Human Genius? Sorry, I’m a Deviant

Chapter 286: A Meal of Remembering the Bitter Past and Appreciating the Sweet Present

Liu Ziming chuckled and poured tea for Wang Mingyuan, "Teacher, if you had come any later, we would have almost finished this 'bitter past, sweet present' meal."

Xu Hao chimed in with a smile, "Teacher, you seem very busy lately? You look a bit tired."

Feng Jue silently placed a clean bowl and chopsticks in front of Wang Mingyuan.

Wang Mingyuan took the teacup, took a small sip, and sighed, "Yes, there's more and more administrative work, all kinds of reports and meetings. It's more tiring than teaching students."

He didn't elaborate.

But the three of them knew that as Secretary to Dean Ye Hongyu, yet actually handling a large amount of the academy's affairs, the burden on Wang Mingyuan's shoulders was heavy.

Especially in the current situation where tensions were increasing day by day.

"Let's not talk about that," Wang Mingyuan put down his teacup and looked at the three of them, "So, how does it feel, having just entered the Tide Realm? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Liu Ziming immediately began to pour out his grievances, "Teacher, it's so difficult. It feels like spiritual energy growth is as slow as a snail crawling."

"The higher the realm, the slower the progress in cultivation."Wang Mingyuan pushed up his glasses, "Endure it. Don't be impatient for quick success."

After finishing the discussion about cultivation, the topic inevitably returned to the current situation.

Wang Mingyuan looked at these three students before him who were already capable of handling responsibilities independently, "Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, you're all fourth-year students. In another three years, you'll be heading to the border."

Liu Ziming put away his playful smile and said seriously, "Teacher, we are ready."

Xu Hao and Feng Jue also nodded solemnly.

Wang Mingyuan fell silent for a moment, his gaze becoming somewhat distant, as if remembering something, "If... that child Su Zhan were still here, he should be preparing for the future just like you all now..."

Mentioning Su Zhan caused the relaxed atmosphere in the private room to falter slightly once more.

Liu Ziming clenched his fist.

Xu Hao lowered his head.

Feng Jue pressed his lips into a thin line.

Seeing their reactions, Wang Mingyuan sighed inwardly, knowing this topic was always a thorn in their hearts.

He softened his tone, speaking gently, "The departed are gone, the living must carry on. What you can do is live well, carrying their share, become stronger, and protect what you want to protect. This is perhaps what Su Zhan and Xie Xi would have wanted to see as well."

"We understand, teacher," the three said in unison.

Wang Mingyuan smiled with relief, "Good that you understand. Come on, let's not talk about this anymore, let's eat! My treat today, eat plenty."

……

In an atmosphere completely different from that inside the Vermilion Bird Academy's private room, Su Zhan was currently in a completely different environment.

A deserted mining town named Greyrock, located at the border between two cities.

The town had long been empty of people.

Su Zhan was hiding in the basement of an abandoned office building.

Leaning against the wall, a crumpled map of the Daxia region was spread open on the floor in front of him.

His fingertip slowly moved across the map, finally stopping on the inconspicuous dot marking Greyrock Town, then drawing a circle around it.

"Here... can't stay long either," Su Zhan murmured to himself, his voice echoing in the empty basement.

It had been over half a month since he had exposed his Aberrant Form in Dingyuan City and forced a breakout, drifting and fleeing like this.

He dared not enter any city of even moderate size;

the surveillance and the intensity of the Aberrant Purge Division's screenings there far exceeded his imagination.

He could only choose these remote, desolate corners to temporarily take shelter.

But even places like this were becoming increasingly unsafe.

Su Zhan could feel the net closing in on him.

He was now truly living a life of hiding and dodging.

The identity of Chen Qing was dead, and he had no leads on a new identity.

Without a legitimate identity, he couldn't move an inch.

Even buying food meant he could only seek out the most remote small shops, using cash for small transactions, afraid of drawing attention.

He dared not show his true face, spending most of his time with a hood over his head, using shadows to obscure his features.

Fortunately, he still had a phone.

This was the only thing Su Zhan felt thankful for.

This phone and the anonymous black card inside it, which was essentially a data-only SIM card, meaning it had no phone number and couldn't make calls or be bound to a phone number, was one of the important survival supplies he had prepared in advance.

This card had a one-year data package purchased upfront, ensuring he wouldn't have to worry about internet access for a considerable period in the future, and avoiding the risk of exposure from frequent top-ups.

Su Zhan quickly browsed information online.

The information on the screen was a mix of truth and falsehood:

There were posts discussing the intensifying conflicts at the border with Mist Creatures.

There were complaints about the increased frequency of high-level creatures appearing in recent Mist incidents across various regions.

Of course, he also saw the official "high-risk" level wanted notice for "Chen Qing."

It described him as an **[extremely dangerous high-risk Aberrant, suspected of possessing special summoning abilities, linked to multiple abnormal Mist incidents and the deaths of Aberrant Purge Division agents.]** A high bounty was offered.

Seeing his own wanted notice didn't surprise Su Zhan much.

"This is getting tough," Su Zhan turned off the screen, plunging the basement back into darkness.

Having internet access meant he was no longer an information black hole;

he could roughly grasp the outside trends and the intensity of the pursuit.

But it also made him more acutely aware of the perilous nature of his own situation.

The internet gave him eyes, but it couldn't give him the power to break the deadlock.

Su Zhan's gaze shifted slightly.

The Transcendence Society had definitely set its sights on him.

The official information released stated he was a high-risk Aberrant who had mastered a method to summon the Mist, so they would definitely understand he wasn't one of their people.

Then the matter was clear. It was equivalent to a sect's absolutely non-external sect technique being stolen and learned by someone not from the sect.

In that kind of situation, the sect would absolutely mobilize its forces to kill the other party.

And now, he was the one who had stolen and learned another sect's technique.

That was enough for the Transcendence Society to list him as a target that must be eliminated.

Su Zhan let out a long sigh.

His current predicament was an almost unsolvable deadlock.

Two fatal threats from colossal entities were bearing down on him from different directions.

One was the Aberrant Purge Division.

He had killed their people, exposed his Aberrant Form and his high-risk peak-level strength, as well as the "Chen Qing" identity.

He was listed as a high-risk level wanted criminal.

The official machinery was already fully operational, forming a massive net covering the entire Daxia.

He could hide for a while, but not forever.

Under the continuous search of this all-encompassing net, he believed he would eventually be pinpointed. What awaited him then would be a thunderous encirclement and suppression.

Tide Realm experts? Perhaps just the appetizer.

Once his threat was confirmed, it was not at all impossible for an Abyss Realm powerhouse to personally intervene.

The other side was the Transcendence Society, hidden in the shadows.

This was the threat that chilled him to the bone even more.

At least the official side was overt, their actions traceable.

But the Transcendence Society was unpredictable and sinister, their methods ruthless and vicious.