Chapter 42
Chapter 42: Back Row by the Window, The King's Homeland
5 minutes ago…
Class 3, Year 3.
Unlike before, when the room was empty save for survivors huddled in corners—
The layout of this classroom had now shifted in an eerie, inexplicable way.
The previously scattered desks and chairs had been automatically repositioned by some unseen force, arranged into 4 neat rows of 4, corresponding to 16 seats.
Yet what made the skin crawl was that there were only 13 desk sets inside the classroom.
The 3 positions in the very back row had chairs but no desks, as though reserved for certain invisible "classmates."
Only the seat by the window had both a desk and a chair.
The next second.
A figure exuding effortless cool ignored every pair of staring eyes in the room and walked straight to that seat, dropping himself into it without a second thought.
He spread open his black school jacket, baring his firm chest. His long legs crossed and propped up onto the desktop.
The chair tilted backward at a perfectly calibrated half-reclined angle, swaying slightly with the shift of his weight.
Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out a slip of notepad paper, and pressed it over his face.
And went to sleep.
This person was none other than Jiang Nan.
After being inexplicably teleported to the locker room and then guided here by that Guide—
He had zero awareness of being a Transfer Student, treating this place as his own personal chamber.
……
On the podium.
Lu Shiyan held a cigarette between his fingers, brow furrowed slightly as he watched the man with the notepad slip over his face.
‘This guy… truly a one-of-a-kind individual.’
Indeed—it was he and Yekaterina who had gone downstairs to meet them earlier.
Only…
This person named Jiang Nan had an absurdly inflated sense of self-importance.
He hadn't said a single word the entire time, letting the bespectacled girl beside him handle all communication.
That domineering, lordly aura of his—even women would have to yield to him.
‘And he's far too cold-blooded toward his own people.’
‘To make a subordinate wait for someone who will never come.’
Lu Shiyan thought back to the chubby boy left behind in the locker room.
That locker room was a trap point along a mandatory route—Wandering Corpses frequently appeared there.
Besides that…
He would absolutely never be able to wait for that Sensory-Type Ability User to arrive.
Because inside the school, if anyone violated the rules, everyone would face punishment… But that punishment was random, and whoever was selected would naturally end up…
"Hah."
Lu Shiyan let out a sigh, flicking the ash from his cigarette.
‘Forget it. Maybe this person's combat ability is exceptionally strong—why should an old man like me stick his nose in?’
With that thought, he turned his gaze toward Liu Yuqing, seated in the center of the front row, and asked in a probing tone.
"Hey, young lady."
"That companion of yours—the one called Wang Meng—he must be very capable, right? Otherwise, why would your boss dare leave him there alone?"
Liu Yuqing was cleaning her glasses. Without looking up, she gave a flat reply.
"Not capable."
"Maybe just slightly more durable than a regular person."
"…"
"Not capable? Then why did your boss leave him there? Isn't he afraid he'll die?"
Lu Shiyan couldn't make sense of it.
"The boss's orders are orders!"
Liu Yuqing replied coldly, her tone that of a fervent devotee.
"…"
Lu Shiyan was momentarily at a loss for words.
She was clearly brushing him off.
So he switched to a warm, approachable smile and attempted to appeal to emotions.
"Young lady, no need to be so hostile."
"I'm also a Huaxia person—we're practically from the same homeland."
"In a place like this, fellow countrymen should help one another. I'm not a bad person."
"Hmph!"
She didn't mind him bringing it up—but the moment he did, Liu Yuqing let out a cold snort.
"Fellow countrymen stab each other in the back!"
"In this apocalypse, who knows whether you—someone living side by side with people from Sakura Nation—might be a rare traitor? Stop trying to get cozy with me!"
With that, Liu Yuqing raised her middle finger and delivered an internationally recognizable gesture of goodwill.
"Get lost!"
Yu Shishi, seated beside her, chimed in, pulling a face.
“Nyah nyah nyah!...Disgusting old man! You can't fool us!"
"The boss said—one look at you and it's obvious you're no good!"
"I…"
Lu Shiyan's scalp prickled with fury, a vein throbbing at his temple.
If he could, he would love to channel his inner brawler right now and unleash a fully charged haymaker on these 2 girls who didn't know their place.
But… they weren't entirely wrong.
He did have intentions of fishing for information.
What infuriated him most, though, was—what about his face screamed "bad person?"
He was clearly a witty, elegant, weathered, and intriguing-looking handsome older man, wasn't he?
In search of validation, he turned toward Yekaterina, who was seated in front of Jiang Nan, and pointed at his own face.
"Yekaterina, in all honesty—do I look like a bad person?"
Yekaterina glanced at him coolly and gave a sincere nod.
"Lu, a person must have self-awareness."
"Your face, in a Su Nation prison, is the kind that gets locked up without even needing a trial."
"…"
Lu Shiyan completely broke.
He said nothing more, silently turning away and retreating to a corner of the podium, where he began drawing little circles on the surface.
……
Below the podium.
Liu Yuqing watched Lu Shiyan's deflated back, eyes narrowing slightly.
Her mouth had been sharp, but her heart remained vigilant.
This older man and that white-haired woman—their true strength was unfathomable.
She then shifted her gaze to the 2 women standing on the podium.
They were dressed in "teacher uniforms."
One was Chen Tong, clumsily wrestling with her tie, wearing a black-silk pencil skirt, clearly flustered and nervous.
The other was a woman with bandages wrapped around her thigh, sharp-featured and cold-eyed.
At this moment, a petite girl was crouching beside the sharp-featured woman.
Her hands radiated a soft white glow as she treated the gunshot wound on the woman's leg.
【Appraisal!】
Liu Yuqing pushed her glasses up, triggering her skill.
——————
【Name】: Kujo Ran
【Race】: Human
【Body Composite Data】: Grade F+
【Status】: Critically Injured (Recovering…)
【Aptitude】: Grade D
【Ability】:
Eagle Eye (Grade C): Possesses extraordinary dynamic visual acuity and perceptive capability.
…..
【Name】: Hoshino Hikari
【Race】: Human
【Body Composite Data】: Grade F-
【Status】: Healthy
【Aptitude】: Grade D
【Ability】:
Healing Light (Grade B): Can rapidly heal external wounds without cost, capable of even regrowing severed limbs.
——————
‘Judging by the names… 2 people from Sakura Nation… and both have abilities.’
Liu Yuqing rubbed her chin.
Recalling the wrecked Humvee at the school gate and the heavy weaponry mounted on it—
‘These two are very likely military personnel from Sakura Nation.’
‘That one called Kujo—her eyes are dangerous. I'll need to be extra careful around her going forward.’
With the analysis complete…..
Liu Yuqing turned her gaze toward Chen Tong on the podium, still struggling with her button.
As a former language teacher, Chen Tong's figure was stunning.
But faced with so many unsettling students and unknown dangers right now, she was visibly shaken, hands trembling.
"Teacher Chen."
Liu Yuqing offered quiet reassurance. "Don't be afraid. The boss is right down there keeping watch."
"Just think of it as giving a lesson to a bunch of little troublemakers. If anyone acts out of line, the boss will deal with them."
Hearing this, Chen Tong instinctively glanced at the sleeping figure in the back row, and the panic in her chest settled considerably.
……
At the same time.
Yekaterina, seated 2nd from the last in the row, turned around and fixed her gaze on Jiang Nan behind her.
This man…
How had he killed that Starving Wraith so effortlessly?
And how had he peeled the hide off an S-Grade supernatural entity and fashioned it into a vehicle wrap?
As a woman of the warrior nation, she harbored a natural reverence and desire to conquer the strong.
Her immense curiosity had kindled a deep fascination with Jiang Nan.
"Hello."
Yekaterina took the initiative to speak.
"Allow me to introduce myself—my name is Yekaterina."
"From Su Nation."
"My mother is from Su Nation; my father is from Huaxia."
"In other words… I'm half-Huaxia."
She confidently swept a strand of white hair from beside her ear, revealing her flawless profile.
However.
Jiang Nan didn't even lift his head, let alone open his eyes.
His hand came away from his face in what appeared to be a casual flick.
Thwap.
A slip of notepad paper landed squarely on Yekaterina's sharp, elegant nose.
Yekaterina blinked, startled.
Slightly annoyed, she peeled the slip off.
When she read what was written on it, her brows shot straight up, and her deep blue eyes blazed with fury.
Because there was only 1 bold, forceful character written on it.
【Get Lost.】
"You…"
Yekaterina ground her silver teeth.
She considered herself devastatingly beautiful—even in Su Nation's military academy, she was the universally acknowledged Snow Goddess.
There was no shortage of admirers lining up just to exchange a single word with her.
This man—was actually telling her to get lost?!
Yet she didn't know.
In Jiang Nan's eyes, she was nothing more than a joke.
‘Women?’
‘Sorry—they only slow down the speed of my draw.’
Jiang Nan had never placed any particular premium on appearance.
As long as one's looks were above average, as long as they were kind, obedient, and not a sanctimonious saint—that was sufficient.
What? You're asking why Chen Tong was so beautiful?
With a figure like that?
That was the exception.
That was the boss's privilege.
That was because he, Jiang Nan, had gone soft.
Right at that moment.
A male Sakura Nation student seated beside Yekaterina, across the aisle, suddenly had his gaze pulled toward the sight on the podium.
He licked his cracked lips, eyes locked on Chen Tong as she straightened her stockings.
"Yoshi…"
The boy let out an utterly vile sound of approval.
His gaze roamed over Chen Tong without restraint, and he even began reaching out to make some obscene gesture.
However.
What he didn't know was—
This was the last sound he would ever make in his life.
Back row by the window.
Jiang Nan's eyes remained closed, the notepad slip on his face rising and falling gently with each breath.
But his right hand, resting on his leg, slowly lifted.
Thumb raised, index finger extended straight.
Aimed at the back of that boy's head—he formed the shape of a Finger-Gun.
“Bang.”
Jiang Nan's lips moved the tiniest bit, silently mouthing 1 word.
The next second.
Splat!!
Like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer.
The Sakura Nation boy, mid-fantasy, had his head explode in an instant.
Red and white matter splattered outward, drenching the person beside him.
The headless body swayed once, then collapsed with a thud beneath the desk.
Dead silence blanketed the room.
Jiang Nan's finger gently blew a puff of air. A slip of notepad paper drifted out from his hand.
His lazy, indifferent inner voice came through.
【My woman—and you dare look?】