Dragons begin with courage

As if by reflex, Susie, Lancelot, Bablu, and the other key members instantly assumed combat stances, their hands already on their weapons, their eyes sharp as if facing a formidable enemy. Such was the atmosphere at Kassel College; weapons were as commonplace as stationery.

A somber atmosphere instantly filled the air.

Just as tensions were about to rise, a calm voice rang out. It wasn't loud, but it carried a strange penetrating power, instantly silencing everyone's agitation.

"lay down."

Chu Zihang stepped out of the shadows against the wall, his steps steady. He patted Lancelot on the shoulder, who was blocking his way, signaling him to relax, and then walked straight to Lu Mingfei, who seemed a little flustered.

Under the astonished and uncertain gazes of all the Lionheart Society members, Chu Zihang turned around, faced his officers, and introduced himself in his usual concise, clear, and unwavering tone:

"Lu Mingfei. My junior brother."

silence.

A deathly silence.

Seconds later, the enormous roar nearly blew the roof off the council chamber:

"Junior brother?!"

Susie's expression froze between shock and realization, her gaze darting between Chu Zihang's perpetually icy face and Lu Mingfei's innocent, bewildered expression. This "dark horse," who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and disrupted the final battle of "A Day of Freedom" with an almost brute force, was actually one of her own? She touched her ribs and brow, which still seemed to ache slightly (psychologically), her expression becoming incredibly complex—so, she had been kicked and "headshot" by the president's own junior brother?

Lancelot, known for his meticulousness and often referred to as the "Vice President," quickly grasped the key point. A thoughtful expression crossed his handsome face as he softly confirmed, "Lu Mingfei... could you be the one Professor Guderian recruited from China, the rumored... 'S' class freshman?"

The term "S-class" seemed to possess a magical power, instantly silencing the noisy council chamber once again, followed by an even more heated discussion.

"S-rank?! That rumor was actually true? I thought it was just some gossipmonger Fingel making up a 'Midnight Ring' story!"

"No wonder! To be able to take down Senior Susie head-on, and then deal with Caesar in that way... what other explanation is there besides S-rank?"

"Wait! According to the rules, since he's the president's junior brother and hasn't officially chosen a club yet, shouldn't he naturally be a member of our Lionheart Club? So, our 'One Day of Freedom' this time..."

Everyone's eyes lit up, their faces clearing of gloom and replaced by a sense of elation and reverence, as if they had found a new lease on life. Gazes turned to Chu Zihang, filled with the admiration that read, "So the president had been planning all along, even the S-level freshmen were part of his scheme. We're on the first level, and the president is on the fifth."

Chu Zihang was completely oblivious to the "deep scheming" his subordinates had imagined, and even if he had, he probably wouldn't have cared. He raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, his voice still calm and even: "Lu Mingfei is my junior brother, but which brotherhood he joins is his freedom, not necessarily belonging to the Lionheart Society. This 'One Day of Freedom' is won by Lu Mingfei himself."

He paused, looked at Lu Mingfei, and said, "Come with me." Then he turned and walked toward the president's office on the side.

Lu Mingfei nodded quickly, and under the watchful eyes of many with mixed meanings, he followed closely behind like a chick following its mother hen.

As soon as the door closed, the discussions outside, though lowered, became even more heated.

"The president is right! We can't make a fuss now. If those guys in the student council find out that Lu Mingfei is the president's junior, they'll definitely question the results and accuse us of cheating!"

"That's right! The president's move is a well-thought-out strategy, a feigned retreat to advance!"

Only Susie frowned slightly, sensing that things weren't so simple. Chu Zihang's phrase "free choice" might not have been entirely a strategy. She recalled the details of the final moments—before the red-haired girl, Chen Motong, was shot, she seemed to... say something in Lu Mingfei's direction? And Lu Mingfei's outburst occurred precisely after Chen Motong "fell." There was clearly an inexplicable sense of familiarity between the two.

A bold, almost absurd, conjecture struck Susie's mind like lightning, causing her to involuntarily cover her mouth, her eyes filled with shock:

"Could it be... that Lu Mingfei is actually Chen Motong's mistress?! And that blond Caesar... has been cheated on for a long time?!"

She was utterly shocked by her own wildly gossipy imagination.

……

Meanwhile, in the president's office.

The room was furnished extremely simply, almost coldly. Aside from the essential tables, chairs, bookshelves, and a sofa and coffee table for small discussions, there were almost no decorations. A faint smell of ink from books and a barely perceptible...smell of oil used for maintaining swords filled the air.

Lu Mingfei sat on the sofa, his back ramrod straight, his hands neatly placed on his knees, like a primary school student awaiting a scolding from his teacher. Chu Zihang sat opposite him, equally ramrod straight, with a gleaming black coffee table between them.

"Senior brother," Lu Mingfei swallowed hard, breaking the silence first, his tone filled with an urgent declaration of loyalty, "I...I will definitely join the Lionheart Society! I swear, I have absolutely no ulterior motives!" Images from Hong Kong gangster movies flashed uncontrollably through his mind, and he felt that his senior brother's words just now were a test of his loyalty.

Chu Zihang glanced at him, a faint hint of helplessness seeming to flicker in his ever-burning golden eyes. He didn't need such a statement.

"After today's 'Freedom Day,' you should have a basic impression of Kassel College." Chu Zihang cut straight to the point, skipping all the small talk.

Lu Mingfei almost blurted out, "What a hellish place."

Unexpectedly, Chu Zihang's lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly, like a gentle breeze sweeping across an icy plain. "Very accurate." He nodded. "If you compare your former school, 'Shilan Middle School,' to the mortal realm, then this place can indeed be called the 'underworld.'"

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming serious, each word like a stone thrown into a deep pool: "But this is where the world is hidden, its true form. Life under the sun is the surface; the bloodshed, the rules, and the power here are the foundations that prevent the surface from collapsing."

Lu Mingfei's throat went dry; he could feel the weight of Chu Zihang's words. He nodded forcefully, the confusion in his eyes gradually replaced by a resolute determination. Yes, from the moment he sat in Nuonuo's Ferrari, from the moment he picked up the gun and rushed into the parking lot, there was no turning back. There was no place for him in the mortal world; no matter how terrifying the underworld was, he had no choice but to forge ahead.