The principal’s voice cracked. “Qian Qi is a girl?”

“Isn’t she?” Su Ang asked in slight surprise.

The principal: …

He didn’t know either! He had never looked at the student records. The first time he saw Qian Qi, he had just instinctively assumed she was a boy.

“Why do you think she’s a girl?” the principal asked in confusion. There wasn’t a single trace of femininity in Qian Qi’s entire demeanor, let alone her ragged and shabby clothing.

Besides, what kind of girl got into fights every day, carried a hoe around all the time, and relentlessly hacked away at aggressive magical plants?

“She doesn’t have an Adam’s apple,” Su Ang said coolly. “The bone protruding at the front of her neck is the cricoid cartilage, not an Adam’s apple.”

The principal couldn’t help but admire Su Ang’s observational skills. “Then that must be it. Who would’ve thought? The spiky-haired troublemaker from the Magic Plant Department is actually a girl.”

Hmm? Wait a minute.

The principal squinted at Su Ang suspiciously. “Why were you staring at her throat?”

Su Ang: … “I just happened to notice.”

“Oh~” The principal trusted that Su Ang wasn’t some kind of pervert. After all, if Su Ang was considered a pervert, then the whole world might as well be full of them.

And Qian Qi was especially perverse.

The principal glanced at the dried blood on his arm and snorted.

Upon arriving at the principal’s office, he locked the door and led Su Ang into a private conference room.

At the center of the room was a three-meter-long conference table, upon which sat eight neatly arranged holographic projection devices. Each seat was equipped with a corresponding chair.

The principal sat in the foremost chair and operated the projection device in front of him, simultaneously sending out seven video call invitations.

A few seconds later, the calls connected.

Three different holographic figures were projected onto their respective seats.

“Principal.”

The first to speak was a middle-aged man with silver hair, dressed in a black commander’s uniform. His expression was stern and cold, his sword-like brows framed sharp, eagle-like eyes brimming with an aura of authority. His mere presence exuded the ruthless temperament of a battle-hardened warrior.

He glanced at Su Ang, who stood behind the principal, and gave a slight nod in greeting. Judging by their similar features and distinctive hair color, their relationship wasn’t hard to guess.

“Su Ang, report on the situation with the Outbreak Dungeon,” Su Xingchen said, tapping the table, his tone heavy and serious.

Su Ang activated the new-generation light-brain on his wrist, enlarging the data report and displaying it. His crisp, slightly cold voice echoed steadily through the conference room:

“The spatial rift fluctuations of the [Dragon Spring Mist] dungeon remain stable, with no anomalies detected in the past three days. Seven D-rank awakened warriors have been dispatched to explore the dungeon. As of now, no specific cause for the magical creatures’ emergence has been identified. Preliminary speculation suggests it is a normal outburst of dungeon activity.”

“Have any awakened individuals entered [Dragon Spring Mist] in the past three days?” Su Xingchen frowned.

Su Ang paused briefly, then shook his head. “No.”

Su Xingchen fell silent, lowering his gaze in contemplation.

Across from him, a heavily muscled man clad in custom defensive armor let out a cold laugh. “A bunch of cowards. They don’t even dare to step into a mere D-rank dungeon, and they have the audacity to call themselves awakened?”

If it weren’t for the fact that they were busy tackling high-level dungeons and managing A-rank war zones teeming with magical creatures, these weaklings wouldn’t even have the chance to touch the lower-level dungeons.

“Enough, Gong Qiang. You complain about this every time. You know full well how difficult dungeons have become these days,” a woman in a red cheongsam, strikingly beautiful, tapped her long-stemmed pipe and chuckled seductively.

“It’s been years. Many E-rank dungeon creatures have grown into D-rank threats, and D-rank creatures have evolved into C-rank threats. No one can be sure what a dungeon classified as D-rank in the past has become now.”

The creatures inside dungeons never truly disappeared. Once slain, they would respawn at regular intervals, replacing their fallen predecessors—even dungeon bosses were no exception.

But if left unchecked, the creatures inside would either reproduce into vast populations or undergo a survival-of-the-fittest transformation, evolving into even more formidable threats.

This was why, the longer dungeons remained untouched, the more reluctant awakened warriors were to challenge them.

“We don’t have time to hesitate anymore.” Su Xingchen clasped his hands together, his frigid gaze darkening. “Dungeons are becoming increasingly unstable, and the spatial rifts are expanding. Before long, Zhongzhou will be completely overrun by magical beasts pouring through those rifts.”

When that happens, humanity will face an unprecedented catastrophe.

“In order to change the status quo, I still support Commander Su’s proposal.” Tang Yan, the cheongsam-clad woman, wiped the smile from her face.

“Principal, forcing the awakened to take on new dungeons will only lead to internal strife. If they insist on stagnating, the only option is to inject fresh blood into the system.”

“It’s just like dropping a lively catfish into a tank of sluggish sardines. Once the young students set an example with their passion and determination, those complacent awakened warriors won’t have any more excuses to remain idle.”

“But…” The principal sighed. “They’re still just kids.”

“They’re nearly twenty. Still kids?” Tang Yan scoffed. “I was on the battlefield at sixteen, and I never once complained.”

“Exactly! What can they possibly learn just hiding in school?”

Gong Qiang raised both hands in agreement. “Young people should go out and explore, experience firsthand the crises that are about to hit this world. And while they’re at it, they can set an example for those old awakened ones—teach them to stop milking dungeons that have already been cleared!”

Clearing a dungeon means slaying the dungeon’s boss, which grants various attribute enhancements and stabilizes the rift, sealing it off to prevent more magical beasts from emerging.

However, since the attribute rewards only go to the person who delivers the final blow to the boss, many awakened individuals keep farming the same dungeon repeatedly, hoping to land the killing strike and grow stronger.

That was why Gong Qiang mocked them for “milking” dungeons.

“I’ll think it over,” the principal said, not giving an immediate answer. As principal, his priority was ensuring his students’ safety. At the very least…

He didn’t want his students to be caught in the storm of public opinion while they were still in school.

After all, the awakened ones were already a prime example—the public had long been voicing their complaints and grievances over their inaction in the face of dungeon threats…

As the meeting wrapped up and the principal was about to shut down the call, Su Ang suddenly spoke. “Father…”

Sensing what Su Ang wanted to say, the principal subtly nudged him.

Su Ang hesitated for a moment.

“What is it?” Su Xingchen had been about to turn off his light-brain but stopped at his son’s voice.

“Nothing,” Su Ang said, his expression unchanged. “Just… stay safe.”

Su Xingchen nodded and ended the call. Once the meeting room fell silent again, the principal turned to Su Ang. “Just now, were you going to mention the hemostatic potion?”

Su Ang nodded silently.

“Hold off for now,” the principal said calmly, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes. “Possessing a treasure can be a crime in itself. If she attracts the attention of high-ranking figures too soon, she’ll be exposed to danger earlier than necessary.”

Su Ang considered this for a moment, then agreed. “Alright.”

“Besides,” the principal huffed, “I just don’t believe that rascal—cough, I mean, I don’t believe that little girl can actually use magic plants to create a hemostatic potion!”

He opened the door and walked out. “Let’s drag this out for now. I’ll investigate in secret. If she really does get credit for this, who knows how insufferable she’ll become in the Magic Plant Department?”

After they left, the conference room was engulfed in a long silence.

No one knew that a conversation between high-ranking figures had just taken place here. And beneath its seemingly calm and casual tone, how many turbulent and dangerous undercurrents were actually hidden?

Unaware of the storm brewing in the shadows, Qian Qi was meticulously preparing for the retirement life she envisioned—a life as sweet as a honey jar.