Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 622: Chapter 517 Virtuous and Artistic Little Huai Shi_1

The main purpose of this business trip was to descend into Hell.

Descending into Hell, in the literal sense.

As one ofthe supervising teachers, I was taking students nearing graduation to Hell to support the construction of the research institute’s Phase Three project in the Abyss.

Huai Shi’s old acquaintance, Andrea, was primarily in charge. Huai Shi and Martin served as her deputies, assisted by other staff members.

There were ninety-one members in total; forty were scholars and workers dispatched from the school’s directly affiliated agencies in various regions, and the rest were all students.

With Huai Shi’s authority, adding two more at the last minute was unlikely to cause any complaints.

Frankly, it was a relief that anyone was willing to undertake such a grueling task in Hell; who would complain about extra hands?

According to the tasks assigned by the Teaching and Research Office, my main objective was to collect special local plant samples for research. As for anything else... I was left to my own devices.

Sounds like a vacation.

But I didn’t believe my good-for-nothing teacher would be that kind-hearted; there was probably some trap waiting for me.

Logically, Yuan Yuan and Wood Cottage shouldn’t have been brought along.

But then again, plenty of people less capable than them were going, right?

With Professor Andrea personally leading the team, as well as the many people from the Phase Two and Phase One projects, and the local leaders, a basic level of safety was guaranteed.

Moreover, although Ivory Tower might like to mess around a bit, it would never joke around with its students.

After all, it is an educational institution. If a truly awful accident were to occur, they wouldn’t let students get involved at all.

If anyone had to be sent into danger, it would be the teachers first.

That being the case, why not bring these two students along to broaden their horizons? Besides, wasn’t I, their teacher, going to be there?

Well, in some ways, being by my side might be a tad more dangerous than Hell itself...

The Yuan Family and the Lin family had their necessary protective measures.

The Yuan Family’s patriarch doted on his granddaughter, wishing he could adorn her with divine equipment before she even stepped out the door. In contrast, the Lin family suffered from chronic persecution delusions, always keen to identify an escape route wherever they went. If danger arose, they would undoubtedly be the first to flee.

No matter what happened, those two would be fine.

As for my courses, I had left assignments and teaching plans for Classical Music Appreciation. A student from the performing arts group, who was about to graduate, would substitute for me, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

As for Abyss Ecology, I was no longer involved; there were plenty of teaching assistants. Moreover, the book was already published, so there wasn’t much private knowledge left for me to teach anyway.

The vice-principal, expressionless, approved my leave form, merely admonishing me not to disappoint the school’s expectations before waving me away.

Everything went unbelievably smoothly.

The next morning at seven, as I put on my long-unworn grey trench coat and saddlebag, I felt a genuine sense of pleasure.

After bidding farewell to my family, I headed to the grand auditorium where we were gathering before departure.

Outside the auditorium, there were already quite a few people.

The youngest, Martin, was standing at the forefront. When he saw me approach, he quickly looked away, pretending not to have noticed, and seemed to hum twice under his breath.

He was probably miffed that he hadn’t gotten to touch my trophy.

Why be so formal, kid?

Huai Shi sighed, dismissing the idea of going over to greet him and turning towards a nearby pile.

There, metal boxes of various sizes were stacked into a small mountain—all instruments and tools to be transported.

Raymond, whom I had met once, was organizing and inventorying them with several others. Early in the morning, with his jacket wrapped around his waist, he wore a large T-shirt that was stretched tight by his muscles.

When he saw Huai Shi, he waved enthusiastically, ”I didn’t expect you to be assigned a business trip so soon after arriving, Teacher Huai Shi... You’re here so early, have you eaten?”

”I have, thank you.”

Declining the bread Raymond offered, Huai Shi glanced at the iconic truck behind him, ”Mr. Raymond, you’re joining as well?”

”Since I’m with the school security team, going there means I’ll be leading the bodyguards. Destined for the tough jobs, I suppose,” Raymond said with a casual shrug, inviting Huai Shi and the others to sit with him on the pile of boxes. After a few pleasantries, most people had already arrived.

Aside from the seemingly demure Lin Nineteen and Yuan Yuan beside Huai Shi, other students stood in groups on the small plaza, chatting excitedly. Some, clearly having not slept the night before, sported dark circles under their eyes.

They were all filled with anticipation for the expedition to the Abyss. Looking at it this way, I increasingly resembled a teacher leading a field trip.

It’s just... the journey ahead didn’t seem likely to be easy or pleasant.

”Is everyone here?”

After Andrea arrived and took attendance, she nodded. Without much ceremony, she succinctly divided everyone into groups based on their roles and duties, then waved her hand, signaling the students to prepare for departure.

With a deep tremor, dust on the ground billowed into the air.

As the students exchanged bewildered glances, the entire small plaza began to descend rapidly... Accompanied by fiery sparks from countless grinding gears, the ground beneath them sank below the surface.

The small plaza, like a massive freight elevator, began to slide diagonally down steel rails.

The entire area beneath Ivory Tower had actually been hollowed out long ago.

The seemingly ancient and grand city was actually supported by numerous super-large structures. Much like a Magic Cube, a slight turn would reveal an entirely different facade.

As the vista before them rapidly transformed, the faint morning light filtering through the cracks overhead quickly receded, replaced by countless intricate structures closing in.

Amidst complex ascents, descents, and movements, and the piercing sounds of colliding steel, the warm, tranquil scenery vanished without a trace, supplanted by a well-ordered world of steel and machinery.

The students couldn’t help but grow serious, influenced by the solemn atmosphere.

After several tens of seconds, the platform’s descent came to a swift halt, docking seamlessly with solid ground. It was as if it had always been this way; only the different patterns on the floor tiles reminded them they had arrived at a new location.

White light poured down from the high-hanging ceiling overhead.

Aside from a few workers moving about the spacious platform making preparations, no other figures were visible.

An old-fashioned steam train, accompanied by a deep rumble, slowly pulled up and stopped beside the platform.

The train wasn’t long, with only seven or eight carriages in total. Its interior was well-appointed, equipped with sleeping berths and washrooms—thoughtful yet not luxurious, avoiding any mistaken impression of a vacation.

On the other side, at a derrick, Raymond’s truck and all the cargo were loaded into a freight car. Raymond then took a cap and keys from the train conductor and went straight into the driver’s cabin.

”Alright, everyone board the train in an orderly fashion, according to your assigned groups and numbers. Don’t forget your luggage. Once the train departs, you won’t have time to come back for it. Starting with the first group. Teacher Huai Shi, please supervise—”

”Ah, okay.”

Huai Shi reached out, took the list, and then casually... handed it to Lin Nineteen and Yuan Yuan.

When the master is busy, the disciples perform the labor.

I just needed to sit by the boarding entrance and look the part.

Lin Nineteen and Yuan Yuan would handle the rest.

Actually, Lin Nineteen handled most of the directing and coordinating, while Yuan Yuan was responsible for supervision. The Teenage Girl, still in her grey dress and carrying a suitcase containing the Mountain Monarch’s Heavy Sword, just stood there without saying a word.

Her perpetually dignified and meticulous expression alone made the atmosphere serious.

She was also responsible for ensuring Lin Nineteen didn’t deliberately pair up those with grudges or mutual dislikes, just to see sparks fly...

All students boarding the train would respectfully nod and greet Huai Shi as ’Teacher’ when passing him, then obediently proceed inside.

Many, however, didn’t recognize Martin, who stood opposite Huai Shi, and were puzzled. What’s with that smug-looking Little Brag? Why is he glaring at me?

Martin was very angry. Martin remained silent. Martin decided not to quibble with these low-IQ simpletons. Martin entered single-player mode.

To Huai Shi’s surprise, his standing among the students wasn’t low at all.

Although the Abyssal Ecology class he substitute-taught was only a mandatory first-year course, and upperclassmen rarely saw him, they had still heard of this teacher who had skyrocketed to prominence within the school in just over a month.

And ever since he held a ’fan meet’ at the Sea Fishing Club, even fewer people remained unaware of him.

Morgan and the others had actually wanted to suppress the news, hoping everyone would simply overlook the incident. But the problem was that Lin Nineteen from the Lin family was among the attendees that day.

Huai Shi had barely stepped out the door before a 4K Blu-ray recording of the ’fan meet’ was posted on the school forum.

The direct consequence was that the Ivory Tower’s canteen revenue plummeted by half that evening.

A new idol teacher, handsome and from a wealthy, powerful family; fierce students; secret clubs; unspeakable conspiracies; unimaginable darkness; and shameful deeds done behind closed doors.

The recording, over half an hour long, was startlingly bold. Its plot twisted and turned, thrilling and provocative... These young men and women, full of youthful energy—where could they have ever encountered anything like this?

This combination of heart-pounding elements caused many to have a restless night after watching. Having spent a sleepless night listening to Professor Jacob’s moans, they developed a profound admiration for Huai Shi.

They couldn’t help but admire him.

One hundred and eight ways to behead someone—do you know them? Have you seen them? Have you learned them?

In just a few days, Huai Shi’s notoriety had spread among both established student societies and new students; everyone knew of him. The Ivory Tower branch of the Paradise Prince Fan Club subsequently received over four thousand membership applications. The price of secondhand Card of the Ages—Prince of Paradise cards soared by another ten percent, and sales of the Judge from the Stars Card Pack surged once more...

The marketing team at Super World Ambition was grinning from ear to ear; they practically wanted to award Huai Shi a medal for ’Top Sales Influencer of the Year.’

Soon, the students finished boarding in an orderly fashion.

Following an announcement, the train departed, the rhythmic clatter of its wheels on the tracks accompanying its journey.

The journey was expected to take seventy-one hours, passing through four border transfers.

A total of ninety-seven passengers were on board.

Destination: Hell.

Depth 9.

Final stop—Town of Dusk.