In the infirmary, Li Chen slowly opened his eyes. The tremendous sound of an explosion had jolted him awake.
"Where am I?" He rubbed his forehead and looked around, realizing he was in the academy's infirmary. The last thing he remembered was collapsing in front of the awakening stone.
Click~
Just then, a figure pushed open the closed door and walked in. It was Teacher Yu. Before Li Chen could ask what was happening outside, the teacher's stern voice rang out.
"Li Chen, stay right here. A cult organization is attacking outside. It's not safe right now..."
"A cult organization? The Special Affairs Bureau?" Li Chen was bewildered. How had a battle broken out while he was unconscious for a little while?
Then he remembered Su Zhe and asked, "Teacher Yu, where's Su Zhe? Is he all right?"
Teacher Yu fell silent for a few seconds, unconsciously tugging at his black tie. "Su Zhe brought you to the infirmary. He's probably gone to find his dad now. But rather than worrying about him, you'd be better off staying here."
Li Chen knew he couldn't take part in the battle outside. He was just a newly awakened student who hadn't even fully mastered his awakened ability. Going out now would only increase the casualties. He continued, "Then, Teacher Yu, aren't you going to help the people from the Special Affairs Bureau?"
Teacher Yu sat down in a chair in the infirmary and took a sip of water. His expression stiffened slightly as he said helplessly, "I'm just a teacher. I'd better leave the fighting alone. I don't have any combat ability."
Li Chen looked at the aura floating above his head and fell silent...
In the quiet infirmary, both of them had things on their minds.
Li Chen certainly had questions. He could see the aura floating above Teacher Yu's head, so he knew the man before him was definitely capable of fighting.
But why had he come to stand guard over Li Chen instead of protecting the other students? It was too strange.
Could it be because of his S-rank talent? That didn't seem likely either.
Speaking of talent, he suddenly realized that he still didn't know what ability he had awakened. According to what he'd been taught in class, an analysis of his awakened ability should have appeared in his mind, but it hadn't.
To him, nothing seemed to have changed, yet things were also a little different. He could sense that he could change the things he touched, but with Teacher Yu here, it was hard for him to try.
Suddenly, Teacher Yu broke the silence. "Li Chen, have you thought about where you'll go next?"
Li Chen shook his head. To be honest, he didn't know. Now that he had awakened a Sequencer ability, he knew he might go to an unfamiliar city to continue his studies, then get a job and earn money, or he might quietly carry on living as an ordinary person.
He didn't want to become like his parents, standing guard against the black fog at the border, and he wanted even less to die there for some elusive glory.
Teacher Yu naturally noticed the confusion on Li Chen's face and said conversationally, "That's life. Don't just keep making choices. When there are too many paths to choose from, things get confusing."
"You're still young. You can't find your direction now, but you will someday."
"Now that you've successfully awakened, you'll be a Sequencer. You have plenty of choices. You could join the Special Affairs Bureau as an agent, catch people soliciting prostitutes when you have time, and live out your life comfortably."
"At least the pay is much higher than an ordinary person's."
Li Chen took his words to heart. Perhaps that wouldn't be a bad choice.
But it was only one choice, and he was still considering it. After all, he still needed to go to another academy to continue his studies. If he could, he also wanted to go straight into society and earn money.
Li Chen smiled wryly. "Teacher Yu, I'm only sixteen. I really am young, but I haven't reached the age you're talking about. At the very least, there's no way I could become an agent right now."
Teacher Yu laughed awkwardly and immediately changed the subject.
"Then have you decided which academy you want to attend? I'd still recommend Imperial Capital Academy..." Suddenly, he remembered that Li Chen's talent seemed to be B-rank and hastily corrected himself. "Canglan Academy is good too."
His words set Li Chen thinking. He knew about both Imperial Capital Academy and Canglan Academy.
Both specialized in training recently awakened students, and the two were rivals. After all, all academies competed with one another.
But Imperial Capital Academy had always ranked first, which was why Teacher Yu brought it up in every class.
What puzzled Li Chen was why he had suddenly changed his recommendation. Was his S-rank talent not good enough for Imperial Capital Academy?
But suddenly, the door opened.
Su Zhe walked in with a large bump on his head. Behind him stood a very tall man whose aura was terrifying, but Li Chen merely looked up. He wasn't worried, because that was Su Zhe's dad.
Sometimes he wondered why Su Zhe's dad looked nothing like Su Zhe. He had even suspected that Su Zhe wasn't his biological son.
Then one day, Su Zhe showed Li Chen a paternity test report, and he never doubted it again.
Teacher Yu also hurried to his feet and said respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Su."
The man called Mr. Su waved a hand and looked at Li Chen, who was sitting on the infirmary bed. He smiled. "Chen, how did awakening an ability land you in the infirmary?"
Because Li Chen and Su Zhe were close, his dad had known about Li Chen for a long time and usually called him "Chen."
Li Chen waved a hand helplessly. He knew Su Zhe's dad was trying to ease the awkwardness.
Just then, Teacher Yu spoke up. "Mr. Su, the situation outside should have been brought under control by now, right?"
Mr. Su nodded slightly. A sharp glint seemed to flash through his eyes, but they soon returned to normal.
"They only came looking for something. They've been driven off, and the awakening ceremony is continuing, though quite a bit of the venue was destroyed."
"I actually came here this time because of my son. I told him to go to Imperial Capital Academy, but this brat just won't agree. He says he wants to go far away with his Brother Chen."
As he spoke, he also gave Su Zhe, who stood to the side rubbing his head, a knock on the head.
Clutching his head, Su Zhe shouted, "Even if I, Su, have to jump from here today, there's no way I'm going to Imperial Capital Academy! If Brother Chen goes, I'll jump from here!"
Bang~
Li Chen watched the heartwarming scene before him, the corners of his mouth rising slightly. Only Su would be feeling a little sore.