Chapter 32: Urgent Intervention

The sensation of experiencing death was profoundly unpleasant, prompting Qiao Xia to hold nothing back. He directly knocked Wang Guo to the ground, and one side of her face swiftly began to swell.

When facing enemies, one must act with decisive ruthlessness, devoid of mercy.

Once Wang Guo lay sprawled on the floor, the students who had previously clustered by the windows, peering at distant happenings, no longer needed to strain their necks. Instead, their gazes collectively snapped back, turning with newfound curiosity towards Qiao Xia and Wang Guo.

“Qiao Xia, are you insane? Why did you suddenly hit me?”

Wang Guo lay sprawled on the ground, clutching her throbbing face, her gaze fixed on Qiao Xia with an expression of furious bewilderment. She couldn’t fathom what sudden fit of madness had possessed him to strike without a single word.

‘Qiao Xia looks like such a scrawny weakling, but damn, that punch hurt like hell!’

‘Are Qiao Xia’s hands made of iron?’

“I don’t like the sight of you. You might look decent on the outside, but you’re rotten to the core. From now on, I’ll beat you every time I see you!”

A wave of profound satisfaction washed over Qiao Xia after he had successfully landed his punch on Wang Guo.

Truly, one either becomes warped by repression or erupts from it.

There was nothing more gratifying than settling a score immediately.

Yet, time was a precious commodity, and Qiao Xia had no intention of squandering it on Wang Guo. He needed to swiftly extinguish the looming disaster before the tragedy unfolded in just ten minutes.

Guided by the numerous clues gleaned from his earlier premonitions, Qiao Xia knew precisely his next course of action.

He had to seal off the main entrance of the academic building immediately, barring any Red-Eyed patients from entry.

If he succeeded, even if the infection rate accelerated, there would be nothing to fear, as long as no one got hurt.

Qiao Xia harbored no selfless desire to ‘cut his own flesh to feed the eagle’. He simply sought to guarantee his own safety under the grim circumstances.

His prior experiences within the premonition had made it clear: if he failed to halt the Red-Eye disease’s widespread contagion, he would be utterly incapable of saving himself alone.

With so many infected, he would likely be bitten before he could even escape the school grounds.

Even with his considerable skill, Qiao Xia hadn’t reached a level capable of defying fate.

Two fists could hardly contend with four hands.

Thus, he needed to seize this moment and swiftly secure the academic building’s main entrance.

The danger had to be nipped in the bud.

As for utilizing his cheat ability to reverse the outcome, Qiao Xia deemed it largely unnecessary for now.

Firstly, prevention was possible. Secondly, today was exceptionally perilous, and with only three uses of the ‘reverse outcome’ ability, it was prudent to conserve them.

At critical moments, it could be a lifesaver!

With this thought, Qiao Xia spat dismissively at Wang Guo. Ignoring the myriad eyes watching him, he strode directly towards the classroom door, intent on quickly reaching the academic building’s first floor to initiate the lockdown.

‘Hmm, why do I feel like a lonely hero right now?’

“Oh my god, how could Qiao Xia hit someone? That’s just awful! How can we have someone like that in our class?”

“Shh, keep it down. Even the school bully couldn’t do anything to Qiao Xia yesterday. It just shows he has connections!”

“Poor Wang Guo, to be suddenly beaten like that! She must not have checked her almanac today!”

“Qiao Xia isn’t even that strong. How could he knock someone down with one punch? Could Wang Guo be faking it?”

“Hah, what do you know? Maybe Wang Guo has kidney deficiency! Tsk tsk, so young and already suffering from such an ailment.”

It was only as Qiao Xia headed towards the classroom door that the surrounding students’ voices began to rise, vehemently condemning his sudden act of violence while simultaneously offering their sympathy to the bruised Wang Guo.

Naturally, a good number of students secretly relished her misfortune, their whispers quickly devolving into discussions about the integrity of Wang Guo’s kidneys.

Wang Guo, helped to her feet by her classmates, glowered, her face shadowed with fury. She now hated Qiao Xia with a burning passion, a single thought echoing in her mind: ‘This isn’t over!’

‘To make her suffer such humiliation, Qiao Xia would definitely pay!’

“During morning self-study, why aren’t you all studying? What are you doing?”

Yet, just as Qiao Xia reached for the door handle, it was yanked open from the outside, a moment before he could act.

Then, the face of their homeroom teacher, Wang Li, abruptly appeared.

After an unfriendly glance at Qiao Xia, Wang Li’s expression soured further. Recalling the dean’s reprimand yesterday, all thanks to him, her dislike intensified, and she pointedly ignored him, not bothering to address him.

Instead, she barked at the rest of the class, ordering them to cease their antics and focus on their studies, for that was their true responsibility!

“Teacher, Qiao Xia just hit Wang Guo! Look, her face is all swollen.”

The moment Qiao Xia saw his homeroom teacher, a sense of foreboding immediately settled in. Before he could make a quick dash for the exit, however, a mischievous student, grinning impishly, spoke up, swiftly recounting the recent events.

Upon hearing the report, Wang Li’s expression instantly darkened. She cast a swift glance at Wang Guo, and seeing her face indeed swollen considerably, Wang Li’s anger intensified.

‘Qiao Xia really has gotten bold!’

From being a quiet, withdrawn student, in just two short days he had become not only late and rebellious but now resorted to physical violence.

If he wasn’t properly disciplined, he was surely headed for prison!

This time, regardless of Qiao Xia’s connections with the dean, with Wang Guo injured, he would absolutely be held accountable!

And he could be kicked out of Class 1.

With a surge of both fresh indignation and old grievances, homeroom teacher Wang Li resolved to make an example of Qiao Xia today, determined to make this troublesome student vanish from her sight!

This would also serve to make Duan Yulan realize, in good time, that a poor student like Qiao Xia was hardly a suitable romantic prospect.

An exceptional girl like Duan Yulan was akin to a ‘flower on a high mountain peak.’ To suddenly descend from her elevated position and entangle herself with a boy as unremarkable as Qiao Xia was something Wang Li found utterly intolerable.

What’s more, Duan Yulan was one of her star students, making Wang Li feel an even stronger obligation to intervene.

As these thoughts churned, Wang Li’s gaze at Qiao Xia grew increasingly hostile, as if he were a thorn in her eye, a splinter in her flesh that she desperately needed to remove.

“Qiao Xia, how dare you bully a classmate in school? Come with me to the office now!”

Having envisioned the glorious future of expelling Qiao Xia from Class 1, Wang Li wasted no more time. She addressed him directly, intent on swiftly cutting through the chaos today and definitively ridding herself of this piece of trash.

As Wang Li spoke, the students of Class 1 buzzed with excitement. They hadn’t anticipated such a continuous stream of drama today; it was truly delightful!

Amidst their intense and stimulating studies, such a ‘seasoning’ was exactly what they needed to lighten the mood.

Qiao Xia, however, found himself utterly speechless. He was racing against time, not only to save himself but to offer others a chance at survival too. Yet, these people, eager spectators reveling in the drama, were completely oblivious to the true danger.

Indeed, if a matter didn’t directly affect them, there was no urgency.

The incredibly rushed Qiao Xia uttered no further words. Even with his homeroom teacher, resembling a tigress, blocking the classroom door, he simply raised a hand and pushed her aside, stating curtly, “No time. Next time.”