Recording, sealed away

"Him?" A teacher nearby scoffed. "The Nest Cult probably wouldn't even consider him. They want to kill Su Mu, what is he? A piece of trash who barely made it to the fourth level. They wouldn't even give him a second glance."

That was a strong statement, but no one refuted it.

They had originally considered Wang Hao as one of the school's most prominent figures.

After all, it's an S-rank core card, a martial soul-themed card, and his family has invested millions in its development; the military is also paying attention to it.

Before Ye Qingxue and Su Mu appeared, he was indeed the most promising prospect of Rongcheng No. 1 High School this year.

But now, at this moment, that image has completely crumbled.

A person who, out of jealousy, cursed his classmate to die during the college entrance examination.

A person who, instead of worrying about his fellow countrymen, gloats during a cult attack.

"And the person he's going to deal with is Su Mu."

The head of student affairs spoke slowly, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity, "That provincial champion who could Leaping over the Dragon Gate... Su Mu is the true face of our school, someone who might not be surpassed for many years to come. And then Wang Hao..."

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood.

Wang Hao was jealous of Su Mu.

Wang Hao wanted to kill Su Mu.

Wang Hao is dead.

Su Mu survived, won first place in the province, and made it to the Dragon Gate.

Zhao Jianguo remained silent. He stared at the frozen image on the electronic board for a long time. Then he reached out and turned off the video.

"This video is to be archived." His voice was low and cold. "The association should also have a backup, but Rongcheng No. 1 High School will not keep a copy or distribute it."

"What about Wang Hao's parents...?" the head of the teaching department asked.

Zhao Jianguo was silent for a moment.

He was initially worried about how to explain to Wang Hao's parents that their son had died during the college entrance examination.

How can we be tactful, how can we phrase things, and how can we make those two parents who lost their child feel less pain?

But now.

"Tell the truth," Zhao Jianguo said calmly, "Wang Hao was attacked by the Nest Cult during the fourth stage of the college entrance examination and died."

He paused.

"I won't say much more about the rest. Especially the definition of a warrior. I guess since this just happened, the association is handling it uniformly, and they will review the details later. This kind of person can't possibly be considered a warrior."

The group exchanged glances and nodded.

I no longer feel that anxiety.

A person who curses their fellow countrymen to die in the examination hall is not worth a second thought.

Zhao Jianguo turned around and took one last look in the direction of the school gate. Night had completely fallen, and the light from the streetlights fell on the empty playground, quiet and desolate.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Let's go. We're going to Su Mu's house tomorrow.

A sumptuous dinner.

Braised pork belly, steamed fish, stir-fried vegetables, pork rib soup, and a plate of sliced fruit. There were more dishes on the table than during Chinese New Year; the plates were packed tightly together, barely enough room to fit everything.

Su Mu sat at the dining table, looking at the dishes on the table, and then glanced at his aunt who was still busy in the kitchen.

My aunt was standing in front of the stove, holding a spatula in one hand and her phone to her ear in the other, her smile almost overflowing from the receiver.

"Yes, yes, first in the province! First in the whole province! Yes, yes, that first in the province... Oh, would I lie to you? The Education Bureau has confirmed it... Haha, not at all, it's all thanks to the child's hard work..."

Su Mu picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork, and put it in his mouth. The pork was stewed until tender and flavorful, with a savory aroma and a hint of sweetness.

My aunt dialed another number.

"Hey? Second sister! I have something to tell you. Our Su Mu got first place in the province's college entrance exam! Yes, first place! First place out of hundreds of thousands of test takers in the whole province!... What? Who told you that? I told you myself, how could it be false?... Haha, okay, okay, I'll treat you to dinner another day..."

Su Mu listened intently, eating his meal bite by bite, while his aunt kept making phone calls.

He knew why his aunt was so excited.

Over the years, my aunt never remarried and raised my cousin and him all by herself.

During the day, I work in the logistics department of the Alliance, and at night I do odd jobs sewing and mending armor. My hands are covered in calluses.

My relatives have been gossiping about me a lot behind my back.

Some people say she's foolish for raising someone else's child.

Some people say she's biased, treating her nephew better than her own daughter.

Some people said even harsher things... that she raised Su Mu so that someone would take care of her in her old age, and that Su Mu took away the resources that should have belonged to her cousin.

The year my cousin got into Jinghua University, my aunt was so happy that she invited all the relatives to dinner.

Then someone at the dinner table said, "Your daughter is very promising, but if it weren't for supporting that nephew, she probably could have done even better on the exam."

My aunt immediately threw down her chopsticks.

"Su Mu is my son," she said. "Anyone who dares to say such a thing again should cut ties with him."

The meal ended unhappily. From then on, my aunt's relationship with those relatives became much more distant.

But Su Mu knew that although his aunt didn't show it on the surface, she was definitely angry inside. She just didn't want him to know, and didn't want him to feel burdened.

So now, Su Mu didn't interrupt her.

He just listened.

Listening to my aunt repeat the words "first in the province" over and over again, listening to her laugh out loud on the phone, listening to her finally let out all the pent-up frustration she had accumulated over the years.

Aunt hung up the phone and turned around to see Su Mu looking at her.

"What are you looking at? Eat your food." She glared at him, then sat down herself and picked up her chopsticks. But before she'd even taken a couple of bites, she dialed another number.

"Hello? Mom! I have something to tell you..."

Su Mu lowered his head and continued eating.

After a while, Auntie put down her phone and frowned.

"What's wrong with your cousin? She hasn't been answering the phone."

Su Mu swallowed the food in his mouth. "My cousin called earlier. She said her school is organizing a trip to the secret realm in the next few days, so she's probably busy with related matters."

Auntie sighed, "Really, at such an important time."

Su Mu smiled and said, "Auntie, let's eat first. The food's getting cold."

Auntie waved her hand. "No rush, no rush, let's make a few more calls. You eat first."

Su Mu nodded, picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks and put it in his bowl, then remembered something.

"Auntie, I'll eat first, then I'll go take care of the dungeon stuff."

"You go about your business, you go about your business." Auntie's face lit up with a smile. "Auntie's happy now, let's make a few more phone calls."

After finishing his meal, Su Mu helped clear the dishes and then returned to his room.