The First Order

Jiang Xu looked at Ren Xiaosu and said, “Yang Xiaojin is a good girl, but she’s a little antisocial.”Ren Xiaosu grew unhappy at the words. “How could you say that she’s antisocial? She is a nice person. Besides, what she said was true. Don’t these Qinghe University students lead a really pampered life?”“Why are you arguing with me?” Jiang Xu stared at him and said, “And why are you accusing my students of leading a pampered life?”

“When I came to Qinghe University last time, the students were debating whether nuclear weapons should exist in the world or not.” Ren Xiaosu scorned, “Living in a sheltered environment like this, they go on and on about the important global matters like it affects them. Can y’all tell them to not act so highfalutin? They might as well think about how to survive in this chaotic world. Just look, y’all immediately placed them under protection when something is about to happen to Luoyang City. These students have no idea of what kind of threat they’re facing.”

“No matter how huge the threat is, it doesn’t concern the university since there isn’t anything they want here,” Jiang Xu said.

“Chief Editor,   ” Ren Xiaosu said with a sigh,    “I admire your views on current affairs,   but you and the others have made the same mistake. That is,   you’ve underestimated the role and power of supernatural beings in this era. I watched a massive earthquake get triggered in front of me and also saw with my own eyes how someone manipulated 5, 000 people like they were puppets. If those politicians think that this world is still their stage and everything’s under their control, they’re gonna die as well.”

Jiang Xu was a reasonable person. He said,   “The one who can manipulate 5, 000 people like puppets should be Li Shentan, but who’s the person who can trigger a massive earthquake?”

Ren Xiaosu did not answer this question, because he still did not want outsiders to know how terrifying Yan Liuyuan’s power was at its peak.

Seeing that he did not want to answer,  Jiang Xu asked again, “What do you think is the reason that people can become superhuman?”

Ren Xiaosu thought for a while and answered,    “Yang Xiaojin told me this. When a disaster comes,   mental strength becomes the highest caliber of weapon humanity has. Someone else once shared a similar point of view as mine. That person is Li Shentan,  and he said that humans have not fully mastered their own bodies, which are controlled by the subconscious. When humans are able to control their subconscious, they’ll be on par with gods even in their mortal bodies.”

Ren Xiaosu added,   “I spent a lot of time in libraries reading many books,  as I wanted to learn more about this world. I came across a very interesting book called Psychology in a Deviant Society. It recorded an experiment that a scientist carried out. He gathered 11 people and blindfolded them, then told everyone he would sear them with a hot iron.”

“But actually,   he used an ice cube and ‘seared’ their skin with it instead of using a hot iron. Then something strange happened. After the ice cube came into contact with their skin,  two of the subjects did not react while three started screaming. The other six people experienced scalding and developed blisters on their skin. However, when they learned that it was just an ice cube that had ‘burned’ them, their injuries disappeared within a few minutes.”

Jiang Xu wondered, “If this is true, does that mean that superhumans who master their subconscious will gain control of the world?”

“I don’t know. I doubt even Li Shentan understands this fully yet. Otherwise, he would’ve become a god already.” Ren Xiaosu said, “But no matter what, this is no longer a world where authority figures can do whatever they like. Besides, among the supernatural beings, many of them have already started treating normal people as ants. They won’t even hesitate to sacrifice an entire stronghold to achieve what they want. Mr. Chief Editor, do you pay attention to whether you’ve trampled any ants while walking?”

Jiang Xu said, “Yes, I do.”

“… Amazing,” remarked Ren Xiaosu.

Jiang Xu started belly laughing. By stumping Ren Xiaosu, he felt like he had gained a minor victory of sorts. He finally got revenge for the chess game!

“Will you still be attending classes at the university after everything settles down?” Jiang Xu suddenly asked, “Why did you come to Luoyang City? It seems like you know exactly what will happen in Luoyang City. In that case, why did you still come here and risk your life?”

“Initially, I came here to look for Yang Xiaojin. Although I don’t know her whereabouts now, I’ve found some clues. So I plan to stay and see if anything will arise.” Ren Xiaosu was currently waiting for the Saboteurs to appear. “Besides, since Qin Sheng and Old Li are my friends, it’s only natural that I help them out.”

“I know Qin Sheng, but who is Old Li?” Jiang Xu wondered.

“Li Yingyun,” Ren Xiaosu explained.

“Oh, I usually call him Little Li,” Jiang Xu said with a smile.

Ren Xiaosu said unhappily, “Is there any point in lording over such a small thing when you’re already the important chief editor?”

“I am certainly much older than you, so how does that count as lording over you?” Jiang Xu said, “You still haven’t answered my question. Will you still be attending classes after everything settles down?”

“Yes,” Ren Xiaosu said frankly, “it’s still very rewarding to attend your class.”

“Alright.” Jiang Xu took his cane and stood up. “Then I’ll see you in class next time. I’m also looking forward to the questions you ask. If there isn’t enough time in class, you’re welcome to visit me at Hope Media.” With that, Jiang Xu limped out of the office.

Ren Xiaosu asked, “Did someone really break your leg? Have you gotten revenge yet?”

Jiang Xu did not answer his question. “This was the price to pay for reporting the truth.”

…

In the afternoon, Ren Xiaosu continued to attend classes according to the schedule. However, the other classe were not as interesting as the one in the morning. Ren Xiaosu was getting drowsy as the lecturer recited directly from the textbook at the teaching podium.

He asked a male classmate nonchalantly, “I heard that there was a very popular girl in this class. Is her name Yang Xiaojin? When did she leave Qinghe University?”

“Oh, I don’t really remember why, but that should have been more than ten days ago.” The male classmate said, “She just suddenly stopped coming to class. We only found out that she took a leave of absence from school when the Class Committee went to ask a counselor. Why? You want to find out about her as well?”

“As well? Who else is asking?” Ren Xiaosu wondered.

“Well, a lot of people.” The male student chuckled and said, “Our class often joins up with other classes for the larger lectures. That is to say, two or three classes will attend the same lecture together. Many of the male students fell in love at first sight. Wait, why are you so concerned about this when you’re just here to show up for attendance for someone else? What do you do outside of campus? Are you really short of money?”

“Oh, I sell roasted sweet potatoes with my family,” Ren Xiaosu lied with a smile.

The male student did not say anything more to Ren Xiaosu as he continued paying attention to the lecture and writing some notes.

A female classmate sitting in the back muttered, “I wonder where Zheng Hang found this person? He’s good-looking and has a nice body too.”

A lot of guys do not know that girls can actually be cruder than guys when discussing such matters in private.