In a nutshell, it’s a bunch of dunces and a few troublemakers!
Principal Hong’s words were deafeningly loud, stunning all the freshmen!
Shen Changqing, who had just moved away from the dunces’ bench, stood at the forefront of the Mechanical Manufacturing System, and unexpectedly felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles.
Shen Changqing tried to keep a straight face, pretending to be calm. However, a sentence his grandfather had said before school suddenly popped into his mind:
[Principal Hong has a mouth that spits filth!]
Grandfather said to just ignore him as if he were farting!
How could you possibly act as if you didn’t hear him? Besides, Principal Hong’s voice was as loud as thunder; even without a microphone, he couldn’t be ignored.
Shen Changqing kept a stern face, trying hard to disregard the word "dunces."
But Principal Hong didn’t give the students any time to escape, immediately saying: "The worst are those who are dunces and aren’t even aware of it!"
Shen Changqing: "..."
This is outright targeting!
While talking, Principal Hong’s gaze suddenly swept across a few individuals in the crowd, then he said: "And those few troublemakers! Do you feel proud? Should we give you a ’Best Troublemaker Award’?"
This is outright personal attack!
Ji You shrank her neck, no matter what Principal Hong said above, no matter how much he mocked, she acted cowardly because as long as Principal Hong didn’t call out names specifically, she would act as if none of it had anything to do with her.
She was just a bystander.
After a bout of scolding, Principal Hong seemed to finally feel satisfied and then announced: "The last 500 survivors each get +50 points!"
An announcement that stirred waves of reactions!
The surviving 500 were overjoyed, while the previously eliminated 4500 had dark clouds looming over them.
The expressions and moods of the freshmen were vastly polarized at this moment!
Sheng Qingyan, with a previously gloomy face, instantly burst into a smile! With the added 50 points, plus the points earned in the previous drill, even with 100 points deducted for being late, he still had some left!
As soon as Principal Hong finished speaking, Ji You immediately widened her eyes! She never expected that Principal Hong could also make sensible statements!
Then, Principal Hong provided a detailed summary of this freshman exercise.
Ji You listened carefully, and so did the other freshmen.
Suddenly, Principal Hong changed the subject, saying: "Here, I want to specially compliment student Ji You, number 4444! Among all 5000 participants, her talent is the worst! She is also the student with the worst talent ever admitted to Lanyue Star! But she survived until the end! What’s the reason?"
"—Because of sheer dumb luck?"
Are... Are you sure you’re complimenting me?
Principal Hong continued: "Of course not! She survived to the end because of her calmness, rationality, and decisiveness! If anyone else here were in her extremely disadvantaged position! Ask yourselves, could you have survived?"
Everyone fell silent, deep in thought.
Ji You continued to shrink back, never daring to believe that Principal Hong was actually complimenting her...
She hadn’t forgotten the wave of hatred that Principal Hong had incited against her at the beginning.
Principal Hong then declared: "I announce: The best performer—student Ji You, number 4444! Awarded 100 points."
Ji You was overjoyed: "!!!"
Principal Hong, a true angel!
As Principal Hong’s words dropped, commotion ensued around the room, especially around Ji You. Numerous eyes jabbed her way as Ji You reveled in the envious and resentful gazes of those around her, unable to contain her joy!
Principal Hong, unfazed by the surrounding noise, gave a slight smile and continued, "Of course, no matter how outstanding her performance, it won’t change the fact she’s a big troublemaker! Student Ji You, number 4444, leading the destruction of the props, an egregious crime! Deduct 150 points!"
The area erupted in noise—
Yue Qiguang burst out laughing: "Hahaha..."
From a distance, Ji You could hear his loud scoffing.
Too dazed to care, Ji You looked utterly bewildered:
A reward of 100, then deducted 150, what’s left for me in the end?
Ah! No, there was also a reward of 50 before, so how many points do I have now?
I just can’t calm down.
Principal Hong continued: "The chief troublemaker must be severely punished! But the participants will not be spared either! Everyone who ate the roasted rabbit, deduct 50 points each!"
Suddenly, cries of despair filled the air!
Those unlucky ones who had been eliminated felt a strange sense of relief watching these reversals.
Principal Hong, watching the crowd, especially noticed Ji You, who seemed utterly disheartened, and felt quite pleased, then continued, "Secondly, I want to commend Student Shen Changqing, number 1999! In less than 30 minutes, he managed to assemble a functional team, showing particular prowess in organization and coordination! His skills in observation and analysis are also outstanding! A reward of 50 points is granted!"
Shen Changqing suddenly widened his eyes, suspecting he had heard wrong.
Then, Principal Hong changed his tone and said, "But—it also doesn’t change the fact that he’s the biggest blockhead here... Student Shen Changqing, I hope through this exercise, you can enhance your strengths and deeply reflect on your weaknesses!"
Shen Changqing: "..."
Principal Hong: "Number 3535, Lance Yuri, the second biggest blockhead here, you almost surpassed Shen Changqing to become the biggest blockhead, but considering you died less tragically than him, I won’t bestow this honorable title on you... Lance, I look forward to your future performance..."
"Number 4143, Louise Carter, the third biggest blockhead..."
"Number 2222, Yue Qiguang, the second biggest troublemaker... Yue Qiguang, I actually wanted to give you the ’blockhead’ title as well, being the only one among 5000 people who fits both roles, your future is promising! I look forward to your future performance!"
"Number 1111, Chu Jiaojiao, the third biggest troublemaker..."
"Number 3434, Yue Qiyuan, the fourth biggest troublemaker..."
"Number 1515, Sheng Qingyan, the fifth biggest troublemaker..."
One by one, as Principal Hong called out students, whether commended or criticized, none seemed pleased.
Having finished his speech, Principal Hong said: "I declare—henceforth, in any exercise, destruction of props, especially living ones, is strictly prohibited! Little bunnies, if I ever see you roasting props again, it won’t just be minor punishments like point deductions."
No more roasted rabbit?
Principal Hong said, "The performance of all freshmen involved in the exercise has been edited and will be sent to your Light Computers shortly! If you’re interested in the performance of other students, you can also download it from the school’s official website using their student number..."
"I declare, this meeting is dismissed!"