"What's there to be afraid of? If he was seriously injured, he wouldn't even be able to talk this much."
Someone muttered, and the other students finally realized what was happening. A few of them rushed forward, lifting Lei Fei up and carrying him toward the infirmary.
"His social death is way worse than mine."
Sun Qiang watched Lei Fei's retreating figure, a mix of complex emotions and secret delight in his eyes. With Lei Fei out of the way, surely no other student would dare fix their gaze on him now.
Lei Fei… what a good man!
"Is that the point, though? Are we really not going to run?"
"Run? That needs a leader! Who's brave enough to start without someone taking the lead?"
"My instincts don't allow me to run. You know what I mean, right? It's in our DNA as Huaxia people."
"It's just watching the show… why make it sound so mysterious?"
Bai Xuan listened silently, unsure what to say. Facing danger, their thoughts were… "watching the spectacle" and "not wanting to be the first to run"—worried about losing face?
Typical student mentality.
But… why were the school leaders and teachers doing absolutely nothing?
And the security guards around the playground—smiling and strolling as if nothing was happening? Aren't you supposed to handle this?
If it weren't for Bai Xuan knowing the firebird was coming for him specifically, he might've thought the school had arranged this as some kind of trial.
Everyone here seemed to know everything.
…Fine. If you won't act, I will.
Bai Xuan shook his head, a flicker of blue light flashing in his eyes.
"BOOM!"
A deafening roar of thunder erupted across the sky, forcing everyone to instinctively glance upward.
A brilliant streak of blue-white lightning tore through the heavens like a raging thunder dragon, slicing through the air and striking the firebird directly.
Lightning danced.
Blue-white arcs crackled wildly, twisting and writhing like living creatures.
When the storm finally cleared, the entire playground was suffused with the thick, acrid smell of burnt feathers.
And the crimson firebird, caught in the wrath of the thunder, had turned into a charred, lifeless husk. It lay motionless on the ground, devoid of any trace of life.
"Holy sh—!"
"Justice from the heavens?"
Everyone was stunned, mouths agape, struggling to articulate their shock in polite words.
They had imagined countless ways the firebird might be defeated—guns from the police, ambushes, even a genius power user—but never… divine lightning justice.
What kind of karma brought "heaven-sent justice" in broad daylight?!
It wasn't just the students—teachers and even the security guards on the edges of the playground were dumbfounded. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
They touched the bulge at their waists, eyes wide in astonishment and bewilderment.
Weren't they supposed to be the ones to show off in front of the students? To demonstrate that even with awakened powers, humans must obey the law? That technological might isn't something they could easily grasp?
But seeing each other, they all shrugged helplessly.
Better leave it to the higher-ups.
At that moment, a woman in military uniform seemed to sense something, her expression filled with surprise.
"Firefeather… what happened?"
A man beside her, puzzled, asked.
"My Crimson Flame Bird… it's dead."
Firefeather spoke strangely, almost disbelievingly.
"Weren't we supposed to…?"
The Crimson Flame Bird was destined to die anyway. Whether to warn students or to display the power of firearms, its death had been inevitable.
A creature that could only breathe fire and had decent defense was insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
For Firefeather, even summoning a hundred Crimson Flame Birds was trivial. In both her eyes and the nation's, the firebirds were not a valuable resource.
"No, no… it didn't die by gunfire. It was the thunder… lightning from nature itself."
"???"
"Are you sure it was natural lightning? Not some lightning-based power user?"
If it were the latter, then the country had a new prodigy—but if it was nature itself, were they not mistaken?
"I'm sure. It was natural lightning."
Firefeather nodded, then shook her head slightly.
"Not ruling out the possibility of a power user. But if it was, their ability would rival mine."
Her awakened ability—[Summon (Fire)]—allowed her to call forth fire-based lifeforms and non-living constructs from another world.
Her potential was enormous. While others in the military could also awaken summoning abilities, none could effortlessly call forth a hundred Crimson Flame Birds like she could.
Of course, there were other world-class talents.
Qin Tian, with [Divine Dragon], could resist gunfire and control wind, rain, and thunder.
Ye Feng, with [Light of Life], could heal the sick and even revive those near death.
Chen Bing, with [Absolute Cold], could freeze the entire base and create ice shields impervious to bullets.
Wang Ming with [Mechanical Affinity], Ning Guang with [Mist], Chen Changsheng with [Longevity]…
These were the real terrifying prodigies.
Even Firefeather didn't see herself as stronger than them—but not weaker, either.
As Lei Fei had said, the revival of spiritual energy gave everyone the potential to change their fate—but it did not create equality. It only widened the gap between talents.
Talent is undeniable.
If learning could narrow the gap with effort, powers widened it irreversibly.
Take Firefeather, for example: even a single summoned Crimson Flame Bird instantly crushed Lei Fei, who had much higher talent than the others. And she could summon a hundred with ease.
Could such a gap be closed by effort alone?
Even if it could, how long would it take? One month? Two months? Six months? Or even a year?
Wouldn't they progress in that time?
Of course, they would—but the difference would remain vast.
"Send me a copy once Hangcheng No.1 High School's power registry is completed."
"Have the Weather Bureau analyze why there was lightning in Hangcheng today."
Firefeather said calmly.
"Understood."
After completing the registry, Bai Xuan thought he could finally leave. After all, enough had happened today.
But he hadn't expected to be forced to attend a one-hour meeting.
Mostly the usual—students must control their powers, use them responsibly, and avoid harming others.
Once the boring parts were skipped, there were a few things that genuinely piqued Bai Xuan's interest…
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