Care from the Dragon Queen! Gu Yue's Nightmare

Gu Yue narrowed her eyes, smiling like a fox that had just stolen a treat.

Her scale would be by Lin An's side tonight.

She would be able to sense his presence every moment, and teleport to his side anytime, anywhere.

Wasn't this just being inseparable?

"Oh, right—"

She stepped closer, her expression earnest.

"You must keep it on your person at all times, don't even take it off when you shower."

"I carved an array onto it; not only will it automatically protect its master in times of danger, but it can also gather Heaven and Earth Yuan Power around the clock, which will be of great benefit to your cultivation."

Lin An was noncommittal, casually stuffing the scale into his Soul Device.

Then he turned and walked into the classroom.

Inside the classroom, the math teacher was already standing at the podium.

A thick stack of test papers was piled in front of him, and upon seeing Lin An enter, he immediately revealed a kind smile and nodded.

He watched Lin An take his seat, cleared his throat, and picked up the chalk again.

"Students—do not underestimate mathematics!"

He slammed his hand heavily on the podium, causing chalk dust to flutter down.

"In the future, you will become Battle Armor masters and mecha pilots; how will you manage without a solid theoretical foundation?"

The room was deathly silent.

A student in the first row was slumped over their desk, drool soaking a corner of their textbook.

In the second row, someone was hunched over, drawing stick figures battling soul beasts on a piece of paper.

In the third row by the window, a student had propped up their textbook to secretly nibble on an unfinished Grade C steamed bun.

The math teacher took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions.

"Yesterday afternoon, I sat in the office for three whole hours."

His voice was heavy with grief.

"Three hours, students. Not a single person... not one person came to ask me a question!"

He scanned the room, his eyes full of expectation.

"Your attitude toward learning still needs—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

The back door of the classroom was pushed open from the outside.

Bang.

The door slammed against the wall, the vibration causing the student sleeping in the first row to spring straight up from their chair.

Wu Zhangkong stood in the doorway.

His white clothes were like snow, his face as cold as frost.

He cast a cold glance at the math teacher.

"You are sick."

The math teacher pushed up his glasses, subconsciously touching his forehead.

"I'm fine, aren't I?"

He felt energetic, his pulse was steady, his body temperature was normal, and his throat didn't hurt either.

Wu Zhangkong turned to look at the entire class, adding the second half of his sentence without looking back.

"You are now."

Beep.

The math teacher's communicator rang.

He looked down to see a notification popping up on the screen.

[East Sea Academy Infirmary: Mandatory Physical Examination Notice]

"Detected by the Campus Health Screening System: your heart rate is fluctuating abnormally. It is recommended that you proceed to the infirmary immediately for a comprehensive physical examination. This notice has been CC'd to the Dean's Office; failure to undergo the examination by the deadline will result in a deduction of this month's performance bonus."

The math teacher's lips trembled.

He looked at his communicator, then at Wu Zhangkong's icy face, and finally back at the class.

Then he smiled.

It was a smile uglier than crying.

"Right... right... I am sick..."

He tremblingly gathered his test papers, placed the chalk back into the tray, and looked as if his soul had been drained away.

"My class has been hijacked again... what kind of trash school is this..."

His voice grew lower and lower, turning into a quiet, fragmented mutter.

"A bunch of brutes who only know how to fight... nobody values theory classes... nobody studies mathematics... how will they find jobs after graduation? If they can't even do basic arithmetic, what company would hire them? They'll just end up guarding gates or delivering takeout..."

He clutched his stack of test papers, his back hunched as he shuffled toward the door.

"Assemble on the field in one minute."

Wu Zhangkong dropped these words coldly.

"This period is changed to combat training. Everyone goes, not a single person excused."

His gaze swept across the entire class, finally landing on Lin An, where it paused for a second.

He had clearly seen this kid arrive late just moments ago.

If anyone dared to be late for his class...

He let out a cold snort, the corners of his mouth curling into a dangerous arc.

"That includes the support-type Soul Masters."

With those words, he turned and walked out of the classroom.

The classroom erupted in wails.

"Combat training again? Didn't we just have physical training yesterday?"

"It's barely morning, how are we supposed to survive this..."

"I just wanted to take a nap during math class, and even that's not allowed..."

Complaints rose one after another, yet not a single person dared to remain seated.

Wu Zhangkong's cold face standing at the door was more effective than any set of rules and regulations.

The students of Class Five dragged their feet as they shuffled outside.

Someone stole a glance in Lin An's direction and lowered their voice.

"Did you see the look Teacher Wu gave him just now? The new guy is probably in for a rough time."

"Tsk, just a power play. Who told him to make such a scene the moment he enrolled."

Gu Yue, however, looked delighted, the corners of her mouth curling up uncontrollably.

Math class? She felt a headache coming on just thinking about listening to that for another minute.

Combat training was much better; she could finish the fight quickly and then rest, and with her strength, she could handle any opponent in a few moves.

She would have plenty of time afterward—

She snuck a peek at Lin An, her mind already calculating where they could go on a date.

Sunshine, the field, sweat, and hormones—what a perfect atmosphere.

She felt as if she had wasted all those previous years; why hadn't she found the Dragon Queen sooner?

Lin An stood by his seat, his gaze fixed on the math teacher's hunched back at the door.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

I can proudly say in the future that my math was taught by the P.E. teacher.

Then, he turned his head and glanced at Gu Yue.

The silver-haired girl was immersed in pink fantasies about "where to go on a date later," her eyes sparkling and a sweet smile on her face.

Lin An opened his Soul Device with an expressionless face and began pulling things out.

One book.

Two books.

Five books.

Ten books.

Before Gu Yue could even收敛 her smile, her arms were stuffed with a stack of books so thick they could serve as a weapon.

She instinctively looked down at the covers.

Forging Materials Science, Soul Guidance Engineering, Core Array Science, Soul Spirit Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Communication Science, Mental Connection Science, Energy Circuit Science.

The color drained from Gu Yue's face rapidly, and her head spun as if someone had struck her on the back of the skull with a club.

"W-what's wrong, An'an?"

Her voice was faint, and a sense of foreboding shot straight from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

"Memorize all of these."

Lin An's tone was as flat as if he were commenting on the weather. "These are just a small fraction of the basics. Finish memorizing these in the next two days, and I'll give you the rest."

"Huh? All... all of these?"

Gu Yue's voice spiked an entire octave, her throat cracking.

She casually grabbed the book on Forging Materials Science from the top of the pile and flipped it open.

The table of contents alone spanned over a dozen major chapters and hundreds of material classifications, with the characteristic parameters for each material densely packed across several pages.

This was on an entirely different level from the play-pretend nonsense taught at school.

No, even the so-called "core confidential technical documents" she had perused at the Spirit Pagoda were not this systematic or profound.

"Aren't you here in the human world to learn technology? To learn from the barbarians to master their techniques?"

Lin An looked at her with a suspicious expression, his brows slightly furrowed.

Logically speaking, much of this content involved the core secrets of the Universal Group and represented the world's leading standards.

There was also quite a bit that incorporated the scientific theoretical systems from his past life; Gu Yue should have treated it like a prized treasure upon seeing it.

Why was she making that face?