Chapter 31 - My Mother is Poisonous
The lungs of a giant were naturally larger than average, so Hammer's scream echoed through the building, loud enough to be heard several floors below. People on the lower floors looked up, curious and confused by the commotion.
Carn snorted and let go of Hammer's leg, dropping him to the floor. Hammer writhed and squealed like a pig in a slaughterhouse.
Seeing his friend's state, Chuck hesitated, taking a shaky step back. Even as he trembled, he pointed a finger at Carn, stammering out a threat.
"Do you even know who our sponsors are?! You're dead! You're so dead!"
Carn rolled his eyes, wiping his bloody hand with a handkerchief. "Ah, yes, the classic line. Who's your dad? Boe Jiden? Tonald Drump?"
Chuck's face twisted in anger. "We're disciples of General Speedwagon! You're doomed, shrimp! Your parents will lose their jobs, you'll be kicked out of the special zone, and your family will be homeless—"
Carn didn't let him finish. He sprang forward, landing a flying knee squarely in Chuck's face, breaking his nose. The boy's face caved, and he dropped to the floor.
Walking over, Carn sat on Chuck's chest and stared down, "I see you dare to bring up parents in our fight. But instead of worrying about my parents' career, how about you worry about surviving today?"
Chuck wailed, "STOP! STOP! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"
"Why not?"
Carn's left hand pressed down on Chuck's neck while he raised his right hand, preparing to pummel him to death.
Just then, Barney rushed into the classroom, taking in the scene. "What's happening here?!"
Carn clicked his tongue and lowered his right hand. He stood up and patted his clothes, making up an excuse, "Nothing's happening. It's self-defense, sir."
Barney walked over, examining the bruised and bloodied Hammer and Chuck before glaring at Carn. "I thought you were a man of God. Is this how you show respect to the Lord? Didn't I just teach you the Ten Commandments yesterday?"
Carn raised an eyebrow. "If following the Lord means letting bullies get a free hit on me, then I'd rather be the devil and show them what hell looks like."
"This is excessive. These are your future comrades!"
"Please, they will surely backstab me the moment we set foot in a rift together."
Barney sighed. "It doesn't matter. Come with me to the disciplinary office. And as for you two, get yourselves to the infirmary!"
Carn shook his head, scoffing. His old memories resurfaced.
No matter the school, teachers reacted the same. They were quick to defend the bullies as soon as their victims finally fought back, but they shut their mouths when the bullies ran unchecked. Only when the victims took extreme measures, such as unaliving themselves or bringing a gun to school, did the teachers come out to make a statement and go silent again.
Carn wondered if the education system of this country, this world, would improve one day.
…
Disciplinary Office, 2 PM
Carn stood calmly, watching his injured peers seated on a couch with their parents. Chuck's nose had already been patched up, but he still sat there sobbing, clinging to his chubby mother. Hammer had been sent to the hospital for his broken bone, leaving only his mother present.
The two women, both visibly furious, had been yelling at Carn non-stop. However, he stared back in boredom, ignoring everything they hurled his way. They sounded like talkative apes or chimpanzees in a zoo when Carn treated the scolding as white noise.
Enduring the scolding was easy. After all, they could not physically punish him. If they did, he would have sued them to oblivion for assaulting a minor.
While enduring the noises, Carn glanced over to gauge the reactions of the dean and Barney, who were also present in the room. However, they sat calmly, watching the event and waiting for Carn's parent to arrive.
After what felt like hours of scolding, swearing, and random accusations, the office door finally opened, and Carn's mother walked in.
Wong scanned the room and found her son. Then, she saw two adult women pointing their fingers at Carn's face. She glanced over to Chuck and Carn, noticing that only the fat teen was injured.
Getting the gist of the situation, Wong looked at the two mothers and crossed her arms. She then asked the dean and Barney in her usual broken English accent, "What happened here? Why you call me?"
Barney coughed and explained, "Ma'am. Your son, Carn, has injured two of his classmates. One of them has already been sent to a hospital."
Wong nodded, "Good!"
The mothers widened their eyes. Chuck's mother yelled at Wong, "Good?! My son has gotten a broken nose! You will pay for the medical bills, rehabilitation care, therapy costs, and suffering damage costs! I want your son out of this school and your entire family must leave this special zone!"
Hammer's mother followed suit, "My son has been traumatized, and you say… Good?! You yellow monkeys must be proud to raise your son like a barbarian! But this is the United States, not China! Pay up a million dollars for my son's medical bills, right now, or I'll call the police!"
Wong snickered, finding the Karens funny. She calmly replied.
"I pay you nothing, lah. You two can go f-ck yourselves. This is school for big boys, not a daycare for overgrown toddlers."
"WHAT?!" The mothers were stunned. Enraged, they yelled harder and came up with countless racial slurs.
Wong, like Carn, ignored all slurs from their mouths. She inspected her son and whispered in an American accent.
"Are you injured?"
Carn shook his head, "No."
"Well done." Wong patted Carn's back and resumed her broken English accent, bickering back at the mad Karens, "Aiyah, I thought this is America, but you two sound like baboons, ah. If you want big boys, you stop making excuses like a bitch. If your son lives in my house, I disown him already, lah! Look at that fatass, ah. Are you raising a son or a pig? I can't tell differences, ah."
The Karens seethed with fury, and one of them stomped toward Wong, reaching out to grab her hair.
Carn turned, ready to defend his mother, but Wong was one step ahead. With a swift move, she clenched her fist and delivered a solid left jab to the face of Chuck's mother, instantly breaking her nose.
Despite the grip on her hair, Wong followed up with a powerful right uppercut that connected squarely with the woman's jaw.
After the quick one-two combination, Chuck's mother collapsed to the floor, out cold.
Wong calmly stepped back, adjusted her hair, and then fixed her gaze on Hammer's mother, "You two really work for the government, ah? What is your job? How they even accept you two whores, ah? What you do in your life during high school? Bitching like a pig? Making babies with black dicks? You should be ashamed. You two talk big, but no substances, lah."
Carn's mouth curved into a smile. He finally remembered one fact about his mother.
In her younger years, Wong often bragged that she had won an Olympic gold medal in women's boxing. And if her fists were sharp, her tongue was even more poisonous as she grew up in a bustling Chinatown market.
Chapter 32 - My Parents Give Me a Gun. Should I Bring It to School?
Morra had been observing the situation from the start. With a heavy sigh, he prepared for another round of lawsuits and bureaucratic drama from the higher-ups.
This wasn't his first time dealing with angry parents. Just last month, he had wrapped up discussions with parents of the 11th and 12th-grade special class students who had been involved in similar incidents.
After clearing his throat, Morra finally made his presence known.
"Please, everyone, take a seat so we can discuss this calmly."
As a former hardened soldier, Morra's presence alone commanded respect. His striking aura was more intense than the loudest Karen or a seasoned market haggler.
The room fell silent instantly. Morra glanced at Carn and Chuck, then unveiled the special class policy.
"If you've read our handbook, it clearly states that fights among special class students are permitted to foster competition and growth. Any injuries, traumas, or damages resulting from these fights are beyond parental intervention. You, as parents, have waived your right to claim medical expenses and any compensation. Only in the case of death can any legal action be taken against an assailant."
"W-What?!" The two mothers gasped in disbelief, pointing accusingly at Wong. "But her child injured our sons! This is the U.S.! We have rights!"
"Not here, ma'am. We're on ECD property, not California or New York. If this policy is unacceptable, you're free to withdraw your children from our program. Just be informed that doing so will result in their classification as Class-E personnel, and they'll be detained within ECD facilities permanently."
In the ECD facility, personnel were organized into distinct classes based on rank and compliance. The lowest tier, Class-F personnel, consisted of death row prisoners. Their roles in the facility were classified.
Above them were Class-E personnel, aka mana users who had refused to follow national laws or ECD regulations. Effectively, Class-E personnel were also prisoners, held under strict supervision for their uncooperative behavior and high risk due to their mana abilities. Unlike Class-F personnel, they served as backups in case Class-F personnel failed to complete their assignments.
In short, being imprisoned in an ECD facility was worse than being trapped in a third-world country's jail.
Because ECD was brought up, one mother shrieked, "This is tyranny! I'm calling the cops!"
"Oh, by all means, please do," Morra was unfazed. Ordinary police held no power in the ECD's special district, where only the military police had jurisdiction.
Satisfied, Morra turned to Carn and Wong, who had been watching calmly. Grinning, he continued, "We don't condone violence, but we do favor talented students. As long as your academic performance remains exceptional, you're immune to expulsion and all punishment. What you demonstrated today was nothing less than advanced mana control and superior combat abilities. You're free to go."
Wong smirked. "You called me for this?"
Morra chuckled. "Yes. Whenever a ruling is made regarding special class students, the parents of involved parties must be present. Your son did nothing wrong. It was the others' poor judgment to pick a fight with him. You won't be paying a single hospital bill."
Wong raised an eyebrow, impressed with the dean's insight. Nodding, she led Carn out of the office.
Meanwhile, the loud mothers continued shouting into their phones, but each 911 call operator responded the same way.
"We're sorry, ma'am. You're in a special district. You'll need to contact the military police."
"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU IGNORE MY CALL?! HELLO?!"
It was too late. They hung up the call and blocked their numbers, so their phones could no longer connect to 911 emergency hotlines.
Morra overheard the exchanges. He shook his head and smirked, satisfied. He turned to Barney and murmured,
"Next time, let Carn finish what he started before you step in."
Barney raised a brow. "Are we favoring Carn now? What about General Speedwagon's sponsorship? Those kids are his disciples."
Morra shrugged. "Speedwagon has a side job. He's a mercenary company's CEO, remember? We support those who succeed on their own merit, not connections. Also, I have already received a confirmation from ECD that Carn will work there after graduation. You can tell which one to prioritize nurturing."
Barney rubbed his chin. His curiosity grew, "So… is Carn's mana superior to theirs? What's his concentration level?"
"That's classified, Barney."
Barney inwardly clicked his tongue. He thought of Carn and the tracking device that he had planted, hesitating if he should continue targeting him.
'He has a backer and at least one family mana-user family member. I guess I can't touch him. What a bummer. I thought I could try my hands on a boy and experiment on a new spell…'
.
.
Leaving the office, Carn looked at his mother. Wong crossed her arms and stared back at her son.
"Kill them next time."
"Bet."
"Don't forget to clean up the crime scene. Make it bloodless or make it look like an accident."
Carn chuckled, "Is that a proper way for a forensic officer to teach her son?"
"I have no fuck to give. Committing crimes is fine. Just don't get caught."
"…"
"Remember, don't get caught."
"…Bet."
Wong smirked in satisfaction.
As the classes were canceled because of the incident, Wong drove Carn home. She also ordered five boxes of pizza for dinner.
…
Han came home at 2 AM, later than usual. He skipped dinner and headed straight to bed. Miraculously, he was up again at 5, looking more refreshed than people who had slept nine hours.
He rushed out of the house, heading back to work. Wong also left at 6 AM, leaving Carn to get to school on his own.
Carn got out of bed at 6:30. After washing up, he went to the kitchen for breakfast and found a bowl of sausage fried rice on prepared by Wong on the tablenderneath it, he noticed a note from his mother, written in her familiar handwriting.
[Don't go to school today. This is my approval note.]
Carn paused, surprised. His mother usually insisted he attend school even when his appendix was about to burst. Only a natural disaster could warrant a day off.
However, there were two papers today. Beneath her note was another message, left behind by his father.
[I checked that priest's house and found some nasty evidence. You were right. He's a freak. However, the arrest warrant will take days to issue because of ECD regulations. Today, stay home, lock the doors and windows, and close all the curtains. My backup .45 is in my room's drawer. The password is your birthday.]
Carn chuckled, realizing what this meant. Han and his team must have uncovered Barney's cannibalistic secrets.
Now, Carn had even more reason to go to school. He knew that once Han and the MPs started closing in on Barney, the priest would try to escape. This was the golden opportunity Carn had been waiting for, and he wasn't going to miss it.
"Sorry, Mom, Dad. Your son is a very diligent student, after all. But you know, I don't need guns to protect myself."
He finished his breakfast, packed his bag, and left for school, ready for another eventful day.
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