On the competition platform, all four members of Class Three had been taken out.
Yet the other three members of Class Five had not even all made a move.
Lu Chen dusted off his hands, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.
This match was way too easy!
Lu Chen turned to Xie Xie and Tang Wulin with an awkward smile and scratched his head.
He had been so focused on ending the fight quickly that he had forgotten to give the others a chance to shine.
Throughout the entire match, he and Gu Yue had been the only two to act.
Xie Xie had not even had time to release his Martial Soul, while Tang Wulin had stood off to the side as a backdrop the whole time, never getting anywhere near the fight.
After stepping off the competition platform, the group returned to the dormitories together.
Xie Xie had been excitedly thinking about dragging Lu Chen and the others out for a proper celebration that evening, but when he reached the dormitory doorway, he saw Lu Chen already sitting cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed as he began cultivating.
He stopped dead in his tracks. The excitement on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by a hint of shame.
Brother Lu was working so hard. How could I still be thinking about going out to have fun?
Without another word, Xie Xie tiptoed over beside Lu Chen, sat down cross-legged, and followed his example, beginning to cultivate in earnest.
Seeing this, Gu Yue and Tang Wulin each found a spot and began their own cultivation as well.
The dormitory instantly fell silent, leaving only the steady breathing of the four of them.
Unfortunately, that peace did not last long.
Suddenly, someone pounded hard on the dormitory door, and Wang Hu's voice came from outside, tinged with anxiety and panic. "Brother Lu! This is bad! Something big has happened!"
Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes, raising his eyebrows slightly.
Wang Hu's voice grew louder, carrying a note of disbelief. "Brother Lu, a whole group of people has shown up outside, and they've brought mechas! From the looks of it, they're no small fry! They're holding photos of you guys and making a scene at the school gates, demanding that the school hand you over!"
Lu Chen's expression stilled, and a cold smile curled his lips.
He had thought that Guang Biao would not be so brainless.
After all, quite a few people had seen Long Tianwu arrive with military personnel the previous night.
Anyone with eyes could tell that the military was backing this matter, yet he still dared to come to the school and cause trouble so brazenly.
But on second thought, Lu Chen felt it made sense.
He had to admit, Guang Biao really was a good older brother.
For his younger brother's sake, he had dared to leap into such an obvious pit.
Unfortunately, he had done a thoroughly inadequate job as an older brother.
He drew a salary funded by ordinary citizens and enjoyed the honors bestowed by the Federation, yet allowed his younger brother to run rampant outside and bully ordinary people.
Now that his younger brother had been beaten, instead of reflecting on his brother's wrongdoing, he was thinking of using such overbearing methods to avenge him.
Someone like that would only remain a scourge if left alone.
Wait, I don't think I told Teacher Wu, did I?
Lu Chen suddenly slapped his forehead, a hint of chagrin appearing on his face. "Oh no! Did we forget to tell Teacher Wu what happened yesterday?"
At his words, Xie Xie instantly snapped out of his cultivation, looking nervous. "I-I think we did! What do we do now? Can that Uncle Long from last night step in?"
"He can." Lu Chen nodded, a crafty gleam flashing through his eyes. He chuckled and said meaningfully, "But things don't seem heated enough yet. If we want to bring Guang Biao down for good, we'll need to add another log to the fire!"
"Brother Lu, y-you're trying to get him removed from his position?" Xie Xie froze for a moment, then caught on, disbelief spreading across his face.
Remove the captain of a mecha brigade?
Wasn't that way too big a step?
"What else?" Lu Chen's voice instantly turned cold, a sharp killing intent entering his gaze.
"Let scum who bully ordinary people like this continue to exist? Although people like him are common in the Federation, since we've run into him, we have to make him pay! Ideally, we should cripple him so he can never throw his weight around again!"
Overawed by Lu Chen's imposing presence, Xie Xie could not speak for a long while.
Just then, the dormitory door was pushed open from outside, and Gu Yue's voice rang out. "Let's stop talking about this for now! Hurry up and find Teacher Wu!"
She had clearly heard the commotion outside and run over from the neighboring dormitory. After knocking and hearing the voices inside, she had simply pushed the door open and walked in.
Lu Chen nodded, the chill in his eyes instantly disappearing without a trace.
As he walked out, he took out his soul communicator and quickly sent Long Tianwu a message, telling him that Guang Biao had already brought his men to make trouble at Eastsea Academy's gates.
Once that was done, Lu Chen, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin hurried to the door of Wu Zhangkong's dormitory.
They knocked softly.
Wu Zhangkong always kept a regular schedule. At this hour, he should have been cultivating.
Sure enough, before long, the dormitory door opened from within.
Wu Zhangkong wore a white sleeping robe, his hair somewhat disheveled and his face carrying a touch of languor from having just emerged from cultivation.
He visibly paused when he saw the four standing at his door, then regained his usual cool demeanor and asked calmly, "It's so late. Did you need something? Do you have questions about your cultivation?"
Lu Chen scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed, his voice tinged with guilt. "Teacher Wu, sorry. We've caused trouble..."
He then recounted everything exactly as it had happened: how they had encountered Guang Long collecting protection money on Eastsea Snack Street the previous night, how he had taught Guang Long a lesson, and how that afternoon, Guang Long's older brother, Guang Biao, had brought men in mechas to make a scene at the school gates, demanding that the school hand them over.
Wu Zhangkong listened quietly, his face expressionless.
After Lu Chen finished, he glanced at him and fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "You lot really are getting more and more capable. Still, Lu Chen, you did the right thing. Having a sense of justice is good."
With that, he turned back into his dormitory. Without even changing his clothes, still wearing that white sleeping robe, he strode toward the school gates.
His retreating figure remained as aloof and proud as ever, yet carried a strength that put people at ease.
Lu Chen let out a breath of relief. Wu Zhangkong always seemed able to give her a sense of dependability.
Lu Chen followed behind Wu Zhangkong, but his thoughts had wandered off somewhere.
Wu Zhangkong... yes, thankfully, I transmigrated into Douluo III. If I'd run into someone like Xuan Zi or Yu Xiaogang instead, I'd have nowhere even to cry.
Still, if he had transmigrated into either of those two eras, he would probably have stayed far away from anyone from Shrek Academy.
This Eastsea mecha brigade captain really was quite brazen. He had actually unfurled a huge banner reading, "A life for a life! Hand over the murderer!"
Behind it was a mass of mechas, their hands holding plenty of weapons, with roughly two hundred people in all.