Capítulo 34: **Chapter 34: The Advance**
Today is Sunday.
At 4:30 in the afternoon, this time was typically reserved for outdoor break.
Today, however, is different. Everyone is allowed to bring their light brain, and for one hour, they can connect with the outside world.
This class is taught by Chen Lishu. After it ended, Song Shi followed him back to his office.
Her light brain had already been delivered by Li Bingwen.
While Li Bingwen and Chen Lishu exchanged pleasantries, Song Shi sat on the sofa in the reception area, positioning the camera of her light brain to take a photo of herself and sent it to Tang You.
She also sent a message: "Everything is fine this week."
After completing this, she exited the chat window and began reading the accumulated unread messages.
One was a transaction alert.
It was a notification for the deposit of 100,000 Federation credits.
It was likely the reward promised to her by the two city security officers for her act of bravery.
For Song Shi, 100,000 Federation credits was no small sum. Although she couldn't use it in the correctional facility, once she was released, she would need to rent a place to stay.
This amount would be enough to support her for three months without any income.
Song Shi closed the notification and opened another unread message.
It was sent at 11 p.m. the previous night from an unknown number.
"Miss Song, one must be honest. How could you not follow through on what you promised?"
Song Shi immediately thought of Qin Yi, the person who had saved her at the research facility.
She had promised Qin Yi that once she left the facility, she would join his company—Yoliel Group.
However, so much time had passed, and due to various circumstances, she had not yet settled down or followed through on her commitment.
To confirm, she tapped on the profile and compared the contact number with the one on the business card she had taken. The number matched—it was indeed Qin Yi.
"I'm at a correctional school and cannot leave for now."
After a moment's thought, Song Shi added, "I will join the company within a month."
She had promised him, but had not yet fulfilled it. It was her responsibility, and at the very least, she needed to give him a clear answer.
Just as she pressed send, a video call came in.
The profile image that popped up was Tang You.
Song Shi adjusted her collar before answering the call.
On the other side, Tang You appeared in a light pink, frilly collar, home outfit. The background was a bedroom in soft pastel pink.
It was Sunday, and regular schools were already on holiday.
"You've been hurt," Tang You said, staring at her.
Song Shi felt a pang of guilt as she met Tang You's gaze. She raised a finger to touch the corner of her mouth.
The photo she sent had not been edited, and the injury on her lip wasn't too severe.
"What's wrong with your right hand?"
Song Shi flinched, her hand still resting on her mouth. How did Tang You notice?
Only her upper body was visible on the video screen, and her right forearm wasn't even in view.
It was only when she was eating that Chen Lishu had noticed her inability to move her right arm.
Tang You suddenly leaned closer to the screen. "What happened to your throat?"
Song Shi: "?!"
She was certain that her injury at the throat was completely hidden by the collar, and from this angle, the camera shouldn't have been able to see it.
Even if Tang You had noticed her throat issue, it should have been when she couldn't speak, not after just 16 seconds of video, when Tang You had already figured everything out.
Even though Song Shi knew Tang You was perceptive, she was still shocked.
She even began to wonder if Chen Lishu had shared her situation with Tang You.
She glanced at Chen Lishu, who was standing at his desk, engaged in an animated conversation with Li Bingwen.
It couldn't be him—he wasn't that close to Tang You.
Song Shi typed a message in the chat window and sent it to Tang You.
"I was injured during a fight. It'll heal in a couple of days."
"By the way, there's smoke coming from your head."
In the video, Tang You's shoulder-length hair hung loosely, with a few stray strands sticking up from her scalp. Now, those strands were shrinking rapidly, and faint wisps of smoke could be seen emerging.
Tang You immediately raised her hand to pat her head. The screen shook twice before she lowered her hand. The wisps of smoke had shortened, and the ends of the hairs were now bent.
Tang You looked back at the camera with a perfectly serious expression, as if nothing unusual had just occurred. "Teacher Zhou Tan says you're about to awaken."
Song Shi struggled to suppress a smile and nodded.
Tang You continued as if she hadn't noticed, "You're a high-probability berserker, and the school will definitely take notice. I'll speak to our homeroom teacher and ask him to let you return early. He should agree."
Song Shi quickly typed "No need" and sent it.
Tang You saw the message and frowned slightly, clearly puzzled by Song Shi's reasoning.
"Fighting is the only way to awaken my potential. I fight every day here, and I keep improving. If I go back, I might not awaken at all." Song Shi typed.
She left out the role of the system, briefly explaining her reasoning to Tang You.
The theory she mentioned had been popular in the Federation some time ago, advocating that to awaken faster, one should engage in activities aligned with their potential attributes. Berserkers needed to fight, fire types should get angry, and healers should suffer injuries, etc.
This was a theory from the early years after humans began to develop powers, when there was no scientific explanation for these extraordinary abilities. People simply followed their traditional thinking and concluded this.
However, over time, as human awakening abilities became more stable, and with vast data accumulated from studies of awakening triggers, the theory was abandoned in favor of the Crisis Theory. This theory proposed that human potential is activated when their life is in grave danger, vastly increasing the chances of awakening powers.
Thus, high-probability awakeners who hadn't awakened by their coming of age were sent to research facilities for experimental stimulation.
Even if Tang You didn't fully agree with the reasoning, she understood that since Song Shi wanted to stay, there must be a reason, something she might not be able to share.
"Then be careful," she said.
Song Shi nodded seriously.
"Is there anything else you need? Teacher Chen will be here next Friday. I can arrange for him to bring something for you."
Song Shi shook her head. The suitcase under her bed was sufficient for the month.
"See you next week," Tang You said with a sweet voice.
"See you next week," Song Shi typed in reply.
After ending the video call, Song Shi noticed that the hour for using the light brain had already passed halfway. With no one else to contact, she continued her self-study, filling in the gaps in her knowledge about this world.
During the first class after the light brain was returned, everyone seemed sluggish, lacking the will to attend. Some were napping, others were whispering.
Chen Lishu, however, remained undeterred. After finishing his lecture, he bid Song Shi farewell in the hallway and reminded her that he would return next Friday, asking if there was anything she needed.
Song Shi shook her head, watching him leave.
She spent the rest of the evening catching up on sleep. When the 9 p.m. bell rang, the pain in her mouth had significantly eased, and swallowing no longer felt like a knife slicing through her throat.
Returning to her dorm, she washed up quickly and then collapsed into bed.
The next morning, she woke up naturally at six.
She tried swallowing, and the pain in her throat had almost completely disappeared, now only comparable to the discomfort of a mid-stage cold.
She moved her right arm, the one that had been kicked earlier. There had been a distinct crack when it happened, but now, there was no pain.
To confirm, Song Shi got out of bed and used her right hand to fold the blanket, neatly arranging it in a square shape. There was no discomfort.
The injury to her arm had completely healed.
Song Shi felt a strange sense of relief. She looked at herself in the mirror in the bathroom. The injury on her face had healed, and the bruises on her neck and throat had disappeared.
Her recovery speed seemed to exceed the usual rate for berserkers' self-healing.
This speed, from what little she knew, seemed to be more typical of healers, wood types, or certain more niche classes.
Song Shi couldn't explain her situation.
Just then, the loudspeakers outside began to play cheerful music, signaling that it was time to clear the dormitory.
She quickly splashed cold water on her face, finished washing up, grabbed a carton of milk from her desk, and locked the door behind her.
As she entered the cafeteria, the milk was already gone. Song Shi threw the empty carton into the trash and joined the line at the food counter, where she picked up two boiled eggs.
There was also stewed vegetables available for breakfast, but she didn't take any.
Without picking up a tray or searching for a seat, she headed straight for the trash can, peeling the eggs as she walked. When she reached the trash can, she discarded the shells.
As she dusted off her hands, she turned around.
Tong Jun and his five lackeys were gathered around a counter, cutting in line. Behind them was a long line of students waiting with their trays, but no one dared complain.
Song Shi walked toward them, taking the hair tie from her wrist and
swiftly tying up her hair.
As she approached, her commanding presence drew attention. Even the two lackeys behind Tong Jun noticed and quickly nudged him.
Song Shi reached the counter with the speed of a storm. She grabbed a tray and flung it like a dart, aiming straight for Tong Jun.
Tong Jun, turning around, barely had time to react before the tray hit him on the head, and he stumbled backward.
He stood at the front of the line, with the glass window right behind him—he had nowhere to retreat.
Song Shi was already in front of him. With a quick motion, she used her foot to flick the fallen tray back up, caught it, and hurled it at his head once more.
The entire sequence occurred in the blink of an eye.
Tong Jun's scream of agony was enough to snap his stunned lackeys out of their stupor.
They rushed toward Song Shi, but she was unbothered. Using the tray as a weapon, she grabbed Tong Jun's hair with her left hand, dragging him away from the counter, while her other hand swung the tray with expert precision.
"Bang!"
"Crash!"
"Clatter!"
It sounded like fireworks going off during a festival.
The cafeteria, large and empty, amplified the noise, making it seem even louder.
Even the students sitting in the farthest corner could hear it clearly.
"What's going on now?"
Students in the corner turned their heads, trying to get a glimpse of the commotion.
There were too many people blocking the way, so they couldn't see.
For those in the cafeteria, this sound was nothing new.
In the past, these small groups would often choose the cafeteria for their brawls, both for the space and for the visibility of winning. It was as much about showing off as it was about fighting.
One of their companions put down his chopsticks after listening for a moment and declared, "Looks like there are quite a few people."
"Don't need you to say that. With all this racket, it must be at least a dozen people."
At that moment, the third companion, who had just returned with his food, sat down, looking strangely silent.
"What's with the face?" his friend asked, "What did you see? Which two groups are fighting this time?"
(End of Chapter)
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