Chapter 672: From Today On, You’ll Be Living Alone
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 672: From Today On, You’ll Be Living Alone
"Since you're already here, there’s no reason for you to leave empty-handed," I said, taking back my phone as the members of the Shi'an Bureau respectfully handed it over.
"Yes! Teaching Assistant, we are at your disposal. Whatever you need, we will carry out your orders," the squad leader replied immediately. She shifted into a subordinate's posture so naturally it was as if she had been waiting for the chance.
This person was a Teaching Assistant from the Witch Academy, after all!
Even the Director of the Shi'an Bureau would have to be on his best behavior in her presence...
I watched the dramatic reversal in the Shi'an Bureau's attitude, but the most profound change was in the "couple."
Perhaps they had no real concept of what a Transcendent was or the power they wielded, but they harbored a deep-seated terror of the Shi'an Bureau. The more clearly they understood the consequences of their actions, the more that fear consumed them.
"Why so quiet now? Where did that confidence go—the confidence to demand a trillion from me? Didn't you call the Shi'an Bureau yourself to report me?"
I looked at the two of them, now frozen in place, and posed the question at just the right moment.
"That... Xiao Han..."
"Xiao Han? Hearing such an intimate name from your mouths... it only makes me feel disgusted." I cut them off coldly, silencing their attempt to play the family card. I turned my gaze toward the Shi'an Bureau squad.
"Take them away," I commanded.
If I were to do it myself, I feared I would only soil my hands. Since they had personally sabotaged the path of settling this with money, I would let them walk the path of "procedural justice" they had chosen for themselves.
After all, they were the ones who called the Shi'an Bureau. I was simply making the Bureau "my people."
"No! You can't do this... You can't! We didn't do anything wrong! You can't just arrest us for no reason! This is an abuse of power! I'll report you!"
"That's right! You can't treat us like this! We have a newborn daughter! You can't do this!"
"Oh, if you hadn't mentioned it, I almost would have forgotten what charges to arrest you on." I felt no pity for their "defense." "It's alright to take them into custody first, isn't it?"
"This..." The Shi'an Bureau squad leader hesitated for a mere second before her expression hardened with resolve. "Of course! May I ask what charges the Teaching Assistant wishes to bring against them?"
"Hmm... let me think. There are quite a few. Domestic violence... no, that's not quite accurate, and the sentencing is too light. Let's go with child abuse. That boy lying on the floor is their youngest son. The handprint on his face is just one piece of evidence of their abuse. I imagine... he will be quite willing to cooperate with the investigation." I glanced at Yang Yunhan, who was still collapsed on the floor. Based on his current state and the emotions I picked up through my Heart Sense, I figured there was a fifty-percent chance he would help.
Of course, the other fifty percent was his cowardice—the part of him that didn't want to lose his parents. But that would just require a different kind of "strong medicine."
"The second charge is child trafficking. That woman just claimed she had a newborn to raise, but that child isn't hers. They swapped it with another family's baby..."
"No! You're lying! We—"
"Shut up. You don't have a say here," I said grimly, hitting them both with another Silence Spell.
But this time, they truly seemed to have lost their minds. Even under the Silence Spell, they tried to lunge at me in a desperate frenzy.
The Shi'an Bureau members were quick-witted enough to step forward and restrain them immediately. Otherwise, they would have had to taste a Binding Spell as well.
"You can go and investigate. I have special means of obtaining the contact information for that child's original family. Just run a test to verify it." I looked at the woman taking notes; a set of contact details manifested before her eyes. It seemed the original family hadn't found their way here yet.
"But the matter of the children doesn't end there. The son they abused? He isn't their biological child either."
"And... me. I was once a child of this household, but I am also not their biological offspring. You understand what this implies, don't you?"
I let my final sentence hang in the air, heavy with meaning.
When the Shi'an Bureau members heard this, the one responsible for the records nearly dropped her pen in shock!
The previous charges, the incidents—even the first two children weren't the main point. This was the bombshell!
They finally understood why they had encountered a Teaching Assistant in a place like this. It was a case of extreme family misfortune! And it wasn't just any misfortune; it involved the Teaching Assistant herself!
They felt incredibly lucky just to be standing there listening to the story. If it were them, this house would have probably been leveled by now.
This was a Teaching Assistant!
In name, she was on the same level as a Mentor!
Kidnapping, child trafficking... these were common social conflicts the Shi'an Bureau dealt with, usually caused by bottom-layer people making trouble. The squad leader looked at the middle-aged couple, her eyes practically spitting fire.
This time, these two had brought a massive headache to the Shi'an Bureau!
If the resolution of this case didn't satisfy the Teaching Assistant... the Director himself would be losing sleep.
More importantly...
The Shi'an Bureau could have avoided this mess entirely, but these two idiots just had to go and call them...
The squad leader felt like the unluckiest person alive. Bringing such a burden upon the Bureau... she felt like the Director would have a few choice words for her entire family once he found out.
Meanwhile, the boy still lay silently on the floor. A member of the Shi'an Bureau went over to help him up, but upon hearing that he wasn't his parents' biological son either... his knees buckled, and he collapsed again.
He didn't think she was lying. At the very least, after his mental breakdown... he recognized one fact: his "older brother," who existed on such a vastly different level, had no reason to lie to him. From childhood until now, his brother had never lied to him, yet he had always lived in the other's shadow.
From Yang Yunhan's perspective, if he wasn't their biological son... then many things finally started to make sense.
"And then there's that woman I sealed, the one my Sister Bai is holding..." I pointed toward Sister Bai.
The Shi'an Bureau members tactfully cleared a path. To be called "Sister Bai" by a Teaching Assistant... this woman was likely a Teaching Assistant as well. The group muttered inwardly, realizing the situation had just become even more complicated. The stakes had jumped to the level of two Teaching Assistants... but at this point, they were already so deep in it that more trouble didn't seem to matter.
"That woman is the tutor they hired for my poor, non-biological brother. But she isn't just any tutor. You're familiar with the Descendant Sect, aren't you?"
"We've heard of them... Is she a member of the sect?" the recorder asked tentatively.
"No, she is a Player—the very beings the Descendant Sect worships. She isn't a mere member."
As soon as I finished, they all gasped in unison!
The Descendant Sect!
That was the newly emerged evil illegal organization, a terrorist group blacklisted by every Witch Academy.
In operations to wipe out sect members, the Shi'an Bureau could only play a supporting role, let alone face the actual Invader Players they worshipped!
"You can't handle this one, so I'll deal with her on your behalf. Take some photos and file the paperwork, but don't worry about the rest," I said. Then I pointed back at the couple. "Investigate whether they are members of the Descendant Sect. On the eve of the College Entrance Exam, with my brother about to take the test, they suddenly hired a tutor like this. It's highly suspicious. This matter must be handled with the utmost severity."
"Yes! We will handle it with the utmost severity!"
"And... I want you to look into whether they've done anything else. Flesh out the charges. There's no need for trumped-up ones."
"Understood." The squad leader nodded vigorously. Although the Shi'an Bureau technically didn't have the authority to fulfill that last request... people were flexible. Special cases required special measures, and with full delegation, no one would dare say a word to a Teaching Assistant of the Witch Academy.
After discussing a few more trivial details, the matter was largely settled.
The couple was taken away by the Shi'an Bureau. One moment they were demanding billions from me, and the next, they had nothing... such was the fickleness of the world.
Before leaving, the squad leader asked for a Witch Academy contact ID. As members of the Shi'an Bureau, they had ways to communicate with students. They promised to report the progress of the case to me.
But... I no longer cared.
As for why I didn't "pull them up by the roots" to prevent some kind of "darkening" or revenge plot...
Let's put it this way: if the speed at which they could "darken" and grow stronger could match my own growth, then I wouldn't even need to lift a finger. Plenty of Witches from the Academy would be lining up to kidnap them for research.
Consider my current level. I couldn't say I would definitely win against every expert below the Transcendent level, but I was confident enough to hold my own.
After all, after learning about the Rebel Witches and the Betrayers, I had simulated in my mind how to deal with a Transcendent. With my current abilities, I had a very high probability of surviving an encounter with one.
Once the Shi'an Bureau left, the house—no, the building—suddenly felt empty.
I walked over to Yang Yunhan, who had been helped onto the sofa.
At my request, they hadn't taken him away for questioning yet. After all... he was still a candidate about to take the College Entrance Exam.
"Are you satisfied now...?" Yang Yunhan kept his head down, unable to look at me. But seeing me approach, he forced himself to speak in a voice devoid of confidence.
The response he got wasn't words, but the sound of a card hitting the coffee table.
Clack.
Yang Yunhan's gaze was drawn to the object. It was... a card.
He had seen his parents' cards, but he didn't have one of his own. His parents had hidden their cards well, and even he didn't know where they were kept, as if they were guarding against a thief. He hadn't understood it before, but now... he did.
If growing up meant being hurt, then this particular wound had forced him to grow quite a bit. At the very least, he felt the price of this growth was far too high.
"What is this for?"
"Living expenses. Or were you planning to rely on those two 'cheap' parents of yours?" I said.
Yang Yunhan looked at the bank card with a complex expression, filled with a sense of... helplessness.
"From today on, you'll be living alone," I continued.
Through my Heart Sense, I could clearly feel his internal struggle. For a child as simple-minded as him—or rather, a child who had never grown up—Heart Sense was practically like mind-reading.
I knew exactly why he didn't show any greed. He had no concept of money because he had never seen a large sum of it. Even if school life had taught him its importance, having never earned any, he didn't know where it fit in the world... in a way, he was like me. I didn't have much of a concept of large sums either.
However, he lacked common sense even more than I did. And he was cowardly.
"Take this card and withdraw money yourself. The initial PIN is six zeros. As for how to withdraw it, the process, how much to take, and how to spend it—figure it out yourself. If you don't understand, ask. Ask the bank, ask the staff. Then take the money and talk to your teacher about staying in the school dorms..."
"..."
"I don't care if you've memorized this or not. Just remember: whatever you need, buy a phone and search for it. If you don't understand, ask. If you're too afraid to ask, then use your phone to look it up. You're old enough that feeding yourself shouldn't be an issue."
"..."
As I watched the silent Yang Yunhan, I began to see shadows of my former self in him.
Saying nothing to avoid mistakes, remaining silent, responding to the world's kindness and malice alike with silence. Regardless of right or wrong, at least that way, no one could hurt you.
"Do your best on the College Entrance Exam. It's the only chance you'll ever have to change your fate. Your school's testing site is one I'll be proctoring. On the day the scores are released, I'll come find you one last time."
"One more piece of advice: don't think you still have the Holy Angel Academy as a fallback. The Holy Light Church only values you because you are my brother, not because of how exceptional you are."
Having said my piece, I turned to Sister Bai, signaling that it was time to leave.
Sister Bai had remained almost entirely in the background this whole time, like an outsider or an observer. She had simply accompanied me, watching how I would overcome this hurdle in my life.
As the front door finally clicked shut, Yang Yunhan finally broke. He collapsed onto the sofa, his world having truly crumbled. There was no one left to shoulder the burdens of life for him; reality had pinned him ruthlessly to the ground.
Two trails of tears slid from the corners of his eyes. At this moment, he wasn't even sad—he was numb.
He was the only one left in the house. Even the newborn had been taken by the Shi'an Bureau, as a child that young couldn't be left there to die.
As I walked away, I felt a sense of relief. I looked up at the sky; it seemed bluer, the clouds whiter, the breeze more refreshing.
I took out the Luck Coin. I could feel the luck condensing inside it, but there was no qualitative change yet. It looked like Mentor Teryx might be disappointed.
"Xiao Han, you sure talked a lot when you were facing Yang Yunhan just now."
"Did I?" I blinked, reflecting for a moment. It seemed I really had.
"You didn't notice?"
"Hmm... I do now. Perhaps it's because I saw my old self in him..."
"Is that so? No wonder. So, Xiao Han, do you still plan to spirit him away to the Witch Academy?"
"That depends on him. It depends on whether he can change his own fate, though the chances of that are incredibly slim."