One afternoon, the weather was far from clear. Thick clouds hung like a pale gray canopy, obscuring the blue sky and wrapping Jiade City, a city in a subtropical climate, in gloomy, colorless light for the first time in a long while.
In a first-year middle school classroom at Spirit Vine Academy, Liana Rene rested her cheek on one hand and spun a pen with the other. Her gaze drifted aimlessly toward the oppressive sky beyond the window until the teacher's voice pulled her back to reality. She rose hesitantly, glanced at the blackboard, then analyzed the problem and gave the correct answer with lightning speed. After receiving some pointed praise from the teacher, she returned to her seat.
That little incident was practically a microcosm of Liana's time in class.
As one of the two experimental subjects who had escaped Abyss Base, she might not possess No. 0's godlike authority, but both her mind and physique were far beyond ordinary. Things that normal middle school students needed time to learn came naturally to her. She was no different from a genius.
Unfortunately, she had no patience for studying. Her mind always wandered during class, yet whenever she was called on, she answered perfectly. The teachers found it hard to make things difficult for her. If she got the answer right, they let her off the hook—an honor student's privilege.
When class ended and school let out, Liana packed her bag and walked out of the classroom, where she saw a red-haired girl in a sailor uniform waiting for her.
"Let's go, Louisa," Liana said as she approached, a faint smile appearing on her lovely face.
This was the classmate Liana had rescued from bullying, the one who had given her two Southern Cross Star pins. She was also Liana's