Chapter 42: Justice |
Su Hao didn’t want any more trouble from potential fourth-year students popping up in the future. Instead of dealing with issues one by one, he preferred to resolve them all at once, permanently. Slowly climbing the ranks and dealing with new opponents would not only be a waste of time, but also incredibly annoying.
Once everyone was intimidated by the name “Wu Xiangwu,” the troubles would naturally stop.
In the novels and TV shows he used to watch, the protagonist would defeat one enemy, only for an even stronger one to appear next, followed by an even older and more powerful opponent after that. The endless cycle of bizarre events would always unfold around the protagonist.
Back then, it seemed thrilling, but now that it was happening to him, he was not pleased.
Dealing with endless trivial matters every day was exhausting. Did he not need time to study? Did he not need time to practice martial arts? That's why when he encountered trouble, he preferred to eliminate all potential risks in one go. Otherwise, when would he have time to finish all the knowledge stored in his [Marble Space]?
For instance, recently, he hadn’t even had time to dive into the photon and quantum computing topics. Without breakthroughs in the underlying logic and computational power, his [Cosmic Light] couldn’t undergo significant upgrades, and the benefits it provided wouldn’t be maximized.
Thus, what he needed most was a quiet learning environment and plenty of time.
Moreover, he had plans to break through to the rank of a master warrior soon, and that required focus.
After asking a few people, he learned that under normal circumstances, one wouldn't encounter fourth-year students in the academy. Most of them had joined various exploration teams or guard units for practical studies.
However, kicking that spiky-haired guy’s “eggs” today was impulsive, and there would surely be retaliatory attempts. He needed to prepare for that. If the opportunity arose and he had the ability, he might as well take out their backers too.
‘Next step: quickly reach the level of a master warriors, just in case.’
With that in mind, Su Hao walked over to Fatty and He Qingqing. The surrounding crowd immediately dispersed to give them space.
“Little Fatty, Qingqing, let’s go!”
Just as they were about to leave—
“Stop right there!” a sharp voice suddenly rang out.
Su Hao turned his head and saw the short-haired girl he had knocked down earlier. He had some impression of her because she was the only elite warroir among all the students.
Su Hao frowned and said flatly, “What now? You still have something to say?”
Ye Xiaomeng, fuming with anger, shouted, “Who are you? You came out of nowhere, caused chaos, and now you're leaving like nothing happened? What do you take this place for? And what do you take us for? Are we just punching bags for your frustration?”
“Punching bags?” Su Hao gave her a once-over and said, “You’re not even worthy of that.”
“You…” Ye Xiaomeng pointed at Su Hao, so furious that she couldn’t speak. If she were capable of beating him, she would’ve already rushed up and gouged his eyes out.
Su Hao added, “If there's nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”
“Stop!” Ye Xiaomeng shouted, running over to block Su Hao’s path. Coldly, she said, “You must give me an explanation. Otherwise, I won’t let you leave, even if I die here.”
Su Hao laughed coldly, “An explanation? Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”
Ye Xiaomeng replied, “Not at all! You need to explain yourself. If you don’t, I won’t let this go.”
Su Hao’s eyes grew cold. “Are you threatening me?”
Although Ye Xiaomeng trembled inwardly, her sense of justice prevented her from backing down. “This isn’t a threat. It’s just that I won’t accept being brutally beaten for no reason. Neither I nor the other third-year students are tools for you to vent your frustration or build your reputation.”
Su Hao took a step forward, facing her directly. “That’s why I said you’re ridiculous.”
Ye Xiaomeng looked confused.
Su Hao continued, “Just now, a bunch of third-year students surrounded the girls' dormitory for first-year student, using force to coerce a little girl into being someone’s “plaything“ for a month. If she refused, they’d beat up her roommates to pressure her. Now, you tell me, did they deserve to be beaten?”
Ye Xiaomeng’s face turned pale as she now realized what had happened. “Where are they now?”
Su Hao smirked. “Hmph! I’ve already broken their arms and legs. Were you planning to solve the problem yourself?”
Ye Xiaomeng was indignant. “They were the ones at fault! Punish them, fine, but why did you have to beat up all the third-year students? How is that not venting your frustration on the inocent?”
Su Hao responded, “You’re wrong. You still don’t understand the root of the issue.”
Ye Xiaomeng furrowed her brow. “What’s the root cause?”
Su Hao asked, “Aren’t you the strongest among the third-year students?”
Ye Xiaomeng nodded.
Su Hao sneered. “And that’s the root cause!”
“What do you mean?”
Shaking his head, Su Hao said, “You’re an unqualified ‘strongest.’ You possess strength far beyond your peers, yet you don’t know how to use it. You might not realize it, but in a group, the strongest must lead by example, fully imposing their will and sense of justice to guide the group’s actions. Only then can the group unleash its full potential.”
“And what role have you been playing? Do you deserve the title of ‘the strongest among third-year students’?”
“Your third-year students act without restraint, doing whatever they want with no accountability. Today, they decide to bully first-year students. Tomorrow, they’ll use force to coerce those weaker than themselves. The day after, they’ll rob people because they’re short on money. In the future, will they just kill people out of dissatisfaction, relying on their strength? And you? You know nothing. Even if you did, you’d turn a blind eye. So tell me, what’s your role? Where are your rules? Where’s your will?”
Ye Xiaomeng’s eyes widened in horror.
Su Hao continued, “If I hadn’t stepped in today, what do you think would’ve happened? What kind of psychological trauma would that first-year student have suffered?”
“Yes, the ones at fault are indeed those thugs. But as the strongest among the third-year students, you tell me—shouldn’t you be punished too? And the other third-year students, who allowed this to happen, are they truly innocent? Should they not be punished as well?”
Su Hao’s voice rose. “Let me tell you! Those who stand by and do nothing are worse than the ones who commit the crimes!”
With that, Su Hao stepped forward and punched Ye Xiaomeng, sending her flying.
He didn’t need to think too much when dealing with these immature kids. A bit of rambling was enough to completely intimidate them!
Moreover, he wasn’t wrong. In a world where the weak depend on the strong to survive, if the strong did nothing, the environment for those below them would be dire.
Ye Xiaomeng lay there, dazed and not moving. She stared blankly at the sky, mumbling, “I didn’t do anything... Was I wrong?”
On the other side, the strongest second-year student, Xiao Yushu, was also paralyzed with shock. “I... should take responsibility? Did I mess up too?”
Even Jin Dayan, who always prided himself on being a genius, stood there dumbfounded, staring at Su Hao’s retreating figure, deep in thought.
At that moment, all those who considered themselves extraordinary were shaken by Su Hao’s words.
It seemed they had grasped some truth, yet at the same time, they hadn’t.
It felt like they understood the unruly “Violent Sky, Wu Xiangwu,” but also that they didn’t.
With those few words, Su Hao’s image was completely transformed in everyone’s mind. A thought surfaced: perhaps, the Violent Sky, Wu Xiangwu, wasn’t as arrogant and reckless as they had imagined?
“This brat... interesting!”
From the top of a distant building, a middle-aged man in a white robe with cloud patterns chuckled softly.
This man was none other than Xiao Jixuan, the head of Lingyun Warrior Academy. He had watched the entire drama unfold from start to finish.
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