Chapter 17: The Truth

Tang You's deskmate, Yang Jinzhen, was a born gossip—an awakened superbrain-type. 

Her specialization was also in enhancement, but while superbrain-type awakening enhances the mind, she was not among the higher-tier users. 

Higher-level superbrain-type awakened individuals can connect their brains directly to the information world, intercepting, browsing, and analyzing invisible signals that move through the human world without the need for external devices.

However, Yang Jinzhen, being a D-level, couldn't do such advanced things. Her ability was simply a sharper sensitivity to information, enabling her to gather rumors and piece together facts. She could sort through them logically and determine what was true and what was false.

"One against seven, definitely true!" she said, stepping on her chair, surrounded by a group of classmates eager to hear gossip, all eyes fixed on her.

"That guy at the back row of Class 3, you know, the one who always leaves a crack in the door during class—he says the fight started the moment the bell rang, and it went on for a full twenty minutes. It wasn't until our Class 2 homeroom teacher showed up that it stopped."

Yang Jinzhen spoke with animated gestures, as though she had been there in person. "For twenty minutes, it was all crashing and banging, so loud it nearly tore the roof off. But somehow, their homeroom teacher didn't appear. And then, guess what happened? You all know Jin Xianhui, right?"

She looked around expectantly, but everyone stared at her blankly.

Yang Jinzhen clicked her tongue. "The guy who never wears his uniform properly and always walks around the floor with a big silver chain around his neck."

"Oh, I remember now!" A chubby boy raised his hand. "I bumped into him once while walking, and he tried to hit me. Luckily, I'm wind-type, so I ran away fast. When he saw my ability, he just left."

"That's him," Yang Jinzhen slapped her palm. "He was crying for help, and that's when their homeroom teacher finally showed up."

"I think their homeroom teacher just ignored it on purpose," said a delicate-looking girl wearing glasses, lowering her voice. "Wei Yuyu from their class—his father is the deputy captain of the city defense team in our district. With all that commotion today, it had to have been Wei Yuyu behind it, so their teacher must have been too scared to show up."

Yang Jinzhen gave her a thumbs-up. "You're right, it was Wei Yuyu. Jin Xianhui is just his little underling, and he was helping him take revenge."

"And then what happened?" Tang You, who had been dozing off, suddenly sat up, eager for more.

Yang Jinzhen, rarely seeing Tang You actively ask about gossip, pinched her round cheek and tapped the dirty chair before sitting down. More excited than ever, she continued, "When their teacher finally came in, she shouted for that violent girl to stop! I bet she stopped in the end, but here's the important part!"

She paused, eyes scanning the room, before leaning in and beckoning everyone closer with a sly grin.

Tang You leaned in, joining the others in a tight circle, and Yang Jinzhen whispered, "Wei Yuyu made a sneak attack! While no one was paying attention, he smashed a chair into the back of that girl's head."

The group gasped in unison.

Tang You instinctively touched her own head.

She froze. Maybe, just maybe, when Song Shi had borrowed her hair tie earlier, she had already planned to confront them head-on?

"You better not spread this around. I overheard it from a girl in Class 2 while I was in the bathroom stall," Yang Jinzhen put a finger to her lips.

One of the boys raised his eyebrows. "Class 2 is on the third floor, and we're on the fifth. How could a girl from their class be on our floor?"

Yang Jinzhen shot him a look. "Can't I go down to the third floor?"

"Right, right," the chubby boy nodded. "The goddess of gossip is really dedicated."

Yang Jinzhen accepted the title with pride and continued in the tone of a storyteller. "You have no idea. The scene was horrific! The guy from Class 3 who overheard—it's not like he was sitting in the back row. On his way to the infirmary, he had to pass by the back door of Class 3, and from the crack, he saw them carry out four people."

She held up four fingers dramatically for emphasis.

"The violent girl was the first to be carried out. She was being supported by their class president and vice-president, and it looked like she was barely conscious. Her legs were dragging on the ground, and her entire uniform was soaked in blood. There were bloodstains all over the floor," she shuddered. 

Naturally, her vivid description drew another round of gasps.

"Is she going to die?" the chubby boy asked, concerned.

Yang Jinzhen shook her head in regret. "I don't know. The infirmary hasn't released any news yet."

"And the others?" someone asked.

"One of them's got a limp, another's been beaten so badly they look unrecognizable, unconscious. And the third one—the guy with the big silver chain—was drenched in the blood of that violent girl. Apparently, it scared him into fainting. Can you believe it? That guy, so cocky, got fainted by the sight of blood. Oh, by the way, I have a picture from the scene. Do you want to see?"

"Yes!" Almost in unison, the class eagerly responded. Gossip was the only source of excitement in their otherwise monotonous school lives.

Yang Jinzhen pulled up the photo on her holographic screen as she issued a warning. "Brace yourselves. It's really gory." She emphasized the last four words.

"Who hasn't seen something gory? I've even watched beast dissections," said one boy, unfazed.

"Here it is," Yang Jinzhen revealed the image. It was a shot of an uncleaned hallway, with a long trail of blood and random footprints scattered across the floor, leading to the stairs.

The boy in front expressed disappointment. "This? I thought it'd be a picture from the classroom."

Yang Jinzhen smacked his desk. "Do you think the picture could have come from the classroom with Wei Yuyu and their teacher around? I had to beg someone to get this for me."

The chubby boy propped his chin up, looking gloomy. "One against seven, really impressive." He sighed, envious. "If I were there, I'd probably just run."

The glasses-wearing class president ignored him, instead falling into thought. "But how did she suddenly change like that? Wasn't she unawakened?"

Yang Jinzhen herself couldn't figure this out. While violent types like her should naturally be aggressive due to their driving factor, it had been two years, and she had always been so docile. Now, her sudden change was strange.

"Doesn't being bullied mean you have the right to fight back?" Tang You pouted. "Besides, even if she's not a violent type, any normal person, after being oppressed for so long, should have the right to resist."

Yang Jinzhen chewed on her nails, her brow furrowing unknowingly. "True, but something still feels off."

What exactly felt off? She couldn't pinpoint it.

The glasses-wearing class president watched her and gently encouraged, "Think about it carefully. Superbrain types are good at noticing details. If something feels wrong, it's because you've missed a detail."

Everyone around nodded in agreement.

With so many eyes on her, Yang Jinzhen bit her nails even harder, activating all her mental faculties. Suddenly, she had an epiphany. "Is she... not the same Song Shi anymore?!"

The surrounding group stared at her, their eyes wide with anticipation. "…It's class time, class time! Let's get back to our seats!"

The group scrambled to disperse.

Yang Jinzhen raised a hand as if to stop them but realized she couldn't explain her absurd thought either. She sighed and sat back down.

Why had she thought that?

Little did she know, as she continued to unravel every detail related to Song Shi, her brain made a faint connection with the virtual information world.

"She" had briefly accessed Song Shi's search history.

"Are parallel worlds real?" "The most suspicious time traveler in Federation history?" "The Federation's top scientist?" "Why is Federation technology so backward?" "How many districts are there in the Federation?" "What are strange beasts?" "How do you pay for bus rides?"...

These pieces of information were captured and summarized by various neurons, eventually leading to one conclusion: Song Shi did not belong to the Federation.

Unfortunately, Yang Jinzhen, being a D-level superbrain-type, didn't realize her powers had just functioned at a level that rivaled an A-class. She thought she was just overthinking things.

She drooped her head, feeling a bit dizzy.

The bell rang for class. Tang You flipped open her book to the previous lesson's material, only to see her deskmate still slumped over the desk, sleeping.

Tang You was startled. This was the homeroom teacher's class, and she didn't dare to sleep. Yet, Yang Jinzhen dared to. Before the teacher could notice, she nudged her with her elbow.

Yang Jinzhen's head wobbled, but she didn't wake.

Frowning, Tang You nud

ged her more forcefully. "Hey!"

Yang Jinzhen opened one eye and then closed it again. She snored lightly. "I'm going to look for the truth."

"The class has already started! What are you doing, Tang You?!" The homeroom teacher, an elderly, thin man, bellowed from the podium, his stern voice echoing through the room, followed by a book being hurled down toward her.

Tang You instinctively reached out to intercept the book, but her emotions got the better of her. A burst of fire shot out from her palm uncontrollably, instantly incinerating the book the teacher was using for his lecture. The charred remains flew over and landed on the head of a student sitting in the front row.

Front-row classmate: "?!"

The homeroom teacher, furious, stormed down from the podium, striding up to Tang You, ready to unleash a tirade. Tang You immediately jumped up, shouting, "Teacher Jin Zhen has fainted!"

Homeroom teacher: "!"

(End of chapter)