Shrek Eleven Monsters

Flender stood on the high platform, hands on his hips as his gaze swept over the sea of heads below.

The entire academy's teachers and students had gathered. The Shrek Seven Devils stood in front, the other students behind them, and the teachers on either side. Even the cafeteria ladies had squeezed into the doorway, ladles in hand, to watch the commotion.

Flender cleared his throat. His voice, amplified by Soul Power, rang across the entire plaza. "After a month of observation and assessment, I've made the following decision regarding whether our four visitors from the heavens will stay or go."

He paused, then raised his voice. "Han Li, Xiao Yan, Shi Hao, and Wang Lin are officially joining Shrek Academy as special extracurricular students."

The entire academy erupted.

Dai Mubai was the first to step forward. He strode out of the crowd, his face saying, Dean, have you lost your mind? "Dean! They're so weird!"

Flender glanced at him, expressionless. "Weird or not, we're keeping them."

Dai Mubai grew anxious. "Why?"

Instead of answering directly, Flender pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and read aloud, "Han Li sold the pills he refined to a pharmacy and earned ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. Xiao Yan burned down the training ground, and rebuilding it cost five thousand Gold Soul Coins. Shi Hao smashed a mountain, and the compensation came to three thousand Gold Soul Coins. Wang Lin scared two students unconscious, and their medical bills came to five hundred Gold Soul Coins."

When he finished, he put the paper away and looked at Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai froze. The Seven Devils exchanged glances, and Oscar asked cautiously, "So... they're here to spend money?"

Flender's lips curled into a faint smile, his expression saying, You're all too young. "Han Li earned ten thousand from the pills. Xiao Yan paid for the training ground himself—he has savings, I checked. Shi Hao earned the money to pay for the mountain by working. He spent a month hauling bricks in Suotuo City. Wang Lin paid the medical bills himself. So, all things considered, the academy came out ahead."

He counted on his fingers as he worked out the numbers. "Han Li supplies the pharmacy, and from now on he'll get a cut of at least five thousand Gold Soul Coins a month. Xiao Yan may have burned down the training ground, but he promised to help the academy rebuild it. His Heavenly Flames can fire special heat-resistant bricks, sturdier than the ones you can buy outside. Shi Hao may have smashed a mountain, but the villagers said they'd already wanted to level that land to build houses. He saved them the demolition costs. Wang Lin may have scared two students unconscious, but ever since then, those two have paid such close attention in class that they're never late or leave early."

The Seven Devils were utterly speechless.

Flender clapped his hands to quiet everyone. When the commotion gradually died down, he dropped another bombshell. "Also, I've put them together in a team: the Four Monsters Team."

The chicken leg fell from Ma Hongjun's mouth. "Four Monsters? What about the Shrek Seven Devils?"

Flender folded his arms, his tone flat. "From now on, Shrek Academy has two representative teams: the Shrek Seven Devils and... the Four Monsters."

Oscar raised his hand, his expression complicated. "Dean, that name is way too half-hearted, isn't it?"

Flender nodded toward the four standing together. "They came up with it themselves."

Everyone turned to look at the four.

Flender clapped his hands again. "Also, in the future, the Seven Devils and the Four Monsters may have to work together on team missions, so you'll need to get to know each other."

Dai Mubai's expression was beyond ugly. He looked as if he'd swallowed a live fly, and his words came through gritted teeth. "Work with them?"

The four's responses were a disaster. Shi Hao was the first to raise his hand, his voice booming like a battle cry. "I agree!"

Xiao Yan spoke second, not even turning his head. His tone was stiff. "No."

Han Li went third. He glanced at Dai Mubai and said two words. "Depends on him."

Wang Lin went last. With his eyes closed, he spoke in a detached tone, as if discussing someone else's affairs. "This Venerable One has no objection."

Flender stood on the platform, watching the four give their wildly inconsistent answers, and couldn't help but hold his forehead.

He took a deep breath and said in a tone that said I've given up trying to fix this, "Forget it. Work things out among yourselves."

In the end, the eleven stood in a line. The Shrek Seven Devils were on the left, the four oddballs on the right, with enough space between them for one person.

Flender looked at the eleven and took a deep breath. "From now on, you are..."

Dai Mubai shouted over him. "The Shrek Seven Devils!"

Shi Hao immediately shouted after him. "The Four Monsters!"

They spoke at the same time, neither yielding to the other.

Flender waited a moment. Seeing that neither of them showed any sign of stopping, he sighed and made the final call. "Then... the Shrek Eleven Monsters it is."

Tang San raised a hand from the group, his reluctance written all over his face. "Dean, 'Eleven Monsters' sounds awful..."

Flender pulled a camera from his pocket, an old-fashioned Soul Guidance Camera he'd gotten from who knew where. It needed Soul Power to take pictures.

Flender handed the camera to Yu Xiaogang, then stood beside the group and called out, "Look at the camera and smile."

Click. After the photograph had been developed, Flender held it in his hands and stared at it for a long time! The Seven Devils looked normal. Dai Mubai wore a generous smile, Oscar grinned good-naturedly, Ma Hongjun looked delighted, Ning Rongrong smiled sweetly, Zhu Zhuqing wasn't smiling but at least her expression was normal, and Xiao Wu's eyes curved into crescents.

The four oddballs' expressions could only be described as "distinctive." Han Li was expressionless, his eyes looking somewhere no one could tell, and his whole being radiated, "I have nothing to do with this photograph."

Xiao Yan held his chin higher than the sky, a trace of haughty disdain at the corner of his mouth, as if to say, "I can't be bothered to take a picture with you lot."

Shi Hao grinned foolishly, squeezing his face so hard it was almost deformed. He looked like a complete idiot.

The corner of Wang Lin's mouth lifted slightly into a textbook cold smile.

Flender turned the photograph over and wrote a line on the back. When he finished, he shook his head and sighed. Standing behind him, Yu Xiaogang saw what he'd written: "This is probably the worst decision of my career at the academy."

He thought for a moment, took the pen, and added a line underneath: "And a group of four that even I, the Grandmaster of theory, cannot explain."

Xiao Wu poked her head out between the two of them, glanced at the photograph and then at the two lines, and said with a smile, "But it's definitely going to be fun."

Flender and Yu Xiaogang looked at Xiao Wu at the same time, sighed at the same time, and said together, "It'll definitely be fun."

Xiao Wu blinked. She didn't understand, but she figured it would be fun either way.

That evening, at a tavern in Suotuo City.

The Eleven Monsters had gathered to celebrate the formation of their team.

Dai Mubai was paying. As the leader of the Shrek Seven Devils, he felt it was only right to show his support.

The tavern was small, and the eleven sat at two tables.

The Seven Devils shared one table, and the four sat at another.

The Seven Devils' table was as lively as New Year's. Oscar and Ma Hongjun competed in drinking, Ning Rongrong egged them on, Xiao Wu slapped the table and laughed, and Dai Mubai had been forced to down so many cups that his face was red.

The four's table was as quiet as a funeral hall. Xiao Yan sat by the window, twirling a wine cup in his hand without drinking. Shi Hao faced a table full of dishes and devoured food enough for five. Wang Lin had his eyes closed, whether meditating or sleeping, no one could tell. Han Li ate a plate of greens slowly and methodically.

Xiao Yan gazed out at Suotuo City at night, its streets bright with lights and bustling with traffic. This place was unlike any world he'd ever visited. There was no Dou Qi, no Heavenly Flames, no pills, none of the things he knew.

But there was fire-attribute Soul Power. Though it was a lower-level power than Dou Qi, it was enough to slowly restore his Heavenly Flames. There were also opponents worthy of being taken seriously, and the three other oddballs who had fallen from the sky just like him. They were annoying as hell, but at least they weren't weak. Xiao Yan took a sip of wine and murmured, "Douluo Continent... isn't so bad."

With his mouth full of meat, Shi Hao mumbled, "I'm going to fight my way to the top here!" Then he buried his head in his food again.

Wang Lin opened his eyes. The tavern's wavering lamplight was reflected in his gray-white eyes. "This Venerable One will uncover the secrets of reincarnation here."

After the three had spoken, they all looked at Han Li. Han Li put down his chopsticks and sat in silence for a long time—long enough that Xiao Yan thought he hadn't heard and was about to repeat himself. Then Han Li spoke. His voice was calm, but there was a rare seriousness in his eyes. "I'm going to find a way home, and then..."

The three of them watched him. "And then?"

The corner of Han Li's mouth lifted slightly. It was a rare expression, almost something one could call a smile. "And then I'll beat up you three who got back before me."

Silence fell. Then Xiao Yan laughed and thumped his cup down on the table. "Hmph. We'll see who beats up whom."

Shi Hao's eyes shone like lamps, and his fists were already clenched. "I want to fight you!"

Wang Lin's lips curved into a half-smile. "This Venerable One can watch."

For once, the four laughed together. They still couldn't stand one another, and none of them would yield to anyone. They still called each other "ugly freak," "weakling," "lunatic," and "sissy" every day, but somehow, things had started to feel a little different.

Perhaps it was because none of them belonged in this world. Or perhaps it was simply because they were all so strong that only they could understand one another.

Whatever the reason, they'd realized one thing: in this unfamiliar world, these four were the only people who could understand what the others were saying.

Tang San came over from the Seven Devils' table with a cup of wine in his hand. His face was a little red, though it was hard to tell whether he'd been drinking or was nervous.

He stopped in front of the four's table and raised his cup. "You four, let me offer you a toast. Welcome to—"

Four pairs of chopsticks stopped at the same time. Four mouths opened at the same time and let out the same word. "Get lost."

Tang San stood there with his wine cup in hand, his smile frozen on his face and his arm hanging in midair like a statue. Xiao Wu ran over from the Seven Devils' table, snatched the cup from Tang San's hand, and spoke with the exasperation of someone saying, I told you so. "Third Brother, you brought this on yourself."

Tang San's face went from red to white, then back to red. His eyes reddened as he looked at the four. His lips quivered, and just as the word "Resurrect" poked its head out of his throat, Xiao Wu brought her hand down with the cup. Half a cup of wine landed squarely in Tang San's face.

"Get a grip!" Xiao Wu scolded, hands on her hips, as the wine trickled down Tang San's face.

Tang San kept his eyes closed, wine smeared across his face and droplets clinging to his eyelashes. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Wu. He wiped the wine from his face and swallowed the six words "Resurrect, My Love" along with a mouthful of wine.

Seeing how pitiful and funny Tang San looked, Xiao Wu couldn't help laughing. She reached out to wipe the wine from his face and said with a smile, "Third Brother, let's go home."

Tang San nodded.

He turned and followed Xiao Wu away. After two steps, he looked back at the table of four. Xiao Yan was drinking in silence, Shi Hao was gnawing on bones, Wang Lin had his eyes closed, and Han Li was eating greens. Not one of them looked his way. Tang San turned his gaze forward and left.

The tavern was bright with lamplight! At the four's table, Xiao Yan set down his cup and called out, "Boss, another pot!"

Shi Hao lifted his head from the pile of bones. "I want one too!"

Wang Lin opened his eyes and added calmly, "This Venerable One wants tea."

Han Li picked up a bite of greens and said expressionlessly, "And a plate of peanuts."

And the story of the Shrek Eleven Monsters had only just begun.