Cosmic Demon

Chapter 4 Sports School, Precipitation
The Old Factory Street covers a large area.

To the east are a large number of abandoned and dilapidated factories, and to the west is a bustling residential area.

Going south, you will see a large number of markets selling auto repairs and goods, with all kinds of people mixed together and it is the most chaotic.

Qin Shi went out, turned left, went to the "Xinxin Store" next door, bought two packs of cigarettes, and put them in his pocket.

Then head north.

On the not-so-wide path, the signs of restaurants, hotels and hair salons are bright red and green, and from time to time a few vehicles called "electric donkeys" pass by quickly.

"No wonder everyone wants to get into the urban area. There aren't even a few decent schools in Old Factory Street. What will happen to the children of workers in the future?"

Qin Shi stood under the shade of a tree beside the road covered with flying yellow soil.

There was only a simple school sign hanging on the gate, which was not very tall and majestic.

The gold paint is mottled, showing the vicissitudes of life.

Just like the old city's former glory which is long gone and has been taken away by time.

"In a few years, I'm afraid the signs of the children's schools will be banned."

He rubbed his young face, showing his usual well-behaved smile, and approached the guard booth.

"Uncle, I used to be a student at No. 11 Middle School. I'm looking for Teacher Liang."

The storytelling on the radio in the guard booth suddenly stopped, and the old man wearing reading glasses looked up.

This little kid looks unfamiliar.

But he looks like a good, obedient and sensible child!

"No. 11 Middle School? This is No. 9 Middle School for Children."

The old man felt strange.

No. 11 Middle School accepts junior high school students, and No. 9 Middle School accepts high school students.

Both schools are titled as children's schools so that children of local employees can complete compulsory education.

But the campuses are not in the same place.

Qin Shi smiled shyly:

"Mr. Liang taught me for a while. It's summer vacation now, so I thought I'd come over to see him. Is his stiff legs and feet problem getting better every time it rains?"

These are the details I specifically got from Uncle Zhou.

"He is still the same as always. He likes to have a drink after get off work. When he gets sick, he just puts on a plaster and is done with it. He refuses to go to a big hospital. How can he get better?"

When the security guard heard this, his last bit of vigilance disappeared and turned into approval:
“It’s hard to believe that there are still students who know how to be grateful. In recent years, no one who has graduated from the children’s school is willing to come back, let alone visit their teachers.

Little kid, during the summer vacation, the school is not open to the public. Some teachers use the venue to hold classes, so don’t make any noise…”

Qin Shi nodded and took out a pack of hard-shell "Limin Cigarettes" from his right trouser pocket:
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Master."

"Hey, why are you being so polite! You don't smoke, do you? You're too young to touch it!"

The old man took the cigarettes and gave some instructions.

"No, the teachers at Xinyi Middle School are very strict. Besides, underage smoking affects the vitality of the body."

Qin Shi waved his hands repeatedly, acting like a good student.

After saying goodbye to the old man, he walked quickly forward and looked carefully at this No. 9 Middle School.

Maybe it was because it was summer vacation, it was quiet inside, with only the shrill chirping of cicadas.

The doors and windows of the red brick and black tile teaching building were closed. It was not until we walked to the playground at the back that we heard some movement.

"Practice well for me!"

"Stand still! Don't shake your body!"

"Start counting from now on, and keep it for twenty minutes! Anyone who does not do it correctly will have to practice for an extra five minutes..."

The rough voice with full energy echoed in the empty playground.

Qin Shi looked inside and saw about seven or eight shirtless high school students sweating profusely while doing physical training.

They practiced basic fighting moves, such as holding the stance, punching, and stepping.

Then they were led by a middle-aged man in a military green short-sleeved shirt to pose one by one and stand still.

"With temperatures over 30 degrees and such intense sunlight, your skin will peel off."

Qin Shi was thinking when he suddenly felt someone was staring at him.

He tilted his head and went forward.

hiss!
Qin Shi suddenly gasped, and the hairs on his arms stood on end, as if he had been hit by static electricity!
"Hey, which class are you from?"

The middle-aged man frowned and asked in a loud voice.

"Teacher Liang, I'm from Baogong Street, West Second Road. I used to study at No. 11 Middle School. Uncle Zhou introduced me here."

Qin Shi trotted over and introduced himself quickly, fearing that he would be hit half to death by a "日"-shaped punch.

Mr. Liang looks like a small man of medium build, not as strong and powerful as the coaches at Yinma Gym.

But the sense of oppression it brings to people is no less than that, or even stronger.

"Your sister's name is Qin Xiao, right? She attended No. 9 Middle School for a year, as I remember."

When Qin Shi got closer, he found that the physical education teacher named Liang was not as ferocious as rumored, but rather an ordinary person.

He has a flat head with a few white hairs, bronze skin, and a scruffy beard that he hasn't shaved for many days. He doesn't care about his appearance very much.

If you throw ten bricks at such men in Jiuchang Street, seven or eight of them will be hit.

"The real person never reveals his true identity."

Qin Shi did not dare to despise it.

The top gold medal coaches at the Silver Horse Gym where he worked had vitality development levels of around fifteen to nineteen points.

Probably amateur level 8th dan.

If this teacher Liang really participated in the Star Cup, and worked his way up from the Tai'an Education Committee to a regular employee, at least he should have more than 35 points of vitality. You know, the minimum registration threshold for the Star Cup is amateur 7th dan.

"Lao Zhou? The guy in the billiard hall. He's my drinking buddy."

Teacher Liang thought for a moment, barely remembered this person, and softened his tone:

"Are you still studying?"

"I didn't drop out of school. I was admitted to Xinyi Middle School."

Teacher Liang's eyes flickered, and his expression was strange:
"You can go to a good school in Tai'an Metropolitan Area, why do you come to Jiuchang Street No. 9 Middle School? Do you know that No. 9 Middle School is almost unable to operate? These days, there are few students and few people willing to study.

The Education Committee and school leaders have already agreed to change it into a sports school.”

This is no secret.

Qin Shi heard about it a long time ago.

He looked sincere:
"Uncle Zhou said you are very capable. I want to learn from Teacher Liang and settle down."

Teacher Liang suddenly sneered:

"You want to improve your vitality and take the dan exam, right? There are so many training halls and gyms in the urban area, why bother going far away?"

Qin Shi was still sincere:

“My family can’t afford that kind of money.”

Teacher Liang looked carefully at the young man in front of him. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and trousers that had turned bleached from washing, and a pair of no-name running shoes that looked like they were bought at a street stall.

Putting aside the "clean and refreshing" appearance label, it is indeed the outfit of an ordinary student in Jiuchang Street.

"My fees here are not cheap. Besides, you are not a student of No. 9 Middle School..."

Teacher Liang paused, took the initiative to walk under the shade of the tree, raised his hand and pointed at the high school students who were exposed to the scorching sun:
"Do you know why they attend my cram school?"

Qin Shi shook his head. It was summer vacation now, and most of the children of employees in Jiuchang Street would choose to go out to work.

Activities like summer camps, outdoor trips, or special skill training classes are arranged by wealthy families in the Tai'an metropolitan area.

"These students don't plan to continue their studies. Their vitality is between six and seven points. If they follow my training and raise their vitality to ten points, they can go to work in the mines."

Teacher Liang's tone was very stiff, and his face was tense:

“The development of the vitality of high school textbooks requires a gradual and orderly process that is beneficial rather than harmful, so the effect is slow to show.

What I teach is to tap into potential by destroying the body, and the results are achieved quickly.

I can hold on when I'm young, but once I'm over 40, I age rapidly and get injured a lot."

Qin Shi was silent. He liked reading books and had some knowledge of Dongxia history.

In the era of the great pioneering movement, every new administrative star that was incorporated into the territory would undergo several rounds of vigorous development.

The industry with the greatest demand for jobs is mining.

In the early years, there was lax management and widespread mining.

There are no conditions for being a miner, even women, children, the elderly and the weak are accepted.

Due to the harsh environment underground in the mine, and the accompanying dangers such as high heat radiation, mutated viruses, etc.

If your vitality is below ten points, you can only last for three to five years at most and it is difficult to survive.

This situation did not improve until the fifth millennium, at the beginning of the Dongxia new calendar.

The Mining Bureau was reorganized and a clear decree was issued that Dongxia citizens whose vitality was less than ten points and who had not completed nine years of compulsory education were not allowed to engage in mining work.

However, the phenomenon of recruiting child laborers and underage school dropouts is still common in the administrative new stars located in the border areas.

"Go back. Since you were admitted to Xinyi Middle School in the metropolitan area, your grades must be good.

Most of my students have parents who are no longer around, and were raised by their elders. They can’t continue their studies, so they have no choice but to take this path to make a living.”

Teacher Liang sighed:
"You don't need to ruin your body just for a few extra points in the dan exam. The vitality you increase through this extreme method is like a gambling debt that you have to pay back in the end."

Qin Shi raised his head and looked at the physical education teacher of No. 9 Middle School:

"I still want to try, Mr. Liang."

Doesn't this kid understand what I'm saying?
Teacher Liang was stunned, then frowned and looked over.

Qin Shi did not dodge, his eyes were calm and determined.

He also has no choice.

From bravely venturing into northern Myanmar amidst hail of bullets in the previous life, to now facing the difficult situation of being unemployed after graduation and possibly becoming a consumable item like a beast of burden.

How can you get out of the quagmire if you don't work hard to climb?
The children of workers in Jiuchang Street are eager to take up even the high-risk jobs in the mines.

I spent all my family savings to go to a second- or third-rate school. How good will things be after I graduate?

Without connections and talent, isn't it just possible to rely on hard work?
Qin Shi clenched his fists, determined to improve his vitality and complete the dan examination before the end of summer vacation.

You have other options in your life!

"Why bother."

Teacher Liang was helpless. Looking at Qin Shi, who stood straight and showed no intention of retreating, he said unhappily:
“For Lao Zhou’s sake, okay, if you want to learn, I’ll accept you.

Do you have money with you? Let me be frank with you, the tuition fee is NT$4,000 per month, no credit is accepted!"

Qin Shi nodded:
"Wait a moment, Mr. Liang, I'm going to the bathroom."

Ok?
Where the hell did you hide the money?
The veins on Teacher Liang's forehead throbbed slightly.

After a moment, Qin Shi held the bundle of brand new banknotes in both hands and handed it over respectfully.

"Forget it, just pay the two hundred yuan first, and follow along for two days. We'll see if you can stick with it.

Besides, if I think you are not capable, I can leave at any time!"

Teacher Liang turned his head away and did not take the hundred-yuan bill, which was considered a huge sum of money for most families in Jiuchang Street.

(End of this chapter)