Chapter 00052: Academy Admissions
# Academy Admissions
Chapter 52
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 52: Academy Admissions
"Please show your identification for inspection," Ding Huan heard the words as two men were checking the ID of a girl across from him.
Ding Huan sighed.
He had no intention of leaving.
The high-speed train was set to depart in ten minutes, and he would board in at most five.
He had to take this train because it was the fastest way to get to Yiling City.
But it seemed he was just a few minutes short.
The girl's ID checked out, and the two men turned to Ding Huan.
Ding Huan could see clearly now that there was only one person checking IDs—a young man in his twenties.
The other was a station security officer, merely accompanying the young man for the inspection.
Ding Huan immediately understood the situation.
Although the Gene Alliance was a global organization, it couldn't directly handle ID checks.
Thus, they needed station staff to assist.
"Hello, please show your ID," the young man approached Ding Huan.
Without hesitation, Ding Huan handed over his ID.
With just a few minutes left, he planned to have these two accompany him until the train arrived, then he'd leave immediately.
The only silver lining was that Anton Ao hadn't come personally.
If he had, Ding Huan might not have been able to board this train.
"Luohe resident, Ding Xiaotu?"
The young man was momentarily stunned upon seeing the name and location on Ding Huan's ID, then his eyes lit up.
Ding Xiaotu was Ding Huan, a fact known almost worldwide.
Ding Huan had been named Ding Xiaotu during his student days, changing it to Ding Huan after leaving school.
And the name Ding Huan had resonated throughout Puhai during the admissions exams for the top ten academies on Blue Star.
Ding Huan showed no expression.
Just as he thought the young man might act, he heard him say to the accompanying staff, "Captain Qi, could you continue checking the others? I have something to attend to."
Then, excitedly, he turned to Ding Huan, "You don't recognize me, do you? I'm Kong Dan."
Ding Huan was puzzled.
What was this guy getting at?
Captain Qi didn't mind and moved on to check others.
Running into an old friend at the station was a common occurrence.
Once Captain Qi left, the young man named Kong Dan excitedly said, "Teacher Ding, I've admired you for a long time."
"You're not planning to arrest me?" Ding Huan looked at the excited Kong Dan with confusion.
Kong Dan scoffed, "I'd have to be out of my mind to arrest you. It's those Gene Alliance scoundrels who are after you."
"You're not with the Gene Alliance?" Ding Huan was even more confused.
He had thought the young man checking IDs was from the Gene Alliance, with Captain Qi being the station security.
Kong Dan shook his head, "Even if I had fused with alien genes, I wouldn't align with such a selfish organization. The leaders of the Gene Alliance were wiped out by some hero, and their leader, Shi Changqian, isn't in Puhai. Anton Ao is checking major stations but can't find the right contacts in time. With no one to help, they had to turn to our Security Department. I'm just here to help out, don't take it seriously."
Though he said that, Kong Dan had already guessed that Ding Huan was the one who had taken out the Gene Alliance's leaders in Puhai.
He was trying hard to contain his excitement.
An idol, doing what he dared not and could not do.
Ding Huan realized he had killed almost all the Gene Alliance leaders still in Puhai.
Anton Ao and Qin Qiang, though part of the Gene Alliance, were more like figureheads.
They hadn't fully grasped the internal workings of the Gene Alliance in such a short time.
In desperation, they had to seek help from the Security Department to track people down.
"Passengers for the 701 high-speed train to Jingchuan, please prepare to board. The train will depart in five minutes..."
The announcement echoed through the waiting hall.
Ding Huan took out a piece of paper, wrote a few words, and handed it to Kong Dan, "I have to go. If I ever return to Luohe, you can find me at Yujiang University."
"Teacher Ding, can I study at Yujiang University?" Kong Dan was overwhelmed, as if hit by a massive stroke of luck.
Who wouldn't want to study under Ding Huan now? His dream had come true.
Ding Huan laughed, "Of course, but I'm not sure when I'll return, maybe not for a year or two."
"Okay, okay, I can wait..."
Kong Dan was at a loss for words.
Ding Huan, who had been ready to act, now boarded the train to Yiling City without any hindrance.
...
The anti-aging, life-extending gene potion, Selyu, produced by Luohe Baiyu Group, had a catastrophic failure.
In just a few days, tens of thousands had died.
This was just the beginning.
From the day the Selyu gene potion failed, tens of thousands died daily, a trend that would continue for months.
Fortunately, Baiyu Group's production capacity was limited.
If it had been greater, the death toll would have skyrocketed.
Because the Selyu gene potions were snatched up as soon as they were produced, never staying in stock for more than a day.
Three days after the Baiyu Group's disaster, all its responsible parties were dead.
Some said they had committed suicide out of fear, others claimed they were murdered.
This event caused the Baiyu Group to collapse internally.
A renowned group in Luohe vanished overnight.
Baiyu Group's chairman, Ding Jie, went missing, but no one cared now.
The world was in a state of panic.
All who had taken the Selyu gene potion were waiting for death.
When the time came, they would bleed from all orifices and die.
Compared to the demise of Baiyu Group's leaders, the Gene Alliance's crisis was even more terrifying.
At the Dongxun Gene Center in Puhai, the Gene Alliance's headquarters, the members who died from the Selyu gene potion were just the beginning.
What unsettled everyone was that almost all the Gene Alliance leaders in the top-floor meeting room had also died.
More puzzling were the various ways they had died.
Some had died from the Selyu gene potion.
Apart from that, a few had been shot, two had been stabbed.
The rest seemed to have died from another gene potion, with an even more horrifying aftermath.
Outwardly, they appeared normal, but once moved, their bodies turned into a muddy, watery mess.
Gene Alliance's leader, Shi Changyi, was furious upon learning that the alliance had been wiped out.
He rushed back to Puhai, but not only could he not catch the culprit, he couldn't even find a Gene Alliance member to question.
...
Now, not just Puhai, but other places were also in chaos due to the Selyu gene potion.
From its development to the crisis, Baiyu Group had sold a million doses of the Selyu gene potion.
Even if only half had been consumed, it was a terrifying number.
This chaos didn't significantly affect the admissions exams for the top ten academies on Blue Star.
Except for a half-day interruption on the first day, the fourth round of admissions continued and was completed ahead of schedule.
Although the top ten academies on Blue Star had completed their admissions exams in Puhai, the city had too many issues, with countless deaths.
This was unprecedented—a city without a gene beast attack had seen so many deaths.
Thus, as soon as the admissions exams were over, the top ten academies on Blue Star began their admissions process.
Today was the big day for students to choose their academies.
In the lobby of Puhai's Pearl Tower, the top ten academies on Blue Star had their signs displayed prominently, each with several admissions teachers.
Most academies, even their deans, were present.
If the dean couldn't make it, at least a vice-dean was there.
Admissions teachers, mostly cultivation instructors from the academies, were here to select their preferred students.
The future development of an academy heavily depended on the quality of its student body.
The top five hundred students from the four rounds of exams were also here to choose their desired academies.
The admissions process for the top ten academies on Blue Star was akin to selecting one in ten thousand, making the elimination rate shockingly high.
Every student who made it to the top five hundred was no ordinary individual.
But once in the top five hundred, the treatment for examinees was vastly different from before.
Here, not only could the top ten academies actively choose students, but students could also choose their academies.
Both parties had to agree before a student's academy was finalized.
Any examinee who made it here didn't have to worry about not being accepted by an academy, as even the last-ranked student would be taken in.
This was mandatory.
If a student didn't get their desired academy and the academy hadn't filled its quota, they had to be matched.
As Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lü Zi entered, they caught the attention of almost all the academy admissions teachers.
In this exam, Lü Zi ranked first overall, Li Wanran third, and Fang Chong fourth.
Such students were naturally sought after by all academies.
"Fang Chong, which academy do you want to go to?" Li Wanran whispered beside Fang Chong.
Fang Chong glanced around and said, "Let's see what they offer first. Sometimes, it's not about the academy's ranking but what they can provide."
Fang Chong remembered what Ding Huan had told him—not to blindly pursue the strongest academy but to consider what the academy could offer him.
Of course, he would ultimately choose the Great Han Yi Academy.
"Fang Chong, Li Wanran, Lü Zi, long time no see. Congratulations on making it here," a clear voice rang out.
Following the voice was a woman with a seductive figure and stunning looks.
Li Wanran quickly bowed, "Greetings, Dean Qin."
Although Teacher Geng Qianxing had said that Dean Qin Qiang was plotting against Teacher Ding Huan, proper respect was still due in person.
Fang Chong didn't bow, merely following Li Wanran's lead with a "Greetings, Dean Qin."
Though he had cursed Qin Qiang as a bastard, he dared not show disrespect here.
Lü Zi, following Fang Chong, also just called out "Dean Qin" without bowing.
(End of Chapter)