The faculty advisor for the Sea Fishing Club had finally rushed over, preventing Yuan Yuan from using force within his club.
"Calm down, Miss Yuan," the middle-aged man, Jacob, said. "Is there any problem that can't be solved through discussion? I believe if we sit down and talk, we can reach a satisfactory resolution."
"Resolution?" Yuan Yuan mused, then tilted her head. "A public apology, a letter of apology, and one broken hand should suffice—"
She glanced at Morgan. "I want the left hand."
"Yuan Yuan, stop meddling! It's not your place to demand justice!" Morgan roared. "What, have you fallen for that pretty White-named face and want to—"
He hadn't finished speaking when a streak of electric light whizzed toward him.
It happened so fast Jacob couldn't react.
Thunder cracked.
As the boom spread, the sharp point of a spear hovering inches from Morgan's nose revealed its true form: a heavy yet elegant Trident, wielded by a young man.
Delivered right to Morgan's lips.
If he so much as opened his mouth, he would taste iron.
"Morgan, if I hear one more dirty word about my cousin from your mouth, prepare to say goodbye to your tongue," the young man said with a smile, softly delivering his ultimatum.
The killing intent Yuan Zhao had accumulated in the Social Security Bureau was palpable. Even though he might be strung up and beaten by his cousin at home, when it came to the art and skill of killing, the experience points he'd gained from his Older Cousin far surpassed Yuan Yuan's.
Besides, Yuan Yuan was a first-timer at causing such mayhem; how could she be as ruthlessly efficient as a repeat offender like Yuan Zhao?
He had followed her after all.
No matter how much he disliked sticking his neck out for that Huai Shi fellow, he couldn't just let his cousin be bullied by these thugs, could he?
"Besides..." He glanced back. "The main party involved is already here, isn't he?"
Outside the Sea Fishing Club's demolished gate, at the end of the road, a bicycle suddenly appeared, kicking up a gust of wind as it rapidly approached.
It braked sharply at the entrance, almost throwing Wood Cottage off the rear seat.
"Couldn't we have taken a taxi, Teacher?" Lin Nineteen asked, rubbing his backside.
"Nonsense! You're so young and already so extravagant. We should save where we can; thrift is a virtue! Besides, it's good exercise, isn't it?" Huai Shi, on the bicycle, retorted loudly. He lifted his head, looked at the manor-like Sea Fishing Club and the scene at its entrance, and nodded.
"Yo, everyone's here."
The atmosphere grew even heavier, not lightening in the slightest with his arrival.
This made me start doubting those silly netizens. Weren't you supposed to be able to blend in with kids these days just by adding 'yo' to the end of your sentences? Why isn't it working?
"Has everyone eaten?" Huai Shi asked habitually as he propped up his bicycle. Without waiting for a response, he reached out and patted Yuan Yuan on the shoulder. "Thanks."
Yuan Yuan stiffened for a moment, then looked away, flustered.
As for Yuan Zhao... she'd pretend she hadn't seen him!
Huai Shi's gaze fell on Morgan's face. He couldn't help but stroke his chin and smile.
Morgan's face paled visibly, and he instinctively took a step back.
Jacob stepped in front of him, fixing his gaze on Huai Shi and asking, though he already knew the answer, "May I ask what brings Teacher Huai Shi here? The Sea Fishing Club does not welcome uninvited guests. Are you perhaps here to register as a member?"
"Unfortunately, I don't own a boat, and I'm not much of a fisherman. Besides, catching them is too much trouble. I prefer using explosives," Huai Shi replied. As he spoke, his hand performed Creation out of Nothing, conjuring a round bomb. It spun on his fingertips, morphing from a sphere to a cube, then to an icosahedron, as if it were dough being kneaded and shaped, finally forming a lifelike middle finger pointing directly at Jacob.
Then, as Huai Shi closed his hand, the bomb—powerful enough to blast the club's gateway sky-high—instantly disintegrated into Source Substance and vanished.
In the silence, someone finally let out a sigh of relief.
Only to hear Huai Shi's cold voice.
"I'm here for two things."
He said, "First, over the past few days, some unpleasant things have happened involving my students and my classroom."
He gazed at Jacob before him, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Do you, by any chance, have any idea what I'm referring to?"