Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 601: Chapter 501 Counterattack_1

After the meal, Huai Shi walked Kiyoshi Kusaki to the izakaya’s entrance. The two parted reluctantly, having already become good friends and brothers.

As Kusaki left, Lin Nineteen, who had witnessed the entire process of their teacher controlling this stubborn fool, could only silently marvel at how terrifying his teacher was.

Once Kusaki was out of earshot, Huai Shi bent down to stub out his cigarette and mused softly, They’re just a bunch of kids. They try to deceptively praise someone only to tear them down later, but they do it so crudely—can I only say they’re short-sighted?

”Then, Teacher, should we respond now?” Lin Nineteen asked.

According to the Wood Cottage’s thinking, since they had a lead, they should strike like lightning. This would crush the group before they could fully form, avoiding future trouble and the risk of the tail wagging the dog.

However, Huai Shi remained calm, simply shrugging. ”They’re still parading around as my admirers, so how could I make a move against them? The most ardent anti-fan can appear as a supporter, and the most fervent supporter can appear as an anti-fan... That’s the trouble with being an idol.”

Lin Nineteen was taken aback. ”Does that mean we just watch them tarnish Teacher’s reputation?”

”Let them tarnish it then; it’s not time to worry yet. Besides, I suspect some people would be delighted if I reacted now, eager for a chance to capitalize on it.”

Huai Shi pinched his chin, pondering.

It wasn’t that he was considering how to counter, but rather wondering—where had all this deviousness in him come from? It shouldn’t be like this, right? Why did he always unconsciously slip into the role of the villain? And why did he always feel that these little brats were incompetent, sneaky, and would never amount to anything?

Was something wrong somewhere?

But as he pondered, he didn’t lose focus. Instead, he turned back and asked, ”Did you hear what Kusaki and I discussed just now?”

”Loud and clear,” Lin Nineteen nodded.

”Good.”

Huai Shi studied Lin Nineteen’s deceptively harmless appearance and raised an eyebrow. ”There’s something I need you to do...”

「It was as if nothing had happened.」

The dispute that night seemed merely a delusion. Not much later, Kiyoshi Kusaki proactively went to the school affairs office to pay a fine, calling the incident a misunderstanding.

Huai Shi’s routine remained unchanged.

He ate when it was time to eat and taught when it was time to teach, unconcerned by the occasional dissatisfied hisses from the audience. He allowed the situation to fester, and for a time, a clamor arose.

The large-scale club recruitment quotas had already ignited the dissatisfaction of most students, drawing many elective classrooms into the turmoil. In the faculty office, some teachers had already expressed their displeasure with Huai Shi; hardly anyone showed him a friendly face anymore.

Then, on Monday of the second week, just before the Classical Music Classroom was due to start on Tuesday, a notice from the teaching research office finally arrived.

Teacher Huai Shi, the main lecturer of the Classical Music Appreciation Classroom, had submitted a request. After deliberation, the teaching research office, considering the need to maintain teaching quality, decided to formally approve his request.

Henceforth, the Classical Music Appreciation class would prematurely close registration and no longer accept new members.

That was the end of it.

After Huai Shi’s selection, a total of over seven hundred thirty students were approved. All were chosen by Huai Shi based on their classroom performance and homework completion.

If anyone genuinely liked the class but lacked a prior foundation, Huai Shi wouldn’t turn them away. However, if homework wasn’t completed on time, or if they hadn’t attended class even a week after school started... who would believe they truly liked it?

Over seven hundred people—not a huge number, but not insignificant either.

For elective courses in the teaching research office, achieving such numbers was quite good. It wasn’t dismal, nor was it so inflated with one or two thousand students as to be staggering.

With Huai Shi’s swift and decisive cut, the tumultuous situation suddenly stalled.

Those who were still using Huai Shi’s name to forcibly assign club quotas, along with the student council members involved, could only sit awkwardly amidst the surrounding suspicion.

The previously escalating debate, after a brief hiatus, took an incredible new turn: Huai Shi was supposedly scared by the public outrage and trying to calm the situation. Did he think this would end it? Dream on! He must come forward and publicly apologize! Otherwise, we will never agree!

This time, when the thoughtless detractors raised their banners, the original fervent fans curiously remained silent...

Because the Paradise Prince Fan Club had started investigating people.

Anyone who used Huai Shi’s name, claimed to be his fan for club recruitment purposes, or had been particularly disruptive in the debates...

There were over a hundred such people.

Each one was checked for membership status, merchandise ownership, monthly support contributions, and their ID and level in the fan groups.

No membership? How about merchandise? Never contributed support? Surely you joined the fan groups, right? Can’t afford the limited silver card? You must have the copper card, which costs just over two hundred, right?

Nothing at all?

Then what the hell kind of fan are you? Do freeloaders even have the right to claim they’re fans? Get outta here!

Thanks to the fans’ spontaneous actions, the exposing operation was terrifyingly efficient. Only after they were thoroughly investigated was it discovered that out of those making the most noise, more than eighty out of a hundred were unidentified freeloaders.

The thoughtless fans who had blindly participated were taken back by the fan club for re-education. Meanwhile, the freeloaders’ names, photos, and details of their actions were all exposed, posted on the Ivory Tower forum, and highlighted in red.

Among them were even student council members and their affiliates.

To varying degrees, they all bore the label of Purebloods.

Conspiracy theorists, whistleblowers, and those seeking to stir the pot kept emerging. There was such an abundance of scandalous stories—whether true or fabricated—that it became difficult to keep up.

At the same time, Morgan of the Fred Family, one of the Howlers, was already feeling the immense pressure.

It could be said he was stuck riding a tiger he couldn’t dismount.

As a Pureblood, his conflict with Huai Shi wasn’t just about helping his cousin, Martin, secure the only classroom spot for the year.

It had started even earlier, with resentment brewing since the Group Star incident.

He had two older sisters and one younger brother. In the Duke’s division of assets, that part of the Group Star was precisely the inheritance being prepared for him.

Yet, he hadn’t expected that, just half a month before he came of age, the Group Star suddenly vanished.

First, it was forcefully requisitioned by the Astronomical Society. Then, it became a battlefield and was turned into a complete ruin. Only a few carriages sank into the Sea, not even worth salvaging.

The instigators behind this were Ai Qing and her direct subordinate, Huai Shi. Later, Ai Qing even dealt a severe blow to his eldest sister’s interests.

Afterward, for several months, his eldest sister maintained a soft-spoken and delicate manner. This left him not daring to breathe too loudly at home, fearing he would inadvertently bring misfortune upon himself.

Especially later, according to rumors, the Group Star had even contained records from the Heavenly Kingdom—a complete Underworld Judgment Armor. Yet, for all these years, the Fred Family had been oblivious to the treasure right before their eyes, failing even to notice it. This matter had practically become a joke in his circle, causing him embarrassment for quite some time.

This pent-up rage completely erupted after his attempt to speak with Huai Shi was rejected.

He had refused the carrot and would now get the stick.

Initially, he had planned on compensating Huai Shi. But now, he wished to see that guy take a severe fall, hoping he would be chased out of the Ivory Tower, disheveled and disgraced.

Unexpectedly, though the trap was set, Huai Shi not only didn’t fall into it but was now on the verge of causing Morgan to bury himself.

Soon, his involvement would likely be exposed, and then he would truly lose face.

He was already beginning to hesitate, wondering if he should pay some price to persuade Huai Shi not to be utterly ruthless.

But recalling Huai Shi’s arrogant attitude that day, Morgan felt a surge of rage from within.

It wasn’t merely contempt; it was as if Huai Shi regarded the Howler name, which Morgan held in high esteem, and the Fred Family, his source of pride, as mere dust.

A momentary defeat would only cause him distress for a few years, but if he were to back down now, he would be ashamed of his own weakness for life.

But now, he had no more cards to play.

He was not the head of the Fred Family. Furthermore, the Purebloods in the teaching research office were not servants at his beck and call. On the contrary, he had always treated these individuals with the utmost respect.

Those teachers wouldn’t do him, a mere student, any favors, nor would they agree to interfere in such a meaningless dispute. If he dared to make such a request, the deputy headmaster would undoubtedly be furious. Moreover, his elder sister would likely call him to reason with him.

Now, he had missed his best opportunity.

At the height of the debate, he had tried to add fuel to the fire, attempting to incite other societies’ animosity towards Huai Shi.

This included having someone in the Integrated Combat Society express disdain in Huai Shi’s name and conveying Huai Shi’s contempt in the Rome Swordsmanship Society...

But the problem was, the premise of the ’exalt and destroy’ plan required the target to actually be undeserving of such praise. If someone was simply accustomed to being low-key, all the scheming would merely provide them with an opportunity for grandstanding.

Take the Integrated Combat Society, for example.

Their instructor, after hearing about it, didn’t fly into a rage. Instead, he felt so ashamed that he went back and drilled those gym-obsessed brutes until they howled in protest.

”Starting today, everyone’s practice time is extended by three hours!”

Huai Shi—the Heretic King, whose Iron Fist was once unbeatable in the Abyss, and the officially recognized master instructor of the orthodox Orchard Gym lineage—said your training was subpar.

That meant it really was subpar. What more needed to be said?

The president of the Rome Swordsmanship Society was even more astute. Appearing calm on the surface, after the discussion, he subtly asked the messenger, ”When does Teacher Huai Shi have time to give some pointers on Rome Dagger Fighting? Oh, to be honest, we’ve watched his videos dozens of times and have always been too embarrassed to approach him directly. We’re not asking for free; we’re willing to pay. Please, don’t be shy about naming your price...”

They practically fell over each other in their eagerness to submit.

Some even submitted without a word being spoken.

And after Kiyoshi Kusaki’s Draw Sword Technique failed—he couldn’t even draw his sword in front of Huai Shi—the Yingzhou Swordsmanship Society straightforwardly shifted its stance: if your own instructors can’t beat him, what more do you expect?

Moreover, when Kusaki returned, he seemed to have been bewitched for some reason and became an ardent admirer of Huai Shi.

He would praise Huai Shi to anyone who would listen. He lauded Huai Shi’s extraordinary grace and captivating swordsmanship, which had already reached its peak. Furthermore, he praised Huai Shi for being a humble and upright person—an exceedingly outstanding teacher and a rare talent in the Ivory Tower...

It was enough to make anyone pull their hair out.

Just as Morgan was wrestling with this headache, a sudden, hurried knock came from the door.

”Bad news, Morgan!”

A pale-faced society member burst in. ”They’ve come knocking on our door!”