Abyss Descent

Darkness.

It was deep, incredibly deep—bottomless, without a sliver of light.

Within this endless darkness came an agonizing sense of suffocation, accompanied by an ever-rising feeling of sinking that he could not resist.

What a desperate, helpless, and terrible feeling.

Just then, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the pitch-black abyss in the distance.

The illusory light gradually expanded from a hazy blur, slowly becoming clear, and the entire world was covered in color.

The moment the colors solidified, a pair of eyes opened.

Ancient walls came into view, while the intense suffocation and pain still filled his mind.

He struggled to raise his head and glanced upward from the corner of his eye. A taut noose immediately came into view.

At that moment, a young man in a blue-and-white school uniform could be seen hanging from the rope, his entire face having turned purplish.

"Ah!"

The young man's eyes bulged wide as he struggled desperately. Though he had no idea what was happening, he did not want to be hanged to death.

Creak~

The noose swayed back and forth from the young man's violent struggles.

Unfortunately, everything seemed futile. The noose dug deeper into the flesh of his neck, and the intense suffocation made the young man roll his eyes back.

Yet just as he was about to reach his limit—

Crack!

The old steel-frame ceiling collapsed with a crash.

Rumble~

The young man fell heavily, slamming into the debris on the floor.

The tremendous noise was especially jarring in the silent night.

"Cough, cough~"

The young man lay sprawled on the floor, gulping down breath after breath and greedily inhaling fresh air.

Thud, thud~

Soon, hurried footsteps came from outside the door. The door was pushed open, and two figures rushed in. When they saw the young man lying on the floor, they shouted excitedly.

"We found Su Ming! He's here!"

The young man struggled to raise his head and look at the figures in the doorway. Before he could figure out what was happening, more and more people hurried over.

Everyone gathered around the young man and spoke anxiously.

"Quick, take him to the infirmary!"

A moment later, inside the clean infirmary.

Su Ming lay on a hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling overhead, his face filled with confusion.

Inside the infirmary, numerous students in blue-and-white school uniforms chattered among themselves.

"What happened to Su Ming? He hasn't said a word. Could he have mentally collapsed and gone stupid?"

"That's normal. If a love letter I wrote were exposed to the entire school, I might end up the same way."

"This guy's really pitiful!"

"Quiet! Stop talking nonsense!"

A thin, middle-aged man with prominent cheekbones, sallow skin, and a gray teacher's uniform suppressed his irritation and reprimanded the chattering students.

"Yes, Teacher Tang."

The students present exchanged glances and shut their mouths.

At that moment, the infirmary door was suddenly shoved open. A middle-aged man who was only 1.5 meters tall, with a beer belly, a black tailcoat, slicked-back hair, and a small mustache, hurried in while pulling along a tall, wealthy-looking woman in a red dress and gemstone necklace.

When they saw Su Ming lying on the bed, they rushed to his side in a panic and asked with concern.

"Son, are you all right?"

"Where does it hurt?"

"Who did this to you? Tell me, and I'll definitely sue him!"

Su Ming stared blankly at the middle-aged couple, showing no reaction.

Seeing that Su Ming did not respond at all, the two grew even more uneasy and asked anxiously.

"Son, what's wrong? Say something!"

"Don't scare us!"

"Please, both of you, calm down!"

Tang Yan and an elderly school doctor hurried forward to comfort them.

"Doctor, what exactly is wrong with my son?"

Su Ming's parents asked nervously.

"Student Su Ming hanged himself in the storage room earlier. Although we managed to save him, the lack of oxygen may have caused slight damage to his brain tissue, resulting in problems with his consciousness. Let him rest quietly for a while. He may recover."

The school doctor sighed.

"Yes, that's right. Please don't get agitated yet. Student Su Ming needs rest."

Tang Yan echoed him, then turned to the other students who had helped with the search.

"Everyone, go back to the dormitory. Get some rest. You still have class tomorrow."

Although the students were somewhat reluctant, they eventually left one after another.

After hearing the doctor and Tang Yan, Su Ming's parents relaxed slightly and looked at him again.

"Son, look at me carefully. I'm your mother!"

Su Ming's mother spoke with reddened eyes.

Su Ming merely glanced at the middle-aged woman without saying anything. His head was growing more painful, and he had no idea what was happening.

"Can't you really remember?"

"Mother?"

Su Ming's lips moved slightly as he murmured in a low voice.

At that moment, a fragment of broken memory suddenly flashed through his mind.

In the memory, he stood on the athletic field, surrounded by countless figures in blue-and-white school uniforms who kept laughing at him.

The memory shifted. He was leaning against a classroom window, gazing at a graceful figure on the athletic field.

As more and more fragments of memory surged forth, Su Ming felt as though his head were being torn apart. The piercing pain forced a groan from him.

"Ah~"

"Son, what's wrong?"

Seeing this, Su Ming's parents asked in extreme panic.

"Ah, my head hurts!"

Su Ming clutched his head and rolled about painfully on the hospital bed as countless fragments of memory continued surging into his mind.

The school doctor hurriedly grabbed a sedative, rushed over, and shouted.

"Hold him down!"

Tang Yan and the others frantically reached out and restrained Su Ming.

Just as Su Ming was about to remember everything, the needle pierced his arm. A wave of intense exhaustion immediately washed over him, and he soon fell unconscious.

One day later.

Peaceful sunlight passed through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows and spilled across the spacious bed.

Su Ming slowly opened his eyes and struggled to sit up.

Holding his forehead, he got out of bed groggily and walked toward the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, Su Ming turned on the faucet in confusion.

Whoosh~

Su Ming held out both hands, caught the running water, and washed his face.

The cold water immediately cleared his muddled mind somewhat. Then he raised his head and looked into the mirror.

A round, chubby face immediately appeared before his eyes.

"Ah~"

Su Ming shuddered violently, startled out of his wits.

His first thought was, Who am I? Where am I?

His entire mind went blank.

However, Su Ming soon calmed down and sorted through his chaotic thoughts.

Then he took a deep breath and looked into the mirror again.

He studied his reflection and froze completely.

This was the first time he had ever looked in a mirror.

Five minutes later, Su Ming sighed helplessly. He had more or less accepted this new identity.

"ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh."

"I didn't expect this body to be so fat. It must weigh at least 180 pounds, right?"

Su Ming lowered his head and examined his new body from every angle, then murmured in a low voice.