NOVEL NEXT Chapter 65: Dating Sim
Professor Kong Hu's lips twitched under his thick mustache. For a long moment, he said nothing, his eyes tracking the two figures who were now gracefully ascending the final slope of the hill.
"They're nearly there," he muttered, voice low.
Professor Bai Lian rounded on him, her eyes sharp and blazing. "She could've died. You saw it. A fully-formed Fire Ash Tornado and two more convergence spells! Who the hell let those through?!"
"But she didn't die." Professor Kong Hu said mildly.
"She was half a step away from getting turned into steam and ash! What are you even thinking?! You know damn well who she is. If anything had happened to her, not even the Principal could cover for you! Hell, you would still die even if you get all those old geezers from the damn coffee club to speak up for you!" Professor Bai Lian was nearly hysterical with panic.
Professor Wu grunted. "Still… she handled herself well."
Professor Bai Lian's eyes snapped to him. "Handled herself? She was following Damien Bloodbane's lead the entire way! If he hadn't reacted to that tri-spell convergence, she'd be dead! You call that handling it?"
"She followed perfectly. It takes a real master to follow one so perfectly like that." Professor Wu sipped his tea with a shrug. "She's fine. And she'll be fine."
"You…" Professor Bai Lian sputtered in anger. "Stop this madness, or I will."
Professor Kong Hu exhaled slowly and waved a hand.
"Enough. Cease fire."
The command was carried out instantly.
On the field below, all six hundred students stopped casting at once, panting from exhaustion and failure.
"Two first years remain completely unscathed. Every one of you will run one hundred laps." Kong Hu announced, his voice booming like thunder across the hill. "With weighted packs. At dawn. Without breakfast."
A collective groan of agony rose from the student body.
But none of that mattered to Damien Bloodbane and the mysterious girl.
They reached the summit just as the sun crested the eastern hills, its golden light casting a soft glow on their dust-smeared faces. Damien Bloodbane dropped his pack and rolled his shoulders once, cracking his neck.
The girl set her pack down with a fluid motion, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek as she turned to face him.
And for the first time, she smiled.
Not coldly. Not politely.
Genuinely.
From the base of the hill, Professor Bai Lian frowned into her binoculars, expression grim.
"She's smiling," she muttered. "She never smiles."
Professor Wu chuckled. "First time for everything."
"You saved me," she said, her voice quiet, but clear.
"You would've done the same." Damien Bloodbane shrugged carelessly.
"Maybe," she replied. "But you didn't hesitate."
Then she reached out, extended her hand.
"Jiang Xiao Yu," she said. "It's nice to finally meet you… properly."
Damien Bloodbane stared at her hand for a second, then took it.
"Damien Bloodbane," he said with a faint grin. "Nice to meet you too… properly."
"She's… shaking his hand? She actually allowed him to touch her hand?! Oh my god!" Professor Bai Lian shouted in shock.
"That's great. Maybe they'll get married soon and then have a baby. Let's call him Jiang Da Long." Professor Wu grinned widely.
"Don't joke." Professor Bai Lian snapped. "If anyone from the Palace finds out what nearly happened to her today…"
Professor Kong Hu's smile faded.
"They won't," he said, voice like steel. "Because nothing happened to her."
"And why is that?" Professor Bai Lian demanded.
Professor Kong Hu didn't reply.
He simply gazed up toward the hilltop, where Jiang Xiao Yu and Damien Bloodbane stood side by side in the morning light, their hands clasped in a quiet handshake.
In that simple, striking image, framed by the rising sun and dust-swept air, he felt as though he were witnessing something more than just two students.
He felt as though he was looking at the future of China.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
In the Master Control Room, General Chen Hei Long had just arrived. Towering and broad-shouldered in his full military uniform, he exuded the calm pressure of someone used to commanding armies. At his side stood two elderly generals, long since retired but still influential, both observing the large screen with knowing grins.
"General Chen, this year's batch is quite promising," said Principal Tian Long, standing at attention with a smart salute. "We've identified six Exceptionals and over fifty Elites. In fact…" His voice dipped, hesitant. "One of the Exceptionals is so good that he may even be a Heavenly Prince. I've never seen anything like it."
General Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you referring to that boy currently… holding the President's daughter's hand?"
Principal Tian Long's composure twitched.
"Ah. Yes. That would be him."
"Damn it, kid. Let go of her hand already! You're giving me heart palpitations." Principal Tian Long screamed internally, a pained smile barely holding on.
"Hahaha!" General Maru burst into laughter. "Little Chen, that boy's the one I've been talking about! He's a good seedling. Sharp eyes, strong instincts, and something dangerous under the skin. Reminds me of myself when I was young and still had hair!"
"You were an anti-social recluse with a gambling problem," General Riki said dryly. "But Maru's right. That boy… He's special. The kind of prodigy you only see once in a generation."
He turned to General Chen, his tone sharpening.
"Make sure he's well taken care of. In six months, he'll be making his debut in the Little General Wars. He'll represent Pearl Institute—and I guarantee you, he'll shake the entire nation."
General Chen remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the boy in question—Damien Bloodbane, standing at the summit of the hill with Jiang Xiao Yu, their hands clasped in quiet triumph.
Then he nodded.
"I will put the two seniors' words in mind."
His voice was low but firm. He clasped his hands behind his back, eyes unwavering.
"Tian Long."
"Yes, sir!"
"Make sure that boy does not slack. Push him harder than the rest if you must. If he breaks, then he was never meant to carry the burden in the first place. But if he holds—" General Chen's gaze flickered with faint intensity, "—he may carry this nation's future on his back."
"Yes, sir!"
A pause.
"And get him to stop holding the President's daughter's hand."
General Chen scowled at the monitor.
"He's not in a dating sim."
Principal Tian Long wilted slightly. "Understood, sir."