Chapter 22: Chapter 22

C22 – Lies

Before Zhou Mu could even react, Goldie sidled up to him.

Lifting his wings, he gently stroked the crest on his head, his rear end wiggling in a way that seemed undeniably flirtatious.

“Hello there, beautiful lady! My name is Goldie, and I’m the boss’s chicken…”

Whoosh!

Pow!

A jarring sound erupted, and Goldie vanished into thin air, only to reappear plastered against a nearby tree.

Zhou Mu: “…”

Fong Ju: “!!!”

The students: “???”

With a resigned sigh, Zhou Mu plucked Goldie from the tree and nonchalantly tossed him onto the car roof.

It had to be said, the creature was surprisingly resilient.

Once Gator advanced to a Lord-tier fiend beast, a single swipe of its tail could reduce a peer elite fiend beast to mush, and even a leader would be left critically wounded.

Yet Goldie, after two hits, looked a bit disheveled but was otherwise completely unscathed.

Flapping his wings, Goldie hopped down and sauntered over to the hen, adopting an air of nonchalance.

“May I have the pleasure of your acquaintance, beautiful lady?”

“Cluck cluck?”

The hen gave him a sidelong glance and promptly laid another egg, rump in the air.

Zhou Mu: “…”

Hai Ming: “…”

“Zhou, I can’t help but feel your bird is a bit… well… it’s just not quite…”

Hai Ming struggled to find the words, but Zhou Mu got the gist.

“The biggest regret of my life was making a contract with it. I’ve got this nagging feeling it’s going to ruin my reputation.”

Zhou Mu facepalmed, feeling the onset of a massive headache.

“I’ve never seen a spirit animal that can talk before. Zhou, how much did you pay for this bird?”

“It didn’t cost a dime; the boss gave it to me!”

Hai Ming: “???”

Though Hai Ming was clueless about Goldie’s origins, the velocity at which the bird had been flung and the depth it embedded into the tree gave a rough idea of Gator’s formidable strength.

Yet, despite such a fearsome attack, Goldie acted as if nothing had happened. One could only wonder about the extent of his resilience.

“Get in the car, quick! Get in the car!” Fong Ju couldn’t stand it any longer. One was strutting around like a person, the other squatting and laying eggs – it was a sight for sore eyes.

“Okay, okay!” Hai Ming quickly nodded and bowed, hastily gathering up the old hen.

“Heartbreak is sometimes unavoidable, but why should I fall so deeply? Youth is bound to leave some regrets.” Zhou Mu let out a sigh, leaping onto Zhou’s shoulder. “Boss, your bird’s heartbroken.”

Zhou: “…”

Once everyone was aboard, the driver set off. With over a thousand kilometers to the destination, they were in for a twenty-hour journey.

Zhou dozed off in his seat, while Gator hopped about the vehicle.

“Hello there, beautiful,” Gator greeted, eyeing the curve accentuated by the girl’s clothes.

“Hi!” The girl beamed, petting Gator’s head and then placing him on her lap.

“For such a sweet and lovely girl, you must have plenty of admirers,” Gator remarked, eyes narrowing contentedly under her touch.

“Not at all, I’ve never even had a boyfriend,” the girl sighed, her expression forlorn. “My best friend has had five in three years, yet I’ve never even held a man’s hand. Maybe I’m not good enough, or maybe my chest is too big – guys seem to prefer smaller chests.”

“Oh really? But lying isn’t nice!” Gator dove into the girl’s blouse and emerged with a round, thick pad.

As he did, her chest went from an E-cup to an A, deflating instantly.

The girl: “…”

She glanced at the sponge pad in Gator’s mouth, then at her uneven chest, her fair cheeks flushing with mortification.

“Drop dead!” Her scream, laced with murderous intent, startled Zhou so much that he leapt from his seat.

“Who’s there?” Zhou bellowed, drawing a dagger and hurling it toward the source of the threat.

With a strength of 100 points, the dagger flew with formidable piercing power.

If it struck its target, even the body of a third-rank fiend beast would be ripped open.

Zhou Mu’s reflexes were lightning-fast and incredibly intense.

Hai Ming, standing next to him, didn’t even have time to process what was happening before a tiny cut appeared on the tip of his nose.

Given the physical condition of these students, including the girl who screamed, everyone in the vicinity would have been impaled by the dagger and met a tragic end.

Fortunately, the situation hadn’t escalated to that extent. A dark green tail emerged from a backpack, intercepting the airborne dagger.

Ding!

The sound rang out, crisp with a faint echo.

Zhou Mu was so startled that he broke out in a cold sweat. Had it not been for Gator’s swift reaction, he would have found himself in serious trouble.

“What’s going on?”

Hai Ming looked at Zhou Mu, then at the dagger on the ground, completely bewildered.

He had no idea what had just transpired; all he knew was that Zhou Mu had suddenly yelled, followed by a gust of wind whipping past him.

Hai Ming’s nose felt itchy. Touching it subconsciously, he was surprised to find blood.

“What in the world? What just happened? Did I wake up to the apocalypse after a quick nap?”

“It’s nothing, just an annoying fly.”

Fong Ju pulled his hand back into his sleeve, his approval of Zhou Mu growing. Such alertness would surely serve him well in this perilous world.

“Thank you, Teacher!”

Zhou Mu expressed his deep gratitude. He had noticed Fong Ju’s readiness to act; if Gator hadn’t intercepted the dagger, Fong Ju would have stepped in.

Moreover, Fong Ju’s offhand remark had quelled the commotion and conveniently shifted the blame onto the girl.

While it seemed somewhat unfair, under the circumstances, it was the best course of action.

Zhou Mu exhaled deeply, resolving to make it up to the girl later. He couldn’t let her be wrongly accused without making amends.

“Boss, I admit my mistake!”

Jinzi hung his head, his eyes darting around.

Clearly, he hadn’t genuinely recognized his error. Or perhaps he had, but had no intention of correcting his behavior.

“You’re cut off from food for two days!”

“Boss, I’m sorry, please no!”

Jinzi wailed, clinging to Zhou Mu’s leg and sobbing pitifully.

Unfortunately, Zhou Mu wasn’t buying it. All talk and no action—whom did he think he was fooling?

With a dismissive snort, Zhou Mu intended to stash the gold into the Soul Contract space.

But just then, a brilliant idea struck him.

What’s the use of fake tears? If you’re going to cry, at least make it genuine.

With that thought, Zhou Mu gently rubbed his finger across Jinzi’s eyes.

Jinzi was dumbfounded.

Tears streamed down uncontrollably; Jinzi was truly crying this time.

He wailed with raw emotion, his cries filled with profound grief.

Fong Ju was at a loss for words.

He was incredibly frustrated and confused. Something told him that bringing Zhou Mu into Bayshore School might not have been such a wise decision.

The kid was a once-in-a-lifetime talent, no doubt. Fresh out of high school, his Soul Contract had already reached level three, and he was accompanied by two Lord-grade spirit animals.

But his knack for stirring up trouble was unparalleled. Once he enrolled, it seemed the teachers and the principal could kiss their peace and quiet goodbye.