Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 64: Stranger! Martial Exam Performance Test Results
The classmates’ words didn’t make Chen Pingchuan feel uncomfortable. Lies don’t hurt; the truth is the sharp knife. He had simply used too much force while holding back this time; it wasn’t that his actual abilities were so poor. Therefore, he wasn’t upset at all.

Of course, others wouldn’t think that way. Every student wanted their test scores to be higher than their actual values. To achieve this, some even resorted to taking special potions beforehand to boost their numbers. In such circumstances, who would ever think that Chen Pingchuan was deliberately hiding his strength?

Chen Pingchuan felt nothing, but Feng Jiaqi, standing in the crowd, couldn’t bear it. Like an angry little hen, she completely abandoned her usual good-girl image and shouted toward Liu Haofeng’s group, ”You’ve gone too far! We’re all classmates, how can you say such things about him?”

”Since classmate Chen has amnesia, he must have suffered severe trauma, which is why he still hasn’t recovered. How can you be so cruel as to bully a patient?”

Feng Jiaqi’s words made Liu Haofeng’s expression shift. The male students around him only flattered him because his father was the honorary chairman of the Ministry of Education, but Feng Jiaqi’s background wasn’t simple either. People from the upper class shouldn’t conflict with one another; that’s what he had been taught since childhood. That was why he felt uncomfortable when Feng Jiaqi stood up for Chen Pingchuan.

However, he always believed he was nothing like those ignorant, pleasure-seeking playboys. He harbored grand ambitions in his heart. He wanted to successfully join the Combat Department and be admired by thousands, just like the City Lord of the City of No Night.

The first step, then, was to avoid trouble for himself. Liu Haofeng immediately changed his attitude. After signaling to his friends, he turned and sternly reprimanded them.

”Classmate Feng is right. How can you laugh at a new student? Classmate Chen must have some unspoken difficulties. We will all be members of the same team in the future, so we must work together and face hardships as one.”

After lecturing his lackeys, Liu Haofeng turned, walked up to Chen Pingchuan with a smile, and offered his counsel.

”Classmate Chen, don’t worry. Now that you’re in our class, we’re all classmates. If you have any difficulties, just tell us. We may not have much else, but we can definitely pool our money to buy a few gene potions for you.”

At first glance, Liu Haofeng’s words seemed genuinely concerned, but they didn’t hold up under scrutiny. Anyone who could enter Class One of the City of No Night’s No. 1 High School either came from an affluent and influential family, possessed first-class academic abilities, or was a descendant of a martyr. The latter enjoyed special privileges due to the contributions of their parents or grandparents. Although neither Chen Pingchuan nor the homeroom teacher, Fang Yuxin, had said anything, this was likely the case.

Chen Pingchuan ignored Liu Haofeng, his mind going blank for a moment. This had been happening intermittently ever since he woke up a week ago. According to his doctor, it was a post-traumatic stress disorder from the car accident.

However, based on his classmates’ conversations over the past few days, Chen Pingchuan realized a car accident probably couldn’t cause his condition. It seemed more likely that his family was poor. After all, his parents, his sister, and he lived in a house of just over a hundred square meters. That counted as poor, right?

I guess so...

Chen Pingchuan was uncertain, as if a cognitive conflict between his memories and reality had emerged, creating a strong sense of dissonance in his mind.

Realizing he was being ignored, Liu Haofeng simmered with an anger he had never felt before. He had never suffered such humiliation in his life, but sensing the gazes of his classmates, he couldn’t lash out. Just as Liu Haofeng found himself in this dilemma, the proctor’s voice called out from the testing area.

”Ye Luo, Strength Attribute Conversion Value: 2.4. Exceptional! Excellent!”

As the male proctor’s voice faded, the students present lost all interest in the commotion. Even Teacher Fang Yuxin, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, had her attention drawn away.

”2.4? Did I hear that right? That’s over 2.0! With that score, she could join the official Combat Department, right?”

”The last person with a strength conversion value over 2.0 was ten years ago.”

”Everyone knows who you’re talking about! It was the City Lord of the City of No Night. His conversion value was over 2.5. He crushed all his contemporaries, eventually achieved the Seventh-Level Grandmaster Realm, and returned from the Imperial Capital to take over as City Lord.”

The classmates’ envious whispers didn’t seem to please the girl named Ye Luo, as she seemed to lack the vanity typical of a young person. Her expression remained extremely indifferent as she slowly returned to her class’s formation, where she stood alone to one side, silent and apart, as if the entire world were separate from her.

Chen Pingchuan, who had been standing at the back of the line, suddenly snapped out of his daze.

He felt as though he were being watched. Although the feeling came from nowhere, the conviction in his heart was absolute.

He quickly scanned his surroundings but saw only familiar classmates and no one else. Still, the lingering sensation of being watched made his skin crawl.

Ultimately, Chen Pingchuan’s gaze locked onto the distinctive girl.

When it comes to the most peculiar person among the classmates, it had to be this girl, Ye Luo. Ever since Chen Pingchuan had transferred to this class, he had never seen her wear any color other than black. According to student gossip, her obsession with the color was beyond normal. Because her grades were perpetually number one in the year, both the school and the homeroom teacher gave her special treatment. Even her classmates had no objections. Perhaps this is the privilege of the strong.

Having finished the mock exam, Chen Pingchuan had no intention of staying any longer. He walked out of the crowd and approached Fang Yuxin, pressing a hand to his head. Looking weak, he said, ”Teacher Fang, my head is starting to hurt again. Since the test is over, may I go home early?”

Seeing Chen Pingchuan’s feeble appearance, Fang Yuxin didn’t overthink it. His condition was plain to see. Perhaps my earlier suspicions were wrong after all, she thought. This classmate, Chen Pingchuan, must have truly been in a car accident to end up in his current state.

So, uncharacteristically, she replied in what she considered a gentle tone, ”Alright, go home and rest. You don’t need a leave slip. I’ll call the gate guard in a moment. Just pack your things and head home.”

”Thank you, Teacher Fang.”

”Don’t thank me. But you listen to me—once you’ve recovered, you must get your academic scores up.”

”Okay, Teacher Fang.”

”Go on.”

As Chen Pingchuan’s figure faded into the distance, several gazes with inscrutable intentions followed him.

Back in the classroom, Chen Pingchuan packed his bag. There wasn’t much to pack, really. He had no textbooks or school supplies—just a few black pens and two notebooks.

Chen Pingchuan’s home was quite far from the school, requiring a half-hour car ride. He didn’t understand why, in this city of towering skyscrapers and unceasing neon lights, such an old-fashioned street still existed.