"Student Cheng Sui, your mission last night was exceptionally well done. You truly live up to your reputation as our newly promoted A-Rank elite."
In the principal's office, Angers and Cheng Sui sat opposite each other. On the large spruce wood desk lay the documents Angers had just been reviewing.
Being invited to afternoon tea by the principal was an honor even more coveted than a scholarship at Cassell College, and Cheng Sui had been invited twice within half a month.
Unlike his first visit to the principal's office, Cheng Sui seemed much more relaxed this time:
"Only 'very good'? I single-handedly defeated a fallen A-Rank Mixed-blood Deadman, and it was during an interview, no less."
Angers rested his elbows on the desk, leaning forward as he looked at Cheng Sui: "I can tell you have many questions. Please ask. Isn't afternoon tea meant for pleasant conversation?"
Cheng Sui looked around the office.
It was no different from his last visit; the four walls were adorned with either oil paintings or bookshelves that reached the ceiling, filled with complete sets of hardcover books and ancient rubbings.
Only the increasing number of fallen leaves accumulating on the central skylight hinted at the passage of time.
Staying in this environment, one would feel as if time had stopped flowing. Has the principal spent all these years like this? Cheng Sui wondered.
Angers took two white bone china cups from the bookshelf behind his desk, tidied the desk slightly, and gently placed the bone china cups on it.
Then, Angers turned and picked up an exquisite small teapot from behind him. Cheng Sui could smell the tea from a distance.
"Afternoon tea is a fine British tradition passed down from the Victorian era," Angers said, bending down to slowly pour a cup of black tea for Cheng Sui. "It's Keemun Black Tea from your hometown; the taste is excellent."
Although the old man in front of him was elegantly brewing tea, he gave Cheng Sui the impression of a flamboyant bartender. The coexistence of elegance and flamboyance in one person not only didn't seem contradictory but rather complemented each other.
Cheng Sui picked up the bone china cup and took a sip. He had felt a strange sensation last night, and it wasn't until he returned to his dorm that he understood its source.
The professor had mentioned in class that the transformation of a Hybrid into a Deadman was a gradual process of degeneration, but the Dangerous Hybrid last night clearly defied this common knowledge.
"Why did that Dangerous Hybrid suddenly transform into a Deadman? The speed of the dragon blood erosion was too fast. It felt like..." Cheng Sui pondered, "...like someone controlled his bloodline, making him suddenly fall into the abyss forever."
Angers snapped his fingers and said proudly, "As expected of our A-Rank, your observational skills are extraordinarily sharp. Student Cheng Sui, have you ever ridden a roller coaster?"
Cheng Sui shook his head: "I have acrophobia, and roller coasters give me very little sense of security. I'm always afraid they'll suddenly derail."
Angers raised his hands, placing one palm above the other.
"If the sky represents ordinary people and the ground represents Deadmen, then we Hybrids are in between. The closer we are to the ground, the closer we are to losing control."
"We discovered a unique agent in the Deadman you killed. For Hybrids, it's like riding a 'volcano car,'" Angers said. "It slowly rises towards the sky at first, giving the injector the illusion that their bloodline is gradually stabilizing. But when it reaches a certain point, they'll plummet rapidly from the highest point, just like on a roller coaster, eventually degenerating into a Deadman."
Angers took a sip of tea and slowly said, "When we found the target, he was already in the process of descending. You, however, gave him a hard kick from behind, pushing him off the roller coaster to the ground, where he smashed into pieces."
"Then why did he inject this drug? To stabilize his bloodline?" Cheng Sui asked.
"Perhaps. For Dangerous Hybrids, discovering that their human consciousness is gradually being invaded by dragon consciousness is terrifying. The target of this mission treated this agent as a lifesaver," Angers said, taking out Scones from a cabinet and serving them to Cheng Sui on a bone china plate. "This is the first time we've discovered this agent. We don't know how many Dangerous Hybrids worldwide have already injected this drug."
Cheng Sui picked up a Scone and took a bite, becoming even more puzzled: "Then what was the inventor of this reagent trying to achieve? If it was just to toy with people's hearts and cause chaos, that would be too childish."
Angers shook his head: "It's only been about a day since we discovered the reagent. We've had too little time. The specific motive hasn't been investigated yet, but norma has already deciphered the reagent's shipping location as Japan."
"Japan, huh..." Cheng Sui rubbed his chin, his mind conjuring images of anime, maid cafes, Shinkansen, and high school girls in JK uniforms walking together. His impression of Japan was limited to these.
"That's right, Japan. A group of Hybrids who are almost independent from the Hybrid world are gathered there. They are actually the Japan Branch of Cassell College, but they call themselves the Sheqi Eight Families, controlling the entire Japanese underworld and are the undisputed kings of the yakuza world."
"So what does that have to do with me? I'm just a student worried about graduating." Cheng Sui shrugged.
"Their actions have become more frequent in recent years, like hyenas lurking in the dark, eager to move. This reagent incident might not have been their doing, but it's definitely related to them."
Angers didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "Perhaps it's because the main branch has rarely produced truly amazing geniuses in recent years, so they've become increasingly bold, like disobedient children. Therefore, I hope you can represent the main branch and make a trip to the Japan Branch, after you return from Egypt."
"I refuse." Cheng Sui said without hesitation, "Caesar and Chu Zihang are also good candidates, aren't they? Why does it have to be me? I'm a student, not a forced laborer. I won't do business without capital. What does world peace have to do with me?"
Angers smiled, not angered by Cheng Sui's words. On the contrary, he felt it made the conversation more sincere.
No one wants to give without reason. Cheng Sui's directness made the conversation much easier than dealing with those who were insincere.
"I remember you took my elective on Dragon Kinship Studies. I promise you a perfect score."
Cheng Sui pouted: "No, no. I don't pursue GPA. As long as I don't fail, a perfect score is useless to me."
As if he had anticipated Cheng Sui's words, Angers smiled and took an envelope from the desk drawer, placing it on the desk and gently pushing it towards Cheng Sui.
"The Principal's Scholarship, which I've personally increased a little."
Cheng Sui took the envelope and eyed Angers suspiciously. He had heard of the Principal's Scholarship; many top students at the college had received it, but it was mostly for encouragement, and he hadn't heard of anyone getting rich from it.
Cheng Sui opened the envelope and glanced inside, his breath catching when he saw the scholarship amount.
Stuffing the envelope into his clothes, Cheng Sui solemnly clasped Angers' old and rough hand: "As a Cassell student of the new era, I absolutely will not allow such things to happen. Leave the matters in Japan to me."