Chapter 75: The Unofficial Toll

After class, everyone swiftly exited the classroom.

In truth, there was no real need for them to rush, but Gu Ling was practically vibrating with excitement, on the verge of skipping class entirely and making a break for it.

While they were university students, and missing a few classes wouldn’t pose a significant issue, since they were already seated, it would be impolite to simply walk out mid-session.

The university might not care about attendance, but professors, however, might not be as lenient with participation grades.

If one were to offend a professor, they might first deduct points for a poor impression on an assignment, and then further penalize for essays lacking proper paragraph indentation.

“Hurry, hurry!”

“Alright, alright, look how impatient you are.”

Gu Ling ran like an arrow, though this was relative to her petite stature; how fast could a socially anxious shut-in loli truly run?

She was barely moving faster than a brisk walk, and Teresa, catching up, simply lifted her by the scruff of her neck.

“So, can you tell us what this ‘fortuitous opportunity’ is now?

At least tell us where we’re going…”

Having nothing much else to do, Gu Song’en had also followed along, though she was more concerned with their destination than the true nature of the so-called “fortuitous opportunity.”

It was well-known that Aixi University boasted a complete array of daily life facilities; the campus even housed shops selling various goods, so students rarely left the premises under normal circumstances.

Even students in the Manufacturing Department, who required abundant materials, typically stayed on campus.

This was because the university provided basic materials, most of which were considered part of the learning supplies and essentially free.

More advanced materials were allocated based on academic performance or exchanged using accumulated points—a primary reason students fiercely competed to enter the university and achieve good grades.

Students typically left campus for only two reasons: either they had a part-time job outside and a special assignment to complete, or they were returning to their hometowns for the holidays.

“It’s nothing special; we’re just going to the industrial district of Yegong City.”

By now, Bai Li had no intention of continuing to conceal the destination as Gu Ling had requested, though specific details, such as the exact location within the industrial district, remained unsaid.

“Oh, I see.”

Gu Song’en didn’t press for further information; she merely wanted to confirm beforehand that it wasn’t a dangerous place.

After all, as the student council president’s sister, she felt a responsibility to prevent other students from engaging in dangerous activities.

“The industrial district, huh? Then it seems we’re going to a factory or something similar.

Given Gu Ling’s excitement, it might even be an Ability item manufacturing plant.”

“How did you know…?”

“You could figure that out with your knees (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning something is extremely obvious or easy to figure out).”

Teresa was no fool; such simple deductions were effortless for her.

Moreover, given Gu Ling’s personality, which bordered on Ability item-sexual (TL Note: A humorous way to describe someone extremely obsessed with Ability items), this was the only plausible explanation.

Indeed, any “fortuitous opportunity” mentioned by Gu Ling was almost certainly related to Ability items.

“Then let’s hurry; let’s go quickly and return just as fast.”

Knowing the situation, Teresa no longer held Gu Ling back; instead, she quickened her pace towards the school’s main gate alongside her, with the rest of the group following suit.

“Stop!”

Just as they neared the school gate, a figure suddenly materialized, blocking their path.

“Where do you think you’re going?

Don’t you know that you’re not permitted to leave campus without prior application?”

The tall man, who stood blocking the school gate, loomed over Bai Li and the others, arms crossed, and spoke.

“Huh? Is that really a rule?”

Hearing his words, Teresa turned to glance at the others.

“I don’t know; I didn’t read the student handbook carefully.”

“Xiao Bai, ever the same…”

“What’s that?”

Regarding this rule, everyone else expressed complete ignorance, utterly bewildered.

With no other option, Teresa redirected her gaze to the man.

“Um, we’re just going out for a little while; we’ll be back soon.”

“No, a rule is a rule.

Of course, if you were to show a little ‘sincerity’…”

It was clear from his words that the man either wanted to extort a toll or simply wanted to be beaten.

Bai Li, at least, was already contemplating how to quickly and efficiently deal with this person who was so eagerly courting death.

“I recall that particular rule isn’t in the school regulations, is it?”

Just then, Gu Song’en stepped forward, shielding Teresa.

“Well, well, isn’t this the renowned student council president’s sister?”

Seeing the black-haired Gu Song’en, the man immediately recognized her identity, his tone laced with an unmistakable sneer.

“Who I am is irrelevant.

The point is, you, despite the student council elections not even having officially begun, are already acting as if you are the student council, arbitrarily establishing rules.

Since its founding, Aixi University has never had a school regulation prohibiting students from leaving campus without prior notification.

To say nothing of wantonly modifying school regulations, you, who aren’t even part of the student council, are behaving like a bully by blocking the school gate and preventing people from leaving.”

Unlike Bai Li and the others, Gu Song’en was intimately familiar with many of Aixi University’s affairs.

She swiftly exposed the man’s erroneous actions, putting him firmly in the wrong, which he already was.

“Is this your personal behavior, or am I to understand that your faction is orchestrating this?”

Faced with Gu Song’en’s flawless counterattack, the man was visibly shaken.

Although he knew Gu Song’en’s identity, he clearly hadn’t anticipated that she could so effectively retort his words.

The student council wasn’t a position won by merely a few candidates; it required the participation of the entire student body, meaning their image among the students greatly influenced their chances of winning.

Gu Song’en’s statement was akin to blackmailing them; if they didn’t let them pass immediately, the incident would spread like wildfire through Gu Song’en’s words.

By then, even if they resorted to hiring online trolls and buying votes, they likely wouldn’t be able to defeat their opponents.

Moreover, whether they could even buy votes remained questionable, as Aixi University was predominantly populated by magical girls, who were generally kind-hearted individuals and would be utterly unmoved by such tactics.

In fact, they had already attempted such methods; they had tried to spread rumors and slandered the current student council president, Gu Yunzhi, who was their primary adversary.

However, Gu Yunzhi was simply too popular, so the effect was negligible, if not entirely absent.

Constantly disseminating such messages without evidence would only cause their faction’s favorability among other students to plummet.

Thus, at present, they only managed to secure support from students who were already aligned with them, or rather, children from prominent families.

“…Tch! Go on.”

To prevent negative publicity for their faction and the loss of student support, the man had no choice but to let them leave.