"Principal." Director Xue hid the admiration in his eyes well, appearing strictly business-like.

"Is it over?"

"It's over."

"Any casualties?"

"None," Director Xue replied. "It was almost exactly as you predicted, with Chen Gu first and Bai Zhijin fourth."

The fish basket beside the principal was empty. He felt a tug on his line and hurriedly reeled it in, but it came up empty.

The principal was frustrated. "These fish are becoming more and more cunning!"

He flung his fishing rod aside and began speaking earnestly with Director Xue. "I sent Chen Gu over. Even if Ling Yitong were a pig, he wouldn't lose that battle, right?"

"The situation is very favorable. I estimate that the Subterraneans won't be able to stir up trouble for the next two hundred years."

The principal nodded in relief. "That's good. I allowed Chen Gu to upgrade to the Third Energy Level, and he helped me with the Maoshi Star issue. Quite a fair trade."

Director Xue also nodded. Thinking of the girl, he added, "It's a pity about Sun Kexin."

The principal shook his head, appearing somewhat cold.

"And the items?"

Director Xue presented a collection of gemstones, beast teeth, and Magic Wands, but most were shattered, with less than twenty percent intact.

The principal's eyes widened, a pained, miserly gleam—like a treasure hoarder watching his gold vanish—flashing within them. "How could this happen..."

Director Xue explained helplessly, "Two hundred Shamans were killed by Chen Gu's Biological Nuclear Explosion. Their items couldn't escape either. I did my best to retrieve what I could, but most of them were shattered."

The principal clutched his chest in anguish.

When Director Xue had proactively gone to confirm the situation, another of his objectives was to collect these materials. The principal was well aware of the secret that Shamanic ornaments and Magic Wands were extremely valuable materials.

This freshman military training was a multi-beneficial endeavor, and the principal himself had been most eagerly anticipating these materials.

"Chen Gu—" the principal gritted his teeth.

"Alas—" He then let out a mournful sigh.

He began to meticulously sort through these materials. Then, he said to Director Xue, "I've already reached an agreement with Aviloya. This year's freshmen will cooperate closely with the Bureau of Mystic Security. Go and meet with Aviloya to discuss the specifics of the collaboration."

"Yes." Director Xue glanced at the heartbroken principal, a slight smile playing on his lips inwardly. To outsiders, the principal of Huai Shan Branch School was a lofty, revered figure. To super-powerful individuals like Aviloya, he was the anchor of the entire Confederation, perhaps even the whole human race. In the eyes of the Elders' Council, the principal was a divine dragon soaring through the clouds—someone they relied on, yet also feared.

However, to those close to the principal, like his female confidantes or Director Xue, he was actually quite an interesting person.

...

Even if I need to suck up to someone in the future, I can't just casually promise to treat Chen Gu to a meal, especially not in the school cafeteria, Lin Xiaochen quickly resolved.

Qiao Shuangyi took pleasure in his misfortune.

Sure enough, Lin Xiaochen's pocket money for the month had vanished into thin air. Moreover, Chen Gu still hadn't eaten his fill, and since they had agreed on a custom stall, the shortfall in funds was significant.

Qiao Shuangyi, with a shifty glint in his eyes, sidled up to the embarrassed Lin Xiaochen. "Need a loan? Given our friendship, we can negotiate the interest."

Lin Xiaochen lamented in distress, "Why didn't you stop me when I was making those wild promises?"

Qiao Shuangyi pursed his lips. "Have you forgotten about that night we went to the gourmet food truck? You were asking for trouble; what's that got to do with me?"

Lin Xiaochen opened his mouth, then remembered. What a miscalculation!

Qiao Shuangyi shot him an annoyed look. "A few months' allowance for second place in the freshman military training? You struck gold! If you're not satisfied, let's swap!"

"No way!" Lin Xiaochen immediately retorted. "I get it now. If you want to ride Brother Chen's coattails, you have to be willing to spend big!"

Qiao Shuangyi paused for a moment, then he also understood. "Right..."

...

As Chen Gu was returning to his dormitory and passing through a corridor, he suddenly sensed something and turned his head. On a nearby antique-style building, Ye Feileng stood with her arms crossed, watching him coldly.

Hmph. Chen Gu sneered inwardly and turned away.

After quickly tidying up in his dormitory, he went to the Bureau to report.

Director-General Aviloya naturally had no "time" for him, and Chen Gu wasn't there to see her anyway.

"You're back!" Qing Ruyan exclaimed in pleasant surprise upon seeing him. "I only heard after you left how dangerous the Huai Shan Branch School's freshman military training was. I'm so glad you're okay."

She patted her chest. Despite the Director-General's warning, Qing Ruyan didn't dare to appear overly familiar with Chen Gu, but in her heart, she truly considered him a friend.

Chen Gu smiled and nodded. "Mm... Has Chen Jixian completed his advancement?"

"Not yet." Seeing the worry on his face, Qing Ruyan quickly added, "But he's very close. The Bureau's experts estimate it'll be in the next day or two."

"And he has already passed the most dangerous phase, so you don't need to worry."

Chen Gu quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could say anything more, the door to Qing Ruyan's office BANGED open. Dr. Meng Ji rushed in, his face lighting up when he saw Chen Gu. "Hahaha, I knew you'd be here! Come with me, quick! I feel like my research is on the verge of a breakthrough, and I need your help with a few more experiments!"

Chen 'Lab Rat' Gu was dragged to the laboratory. Dr. Meng Ji had built some new devices, and Chen Gu had no idea what they were for; he could only cooperate.

Then, during their casual chat, Chen Gu was astonished to realize that Dr. Meng Ji actually had a research direction!

This so-called research won't lead to any results, Chen Gu knew perfectly well, yet Dr. Meng Ji seemed utterly confident.

"Actually, I've had a sudden insight recently," Dr. Meng Ji said to Chen Gu, all while observing the experimental data. "I used to imagine this research was incredibly difficult, always trying to think along the most profound and complex lines—because, after all, this breaks centuries of common knowledge held by professionals."

"But when did this common sense first appear? I've carefully reviewed the records. It seems to have been passed down from older professions when professionals first emerged during humanity's Great Interstellar Exploration era."

"Subsequently, over a vast stretch of time, many professionals and researchers tried to overturn this common sense but ultimately failed. Thus, this common sense became firmly established."

"But that era was thousands of years ago. Since then, human technology has developed at lightning speed and is incomparable to those times. Intermittently, people have challenged this common sense, but all have failed. However, looking closely at the reasons, it seems to be due to the challengers' own insufficient strength and a lack of invested research resources."

Chen Gu was skeptical. "Doctor, are you suggesting…"

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