Ch. 326 - First Day of School and the Dorm Is Gone...

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Chen Shu turned around and saw a tall, skinny guy walking toward him.

"Wang Jue?"

He raised an eyebrow. Hadn't expected to run into him so soon.

"Bandit Bro, I heard all about you beating the crap out of Yu Yi. One word: savage!"

Wang Jue gave him a thumbs-up. "That punk's been leaning on his overpowered contract spirit — I've been wanting to deck him for ages!"

"You're from Beiyuan City too?"

"Yeah. If it weren't for him, I'd be Beiyuan's top scorer. It's just... my contract spirit isn't exactly built for combat."

"Oh, by the way, Bandit Bro — I'm in Building 16, Room 407. Which dorm are you in?"

"302."

"Ah, too bad!"

The two chatted as they walked, heading toward the cafeteria.

In the afternoon, with nothing else to do, Chen Shu took Wang Jue on a tour of Huaxia Academy.

Meanwhile, two other people were discussing him.

"Old Liu, there are four SS-rank geniuses in this class. And you're only backing this kid?"

Vice-Principal Qin Tian spoke evenly. "Granted, he put Yu Yi in his place, but that was just temporary level suppression."

"Brother Qin, you're only looking at the surface."

Professor Liu Feng spoke up. "I've verified it. Chen Shu only started formally learning Beast Taming in the second semester of his sophomore year. In just one year, from Level 0 to Black Iron Rank — that's not something an SS-rank genius can pull off."

"One year?"

Qin Tian narrowed his eyes. That was actually somewhat surprising.

Liu Feng went on, "Granted, the kid likes stirring up trouble. But with a bit of guidance, he'll be an absolute nightmare for fierce beasts."

"Stirring up trouble? That's nothing to worry about. This is Huaxia Academy — what kind of waves could one student possibly make?"

Qin Tian stroked his chin. "He's not causing trouble right now, is he?"

In an instant, a strange green vine coiled around his right hand.

The vine glowed with an emerald light, as if activating some kind of skill.

In that moment, all the trees across Huaxia Academy seemed to come alive, becoming Qin Tian's eyes.

"Hm?"

Chen Shu, who was strolling along, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He felt like someone was watching him.

He glanced around, trying to confirm who it was, but he couldn't pin it down.

"Pretty sharp senses."

Qin Tian remarked. He hadn't expected the kid to notice right away.

"Bandit Bro, what's wrong?"

Wang Jue had no idea what was going on — he hadn't felt a thing. He just assumed Chen Shu was having one of his... episodes.

"Someone's watching me!"

Chen Shu said seriously. "It's gotta be some pervert, trying to sneak photos of me to sell online!"

"..."

Wang Jue's mouth hung open. What kind of absurd mental gymnastics was that?

"Cough... cough..."

Qin Tian's eyes went wide. He'd heard every word — the kid had just called him a pervert!

He shook his head and canceled the skill.

"Brother Qin, what's wrong?"

"Nothing..."

Qin Tian said. "The other students in this class are also exceptionally talented. Let's talk about someone else."

"That Wang Jue from Beiyuan City is a pretty decent prospect too..."

...

"Knew it. Definitely some old pervert."

Chen Shu felt the spying sensation vanish. Looked like the guy had withdrawn his skill.

That evening, he and Wang Jue went out for dinner and mapped out the future of Huaxia Academy...

"See you tomorrow, Bandit Bro!"

The two arrived at Building 16.

"Huh?"

Wang Jue looked up and immediately sensed something was off.

"Bandit Bro, it's lit!"[1]

"Seriously? Getting fired up over a little boasting? Next time we map out the universe, you gonna straight-up self-immolate?"

Wang Jue pointed at the dorm building. "No, I mean it's literally lit!"

Chen Shu froze. He looked up — and sure enough, black smoke was pouring out of one of the dorms.

"Holy crap, it's actually on fire?"

Chen Shu's eyes went wide. "First day and someone's already torching a building? What a madman!"

"Looks like it's on the third floor..."

Wang Jue counted the floors, then his gaze shifted to Chen Shu.

"Third floor — isn't that my floor?"

Chen Shu said with a laugh. Then his expression froze solid.

"Son of a bitch! The husky?!"

He broke into a sprint, bolting straight for the dorm building.

By now, a crowd had already gathered below. The fire was spreading fast...

"Get out! The building's burning!"

"Some lunatic set a fire — everyone evacuate! Forget your stuff!"

"Use ice-type contract spirits to put it out!"

"Screw that — these are Black Iron-level fire skills!"

The crowd buzzed with panic, and the ominous feeling in Chen Shu's gut only deepened.

Meanwhile, in Room 302.

"Ow-woooo! Ow-woooo!"

The husky bounced around, occasionally launching a fireball.

Its long-suppressed nature had finally been unleashed!

"Dog Bro, don't do it! Don't do it!"

In the dorm, three people were huddled in a corner, trembling.

Beside them was an ice-type contract spirit. It couldn't extinguish the fire, but it could at least shield them for the moment.

The husky turned its wise, knowing eyes toward the three. It didn't attack them — it just kept bouncing and casting skills, looking blissfully happy.

BANG!

The dorm door was forced open!

"God-damned husky!"

Chen Shu's eyes bulged. He'd left this thing alone in the dorm!

He lunged forward, pinned the husky down, and started rubbing its head furiously.

"Use ice balls and put out the fire!"

The husky let out an "ow-woo" — and fired off a Wind Blade instead, slicing a sofa in half and making the fire even bigger.

"You motherf—"

Chen Shu felt his brain cells dying. How the hell was he supposed to fix this?

Right then, a blast of cold wind swept in.

Whoooosh!

Wherever it passed, the flames were extinguished in an instant. This was clearly on a completely different level of skill power.

"Damn it! Which punk had the balls to burn down a building?!"

The dorm manager strode in, wearing a tank top. Perched on his shoulder was a tiny blue bird, blasting out freezing wind.

"Sir, it was it!"

Chen Shu's mouth twitched, and he immediately threw the husky forward.

"Ow-woo!"

The Dumb Husky also sensed the danger and bounced right back behind Chen Shu.

"What if I said it's not my contract spirit... would you believe me?"

Chen Shu forced out an awkward laugh, trying to squeeze out some chance of survival.

"You're really something, kid. First day of school, decided to torch a building just to liven things up?"

The dorm manager surveyed the dorm. The furniture was destroyed, the walls blackened.

He snorted and said, "Through wind or rain, the Discipline Office's got a seat with your name on it."

"I..."

Chen Shu tried to offer a defense, but the guy had already turned and left.

"Sir! Wait for us!"

His three roommates shouted as well, scrambling after him in a panic.

They'd come here for college, not for war!

"When a wolf looks back, there is always a reason — either gratitude or revenge. When a husky looks back, your days are numbered — either it trashes the house or burns the building!"[2]

Chen Shu sat on the ground, muttering under his breath. "Now I completely believe it..."

It was only the first day of school and the dorm was just... gone. Was this even remotely reasonable...

[1] It's lit (燃起来了, rán qǐlái le): A Chinese internet expression meaning both literally "it's burning" and figuratively "I'm fired up/that's hype." When Wang Jue says it, Chen Shu thinks he's excited about their conversation — but Wang Jue means it literally: the dorm is on fire, courtesy of Chen Shu's husky.

[2] If a husky looks back (二哈回头): A parody of the folk saying: "If a wolf looks back, there's a reason — either to repay kindness or seek revenge." Chen Shu's post-fire revision: "If a husky looks back, your days are numbered — either it'll demolish your house or burn down your building." The husky fulfilled the prophecy on day one.