The First Student Uprising

Since the discovery that student cards could be stolen and used, the number of transmigrators had been decreasing at a visible rate.

It wasn't that they were all dead, though some certainly were; more often, they simply vanished.

Kept in hidden corners under the control of others, they remained alive, but their student cards were no longer in their possession.

Those cards sat in the pockets of others, swiped daily for food, lodging, and medical treatment. Once the balance ran low, the owners were forced to take exams or take out loans.

The points from those loans were drained instantly. Once they could no longer borrow points and their bodies had been mangled beyond recognition, they were dumped on the playground to wait for death, having lost all value.

Small groups sprouted up like mushrooms throughout the school.

Groups of three to five, or squads of seven to eight, specifically targeted transmigrators who were alone or weaker.

They would first gang up on them and cripple them, then tie them up. Once they had the cards, they wouldn't drain them all at once; instead, they took a sustainable approach.

They swiped a little every day, keeping the owners alive to take exams and loans, much like raising livestock.

Some had even summarized their 'farming' experiences: which transmigrators were good at exams and could be kept longer; which ones recovered quickly and could be mangled more often; and which ones had higher loan limits and could be drained for more rounds.

There were still those interested in Yue Shi's secrets, but no one dared to harass him.

He was far too dangerous. The bloody massacre at the dormitory entrance that night still left many people trembling with fear.

Some would take a detour the moment they saw him from a distance, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Yue Shi didn't care about any of this. His daily life was very simple: library, cafeteria, dormitory—a simple routine of moving between three points, like a student truly dedicated to his studies without any social life.

But he also noticed one thing.

In fact, since the very first day they entered the school, some people had been stealing and using others' student cards.

It was just that those people were clever and low-profile; they lived in luxury but never made a sound.

For example, his roommate, Happy Daoist. Yue Shi noticed the Daoist was living quite comfortably, never worrying about food or lodging, and the balance on his student card was substantial.

He never asked where Happy Daoist's balance came from, and Happy Daoist never pried into why he enjoyed special treatment. The two of them were like parallel lines, coexisting without interference.

...

That afternoon, a crowd gathered near the library.

“I think this is incredibly unfair.” A transmigrator wearing overalls and a middle-part hairstyle stood in the center of the crowd, his emotions running high. He clutched his student card in one hand and pointed toward the library entrance with the other.

“We come from different worlds! Our languages, ages, and learning talents are all different. How can we be expected to take the same exams?”

Some in the surroundings nodded, some frowned, and others were lost in thought.

Seeing the response, the transmigrator in overalls raised his voice even louder. “As they say, specialization is key! Among us, some come from cultivation worlds and have spent their whole lives practicing. Others come from magic worlds, learning spells and alchemy. Why should we have to learn all this random, miscellaneous knowledge?”

“Making us take theoretical exams that have absolutely nothing to do with our specialties! This is clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult and prevent us from graduating!”

Voices from the crowd began to chime in. “Exactly! Exactly!”

“I was originally an illiterate who never went to school. I can barely recognize characters. How am I supposed to pass an exam?”

“My head starts hurting the moment I open a book. I can't learn anything.”

Seeing that the atmosphere was ripe, the transmigrator in overalls took a deep breath and spoke in an even more inflammatory tone. “The exams arranged by the school are clearly designed to intentionally target us transmigrators.”

“Furthermore, there are so many bizarre school rules. Entering the library costs points, staying in the dorm costs points, eating costs points—even our sleep is constantly disturbed! This isn't a place for learning; this is a place to exploit us!”

The crowd began to grow restless. Some clenched their fists, some ground their teeth, and some were so furious that steam practically rose from their heads.

The ability of the transmigrator in overalls seemed to be quite unique; he could easily manipulate emotions. Even a True God would be affected, feeling the deepest depths of their anger and resentment surge to the surface.

More and more people were incited, shouting things like 'Unfair!', 'Demand an explanation from the school!', and 'Let's find the school leadership together!'

The air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

“Yes, everyone act together!” The transmigrator in overalls waved his hand forcefully. “Contact other transmigrators, block the exam rooms, and force the school leadership to show themselves!”

“Either they change the school rules, or they lower the exam difficulty!”

“Lower the rules, change the exam difficulty!” others shouted along.

With more and more people's emotions being stirred, they began to chant slogans in unison.

The group surged toward the teaching building in a grand procession. The transmigrator in overalls led the way, his middle-part hairstyle blown into a mess, but his back looking incredibly determined.

At the library entrance, some of the more rational transmigrators remained where they were, watching the departing group with various expressions.

Some shook their heads with a cold sneer, some remained expressionless, and some had a faint, mocking smile playing on their lips.

“Just a bunch of people who can't buckle down and study, trying to get benefits through a riot,” a young man wearing glasses said, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and speaking with an incredibly pretentious air.

A girl in a black hoodie next to him turned her head and looked at him with disdain. “Badmouthing people behind their backs... why are you acting like you're so brilliant?”

“What about you? Aren't you also trying to take advantage?”

“At least the guy in the overalls is brave enough to fight for his own interests. You're just hiding behind them. If they manage to get some benefits, you'll be there to take a share. If they fail and get punished instead, you'll come out completely unscathed.”

“So what?” The young man with glasses rolled his eyes, perfectly composed and not at all embarrassed about being called out.

The crowd at the library entrance continued to dwindle.

Some went back into the library, while others followed the rioters from a distance to see the outcome.

Yue Shi stood by a window on the second floor of the library, looking down at the group below.

The sunlight hit them, casting their shadows long across the ground.

From the direction of the teaching building, faint shouts could be heard as people clamored: “We want to see the principal, or have the Dean of Students come out!”

No one knew where the school leadership was, or if they even existed.

But the group in overalls was determined to make a scene today.

Inside the library, countless figures were buried in their books. They hadn't been incited to join the riot; they were simply reading.

They felt that in this school, the only way out was through the exams; everything else was a waste of time.

Yue Shi withdrew his gaze. His clones were memorizing books, and his main body also opened a volume titled 《World Coordinate Error Correction and Dynamic Adjustment》.

The black lotus mark on his student card was nearly gone. He couldn't afford to waste time; he had to absorb as much knowledge as possible. He would have to take an exam tomorrow to test the waters and observe the difficulty of the papers.