Chapter 870: The Truth?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 870: The Truth?
"So... I cooperated with you? I helped you complete this scheme against Teaching Assistant Yang Yuehan?"
"Yes."
"You're telling me I put my life on the line just to cause an accident in her experiment? Do I look like I have a brain deficiency?" Shi Ruizhi questioned with a cold snort.
"What I told you wasn't supposed to lead to such an 'accident.' To be honest, you should have died in that experiment. But... the Academy Dean’s methods are formidable. You’re actually still alive. The price... was merely... amnesia? Heh..."
"So... you lied to me? You used me? What kind of deep-seated grudge do you have against me!" Shi Ruizhi demanded, her voice trembling with rage.
"None... In this grand design, you were just an unlucky pawn. It wasn't about hatred. Even I am just a scapegoat... I had to do it. I had no choice. In truth... neither did you."
"So... you called me here just to tell me a 'truth' that you can't even prove?" Shi Ruizhi looked at the girl before her—someone so familiar, yet now a complete stranger—with utter loathing.
A few casual sentences... and this girl had utterly destroyed her life.
Even without evidence...
This revelation would become a whispered curse. For the rest of her life, it would echo in her ears, questioning her heart.
And she was powerless to stop it.
Unless the truth was made public—but how was that possible?
"I imagine... you really don't want this getting out, do you? If Yang Yuehan finds out you were an accomplice—and that you spent her compensation money living it up—do you think your days at the Witch Academy will remain peaceful?"
"Are you threatening me?" Shi Ruizhi’s brow furrowed.
In that moment, she realized she had still underestimated the other girl's lack of principles. Even without evidence, as long as Ji An named her as a co-conspirator, Teaching Assistant Yang Yuehan would almost certainly never let her off the hook.
The TA might choose to believe she was innocent, but could she afford to gamble on that?
No. She couldn't.
"Threatening? Heh... I’m practically a dead woman walking. Even if the Witch Academy lets me go, there are too many people who don't want me to stay alive."
"..." Shi Ruizhi stared at Ji An. She couldn't understand why this person, after having a breakdown, had chosen to accept such a pre-arranged death.
But now was not the time to worry about others.
"Then what do you want? After saying all that, it can't just be for fun."
"Of course not..." Ji An said. "I want... you to join our family's faction."
"Join your family?" Shi Ruizhi frowned, confused by this new development. "Why? You're threatening me just to make me join your family? I don't think I'm the kind of genius a family would value."
"It's for the... Self-Generated Mana in your body. Although the experiment failed, after you were saved, the experiment actually succeeded within you, didn't it?"
"You even know about that?"
"I know a lot of things. That's why I have to die. But... I still need to pull in a... genius for the family. Someone who is a genius, but not too much of one. You, with your Self-Generated Mana, are undoubtedly the best choice."
"Why? Self-Generated Mana... if this experiment continues, won't everyone be eligible to have it?" Shi Ruizhi asked, bewildered.
"Naive... There are Transcendent Witches who do not want this experiment to succeed. Do you really think it can continue? You might be the first batch, but you'll likely be the last."
"..."
Shi Ruizhi’s mind was in a whirl. This was far too complex for her. From what she could see, this matter involved families, student factions, and even the interference of Transcendent Mentors...
As Ji An said, she might not have a choice.
If she didn't join the family, they could turn around and leak the truth, making her life a living hell. But if she did join... she would still have to face the TA's potential wrath.
Moreover, the family clearly coveted her Self-Generated Mana, though she wasn't entirely sure why.
If the family wanted Self-Generated Mana, it should have been simple for them to get it.
There were too many things she didn't understand, yet she was being forced to make a choice that would define her life.
"Have you made your choice? Though it's not like you have one... Actually, I can give you a guarantee. If you join the family, they will protect you."
"Heh... Hehehe... Ji An," Shi Ruizhi said suddenly after a long silence.
"What? Made your decision?"
"The one without a choice is you... We are not the same. Because I have the right to choose to go down swinging. Yes, I have amnesia. I don't remember anything. I believe Teaching Assistant Yang Yuehan would be very interested to know the truth..."
"I'm crazy, but have you lost your mind too?" Hearing Shi Ruizhi’s words—so different from before—Ji An felt a flicker of unease.
"I haven't had much contact with Yang Yuehan, only that one time in the infirmary, but she seemed like a reasonable person... So, guess what? If I go to her with the truth and apologize, do you think she'll accept it?" Shi Ruizhi didn't give Ji An a chance to interrupt.
"At least my conscience would be clear. If I do this, I'll consider it an act of atonement. A great figure like her... won't go out of her way to make life difficult for a nobody like me..."
As she spoke, Shi Ruizhi’s eyes brightened, as if the gloom from moments ago had been swept away. Perhaps this was the charm of making a choice—one path might lead to ruin, but the other allowed one to live with a clear conscience.
But in truth, Shi Ruizhi wasn't certain if what she said was true. She simply refused to be led by the other girl's rhythm.
"You! You..."
Ji An was incredibly frustrated by Shi Ruizhi’s indifferent attitude.
Sincere cooperation can be a killing blow, and she knew it. She knew exactly whether the girl before her was an accomplice or not, which gave her a clearer perspective.
That Yang Yuehan was also a lunatic. Since Shi Ruizhi was a "victim" of the experiment, there was a real chance she might actually let the matter slide.
"Put away your little schemes. Why can't you just wait for your end in peace? This Self-Generated Mana... one more or one less person having it won't make much difference to your family, right? Why do you insist on dragging me into this whirlpool?"
"..."
"We part ways here. We'll act as if this conversation never happened."
"Do you think that's possible?"
"Why wouldn't it be? You don't want me to take you down with me, do you? I have my bottom line. Doing this might mean I can't return to a normal life, but your family's loss will definitely be greater than mine. When it comes to making sure no one has a good time, I'm just as capable as you."
"..."
"Even if you don't think of yourself... you should at least think of the people in your family, right?" Shi Ruizhi was betting that the family was Ji An’s shackle. If she won this gamble... at least things wouldn't get any worse.
After Shi Ruizhi finished speaking, silence fell. Ji An was calculating; Shi Ruizhi was gambling.
Everything had reached a stalemate. Both sides lacked the leverage to deliver a final blow and break the deadlock.
Until... every student in the Witch Academy suddenly received an academy announcement.
It wasn't the kind of notification that sat quietly in the system bulletin board; it was a pop-up announcement!
Shi Ruizhi instinctively opened it. The title alone made the content clear.
Announcement Regarding the Investigation into the Self-Generated Mana Experimental Accident.
Ji An naturally received the announcement as well.
The moment she saw the title, the light in her eyes—the will to keep tangling with Shi Ruizhi—instantly vanished.
This was her judgment. A formal conviction.
It was the official definition of the event.
Ji An opened the details with trembling hands... even though her vision was blurring, she saw her name appearing repeatedly.
She collapsed onto the rooftop.
"Go... You won..."
Ji An no longer had the heart to keep badgering Shi Ruizhi.
Ultimately, this had been her own final struggle, but it had clearly been futile.
"I didn't win..." Shi Ruizhi sighed. Was it a good thing that the other girl had given up?
But she didn't move to leave.
Soon, through the Root Network, Ji An was locked onto by information.
According to the announcement, Ji An was now "wanted." This meant that at this stage, even surrendering was useless.
She could only wait to be taken away and face the academy's judgment.
Bright red warning markers flickered around Ji An’s body. A massive pillar of light rose from the rooftop. Ji An had nowhere left to run—or rather, she had no desire to run. She could only wait for the Witch Discipline Squad to take her.
"Aren't you leaving..." Ji An, who had been dazed for a long time, looked up to find Shi Ruizhi still there.
"I'm... not leaving." Shi Ruizhi sighed. To say she wasn't afraid would be a lie.
"I plan to live my life... a bit more honestly from now on."
As she said this, her mindset truly seemed to change. She looked toward the distance at the Discipline Squad members approaching on their brooms, her gaze becoming calm.
"In the end... you still chose to go down swinging... What's the point..."
"To me, this isn't going down swinging. The ending was already set... but thank you for telling me the truth..."
Just as Shi Ruizhi finished speaking, before the Discipline Squad could arrive, a third figure appeared.
"Moon... Moon? Why are you here?!"
Shi Ruizhi’s eyes widened in disbelief! She had clearly left a marker for Moon earlier!
"I came over right after you left."
"So... you know everything... about me..." A flash of panic crossed Shi Ruizhi’s eyes. Even though she knew what path she had chosen, reality was always more unpredictable when faced head-on.
"No need to explain. I saw the whole thing. Also... let me reintroduce myself. You can call me Yang Yuehan."
"Wh-what?!"
Shi Ruizhi stared at the figure before her, eyes wide with shock.
She truly couldn't see the same feeling she'd had during their previous interactions in this figure.
"You... you are the real Yang Yuehan?!"
"No. I'm busy right now. This... is just my clone."
"A... clone?"
Hearing this answer, Shi Ruizhi fell silent.
Of course. As a Teaching Assistant, how could Yang Yuehan not have her own methods?
But she still couldn't imagine that such a person had been using a clone to teach her and play with her every single day...
I walked up to Ji An and looked down at her. Right now, she looked like... a beaten dog.
"I must say, you've shown me your loyalty. But in truth, there are some things... you took too much for granted. From the very beginning, I knew the one trying to screw me over was likely another Transcendent. However... I don't do things beyond my capability. From start to finish, the only ones getting hurt were people like you."
"And your so-called grudges against this person or that... they're just your naive fantasies. To me, these are all trivialities—matters I don't care to waste time specifically dealing with."
As I finished speaking, the Discipline Squad surrounded the area. They hovered over the rooftop on their brooms, quickly sealing off the perimeter.
Although the Discipline Squad had a low sense of existence within the Witch Academy, it didn't mean they were inefficient. After all, they were all graduated senior sisters, and their accumulated strength was not to be underestimated.
"Secure everyone! Don't let a single one go!" The moment the Discipline Squad arrived, they moved quickly to control the situation.
"Wait. Aren't you overstepping your bounds by arresting me? The announcement only wanted Ji An." I spoke up just as they were about to restrain both me and Shi Ruizhi.
"So what? You're with her; you might be an accomplice."
"I am Yang Yuehan's clone. Are you sure about that?" I pulled out a business card—my own card.
This card was practically legendary among certain circles of students in the Witch Academy.
Because it had only one function: to summon Yang Yuehan.
"You..." The girl leading the Discipline Squad narrowed her eyes. She clearly recognized what it was.
"If you don't want my main body to come over and have a chat with you, I suggest you stick to your duties," I said, my tone blunt.
Given my status as a Teaching Assistant, the Discipline Squad couldn't necessarily control me.
The Discipline Squad was a favorite place for family members to stay after graduation. After all... it was a position of real power, enforcing school rules within the Witch Academy.
The Discipline Squad had arrived so quickly because they likely hoped Ji An wouldn't cause any trouble.
After all... those families didn't want anything incriminating to come out of Ji An’s mouth.
But their hopes were clearly dashed.
They never expected me to intervene at the final moment.
"TA Yang Yuehan... don't you think your reach is a bit too long?"
"I like your defiant tone. But isn't your family's reach just as long? I won't hold it against you, but I'm not here to negotiate. That one over there... don't even think about taking her away."
"..."
The Discipline Squad captain was clearly suppressing her rage, but she didn't dare vent it. As things stood, she couldn't afford to offend the TA named Yang Yuehan—not even her clone.
"Please. You've caught the wanted criminal. You have no reason to stay here, do you? This investigation was personally ordered by the Academy Dean. Do you really want to keep her waiting?"