Chapter 21 : From Counteroffensive to Capital Defense

The exposé post’s buzz had been dying down.

Until one moment, a seemingly unnoticed URL was posted.

…

“Ahem, class, quiet down.”

It wasn’t Teacher Xia’s period, but she stood at the podium, visibly exhausted, eyes barely open.

“You’re all… probably talking about… yesterday’s incident, right?”

She looked so sleepy.

I glanced at Teacher Xia, my gaze sliding to Ye Qingshu’s empty seat.

“The school’s investigating and has contacted the authorities. So, please don’t panic too much—the school will do its best to protect you all. Trust us.”

“But, Teacher Xia, those photos are terrifying!” “Yeah, I-I don’t even know when they were taken…” “Teacher, I want to take leave too…”

Like a stone dropped in a lake, ripples spread.

Maybe it’s my imagination, but Teacher Xia’s weary face seemed to shoot a subtle glare my way.

…No way, right? I’m probably overthinking.

“I understand your fears. If you really can’t stay at school, you can take some worksheets home today.”

As soon as she spoke, a bunch of students stood up with a whoosh.

“…What are you boys joining in for?”

“What? We’re scared of being labeled culprits too!”

“You guys just want a day off, don’t you?”

“No way! You girls, seriously…!”

Clearing her throat, Shen Yingxu cut off the brewing conflict.

“You want to investigate who’s behind this, right? I overheard you on my way to school.”

“Huh?”

The girl clashing with the boys froze, then looked awkwardly lost.

“Class President, you… you knew?”

“Yeah. Thank you for caring about the girls here,” Shen Yingxu said gently, her tone like a spring breeze calming the chaotic classroom.

Worthy of a former Saintess. Uniting humanity’s survivors? High school drama’s no match for her.

“But Wenwen and the others are scared too… Honestly, I’m a bit scared myself,” Shen Yingxu said, deftly saving face for both sides with a troubled smile. “But like Teacher said, the school won’t let these creeps off easy. Let’s trust each other a bit more. The ones to blame aren’t our classmates, past or future, but those with bad intentions, right?”

“Xiaoxu…” The rowdy girl hugged Shen Yingxu, rubbing her head in surprise.

“You’re too good, still trusting people… I saw that cloud drive link on the forum yesterday and almost didn’t come to school,” she said, hesitating. “There were so many photos of you in there…”

“I’m scared too, but the real ones who should be scared are those bad guys,” Shen Yingxu said, glancing at the boys who’d also asked for leave.

“Class President!”

The lead boy clenched his fists. “We’ll find those scumbags!”

“Yeah, messing with our awesome Class President? I’ll wreck those bastards!”

“Don’t forget, it started with our classmate Ye Qingshu! Those dogs must be in cahoots!!”

“My brother’s a comp sci major! I’ll get him to dig for clues!”

“Poor Ye Qingshu. Should we visit her later?”

“Yeah, going through this makes you realize who the real villains are…”

From my corner, surrounded by 3D stereo outrage, I slunk to the podium and peeked at the worksheets.

Chinese, Math, English, Physics, History… Politics.

All were neatly stacked, except Politics, split into two piles.

Recalling which pile Teacher Xia gave the girls, I flipped one to the back.

Sure enough, the last question read:

“For girls only. If you have any info on the candid photos, check here. We’ll coordinate with judicial authorities to handle it.”

“Seen enough?”

While the class united in fury, Teacher Xia, who’d seemed oblivious to my snooping, suddenly addressed me.

“Looks like the school’s really taking it seriously.”

At least these worksheets showed the admins were rattled.

“Of course. A few photos, not many, included Zhu Lulubing’s daily life. That’s the school’s biggest taboo right now.”

Teacher Xia sneaked a glance at me, muttering, “Though they don’t even look candid—more like Zhu Lulubing posed for them.”

“…” No way I’m admitting to that.

The class’s emotions were soothed by Shen Yingxu, and her words and that scene would “accidentally” spread online soon.

“Oh, Teacher Xia, can you help with something—legit, of course.”

…

“I don’t get it. We’ve got so much evidence—why go the extra mile?”

On the couch, Shen Yingxu scrolled through heated online discussions, glancing at me.

We were in an activity room I’d asked Teacher Xia to reserve for Zhu Lulubing’s art studio. Now, me, Zhu Lulubing, and Shen Yingxu were eating lunch here.

“I said, going to the police is reasonable and effective, but gossip and slander are inevitable,” I said, doodling on a sketchpad. “Plus, there’s efficiency.”

“As a Demon King, I’ve learned some ‘boring’ tricks.”

“First, to simplify things, make them complicated.”

Zhu Lulubing nibbled her rice ball in the corner like a small animal, while Shen Yingxu gave me a “what’s this guy blabbing about” look.

“Simple, right? Like, to breach your capital, I’d stir internal chaos, keep you scrambling, stretch you thin.”

“The easiest way to achieve a goal is to confuse the enemy, make them lose sight of your aim.”

Rip.

I tore off the paper, scratching my cheek.

“Then—compared to a hero, a Demon King unites humanity better.”

“A great hero can scream all day, but humans will always scheme for themselves, hoping to freeload. Only a common enemy, in danger, ties them together.”

I looked at Shen Yingxu from the sketchpad. “So, I gave the girls a sense of crisis, the boys a savior complex, and everyone a ‘villainous Demon King.’”

“When Ye Qingshu’s rumors spread, some girls thought it wasn’t their problem. But as more got dragged in, she became a symbol of shared sympathy and justice.”

“Show-off boys might’ve snickered about the photos’ tame scale before, but realizing their friends were victims sparks a raw sense of justice.”

Everyone now had a reason to face the issue, and in the group’s feverish atmosphere, with early guidance, the fire only burns hotter.

Setting down the pen, I smiled at Zhu Lulubing.

“Of course, thanks to Zhu Lulubing too.”

“No thanks for me? I played along with the candid photo act,” Shen Yingxu said, wide-eyed.

“You jumped in to help on your own, didn’t you? That’s on you.”

I said flatly. “Zhu Lulubing had no stake in this but went along with our act—and made the admins feel the heat.”

“…Helping you is enough. It’s a girlfriend’s duty.”

Zhu Lulubing nibbled her rice ball, all cute and animal-like.

“They weren’t embarrassing photos anyway. If you want those, just ask,” she said, looking up after a pause. “But tell me ahead of time so I can pick cuter underwear… and skip eating.”

Pfft—

Seeing me choke, Shen Yingxu smirked with schadenfreude.

Ye Qingshu, Zhu Lulubing—both petite beauties. Why are these girls so obsessed with their weight?

Do they have a vendetta against food?

“No thanks. Anyway, those guys must be panicking now.”

I steered the topic back.

“The whole school—students, teachers, even the police—are digging into that cloud drive’s source and operations. Plus, we planted a little nail in there.”

I grinned.

“Ye Qingshu’s now a figure of sympathy, while those creeps will be the school’s public enemy, disgraced and arrested for their due judgment…”

Shen Yingxu spoke with a complex tone.

“They won’t survive at this school, will they? That’s a terrifying revenge.”

I blinked.

“Huh?”

“What?”

We stared at each other.

“Isn’t it?” she asked, puzzled.

“Of course not.”

I widened my eyes.

“What kind of terrifying revenge is this? It’s just karma.”

Is this really a Saintess? Who stops at retaking lost ground after a counteroffensive?

Humanity’s side is way too soft.

“Karma’s what they deserve; revenge is our effort. Right, Zhu Hanqi?” Zhu Lulubing looked at me earnestly.

Now that’s Demon King thinking.

No wonder she’s the daughter we raised.

“Exactly. We’ve fired the first shot in our counteroffensive.”

I shrugged.

“As everyone knows, after we win the counteroffensive, it’s their turn for the capital defense.”

Struggle all you want—otherwise, it’s game over for your kingdom.