Deus Ex Machina: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The so-called “problematic students” are simply those who exceed the age limit.

The impact of the Low Tide Era on humanity was almost catastrophic. In order to survive and adapt, humans had to evolve autonomously, and their genes underwent constant self-adjustment and optimization. Since then, every person’s genetic information would be recorded at birth. After complex screening, individuals with standard genetic conditions and the potential for special abilities would receive admission notices from Nufeng Academy between the ages of ten and thirteen.

Being able to enter Nufeng Academy was the greatest hero dream of every individual in their youth and a source of pride for every family.

Nufeng Academy rarely accepted students over the age of thirteen. After all, the current direction of human genetic evolution determined that if most individuals were not screened out by the system by the age of thirteen, there really wasn’t much latent potential to be activated.

Living a stable life under the bright sky of light and peace as an ordinary person throughout one’s life wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Everyone wants to be a hero, but not everyone can become one.

Yang Jin, wearing a teacher’s uniform, walked in the courtyard of Nufeng Academy, attracting numerous onlookers along the way. He greeted everyone with a smile, then quickly flew to the principal’s office to report. After a lengthy academic meeting with other teachers, Yang Jin received the class roster for his own class.

“Only three students?” Yang Jin asked Director Zhang with some surprise.

Director Zhang Yize was a middle-aged man who spoke and acted slowly and meticulously. It was hard to imagine that such a person had retired from Qianfan.

He kindly explained to Yang Jin, “The academy’s classes are all three-person units, Teacher Yang. Didn’t you know that?”

“I’ve never attended school here.” Yang Jin said, “Is it to align with Qianfan’s three-six organization?”

“Yes.”

Yang Jin lowered his head to look at the documents. “Why are there no photos and gender in the student profiles?”

Zhang Yize explained, “Because we don’t want teachers to have too stereotypical first impressions of the students. Gender and appearance are not the criteria for Nufeng’s selection; potential and ability are.”

“Alright, whatever.” Yang Jin couldn’t be bothered with the school’s regulations. “Shi Yixi, Ying Si, Zhao Qinghe—they all seem like three female students. Are you really at ease giving me three female students? Isn’t this a bit irresponsible? What if…”

“It won’t be a problem, Teacher Yang.” Zhang Yize maintained his smile. “We trust in your ability.” He paused and added, “And character.”

Yang Jin couldn’t understand which muscle Zhang Yize’s greasy smile came from until the next day during roll call when he suddenly realized.

Three students were sitting in the not-so-large classroom.

“Zhao Qinghe.”

“Here!” A boy raised his hand enthusiastically, with eyes gleaming brightly at Yang Jin. At thirteen, he was considered older among the new students at Nufeng Academy, but at this moment, he was the youngest.

Despite his young age, his potential rating was A, a standard top-tier student. Without any surprises, he would receive the best educational resources and smoothly enter Qianfan Base, with limitless prospects.

“Ying Si.”

The silver-haired boy lying on the table raised his head in confusion, hummed, and then lowered his head again. At sixteen, he looked like a rebellious teenager who was challenging authority—a B-rated potential.

Yang Jin ignored him and continued the roll call, “Shi Yixi.”

“Here…” The black-haired boy answered softly, a bit sluggishly raising his hand. Yang Jin glanced at him, immediately recalling the brief eye contact with this boy in Qianfan Base. At that time, he had a simple evaluation of this boy.

A little mentally challenged.

Now, this mentally challenged boy was also looking at Yang Jin with indifferent eyes.

“How old are you?” Yang Jin asked.

“Eighteen,” Shi Yixi replied.

Eighteen years old, potential rating X.

Potential ratings range from A to D, with X being a separate category indicating an ungraded status. This is usually observed in students whose abilities develop more slowly, making it an exceptional phenomenon.

Yang Jin sized up Shi Yixi and concluded in his mind that, at this age and still rated as X, he was a typical waste of potential.

Sighing subtly, Yang Jin placed his hands on the table, looked down at the three students with an expressionless face, and internally grumbled a thousand times.

What happened to the three female classmates?! What’s going on with parents these days? Has Nufeng Academy lowered its admission standards so much? Two older students! And what is that one who’s been sleeping doing? Openly challenging the authority of a teacher?

“Cough, cough.” Yang Jin cleared his throat. “My name is Yang Jin, and I am your homeroom teacher. I will be teaching tactical theory and combat practice, and I am responsible for your studies and life in the academy.”

Using the corner of his eye, Yang Jin glanced at the still-sleeping Ying Si. Zhao Qinghe quickly furrowed his brow and nudged Ying Si, whispering, “Don’t sleep; the teacher is watching you.”

Ying Si remained unfazed.

“If you need any help,” Yang Jin descended from the podium, smiling, “feel free to approach me…” Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud bang. Ying Si, along with the desk and chair, had been kicked by Yang Jin to the back wall of the classroom.

Silence!

Zhao Qinghe was both shocked and frightened, his eyes wide open and his mouth half-agape. Shi Yixi remained expressionless, almost dazed, as he observed everything happening in front of him.

“You!” Ying Si stood up in frustration, his face turning red, resembling a little lion with its fur standing on end. “Who do you think you are to kick me? The academy prohibits teachers from corporal punishment!”

“Oh, really? It’s my first day, and I didn’t know about that rule. Why don’t you go report me to the principal?” Yang Jin opened the classroom door, still wearing that nonchalant smile.

“I will!” Ying Si huffed as he walked out.

As he passed by Yang Jin, Yang Jin pointed at his shoulder with a finger, smiling and saying in a low voice, “If someone shoots at you on the battlefield, you can also report them. The condition is, of course, if you’re still alive.”

“There’s no battlefield or enemies out there!” Ying Si exclaimed. “It’s peaceful outside!”

“Is it?” Yang Jin’s laughter hummed through his nostrils.

Ying Si stood frozen in place, feeling a powerful force coming from Yang Jin’s finger. It was as if his shoulder was pressed down by a thousand pounds of stone, making it impossible for him to move.

This… what is this…

“You little trash, who do you think you are?” Yang Jin whispered at a volume only he could hear, then straightened up. “Alright, Ying Si, go back to your seat.”

Ying Si walked back to his seat with stiff steps. Shi Yixi and Zhao Qinghe only then noticed that Ying Si’s complexion was worse than that of a dead person.

They had no idea what had happened. Ying Si was breathing heavily, his heart pounding fiercely.

“Well, this is quite an unpleasant start,” Yang Jin checked the time on his wrist. “The three of you, go to the equipment room, each take a weight-bearing ring limited to five kilograms, and then run ten kilometers on the playground.”

The three students looked at Yang Jin in confusion.

“If you run fast, you should be able to make it for dinner.” Yang Jin, seeing the three of them not moving, changed to a serious tone and shouted, “Right now, immediately!”

The three students clattered to their feet and left the classroom.

Yang Jin watched as the three students disappeared from sight, and his wristband made a sound.

“Bad teacher,” Fan Fan remarked.

“It’s Teacher Yang’s first time teaching,” Yang Jin said nonchalantly, “You’ll have to forgive me.”

“Sigh…”

They ran from dawn till dusk, each leg burdened with a total of five kilograms. But as the kilometers increased, they all felt as though they were dragging a thousand pounds of stone with every step, requiring immense courage and determination.

“It’s all… your fault!” Zhao Qinghe grumbled discontentedly, “Why did you… why did you defy… defy Teacher Yang? Now you’ve dragged others into punishment with you…”

“Go to hell!” Ying Si was exhausted, too tired to argue with Zhao Qinghe. “If you don’t want to die… then shut your mouth! Huff…”

Being younger, Zhao Qinghe was intimidated by this surly youth. Feeling wronged, he burst out, “Why am I in the same class as you two? I’m clearly an A-level… Teacher Yang will think we’re all problem students because of you. So unlucky…”

“Shut up, you bastard good student!” Already irritated, Ying Si couldn’t take any more of Zhao Qinghe’s voice. He kicked Zhao Qinghe, who fell to the ground, wailing.

“Annoying!” Ying Si jogged ahead a few steps.

Zhao Qinghe expected Shi Yixi to come and help him up, but Shi Yixi ran on as if he hadn’t seen him, focusing solely on his own running. Zhao Qinghe, only thirteen, couldn’t help but resent Shi Yixi for disregarding their argument. What right did this potential unknown waste have to ignore him?

Fuming, Zhao Qinghe decided to keep his distance from these two oddballs in the future to avoid being dragged down.

After enduring the painful ten-kilometer weighted run, all three collapsed on the grass of the playground, feeling like they had been through hell. Shi Yixi closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and suddenly Ying Si said, “I’m going to make that guy surnamed Yang look good!”

“Just you?” Zhao Qinghe scoffed. “Teacher Yang is so strong, what can you do to him? Run another ten kilometers? Please, just run by yourself and don’t drag me down.”

“Hehe.” Ying Si got up, looking down at Zhao Qinghe with a sinister smile. “Want to get off the pirate ship? Too late! Let me tell you, idiot, do you think that guy surnamed Yang will show you any mercy just because you’re A-level? He hasn’t even looked at you properly. In his eyes, we’re all trash, so don’t dream big.”

“No, I won’t!” Zhao Qinghe sat up.

“Then why don’t you go tell the teacher?” Ying Si pointed outside. “Go tell Yang Jin that I, Ying Si Lan, am looking for trouble with him! Let’s see if he’ll thank you!” Without waiting for Zhao Qinghe to respond, he grabbed Zhao Qinghe’s collar, clenched his fist, and threatened, “If you dare, I’ll beat you to death right now!”

“…” Zhao Qinghe was frightened by Ying Si’s intimidation, dumbfounded and only able to nod.

“Yixi?” Ying Si turned and called out to Shi Yixi. “What about you?”

“What?” Shi Yixi opened his eyes.

“I said I have a plan,” Ying Si said. “I can’t swallow this anger. I want to—”

“Oh.” Shi Yixi responded indifferently, blinking calmly at the night sky. “The stars are so big and bright tonight. Isn’t the night sky at Qianfan Base different from elsewhere?”

A completely unrelated sentence, but Ying Si still instinctively looked up and said, “Maybe, Qianfan Base has more resources to maintain ecological balance. Outside, it all depends on the financial capabilities of the region. After all, although humanity has survived the Low Tide Era, environmental recovery will take hundreds of years, and there are still vast amounts of wasteland and ruins.”

“It’s a pity…” Shi Yixi sighed. “Many people can’t see such a beautiful night sky.”

“Yeah…” Ying Si nodded. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “Do you want to hear my plan or not?”

The first week of school at Nufeng Academy was a time for new students to familiarize themselves with campus life and rules. There were many school rules and regulations to learn and memorize. The senior students in the academy delighted in this, as if seeing those innocent and energetic faces reminded them of their past rookie selves, followed by the painful memories of being tortured by rule exams.

In school, rules were more important than anything else.

Around 10 o’clock at night, a figure sneaked into the teachers’ dormitory.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

“Come in.” Yang Jin had already finished washing up and was preparing to sleep. He didn’t expect anyone to come at this hour.

The door opened, revealing a gray-furred head. Yang Jin raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Teacher Yang.” Ying Si obediently stood at the doorway. He looked quite likable when he wasn’t making a fuss. His large, cat-like eyes gazed at Yang Jin. “I’m studying the school rules, but there are a few things I don’t quite understand. Teacher, can you help me?”

“No, I can’t.” Yang Jin said.

“Teacher… But you said we could seek your help if we had questions.” Ying Si was a bit surprised by Yang Jin’s straightforward response. He cursed Yang Jin as a bastard silently in his mind.

After a moment of contemplation, Yang Jin pulled out the rulebook from Ying Si’s hands, casually flipped through it, and said, “Let’s take a look together. Besides, I can also learn about the rules of Nufeng Academy.”

There were numerous school rules, and Ying Si lingered in Yang Jin’s dormitory until midnight. After seeing Ying Si off, Yang Jin, feeling sleepy, was about to go to bed when another knock on the door sounded.

This time it was Zhao Qinghe.

Standing at the doorway, Zhao Qinghe appeared timid. Yang Jin asked if there was something, and he nervously raised the rulebook in his hands, saying he had questions and wanted Yang Jin’s help.

This questioning session continued until 2 a.m.

“Alright, it’s too late. Go back to sleep. I appreciate your eagerness to learn, but you also need to pay attention to your sleep.” Yang Jin said these perfunctory words, making Zhao Qinghe feel deeply moved. Placing his hand on the doorframe, Zhao Qinghe looked back at Yang Jin.

“Teacher Yang, I…” He seemed like he had something to say.

Yang Jin was extremely tired, and his attitude became more perfunctory. “If there’s anything, let’s talk about it tomorrow morning,” he said, hastily sending Zhao Qinghe away without listening to what he had to say.

As he lifted the blanket to get into bed, the knocking on the door resounded once again.

Yang Jin felt like his nerves had suddenly short-circuited. He asked loudly, “Who is it?”

The knocking persisted without an answer.

Yang Jin opened the door to find Shi Yixi behind it. After scrutinizing Shi Yixi for a moment, Shi Yixi raised the rulebook of Nufeng Academy. Taking a deep breath, Yang Jin tried to appear calm and asked, “Do you have any questions?”

“I don’t understand one of the questions.” Shi Yixi’s tone was very calm, and coupled with his poker face, it felt unusually mocking.

At this moment, Yang Jin restrained his emotions. Countless words of caution from great philosophers flashed through his mind.

The engineer of the human soul, the teacher.

A teacher is like a candle, burning oneself to illuminate others.

A teacher…

Fuck being a role model! If time could rewind, he would definitely use his chest to block the bullet for Yelena, so he wouldn’t have to associate with a bunch of little brats in this kindergarten every day!

He had no intention of explaining any absurd school rules to students. All he wanted was to get rid of the trash in front of him and then bomb Nufeng Academy!

At four in the morning.

“Thank you, teacher.” Shi Yixi stood up and politely bid farewell to Yang Jin. “Teacher, I’m leaving.”

Yang Jin was exhausted. He waved his hand to Shi Yixi and said, “Hmm, goodbye.”

“Teacher, you’re really kind,” Shi Yixi said earnestly. “I’ll come again tomorrow.”

You better not—Yang Jin thought to himself, but didn’t take it seriously.

After seeing Shi Yixi off, Yang Jin lay on the bed. The knocking on the door didn’t resume, and he wasn’t tired anymore. After lying for a while, the sky had already brightened, so he decided to get up and go for a run.

The morning air was refreshing, diluting the smell of gunpowder that had been lingering around Yang Jin’s breath.

For Yang Jin, not sleeping for one night wasn’t a big deal, and he thought of it as a minor incident.

Until three consecutive nights passed, and those three students came to chat with him in the middle of the night, each for two hours. Apart from asking questions, they also discussed their study experiences with Yang Jin in a structured and serious manner.

For teenagers, missing two hours of sleep every day wouldn’t make much of a difference, but for Yang Jin, being kept awake for four nights in a row by these three students was not worth it.

Yang Jin was annoyed, but the more annoyed he became, the calmer he got.

He wasn’t stupid; of course, he realized that he was being played by a few students.

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