SWNOVELXO Chapter 190 - Performance
No matter how you look at it, a group of people bullying a single individual carries the suspicion of oppression. Min Hao never believed that the uproar of a group attacking one person is a form of justice, nor does he think that self-deceptive silence provides a means of escape.
Principles need to be discerned by individuals, but they cannot rely solely on personal subjectivity for judgment. Everything needs to be traced back to its roots and viewed in the context of the actual situation.
Setting aside the question of right or wrong, the conflict originated from Huan Xian and the other students in Class Two. Min Hao wants to understand what monumental issue led to such discord and friction among classmates, causing them to turn against one another so violently despite having known each other for only a short time.
It’s important to recognize that for a minor whose brain region and mental level have not yet completed their awakening, mental energy is extremely crucial and cannot be neglected. Yet, a group of reckless individuals is playing around, and if they truly create a problem, they will have to face the consequences.
If they can clarify the conflict and determine whether it is a personal issue or a misunderstanding, they can find a way to resolve it, allowing everyone to shake hands and coexist peacefully… this is the outcome that Lieutenant Min Hao hopes to achieve.
However, the involved parties are extremely uncooperative, stubbornly holding their ground without revealing their thoughts.
Min Hao has already shown incredible patience, adopting a caring demeanor that is not truly suited to him to communicate with Huan Xian. He tries to use gentle and neutral language to persuade him, guiding him to express his worries and concerns.
But Huan Xian refuses to speak, no matter how much Min Hao questions, guides, or even scolds him. He defiantly states in front of several first-year instructors that they don’t need to concern themselves with his matters, whatever consequences arise, he’ll accept the punishment.
Is it so hard to say a few words? Do you even realize that you are being contradictory? You tell others not to interfere, but your face unconsciously reveals a somewhat aggrieved look, as if you’re thinking, “Even if I say something, you won’t help me.” You need to talk; if you don’t, how can anyone find a solution?
In any case, despite Min Hao and Nordbay’s persistent questioning, Huan Xian still hasn’t said a word.
In that moment, Lieutenant Min Hao finally feels an overwhelming sense of helplessness and frustration stemming from a student he usually doesn’t have to worry about.
Unfortunately, he had no choice but to turn to the remaining dozen or so students on the other side, hoping that by asking each one, he might uncover something.
Min Hao first approached the bystanders from the third party to gather information, then he called on two others to confirm and recount the events, and finally, he spoke to the other party involved in the fight.
This time, perhaps due to the severity of the punishment, they seemed to open up all at once and shared their stories quite smoothly.
He managed to piece together the sequence of events and seemingly clarify the origin of the conflict, but this… it would have been better not to know! He found himself completely unable to resolve this issue.
Excluding the disgraceful situation of two against one in the fight, the other two definitely deserved punishment as well. However, when it came to the root of the problem, it was hard to say who was right or wrong; each had their own reasons, and he had no way to resolve it.
No wonder Huan Xian held such a stubborn attitude. It seemed he had always been in this situation, and as a result, he had lost all hope. To be honest, if one had to determine right and wrong, he was probably the most innocent of them all.
So were the others at fault? It couldn’t really be said so. After all, people instinctively fear the unknown and the terrifying things that hold overwhelming advantages over them, leading them to choose distance and avoidance. It wasn’t something they could be blamed for.
Min Hao could teach Huan Xian not to be so reclusive and guide him on how to get along with his classmates, but he still couldn’t directly change his circumstances.
He could punish those students to make them stop their childish and foolish exclusionary behavior, but he couldn’t force them to let go of their reservations and fears to approach another person.
It made one wonder if the Eighth Legion also thought this child was quite a handful, which is why they sent him here. But did they ever consider that this child might not be able to blend in and learn among ordinary kids?
—He is actually an outlier.
What to do about this? A group of little porcupines had mixed in with an already unstable element. It had only been a month since they started; wouldn’t things get chaotic later on? Min Hao began to feel a headache coming on at the thought of the teaching tasks that would stretch over the next few years.
It had taken a lot of effort to send this group of little troublemakers out for two days, hoping they would have some fun in the competition so that he could give his brain a rest.
However, he didn’t expect that the first person from the command department to stand out of the competition would be this kid, Huan Xian, and in such an ordinary manner, which surprised Min Hao a bit.
“That little girl reacted quite quickly,” commented Captain Nordbay. “She has a good sense of the overall situation.”
After watching the trio’s performance in surviving the torrent, both commanders of the first-year command department were somewhat astonished.
Jiang Hui and her friends had simply gone through it all from their own perspective, muddling their way along.
But the outside observers had a third-party god’s eye view. In this unexpected and uncontrollable torrent, the reactions and self-rescue actions of the group were clearly visible.
Among the three, the standout was probably the girl. Although she had a high initial point bonus, the reason she managed to stay at the top since the start of the competition was evident in her abilities—whether it was her movement skills, mechanisms, speed, thought processes, or even instinctive reactions, they were all commendable.
She did have some shortcomings, including the inevitable recklessness and mental blind spots of a beginner, but it was undeniable that her entire approach was indeed exceptional, making her position at the top well-deserved.
Then there was Huan Xian. Although it was unclear why this kid had inexplicably chosen to approach such a stranger, it had to be said that partnering with someone as unique as Jiang Hui was indeed appropriate. The two quickly found their synergy in a short period, establishing an implicit trust and a high degree of cooperation.
Huan Xian could actually get along so well with someone; why did he struggle so much in class? Sigh, his abilities were indeed seen as a formidable presence by those in the know, almost inscrutable, unless he chose to give up using that ability.
It seemed that Jiang Hui, being a solo combatant, hadn’t realized this, so there were no reservations on her part.
What surprised Min Hao the most was that Huan Xian actually took the initiative to communicate and cooperate with another unfamiliar student, Zhou Xuiwen, in the midst of the fear of drowning to navigate through the chaotic situation.
Even more astonishing was that Zhou Xuiwen managed to control the natural fear and apprehension he felt and accepted Huan Xian’s collaboration. This was truly beyond Min Hao’s expectations, making him briefly question whether the students in Class Two were simply too psychologically fragile. How could someone, who wasn’t even from the command department, be willing to accept cooperation, while they could not?
Furthermore… who could tell him why a logistics student possessed such innate command abilities?
Had the admissions office not screened the applicants properly, letting such a talent slip through and end up in the logistics department? That was a tremendous waste!