Survival Day

A week later, Cangnan City Second High School.

"Hey, look, is that person from our school? Why is his eyes covered with a cloth?"

"He's wearing our school uniform, so he must be from our school."

"He's also holding a white cane, so he must be blind."

"That's strange, I've never seen him before."

"He must be a freshman this year, right?"

"Don't say it, with those black cloths wrapped around his eyes, he actually looks quite handsome."

"But how can a blind person attend classes? Our school doesn't seem to have special classes, does it?"

"I don't know."

"..."

As expected, the moment Lin Qiye walked through the school gate, he attracted a large crowd's attention.

However, Lin Qiye had experienced such scenes too many times. He walked through the school's Maple Leaf Avenue as if no one else was there, heading towards the teaching building.

Speaking of which, Lin Qiye had prepared himself for dealing with troublemakers before he arrived. After all, in many brainless wish-fulfillment novels, a few idiotic "school bullies" would definitely jump out in this situation, mock him, and lay the groundwork for his future face-slapping moments...

However, the troublemakers didn't appear. Instead, many students proactively approached him, asking if he needed any help.

This made Lin Qiye feel a strange sense of disappointment.

It made sense. They were all modern students who had received nine years of compulsory education. How could there be so many ignorant troublemakers? Besides, even if there were such cliques, they now valued "brotherhood." It was fine to help their brothers settle matters and express their spirit in daily life, but if they truly bullied a disabled person, they would be drowned in a sea of spit the next day and be utterly ruined.

Lin Qiye walked up the stairs and quickly found his classroom, Class 2, Year 2. He had already attended a year of freshman classes at a special school, so he was a transfer student after transferring schools.

Judging from most movies, TV shows, and novels, transfer students were usually synonymous with being neglected, isolated, and miserable. After all, within the year of freshman year, various cliques had already formed. If he didn't take the initiative, it would be difficult to truly integrate into the class.

Lin Qiye knew very well that he was not the type of person to take the initiative.

Even if he had been with them since freshman year, with his aloof aura, he might still have been alone even now.

But being alone wasn't bad. At least Lin Qiye himself enjoyed it. No one bothered him, he could cultivate his character, and focus on his studies...

If he were forced to deliberately build good relationships with others, he wouldn't be able to.

Standing at the classroom door, Lin Qiye took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and stepped inside.

The moment Lin Qiye entered the classroom, the previously noisy chatter instantly ceased, and the air suddenly fell silent...

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Just as Lin Qiye was about to say something, the class erupted!

"You must be Lin Qiye, right? Your seat has been prepared, it's over there."

"Lin Qiye, can you not see? I'll take you there."

"Classmate, walk slower, there are many things on the aisle... Hey you, quickly put away your schoolbag!"

"..."

Before Lin Qiye could react, several classmates had already stepped forward and carefully led him to his seat. A tall boy even took Lin Qiye's schoolbag and slung it over his shoulder.

Surrounded by many people, Lin Qiye "safely" arrived at his seat.

Lin Qiye: ...?

Why wasn't this like the script?

"Lin Qiye, I'm the class monitor, Jiang Qian. You can come to me if you need anything," said a girl with a ponytail, patting her chest.

"My name is Li Yifei. If you want to go eat, just call me, and I'll take you," the boy who helped him with his bag said with a smile.

"And me, my name is Wang Shao..."

"..."

Many people crowded around him, greeting him enthusiastically.

For a moment, Lin Qiye was a little dazed.

To be honest, this was quite different from what he had imagined.

"You... know me?" Lin Qiye's expression was a bit strange.

"The homeroom teacher told us about you," Class Monitor Jiang Qian replied. "However, what impressed us the most was your aunt. That day, she carried a basket of eggs and stood right here, giving eggs to everyone one by one, and asking us to look after you..."

It was as if a thunderclap struck Lin Qiye's mind, and he froze on the spot.

He couldn't hear what the other classmates said next. He just stared blankly at the classroom, and the image of the hunched middle-aged woman, carrying a basket of freshly boiled eggs and earnestly asking the classmates for help, involuntarily appeared in his mind.

"Classmates, please help me. My nephew's eyesight isn't good, and he's a bit cold. Please take good care of him..."

"Young lady, you're so pretty. My nephew is also very handsome. You'll definitely like him..."

"Qiye is a child who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Once you get to know him, you'll get along very well..."

"..."

At some point, the black ribbon had become slightly damp.

"Aunt..." he murmured to himself.

While everyone was chattering, a female teacher walked in, holding a stack of books. She saw Lin Qiye sitting in the front row, first offered him some words of comfort, then briefly introduced herself to everyone before beginning the lesson.

"Everyone, turn to page ninety-one. Today, we'll discuss the history and predicament of Great Xia in modern times..."

Perhaps because Lin Qiye was present, the teacher skipped the usual textbook skimming and went straight into explaining the material.

"A hundred years ago, there were over two hundred countries on Earth, spread across seven continents and four oceans, each with its own unique customs and cultures. Even in that era of less advanced technology, we could still travel to different countries by ship and experience the collision of cultures..."

"However, on March 9th, a mysterious fog suddenly appeared out of nowhere in Antarctica and spread at an astonishing speed. Within just 24 hours, it had engulfed nearly 98% of the Earth's surface."

"The skyscrapers built by humanity, the ancient primeval forests, the unfathomably deep oceans... everything was covered by the fog. Countless countries fell into the mist, and all contact was lost."

"Yet, this unbelievable fog stopped just as it was about to invade Great Xia's territory..."

"No one knows why, but it just inexplicably stopped."

"Over the past century, countless theories and speculations have been proposed. Some say this fog is actually a living organism that stopped near Great Xia after it had eaten its fill of 98% of the Earth. Others say it's because the location of Great Xia possesses a special magnetic field that hindered the fog's spread. Still others claim it's the accumulated heritage of Great Xia's five thousand years of history that is at play, protecting this land..."

"The composition of this fog completely exceeds human understanding. Whether it's light, sound, radio waves, or any other detection method, nothing can penetrate this fog. No one knows if those other countries, swallowed up a hundred years ago, still exist behind this mist..."

"According to expert estimations, their chances of survival within the fog are extremely low, because whether inhaled into the lungs or in contact with the skin... this fog is fatal!"

"In the past hundred years, our country has dispatched countless fully equipped exploration teams into the fog, but not a single person has ever returned."

"Fifty years ago, our country's first satellite was successfully launched. From the images transmitted back from space, the entire Earth had turned gray-white, leaving only Great Xia as a pure land."

"Great Xia today is like an isolated island on this planet, and we... are perhaps the last survivors on this planet."

"Therefore, the day the fog appeared, March 9th every year, is known as 'Survival Day'."