in the morning. Instead, they remained calm and composed, knowing that it was okay to be a little slower. They strived to understand and see clearly everything they were dealing with, and implemented each step calmly and patiently.
The result was predictable.
After nearly winning all morning, they suffered defeat.
Upon learning of their defeat, the students of Class 6 were not as upset as they had imagined. Instead, they carefully observed the content that Alec had projected onto the virtual screen in the air. Without Qin Su speaking, they spontaneously began to analyze the reasons for their defeat and silently reviewed their performance.
The average person is too busy to be frustrated, let alone see what expressions the students in Class 66 have.
Faced with straightforward data, Class 66) has no data that is important for the time being.
Qin Su had his back to Class 6) and didn't see their expressions; his focus was on Class 66).
Qin Su, who had been silently observing the demeanor of Class 66), noticed that Class 66) had won, but his reaction was lukewarm.
"...?"
Even though everything was going according to his plan, why didn't Class 66 seem very happy, either in their voices or expressions?
First, excluding the reasons from other students in Class 6), then...
The only remaining reason is that, despite being the Class Monitor, I am still far superior to all the other students in Class 6) in terms of data.
Thinking of this, Qin Su: "..."
It turned out the problem was with him.
What can be done? His talent for cultivating his public image makes it impossible for him to be anything less than outstanding.
There was a five-minute break before the next game, and the students in Class 66) were chirping softly.
How can I describe how I feel right now? It's like giving someone a piece of candy, then putting them in a pot of oil to fry them. It's a double whammy of sweetness and death, but once the person is dead, no amount of sweetness will help.
"I don't know, but I know about sugar and oil mixtures; they must smell delicious."
"... All you do is eat all day long. You're still eating at this hour. You're going to be so hungry. Look at Class 6, and then look at you. Although Class 6 lost, they didn't even glance at us. Only Qin Su looked at us calmly. What does that mean? It means that our previous guess was completely correct. Everything was in Qin Su's plan. We were part of Qin Su's plan to pave the way for Class 6."