Chapter 1699 - Ch: 169-176

Ch: 169-176

169. Welcoming the Newborn Carrie

"Of course not."

"...Why don't I believe you?"

"I'm doing this for your own good."

"..."

Klyn fell silent.

He had a strange feeling about those words...

Locke said, "Carrie is a witch, and in the future, she will grow into a witch no less powerful than Agatha Harkness. With her around, I'll be more at ease about you, and you won't suddenly kick the bucket and finally be dragged to hell while I'm not paying attention."

Klyn spat, "Can't you ever wish me well?"

Locke smiled and said nothing.

Of course.

The main reason was that Locke couldn't find anyone else more suitable than Klyn to help Carrie disguise her identity. As for having Carrie live at his place?

Locke had considered it, but after thinking about it, he decided against it.

He rather enjoyed being alone.

Besides, he had a girlfriend now. If he were to say Carrie was his sister, then Gwen, not just George, would be the first to be suspicious.

Locke was even less willing to be suspected by a top student than by Inspector George.

As for protecting Klyn?

That statement was actually true.

Carrie was a witch, and one who shared his boundless energy. Given enough time, Carrie would undoubtedly grow into a powerful witch.

And her witch powers would come without any cost.

Because Locke didn't need Carrie to repay him in any way.

As Locke told Carrie, if there was a price, it was to raise her head and never bow down.

Locke gave Klyn a reason.

Naturally.

He also gave Carrie a reason.

The same reason.

"I'm the illegitimate daughter of this Klyn Chester?"

"Yes."

Still in the makeshift medical warehouse specially built for Carrie, Locke, wearing sunglasses and embodying the peerless assassin, sat with his legs crossed in a chair and nodded.

Carrie, leaning against the hospital bed, her face wrapped in bandages like a living mummy, was scheduled to have her stitches removed today and embrace a new life. But for now, only her eyes were visible. She looked at Locke, somewhat puzzled, and said, "I don't understand."

Locke smiled, "You need a new life."

Carrie shook her head, "No, I mean, don't I need to change my name?"

"No need."

"No need?"

"Mm."

Locke looked at Carrie, "You deserve a new life, Carrie, but that doesn't mean you have to forget the past. That would be wrong. Forgetting the past is like forgetting yourself. No matter how bad the past was, at least your past proves where you came from. The past is our starting point."

He also constantly reminded himself where he came from.

It's just... he knew where he came from, but not where he was going. So, after seeing the Sun God bloodline, he set a future for himself.

What's more.

"Carrie, originally means unique, serious, and change. It's a good name."

"Is that... about me?"

"Yes."

Locke nodded, looking at Carrie, who was still wrapped in bandages on the hospital bed: "You are more unique than most people, you are more serious than anyone, and you are even more mature than many."

A happy childhood can indeed bring a wealth of memories.

But not everyone can have a happy childhood.

However, an unfortunate childhood, while it may bring disaster, some people give up on themselves in the midst of this disaster, but others see this so-called disaster as a trial, and grow stronger through it.

Carrie, without a doubt, was the latter.

This was also why Locke didn't change Carrie's name. What's more, there were plenty of girls named Carrie. Sometimes, it could even serve as a 'light under a bushel' effect.

Carrie listened to Locke's words and lowered her head slightly.

"Carrie, do you remember what I told you about power?"

"...With my power, I can kill."

"Right."

Locke smiled and nodded approvingly. He slowly rose from the chair and watched Carrie, who was about to start a new life on the bed, with a smile: "Since your kindness was met with indifference, and your kindness was mistaken for weakness, then pack your kindness and your past into the storage room, and with your remaining qualities—strength and unwillingness—push open the door and embrace a new life."

Carrie looked up at Locke.

In her mind, bits and pieces of Maine flashed like slides, rapidly traversing her consciousness.

Crying from her mother's abuse.

Moments of isolation and helplessness in the confessional.

Being subjected to cold violence by classmates at school.

Even various pranks by classmates.

And... that prom.

These scenes, like slides, traversed her sea of consciousness, even forming a storm. In her sea of consciousness, the boundless sea of energy provided by Locke roared, turning into a vortex.

I treated the world with compromise and kindness, and the world repaid me with incompetence and weakness.

Then... I abandon my compromise and my kindness.

Thump thump thump!

Thump thump thump!

Locke raised an eyebrow, looking up at the temporary ward that suddenly seemed to resonate and shake.

The next second.

Locke's gaze fell on Carrie, who was once again almost in a berserk state on the hospital bed, but he showed a look of relief and smiled.

He was full of praise.

This world has never been suitable for kind people.

The original world was already one where good people were bullied, let alone this Marvel Universe where if you're a good person, you're destined for tragedy?

People are not just divided into good and bad.

Not being a good person doesn't mean being a bad person. Not being a good person simply means that from today on, I will never allow anyone to speak loudly to me.

I may not be a bad person, but if anyone dares to bully me, I have the ability to fight back.

And Locke gave Carrie that ability.

It's just... this magical rampage came and went quickly.

On the hospital bed.

Carrie's eyes seemed to have regained their calm, but they were somehow different from before.

They seemed to have a hint of coldness.

Carrie had hidden her kindness within the boundless energy of her sea of consciousness, projecting the coldness of that boundless energy to help her face the world.

"Excellent."

Locke nodded sincerely, "Carrie the demoness has exited the stage. Now, Carrie the witch has arrived."

As he spoke.

Dr. Hans Keller, known as the criminal world's plastic surgeon, pushed open the door and walked in, somewhat flustered. He then saw that the commotion had seemingly subsided and was slightly stunned: "Mr. Wushuang, just now..."

The next second.

Hans Keller suddenly remembered something.

He had watched the events at New York's First TV Station live a few days ago.

Although the NYPD had debunked the rumors, and the Peerless Assassin hadn't appeared since then.

But... who were they fooling?

The NYPD's debunking only fooled the common folk at best. For Hans Keller, it only made him more afraid when he saw Locke.

The Peerless Assassin could turn people into rats.

"Gulp!"

Hans Keller swallowed, not knowing what he was thinking, and felt that he probably shouldn't have come in.

Locke sensed Dr. Hans Keller's tension and smiled, "Dr. Keller, as long as you abide by our previous agreement, I will also fulfill my promise. You will leave here alive."

Dr. Keller's heart skipped a beat: "I don't want to turn into a big rat."

Carrie on the bed looked at Dr. Keller with some curiosity.

Big rat?

What big rat?

Locke was also slightly stunned, then laughed heartily, "Dr. Keller, that kind of action is for my enemies. Dr. Keller, you are not my enemy, you are my friend."

Dr. Keller chuckled twice, took off his glasses, and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

Actually... Carrie's makeover surgery, to start a new life, didn't need such a long time.

The main reason was that Dr. Keller was worried that Locke would ruthlessly kill him after it was done, so he used the method of'slow work yields fine results' to test Locke in various ways.

Locke saw it, but he also feared that Hans Keller would overthink things, so he didn't rush him.

After all, he knew how much deterrence his name, Wushuang, had in the criminal world.

The criminal world was also looking for the Peerless Assassin's true identity, but like law enforcement agencies, they found nothing. And finding nothing was the most terrifying thing, because you simply didn't know what could stop the Peerless Assassin.

So Locke understood Dr. Hans Keller's worries.

It still came down to that saying.

Empathy was one of Locke's few strong points.

An hour later.

Dr. Keller, having once again received Locke's assurance, walked into the ward with tools for removing bandages.

Locke glanced outside at the nurses already destroying various electronic devices on site, then turned to Dr. Keller, who was handing a small mirror to Carrie, and asked, "Those nurses don't know either, do they?"

Dr. Keller's body stiffened.

Locke raised an eyebrow and apologized, "Dr. Keller, I just said it casually, don't take it to heart. If Dr. Keller can guarantee that those people don't know Carrie's new appearance, they can leave first. No matter what kind of doctors and nurses they are, as long as they are in the business of saving lives and helping the injured, I will respect them."

Dr. Keller recovered from his rigid state: "They assisted me separately during Ms. Carrie's surgery. As you said, this time, I didn't leave any paper or electronic files, for fear that I wouldn't be able to destroy what's in my mind."

Locke nodded, "For an excellent doctor, his hands and brain are equally important. I trust Dr. Keller's professional ethics."

As he spoke.

Locke walked to the foot of the bed, crossed his arms, and watched Carrie, who was about to have her bandages removed and embrace her new life with a brand new appearance...

One Hundred and Seventy, Carrie

Locke looked at Carrie slowly unwrapping the bandages, still a little worried.

After all, plastic surgery is a gamble.

For example, if the product doesn't match the description.

But… that didn't happen.

After about ten minutes, the bandages wrapped around Carrie's face were carefully removed by Dr. Keller. After removing them, Dr. Keller also took a look and breathed a sigh of relief.

He wasn't afraid if other customers found the product didn't match the description.

But what about this one?

Dr. Keller swore that the most perfect surgery he had ever performed was this one.

Snow-white skin, a high nose bridge, and a pair of blue pupils. In the depths of those pupils, it was as if there was an endless Siberian permafrost. Just these eyes alone were enough to make many people feel the bone-chilling cold wind.

Carrie on the hospital bed had tightly furrowed brows, her sapphire blue eyes radiating a hint of coldness, and her snow-white face showed no trace of a smile. Her entire face looked like the dead of winter.

Locke shook his head at the sight.

Dr. Keller was about to faint.

It's over.

He was really going to be killed off with some random excuse.

Dr. Keller thought mournfully, if only he had known this day would come, he wouldn't have chosen to be a doctor. Wouldn't it have been better to listen to his father and become a stripper with him?

Although he wouldn't make much money, he wouldn't face the risk of being silenced.

Dr. Keller's mind was racing with wild thoughts.

Locke, however, smiled and looked at Carrie on the hospital bed: "You shouldn't frown, Carrie. I didn't make you forget the past. The old you, when you smiled, was very beautiful."

Carrie looked at Locke, her facial muscles twitching slightly.

At first, she seemed a little unaccustomed and somewhat stiff.

But very quickly.

Carrie's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and her two small dimples reappeared on her delicate face, which, though artificial, looked perfectly natural.

At this moment.

Although spring hadn't arrived, a ray of sunlight shone on the iceberg, bringing a unique warmth that made one feel it should be cherished even more.

Carrie also looked at her new self in the mirror.

Her past self, it seemed, at this moment, slowly overlapped with her current self in the mirror.

Her face seemed a little smaller.

Her nose seemed a little higher.

Her eyes also seemed a little colder.

Huh?

Can plastic surgery also change the eyes?

Carrie thought to herself.

Dr. Keller, seeing that Locke was not dissatisfied with the surgery, wiped his sweat and looked at Locke: "Ms. White still needed to take certain medications after the surgery, but the test report from the second day after the surgery has come out. From the report, it seems that medication is not actually necessary. However, to be safe, within one week of removing the bandages, Ms. White still needs to adapt a bit. It's best not to stand in the sun all day, and her diet should preferably be light."

Locke nodded, like a dutiful parent listening to the doctor's last… medical advice: "Anything else?"

Dr. Hans Keller tried hard to think, and finally, shook his head, then looked at Locke with a resigned expression: "That's all."

He had truly held nothing back.

Because he didn't want to give the Peerless Assassin any reason. He had done everything he could. As for whether the Peerless Assassin would still kill him, he could only truly leave it to fate.

Locke looked at Dr. Keller, who was holding his head up in front of him, looking resigned to his fate, and reached into his embrace with his right hand.

Dr. Keller closed his eyes, his expression pained.

Farewell, my love!

Locke was a little speechless. He took out the already prepared final payment for the surgery from his embrace, a slip of paper with an overseas bank account number and password written on it, and handed it over: "This is the final payment for the surgery, Dr. Keller. I said I wasn't planning to dine and dash."

Dr. Keller opened his eyes, looking at the slip of paper in front of him with some disbelief.

Then he looked up.

Expressions of surviving a disaster and being reborn were fully displayed on his face.

Fifteen minutes later.

Dr. Keller shook hands with Locke, then left the warehouse with his team, who had completely emptied the warehouse, with expressions of relief and disbelief.

Locke watched the small truck, which, after getting into the car, sped off with a whoosh, as if it couldn't wait to reach maximum speed and leave the area, leaving a trail of thick smoke. He lowered his head and smiled.

Behind him, a slightly cold voice came.

"I also thought you would kill them."

"...Oh?"

Locke turned around and looked at Carrie, who had changed into a purple fur coat and a pair of jeans, and smiled: "Can you tell me why you thought that?"

"You're not afraid they'll see me with you…"

Although Carrie's appearance was like an iceberg and her tone was also like an iceberg, giving people a sense of oppression, this was only on the outside: "See me with you without your glasses?"

Carrie's vocal cords had also undergone surgery.

Compared to Carrie's previous voice, it was a little less sweet and a little more cold and glamorous.

Locke listened to Carrie's words, smiled, and then took off his sunglasses.

The Peerless Assassin went offline.

"You are the second person to know my true identity."

"…Gwen was the first?"

"No, she doesn't know."

If possible, it would be best if Gwen never knew.

After all… if Gwen knew, George would also know. If George knew, then even if he and Gwen got married, George would probably instigate Gwen to divorce him.

Of course.

Locke felt that he wasn't hiding. If Gwen discovered it herself, Locke wouldn't lie.

He didn't like to lie.

Locke thought to himself, smiled, and said, "My teacher was the first."

Carrie said, "That is, my… father?"

She felt a little strange.

The former Carrie in Maine had always wanted to know who her father was, but she could never find out. Her mother, besides telling her that her father was the devil, never said anything else.

Once she asked too many questions, her mother would even lock her in the confessional and make her confess.

Half an hour later.

On the way to Clint's home in the Upper East Side community.

Locke looked at Carrie, who was sitting in the passenger seat, staring out blankly. Although her expression was very stunning, it was her first time seeing New York. He smiled and said, "Actually, there's another reason for arranging your identity this way."

Carrie looked back at Locke.

Locke smiled and said, "Clint is an ordinary person, but he is my mentor."

Carrie seemed to understand, but not entirely.

Locke said, "I have selfish reasons for arranging your identity this way. Because with you by the old man's side, I don't have to worry about not being able to rush back if the old man encounters danger."

Making deals with hell was, after all, a dangerous business.

Carrie seemed to understand a little, her tone somewhat surprised: "You want me to be a bodyguard?"

Locke shook his head: "No, I said you can start your new life. This identity is to help you start a new life. Watching the old man is just a side task. You can do anything you want."

He never forced others to do anything.

Let alone forcing Carrie, this poor girl who, in his first impression, was severely suppressed by fate.

I am destiny!

Since the destiny here wants to suppress Carrie, then, as destiny, I will bless Carrie.

It's very reasonable.

"Oh, right."

Locke's right hand flickered, and suddenly a very ornate headpiece appeared in his hand. He handed it to Carrie: "This is for you."

This ornate headpiece resembled two daggers splitting upwards to the sides, with a transparent gem where the dagger handles crossed.

"This is…"

"It's similar to my sunglasses."

"…"

Carrie blinked. She thought of Locke's sunglasses.

Then.

Carrie lowered her head and slowly placed the headpiece on her hair, which had also been dyed black.

Instantly.

The transparent gem on the headpiece seemed to sense something. With the surge of magic in Carrie's sea of consciousness, the transparent gem instantly turned into an endless purple.

Black hair turned into white silk.

Even her clothes changed dramatically.

A pair of thigh-high boots replaced her jeans.

Click, click!

Almost in a second.

Carrie instantly completed her transformation.

Locke raised an eyebrow.

Syndra?

Carrie looked at her current appearance, her mind flickered, and the next second, the headpiece instantly flashed, landing on Carrie's equally pale right wrist, transforming into a very conspicuous bracelet with a purple gem.

"This…"

"How is it? Satisfied?"

After he puts on his sunglasses, even if he's not wearing clothes, a neat and proper suit will appear. Wearing a headpiece and changing clothes, what's so strange about that?

System produced, must be a masterpiece.

Just basic operation.

Locke parked the car in a roadside parking spot, turned off the engine, and looked at Carrie: "From now on, if you get angry, put on the headpiece and use this as a dividing line."

Carrie slowly recovered from her panic and listened to Locke's words: "A dividing line?"

"Yes."

Locke smiled and said, "A dividing line that separates Carrie White from the Witch Carrie, just as I separate Locke from Peerless."

Although he didn't intend to deliberately conceal his identity.

But he wouldn't be as showy as Tony Stark.

In this day and age.

Making a fortune in silence is the way to go.

Look at what Tony Stark encountered after announcing he was Iron Man: he was beaten by the Russian 'Kill Horse' (Ivan Vanko), then by the Extremis virus, and later by Thanos.

Now look at Tony before he became Iron Man?

Over thirty years, smooth sailing.

Not everyone likes to brave the rapids; more people prefer a quiet life.

Carrie stroked the bracelet on her wrist, pursed her lips, looked at Locke, and nodded.

Locke opened the car door: "Well, let's go. Get ready, Carrie. Your new life begins the moment you open this door."

Carrie took a deep breath, nodded, and opened the car door…

171. Locke's Invincible Body

February 5th.

Opening day.

Beep!

Beep beep!

Early in the morning, the four streets leading to Midtown High were completely gridlocked, with horns blaring and all sorts of 'colorful' language filling the air.

Locke didn't participate; he didn't like swearing.

Normally, the journey from the Star Tower to Gwen's house, picking her up, and then heading to school, wouldn't take more than half an hour.

Today?

"I feel like we're going to be late."

Locke checked the time on his watch and said to Gwen, who was sitting in the passenger seat, flipping through the materials the school had given them yesterday, "I don't remember it being this jammed when I started in the fall."

Gwen didn't even look up: "Today's the first day of school, with freshmen entering ninth grade. It's normal. If you had started in the spring, you'd understand."

Oh, right.

Starting today, they were tenth graders.

Then next year eleventh, the year after twelfth, and then, they could go off to college.

Locke had no intention of skipping grades.

Not at all.

Perhaps for others, skipping grades was a highly cost-effective endeavor, but for Locke, it was the least cost-effective.

If he followed the normal four years of high school, conservatively, he could gain at least a million achievement points and potential points. If he skipped grades, he might gain a lot of achievement points and potential points in the short term.

But... in the short term, skipping grades was good, but overall, the benefits of skipping grades were far less than the benefits of following the normal path.

Lower-grade students could participate in higher-grade competitions, but higher-grade students couldn't participate in lower-grade competitions.

The achievement points and potential points alone from competitions were enough to explain this issue.

Locke glanced at the turtle-paced traffic and shook his head, "When I have time, I'm definitely going to figure out how to make my car fly."

Then, if there's traffic, he could just switch to flight mode.

Phil Coulson's car seemed to be able to fly.

Gwen looked up: "Are you planning to go to MIT?"

"What?" Locke was slightly stunned, looking at Gwen, "Why would I go to MIT?"

When did he ever say he was going to MIT?

Still the same old saying.

Locke was responsible for earning achievement points and potential points. How his future was arranged was up to Gwen. Whatever college Gwen went to, Locke would go to.

He wasn't crazy; why would he not cling to the leg of a top student and instead hang out with a bunch of gym bros?

Gwen said, "Didn't you say you wanted to put wings on your car? MIT is where they research that kind of thing."

Locke smiled, "Gwen, I have money. I can find someone from MIT, and then, they research, I pay, and I buy out their patent. Why would I need to go to MIT myself?"

This was the Federation; with money, you had everything.

MIT?

Capitalists could be engineers, but engineers were definitely not capitalists.

Who were the masters of the Federation? This wasn't a multiple-choice question.

Gwen, however, smiled and gave Locke a beautiful glance, "Thank you for reminding me."

"Reminding you of what?"

"That you're a rich man, Locke."

"I won't sign a prenuptial agreement."

"..."

Locke smiled as he watched Gwen looking at him, "That's what I should be reminding you of."

Gwen rolled her eyes at Locke, a very pretty sight.

Actually... even if Locke wanted to sign a prenup, Gwen wouldn't care. She wasn't interested in Locke's money, because she had earned her own pocket money through studying ever since she was little.

Locke having money was never an issue for Gwen.

In fact, Gwen felt that if Locke didn't have money, that would be an issue.

After all, a strong woman and a weak man were most likely to lead to relationship problems. Gwen imagined herself becoming very wealthy in the future while Locke remained poor, and she felt she wouldn't have any issues with it, as she never liked someone based on whether they had money.

But Locke would definitely have issues.

After all, Locke was a man with strong self-esteem. If his wife was richer than him, Gwen felt Locke would definitely not accept it.

Thankfully, Locke was currently very rich.

Locke thought to himself.

"Oh, by the way."

Gwen closed the documents in her hand and drove alongside Locke to keep him from getting agitated, "Did you know we have six new transfer students this time?"

Locke looked at the turtle-like traffic ahead, suppressing the urge to conjure a rocket launcher and clear the road with one shot, and hearing Gwen's words, he laughed, "How would I know? You're the student assistant, I'm not."

He was a blank slate.

A typical blank slate student.

Gwen suggested to Locke.

"You could try running for student council."

"Like what?"

Every spring, the student council would hold elections to ensure a smooth transition and preparation for the June handover.

Gwen shrugged, "Academic Department?"

Locke chuckled, "Gwen, you're the one who should be in the Academic Department."

Gwen said, "I'm a student assistant. Joining the student council would be like changing jobs."

Locke smiled, turned his face to Gwen, and with a slight smirk, said, "Besides the student council president, I'll consider it. Anything else isn't on my table."

To be a workhorse for others, or to make others a workhorse for you?

This wasn't a multiple-choice question.

I'm a transmigrator, for crying out loud. I finally transmigrated, and I even have a cheat. Is it appropriate for me to go and be a workhorse for others?

It's not appropriate!

Although Locke seemed to be born with a workhorse's fate in this life when he transmigrated.

But he relied on his ninety-nine percent unremitting efforts, persistent perseverance, plus that little bit of a cheat, and successfully transformed himself into a Roman.

Otherwise, why would they say that the true Roman lineage was with Locke?

However.

Locke was just talking; he had no intention of getting involved in student council politics.

Still the same old saying.

Locke liked games where he was guaranteed to win one hundred percent. He politely declined any game with a chance of losing.

The high school student council elections, especially for president, were almost like presidential elections in the Federation.

In fact.

The difficulty of running for president was even lower than running for student council president.

The reason?

Let's put it this way.

Presidential candidates didn't rely entirely on personal charisma; they could even make up for shortcomings through some clever maneuvers from other areas.

But the student council president?

Forget about it.

However... it seemed that the speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart.

Gwen tapped her chin, her face serious, "If you want to run for student council president, it's actually not impossible."

Locke was slightly taken aback, looking at Gwen, "What?"

Gwen adjusted her posture, put away her documents, and counting on her fingers, said, "You're one of the school's heartthrobs, and your academic performance is top-notch. Your physical fitness is also good."

Locke's mouth twitched.

What's going on?

I just said that casually.

Also... "I need to correct you, Miss Stacy. I am one of the school's heartthrobs, I don't deny that."

To be fair.

Midtown High.

No, wait.

Forget Midtown High, looking at the whole world, those handsomer than him, while not nonexistent, could be said to be extinct.

But... Locke looked at Gwen, "My 'heartthrob' title needs an addendum: 'heartthrob with a girlfriend.' That's not a bonus; it's a deduction."

Gwen said, "So, even though I can't run, I can support you. How can having a girlfriend standing by your side be considered a minus?"

Why do candidates always like to bring their wives when running for office?

Gwen then seemed to think of something: "I can be your campaign manager. And Mary Jane is our school's cheerleading captain, Betty is the manager of our school's broadcast station, Jessica Campbell is in the drama club. We have a huge advantage."

Locke's brow twitched.

It's all arranged already?

My opinion doesn't matter at all?

Locke opened his mouth, "The advantage you're talking about is for tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and ninth grades. We've only secured one grade. What about the other three?"

One to three, still a loss.

Locke wouldn't even play games where there was a chance of losing, let alone a game where it was clearly a losing proposition. He wouldn't even look at it.

It was like cross-dressing; winning or losing was only the difference between zero times and countless times.

If you lost the first time, then the second and third times would quickly follow.

It was just like luck.

Until he found a supreme treasure that could suppress his luck, Locke would not jeopardize his luck.

Peerless divine artifact?

That was like the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, a supreme offensive treasure, excellent for killing, but not quite suitable for suppressing luck.

"Who said we're one to three? We can also win over the twelfth grade."

"What?"

"Betty and Mary Jane's boyfriends are both in twelfth grade. And Betty's boyfriend is the current student council president, and Mary Jane's boyfriend is the captain of the basketball team."

"..."

Just like all cheerleading captains were paired with basketball team captains.

Unfortunately.

Locke wasn't fond of that basketball team captain. Being able to ignore him was already Locke's best way of handling it.

No other reason.

His skin color was not pleasing, and even if his personality was good, Locke still felt very awkward.

Locke quickly waved his hand, "Hold on, I just..."

Gwen didn't wait for Locke to finish, seemingly already calculating: "If you want to run, there are several knowledge competitions this spring. If you participate, it would be perfectly reasonable, and you could use this wave of knowledge competitions to successfully win the votes of students who like to study."

Competitions?

Quest rewards.

Locke raised an eyebrow, "That's not right. What does running for office have to do with knowledge competitions?"

If I don't run for office, does that mean I can't bring honor to the high school?

172. I Want to Be President

"Do you know what kind of attributes the last eight or nine student council presidents of Midtown High School had?"

"What?"

"They were all student athletes."

"..."

Gwen looked at Locke and said, "The past eight or nine student council presidents, in terms of knowledge reserves, could only be described as average. Therefore, the high school has always wanted to change this state of affairs. After all, Midtown High School spends so much scholarship money every year to scout various students. If the student council president has always been someone who uses brawn to beat brains, do you think they'd be happy?"

Locke shook his head: "It's inappropriate."

It was the same old story.

They were crippled by the federal 'happy education' propaganda. Just look at the structure of Washington and you'll know; every single one of them has a master's or a doctorate.

Some are so competitive that they hold several doctoral degrees themselves.

Look at Tony Stark. That guy is so rich, and yet, Tony Stark also has three doctoral degrees.

Even Pepper Potts—don't think she's just eye candy. Pepper's education is no worse than anyone else's. Did you really think someone could become the personal assistant to the Chairman of Stark Industrieswith just a pretty face and no brains?

Within the Federation...

The so-called 'happy education' is merely promoted for the convenience of governance. The level of competition in elite quality education has, in fact, far exceeded the perception of many people.

Therefore...

Other high schools that emphasize happy education don't care who the student council president is.

But Midtown High School practices elite quality education and is even trying to squeeze into the top two high schools in the Federation. Naturally, on the surface, they emphasize a balance of happiness and quality, but fundamentally, they still hope the mainstream voice of the school is that of quality education.

But what does this have to do with the Knowledge Competition?

Gwen then smiled: "You can understand the spring Knowledge Competition as something sponsored by the school's board of directors for a candidate, used to help them win votes by succeeding in these competitions."

Locke raised an eyebrow.

Goodfellas.

He thought there was no shady business in the high school student council elections. Who knew the referees themselves would step onto the field to blow a biased whistle?

"Wait, if that's the case, why hasn't anyone won?"

"Well..."

Gwen looked at Locke with a smile and said, "Because the previous candidates weren't you."

Locke: "..."

Actually, the reason was quite simple.

Midtown High School focuses on elite quality education, but straight-A students and Top Students are still in the minority. Ultimately, ordinary students make up the majority.

There are students who want to study, but their numbers are far fewer than those of the 'looks' faction or the'sports' faction.

This is why they have repeatedly lost.

But as Gwen explained, the reason they lost was that they weren't named Locke. They could only win the votes of the good students. Locke, however, could not only win over that base but also win over the 'looks' faction. He could even get the votes of the'sports' faction by showing off his physique in the swimming pool.

Locke felt a bit tempted.

Not because of the election, but because of this competition.

Locke was still a bit confused: "Even if it's a sponsorship for a candidate, he can't be the only one going to a Knowledge Competition, right?"

Gwen nodded: "Yes. However, the contestants are almost all part of the candidate's team. After all, something went wrong once."

One year, there was a candidate who hoped to use brains to defeat brawn.

But... in an English competition against a Queens public high school that should have been a sure win, Midtown High School actually lost. The reason was that one of the contestants was not only a straight-A student but also part of the 'looks' faction.

Midtown High School could lose to any other school and be fine.

But Queens?

The rural-urban fringe?

Please.

That time, the candidate was almost bullied into social withdrawal by the studious students. They didn't care about anything else—you led the team, you lost, so why didn't you follow the Japanese spirit of Harakiri?

"Because of that, basically, the spring comprehensive high school competitions are all nominated by the candidates. Or, would you be willing to go as a team member?"

"I'm not!"

Locke shook his head immediately.

He was born for glory, not for grunt work.

What Locke cared about were the mission rewards for the spring comprehensive high school competition.

But to ask a flower like him to serve as a green leaf for someone else?

Locke chose to refuse outright.

"student council president?"

Locke thought for a moment and looked at Gwen: "Do you think I can really win?"

Gwen smiled and said, "I'll help you."

In the congested traffic, Locke slowly turned the car and drove into the high school, laughing: "Give me a day to think about it."

Gwen nodded: "Of course, you have a day to think. By tomorrow, I expect the candidates who move fast and have already prepared will probably even have their posters out."

Locke: "..."

In the parking lot.

After a long absence, classmates he hadn't seen were already waiting in the parking lot.

Mary Jane.

Jessica Campbell.

Betty.

Flashy.

L.

Cindy and Kahn.

Kem.

As soon as Locke and Gwen got out of the car, several people immediately surrounded them.

After Kem pulled Gwen aside, she winked at Locke and said, "Not bad. I used to think you were the type who was all talk and no action, just pretending to be a tough guy. I didn't expect this."

Locke asked with a smile, "Kem, do you have plans to go to Paris this year?"

Kem blinked: "Paris? No. Why, are you going to invite me?"

Locke looked sincere: "You should go. I heard this summer is a great time to visit Paris."

If Kem's father didn't cause him trouble...

Forget about inviting Kem to Paris; Locke could charter a plane specifically for Kem just to send her there.

A girl with a sweet tongue is always so likable.

Kem looked at the smiling Locke and then couldn't help but pull on Gwen: "Gwen, does your boyfriend have some kind of designs on me?"

Locke: "..."

Gwen: "..."

Designs on you?

Heh.

I suspect he's worried my identity isn't being exposed fast enough. Given Kem's father's personality, if he discovered a connection between Locke and Wushuang, he would likely hunt down the truth about their relationship relentlessly.

In the classroom.

The atmosphere was exactly what a classroom should be on the first day of school. Students were chattering away, showing off where they had gone for Christmas vacation or where they had gone exploring.

Locke sat in his seat, thinking about the topic Gwen had brought up while they were stuck in traffic.

student council president.

Knowledge Competition.

The two seemed to be tied together. If one wanted to go to the Knowledge Competition, it seemed they could only do so as a candidate for student council president; otherwise, they could only be a 'green leaf'.

Being a grunt was out of the question.

But... to become the team leader, one had to run for election, and Locke didn't like to lose.

He simply didn't want to lose and break his streak of luck. He was actually indifferent to the position of student council president itself. Although the position could be a bonus for college applications, Locke didn't need it; his grades alone were enough to open the doors to any known university.

Those who feel that universities need to examine social skills are actually just people whose grades aren't sufficient to impress the schools.

Looking no further than his own past...

Take his neighbor back in Texas, the youngest son of the Cooper family next door, Sheldon, who had been quirky since he was a child. Not a single teacher in school liked him, but his grades earned him the protection of the principal.

That school received education funding from the state of Texas because of Sheldon's grades; he single-handedly pulled up the school's average.

Moreover, Locke was the youngest Cowboy in Texas, which was also a credential.

He already had enough bonus points.

Locke pondered for a moment and said to Gwen, who was already in study mode beside him, "I'll run."

Gwen took off her headphones and blinked at Locke: "What?"

"student council president."

"You've made up your mind?"

"Yes."

Locke nodded.

To gain something, one must give something. Therefore, some risks were negligible as long as they were within a controllable range.

If what Gwen said in the car held true, as long as Locke could lead Midtown High School to a grand slam in the spring high school league comprehensive Knowledge Competition, the student council presidency would be a sure thing.

As for what happens after becoming student council president?

That wouldn't be difficult either.

It would just be a few more meetings and some table-thumping; it wouldn't delay him much. If it really didn't work out, he could always step down and let someone more worthy take over later.

He simply didn't want to do the grunt work for someone else.

Gwen looked at the nodding Locke and said, "Since you've decided, let's plan it out at lunch. We'll need to catch up on the schedule."

Even though Gwen always felt that Locke didn't actually want to participate in the student council election...

Since Locke wanted to participate, then participate he would.

It just so happened that Gwen felt she could gain some experience from this as well. It wouldn't matter even if they failed, but if they succeeded, she felt she could add this to her resume.

Helping a classmate, as a campaign manager, prepare for an election and successfully winning it.

"Gwen."

"Jessica."

Jessica, who sat behind Locke, returned from outside and said to Gwen, "Do we have new classmates again this semester?"

Gwen nodded: "Yes, six."

Locke also knew about the new students; Gwen had mentioned it in the car. However, the topic had shifted to the student council then, so Locke only knew that six new students had arrived, three of whom were in their class. As for who they were, Locke didn't know.

Jessica was slightly taken aback: "Six?"

Gwen gave an 'um': "We have three, and the other class has three as well."

Jessica asked suspiciously, "But when I just passed the office, I only saw one. Three? Where did three come from?"

Gwen said, "One is from Texas like Locke, and two are siblings who seem to have transferred from Sokovia."

Locke looked up...

One hundred and seventy-three, the transfer student still on the way

Sokovia?

This name... why does it sound so familiar?

Wait.

Isn't this place supposed to be Wanda and Quicksilver's hometown?

Hiss!

Locke took a sharp breath.

Speaking of which... Callum Lynch seemed to have left New York last year, saying he was going back to his hometown to pick up his son and daughter. Jesus Christ, he just said it casually. Goodfellas, is it really Wanda and Quicksilver?

Something's not right.

I haven't heard that Callum Lynch came back from outside. If he had, Callum Lynch should have called the Peerless Assassin.

Locke looked at Gwen: "What's the name?"

Gwen, who was talking to Jessica: "What?"

"The transfer student's name."

"The one from Texas? They aren't from the same place as you, how would you know them?"

"No, the one from Sokovia."

"I don't know."

Gwen shook her head: "The information the teacher gave me only says they're coming from Sokovia. As for specific details, the school in Sokovia hasn't sent them over yet. Also, the teacher isn't sure if they'll come today, but it's confirmed, that much is true."

Locke nodded.

It shouldn't be such a coincidence.

Sokovia doesn't just have Wanda and Quicksilver; there are other people too.

"Then what about the one from Texas?"

"Carrie!"

*Cough cough.*

Just as Locke breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly heard this name and fell silent. He looked at Gwenand blinked: "Carrie?"

Gwen smiled: "It's not that Carrie from Maine, it's Carrie from Texas, named Carrie Chester. I've seen her photo; she's very beautiful."

Locke: "..."

There are at least fifty, if not five thousand, girls named Carrie in the entire federation. Plus, they all look different, so Gwen naturally wouldn't think this Carrie from Texas was the Carrie from Maine.

But... this Carrie from Texas is the Carrie from Maine.

It wasn't that Locke hadn't thought about having Carrie come to Midtown High School, but when Carrie's surgery was over, the transfer window for Midtown High had already closed.

Just then.

The classroom instantly fell silent.

The teacher walked in from outside and looked at the students in the classroom: "Everyone, we have another new classmate today. Come in."

Outside the classroom.

Holding her head high, her appearance completely changed as she began her brand-new life, Carrie Chester walked in from outside and stood on the podium.

"Introduce yourself."

"Carrie Chester."

Gwen looked at Carrie on the stage, who had a cold and elegant look, long black hair, and a striking, brilliant purple bracelet on her wrist. She glanced at Locke's expression: "Carrie Chester is from Dallas. I remember you're from Galveston. Why do you look like you know her?"

Locke looked at Gwen: "Don't you know her?"

Gwen blinked.

Locke reminded her: "Clinchester?"

"Mr. Chester?"

"Yeah."

Locke said in a low voice: "Carrie is Chester's daughter."

This matter could be hidden for a while, but certainly not forever. Moreover, what Locke wanted was to give Carrie a brand-new life, not a life of hiding and being unseen.

MMP.

Chester!

Gwen's mouth hung wide open.

She certainly knew Chester; he was Locke's Cowboy mentor. But didn't Chester only have one daughter? She had heard Chester mention it, so she hadn't associated it with him.

"How come?"

"The younger daughter."

Locke whispered: "This matter is quite complicated; it can't be explained in a short time."

On the stage.

Carrie naturally noticed Locke as well.

Locke smiled and nodded.

Gwen blinked.

Kem, sitting in front of Gwen, turned around and whispered: "Gwen, looks like a childhood sweetheart. You're in danger."

Gwen: "..."

Locke: "..."

What the hell childhood sweetheart.

I am Rome!

Soon.

After Carrie stepped down from the stage, she sat to Locke's left.

After class.

Locke went to the break corridor, opened his locker, and directly dialed Klint's number.

Soon.

The call connected.

"Hello?"

"What the fuck!"

After the call connected, Locke kept his locker open and lowered his voice, ranting at Klint on the other end: "Seriously? How did you get Carrie into Midtown High School?"

On the other end of the phone, Klint, shirtless and having just extricated himself from the company of three supermodels, stood up and sat by the bed. He found a cigarette and lit it: "Midtown High has good teaching quality and is close to home. You know my attitude towards my children's education; a 'happy education' only breeds swine."

Locke was expressionless: "Holy Trinity is closer to your house. You don't even need to drive; it's a ten-minute walk."

"Holy Trinity doesn't accept temporary enrollment applications. What's wrong? Don't you want my daughter in the same school as you?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

Locke's brow twitched: "Old man, won't you explain why you didn't tell me?"

Klint smiled: "When you found my daughter, did you tell me in advance? Also, when you brought my daughter back, did you tell me?"

Locke shrugged: "That was meant to be a surprise."

"Exactly."

Klint chuckled: "This is my surprise for you. So, surprised?"

Locke: "..."

This isn't a surprise; this is revenge.

No doubt about it.

A few days ago, when Locke took Carrie to see Klint, unfortunately, when he pushed the door open, Klint's eldest daughter was also home. As a result, Locke even said, "Old man, I've picked up your daughter from the airport."

Then Klint's eldest daughter was completely devastated.

Locke had pretended not to see the eldest daughter in the living room questioning her life and looking at her father Klint as if he were a beast, and had immediately made a run for it with Carrie.

"That was an accident."

Locke coughed and then said seriously: "Old man, we shouldn't hurt each other. I'm only seventeen, a cute age, still a child. You should forgive me."

Klint's skin crawled with a smile.

Accident?

You're my disciple. Do I not know what kind of person you are?

"Do you dare to swear?"

"What?"

"That it was an accident?"

"Of course, I swear by God..."

"Swear by the person you care about most. When you swear by God, I know you're about to lie, and lie with a straight face too."

"..."

Is there no basic trust between people anymore?

Locke wanted to struggle a bit more.

Just then.

Gwen's voice came from not far away.

Locke immediately hung up the phone and turned around. He saw Gwen and Carrie, who had just enrolled today, walking over from not far away.

Gwen said to Locke: "I just took Carrie to get her locker key. By the way, why didn't you tell me that you were the one who picked Carrie up from the airport?"

Locke shrugged: "That was a few days ago. I thought the high school's transfer window had already closed. I didn't expect Klint to still find a way to get Carrie into our school."

To give him a surprise, Klint really went all out.

Locke thought to himself, then looked at Carrie: "Have you chosen your classes?"

Carrie nodded and gave a slight smile: "Gwen took me to Madam Cort's place; it's all settled."

"What's the next class?"

"English."

"Gwen and I have History."

"I know."

Carrie put her backpack into the locker, glanced at Gwen, and then said to Locke: "I'll head over first. See you at lunch?"

Locke nodded: "Okay, see you at lunch."

Carrie then turned and left with her textbooks. Just as Locke said, this was the start of her new life, and she wanted to find a new way to get to know the World again.

Gwen, holding her history book and notes, watched Carrie's departing back: "Speaking of which, I always feel like Carrie gives me a feeling that's not quite familiar, yet very familiar at the same time."

Locke smiled: "You've met Klint, so it's normal to find Carrie familiar."

He wasn't worried at all that Gwen would figure out that the Carrie from Texas was the Carrie from Maine.

Their appearances were different.

Their temperaments were different.

However, Gwen seemed to be evolving her Locke radar. It wouldn't hurt to be careful and add a patch.

Gwen nodded, seemingly finding that reasonable, then suddenly laughed and shook her head: "Still, it's hard to connect Carrie with Mr. Chester."

Locke and Gwen walked towards the history classroom together: "Why?"

Gwen shook her head: "I don't know. Carrie gives off a cold and elegant vibe, while Mr. Chester, although he has a big beard and gives off a very fierce impression... either way, Carrie doesn't really seem like Mr. Chester."

Locke laughed directly.

Gwen looked over.

"Is that wrong?"

"Of course it's wrong. If Carrie looked exactly like Chester, how terrible would that be? I've seen Carrie's mother at Klint's place; she's a beauty."

"Really?"

"A girl's looks usually follow her mother's."

Locke said with a smile: "If you don't believe me, when our daughter is born, you'll know who she takes after."

Gwen rolled her eyes: "My daughter will definitely look like me."

After saying that.

Gwen stopped, glanced at Locke beside her, gave him a pretty eye-roll, and then said thoughtfully: "You really like daughters?"

Locke smiled: "Who doesn't like daughters?"

Daughters are great.

Cute looks.

Nice voice.

Most importantly.

From a young age, you can buy many cute clothes for a daughter, and even many cute decorations. You could change her outfit every hour until she's eighteen without repeating.

What about boys?

A suit, and that's it.

Although a suit is a man's second face.

But... boys can't bring the joy of nurturing.

Only daughters have that kind of joy..."}],

174. High School Student Council Election

One sentence.

A daughter is a little warm coat.

Locke could be quite certain that if he and Gwen had a daughter, she would definitely be the most beautiful.

No other reason.

Both Locke and Gwen's genes were excellent.

Negative times negative makes a positive.

Positive and positive will only yield something better; if it weren't so, the idiom 'the student surpasses the master' would lose its meaning.

At noon.

The news of Carrie coming to Midtown High School only surprised Locke for less than half an hour, and then there was nothing more to it.

He had originally wanted Carrie to come to Midtown High.

It was just that the transfer window had closed; for the Peerless Assassin, there were many methods, but for Locke, his methods were currently quite limited.

It was a good thing that Carrie could come to Midtown High.

At the very least, Carrie wouldn't be bullied anymore.

If his people were to be bullied, only he could do it.

But such a thing was unlikely to happen.

Carrie's previous appearance was cute, but with her head down, she gave off the vibe of a punching bag; now, Carrie's look was cold, and when she didn't smile, she seemed like an iceberg.

By lunchtime.

Carrie's name was already on the list.

"Impressive."

Kem looked at the school forum website on her phone and, with her natural familiarity, said to Carrie—who had been pulled to their table by Gwen because of Chester: "On your first day of school, you've already made the top ten candidate list for the new generation of school goddesses. The last person to get this treatment was Gwen."

Carrie looked at Kem, her voice cold as always after her vocal cords were altered: "What top ten..."

Gwen smoothed her hair beside her: "Don't mind her. It's just a bunch of bored people getting together to do boring things."

Kem rolled her eyes with an expression like a well-fed person who doesn't understand the starving: "You're on the list, so of course you find it boring. But those who aren't on it are full of all sorts of envy and jealousy."

Gwen looked at Kem and asked back: "Aren't you on the list?"

Kem put down her phone, feeling powerless: "Can being at the bottom even be called being on the list? Now that Carrie's here, I estimate I'm going to be kicked off the list."

Gwen shook her head somewhat speechlessly, not wanting to talk to Kem anymore.

Just then.

Cindy and Kahn also came over with their trays.

Kahn said with an apologetic face: "Sorry, we're late."

Kem looked towards Cindy and blinked: "I saw you guys go to the parking lot."

The expression on Kahn's face froze for a moment.

Cindy sat down generously and looked at Kem: "Next time, you can get a little closer."

Kem was utterly defeated.

Gwen coughed and, looking at the seated Kahn, said directly: "Locke plans to run for student council president this semester."

"Really?"

"I support you. Where's the signature sheet?"

"..."

What signature sheet?

Locke had never participated in such things even back in Texas, and he had never cared about them.

Gwen, with a flick of her right hand, took out a signature sheet and a pen from her backpack: "Here it is."

Kahn stood up and took the signature sheet. Seeing the title'Support for 10th Grader Locke Broughton's Candidacy for student council president', he signed his name with a flourish.

Cindy and Kem also signed their names.

"Here."

After signing her name, Cindy naturally handed the signature sheet to Carrie, who was sitting next to her.

Carrie took it and was slightly stunned: "Can I do it too?"

Kem laughed: "Of course, why not? You're a student at our school too, and you're one of us. Unless you want to support someone else?"

Carrie shook her head: "Of course not."

Locke chuckled, looked at Gwen, and asked curiously: "I thought I just needed to tell the student council advisor."

Gwen said: "You need to get support from 150 students to be eligible to join the student council election. However, getting 150 signatures is very simple for us."

"Is that so?"

"Of course."

Kahn chimed in from the side, then stood up from his seat, took the signature sheet Cindy handed over, looked at the bustling cafeteria, and directly blew a whistle.

Instantly.

The cafeteria went quiet, and gazes from all directions fixed straight onto Kahn's table.

Locke's expression remained calm. Then, looking at Carrie, who was sitting with Gwen and seemed a bit unaccustomed to being stared at like this, he gave her a small smile and an encouraging look.

The foundation of a personality might be innate, but changes in personality can be cultivated later.

Carrie was only seventeen; there was still a chance to change her past personality.

In fact, Carrie had already changed. If it were the old Carrie, she would have walked in with her head down and tried her best to be invisible.

Kahn looked around the cafeteria, holding up the signature sheet for everyone to see: "Locke Broughtonis running for student council president. Anyone who wants to sign in support, come over and sign."

Locke's brow twitched.

Hearing Kahn's words, he felt it was a bit too arrogant.

It had a vibe of... 'who agrees, who opposes'.

Would this really work?

Locke had only been at Midtown High for half a year. His daily life was very regular, and his social circle highly overlapped with Gwen's; or rather, Locke's friends were all Gwen's friends.

Because Locke hadn't intended to make friends on his own at all.

But.

Locke seemed to have underestimated himself.

As soon as Kahn finished speaking, cheers instantly erupted from several corners of the cafeteria, followed by the sound of whispered discussions.

"Locke Broughton?"

"That 9th grader who just entered last year, made the list on the first day, and then secured the spot as the number one male deity?"

"He's in 10th grade now."

"Wait, if this Broughton becomes student council president, doesn't that mean we can see him every day?"

"Oh, right."

"Is this the Broughton who went to Maine last year and brought back the trophy for the League High School Chemistry Knowledge Competition?"

"I heard he went on a rampage during the finals."

"One of our intellectual faction?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't this Broughton's girlfriend Gwen?"

"I heard it was love at first sight for them."

"What an enviable relationship. I wish I had that too."

"..."

Locke's six senses had always been good. Hearing the whispers from all around, he suddenly felt that his chances of winning seemed quite large.

The looks faction.

The intellectual faction.

And the romance faction longing for love at first sight.

It felt like he had this in the bag.

In almost less than ten minutes, the signature sheet was already filled with 150 supporters' signatures, and it even far exceeded that number.

A group of signing supporters offered Locke various congratulations, saying that once the campaign badges were out, he had to save one for them.

In these ten minutes, Locke's memory database had gained over two hundred new names of strangers. Some names matched the visual data in the database, while others entered his memory along with their appearances as they approached.

Good heavens.

Where did these people come from?

Locke had thought that by last year, he had already remembered almost all of his 10th-grade classmates.

Gwen looked at the signature sheet back in her hands, then at Locke with a smile: "See, your campaign advantage is huge."

Locke dithered for a moment.

These words weren't very auspicious.

Usually, when someone says 'the advantage is with me' right at the start of a battle, they often end up losing in some muddled way.

Locke thought to himself.

After putting the signature sheet away, Gwen said: "It's February now, and the election is in April. We still have two months, but we're actually behind."

Cindy, who had left while the students were lining up to sign, returned and sat down: "I've checked it out. There are two people participating in the student council president election this time."

Kem looked at Cindy: "How did you find out?"

Cindy said: "I'm the president of the Midtown High Sorority. I just had to ask around."

Only then did Kem remember that Cindy had the reputation of being a'strong' student. She looked at Locke with a serious face: "You should kick Cindy out of your campaign team. That way, you can win the votes of the 'weak' students."

Locke raised an eyebrow.

Cindy immediately became unhappy: "Hey, the Sorority is a mutual-aid club. At most, we just play pranks, and our pranks are all harmless."

"Kem, don't interrupt."

"Alright."

Gwen shook her head somewhat speechlessly and looked at Cindy: "Okay, Cindy, who are those two people?"

Cindy gave Kem a hard glare, wondering if she should find a way to tease her, and then said to Gwen: "One is our school's Football Team quarterback, Sam Malik, and the other is the student council vice president, Nina Bell, who wants to run for president this time."

Gwen pondered for a moment.

Carrie, seeing this from the side, asked curiously: "Do these two have as much support as Locke?"

Gwen shook her head and glanced at Carrie: "Sam Malik was the school's number one male deity before Locke arrived. Moreover, in his first semester, he led our school's Football Team to the league finals. As for Nina Bell, she's gone from activity assistant all the way to successfully being elected vice president last year."

Cindy explained from the side: "It's not a question of whether they're strong or not, but rather, if Locke wants to run, his progress is a bit behind."

Although the election was two months away, campaign posters and banners would likely be put up by next week.

Gwen glanced at Locke, then at Cindy and Kem with a serious expression: "We need to catch up. Don't worry about school honors. As long as Locke runs, there are about a dozen high school league Knowledge Competitions combined in these most intensive two months. With Locke and me, the trophy for this year's High School Comprehensive Knowledge League Competition will definitely be ours."

Chapter 175: The Competitor with Maxed BUFFs

Soon.

Gwen immediately arranged everything needed for the campaign, including badges, posters, and banners.

Kahn went to find a manufacturer who could rush the badge printing.

Cindy's Sorority already liked organizing various events, so they had resources for posters and banners.

Furthermore... Gwen even brought in Betty from the Radio Station.

Betty nodded and looked at Locke: "Of course there's no problem. I'll arrange for students to write the scripts."

As she spoke.

Betty looked at Gwen: "How about arranging for Locke to accept an interview from the Campus TV Station? We can do a direct follow-up interview; we already have all the material. At most, we'll just film some behind-the-scenes footage during the two months of the competition."

Gwen nodded: "Of course."

Locke stood nearby, watching Gwen—who was decisive, completely transformed into his Campaign Manager, and had everything clearly arranged for him—open his mouth.

He had a strange feeling.

It seemed that Gwen was even more enthusiastic than he was about his campaign for Student Management Committee President.

The Good Wife?

Locke blinked.

Almost before lunch break was over, the news that Locke intended to run for student council presidentthis year spread like wildfire. His popularity, deeper than Locke had imagined, overshadowed the opening day of school and instantly topped today's trending topics list.

Half an hour later.

Sam Malik, the Captain of the Eleventh Grade Football Team, and the dark-skinned Nina Bell also learned that a third player had entered the game for the presidential seat.

Moreover.

He was also the handsomest player in history, and one who was cheating.

In the afternoon, after the School Board of Directors learned that Locke intended to run for student council president, they immediately contacted Locke's Campaign Manager.

"What did you say?"

Locke looked at Gwen, feeling quite surprised: "They provided us with Sponsorship Funding?"

Gwen nodded: "And it's the most ever—a full ten thousand in Dedicated Campaign Funds."

That was unprecedented.

In the past, the Campus Board of Directors would personally step in to provide funding for candidates they favored, but it was usually only three or four thousand. If that wasn't enough, you had to pay out of your own pocket.

It was still the same saying.

Campaigning is essentially a money-burning activity; it's just that the student council presidentcampaign doesn't burn money on the same scale as a President campaign.

Gwen nodded and said, "It seems the Board of Directors is full of confidence in you, so they just maxed out the campaign fund limit."

Since it was a campus election, turning it into a money-burning war would be too blatant. Therefore, the funding for every presidential election was capped at ten thousand U.S. Dollars.

If the limit was exceeded, even a successful candidate could be challenged, and if an audit found the funds were over the limit, they could be impeached and removed.

Gwen said: "Furthermore, we don't need to bother with opening an account or anything—the campaign fund account has already been set up. As long as we bring back the twelve trophies from the College League Comprehensive Knowledge Competition within these two months, the School Board of Directors will cover all expenses."

Nobody hated it more than the School Board of Directors when the Student Committee Presidentwasn't an academically inclined student.

Unfortunately... previous academically inclined candidates had enough knowledge, but they were too weak in other areas. Before they even got to the campaign speech, their support rate plummeted below freezing point.

Right now?

The turning point has finally arrived.

Locke Broughton, born in Texas, although he hasn't participated in any sports or clubs at school, holds the title and Certificate of Honor as a Young Generation Cowboy of Texas.

As for knowledge, there's no need to mention it. Last year, immediately after transferring to Midtown High School, he went to Maine on behalf of the school and brought back the trophy from the National College Chemistry League Competition.

As for looks, needless to say, on the first day of enrollment, he made it onto the God List, and then, at a record-breaking speed, defeated Quarterback Sam Malik to top the list as Midtown High School's Number One God.

Facts prove that if you are handsome enough, even the most popular Quarterback is hard to match.

Therefore, if the School Board Members weren't concerned about their status, they would probably be raising a toast to celebrate.

This is a sure thing.

He has sports, knowledge, and looks. Frankly, even the School Board Members believe that if Locke were to run for a Council Election, they probably couldn't find a reason for him to lose.

A School Board Member clicked his tongue: "If only his skin tone were a little darker."

The other School Board Members were slightly stunned and quickly pulled back a School Board Member from Texas who made his fortune in Oil: "Calm down, calm down!"

That Texas School Board Member roared: "Damn it, slightly darker skin? Do you think our highest and most supreme Cowboy honor in Texas would be awarded to a slav— Wuwu!"

"Be cautious."

"Calm down!"

"We are not discriminatory."

The other School Board Members shut the doors, closed the windows, and covered their colleague's mouth, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads. Fortunately, there were no dark-skinned members among them; otherwise, things would have been terrible.

Speaking of skin color.

Gwen also brought up the matter to Locke: "Sam Malik only led the Football Team to the finals, and it's only his first year. As long as he doesn't win the championship, the threat isn't great. However, this Nina Bell is actually quite a significant threat to you."

Locke looked at the documents Gwen pulled out of her backpack: "Did you go find George?"

Was that necessary?

It's just a campus election, and we're already resorting to Outside Maneuvers.

Locke shook his head: "There's no need to look for George."

If he couldn't even win a campus election, who knew if George would think Locke was incompetent.

Moreover, even if he won, George would probably gloat that it was thanks to the information he provided.

Gwen blinked: "What George? I got this from the Archives. I photocopied it. The Archives have a copy of all student files."

Locke smiled: "Is that so?"

He took the documents.

Locke flipped through them.

After a while.

Locke raised an eyebrow and looked at Gwen: "You said she has a Girlfriend?"

Gwen nodded.

Alright.

This is a Tough Opponent.

And she's a Tough Opponent with maxed BUFFs.

Nina Bell is female, dark-skinned, and not a Federal citizen. Six years ago, she entered the Federationwith her parents as a refugee, residing in the dark-skinned community in Queens.

Then... she participated in Anti-Discrimination Marches in '02 and '03 with her parents. While at school, she joined the Vegetarian Club and the Small Animal Protection Club. Furthermore, during her tenure as Student Council Vice President, she made all disposable tableware disappear from the campus cafeteria, citing that disposable tableware was not environmentally friendly.

What The? fuck!

What The hell is this?

Female gender.

Likes females.

Dark-skinned refugee.

Vegetarian.

Small Animal Protector.

Environmental Advocate.

If we added that she had Depression due to a childhood Sex Change, then she would definitely have maxed out her BUFFs.

Locke looked up at Gwen: "So, this is what you meant by 'a little bit difficult'?"

Is this just a little bit difficult?

This is a billion points of difficulty.

Locke originally thought he was holding three bombs and even had the referee personally entering the field.

What's the result?

This Nina Bell is holding a string of Royal Bombs.

How do we play this?

How about... making her disappear?

Locke narrowed his eyes. He couldn't possibly break the luck of his own Invincible Golden Body. Once broken, the consequences would be endless. If he hadn't known about this before running, he would have hesitated about participating.

Right now?

Locke considered it and thought it might be better to make her disappear quickly, use outside moves directly, or break her legs and have her lie in the hospital.

Otherwise... Gwen looked at Locke: "Are you scared?"

Locke returned to his senses and looked at Gwen: "Scared? How is that possible?"

Gwen smiled: "Then that's fine. We also have advantages. At the very least, the School Newspaper, the Radio Station, and the Campus TV Station are all ours. The advantage is with us."

Locke was silent for a moment: "Can we stop saying the advantage is with us?"

Hearing those words now sounded more and more like Planting A Flag (jinxing oneself).

"That's not like you."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm."

Gwen nodded, her eyes seeming to sparkle: "The Locke I know is the one who wasn't scared at all on the poseidon, protected me, and could even fight sharks in the sea."

Locke smiled.

That's because he has a chea— Wait.

I have a Cheat!

Locke raised an eyebrow. Those who block my path shall die.

So what if her BUFFs are maxed out?

If I, a cheater, lose, then I might as well find a piece of tofu to smash my head against and die.

"Alright."

Locke laughed heartily, looked at Gwen, and nodded seriously: "Yes, the advantage is with us."

So what if this Nina Bell has maxed BUFFs?

It's '05, not '15.

Gwen leaned in and kissed Locke, putting the documents back into her backpack. After all, she had quietly obtained them through connections and couldn't let others discover them: "Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"Cindy has a sister, and that sister's older sister's boyfriend is a Photographer for many celebrities in Hollywood. He happens to be vacationing in New York, so we're going to take some photos for future promotional use."

"..."

Cindy's sister, her sister's older sister's boyfriend?

That connection... After Gwen finished speaking, she smiled and said, "See, the advantage is on our side."

Can a regular high school campaign Photographer get a Photographer for many Hollywood celebrities to help out?

Impossible.

Half an hour later.

Gwen rushed home, opening the door: "Mom, is the Dress I wore last time clean?"

Helen, who was in the kitchen, said: "In your roo—"

Before she finished speaking, Gwen said thank you and quickly ran upstairs.

After a while.

Gwen came downstairs carrying a bag and said to Helen in the kitchen and George in the living room: "Locke and I are going to take photos. I'll be back later."

"Pfft!"

In the living room, George immediately spat out a mouthful of water.

Helen also walked out of the kitchen.

George stood up, pretending he hadn't heard, and looked at Helen: "What did Gwen say she was going to do? Take photos? With Locke? Take what kind of photos??"

Damn it.

Where is my Gun.

Where is the Gun I bought some time ago, the one I was planning to take Hunting this weekend?

The Prey is here.

Where is my Gun?

...Recommendation!

Monthly Pass!

Begging!!!!

Ying Ying Ying!!!

Chapter 176: This Wave is a Guaranteed Win

At this moment.

George was bursting with killing intent.

Although Gwen had explained to a curious Helen after returning from the photoshoot that they were taking campaign photos, Helen, still worried about her excellent future son-in-law, made George call Locke right under her watchful eyes.

Canceling this week's... no.

Canceling the hunting trips for these next two months.

Locke felt a bit suspicious about this.

Under Helen's gaze, George laughed heartily and told Locke, against his own will, that these two months were for his campaign, so he should participate well in the competition and take the President's seat in one fell swoop.

Locke was somewhat moved after hearing this.

Even though Locke could still hear the insincerity in George's slightly stiff words.

But it didn't matter.

Locke still felt a trace of warmth.

Especially when Helen followed up with a text message of support and encouragement; after reading it, Locke's heart warmed even more, feeling that he truly had the advantage.

Isn't it just the Student Council President?

Take it.

He might not be able to be the President yet, but in the future, when his power is sufficient, a mere President, haha.

While the President is a matter for the future, the President is a matter for the present.

If I can't even take the President position, how could I ever take the Presidency?

This wave is a guaranteed win!

In my dictionary, there is only victory!

Ding!]

Mission starting!]

Mission: "I am the President!"]

Base Mission Reward: "achievement points*1W", "potential points*1W", "1x 90% off Treasure Refresh Voucher (Guaranteed to refresh a 90% off treasure)"]

Mission Bonus Reward Mode: Knowledge Competition*12. For every trophy won, the reward doubles; completing the final election can stack up to a maximum of twenty times!]

Mission Description: "You are the electricity, you are the light, you are the only myth. Perhaps you can use your talent for managing the Student Council to accumulate experience for managing your future forces."]

Mission Note: "I told you to come to New York when you were five, but you didn't believe me. If you had, your divinity would probably have been accumulated by now. Good luck, President Locke!"]

With a thought.

Missions and rewards followed like a Shadow, turning into fuel that ignited his motivation.

Locke looked at the words in the mission note, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Come to New York at five?

Heh.

I probably wouldn't even know how I died.

Before he successfully accumulated the first batch of achievement points and potential points to light up the Tenacity talent, Locke was truly developing in a low-key manner.

But... the base reward is ten thousand.

With a maximum of twenty times the bonus.

That would be two hundred thousand achievement points and potential points.

Not bad.

Light blossomed in Locke's eyes.

Three times seven is twenty-one, rounding up, this wave is probably the easiest big win.

"System!"

"Add points."

Locke stood on the balcony, looked down at the bourbon in his glass, downed it in one go, and turned back toward the house: "This time, I'm going to crush them!"

He had a cheat.

Whatever he wanted, he could get.

If others wouldn't give it to him, he would take it himself!

March 12th.

The National High School Comprehensive Knowledge Competition officially kicked off. On this day, staff from the National High School Committee headed to various states and schools to conduct the preliminary rounds directly.

This comprehensive competition wasn't something just any high school could participate in.

Some high schools were completely unqualified.

For example, those high schools focused on "happy education"; this kind of brain-taxing competition wasn't suitable for them. To be more specific, like a certain public high school in Queens known as the New York Prison Annex High School.

It's undeniable that there are top students in "happy education" schools too.

But... it's impossible for these people to stay there for long. If they enroll this year, they'll be scouted by quality high schools by next year, and then receive all sorts of free invitations to join those schools.

Simply put.

If quality high schools are like coliseums, then happy high schools are genuine breeding grounds for chaos.

Some high schools aren't qualified to participate.

Similarly.

Some high schools don't need to participate in these initial preliminaries.

Like Midtown High School.

Last semester, Midtown High School won seven trophies. So this year, as the defending champions, Midtown High School only needs to sit at home and wait for the winners to come and challenge them.

But this didn't mean Locke had it easy.

Starting from the second day of the competition, Midtown High School gradually received the exam questions for the twelve preliminary categories, and then the teacher committee began to create targeted questions.

Locke felt like he was losing out.

For a whole month, thirty straight days, three sets of comprehensive exam papers a day.

Goodfellas.

This loss was more than just a little bit.

Fortunately.

After Locke's strong arguments, the system chose not to embezzle the rewards he had earned and issued his base rewards—a total of 4.5W achievement points and 4.5W potential points.

During this time, Locke had to endure the pain of spending points to buy several bottles of full-priced Stamina Potions. He would drink one himself and secretly drop another into the drinks of Gwen, Cindy, Kahn, and Matt.

Otherwise... Locke would probably be fine, but Gwen, Cindy, and Matt would likely not have been able to keep up.

It couldn't be helped.

On the first day the league started, during an interview with Betty, Locke made a bold claim to take twelve trophies and use them to enter the Student Council.

And so.

That's how Matt joined his competition team.

Matt's full name was Matt Russell.

He was also one of the six transfer students this year, originally from a rural high school in neighboring New Jersey, and was scouted this year.

Of the six transfer students, besides Carrie and the two sisters who hadn't shown up yet, the remaining two were like Matt, from New Jersey.

Of the other two, one was named Steve Jordan. Like his surname, he was part of the basketball team in New Jersey. With the leadership change this year, the position of basketball team Captain might become vacant, so he was scouted.

After all, Midtown High School is a quality school that emphasizes both knowledge and interests.

The other one was named Andrew Dane.

Uh... this Andrew was part of Midtown High School's welfare program.

Simply put.

As a high school with a great reputation, Midtown High School issues invitation letters to students from difficult backgrounds who don't have any outstanding performance, inviting them to study at Midtown.

Of course.

These kinds of students need to cooperate with the school's publicity. After all, their tuition is basically free, and nothing ever falls from the sky for free.

By April 2nd.

This month-long training finally came to an end because the winners from outside had been decided, and they were also from New York.

But... it wasn't Trinity High School, which everyone thought was the only one capable of competing with Midtown High School.

Instead, it was... "Brooklyn?"

"What?"

"How is that possible?"

"How could Holy Trinity lose to Brooklyn?"

"Right."

Gwen and the others had expressions of disbelief after seeing the results. After all, New York's Trinity High School was not only a Wall Street elite private school and the number one elite school in New York, but it also ranked above Midtown High School in the national high school rankings.

Yet Brooklyn, which could only rank fifth in New York and fifty-fifth nationally, actually defeated Midtown High School?

The most incredible part.

It was freaking twelve to zero.

This wasn't just a Carnage.

This was an act of extermination.

"On what grounds?"

"Could it be because this year is the 85th anniversary of Captain America's birth?"

"What?"

"Brooklyn is Captain America Steve Rogers' alma mater. It's said that for the Captain's memorial event this July, Brooklyn is planning something big. Could it be because of this that they directly rigged the results?"

"Surely not."

They looked at each other.

As the alma mater of Captain America, Brooklyn still shares the revenue from various Captain Americamerchandise and works with the Military, making a fortune.

While they were speculating, the advisor Madam Cort walked in and said, "Stop guessing. The Holy Trinity contestants went to an Indian restaurant the day before the competition. It's said they had an authentic Indian feast, and as a result, on the day of the competition, all five went straight to the hospital. So, the judging panel declared Brooklyn the winner."

"What?"

"Food poisoning?"

"The whole group went to the hospital?"

"..."

Their mouths hung open.

Locke also looked at Madam Cort somewhat speechlessly: "By the way, the food they ate... it wasn't made with Ganges water, was it?"

There are many Indian restaurants in New York.

But... Locke never dared to go to one.

He had the misfortune of going once in his past life. As a result, what was supposed to be a five-day trip turned into a one-room tour; he had diarrhea to the point of questioning his life, and he almost even missed his flight back.

Locke was just complaining.

But Madam Cort was slightly taken aback: "How did you know?"

Locke's mouth fell open.

Madam Cort said speechlessly, "Holy Trinity immediately called the police after their persuasion failed and had that restaurant shut down. They seized five large barrels of smuggled Ganges water from inside. Holy Trinity has plenty of resources, and the test results came out shortly after. Tsk tsk, I heard those five contestants have already been scheduled for gastric lavage."

They looked at each other.

Madam Cort shook her head: "To avoid such a situation happening to you, for these three days until the day of the competition, your meals will be provided by the nutrition cafeteria. Holy Trinity's principal and board of directors are absolutely fuming."

After all, when Locke represented Midtown High School and made his bold claim to dominate the league with twelve trophies, Holy Trinity had also fired back with ridicule, saying that Midtown wouldn't even be left with two trophies, let alone twelve.

In the end... Holy Trinity was directly eliminated due to such a ridiculous incident, and the quiet Brooklyn swooped in and snatched the prize.

"Here, these are the profiles of the Brooklyn contestants this year."

Madam Cort handed the profiles to Locke and said seriously, "Don't underestimate Brooklyn. This time, their strength is not to be taken lightly."