In the past, Raiden Mei traveled in luxury.
Being as gracious as she was, she often invited those so-called best friends who constantly swarmed around her to ride in her family's private limousines, whisking them away to various outings. Of course, because she had survived a kidnapping as a child, she was always accompanied by a formidable detail of bodyguards.
Now, all of that was gone.
Although Raiden Ryoma had been arrested and imprisoned, the charges against him hadn't been fully proven yet. Consequently, the government of the Far East hadn't gone so far as to seize the Raiden estate or force the luxury cars in the garage into a legal auction.
The problem was that Raiden Mei didn't know how to drive. Even if she did, her bank accounts were temporarily frozen, leaving her with no spare cash for fuel or maintenance. Naturally, the family's former bodyguards and drivers wouldn't dare stay close to her during such a sensitive period. After all, a certain civil war specialist was watching from the shadows.
As for those so-called best friends... Hmph.
Fortunately, Mei knew how to take the bus to Chiba Academy. With her consciousness providing directions from the side, Ling Ke, inhabiting the body of Raiden Mei, arrived at the prestigious girls' school in Chiba City with ease.
However, the moment he stepped into "his" classroom...
"Tsk, tsk."
It's often said that when a person reaches a certain level of speechlessness, they can't help but laugh.
He looked at the desk—defaced with messy graffiti, textbooks in the drawer soaked in foul-smelling water, and the surface covered in trash and crumpled paper.
"This scene is just too classic!" Ling Ke couldn't help but click his tongue.
As for Raiden Mei herself...
"..."
To be honest, this was the first time she had encountered such a thing. Over the past few days, since her father's arrest, she had heard plenty of cruel words, but this was her first time experiencing physical, material harm. She knew that if she had come to school alone and encountered this, she would have been devastated.
Yet, she could feel a portion of Ling Ke's emotions. That disdain, that sense of total dismissal—as if he were merely watching a clown's clumsy performance.
She thought this Group Leader was truly incredible. She could never achieve such detachment. Because of this, her heavy heart felt surprisingly lighter, and she found herself caring less about these trifles.
In truth, Mei was falling into a bit of a misunderstanding. She didn't realize that Ling Ke was viewing these events from the perspective of a bystander. At most, using his abstract ability, he was simply "logging into the account" to experience it firsthand.
But so what? Ling Ke was going through this with the mindset of a player. The pressure he felt was nowhere near what the real Mei would have endured.
As for how much pressure the actual resident of the body felt... one only had to look at the other personality.
"We really should just slaughter all these dregs!"
The Herrscher of Thunder's consciousness was rioting again. However, she didn't direct her hiss at Ling Ke this time. She had no choice; the system-granted abilities possessed an absolute priority that she couldn't bypass. She couldn't wrestle control of the body away from him.
Even though Ling Ke's arrival had triggered her early awakening, and she wanted nothing more than to initiate the Third Great Eruption and send the whole city to the afterlife... she could do nothing.
As for Ling Ke himself...
"Tsk... maybe I should just let the Herrscher personality go nuclear on these losers."
The impulse was real. When one carries a sharp blade, the urge to use it naturally follows. No wonder his home country banned firearms... well, that was a tangent for another time.
Regardless...
"Stay cool, stay cool. The timing is wrong. Kiana hasn't arrived at Chiba Academy yet. Blowing up too early will cause problems."
Impulsive as he felt, Ling Ke remained rational. Thus, in the guise of Raiden Mei, he stood by the ruined desk and began to survey his surroundings.
Many students had already arrived in the classroom. Most of them were acting like ostriches, burying their heads and pretending it had nothing to do with them. Then there were a select few...
"Pfft."
They were wearing malicious, mocking smirks. Since these girls weren't even trying to hide their involvement, Ling Ke quickly locked onto his targets. He knew these were likely the minor antagonists who had been whispering the most vitriol about Mei lately.
Bullies are all the same: they test your boundaries step by step. If you choose to retreat, they only push further. Clearly, Mei's decision to avoid conflict these past few days had given them the illusion that she was an easy target. Well, to be fair, the Mei of this period was so distraught over her father that she was a bit of a pushover.
But Ling Ke—and the Herrscher of Thunder who would later level this city—didn't know the meaning of the word gentle.
"The mastermind might be Cocolia, that incompetent civil war specialist, but for now..."
Raiden Mei, currently piloted by Ling Ke, smiled. It was an exceptionally "kind" smile.
The next second...
Crash!
With a single hand, he sent the graffiti-covered desk flying.
It was obvious that due to the early awakening of the Herrscher consciousness and the fact that Mei was a natural Stigma-bearer, even a tiny spark of Honkai energy had transformed her physical capabilities. While she didn't possess the legendary monstrous strength of the Kaslana bloodline, she was already far beyond a normal human.
With that one move...
"Ah!"
Following three sharp gasps was a chorus of agonizing wails. Three girls who had been sitting together and snickering were pinned to the floor by the flying desk.
It was a sudden attack with considerable force. Ling Ke hadn't intentionally aimed for their heads, so it wasn't lethal, but they likely had a few broken ribs.
In an instant...
"!!!"
Raiden Mei, witnessing everything through their shared senses, was utterly stunned.
"Hmph. Passable, I suppose," the Herrscher of Thunder commented, appearing to be in quite a good mood.
Looking around the room...
"You... you...!"
Aside from the three girls currently roleplaying as human shrimp on the floor, the rest of the class could no longer ignore the situation.
"What gives you the right to hit people!" a self-righteous hypocrite shouted, sounding rightfully indignant.
Raiden Mei maintained her elegant smile. She walked straight up to the girl, and then...
Slap!
A backhanded swing connected. The force was so great that it snapped the girl's head to the side, sending her crashing into a nearby desk. Her body bounced off the surface with a dull thud before she slid down to the floor. If she hadn't instinctively used her arm as a buffer when hitting the desk, she might have been permanently sidelined.
Even so, she was completely dazed—both mentally and physically. Her head was ringing.
"I hit her. And?" Raiden Mei asked, still smiling.
At that moment, the three who were initially knocked down...
"You little %￥＃@!..."
"I'm definitely going to %￥￥＃￥@..."
"Just you wait, I'll %￥＃!"
A string of foul insults erupted as adrenaline kicked in, temporarily masking their pain. Having expected to enjoy Mei's humiliation from the safety of their roles as tormentors, the sudden violence had sent them into a hysterical state of psychological shock.
Unfortunately, Ling Ke didn't tolerate such people. Ignoring the curses and the whispers of the other students backing away, Raiden Mei calmly walked to the teacher's podium and picked up a box of chalk.
Crackle, crackle.
She took out a few pieces and crushed them effortlessly. She walked back to the three screaming girls.
Starting with the first one...
"Mmph—!"
Using her superior physical strength, Raiden Mei pinched the jaw of the loudest curser, forcing her mouth open. Then...
Scatter.
The crushed chalk dust fell directly into the girl's mouth. It wasn't a lethal amount; Ling Ke didn't actually want to commit murder yet. Most of the dust coated the girl's face before spilling onto the floor.
Nevertheless, the act was enough to terrify everyone present. The deterrent effect was undeniable. The other two, realizing their turn was coming, immediately fell silent.
"You all seemed to be laughing quite happily just a moment ago."
Raiden Mei narrowed her eyes. "Laugh! Why aren't you laughing anymore?"
"Are you just not the smiling type?"
The three girls were speechless. Or rather, they were too terrified to speak. Just then...
"What's going on here? What is this?"
A shout came from the classroom doorway. "Who made this mess?"