Chapter 4 The wicked will be punished by the wicked.

District 14, Donghai City: Chengnan High School

The name sounded decent enough, but in reality, it was a third-rate school.

It specialized in taking in ordinary kids from the slums, as well as rich second-generation brats like Chen Zixuan—guys with a little bit of talent but who cared more about playing the local tyrant.

The moment Jiang Zhe stepped into the academic building, a cacophony loud enough to blow the roof off assaulted his ears.

Someone was hoisting a scratched-up, second-hand power gauntlet high in the air, practically shoving it into people's faces and drawing a chorus of awe-struck gulps from the unworldly crowd around them.

In a corner, a group was huddled around an optical computer, watching a live stream of an underground deathmatch. Blood and flesh flew across the screen, yet the group watched with gleaming eyes, howling like animals.

Keeping his head down, Jiang Zhe wove through the noisy crowd until he reached his classroom.

It was even more chaotic inside.

Seven or eight students in the back row were crowded around a desk, slamming playing cards down with sharp smacks.

"Fuck! Lost again!"

"Hahaha, pay up, pay up! My luck is insane today!"

Curses and the slamming of desks blended together, punctuated by the shrieks of a few girls fawning over a virtual idol.

Just as Jiang Zhe reached his seat, a commotion erupted in the hallway.

"Chen Zixuan is here!"

"Holy shit, what happened to his face?"

"Looks like he got beat up!"

The racket in the classroom was instantly halved. Dozens of pairs of eyes snapped to the doorway.

Bang!

The classroom door was kicked open. The pitiful wooden panel slammed against the wall, letting out a dying groan.

Chen Zixuan stormed in, cursing a blue streak with his pack of lackeys in tow.

The students who had just been shouting and hollering shut their mouths instantly, ducking their heads to pretend to read, though their ears were pricked up higher than a rabbit's.

Jiang Zhe lifted his eyelids and took a glance.

Good grief.

That face, which usually looked somewhat presentable, was now swollen like a freshly steamed bun. A dark purple ring encircled his left eye, swelling it down to a mere slit. Dried blood clung beneath his nose, and his mouth sported a split lip.

It was utterly comical.

Jiang Zhe bit the inside of his cheek to force back a smile. This was an even better result than he had anticipated.

"What are you looking at?! Keep staring and I'll gouge your eyes out and pop 'em like bubble wrap!" Chen Zixuan threw himself into his chair, but the sudden movement tugged at his wounds, making him hiss in pain. "Hsss—fuck!"

A few lackeys immediately swarmed him to fawn.

"Brother Xuan, do you want to head to the medical center and get that looked at?"

"Look at my ass! Li Meng, that stupid ox—I'll cripple him sooner or later!" The more Chen Zixuan thought about it, the angrier he got. He slammed his fist onto the desk, sending textbooks jumping. "And that bastard who wrote on the glass! He'd better not let me catch him! Otherwise, I'll chop him to pieces!"

The lackeys rushed to agree, terrified the fire would spread to them.

"Don't worry, Brother Xuan! I've already got someone pulling the security footage from that shop!"

"Yeah! Anyone who dares to mess with Brother Xuan is messing with us!"

"Kill him!"

The surrounding students secretly exchanged glances, their eyes full of schadenfreude. Relying on his family's money to act like a tyrant on a normal day, only to get ground into the dirt by a commoner today. This kind of drama was always top-tier entertainment for the underclass.

Jiang Zhe flipped open a history textbook, hiding his face behind it.

Check the security footage? Street cameras were already sparse, and the gift shop was situated right in a blind spot.

Fingerprints? He had tested that right after waking up this morning. After devouring the Zerg King gene, his control over his own body had skyrocketed. By slightly manipulating his subcutaneous muscles, he could blur his fingerprints into an unreadable mess.

As for eyewitnesses? He had gone to the alley very early when there were barely any pedestrians. He had lingered in front of the display window for less than ten seconds. Even if someone had seen him, they'd just assume he was an ordinary student walking by.

Who would connect a piece of trash with "impure genes" to a prank like that?

Finally, and most importantly: even if Chen Zixuan had massive influence, tracking down a hidden "nobody" would take time.

And that time was all he needed to grow stronger.

The class bell rang, and a history teacher with graying hair walked in.

"Class is in session." The old teacher spoke weakly, not caring how many people were actually listening, and went straight to turning on the holographic projector.

A few large characters floated into the air: Federal Power Structure.

"Today, we will continue discussing the power structure of the Federation. On the surface, the Federation is a committee system, but in reality... heh, it's a tripartite balance of power. The Government, the Military, and the Megacorporations."

When the word 'Megacorporations' lit up, the old teacher paused.

"Thirty years ago, the Zerg invaded. The war lasted a decade. The Federal Military fought to the death, losing tens of millions of soldiers just to hold the Zerg at the border star zones." The old teacher took a sip of water and continued, "The war ended, and humanity was crippled. That was when the megacorps jumped out."

"They monopolized energy, genetic technology, and stargate routes, eating up the post-war dividends until there was nothing left. The nutrient paste we eat now, the unfinished buildings we live in, even every breath of air we take—we have to pay taxes to them for it."

The more the teacher spoke, the more agitated he became, his face flushing red.

"Damn straight!" A boy in the back row who had been playing cards suddenly slammed his hand down on the desk and joined in the cursing. "Those bloodsuckers! I went to the black market yesterday to buy Genetic Optimization Fluid and spent half my dad's life savings! Turns out it was completely useless! Just watered-down fakes!"

"Exactly! Those sons of bitches from the megacorps! My brother mines on a resource planet, works himself to the bone, and can't even guarantee his own life!"

Hearing this, a flash of awkwardness crossed the bruised and battered face of Chen Zixuan, which he immediately masked with a disdainful sneer.

"You have no skills and can't afford certified serums, who's to blame? A bunch of dregs who only know how to complain. You deserve to rot in the undercity slums for the rest of your lives."

The burly boy who had slammed his cards clenched his fists until the joints cracked. Veins bulged on his neck as he glared fixedly at Chen Zixuan.

But he didn't dare make a move.

Everyone knew Chen Zixuan was affiliated with Kunlun Industries. In this day and age, offending a megacorp was tantamount to suicide.

Jiang Zhe watched it all with cold indifference.

What's the use of cursing?

The anger of the weak was meaningless—it only served as noise to the strong. If you wanted to break free from this plight, you could only rely on absolute power.

The old teacher looked at the agitated students, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes, and waved his hand. "Done cursing? Once you're done, we're continuing class."

The classroom quickly returned to its former state of chaos. Most of them were just blowing off steam; they turned right back to discussing where to drink tonight, or how to win a few star-coins in virtual combat.

……

Afternoon Dismissal.

Jiang Zhe had just stepped out of the academic building when he heard a commotion coming from the school gates.

"Li Meng is back!"

"Is this going to be round two?"

"We've got a good show to watch!"

Mingling with the crowd, Jiang Zhe strolled over at a leisurely pace. Li Meng, backed by over twenty athletic students, was blocking the school gate.

The burly boy who had been called a "dreg" by Chen Zixuan during class was there too. Emboldened by their numbers, he pointed at Chen Zixuan, who had just emerged, and roared, "Chen Zixuan! Say it one more time, you fucker! Who's a dreg?!"

Chen Zixuan's face instantly turned ashen. He was already suppressing a bellyful of rage from the morning's events, and being publicly provoked now sent his fury straight to his head.

"I'm talking about you, what about it? Got a problem?" Chen Zixuan, his eyes swollen, wore a look of total contempt. "Your brother dying on the resource planet just means his life was cheap! With garbage genes like yours, your whole family are dregs!"

"I'll kill you!" the boy bellowed, his eyes bloodshot, charging forward like a madman.

Li Meng clamped a hand down on his shoulder, staring coldly at Chen Zixuan. "Chen Zixuan, clean your mouth. If you have any balls, come at me."

"Li Meng, you asked for this!" The memory of his morning beating surged to the forefront of his mind. Chen Zixuan roared and waved his hand, signaling his lackeys to attack.

Seeing that the two groups were about to brawl, several campus security guards in black uniforms rushed over with batons in hand.

The captain leading them shouted at Li Meng, "Li Meng! You again! You want a major demerit and a stint in confinement, is that it? Break it up!"

Li Meng opened his mouth to argue, but the captain shoved him hard.

"Cut the crap! Don't cause trouble here! You hear me?!"

Li Meng stumbled back two steps, his fists cracking under the pressure of his grip.

After shoving Li Meng, the captain turned to Chen Zixuan, his face instantly plastering on a fawning smile. "Young Master Chen, please don't stoop to their level. I'll make them scram right now so they don't dirty your eyes."

This undisguised, blatant favoritism sent a chill through the hearts of all the commoner students watching.

Li Meng clenched his fists even tighter.

But ultimately, he held back. He was just a commoner. If he really received a major demerit, his status as a special athletics student could be revoked at any moment. That was his only chance to change his fate.

"Let's go!" Li Meng glared viciously at Chen Zixuan, then turned and left with his group. The burly boy walked at the rear, shooting one last glance back at Chen Zixuan. His eyes were brimming with hatred.

Outside the crowd, Jiang Zhe took it all in.

Perfect.

The seed of hatred had been planted, and, watered by injustice, it had taken root and sprouted. The feud between Li Meng and Chen Zixuan was well and truly sealed. In the short term, all of Chen Zixuan's energy would be consumed by his overt and covert struggles against Li Meng.

As the instigator of it all, Jiang Zhe could safely withdraw from the edge of the chessboard.

Jiang Zhe turned around and melted into the crowd of students leaving school.

Now, it's time to head to the "cafeteria."