"What's wrong? What happened?"
"There's an assassin!"
"Ah, an assassin? Assassinating who..."
Naturally, no one replied, because the current situation on the scene could only be described as a complete mess. Some people were running around blindly like headless flies, some had clear targets and were striking to kill, and others seemed well-prepared with dedicated bodyguards protecting them.
That was exactly the problem.
Indeed.
There were more than just one or two people trying to pull some dirty tricks, but the targets of these attackers were not all Su Ning!
Some people thought it had nothing to do with them and were happily watching the show, only to have a gleaming, cold blade thrust at them the very next second.
There were even those who pretended to charge at Su Ning.
Making others drop their guard, they would then conveniently strike their real target—this was a classic diversion.
There were also those who threw themselves at someone's bodyguard begging for help, acting as if they were frightened out of their wits. They screamed and shouted, crying with snot and tears streaming down their faces, looking as disgusting as possible, all while trying to get close to the bodyguard's employer.
Only to be looked at with disgust and having the bodyguard pull them away.
Regardless of their hidden motives, people didn't openly bring many guards to the school anniversary. By tying up one or two bodyguards like this, gaps appeared in their defenses.
The consequences were easy to imagine.
—This was luring the tiger away from the mountain.
A perfectly fine school anniversary suddenly met with disaster, filled with chaos and a revolving door of drama. The principal, looking as if he were doubting his very existence, said in disbelief:
"Where... where did all these people come from? How did this happen?"
Seriously, did no one think to notify him?
To tell the truth, even Su Ning hadn't expected things to develop this way. But thinking about it, it made sense. Although she always called them nameless NPCs or whatever, they weren't actually NPCs. It was perfectly normal for them to take advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters and strike at their enemies.
"I got too arrogant. This won't do, I must remember this lesson."
Su Ning deeply reflected and warned herself.
"You won't remember."
"Lil' System, you're still alive?" A deliberately surprised voice rang out. "You haven't spoken in three days and seven minutes. I thought something happened to you. I was so worried I couldn't eat or sleep."
Crack.
The sound of cracking a melon seed.
Ew, it's actually original flavor. Are original flavor melon seeds even meant for human consumption? Bad review!
System: ...Could you be any more hypocritical?
Taking a deep breath—
It was so angry it forgot it wasn't a carbon-based lifeform that needed oxygen.
"Then thank you for your concern, Host. But don't ignore my words. This system says you won't remember, just like how someone promised me countless times before that they would cherish their life."
And in the end, they still failed to do so.
"I did cherish it."
Su Ning paused, then frowned and retorted, "The interests involved in oil are too massive. I had to create an opportunity to establish my authority and take the chance to clean up my base in Beiping. It kills two birds with one stone. Plus, you should know that although I looked like I was in danger, I secretly arranged a lot of manpower, reducing the risk to the absolute minimum."
"Also, while there are factions blinded by greed who want to strike at me,"
"There are also many smart people who are on my side. They are a potential protective force as well."
In other words.
This was also an unspoken operation to divide up stances.
Simple and straightforward.
For Su Ning, it filtered out those who were capable, smart, and aligned with her.
The others didn't lose out either.
For those who wanted to make a move, Su Ning provided the opportunity; it just depended on their own strength. For those who wanted to use the chance to curry favor with her, the opportunity was equally laid out before them. It was much better than before, when they couldn't even get an audience with her.
Taking care of everyone's demands.
What was this?
A triple win. No, a quadruple win—it even fulfilled Antonio's desire to play the hero saving the beauty.
"Host, do you know?"
The system said calmly:
"Usually when you retort, unless it's for fun, you wouldn't give such a long speech. Saying this much proves that subconsciously you also think I'm right, and you're just emphasizing that you aren't wrong."
It didn't mention that even the most comprehensive arrangements could have accidents.
Or that the human heart is unpredictable.
Or that the world doesn't revolve around her, and things like that.
Seeing Su Ning fall silent, the system even comforted her: "Actually, Host, you really do value your life much more than before. It's no longer just all talk."
"A complete change doesn't happen overnight."
Satisfying, it was truly too satisfying.
The system felt like it was floating on air.
Subconsciously, it posted another thread, smugly describing its victory this time. A comment popped up below: "? How does this count as a victory."
How could it not count?
If a scholar can tolerate this, what can they not tolerate? The Rich and Heartless System eloquently and extensively described how terrifying the great demon king Su Ning was, how many methods it had tried, and how it had carefully observed and summarized patterns to finally find an opportunity to succeed.
Comments didn't pop up immediately.
Two seconds later—
"Everyone, let's disperse. Appraisal complete: this dog is just showing off its host in a different way. We shouldn't have paid attention to it before, and now it's endless."
"Right, admin, requesting to mute this black sheep of a system."
What?
The Rich and Heartless System thought it misread and refreshed the thread—
Red warning.
"You have made inappropriate remarks in the community forum. First warning: muted for three days. Please note that further similar behavior will trigger more severe punishments..."
The system was filled with grief and indignation.
...
On the other side.
Su Ning recovered very quickly because she had indeed realized her own oversight—before taking a risk, she actually forgot to find Half-Immortal Su to read her fortune!
A miscalculation, a massive miscalculation!
Thinking of this, she finally felt a trace of nervousness. She looked up to observe the situation... Hmm, she couldn't see very clearly. There were too many people protecting her from the front, back, left, and right.
And there seemed to be a growing trend of even more people coming.
"Miss Su, be careful."
"Don't be afraid. With me, Lao Sun, here, I absolutely won't let you face even a fraction of danger."
"Leave everything to me."
Not only did everyone shout with impassioned fervor, but their expressions were also on point, each looking more righteous and awe-inspiring than the last. Unfortunately, Su Ning remained expressionless, showing not the slightest hint of being moved.
Moved, my ass!
There wasn't a single person trying to assassinate her at all. Even someone as thick-skinned as her couldn't quite handle it anymore and wished she could tell these guys to shut up.
Awkward.
On the contrary, these guys, unable to tell if anyone was in disguise and facing way too many competitors, ended up squeezing together on the outer perimeter. Pushing and shoving, refusing to give way to one another, they looked like they were about to start fighting among themselves.
"Miss..."
Assistant Lin opened his mouth, completely at a loss for words.
He had previously anticipated dozens of possibilities and thought he was foolproof, but he never expected things to develop like this. So, should he go and break up the fight?
Just then, a sudden change occurred.
People charged over from several directions simultaneously. These people were clearly not from the same group, so no one expected them to coordinate so seamlessly.
Some tied up Su Ning's guards.
Caught off guard.
Some actually succeeded. After all, no matter how well-trained they were, her subordinates were still made of flesh and blood. Screams, clamor, and all sorts of noises filled the air endlessly.
Danger was imminent.
Yet Su Ning didn't even bat an eyelid—
It seemed like in just two minutes, the turmoil was brought to an end, leaving behind only people wailing on the ground or passed out like corpses.
It was as if nothing had happened at all.
