Chapter 1751: Chapter 1749: A Sinister Premonition (So Tired I Don’t Want to Get Up)

"I never thought there would be so many people coming."

Sitting in the classroom and looking at the crowd around her, Saten Reiko couldn’t help but sigh.

Looking around, the lecture hall was filled with students, most of whom were girls. Their school uniforms were diverse, with most being from Tokiwadai, but there were also plenty of students from other schools. Among them, you could even spot uniforms from Kirigaoka and Nagatenjouki Academy, as well as Private Shidarezakura Academy.

If you only looked at the uniforms, there were hardly any people like herself from ordinary schools—just a few scattered ones. Everyone else was either from prestigious schools for young ladies or from schools renowned for superpower development. It felt as if the current lecture was about crucial lessons on superpower development.

But in fact, the current course had nothing to do with superpower development.

"Next, we will talk about the three major laws of dialectical materialism, starting with the unity of opposites. We need to know that within any thing, there are two contradictory aspects, which are opposed yet unified. The motion and development of things are due to their internal contradictions, the struggle and unity of these contradictions, the universality and particularity unified in objective facts..."

Standing below, Fang Zheng wrote a few lines on the blackboard.

"And there’s also the law of qualitative to quantitative change. Any process is one of quantitative change leading to qualitative change. When the quantitative change reaches a certain level, it results in qualitative change, creating a new quality, and then a new quantitative change begins on this new quality basis... Many of you present here are ability users, selected out of countless people. Perhaps you have abilities, or perhaps not, but how were you chosen to come to this Academy City? This is a process of qualitative change to quantitative change. If you have the trait of superpower from the start, but during the initial selection, I only choose a thousand people, and you happen not to be one of them, then even if you have ability, you would be rejected. Conversely, if I raised the selection number to ten thousand, then it is very likely you would be included. In fact, it’s the same with Raw Gems..."

"Ha..."

Listening to the voice of Fang Zheng coming from the headphones, Shihou Souki sighed helplessly. Naturally, she wouldn’t go to the institute to find Fang Zheng. Now, Shihou Souki was a bit like a mouse seeing a cat when it came to Fang Zheng. Although the students from her faction returned to their original state after a day, Shihou Souki couldn’t let it go, even feeling a bit of psychological shadow over it.

Because of this, she used the excuse of being too busy with her lectures to ask other students to take her phone to the institute to listen to what Fang Zheng was teaching.

Then...

"This is so interesting..."

Listening to the lecture through the headphones, Shihou Souki narrowed her eyes and lightly tapped the tabletop with her finger. She had to admit, the content Fang Zheng was teaching was quite novel and interesting. At least, in Academy City, few teachers specialized in philosophical and theoretical thinking education. After all, Academy City focused on ability development and enhancement, so such philosophical thought didn’t hold much significance.

But the problem wasn’t there. The problem was...

"...Remember, any development and change in things is the negation of old things by new things; it’s the result of the struggle between the positive and negative aspects within things, a process of self-development. But negation isn’t total abandonment; new things negate old things, only to be negated by newer things. Everything advances this way, as does human social civilization. During Ancient Greece, Hippocrates, the founder of Western medicine, proposed the ’Humorism Theory,’ which has since been overturned by the medical community, yet at the time, it was considered the ultimate truth. Let’s talk about ’Humorism Theory’ here..."

At this point, Shihou Souki’s frown deepened.

Perhaps the students in the classroom hadn’t noticed anything; they instinctively thought this was a new, interesting philosophy and theoretical ideology. But in fact, as one of the few Level 5s in Academy City, Shihou Souki saw the danger within.

Indeed, what Fang Zheng spoke of was a complete subversion and overthrow of Academy City’s theories.

After attending several of Fang Zheng’s lectures, Shihou Souki understood that the content was mainly about objectively viewing the world, understanding the world, and examining the development and change of things dialectically.

However, this was in stark contrast to Academy City’s educational policies. Academy City trained abilities users to shatter reality, overlaying the material world with personal reality, firmly believing that their own principles, based on their abilities, were unchanging truths, and using their power to turn the impossible into possible.

But according to Fang Zheng’s theory, if you turn the impossible into the possible, it indicates that the event was possible from the outset...

Would Academy City really let him continue this way?

Shihou Souki was quite skeptical, and more importantly, Fang Zheng’s lectures indeed brought about many changes, though this was mainly due to Shihou Souki’s own actions.

Although Shihou Souki regained her mental influence over her faction members overnight, the change brought about in that short time was significant. A girl’s gossip speed surpasses that of light, especially when it comes to non-confidential matters which inevitably become chit-chat topics among girls with their peers.

Plus, with Misaka Mikoto and Shihou Souki, two superpower users, "acknowledging" it, the name of the Quantum Neural Research Institute spread throughout the Academy Garden overnight.

By this point, no matter how much Shihou Souki tried to mentally control, it was useless.

Because the information had already spread, washing the brains of her faction members alone was meaningless. And if she attempted to wash the brains of everyone in the Academy Garden, it would certainly draw attention from above. Being a psychic user was troublesome enough without conducting such large-scale brainwashing without permission, which would definitely be more problematic.

If those above found out she went to such lengths over a trivial matter, it would be even more depressing...

But that’s not the main point. The main point is that some really did break through their bottleneck and raised their ability level after attending Fang Zheng’s lecture.

This was why even students from Kirigaoka and Nagatenjouki Academy came by name.

Although many didn’t understand why that student had an upgrade, Shihou Souki was very clear, knowing her ability was useful on others, even though it didn’t work on Fang Zheng.

The key reason for that child’s breakthrough was starting, after Fang Zheng’s lecture, to objectively view their ability and the principle of its formation. If, according to Academy City’s curriculum, the principle forming their ability was "truth," this meant being confined to that level for life.

Because "truth" was so unchangeable.

However, after attending Fang Zheng’s lecture, when that child meticulously reviewed the principle upon which their ability was founded, they realized over the hundreds of years since its proposition, it had been revised or even overturned several times. This evoked a thought in them: "This principle itself is not perfect and has room for improvement."

And it was precisely this thought that breached the mental block of "truth can never change, and my ability can never improve," freeing them from the burden of their mindset, and thereby raising their ability level.

Upon realizing all this, it was the first time Shihou Souki felt a sense of fear and unease.

Indeed, Academy City was not a paradise; it had its dark side, and Shihou Souki herself was a victim of this darkness. Yet, there are always humanitarian or inhumane sacrifices on the scientific path; Shihou Souki had already come to terms with that.

But...

But... what if the higher-ups of Academy City knew this, yet deliberately did so?

To make the children worship "scientific truth"?

According to Fang Zheng’s theory, science is a continuous process of negation. Then, ability enhancement should follow suit. However, the teachers in Academy City were like missionaries—unceasingly persuading students to believe in science and truth, and in scientific truth. So, what exactly was their purpose?

Shihou Souki had a premonition that there was perhaps a deeper darkness here than any she had ever encountered or experienced in Academy City.

This is definitely not just any simple inhumane experiment.

Honestly, Shihou Souki is starting to regret a little. From Fang Zheng’s ability to be immune to the abilities of two Superpower Users, combined with his lecture content specifically targeting the core tenets of Academy City, Shihou Souki can guess even without mind reading that this man definitely knows something and is planning something.

Logically speaking, at this point, Shihou Souki should follow the principle of avoiding danger and stay as far away as possible. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

However, she’s not a gentleman, she’s a lady!

Not to mention that the man stole her first kiss! She absolutely can’t let that slide!

Even if she has to run, at least she needs to get her revenge first!

Of course... before that... it would be best if this man doesn’t get dealt with by Academy City.

Logically speaking, in Shihou Souki’s view, this man is doomed. The darkness of Academy City far exceeds anyone’s imagination, and Fang Zheng is just one person. If Academy City truly wants to deal with him, it should be quite easy.

Yet, for some reason, Shihou Souki is very certain that this man won’t be taken down so easily.

After all, he is the man who stole her first kiss! How could he easily be handled by Academy City?

......Hmm? Something seems illogical here? Whatever, Miss Shihou doesn’t care about that.

And in fact, Shihou’s guess isn’t really wrong.

The reason Fang Zheng is spending time lecturing isn’t due to boredom, but for — occupying with strength.

Yes, just like in the EVA world, where he ended up usurping NERV’s power, Fang Zheng also plans to seize control of Academy City in this world.

But what Fang Zheng needs is not the current pseudo-scientific city that pretends to follow scientific values, but a truly science-driven scientific city. For this, he needs to promote his theories and consolidate his territory.

Besides, as a Magical Girl and God of Games, why should he promote any scientific belief?

For heaven’s sake, even from a religious standpoint, Laozi wouldn’t endorse your nonsense theories, alright? If I’m going to promote anything, it would be Magical Girls and Dark Souls.

Arestar must have spent quite some time on Academy City, but in the end... isn’t all of this just benefiting me?

Just like Gendo Ikari in the EVA world, who put all his effort into Tokyo-3 and NERV, only to be easily overtaken by Fang Zheng’s cooperation with the rabbit?

Fang Zheng now doesn’t bother starting from scratch; it’s much more convenient and fast to directly seize the enemy’s assets.

The Seventh School District is the core of Academy City, and Academy Garden is the core among cores. Arestar and whatever Angel he has waiting are meaningless to Fang Zheng.

What’s so good about those genderless guys? Isn’t it more comfortable to be with youthful and cute girls?

So, Arestar, you just stay alive for now, I’ll come for your life when I’m bored.

However, what Fang Zheng didn’t expect was that trouble would come sooner than he thought.

On this day, after class, Frenda hesitantly came over.

"Mr. Fang Zheng, I... I have something to ask you..."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Uh... Could you look after Flemia for a while, let her stay at the institute..."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Fang Zheng stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and squinted as he looked Frenda up and down. Noticing Fang Zheng’s gaze, Frenda felt anxious and nervously looked around, pretending she didn’t see anything.

But even if Frenda didn’t say it, Fang Zheng could guess.

"The dark side approached you?"

"Huh?!"

Frenda immediately jumped up upon hearing this, looking at Fang Zheng in surprise.

"How did you know? Ah......." As she spoke, Frenda realized she had let it slip and quickly waved her hands.

"No, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean..."

"You don’t need to worry about how I know." Fang Zheng waved his hand.

"Go tell the dark side you’ve signed a contract with me and are working here. If the dark side gives you any trouble, I’ll deal with them."

"Huh...!? Uh?"

Frenda was completely stunned upon hearing this.