Chapter 317

"Do you know who I am?" Having just calmed down after being humiliated in front of so many people, Patrick's anger flared up again, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

We'll deal with the future later. Qin Su isn't here now; only Class 6 and the people they brought are here. And he's still the president. Are there any places he can't go?

"Of course." Sophia nodded slightly, indicating that she wasn't blind, then pretended not to understand Patrick's implication, continuing to block the entrance with her people, refusing to budge. "So?"

Privately, people were saying that in terms of the level of threat, she would be the next Greyliff. She figured that Greyliff would threaten Patrick at the drop of a hat whenever his interests were threatened, and given how things were going, she wouldn't have many more opportunities to learn from Greyliff. She figured it wouldn't hurt to learn some threatening skills while everyone was asking her to step in and stop Patrick.

The main problem is that both those who should and shouldn't have come have gathered here today. People from other planets are still some distance away, either pretending to pass by or on their way. Miniature cameras are everywhere, eager to film their confrontation from every angle ten or eight times. From the moment they carried Patrick and brought countless people here, they had no way back.

With Qin Su gone, they should be even more arrogant and disdainful of others, letting those who came with them see their determination and confidence, maintaining their original allegiance, and letting Patrick and the others who came later see their attitude.

They even dared to 'turn away' and 'show their power' to the incumbent president, let alone those planets that are not part of the Federation. This would help them understand their own position, and if they were to successfully take power in the future, the long-standing fear of them would make things much easier for them.

For a fleeting moment, Patrick choked on his words, and in a daze, he saw Grellif... no, before Greyliff was propelled to that position, he wouldn't have dared to be so arrogant. Everything was still unresolved, and Sophia...

"Ha." Patrick chuckled coldly, his voice sarcastic, "Truly, the student has surpassed the master."

Sovia forced a smile, saying, "Thank you for the compliment."

"..."

Was that a compliment?! Patrick's face was as black as the bottom of a pot as he stared at Sophia with a gloomy expression.

Sophia, not to be outdone, had long since lost her perfunctory smile and met Patrick's gaze coldly.

You wouldn't believe it, but the 'death stare' is an expression management course that every student in Class 6 had to learn in their private extra training sessions during school, just to learn Qin Su's cold demeanor to be 70-80 percent accurate. Although Qin Su is genuinely cold and they are just pretending to be, it doesn't matter, it's enough to deal with others. In this course, even the worst performer in Class 6 could only pretend for three minutes before breaking down, while someone as outstanding as her could easily pretend for several hours.

Besides, according to the process inside, she doesn't need to pretend for that long at all; it will only take another two or three minutes at most.

Moreover, Patrick always likes to think things through before acting, habitually considering this and that. Knowing that the combat power of the people he brought was disproportionate to theirs, and with other planets watching, the possibility of him actually fighting her was extremely slim.

The people behind Sophia and Patrick heard their voices clearly, and as they listened to the heated exchange, each side had their own thoughts.

Sophia's men stood ready, frantically telling Sophia in their minds, "Take it easy, take it easy, stop provoking her! Can't you see Patrick is about to turn into a fire-breathing snake? Is it really necessary to be so reckless with a self-destruction?!" Meanwhile, they held onto the thought that since they were already on the pirate ship and dared not disembark, they could only go along with the "recklessness." Although their bodies were numb, they dared not relax for a moment, keeping a close eye on Patrick and his men, fearing that the other side would suddenly attack and they wouldn't be able to react in time.

Upon hearing Sophia's words, the people behind Patrick immediately understood that Sophia represented the attitude of Class 6 and the Class 6 she brought. They began to consider whether to immediately switch sides or hesitate for a second if a fight broke out.

Fighting is out of the question. Qin Su summoned the people from Class 6 here alone, which means that everything is Qin Su's doing. Qin Su is on the side of Class 6, and Class 6 is the one chosen by fate. Sophia's current attitude just proves their guess. Regardless of whether he is the president or not, with Qin Su supporting them, Class 6 is fearless. They were not chosen by Class 6 in the first place, and compared to those who have already sided with Class 6, they have a disadvantage. They cannot afford to upset Class 6. The president has changed, and they still have to stay in the Federation.

Is this how you treat your elders? It's so inconsiderate!

[Sophia: What are you babbling about? Watch me show how the new wave can crush the old one on the beach!]

[What nonsense are you talking about? Our Sophia clearly used the honorific "you" (您), she's such a polite child, how is she being disrespectful? Don't talk nonsense!]

The tense standoff lasted for two minutes and thirty-seven seconds before Sophia heard He Muzhi's low voice in her ear.

He Muzhi: "It's all done. We can let them all in now. If anyone from other planets wants to come in, only six people from each planet will be allowed in."

The moment Sophia went outside, she used herself to attract everyone's attention while having others send pictures and videos of the situation outside to He Muzhi's Optical Brain, so that He Muzhi inside would have a clear idea of who had come outside.

Hearing the number six, Sophia was used to it and immediately understood that He Muzhi wasn't concerned about the population density of other planets, but simply wanted the auspicious meaning of "six sixes bring good fortune".

"Hmm." Sophia gave a low hum, ending the call. She looked at Patrick, who was completely unaware that she had just spoken with He Muzhi and still had a gloomy expression, stepped aside, and said in a cold voice, "You can go in now."

"..."

Seeing Sophia suddenly step aside, Patrick's expression became even more unpleasant than before.

Sure enough, they deliberately blocked him from entering just now to intimidate him in front of everyone!

Sophia met Patrick's gaze calmly, displaying her habit of asking questions when she didn't understand (Class 6): "So you don't want to go in now? Well, I didn't ask..."

"Snort!"

Patrick snorted coldly, shifting his gaze from Sophia and walking past the space she had cleared for Sophia with his usual dark expression.

Seeing Patrick's expected reaction, Sophia stopped herself from saying what she was going to say and looked at the group behind Patrick: "Everyone, let's go together."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sophia walked beside Patrick and went inside together. The people behind Sophia, upon hearing her words, silently dispersed to both sides, their eyes fixed on the people Patrick had brought.

Patrick's men exchanged glances, but ultimately followed him inside. There might be danger inside, but what if it was an opportunity? They would definitely regret not taking the gamble later.

Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, Sophia quickly sent out the message.

As soon as Wei Ying saw Sophia's message, she caught a glimpse of the people from Patrick entering. Many people from various planets were eagerly heading in her direction. Wei Ying looked up solemnly and heard a series of inquiries.

"Hello, may we go in together?"

"... I wonder if we have the honor?"

"... Jeffrey and I are friends."

After listening for about ten seconds, Wei Ying estimated that she was now some distance away from Patrick and the others who had gone in ahead of her, and confirmed that everyone's words implied that they wanted to go in, before she interrupted their incessant chatter.

"I understand what everyone means, but..." Wei Ying's tone shifted, "... only six people are allowed to enter each planet."

"?"

"No, only six people? Isn't that too few?"

"Yeah, the group Patrick brought in just now looked to be over two thousand people, right? Isn't that a bit too much for us?"

Wei Ying seemed oblivious to everyone's discontent, directly setting a Countdown. Her tone was cold and firm, making it clear there was no room for negotiation. "One minute. No exceptions."

According to Sophia's instructions, the number of people entering should be controlled to show people from other planets that 'internal strife within the Federation is one thing, but no matter how much they fight, they are still one of us, and no matter what other planets do, they cannot compare.'

Seeing Wei Ying's attitude and the ever-decreasing Countdown, the people from other planets dared not continue their futile efforts and could only turn to their own people to discuss who should go in.

The Countdown reached zero, and the people who had come to the planet had already been chosen to enter. Wei Ying didn't say anything more. Following Sophia's instructions, she pretended not to see the filming equipment that everyone had brought in and gestured for everyone to follow her inside.

--

"I've never seen a gemstone bigger than my face and 100% flawless in my entire life! It's got every color imaginable—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple—and you're just using it as a lamp decoration?! What about that sapphire I bought for 70 billion Star Coins before?"

"Only 70 billion? I don't even have a... never mind, it's nothing compared to this place. If I hadn't been lucky enough to come in today, I would never have known that the areas of this Golden Palace that have been opened to the public are nothing compared to these unopened areas. Before, when Kanasen arrogantly and ostentatiously released pictures of parts of the Setini Palace, everyone was criticizing him. I thought it was luxurious, but it was alright. Now I realize I was just being a fool. No wonder other planets are so poor; they've all been robbed into poverty by Kanasen's daily robberies! It seems that to get rich, you still have to rob—a highly profitable business!"

"Everywhere I looked, there were bursts of fire; my titanium alloy eyes were almost blinded! There wasn't a single sign of it being pried open. How did these people manage to hold back? Qin Su has seen all sorts of good things, so it's normal for him to be dismissive. But they don't seem to have seen anything like this before; why aren't they tempted?"

"Heh, you know Qin Su came, and he sent them. You're just messing around without Qin Su the order? Temptation or death, which do you choose?"

"Thanks for this bucket of cold water; it's made me want to be an honest person now."

"The kind of person who doesn't talk much and is honest?"

"Quiet down, I'm barbecuing. Looking at all this, I feel lightheaded, like I'm walking on clouds. Tonight... no, for the next N years—I have all the material for my dreams."

As Sophia entered the Saitini Palace and Combat Suit through the maze, she occasionally heard exclamations of amazement at the Setini Palace from behind her, many of them expressing their excitement.

Hopefully, when they reach their destination, their restless hearts will still be stirring.

With that thought in mind, Sophia led the group around a bend decorated with red gemstones.

Emerging from the dazzling red and gold light, Patrick, even from a great distance, immediately noticed the blatantly damaged heart of the infamous Setini, and his expression turned to astonishment.

Sophia walked briskly beside Patrick, her eyes fixed ahead, but her peripheral vision kept a close eye on Patrick. Catching the shocked expression on Patrick face, she spoke up at the opportune moment, "What do you think of our Class Monitor's work? Pretty good, right?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd remained silent.

The title "Class Monitor" perfectly illustrates Class 6's unique position in Qin Su. It's really... Just say what you want to say, why show off? Can't you be a little more mature? You're already capable of directly confronting the current president. Can you change your childish, ridiculous, and boring bad habit of showing off to the world before graduation?!

Patrick's expression twisted for a few seconds, but he easily understood Qin Su's actions, and said in a low voice, "It's quite good."

Although he is not a completely good person in the strictest sense, he is at least half good. Even most people would feel nervous and guilty upon seeing this, let alone others who have a guilty conscience.

After a brief silence, the crowd, who had been marveling at what they had seen along the way, began to whisper among themselves again.

"I don't know if it's because it's called the Heart of Setini, but seeing it shattered made my heart tighten and I felt a little panicked."

"To be honest, I also... But why? All these seemingly insignificant places along the way were incredibly luxurious. The hidden parts of the Setini Palace must be absolutely magnificent. Qin Su just... blew it up? How could he bear to do that? Wasn't he afraid of being criticized?"

"Qin Su would care? That's ridiculous."

"Ugh--But why does it smell so bad? Aren't you all disgusted?"

"How did you get to where you are now? You can't even stand the Corpse Stench of corpses? Have you forgotten about Kanasen's livestream? These smells are probably from Greyliff's and the others' bodies."

"Could you please not mention acquaintances' names here at a time like this? It's creepy, it gives me the creeps, and I have this terrifying feeling that if I came in, I'd end up like them."

As they drew closer to the heart of the Setini Palace, Sophia heard the murmurs behind her grow quieter. When she led the group to a point some distance from the Breach that He Muzhi had carefully chosen, those behind her either held their breath and remained silent, afraid of inhaling more of the intensely pungent Corpse Stench, or stared in horror at the corpses around them.

The people behind Sophia first stepped forward on the still relatively fresh blood that hadn't been congealed for long. With solemn expressions, they scanned the bodies that had been blasted to pieces all around them. Because there were so many of them, although they were blasted to pieces, there were still some intact heads or faces that allowed them to identify who they were. After recognizing them, their hair stood on end.

'They're wrong, they guessed wrong again. This war wasn't bloodless; rather, all the bloodshed was concentrated in one place by Qin Su.'

Patrick recognized many familiar faces, and his previously gloomy expression gradually eased.

He knew Qin Su would never let him down.

"The entrance is a bit small, everyone please don't crowd, and be careful." Just a few steps from the blast point, Sophia kindly reminded everyone, worried that if they rushed in, the temporarily stopped sliding Corpse Mountain would start sliding uncontrollably again.

Still reeling from the horrific scene before them, the crowd calmed down somewhat upon hearing Sophia's voice. They wondered why they hadn't used the main entrance and instead opted for a small Breach. And was this warning even necessary?