Chapter 76 – I'm Not Funny Enough, So I Don't Fit In

Time quietly slipped by amidst various undercurrents.

Soon, dawn broke.

On this day, the number of armed helicopters in the sky above Huaming District had multiplied several times over. Soldiers and military vehicles on the roads appeared in an endless stream, creating a sense of impending storm.

The weather wasn’t great either—overcast, with howling gusts of wind, giving a vivid impression that a storm was about to arrive.

Such weather, such an atmosphere—it had to be said—was perfectly suited as the backdrop for today’s battle in Huaming District.

In the Academy District, all students received a message early in the morning.

“According to the detection department of Longyao City, the entrance to the Spirit Demon Abyss will officially open at dusk this evening. All student teams are required to accept defense line missions at the Mission Hall before noon and arrive at their chosen defense line locations by 3:00 PM.”

Su Ming saw this message as soon as he woke up. Holding his phone, he narrowed his eyes.

“Twilight Hour?”

Dusk, in some myths and legends, is known as the time when all kinds of demons and monsters are most likely to appear, hence it’s called the Twilight Hour.

“The entrance to the Spirit Demon Abyss is officially opening at this time—how fitting.”

Muttering to himself, Su Ming left his room and entered the living room.

In the living room, everyone was present except for Ye Bai, who had lost at rock-paper-scissors yesterday and was now stationed at the office building.

Yes, our young master Ye had lost at rock-paper-scissors again last night, leaving him scowling all evening. This morning, his grumbling could faintly be heard as he left, making Su Ming pray out of sympathy that he wouldn’t run into any creepy guys trying to take advantage of him.

Under these circumstances, aside from Su Ming, the other four members of the team had already gathered.

“Brother Su Ming.”

An Zijin was the first to stand up and greet him.

“Everyone’s so early?”

Having slept soundly through the night and no longer suffering from sleep deprivation—and with no “devil” disturbing his peaceful dreams this morning—Su Ming was in good spirits, greeting them with vibrant energy.

“You’re the one who’s late, bad senior.”

“We’ve been waiting here for about twenty minutes.”

Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei muttered under their breaths.

“Sorry, sorry.” Su Ming didn’t mind and instead flashed them a bright smile. “Well, no little kitten came to my bed to disturb my sleep today, so I slept in a bit longer.”

Su Ming’s words immediately made Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei’s expressions turn awkward.

Jiang Wanyu looked guilty, as if recalling something terrifying. Covering her forehead, she sneakily glanced at An Zijin. Only when she saw An Zijin’s smiling face did she seem startled, quickly lowering her head and falling silent.

Yao Beibei’s pretty face flushed red again, instantly turning into a steamed bun. She unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest, as if remembering something extremely embarrassing.

“Hmph! (｀?′)=3”

An Zijin snorted coldly.”Little kittens?” Lei Hao looked at Su Ming with a puzzled expression. “What little kittens? Does someone here keep cats?”

“That’s right.” Su Ming spoke with an air of seriousness. “And they’re actually our own pets.”

“Our pets?” Lei Hao grew even more confused, turning to An Zijin. “Do we keep cats, Junior An?”

“Yes.” An Zijin replied coldly. “Two little thieves who’ve been sneaking around. They’re probably in heat. I’ll deal with them properly later.”

Hearing this, Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei began trembling.

“Huh?”

Lei Hao looked completely bewildered.

“Didn’t you already deal with those two little thieves last night?”

Su Ming smiled meaningfully.

“Indeed.” An Zijin said expressionlessly. “But they seem unwilling to explain the whole story clearly, so I think some proper discipline is still necessary later.”

“Now this is something that keeps me awake.” Su Ming immediately raised his hand to volunteer. “I happen to have knowledge and techniques in this area, though I learned them all online. I’m willing to assist for free.”

Hearing this, Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei finally lost their composure.

“We don’t need your help! You bad senior!”

Jiang Wanyu glared at Su Ming, protesting angrily.

“Bad senior!”

Yao Beibei hadn’t even lowered her defensive hands, staring at Su Ming with teary eyes as if looking at the world’s worst villain – it actually looked somewhat… cute!

Unfortunately, Su Ming was completely justified this time.

“Don’t forget, you two still owe me an explanation.” Su Ming looked kindly at the two juniors, activating his passive extra-sequence Spirit Art [Senior’s Authority], saying: “When there’s time later, I’ll have a proper talk with you too.”

Hearing these words and seeing Su Ming speak like this, Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei felt their future turn dark, with no hope left.

The two girls could only exchange a somewhat aggrieved and desperate look, then simultaneously came up with the same idea.

(If senior really questions us, I’ll say Beibei planned to sneak attack him at night, and I was there to stop her.)

(If senior really questions us, I’ll say Wanyu planned to sneak attack him at night, and I was there to stop her.)

This had been their original plan all along.

However, neither wanted to be the first victim of reputation damage, so they simultaneously decided to betray their sister.

But while the idea was good, reality was cruel.

“Brother Su Ming, let me participate too when the time comes.”

An Zijin spoke up again expressionlessly, making Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei almost burst into tears.

Admitting in front of An Zijin that one of them had planned to sneak attack Su Ming at night?

That would be courting death without even knowing how they died!

Last night, “Inner Zijin” had almost emerged. Fortunately, they managed to gloss things over with evasive answers, acting cute and changing the subject, barely getting through. If they dared say one of them had planned to sneak attack Su Ming at night…

shiver (((;???;)))

Just thinking about the consequences made Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei break out in cold sweat.

Su Ming and An Zijin paid no attention to the two, actually thinking it was good to scare them a bit.

In the end, only Lei Hao remained purely and completely bewildered.”What are you all even talking about?” Lei Hao asked in confusion. “Did I miss something important?”

His words were met with a simultaneous response from the four people present.

“None of your business, don’t worry about it.”

Four people, four mouths, nearly made Lei Hao shut down on the spot.

Fine, I’m not on your level, can’t join your group. Maybe I’m not funny enough, so I don’t fit in…

“Brother Su Ming, did you also receive the message from the Academy?”

It was only then that An Zijin brought up the main business, leaving Lei Hao to go draw circles in the corner.

“Yes.” Su Ming nodded, setting aside his playful mood. “Is that why you all got up so early?”

“Mm.” An Zijin nodded repeatedly. “We were just discussing which Defense Line task would be best if we’re going to take one.”

This was indeed an important matter.

After all, they would soon be dealing directly with the invading Phantom Demon army. They needed to decide in advance which Defense Line they would be stationed at.

Some Defense Lines were in crucial positions, assigned more personnel, and offered higher contribution points as rewards—seemingly ideal for those wanting to earn more points.

But it wasn’t that simple.

If they truly wanted to earn contribution points, they shouldn’t just choose Defense Lines in important positions. They should also pick ones closer to the Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance or those likely to face heavy Phantom Demon assaults.

The contribution points from stationing were fixed, but the points earned from defeating Phantom Demons were variable.

If they really wanted to earn points, fighting Phantom Demons on the Frontline was actually the fastest way.

The more Phantom Demons they defeated and the greater their contribution in the battle, the more points they would earn.

Of course, that was also the most dangerous, with the risk of death at any moment.

Conversely, if they wanted to stay away from the war and danger, choosing a safer, more remote, and less important Defense Line to station at was also a valid option.

However, anything could happen unexpectedly.

Perhaps a seemingly safe, remote, and unimportant Defense Line might suddenly face a massive Phantom Demon assault?

That would then become a matter of life and death.

Therefore, choosing the location of the Defense Line and the task to undertake was definitely an issue that required careful discussion.

Su Ming, however, was quite straightforward.

“I’m more inclined to choose safer Defense Lines for stationing,” Su Ming said without hesitation. “After all, we’ve already met the Academy’s contribution point requirements. There’s no need to take unnecessary risks.”

As soon as he said this, Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei, who had been keeping quiet, immediately raised their hands.

“We agree!”

The two had no objections to this decision.

Keeping An Zijin away from danger was their mission and their shared understanding.

Being able to choose a safe Defense Line was something Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei wholeheartedly supported.

In contrast, An Zijin hesitated and said, “But if we do that, we’ll earn very few contribution points. Brother Su Ming, don’t you want to earn more points to exchange for precious items with the Base City?”This is precisely the crux that makes many hesitate—whether to choose a safe passage through this battle or to take a risk.

In fact, people like Su Ming and his companions, who choose safety without hesitation, are actually the minority.

After all…

“If we can exchange for some valuable items, it might lead to a significant boost in strength, allowing us to catch up to elite students or even top students and become key cultivation targets for the Academy or Base City.”

An Zijin pointed this out.

Many students are tempted by such thoughts, which is why they can’t resist taking risks to earn large amounts of contribution points.

For ordinary students, and even for elite and top students, this is an excellent opportunity to elevate themselves to the next level.

The only issue is that Su Ming doesn’t need it.

With the package in hand, he has the world at his command.

Moreover, Su Ming doesn’t believe he can actually obtain anything valuable from the Base City in exchange.

(End of Chapter)