Working Records in a Weird World - 86

 

| WRIAWW | It's a One-Sided Pursuit | 86

Because of the parent-teacher conference, Zong Le's formal attire came in handy yet again.

He left home early today, and since his hair had grown a bit long, he stopped by a barbershop on the way for a quick trim.

It was noon when he arrived at Sunshine Experimental Elementary School.

Likely due to the parent-teacher conference, the school entrance was jam-packed, with many private cars parked haphazardly along the roadside, completely disregarding traffic rules. Having anticipated this, Zong Le wisely chose to take the subway instead of adding more traffic in Guiyi City.

At the entrance, Xiao Fu yawned listlessly.

"Should we head back to the classroom and wait? Boss is getting sleepy," one of his observant underlings quickly suggested.

"Yeah, yeah. Most of our parents probably won’t show up anyway. We can just wait for the school arrangements."

Meanwhile, another underling had already run off to ask their homeroom teacher if they could avoid standing under the scorching sun.

At the same time, Xiao Fu spotted a figure in the distance.

He was stunned, and stood up straight in an instant.

His underlings had never seen Xiao Fu so tense before. Since this transfer student had joined their class, he had swiftly risen to become the most domineering school bully in Sunshine Experimental Elementary, and undefeated in fights.

Before him, the school’s top bullies had always been from the upper grades, this was the first time a second-grader had claimed the title.

"Boss—"

"Shut up!" Xiao Fu broke out in a cold sweat. "From now on, don’t call me ‘boss.’ Call me Xiao Fu!"

In the time it took to say these words, the black-haired young man not far away had already approached.

The underlings watched as he bent down and affectionately ruffled Xiao Fu’s hair. "Xiao Fu, good afternoon."

"Boss, how come you have time to come today?"

Xiao Fu’s face paled, but he still forced a smile, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was scared.

Only Zong Le remained oblivious.

"This is Xiao Fu’s first parent-teacher conference. Of course I had to come. Oh, and your parents didn't have time to come, they’re very busy lately, so I’m stepping in for them. Don’t blame them, okay? Speaking of which, Xiao Fu, you look a bit pale. Are you feeling sick?"

"Not at all!"

"Oh, that's good."

Zong Le didn’t question it further. "Since we’re at school now, don’t call me ‘boss’ or ‘Warden.’ Call me ‘brother’ instead."

Xiao Fu: "Okay, brother."

He quickly glanced back at his underlings, silently warning them not to give anything away.

"By the way, there will be a group of people who were hired to play the role of parents for students. Their behavior might seem a bit odd, and I’ll need to go through some formalities with them. Xiao Fu, don’t let on that you know me in front of others, just treat me as a temporary parent. How about this, Xiao Fu, why don't you go head back to the classroom and wait for me while I go sign in."

Zong Le figured he couldn’t risk exposing himself as an actual parent in front of the survivors, so he had to send Xiao Fu away before meeting up with them.

"Okay."

Sure enough, as soon as Zong Le finished speaking, he felt a white light envelop him.

When the light faded, a group of survivors had appeared in the open space by the school gate.

Due to the lingering effects of the previous two missions, Zong Le instinctively scanned the room. Just as he was about to relax, he suddenly spotted that familiar silver hair in the corner.

Zong Le: "......"

Once could be coincidence, twice might be accident, but a third time? Even the most oblivious person would realize something was wrong!!!

As a well-known survivor, Joshua was always surrounded by admirers wherever he went.

Although Zong Le had resolved to change his attitude toward him, he hadn't quite figured out how to navigate this new balance. After all, it had only been a few days since their last mission together, he deserved some time to think things through.

"Hey, Zong Le!" A cheerful voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Looking up, he saw someone pushing through the crowd with arms raised, it was Zhou Ke'er, the one who'd insisted on becoming friends during their mission at Taikang Yongle Hospital.

"Long time no see! I can't believe we're both in this S-level mission! Wait, you're B-level now? Congrats!"

Zong Le had grown adept at handling Zhou Ke'er's enthusiasm: "What a coincidence, you're here for a mission too?"

"Yeah, I've been gaming nonstop in infinite space for days. The main system forced me to take a mission," Zhou Ke'er complained, "I was literally at the boss fight! So I came rushing over without checking anything. Hold on, let me read the mission introduction."

Zong Le genuinely liked Zhou Ke'er.

His instincts told him this was truly a carefree optimist person without ulterior motives, and with high emotional intelligence. Being friends with such a person was actually quite pleasant.

"So the main mission is to pose as parents until the education bureau inspection ends? It doesn't sound too hard, we just can't get caught during the inspection."

As a 10th ranker, a quick glance at the mission objectives told him everything. "It's a team side mission to gain the students' recognition.' Judging by the description, this S-level mission must have hidden descriptions."

Seeing Zong Le's puzzled expression, Zhou Ke'er generously shared his insights: "Here's the thing, sometimes mission have hidden descriptions."

By the time Joshua politely excused himself from the swarm of survivor, this was the scene that greeted him:

The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder, far exceeding normal social distance, appearing utterly intimate as they engaged in animated discussion, and occasionally bursting into laughter together.

—How utterly irritating.

Joshua watched coldly, the curve of his lips slightly fading, and his blue eyes were full of coldness.

Nearby, some bystanders snickered: "Why does that newcomer keep latching onto top rankers? He got with Bluebeard and 1st in the last mission, and now 10th? He can't stand on his own feet, right?"

"With his messed-up stats, he could pass through A and B-level missions before by hiding. but this time it's an S-level mission. Of course he'd cling to strong backer to survive."

Just then, the teacher at the door began calling for attendance.

After each parent signed in, they were handed a card: "Grade 2 Class A, it's the first classroom upstairs to the left. Please go up and select a child, but do so quickly."

The survivors whispered among themselves: "Huh? We have to choose the kids ourselves?"

"Then I'll choose a well-behaved one, since it's related to the side quest. With 1st and 10th rankers here, the main mission is secure. We should take this chance to earn more survival points."

"Right, right."

For Zong Le, this step required no thought at all. To avoid standing out, he pretended to browse around before finally selecting Xiao Fu.

Compared to the other survivors, his choice went much more smoothly.

Second graders were at that mischievous age where they bounced around uncontrollably, and it's hard to control them. What's more, they are children in the ultimate copy. 

Even if they are not weird, they have been influenced by this since childhood.

As a result, there wasn't a single truly well-behaved child present.

This S-level mission was still considered mid-tier, with twenty survivors participating. Although there weren't many S-level survivors, there were a few, including Joshua and Zhou Ke'er from the top ten.

Any S-level would be treated like a celebrity anywhere, so by contrast, the recently famous Zong Le didn't stand out much.

Just then, the school dean hurried into the classroom.

He brought bad news: "The education bureau's car is already parked at the school gate. The inspectors might have entered the school, we just haven't spotted them yet!"

The homeroom teacher panicked and urged, "All students and parents, please take your seats quickly and familiarize yourselves with each other's information. The parent-teacher meeting will begin in five minutes!"

"Seriously? The mission's starting already?"

"Yeah, I haven't even asked this kid's name yet."

"Enough, enough. Hurry up and act natural, don't blow our cover."

Amid the chaos, the ceiling lights flickered twice before plunging the room into darkness.

It was always dark in Guiyi City, with only the blood moon in the sky providing dim light.

Without electricity, survivors had to rely on their enhanced night vision. Fortunately, this mission had almost no low-level survivors, everyone was experienced and prepared for an S-level mission's difficulty.

Even with this sudden development, no one panicked, they all remained seated calmly.

As expected, when the lights shattered, an icy, weird aura instantly engulfed the entire elementary school.

In the hallway, the blood moon's glow was distorted by elongated shadows.

Unnoticed by anyone, several stretched silhouettes had already appeared by the corridor windows.

Like in any school, the classroom walls facing the hallway had two large glass windows, so many survivors spotted this sight.

No one stood by the windows, yet the shadows fell distinctly onto the floor.

The survivor with the medium ability shook their head slightly, signaling everyone not to act rashly.

The homeroom teacher on the podium cleared their throat: "The Grade 2 Class A parent-teacher meeting will begin shortly. Please take your seats promptly."

Hearing this, the survivors quickly sat down.

As soon as Zong Le took his seat, he noticed a familiar white figure appear beside him.

At the same moment, a heavy gaze landed on his cheek. Unable to ignore it, Zong Le turned his head just in time to see Joshua propping his chin on one hand, staring at the blackboard with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Though Joshua wasn't looking at him directly, Zong Le couldn't shake the creeping chill down his spine.

Noticing this, Zhou Ke'er whispered in surprise, "Are you familiar with 1st?"

He'd seen the gossip forum, but based on his experience during missions, Zhou Ke'er never thought Joshua as someone who'd show interest in men. The guy practically looks like a god who is indifferent to worldly beings.

"No, not really," Zong Le denied hastily.

But he didn't expect someone to say lightly, "It's true, we're not that familiar. After all, it's just a one-sided pursuit from my end."

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Author's Note:

Joshua: I thought my wife wasn't the type to make friends, but it turns out he doesn't want to be friends with me (smile)

TL: By the way, there are now 94 raw chapters available now~ But only if you search for it on bing lol.

 I really want to talk about chapter 101 with someone ( ╥ω╥ )