HCB Ch. 147 - Bullshitting with a Straight Face
Ch. 147 - Bullshitting with a Straight Face
"That was genuinely brutal!"The Special Training Class students wore expressions of collective shock.
Nobody expected Chen Shu to skip the formalities entirely—didn't even bother asking who the guy was before knocking him out cold.
Then again, this was perfectly in character for Chen Shu.
Shen Wushuang spoke up. "He's from Nanjiang First High. Came specifically to challenge our school."
"Hm? Well, his challenge just failed."
Chen Shu gave Lin Ziyan a casual kick and said, "I didn't even summon my Slime and still took him out."
"..."
Dude, that was a sucker punch! And since when do Beast Tamers fight with their actual fists?!
Shen Wushuang looked completely speechless, though deep down he was quite satisfied. Who told that brat from First High to be so arrogant?
Meanwhile, behind the school, the Black-White Python that had been digging a pit quietly slithered back...
Since you're being so considerate, I'll let the whole hanging-up-on-me thing slide.
Shen Wushuang shook his head. "Wake him up first."
Soon enough, the unconscious Lin Ziyan slowly opened his eyes. He saw Chen Shu's face inches away from his own—momentarily confused, but the memories came flooding back fast.
"You motherfuckers ambushed me!"
Lin Ziyan's eyes blazed with fury. In all his years, when had anyone ever blindsided him like this?
"You're provoking Nanjiang First High! Sabotaging relations between our schools! I'm going back to have my principal deal with this personally!"
His face was livid as he pointed at each Special Training Class student in turn.
Then he turned and jabbed his finger at Chen Shu's nose, snarling, "You're the one who sucker-punched me, aren't you?! Just you wait!"
Chen Shu looked perfectly innocent. "Your principal is right behind you."
Lin Ziyan instinctively turned to look—saw nothing but empty air, and alarm bells went off in his head.
But it was already too late.
That familiar embrace of darkness descended once more. Another wickedly precise God Punch, clean and decisive, knocked him right back out.
"He was just way too noisy. Couldn't be helped."
Chen Shu shrugged, completely unbothered. He dragged Lin Ziyan like a dead dog and dumped him at the entrance of the Beast Taming Arena.
Everyone swallowed hard. This guy is genuinely insane...
He'd knocked him out a second time!
Chen Shu turned to his teacher. "Mr. Shen, someone literally showed up at our door to pick a fight. How come you didn't just bury him?"
"..."
The corner of Shen Wushuang's mouth twitched. Though he genuinely had wanted to bury Lin Ziyan.
"His challenge was by the rules. This kind of thing happens every year—Nanjiang First High usually sends someone over."
"They're that cocky?"
Chen Shu rubbed his chin, and options suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Option 1: Ignore it and continue class. Completion Reward: Medium Beast Taming Power]
[Option 2: Kidnap Lin Ziyan and extort Nanjiang First High. Completion Reward: Level 1 Jumping Fruit]
[Option 3: Defeat Nanjiang First High's Special Training Class geniuses. Completion Reward: Golden Slime All Stats +10%]
Chen Shu silently tucked the urea bag back into his backpack.
Shen Wushuang's expression shifted with alarm. "What are you planning?"
"I'm taking down First High's Special Training Class!"
With that, Chen Shu slung his backpack on and strode toward the Beast Taming Arena's exit with great purpose.
"..."
The others stood there slack-jawed. Does this guy have to be this intense?
Yet deep down, they actually felt a hint of gratitude. Having a bandit like this in their class... might not be so bad after all.
"Wait! Wait up!"
Shen Wushuang blocked Chen Shu's path. "This isn't a small matter. It needs to go through school leadership first."
He fully expected Chen Shu to refuse outright, but to his surprise, Chen Shu's eyes lit up with a different kind of calculation as he nodded.
"Mr. Shen, I think you make an excellent point! I shouldn't be so impulsive!"
"Hm?"
Shen Wushuang's eyes widened. Something felt very wrong.
Chen Shu flashed a grin, but internally he was kicking himself for nearly missing this opportunity. How could I not shake down the school for this?
"Mr. Shen, our Second High has been getting stomped for years. Has there ever been a counterattack?"
Shen Wushuang replied, "Three years ago, when we had Fang Si, we dominated every other school."
Chen Shu rubbed his chin. "Mm. And what was Fang Si's asking price?"
"..."
Now Shen Wushuang understood why this kid had suddenly become so reasonable. So you've been waiting to fleece the school this whole time, huh?
"That I don't know. You'd have to ask the administration."
Moments later, Shen Wushuang and Chen Shu arrived at the principal's office.
They happened to run into a student walking out with his chest puffed and his head held high.
"Well, well! If it isn't Little Yi!"
Chen Shu broke into a grin. It was none other than Zheng Yi, the former class president of Beast Taming Class 3.
"Chen Pi... B-Brother Pi!"
Zheng Yi's body gave an involuntary shudder. That familiar voice awakened the shadows buried deep in his psyche.
"Good boy. You know your place. Off you go."
Chen Shu gave him a pat on the shoulder. Zheng Yi fled the scene immediately, every trace of his earlier confidence and pride evaporating in an instant.
Shen Wushuang stared. "Just how many people have you terrorized?"
Chen Shu answered with perfect seriousness. "What do you mean 'terrorized'? That was a friendly conversation! My personal charisma is just radiant, okay?"
The two walked straight into the principal's office without so much as knocking.
"Hm? Mr. Shen, what brings you here?"
The pot-bellied principal rose to greet them at once. As the school's principal, he was also part of the Education Bureau and held the rank of Black Iron. However, his advancing age had dulled his reflexes compared to younger tamers, and years without combat meant his actual strength fell far short of Shen Wushuang's. Besides, Shen Wushuang was a specially recruited instructor for the Special Training Class—his status was no less than the principal's own.
"Principal, no need for formalities."
Shen Wushuang found a seat and sat down.
Chen Shu was equally casual, dropping onto the sofa.
"This student must be... Chen Shu, right?"
The principal thought for a moment and placed the name. The kid who'd used a single F-rank contract spirit to dominate the entire Special Training Class—naturally, he'd left an impression.
"Principal, I'm here today because there's something I'd like to discuss."
Shen Wushuang got straight to the point. "You know about the Lin Ziyan situation?"
The principal nodded. "Yes, the student from Nanjiang First High. I was planning to go check on things once I finished up here."
"He's currently lying in front of the Beast Taming Arena."
"Hm? What happened?"
Chen Shu cleared his throat. "The guy was too arrogant, so I knocked him out."
"Outrageous! He came here with a legitimate challenge!"
The principal's expression turned stern. He'd heard a thing or two about Chen Shu's reputation before, but he hadn't expected the kid to be this lawless.
"Principal, I knocked him out with the utmost seriousness and formality..."
"..."
Shen Wushuang was about to step in with an explanation when Chen Shu continued without missing a beat:
"I originally didn't want to get involved, but the guy was way too arrogant. He said our Nanjiang Second High was a trash school, that we were all 'a bunch of dead fish and rotten shrimp.'"
"What's more, he declared he was going to string the principal up and beat him personally—punishment for raising students who drag down Nanjiang City's average."
The instant those words left his mouth, the previously genial principal's eyes flew wide open, fury igniting in his gaze.
Shen Wushuang stared at Chen Shu in stunned silence.
How the hell do you bullshit with such a straight face? And so calmly, too?
TN: Sorry for the late releases guys, I will try to keep a more consistent schedule going ahead