Back to School

Gu Jianlin felt the pale ghostfire burning over the five fingers of his right hand and fell into thought.

"The spiritual energy I consume is unchanged, but my supernatural abilities are twice as powerful. Is that because I'm both human and the possessor of an Ancient God's soul?"

"The benefits the Qilin brings probably don't stop there. I'm in my human form now, unlike when I was in the ancient tomb..."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. Besides advancing myself, I have to set aside half to feed the Black Kirin. What a pain."

He had no idea how many more resources it would burn through.

He was starting to get used to the Black Kirin's existence.

In fact, the Black Kirin was one with him.

It was a strange feeling, like another personality had split off inside him.

A personality as imposing and furious as a king.

Gu Jianlin was certain it had no effect on him personally.

When he used profiling before, he could see parts of other people's lives and experience them as if he were there.

The more he saw, the more he understood.

What was that saying? The more people understood, the less happy they became.

It did weigh on his mental state to some extent.

Fortunately, he was rather detached by nature and wasn't easily swayed by his emotions, so he could regulate himself.

In the end, it had only made him quieter and quieter, and made it harder for him to find joy.

In other words, he was prone to depression.

When his father first taught him profiling, he had warned him not to overdo it.

But whether in the ancient tomb or beneath the overpass, whenever the Black Kirin in his consciousness awoke, it felt as if he had a split personality.

"Li Changzhi took me away because he wanted to get Old Gu's belongings from me. But my father left me nothing while he was alive, except for that mysterious Kirin Mask. It turned me into what I am now."

Gu Jianlin thought his guess was absurd, but it wasn't without reason.

Now, whenever he used profiling on himself, he could usually see two forms.

One was the Divine Priest.

The other was the Black Kirin.

The Black Kirin had been nourished by spiritual energy, and its condition had improved considerably.

"If I run into danger, I wonder if I can make those strange sounds again, like I did in the ancient tomb..."

As long as he could use that power again, this assessment mission would be a sure thing. He could eliminate the Fallen and stay safe.

He extinguished the ghostfire in his right hand and put on the Deep Sky Network test wristband.

The black wristband lit up green. It beeped twice, then spoke in a humanlike mechanical voice.

"Rank: Tier 0! Spiritual energy accumulation: 25%!"

Gu Jianlin thought, as expected. He had received three Spirit Potions at once because he was an independent Ascender and had killed a Tier 1 Fallen. Under normal circumstances, they would have been enough for someone to complete half of their current accumulation.

An ordinary newcomer would get one bottle at most.

But because of the Black Kirin, he had used three full bottles and completed only a quarter of his spiritual energy accumulation.

The road ahead was long.

Gu Jianlin pulled the safe out from under his bed. It was surprisingly high-tech, with an iris scanner.

"Reserve investigator, Gu Jianlin."

"Welcome to Deep Sky Technology!"

The safe opened automatically, revealing a golden Desert Eagle inside.

It came with a full hundred bullets, gleaming like gold.

"The Desert Eagle. A cliché in novels and movies, but..."

Gu Jianlin picked up the Desert Eagle and carefully examined the patterns on its barrel.

He could almost see the blazing flames, the molten iron, and the intricate, arcane patterns. He could even hear the roar of machinery.

This had been mass-produced, but the craftsmanship wasn't simple.

Alchemy!

Gu Jianlin was still a newcomer and knew nothing about alchemy.

But from what he had learned on the Deep Sky Network, the equipment most commonly used by Ascenders was Alchemy Armament.

Without exception, it was all made through alchemy.

As for the higher-tier Mythic Armament, that was something one could only hope to encounter.

Gu Jianlin took the Desert Eagle and a box of bullets, grabbed a fresh change of clothes, and slipped into the bathroom.

He showered, changed into a loose white T-shirt, fastened his belt, and put on his jeans.

Gu Jianlin removed the magazine from the Desert Eagle and loaded the bullets one by one before putting it back in.

There were seven bullets in the magazine.

He put the rest of the box in his pocket.

Finally, he tucked the Desert Eagle into his waistband and covered it with the hem of his shirt.

If he put on his school uniform too, there'd be no way to tell.

He felt much safer.

He stood in front of the mirror and brushed his bangs down over his forehead.

Without the bandages and gauze, his mother wouldn't notice he was injured.

It would also help him keep it from Youzhu.

Gu Jianlin returned to his room, put the empty vials into the delivery box, and planned to throw it out.

But to be safe, he grabbed a lighter, went up to the rooftop, and burned them.

That way, there wouldn't be any trace left.

By the time he finished, it was five thirty in the afternoon. It was back-to-school day, and he had to return to school soon.

As dusk fell, Su Youzhu came out in her school uniform, her makeup already done.

As soon as she stepped out, she peered into the next room, looking around.

She surveyed the clean, tidy bedroom, which didn't smell at all, and especially the empty trash can. She fell into thought. "You cleaned up pretty well."

Gu Jianlin was sitting at his desk, browsing the Deep Sky Network. He looked at her blankly. "What?"

Su Youzhu didn't answer. She glanced around expressionlessly, then asked curiously, "Where did you hide it?"

"Huh?"

Gu Jianlin was full of question marks.

About five minutes later, the door lock turned. It was probably his mother and Uncle Su returning.

Gu Jianlin and Su Youzhu exchanged a glance and slipped into a state of readiness in perfect sync.

The door opened, and the couple came in carrying bags upon bags, most of them local specialties from their hometown in Jiaoxi.

His mother was forty-two that year, but looked closer to her thirties. She dressed fashionably and was a beautiful middle-aged woman.

She now ran a nail salon and made good money.

Uncle Su was a manager at a foreign company. He had apparently served in the military when he was younger, and he was meticulous and serious.

He was very fond of Gu Jianlin.

After all, Gu Jianlin got good grades, had no bad habits, kept a regular routine, and even worked part-time to support himself.

Uncle Su, a former soldier, seemed to see his younger self in the boy.

The sisters, on the other hand, were different. Both were troublemakers, and apparently they had been in for plenty of beatings over the years.

"Xiaolin, Zhuzhu! Come out, come out. We brought you some food from home. Remember to take it back to school. You'll be there all week again, and the food in your school cafeteria is so bad even dogs turn their noses up at it." His mother came in, hands on her hips, and called out.

Uncle Su went straight into the kitchen. When he came back out, he was holding a broom.

"Youzhu, come here! Bring me your homework so I can look it over."

Su Youzhu obediently took out her homework and brought it to the living room.

Gu Jianlin followed behind her and glanced at the broom in Uncle Su's hand, clicking his tongue to himself.

"Mm."

Uncle Su checked the homework, looking pleased. He turned to ask, "Xiaolin, she didn't copy yours, did she? I'm telling you, she's your sister, but not your real sister, so you can't spoil her too much."

Just then, Gu Jianlin noticed the girl's gaze beside him and hurriedly said, "Calling it copying would be unfair to her. She's been working hard lately. I watched her do every problem herself."

Su Youzhu remained expressionless, but she visibly relaxed.

At that moment, his mother smiled as she pulled a rolling pin from nearby and set it on the table.

Gu Jianlin shuddered.

"Zhuzhu, tell me. Your brother hasn't been wandering around these past few days, has he?"

His mother narrowed her eyes, but her gaze was dangerous.

Su Youzhu glanced at her brother and replied calmly, "No. He's been helping me with my homework."

His mother and Uncle Su nodded in satisfaction, feeling their parenting had paid off.

"Good, good. Off to school with you."

His mother hefted the rolling pin as she gave the order.

Gu Jianlin: "Ah, all right, all right. Yes, yes, yes."

"Youzhu, your brother just recovered from his injury. Take good care of him, and study hard at school. No slacking off."

Uncle Su said sternly, "Or I'll break your legs."

Su Youzhu: "Ah, yes, yes, yes. Right, right, right."

·

·

The taxi drove along the overpass, stuck in a surging stream of traffic.

Gu Jianlin sat in the back seat, gazing out at the coastline beneath the night sky.

On his phone screen was Joker's personal information.

"Name: John Berger."

"Rank: Tier 1 Fallen, Magician Path."

"Identity: Forty-six-year-old Hispanic male. His parents died when he was young, and he grew up in an orphanage. After being identified as an Ascender, he attended Missours University, where he earned dual master's degrees in philosophy and ancient engineering. Six months ago, he joined the Kirin Immortal Palace Project as a dimension inspector."

"Four months ago, his mind was corrupted. He killed two colleagues, then became involved in the Blood Moon Massacre. He was gravely wounded by the rampaging Gu Ci'an and fled the scene. That same night, he used his identity privileges to steal two Mythic Armaments that had not yet been delivered to storage. He later killed fifty-seven people and remains at large!"

"Judging by the effects of his Mythic Armaments, he may have some form of concealment or disguise ability. At present, no known method or ability can accurately locate him."

"Note: He may possess the ability to undergo genetic mutation. Exercise extreme caution."

Most important of all were the Magician's supernatural abilities!

Danger Premonition.

Card Blade.

Hypnosis.

Teleportation.

Death Illusion.

These were all the abilities of the Magician Path's first three stages.

The Deep Sky Network had published them long ago.

Since Joker had become a Fallen four months ago, he had probably advanced by now.

His combat strength could vary, but most likely wouldn't exceed Tier 3.

Gu Jianlin had no idea how to deal with him, or where to find teammates for the mission.

Lu Zicheng hadn't told him much else.

Thinking of the girl's safety, Gu Jianlin decided he would stay with her.

That way, if something went wrong with the Ether Association and she was kidnapped to be used against him, he could prevent it.

Besides, as long as he stayed close to her, there'd be little reason for the enemy to target her.

After all, their target was him.

And they wanted to take whatever his father had left behind.

Su Youzhu eyed him suspiciously and murmured, "You're really pushing yourself. You even took off your bandages?"

Gu Jianlin coughed dryly. Fortunately, his bangs were long enough to cover his forehead, so you couldn't really see it.

"Should we stop by a pharmacy later and get some medicine to put on it?"

Su Youzhu asked seriously.

Gu Jianlin said, "No need. I bought some ahead of time. I'll take care of it when we get back."

Su Youzhu didn't say anything more and leaned against the car window, lost in thought.

Then her phone vibrated. A call came in from an unsaved number.

Thinking it was the delivery guy, she answered out of habit. "Hello?"

But Gu Jianlin heard a pleasant, slightly anxious woman's voice through the phone.

"You, Youzhu? How have you been lately? Mom really..."

The call abruptly cut off.

Su Youzhu hung up expressionlessly, then blocked the number.

Gu Jianlin's thoughts stirred. "Was that your biological mother?"

Su Youzhu glanced at him, her voice cool. "What biological mother? I only have one mom. She called the wrong number."

Gu Jianlin thought she was blatantly lying. How could someone who called the wrong number know her name?

But everyone had their own troubles.

He himself was the sort of person whose troubles were obvious at a glance.

He had no right to tell other people what to do.

It was the last day of the Qingming holiday, and the roads were bumper to bumper, hopelessly congested.

By the time they reached Fengcheng No. 2 High School, they were already fifteen minutes past the time they were supposed to be back.

Gu Jianlin and Su Youzhu hurriedly got out of the car with their luggage.

At Fengcheng No. 2 High School, classes were reshuffled every year. By their senior year, the two of them had ended up in the same class.

Their homeroom teacher, Old Wang, was the school's dean of discipline, known for his strictness.

He had a knack for War Roar that struck fear into the hearts of students across the city.

Anyone who fell into his clutches was simply out of luck.

By the time the siblings had put their luggage away in the dorm and hurried to the classroom building, everyone in their class had arrived.

But at the classroom door, the short, stout, balding figure who always flew into a rage was nowhere to be seen.

Neither was his War Roar.

Instead, an unfamiliar young man wearing glasses stood at the door, smiling at them.

"Late?"

The man adjusted his glasses and smiled. "I'm the new teacher, Mr. Lu. Your teacher, Mr. Wang, is on leave, so I'll be filling in for a few days. The young lady can go in first. You, young man, stay behind and tell me why you're late."

Su Youzhu froze. As a poor student with short, light-azure hair, she was the one who should have been singled out.

She turned and gave her brother a sympathetic look, then went into the classroom.

Gu Jianlin hesitated for a second. For some reason, the man's voice sounded familiar, so he studied him closely.

"Heh, you're pretty sharp."

The man tugged at his face and actually peeled off a piece of human skin, revealing half a familiar face.

"It's me, Lu Zicheng."

Gu Jianlin stared at him in shock. "Why is it you? What happened to Old Wang?"

"I'm here to carry out a mission at your school."

Lu Zicheng smiled. "As for your original homeroom teacher, he really is on leave."

Gu Jianlin frowned. "Really? That's way too much of a coincidence."

Lu Zicheng shrugged. "Of course I'm the one who told him to take leave. I had someone talk to the school and arranged a week of paid leave for him, with triple pay for the week. He agreed right away. Your homeroom teacher is an interesting guy. Before he left, he even said, 'Why not just let me eat shit? Otherwise, I won't feel right taking this money...'"