When the last natural history lesson ended, the class monitor called out for everyone to rise. All the students in Zhang Tie's class stood up and, with respectful expressions, thumped their right fists against their left chests to salute the teacher who had taught them their final lesson in natural history. They had never heard the content of this last lesson before. That mysterious sequence had left Zhang Tie with the feeling that it might be some kind of secret knowledge, something not everyone had the chance to learn.
"A truly powerful human warrior doesn't just possess overwhelming strength on the battlefield. More importantly, he should have eyes that can observe, and be able to find the sources of power that will make him stronger in all things, in nature, and in the laws of the universe. I hope that all my students will leave my natural history lessons with a pair of eyes that know how to observe!"
After saying this, the old man left the classroom with his usual unhurried steps. Everyone in the room watched in silence as the natural history teacher, who had always kept a low profile, walked away.
Knowing that they were about to leave school, the teacher had used his final lesson to offer them all a heartfelt blessing.
When class ended, Zhang Tie leaned on the corridor railing and stared blankly at the plants in the flower bed below. Some of the guys in his class had already rushed downstairs, eager to count the leaves on the rose bushes in hopes of uncovering some mystery.
Thinking about the last natural history lesson he'd attended—and that it might be the last one he'd ever have in his life—Zhang Tie felt a faint emptiness inside.
"That old man deserves our respect..." At some point, the guys from the Airplane Brotherhood had gathered beside Zhang Tie, leaning on the railing just like him and looking down at the flower bed. Baghdad was the one speaking. "That connection between the Fibonacci Sequence, the Golden Spiral, warrior ranks, and all kinds of things in nature is definitely secret knowledge. I've dealt with some of this school's senior students before, and even they don't know the relationships and mysteries behind it. I guess that old man only shared this secret knowledge because today was the last lesson..."
"Why think so far ahead? What good will it do? Level 10? I've never even seen one in my life. If our Airplane Brotherhood produces just one person above Level 6, we'll be able to throw our weight around wherever we go. I heard Gelis's old man is only a Level 6 Black Spider, right?" Sista said lazily.
Baghdad clenched his fist and declared, "I'll reach Level 6 for sure!"
"Let's deal with what's right in front of us first. Am I the only one who thinks those guys over there are looking at us in a pretty unfriendly way?"
Everyone followed Light's gaze. Across the corridor, Gelis and several others were glaring at them with hatred, their eyes clearly fixed on Zhang Tie. Even when all seven members of the Brotherhood turned to look, they didn't glance away. When Gelis saw Zhang Tie looking over, Zu Haier, one of his lackeys, made a taunting, threatening slashing motion across his throat.
"Light, you got it wrong. They're not looking at us—they're looking at Big Head. We're being ignored!" Shavin said earnestly.
"Outrageous! Do they think our Airplane Brotherhood is made of tofu? They dare provoke our brother? I'll count to three, and we'll all send them a greeting from the Airplane Brotherhood, so they don't treat us like we're invisible..." Barry suggested, then began counting. "Come on. One, two, three—fuck you!"
When he finished counting, all seven of them, Zhang Tie included, stuck up their middle fingers at Gelis and his group. Gelis and the others' expressions changed. Doug even turned around, dropped his pants right in front of them, and exposed his disgusting big butt. He slapped it twice, then turned back, grabbed his little brother, and thrust it toward Gelis and his crew a few times. Everyone in the Airplane Brotherhood burst out laughing, drawing plenty of sidelong glances...
The news of the clash and mutual provocations between Gelis's group and the Airplane Brotherhood in the corridor after class spread throughout the grade during the third period. Plenty of people were ready to watch the show. Zhang Tie and the others were already planning to fight Gelis's group at lunch or afterward. What was there to worry about? If he ended up in the hospital, he'd have six brothers keeping him company. With that thought, the members of the Airplane Brotherhood were all fired up, and they tossed their fear of Gelis aside.
"If Gelis and his crew dare provoke us at noon, we'll beat the hell out of them! Baghdad, you're the strongest among us, so if we end up fighting them at noon, you keep Gelis busy for a while. Light and I will handle Sha Long, Big Head and Sista will take Zu Haier, and Doug and Shavin will deal with Jia Naier. The six of us will split into three pairs. As soon as any pair takes down its target, they'll go help Baghdad. Once we knock down Gelis's three lackeys, it'll be all seven of us against Gelis. Even if we have to trade punch for punch, we're taking a chunk out of him today. Nobody messes with our brothers, damn it!" After the third period, the Airplane Brotherhood huddled in the classroom to discuss tactics. The fat guy Barry took charge of the plan, and no one objected. Zhang Tie had originally wanted to say he'd take on Gelis himself. He was already a Level 1 Battle Soldier, and setting aside the difference in build, after "setting his bones" by igniting his Divine Palace Bright Point last night, he vaguely felt that he might even have the edge over Baghdad. But when he saw Baghdad's high-spirited, ready-to-take-on-the-world look, Zhang Tie swallowed his words. For one thing, even if he had a hundred mouths, he couldn't explain why he had suddenly ignited his Divine Palace Bright Point.
During the fourth period, Zhang Tie barely paid attention to what the teacher was saying. Instead, he settled his mind in the classroom and focused his awareness on his lower abdomen, quietly sensing the warm, comfortable feeling from the Divine Palace Bright Point where his Thought Fire had been ignited. This comfortable feeling kept spreading, slowly and in waves, a powerful surge through every muscle and bone in his body. The Divine Palace Bright Point, with its Thought Fire kindled, was like a small but wondrous door opening inside his body, through which something miraculous was beginning to flow. This was why even the most ordinary Level 1 Battle Soldier could surpass the vast majority of ordinary Battle Workers who had not attained a rank. Igniting a Bright Point marked the beginning of a comprehensive improvement in the body's abilities and functions. As the natural history teacher had said today, igniting the Divine Palace Bright Point meant standing at the starting point of evolution along the Golden Spiral that represented the laws of the universe and creation. If survival were a race, the difference between a Level 1 Battle Soldier and a Level 0 Battle Worker would be like the difference between a competitor already standing at the starting line and a spectator still watching from outside the track. In most cases, it was hard for a spectator to outrun a competitor who had been waiting at the starting line since before the race began...
I'm already a Level 1 Battle Soldier. I'm only one level below Gelis. Zhang Tie kept reminding himself of this in class, and with every reminder, his fighting spirit burned brighter.
The final period finally ended. While the other guys bolted out of the classroom toward the cafeteria, the seven members of the Airplane Brotherhood stayed behind.
"Ready?" Barry asked. By the traditions of the boys' school, when people provoked each other like this, a fight was practically inevitable before the day was over. It was usually settled at lunch or after school, and the Small Woods beside the cafeteria was generally the best place to fight and settle grudges at noon.
Everyone nodded.
"Have you all remembered who you're taking on first?"
Everyone nodded again.
"Today's the day our Brotherhood makes its name at school. Come on, let's go!" The fat guy Barry swept his hand out grandly, and the seven members of the Airplane Brotherhood marched out of the classroom, strutting like fighting cocks.
But as soon as they'd left the teaching building, Doug's next words knocked the wind out of the seven swaggering guys.
"Um... could everyone wait for me a moment?" Doug said awkwardly, his face a little red.
"What's wrong?" Shavin asked. Zhang Tie had noticed that when Shavin was nervous about an impending fight, the tip of his nose turned a little red.
"My stomach's a bit uncomfortable. I need to go take a dump!" After saying this, Doug nearly buried his head in his crotch. "Um... I think there was something wrong with breakfast this morning... and, well, I just took my pants off all of a sudden... my stomach got a little cold. It's really hard to hold it in, and if we fight in a bit, it'll affect my combat power..."
The remaining six members of the Airplane Brotherhood stared at one another, and Doug brought them all right back down to earth. The fat guy Barry opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he could only say helplessly, "Hurry up. We'll wait!"
Everyone waited outside the bathroom for Doug for ten long minutes, helpless and glum. When Doug finally came out, he looked refreshed and full of vigor, while the morale of Zhang Tie and the others had already fallen from ninety to around sixty.
"Come on, let's go to the cafeteria and eat first. We might not even get enough food trays today..." Barry waved his hand weakly.
But when Zhang Tie and the others reached the cafeteria, they saw something they never could have imagined. Inside, Gelis and his group were surrounded by hundreds of furious students, their faces full of fear. A boy from the same grade was standing on a cafeteria table, loudly inciting the crowd...