The Lonely One

Swish, swish, swish~

The ceiling fan in the classroom spun rapidly, barely managing to sweep away the summer's stuffiness, but the restless heat inside the students' hearts only grew.

They were about to welcome the upcoming half-month-long [National Foundation Festival], with less than two minutes left until the final class ended.

Most of the students in Class 5, Grade 2 were already packing their bags or gazing out the window—after all, the "cultural class" currently in session didn't seem important to them.

However, a male student whose desk was pressed against the wall continued to listen attentively, his eyes darting quickly between the blackboard and his notebook, jotting down as much content as possible.

Ring, ring~

The bell for the end of class rang.

Restless students left the classroom in groups of three or five, their brisk walks mixed with sprints, as if they were terrified of being stuck at school.

That male student, on the other hand, made sure he had fully copied the notes before he began to pack his books at a leisurely pace.

Just then, a patch of shadow spread out, creeping up and covering his desk.

The male student instinctively clenched his fist and spun around quickly.

What met his eyes, however, were a pair of feminine hands gently resting on the edge of the desk.

Following the pale but distinctly muscular arms upward, a gentle and familiar smile swiftly dissolved the wariness in his heart.

The owner of the shadow was none other than the current class monitor of Class 5, Grade 2—Wu Wen.

Standing at 1.7 meters tall with nearly perfect body proportions, paired with today's high ponytail, it was obvious at a glance that she was extremely athletic.

Today was the eve of the holiday, so no school uniform was required.

Monitor Wu was dressed in a relatively casual summer sportswear set: a white T-shirt under a light-colored sun-protective jacket, with form-fitting athletic shorts and white sneakers on her lower half.

After confirming it was the class monitor, the male student lowered his guard and continued packing his books.

"Hey~ Luo Di, I'm planning to go out for a couple of days in the middle of the holiday. Are you free?"

"No."

Rejected outright, the class monitor didn't give up. Instead, she leaned in closer and lowered her voice.

"It's not 'playing around.' My family pulled some strings to get an early opportunity for 'practice.' You know what that is—if we succeed, it gets recorded in our personal files and helps with next year's entrance exams."

Luo Di didn't respond immediately, continuing to pack his books.

The monitor waited patiently.

Only after he had packed the last book did he finally speak. "Who's coming?"

"If we count you, four people total.

There's a classmate of ours who's on leave, plus a friend of mine from outside school—she's a girl. Two guys, two girls. Yin-Yang balance.

Don't worry, they're all top-tier students with outstanding sports scores. They won't hold you back."

Getting an early chance at practice was a rare opportunity, so Luo Di nodded in agreement.

The monitor extended her arm in front of him, nearly filling his entire field of vision, and pointed to the flexible metal bracelet on her wrist.

"As for the practice, we're planning to set out in about seven days. But I'll call you the day before we leave. We'll have everyone meet up first, then go buy the supplies we need together."

"Mm."

Just then, the school's broadcast announcement rang out at the perfect moment.

≮All faculty and students are required to swipe out and leave campus within fifteen minutes. The school will conduct a thorough pre-holiday inspection. Those who fail to leave on time will receive a demerit and be sent to the school clinic for a comprehensive check-up.≯

"Luo Di, want to race! See who can reach the school gate first?"

"No."

The class monitor, who had already assumed a starting pose, could only let out a sigh. "Ah~ fine."

The two walked through the campus one after the other. No matter how urgently the monitor waved at him from ahead, Luo Di maintained a steady walking pace, as if he had already calculated the time in his head and wasn't worried about being stuck on campus.

By the time he walked out of the school gate, the monitor was already sitting in an expensive private car.

Luo Di could vaguely sense someone inside the car watching him, but it was a kind of gaze he seemed long accustomed to—nothing worth paying attention to.

He turned and boarded the all-too-familiar bus, taking a seat in the last row by the window. Just as he was about to take a short nap, a loud, special broadcast echoed through the carriage.

Buzz~ Buzz~ Buzz~

First came three high-frequency, ear-piercing beeps, emphasizing the importance of the broadcast's content.

"Tomorrow marks the annual [National Foundation Festival]. All citizens will enjoy a fifteen-day holiday. A special reminder: while enjoying your holiday, please strictly adhere to the 'National Corner Safety Law.'

Those designated as regional service personnel during the holiday period must fulfill their duties; corresponding holiday compensation will be provided afterward.

During holiday travel, citizens must comply with the 'Corner Law' of different regions.

Those planning to travel to suburban areas should make necessary preparations in advance, present a medical examination certificate before leaving the city, and undergo a comprehensive psychological check upon returning to the urban area."

The first segment of the broadcast was delivered in Russian.

Although Luo Di held Huaxia nationality, he could understand it completely, since Russian was included in the compulsory cultural curriculum.

The subsequent broadcast was then played in four versions: Chinese, English, German, and Italian.

According to Luo Di's original plan, he would have stayed home for the entire holiday, but now he needed to consider "practice" and make changes.

≮Residential Zone 13 has arrived. The doors will close in ten seconds.≯

After getting off the bus with his backpack, Luo Di walked quickly to the deepest part of the residential zone, where [home] was located.

On the shoe cabinet by the entrance hung a photo of a family of four.

Besides his parents, Luo Di also had an older sister.

But on the shoe cabinet, a letter was left behind. His parents had already taken his sister out on vacation. This year's National Foundation Day, he, the busy high school student, was responsible for watching the house.

Not only did Luo Di not complain, he was actually very happy.

What he liked most was being home alone. Going out traveling was, for him, a very painful thing.

He took frozen beef and green peppers from the refrigerator and steamed two large mantou.

Taking advantage of the time while cooking, Luo Di also retrieved from his bedroom a beautifully packaged disc and a metal dumbbell marked 25kg, placing them in the living room area in advance.

Buzz~

The television turned on. The disc player read the disc.

The movie title "Friday the 13th Part III" appeared on the LCD screen, and the background music of the last era began to play.

In one hand, Luo Di held a mantou stuffed with shredded beef and green peppers; in the other, he held the dumbbell.

Each bite he took corresponded to one dumbbell curl.

And throughout the entire process of eating and exercising, Luo Di never once moved his gaze away from the screen, even though he had already watched this movie no less than thirty times.

That's right.

He had loved this type of movie since he was a child, especially fascinated by the characters in them.

Unlike the class monitor and the others, who had systematic, specialized training, Luo Di had never received guidance from anyone outside of class hours. He simply wanted to obtain a physique like the movie characters, training his body in the most everyday way possible.

Dumbbells, weighted squats, push-ups, and a nightly run of over ten kilometers—these were his training regimen.

He believed that as long as he persisted like this, he would one day be able to obtain a physique similar to the killers in those movies.