Sudden Outbreak

In class, Xiao Xiao was a little distracted. Thinking back, he found it hard to believe he'd chatted with Ling Yao for an entire afternoon yesterday. If he hadn't been so hungry and it hadn't gotten late, he really would have been reluctant to leave.

Last night, perhaps because a monster was nearby, the Xiangshan sunset, which he had seen many times before, was exceptionally breathtaking.

The sky was filled with red clouds, and the Xiangshan mountains were layered with red maple leaves. Sky and earth blended into one, the boundary between them blurred. The world's grandeur and beauty, with a real monster by his side, felt even more mysterious and illusory.

Because of this haze, he couldn't help but become more captivated and entranced, feeling so dizzy he almost lost his way home.

The atmosphere of the university was always relaxed and pleasant. The daylight outside the window was just right. Xiao Xiao sat by the window. From a height of five stories, he could still smell the faint scent of grass and trees carried on the breeze – clean, with a slight astringency, and a lingering sweet aftertaste.

Huh? Xiao Xiao immediately straightened his somewhat lazy and slumped posture, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at the figure running on the pebble path below. He watched it run onto the wooden bridge until it disappeared among the sheltering trees.

Ear Mouse?!

Xiao Xiao slowly relaxed his tense body. It had been quite some time since he'd seen it. He had thought this little monster had already left the school.

He didn't expect to see it again.

What a surprise.

But, other than that, it seemed like nothing else.

Now, for him, seeing a monster no longer caused the same great surprise as it did at first.

Perhaps, before long, he would be able to see a monster appear suddenly and remain completely unfazed and composed.

"Ah~" A sudden scream, like a sharp blade, cut through everyone's eardrums, piercing directly into the brain's central nervous system. Everyone couldn't help but jolt.

The dull, quiet classroom froze for a moment before immediately erupting.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"Holy shit, you scared me to death!"

"What happened?"

"Zhenzhen, your face!" The sharp, high-pitched female voice continued, her emotions conveying utter horror, as if something unacceptable had happened.

"My face, what's wrong?" The girl called Zhenzhen was confused by her friend's fright and a little startled by her friend's extreme reaction. She stood there stunned, her face full of bewilderment and helplessness, her mind racing with a single thought: Did my mask fall off?

Her mind was still fuzzy, but her hand had already instinctively reached for her face.

The mask was still there.

Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief. After all, her face really wasn't looking good right now, and she couldn't let it show.

But, since the mask was still on, Zhenzhen looked at her friend with some confusion. What was she calling about?

Just as she was full of doubts, "It's so itchy, why is it suddenly so itchy?"

The sudden itchiness on her face made the fear that had been subtly growing in her heart due to her friend's terrified expression erupt uncontrollably. The panic within her quickly sprouted and grew, her hands trembling violently, beyond her control.

She ripped off the mask.

"What is this?!" Zhenzhen's hands finally touched her face at close range. The sensation under her fingertips was not the expected smooth and delicate skin with slight bumps, but patches of granular bumps.

In that instant, she had a vague guess about her friend's scream. She couldn't believe it. No, this wasn't real.

Her voice was weak and flustered, trembling uncontrollably.

She refused to give up. Even though her hands were shaking badly, she still desperately rubbed her face haphazardly. But the bumps, the bumps, they were everywhere!

"Why are there so many? What's going on?" Zhenzhen frantically felt her face, the sensation making her despair.

And her face was getting itchier and itchier. "So itchy, so itchy..." Her voice, tinged with tears, revealed obvious hysteria and madness.

She couldn't control the force of her hands. No, how could her face have become like this?

"Zhenzhen, stop scratching... gag!"

Lin Zhenzhen was a delicate girl, possessing the gentle aura characteristic of someone from Jiangnan.

A few days ago, Lin Zhenzhen's fair face suddenly broke out with a few small bumps. They weren't very noticeable, and she didn't pay much attention to them. After all, girls sometimes get breakouts due to internal heat, lack of sleep, or various other reasons. She had experienced similar things before, and they usually cleared up in a few days.

However, this time was different.

Not only did these bumps not fade, but they multiplied, and their shape began to change. Unlike the usual red bumps, these were purple. The deep purple made Lin Zhenzhen's complexion look quite terrifying.

Lin Zhenzhen started to panic, fearing something was seriously wrong with her face. She immediately went to the hospital and after a series of tests, it was determined that she had likely been bitten by some kind of insect. The doctor prescribed a bunch of ointments and told her to apply them three times a day.

With the medicine, Lin Zhenzhen felt reassured.

And whether it was a psychological effect or the medicine was truly effective, Lin Zhenzhen thought her face looked a bit better. Only a few small bumps remained.

So, after taking a few days off, she came to class wearing a mask.

Who would have thought...

"Mirror, mirror, I want a mirror!" Lin Zhenzhen's voice was taut, like a string about to snap, dry and hoarse. She felt a sense of weightlessness, as if suspended in mid-air. All sorts of negative emotions were rushing in, devouring everything within her.

She suppressed it with all her might, holding on.

A mirror, she needed a mirror!

At this point, class was obviously impossible. All the classmates crowded around. The girls shrieked, and the boys looked away, unable to bear the sight.

Even the teacher came down from the podium.

Lin Zhenzhen took the mirror someone handed her.

The next second, "crack," the mirror fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Lin Zhenzhen covered her face with both hands, burying her head deeply, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Even for just a moment, she had seen herself in the mirror.

It was a horrifying sight!

Her face was covered in purple bumps, and with her previous scratching, yellow pus was flowing out.

It couldn't have been more disgusting!

A sob escaped her lips, and Lin Zhenzhen finally broke down into wailing tears.

Her face! Her face!

What should she do? How could she do this?!

She was terrified and utterly helpless!

"Alright, everyone disperse, don't crowd around here. You two, quickly take her to the school infirmary." The teacher was, after all, more composed. Even though he had been startled, he quickly regained his senses and unhesitatingly pointed to two students, telling them to hurry and take Lin Zhenzhen to the school infirmary.

Lin Zhenzhen kept her hands tightly covering her face as she was led away.

The remaining classmates still had looks of lingering shock, even disgust, on their faces.

For a moment, the classroom fell into silence.

A few minutes later, hushed conversations gradually began.

"Oh my god, what happened?"

"That's terrifying!"

"Will her face get better?"

"It's worse than being disfigured!"