Flame Queen

Then a tall woman with a curvy figure strode in, tossing her seaweed-like, fiery red hair as she walked up to the lectern. Her blazing red eyes swept over everyone below. Though her eyes were like flames, they seemed to hold not the slightest warmth. Everyone her gaze passed over shivered with cold, as if they weren't being watched by a gorgeous woman with a smoking-hot figure, but by a savage beast about to devour them.

It was an utterly bizarre feeling.

"What's going on?" the fiery woman asked, looking at the desks scattered haphazardly around the room. Her voice was ice-cold.

Silence.

Only the pale-faced boy and the tall boy silently set the desks back in order.

Bang!

A slender palm struck the lectern with a loud thud. "Rookies! Are you deaf? Huh? Or did your fathers never teach you any manners? Or are your fathers just as ill-mannered as you, with not a shred of upbringing?"

Yin Kuang sprang to his feet. He hated it when anyone insulted his family. Once, when someone had harassed his younger sister, he'd rushed over and beaten the man so badly he'd ended up in the hospital. "You call insulting other people's parents whatever you please good manners? And who are you?"

The woman at the lectern sneered at Yin Kuang, looking at him as if he were already dead... Then, all of a sudden, a smile blossomed across her cold face. She was already stunning—mature, sexy, and hot—and that smile was enough to topple kingdoms. The enormous contrast left everyone in the classroom too stunned to react.

"Good! Since you're rookies, I'll let it slide. And you..." She turned to Yin Kuang. "You've got some nerve talking to me like that. But I admire your courage, so I'll let you off this time. All right, I take back what I said. You can sit down now."

Clearly, she was a domineering woman. Having said that, she paid Yin Kuang no further attention.

"I don't care whether you know one another or have any other messy grudges. My first piece of advice is this: you're all in the same class now. You're classmates. If you can't even stick together as a class... you'll die a horrible, horrible death..."

There was no wind in the classroom, but everyone clearly felt a cold draft brush across their faces and seep into their hearts.

"All right." The fiery woman tossed her hair. The slight movement made the ample breasts beneath her tight red leather outfit bounce, drawing hungry swallows from the boys. "First, let me introduce myself. I'm the Flame Queen. You can call me Queen or Your Majesty. This class... let me see, yes, Class 04 of Season 12. And I'm your counselor."

"So you're a teacher." A somewhat cheeky boy grinned. "You're gorgeous, Teacher. Flame Queen—what a domineering, sexy name. What's your real name?"

The boy seemed to have a thing for queens. His eyes were sparkling, and he'd completely lost the timidity he'd shown earlier.

"My real name? Let me think... I've forgotten. I haven't used it in ages. I don't even remember how many years it's been. And you, kid, are you trying to hit on me? This Queen is generous enough to give you a chance... Whether you can become my boy toy depends on your abilities, of course."

"Oh!! You really are generous in the chest department, Teacher. What's your number? I'll take you to Lotus Pond Night Scene sometime."

The mood lightened, and the boys began to join in, as if they'd forgotten their fear and unease. They felt that no matter where they were, the very profession of "teacher" could soothe the anxiety of frightened students. After all, unless they ran into a twisted teacher, most teachers didn't pose a threat to their students.

This time, the Red Queen ignored him. "All right, rookies. You'd better not interrupt me. My time is precious, and I don't want to waste it on a bunch of clueless rookies like you. Although I'm your counselor, the title 'counselor' doesn't come with any useful perks, so I don't have time to raise you. This may be our first meeting, but it could also be our last. If that damn Headmaster hadn't insisted I do this, I might not have come to see you at all."

The Red Queen spoke briskly, firing off a long string of words. "As you know, this is Horror High School."

"As for what this place is, why you came here, and all those other questions, don't ask them or go looking for answers. Unfortunately, I'd like to know myself. So rather than obsess over where you are, you'd be better off accepting reality and settling in. And then there's your 'college life.' You're all first-years, so your 'courses' will be relatively simple. But this will also be the last peaceful time you'll have at 'university.' It's a four-year 'university.' If you waste your first year, I'm afraid the next three will be miserable. And then, this is a rather mysterious place. You'll understand it little by little, so there's no need for me to say more."

"Let me think. You'd also better not 'skip class.' The punishment for skipping is severe. If everything goes well, and you survive, earn enough 'credits,' and pass the 'Comprehensive Evaluation,' you'll be able to receive a 'Graduation Certificate' from the 'Headmaster' in your senior year. Then you can take everything you've earned and leave this damn place... Of course, that's just a distant, unattainable dream. As far as I know, no one at our school has ever successfully received a 'Graduation Certificate.'"

"All right, that's all I have to say. How much you take away from it is up to you. Three 'Teaching Assistants' will be coming to help you rookies shortly. A friendly tip: you'd better be polite to your 'Teaching Assistants.' Otherwise, you'll regret it."

"One last reminder: no matter what happens, don't be surprised, because this is Horror High School. Pray, rookies. I hope we meet again someday."

"Wait, Teacher." Li Shuangmu stood up. "I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

The Red Queen had no choice but to stop. "Unfortunately, I'm not your babysitter, and I'm under no obligation to answer your stupid questions. Besides, I already told you that three 'Teaching Assistants' will be here shortly. They'll stay with you for a week. During that time, you can ask them whatever you want, provided they're able and willing to answer. Honestly, if I were you, I'd ask fewer questions and get more done."

"Goodbye, everyone."

She arrived in a rush and left just as quickly. By the time everyone reacted, the fiery figure had already vanished.