The top trending topic on the internet is Xu Zifan's use of prohibited substances that damaged his health. Previously, everyone was shocked by Xu Zifan's sudden drop in status and curious about what had happened. However, this incident has only just occurred, the medical test results are not yet available, and Xu Zifan himself is unsure, so no conclusion has been reached. Now that this news has surfaced online, everyone is eagerly clicking on the news the moment they see it.
Upon seeing this, everyone immediately stopped in their tracks, staring at Xu Zifan with disbelief. The students around Xu Zifan all retreated, forming an empty circle around him.
They pointed at him, their voices filled with shock.
"Impossible, right? Xu Zifan used banned drugs? Is it true?"
"How could the medical test results be fake? I thought he was a real genius, but it turns out his double S qualifications were achieved with drugs."
"No wonder he suddenly dropped to F-level. There must be something wrong with the drugs. How can you trust banned drugs? The side effects are huge."
"Tsk, and I've always admired him, considered him my idol, how disgusting!"
"I have a crush on him, it's infuriating!"
Xu Zhikai lowered his head and secretly curled the corners of his mouth, suppressing his happy emotions. He stepped forward and looked at Xu Zifan with heartache, "Brother, why...why did you do this?"
Those around them were stunned. They looked at Xu Zifan, then at Xu Zhikai, and realized they did indeed look somewhat alike. They were brothers? How come they'd never heard of them before?
Xu Zifan, hands in his pockets, looked calmly at Xu Zhikai and said coldly, "Don't make wild accusations. My mother only has one child, me." A hint of doubt appeared on his face. "Since when can illegitimate children who haven't been formally recognized as family members be so high-profile? Is it because I've fallen in rank that your opportunity has come?"
Xu Zhikai swallowed back all the words he had prepared, and hurriedly put on an innocent look, saying, "I was just worried about you. I live alone, I have no relatives, and I thought we could get along well..."
When it comes to legitimate children with cold-hearted and questionable character, and illegitimate children with kind hearts and pitiful nature, outsiders don't always necessarily side with the legitimate children.
However, Xu Zifan avoided the trap he had set and bluntly retorted, "You will soon have a family member."
This statement hit the nail on the head, instantly exposing Xu Zhikai's hypocrisy.
Xu Zifan walked past him toward the entrance of the arena, and the subtle glances of the classmates all fell on Xu Zhikai.
Who is this guy? The illegitimate son of the Xu family? Why was there no sign of him before, and now he suddenly appears? He must be trying to claim his lineage after Xu Zifan got into trouble, right?
Although everyone was disgusted by banned drugs, they were equally disgusted by the illegitimate child who was causing trouble, and their gazes towards Xu Zhikai were filled with disgust. Xu Zhikai's heart skipped a beat, realizing that he wouldn't get any favors no matter what he said, so he quickly lowered his head in disappointment to maintain an innocent look, retreated back into the crowd, and once again made Xu Zifan stand out.
The crowd shifted their attention from the insignificant person to Xu Zifan, engaging in lively discussion. One of Xu Zifan's supporters, filled with righteous indignation, questioned, "Senior, is what's being said online true? Did you really get your double S rank with banned drugs?"
Xu Zifan paused, looked at him seriously, and said, "Of course not. Have you ever seen a drug with such a strong effect? One that can maintain a double S-rank qualification for more than ten years?"
"But medical test results can't be faked, so how do you explain your drop in level?"
"Why should I explain? Whoever benefits from this situation is the one plotting against me. Does such a simple thing need explaining? Besides, whether my level drops or not is my own business and has nothing to do with others. If judging a person's character is based solely on their aptitude, then the development of this planet is truly worrying."
Xu Zifan's expression was very cold. He had no good feelings towards these classmates who followed the crowd and placed too much emphasis on qualifications. Perhaps they were not mature enough and that's why they did some inappropriate things, but hurt is hurt, and he had no obligation to forgive their rudeness.
They have absolutely no right to question him.
Xu Zifan took a step forward, and the people in front of him subconsciously made way for him, remaining completely silent, unsure of what to say.
Having decided on his future direction, Xu Zifan considered everything at the academy insignificant and had no intention of trying to salvage the situation. He went straight back to his dormitory, stored his personal belongings in his spatial storage, and proactively requested to withdraw from the school.
The instructor in charge of the matter was somewhat surprised, but assumed he was self-aware and said with a hint of disgust, "Soldiers must act with integrity; otherwise, how can they defend the empire? Using banned drugs is an insult to the identity of a military academy student. I hope you will remember this lesson and not go astray again."
Xu Zifan silently completed the withdrawal procedures with him, and only looked up at him as he was leaving. "Instructor, besides being upright, soldiers must also trust their comrades. I studied at the Imperial Academy for four years, but was convicted and forced to drop out just because of a fabricated test report and a drop in rank. I think the teaching methods at the Imperial Academy are not suitable for me. I hope you will seriously reflect on this and not wrong any more military academy students."
Xu Zifan left the office. The instructor was momentarily stunned by his words, then snorted in disgust. The hospital test results were right there; did he expect him to believe Xu Zifan didn't trust the hospital? How could he explain his drop in grade?
His utter nonsense is nothing more than the last fig leaf to protect his dignity.
Before everyone had even processed the news of the banned drugs, Xu Zifan had already left the Imperial Academy.
He arrived at the parking lot and saw the birthday present the original owner received when he came of age—a cool-looking car.
The silver hovercar immediately caught my eye!
Everything about this era was too good; it was all technology he had never seen before, technology he had imagined but could never realize. As a former scientist, every cell in Xu Zifan's body was filled with excitement, and he looked at the car as if he were looking at an experimental subject about to be dismantled.
The AI communication beeped, interrupting his thoughts. He answered the call, and a palm-sized virtual screen appeared on the AI, displaying the cold face of the original owner's father, Xu Yuanming.
"You were expelled from school?"
"Yes, I have already completed the withdrawal procedures."
"Go home right away, don't embarrass yourself in public."
With just two short sentences, Xu Yuanming hung up the call, giving Xu Zifan no time to react, which clearly demonstrated the family's attitude towards him.
Xu Zifan stroked his chin, hesitated between resisting and not resisting, and decided to cut the Gordian knot. He would wait until he was completely severed before unleashing his full power, not giving them even the slightest chance to entangle him again in the future. Moreover, this time he wanted to stand on the moral high ground.
Xu Zifan instructed Shao Hua, "[Shao Hua, be careful when connecting to this world's star network. Learn some advanced hacking techniques; you'll need them later.]"
[Shaohua: Good host.]
[Xu Zifan: Remember to help me gather study materials. I'm finally going to learn something new, so I can't waste this opportunity.]
[Shaohua: No problem, host, don't worry.]
Xu Zifan tapped the smart device, and the doors of the silver sedan slowly rose, revealing luxurious seats inside. He looked at the various control buttons that had replaced the steering wheel, a smile playing on his lips, and excitedly got in.
The silver sedan slid off the runway, quickly soared into the sky, and flew smoothly away. Xu Zifan whistled, his interest growing even stronger. He didn't go straight home, but instead drove the hovercar around the capital planet several times, enjoying the ride until he was satisfied before landing at the Xu family home.
Driving a car and flying in the sky for the first time was a very novel experience, completely different from his previous sword flight. He has decided to build a research institute. He is determined to learn the technology of this world and upgrade Shaohua.
Xu Yuanming had been waiting for him for a long time, and his anger had been building up. The moment he saw Xu Zifan, he burst out and berated him harshly.
"Are you just passively resisting now? What have you been doing all this time? Now everyone knows about your shameful deeds, and you're still making a fool of yourself in public. Where do you place the family? The family has poured all its efforts into nurturing you all these years, and what have you done? You actually deceived the family with banned drugs? Where did you get those banned drugs? You were tested at the age of 8 and were found to have double S aptitude. Your mother gave you those drugs, didn't she? She's absolutely heartless. She'll stop at nothing to protect Mrs. Xu's position..."
Xu Zifan dodged the ornament he was throwing and casually interjected, "Please allow me to remind you, my mother was already utterly disappointed in you when I was 10 years old, separated from you, and never forgave you until her death last year. If it weren't for giving me a complete family, she would have divorced you long ago. She had no reason or need to do such a dirty thing, please don't slander her."
Xu Yuanming narrowed his eyes slightly and said coldly, "Are you refuting me? Do you know what the future holds for a cripple like you? And whose hands control your future?"
Xu Zifan sneered, "Then do you even know who's responsible for my current predicament? You wouldn't be so naive as to actually believe that test result, would you? Xu Zhikai's methods can't be flawless unless someone is cleaning up his mess behind the scenes. You and I both know who that person is. So don't try to pin my family name on me; such a family is disgusting."
Xu Yuanming abruptly overturned the table, unable to contain his rage. "Xu! Zi! Fan! You are capricious and spout nonsense. I order you to go to Huangsha Star immediately and never return to the capital star."
"You are the head of the Xu family. It's one thing for you to sever ties with me and kick me out of the family, but sending me to Huangsha Star? I'm afraid you don't have that authority. I will not leave the capital star. Also, if I may remind you, my mother's inheritance has absolutely nothing to do with you or the Xu family. Please do not do anything that might mislead me, otherwise I don't mind hiring a lawyer to protect my legal rights."
"Then you can decide for yourself; I won't keep you company."
Xu Zifan turned and left. He had anticipated what was going to happen and was preparing to go back to his room to pack his important personal belongings.
There are also the original owner's mother's belongings in the small building next door. That was where Xu's mother and Xu Yuanming lived after they separated. Nothing should have been left to Xu Yuanming.
The original owner was so devastated by the blow and severely injured by Xu Zhikai that he was bedridden and didn't notice his mother's inheritance. It wasn't until Xu Yuanming expelled him from the family that he was shocked to discover that Xu Yuanming had already disposed of the inheritance through various means, leaving him with no legal right to inherit.
This time, he certainly wouldn't let Xu Yuanming take anything that didn't belong to him. If he dared to take it, he would chop off his hand.