Chapter 13: The King Stands Alone

The classroom was empty, save for Ke Lu sitting alone by the window.

On the desk before her, her phone silently streamed real-time footage of the heated confrontation in the auditorium, captured by hidden cameras Father Su had secretly installed.

Yet her attention seemed more focused on another matter: the Chess pieces, a reward from the System, were spread across the desk as she played against herself.

Resolving problems without personally intervening—that was the ultimate mark of a "King."

After all, the capable individuals around her weren't mere ornaments.

Ding-ding-ding-ding! Miss has arrived!

A crisp, bell-like voice suddenly burst into the room.

Ke Lu's vision blurred momentarily, and Su Rou was already smiling cheerfully beside her desk, rudely dragging over a chair and plopping down.

Excitedly, Su Rou poured a mountain of snacks from her Space Ring, instantly forming a small hill beside the chessboard.

"Hmm, what kind of game is this?" Su Rou asked, a chocolate stick dangling from her mouth as she leaned closer to the board, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Black's only got a Queen and King left? Your cheating is way too obvious! There's no challenge at all."

Ke Lu picked up the lone black king with her fingertips, her voice flat and emotionless. "This king... is Ke Zhan."

She then leisurely retrieved the already captured black pieces from the chessboard: soldiers, knights, bishops, rooks. She arranged them neatly along the edge of the table.

"See?" she said, pointing to the pieces. "The hypnotized students, Ke Jie whose cheating on the College Entrance Examination was exposed, the Principal struggling to save himself, and the criminals who kidnapped Ke Yang... Now, haven't they all been 'taken'?"

Su Rou's gaze swept across the defeated pieces, a flicker of understanding flashing in her eyes. She then pointed to the exquisitely carved queen, her tone thoughtful.

"The queen is the most powerful piece. Who does she represent?"

A faint yet meaningful smile curved Ke Lu's lips as she gently tapped the queen with her fingertip.

"She..."

Just then, Su Rou suddenly furrowed her delicate brows, tilting her head as if listening to some silent transmission.

In the next instant, her eyes widened abruptly as she turned to Ke Lu, her voice dropping to a rapid whisper.

"My father just sent word—the one in the auditorium is just a Clone, an elaborate illusion."

"His true self... he's trying to silence the proctor who conducted our Spirit Power assessment before the exam!"

She paused, a mix of lingering fear and relief flickering across her face.

"Fortunately, we were prepared."

"The proctor is safe now. Thanks to a residual power left by Miss Hysilens, his memories have been restored."

Hearing this, the sardonic curve of Ke Lu's lips deepened.

She extended two fingers, pinched the "Queen" chess piece, and tossed it casually aside.

"Without allies, does this lonely king still have a chance to turn the game around?"

Outside the door, a clone of Hysilens's Martial Uncle quietly slipped away, a satisfied smile on his face. "This little girl has quite an interesting temperament."

He then pulled out his phone and sent a file to Hysilens: "Little Hysilens, the principal of Liaocheng No. 1 High School is an old friend of mine. He can arrange for those two girls to transfer there."

"This will also help them if they later decide to apply to Five Clans University."

-

At that moment, the auditorium was utterly silent, save for the faint hum of the sophisticated instruments in operation.

Under the guidance of their teachers, the students approached the device one by one in orderly succession, submitting to its scanning.

With each scan, a clear, conclusive line of text flashed on the screen, amplified through the public address system, echoing distinctly in the pin-drop silence of the hall:

"Test Sample 001: Evidence of Hypnosis Detected."

"Test Sample 234: Evidence of Hypnosis Detected."

"Test Sample 849: Evidence of Hypnosis Detected."

Without exception!

Each cold, electronic announcement struck the students' hearts like a hammer blow.

Thier expressions shifted from initial skepticism and curiosity to shock, then dread, and finally to uncontrollable rage!

The evidence was irrefutable!

And in A City, who didn't know that the Ke Family's ancestral techniques excelled in manipulating and guiding minds?

The Ke Family controlled A City's largest and most reputable psychological counseling center, high-end psychiatric hospital, and chain of luxury hotels.

Their business empire had already expanded to other cities within the province, each venture renowned for its prestige and influence.

Behind their meteoric rise lay the almost supernatural power of hypnosis.

This ability not only helped people confront their deepest inner turmoil and soothe their raging mental energies, but also provided the coveted deep sleep that countless elites and tycoons craved.

This ability had earned them countless accolades, immense wealth, and invaluable connections.

Yet now, this once revered and feared ability was being openly linked to the vile manipulation of students on stage, its deepest, most sinister nature suddenly exposed.

When connected to the intelligence about Ke Jie's College Entrance Examination cheating, these stacked layers of evidence inevitably sparked unsettling speculation, sending a chill down everyone's spines.

Could the Ke Family have already been using this mind-manipulating ability in far broader domains?

Beyond the College Entrance Examination scandal, what other concealed truths might be lurking beneath the surface?

"Ke Clan Leader! Please address this directly!" "Has the Ke Family's cultivation method been used for illegal purposes from the start?"

"Are the psychological counseling center, psychiatric sanatorium, and hotel industry involved in further illicit dealings?"

"Was Ke Jie's cheating genuine?"

The reporters' relentless barrage of sharp questions, like a dense rain of arrows, instantly overwhelmed the podium, leaving Ke Zhan's face alternating between green and white.

Meanwhile,

Father Su's phone vibrated in his pocket, drawing his attention.

He pulled out his phone and saw a message pop up on the screen:

"The examiner responsible for the pre-exam checks has already given their statement," Father Su said, his eyes flashing as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Send the video."

Almost instantly, the light shifted on the large screen onstage.

"It's the teacher who conducted our pre-exam checks!" the students quickly recognized him.

How is this possible?! Ke Zhan cursed inwardly.

The moment he sensed his scheme might be exposed, he had personally gone to silence the examiner. With his Martial Grandmaster-level strength and the Ke Family's covert resources, tracking down and eliminating a mere examiner from the exam administration center should have been a foolproof, effortless task.

Ke Zhan glanced at Father Su on the stage, sighing inwardly. As expected, none of them are pushovers.

Contacting these sophisticated instruments, alerting the authorities, contacting the Provincial Prosecutor-General, rescuing the examiner—not a single hint of these actions had reached Ke Zhan's ears. They never intended to give me a chance to defend myself.

Ke Zhan mused: If I hadn't always been so cautious, manipulating my father-in-law (the Principal) to handle these matters and never getting my hands dirty, even I would struggle to escape prison now.

Still, it's time to discard the Principal as a pawn. Even for his own daughter's sake, he wouldn't betray Ke Zhan.