The remains of the [Whale of Wailing]

Ye Buyu stared at the basketball hoop in the middle of the grounds with wide, ruby-red eyes, her expression impossible to describe.

She simply couldn't connect this thing to a Headless Corpse.

A group of onlookers weighed in. "Hiss... even Mu Bingge can't drive off the Headless Corpse? Looks like we'll have to kill it."

"Maybe what happened earlier was just a fluke?"

Ye Buyu silently raised her wrist and tapped away at her communicator.

She switched on its built-in flashlight, changed the light to green, and narrowed the beam into a line aimed at a certain part of the Headless Corpse.

"Mu, throw the head at this spot. Don't use too much force. Just throw it normally."

Mu Bingge nodded, wrapped the head in water vapor, and gently tossed it toward the Headless Corpse.

Everyone's eyes followed the head. "Ooh-"

As it sailed cleanly through the hoop, Ye Buyu clenched her fist. "Nice! It went in!"

The others were baffled. "But why does the Headless Corpse look even more frenzied?"

"Huh?" Ye Buyu looked at them innocently. "Isn't it jumping for joy?"

After a long silence, the crowd said, "...What?"

Which eye of yours saw it jumping for joy?

Ye Buyu: Both of them!

"Mu, come back! Don't kill it. Let's observe it first!" an upperclasswoman called.

Mu Bingge dispersed the water blade forming in her hand and put some distance between herself and the Headless Corpse. Her solemn gaze froze when she saw it run away.

Realization dawned on the upperclassmen. "So it really does run away."

They had always killed them outright before. They hadn't expected there to be a way to make them retreat.

This was also Mu Bingge's first time driving away a Calamity without fighting. She looked at Ye Buyu with mixed feelings. As expected, anyone admitted through special recruitment was no ordinary student.

On the surface, she didn't seem particularly capable, yet she could take an unconventional approach and find another way to deal with Calamities.

A crowd surrounded Ye Buyu, studying her curiously.

"Uh... hi, everyone."

Under all those stares, Ye Buyu broke into a sweat. Like a timid little cat surrounded by people, she instinctively backed up a few steps.

The upperclassmen flashed radiant smiles.

"Don't be scared. From what you just said, it sounds like you're seeing something different from us. We're just curious. What exactly did you see?"

"A basketball hoop..." Ye Buyu replied stiffly.

The whole group slowly fell apart. What the heck? Had they all misheard her? What possible connection was there between a Headless Corpse and a basketball hoop?

Was something wrong with this freshman's eyes? Or was this some unusual ability?

Just as they were about to ask more, Mu Bingge reached out, grabbed Ye Buyu's arm, and abruptly dashed out of the crowd, running off in another direction.

"Hey, wait! Don't run, freshman! We still have questions!"

"Don't leave yet! Tell us your secret. Is there a special way to pinpoint the spot?"

"Don't go! I still want to know what other Calamities look like to you!"

Watching the dust they kicked up merge into a cloud that pursued them relentlessly, Ye Buyu felt her scalp prickle.

"Have these upperclassmen gone mad? It's just a basketball hoop. Is all this really necessary?"

Mu Bingge remained unruffled as she pulled Ye Buyu along. She calmly glanced behind her, then led Ye Buyu through a series of twists and turns to evade the crazed army of upperclassmen.

When Mu Bingge finally stopped, Ye Buyu panted heavily and crouched down against a wall.

"Are we safe?"

"Yes, for now. They don't have that much time to spend looking for us. They'll leave soon."

Ye Buyu raised her face, flushed from the intense exercise. "Why are they so curious? Doesn't curiosity kill the cat? Is this really a good idea?"

Mu Bingge lowered her gaze to her. "The Calamities inside Four Symbols Academy are used for experiments and research. You've introduced a new way to deal with them, so naturally everyone's curious.

"Doing that outside would be suicide. They're not stupid."

Got it. It's the difference between laboratory research and clinical practice. In a lab, you can freely discuss ideas, make hypotheses, then conduct research and dig until you get to the bottom of things.

But you can't just prescribe whatever you like in clinical practice.

"That's a relief. I thought Great Xia's elite had all gone mad. Luckily, they're only mad in certain areas."

Ye Buyu let out a relieved breath, only to hear Mu Bingge suddenly ask,

"What ability did you awaken?"

"[Life Breath]." Ye Buyu gave a bitter laugh. "You might not believe me, but I only awakened two days ago. I still don't know how to use my ability."

Mu Bingge suddenly understood why the Principal had instructed her to take good care of Ye Buyu. She might have a special ability, but right now, she really was hopelessly inexperienced.

"Before you go to a teacher for lessons, I'll help you understand your ability."

Ye Buyu instantly latched onto Mu Bingge's leg. "Thank you, mighty one!"

Unaccustomed to having someone so close, Mu Bingge stiffened. "Y-you need to let go first."

"Sure thing." Ye Buyu released her and stood properly, looking like a perfectly obedient child as she waited for Mu Bingge to teach her.

"Close your eyes. Focus. Feel the energy flowing through your body. Look. Listen..."

Ye Buyu closed her eyes. The voice beside her, clear as spring water, gradually faded. A whale's long, mournful cry sounded in the darkness of her vision. A speck of light burst like a star, turning into colorful little whales that circled her, crooning as they bumped against her fingertips.

Inside her consciousness space, Ye Buyu poked the dancing whale-shaped lights, a sense of foreboding rising within her.

"This can't be right. No matter how I look at it, my ability seems connected to the [Whale of Wailing]. Is this still [Life Breath]?"

"Who said your ability was ordinary [Life Breath]?"

The dancing little whales slowly gathered together, and a cryptic voice emerged. "Your ability isn't some simple healing type... Ack! What are you doing?!"

Just before the whale finished forming, Ye Buyu chopped down with the edge of her hand, interrupting its spell.

A blue-and-white whale glared at her. "Where are your manners? I hadn't finished speaking."

Ye Buyu delivered another hand chop, her voice trembling. "I'm attacking you, obviously! One look at you tells me you're not normal. Strike first or suffer later! Don't you understand?"

The whale re-formed and flicked its tail, binding Ye Buyu in place. Then it patted her cheek with a flipper.

"Calm down. I won't harm you. As part of the remains of a level-ten [Calamity], I'm not so lacking in dignity that I'd torment a child."

Part of the remains of a level-ten [Calamity]?!

Horror filled Ye Buyu's heart. Her palms grew clammy, and cold sweat seeped down her back. She wanted to wake up, but she couldn't move.

Little Whale continued on its own. "On the surface, your ability looks very similar to [Life Breath], but in reality, they're worlds apart.

"Put simply, healing-type abilities inject your own energy into a target's body to restore them, heal their injuries, and give them a new lease on life.

"After all, the material world operates on science and the conservation of energy.

"But you're different. Your healing has side effects. Like a relentless debt collector, whatever you give, you must get something back. In simple terms, it forcibly establishes a system of exchange.

"Do you understand?"