Dragon Clan: Avoid the College Entrance Examination to Slay the Dragon

Chapter 31 Lionheart Club and Student Council

"Junior brother! Junior brother! Time to wake up!" Gu Yi struggled to open his eyelids while shaking. Finger's unshaven face was almost touching his nose. He frowned and glanced at his watch, saying hoarsely, "It's only eight o'clock... It's still early for the exam..."

"That's why you need to prepare in advance!" Finkel shook his half-eaten bacon sandwich. "Yesterday we only covered half of the precautions for the 3E exam. You don't want to be like that Indian freshman last year and get carried out in the middle of the exam, do you?"

"Where's senior brother?"

"You mean the cold-faced junior brother? He seems to have gone for morning exercises. He's such a ruthless person. I can't get up that early."

The iron door suddenly made a soft sound, and Chu Zihang, wrapped in the chill of morning dew, pushed it open and walked in. His black sportswear outlined his lean waistline. He silently placed the brown paper bag on the table piled with electronic products, and the steaming heat formed a white mist on the glass window.

"Junior Brother Lengmian is so kind! It's so hard to get a place for the maple croissants here!" Finger grabbed the paper bag like a hungry tiger.

Gu Yi sat up, a few strands of hair on the back of his neck lifted by static electricity. He took the still-warm cup of milk and said, "Good morning, Senior Brother."

"Good morning." Chu Zihang nodded and turned to Finger. "I registered on the Night Watchman Forum. I found out that Norma isn't the academy's secretary. Is she the academy's artificial intelligence?"

"You could call her a caring little secretary," Finkel said, licking the icing off his fingertips. "After all, she handles the global archive of hybrids, the Executive Bureau's operational directives, and can even send make-up exam notices to students who failed their courses. She also analyzed and graded your 3E exam papers. A true super AI!"

Gu Yi gripped the rim of the cup. "That makes sense. Artificial intelligence is absolutely rational."

"So it can eliminate all possibility of cheating." Finkel suddenly became serious, then laughed again, "But if you can crack Norma's firewall, the principal might make an exception and hire you as a technical consultant."

"By the way, Finkel, are you from the student union?"

"I just joined the club last year. The main benefit is so good. The custom hunting knife that Caesar gives to new members is enough to cover my food expenses for half a year! Besides, he is really powerful and a natural leader. The way that guy holds up a bottle of champagne and declares that he will create a new era is indeed more likable than the old antiques of the Lionheart Club." Finkel said vaguely.

Gu Yi twirled his ceramic cup thoughtfully. "Then explain to me what's going on with the Lionheart Club and the Student Union? Are these the only two clubs on campus?"

"Of course there's more! The Kendo Club, the Alchemy Club, and the StarCraft Club are just the most powerful ones, able to even interfere with the formulation of school rules." He lowered his voice as if to reveal something secret, "Then there's the Lionheart Club and the Student Council, that sworn enemy."

"That's strange. Since it's a college, shouldn't the student union be more powerful?" Gu Yi took a bite of a croissant. "Then why did the student union member I met yesterday say they only won Freedom Day once this year?"

"No! No! No." Finkel shook his head. "The Lionheart Society has a longer history than Kassel Academy! And in the early days, the academy wasn't as free as it is now. Back then, it was purely a military academy! It's only become free in the last ten years. The rise of the Student Union is largely due to the shift in the academy's educational policy."

"The Lionheart Society was indeed founded very early." Chu Zihang suddenly turned his phone towards them. The yellowed "Secret Party Yearbook" on the screen displayed the Lionheart Society's original emblem: a thorn-encrusted shield, the mane of a sleeping lion stained dark red. "Look! Cold-faced Junior Brother has even found the evidence," Finkel pointed at the screen. "The Lionheart Society used to be the 'Young Knights' of the Secret Party, a core organization! It only became a club after the school was founded."

Finkel took a sip of water and continued, "The Student Union was established after the school was founded. In its early years, it was just a foil to the Lionheart Society. After all, who would choose a new organization without even a Word Spirit training ground if they could pass the bloodline test at that time? So when the principal changed the educational policy, those who couldn't stand the Lionheart Society's strict rules and regulations could finally join the Student Union's whiskey parties openly."

Gu Yi bit into the crispy croissant, and the golden, buttery honeycomb tissue exuded the sweet aroma of maple syrup. "Will Lionheart be so strict?"

Finkel tilted his head back and took the last sip of mineral water; the plastic bottle made a harsh creaking sound in his hand.

"That's about right." He casually formed the bottle into a twisted, abstract sculpture. "The Lionheart Society's management style is like that of the Puritans of the 19th century, but most people are ultimately hedonists. In the past, we had no choice, but now that Kassel's iron-blooded military fortress has diminished, the rise of the Student Union is inevitable."

"But Caesar accelerated the process?" Gu Yi asked.

"That's fate's dark humor! Did you know? Our distinguished vice-chairman actually wanted to join the Lionheart Society in the beginning." He paused for two seconds, admiring Gu Yi's raised eyebrows, "but was rejected by those old-fashioned people on the grounds of 'diverging ideologies'."

"Reject?" Gu Yi's ceramic cup stopped in mid-air. "According to your description, shouldn't Caesar be an elite that all organizations are vying for?"

"Because Caesar is totally incompatible with the Lionheart Society!" Finkel suddenly stood up and imitated an opera singer, his right hand touching his chest and his left hand raised high. "Imagine! Suddenly, a peacock with its tail spread out bursts into the solemn Lionheart Society hall—a diamond-encrusted hunting knife, a private jet, a champagne fountain, and his ballet troupe in white gauze skirts! Is this appropriate? Is this in accordance with Zhou rituals?"

He shuddered exaggeratedly and turned to Chu Zihang, "But if it's someone like Cold-faced Junior Brother, then he will definitely join the Lionheart Club."

Gu Yi followed his gaze and saw the morning light outlining Chu Zihang's well-defined jawline. "Now that you put it that way, I can understand." He chuckled and stuffed the last bite of croissant into his mouth.

"So, you two," Finkel suddenly leaned over the table, his shadow covering the entire dining table, "Have you ever considered joining any side?"

Gu Yi twirled the school emblem mug, the bottom of the mug drawing tiny concentric circles on the oak tabletop. "I won't join a club. It's too much trouble. Many of my high school classmates advised me not to join a club."

"Where's the cold-faced junior brother?"

Chu Zihang said calmly: "I'm still considering it."

"You were invited to join the Lionheart Society. Many people in the Lionheart Society endure hardships to train themselves, but I don't think so, cold-faced junior brother. You seem to endure hardships without any effort."

(End of this chapter)