By rights, they actually no longer needed to stay in the 416 school district. All that was left was to come back and submit their intentions, get assigned based on their usual grades, and see which major companies were interested in recruiting them. Or they could apply for a higher level of study. Such things didn’t even require them to show up in person. Therefore, William Carter planned to fly straight home.

William Carter estimated his own flying speed—about 300 kilometers per hour. With nothing in the sky to obstruct him, he felt there was no need to be overly cautious. He hadn’t flown far from the school district when William Carter spotted trouble: Henry Clark and his gang. There were about a dozen students floating in the air, waiting—not for a well-behaved boy like William Carter, but for...

‘David Parker’

Before William Carter could react much, a skinny boy of the same age shot past him from behind at three or four times his speed. No doubt, he was the one the dozen students ahead were waiting for. Seeing Henry Clark and his gang blocking the way, David Parker spat disdainfully and stopped in midair.

Henry Clark, agile as ever, now wore a sunny, harmless smile and a gaze free of any provocation, greeting David Parker from afar.

‘Isn’t this David Parker? What’s up? In a hurry to go home? We wanted to hang out with you for a bit. Don’t turn us down, okay?’

Intercepted, David Parker was naturally in no mood for pleasantries and replied coolly, ‘Henry Clark? You think just because you’ve fused with a bio-parasite now, you can come looking for trouble with me? Haven’t the last few beatings been enough?’ David Parker’s tone was calm and steady, showing no sign of agitation. These two old rivals knew each other all too well. He knew that this show of composure was just Henry Clark putting on an act. Even though he was facing more than a dozen people alone, David Parker wasn’t particularly afraid.

‘Heh heh! Heh heh! Heh heh!! Why talk like that? We’re old friends, isn’t it normal to get a little closer?’

Stung by David Parker’s attitude, Henry Clark could no longer maintain his smile. His handsome face twisted a bit as the corners of his mouth twitched.

But Henry Clark, who had some depth, still managed to keep his words steady, not letting his emotions show in his speech.

Standing next to Henry Clark, Eric Morgan didn’t have his boss’s patience or feigned composure. Lacking manners, he shouted loudly, ‘We all got “Heaven’s Secret” from the “Phantom Beast Group” just to teach you a lesson. Now that we’ve fused with bio-parasites, fighting is no longer strictly forbidden by law. We’re all masters of ancient martial arts now, too. Let’s see what you have left to rely on.’

‘Now that everyone’s on equal footing, we don’t even need to train to be ancient martial arts experts. David Parker, come and see how my skills measure up!’ With a malicious grin, Michael Bolton behind Henry Clark also shouted.

David Parker had seen plenty of these lackeys around Henry Clark. He didn’t bother with politeness in his reply.

‘Pah!’ David Parker said disdainfully, ‘If the school district supervisors hadn’t always stopped me from clashing with you, I’d have sent you all back to the hospital long ago. You want to challenge me? You’ll never have a chance in this life. Do you think ancient martial arts are something idiots can master?’

‘Hmph! Then come on!?’

‘Yeah! Come on up!’

‘Don’t worry, we won’t bully you.’

‘Heh heh!’

A dozen people spoke up at once, naturally overwhelming him in terms of volume. Besides, they all held a grudge against David Parker. Who knew how many times this guy had beaten them up? Now that they’d finally gotten this chance, they were determined to teach him a lesson.

‘So many people all lining up for a beating, and so formally and sincerely at that—how could I not grant your wish?’

With a round of sarcasm, David Parker considered the greetings done and immediately struck first. The personal anti-gravity flight device could reach a top speed of 1,200 kilometers per hour. After fusing with the bio-parasite, his body’s strength had greatly increased, so David Parker dared to charge straight into the crowd at that speed without fear of injury. These newly graduated students, who had just fused with their parasites and had little experience using them, simply couldn’t react to David Parker’s speed. Although the “Ancient Martial Arts Integration System” was installed in the control core of the bio-parasite, actually mastering it wasn’t so easy. Caught off guard by David Parker’s sudden attack, two of the students were immediately kicked down by him.

Seeing the two people fall, the protective function of their suits activated. In an instant, they inflated into huge balloons. Bang! Bang! With two thuds, they hit the ground, like some kind of bubble-popping game. Henry Clark couldn’t help but be startled. If they hadn’t already fused with bio-parasites, a fall from that height would have been fatal.

He saw that the airbags, though ruptured by the impact, had still served their protective purpose, and he breathed a sigh of relief. After all, no matter how much trouble he caused, Henry Clark didn’t want anyone to die. However, although the two who fell weren’t in mortal danger, they were clearly in bad shape and didn’t float back up for quite a while.