Chapter 43: Delusions and Reality

Chapter 43: Adolescence and Reality

While Xiong Yan and the others were holding a meeting to discuss and summarize their experiences, in a remote, impoverished mountain village in the far northwest, a weathered middle-aged man with a full beard sat up in bed.

Outside the window, a large, perfectly round moon hung in the sky, its light streaming in. Qu Wu instinctively touched his right hand.

That right hand had once been bitten by a venomous snake during a survival ordeal in the rainforest. With little access to medical care, he had no choice but to amputate it to survive.

It wasn’t that Officer Wang hadn’t tried to save him, nor that he had deliberately abandoned him. The rainforest was filled with deadly dangers—poisonous snakes, venomous spiders, and toxic plants—too many to count.

So Qu Wu had spent a full two weeks playing the role of a legendary hero.

Now, back to reality, he subconsciously checked his right hand, only to realize it was intact, unbitten by any snake.

Under the moonlight, Qu Wu put on his clothes and stepped out into the spacious courtyard. The yard was vast but overgrown with weeds, too large for him to manage alone.

At this moment, Qu Da was not the only one making a choice; all the newcomers across Daxia were contemplating their decisions, repeatedly weighing their options.

Should they report truthfully to the Special Affairs Administration, or should they conceal the truth and see if they might have a protagonist’s destiny?

After all, in novels, protagonists tend to be rebellious and disdainful of organizations and governments.

What if he really was the protagonist?

What if fate had chosen him?

What if?

“My fate is mine to command, not heaven’s! If heaven defies me, I will destroy heaven!”

True strength is born to defy the heavens!

Could he really just report directly and even join, becoming a mere tool of the imperial court?

Grasping a wild blade of grass, Qu Wu picked up his phone and dialed the number Officer Wang had given him: 153...

“Hello, this is the Daxia Special Affairs Administration. You’ve reached temporary operator Wu Bei. Welcome to call,” came the polite greeting.

Qu Wu hesitated but said, “My name is Qu Wu. Officer Wang gave me this number. He said this is the Daxia Administration, the agency responsible for managing supernaturals.”

“Officer Wang? Understood. Are you here to register and report, or do you want to join the Administration?” Wu Bei asked.

“I want to join, but if I leave, what will happen to my students? I probably can’t go. I can only register and report,” Qu Wu replied.

“Could you tell me more about your situation? Maybe we can offer assistance,” Wu Bei said, while Lu Yu handed over some intelligence information temporarily obtained from relevant departments.

Taking the documents, Wu Bei carefully reviewed them and soon gained a rough understanding of Qu Wu’s background.

Qu Wu was utterly surprised that during their brief phone conversation, his dossier was already laid out clearly before Wu Bei.

Although the information was not exhaustive, it totaled about five or six hundred words.

Qu Wu, a native of Guanzhong, was born in June 1990, now thirty-one years old. His father was a retired soldier, and his mother worked as a nurse in a hospital.

He attended a township elementary school at six, the local second middle school at eleven, was admitted to the seventh high school at fourteen, took the college entrance exam at seventeen, and enrolled in the local teachers’ college. At twenty-one, he went to intern in a remote area of the northwest.

After his internship, he stayed on.

And he stayed for ten years.

Reading this, Wu Bei felt a deep respect for Qu Wu.

In some impoverished mountain villages in the far northwest, poverty was truly profound.

The countryside in the north was very different from that in the south.

Wu Bei recalled meeting a classmate from rural Xiaoshan District in Hangzhou during university who claimed to be a farmer. Yet, that “countryside” was filled with villas and modern amenities, barely distinguishable from the city.

Meanwhile, in some northern villages, running water was still a recent luxury.

To volunteer as a teacher in such a poor mountain village for ten consecutive years, regardless of Qu Wu’s original intentions, his commitment was worthy of his title as a teacher.

At that moment, Lu Yu brought a second set of documents — detailed information about Qu Wu’s volunteer teaching.

The school was a small village elementary, with only one class per grade, no kindergarten, just one preschool class. Teachers were severely lacking; the entire school had only five teachers, three of whom were over sixty years old. The youngest was Qu Wu himself.

At this school, Qu Wu taught both Chinese and math and served as the grade head teacher for second and fifth grades.

Seeing this, Wu Bei said proactively, “If you’re worried about your students losing teachers, rest assured. If you join us, we will help solve the school’s problems.”

“We will address the shortage of teachers and improve the school’s facilities. If you are concerned, you can come report earlier and strengthen yourself. Once you become strong enough, none of these will be an issue.”

“Uh, I don’t want empty promises. I just want to know, if I leave with you and go to the Administration, will the children still have classes? Don’t give me bureaucratic answers—just answer that question,” Qu Wu said firmly.

“No problem. Leave the rest to me!” Wu Bei promised.

After a moment, Qu Wu hung up. It was still night. He looked up at the moon, both hopeful and worried.

For ten years, he had stayed here teaching.

To be honest, Qu Wu never considered himself great; he simply believed that as long as he was a teacher, he must fulfill his responsibilities.

Over the years, he had thought about leaving, even secretly bought plenty of civil service exam materials and studied hard. He had even passed a written exam once, but in the end, he couldn’t bear to leave the children.

Qu Wu knew he was the last young teacher assigned to this school in recent years. If he left, the school might close entirely in a few years.

Then, children from wealthy families could travel to distant county towns for schooling, but those without means would have to drop out.

Lost in thought, Qu Wu fell asleep.

When he woke again, the night sky was still dark, but inexplicably, a helicopter hovered overhead.

The loud noise had woken Qu Wu and many nearby villagers, who quietly peered out from behind their windows.

Two people then disembarked from the helicopter.

One wore a military uniform—it was Wu Bei. The other was someone Qu Wu recognized—a prominent city official.

Previously, Qu Wu had only seen such important people from a distance during meetings. Why had they come all the way here?

“Brother Qu Wu, I don’t know you, but you should be familiar with this gentleman... This time, you have to believe me—I’m not lying to you,” Wu Bei said, giving Qu Wu’s shoulder a firm pat.

Shaken, Qu Wu nodded repeatedly, “I don’t doubt anymore. I’m not worth this much effort, not worth such a grand show just to deceive me.”

Inwardly, he thought: If so much effort was just to fool me, then so be it—fate it is!

“Do you have anything else to say? If not, we’ll board the helicopter and get going.”

Hearing this, Qu Wu glanced toward the distant school.

“I’ll write a letter to the students to explain,” he said.

(End of Chapter)