Limited Ambiguity Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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Turan Academy operated on a small class teaching system, with each class consisting of twenty students. Most courses were conducted in small groups, led by teachers. However, larger classes such as general courses were open to students of any major and year level.

This small class system enabled teachers to focus on each student and adjust the teaching pace according to individual needs.

“But you’ll find that every time school starts, few classes have a full twenty students! Some might be missing just a couple, while others experience a downright bloodbath, losing half their students right off the bat!”

Xia Zhiyang exclaimed dramatically, “The teachers at Turan are ruthless! Enrollment may appear lenient, right? Students like me, with mediocre grades, pay the fees and secure admission. And students like you, Qi Yan, who transfer midway, also waltz in after paying. But if you count the number of graduates each year, sometimes a third of them fail to graduate!”

Qi Yan: “What about those who get expelled?”

“They’ll be absorbed by other schools recognized by Leto or the Central Region. But once they’re in Turan, who wants to leave?” Xia Zhiyang walked with Qi Yan towards the academic building. “But it’s not all bad. Those who can graduate from Turan must have some real talent. It’s just that the elimination system is too harsh, and many people can’t handle it.”

As they walked, he remembered something. “By the way, Qi Yan, which class were you assigned to?”

Qi Yan checked the message on his personal terminal. “Artificial Intelligence major, second year, Class 137.”

“137?” Xia Zhiyang’s tone rose, and then a bright smile spread across his baby face. “You’re in the same class as me and Chen Mingxuan!”

He excitedly reached out to pat Qi Yan on the shoulder, but then remembered that Qi Yan seemed to dislike physical contact. He pulled his hand back halfway, still happy. “At the end of last semester, our class lost four people. With you joining, we now have at least seventeen students!”

Qi Yan nodded. “Hmm.”

Lu Fenghan quietly trailed alongside Qi Yan, listening to the conversation between the two, his gaze eventually returning to his employer.

It was evident that Qi Yan naturally had a somewhat aloof personality, with subdued emotional fluctuations. He seemed to have grown up in an environment with limited peer interaction, leaving him somewhat socially awkward and slow to react when interacting with Xia Zhiyang and Chen Mingxuan.

Xia Zhiyang’s carefree attitude overlooked such nuances, while Chen Mingxuan was much more perceptive. Whether in conversation or playing games, he would consciously or unconsciously look out for Qi Yan.

Lu Fenghan made a mental assessment and felt that these two… just about passed the minimum threshold.

The classroom was on the eleventh floor. When Qi Yan arrived, it was still empty, with the holographic projector turned on, its blue light flickering slightly.

Lu Fenghan recognized it. “So, every classroom in your Turan is equipped with a holographic projector?”

Xia Zhiyang: “Absolutely! Some professors hardly ever come to Leto, or even the Central Region. Others are frequent travelers, spending every single day of the year wandering on remote planets in the Kepler and Messier Regions. Since the professors are often absent, classes still need to be conducted, right? Hence,” he pointed, “we rely on holographic projections.”

Lu Fenghan roughly calculated how many classrooms Turan Academy had in total, and then estimated the price of each device—

Ah, truly the Alliance’s Strongest Spendthrift!

He couldn’t help but glance in the direction of the First Military Academy again, thinking— a river divides the rich from the poor, and that’s no exaggeration.

Xia Zhiyang stared at Lu Fenghan for a few seconds before realizing, “Wait, why are you still here? Non-students and staff aren’t allowed to stay at Turan.”

Qi Yan, examining the classroom layout, replied upon hearing this, “I submitted an application for Lu Fenghan to stay with me on campus to ensure my safety, and the principal approved it.”

“Is that so?” Xia Zhiyang was shocked, then immediately thought, “So, if I ever get expelled, can I become your bodyguard and sneak back into Turan to audit classes?”

With arms crossed and chin lifted arrogantly, Lu Fenghan scoffed, “You?”

Xia Zhiyang felt belittled! Yet, meeting Lu Fenghan’s gaze inexplicably made him uneasy, so he changed the subject, “But bringing a bodyguard to school seems unprecedented.”

Qi Yan retrieved the school regulations from his personal terminal and projected them into the air. “According to Chapter XI, Article 98 of the school regulations, in cases of severe threats to student safety, security personnel can be provided within the campus.”

Xia Zhiyang finished reading and pondered, wondering if it was enemies of the Qi family targeting him, or perhaps Qi Yan was guarding against his stepmother, Jiang Yunyue?

Hmm, it was not entirely implausible!

There must be a reason for it, anyway.

At that moment, the classroom door swung open, and a guy in a black jacket entered carrying a portable recording tablet. Seeing Xia Zhiyang, he sneered, “Thought I wouldn’t see you this semester.”

The implication was clear: you haven’t been expelled after all.

Hearing Laurent’s sarcastic remark, Xia Zhiyang immediately rolled his eyes and retorted, “Can’t believe that after one vacation, some people still haven’t learned to speak properly.”

Laurent ignored Xia Zhiyang and turned his gaze to Qi Yan with a sneer. “So, you’re the transfer student who got into Turan by donating a building?”

Placing the recording tablet on the desk with a crisp “snap,” he continued, “Well, make sure you don’t get expelled this semester before it even ends just because your grades are too low.”

Knowing Qi Yan wasn’t good with words, Xia Zhiyang quickly countered, “At least he’s better off than some people whose families can’t even donate a single floor!”

Laurent sneered and turned away to his own seat.

“Don’t be mad. That’s Laurent, always acting superior because of his good grades,” Xia Zhiyang whispered, lowering his voice, “But seriously, did your family really donate a building to Turan? How does he know that, and why is he so certain? The thing is, even I didn’t know!”

Qi Yan shook his head. “No, they didn’t.”

Xia Zhiyang clapped his hands together. “Got it, they didn’t donate a building!”

Just as Qi Yan was about to nod, Xia Zhiyang continued, “They donated two!”

Qi Yan chose to stay silent.

The first day of school didn’t kick off with formal classes right away. As class time approached, the holographic projector emitted a deeper shade of blue light. Soon after, a lifelike “person” materialized on the podium. Save for the slightly lighter color at the edges of the image, the visual effect closely resembled a real person.

The main lecturer, surnamed Fu, aged sixty, exuded a unique gentle demeanor, speaking in a measured, unhurried manner. He first welcomed Qi Yan’s arrival and then began explaining the teaching plan for September, listing the literature to read and experiments to conduct.

The list stretched on endlessly, prompting quiet sighs of despair to ripple through the classroom.

“Though it’s the first day of school, time is of the essence, and we cannot waste any. I’ll be sending a data packet to each of your personal terminals. These data sets are raw and collected without specific objectives. After conducting data mining, submit your final results to me by… this time tomorrow.”

A chorus of groans filled the classroom. Xia Zhiyang slammed his head against the desk, then quickly sat upright, holding his head in his hands with a grimace. “Professor, are we really going to pull an all-nighter on the first day of school? Can’t we have a bit more time?”

Professor Fu enjoyed seeing students sigh in devastation. With a chuckle, he said, “If you can come up with a better processing model, such as upgrading the RN3 model we covered last semester, then you won’t have to stay up tonight.”

Xia Zhiyang: “The point is, can I even come up with one?”

Qi Yan opened his personal terminal and glanced at the data packet, which indeed was large, taking nearly twenty seconds to decompress.

At that moment, he heard Professor Fu call his name, “Qi Yan, can you handle it?”

Qi Yan closed the display interface of the data packet and replied, “No problem.”

Someone in the classroom muttered sarcastically, “Trying to appear confident despite being out of one’s depth.”

Qi Yan turned his head and noticed it was Laurent. When Laurent caught his gaze, he sent him a slow, sly smile.

Definitely not an expression of goodwill.

Qi Yan paid no mind and averted his gaze.

Others in the class were busy asking Professor Fu about upgrading the RN3 model. Qi Yan stared at a point in the air, gradually drifting into a reverie.

His shoelace, tied into a bowknot, moved with the motion of his foot.

After a few minutes, Qi Yan leaned towards Lu Fenghan and whispered, “On the way to school today, did you ask me if I had breakfast?”

Lu Fenghan, lost in thought, shook his head after recalling. “I didn’t. You had three slices of bread for breakfast. Judging by your usual appetite, you wouldn’t be hungry.”

So, it was another fabricated memory.

“Ah, I see.” Qi Yan settled back into his seat, continuing to daydream while mentally distinguishing between what memories were real and what he had fabricated himself.

Lu Fenghan couldn’t help but replay Qi Yan’s question in his mind.

This wasn’t the first time Qi Yan had asked him a similar question.

Since Qi Yan started taking medication, he would occasionally ask him some questions.

Some were things that happened, while others hadn’t. Lu Fenghan remained steadfast in mind, rarely shaken. Qi Yan’s inquiries wouldn’t influence his memories.

He couldn’t help but wonder whether Qi Yan was intentionally asking for a specific purpose or if Qi Yan couldn’t differentiate between what actually happened and what didn’t.

Lu Fenghan turned his head and saw Qi Yan lost in thought, his hand casually resting on the desk, its evenly proportioned knuckles gleaming white like frost. Against the backdrop of the desk, they stood out conspicuously, effortlessly capturing one’s attention.

Lu Fenghan subconsciously twisted his fingers, hoping he was overthinking.

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