Chapter 111: Detestable Evening Self‑Study (Revised)

The quiet inside the carriage didn't last long.

Su Jingchuan's ears had only just cleared for about two minutes, and he was about to take a real break during this stretch, when the nearby "green signal light" that had been quiet for a while emitted a new nuisance signal.

"Teacher Su," Ying Duo's voice sounded again, causing Su Jingchuan's body to involuntarily stiffen.

"What was that 'mysterious gift' you mentioned before? Equipment blueprint? Special material? Or a plot item?"

In the back row, Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu, who had been dozing, perked up at the words "mysterious gift"; though they kept their gaze toward the window, their attention was completely drawn in.

After all, something Su Jingchuan could use as a "mysterious gift" must not be ordinary.

Su Jingchuan felt the headache he had barely suppressed was beginning to recur.

It was his first time realizing that teaching students could be so painful; it felt less like mentoring and more like playing a difficult game dungeon that came with high‑frequency noise interference.

No, according to Ying Duo's logic, this should be a cutscene.

He took a deep breath, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly remembered the matter at hand.

He didn't answer the question about the gift directly, but shifted to a new topic.

"Ying Duo, regarding your future development at the Academy, the school administration and I have discussed it."

He deliberately paused, creating a sense of formality.

"Given the particular nature of your situation and the talent you displayed during the entrance assessment, the Academy prefers to guide you toward a research path."

Ying Duo's attention was indeed partially drawn, but having precedent, he remained vigilant; after all, the experience reward had been settled for him, but the other rewards hadn't been delivered.

"Teacher Su, you aren't trying to change the subject again, are you?"

Su Jingchuan's mouth twitched, ignoring Ying Duo's question, and continued, his tone full of "I'm looking out for you."

"Do you know what that means? It means your combat talent will gradually be worn down."

He deliberately emphasized his tone here, presenting the most tempting condition for Ying Duo.

"You could consider choosing me as your mentor; at least I can guarantee you won't be confined to the lab all day and will still have ample opportunities to take part in various missions and real combat."

Ying Duo hesitated not at all and immediately seized the key point.

"What does your class teach? Close‑combat firearms?"

He recalled Su Jingchuan's exquisite gun‑fighting technique in battle.

Honestly, he had previously leaned toward first improving the proficiency of the 【Modification】 skill, mainly because he had collected so many materials—it would be wasteful not to use them.

But this mission made him realize something.

The experience the mission gave was still too little.

This time, the experience he earned came only in a small part from the mission; most of it came from killing enemies.

He had to thank a plot‑kill for the assist here; otherwise he might not have Level Up.

Just for that, he felt he needed to put hunting Aberrant Species outside on the schedule.

Su Jingchuan nodded at the remark, his tone confident.

"At Mitra Academy, if you're looking for a firearms instructor, I'm your best choice."

"Deal," Ying Duo agreed briskly, and he was also ready to delve into Su Jingchuan's character background quest.

Seeing Ying Duo so agreeable, Su Jingchuan also breathed a sigh of relief, finally having completed that tricky step.

But he didn't dare to fully relax; it was true that the trouble had been pulled onto him, yet today he had personally experienced Ying Duo's troublemaking skill.

Su Jingchuan could only nod, smoothly returning to the original topic so that Ying Duo wouldn't start pestering him again later.

"Then, about that 'mysterious gift'..."

He deliberately elongated his tone, looking at Ying Duo's eyes as they lit up again, "I'll have it ready in advance and hand it to you when you officially attend my first class."

It's both a welcome gift and a small constraint.

At that moment, the vehicle came to a smooth stop in front of the grand gates of Mitra Academy.

The few of them got off the vehicle one after another.

Su Jingchuan looked at the three students before him who had caused a lot of trouble yet had indeed helped, and ultimately chose not to pursue the matter of Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu leaving school without permission.

He cleared his throat and said in an official tone.

"Regarding today's incident, the Supervision Bureau will, in the name of 'assisting investigation,' add the corresponding credits to both of your records as compensation."

Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu heard this, felt a weight lift from their hearts, and hurriedly thanked.

"Thank you, Teacher Su!"

Then Su Jingchuan's gaze shifted to the Ying Duo who was about to slip away, and a barely perceptible curl at the corner of his mouth sent an inexplicable chill down one's spine.

"As for you, Ying Duo..."

Su Jingchuan's tone became unusually "amiable."

"I recall you were assigned to Manufacturing Department Class One, right? That's one of the few classes in the Academy that has a fixed evening self‑study schedule."

Ying Duo: "......"

???

This is depriving the player of free exploration time!!!

Su Jingchuan continued in that soothing tone that made one's scalp tingle.

"Originally, considering your 'assisting investigation' effort today, I was planning to ask your homeroom teacher for leave so you could have a proper rest."

He shifted his words, and his smile grew even gentler.

"However, seeing how spirited you are along the way, perhaps you should first check in with your homeroom teacher."

"After all, it's been several days since school started, and you don't seem to have met your homeroom teacher yet; I'm sure your teacher is eager to finally meet this new student who hasn't shown up before."

Ying Duo watched Su Jingchuan's slightly upturned mouth, and in this game he deeply understood what "malice from an NPC" feels like.

It turned out that without enough affection, forcibly probing hidden plot and rewards triggers the NPC's retaliation mechanism.

"Where's the promised combat line? Why shove him into the self‑study room first?"

Su Jingchuan looked at Ying Duo's instantly collapsing silhouette with satisfaction, feeling that today's built‑up gloom finally dissipated a bit.

He turned around and waved at the equally stunned Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu.

"You both go back and rest; you've worked hard today."

The two, as if granted a pardon, hurried away, fearing Teacher Su might recall some other "school rule" he hadn't settled with them.

Only poor Ying Duo has to attend the so‑called evening self‑study.

His "Speedrun Academy" plan seems not to have even started before it ran into a small obstacle called "evening self‑study".