Look at Yu Sheng

Everyone fell silent as they listened to Liu Qingfeng.

Even now, they had no idea what the Human Race's four passes truly represented, just as they knew nothing of the mysterious Sin City.

They would never understand the cruelty of reality merely by hearing others talk about it.

Some might still dismiss Liu Qingfeng's words, while others might seriously reflect on them and change.

But...

What a teacher could do was strip away the mistakes of his own life and pass every last bit of valuable experience on to his students.

Those who believed him would benefit greatly.

Those who did not had only their own fate to face.

Perhaps one day, at some particular moment, they would recall Liu Qingfeng's earnest, solemn words in this dilapidated factory and suddenly come to their senses.

But by then, it would already be too late.

"Get some rest."

"The assessment continues tomorrow."

Liu Qingfeng leaned against the moss-covered wall, his eyes closed, and spoke flatly.

Yet most of the students were still standing.

Though tired and hesitant, they still regarded the place with distaste.

"Sir, I... I'm not tired."

Zhao Zicheng spoke awkwardly.

Liu Qingfeng slowly opened his eyes in the darkness and looked at Zhao Zicheng and the other two without joy or sorrow. "You call this dirty?"

"Have you ever slept in a pile of severed hands and feet?"

"Do you know what it feels like when every time you sleep, you might never open your eyes again?"

"To still be alive, to still be able to lie down without worrying about your life-that's already the greatest happiness in the world."

"Of course, if you only want to be ordinary people, members of the public who are served, then it doesn't matter."

"But since you've come here wanting resources and privileges others can't enjoy, yet don't want to endure hardship, you might as well go straight home."

"I don't expect you to become heroes of the Human Race."

"But I don't want you... to become a disgrace to the Human Race, either."

The teachers from the other two schools watched Liu Qingfeng from the corner, something hard to define in their eyes as they sank into their memories.

In this world, what combat-capable awakened person hadn't faced death a few times?

For a moment, heroic spirit surged.

"All of you, sit the fuck down!"

"Look at Yu Sheng! He sat down as soon as he came in!"

"Isn't he better than every single one of you?"

"Have you seen the slightest arrogance in him?"

The students exchanged looks, their gazes settling on Yu Sheng. Finally, they gritted their teeth and sat down with the stubbornness unique to youth.

Then...

Under everyone's eyes, Yu Sheng stood up.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew rather strange.

Do you hate the sight of us that much?

Fuck!

"Bathroom."

Yu Sheng offered this calm explanation, then walked out of the factory with both hands in his pockets.

The factory was rather dark now, and after just a few steps, his figure vanished from everyone's sight.

Only Liu Qingfeng, in the corner, had a faint flash of blue-green pass through his eyes as he watched the direction Yu Sheng had gone, looking thoughtful.

"Actually, Yu Sheng's just a little quiet most of the time."

"He's a pretty good guy, though."

Suddenly sounding rather reflective, Zhao Zicheng spoke with a sigh, a hint of world-weariness in his eyes.

Yang Ruoxin raised her head and said quietly, "He's a good guy? In what specific ways?"

Zhao Zicheng: ...

For a moment, he couldn't help feeling a little sad.

It looks like there's still a big gap between Dad and me after all.

He remembered that his father liked praising people while looking at their retreating backs, usually with similar wording.

He had tried it once on a whim, never expecting it to work so poorly.

He vaguely remembered that whenever his father said things like that, everyone from the Guard Bureau around him would earnestly chime in with agreement.

Just after stepping out through the factory's main entrance, Yu Sheng stopped, shifted to the right, and leaned into a corner.

Right above his head was a compact, finely made surveillance camera, disguised to resemble an old swallow's nest.

But a close look would still reveal a tiny red light blinking inside.

He unfastened the wrist crossbow on his arm and held it in his hand.

Yu Sheng waited roughly three seconds before silently turning and slipping back through the entrance. His movements were extremely quick; in a flash, he had melted back into the darkness.

His route was strange. He always managed to keep himself well hidden in the darkness, and every sudden turn took him precisely into a hidden camera's blind spot.

It was as though he knew exactly how many cameras there were in this dilapidated factory and where they all were.

Finally...

Yu Sheng stopped outside the rusty iron door and leaned against the wall. Even his breathing grew quieter, and his ears twitched slightly.

"Do you have any information on Liu Qingfeng?"

Monitor A watched the screen and asked after a moment's thought.

Monitor B shook his head. "No, but judging by his earlier conversation with that dumbass, he probably came back from Demon-Suppressing Pass too."

"He's a competent teacher."

"Keeping him here is a waste of his talent."

"I think we could mention it to the higher-ups and see if they can transfer him to the provincial capital."

"His approach to teaching is very meaningful."

Monitor A's expression was solemn and utterly serious.

Monitor B nodded in agreement. Clearly, they had also heard Liu Qingfeng's words to the students outside very clearly.

Soon, the room fell silent again.

Yu Sheng tilted his head slightly, as though thinking about something, then put away the crossbow in his hand and turned to leave.

He never pushed the door open, as though nothing had happened.

Retracing his route, he stood at the factory entrance and let himself appear on the surveillance feed, then went back as if nothing were wrong, sat down, and closed his eyes against the wall, seemingly falling asleep.

Liu Qingfeng glanced at Yu Sheng when he returned but said nothing.

For a while, the two of them were the quietest people there.

The rest were quietly discussing what tomorrow's assessment might involve, Luo Yun's unreliability, and Yu Sheng's... brutality.

Yu Sheng had only fought for a few seconds in total, yet he had already left them completely unable to entertain the thought of resisting him.

They could only hope tomorrow's assessment would be a battle of wits.

That way, they would still have a chance of winning.

After all, the Yu Sheng they had seen today didn't seem particularly bright.

Inside the surveillance room.

At some point, the school bus driver, who had been sprawled on the bed fast asleep, opened his eyes. He did not move, maintaining his previous position, only turning his head slightly to watch the surveillance feed.

Only when Yu Sheng reappeared outside the factory entrance did he close his eyes again.

Soon, his snores rang out once more.

Only Monitor A and Monitor B were still endlessly grumbling in the room about how they would definitely file a complaint against Luo Yun when they got back, listing all his unreliable antics over the past two years.

That catalog of offenses became the best conversation material for passing the time that night.