"You're looking for death!" My fury finally broke, and I roared in a low voice, my hands clenched into fists.
But instead of being afraid, she smiled at my posture, her face twisted with scorn. "What is it? You don't like being called trash? Why are your fists so tight? Do you want to hit me? Go ahead, try to touch me. I can have you expelled from school today. My classroom is not where trash belongs! Garbage belongs in the trash heap!"
I took a deep breath. My hands nearly flew to her face. Looking at the woman's continued arrogance, I could no longer suppress the fire within me. I lowered my voice and spoke with a threatening tone I was unfamiliar with. "Old hag, you don't actually think you did everything flawlessly, do you?"
"What do you mean by that!" Bai Manwen's face instantly changed. Her eyes locked onto me, shooting out a terrifying glare.
"What do I mean?" I sneered, wrapped in overwhelming anger. I felt an unprecedented surge of courage. I stepped forward, bent down, and stared intensely at her, as if I wanted to devour her alive.
"You ask me what I mean?" I looked down at her. Simultaneously, a strange feeling arose in my heart. The moment I took this step, all my previous hesitation and cowardice seemed to rapidly retreat, as if meeting a natural predator. My entire being entered a new state.
"Don't you know yourself?"
Seeing me stand my ground, confronting her with the ferocity of a wild beast, Mistress Extinction's intimidating aura visibly dissipated. I could clearly see her eyes darting away; she was no longer as aggressive as before. This made my confidence soar. This was the first time I had gained the upper hand in a confrontation with her—something perhaps no one in our class or even our grade had ever done. The rush of boldness and satisfaction was unparalleled.
"What are you talking about?" She quickly straightened her head, not wanting to show weakness, and her eyes still fixed on me aggressively. But I smiled, because she no longer possessed the terrifying, wild momentum she had moments ago. She had faltered.
"What am I talking about, Teacher Bai? Aren't you quite clear yourself?" I wore a slight smile. I had only seen scenes like this in comics and novels, but experiencing it now, the words spilled out naturally. The real reason, however, was that she had mentioned my mother, the line I could not allow anyone to cross.
"What's clear? What isn't? Now, hurry up and call your parents! This class can no longer tolerate you!" Seeing my cold smile, Mistress Extinction grew agitated, still trying to pressure me with the expulsion threat.
"Do I have to spell it out before you get scared?" I narrowed my eyes and took another step closer to Mistress Extinction. She seemed to realize something and instinctively took half a step back, but quickly recovered, raised her eyes, and sneered, "What am I afraid of?"
I truly admired this teacher's mental fortitude. Despite my overwhelming advantage as a young upstart, I still hadn't managed to completely crush her. So, I decided to issue my ultimatum: "Teacher Bai, where did you go after you took my phone?"
Mistress Extinction's pupils contracted sharply. Her voice, uncontrollable, unconsciously blurted out, "You followed me!"
"If you don't want people to know, don't do it," I said coldly. I had no pity for this ruthless woman. On the contrary, the resentment I had built up toward her was immense. How could I feel sympathy for such an old hag?
A fine sheen of sweat broke out on Bai Manwen's forehead, indicating she was deeply nervous. She quickly thought for a moment, her expression shifting drastically, and then suddenly forced a laugh.
Her change surprised me. "Is something funny?" I asked.
Her composure returned, and she curved her lips into a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. If you really have something to say, please say it in another class. You are no longer a student in my class."
With that, she took out her phone, ready to make a call.
I slapped my hand over hers, blocking the move. Anger surged, and I panted heavily, close to her face, like a wild beast breathing. "You don't think I can produce evidence just because you confiscated my phone, do you?"
Her body abruptly swayed. Her face changed dramatically, and for the first time, genuine terror appeared in her eyes. But her mouth refused to concede. "What are you trying to say? Get out of here right now and stop talking nonsense!"
"Heh heh..." I chuckled, took out the phone Liu Xiaoyu had given me, and opened a video right in front of her.
She froze, her eyes widening as she looked down. She remained somewhat calm at first, but as the video played, she lost control. The segment where she violently assaulted Teacher Li Yue made her body tremble violently. Her voice was filled with disbelief: "This is impossible..."
"Impossible? What's impossible? Teacher Bai, you can explain it to the police." I sneered.
Perhaps that sentence was the trigger. She suddenly lunged, grabbing for my phone. I reacted instantly, holding the phone away from her. But she didn't give up. She rushed forward like a madwoman, desperately trying to snatch the phone, her great force pushing me back a few steps.
"Give it to me!" Her voice was a hysterical shriek of desperation. Her limbs wrapped around me, trying to wrestle the phone away.
I wouldn't let her have it. I held one arm across my chest to block her, constantly shoving her away. No matter how she reached, she couldn't get the phone. My height and weight advantage crushed her attempts; it was a pipe dream for her to easily snatch the phone from me.
Seeing that she couldn't take it, she suddenly opened her mouth and bit down hard on my arm.
"Agh!" The force of her bite was immense, as if she intended to tear a piece of flesh right off my arm. A piercing pain erupted. I desperately thrashed my arm, trying to shake her off, but she clung tightly, practically dangling from my arm.
The agonizing pain fueled an endless rage within me. Looking at the maniacal woman in front of me, an uncontrollable violence surged up. I quickly put the phone in my pocket and slammed my body against hers.
"Thud!"
My weight came down on Mistress Extinction's body. We fell to the ground with a dull thump, but the piercing pain continued; the lunatic hadn't let go. I felt as if my arm was no longer mine.
"Let go!" At this point, I didn't care about anything else. I quickly reached out with my other hand and choked her neck, while one knee pressed hard onto her abdomen, adding my body weight to the pressure on her throat.
The pain in my arm, combined with years of accumulated resentment, erupted all at once. I used a force I'd never known I possessed, as if I meant to snap her neck clean off.
The sneering glances, the endless mockery, the disdainful smiles—all these scenes flashed through my mind. When her words finally touched my family, my long-term suppression shattered completely. The fury inside me felt like it was consuming my entire being. All that anger coalesced into tremendous strength, centered in my hand. With continuous exertion, I could even hear faint cracking sounds. Bai Manwen's neck could not bear the force of my grip; it felt like it would break at any moment.
Under the ferocious pressure on her neck, her jaw finally loosened weakly, revealing my bloody, bruised arm. There were several deep teeth marks, two rows of puncture wounds that were constantly oozing blood. This clearly showed how fiercely she had bitten me, as if trying to eat my flesh.
Looking at the horrifying wound, fear first arose, then instantly turned back into fury. I was enveloped by rage. My long-suppressed resentment burst forth. I was nearly mad. I loomed over her, gripping her neck. The roles had completely reversed; I had become the one in control, the one who could determine her fate.
Her face was scarlet, her mouth stretched wide open, and her body involuntarily arched. Her tongue even protruded slightly. Her arms feebly lifted, unable to stop me. She twisted unconsciously, like an animal struggling for its life, only able to produce muffled whimpers.
It was then that I finally came to my senses. Seeing Bai Manwen's horrific state, I instinctively released my hand.
The instant I let go, Bai Manwen's body seemed to regain control. Both hands shot up to protect her throat. She then let out muffled sobs, opening her mouth wide, desperately gulping for fresh air.
I slumped onto the floor, cold sweat pouring down my forehead. What was I doing? I felt like I had lost my mind, recklessly venting my anger like an unthinking beast, completely ignoring the consequences.
If I hadn't stopped myself in time, what would have happened? Would I have strangled her? And what would that make me? Another Bai Manwen?
My mind raced, trying to figure out how to handle the situation.
Bai Manwen began to cough violently, slowly turning to kneel on the floor, gasping for breath.
Her coughing brought me back to action. I didn't want to give her time to think, so I immediately got up and walked over to her.
She unconsciously raised her head and saw me. Uncontrollable terror flashed in her eyes. Because she was kneeling, she used her hands to push herself backward, constantly retreating. Clearly, the fact that I had almost choked her to death left a deep trauma.
I knew I couldn't let her go now. I quickly followed her, my bloody hand constantly reminding me to press on. My hesitation completely vanished with the throbbing pain in my arm. I advanced a step for every step she retreated until I backed her into a corner, with nowhere left to go.
I reached out and grabbed her clothes at her chest. An undeniable look of terror appeared in Bai Manwen's eyes. It seemed she was reliving the moment I choked her; that helpless sense of suffocation washed over her again.
"Are you going to be cooperative now? If you don't want me to send this video out, you'd better obey." The threatening voice came out of my mouth. This was the first time I had ever said such a thing. Although I had fantasized about it countless times, saying it felt surreal. Was this still the cowardly, self-conscious person I used to be? I used to be afraid to make eye contact when talking to people, but now I could fiercely utter these words. What had caused all this change?
Moreover, the speed of my role reversal was so fast that I couldn't believe it was something I was capable of. I seemed to understand something: perhaps everyone hides evil deep down, restrained only by morality and law. It seemed so easy to become "bad." But for me, this wasn't about turning bad; it was about transforming from a victim to the one in control. I could choose to violate others or not. The power was mine, and that feeling was powerful.
I hadn't intended to be so aggressive initially. In fact, most of what happened was beyond my control. We wouldn't have reached this point if she hadn't crossed my line. But since it had happened, I would see it through to the end.
I looked at her with a savage expression. Seeing the fear in her eyes, an uncontrollable feeling of satisfaction surged within me. This was the pleasure of turning the tables. The once formidable Mistress Extinction now looked terrified in front of me, giving me an unprecedented sense of conquest.
"What do you... want?" Her voice was trembling. Her expression and speech were unnatural. My sudden shift was clearly too much for her to process, and she wasn't used to speaking in such a submissive manner. But the situation demanded it. The most crucial and intimidating factor, I realized, was that she knew I had nearly choked her to death. A near-death experience would certainly keep her in line.
"What do I want? I told you from the start, but you insisted on forcing the situation to this point." I sneered.
"..." She remained silent, leaning weakly against the wall behind her, breathing heavily. Her eyes were downcast; her expression unreadable. Perhaps she still couldn't grasp why the situation had devolved this way, why her once-cowardly student had suddenly erupted and almost killed her.
"Where is my phone?" My hand was still gripping the front of her clothes. My face wore a fierce expression I'd never shown before. I was probably overacting since I'd never done this before.
"...It's gone..."
"Where did you throw it?" I moved my hand slightly. This startled her. Remembering the previous experience, her voice became panicked. "I smashed it and threw it in the trash can. It should have been collected by now..."
"..." I was silent for a moment. There was nothing on that phone worth keeping, but then I remembered something and sneered.
"You didn't think smashing that phone would make the photos and videos disappear, did you?"
"You..." She suddenly raised her head, staring intently at me.
"Slap!" A clear, loud sound echoed in the empty office.
A red handprint instantly appeared on Bai Manwen's fair cheek. She covered her face, looking at me with shock, disbelief, and humiliation. The area under her dark-rimmed glasses was visibly red.
My heart trembled slightly. But at this point, the die was cast. My performance tonight was clearly not calm or collected enough; there might have been better ways to handle this, but I couldn't think clearly, so I resorted to the simplest and most brutal method.
Watching the usually arrogant Mistress Extinction show such a look of humiliation in front of me filled me with a great sense of revenge. But this wasn't the time to savor the feeling. I took a few deep breaths. Honestly, I was still extremely nervous; I didn't feel like the omnipotent protagonists in novels and TV shows.
"Even if you steal my phone and my flash drive, it's useless. I have backups in who knows how many places." I paused, looking at Bai Manwen, who was covering her face and bowing her head. I deliberately lowered my voice. "Everything that can ruin you and your husband is in my hands now. Especially you; you're going to suffer a terrible fate."
She lifted her head, looked at me, her gaze truly changing. It was now laced with fear, as if she were seeing me for the first time.