Sitting in the darkest corner of the psychokinetic vehicle heading back to the Almishus Academy, Irina clenched her arms tightly until the sharp pain forced a groan from her lips. She always punished herself this way after making a wrong decision.
After each punishment, the lingering physical pain gave Irina a strange sense of excitement. In these moments, her thoughts seemed clearer and sharper than ever.
Seated in the telekinetic car returning to the Almicus Academy, Irina retreated into the darkest corner of the vehicle. She twisted her arms with all her might until the intense pain forced a groan from her lips. Every time she made a wrong decision, Irina would punish herself in this manner.
After each self-inflicted punishment, the lingering physical pain left Irina with a strange sense of excitement. At that moment, her thoughts seemed sharper and more acute than ever before.
Irina had deliberately gone to the Governor’s mansion late at night, confident that she could persuade Governor Temiso to order Ode to retract his decision. Therefore, she hadn’t bothered to avoid being seen. Many, from the academy instructors to the Governor’s guards, had witnessed her hurried trips to the mansion.
If Irina had succeeded, her status at the academy would have undoubtedly risen significantly. But now, she had been unceremoniously thrown out by Governor Temiso!
It wouldn’t be long before this incident spread throughout the Almicus Academy. And Irina, for her overconfidence and folly, would become the laughingstock of the entire academy! Just the thought of such a scenario was enough to drive Irina nearly insane!
She couldn’t let it end like this! She had to stop Ode! But with Governor Temiso unwilling to intervene, who else could do it? No one! There was no one left! Irina clenched her arm, her heart screaming in desperation.
No! Perhaps there was still someone… Irina faintly sensed a thought, like a ghost, lurking in the depths of her subconscious. However, just as it was about to surface, Irina would deliberately ignore it. It seemed that, compared to the current hopeless situation, that thought was even more unsettling for her.
Anxiety and unease left Irina utterly exhausted. When the telekinetic car stopped, she didn’t even think to check where she was, stumbling out in a daze.
After walking a few steps, Irina realized that the car had stopped not at the western instructors’ apartments where she was headed, but at the academy’s back gate.
Angrily turning around, Irina found that the telekinetic car had already departed.
The Almicus Academy strictly prohibited instructors from flying within the academy grounds, so Irina had no choice but to walk back. However, walking from the back gate to the western instructors’ apartments would take at least an hour!
Damn it! Irina cursed inwardly, resigning herself to the long walk.
The area near the Almicus Academy’s back gate had always been the most neglected part of the campus. Most of the buildings nearby had been abandoned for years, and the only path was overgrown with weeds and vines.
Walking along the path near the back gate during the day, one might find the lush greenery and fragrant flowers soothing, forgetting the minor inconveniences underfoot. But in the pitch-black night, traversing this path was a different story.
However, for Irina, the minor inconvenience underfoot was the least of her worries. From the moment she entered the back gate, the ghost that had been haunting her mind seemed to gain new strength, almost breaking free from the net Irina had set. Irina could only try her best not to think about anything, quickening her pace to leave this eerie place as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, Irina had never heard the ancient Eastern proverb: “Haste makes waste.”
Just as Irina reached a spot where she could see the academy’s artificial lake, her heel suddenly got caught in a crack widened by weeds. Irina cried out as she fell to the ground. When she tried to stand up, she felt a dull pain in her right ankle, which had been caught.
“Damn it…” Irina vented her frustration by forcefully removing her right shoe and throwing it away.
Thud! The expensive high-heeled shoe flew over a cluster of trees and landed somewhere behind. Irina held her ankle, rubbing it for a while, then removed the shoe from her left foot, revealing her jade-like feet.
Initially, Irina, in a fit of pique, considered walking back to her apartment barefoot. But after just a few steps, the sensation of her delicate feet stepping on large gravel and dirt made her regret her decision again. The high price of the shoes she had discarded also made her reluctant to leave them behind.
Although the income of an Almicus Academy martial arts instructor was not low, the cost of these shoes would take Irina three to four months of frugal living to afford.
“Damn it! Stupid ground! Filthy…” As she thought about it, Irina did something no one would ever expect. She angrily cursed, and the vulgarity of her words was almost on par with those of the prostitutes who frequented the adventure districts!
Cursing under her breath, Irina turned back and walked toward the small grove where she had thrown her shoe.
But just as Irina stepped past the grove, she froze, her face drained of color, her body trembling slightly.
Following Irina’s gaze, a small cottage by the artificial lake came into view, its windows emitting a faint yellow telekinetic light, standing out starkly in the dark night. Everyone at the Almicus Academy knew that only one person lived by the back gate.
“Zhang Wen…” As she tremblingly uttered these two words, Irina’s pale face flushed crimson as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her head.
At that moment, Irina could no longer suppress the terrifying thought in her mind. The ghost in her mind had turned into a monster, breaking free from her restraints and seizing her in its grasp.
Yes! Only Zhang Wen could stop Ode now. Zhang Wen had just brought unprecedented honor to the telekinesis department! At the Almicus Academy… no, on the entire planet of Cassares, Zhang Wen’s reputation was at its peak. If Zhang Wen openly opposed Ode’s decision, the public test would surely be canceled! Then, I would still be the victor! Next, the junior instructors of the telekinesis department would support me! The position left by Teacher Katerina wouldn’t fall into someone else’s hands!
But…
The flush on her face and the sweat on her forehead revealed the intensity of Irina’s inner struggle. Yet, Irina’s long legs seemed bewitched, carrying her step by step to the door of that cottage.
Knock, knock, knock…
Soon, a crisp knocking sound echoed from Zhang Wen’s cottage. Zhang Wen frowned, ending his nightly routine of practicing the Spring Water Technique, and jumped out of bed to open the door.
“Irina?” Seeing the visitor at the door, Zhang Wen was very surprised. Since warning Irina on the spaceship, Zhang Wen had assumed that this woman would stay as far away from him as possible.
“Teacher Zhang Wen.” Irina greeted Zhang Wen with her usual cold demeanor, showing no trace of her earlier struggle and conflict.
“What’s wrong? Teacher Irina, this disheveled look doesn’t suit your style.” Zhang Wen glanced at Irina, noticing the single shoe in her hand and her bare feet.
“It’s just an accident. The back gate of the academy is like a garbage dump.” Even though she desperately needed Zhang Wen’s help, Irina still maintained her disdainful attitude.
“Oh?” Zhang Wen smiled slightly, “Irina, you came knocking on my door so late at night, surely not just to tell me that I live in a garbage dump? Besides, even if you wanted to visit me, you didn’t need to come through the back gate, did you?”
“None of your business!” Irina’s face changed slightly, and she shouted irritably.
“Of course. I have no interest in meddling in your affairs. Well, goodbye.” Zhang Wen shrugged indifferently, about to close the door.
“Wait!” Irina anxiously blocked Zhang Wen.
“Is there anything else? Teacher Irina?”
“Of course!” Irina gritted her teeth and squeezed out the words.
In her haste to stop Zhang Wen, Irina had taken a big step forward. As a result, she practically threw herself into Zhang Wen’s arms, her body pressing against his, her ample bosom just happening to press against Zhang Wen’s right arm as he tried to close the door!
Irina didn’t know if Zhang Wen had noticed what his right arm had touched, but the pressure on her sensitive chest was enough to make her feel ashamed and indignant. What made Irina feel even more humiliated was that she not only dared not move her chest away from Zhang Wen’s arm but had to press even harder against it! Otherwise, Zhang Wen might shut the door on her at any moment!
Even though Zhang Wen had never had the slightest affection for Irina, when her hot body pressed against him, her elastic breasts tightly against his arm, Zhang Wen had to admit that, purely as a woman, Irina indeed had something to be proud of.
“Teacher Irina, is this what you call throwing yourself at me?” Zhang Wen looked at Irina with a half-smile.
“What are you joking about?!” Irina, ashamed and indignant, stepped back, her right arm tightly crossing her chest.
“Alright, no jokes, let’s get to the point. It’s late. If someone sees Teacher Irina coming to my place privately at this hour, the gossip in the academy won’t sound good.” Zhang Wen yawned lightly.
“Fine.” Irina gritted her teeth and spat out the word. Then, after a moment of silence, she looked up at Zhang Wen and said word by word, “Ode is planning to hold a public test at the academy. I want you to make him cancel it!”
“Make Acting Headmaster Ode cancel the public test? Irina, aren’t you overestimating me?” Zhang Wen shook his head at Irina.
“Hmph! You don’t need to pretend with me. I know you can do it.” Irina said resolutely.
“Whatever you say.” Irina’s persistence finally made Zhang Wen a bit impatient. Zhang Wen was about to close the door and send her away again.
But Irina stubbornly blocked the door and the door frame. “You must do it!” Irina raised her head proudly.
“Must do it? Why?” Zhang Wen couldn’t help but frown.
Irina’s commanding tone, as if she were ordering a slave, would probably not sit well with anyone.
“You still ask why? You owe me!” Irina sneered coldly.
“I owe you?” Zhang Wen blinked in confusion.
“That’s right! Zhang Wen, what you did on the spaceship back to Cassares a few days ago, you haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“Of course I remember what I did. But I don’t remember owing you anything.”
“It’s fine if you don’t remember. I can remind you at any time.” Irina’s smile was cold and smug, “You also haven’t forgotten, have you? Everything you did in the room that day can be found in the telekinesis records on the spaceship. Zhang Wen, you haven’t forgotten the academy’s rules, have you? If I go to the disciplinary committee and accuse you of attempted assault, what do you think the outcome would be?”
“Oh? Irina, can I understand that you’re threatening me now?” As Irina spoke, the curve of Zhang Wen’s mouth became more pronounced.
Irina thought Zhang Wen’s smile was just a bluff, and she became even more confident, nodding with a cold smile, “That’s right, I’m threatening you! How does it feel to be the hero of Cassares, Teacher Zhang Wen? If you don’t want to taste the fall from heaven to hell again, you’d better do as I say!”
Having been exposed by Zhang Wen, Irina laid everything bare.
Although every word Irina spoke was full of provocation, after she shed her disguise, her earnest performance only seemed comical to Zhang Wen.
“Whatever you say.” Zhang Wen, amused, tried to close the door for the third time.
“Wait!” Irina stopped Zhang Wen’s action for the third time.
Zhang Wen’s last sentence, in Irina’s eyes, clearly indicated that the man she hated most had yielded!
“My shoe fell in the grove over there, go find it for me.” Irina waved her hand, as if ordering her dog to fetch a thrown frisbee.
“What?” Zhang Wen looked at Irina with an almost astonished expression.
“Didn’t you hear me? My shoe fell in the grove over there, go find it. Remember, you’d better be very careful, don’t be clumsy and break it. Otherwise, even if you tear down this shabby house of yours, it wouldn’t be enough to compensate!” Irina insulted Zhang Wen with the most vulgar words, her eyes filled with the thrill of revenge.
Then, Irina pushed aside the stunned Zhang Wen and walked straight into the house.
As soon as Irina sat down on the only bed in Zhang Wen’s cottage, she was surprised to see that Zhang Wen hadn’t left but had instead closed the door behind him!
Bang! The sound of the door closing made Irina’s heart skip a beat.
“What… what are you doing? Why aren’t you going out to find my shoe? I don’t have time to stay in this shabby little house of yours.” Irina still tried to maintain her haughty tone.
If Irina had succeeded, her status at the academy would undoubtedly have risen significantly. But now, she had been humiliatingly driven out by Governor Temiso!
It wouldn’t be long before this incident spread throughout the Almishus Academy. And she, Irina, would become the laughingstock of the entire academy for her overestimation of her own abilities and her foolishness! Just thinking about such a scenario in her mind nearly drove Irina insane!
Absolutely not! She must stop Oude! But without Governor Temiso’s intervention, who else could do it? No one! No one! Irina gripped her arm tightly, shouting inwardly.
No! Perhaps there was still someone… Irina vaguely sensed a thought lingering like a ghost in her subconscious. However, whenever this thought was about to surface, Irina always deliberately pushed it aside. As if, compared to the current desperate situation, that thought was even more troubling to her.
Her anxiety and unease left Irina exhausted. When the psychokinetic vehicle stopped, Irina absentmindedly stepped out without even realizing where she had arrived.
After walking a few steps, Irina realized that the vehicle had not stopped at her intended destination—the west-side instructor’s apartment—but at the academy’s back gate.
Angrily turning around, Irina found the psychokinetic vehicle had already driven away.
The Almishus Academy strictly forbade instructors from flying within the campus, so Irina could only walk back. However, walking from the academy’s back gate to the west-side instructor’s apartment would take at least an hour!
Damn it! Irina cursed inwardly and resigned herself to heading into the academy.
The area around the back gate of Almishus Academy had always been the most neglected part of the campus. Near the back gate, most of the buildings had been abandoned for years, and even the only path was overgrown with weeds and vines.
During the day, walking along the path near the back gate might be pleasant, with lush greenery and fragrant flowers making one forget the minor inconveniences of the road. But at night, when it was pitch black and impossible to see one’s hand in front of one’s face, walking this path was a different story altogether.
However, for Irina, the minor troubles underfoot were hardly significant. From the moment she entered through the back gate, the ghost that had lingered in her mind seemed to gain new strength, almost breaking free of the barriers Irina had set in her thoughts! Irina could only try her best to keep her mind blank and quicken her pace, hoping to leave this cursed place as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, Irina had never heard of that ancient Eastern proverb filled with wisdom—haste makes waste.
Just as Irina reached a spot where she could already see the academy’s artificial lake, her heel suddenly sank into a crack in the ground, squeezed open by weeds. Irina cried out in surprise as she fell to the ground. When she tried to stand up again, she felt a dull pain in her right ankle.
“Damn it…” Irina angrily kicked off her right shoe and threw it away with all her strength.
Thud! The expensive high-heeled shoe flew over a patch of bushes and landed behind her. Irina sat holding her ankle for a while, then took off the left shoe as well, revealing a pair of delicate, ivory-like feet.
Initially, Irina had half a mind to stubbornly walk back to her apartment barefoot. But after only a few steps, the sensation of her tender soles stepping on coarse gravel and dirt made her regret her decision again. And the expensive price of the shoe she had thrown away made her reluctant to leave it behind.
Although the income of instructors in the Almishus Academy’s physical combat department was not low, this pair of shoes had cost nearly three to four months’ worth of Irina’s salary.
“Damn it! Stupid ground! Damn it…” Thinking about it, Irina did something no one would ever expect—she actually started cursing, her words so vulgar that they could rival even the crudest language of the prostitutes who had spent years in the adventurer districts!
Cursing all the while, Irina turned back and walked toward the bushes where she had thrown her shoes.
However, the moment Irina stepped past the bushes, she looked as if she had seen something terrifying. The blood drained from her face, and her body trembled slightly.
Looking in the direction of Irina’s gaze, a small house by the lakeside stood out, its windows glowing with a soft yellow psychokinetic light, highly visible against the pitch-black night. Everyone in the Almishus Academy knew that only one person lived by the back gate.
“Zhang Wen…” As Irina whispered the name, her pale face suddenly flushed red, as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her cheeks.
At this moment, Irina could no longer suppress the terrifying thought in her mind. The ghost in her mind transformed into a monster, breaking free from her control and tightly gripping her in its grasp.
That’s right! Now only Zhang Wen, only he could stop Oude. Zhang Wen had just brought unprecedented honor to the psychokinetic department! In the Almishus Academy… no, throughout the entire Kasares planet, Zhang Wen’s reputation was at its peak. If Zhang Wen publicly opposed Oude’s decision, the open test would definitely be canceled! Then, I would still be the winner! Afterwards, the lower-level instructors in the psychokinetic department would support me! The position left by Professor Katerina would not fall into anyone else’s hands!
But…
The flushed face and the sweat on her forehead revealed how intense Irina’s inner struggle was. Yet, her still slender legs, as if enchanted, carried her step by step toward the small house.
Knock knock knock…
Soon, clear knocking sounds echoed from within Zhang Wen’s small house. Zhang Wen frowned slightly, ending his nightly practice of the Spring Water Technique, jumped off the bed, and opened the door.
“Irina?” Seeing the visitor at the door, Zhang Wen was very surprised. Ever since he had warned Irina on the spaceship, Zhang Wen had always thought that this woman would try to stay as far away from him as possible.
“Teacher Zhang Wen.” Irina greeted Zhang Wen with her usual cold attitude, showing no sign of the inner struggle she had just experienced.
“What’s wrong, Teacher Irina? This kind of messiness doesn’t seem like your style.” Zhang Wen glanced at Irina and noticed that she was only holding one shoe, her feet bare.
“Just an accident. The back gate of the academy is like a garbage dump.” Even though she desperately needed Zhang Wen’s help, Irina still tried hard to maintain a disdainful attitude.
“Oh?” Zhang Wen smiled slightly, “Irina, you came all the way to knock on my door so late at night, not just to tell me that I actually live in a garbage dump, right? Besides, even if you wanted to visit me, you didn’t have to come through the academy’s back gate, did you?”
“That’s none of your business!” Irina’s face changed slightly, and she shouted in irritation.
“Of course. I don’t have any interest in meddling. Then, goodbye.” Zhang Wen shrugged indifferently and prepared to casually close the door.
“Wait!” Irina anxiously blocked Zhang Wen’s path.
“Is there anything else, Teacher Irina?”
“Of course!” Irina gritted her teeth and forced out the words.
When she had stopped Zhang Wen in a moment of panic, Irina had taken a big step forward in her haste. As a result, she looked as if she had thrown herself into Zhang Wen’s arms, her body pressing against his, and her full, tender breasts happened to press against Zhang Wen’s right arm, which he had been using to close the door!
Irina didn’t know whether Zhang Wen had felt his right arm touch something, but the pressure transmitted from her sensitive breasts was already enough to make Irina herself feel ashamed and humiliated. What made Irina feel even more humiliated was that she not only dared not move her chest away from Zhang Wen’s right arm but had to press even harder! Otherwise, Zhang Wen might shut the door in her face at any moment!
Even though Zhang Wen had never felt the slightest affection for Irina, when her warm body pressed tightly against him and her elastic, beautiful breasts pressed against his arm, Zhang Wen still had to admit that if he simply viewed Irina as a woman, she indeed had enough to be proud of.
“Teacher Irina, are you throwing yourself into my arms?” Zhang Wen looked at Irina with a half-smile.
“What nonsense are you talking?” Irina, ashamed and indignant, stepped back, her right arm tightly crossed over her chest.
“Alright, no jokes. Let’s talk about serious matters. It’s already very late. If anyone sees Teacher Irina sneaking to my residence at this hour, the gossip in the academy won’t sound good.” Zhang Wen yawned lightly.
“Fine.” Irina bit her lip and let out a single word. Then, after a moment of silence, she lifted her head and stared at Zhang Wen, enunciating each word clearly, “Oude is planning to hold a public test at the academy. I want you to make Oude cancel it!”
“Make Oude, the acting principal, cancel the public test? Irina, aren’t you overestimating me a bit?” Zhang Wen shook his head at Irina.
“Hmph! Don’t pretend with me. I know you can definitely do it.” Irina said firmly.
“You can say whatever you want.” Irina’s persistent nagging finally made Zhang Wen somewhat impatient. Zhang Wen once again prepared to close the door and send her away.
But Irina firmly blocked the space between the door and the frame. “You must do it!” Irina proudly raised her head.
“Must do it? Why?” Zhang Wen couldn’t help but frown.
The tone of command in Irina’s voice would probably not please anyone who heard it.
“Why do I have to explain? It’s your debt to me!” Irina sneered coldly.
“My debt to you?” Zhang Wen blinked in confusion.
“Exactly! Zhang Wen, you know what you did on the spaceship back to Kasares a few days ago, right?”
“I naturally remember what I did. But I don’t recall owing you anything.”
“That’s fine if you don’t remember. I can remind you anytime.” Irina’s smile was icy and smug, “And don’t forget, that day in the room, everything you did on the spaceship can be found in the psychokinetic records. Zhang Wen, you haven’t forgotten the academy’s regulations, have you? If I go to the disciplinary committee and accuse you of attempted molestation, what do you think would happen?”
“Oh? Irina, am I to understand that you are threatening me now?” As Irina’s words poured out, the curve of Zhang Wen’s smile became increasingly pronounced.
Irina thought Zhang Wen’s smile was just a bluff, so she confidently sneered and nodded, “That’s right, I am threatening you! Isn’t it nice being the hero of Kasares, Teacher Zhang Wen? If you don’t want to taste the feeling of falling from heaven to hell again, you’d better do as I say!”
Exposed by Zhang Wen, Irina simply laid everything bare without any pretense.
Although every word Irina spoke was filled with provocation, once she removed her mask, her desperate performance seemed nothing but ridiculous in Zhang Wen’s eyes.
“Do whatever you like.” Zhang Wen chuckled in disbelief and tried to close the door for the third time.
“Wait!” Irina blocked Zhang Wen’s movement for the third time.
In Irina’s eyes, Zhang Wen’s final words clearly indicated that this man she hated most had finally submitted!
“My shoe fell into the woods over there. Go get it back for me.” Irina waved her hand, as if ordering her dog to fetch a Frisbee she had thrown.
“What?” Zhang Wen looked at Irina with an expression bordering on surprise.
“Didn’t you hear me? My shoe fell into the woods over there. Go find it. And remember, you’d better be careful not to break it with your clumsy hands. Otherwise, not even tearing down your shabby little house would be enough to compensate me!” Irina insulted Zhang Wen with the lowest vocabulary, her eyes filled with the extreme excitement of revenge.
Then, Irina pushed past the stunned Zhang Wen and walked straight into the house.
As soon as Irina sat down on the only bed in Zhang Wen’s small house, she was surprised to see that Zhang Wen had not left but instead casually closed the door behind him!
Bang! The sound of the door closing sent a jolt through Irina’s heart.
“What… what are you doing? Why haven’t you gone out to get my shoe yet? I don’t have time to stay in your shabby little house.” Irina still tried to maintain her lofty tone.
“Irina, are you mistaken?” Zhang Wen said slowly as he approached Irina. “You don’t really think that your little tricks can intimidate me, do you?”
“Zhang Wen, don’t try to bluff me. Even if you managed to win against the Themis Academy with two pretty boys and two despicable, shameless sluts, you still couldn’t…” Irina clenched her teeth and continued to humiliate Zhang Wen without restraint. Irina was convinced that Zhang Wen was merely bluffing and that if she could endure just a bit longer, Zhang Wen would kneel at her feet.
Irina’s brazen insults once again pushed Zhang Wen’s patience to its limit. “Shut up!” A cold, emotionless shout abruptly silenced Irina.
“Irina, you really don’t understand the meaning of accepting a lesson, do you? Do you remember what I told you on the spaceship?” Zhang Wen’s cottage wasn’t large; within just a few steps, Zhang Wen had already cornered Irina.
“I…” The oppressive proximity of Zhang Wen’s advance made Irina panic. No matter how her rational mind resisted, her subconscious already realized she had made yet another grave mistake.
“I know you must have forgotten. No worries, I can always remind you.” Zhang Wen, expressionless, threw Irina’s words back at her verbatim. “I told you to stay away from me and my students.”
Irina leaned back in alarm but still couldn’t stop herself from threatening Zhang Wen. “What do you want to do? Aren’t you afraid of being punished? I swear, if you don’t leave right now, I’ll make sure you end up doing hard labor on a penal planet for the rest of your life…”
At this moment, Irina was like a gambler who thought she still had many chips left, only to turn around and discover her bag was completely empty. She grasped her final chip in desperation and threw it into a hopeless game she already knew she couldn’t win.
“Oh? Are you going to run to the adults when you feel wronged? Be my guest.” Zhang Wen sneered coldly, the curve of his lips making him look especially ruthless. “Who are you going to complain to? Oude? Irina, you should have just come from Governor Temiso, right? What happened? Did you ask Governor Temiso to ruin Oude’s plans, only to provoke the governor’s fury instead? Your expression tells me I’m right! Tomorrow, everyone in the school will know you’re opposing Oude. Do you think he’ll still listen to you?”
“Zhang Wen…” Irina growled through clenched teeth.
“Oh, right! Even if they do listen to you, what could you possibly say? Are you going to tell them I bullied you? What a joke! You surely haven’t forgotten that neither on the spaceship nor now have I ever invited you here. You’re the one who came to my room on your own and insisted on not leaving! Not only have I not done anything to you yet, but even if I really did rape you, it would still be your own doing for throwing yourself at me!”
Zhang Wen’s tone was mocking, each word striking the most fragile nerve in Irina. Finally, Irina’s illusions shattered like a mirror. The intense humiliation, regret, and sudden loss of control left Irina in a panic.
“You… bastard!” Irina shouted and swung her fist at Zhang Wen with all her strength.
Her mind energy, at the peak of the strong level, surged forth as if her fist had been wrapped in a mind-energy cannonball hurtling toward Zhang Wen. Yet in that instant, the sound of mind energy tearing through the air jolted Irina’s lost consciousness back to reality.
“Ahh!” Irina screamed as she realized what she was doing. In her moment of madness, she had used her full strength, and now she couldn’t stop her punch even if she wanted to.
Zhang Wen was merely a “mere ninth-rank” physical martial artist, while Irina was a mind-energy expert at the peak of the tenth rank! If Irina’s full-force strike landed on Zhang Wen, there would be only one result!
Suddenly, Irina realized that if she killed Zhang Wen, she would never escape the pursuit of the Imperial Guard. And how would people react once this was exposed? As Zhang Wen had said, this was Zhang Wen’s room! No one would believe she had killed him out of unbearable humiliation. They would think she had done it out of jealousy over Zhang Wen’s victory at Themis Academy!
What would happen to her if she killed Zhang Wen? As this thought flashed through Irina’s mind, her blood seemed to freeze.
However, Irina’s punch did not hit Zhang Wen as she had expected, nor did it kill him on the spot. Zhang Wen had already lightning-fast grabbed Irina’s wrist the moment her attack was halfway through.
Irina felt a sudden, unbearable pain in both her wrists that almost made her scream. Then she found herself pinned onto the bed by Zhang Wen, her hands held down. Zhang Wen’s body hovered just a few centimeters above hers; they could almost feel each other’s breath.
However, upon realizing she had been subdued by Zhang Wen, Irina’s first feeling was not anger but relief. Her stiff body relaxed, and her blood began flowing again.
“Irina, were you trying to kill me with that punch just now?” Zhang Wen asked without a trace of emotion.
“That was just an accident!”
“An accident? You can say whatever you want now. I wonder what Oude or Governor Temiso would think if they found out about this?”
“What are you talking about?” The color returned to Irina’s face vanished instantly.
“That’s right. When we went to Fira Planet, I was worried that some thief might come to steal things while I was away, so I specially borrowed a set of mind-energy monitors and installed them under the mind-lamps. I just came back today and haven’t had time to return them yet. Unexpectedly, they managed to capture the scene of Teacher Irina attempting to commit a violent act…”
“You… you want to frame me!” Irina struggled with all her might. However, even as a tenth-rank mind-energy expert, under the condition of her hands being pinned down, she couldn’t overpower a ninth-rank physical martial artist. As Irina struggled, her warm, soft body entangled with Zhang Wen’s, as if offering him a “special service.”
“Frame you? Even if I did, it would be something I learned from you.” Looking at the panting Irina after her struggle, Zhang Wen continued in a cold tone, “Teacher Irina, you should know what punishment is given for attempted murder in the Empire, right? Being sent to a penal colony on a penal planet for life would already be your luck. The most likely outcome is being thrown into the dungeon beneath the governor’s mansion by the furious Governor Temiso. Dark, damp, never seeing daylight, and every day having your mind-energy extracted by machines from your entire body. You wouldn’t even have the strength to shoo away bugs crawling on your face…”
“Stop it! Stop it!” Irina screamed frantically, her long legs kicking wildly in the air.
Suddenly, Zhang Wen released Irina’s hands and took a small step back. Irina, however, seemed not to notice Zhang Wen’s movement and continued to struggle violently for a moment before gradually calming down.
At this point, Irina’s clothes were in complete disarray. A button on her uniform blouse had popped off, and the collar had split open like a low-cut, revealing gown, exposing half of her white, beautiful breasts and a deep cleavage. Her knee-length skirt below the waist was nearly torn to shreds by Irina’s desperate kicking, with rips running up to her waist on both sides of her thighs! With every slight movement, the skirt not only failed to cover Irina’s two white, sexy legs but also occasionally revealed glimpses of her shapely buttocks.
However, Irina was too preoccupied with her current state of exposure. She half-lay on the edge of the bed, panting like a wounded beast, glaring at Zhang Wen.
“Now you’re going to kill me for real?” Zhang Wen suddenly asked, meeting Irina’s gaze.
Irina didn’t answer, but her pathologically flushed face and heavy breathing were enough to confirm that Zhang Wen wasn’t wrong.
“It seems I guessed right. No problem, feel free to try.” Zhang Wen’s relaxed smile made Irina clench her teeth in hatred, yet it also gradually eroded her determination.
“What do you want?” After a full minute of silence, Irina finally spoke.
In Irina’s eyes, there was no longer the previous ferocity, only deep regret. Irina knew that by asking this question, she had already surrendered. In her struggle against Zhang Wen, she had once again become the loser.
Now aware of her defeat, Irina finally noticed her disheveled clothes. Instinctively, she curled her legs, trying to cover her exposed body. However, the more Irina tried to hide, the more she ended up revealing. As she curled her legs, the already torn skirt split even wider! Irina’s soft, white legs slid completely out from under the skirt, and her entire buttocks along with the white silk panties beneath were fully exposed to Zhang Wen’s view.
As a result, no matter how one looked at it, Irina’s actions didn’t seem like an attempt to cover herself but rather like an effort to seduce Zhang Wen with her body! The moment Irina realized this, she caught Zhang Wen’s gaze. Irina felt that Zhang Wen’s eyes were filled with contempt and disdain, as if clearly spitting out two words at her: “Despicable.”
Humiliation! An intense sense of humiliation made Irina feel like she wanted to disappear.
Normally, such intense humiliation should have driven Irina to lose her mind and fight Zhang Wen recklessly. But the courage she had just lost couldn’t gather again. Irina had never imagined that the word “cowardice,” which she had always deeply despised, would one day apply to her!
Irina knew that Zhang Wen was now shamelessly inspecting her body. Yet she herself, instead of hiding, was like the most despicable prostitute, exposing the most shameful parts of a woman right in front of Zhang Wen!
At this moment, Irina felt so ashamed that she couldn’t even bear to meet Zhang Wen’s gaze! Her blood seemed to have turned into molten lava, scalding her so much that she almost wanted to scream. At this point, all thoughts of resistance vanished from Irina’s mind. She was now only begging, praying that Zhang Wen would stop looking at her in this state.
However, Irina’s plea was clearly not to be fulfilled, for Zhang Wen had no intention of letting her off!
A beautiful, sexy, and venomous temptress. Just seconds ago, she was an enemy who had tried repeatedly to humiliate him! Yet now, such a woman was almost completely exposing her sexy body.
Zhang Wen enjoyed every moment, taking in Irina’s expression filled with humiliation and shame. Inside Zhang Wen, the Spring Water Battle Energy surged like an explosion. This was the peak of conquest, a moment no man could resist!
“Irina, the question now isn’t what I want, but what you want. You weren’t the one I invited here,” Zhang Wen finally broke the silence as Irina’s sense of shame nearly drove her to collapse.
“I know!” Irina gasped, lifting her head before quickly shifting her gaze away. Although the unbearable sense of shame somewhat eased with Zhang Wen’s voice, his gaze still made Irina feel an unprecedented sense of humiliation.
“So, do you have anything else to say?” Zhang Wen smiled faintly.
“Nothing.” Irina dared not say another word. With great effort, she maintained her pride, jumped off the bed, and hurried away…
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