Any idea what's going on?

The spacious preparation hall was buzzing with excitement.

Under the staff's guidance, more than a thousand students made their way to their assigned positions in an orderly fashion.

Chen Li, seated at the observation platform, suddenly noticed a young man standing near the front.

The young man looked about seventeen or eighteen, yet he was already handsome as a portrait and exceptionally refined. His emotionless eyes made him seem all the more extraordinary.

"You've been hiding such an outstanding student?" Chen Li joked, turning to the middle-aged man beside him.

Liang Fuzhong was confused. He asked ingratiatingly, "I wonder which one you mean, Director Chen?"

Chen Li pointed. "The deathmatch is about to begin, yet he still looks completely composed. I'd say he's confident of victory."

Liang Fuzhong followed his finger and immediately gave an awkward smile. "Well, Director, there's something you don't know. That student accidentally fell into the water yesterday. By the time they pulled him out, he wasn't breathing. They barely managed to save him, but he's been like this ever since. He doesn't even answer when spoken to."

"He's gone dumb?" Chen Li's smile turned rather amused.

Though they were called students, they were essentially reserves, and naturally had been trained in skills like swimming.

"Exactly. I'd already assumed he wouldn't take part in this Deathmatch Showdown."

As he spoke, Liang Fuzhong shook his head with a trace of regret.

"Even if he hadn't fallen into the water, he probably wouldn't have done well. The main thing is, there's something wrong with him here..." Liang Fuzhong pointed at his own head and added, "He's got a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you heard of Extreme Lack of Aggression Syndrome, Director?"

"I know a little about what people call aggressive personality disorders."

Chen Li looked surprised. "That sounds like the exact opposite."

Liang Fuzhong nodded. "It's one of the Neuroscience Research Institute's recent findings. There may have been similar patients in the past, but since this condition was properly identified, my student is the first case. Dean Li even suggested naming the condition after him."

"Interesting. So he's unable to take aggressive action?"

"That's how it manifests, specifically. Apparently, his brain constantly overproduces serotonin and other chemicals that suppress emotion, making it impossible for him to feel negative emotions like anger."

"But the boy has all his limbs. Never mind hitting someone—surely he can at least defend himself?" Chen Li made no attempt to hide his astonishment.

Liang Fuzhong sighed.

"People's behavior always follows the body's lead. This isn't something you can overcome with willpower."

Chen Li nodded.

He could more or less understand.

It was like how most people thought the blind saw nothing but darkness.

But that wasn't actually the case.

What the blind "saw" was emptiness, nothing at all. If they had never seen anything, they had no concept of color.

"Director, the Deathmatch Showdown is about to begin." Though they'd been chatting, Liang Fuzhong hadn't forgotten their duties.

"I hope that boy manages to last a little while in the Deathmatch Arena."

Chen Li gazed at the student and sighed softly. "What a shame."

[Ping!]

[Teleportation beginning...]

[Deathmatch Arena ID: 87****0023]

[Initial user name: (unavailable)]

[Title: None]

[Talent: 8]

[Current points: 0]

[Current ranking: 500/500]

[Ability: None]

[Notice! The first-round Ability Pool is now open. You may select an ability.]

Lu Bai came to his senses, still groggy.

A string of data appeared before his eyes. The panel looked rather crude.

A fresh mountain breeze, fragrant with earth, brushed past him, drawing his attention away from the translucent panel.

Lu Bai looked around. Students in dark green uniforms were emerging in small groups from the Teaching Building behind him.

Boys on the soccer field were kicking the ball with all their might, while a few classmates chatted beneath the trees, books in their arms.

The loudspeaker in the Teaching Building played a youthful, lilting tune, providing the soundtrack to the scene.

A school?

Had he transmigrated?

Lu Bai furrowed his brow and silently steadied himself.

As for the Data Panel in front of his eyes, he accepted it easily enough. A system was practically standard equipment for transmigrators. At most, he was a little puzzled by the "Talent" entry.

He hesitated, then tentatively thought, Select.

The next second, three divided images covered the translucent panel, like someone had slapped three gold-edged cards over his face.

[Unexpected Fortune (Gold): Immediately gain currency with a purchasing power of ten million in the current world.]

[Super Regeneration (Gold): Grants extremely powerful cellular self-healing.]

[King of Strength (Gold): Doubles your current strength.]

As if by instinct, Lu Bai immediately realized that he could choose one of the three abilities.

Once he understood that, he dismissed Unexpected Fortune first. Ten million was certainly a huge sum in modern society, but compared with supernatural abilities, it wasn't as appealing.

As for King of Strength and Super Regeneration, both sounded pretty good from their descriptions.

Too bad he could only pick one.

Lu Bai sighed softly. "In any case, improving my chances of survival can't be a bad idea..."

He had decent psychological resilience. Whether or not he could return to his own world, he first had to figure out his current situation.

He closed the Data Panel, spread his hands, and flexed them, assessing his physical condition.

Choosing Super Regeneration hadn't transformed him into something like the Green Giant. He still looked like an ordinary high school student, which put Lu Bai somewhat at ease.

He had been standing there long enough that students passing by kept glancing at him curiously, apparently wondering why the boy was blocking the Teaching Building's exit.

Just then, a freckled young man emerged from a classroom behind Lu Bai, looking thoroughly excited.

When he noticed Lu Bai, his eyes lit up even more.

The freckled boy jogged over to him, unable to hide the delight in his voice. "This is great! I never thought we'd end up in the same Deathmatch Showdown."

What was this guy's name again?

Lu Bai found something vaguely familiar about the freckled boy, but couldn't remember who he was.

"Come on, let's find somewhere safe and talk."

The freckled boy slung an arm around Lu Bai with easy familiarity. The two left the Teaching Building with their arms around each other, like a pair of close buddies.

As they walked, the freckled boy asked quietly, "Little Lu, what ability did you pick?"

Wait, what...

Lu Bai was a little stunned.

Could everyone choose an ability?

So this panel wasn't a system exclusive to him?

When Lu Bai didn't say a word, a trace of impatience flickered across the freckled boy's face before he forced a smile.

"Don't be so nervous. The teachers said we have to stay alert in the Deathmatch Arena, but we're classmates. Besides, this is our first Deathmatch Showdown. It's not like our lives are in danger."

The freckled boy casually patted Lu Bai on the shoulder, then added, "I know what you're like. If you don't find someone to protect you, are you planning to wander around the Deathmatch Arena all by yourself?"

He kept bringing up the Deathmatch Showdown, and from the context, it was obvious he was using "Deathmatch Arena" to refer to the world they were in.

"You're right."

Lu Bai nodded obediently.

He could tell the freckled boy wasn't as friendly toward him as he made out.

But whatever the guy was after, getting information from him was better than wandering around like a headless fly.

With that in mind, Lu Bai casually bluffed, "I picked an ability that increases my calculation speed."

For some reason, the freckled boy didn't seem suspicious. It was as if he didn't think Lu Bai would lie to him.

He frowned and sighed to himself. "That's not much use."

As they chatted, they had unknowingly reached a corner at the rear side of the sports field, where an old banyan tree and the wall met. A few delinquent boys were there, puffing away.

The delinquents noticed the two unfamiliar faces. One by one, they put out their remaining Cigarette Butts and left.

In the blink of an eye, only Lu Bai and the freckled boy remained in the corner.

After confirming no one else would show up in the immediate future, the freckled boy let go of Lu Bai and subtly blocked his way out with his body.

Lu Bai acted as though he hadn't noticed.

Seeing that, the freckled boy put on a show of sighing. "Little Lu, you can't blame me. You're already a burden, and you picked a useless ability, so..."

As he spoke, the freckled boy produced a long sword in the style of an Eight-Sided Han Sword from seemingly nowhere. He raised it and pointed the blade at Lu Bai. "Why not just give me your point? I might even look after you when we get back, if I'm in the mood."

The blade glinted coldly in the sunlight.

Lu Bai couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

Honestly, even with the sword tip less than half a meter away, he didn't feel particularly nervous.

From the freckled boy's grip, he could easily tell he was an amateur with a sword. He didn't seem like someone who had actually killed anyone, either.

With cold weapons, knowing how to use one and not knowing how were two completely different things.

Against someone like the freckled boy, Lu Bai was confident he couldn't hurt him even without Super Regeneration. The only thing he really needed to be wary of was the Eight-Sided Han Sword itself.

So Lu Bai asked earnestly, "Could we talk a little longer?"

"What?!" The freckled boy was momentarily dumbfounded.

He came to his senses and reached out to shove Lu Bai, his expression turning hostile, but his hand met empty air.

Staring at Lu Bai, who had deliberately stepped back, the freckled boy's face darkened completely. He threatened, "Move again. Just try it."

Hearing that, Lu Bai extended his right foot and traced an arc on the ground.

"Fine, fine, fine."

The freckled boy gritted his teeth, paused, then cursed furiously, "You're asking for it!"

Lu Bai wasn't intimidated.

What bothered him was that the other boy's reaction didn't seem like a response to being provoked. It was more like bluster from someone whose fixed idea had just been shattered.

The freckled boy really did attack. He swung his sword straight down at Lu Bai's head.

The trajectory was so obvious that any normal person could dodge it without much trouble, as long as they stayed calm.

Whoosh!

The blade cut through the air as Lu Bai nimbly sidestepped it.

He quickly pinned the hilt down, driving part of the blade into the dirt, then followed through with a kick to the freckled boy's waist.

The whole sequence flowed seamlessly. Throughout it, Lu Bai even had enough attention to wonder what had caused the other boy to react so violently.

He didn't have to wonder for long. The freckled boy, knocked to the ground by the kick, provided part of the answer.

With his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide, he stared at Lu Bai and asked without thinking, "How is that possible? Your condition..."

"Condition? What condition?"

Lu Bai casually pulled the sword out of the dirt and walked over to the freckled boy. He couldn't help chuckling. "Is there a risk I might recover?"

The freckled boy swallowed, disbelief filling his eyes.

His reaction didn't seem fake. Lu Bai had added the teasing remark purely to hide his own confusion.

Could he have been sick?

He felt perfectly healthy.

"Not talking anymore?"

Lu Bai weighed the sword, then casually laid it against the freckled boy's neck. "Want to find out how sharp my precious sword is?"

What do you mean, your precious sword?!

The freckled boy nearly spat up blood when he heard that.

He glared at Lu Bai. "What else do you want me to say?"

Tap, tap.

Lu Bai tapped the freckled boy's shoulder with the flat of the blade, making no effort to hide his threat.

"I ask, you answer. If you hesitate even once, I'll cut your head off."

The boy turned his head away without speaking, seemingly accepting the terms.

Lu Bai didn't mind his little display of attitude. "Name?"

"Fan Ding."

"Age?"

"Eighteen."

Fan Ding's expression grew uglier by the second.

To him, Lu Bai's "asking questions he already knew the answers to" was clearly an attempt to humiliate him.

"How many people are in our class?"

"That's enough!"

Fan Ding took a deep breath, seeming to make up his mind. He sneered at Lu Bai. "If you've got the guts, just kill me."

"Look at you, getting worked up again."

A smile appeared on Lu Bai's face.

It was a pure, genuine smile, nearly impossible to fake.

Ultimately, it was because Lu Bai didn't feel the slightest murderous intent at that moment. He didn't even feel like beating Fan Ding up.

He was surprised himself by how mild-tempered he'd become.

He casually rubbed Fan Ding's head as a sort of consolation, then decided to change tack and fish for the information he wanted indirectly.

But before he could think of what to say, his thoughts were interrupted by a scream from the playground.

"Ah!!!"

The scream was like a signal, setting off a chain reaction.

One scream after another rang out from all around, shattering the school's peaceful atmosphere.

If you listened closely, you could also hear beastlike howls.

Lu Bai looked in the direction of the sounds, but several thick old banyan trees blocked his view of the playground.

He blinked and turned to look at Fan Ding, who was just as dumbfounded.

"Any idea what's going on?"