Reincarnated In a Cthulhu World And Everyone Is Obsessed With Me - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Shipwreck – A statue is not permitted to have feelings.

The curriculum at Dove Academy was loosely arranged. Since Sentinels and Guides were scarce human resources, there were no fixed teaching materials; students simply graduated by passing exams at the Sentry Tower or the Sanctuary.

This aligned perfectly with Xia Mingyu’s long-standing perception of the base’s lax management.

However, by the tenth year of the apocalypse, Dove Academy would grow significantly larger and establish a more standardized process. Back then, as an ordinary human, Xia Mingyu had been stripped of the right to an education; his initial combat skills were forged in life-and-death struggles until he met Yin Chengfeng in the ruins and received systematic training.

But no matter how grand the academy looked now, it couldn’t hide the fact that the world was on the brink of collapse. In his previous life, Xia Mingyu often wondered if humanity would survive long enough to see a new order.

The first class was Close Quarters Combat, held at the Main Sentry Tower’s plaza. After the inauguration, the massive crowd was guided to the training grounds. The Shadow Guild building stood nearby. Behind its one-way glass, many guild members gathered at the windows to watch the “fledglings” train.

Upon arrival, Xia Mingyu immediately spotted Daniel on the command platform. Daniel’s military cap bore the academy’s emblem: a hollowed-out white dove symbolizing peace. As an A-class Sentinel weathered by sand and storm, he was more than qualified to be the first instructor.

Xia Mingyu pinned his academy badge to his lapel and stood at the very edge of the crowd, his gaze calm. Stay cool. With this many students, Daniel won’t spot me.

“Sanctuary?” Xia Mingyu whispered.

A stream of blue current rolled down from the loudspeaker and meandered to his feet. “Pika pika!”

Xia Mingyu chuckled softly. “What other courses are scheduled?”

A pop-up appeared on his Star-Net: “Tomorrow, 3:00 PM: Introduction to Mental Power Control by Ms. Teresa, A-class Sentinel. Subsequent schedule: TBD.”

“Why ‘To Be Determined’?” Xia Mingyu frowned. As a former top-tier student of higher education, he found this lack of order incomprehensible.

“Too few A-class volunteers. Pending audit.”

“Does the academy only accept A-classes for teaching?” Xia Mingyu surveyed the students. Most had mental strengths below E-class. Usually, a C-class would be enough to teach beginners.

The academy had many flaws, but Xia Mingyu kept his thoughts to himself for now. He had an idea. It might be unrealistic, but he wanted to try contributing where he could.

…

Daniel’s lecture ended faster than expected. “Face your fears, students,” he said, pointing to the sky.

Several transport ships hovered above the plaza, dropping rope ladders. “Flowers in a greenhouse cannot feel the cruelty of the outside world. Your final assignment for this term is to kill at least fifty mutants outside the base. Those who are confident can start today.”

The crowd erupted in a panicked clamor.

“This is a combat class, so only short-range weapons are provided,” Daniel continued. “Star-Net will monitor you in real-time. I wish you a triumphant return.”

No one moved. Stepping outside the base without high-level protection was equivalent to facing death. But Dove Academy wasn’t meant to be a sanctuary; it was an assembly line for turning people into weapons.

Xia Mingyu, however, accepted this readily. His new body needed the exercise. He tied his long hair into a high ponytail with the colorful string and began warming up at the edge of the crowd.

As some students left the plaza in protest, Xia Mingyu walked to the nearest transport ship. Under a sea of varied gazes, he climbed the rope ladder. Standing at the edge of the ship as it rose, looking down at the people below who seemed like ants, he felt the biting wind mess with his hair.

…

On the top floor of the Shadow Guild building, Sheikh leaned against the floor-to-ceiling glass, his eyes cold and clear beneath his cap, his gaze resting lightly on Xia Mingyu.

Inside, Yin Chengfeng was diligently summarizing data on mutant clusters. This was their fifth high-level meeting in two days. Since leaving the White Noise room, Sheikh’s routine had been rigorous: purging monsters in the morning, meetings, purging in the evening, more meetings, brief sleep, repeat.

Though today was his inauguration, Sheikh maintained this rhythm as if the ceremony were just a minor errand. Yet, currently, the young Leader had been staring out the window for quite some time.

Ruan Congyun, sitting at the end of the long oval table, narrowed his eyes playfully. “Who is our dear Chief looking at so intently?”

The other high-ranking members looked up. Sheikh turned back naturally, addressing Yin Chengfeng’s summary. “No, the overlapping domains at the Northern Base won’t expand indefinitely. They will split into sub-domains.”

Harvesting the Northern Base was a priority. Ruan Congyun added, “The ruins there are crawling with new mutants. We’ll likely be stationed at the fallen Northern Base for a long time.”

Ruan Congyun smiled. “By the way, Leader, are we really expanding our recruitment that much?”

Sheikh’s promise at the ceremony had ignited a passion to join Shadow, especially since lowering the threshold was unheard of among the big three guilds.

Sheikh glanced up. “Do you think it’s easy to become an ‘outstanding graduate’ under the Sanctuary and Sentry Tower’s audit?”

He had removed his heavy trench coat, and his tight leather combat suit outlined a perfect silhouette. Against the light, he looked like an ungraspable shadow.

“Tomorrow, we depart for the Northern Base,” Sheikh said, sitting back. “Meeting adjourned.”

A Sentinel beside him hesitated. “Tomorrow? But Leader, the base has arranged a ball tonight…”

“The Ball” was a matchmaking event for Sentinels and Guides. It was popular because a one-night stand with over 30% compatibility could lead to a life partnership. Since the Shadow Guild was usually away on missions, they rarely had the chance to attend. Tonight’s ball was both a celebration of the inauguration and a rare chance for people to meet the elite members of Shadow.

Sheikh never attended balls. His mental power was so destructive that no Guide could get close to him in battle without being contaminated. He was a god of war, a statue—and a statue was not permitted to have “feelings,” such as the soft, devastating emotion of love.

“We leave the day after tomorrow instead,” Ruan Congyun interjected smoothly. “Everyone, dismissed.”

Once everyone left, Ruan Congyun approached Sheikh. “Humans aren’t machines. We need room to breathe.” He looked at Sheikh. “Will you attend tonight?”

“Of course,” Ruan Congyun laughed. Unlike Sheikh, he planned to be the center of attention. An S-class Sentinel’s presence was the ultimate “grand prize” of the ball.

However, Sheikh’s subsequent silence made Ruan Congyun sense a shift in the air.