Inside the infirmary, the blue glow of the "Threat Neutralized" screen reflected on **Dr. Luke's** stunned face.
He watched the girl putting on her jacket as if she were an alien species.
"Master..." Luke stammered, pointing at the laptop. "She... she just left?"
**Alpha Juan** sat on the sofa, his long fingers tapping rhythmically against his knee. He watched Ren's back disappear through the door, a smirk playing on his lips.
"What else?" Juan drawled lazily. "Did you expect her to stay and give you a computer science lecture?"
He turned his head to look at the screen.
That virus was designed to wipe the Wolf Alliance's top-secret archives. Even his own tech team would have struggled. Yet she, while casually eating a lollipop, had sliced through it like it was butter.
"Check her background again," Juan ordered in a low voice, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of the hunt. "This time, I want every detail. From her birth certificate in the Wildlands to how many erasers she stole in elementary school. I want to know everything."
Luke swallowed hard. "Yes, Master."
**
Ren left the school and took a bus to the edge of the city.
As the scenery shifted from the glittering downtown to the dilapidated outskirts, the scent in the air changed from expensive perfume to damp mold and cheap street food.
This was the **Lower District**, where her aunt, **Aunt Nora**, lived.
When Ren pushed open the peeling metal door, the small apartment was already full.
The lights were dim, the furniture old.
But at the dining table sat a woman radiating the scent of money—**Vera**.
Vera, dressed in a Chanel suit, sat on a chair covered with old newspapers, looking utterly uncomfortable. When she saw Ren enter, her brow furrowed immediately.
"Why are you so late?" Vera checked her diamond watch impatiently. "**Faye** and I have been waiting for thirty minutes."
Ren ignored her. She hung her backpack on a chair and called out to the kitchen, "Aunt Nora, I'm here."
"Ren! You made it!" Aunt Nora wiped her hands on her apron and walked out, beaming with a warm, genuine smile. She was one of the only two people in the world who truly cared about Ren.
***
Dinner was awkward.
Vera didn't want to spend a second longer in this dump, but to maintain the façade of "family," she endured it.
**Faye**sat next to Vera, acting like the perfect daughter. She placed a piece of pork into Vera's bowl and smiled. "Mom, try this. It's not as good as our chef's cooking, but it has a homey flavor."
Vera looked at Faye with eyes full of pride and affection. "Faye is always so thoughtful. Unlike some people..." She shot a glance at Ren, who was eating silently, and scoffed. "Who just roam around outside all day without even saying hello."
Ren ate her ribs slowly, acting as if she were deaf.
She had been treated like this for twelve years. She was immune.
Sitting opposite Ren was her cousin, **Noah** .
Noah was a quiet, intense boy with a cold gaze. He was a known genius in the Lower District, but poverty kept him studying in this noisy environment.
He silently moved the biggest piece of meat from his plate to Ren's.
"Thanks," Ren whispered.
At that moment, her cousin **Mia** (Mu Ying) couldn't help but speak up. She looked at Faye with envy. "Cousin Faye, I heard you're the top student in the Alpha Stream at Wolven High? That means you'll definitely get into the legendary **Royal Capital Academy**, right?"
The Royal Capital Academy—the highest institution in the entire Wolf Continent. It was the holy land for all Alphas. Only a handful of students from Moon City were accepted each year.
Hearing this, Vera perked up. She put down her chopsticks, a proud smile spreading across her face.
"Of course," Vera raised her voice. "Faye's Spirit Resonance has reached S-Rank. Her instructor said that as long as she maintains it, a recommendation to the Royal Academy's Music Department is guaranteed. She is going to be an artist."
"Wow..." Mia gasped. "Cousin Faye is amazing."
Faye smiled modestly, basking in the admiration.
Even though the food here was terrible and the place was dirty, she enjoyed the feeling of superiority.
She turned her head to look at the silent Ren.
A glint of malice flashed in Faye's eyes. She knew Ren was a "Dormant" with zero Spirit Power, a waste who couldn't even pass a normal college entrance exam.
"Don't just talk about me," Faye blinked her innocent big eyes, her voice sweet. "Big Sister is also a senior. By the way, Sister, **which university do you plan to take?**"
***
The table went silent.
Vera's face turned awkward. University? Ren would be lucky to get into a vocational school. Mentioning this in front of a genius like Faye was just humiliating.
"Faye," Vera coughed. "You know your sister's situation. Don't pressure her."
Faye covered her mouth and giggled. "Sorry, Mom. I was just concerned. After all, tuition at Wolven High is expensive. If she doesn't get into university, isn't it a waste?"
Everyone's eyes focused on Ren.
Some held mockery, some pity, and some were just waiting for a joke.
Ren put down her chopsticks. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, her movements elegant and slow, completely at odds with her surroundings.
She lifted her eyelids, revealing dark, abyssal eyes that held no ripple of emotion.
"I'm going to the **Royal Capital Academy**," Ren said.
She didn't say "I want to apply" or "I hope to go." She said, "I'm going."
The room froze.
Even Noah looked up, surprised.
"Pfft—" Faye couldn't hold it back. She laughed out loud. "Sister, you have such a good sense of humor. You want to be schoolmates with me? That's great. I'll wait for you there."
*Slap.*
Vera couldn't take it anymore. She slammed her chopsticks onto the table, glaring at Ren.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think the Royal Academy is a charity? Ren, let me tell you this clearly: next year, no matter what third-rate college accepts you, you *must* go! I won't have you embarrassing the Lin family any longer!"
She cared about face more than anything.
Ren picked up another piece of pork, her demeanor relaxed. She glanced at Vera and smiled—a cold, sharp smile.
"You don't need to worry about that. I don't need you to manage me."
"If I don't manage you, who will?"
"I've lived on my own for twelve years," Ren interrupted her, looking up. Her aura suddenly flared, wild and untamed. "Don't try to play the mother now. Should I remind you that since I came to Moon City, you haven't been able to control a single thing I do?"
Vera's face turned green. Then white. Then red.
She realized Ren was right.
She couldn't control Ren's schooling. She couldn't control where she lived.
This daughter was a thorn she couldn't pull out.
"Fine," Vera stood up, grabbing her expensive bag. "You're the boss. You're amazing. Just don't come crying to me or the Lin family when you fail. I'm done with you!"
"Thanks," Ren said sincerely.
Vera stormed out, dragging a smug-looking Faye with her.
Aunt Nora sighed, placing a piece of fish in Ren's bowl. "Ren... you shouldn't provoke your mother like that."
Ren lowered her head, picking at the fish. She made an 'OK' sign with her hand.
"Don't worry, Auntie. I know what I'm doing."
She touched the pocket of her jeans, feeling the cold metal of the Black Diamond Card.
The Royal Academy?
If she wanted to go, the Principal would personally deliver the acceptance letter to her door and beg her to attend.
But she didn't need to explain the vastness of the sky to frogs living in a well.
**[Chapter 13 End]**