It had been more than twenty days since Li Wei last came to Franklin K. Lane High School.
When he came this time, he found the school was still just as shitty as ever. No wonder it was a top-tier high school that had seen a school shooting in the 1990s.
As Brooklyn's most notorious high school, it had as many as five police cars parked outside on the day of its entrance placement exam.
There was one more metal detector than the last time he'd been here, to handle today's unusually large crowds.
"Do you want to think it over again?"
Inside the Toyota, Don Quixote watched several tattooed high schoolers pass through the metal detector, then turned to Li Wei.
"Think about what?" Li Wei turned back to him. "Think about whether I should switch schools?"
"Right." Don Quixote nodded. "Although this is the only public high school you're assigned to based on our current address, if you prepare for another month, you might be able to transfer to a Specialized High School. You'd only have to go down one grade."
Specialized High Schools were schools that weren't assigned based on school districts. They were designed for high school students with particular academic or artistic talents, and students from all over New York could apply.
Stuyvesant and the Bronx High School of Science were examples.
Li Wei turned to look at his classmates, who now seemed a little like chicks to him.
He felt that with just a bit more strength, he could probably crush their wrists.
"Probably no need for that, right?" He smiled. "Do you think anyone will bring a gun into the school?"
"Generally, they won't. Didn't you see the metal detectors at the entrance?" Don Quixote pointed toward the security guards. "Besides, New York is relatively safe."
Unlike states like Colorado and Texas, where gun laws were exceptionally lax, New York City enforced extremely strict security protocols at public schools. More than eighty high schools had metal detectors at their entrances, and last year, over fifteen guns were confiscated by scanners alone.
With police cars parked outside, American high schools really couldn't be called unsafe.
Great. That was America for you.
"But the students inside can definitely get their hands on knives and other sharp objects. There's no doubt about that," he added. "So, what do you think? Want to study for another year?"
If it was just knives and other sharp objects, Li Wei had nothing to worry about. Even his own strength, combined with a blade, couldn't cut through his Bronze Body, let alone the American high schoolers who drank so much soda their bones were probably brittle.
Besides, the more chaotic this place was, the more likely he was to trigger quests.
"No need." Li Wei gave him a thumbs-up. "Let's go."
Without waiting for Don Quixote to say anything else, he opened the car door and got out.
Don Quixote could only gather up the prepared documents and follow behind him.
"Proof of residence, utility bills, a copy of your passport..." Don Quixote handed the documents and proofs over to the administrative office one by one. "All right, that's everything."
After filing all the materials, the administrator behind the window handed Don Quixote a sheet of paper with Li Wei's name and test number on it.
"Room 3. Go ahead." Don Quixote passed the paper to Li Wei. "The entrance placement exam only has two subjects: math and English."
"I thought we'd be taking AP courses today," Li Wei said, taking the paper and looking it over. "We're not doing that today?"
"You'll take those after you finish today's exam and get placed in a class." Don Quixote patted him on the shoulder. "I'll go find the football coach and ask about the team."
Li Wei carried his bag into a small classroom. Dusty art posters were pinned to the white-tiled walls, and several number cards hung from the ceiling. More than ten desks stood inside, with a few students who looked about his age already seated.
Li Wei pulled out a desk with a sheet of white paper on it, sat down, and quietly waited for the exam to begin.
Sitting diagonally in front of him was a Latino boy wearing an oversized hoodie in the September heat. A crooked string of letters was tattooed on one side of his neck.
At that moment, he was staring at the placement test, brow furrowed.
"Hey, sir!" He raised his hand and asked in halting English, "What does 'print' your name mean? Do I have to find a printer?"
One of the proctors was a Black man who looked about as old as the school. Hearing the tattooed boy's question, he couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"Mr. Zaharis, it means write your name in capital letters. Now shut up and pick up your pencil."
Li Wei glanced over the English placement test and the math test on his desk. Just looking at the math, if students from China could understand the English, it seemed to be about the level of first or second year of middle school.
It was worlds apart from the AP courses he'd been preparing for.
Less than ten minutes after the exam began, Li Wei used his exceptionally strong mental abilities to finish more than half the math questions.
Just as he was about to check his answers before moving on to the English test, he felt someone poke him in the back.
He glanced up at the proctor, who was looking down and scrolling on his phone, then turned around.
Behind him sat a white boy with an innocent look in his eyes. When he saw Li Wei's Asian face, a hint of delight appeared in his expression. He whispered:
"Hey, man," he said. "It says math on this, but why are there letters? Aren't X and Y only in English class? Did they print the wrong test?"
?
Li Wei was silent for a second, then whispered, "That's algebra, man. The letters stand for unknowns."
"Unknowns?" The white boy looked as if he'd just heard of some kind of witchcraft. "If we don't know what they are, why are we writing them down? That makes no sense, man."
"You're a genius." Li Wei sighed and turned back around. "Put down 1. Don't ask me why."
Fifteen minutes later, as the white boy behind him tried to draw a crooked little figure on his answer sheet, Li Wei picked up his bag, stood, and handed in his test.
"If you're trying to protest school by handing in a blank test, I'd recommend thinking it over... Oh! It's you."
The proctor rambled on while scrolling through his phone, but when he looked up and saw Li Wei's Asian features, he immediately changed his tune.
"Uh... nice work. You Asians really are something." He took the test and glanced at it. "All right, you can go. We'll let you know about your class placement and what you need for enrollment later."
Li Wei politely nodded his thanks and left the classroom.
He headed toward the administrative hall, turning down two Black girls who tried to chat him up and asked for his phone number along the way. He spotted Don Quixote sitting on a bench in the waiting area.
"You're out already?" He looked up at Li Wei. "You didn't hand in a blank test, did you?"
"Come on, I could've done those questions with my eyes closed." Li Wei rolled his eyes. "What did they say about the football team?"
"They do have openings on the school team, but they're a little doubtful about your physical fitness," Don Quixote said. "At my request, the coach agreed to let you take part in the joint tryout this afternoon. Before that, though, you'll need to go to the nurse's office for a physical."
Before you continue