"There was."
Xie Xi chuckled lightly: "When the rescue team came to collect the bodies, they gave me two slaps—because I tried to use my hands to put out the flames on him.
I was really stupid back then. When I panicked, I even forgot the most basic fog knowledge the academy taught."
"What about your parents? Wouldn't they protect you?"
Liu Ziming interjected.
"My parents were in the fortress command center the entire time."
Xie Xi's voice carried indescribable complexity: "Watching their daughter struggle on the brink of death through surveillance screens.
They would indeed protect me.
When I was truly about to die.
Liu Ziming opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Su Zhan's eyes narrowed.
So harsh?
Or rather, so capable of hardening their hearts.
"They said this was helping me adapt to the real battlefield."
Xie Xi undid her wrist guard, revealing a vicious scar on her wrist.
The newly grown flesh still showed pinkish color.
It looked particularly stark against her pale skin.
Xie Xi's voice lowered: "But when I trembled in pain in my dorm room at midnight, what I heard was them discussing my combat data next door."
Feng Jue spoke: "Do you hate them?"
"No."
Xie Xi raised her head: "I understand them. In this world, you either grow stronger or die. They just made me see this truth earlier.
The day before returning to the academy, my parents asked me what I had gained.
I said I learned three things.
First, always fasten your armor tightly.
Second, when hearing strange sounds, take cover first then observe.
Third—only those who survive are qualified to grow stronger."
Everyone fell silent.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
What Xie Xi described was something they would most likely experience in the future.
Because they were students of Vermilion Bird Academy.
After graduation, there was a 95% probability they would need to engage with the battlefield.
Su Zhan thought of someone.
Qin Bai, who hadn't experienced the battlefield.
But that was because Qin Bai's efficiency in tracking aberrations internally was high. With the enhancement of hatred, his effectiveness internally often exceeded what it would be externally.
As for others...
Since they enjoyed Daxia's resource allocation, they must contribute something to Daxia.
Otherwise...
Su Zhan had heard of Vermilion Bird Academy's rules, or rather, the rules of Daxia's five major awakener academies.
After graduation, except under special circumstances, students must serve three years of military service, guarding the border fortresses for three years.
After completing military service.
Whether to remain in the military or work in other units was their own choice.
But most people would still stay in the military.
Danger and opportunity coexisted.
In this non-peaceful era, the importance of the military needed no explanation.
Staying in the military offered unlimited prospects.
"Wait! I remember now!"
Liu Ziming slapped his forehead: "That old thing Dean Li is at Lingnan Fortress, right?"
Xie Xi nodded slightly: "Yes, he's there."
"How is he?"
Liu Ziming pressed: "He's guarding the fortress there, life imprisonment, atoning for his crimes through merit..."
"Met him a few times."
Xie Xi's eyes showed recollection: "Seems quite honest, works very seriously, extremely strong, has made significant contributions to Lingnan Fortress."
Liu Ziming thoughtfully rubbed his chin: "Never expected that old thing to be quite honest..."
Su Zhan's eyebrows rose slightly.
Exiled to Lingnan.
These four words had transformed from movies he'd seen in his previous life into reality.
"Brother Su, what did you do during winter break?"
Xu Hao asked at this moment.
"Me?"
Seeing this, Su Zhan began narrating leisurely.
Just omitting the part where Qin Bai suspected him.
After finishing.
"So..."
Xu Hao summarized: "Brother Su, your winter break... was spent catching people with the Aberrant Purge Division?"
Liu Ziming immediately said: "Wait! You mean that Du Shanhe case? I saw news reports about this, damn! So you were with Qin Bai? That Qin Bai who holds immense hatred toward aberrations?"
"Right."
Su Zhan nodded: "You know him?"
"No, no."
Liu Ziming waved his hand: "Just heard of him slightly."
Feng Jue said calmly: "And the execution ground."
Xie Xi asked: "You participated in the executions?"
"Just observed."
Su Zhan replied calmly.
Xie Xi stared into his eyes for several seconds: "...No wonder the smell of blood on you is so strong."
Hearing this, Su Zhan lowered his head to smell his clothes.
Was it that obvious?
Why couldn't he smell it himself?
"Wait wait wait!"
Liu Ziming frantically rubbed his hair: "That's not the point! You're saying those company people would rather risk being bitten to death by aberrations than lose their jobs? What kind of devil companies are these!"
"Stupid."
Feng Jue evaluated coldly.
But Xie Xi seemed thoughtful: "No, they had no choice."
Su Zhan clearly didn't expect Liu Ziming's focus to be on this matter.
But upon reflection, it made sense.
After all, Young Master Liu's family ran a company, and it was among Daxia's top hundred enterprises.
Naturally, he'd be more sensitive to such matters.
Liu Ziming continued: "Also, those who were executed..."
"Deserved their punishment."
Su Zhan interrupted him: "Colluding with aberrations, under Daxia law, all receive death sentences without any room for leniency."
"Mm."
Xu Hao nodded, then changed the subject: "Speaking of which, after a month has passed, what realms is everyone at? I didn't break through during winter break, Dew Realm fifth stage, but already at the peak."
Liu Ziming shrugged: "I already said earlier, also Dew Realm fifth stage peak."
Feng Jue said calmly: "Dew Realm sixth stage."
Hearing this, Liu Ziming instantly jumped up: "Stone-face, well done you, acting all silent and reserved, actually secretly grinding without drawing our attention, right? You even broke through one stage during winter break."
Feng Jue rolled his eyes, borrowing Su Zhan's earlier words: "Young Master Liu would do better if he fooled around less."
"Hey, I..."
Liu Ziming instantly became displeased upon hearing this.
But his actions were interrupted by Xie Xi's words: "I also broke through one stage, now Dew Realm seventh stage."
Liu Ziming: (ꐦÒ‸Ó)
Su Zhan nodded in agreement: "Same here, now Dew Realm seventh stage."
Liu Ziming: (／_＼)
Looking utterly defeated.
Xu Hao's eyes flickered, his hands clenching into fists.
Like Liu Ziming, he hadn't made any breakthroughs during winter break.
Now he was already two minor stages behind the strongest in the group.
A sense of crisis couldn't help but rise in his heart.
Xie Xi's eyes lit up: "Su Zhan, any aspirations for this semester?"
"I haven't been to the academy's mission hall yet, planning to take on some missions for fun"
Su Zhan said half-truthfully: "After all, practical combat is the best teacher. Just cultivating won't raise realms quickly—it needs to be combined with life-and-death struggles to achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Half-truth referred to his previous statement.
Half-falsehood—after cultivating for so long, he discovered that his aberration form's strength advancement was much simpler than his awakener form.
To rapidly increase strength in a short time.
Grinding monsters in the fog was the best choice.
Currently, his aberration form was only low-risk fifth stage, but... as long as he found a good grinding spot, his strength would skyrocket, even surpassing enhancement drugs.
His current situation wasn't optimistic.
Actually, Su Zhan had two choices.
First, completely abandon his aberration identity. After all, he didn't need to hunt humans like other aberrations. As long as he didn't use this ability, the risk of exposure would greatly decrease.
Second, as he just said, rapidly increase his strength through his aberration form to achieve self-protection.
The former meant escaping, hiding, concealing.
The latter meant increasing exposure risk while rapidly boosting strength to protect himself through power.
The former had lower risk, the latter higher risk.
But...
Su Zhan laughed inwardly.
The first method wasn't his style.
Rather than praying enemies won't discover him, better to possess the strength to defeat them!