Out of tune (6)
He wasn't the first person to ask her that question; Shi Yu had asked it before, but her words were more sarcastic.
The title of "Agent" is a dazzling and alluring one. Ask any few people at String Light Academy, and you'll find that many in Chengdu have dreamed of becoming an Agent.
Just like all children dream of being a savior, no one doesn't want to be a "hero" when they're young.
When Shu Ningmiao was little, there was a period when the anime and figurines of the characters were popular. Although they were fictional characters, they were still very popular among children. Badges, cards and plush toys of the characters could be seen everywhere in the store. I wonder if they are still as popular now.
The one who carries it out is Pinhes' hero.
Only disasters can create true heroes.
When Pandora was accidentally discovered more than 500 years ago, Pine was just a small, not very wealthy country on the planet, with a land area only slightly larger than the current capital city.
The rich resources of Pandora beneath the land of Pines attracted the covetous eyes of other, more powerful nations on the planet.
At that time, the planet's coal and oil resources were so scarce that they could no longer support the large population. Several wars had broken out intermittently before this.
The emergence of this new energy "Pandora" at this time was like a gift from the gods to mankind, becoming everyone's only hope.
A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.
It was a mistake for the weak Pigne to possess such abundant Pandora resources. Under the partitioning of other countries, its territory was invaded and occupied for a century. Finally, the superhumans on this land joined Pigne's army and drove out the invaders from other countries.
These powerful superhumans were the precursors to the Executors.
Pinne's reliance on superhumans is not without reason or basis. Shu Ningmiao believes that powerful superhumans under the country's jurisdiction are better than those who disregard the law. The superhumans protect the country's security and also the security of all Pinne citizens.
Ke Shu Ningmiao had never considered becoming an executor; it was too far-fetched for her.
She didn't want to be a hero, didn't want to bear heavy responsibilities, and had no awareness of sacrificing herself for others.
She wants to become stronger, but only for herself.
The dozen or so seconds of silence that Shu Ningmiao uttered were enough to express her attitude.
She turned her head away and said tactfully, "I'm not suitable."
"Too many people have exaggerated the concept of an Actor. This is the first time I've met someone like you who has absolutely no interest in the Actor." Yelü Qi gave a self-deprecating bitter smile, cracking his knuckles as he clenched his fists. "Your thinking is correct. Not everyone is suited to be an Actor. To become a hero in the eyes of others, you have to sacrifice a lot of things: lovers, family... By the time I came to my senses, I found that I had nothing left."
"The maximum score for this ability practice is 6 points. After the comprehensive evaluation, your score is 30 points, which is six or seven times the average score. The principal has high hopes for you and believes that you have the potential to become the first user in the past five years."
He sighed silently, his smile more somber than his sigh: "But I hope you'll think it over carefully."
These words were undoubtedly the earnest advice of a senior. Shu Ningmiao was not someone who couldn't understand good or bad words, but she didn't know why Yelü Qi was so solemn.
Being an agent is undoubtedly a highly sought-after job, a top-tier career choice. Even if she didn't want to be an agent, there's nothing wrong with that.
She joked, saying, "No, one agent is enough for my family."
Her dream was to use Cin to generate more Cin, to use power to generate more power, and then sit in a mansion and enjoy life, rather than risking her life on the battlefield to defend her country, or doing something else.
Yelü Qi was stunned: "Your family members are the agents?"
He genuinely didn't care about the students' family backgrounds at all; even someone as emotionally inept as Weston didn't forget to look at each student's file.
Shu Ningmiao nodded, but did not elaborate on who it was.
Stringlight Academy hasn't produced a new pilot in the last five years, and the number of active pilots can be counted on two hands. It would be too easy to identify who is who. Yeluqi ran through the list in his mind and clutched his chest in disbelief: "You're that kid Shu Changyan's sister?"
"That's right, he seems to be a power-enhancing type as well. No wonder they're siblings." Yelü Qi slapped his hand, his expression of astonishment no different from discovering a new continent.
“We’re not related.” Shu Ningmiao was taken aback, and she wasn’t just a power-enhancing type of superhuman.
"How come I never noticed before?" Yelü Qi patted Shu Ningmiao's head awkwardly twice. His thick, dry, and hot palms muttered under his breath, "It really does look quite similar."
Where do they resemble each other? Is it their race? Shu Ningmiao really couldn't find anything in common between her and Shu Changyan. Shu Changyan had always been a kind-hearted person since childhood, while she was a difficult child who was often scolded for being narrow-minded and intolerant. Shu Changyan was her number one victim.
The two people don't look alike at all.
Fine, if Yelü Qi says it's like that, then it is.
——
Several days after classes resumed, the research center finally managed to retrieve the data from the combat simulation system. It's said that they had to ask Weston to come back and help them complete it so quickly.
Shu Ningmiao casually guessed, "He took leave to clean up the mess at the research center?"
“No.” Chris whispered mysteriously in her ear, covering her face with her newly done manicure: “His leave slip seems to say he’s going to the clinic.”
Go to the clinic? What's wrong with him?
Shu Ningmiao narrowed her eyes: "How dare you ask about something like this? Aren't you afraid of being forced to do voluntary labor?"
“I saw it on the desk of the lady in the administration office when I was doing the paperwork a few days ago.” Chris waved her hand dismissively. “He would never ask me to do voluntary work. I have trouble even wiping dust. If he’s not afraid that I’ll break all the antiques in his office, he can just order me around.”
Shu Ningmiao had been to Weston's office many times but had never noticed the scattered decorations inside. Chris owned several auction houses and knew a bit about these things. If she said that, then the things in Weston's office should all be genuine.
"Wasn't he a researcher before? How come he's so rich?"
Teachers now have fixed incomes, so there's even less chance of getting a significant raise.
Shu Ningmiao was curious; her plan for Weston even included the option of bribing him with money, but it seemed she wouldn't need to use it in the future.
“He’s not just a ‘former researcher,’ he’s a ‘former researcher’ who was once the ‘youngest member of parliament in Pinnechs’ history.’” Chris blew the dust off her nails in the light. “And he’s also making a lot of money in patent fees.”
“I guess he must also be the shortest-serving senator in Pinnechs’ history.” Shu Ningmiao curled her lips, a clear smile playing on her lips.
Chris glanced around, raised her index finger, and gave her a shushing gesture.
Lin Chuxu joined in their gossip: "Have you noticed lately that your younger brother is dating our class's 'little lion'?"
Shu Ningmiao has recently become completely absorbed in physical training and rarely pays attention to anything else.
Unlike the praise that comes from excellent grades and academic achievements, the subtle changes and improvements in her own body give her a completely different sense of security. Even if she successfully escapes the threat of death later, she will not give up this kind of training.
Who is the little lion?
Shu Ningmiao's brain short-circuited for a moment, but she still connected the "cheap younger brother" in Lin Chuxu's words to a certain protagonist: "You mean Erice? Why do you call her Little Lion?"
Chris chuckled, using her long, honey-colored fingers to lift her hair on both sides, making an explosive shape: "Don't you think her hair looks like the frizzy mane around a lioness's neck?"
Erice's pinkish-brown hair is naturally curly, and sometimes it looks messy like a clump of fluffy straw.
"You're so boring." Shu Ningmiao glanced at her head with a pitying look: "Lions don't have manes."
Chris smiled and gently nudged her shoulder: "Anyway, I feel like they're dating. When you're not around, your younger brother waits for her to eat together every day after school. They seem to have a very good relationship."
Lin Chuxu made the final decision: "You're going to have a younger brother or sister-in-law."
Chris cupped her face in interest: "I really want to know what your dad and the others will do when they find out? The apple of their eye is dating a Cinderella, will he throw a check in her face and make her leave his good son?"
“That’s just a scene from a TV drama,” Lin Chuxu said sarcastically. “I don’t think he’ll care.”
Shu Ningmiao didn't really want to hear about these things, and her face was full of disgust: "Can't we talk about something else?"
“I’m so bored lately, and we can’t talk about ‘that’ thing at school.” Chris was referring to Prometheus. The teachers had repeatedly emphasized that they shouldn’t mention what happened that day, and recently photos of that organization’s logo sent through the terminal were being blocked. She didn’t want to get into trouble, so she could only focus on studying the gossip at school.
The melancholic, sickly prince and the Cinderella from the slums are the latest hot topics, and she's not the only one saying it.
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a jarring sound behind her as a table and chair were moved, along with the sound of a pen falling to the ground.
Shu Ningmiao glanced over and saw Ai Ruiji pick up his pen and notebook, walk past them, and sit in the first row. As he passed by, he glared at them with reddened eyes, and she didn't know how long he had been listening.
Chris fell silent in embarrassment. Shu Ningmiao turned to the next page of her textbook, her expression unchanged: "You'd better keep quiet."
"Okay," Chris muttered softly.
Weston walked in from outside, and under his tyrannical presence, the classroom spontaneously fell silent the moment he stepped across the threshold.
He publicly revealed the results of his first superpower practice. Because it was a mixed team of six classes, there was only a grade ranking, not a class ranking.
Shu Ningmiao had heard Yelü Qi mention it before, so she already had a general idea and didn't have any particularly strong emotions.
Chris, however, immediately perked up, her expression changing from before: "I should be able to make it into the top ten this time, right? Our team killed four Corruptors."
She was bad at all academic subjects and was only hoping that practical experience could make up for the lack of credits.
Shu Ning placed her delicate hand on the page and slightly raised her eyes: "Four is enough to get into the top ten?"
"Of course, I heard from the teachers that as long as you kill two infected, you can pass, and completing the mission will get you full marks for the course. If I exceed the target, won't I be ahead of everyone else? I hope our team is the only one to exceed the target." Chris chuckled, "Oh my, this is the whole school ranking, I'm a little excited."
The next second, Weston's words ruthlessly shattered her illusions: "The pass rate for this ability practice is 60%, and the perfect score rate is 27%. None of the three people in our class passed..."
He seemed to want to say something, but out of respect for the teaching profession, he swallowed it back and simply tapped the lesson plan on the podium with the back of his hand: "I suggest you raise your standards for yourselves in the future."
There are 28 qualified students in Class A, 18 of whom scored full marks or above, and 4 of whom ranked in the top ten in the whole school.
Someone asked why some team members with the same score have different rankings.
Weston replied, "The team members have the same basic score, and the ranking score will be adjusted between 80% and 120% based on each person's performance under the review of each teacher."
So that's how it is. Shu Ning leaned on the desk and thought, if the base score is high enough, even with an 80% reduction, she can still rank high. Her two teammates who were just coasting along don't need to worry about their rankings.
“Top ten.” Weston looked at the list from bottom to top: “Ninth place, Chris, 12 points.”
Chris winked smugly at her and Lin Chuxu.
"Sixth place..."
"Fifth place, You An, 18 points."
"Third place, Shi Yu, 24 points."
"First place, Shu Ningmiao, 36 points."
It's quite unexpected. If all the teachers participated in the scoring, it means that Weston also gave her the highest evaluation value of 120%.
Chris's expression froze instantly. She grabbed Shu Ningmiao's shoulders and started shaking her from side to side: "Waaah! Why didn't you team up with me!"
The atmosphere in the classroom instantly broke down, and a lot of chatter arose. Because it was the first time the results of the superpower practice had been released, everyone was very excited, and Weston did not reprimand them immediately.
Weston glanced at Shu Ningmiao, but unlike other homeroom teachers, he didn't say anything encouraging or praising. Shu Ningmiao, sitting in the middle, noticed his gaze and tilted her head slightly, raising her eyes in a subtle way.
The pale golden light streaming through the glass windows of the lecture hall shone on her face. She smiled, a smug smile still tinged with childishness. Halfway through her action, she remembered that he was still her teacher, and suddenly stopped.
Weston looked away, leaned over to turn on the main control screen, and coldly gestured for them to be quiet.
Years ago, when he stood in this classroom, he was just as youthful and ambitious, looking down on the world, believing he had the power to change it.
But the world won't change, and neither will people.
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