.(I hadn't planned to continue writing a prequel so soon, but I suddenly realized I'd reached 700,000 words, so I'm commemorating the milestone with a long chapter.
Feisu Chinese Network)
(Actually, I'd hoped Ming Jian would be the protagonist with this experience, but he already had two special chapters, so I passed it on to Saint Gonglan. In my mind, this is exactly the kind of person Saint Gonglan is. If he'd met Ming Jian and the others a few years earlier, they would definitely have become close friends...)
(This story may be a little annoying. It'll be divided into two parts: reality and the experiential world. Reality is the real main plot, while the experiential world is a future created by Gonglan's special ability, one that only Gonglan himself knows about.)
(Think of it as a mystery game. After each chapter, you can try to guess who the target is...)
(What if you could see what would happen in the future, but could only see what would happen within thirty minutes of your current time layer...)
(This is only the beginning...)
At a Japanese-style academy, since it was Sunday, only the members of the various clubs remained on campus, still practicing. The top members in particular were more motivated than usual, with competitions just around the corner.
By evening, almost everyone had left the quiet campus. Even the old man who guarded the school gate had gone off somewhere to study.
Xia Hun was the only student who wasn't in a club but had stayed at school until then. At the teachers' request, he'd come in that day to investigate the training of each club. By the time he finished, it was already evening, and all he wanted now was a good meal.
Xia Hun stood at the school gate. He could only stand there, because if he took another step forward, he would run straight into a wall...
"What the hell? This isn't a dream!"
"Damn it, I really can't get out! What's going on?"
Xia Hun tried everything he could think of, but nothing worked. It seemed he was trapped inside the school.
He looked at the unchanging campus.
"Human, you have no choice now but to accept the fate arranged for you!" The sudden voice startled Xia Hun badly.
Xia Hun quickly looked around. The school was still just the school; nothing unusual had appeared. It was as if the voice had never spoken.
"I am a member of a race from another world. Using your human naming conventions, I should be called Qinuomen. I have appeared here for one reason only: to change the future of this world. And you are one of the chosen. If you succeed, you will become a Saint. But if you fail, your opponent will replace you and become Source Evil. With the power you possess, surely you don't doubt what's happening before your eyes? You can see the future, so you should have believed this could happen from the very beginning, shouldn't you?"
"Humans love games more than anything. Now you're playing one that can change the fate of both you and the world. There are sixteen people here on campus, including you. Your opponent is one of them. You have to find them. When the time comes, simply choose the person you're certain about in your mind."
"You only get two chances. If you choose wrong both times, your game is over."
"You have only three days for this game: exactly seventy-two hours. If you haven't found your target by then, the game ends just the same."
"Of those sixteen people, you're the only one who can't die. No matter how badly you're injured, you'll survive. You can recover in just a few minutes. But the others can die. If everyone except you and your target is dead by the end of the three days, you'll still have failed."
"Do you understand, human?"
"The game begins in an hour. Think carefully. I believe you'll enjoy it!"
"Also, if you kill the target with your own hands, you'll still win."
"You mustn't tell anyone this information. If you do, you'll fail all the same."
"Think carefully, then act. Victory lies in your future..."
"What I've said is an absolute rule. You can judge and decide everything else for yourself."
Xia Hun remained silent. Since the other party had explained its purpose, there was no need to waste any more time. The power he possessed was the ability to sense the future, but it came with serious limitations.
Xia Hun could sense only one of the possible paths he chose, and time in reality continued to pass while he did so. Three minutes in reality equaled thirty minutes in the experiential world. Thirty minutes was the maximum extent of his foresight, though under certain circumstances, it was a very convenient ability...
Xia Hun looked at the school gate and closed his eyes.
Experiential world: "Xia Hun went from the school gate to the gymnasium. He didn't encounter any other students on the way, and there was no one inside the gymnasium either. One minute passed."
Experiential world: "Xia Hun went from the school gate to the First Teaching Building. Again, he met no other students on the way. He searched the building, checking every classroom and office, and eventually found Ying Kong, president of the Astronomy Club, on the roof. A little over two minutes passed."
Experiential world: "Xia Hun headed for the Second Teaching Building. At the cafeteria entrance, he saw Qing Sheng, a key member of the track team, heading toward the gymnasium. He searched the Second Teaching Building the same way as before. In an office on the fourth floor, he found a female teacher, Qiu Honghui, berating Zhu Xiaohua, president of the swimming club. Then, in the chemistry lab on the sixth floor, he stumbled upon the twin sisters Fu Ziqi and Fu Ziyou making out. Three minutes passed."
Experiential world: "Xia Hun went to the garden. He found Qiu Dinghong practicing at the swimming pool, came across Ming Nan, president of the art club, spacing out on the garden path, and spotted She Zhongtian, president of the literature club, making out with Yang Sisi, his vice president, in the garden. Two minutes passed."
Reality: "Eight minutes passed."
Xia Hun drew a sharp breath. Only eight minutes had passed in reality, but he'd experienced more than an hour. Fortunately, he'd confirmed where the other students were. Now he needed to gather them all. It wouldn't do to let them die without knowing why...
Xia Hun organized the information he had on the nine students.
"Ying Kong, female, president of the literature club, a model student with no disciplinary record. A little quiet and timid, she was often bullied by others."
"Qing Sheng, male, one of the track team's key members. Lively and attractive, he was definitely the object of many girls' affection. He had no disciplinary record at school."
"Zhu Xiaohua, female, president of the swimming club and a super athlete. She'd won the national freestyle championship twice in a row and had no disciplinary record at school."
"Qiu Honghui, female, widely regarded as one of the school's worst teachers. She often bullied students, especially Zhu Xiaohua. She'd reprimanded Zhu Xiaohua maliciously several times in an attempt to make her niece, Qiu Dinghong, president of the swimming club."
"Fu Ziqi and Fu Ziyou, female twins, known throughout the school as lesbians. They looked down on almost all men, as they came from wealthy families and were exceptional themselves. Their powerful family background and excellent grades meant the teachers could only turn a blind eye."
"Qiu Dinghong, female, Qiu Honghui's niece and one of the swimming club's key members. Since Zhu Xiaohua always beat her, she'd already been on the verge of a breakdown for a long time."
"Ming Nan, male, president of the art club. He had excellent grades and a sharp mind; apart from his physical stamina, he was a perfect human being who deserved a hundred in every category."
"She Zhongtian, male, president of the literature club. He ranked first in the whole school every time, and with his wealthy family, handsome looks, and elegant manner, he was every boy's acknowledged romantic rival. He had no disciplinary record."
"Yang Sisi, female, vice president of the literature club. She had excellent grades and came from a very poor family, but the club president, She Zhongtian, had always looked after her. She was plain-looking and unremarkable in every other way, with no disciplinary record."
Everyone was doing something completely unrelated to everyone else. On the surface, none of them seemed to be the target mentioned by that voice. It looked like he'd have to investigate further.
Before you continue