After realizing the Cardmaker Association's intentions, Russell quickly put on a smile and waved his hands modestly."Oh no, it's nothing. In situations like that, I believe any well-educated citizen of Daming would have stepped up."
Not necessarily. There was no shortage of rookie cardmakers who froze up during the senior year dungeon field training.
The regional director—who had introduced himself as Ma Liang—thought this silently. While he didn't quite buy Russell's noble-sounding answer, he was still very satisfied with how well the boy played along.
"How about this, Russell? Let's get you officially registered first. Then we'll talk about the interview."
Standing at the branch office entrance, Russell looked down at the Black Iron–labeled identification card in his hand, feeling slightly dazed.
So I'm officially a registered cardmaker now?
Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Emerald, Diamond, Master, Hall of Fame...
This was just the first step on the journey.
Shaking off his emotions, Russell recalled what Ma Liang had told him earlier.
"Russell, we're planning to do a feature on you at your school tomorrow.""We've already contacted the school about it.""The interview will be conducted by the Shanghai Daily. What do you think?"
After receiving a 100,000-yuan bravery reward, what opinions could Russell possibly have?Granted, he wouldn't receive the money until tomorrow, since they still needed to take photos and all that.
On the way home, Russell's phone wouldn't stop buzzing.
It was his homeroom teacher, Wang Ming.
"Hello? Mr. Wang? What's up?"
"RUSSELL!"The voice on the other end of the line nearly ruptured Russell's eardrum.
He calmly held the phone away. "…Yeah, I'm here."
Wang Ming, having calmed down a bit, spoke again:"Russell, the school informed me about what you did. I called to check—are you hurt at all?"
A warm feeling bloomed in Russell's chest."No injuries, Mr. Wang. It was just a few ghouls—not enough to lay a finger on me."
Hearing that, Wang Ming finally let out a sigh of relief."Good. Get a nice rest tonight. And tomorrow morning, tidy yourself up a bit. That's all."
Listening to the busy tone as the call abruptly ended, Russell couldn't help but let out a laugh.Seriously? He called just to say that?
Ding. [Welfare Card]
The next morning, Russell got up early and took the bus.
Today marked the official start of the new school term for all high schools in Shanghai.
"Morning, Russell."A slick-haired teenager slumped into the seat beside him, hugging his backpack.
"Morning, Mo Fang," Russell nodded.
Mo Fang was a classmate of the original body's—his family ran a small business, and their relationship was… decently okay.
As Russell leaned against the bus window, zoning out, Mo Fang suddenly struck up a conversation:"Hey, Russell, how's your cardmaking going?"
Seeing the look in Mo Fang's eyes, Russell couldn't help but chuckle.The guy was clearly a teenager on the verge of bragging.
Sure enough, Mo Fang continued without waiting:"I got lucky—I made a Green-tier Black Iron card!"
He was visibly proud.Being able to produce a Green-tier card in senior year meant that, with enough effort, he might one day create a Blue-tier one and become a proper cardmaker.
In his mind, Russell—an orphan—had probably never even attempted cardmaking over the summer.
Just as he was bracing for some praise from Russell, he heard a calm, detached voice:"Congrats."
Russell had no intention of showing off or rubbing it in.In his eyes, Mo Fang was just a kid—no need to go breaking his self-esteem.
Mo Fang scratched his head awkwardly.Something felt different about Russell today… but he couldn't quite put his finger on what.
Ding! Next stop: Shanghai First High School. Passengers, please exit in an orderly fashion.
"Let's go, Russell—we're here."Mo Fang slung his backpack over his shoulder and stepped off.
As they exited the bus, Russell immediately saw their homeroom teacher, Wang Ming, waiting at the school gate.
"Good morning, Mr. Wang," Mo Fang said politely.
Wang Ming nodded at him, but then urgently grabbed Russell's arm."Come on! Everyone's waiting for you!"
Watching the teacher jog off with Russell in tow, Mo Fang's mind began to churn.
He suddenly had a bold idea.
Rushing to the classroom, Mo Fang flung the door open and shouted:"Russell might be dropping out to start working!"
As everyone turned their attention toward him, Mo Fang loudly explained his theory:
That Russell was an orphan and couldn't afford tuition anymore.That he'd been unusually quiet on the bus.That Mr. Wang had been waiting for him at the gate first thing in the morning.
Slowly, the class began to buy into Mo Fang's reasoning.
Just as the classroom was heating up with talk of organizing a donation drive…
On the other side of campus, Wang Ming was still jogging with Russell, finally arriving outside the principal's office.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, he pushed open the door."Principal Xie, I've brought Russell."
"Excellent! Reporter Li and Chairman Ma have been waiting."
As they entered, Russell respectfully greeted them:"Good morning, Principal Xie, Chairman Ma."
The president of the Ning'an District Cardmaker Association, Ma Liang, smiled warmly."Kid, I told you, just call me Uncle Ma."
Then he pointed to a smartly dressed woman beside him."This is Reporter Li from the Shanghai Daily."
Reporter Li stepped forward and shook Russell's hand."Nice to meet you, Russell. Today's just a short interview—no need to be nervous."
"Russell, what made you step forward in such a dangerous situation?"
"Because the people of Xingfu Garden needed protection.And I believe that any student from Shanghai First High, or any cardmaker from the Association, would've done the same thing in that situation."
His answer was smooth and airtight.
Principal Xie gave a satisfied nod.
Reporter Li followed up:"I heard from Chairman Ma that your first ever card was a Purple-tier? Is that true?"
Russell cringed internally.God, this reporter asks everything. Doesn't she know card info is a cardmaker's biggest secret?
Still, his expression remained calm."I just got lucky. The story I wrote happened to resonate with the system. It's all thanks to the training I received from First High and the Association."
Now Principal Xie was practically beaming.
A student with cardmaking talent and emotional intelligence?Perfect material to be this year's school poster boy.
After jotting down the answers, Reporter Li said:"Now let's get a photo—Russell, please stand between Principal Xie and Chairman Ma."
She handed Russell a bright red banner."Hold this, please."
On the banner were the bold words:
"Bravery Runs in Our Veins—A Model Student of First High!"
Russell's eye twitched.Clearly something the school had custom-ordered themselves.
Forcing a fake smile, he held the banner up for the photo.
"Perfect. Thank you for your cooperation, Russell," Reporter Li said, pleased.
"Uh, can I go now?" Russell asked, sensing that his part was done.
"Just a second, Russell," Principal Xie called out."The Association has already rewarded you—but we at First High have a reward for you too."