Echelon High School in year 2176.
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"Where's he from?"
"What does he do?"
"Who are his parents?"
Were the questions Liu Feng heard the moment he stepped foot into this prestigious school. The kids were looking neat, rich and pompous so Liu Feng did his best to act that way.
His father is a neat freak, so his father had been the one to dress him up which of course should be weird.
His mother however is notoriously unavailable. Just partying, drinking and smoking, despite their wretched condition.
Liu Feng sighed.
He caught a few students sneaking a few glances at him, but he ignored them, feigning an air of pride and arrogance. This is definitely one of the ways to survive in rich schools like this one.
His parents were extremely poor, yet his father had registered him in this highly prestigious school. He was yet to even ask his father how he did it. But the thing is, everyone needed to first attend this school for one basic reason and that is — to awaken their bloodline.
This is the City of Hope and of course the most common ability so far is bloodline. Liu Feng did not know what his bloodline would be. Not just knowing the type of bloodline is crucial, but also knowing the rank is just as essential.
Finally, his father exited from the principal's office and gestured for Liu Feng to come inside the office with him.
He stood up from the bench, his eyes scanning the environment around him. Seeing students looking right at him with strange curiosity.
Liu Feng seemed to chuckle.
Clutching his backpack tight, he followed his father into the office and Liu Feng met with a bald headed man.
Liu Feng blinked.
Then the principal offered a warm smile that assured Liu Feng that everything was alright.
"So, how old are you?"
Liu Feng tilted his head to the side. He chuckled. "Fifteen-ish."
The principal was stunned for a moment, wondering why he added the "ish" to fifteen.
Then Liu Feng's father butted in right at this moment. "It means he's going to be sixteen. It won't be long though, November isn't far from now."
The principal laughed.
"Oh… well, indeed you have a good sense of humor boy. I like that."
Liu Feng just smiled.
"What's your name?"
Liu Feng stared at his father and said, "Technically, this dude here married from this City of Hope and gave birth to me…"
The principal's brows furrowed.
"Which means that he isn't from this City?" The principal queried.
Liu Feng laughed. "Exactly. He's a native of China and my name is Liu Feng… actually, Liu is my name."
The principal turned towards Liu Feng's father and narrowed his eyes. The man chuckled nervously because Liu Feng had revealed something that he wasn't supposed to…
The principal jotted down his name into the registry and said calmly.
"This school is all about good conduct and behavior. And of course, if you understand this school, you'll know that it is prominent, prestigious and of course, very expensive which means that your father had done his best to pay for six years."
Liu Feng's eyes widened.
He turned towards the man who stood at a corner, unsure whether to tell him the truth or not.
"Dad?"
"We'll talk later son, first of all, you have to listen to your principal."
Liu Feng blinked severally and returned his gaze towards the bald headed man.
"So like I was saying, judging by our decorum we only do two things, firstly… help you awaken your bloodline and secondly, help you strengthen your bloodline."
He continued anyway.
"We also help determine the rank of your bloodline so as to know where you stand."
Liu Feng nodded.
"And finally, here's your ID card. Here's your library pass and yes, you have to go with a code name. Students go with those here. They do not need to know your real name."
Liu Feng was surprised.
"Really? Then I can go with Kai?"
The man smiled. "It suits you. And yes, you have class in block B. Ask about it."
He jotted something down on the registry and Liu Feng grabbed the ID card and library pass.
If he needed to know more about the school, then he needed to read about it.
Liu Feng turned towards his father and smiled.
"See you later dad."
He hurried outside to find his class.
After Liu Feng left, the principal turned towards the man standing at a corner and barked.
"You lied to me! You told me that you and your family came from the East district. You said you were a direct descendant of The City of Hope. On a normal note, we cannot admit someone whose direct lineage did not start from the City of Hope. If I had known, I would not have admitted him. But the deed had already been done."
"I'm so sorry. I thought about this and wondered how else my son is supposed to awaken. This had been my only hope, and I know that as long as he had been born in this City, then he'd possess the bloodline ability."
The principal sighed.
"What is your family status?"
"Huh?"
"You did not get me? I'm trying to ask how wealthy your family is."
Liu Feng's father seemed to linger wondering if he should say the truth again or lie… he sighed.
"Not well to do!" He decided to go with the truth but at this moment, he did not even know the damage he had caused.
The principal's expression changed.
"What? You're joking, right? How can a, not well to do man, a miserable man, a wretched thing, pay an outstanding fee of 7.5 million rads?"
Liu Feng's father was stumped.
"How do I put this without having to be rude… can a poor man be seen in the midst of the rich? Never happened. Now leave my office! If your son ever awakens, it depends on how much he can pay to do so."
"Now leave!!!"
Liu's father's face darkened, however he left having already fulfilled his duty.