“Are you awake, Miss Ace?”
Luo Yang spoke with a faint smile on his lips, looking at Qiu Shubai as she slowly opened her eyes in the hospital bed.
“You...”
Qiu Shubai's vision was a bit blurry upon waking, but she still managed to recognize that clean-cut, handsome face.
“Luo Yang?”
“It's me,” Luo Yang nodded. “How do you feel? Do you need me to call the nurse outside?”
“Did I... faint yesterday?”
Luo Yang nodded slightly.
“By the time the ambulance arrived yesterday, you had already lost consciousness. The bureau has already sent people to handle the aftermath, so there's no need to worry. The doctor checked you over; there are no major issues. It was just a collapse and fainting due to blood energy exhaustion.”
He pointed to two empty blood bags hanging on the stand.
“They gave you two bags of blood yesterday, and a healing-type Punisher took care of your wounds. You should be fine now.”
Qiu Shubai pursed her lips and forced herself to sit up.
“Thank—”
Before she could finish the word 'thanks,' Luo Yang's voice beat her to it.
“Oh, right. I fronted the money for yesterday's medical expenses. I've filled out a reimbursement form for you; remember to pay me back once the bureau approves it.”
“...”
This guy!
Qiu Shubai wanted to snap at him, but a sense of helplessness rose in her heart instead.
She really wanted to criticize him, but she couldn't find a single valid point to complain about.
She couldn't exactly berate someone for asking her to pay back medical bills they had covered for her!
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions. Her gaze accidentally brushed over Luo Yang's face, and she suddenly noticed a trace of fatigue hidden deep in his eyes.
That was the exhaustion left over from Luo Yang staying up all night to handle the compensation work for Zhang Ke's sacrifice.
But Qiu Shubai didn't know the reason.
Is it because he watched over me all night?
As soon as the thought popped up, she suppressed it.
Don't flatter yourself.
After hesitating for a long time, Qiu Shubai finally retrieved something from her newly reconnected mental database that she could use to tease him.
“You... have a re-examination today, don't you?”
“...”
Now it was Luo Yang's turn to fall silent.
Ten minutes later, at the Yuanxing City Punisher Academy.
An off-road vehicle bearing the insignia of the Yuanxing City Ability Bureau came to a steady stop outside the gates.
“Let's go, we're here.”
Luo Yang and Qiu Shubai, both having changed their clothes, stepped out of the car almost simultaneously. Qiu Shubai walked in front, with Luo Yang following half a step behind her to the side.
He had always disliked being the center of public attention. If it weren't for the fact that Qiu Shubai was his re-examination examiner, he would never have walked into the academy with her.
“Whoa! Look over there! Ace Qiu is back!”
As the two walked into the academy, many students noticed this pair of handsome man and beautiful woman.
“Qiu Shubai! My goddess is as beautiful as ever!”
“I heard she took a few days off. I wonder what she was doing?”
The chatter spread through the crowd, and the focus of attention gradually shifted from the returning Qiu Shubai to Luo Yang, who was walking beside her.
“Who's that guy walking behind the Ace? He's so handsome!”
Qiu Shubai was recognized as one of the school beauties of the Punisher Academy. Her looks were naturally beyond reproach, with skin like cream and exquisite features. Even in her school uniform, which resembled a JK outfit, the pure vibe couldn't suppress her cold aura; she was the living embodiment of an ice beauty.
And while Luo Yang wasn't on any so-called school heartthrob lists, he was certainly clean-cut and handsome.
As a standard glasses-wearer, the glasses Luo Yang owned were all very refined. Today, he was wearing a pair of non-prescription glasses with a black frame accented by golden threads. Paired with his clean, understated casual clothes, he exuded the scholarly air of a gentle youth.
“You must be new, right? You don't know him? That's Luo Yang, the Luo God! The tail-ender on the Ladder Rankings!”
“What? The tail-ender? Why is my goddess walking with a guy like that?!”
“Heh, there's more to it than you know. This 'tail-ender' Luo God isn't simple. That's a rank he got by intentionally manipulating his scores! He's always exactly one point behind the second-to-last person! They say no one has ever been able to make Luo God show his true strength!”
Though he didn't like it, Luo Yang had long since grown accustomed to being talked about. After all, he was walking beside Qiu Shubai. As the Ace of the academy's Ladder Rankings, the Student Council President, and the woman known as the “unreachable flower on a high peak,” she became the center of attention wherever she went.
However, this was the first time he had heard the title “Luo God.”
He was indeed the tail-ender. And the score manipulation was also true. But that was only to avoid fights and save himself trouble and money.
As for the title, it was probably just a grand label slapped on him by those busybodies on the academy forums.
He didn't mind the complimentary nature of the name, but he wasn't a god, nor did he want to become one.
“Where are we going?” Luo Yang concentrated slightly, shifting his attention away from the surrounding onlookers.
“To the Mission Hall,” Qiu Shubai's voice remained cold. “For your re-examination.”
“Didn't I fail the theory exam? Why are we going to the Mission Hall?” Luo Yang was a bit puzzled. He was a student who excelled in practical combat and liberal arts but failed in science. Why did he need to go there for a make-up test?
Qiu Shubai stopped in her tracks. She turned to look at Luo Yang, a strange expression appearing on her pretty face.
“Because this is a special re-examination arranged by the academy. If I really gave you a test paper, could you even pass?”
Luo Yang's face instantly slumped.
“Are you questioning my learning ability? I did get a perfect score in Liberal Arts, you know!”
“A perfect score in Liberal Arts, and a single-digit score in Science?”
“...I surrender.”
Science had always been Luo Yang's greatest weakness, especially mathematics.
As a transmigrator, Luo Yang already had a clear tendency to favor certain subjects back on Earth. After coming to this world called Blue Star, the situation hadn't improved; instead, it had worsened. He went from barely being able to solve a few problems to being completely stumped.
“If all else fails, maybe I should just become a copycat author?” he muttered helplessly, looking up at the sky.
The Punisher Academies in Shenzhou generally followed an eight-year system, equivalent to a combined high school and university program. The first three years were the Junior Division, the next three were the Middle Division, and the final two were the Senior Division.
He had just turned eighteen not long ago. According to the academy's system, he had entered the first year of the Middle Division this semester. If he failed this re-examination and was forcibly demoted back to the Junior Division, it would be too embarrassing.
At this moment, long queues stretched from every window in the Mission Hall. This was a characteristic institution of the Republic of Shenzhou, a product of the collaboration between the Punisher Association and the Punisher Academy. It was the heart of every academy in Shenzhou, the place where trial missions were issued to students—the future pillars of the nation.
By accepting and completing missions here, students could obtain material rewards from the Punisher Association and, more importantly, earn credits for graduation. Even on legal holidays, the Mission Hall kept its doors open for the future of humanity.
Qiu Shubai led Luo Yang toward the far right corner. There were a few windows there with no queues; in fact, very few people were even picking up missions there.
The reason was simple: these windows were reserved exclusively for the top one hundred students on the academy's Ladder Rankings. Students ranked below one hundred did not have the authority to accept or submit missions at these windows.
Of course, with Qiu Shubai leading him today, Luo Yang could use these privileged windows with full confidence.
“Accessing student file: Luo Yang. Accepting mission K047.” Qiu Shubai pushed her student card and Luo Yang's forward. Her voice reached the clerk's ears through the speaker.
At the Yuanxing City Punisher Academy, the top three on the Ladder Rankings were qualified to serve as re-examination examiners for students who failed. Since the year they enrolled, Qiu Shubai had served as Luo Yang's examiner a total of five times.
Every single time was because Luo Yang had failed his science subjects.
“Understood, please wait a moment.”
Shortly after, a text message popped up on Luo Yang's phone.
【You have accepted the special re-examination mission, ID: K047. Please check the specific mission details on the Punisher app. Complete the mission within seven days and submit it at the academy's Mission Hall.】
【Special Reminder: Since your ability rating is 'Unmeasured,' it is recommended that you find suitable fellow students to complete this mission together to ensure your safety.】
I can find teammates?
Luo Yang took a deep breath. This was the first time he had heard of a re-examination mission allowing teammates.
“But teammates won't be easy to find. This is a special re-examination mission; where am I going to find another student in the same situation?”
It wasn't that he lacked confidence in himself, but why choose a duel when you could gank?
“Wait, the rules don't seem to state that teammates must also be students taking a re-examination. Doesn't that mean I can just find a strong enough hired gun?”
His gaze flickered back and forth between his phone screen and Qiu Shubai standing beside him. A bold idea was born.
“Having the examiner help me with the exam... the thought alone is quite a thrill...”
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