Chapter 139 - 57: The Last Lesson

Chapter 139: Chapter 57: The Last Lesson

"They warned me... They told me..."

His voice grew softer and softer, eventually trailing off into a series of incomprehensible mumbles.

Yu Xian sat in a corner of the front row, his eyes fixed on Professor Ning’s ashen face.

Retaliation?

A warning?

The two words struck his mind like bolts of lightning.

’Could this incident be related to Professor Gao’s suicide, Professor Shu’s departure, and that riot fueled by rumors?’

These events pieced themselves together in his mind, forming a horrifying theory.

’What if these incidents really are connected?’

’What if the previous torrential rain rumors and the mob siege were an "indiscriminate attack" on the entire scientific community?’

’Then is this, right now, a precision strike against those who "refuse to yield"?’

He thought of Professor Shu’s overnight departure, of the moving trucks he’d seen.

’Perhaps Professor Shu’s departure was his way of "heeding the warning"—taking his equipment and his team and making a dignified, if hasty, exit.’

’But what about Professor Ning and Professor Gao?’

’Is this the consequence for Professor Ning not "obeying the warning"? To be saddled with this most vicious, irrefutable accusation, to have his reputation destroyed, to be scorned by his students, and to be left with nowhere to turn?’

’And was the consequence for Professor Gao not "obeying the warning" that he was forced to betray his lifelong beliefs, ideals, and ambitions? To cast a vote against the very field to which he had dedicated his life?’

It was murder of the soul.

’If my guess is right, this is absolutely terrifying.’

’Who is the hidden mastermind behind all this?’

’Is it the same power that forced the great exodus of the physics community?’

’Why are they doing this? Why go to such lengths, even resorting to such despicable methods, to drive out every last physicist?’

’But if they have that kind of power, why resort to such dirty tricks?’

Professor Ning clutched the lectern, struggling to support his faltering body. His stooped frame seemed to be desperately holding something back.

Suddenly, he raised his head and straightened his spine, as if he had made a difficult decision.

"Students... I know that you probably won’t believe anything I say right now."

His voice no longer trembled, but it was terribly hoarse.

"The innocent have nothing to fear, and the guilty will be exposed. I will fully cooperate with the university’s investigation to clear my name."

He scanned the classroom, his gaze sweeping over each student’s face before finally landing on the girl who had stood up.

"But, before that... could I ask you to give me a little more time, just enough to finish this lecture."

Professor Ning turned to face the blackboard and picked up the half-used piece of chalk. His voice carried a tone of resolute sorrow.

"This may be my last class ever."

Perhaps it was the statement in the article, where the accuser held up their ID card and declared they would bear all consequences, that was so convincing. Or perhaps it was the major academic scandals from a few months ago that had made everyone overly sensitive to this sort of thing. In any case...

No one paid him any mind.

The sound of shuffling desks and chairs filled the classroom. The girl holding the phone shoved her books haphazardly into her bag and strode toward the door without a backward glance.

It was like a switch had been flipped. A second student followed, then a third...

More and more students rose to their feet and filed out the back door, their silent actions a protest expressing their contempt for the "disgraced professor."

In less than two minutes, the once-full lecture hall was more than half empty, with only a few scattered people remaining in their seats.

Yu Xian didn’t move.

He remained in his seat, watching the lonely figure at the front. A heavy stone seemed to have settled in his heart.

He didn’t know if the post was true, but until the full story came to light, he was unwilling to pass judgment on an old man this way.

Moreover, his theory made him feel an even deeper dread at the scene unfolding before him.

’If this is retaliation... it’s just too cruel.’

"Old Yu, are we... leaving?" Shi Zuozhou asked quietly, shifting uneasily as he looked at the empty seats around them.

"Let’s finish listening," Yu Xian said. His voice was soft, but firm.

Shi Zuozhou froze for a moment. He glanced at Yu Xian, then at the old man on the stage, and settled back into his seat.

"We’re here for the lecture. We paid tuition, so why shouldn’t we stay till the end!"

He deliberately raised his voice, and it echoed slightly in the empty classroom.

Professor Ning, on the stage, seemed to hear this. His back stiffened for a second, and then he slowly turned around.

Perhaps it was seeing the "earnest young man" who had left such a deep impression on him, still sitting there with his companion. The old professor’s eyes seemed to redden.

Professor Ning’s lips trembled as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just gave a heavy nod.

"Good... good... As long as there is one student left, I will finish this class."

He took the half-piece of chalk and wrote three large words on the blackboard with heavy strokes:

"Science and Truth."

The chalk let out a piercing SCRAPE against the board. Dust drifted down, settling on his gray jacket like a layer of pale snow.

"I think, in this final moment, I want to talk to you about what science is, and what truth is."

He didn’t continue his lecture on the Ewald sphere, nor on complex crystal structures.

"We who study physics do so to explore the essence of this world, to search for truth. But sometimes, the truth is cruel. It can even be... dangerous."