CHAPTER 729: CHAPTER 729: I’LL PROTECT YOU!

After Mu Jianling announced the punishment plan, the students dared not speak out in anger, all of them hanging their heads with a listless appearance.

This sight inexplicably infuriated Mu Jianling, and she suddenly shouted, "Straighten your backs!"

Whoosh~

In an instant, all the students lifted their heads and straightened their spines.

Mu Jianling said coldly, "You think the punishment is unfair?"

The students, with their mouths agape, then a few of the braver ones, such as Ji You and others, immediately took the lead and said, "Not at all! Definitely not!"

The others also echoed one after another.

Seeing this, Mu Jianling snorted coldly, "971 fools, dealing with 300 low-level Star Beasts in two rounds, that averages to 3 people facing one beast, and yet so many of you got injured. Do you really have the face to think the point deduction is unfair?"

"Cough..."

Indeed, this was the calculation, but—

But all of this was predicated on the fact that there was no warning whatsoever, and over 90% of the students had never fought against Star Beasts before, that’s why they suffered such a big loss...

If it were now, the students would have the experience, the preparation, and certainly wouldn’t fall into the same trap again.

...

These words were not voiced by the students, and with just a glance around with her sharp eyes, like a detector, Mu Jianling understood what these students were thinking.

Mu Jianling said coldly, "Do you really think that in the battlefield, the enemy will let you be well-prepared in advance?"

"Do you really think there is someone in this world who is born knowing how to deal with Star Beasts?"

"Do you really think that when you die, Sky will let you choose a good way to die?"

...

Each sentence, each word, struck their hearts, pounding in the ears and minds of all the students...

Mu Jianling’s voice, from being stern, turned somewhat powerless. She looked at the students below with shame on their faces, suddenly sighed and said, "The teacher can’t protect you, the only one who can protect you in the future is yourself."

Upon saying this, Mu Jianling fell silent for a few rare minutes.

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy, somewhat stifling, somewhat oppressive. The students could also sense the melancholy and helplessness in Teacher Mu’s simple words...

Many students felt a hint of panic and sadness:

Could it be—

I’m really so weak as to disappoint the teacher?

Weak enough to make the powerful Teacher Mu sigh?

Weak enough—

...

This feeling of depression and helplessness kept invading the hearts of all the students present.

The silence grew longer.

The oppression got worse.

Suddenly—

Someone jumped up and said loudly, "Teacher! I’ll protect you!"

Cough cough—

Who?

Following the voice, loud enough to deafen, everyone looked over—

Wow—

It’s number 4444!

Under everyone’s gaze, Ji You, without a trace of shame, raised her hand, patted her chest, and shouted, "Teacher! I’ll protect you from now on!"

Mu Jianling: "..."

The other students were also somewhat at a loss for what to say, but the bright light in number 4444’s eyes was so dazzling, so brilliant it made it impossible for anyone to mock or laugh at her...

Mu Jianling’s lips, which had been tightly pressed, relaxed slightly, and the coldness in her eyes quietly softened. She cleared her throat and said indifferently, "First, you should focus on protecting yourself."

Ji You grinned and patted her chest, saying, "I am already learning to protect myself. I will study and train even harder. Eventually, I will be able to protect you, Teacher!"

"Cough..." Mu Jianling said sternly, "Don’t get ahead of yourself. With your weak abilities, what can you do to protect me?"

With that, Mu Jianling glanced at Ji You, who was as skinny as a weak chicken, her eyes filled with disdain.

Ji You wasn’t annoyed in the slightest and continued to smile brightly, "Don’t worry, Teacher. Within a few years, I’ll be able to beat you! Just you wait!"

As Ji You spoke, she clenched her fists, her voice brimming with confidence.

Also—

Where on earth did she borrow such ironclad confidence from—the other students wondered to themselves.

"Oh—" Mu Jianling drawled, "We shall see."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Jianling suddenly raised her hand, pointing at the cooking utensils nearby, "If you want to protect me, why are you still standing there? Go clean these dirty dishes and kitchen utensils."

Ji You: "..."

Ji You’s eyes widened, "Teacher... you misunderstood me, I was not talking about this kind of protection... It’s... that kind!"

She didn’t sign up to be Devil Mu’s little maid!!!

Mu Jianling side-eyed her, "What’s the difference? With your current level of ability, I wouldn’t even want you to wash dishes. Can you do it cleaner than a household robot?"

Ji You: "..."

That hit home.

Around them: "..."

Pff—

Seeing ’4444’ with a constipated expression as if she hadn’t been able to poop for centuries, many students struggled to hold back their laughter, yet no one dared to laugh out loud, and—

After being disrupted by ’4444’, the students suddenly raised their heads, looking at Teacher Mu Jianling, and shouted out loud, "Teacher! We will work hard!"

"Yes!"

"Right!"

"We will protect you!"

"We will protect the Alliance!"

...

These voices grew louder, more spirited, and thunderous...

A stark contrast to the previous despondence.

While Mu Jianling did not say much, her expression remained cold and indifferent, but!!!

Hearing the voices rise and fall around her, Mu Jianling couldn’t help but raise her hand to rub her temples and then suddenly cursed, "Quiet down!"

The students immediately fell silent.

"Cough cough..." Mu Jianling cleared her throat, saying officiously, "Now, I am giving you 1 hour to re-establish your camp. If you don’t set it up in time, your group will lose another 5 points!"

Hisss~

Is 1 hour enough?

Who has time to worry about whether it’s enough! Being a coward is useless. One word: [Work!]

All the students immediately started working energetically.

Ji You, Chu Jiaojiao, Shen Changqing, and the others were no exception. Although their temporary residence could shield them from wind and rain, it was still too simple inside and very uncomfortable to live in. This happened to be a good opportunity to use the time given by the Teacher to fortify and redecorate.

After some thought, Ji You decided that construction wasn’t her forte, so she turned to Shen Changqing and said, "Classmate Shen Changqing, you are more skilled in this area. You lead the way, and tell us immediately whatever you need us to do."

Shen Changqing did not hesitate, nodding and saying, "We need to re-divide the interior space of our residence; the areas for eating and sleeping will remain the same. But first, I think it’s essential to add a lookout post."

Hmm?

The eyes of Ji You and the others lit up. Indeed, if Star Beasts were to appear in the camp again unexpectedly, it would be difficult to defend against them. It would be very beneficial to have an early warning, and having a lookout post would undoubtedly be useful.

Ji You promptly said, "Alright! I agree!"

Chu Jiaojiao, Yue Qiyuan, Yue Qiguang, Sheng Qingyan, Xuzhou, Lou, and others, after hearing this, all said, "We agree too!"